Author: Victoria Elizabeth

Victoria Elizabeth http://www.victoriaelizabethann.com Bubbly and enthusiastic, I am a lover of all things pink. My writing style is as eclectic as my personal library, so you'll see everything from dark poetry to light-hearted short stories posted in my portfolio.

New Year: The End to the Feasting!

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Whew. Holiday eating has been a BEAST!

Resisting temptation has been just about impossible, especially last week! Just check out this Christmas Eve spread:

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And there was actually more food, it just didn’t fit on this table. Cheese (my kryptonite) and seasonal desserts definitely did me in.

Amazingly, thanks to working out (Holiday Hottie Fitness Challenge!) and giving away most of the unhealthy leftovers, I made it through Christmas with minimal gain: I’m sitting at 130.8 lbs even.

Still way up from my summer-time low (of 123.8 lbs, *big sigh*), but not horrific considering the average American gains 12 lbs from Thanksgiving Day until New Year’s Day. I actually haven’t gained over the holidays – I put on my 8 pounds during the Fall (July 28th through October 31st, to be exact), when I tried to balance two full-time jobs!

I only have one more week of temptations to survive: I’m hitting NYC for the New Year! I absolutely CANNOT diet while in New York, of course, as this is really my only chance to try some of the delicacies of the city. Fortunately, I should counteract most of the bad food by the fact that I’ll be walking EVERYWHERE. My husband and I won’t use cab service (unless we have to travel completely across town), and we avoid the subways whenever possible, so we’ll be hiking around Midtown and the surrounding boroughs for a solid five days.

My husband and I did agree on a few rules in NYC to keep the weight gain at bay:

  1. If we can get it in Florida, we’re NOT eating it there.
  2. When dining out, we order one decadent meal and one healthy meal, then split them.
  3. If it’s not pouring rain or more than 2 miles, we’re walking it.
  4. We’ll drink at least 6-8 bottles of water per day. That’ll help with fatigue, cravings, and keep us hydrated in the colder weather.
  5. We’re not skipping breakfast. I actually found a few Groupons/Living Social deals for great breakfast eateries, so we’ll make sure we’re getting fuel into our bodies early in the day.

I plan to start 2015 with a lot of awesome memories and NOT worried about my weight, so I won’t start working on resolutions/ goals for my body and lifestyle until we get back on the 4th. 🙂

Bon appetit, my friends, and Happy New Year!

~ Tori

Ready for the Temptations to End!

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My goodness, the last few weeks have been difficult.

I’ve been working out less (keep skipping Friday-Sunday), and I’ve been eating a lot more.

Fortunately, my weight has leveled out between 130-131.4, so I’m not seeing the dreaded mid 130s like I was a few weeks ago.

I can’t wait for the holidays to be OVER, not because I am a Grinch, but because I can’t handle this much daily temptation. I’ve had so much happening on weekends (parties, work events, etc), that I’m not hitting the gym as consistently as I normally do, which is NOT like me.

We’re in the home stretch. It’s Christmas week. If I can survive this, I can survive anything!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Getting Fit with Fitz

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Yet again, I must apologize for my long silences on here. Don’t worry: I’m still working out and yo-yo dieting; I’ve just been too busy to sit at my computer long enough to write about it!

Today I was on the show for a #HolidayHottie fitness segment with the talented (and gorgeous) Fitz Koehler. She’s so fun!

Check it out:

We even got Jared Cotter to join in the fun!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Life Update

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So sorry for the long silences on here, fellow yo-yos. The last few weeks I’ve been in a state of self-indulgence: eating what I want, drinking what I want, reading what I want, and just enjoying time to breathe.

After spending three months working two full-time jobs (simultaneously), I went a little crazy with the new-found freedom. I caught up on a lot of sleep …and let myself eat way too much. So much for getting back on track!

I’m currently sitting around 131-133, which is heartbreaking, as I was down to 123 back in June.

Fortunately, every day is a new day. For the past week, I’ve been participating in the Holiday Hottie Challenge with Fitz Koehler. While I’ve been bad on my diet, I have been working out almost daily for the last six weeks. I am definitely stronger, despite the extra little chub around my middle.

Fortunately, I’m still wearing size four jeans, but I can definitely see the pudge/softness around my tummy growing that was *almost* gone during the summer.

A good friend of mine is getting married in March and she’s asked me to help her get in the best shape of her life. I LOVE having a goal, and I really feel that her request is going to be the incentive I need to jump start my own diet (and stay accountable).

I’ll be training with her 3-4 days per week, and if she doesn’t see MY body improving, how can she trust me with hers?

That’s going to be motivation for me to stick to my original paleo/low-carb diet that worked well for me before I got lazy.

I’ll try to post here more frequently to hold myself accountable. Maybe I’ll go back to posting my food log to really help me stay focused! I don’t want to share with the world a binge on chocolates, so perhaps sharing my food diary here will be a good incentive to stay diligent with my eating habits.

Wish me luck!

~ Tori

Simple, Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies!

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For those that don’t know, I am a writer for the nationally syndicated TV show, The Daily Buzz.

This is actually my personal recipe for paleo, grain-free chocolate chip cookies used on the show today!

Here’s the full recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour (I love the organic coconut flour from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cups of Enjoy Life chocolate chips
  • pinch of sea salt
  • OPTIONAL MIX-INS: coconut flakes, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or dried cherries.

Directions:

  • Preheat over to 350 degrees.
  • Combine all wet ingredients (including mashed bananas) in large mixing bowl. Stir well while folding in all dry ingredients.
  • Mix in chocolate chips.
  • On a greased cookie sheet, spoon out tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough approximately 2 inches apart. Gently press balls down, creating a 1″ thick cookie.
  • Cook for 20 minutes, or until browned. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then dig in!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Morning Cardio!

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So… I’m not much of a morning person when it comes to working out, but dinner plans with friends necessitated a morning trip to the gym. Skipping my workout was out of the question, as Monday sets the tone for my whole week – if I skip the gym once, I’ll find excuses to skip again. (Same goes for my diet, unfortunately!)

Much to my surprise, I felt awake and refreshed when the alarm went off at 5:45am. This is probably a residual effect from my long stint working two jobs, as I’d become pretty acclimated to waking up at 2am and having my brain functional for writing.

When I arrived at the gym at 6:15am, I was thrilled to see how EMPTY it was. Literally, almost every machine was available to me, something that rarely happens when I go after work. I decided to take advantage of this freedom by cardio-hopping, spending 5-15 minutes per machine and switching the moment I felt the boredom set in.

I did a little over 60 minutes of cardio, jumping from the elliptical to the stairmaster, stairmaster to the treadmill, treadmill to the bike, and bike to the rowing machine.

While I admit my flexibility and endurance is a bit less in the morning (still waking up slowly), I felt good. I burned a little over 625 calories and got home with plenty of time to shower, eat breakfast, and get ready for work.

The perks of working out in the morning are numerous, but is it enough to get me out of my warm, cozy bed tomorrow morning? Let’s see!

Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori

First Week: Getting Back on Track

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This Monday marks the beginning of my first week back on a normal schedule. I slept almost 8 hours last night, as I have for the entire weekend.

I feel recharged, re-motivated, and ready to get back to my old regimen.

My goals for November:

  1. Stay under 1,400 calories daily. Normally I aim for 1,200 or less, but I’ve been in the (bad) habit of eating upwards of 2,000 per day with the two-job schedule, so bringing my consumption down in increments seems the most achievable route to take.
  2. Workout at least 5 days per week. My goal is 6, but 5 is doable and should get me back in the habit.
  3. Vary my workouts. With the limited time I had the past few months, my gym trips were generally dedicated to cardio, as I felt it was giving me the most caloric bang for my buck. I know, I know – muscle burns more calories throughout the day, but I was on sleep-deprived logic. My goal now is to commit to 60 mins cardio, 45-60 mins strength/calisthenics/stretching with each workout.
  4. Keep protein/veggie consumption high, sugar low. I became a severe sugar addict the past few months, so I’m going to wean myself off of it over the next few weeks. I know I *should* go cold turkey, but I’m not good with extremes …so cutting it out of my diet 100% is a bit too much for me. I’m going to allow myself ONE piece of candy per day (today is a single Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup – yum!) and otherwise avoid refined sugars. I’m not going to limit my fruit, but I won’t have any fruit juices or anything that unnecessarily raises my sugar consumption.
  5. Avoid “empty” foods. I have a tendency to eat breakfast bars and other snack items with low nutritional value – even though they claim to be organic, all natural options – so my goal is to replace those snacks with raw almonds, 100-calorie oatmeal packets, and veggies with dip.

I’m starting the week at 131.2 lbs, which I attribute to a weekend of delicious (fattening) food and craft beer as we celebrated my husband’s 31st birthday. I’m a bit upset to be in the 130s again, but I know that I will finally have the power to control my appetite (it’s amazing what a good night’s sleep does for will power and self-control) and stick to a workout plan.

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I will post my weight weekly on Wednesdays (accountability!) and will do my best to get measurements/pictures up to show my progress.

Here’s hoping to ending 2014 at a healthy – and strong – weight!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Life Returns to Normal

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The time has come. My internship has ended, and my life is about to return to normal. Well, as close to normal as my life can be, that is.

Today was my last “official” day as an intern at The Daily Buzz, and moving forward I’ll be freelance writing for them from home. I no longer will have to wake up at 2am (to report to the studio by 3am) and exist on 2-3 hours of sleep per night.

It was a wild ride – and I LOVED the experience – but man, it took a toll on my body. I started the internship on 7/28 at 123 pounds, jumped up to almost 135 (when you don’t sleep, you eat), and have slowly been working to trim it back off ever since.

My hope is that I’ll resume my OLD regimen – clean eating Sunday-Friday (cheat days are Saturday!), gym 5-6 days per week, and outdoor running – and get back on track with my overall wellness.

My husband’s 31st birthday is this weekend, though, so I do plan to enjoy myself before recommitting 100%. A girl’s gotta live, right? 🙂

On that note… bon appetit, my friends and WELCOME BACK TO NORMALCY!

~ Tori