Beach Day

Sunday was the first beach day of summer. It was a glorious day.

It was perfect weather, and the water was actually warm enough to swim in without having to "get used to it" – if you know what I mean.

It was wonderful, but all that time in the sun sure takes it out of you. I swam a lot yesterday and bodysurfed in the waves, which were absolutely HUGE, and it took a lot out of me.

In all honesty I'm exhausted, but in a great way. Monday is getting better, the further along it goes. I'm slowly regaining my energy back.

Friday Favorites...

So there are a few new discoveries I've made during this lovely IIFYM  macro-counting adventure. Amongst all the chicken-and-broccoli eating fests, I've found a few go-to treats that really have been keeping me sane and feeling like i'm getting something truly delicious, without throwing my progress out the window.

You see, coffee and chocolate are the two things you will NEVER see me give up. Okay, when I am pregnant someday I know I know, no coffee... but until then, don't even try to take it away from me!

My newest obsession is this little coffee place down the street from my work called lucky llama. They have almond milk (major kudos to them for having that!!!) AND they have coconut syrup. Um, coconut latte with almond milk every day please!!!!

And then there's the chocolate. Oh the chocolate...

Every now and then my typical veggie and egg white scramble can get a little boring. Just like anyone else, sometimes I need something sweet for breakfast, but I just can't bring myself to eat a donut, so this little concoction was what I came up with: Black bean brownie granola bowl!!

Holy moly is it good.

Basically I use trader joes honey greek yogurt (about 75-100grams), 1-2 black bean brownies, 1/4 cup granola, and 1-2 tsp almond butter.

mix that baby up with a spoon and you've got yourself dessert for breakfast!!

I've been using these two little treats as my go-to sweet fixes or the past couple of weeks and have still been seeing major results in my fat loss progress. I can have my chocolate cake and eat it too? and still lose weight? score!!!

xoxo

IIFYM - 4 week progress

It's been about 4 weeks since I started counting my macros. I have to say this system really does work when you take it seriously and do what you're supposed to. I'd say about 5 our of 7 days a week I am hitting my macros within 3 grams - just like I was told to. I am also able to drink water like nobody's business.... and you know what? I'm down 4.7 lbs in 4 weeks. That is more than I could have ever expected. I thought for sure it was going to be about 1/2 lb a week... this has been an excellent experience.

Not to say it hasn't been difficult. I went to a summer solstice parade over the weekend and while everyone else ate pizza, popcorn, sandwiches and funnel cake... I was eating chicken, broccoli and a quest bar out of my tupperware.

But I currently weigh 144.8 lbs.

I used to weigh 185.

BOOM.

I don't care about the pizza, or the funnel cake. Once my lunch was eaten, I went right back to ejoying myself and forgetting that I was any different than the rest of my friends.

Food doesn't own you. Yes it is delicious, but good food is delicious too. You just have to teach yourself to think that way.

Only 5-6 lbs to go, 109 days until the wedding.

If It Fits Your Macros....

For some time now I have been following some women on instagram that have lost a significant amount of weight and managed to seriously reduce their body fat % by counting macros. When I first saw the hashtag #IIFYM - my only thought was, what the heck are macros anyway? After some research I found a lot of useful information on this site: www.iifym.com, and realized that I was doing a pretty similar thing to counting macros, but not quite. After some general guidance and customizing of my macros, I decided to give this macro counting a solid try.

I started 10 days ago at 149.8 lbs and weighed in this morning at 146.2 lbs!! I think it's safe to say this is working. Though I do believe the initial 3.5 lbs is probably mostly water weight... but still.

Here is my one week progress picture.

I realize the lighting is different and I am wearing different clothing, but I can see a difference in definition in my abs, and my clothes are starting to loosen up as well.


Lessons learned from week 1 of counting my macros:

1. Drinking 1 gallon of water a day changes everything!!! I sweat more during my workouts, meaning I am able to flush out more toxins from my body, and I am more hydrated. I haven't touched my chap stick in 3 days!!!

2. Measuring cups work well with liquids, but with veggies and other awkwardly shaped items, weigh them. It is WAY more accurate.

3. There are days where I feel like I'm a little deprived, and then there are days where I feel like I am eating SO MUCH FOOD.... and it's awesome. I find that days where I try to keep the fatty foods (like almond butter and cooking oils) to a minimum, I have a lot more leeway with meals and how much I can eat.

4. Eggs, chicken and sweet potatoes are your BEST friend! Also, anything green!!

5. Carbs are NOT the enemy. This is probably my biggest eye opener. I was clearly not eating enough carbs... and I mean the good kind. I am still trying to eat mostly gluten and grain free, but I will have the occasional quinoa and brown rice pasta or whole wheat tortilla for my breakfast wrap. My workouts are so much better now that I am getting an adequate amount of carbs.

6. Cheats aren't the end of the world. If I go over my calories... I don't beat myself up. I log it and move on. I wake up the next morning like it's a fresh start.

7. 1 serving of 65% Cacao Chocolate chips in the evenings is my saving grace.

* * * * * * * * * *

I will warn any of you thinking that this is easy, it is definitely not. I had to buy a food scale and weigh all of my proteins and veggies.... I am supposed to weigh everything, but I'm still getting there. I've learned so much about how much something weighs and realized just how off I was when I was just eyeballing it before I got my scale. It's hard to weigh certain things, and I am still getting used to preparing ALL of my food, including snacks, coffee and dessert. Also, drinking that much water takes some serious thought for me... sometimes I forget and I end up chugging to catch up with where I should be for the day. It is so much to keep track of, but it's all going to be worth it. I can already tell it is going to be worth it.