Day 25: Apparently Only Five More Days For Everything to be a Habit

Hello one and all! I'm just having breakfast (one egg, two egg whites, scrambled; one pear) and I just finished downing that lemon water. It is unpleasant, folks. I do not at all enjoy it. And I mean that. Probably my least favorite part of the 17 Day Diet. It tastes awful.

I wanted to blog now because I just realized something! You know how you always hear that it takes 30 days to build a habit? Well, I've been eating right and exercising for 25 now! So I'm only five days away from making this change into a habit. Pretty exciting, right?

That's all for today, folks. But I'm going to tell you that tomorrow's post will be about working out when you're completely exhausted! Because I sure will be.

Have an excellent day/night, everybody!

Day 24: Easter "Deprivation" and Planning a Healthy Solo Dinner

Hello one and all! Today is day 3 of the 17 Day Diet, and I feel okay. I'm down another half inch in my waist since Sunday, cool beans! I don't think I'd do more than one cycle of this way of eating. There are other, less restrictive ways to eat right, like eating clean! And I much prefer that, in all honesty. I get bored really fast, so that works better for me. Plus, I miss my steel cut oats and clean pancakes, they filled me right up. Really stuck to the ribs, you know? Oh well, if this jump starts weight loss for me, I can stick to it for 17 days.

In other news, my parents will be out of town for the Easter weekend, so I'm trying to think of way to have holiday meals while staying in line with my eating. Dan's mom has asked me over for dinner at some point this weekend, and I'd love to say yes, but she's a great cook, and I don't know if I could resist all the things I shouldn't eat! She's willing to make a meal I can eat, but I don't want to put her out at all! So I've started thinking of things I can make for myself this weekend. I'm thinking on Easter Sunday I'll make a marinated turkey breast and mashed cauliflower. And maybe I'll make myself some spicy shredded chicken soup. I love spicy things, and I can have as much spice as I like! I'm definitely missing carbs at dinner time though. Oh well, only two more weeks!

Everybody seems a little concerned about Easter candy for me. I don't need or want any, so it's all good for me. And even if I do get some, I won't eat it (until this diet is over, anyways)! All things in moderation, right? Unless I'm trying to get my blood sugar all normal again. I just think about that when I miss things I can't eat, like french fries and burgers loaded up with toppings.

That's all for today, folks, have an excellent night!

Day 23: Lemon Water and Red Face

Hello one and all! So today, I worked at ten, and I decided that since I can't have carbs (including fruit) after 2 PM, I would work out before work. And I thought that maybe my run would leave me all energized, and I wouldn't be sleepy at work because I had a hard time sleeping last night. Great idea in theory, right? Well, yeah, actually. But I didn't account for one thing: how insanely red my face gets after I work out. Even though I made sure to leave myself plenty of time to get ready, I didn't have three hours to let my face get un-red. So I had a really hard time covering that up before I went to work! It seems to have calmed down now though.

In other news, the recommended hot water with lemon thing did not taste good today. It went don like battery acid, and I thought I was going to be sick. Yuck, right? All I can say is that this better be worth it now!

Also. My biceps are sore for the first time in ages! That new workout routine should do well for my arms, shoulders and back! I might need to focus more on my legs and glutes, I don't feel anything today! And I definitely am not fit enough to not be a touch sore after a workout like that.

That's all for me ladies and gentlemen, have a wonderful evening!

Day 22: Starting the 17 Day Diet and Focusing on Problem Areas

Hello one and all! Today is Monday, so it's back to weights for me. I hope you all enjoyed my results post, finally some progress to look at! After yesterday's post, I realized that there are areas I need to focus more on. So I've been researching some good glute exercises, and I'm going to give those a shot! I've also been looking for good thigh and calf exercises, because I'd like to build up my valves and slim down my thighs. Lots of new things to try today! Fingers crossed that they'll give me the results I'm looking for, right?

Today is also day one of the 17 Day Diet. Good thing I had prime rib as my cheat last night, because there's no beef in this cycle! Which shouldn't be too tough, right? I mean, I think it's only the first cycle that you can't have beef in. I think, anyways. Oh well! I'm hoping this will jump start my weight loss. As in actual pounds lost. Here's hoping!

So I'm typing this as I eat breakfast. Today's breakfast: eight ounces of hot water with the juice of half a lemon squeezed in; one egg scrambled with two egg whites, topped with one tablespoon fat-free sour cream and lots of pepper; 3/4 cup of blueberries; and I also have my big red bottle full of cold water for my workout on standby. Tasty breakfast! I'm going to write up a new exercise routine for weight days while I digest, then it's time for weights! I've got to try to finish my workout before two so I can have fruit in my smoothie-no carbs after two PM! That shouldn't be difficult at all. I've just got to work around not being able to have milk in it!

That's it for me, folks, have a great Monday!

Day Twenty: Looking Forward to Tomorrow's Cheat

Hello one and all! I just dragged my sweaty butt off the treadmill and out of our "exercise room" post ab workout and stretch. And today was crazy hard. I'm exhausted, I got up at 4 AM for work. Then I came home, and ran around town for a few hours with my parents. I can say completely honestly that I was seriously considering skipping this workout. After all, I kept telling myself, one day is one day, right? Well, for some people I'm sure that is a workable mentality. I really don't think it would be for me though. I mean, I've been there before. I think I just need a day off, then one day becomes two, then three, then a week, and then that's it for my diet and exercise. I don't want to do that to myself again. So I pushed through anyways.

And I feel better now! I think I'll have enough energy to last me until an early bedtime. So it's worth it there, right?

So tomorrow... I will be posting my three week results! Crazy, right? Can't believe it's been three weeks already, even blogging every day it just flew by. Also, I don't want to make you jealous, but I'm having flippin prime rib for dinner tomorrow. Aww yeah. We shopped for most of the 17 Day Diet stuff we need too. Chicken, egg whites, Greek yogurt, tons of vegetables, a bit of fruit... It really doesn't seem so bad. And if it gets my blood sugar under control, I'm all over it.

That's all for today, happy Saturday, kids!

Day Nineteen: Protein Shakes and Great Tunes

Hello one and all! Today was back to supersets. Good times! I added another set of calf exercises to this workout, because I want to see some definition in those puppies! I'd love to have legs that look toned and lean in heels. For now, I just look taller! Which isn't a bad thing either. I also decided that I would very much like a jump rope. I like to mix up my warm ups on weight days, and I think jumping rope would be a great warm up. Plus, it's great for your calves!

Today I decided to mix things up and listen to something that wasn't my exercise playlist. Today's album choice: Ceremonials by Florence + the Machine. Great music to lift weights to! I really enjoyed that part. Plus I am in love with Florence Welch's voice. I heard a rumor that Florence + the Machine are possibly first up in the return of Unplugged on MTV. If that's true, maybe there's hope for MTV after all!

In diet related news, I scoped out a bunch of recipes for the 17 Day Diet last night. I think I can do it. And with mom helping me, it'll be much easier. Sometimes I kind of flounder around on what I can eat. I find it hard to be creative without making a decadent cheese sauce... I'll have to work on that! So we're probably food shopping tomorrow or Sunday, and probably prepping food on Monday. I really like the idea of freezing a bunch of meals. It seems so convenient!

And only two more days until I post some horrifying pictures and embarrassing measurements and weights! So continue to stay tuned for that, friends. Happy Friday!