Killed by Jillian

Okay so I have been doing my Jillian workouts this week. I have not been so good about sticking to the diet.  Workout 1 was okay, Workout 2 was pretty hard and then today the Cardio was Crazy. I literally almost died. It is only Cadrio 1 for god sake. I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest and my boobs were going to rip off. The 30 minutes did go by really fast and I do feel really good. Plus I ate a bunch of Halloween candy so I deserved it. I'm not going to lie, i didn't do everything full out...because I think i would have  passed out...but I am still proud that I finished!

On another note I wish people would do their jobs. Life would be so easy if EVERYONE who worked did exactly what they were supposed to do. No more, no less. That way the people that work hard would not be doing everything for people that don't and unfortunately there will always be those people. Also just do your job and shut your mouth. I don't care about any gossip or other shit you have to say. i just want to do my job and go home...can anyone tell i am fed-up at this point? Oh hell, enough's enough

Q

PS...my scale still says 197...damn that candy

SOA

Okay back on track. Today i am officially starting my 90 day exercising routine. I am using the diet, but altering it a bit. The recipes are pretty time intensive and a lot of them you have to prepare fresh...which doesn't work when i have to actually work. Tonight I did follow the recipe for dinner which was almond-crusted chicken breasts and red cabbage apple slaw. Although we ended up eating at almost 8pm it was really good. I am going to use the leftovers in a salad tomorrow. I didn't do wonderful today, but I tried, I didn't eat any candy and at the end of the day after I do my 30 minute workout i will be under my calorie count! Back on the road to success. I have gained about 5 pounds in the last couple of months and I really want to get that and more off. Right now I am at 197. When i get down to 187 I am going to get a pedicure. When I get down to 177 I am going to get a massage. I have to have something to look forward too right? I just want to look nice in my dress without a puffy mid section and I don't want to feel stuffed into all of my clothes! Okay here we go!

No excuses, I can't waste my calories on candy even though it's Halloween and it is so tasty...stay strong!

PS. I know this is completely unrelated but Sons of Anarchy is an amazing show! I LOVE it and highly recommend it! It is pretty violent so if you have a weak stomach you may not want to start this series. It is truly about family and loyalty.

Yes to the Dress

Okay, my mother came this weekend and yes i started the metabolism kick start three days before she came...stupid. I think i gained 7 pound from pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake and other various assortments of sweets. I am officially starting my 7 days over and going hard core, two workouts a day. Tomorrow i am going grocery shopping! Anyway, let's get to the fun stuff. So the whole point of mom coming was to find a dress. i really wanted mom to be with my when i found my dress so i made 5 appointments starting Friday through Monday. On Friday i had an appointment at a salon a few miles away from home in Torrance at 5pm. My Aunt, Mom and Britt came. We pulled up to the salon in a strip mall and I should have judged this book by it's cover. The dated neon lights were burnt out and the mannequin's were stuck in the 80s and falling over. The shop was locked so we waited about 10 minutes for the lady to show up. Inside was not any better. The little store was crammed with dresses and they were really heavy gowns. Okay well we'll just roll with it i thought. I picked out a few dresses that looked appealing. The woman had a heavy Eastern European accent. After i had picked a few, she just said, "don't worry I find perfect dress for you."  I got into the 'dressing room', which was a corner at the front of the store near the windows that was covered with a curtain. It was so small that the only way I could get into the dresses was with the curtain open, and there were people looking in the shop...what the hell. She didn't let me try on any dresses that I had chosen, she just kept saying, you will look good in this. I was sweating so much on my legs, it felt like i peed myself. It was a horrible little shop. Finally I was like, i am done thank you. She is like, "I know you will be back, you find nothing better than this." i was like, yeah thanks.

We immediately went over to David's Bridal. What a different feel. Clean, open, comfortable. I hadn't made an appointment. i was going to use it as my back-up option, but we were in the area and they could take us. It was pretty dead for a Friday night. I found a pretty dress that i loved on the sale rack, but it was a size 4, damn. Then I saw it in size 16 and i was so excited so I grabbed it off of the rack. I tried that dress on first. When i came out Brittany started crying. It was more than i thought i wanted, really ruffly and lacy and romantic, but I really loved it. I thought I wanted something light and airy and beachy. We were there for 3 hours and i tried on 6 other dresses after that and i just wasn't thrilled with any of them. At the end I asked if I could try on the first dress again. I came out and everyone was like, Quinn this is your dress. They put a veil on me and i loved it. It fit me perfect and the length was perfect too! It was meant to be. They asked me if this was my dress and I was like, I don't know. It is such a hard decision. Our attendant, Linda, brought out a bell and said that when you find your dress you have to make a wish and ring the bell. I didn't know what to do and then I just thought, what the hell, I love this dress. I closed my eyes and rang the bell. Then i started to cry. I think it is just overwhelming, like shit I just picked my wedding dress and shit I have to pay almost a thousand dollars for a dress. I'm so happy my mom could be there, it was really special. The more I look at pictures, the more I love the dress. It is the perfect choice. I love the romance of all of the lace and ruffles. I think it will look even better when I loose about 20 pounds. i want to look goooood!

Back on the wagon for seriousnessiess

Day 2 Iced Coffee

Well another successful day toward sexiness! I didn't get to eat my breakfast until about 10:30. I was so busy at work, but the eggs, ham, tomato and avocado were really filling. I almost ate a mini muffin, they were sitting there for hump day snack, but i remembered what i wanted to achieve and left the room. My cube neighbor also always has fabulous snacks that are really tasty and tempting. She offered me some yummy nuts and I accepted. Thankfully i had a little angel watching over me...who happens to be a friend i told about my challenge...and she looked at me and said, 'Quinn you do not need any.' I realized she was right. I didn't even want any because i was hungry, they just looked good and were offered to me. I am thankful she intervened and I am going to be more conscious of actuall hunger versus desire.....which is mostly the problem I have. I ate my lunch at 2:30. Another chef salad, this time i remembered to put on the tuna and it was fabulous. I didn't use low fat ranch because we already had some 'full' fat ranch in the fridge that i needed to use up. I had to run some errands for work so i picked Britt up and we did a Target run. For a snack i was supposed to have yogurt with pecans, but :( we went to 7/11 and I got an iced coffee that was amazing. I'm sorry I just can't give up coffee, especially a 7/11 iced coffee once in awhile. I would much rather have that than any candy...and I loved every second! That was the only diet deviation. Went home, made some fish and a salad and did workout 2. Sounds simple....HOLY SHIT, workout 2 almost killed me. If Jillian had not told me to breath or I could pass out, i think i would have passed out. It was intense and i am really sore. It is going to be a painful day tomorrow. All in a days work...oh yeah that and getting bitched out by my little sister...sigh

Q

The Beginning of The End! Day 1

Okay so new plan. Atkins diet was good, really works. I lost 6 pounds on it I have been able to keep the pounds off transitioning out of the Atkins diet. For the short time i was on it I think it really helped my metabolism and taught me about nutrition. While I have gone back to some carbs I am more conscious of my intake. On to newer more sustainable diets!

I ran into a friend from work a couple weeks ago and I didn't recognize her. She looked amazing. When we worked together was built like me, short, stocky and a little chubby. She was a fasts food junky too so i didn't expect to see her lean, and toned. She told me she had started the Jillian Michaels Body Revolution with her sister. She had done the 90 days and lost over 30 pounds. That got me thinking, if she can do it so can I. i mean I haven't been doing bad, just kind of lingering at the same weight, a little up, a little down. I'm getting married in a year and I want to be in the best shape of my life. I am sick of being the big girl. I want to be healthy, feel good, confident and look amazing in my dress. I don't want to shop for plus size bridal gowns and pay more for more fabric. I want my fiance to look and me and think, 'Damn, I am a lucky guy!' Don't get me wrong he is going to think that no matter what, but you get my drift. So I did some research on this plan and it seemed really legit. Full meal plans for 90 days, 3 phases of workouts. Basically everything laid out in front of you. I bought it. It was kind of expense, but I figured I am worth it! Plus that is more incentive to use it.

So I got it and I am starting with the 7 day metabolism booster! Most of the ingredients are things that I already had so I just had to get a couple of extra things.

Day 1-It took me about an hour to prepare my breakfast, lunch and snack for Day 1. Breakfast was plain non fat Greek yogurt with cinnamon and slivered almonds. It sounds pretty good...well it tastes horrible. I suppose the cinnamon is there to maybe give it a little flavor, but the plain yogurt is really nasty. It did really fill me up though. Lunch was a chef salad with eggs, tomatoes, steamed broccoli, red bell pepper and ranch. It was really good and filling as well. You are also supposed to put tuna on it and I brought the tuna with a can opener, but i forgot to put it on. I guess I just got too excited about the salad. Snack was red bell pepper, baby carrots and hummus. I was actually too full to finish all of my snack surprisingly. Dinner was sirloin steak on spinach with a salad of tomatoes, red onion and black olives in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. i thought it was great, but Britt really didn't like the onion salad.  I think the way they put the foods together is very strategic. I also did the phase 1 workout 1. It is mostly a little free weights and a little cardio. It was a nice workout. I am already sore, but I didn't feel like I was going to pass out during the workout.I was able to do 30 minutes! I am proud of myself. My mom is coming Thursday night and she is staying through Tuesday. Britt thinks it is dumb to start before she comes because it is so crazy when she is here and my family has dinners and goes out and parties hard. Well i am going to try my best to stick with it. I was going to wait until she left, but what the hell. I say that everyday...I'll start tomorrow. Well I'm starting today and if I slip up a little bit there is always tomorrow, but at least I am trying. I am ready for a change! Onto day 2...

Q

The Unknown

In life there are a lot of complications and so many things to be stressed about. I mostly get stressed about the known. What will happen? When will it happen? How will it happen? We are always questioning the unknowns. I am not the kind of person who does well being alone and when I am left to ponder all of my unknowns alone I go to the one thing that always will comfort me...Food! Whether it is take out, a snickers bar or just anything I can find in the fridge I am always eating to keep myself feeling alright. I know that I am not the only one out there who does this. With no one to comfort us food can become our lovers, best friend or anything we want it to be. 


What I'm saying is that Mr. Food and I have an unhealthy relationship. Normally in a relationship that is unhealthy you would just get out of it, but you can't do that with food. A girls gotta eat! So my lifelong goal will always be improving my relationship with Mr. Food, but I am the one in the relationship who has to make the change, at least until I find a better, more healthy way to comfort myself.


Brittany

Long Time...

So I haven't written in a long time. Probably because I didn't want to face the shame that I was only able to stick to my diet for a few weeks hard core. I just have to say, it is hard when you have to battle with food. My problem is that food is the one comfort that never lets me down. Some young women spend their money on clothes or partying, well I spend my money on food. 


It is summer now and we are nearing the forth of July and there are so many sales on all of the bad kinds of foods like chips and pop. I am trying my best to not fall into the trap of buying all of the bad stuff. When I get busy it is very difficult to balance preparing healthy meals and getting everything else done. It is just easier to eat whatever is around or not eat at all. 


What I did learn from my diet is that it made me more aware of how many carbs are in all of the foods that I eat. I just have to try my best and that is all I can do. I'm sorry dear readers, I've missed you.


Brittany

Moving On?

Well it has been a really crazy week so far. I really wanted to start back low carb hard core and I had the best of intentions and then Monday threw me for a loop...well let me start from the beginning. On Friday a friend I'd worked with called me and asked me to email her my resume because she had a line on a great job. I emailed her and told myself that I was not going to worry about it, if it was meant to work out it would...then I got a call on Monday. I have an interview on Friday and I am really excited and really nervous at the same time. I don't really even know what the position is, all I know is that it is closer to home and it could not be any worse than the clinic. Then on Tuesday the Vice President of programs at the clinic announced that she is resigning. It was a huge shock. I am surprised at how depressed it made me feel. I went out to lunch with a friend and had half a pizza...it did not make me feel better (surprise surprise). It is really sad that the clinic is losing such a dedicated smart person. I honestly don't know what is going to happen to the clinic without her. I truly feel like there is nothing left for me at the clinic at this point. I am just so over it. So this interview could not have come at a better time. Say a prayer for me that i do really well. i have been talking to myself out loud about my job so i think i will be okay. If it is meant to be it will happen, I just need to have faith!

Other than Tuesday I have been doing really well on my diet. I mean i am not quite induction strict...damn that dark chocolate...but I am feeling good. I have worked out 3 times this week! I decided i will only let myself watch 24 while i work out...that is incentive!

Quinn

Fresh Start

Well I decided to start over on my diet. Don't get me wrong, i was not doing too bad. However, too many exceptions have crept back in so i am cutting myself off and starting over. Of course today I say that and they have my favorite snack at work, which they haven't had in like a year, croissants, meat, cheese and chips. Thankfully I can have the cheese and meat, but those croissants looked so so good! So i have been staying at about 190-192 and have gotten down to 188. I am really hoping to start exercising a little every day and stay on the horse with this. I would LOVE to be down to 180 by the end of the month, let's say 175 by the end of May. i am going to work on it hard! Here's to fresh starts.
Cheers!
Quinn

Pizza!!!

Well sorry it has been awhile. It has been a really crazy couple of weeks. I have to say the last couple of weeks have been a struggle. i have not been doing sooo good on my diet. I am trying to add a little bit of carbs back, but i am doing it the completely wrong way. Every week you are supposed to add 5 carbs until you find the point where you can sustain your weight. Unfortunately I am not at a weight that i want to stay at, i have a lot more to loose. I have been staying about about 190-191 for about two weeks. It is so hard around my office, we literally have a party every week and people bring in all kind of candy and crap daily. So i have been allowing myself a couple cookies, a couple pieces of candy a day (however many carbs that is :( ). I tell myself it will just be this one piece this one cookie....and then i have more. I feel like the sugar vampire. Anyway on a happy note, i found a great website for low carb recipes:

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/

I made a pizza (recipe below). I highly recommend this to anyone. The crust sets up like a bread and it tastes so good, very rich. I loved it! I pretty much ate the whole thing...sad to admit, but it was so good! Try it!!!

DEEP DISH PIZZA
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1 ounce (I used the kind in a can)
1/4 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 ounces Italian cheese blend or mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup pizza sauce
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
Assorted toppings: pepperoni, ham, sausage, 4 ounce can mushrooms, green peppers, bacon, ground beef, etc.
Dash of garlic pepper or garlic powder and some Italian seasoning for top of pizza
 
In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Whisk in the eggs until the mixture is well-blended and smooth. Add the parmesan and seasonings, then stir in the 8 ounces of mozzarella until completely moistened. Spread the cheese mixture evenly in a well-greased 9x13" glass baking dish or lightly greased and lined with parchment paper (see note below). Bake at 375º 20-25 minutes or until evenly browned, but not too dark. Let cool completely on a wire rack. When nearly cooled, take a metal spatula and carefully pry up the edges to loosen from pan. Ease the spatula under the whole crust to loosen. Keep the crust in the pan. This makes it easier to remove the finished pizza later. Refrigerate, uncovered, until shortly before serving time.
Spread the chilled crust with the pizza sauce, then the cheese and toppings of your choice. Lightly sprinkle with the seasonings of your choice. Bake at 375º about 15-20 minutes or until toppings are bubbly. Let stand a few minutes before cutting.
Makes 8 servings
Can be frozen
Per Serving: 304 Calories; 25g Fat; 17g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs

I don't recommend making this in a metal baking pan as it will stick making the pizza very difficult to remove and the pan very hard to clean.
Leave the crust uncovered in the fridge for a couple hours, this will make the crust crispy on the second cooking.
NOTE: If you lightly grease the pan and line it with parchment paper, you'll have no trouble removing the pizza from the pan later. Greasing the pan makes the parchment stick to it so you can easily spread the crust batter.
 
Quinn
 
ps. other than cookies i haven't had any bread or pasta...sugar seems to be my weakness. Don't tell anybody.

Cheater cheater cookie eater

So Quinn and I committed ourselves to each other for this diet. We came together and married ourselves in this diet. Well I can say that Quinn has been cheating on me with multiple carbohydrates. It's sad really. I never though that I of all people would be cheated on and it hurts. It really hurts. I, who have never strayed since we took our vows of low carbery am very disappointed. Today I found out the worst...she cheated on me with not one but 4 cookies! Who would do that? I bought her low carb ice cream and bars, but she still couldn't hold back. So needless to say on week 4 I am the only honest non carb eater. The funny part was that in week 1 she said to me, "Wow you are complaining a lot! It would just be easier to be on this diet by myself." That really hurt too because look who is the cheater. Hey, I may complain a bit but at least I don't cheat.
     Brittany

It's Never Too Late

Well I am at work. I was very stressed out this morning, had bad cramps and just didn't feel good in general. So we had some amazing looking cookies lying around and i had....4. After the first one i thought, well I already blew it and had one, so I had another one. I already blew it and had 2 so maybe one more would top it off...and i just kept going. I could have kept going too, but I stopped myself. My sister gave me a little scolding and a reality check. She said, it is a lot easier to burn off 1 cookie than 4. This is so true. I always do this. I mess up once and then I just feel like oh well might as well go all out. Let me just say it is never to late to start over and put yourself back in a good mindset. End the day on a good note, wake up and try again!

Quinn

PS at least i didn't eat a pizza...which is what i really really want

Break Through

I am so happy I broke the 190 barrier!! Woo Hoo. Man I just thought I was never going to get past it! I am not far past it, just 189 but hopefully I can stay below.  I promise myself that when I get to 180 I am going to get myself a massage so I am really looking forward to that. I made the best chicken soup today.

Throw everything in a crock pot on high and leave it for 8 hours.

28 oz of diced or stewed tomatoes
1 clove of garlic crushed
3 cups (or more) of chicken broth
1 can tomato paste or 1 cup of tomato sauce
1 cup salsa
2 tblspns cumin
either 1 can of green chilies or you can get a can of chilies in adobo sauce and take 1 chili and cut it up and add it with a little sauce (freeze the rest of the chilies so you can use them later, they are really strong)
4 chicken breasts cut in half

This is a recipe from my Aunt Kate. You can also add a can of corn and black beans to make it thicker and eat  it with tortilla chips. Since we are off carbs those are out of the question, but this soup is still amazing!!

For Dessert:

1/2 cup of carb smart vanilla ice cream

you would not believe how much ice cream Britt can shove in a 1/2 a cup!!

I Just Keep Licking Things!

My parents were here last week and I did have a few slip ups, but I am back on the wagon this week. Even with  my bread binge and a piece of cake i am still 6 pounds down. I am having trouble breaking past 190. I just seem to hang there. I am hoping that this week I will. I have started off good too, and then today there was oreo cookie cake with whip cream frosting. I cut the cake and didn't have a piece. Then when I was putting it away I saw the spatula. It had that whip cream oreo frosting alllll over it. Before I knew what I was doing the spatula was in my mouth!! Oh No! It was so amazing, i wanted more. That is why you can't slip up and lick the spoon or put the spatula in your mouth. It is like crack. I wanted more so so bad, but I didn't have more, even with the sweet taste in my mouth.

Quinn
PS
I am obsessed with taco salads. I swear all I want is taco meat, cheese, salsa and an avocado on salad...so so good. And I just got done reading the Hunger Games series and I  highly recommend it! Very good, can't wait to see the movie (don't let me have any popcorn :) !

The Easy Way Out

After I long hard night at work I came home to put up my feet and peruse all of the junk mail that we got for the day. I found The South Bay Monthly which is a magazine advertising all of the great deals in the area that I live in. As I started flipping through I noticed something pretty funny. There the bright yellow coupon glowed with the words "$500 off Laser Liposuction". I'm thinking to myself, wow if I have a $500 off coupon how much is the actual procedure? Then I started to think, hell this could be my easy way out, I mean this magazine is promising that this it is "virtually painless". That is when I snapped back into reality and realized that I had just had a very long day that was making me crazy. I don't know what was more ridiculous the stereotypical old man white "doctor" or the coupons. Glad it was only a brief thought because lets be honest, I want to be real.
     Brittany

F is for...

I was going to write this the other day but I was so exhausted so i am hoping the inspiration is still fresh.


Well I had some really bad news this week. I didn't get into the graduate program that I applied to. I mean I worked so hard on my application. I had great recommendations, a great personal statement, the only thing I can think that  I  could have done better was maybe get a better GRE score...which  I  didn't do that bad. I was so so devastated (still am). I just wanted to cry. It was hard. My parents came in Sunday night and Monday I stayed home from work.  I was looking on my phone and saw an email titled Admissions Decision. My heart stopped...I mean it can't be good if you get an email. It said Dear Quinn, you are just not good enough, sincerely the dean of admissions. Well, it didn't say that exactly but it might as well have...there is no good way to give rejection. It was the worst time to find out.  I was excited to see my parents and hang out and be together and then all of a sudden there was a dark cloud over my day.  I didn't want to tell anyone,  I needed to just think about it and take it in. Really I needed to just be alone and cry a little, but  I was around all of my family.  I didn't want the twenty questions, what is plan B, what about this, what about that. So  I  just kept it to myself. Of course I was acting weird,  I couldn't even try to act happy,  I just tried to fade into the background or get left behind so i could have a minute to cry...which is bad because once you start you don't want to stop and then you have that lump in your throat like you can't swallow and the tears are right on the edge of spilling over and causing a flood. So I wallowed and kept it to myself. I know everyone thought i was just being a moody brat. The next day I was actually happy to go to work to be busy and not think about anything. I was still feeling bad though so I did the unthinkable. I turned to bread to drown my sorrow. I bought a loaf of garlic Parmesan bread from the Home Boy Industry http://homeboy-industries.org/ booth at the farmers market. Of course everyone knows I am on a diet and that I have been really strict about it so I told them I was getting it for my family. Secretly I was thinking that if  I eat this delicious bread I will feel better and it will soak up all of my sorrows. I went back to my cubicle and shamefully ripped off a chunk of the bread. I knew I would have to answer to my sister, but i felt like I needed it. I have to say it was the best bread in the world. Soft, the outside had the salty flavor of Parmesan and there were random gewy pieces that had whole cloves of garlic, Yummy! I had a big hunk of the bread and I feel like it made me even more hungry even though I had already eaten lunch. That is the great thing about this diet,  I have never felt hungry. The protein, fat and veggies fill me up quick so I was surprised at how much bread i ate before i was satisfied. Needless to say the bread did not soak up my sorrows, in fact it expanded them making me feel sad..and bloated. Later that night I figured I had already messed up so i had some caramel ice cream and three cookies..a little overboard. So long story long, I am back on the wagon with the diet and still a little depressed. I need to do some soul searching and figure out my next move. I realize that you cannot drown your sorrows in bread, in fact it makes the situation worse because you feel physically bad as well as mentally exhausted. Moral of the story, stick to the diet and try not to fail at life! It's never too late to start over!! 


Quinn
God is Good!

Burgers Galore

I have been sticking with Phase 1 very well with no slip ups. The only thing that has helped me through is none other than the double double from In-N-Out. You can order the "double cheeseburger" aka double double protein style and it will just come wrapped in lettuce and whatever toppings you want on it. Sad to say that in the last 5 days I have consumed 4 double doubles. Technically without the bun they are around 400 calories each, so not bad, but for some reason I feel like I am cheating on my diet with them. Maybe because they are so good. If you have never had In-N-Out come to California immediately if not sooner and get yourself a double double. AMAZING!
     Brittany

I Licked It

Today was a hard day at work, very stressful in general. Then one of our kind therapists brought me a yummy pecan caramel candy bar...which i LOVE. She didn't know i was on a diet so I just said thanks and took it. i opened it, I smelled it, and I broke it apart and watched the caramel ooz out. Then disaster struck, I put it on my tongue. Oh god oh god, the sugar, I want it. I called out for my co-worker friend i share a room with and she came running. As she ran in I basically yelled TAKE IT, TAKE IT, I licked it, but just TAKE IT hurry!! Bless her soul she immediately picked it up and popped it in her mouth, crisis averted. phew. i had to fan myself for a minute.

I ended the day by taking myself to a violent movie. First time I have ever gone to a movie alone.

Quinn

Withdrawals

Some people are addicted to drugs or cigarettes, well I am addicted to food. It is so bad. I guess I should rephrase that...I am addicted to all of the foods that you shouldn't eat. Today was bad as I was driving home from work at about 10pm I had a freak out. I called Quinn and said I want a cookie....NO I WANT 1000 COOKIES!!! NO I WANT SOME COFFEE CAKE!!! I had to break into the gum in my purse. Technically we aren't allowed to have gum because they say it will lead to other temptations, but I had no choice I was freaking out. Basically I was having withdrawal symptoms from all my favorites. So to solve all my problems I came home and ate bacon for dessert

     Brittany

Exibit A B and C of me not feeling too happy about having bacon for dessert instead of cake. 

Getting sick of meat yet? Only for dessert!

Training Trials/Different Strokes

Today we had an all staff training. I didn't bring any food except for a snack because they usually have something with a salad which I am fine with. Well they only had pasta and sandwiches. I took a couple sandwiches and just ate the meat and veggies off, which was pretty good. Every presenter handed out candy and chocolate so there was a pile on my table all day...no big deal. Then the cookies come out. i mean these are white chocolate macadamia nut cookies 4 inches in diameter and I know how good they are. i have had them many times. I could smell the combination of sweet nut and chocolate. I wanted it, I almost justified it to myself too thinking life is too short, what is one cookie going to do, but i didn't have any...i thought about breaking off just a piece, but i didn't! I am looking at the bigger picture which is a healthier me. I don't think i got in enough veggies today, but i am lucky i stayed on the wagon at all. Do you know how hard it is being at an extremely boring training with cookies and candy right in front of you?

Another funny story. I was at a stoplight coming home from downtown LA. It was a really long light and there was a bus blocking my lane. i started to look around and I noticed a guy with his back to me on the sidewalk with a huge bag. i thought it was a little weird, but whatever. As i kept watching him he took his jeans off. No big deal he had boxers on, whatever.  I just thought to myself maybe he is a traveler changing his pants for the evening, I mean it is a really major street so an odd choice of dressing locations, but whatever. I kept watching him. The next thing I know he whips his boxers off, butt naked!! I could not believe it and I could not stop starring. A couple of people on the street screamed and went on with their business, but most people didn't pay it half a glance. He bent over :( grabbed another pair of pants and took his time putting them on. I mean I don't take that much time trying on clothes in a dressing room, let alone changing on a major street in LA. I just laughed to myself and was happy to go on my way when the light was green. Different strokes for different blokes!

Domestically Violent Food

Okay onto day 5. Staying strong, still no sugar, not one slip up. I had to order pizza for work today and I LOVE PIZZA! I mentally prepared myself for the smell and the lure of the melted cheese and the pepperoni that i knew would be calling to me. I got two cheese lovers, a veggie lovers, Hawaiian and pepperoni. I also got a couple of salads for those of us that don't like...wait who am i kidding...won't/can't eat pizza. I looked at it, smelled it and wanted it. But I head straight over to the salad and went and took my place and I was really proud of myself. I feel like i won a battle...and it's those little battles that win the war! Normally I would have eaten probably 4 slices and then taken home the left overs and had 3 more slices when I got home. Then I would be sick and pissed at myself for eating all of that..I mean it tastes good but who wants to feel sick from it. It's like i have/had a domestic violence relationship with food. I love the bad stuff and I eat it and it hurts me and i keep going back for more. Who does that? The worst part is as i was eating it i knew that i was not going to feel good after and it didn't stop me at all. Well i am done with that. I feel like i am finally in the routine of this diet and so far i really like it. I'm not bloated, I have a lot of energy and I a losing weight! I have to keep it up!

Start Weight 5 Days Ago: 196.4
Weight Today 6:00 pm after eating a huge salad: 192.8

I'm taking myself to the spa when i get to 180!!

Quinn

Bad wrap...

So technically Quinn and I are on the Atkins diet. But not just the Atkins diet, the revised Atkins diet. I don't know anything about the original but I have got concerned comments from friends and family about the fact that we are only eating meat. I just want to clear it up and tell you all what we are allowed to eat. We can have meats, cheeses, eggs and vegetables. Don't forget that this is phase 1 which is very strict and only allowing us to have 20 grams of carbs. If you want something to compare that to the next time you are eating a bag of chips or really anything take a look at the carb count and see how much is in what you are eating. Basically 20 grams is nothing. We get all of our carbs from cheese and veggies. For any of you out there who are worried about us we are eating a variety of things and keeping very hydrated. I drank about 80 ounces of fluids today so I am doing pretty good. 


I know it is weird and you may be thinking...so what types of meals do you eat in a day? For breakfast I had 3 eggs with 1/4c of cheese and 3 slices of canadian bacon. Lunch was tuna in a cabbage leaf and dinner was a salad with chicken, cheese and avocado. I am supposed to eat 19 ounces of meat a day for my height (5'11'') and I am not even meeting that criteria. 


The key to any diet or healthy eating is to plan ahead. We like to take several recipes and buy our groceries around that for the week. My cousin plans a menu for the week and sticks to that. Whatever works for you but I have found that it is easier to make your lunch the night before instead of staring into the fridge when you are half asleep in the morning. 


Day three check onto another day...
Cheers
     Brittany

The Third Day

Third day was not the charm. First day at work on the diet. I thought I was really prepared. I brought eggs for breakfast, some meat for a snack a huge salad for lunch and a hard boiled egg for a snack. Breakfast was great ...and then i headed into my meeting where there were plates piled high with bagels, bananas, muffins, danish's, doughnuts. I felt like someone did it just to punish me. It smelled so so good and for a moment i thought to myself, what if i just have a little bit. Instead I sat as far away from the food as possible, even though that meant yelling to my colleagues across the room. Thank god for the distance on the table between me and the pastries...i could have gone down a bad road! After the meeting i left and everything was fine, out of sight out of mind! Third day with no sugar and i am down 4 pounds as of this evening!!! I feel really good. Have to stay prepared and bring more snacks tomorrow, don't want to be hungry which could lead to a black out moment where i eat everything in sight.


One other funny story. I went to the grocery store to stock up on meats and some more veggies. I needed a lime for a recipe. Well, I saw the them in a pile and there it was,  a glistening jewel of a lime and I knew immediately that was the one I had to have. I went for it without thinking, not wanting anyone else to take my beautiful lime! God only knows why they put the good ones on the bottom, where this particular beauty also happened to be. I was to excited to think about the logistics of the situation or the structural integrity of the pile and of course they all came tumbling down. Green lime balls rolling around all over the floor. Good thing they don't break...because I would have been buying!

Pre Diet Follies

Lovely last supper meal!

 As we play with our blog and get used to being "natural bloggers" we will post pictures and videos on more accurate dates. The pictures and videos included in this post are from the pre diet aka the night before we started the diet. As you can clearly see I am holding up our fat bags of high carb foods. Let me just say, we thoroughly took advantage of our last meals. Not only did I have a large meal I also took advantage of cleaning out the fridge and our pantry by consuming large amounts of sugar. This included drinking out of the bottle of sweet white wine and taking licks of my lollipops between swigs. Disgusting.

Currently we are having technical difficulties posting videos but we are going to keep trying to figure out how to upload them for your viewing pleasure.

Induction aka Phase 1

Induction...what does that even mean? Am I being "inducted" into the rock and roll hall of fame? NO surely not! I am being inducted into a diet that might just put me over the edge. I'm not going to lie today was the first day and it was bloody hard. All I could think about was the valentines day suckers that we had to give away that I wanted to eat or the funfetti cake mix that I wanted to bake or really anything with sugar. I am definitely going through withdrawals! I am just craving just the teeniest bit of sugar on my tongue. I am a big gum chewer and we aren't allowed to have that in this phase. I am hoping that I will start to shed the pounds in the next couple of weeks and it will be worth the pain and suffering. According to the Atkins book you will lose on average 15 pounds in the first two weeks of the diet. The first 4 to 6 pounds will be lost in the first 3 days. I stepped on the scale tonight and no weight lost yet. I know I shouldn't be jumping the gun but today felt like it was a week long. Food is such a large part of my existence and I have gotten myself into some bad habits that I never realized how they really affect me. I am trying to stay positive and look towards a healthier me. 


Cheers
     Brittany

Day 1 The Purge

Today was the first day on the diet and i think it really went well. I felt really motivated to start strong and I was proud of myself as I shopped refusing samples and keeping my eye on the ball. Momentarily as i walked by the bakery entrance of Costco the smell of sugar almost had my head spinning and for a split second I thought about running in and taking a gigantic muffin....but i didn't want to ruin the first day, crisis averted. I also wanted a glass of wine at the end of the night. My cousin was drinking it and it smelled so good and I could just imagine how wonderful and relaxing it would be to have a glass, but thankfully my sister was there and because I wouldn't let her have a blow pop she was not going to let me cheat either, crisis averted.

I think the hardest part of the day was when my cousin called and asked us over for dinner. She wanted to make pizza, which is my VERY favorite thing. I didn't tell her we were starting the diet and just told her we would be there, thinking in my mind that I would figure something out so we could still have fun and not blow our diet. I don't really know why i didn't want to tell her. Realizing this was a recipe for disaster I called her back and told her we were starting a low carb diet and she was happy to change the plan so we could have a salad. I was so relieved, I don't think I could have resisted the pizza! We went over and had an amazing salad with chicken and a yummy avocado dressing. She was so supportive altering the recipe to take out some of the ingredients we couldn't have. Moral of the story, spread the news far and wide that you are starting your diet. Family and friends will be more supportive and accommodating than you think and they may learn something in the process as well!

Day 1

Carbs-  19grams

Protein- 17 grams

Fat-       89grams

Calories-1355

I am an avid calorie counter so it is going to be a challenge to change my mindset to think less about the calories and pay more attention to the carbs. 

sweet (low carb) dreams!

Quinn

The Last Supper

Today was the last day of so many things. It was not only the last day of my long week, but it was also the last day that I will be eating mass amounts of carbs for an infinite period of time. Imagine the pile of food that I brought home for our last meal...I brought my sister Quinn a bag of Taco Bell and I stopped by my favorite hawaiian barbecue take out place. My order included chicken teriyaki, two scoops of white rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and six cream cheese fried crab rangoons. Quinn's order had a chicken burrito, Doritos, a crunch wrap supreme all complete with a "small" Dr. Pepper. If that isn't carb overload I don't know what is.

If you know anything about my family you know that we are big eaters. I was raised in a home where we thought about food constantly. At breakfast we would all be thinking about what was for lunch and my mom would always be planning the next home cooked 6 course meal in her head. We had so many amazing meals complete with just about any kind of food you could think of. I learned to love to cook and bake. But as I am getting "older" (I know I am not that old only being 23 but still) I feel that I want to take control of my weight as a young woman. My family has a history of diabetes and heart disease and that is not something I want to have to deal with as I grow older.

Now, don't get me wrong I am not a person who is a horrible eater, but I am a person who has room for improvement like we all do. So, long story long we are going to take on the Atkins diet. The first two weeks will be called the "induction phase" and then from there we are able to add other foods into our diet. We are hoping that this will translate into a lifestyle change and eventually we won't have to call it a diet anymore.

Our first step tonight on our weight loss journey, even though we technically haven't started, was to get rid of all of the things that will tempt us in our apartment. We put all of the carbs in bags and are planning on donating them either to our cousin's fridges or to a food bank this weekend. We don't want to have anything around that could potentially tempt us. Our fridge looks so bare and just plain sad looking. Tomorrow I am looking forward to bulking it up again with new tupperware and our good foods.

Quinn and I will both be blogging daily about our experiences. We hope that you will stick with us on our adventure of shedding pounds and hey maybe you might learn something along the way!

Cheers
     Brittany