Cheaty McCheaterpants

Ok, so maybe I didn't keep up with the blogging like I said I would.  But I certainly kept up (better) with the eating.  Come to find out, eating clean-ish isn't really that hard.  And when you consider the workouts on the 21 Day Quick Start from Beats Per Minute Fitness are only around thirty minutes each, that was pretty easy to keep up with too!

Overall, I am DAMN happy with the results.  I went to a huge shindig for work last weekend and had to wear a formal dress - thanks to the workouts and eating better, I actually had to choose from more than one!  And that hasn't happened in a looooooooong time.  Usually it's a matter of what covers everything up the best - this time, I had some attributes I wanted to accentuate!

My next event is Red Dress on May 16.  I will be finishing up this week on my own, and I plan to start Phase 2 of the Quick Start on the 4th....wish me luck!  You might even get some before/after pics!!!

If this is rabbit food, then call me the Easter Bunny...

Day Three

Lessons learned so far...

A little protein goes a long way.

If it weren't for spell check I would never spell protein correctly. 

I have abdominal muscles - and they hurt! 

I would never have to work again if I could invent a dairy free, sugar free, soy free, flavored, creamy coffee creamer.

If I keep eating eggs like this I will be sleeping with the dog. 

This isn't as hard as you might think it is. 

It's ok to skip a work out if you can't walk. 

Only 17 more days....the adventure continues! 

Day One: Goodbye, Cream & Sugar

Good morning!!  Apologies for the long absence.  Rest assured I wrote many MANY blog posts in my head, so you were always on my mind....

What, you may ask, is it that has inspired my return?  Originally I was going to answer that question with some negative words, like anger and frustration.  But I decided those aren't the reasons and backspaced all that out.  The real answer is "a desire to finally do things right".  WHOA!  Heady stuff, right?  Nah, not really.  In real words, that you are used to me using:

My ass is huge and I have finally decided to do something about it. 

Not a difficult concept, but I have put it off for too long, feeling like the distance between where I am and where I want to be was too large to overcome.  But I have learned recently (for $150 and hour) that perspective can make a huge difference in even the smallest things.  So I looked back at where I was last happy with my body and my fitness level.  About seven years ago, I was running and/or working out about an hour a day, 5 days a week.  I looked great, felt great - I was finally comfortable in my own skin.  And I realized the distance between here and there is really not that big.  The key was realizing that where I WANT to be and where I SHOULD be are not the same thing.

Right there, I reduced my situation from Mt. Everest to Forest Park.  

Enter Downtown Chelsea Brown - a super-fit, healthy-eating, glowing-skin bundle of all that is good in the world.  She noticed that I have been making some changes and seeing some small progress and suggested I do a 21 Day Quick Trim Diet - she did it earlier in the year, and although to look at her before pictures you never would have thought she had room for improvement, it made a noticeable difference.  I was pretty unsure - what do you eat, how much time do the exercises take....how much do I have to give up??  After Chelsea explained the ins and outs of the plan, I really didn't have any more excuses.  You eat pretty clean - I have been working toward that already.  Exercises take max 40 minutes a day...that's an episode of Supernatural on Netflix.  Drink a lot of water...I already do.  And it's only for three weeks - not exactly a long term commitment.  

Done deal.

Now I am getting down to brass tacks and following the diet plan - today is Day One, and I now know for a fact that I suck at planning ahead.  Meals will take some forethought, but the personal discipline will be good for me. 

And I am going to blog every single day to encourage all of you to encourage me!!   

Just think of it - you will be right here by my side while I give up dairy and struggle to get used to black coffee!  Oh, the FUN we will have!

Apologies in advance for the inevitable crankiness, and huge thanks in advance for finding as much joy in not being bloated or wanting to take a nap after lunch as I will.

Until tomorrow then.

(For more info on the 21 Day Quick Trim Diet, go to BeatsPerMinuteFitness.com.  And no, I am not getting paid in any way, shape or form for blogging about this. I purchased the plan through Portland Perks, and you can too at www.getmyperks.com/deal/portland/beatsperminute-fitness)