Life has taken on a new twist

I'm very excited to say that Coach Rita has taken me on as a client for a month to work with me on nutrition.  This is awesome because she is becoming very in demand now and I'm lucky to be with her. She has made a whole new eating plan for me based around My Fitness Pal and numbers that she has given to me based on my size, goals and needs.
I have decided out of respect for Rita not to blog any further about this since this is her deal and her job and I shouldn't be sharing any of her awesome secrets.  My advice to anyone that wants to get serious about nutrition would be to email Rita and become one of her online clients.
This new program that she has made for me is IT and I am so motivated and excited.

Shakes still don't work for me

As the title states I'm just not a shake person - I too believe that as a human I MUST chew my food...haha...I started my day with the morning white shake and it was great again and full of amazing nutrients.  I then took the kids and dog for a 1 hour power walk/run through the fun trails of Gibbons Park.  We had a great time and everyone was sweating by the time we were done.  That took most of our morning so by the time we got home I was starving and just couldn't face a shake.  So I made my healthy quinoa, veggie, chicken, olive oil and red wine vinegar salad.  Unfortunately I also caved and had some doritos with it - those have gone straight to the garbage now.  We spent the afternoon by the pool and at 300pm I had a healthy snack of 3 hardboiled egg whites and raw carrots.  I'm getting hungry now but will hold off till 600pm for dinner.  Dinner I have already prepped.  I'm having a kale, spinach and swiss chard salad with chopped peppers, cukes, chick peas and cold shrimp (about 10 shrimp) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar as my dressing.  I have about 10 stalks of asparagus to roast in the oven with coconut oil and about half a head of cauliflower to make mashed cauliflower with garlic salt.
I'm at 8500 steps so far today so knowing that I haven't hit my minimum of 10,000 that motivates me to take the kids walking right after supper before showers and then we can collapse on the couch knowing we hit all our goals today.
Coach Rita has asked me to start tracking my food on "My Fitness Pal" so I started that today.  I think this will be an amazing tool for me.  I then have to give her my numbers on the protein, fat, carb, sugar columns each evening for 2 days and she will then give me a guideline of what to eat and when.  fitness pal gave me 1200 calories per day to get to my goal weight of 125lbs.  By the time supper is done and providing I don't do any snacking which I don't think I will I should be on target for my goal even with my little oops of the doritos.  However, I'm sure when she sees my numbers she will see that they aren't where they should be because of the chips.  So I look forward to her feedback.  And knowing that the chips added to my calories and I could have eaten something else better for me and more satisfying is interesting too.
Off to clean out Jack's closet and start to get it neat and tidy and ready for fall.  That will keep me occupied until suppertime.  That's what I need - to keep busy as much as possible.  And when I start craving tonight I have my David's Tea leaves to drink - I love the White tea - Organic Gold Rush - delicious and it helps, don't get me wrong - bedtime will come early tonight to not be starving.

This might be a long post

So this weekend has been a great one so far for me.  As I said in my last blog I'm hoping to start my awesome eating plan again with Coach Rita on Monday - will have confirmation on that later tomorrow.  In the meantime, last week I bought and read my favourite Celebrity Trainer (Harley Pasternak's) book "The Body Reset Diet".  Without going into a whole lot of detail I liked a lot of what he said, disagreed with some of but definitely took away some ideas.  He advocates doing 15 days of smoothies - the first 5 days, 3 smoothies a day in place of meals with 2 quality snacks in between, then the next 5 days 2 smoothies, 2 snacks and 1 meal and then the final 5 days 1 smoothie, 2 meals and 2 snacks and then basically maintain your life like that.  Anyone that has read my blog in the past saw my little experience with Isagenix that lasted a mere 6 hours and was filled with anxiety.  I didn't feel that way when I read his book and I think thats because each shake I would be personally making from scratch and each shake is filled with real food that I bought.  I do however believe, as does Coach Rita, that humans are meant to chew their food and not drink it so this certainly isn't a lifestyle for me, but I thought hey - lets try it for Sat and Sun and this way when I start with Rita on Monday, I am fresh and clean and ready to go.  So his book provides a list of the groceries you will need and its mainly fruits, veggies, vanilla protein powder, some nuts, greek yogurt and almond milk to name a few.  So my grocery list wasn't huge and wasn't expensive.
I made my first shake for breakfast around 900am today and consisted of the following (and he gives a whole bunch of shake receipes for white shakes (breakfast), red shakes (lunch) and green shakes (supper).  And let me say also that doing the shakes came at a time when I've been feeling so sick of all food healthy and non healthy and just bored in general, so this has been a nice change.

Breakfast white shake
5 raw almonds chopped
1 red apple, skin on, cored and chopped
1 small banana (that I froze over night and chopped up)
3/4 cup plain fat free greek yogurt
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon

This shake was delicious and I had a hard time finishing it and felt very full and satisfying and having a shake for breakfast for me is easy peasy.

For my mid morning snack he has a whole range of ideas that include a protein and should be crunchy because its hard not to chew your food for sure and approx 150 calories.  Ideas he gives are things like:
-2/3 cup raspberries with 8 oz fat free greek yogurt
-4 crackers and 2 pieces low fat cheese (he asks that the crackers be 5 gr of fibre and over which is very hard to find)
-3 oz fat free greek yogurt, 1/3 tbsp natural peanut butter and 1 small red apple
-3/4 cup edamame
-3oz lean roast beef and 1 1/2 red bell peppers
-1 apple and 3 slices roast beef
-low fat popcorn
-high protein, high fibre cereal like Kashi Go Lean

Just to name a few

So my first snack I actually ate in conjunction with my lunchtime snack as we were out hiking all morning - more on that shortly.

For that snack I had 4 small multi grain crackers that were only 2 gr fibre - I didn't find one kind of cracker at the grocery store that had 5 gr so I have to look into that more and a piece of low fat cheese.  Along with that was my lunchtime shake - or my red shake.  This shake was:
small amount of water
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup frozen strawberries (you can use blueberries too but I hate them)
1/2 small orange peeled
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp ground flaxseed.

Again delicious and I had this around 100pm and I was full until about 400pm.  At 400pm I had my afternoon snack which was low fat organic popcorn.

Then when I should have done the third shake for supper I went out for dinner with my parents.  I chose a huge salad with chicken and I will admit I had a few of my sons fries and a few bites of my daughters cheese sticks.  I still feel like that was a great day for me and if I had been at home I believe I could have done the supper shake no problem.  The supper shake or green shake was:
small amount of water
2 cups spinach
1 ripe pear unpeeled and cored chopped
15 green or red grapes
3/4 cup fat free plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp avocado
1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Tonight would have been hard I'm sure after just the shake.  Lots of Davids white tea on ice for me.

The other great thing is that yesterday I finally bought a Fitbit and its going to be a great tool.  In Harley's book he talks about how we as a society work out crazy hard for our one hour a day and then the rest of the day we are kind of sedentary and that was me for sure.  Id do my great workout in the morning and spend the evening on the couch.  So with my fit bit its tracking how many steps I take a day and the minimum they want for optimal health is 10,000/day.  Megan, my dad and I took 8 of our kids out hiking on the trails in Exeter this morning - we did 2 hours and it was amazing.  Even more so because this was my dads first real walk since his hips were done so I was one proud daughter.  As of right now I walked close to 12,000 steps today - woohoo - think of how many I will get after doing a step class and then spending an hour each evening walking.  This fitbit has given me new motivation.  I'm taking the kids to Gibbons Park tomorrow morning and I look forward to seeing how many steps we get in.

So this is where I'm at now - tomorrow I plan to do the 3 shakes and 2 snacks - we are home all day, by the pool, no distractions.  It will be tough but I can do it.  And then hopefully Monday I can have a sit down with Rita and get back on track.

Stay tuned....

And I'm back, but hopefully for a short time

Hello friends - well here I am again after a 3 month break.  I was doing oh so good at maintaining until we rented a cottage for two weeks in July and even though my eating wasn't horrible, I was drinking like crazy and from there things have gone downhill.  My weight is up about 5 lbs and I want to nip this before things get bad.  I have tried to eat healthy and I'm very motivated but Im having a hard time being consistent.  My workouts have been great - 4-6 times/week - a good mix of cardio and weights.

So I have asked Coach Rita to help me once again and starting Monday she is going to put me on a plan that will get me back to where I was and in fact get me to my third and final goal of 125-128lbs.  I'm very excited to get going - I wish I could start tomorrow but due to commitment issues she can't start me until Monday.  I'm assuming I will be doing a 2-3 weeks cleanse again similar to last time and then add in some foods slowly.

The timing is great because this will take me to the Western Fair where I work 8 hour days for 10 days in a row and I'm surrounded by the temptation of fair food.  Then we leave for Vegas and the week after that is my most exciting part of my transformation - new boobs - thats right...Oct 3 is finally the big day where I go from a D cup to a small C or large B - I'm so excited.  I think this will be the perfect finishing touch.  We have a ton of travelling coming up this winter - Vegas in Sept, Florida in Oct, Florida for New Years, Cruise in Feb and Florida in March so I want to be in tip top shape - remember this is the year of Sarah!!!!!!

So much more to come starting Monday - I will need tons of support as I detox - I remember in Jan when I did this the evenings were a killer.  Tomorrow I am buying a Fitbit so I plan on walking every night to get me off the couch.  I look so forward to hearing all the love and encouragement from my friends that I got last time.

Monday - it starts.....stay tuned......

An end.....for now!!

I believe its time to take a break from my blog for now.  Its been an amazing road and I never could have gotten this far without all the emails of support from everyone that reads my blog.  Someone asked me this week - are you still eating healthy?  And I was like - ummm yeah - you don't have to ask me, this wasn't something I did just for fun, this is a lifestyle change and its a forever change.  If I can stick to the 90/10 rule I think I will be alright.  90% of the time good clean healthy choices with 10% of the time getting a bit offtrack.  I've had a rough go these past couple of weeks but have gotten back on track the past few days.  It will always be a battle but I'm thrilled to be where I'm at and if I lose a little more weight than thats great, but I fit in my clothes, I can wear a bikini, my health is awesome.....what else do I need?
So I sit here eating my egg white omelette (which for some reason turned into scrambled eggs today -hate when that happens) with aching gluts and hamstrings from yesterdays workout, about to head out to step class after which I will have a protein shake and an apple, coming home to eat my chopped chicken and veggie salad, heading out for a massage since I'm hurting so much and making a new dinner tonight of shredded chicken in the crockpot served on whole grain tortillas with veggies - WOW - I have come a far way. And though this journey I have learned how to feed my family more healthy, I've hopefully helped out some friends along their journey, I've met new friends at the gym including Coach Rita who I never would have been able to do any of this without and now Meaghan who is taking me into the future with some great new training.
I am one lucky person and thankful that on this gorgeous sunny day I can say I DID IT!!!
Thanks all.....
Sarah D

Mother's Day

Today has been such a wonderful day in my house from start to finish.  My day started with a little sleep in and at 900am in walked Tom and kids with breakfast in bed which is hilarious because he knows I'm not too fond of breakfast.  So he made it as bearable as possible with a little bowl of Vector, one of my homemade muffins and a glass of water.  I sat and ate some of it while the kids and Tom sat with me.  We chatted and laughed.  Then the kids gave me their homemade gifts - Avah made me a butterfly that opens with the word MOTHER in it and what each letter means.  And Jack made me a painting with his footprint and handprint on it that he signed.  And the biggest surprise was that Tom on his own, without prompting from me, contacted my stylist here in London and asked her what to get me and she picked out gorgeous earrings and delivered them wrapped and ready to him last night.  Then he took both kids to the gym with him for almost 2 hours while I made beds, got groceries, got lunch started - all in peace and quiet.  We spent the afternoon all together in the family room, watching movies and hanging out.  And I made an amazing dinner tonight that we are still talking about.  I bought a bunch of Alaskan King Crab yesterday that was on ice in the fish counter, wrapped it in tin foil and put in the oven for 15 minutes (it was pre cooked), I also bought pre cooked ribs and heated those in the oven, along with roasted peppers and mashed cauliflower.  The kids tried everything - Jack loved the crab, Avah loved the ribs, husband loved it all.  We are all full but not bloated....great meal.  And this crab did not need any sort of butter or lemon, it was sweet as can be.

I am always so grateful on Mother's Day that I have such an amazing Mom that is always there for me and so supportive and loving.  She is a great role model.  My sisters and I took her out for dinner last night - just the 5 of us and it was so much fun...no kids, no husbands...And now, being a mother myself and for so many years thinking that it would never happen for us makes it even more special.  I always send Avah and Jack's birth mom an email on Mother's Day - its nice to keep in touch and let her know how much we appreciate the gift that she has given us.  I have two of the nicest, easiest, most precious babies EVER and I am so thankful for them.

And back to regular scheduled programming on my blog - I am happy that this week is much less busy than last week and I can get back to my daily gym routine.  I'm so excited to try Meaghan's workouts and I've been able to try one.  So my plan for this week is Monday - step class, Tuesday - pilates, Wednesday - upper body, Thursday - lower body, Friday - upper body and abs and Saturday step class..thats the plan - things always come up that make it impossible for me to hit the gym 6 days in a row so fingers crossed.  We had a really great healthy day today and last nights dinner was quite healthy too - even though we went Italian,I chose to forgo the pasta (which was a bit painful) and had the beef tenderloin, asparagus and potatoes.  I ate 3/4 of the 6 oz steak, a couple asparagus (they were those huge woody ones, yuck) and half my potatoes.  My sister and I shared a chocolate dessert and I had one cocktail so in my eyes thats a successful dinner out.  And the best part was being with my mom and my sisters for some good uninterrupted family time.

Here's to hopefully a great week food and workout wise.

Some new motivation to keep me going

My sister Alyssa came into London bright and early this morning to join me at Body Step and we had a great workout - managed to trip and fall right on my ass today...that was nice for everyone....but no injuries.  After our workout we had a one hour session with Meaghan who is someone I have met at the gym - a fellow mom, a fitness model, eats healthy, great motivator.  I had asked Meaghan to do up 3 programs for me to follow - something new that I hadn't done before and she sure came through.  She took Alyssa and I through 3 great workouts - we are both feeling rejuvenated and ready to hit the gym again with some new ideas.  We have a lower body day, an upper body (shoulders, biceps and triceps day and another upper body day with abs.  All sorts of new moves that I haven't done before.  She also talked food with us - nothing that we hadn't heard before but sometimes you just have to hear it again from someone else.  Some new snack ideas and meal ideas.
I'm going to get back onto protein powder again after a few months away from it.  SInce I'm working out so much I need all the nutrients I can get.  I've already planned most of my day out tomorrow.
Breakfast will be 3 hard boiled egg whites and a bit of pineapple.  Then pilates.  After my workout (which I have been skipping out on food wise) I will have a protein shake with an apple.  She recommends fruit just in the mornings.  I had been pretty much off fruit since doing Rita's program so I will change it up a bit and see what happens.  Lunch will be my usual chopped salad with chicken and a sprinkle of quinoa and a tiny sprinkle of sunflower seeds (which is new for me).  Snack around 300pm will be greek yogurt, some cold veggies and hummus.  She suggested I buy the plain greek yogurt and also a low fat flavoured greek yogurt and combine the two since the plain on its own is quite hard to eat and yet the flavoured is high in sugar so this way its better for you.  Still deciding on supper tomorrow night but you get the drift.
So feeling good and ready to start something new and tweaking things as I go along.  I love that Alyssa will be doing the same type of eating and the same type of exercise so we can text throughout the days and compare notes.

Crazy Week

I just realized I haven't blogged all week which is so not like me.  I've just had a crazy busy week with events at the school, homework with the kids, appointments, one puker last night,husband out of town. I have barely even worked out this week.  I was at step class on Monday, Tues I went to pilates, Wed I did a lower body DVD at home and thats it.  I will get to step class tomorrow morning.  I guess thats still 4 days - still pretty good.
I've hardly had a chance to even think about food this week so my weight is back down - I seem to fluctuate that 1-2 lbs depending on how good or bad I am. I've been about 90% clean this week so that has been great.  I'm still sitting at around 130 - I think I can get to 128 if I stick really clean for the next few days.  I'm wearing a dress on Sunday to a bridal shower that I am hosting that I bought a year ago and have never been able to wear.  Thats exciting.
I probably won't be blogging as much now that I've plateaued and things are busy around our household.  As long as things stay status quo its all good.  If I break that 130 I will blog for sure.
Meeting with "M" on Monday to get my new training programs and to talk nutrition so that might help break this plateau.  Will keep you updated.
Have a great weekend.

I'm a quitter.....

Let me just preface by saying that when I know something isn't going to work - I know right away.  and I act on impulses - whether its life decisions, clothing buying etc....
So I did my day of Isagenix yesterday and heres what I have to say about it.  I can see that this program is great for some people.  People that are busy and don't mind not having a meal.  This program does not work for me.  Here is how my day went.
Friday night I didn't sleep at all worried about the whole not having a meal thing - I am the first to admit, its a mental thing for me.  I need food you can chew - not drink.
I did the shakes yesterday and they tasted great and were filling and I was fine.  I HATED not having lunch with actual food.  I hated that all I could think about was dinner last night.  I was having anxiety attacks and feeling weird.  As soon as I packed the product all back up in the box, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.  It just won't work for me.  My Isagenix coach says give it a few days - but I know, its not going to work for me.  Good thing they have a money back guarantee.  This program made me grateful for Ritas 2 week cleanse that I did in Jan - that was a cakewalk compared to me missing my meals.
I even doubted my decision a bit last night and emailed a girl at the gym "M" who is sort of going to be my new fitness/nutrition coach now that Coach Rita is gone.  I told her what I had done and how I was feeling.  Her response was "the best way to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight is to do it right with real food.  Its not a diet, its a lifestyle change.  You know what to do, don't second guess yourself."
She is right.  I was feeling like I was stuck in a rut and wanted some big change so I made a bad decision.
SO putting that behind me and spending the next few days really strict on Ritas plan.  Then when I meet with M on Thursday we will discuss maintaining good nutrition and a new fitness plan.
So right now I"m eating my egg white and veggie omelette.  A late lunch will be chicken, quinoa and chopped salad.  Dinner tonight - Tom will bbq me a bunch of chicken breasts, roasted asparagus and peppers in coconut oil and mashed cauliflower (which is becoming a night time regular for me - I love it and it makes me feel like I"m eating mashed potatoes).

I know that my Isagenix coach has never had a quitter before and I'm her first and I feel bad about that, but I know myself and I have made the right decision.  Sorry if I let anyone down.

And so it starts...

So I'm about midway through my first Isagenix day and here are my thoughts so far.  The shot of liquid that I have to take first thing in the morning sucks - almost makes me gag but I can deal with that.  The shake for me is surprisingly good, even better than good - I enjoy it.  I combine the chocolate and vanilla with crushed ice and its really thick and filling.  So I had that as my breakfast and it took me about 30 minutes to drink it all down because its so thick.  Then I went to step class and hit the grocery store.  I have to be careful to not forget about my family during this and to make sure that they are getting nice healthy meals still.  As morning went on, I was allowed to have an Isagenix snack around 1100am which was one of their cookies which was again surprisingly pretty good.  By 100pm I was getting pretty hungry and to be honest getting really stressed at the thoughts of lunchtime approaching and me not being able to eat a meal.  So I did cut up some cold veggies (peppers and cucumbers and cherry tomatoes) and ate those with my lunchtime shake.  You do what you have to do to survive I think.  In another few hours I will have my next snack and then I will likely have half a protein bar around 600pm just before I go out.  I already had plans for tonight and dinner out won't be until at least 930pm and thats late.  Can I tell you how excited I am for supper?  Dinner is at Fellini's which is tricky to make a healthy choice so I plan on having a nice salad to start and then some type of pasta with either red sauce or olive oil and garlic with either chicken or shrimp.  I've also had a lot of water so far today - probably 18 ounces already - I'm a peeing machine.
I'm feeling fine, not happy, no headache or anything yet just that slight panicky feeling of not having actual meals.  So I will just take it day by day and see how long I can go - might have to alter things after 5 or so days if I can't take it anymore - I'm leaving my options open.
For sure I never could have done this if I didn't do the cleanse with Rita back in Jan - although that was definitely easier for me because it was lots more actual food.  I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around shakes for meals even though I know I'm getting all the nutrition I should - I just don't like the idea of replacing my meals with shakes.
Good thing its nice out today - spending lots of time outside with the kids and then jumping tubby to get ready for tonight.

Tomorrow is officially Day 1

I got my big box of Isagenix goodies today so I've decided just to get started....no more effing around and being nervous - just git er done...So tomorrow is the day.  Here's how it works for me.  Basically I have a shake at breakfast, one of their little snacks mid morning, a shake at lunch, one of their snacks mid afternoon and a healthy clean meal for supper.  There's other little stuff in between, cleansing pills, vitamin stuff etc.....but thats the just of it.  And if I'm totally starving I can have half an apple or part of one of their protein bars.
I'm very nervous about no diet pepsi - that is going to be hard for me and I'm sure I'll detox like crazy over that one.  I'm nervous about no meal at lunchtime but as you read before I'm trying to keep busy.  I'm excited about feeling amazing after a few days - once I get over the hump.  So right now I'm about to have my goodbye diet pepsi...boo....
And then tons of water tonight to get ready for tomorrow.  I had broccoli soup for lunch today and what a mistake - I paid for that within about 30 minutes of eating it.  Dairy and I just don't get along anymore.  And I've been bloated and sluggish the rest of the day which just shows me I'm ready to do this.  I will weigh myself when I get up tomorrow morning on my scale which is 2 lbs heavier than Goodlife's scale so that I have an idea of where I'm starting out at.
I do have a stagette tomorrow night which is why I wasn't going to start until Sunday - but I can still have a nice healthy supper.  I'm not supposed to drink but I am going to have 2 drinks plus water and chock it up to not a perfect day - I'd rather get started though so here I go - I'm sooo hoping that I am strong enough to do this.  I think I can.

Blog 2 for today

I'm sure I will be blogging 2 and 3 times/day as I do this Isagenix program.  Today I sat down with my day planner for next week and made sure that I'd be busy each day which I think will be key for me.
Monday morning is step class and I have Jack that day so hopefully its nice enough that we can be outside.
Tuesday is my cleanse day so no exercise is supposed to happen although its my first day back at pilates - thats not too strenuous so I plan on still going.  Then I have a doctor appt in the afternoon in Exeter so that's Tuesday done and gone.
Wed morning gym and then I serve lunch at the school and then I have to spend the afternoon setting up for the schools book fair.  Perfect.
Thursday I am meeting my friend M at the gym to have her go through the 3 new workouts that she made me.  Its also the Hillberg and Berk Trunk show at Fisher that day so I will be there for at least an hour or so.  Another day gone.
And Friday I have to go to Port Huron to pick up parcels at UPS.  I'd love to fit in the infra red sauna in there once or twice next week - Friday morning maybe.
So I will take it day by day and see how I make out. I'm feeling more and more excited as I think about it.  And Friday one of the parcels I'm picking up is my new Trina Turk bikini so that's great motivation to get through the first week.

Isagenix baby.....

I can't believe I'm typing this post, but yes, I have decided after MUCH thought and research and speaking with people to try the Isagenix program.  I have 5 lbs left to lose but on top of that I want to be the healthiest inside that i have ever been and I think this is the way to go.  My product should hopefully arrive tomorrow and if so then I plan on starting on Sunday and its 30 days.  I don't have all the details yet but basically I will be having a shake (chock full of protein and good stuff) for breakfast, snack, shake for lunch, snack and then a regular healthy clean supper 6 days/week and one day is a cleanse day which is basically shakes, water and maybe a few other things.  I can tell you more once I get my order.  I have been putting this off for a long time and it gives me major anxiety thinking about a shake for lunch rather than an actual meal but I have talked to so many people who have done this program with great success.  It becomes a lifestyle once you are finished the 30 day program.  I'm not saying I can do this for the whole 30 days but I'm willing to try.  I never thought I could do Ritas 2 week program but I did it and look at me now.  I wasn't going to tell anyone but I've decided that I need tons of encouragement and I need a place to vent when the going gets tough.  This will be the hardest thing I have done to date for my body but I'm hoping that I am strong enough and I think the end results will be amazing.
My plan is to keep super ass busy next week, my first week on.  There is a book fair at our school and I have volunteered to work it each afternoon to try and stay out of the house.  Hopefully the weather is nice and I can get lots of walks in.  No workouts on my 1 day/week cleanse day.  I plan on getting a massage each week, lots of appointments done - anything to keep my mind off what I am doing.
Here is some of the info that I got on the program - I am nervous but like when I started my cleanse with Rita I have to go into it with a great attitude, an I can do this attitude and fingers crossed that this will complete my road to the most amazing healthy Sarah that I have ever been - turning 38 in June and Fabulous!!!

Cleanse Tips

Ø  Water: your weight divided by 2 is the amount of oz per day.

Ø  Ionix Supreme- refridgerate and hold under tongue for 30 secs when consuming.

Ø  IsaLean Shake- do not blend any more then 10 sec and have it within 10 min.

Ø  IsaSnacks- you must eat these to regulate blood sugar and curb cravings.

Ø  IsaDelights Plus- up to 4 on cleanse days.  They help to regulate blood sugar, curb appetite, give you energy and keep you mentally alert.  

Ø  IsaFlush-keep beside bed at night so you don’t forget.

Ø  No artificial sweeteners! Try stevia if you have to.

Ø  Option: add IsaCrunch or crushed flax seed to all of your shakes to keep the bowels moving. If buying whole flaxseed, crush flax and use immediately or store crushed flaxseed in freezer.  

Ø  Reduce or eliminate refined carbohydrates: breads, crackers, muffins, cookies, bagels, etc. As well as caffeine, alcohol and smoking.

Ø  If you have relied on caffeine or take energy drinks, know that Isagenix e+shots are a healthy alternative that you can even have on Cleanse.  

Ø  Eliminate or decrease dairy products

Ø  In general work toward at least 2 bowel movements per day.

Ø  Your 30 day program consists of one cleanse day per week for four weeks straight. Time your cleansing days when they will suit you best. Some people like to do cleansing days when they are very busy, others prefer to be at home, and not so busy. Listen to your body! If you are tired take it easy. If you feel energetic use your energy! Circle your cleanse day on your calendar so you know which day is your cleanse day each week you can plan around it. Leave it an option to be able to go to bed early. 

Ø  North Americans have very acidic diets. A more alkaline based diet and blood PH is beneficial to health and eliminating risk of disease.  Watch the intro video at www.cleansemenu.com Adding an alkaline liquid to an acidic stomach can cause nausea or vomiting. It will be very temporary as you alkalize your body. To get rid of the symptoms of acid while using the program, coat the stomach with 2 IsaSnacks before Cleanse for Life. If you haven’t eliminated caffeine keep it as far away from the Cleanse for Life as possible.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF DETOXIFICATION

Initially, you may experience "detox-headaches” (work through them, recommend not taking headache medication), chills, flu-like symptoms, aching joints, changes in your bowels (either loose stools or constipation), skin eruptions, skin rashes, nausea, tiredness, light-headedness, wakefulness at night, and you may be aware of cravings for sugars or proteins. Hang in there; these are all normal responses to detoxification and they are a good sign that your body is getting rid of poisons! Some people do not have any symptoms, or will only experience them slightly. Be aware that the more toxic you are, the more of these symptoms you may experience.

A word on taste: If the Shakes taste chalky or metallic, that is a sign that you are not digesting proteins or that you may have heavy metals in your system, such as cadmium, lead, and mercury. If the Cleanse for Life drink tastes too sour, too sweet, or too medicine-like, it is a sure sign that your liver is toxic. Stick with the program. As your digestion improves and your body detoxifies, your taste will change. The Snacks are great 

Walks, walks and more walks

Well I for one am just loving the weather yesterday and today - light sweaters, cuffed jeans....love it.  And when the weather is this nice I love to take the dog for long walks in the morning.  Yesterday I did go to step class and I worked it.  I was still sore from Fridays shoulder workout which actually ended up giving me a splitting headache for most of the weekend.  Yesterdays workout loosened everything up but I'm sore from head to toe.  So this morning I decided to enjoy the weather and do a nice long walk instead of the gym - its nice to change things up.  So the pup and I are leaving right after this blog.  Love the fresh air.  Then I'm spending the afternoon in the kitchen.  I'm addicted now to the greek yogurt, oat, honey muffins that I've been making.  I removed the chocolate chips so now my kids don't like them but they are pure health.  So I'm making a new batch today and I'm also making my own granola bars with greek yogurt, honey, chocolate chips and other stuff for the kids...I think they will love them.
So I keep fluctuating between 130-131lbs without any movement and its because I defiantly have been taking liberties with my healthy food.  I'm eating probably 85% healthy which is great but I'd love to lose that last 5 lbs and then maintain that weight.  So I THINK I am going to do something that I swore I wouldn't do but I can't say yet - I will know more on Saturday and if its a go, then that last 5 lbs should come right off and hopefully I will be feeling fantastic. (and no, it doesn't involve my plastic surgeon.hahaha....).  Yesterday at the gym I wore a quite fitted coral coloured LuLu Lemon top with matching black and coral pants.  I felt pretty darn good in the outfit but I could definitely see a little roll of something right around my midsection.  I asked Meaghan about that and she thinks its diet more so than toning so thats whats making me lean towards this decision.
So stayed tuned for more on that.

Sunday, Sunday....

We had a house full of people last night and had such a great party.  I love fun parties and seeing all my friends and family.  So fun.  We served lots of appetizers but as the hostess you never eat much so I definitely didn't over do it last night - went to bed around 100am starving in fact.  And I only had two drinks - 1 glass of champagne and a Skinnygirl Cosmo so I'm feeling great today.
We had our usual Sunday morning sleep in so no breakfast for me.  Lunch was around 1230p and was my usual chopped salad with chicken and quinoa (and a big handful of doritos - badddd Sarah).
Snack this afternoon will likely be a greek yogurt shake since its already almost 300pm.  Supper tonight is healthy - bbqd chicken for the kids and I - pork chop for Tom, roasted green, red and orange peppers in coconut oil, potatoes for Tom and the kids and quinoa for me.  Lots of water too.
I've already planned supper for the next two nights - tomorrow I will do a pork tenderloin in the crockpot all day and then pull it apart for pulled pork - the kids and Tom will have it on buns and I will have it just as is.  Steamed broccoli will be our veggie plus tomato and bocachini and fresh basil salad.
Tuesday is going to be my homemade chicken noodle soup.
So I have a base plan for the week.
I have all my veggies cut and ready - Tom will make me 6 chicken breasts tonight for the week.  Hardboiled some eggs.  Quinoa is prepared to take me till probably Thurs.
Feeling good about the week.

PD Day and crappy weather but I'm feeling good

Today is a PD Day and with the kids being older it gets so much easier to have them both home.  I made a point of getting everyone up by 830am this morning and we were out the door to the gym by 945am.  I had my egg white omelette with veggies for breakfast and very much enjoyed it.  Did a good weight workout today - about 45 minutes worth while the kids were in the daycare.  Then we hit the grocery store and stocked up on some healthy eats and stuff for tomorrow nights engagement party that we are hosting.  Lunch was my usual chopped salad with chicken, quinoa, olive oil and balsamic and 6 tortilla chips with hummus.  Now Avah and I are about to cuddle on the couch on the cold dreary day and watch Les Miserables for the 4th time while I look through In Style and Vogue.  Snack today is going to be 7 cold shrimp, a few carrots and one of my new healthy muffins.  See my Facebook page for the recipe.  Supper tonight I am going to grill scallops - I make 4 for Tom and 3 for me - they are so filling.  I am going to grill them in Coconut Oil (never done that before) and tomatoes.  Roasted asparagus and mashed cauliflower.  Im pretty excited about supper tonight.  Then the trick will be no sugar tonight so I will have to keep busy - maybe surf the net for some new recipes....
I'm going to step class tomorrow morning and then we have 28 or so people coming for a party tomorrow night.  My biggest stress tonight will be trying to pick out an outfit.  Skinny black jeans and heels for sure - just not sure what to wear on top yet......
Oh and I've started my food journal again -that is key for me - I seem to run into trouble when I don't write down my food and I definitely don't drink enough water when I'm not marking it down.  So tons of water today too.

Fell off the wagon a bit

Since I've been home from Florida I'm definatly having a hard time getting my nutrition back on target. In Florida I fell back into my bad habits of sandwiches at lunch with chips and over Easter I had a ton of chocolate which is normally not my vice at all.  So now that I'm home I'm craving all the time and definitely making at least 1 bad decision a day and its showing on the scale - I'm up 2lbs since we got home and that freaks me out so I need to get on this ASAP - like tomorrow.  Coach Rita is gone now, not training me and out of the country for the next month but I have to learn not to rely on her and her tough love and find another way to motivate myself.  There is another girl at the gym that I really admire that is a fitness model like Rita.  Her name is Meaghan and she has had two babies and she's fantastic.  I have asked her to make up 3 training programs for me and to go over then with me.  I'm really excited to try something different.  Also she told me about Flex Yoga where she goes on wednesday mornings and I'm going to try that next week for something new.  I sat with her for quite a while this morning to talk about her day to day nutrition (not during competition time) and once again I'm feeling geared up and ready to go.  Starting tomorrow I need to start detoxing a bit again - no sugar AT ALL - I've been diving into the chocolate chips at night which was never something I did and I'm having chips here and there.  So tomorrow is going to be pure and clean - eggg white omelette for breakfast, chopped salad and chicken and quinoa for lunch.  Maybe cold shrimp and veggies for snack and then some type of protein and veggie for supper.  She made me realize that day to day, I need to stay away from sugar ALWAYS unless its a special treat or occasion.  She also told me that she never eats in the evenings and I know that I've fallen into a bad trap of being a couch potato every night by 800p and lasting until after 1000p and thats when I start eating little cheats.  So no more heading to the couch for tv now that the weather is getting better.  Need to be more active in the evening and stay away from bad habits.  I know all the habits I need to break and I did it before so I can do it again - Id just love to see that 129 on the scale next week and I know I can do it.
I'm modelling in a fashion show tonight and I'm nervous because my final outfit is an amazing DVF sequinned dress that I ordered in specially and its tight - like it would be perfect in about 4lbs from now and when my boobs are a size smaller - so heres hoping I don't bust out of the dress.
I will let you know how I make out tomorrow - its a PD Day so hopefully the weather is nice and we can get outside a lot.

A Perfect Tuesday

I love busy days like today because then I don't have time to think about or enjoy food that much.  I had a great workout on my own at the gym today first thing and then lunch at home was a bowl of cold quinoa with lime juice, chopped peppers and a few craisens and a chopped cold bbqd chicken breast.  So yummy and filling.  Then I had an appt at Fisher&Co to decide on outfits for Thursdays nights fashion show that Im modelling in.  I tell you, trying on clothes for an hour is crazy good motivation to keep eating healthy.  The most beautiful Diane Von Furstenburg dress that I ordered arrived in and its so perfect but if I gain any weight that sucker is not going to fit.  I'm wearing 6 fabulous outfits in the show - I love them all - most of them I believe I'm buying for spring.  And in typical Sarah fashion I had to spend some time consulting with Miss Brooke, my stylist about what to do for fall/winter - the look I want to go for because any day now the line sheets for fall will arrive and I want to pick everything out.  I always like to have a theme for each season - can you tell that fashion is just a little important to me??
Food wise for breakfast I planned on having a couple hard boiled egg whites but you know how the odd time you get hardboiled eggs that just won't peel - garbage!!!  So annoying.  So I ended up having one of my new healthy muffins and about 10 raspberries.  Lunch I already mentioned.  I'm having snack with Avah right now and we are each having another muffin with a shake I made for us with diet cranberry juice, fat free plain greek yogurt, ground flax seed, frozen strawberries and a banana.  Off to swimming lessons we go next, home at 600pm and then I'm making Avahs favourite cheesy herb penne that I will have a small portion of, along with chicken and I bought Tom some sushi - so a bit of a buffet tonight.
The sun is out and my mood is up - loving the smell of spring in the air.

A much cleaner today today

well as per usual in the Woodland household, none of us crawled out of bed until close to 1000am - we love our Sunday morning sleep ins but it kind of messes us up for the rest of the day.  I woke up hungry and had a piece of ancient grain toast with a light topping of peanut butter and half a banana.  Lunch today was my chopped salad but I was out of quinoa and I only had a bit of chicken left so it was a light lunch for sure.  I had a few crackers with it.  I spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen getting ready for the upcoming week.  Hardboiled eggs, made a batch of quinoa, chopped peppers, made a new oat, greek yogurt, flaxseed, banana and chocolate chip muffin recipe.  Divine.  Had my parents for dinner tonight so I had Tom bbq me 6 extra chicken breasts for lunches this week.  I put out a tray of snacks when they got here, raspberries, hummus, salsa, tortillas and the muffins and I just had a few tortillas with hummus and a muffin (they are small)with a glass of wine.  Supper was very healthy - bbq chicken for me and the kids, steaks for my parents and Tom, potatoes for the rest of the fam, quinoa for me, roasted broccoli, peppers and asparagus.  Ice cream for dessert for everyone else, water for me.  So a good clean day all in all for me and lots of good eats for the week coming up.  Never made it to the gym or even a walk but tomorrow is day one of serious ass workouts.  My kids spent the afternoon outside with Tom while he cleaned the garage - they rode their bikes, used the scooters, did sidewalk chalk -I love seeing them outside.  Oh well, even though I didn't get out, I got tons done inside and thats what Sunday is about for me - prepping for the week to come so that I don't get off schedule and make bad decisions.

A bad Saturday and getting serious in the gym

Well literally if its a food that I shouldn't eat - today I ate it.  I don't know what got into me today except that my body was dying for foods that don't agree with my new lifestyle ALL DAY.  I started off okay, had my egg white and veggie omelette and went to step class.  From there it went downhill.  I had my leftover homemade broccoli soup for lunch but its really not a great choice for me - there is cheese and milk in it and its just too rich for me now.  Combined with that I also had some whole wheat crackers and cheese - another two no no's.  I then proceeded to not have an afternoon snack.  Tom went out tonight and Avah was at a birthday party so I popped into the oven mini pizzas and french fries for Jack and I.  I did make a side salad for me with chicken in it so at least I got some greens and protein but cripes - what was I thinking?  Now Im guzzling water trying to undo some of the damage.  Already thinking about tomorrow and how I can redeem myself - egg white omelette again, lots of veggies and protein at lunch and supper.  Little or no dairy and grains.  And possibly even a visit to the gym even though I usually take Sundays off - if not a gym visit then hopefully the weather is good and we can get a long walk in with the dog.  Holy smokes.

On a positive note - I spent a lot of time yesterday reading my new Oxygen magazine and going over old issues and combining that with some programs I have from Rita - I made 3 new weight programs for myself.  Starting Monday I'm going on a 6 week intense gym program - 6 days/week - 3 days weights, 2 days step class and 1 day pilates reformer but working even harder than before and really trying to tone up.  A lady that i see in the gym some times but don't really know very well stopped me at the event on Thursday night to say that she is amazed by my transformation and how much more sculpted my arms and legs are looking.  That really motivated me.  Coach Rita is leaving the country this week for a month so I won't have her to lean on at all so I need to really get myself motivated and going on my own.  I spoke with another girl at the gym who is a fitness model like Rita and she is going to help me with some new programs and ideas to really get as fit as I can.  Its nice to have another persons opinions and ideas to mix in with Ritas and my own.  I'm excited for all of this to happen.

So, not a great day in the world of Sarah - now as my weight has stabilized its not even the worry that I might gain a pound or two - its the feeling of "wow, I really let myself and my body down today, what was I thinking?"  My body likes to feel full and satisfied with clean foods now and not the crap that I ate at supper tonight.  I only have this one really fabulous and healthy body and I want to keep it this way and eating pizza and fries is not the way.  I feel bloated, heavy, tired, really thirsty - prob from the overload of sodium that I just consumed.  Damn!!!

A Good Looking Grocery Cart

I was at the grocery store this morning and while I was standing and waiting for my turn to check out, I was looking in the cart and I have to say I felt a sense of pride when I saw what was in there.  It just looked so healthy and colourful and made me feel like an awesome mother and wife knowing that I am providing my family and myself with great food choices.  I took my daughter who is 8 to a child dietician yesterday since unfortunately she has to battle a bit with her weight and her food choices and it was a great meeting.  Even though I don't eat much fruit, she told me to load up on fruits and veggies for Avah, fruit or veggie with every meal, less milk, more yogurt, etc...all sorts of great 8 year old tips.  And she also talked to Avah about trying new foods and how fun it is and luckily she is adventurous so last night at dinner I made a roast in the crockpot with potatoes, quinoa on the side for me, roasted asparagus and then I cut up cucumbers cold and pineapple.  Jack and Avah had so much fun trying a bit of everything and deciding what they did and didn't like.  Jack likes quinoa, Avah doesn't, Avah likes pineapple, Jack doesn't, etc...it became a game for them.
So today my grocery cart looked like this:
Chicken breasts - I like to get Tom to bbq me up 6 or 8 and I use them cold for my lunches each day.  I'm also going to use them for Avahs lunches at school as well.
Whole Grain wraps - for Avah and Jacks lunches
Lean Ground Beef to put in my spaghetti sauce for the family tonight while I go out to an event.
Smart Pasta - thats as good as it gets for us - we don't do the whole wheat pasta yet.
Raspberries, strawberries, plums, apples, bananas and pineapple.  Everything is washed and ready to get at easily.
All colours of peppers, now cut up into strips and stored in tupperware containers for my easy use.
English cucumber for Avah and I.
Yogurt in a variety of flavours for Tom and the kids
1% milk - we dont use skim milk in this house - the look of that watery stuff makes me want to barf.
Eggs and a carton of egg whites for my omelettes

I think that was it for today.  I love seeing a cart look like that and while of course every day isn't that way, today was a great day.

I had my egg white omelette for breakfast this morning, just about to have my chopped salad, quinoa and chicken now, then snack will likely be my greek yogurt shake with flaxseed.  Supper I will likely just have a few bites of their pasta and then head out the door to the Fisher Gibson Nash Mercedes Event - there is food and drink there so I don't want to go starving and make bad choices.

Another Major Goal Hit

The last time I was weighed was March 18th - 4 days before we left for Florida and I was 132.2lbs and 26.7% body fat.  Today, I am thrilled to say I am 130lbs on the dot......that was my original goal when I started with Rita.  I am so excited.  My body fat is up at 28.2% - I never really get the whole body fat thing - it changes from day to day - I know I am very dehydrated from my trip - I probably only averaged 3-4 glasses of water per day so that might have something to do with it.  I'm not sure why my weight dropped while I was away because I certainly wasn't eating as well as I do at home but maybe my body has stabilized now and maybe it needed some of those treats that I ate.  I ran a few times and we certainly walked a lot.  I will confess that I ate some chips almost every day at lunch but 80% of the time our suppers were good and healthy.  I almost never ate breakfast which is what happens when I'm not working out.  Most days our snacks were either a veggie tray or cold shrimp with Old Bay spice.  

So now I have set a new and final goal - 125-127lbs is where I want to stay and if I can get my body fat to under 25% I would be happy.  I'd love to see that BF at 20% but I know that will take time and thats all about the gym now.  Lots of weights,not as much cardio.  I did step class today and boy did that feel good.  And its such a beautiful day out that I think I will have my shower, eat some lunch and then take the dog for a nice walk while my laundry is going.  I'm fighting a head cold which always happens after a vacation so my head is aching a bit.

Today for breakfast I had 3 hard boiled egg whites.  For lunch I am making my big old chopped salad with leftover bbq chicken from last night and some quinoa.  I am actually dying for my good old salad - I took a break from it on my trip and now I'm excited to eat it again.  Snack this afternoon will either be a smaller portion of the salad and chicken or a greek yogurt smoothie.  I'm eating greek yogurt again and a bit of fruit.  Dinner tonight is going to be my homemade chicken noodle soup - Im feeling the need for some comfort food and my soup is sodium free unlike chicken noodle soup that you guy in a store.

I have to say I was so happy with how my clothes all fit in Florida and for the first time in 2 years I felt good in a bathing suit again.  Its such a great feeling to get that confidence back.  I have made my final decision that I am going to get my boobs done - they are definitely too big for my body and I see that in all my pictures now.  I am going to make the appt for the last weekend in September so that 2 weeks later I am ready to head to Florida for my fall/winter clothing buying trip.  I think a nice full B or a small C cup is what the doctor ordered.  More on the breast augmentation as summer progresses.

Last Day of Vacation

I can't believe our last day is here even though it feels like I've been gone for a month.  Always the sign of a great vacation when I feel like its lasted forever.  I'm feeling very bittersweet about going home.  Anyone that knows me knows that Florida is where my heart is, I love it here and hope to live here permanently some day.  I love the weather, the people, the pace, everything....Even though we didn't have the best weather for the first week it was still an amazing vacation.  I love, love, love watching my kids outside getting all this fresh air, playing on the beach every day, going to great restaurants at night, bbqs in our backyard, swimming in our pool, visiting family.  Its just all so good.  The only good thing about coming home is getting back to my routine.  I need to get my eating back on schedule, get back to the gym.  But I am happy I had the break from everything and I'm rejuvenated and ready to get back into action.
Down here my eating is totally off schedule - I haven't eaten breakfast once in the 2 weeks we have been here, just lunch, supper and a small afternoon snack.  I've eaten too much cheese, too much pasta. We have done lots of walking but I only got 3 runs in.  Our suppers have generally been fairly healthy but my lunches have reverted back to my bad habits, diet pepsi, sandwich, chips..so I've just enjoyed each day and once home will have to detox my body back into its healthy clean lifestyle.  Im ready for that.
Last night we went to a charity event at Saks that was just wonderful.  Saks is quite a small store in Tampa so it was heavenly to have hours to just roam around and look at absolutely everything.  There were cocktails, great food stations, silent auctions, anything you purchased 10 percent of it went to the charity - I may have made a few purchases...hehe.....just a really great evening.
Today is our final day and the weather is a bit crap which is unfortunate.  Its warm but really overcast and rainy off and on - we are hoping to get a few hours at our pool before we go out to one last dinner tonight and then fly back to Toronto tomorrow afternoon.
My next post will be on Sunday after I weigh myself - very interested to see how Ive made out considering my vacation behaviour!!!

What a great weekend

Its Sunday evening and Tom has just started up the charcoal bbq to make supper.  Forgot how amazing food tastes bbqd with charcoal.  After a weekend of eating pasta two nights in a row and lots of cocktails I need a nice clean dinner.  We are bbqing filets and chicken, I'm eating quinoa while they have bbqd potatoes and the most amazing roasted asparagus that we get here.  I'm already planning tomorrow nights meal too so that we have something healthy then too - grilled shrimp, roasted asparagus (can't get enough here) and sliced tomatoes and bocachini with fresh basil.  Yum.
Another incredible day today.  Did an easter egg hunt for Jack this morning - Avah stayed with her cousins last night to do the Easter Egg Hunt at the Ritz.  Then my mom, Jack and I took a drive around the island on the golf cart.  Tom got home with Avah and we spent some time at the pool and then 2 hours at the beach which was heaven.  Back home to the pool and hot tub...I'm reading the new Jackie Collins book on my kindle - just an awesome relaxing day.
I did a great run again this morning.  I started at our house and headed down the street and then thought I would try the beach and it was fairly deserted, went for miles and had nice packed sand.  I ended up running for almost 40 minutes - a record for me.  I could never run before, I always tried and hated it - well I still don't love it but now I can do it and its great.  I think its all the step classes that I have done the past 6 months.  They are so high energy and intense that it makes running seem easy.
I think I will get at least 2 more runs in this week and at night I have still done my ab work and pushups - don't want to totally fall apart on vacation.
Happy Easter Sunday!!

Happy Easter Friday from Ana Maria Island

Finally, finally, we are seeing  rise in temperatures.  This is the craziest weather we have ever had in Florida at Easter.  Next year we are definitely not coming until April 1st and then we will stay the first 2 weeks of April - not taking this chance again.  Wed was the coldest day - it never even hit 60 degrees.  I took my mom to the outlets for the morning and then we drove around the island in our golf cart a bit freezing....
Yesterday it started to warm up.  The whole family drove over to St Armonds on Longboat Key and did some awesome shopping.  My mom, Avah and I at the Lilly Pulitzer store and Jack and Tom at The Met.  I got the most beautiful patterned ankle pants, bright sleeveless tops, maxi dresses, everything is in pinks, blues, kelly greens - LOVE!!  We had lunch at my mom's fav - Cha Cha Coconuts.  I had half of my order of cheese quesadilla and half order of their yellow rice.  We were home by 200pm and the kids swam for almost 2 hours while the adults sat around the pool - it was just warm enough to sit out there.  Then around 500pm my mom and the kids and I drove our golf cart all the way to the grocery store to get supper fixin's.  We LOVE that golf cart - so much fun.  I made my homemade fresh tomato sauce with olive oil, tomatoes, fresh basil, along with chopped salad and chicken.  Delish.  I love that its light here until almost 800pm every night and we eat dinner later.  We then all settled in to watch Les Miserable on DVD.  I was hungry by bedtime but I didn't give in to my cravings.
Today is even nicer so I'm headed out for a run right now while Tom goes to the gym.  For him on vacation its a treat to have the time to hit the gym everyday...for me its a great to not hit the gym.  Its a nice break.  I prefer to walk and run outdoors.
Then we are staying by our pool for a couple of hours and having some lunch here and then heading to a little beach thats just down our street that is secluded and protected from the beach.  the kids can play in the sand.
Tomorrow we go over to the Ritz in Lido Beach for the whole day and then out to another of our favourite restaurants in Sarasota called Mediteraneo.
I wish that I had a scale here at the house to weigh myself - I'm just so curious as to how I'm doing.  i'm certainly not eating quite as healthy as at home but i make sure my portions are smaller and I don't feel like I'm gaining anything.  My clothes all fit amazingly...its really quite exciting.  Might even debut a bikini this weekend.  The only bad thing is I'm definitely not drinking enough water - I bet I'm only getting 2-3 glasses/day - its hard when we are on the go all the time.  So thats my plan for today - to start cranking some water so I don't shrivel up.
Happy Easter!!

Freezing in Florida...what is wrong with this picture

Hi everyone - we are nicely settled in our amazing house on Ana Maria Island - right on the water, beautiful pool and hot tub, huge house....we love it here.  Unfortunately its quite chilly - today is going to be the coldest day - not even hitting 60 degrees.  This is supposed to be the coldest day so its only going to get better from here.  I'm the eternal optimist and I'm always looking at the bright side of things and making plans but it gets exhausting sometimes trying to keep my mom and husband positive and moving.
We are picking up our golf cart shortly and we have that for a week so we will don our winter wear and toot around the island a bit.
Yesterday we shopped in Tampa at my favourite mall for 6 hours straight.  Got both my kids whole spring/summer wardrobes.  The day before that we had a nice quiet day at our house - it wasn't warm but it was bearable so we sat outside in our clothes while the kids swam (Canadian kids will swim in any weather).  We walked along the beach which is stunningly gorgeous and walked out a pier to see the Fishermen and have a beer.  Dolphins were swimming around us which never grows old.
Ana Maria Island is like a cross between a big Grand Bend and Bayfield - cute little shops, tons of great restaurants...we love it.
Food wise I don't feel like I have overdone it anywhere.  We arrived late Friday night into Tampa starving and hit Carrabbas, an Italian restaurant where I had a small dish of pasta with olive oil and tomatoes.  Saturday we had lunch on the pier in St Pete and I had their famous yellow rice with a skewer of grilled shrimp - delish.  Sat night we went to our favourite seafood restaurant in St Armonds called Crab and Fin -I had the most amazing cracked crab with rice and veggies.  No dessert.  Couple glasses of champagne - there is nothing like champagne and crab.....
Sunday we had lunch at our house - I can't even remember what it was now but I bought some fresh seasoned cold shrimp for our snack that afternoon and supper was baked chicken, roasted asparagus and quinoa.
Yesterday we had lunch at the mall at California Pizza Kitchen - my mom and I shared a chopped salad and we also shared a margarita thin crust pizza.  Then we didn't eat again until 800pm last night so we were starving and that was my only bad choice.  We went to this little tiki shack for seafood and I had deep fried shrimp - oops with chopped greek salad.
Today we are having lunch here so Im making my usual chopped salad and quinoa while the rest of the family has sandwiches.  We have more of the cold shrimp for snacks and then tonight Tom and I are going to a Tampa Bay Lightning game - his sister has a box for all of us.  So this trip has certainly been jam packed so far.  I love it here and they are going to have to force me back on the plane.

Off on Vacation we Go

The day is finally here and we are off to Florida.  I can hardly wait to get out of this weather, although I'm not sure what the Florida weather has in store for us - when I look at the long term forecast I see that its definitely not shaping up to be as nice as it was for us last year.  This is what happens when Easter is early.  Next year Easter isn't until Apr 20th so we will be going much later and the later we go the happier I am - April in Florida is always perfect.  Having said all that weather that is low to mid 70s and sunny is nothing to be upset about - as long as we can be outside all day I am happy.
I haven't been logging my food and water consumption this week and that is not a good idea for me.  I need to stay strict with myself, however my weight today is 131.2 which is the lowest it has been so I'm thrilled.  Almost made my 130 goal - hopefully all the outdoor activity and an 80/20 rule of eating and not drinking too much champagne I can maintain the weight while I'm away.
Anyway, just wanted to say see you later and I'm sure i will be blogging once in a while from Florida.

More and more cravings....

Well my friends, as you know this blog is about ups and downs, triumphs and disappointments and today I did a disappointing thing - not only did I let myself down but I feel like I let the people who have been cheering me on down too.  I have been suffering from major cravings all week - I should never have let myself eat the stuff I did on Saturday because I think I'm still just not at a strong enough place yet to abstain when I need to and by letting my body have some of those treats, it just wants more and more -so that plan definitely backfired.  I know now that I need to keep on the straight and narrow 90% of the time for the rest of my life.
So today....the cravings were hitting and its like it takes over my whole body and I went out and bought....DORITIOS and I ate too many.  I ate them along side my chopped chicken and veggie salad. My brain was like scarf down these chips now....my heart was heavy afterwards...it gives me that few minutes of pure enjoyment and then its not worth it afterwards.  I immediately threw the rest of the chips out so that I wouldn't be tempted again tomorrow.  Now I feel so mad at myself and even though I worked out at home this morning my first instinct is to work out again but I know thats how I can get myself into trouble - I can't obsess - whats done is done, move on...drink lots of water.  I'm going to snack on my leftover salad in a little bit as my snack and for supper I'm making my homemade chicken noodle soup which is clean and healthy.  I'm not even going to make the Pillsbury buns with it that my kids love so much because I know in the state I'm in today I can't say no.  So lots of veggies for the rest of the day and then tomorrow is a new day. I don't want to get on this slippery slope of eating cheats a couple times a day here and there because I know they add up.
I'm excited to get to Florida even more now and be outside a ton in the fresh air and bbq a ton and eat seafood and veggies.  We are going to my favourite seafood restaurant on Saturday night called the Crab and Fin and I love getting fresh crab there....yummy..I can taste it now (minus the butter of course, just nice and steamed right out of the shell)  I just need a change from what I'm doing here and a good dose of Vitamin C/D or whatever you get from the sun.
I have packed all my spices that I use regularly so that I don't have to buy more down there.  Ive made a big tupperware full of Avah's healthy unsalted trail mix for her to snack on while we are away.  I have my grocery list ready to hit Publix once we get to Florida.  I'm pretty much packed.  Had my spray tan this afternoon which by the way I hate getting, I feel so sticky and stinky afterwards and I don't like to shower it off until the next morning but its worth it after the shower.  Nothing looks worse than a cute sundress and stick white legs.  Got my nails done today.  Tomorrow is pedicure, waxing and some last minute errands.  And then we are off....can't come soon enough.