The new plan...

What happens when I eat what I want for ten days, you ask?  I gain six pounds!  WHAT?!  I realize most of that is water weight, but it is good reminder that I need to properly fuel my body.  Last year's 365 challenge was not just a fun challenge to do, it was a lifestyle change that I want to continue.  That being said, read below for what the next 365 days have in store for me.

Beginning on August 1, I am going to restart my 365 day challenge from last year.  We will call that 365 part one (I realize I am a nerd, there is no need to point it out).  365 part one is going to be coupled with a new, more restrictive plan.  365 part two is going to consist of the following:

• No gluten
• No dairy
• No sugar - this is where I am going to get more restrictive.  I've said many times that I have an issue with sugar.  During 365 part one, I allowed myself to eat dark chocolate, gluten free / dairy free baked goods, soy ice cream, vegan treats, and half sweet / half un-sweet iced tea.  Those items will not be allowed during 365 part two.  They were not supposed to be allowed during part one either, but I am weak.  
• No processed foods - I am not going to get crazy on this and say I won't eat anything that's processed.  I'm not a complete nut.  I am going to eat salsa and jarred tomato sauce.  Throw me off the island if you must.  I just don't want to eat products that have ingredients I cannot pronounce or recognize. 
• Portion size counts - I am going to be very conscience of portion size.  I don't need to eat as much as my husband, although that sounds like fun.  He outweighs me by forty pounds and trains like an athlete.  He needs to eat 4,000 calories a day (this may be a slight exaggeration), but I don't.      

I know what you're thinking, "What the heck are you going to eat?!" Whole foods.  No, not the store.  Fruits, vegetables, meat / protein, nuts, seeds, etc.  I will allow myself to keep my iced tea k-cups, because I am not a robot and let's be honest, I'm addicted.  I am also going to allow myself one cheat day per calendar month.  I think having one cheat day per calendar month will help me stay on track -- and somewhat sane.  Here we go again!

The aftermath...

In the aftermath of my 365 day challenge, I have eaten the following things:

An entire box of Kraft macaroni and cheese
A pint of Ben & Jerry's Red Velvet Cake ice cream
A blueberry muffin
Several homemade chocolate chip cookies
A pepperoni, mozzarella, and ricotta calzone
A Kit Kat bar
A large sweet tea
A Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich

I need to eat a Firehouse sub and some Five Guys and then I'm tapping out.   I may die if I continue eating this way for too long.  I feel terrible. Eating has turned into a horrible job that I dread.  Food doesn't even sound good; I'm just eating junk because I can.  My stomach is in a big knot, I'm exhausted, sleeping poorly, and foggy headed.  I did PR on a couple of workouts this week, but that's because I was blowing off some steam.  Today's workout was awful and left me nauseous for hours.

The bottom line is I need to go back on some type of program soon -- like in the next couple days.  I also may start a new challenge.  As soon as I decide exactly what I am going to do, you will be the first to know.  In the meantime, I will be eating myself sick.  I'm obviously a glutton for punishment (pun intended).

365 days down...

... zero to go!  It's been 365 days since I began this crazy challenge.  Can you believe it's been a year?  Can you believe that I made it a year?  My answers to those questions are no and no, just in case you were curious. When I started this challenge, my bity baby was seven months old.  He's now a 19-month old toddler.  Oh how time flies... excuse me while I wipe my tears.  

Anyway, here we are a year later.  Let's recap... I was not supposed to eat gluten, dairy, or large amounts of sugar during the past year.  I think I did quite well, only cheating eight times.  Eight times in 12 months is quite respectable as far as I am concerned.  I am shocked that my number of cheats was not higher.  I will admit that I ate more sugar on a day to day basis than I originally intended.  As I have admitted in the past, I have a small addiction to sugar.  This is something I am going to address in the next year, possibly in a new challenge.

As a reminder, this was me a year ago:

Height – 5’8”

Weight – 160 pounds

Body Fat Percentage – 27% *

Drumroll please....

These are my current stats:

Height – 5’8”

Weight – 145 pounds

Body Fat Percentage – 22% *

* As a reference point, 25% body fat is considered overweight and 30% body fat is considered obese.  The average woman's body fat is 33%, while the average man's is 22%.  

I am quite pleased with where I ended up!  I would have liked my body fat to be 20% or below, but I will take a 5% body fat loss and a 15 pound weight loss any day.  At the beginning of this challenge when I visualized myself on this day, I saw a lean, muscular woman.  I am not quite as lean or muscular as I had hoped, but I am getting there slowly.  I have learned throughout this process that body fat does not melt off quickly.  There are no tricks or magic pills.  Hard work and dedication are the only ways to get there.  I am patiently trying to reach my goals, and hope that one day I will be that lean and muscular woman.  In the meantime, does anyone know the phone number for Papa John's?

My unhealthy obsession with the scale...

I weigh myself obsessively every morning, letting the number the reads across the digital scale dictate my mood for the day.  I know it's just a number.  I know it's unhealthy and stupid and self-destructive, but I cannot stop myself.  However, over 4th of July weekend, something wonderful happened.  I didn't weigh myself... not one time.  This is mostly attributed to the fact that we were in Tennessee spending time with our wonderful family, but it is also because I made a conscience decision not to.  I sat around my mother-in-laws kitchen table and ate and laughed and felt loved.  I didn't count calories or enter my food consumption into the LoseIt program on my phone.  I just lived.  And had fun.  And cheated by eating cookies, brownies, rice crispy treats, and chips.  And when I weighed myself when I got home, I'd lost two pounds.  Lesson learned.        

Flashback...

Here's a blast from the past for you.  This is what I looked like my senior year in college.  If you can't find me, I am on the far left and am the only one wearing glasses.  Drinking, poor eating habits, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, and drinking (again) probably led to my physique.  I put this on here, because people often say, "It's different for you, you've been fit your whole life."  If the photo isn't proof enough let me reiterate, I have not been fit my whole life.  I actually didn't begin caring about exercise and nutrition until I met my husband at the end of 2002.  And, I still don't consider myself fit, but more on the path to fitness.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  Whether it's today or tomorrow or you started last week. Finding your path to a healthier lifestyle can only lead to a healthier you. Enjoy!      

I love this photo by the way.  Some of my best friends in the world are in it.