Week 2, Day 1

Week 1 CONQUERED.  

We made it so far.  I have to remember that there are people out there who made it to week 2, 3, and 4 to keep myself on the shred wagon.

Sadly to say, I had a weak moment yesterday and cheated.  I know, I know.  I am holding myself accountable and repeating Day 1 of Week 2 today.  On the bright side, I only have food that I bought for this diet, so when I snacked late night, it was yogurt, figs, and a small piece of chocolate.

 Okay, I shouldn't have done that.  And I'm sorry. So as a punishment, I am doing over Day 1 of Week 7.  If I let myself go it will be easier to do again, and again, and again, and before you know it, I will be a long string from an unraveled sweater.    But I'm going to try again and shrink my stomach back to the way it was before that terrible hour.  New Beginnings!

Week 2 is different.

There's no more Meal 4 and Snack 3 is at night.  Slimming down by slimming food.  This is the self-named "Acceleration Week" and although most people don't slim down as much the second week, we will see.
As of today:

Weight: 163lbs

BMI: 25.8%

Body Fat 28.8%

I lost 8 pounds. The struggle (so far) was worth it.  My pants fit me better.  I look smaller in the mirror.  I feel healthier. Wow.

Today's meals:

Meal 1:  Cream of wheat with almond milk and half a pear.
Snack 1:  Stem of grapes
Meal 2: Cup of chicken barley soup
Meal 3: Green salad with lemon juice and carrots
30 min cardio 30 min weight training
Snack 3: Fig bar

I'm upset the author, Ian K. Smith,  came to Connecticut and I missed him!  I would love to have told him that I was on it and progressing, that he made my life easier, and listened to all the wisdom he had to share about his own personal journey.  Keep on keeping on, shredders.  Talk tomorrow.

Week 1 Day, 6

One of the best pieces of wisdom I ever received came from an old friend during a hard time.  She said "it doesn't get easier, you get stronger."  That was a dose of reality that applied to everything in life.  So here we go, working hard to make things better.

Surprisingly, I haven't eaten past Meal 4, meaning I haven't had any late night cheat snacks.   Most of my weight I attribute to eating dinner and chocolate after 10pm, so three cheers to a milestone!  I have also been exercising a lot, minus the one rest day.

Yesterday I went to SoulCycle with a friend and kicked some sexy soulful ass.  That was my 45 minutes of cardio, and the high-energy structure of the class mixed with the uplifting mantras the instructor says made it impossible for me not to push myself harder than normal.  It's very expensive ($34/class), so I only do it once in awhile when I feel like giving myself a treat.  I am totally drinking the SoulCycle Kool-Aid.







The candles, music, and lighting give it a nightclub feeling, so there is definitely a sexual energy surging through the spin room (and the co-ed locker rooms), giving everybody that extra motivation to work hard for your body.  Burning 800 calories never felt so good.







In terms of fitness in conjunction with this program, it only makes sense.  I don't want to be what my co-worker calls "skinny fat" and have a small frame but no muscle tone.  At this point, after four weeks of using the Nike Training Club app to get lean, I am addicted to exercise.  It is the only part of my day where I feel like my stress leaves my body.  So, on that note, here is my meal plan today:

Meal 1: 1 apple and 1 cup of cheerios with almond milk

Snack 1: 1 sliced kiwi

Snack 2: Skipped, was running late for work

Meal 2: Protein shake

Meal 3: 3 cups of Kale
30 minutes on the bike, 30 minutes weight training

Meal 4: One cup of black bean soup and small green salad

I think the whole point of this diet is to also realize that you don't need as much food as you normally put into your body.  Rather than a means for nourishment, we use food as a crutch for boredom and stress.  This is redirecting my attention otherwise and forcing me to cope with life in other ways, while making my body feel cleaner and tighter.  How is everyone else doing?  This isn't easy, but it is worth it.

Week 1, Day 4 and Day 5

I just want bacon and chocolateeeeee

*beach thoughts beach thoughts*

It takes 30 Days to Break a Habit - Day 3

I apologize for not updating yesterday, I was in New York City all day taking an improv comedy class and showing my friend my favorite parts of downtown.  Let me tell you, being on a diet in the land of temptations felt like fasting.   It was easy the first two days, but for some reason it is especially hard today (Day 4 – I will post on that on its own) and was especially hard yesterday (Day 3).   I am going to make an index card with motivational sentences, reasons, and visuals so that when I am feeling hungry, tired, or weak, I can pull it out and stay strong.  You'll see it when I do.  Here was yesterday’s diet:

Meal 1: Vitamuffin top (100 calories), ½ cup blueberries

Snack 1:3/4 of Justin’s natural almond butter packet (120 calories)

Snack 2: 1 sliced mango

Meal 2: 2 celery stalks. Turkey sandwich on whole wheat English muffin with a slice of cheddar, tomato, lettuce, and 1 tbsp of smart light mayo. (cue angels - I missed cheese like no other)

Meal 3: 5oz grilled chicken.  I made butternut squash, but turned out kinda soggy so I skipped it.

Meal 4:  1 cup of minestrone soup from an Irish Pub called Mustang Sally’s – land of awesome bar food.  I forced my eyes to avoid entrees and go directly to the appetizer section of the menu.  When my soup came out next to my friend’s buffalo wings and burgers, I was actually really excited.  It was hearty and flavorful and surprisingly nourishing.  There was an unspoken agreement between me and the soup that this was a good choice.  Don’t worry chicken wings, I see you, but “tonight is make or break it” I told myself.  

On a completely unrelated note, after we left Mustang Sally's we almost became extras for a Starz show called "Power."   Having just left a 3 hour Improv Comedy class, we were already in a "Yes" mood and treated everything there after as a challenge for adventure.

"Those are some well-dressed homeless people" my friend said, as we stared at the long line of people leaning/sitting against the wall for what we thought was free food.  Long story short, producers counted us in as one of them, but left after realizing it was a 4 hour stint and it was already 1am.  Plus, we didn't want to offend any of the actual extras and instead ended up giggling and singing the whole way home.

What are your tips for saying yes to things in your best interest?  How do you say no to quick fixes and temporary pleasures?  This diet is a mini part-time job, but the pay is rewarding.  Thoughts?

Week 1, Day 2

For all you "Day 1" junkies who proclaim today is the "first day of the rest of my life" every couple days after starting something new, you know Day 2 is a big deal.  I made it without cheating, without complaining (too much), and spent the entirety of my morning cooking and packing today's meals.  I also made a special, more indulgent breakfast for my friend who was with me so she wasn't forced into dieting with me.  Willpower!  My coworkers thought it was pretty funny that I was eating lettuce and shredded carrots out of a Ziploc bag for dinner yesterday.  My excitement for this diet and its results probably means that this week is the honeymoon phase.

Nom.

Also, for your info, the meals are timed as such: 

What that means, for those who don't wake up at 7:30am, is that you have snacks an hour and a half after your meal, and meals 3-4 hours apart.  Today so far looked like this:

Meal 1: 1 Vitamuffin, 1/2 champagne mango, 5 black grapes, 1 Applegate sausage link. Glass of water with lemon.  (I am skipping the green tea because my dentist is whitening my teeth and prohibited tea/coffee)  This was my favorite meal of the day :)

Snack 1: 2 Turkish Figs (at 120 calories) and 2 celery stalks (15 calories)

Snack 2: 10 baby carrots

Meal 2: Was supposed to be the awesome spicy black bean kale soup, but I was wrapped up in work and missed the time frame, so I'm passing it and moving on, as advised in the book.

Meal 3: Green Salad with 4oz grilled chicken. 

1 Hour Workout (I use the Nike Training Club App - its effing phenomenal)

Meal 4: 6oz Salmon with steamed kale sprinkled with salt, garlic, EVOO, and nutritional yeast. 

I am having Meal 3 in about fifteen minutes.  The beauty to this diet plan, and meal plans in general, is that although I may have hunger pangs, I know exactly when I can eat - so I have something to look forward to.  My favorite part about today was the figs.  Chewy, nutty, and sweet.  No more eating out!  I will have to bring my food to NYC tomorrow.  Restaurants will always be there.

Why I Decided To Do This

Today I began Day 1 of the fast-track meal plan to slim down QUICK.  I am not a promoter of the book, I am just a 24 year-old girl who desperately can't wait to wear a bikini and feel beautiful jumping off a boat into the middle of the blue summer ocean.  Also, my cousin's wedding is happening on April 26th in California and I would really like to wear a dress (I haven't worn a dress without sleeves since prom).  I am very active (I work out 4-6 times a week), but still considered overweight and don't binge eat, so I thought I would give this a shot and find out if it works.

So what is the Super Shred Diet?  According to USA Today: 

In Super Shred: The Big Results Diet, Ian Smith outlines a short-term, rapid weight-loss plan that he says can result in losing 20 pounds in four weeks. He has dieters follow a specific four-week eating plan, including some days where the calorie count is about 1,600, and other days where it is 900. (The average caloric intake for women is about 1,800 a day; for men, 2,500, according to government statistics). Smith's plan includes specific grocery lists and meal plans. He recommends doing about 40 minutes or more of high-intensity interval aerobic exercise a day.

It is very strict - you must eat at specific times and have specific foods with specific amounts of calories.  Any minor slip up and you will have to repeat that day over again.  I am determined to win - to be on point the entire four weeks, and to discipline myself.

The entire point of doing this is not only to lose weight, but to relearn discipline and change and challenge my body.  I realized today that the entire day's meal plan amounts to how much I eat in one or two sittings.  This 4 weeks will be a long lesson in portion control and strong mental will power.

So here are my Stats:

Age: 24 years old

Sex: Female

Weight: 171

Height: 5''6'

BMI: 27%

Body Fat: 30%

Medical History: Hypothyroidism (Low Thyroid Disease), Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis

Low thyroids are contributed to weight gain and difficulty in losing weight, so I want to see how this works in combination with the diet.  I am given medicine to regulate my disease.

On to today's meals.

Woke up- 11am

Meal 1- 11:30; 2 egg whites and a half cup of cantaloupe.

Snack 1 - 1pm; half cup of cherry tomatos

Snack 2- 2:30; Fiber one 90 calorie lemon bar [book suggested blueberries w a tsp of whipped cream or a 100 calorie snack)

Meal 2- 3:30; vanilla protein shake at 200 calories

Meal 3- 6:30; 4 cups of garden salad with carrots

8pm- 45 minutes of cardio

Meal 4 -9:30; 5oz of salmon (the size of a deck of cards) and 2 servings spinach

Around Meal 2 I began to get a bit dizzy.  My body isn't adjusted to the decrease yet.  After some water and time, the dizziness passed.  The Fiber One bar was great because it had a soft and crunchy texture and a bit of sugar.  I can tell texture is going to be a big deal over the next four weeks; with less food going in my mouth, its the little things about each bite that will matter.

Let me know if you are doing this diet too and your thoughts, questions, and advice!  

Looking forward to our transformations!  Pictures and measurements to come.