15 week challenge

I've signed up via
Amy's blog to motivate myself for the next 15 weeks. I'm a bridesmaid October 17th, so this coincides perfectly.

I have 15 weeks to get to goal weight - let's do it!

This week's challenge is to recreate a sinful recipe - a good challenge since this week I have been literally DREAMING of pizza, and fries, and the new Texas Wrapster from KFC. Drool!

Tonight, I threw into a pot some ultra lean beef mince, chopped tomatoes, kidney beans and chilli powder and while I went spinning, it simmered away nicely.

When I got home, I put some sweet potatoes in to roast and ta-da...chilli cheese fries!!

5 miles and counting

Today's eats maybe weren't the best...there was vanilla icecream consumed first thing.

My flat was so hot this morning that I couldn't stomach cooking, I was out of smoothie ingredients - so icecream it was!

Lunch was chili/bean soup and three of my homemade chicken tenders.

Dinner was roasted aubergine/peppers marinated in harissa paste and served over couscous.

I wanted to run 5 miles today, but I just wasn't fueled up properly I think. I went before dinner, so all I'd had was soup and icecream - note to self, soup and icecream may not get you through 5miles round the park!

I stopped to walk twice, but still made it in 1 hour, 5 minutes - I'm a slow runner, what can I say! 5mph is my go-to speed. It doesn't seem to matter the distance I'm going, it always averages out to be 5mph nevermind if I think I'm doing a shorter, faster run or a longer, slower run - I just can't seem to help it!

Now, it's time for bed. It's my turn to be in the office early this week, so have to leave at 6am tomorrow.

- CJ

OMG...what have I done??

So, last night after a particularly good 6k run...I did something a little crazy.

Now, keeping in mind that I only started running in January and have never entered a race before, I have been seriously toying with the idea of running the London marathon. To the point that when the ballot opened, I registered. I figured that it would be a sign if I got in that I was meant to do it.

But for the past two weeks I've been obsessed with the idea of the Sony Ericsson 'run to the beat' half marathon in September.

Last night I entered, and now I'm terrified!

115 days!!!



- CJ

Green Monsters

I have been eyeing up the Green Monster idea I first saw on Leah's blog, and have seen popping up elsewhere recently.

After an early morning 5k run last week I threw together a mini carton of rice milk, spinach, ice, and a small banana and to be honest it was quite delicious. Unfortunately, my little hand blender wasn't quite up to the task, and once or twice I did find an entire spinach leaf, still whole, floating up to the surface.

Since this morning I had no hope of time to make anything for breakfast (I even forgot to pick up my hardboiled eggs as I ran out the door), I grabbed this equally looking green smoothie from the store on my way in.



1 pressed apple, quarter of a pressed pineapple, 1 crushed kiwi, 5 pressed grapes, a squeeze of fresh lime, plus a dash of spinach and nettle extract.

It was good and I love the ingredient list.

At only 2 points per bottle, I also had 1 point worth of apple pieces and grapes which tided me over relatively well, but the lack of fats and protein is kicking in hard and my stomach is making particularly loud growling noises so I'm off in search of lunch!

- CJ

Grazing is good

Inspired by Lara at thinspired I ordered one of these graze boxes last week.



The premise is simple, a box was delivered to my office designed to promote positive snacking - 'filling in necessary nutrients that may be missed due to skipped meals and long busy days at work'.

The only downside - my stupid work doesn't get it's mail until 2pm. I've known this for the entire year I've worked there, but somehow it slipped my mind. By lunchtime, I was getting grouchy and may have taken it out on the receptionist - as if it was his fault that our mail comes at that time every day??

So, I had already eaten lunch by the time the box arrived, but I'd been so eagerly anticipating it that I tore it open as soon as I got it back to my desk.

First things first, I loved the pineapple - fresh pineapple often makes my tongue react, but this was so juicy and ripe and perfect that either it didn't, or I was just enjoying it too much to notice.



Then, there was a dried fruit section - apple strudel - which consisted of dried apple rings, apricots and cranberries. Delish - I particularly LOVE that they include the nutritional information for each section for you. My entire box came to 6.5 weightwatchers points - the dried fruit being 2.5 point, which if I'd eaten it as it's intended, i.e. snacking throughout the day would have been perfect snacking!


And finally, chilli cashews - this has to be the smartest possible way to consume cashews. I have a serious cashew addiction and am forbidden from ever purchasing them. I can eat a bag, or two, no problem and would on a daily basis if allowed - I LOVE cashews. Thankfully, this 2.5 point serving meant that I could only eat 2.5 points of cashews and let me tell you, these are spicy! I was a little hesitant - who wants to ruin a cashew?? But, no - they were actually really good. Good enough that I let a colleague try one (just one mind you! The rest I ate!)


All in all, I was really impressed with the quality of the products that arrived, and have my next order scheduled for next Thursday. Luckily for me, I'm on a different site this week so I'm hoping that we might get a reasonable post time! If not, no doubt I will consume the lot in about 20 minutes after lunch (possibly not quite the grazing ideal!)

If you're in the UK and want to give it a try too - try this for a free box: WMVGNZ6

Goodnight!

-CJ

BLBE

So BLBE is over - all 16 weeks.

I started at 220, and am now 196.6, so have lost a grand total of 23.4lbs. Not spectacular if you consider the average per week, or compare it to the show, but a respectable amount none the less.

I've also taken up running, and since I started in January, when I had severe issues running for 3 minutes at a time, I can now run for an hour non-stop. Yesterday, I ran 5k in 34 minutes. Followed by another 5k today. I've learned to run on a treadmill, but for the past week have been trying it outdoors. I thought the hills, the sun, the wind, the bugs (yesterday I almost swallowed 2!) would make it so much harder, but the first attempt at outside running I ran for 10k. It was brilliant.

So, five months into my healthy new years resolution I'm a runner, and I'm no longer obese...I don't think you could ask for much more.

So a big thank you to Angie and Lynn for hosting the competition and here's to the next 5 months on this journey!

- CJ

ONEderland - take 2

So, after my excitement at entering ONEderland that week, I weighed in the next week and was back to 205.3. I know I didn't gain 6lbs overnight, but it was still hard to see that number pop up on the scale.

I weigh in on Thursdays, and I didn't actually send the number to Angie straight away. I thought I'd try again on Friday, and then Saturday, and then Sunday and nothing was budging and I contemplated 'forgetting' to send in my weigh-in results but then I decided that's not really the point of the game. So I owned my 6lb gain, and sent them off.

As luck would have it, Monday morning, the scales actually moved a little and this Thursday I was down to exactly the same weight once more. ONEderland...take 2!

Unfortunately this week hasn't been brilliant eating wise, or gym-wise. I've been swamped at work and some days have worked 9am to 11pm so the gym routine has severely suffered, and there was one day when I ate 12 points worth of chocolate chip muffins and a 6.5 point pizza on top of my daily allowance, but this weekend I have really tried at the gym.

Saturday I did:
Spinning class
Body Pump
Plus a lot of walking/shopping

Sunday I did:
Body Balance
5k on the treadmill (a new personal record of 34m 35 seconds)
Body Pump

Plus yesterday I saved a couple of points, and today I'm on course to do the same, so hopefully I can save tomorrow's WW weigh-in.

Hope everyone else is having a good week!

-CJ