What I Eat In A Day

I've received questions about what I eat during this challenge. As I said in my "30 days of Paleo" entry, I make sure to change it up so that I don't get bored and dread what to eat.  I know what I was getting myself into. After reading Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution" he does a tremendous job getting to the nitty gritty of how certain foods affect your body and what kind of damage that some foods can potentially do from the inside out (such as quinoa, may be really good for you but it's really not... well only a sliver of it is good for you). I wanted to show you all what I've been eating in a day to keep me sated and NOT starved.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs w/ protein (chopped leftover burger, chicken, pork, handful of almonds etc)

Lunch: Spring mix salad w/ a plethora of fixings (sliced roasted beets, guacamole/avocado, boiled eggs, carrots, cucumbers, red bell pepper, some kind of protein, etc). I usually make my salads more and more interesting and colorful, might I add.

(Took this pic as I was eating it... I forgot to take it before I started eating. Whoopsies.) 

Snack: half an avocado (yummy good fats, good for skin and hair too!) and 2 boiled eggs.

Dinner: Sauteed kale and beet leaves, sauteed green beans with mushrooms, and grilled cod.

I don't weigh anything (maybe I should? buttttt I'm lazy...) The containers that I put my food in are actually a perfect size to hold whatever I'm going to eat. The portions are just right so when I finish my food I don't feel stuffed or gross after I eat. I'm very content and satisfied when I'm done eating.

Might I also add that all the veggies, (except for green beans), fruits, and eggs were purchased at the Alemany Farmers Market (Saturdays). This place is awesome except for people not realizing there is more parking in the back while they can afford to walk an extra 100 feet to the vendors. Perhaps the next entry will be on what Jon and I buy and how we spend a whole afternoon into the evening cooking, juicing, and preparing food for the week. Quite a system I tell ya.

I hope this helps those who are starting out and/or living a different kind of whole food lifestyle!

Hang in there! Stay strong, and take it a day at a time! <3

Day 10 of Progress

I've decided to snap photos of myself every 10 days throughout this lifestyle. Jonathan said he has last 5lbs since we started. I, for one, didn't weigh myself. My health and lifestyle isn't dictated by numbers, it's dictated by the way I feel, how my muscle tone is gradually emerging, and how my clothes fit. With that here is my picture from Day 1 (Sunday, 1/6/2013):

And Day 10, this morning (Tuesday, 1/15/2013) at 9am

Yeah, not a lot of changes, but it's very subtle. As the weeks progress we shall see how this lifestyle is helping me (or not?? who knows?)

I admit, I feel a little self-conscious putting these photos up every time... I do hope my transformation continues. To help with shedding more fat I am alternating my weeks of workout with lifting and HIIT. This week is HIIT. I haven't done these for a long time so I'm going to be "out of shape" for the first couple days. Next post will portray what I eat throughout one day to help others getting into this lifestyle too.

Work hard and don't give up! :)

30 Days of Paleo

I was going to upload this yesterday but I didn’t have enough time after I got off the train/forgot to do it. Anywho, yesterday was Day 5 of the Paleo 30 day challenge, so far so good, although cravings are hard to deter from. With the help of resources and Paleo friends Jonathan and I have been thinking and planning on what and where we can eat. We have decided to make Saturday as grocery days where we hit up the farmers market and Costco to purchase the things we need for the week. Then Sunday we spend half the day cooking up the veggies and meats to make our lives easier when planning our dinners and lunches. When we feel like eating out hot pot and Chipotle are ideal choices of eating oaut. Hot pot has no seasonings or greasy oils, just order as much meat and veggies while making sure the broth is plain. We’ve decided the clear broth as our weapon of choice. At Chipotle there has been a lot of praise (from Robb Wolf, and other hardcore Paleos) for their Paleo friendly menu.

Planning ahead of time is really key to this challenge (I sure as hell can’t afford to waste a lot of time in the morning). I work odd late hours along with my long commutes. So packing my meals the night before helps so much. I eat when I get on the train, then workout once I get to work.  I'll eat my dinner on the train ride home or in between basketball games. I can say that I do not feel starved without all the carbs. I have cut out whole wheat bread, brown rice, almond butter, dairy, salty foods, and dark chocolate. I will admit I have had some difficulty with cravings, yet Jonathan helps to remind me what we’re doing this for.

To be honest not having carbs is a little hard. I didn’t eat a lot of it, just a slice of toasted bread with almond butter in the morning and then brown rice at night. The killer is that I what I ate in between those times: snacking on unsalted pb filled nuggets and veggie root chips from Trader Joes, sweet potato chips, and the like. I mean, they don’t sound as bad is it could be (although those bag of veggie root chips can get pretty damn addicting), it’s just that these items were still processed. And I like feeling sated, and so does everyone else! How I’m managing my satiation is to eat my veggies first, from the least dense to most dense of veggies. I will always eat protein last. For example, tonight I ate sautéed kale first, then roasted Brussels sprouts, lastly, baked beef meatballs. I am also being conscious of chewing my food thoroughly and slowly. However, when it comes to my lunch it’s different… this past week has been a variety of salads. Always including some protein I make my salads more interesting each day just so I don’t get bored with it.

Is this lifestyle getting in the way of the quality of my workouts? I can’t say if it is, yet. I lifted yesterday and today, and I’m not dead from them. So I guess that’s a good sign. Now that I am starting a consistent workout schedule it’s hard to answer that question. Jonathan says he felt weak when he went back to lifting. I’ve decided to alternate my weeks with a week of lifting and the following week of HIIT workouts to improve my cardio and shed off some fat. After a 2 week vacay in Washington with family and Jonathan this is a great lifestyle to start off 2013 with.

Wait, what are your goals during this challenge?? Oh yeah… goals. Hmmm, my long term goal is to see what transformation I will see at Day 30 and compare it to Day 1. The other long term goal is, honestly, look good naked. Why? My readers, that’s a whole different issue. My short term goals are to maintain consistency with my workouts and food prep, remind myself to take everything a day at a time, and not give in!

If there's a will...

It’s the holiday season, and it’s the season of shopping, slacking off at work more so, Christmas music, and, most importantly, eating. Indulging in our favorite foods and other foods we probably don’t eat on a normal basis. Thanksgiving was a slight deal breaker on my diet. I’m sure it was for everyone but my mom and I had made our dinner quaint and a little healthier than your traditional thanksgiving foods. Then, 2 hours later, I had another round with Jonathan’s family and then another trip to a family friend’s just for dessert. All in a span of 5 hours, ya feel me?? There was a lot of dessert… but I managed only to eat a slice of homemade pumpkin pie and homemade earl grey ice cream (well… what was left of it anyway). As the days went on my appetite grew. Why? Because I eat like a damned bottomless pit before my monthly visitor arrives (if you are a man reading this, don’t make me revoke your man card…). I eat as if I didn’t eat for a day. I don’t have bad cravings for fast food or anything like that. I just get hungry and will put whatever tastes good into my belly, be it chocolate, tortilla chips, fruit, pasta, pizza, salad, sushi etc. And when my visitor arrives, it arrives with such force that makes me go into self-deprecating mode for a couple hours, then I’m cheery, then I want to strangle someone or beat someone’s face in. On top of that my gut is bloated, not exactly encouraging looking at myself in the mirror. Why not take meds for that stuff? Because I don’t need to, unless I am groaning and crying on the floor in fetal position since my cramps are literally destroying me from the inside. I am a tough mofo and I don’t want/need chemicals in my body.

Anyway, on top of having 5 days off of work, I spent only 1 working out. That is pitiful. I am angry with myself and greatly disappointed. I went shopping with friends on Saturday and Sunday, lots of walking around is involved with that. On Monday I had spent almost the entire day of giving massages. That can be quite the physical activity I tell ya, especially in a very warm room. I guess I can say I did some form of physical activity but doesn’t cut it the way lifting does. All in all I didn’t just sit on my ass the 5 days off. I was always doing something but I just can’t find the motivation to wake up my ass up early in the a.m. (I'm not THAT hardcore) and just do a quick 20 minute HIIT or AMRAP workout. It’s sad but, dammit, I love my sleep. Sleep is essential for recovering every aspect of your body and mind. With that I am not a morning person, I say that proudly. Anyone that has lived with me or knows me well enough: I don’t do early mornings. Unless I really, really have to I will wake up, then figure out if I can squeeze in a nap or just go back to bed upon return to my lovely bed.

I’m trying to find inspiration and motivation to get my fitness back on track. Sometimes it’s hard. For one thing I am doing this naturally, no creatine, no crazy pre-/post-workout crud. I cut off whey, cheese, and weaning off of other forms of dairy. The only supplements I’m taking is a daily multi-vit and fish oil. I can’t say if I notice a difference. I’ll let you know when I do. And that’s it. Everything else comes from my diet. My body is what it eats.  When I start the Paleo diet with Jonathan I’m sure results will start to show faster. Right now cutting out dairy is a good step. The next thing is complex carbs, some fruit sugars, and grains. I know that one is going to be so damn hard. I’ll admit, I fucking love noodles (all kinds) and brown rice. Can’t help it, it’s the Asian in me. If there is a will there is a way. Apparently, there’s a way to make noodles from veggies by julienne cutting them, hmmm. Again, if there is a will, there is way. 

With that, I am looking forward to having an updated picture soon. As soon as my monthly visitor disappears I’m snapping photos. And I also want to thank you to you, the reader. Whether you have been supporting me from the beginning or just checking in on my progress or just fucking bored out of your mind at work, thank you so much. If you are inspired or amused or just freaking excited for me, then thank you. It’s one thing to just spill my thoughts on here and it’s another when readers are actually paying attention. According to the counter on my last entry hit a record 52 views. It’s a tremendous number to me. So, thank you. Good luck on your goals, regardless of what they are, short or long term, don’t give up. You only fail when you stop trying.

Happy Holidays everyone!

- Marie

Can't Stop, Won't Stop

            So it’s been a while since I’ve written. Honestly I have no excuse other than piling all this shit on my silver platter that I call life. I’ve been attending massage classes, on top of having weekly trades (practicing on our classmates) and clinics (practicing on the public). From Tuesday til Friday I commute to Cupertino for work. I drive down Tuesday, leave my car in Mountain View to take Caltrain back to the city where my awesome dad picks me up from the station to bring me home, where my mom has dinner cooked and ready to eat (living at home does have its perks… as long as I give my mom a massage too). During the week I will take Muni to the Caltrain station. It’s almost a 2 hour fiasco to get to Cupertino really. Then I usually take the baby bullet train home, unless I find out I have games to cover late into the night I work late. All in all, I thrive… somehow. I’m getting paid at least (well… that’s a slightly different story). “Why the hell would you do that? Why not just move there or work in the city?” Okay, that’s a completely different conversation.  It could be worse.

One might ask, “how do you squeeze in workouts then? What about your eating habits?” Well, it helps to set aside time to do a workout, weather it’s a HIIT home workout or a push/pull weight lifting workout that I do at work (my office is literally sharing a wall with the weight room..). the HIIT workouts vary every time I do it. I think I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t like doing the same workout more than 2x a week unless I’m trying to improve time or reps. Those workouts are 30 minutes or less. The only time I can lift with a push/pull workout is Wednesday because my work will start later due to the kids being in class later. I can only get my hands on the iron on Wednesdays, which suck because there are other days where I have the need to lift but I have nothing in my house that fulfills my satisfaction of lifting iron. Regarding food/diet on an average day I will try my best to set food aside the night before so that I have more time in the morning to get my workout in, including a shower and doing girly things to get ready for the day (slap on my moisturizer, some lotion, put deodorant on, tie up my hair… etc. And once in a blue moon line my eyes, curl my lashes, and slab on mascara or just save that for the train ride). 

My boyfriend and I are planning on going Paleo after reading that famous book that is ever so popular now. I don’t remember what it’s called. Anyway, we’re going to attempt that lifestyle. At the same time I’m eating as clean as I can now; less to no seasonings, less salt, more fiber, more whole grain/wholesome foods, more veggies, and my usual meat/poultry.  I do get cravings for junk/sweet foods. When I do I pop a square of dark choco from Trader Joes and call it good, or eat some fruit. On top of my diet I supplement a little bit. I’ll have my protein shake as a post workout “meal” and take a daily fish oil supplement and a daily vitamin on a every other day basis because I know my body doesn’t need to have such a high influx of vitamins and minerals when it’s only going to be expelled (waste of money too). My diet needs more refining so hopefully this Paleo diet will do wonders and improve my muscular toning even more so.  

Speaking of toning I have seen some improvement. My shoulders look a little more defined, my obliques are peaking out more, my tire (lower gut) is getting smaller, and my core feels more solid. I know this is taking a long time… I’ve been lifting for about 3 years now? Maybe slightly less. And I love it. I love getting creative with some of the exercises to avoid that stupid plateau. I love showing some different moves to others then seeing their reaction as if I just spoke a different language. My posture has seen a difference. I definitely feel like I walk with more pride.

Well I’ve eaten pretty bad this whole weekend so I’m not going to be posting any pics today… I might update those later this month when my eating flushes out the stuff I ate hehe. Thank you for reading! 

Monthly Progress

I'm about 6 days past my claimed monthly progress entries. I've been distracted with reading, studying for the CSCS test, massage classes, and hanging out with the bf.  Honestly,  I did take the pictures on Tuesday, I just haven't set aside enough time to make a proper entry for it. So here they are!

Not sure as to why my legs look really short in the last picture... might have been the camera angle. Annnnd don't mind the shorts and sandal tan lines :D heh heh heh. Not a whole lot of progress this time around. I wasn't eating all too well since I had a week full of lunch and dinner dates which was bad for my diet... I felt like crap after looking at these photos. I felt discouraged, guilty, depressed, angry at myself, and disappointed all because I just didn't see the progress that i wanted to see, as well as all the crap that I ate the week before.

With the help of my bf's advice he told me to research some other workout plans. I'm not sure where to start but I need something that will help me just tone up. Maybe body-weight exercises are enough? Maybe a 20 lb sandbag isn't enough? I don't know... but it's getting discouraging to workout. But today will be a different story. After I'm done with my massage class later today, my bf and I will be going to the YMCA he goes to to sign me up for their 100 days for $100 deal. This is something that I've done 2x already. I'm excited to get back into the gym... although I just need to learn to ignore people's awful forms, grunts, and hot-shot douchey statures... Anyway, so my plan is to have double day workouts this week. Bodyweight exercises in the morning and weights in the afternoon. I hope to tone up more this coming month. My shoulders are broader and I don't need that cuz my bf and I can't sit at a table next to each other without elbowing or shouldering each other for space... I don't like it. I want to tone up and sculpt my body more this time around so having double days will help.... I hope.

Not only do I possibly need to change up my workout routine again I need to have a stricter diet. It's hard enough to have a limited social life when I moved back to SF... so to cut myself off even more is something I need to do for myself. It's not that I want to avoid people, I need to find other means of hanging out with friends. May it be just going to get coffee, going a walk/hike through a park, or even me teaching someone's form. I don't care what it is but I need my friends to understand that I have a goal that I want to achieve. I love food, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to say no. This is going to be a big challenge to eat ridiculously clean for the next month or so. I'll have cheat days for sure but that needs to be only one day per week.

Alright, I should probably get a start on my workout. Bought new workout shoes so I'm going to break them in with a timed workout in my room. Not sure what exercises to do today but I'll refer back to my notebook. I write down all of my workouts in there including the reps, type and time it takes me to complete.

Thanks for reading and thank you for being patient. I know this blogging thing can be very inconsistent.


- Marie

Fiery Core

I may have annihilated my core in with this workout today...

HIIT, 50on/10off 

Side plank (on hand) leg lift L: 27, 27, 18, 27

" " " " R: 23, 23, 28, 18

plank up downs: 16, 15, 13, 12

side v-ups L: 29, 28, 25, 23

side v-ups R: 30, 30, 25, 26

Total reps: 452. 

Holy crap, that's a lot of reps. But it was worth every one! This workout got me sweating a river and actually having to stretch my abs out for the following 5 min post-workout. Intense shit I tell ya. 

Post workout meal: Protein shake and one banana. 

Since I worked out 5 days this week I wanted to give myself the weekend to recover and spend some quality time with my boyfriend :) Oh, and we're watching the Avengers tonight! woohoo! And helloooo weekend! 

Happy lifting all! Have a fantastic weekend! 

- Marie