Hi Friends!

I've had a lot of ups and downs in the past few months.  I am basically right back at my first starting weight when I joined DietBet.  I signed up for Shaun T's game but didn't stay committed throughout the whole program.  My weight is just going all over the place these days, so it's time to buckle down and get serious about gaming again!

So!  What is my plan for this month?  Clean eating and exercise, my friend, that's where it's at.  No tricks, no gimmicks, just plain ol' calories in < calories out.  Let's do some breakdowns:

Exercise

I've got all sorts of opportunities here. 

  • I am itching to start the Insanity Max: 30 program, which I will begin on Monday.  That's 6 days a week of Shaun T time!
  • I've got my faithful Esther (she's my bike), but I'm disheartened by the short trail system by my house.  There is a larger system that I could drive to, so I bought a bike rack that hooks to my hitch, but guess what?!  I don't have a hitch on my car!  Hahaha.  That was a "whoops" moment on my part.  So I will buy a hitch and we'll get it installed, but until then it's road riding and using the short trails around me for now.
  • I bought a decent little weight system.  I've got a bench, an adjustable rack (not a cage), a 45 lb bar, and a decent set of olympic weights.  So I'll be trying to improve my deadlift, bench, and squat stats.
  • Easily the COOLEST amenity of my house is the POOL!  It's 18' * 36' so I could do short laps.  I could also look into buying resistance equipment for underwater, but for now the laps will probably suffice.
  • I started this year with a goal of running five 5k races before the end of the year, and I'm going to meet that goal!  I have completed three so far, so I will keep my eyes open for two more.  In the meantime I can run wherever I want without a race!

Eating Clean

Well this is where it gets tough, isn't it?  I'm never going to be able to burn off the calories consumed from "dirty" eating! Here's the deal.  Overall, my eating habits have drastically improved from, say, three years ago.  I am making progress.  It's slow progress, but it's progress. 

Before I started working again, I made menus and only bought the ingredients necessary for those meals.  It's difficult to cook every night, and now that it's summer it's more tempting than ever to go to the frozen yogurt store or drink a bottle of wine (or three!).  I've got to have a plan of attack for preventing bad choices!  I don't have one!  I'd love to read your suggestions. 

Here's what I've learned about myself so far:

  • If I buy sugared up crap, I'll eat sugared up crap.  The lesson?  Don't buy sugared up crap, Adriane.
  • I love to drink a lot of water in the morning.  I'm talking 32 fl oz before I do anything else.  I drink at least 64 fl oz throughout the day, and for every cup of coffee, I drink another 16 fl oz of water.  Gotta keep that hydration going!
  • When we go out?  Oh that's so tricky.  It's easy to order something in the heat of temptation, especially when you're surrounded by others who are ordering calories on top of calories with a side of deep fried calories.  But the plan for going out is simple enough - order a salad with a good amount of vegetables and have the dressing on the side OR order a burger without the bun.  A little fat from the burger won't do too much damage, although having a fatty burger at night isn't the best plan for your weight or cholesterol.

 

So what are your thoughts on the upcoming game?  Any tips or goals you'd like to share?  I look forward to reading them!

Best,

Adriane