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.

Bad Decisions

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Two days in a row, I’ve skipped the gym.

Two days in a row, I made really bad food choices. I skipped lunch, then gorged when I got home. The day before, I pretty much polished off a box of Kix cereal all on my own.

What gives?

Last week, I had the will power of a saint. This week, I’m like a flailing infant, unable to keep my arms and legs in check. I’m eating everything, letting my laziness overpower my desire to workout, and I’m starting to feel like I’m going to be forever stuck in the 140-141 plateau.

IMG_1774

I’ve faced some criticism lately, where people tell me that I AM at a healthy weight and I need to stop being obsessive.

What people don’t seem to realize is that I’m 5’2″. I’m very petite, so 140 on my frame is different than 140 on the frame of an average [5’5-5’7″] woman. For me, 140 means thick thighs, squishy tummy, and arms that wiggle and shimmy like leaves on the breeze.

For my frame and height, I should probably be between 120-125.

Of course, I wouldn’t know for a fact what my true ideal weight is because I’ve NEVER been there.

I was in the 140s-150s in elementary school, the 150s-170s in middle school, and the 170s-214 range in High School. I’ve never been my ideal weight, so I’m basically guessing as to where it should be.

If I keep up with my current habits, my ideal weight will remain that: a guess and not a reality.

I really need to get myself into gear and stop making excuses. I’m still signed up for GymPact and I have to get 3 more workouts in during the next 4 days or I lose $10/session. At the minimum, that should get me moving!

Enough bemoaning the past. Today is a new day. I will make better decisions. I have kickball tonight, so that should be fun. 🙂

As always, my friends, bon appetit –

~ Tori

Paleo Dessert Option (and it’s portable!)

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Since I do NOT want to talk about my eating habits this weekend [not good, people, not good], I thought I’d use this morning’s post to talk about a DELICIOUS new treat I discovered for those on Paleo diets like myself:

Happy Squeeze – Organic Superfoods – TREAT: Chocolate Pear.

Simple package, decadent contents.

Simple package, decadent contents.

These little 90 calorie treats are just short of spectacular. A blend of organic pear, organic white grape juice, organic vanilla extract, and organic cocoa, these pouches taste like sweet chocolate ice cream that has been blended by the gods themselves into a perfect, portable package – no refrigeration necessary! They taste great at any temperature, in fact, and they feature a resealable cap, which is a unique option for this type of snack option. Probably because this particular brand caters to a younger audience [I admit it: I’m eating baby food, people] that likely won’t finish an entire pouch in one sitting.

Oh, I don’t have that problem. I have to force myself to slow down and savor these little babies because they taste THAT GOOD.

I’ve gotten into the habit of freezing them and enjoying them as an alternative to coconut ice cream for when I need a sweet snack before bed. In addition, when they are frozen they serve a dual purpose if you pack lunch: an ice pack AND dessert! BAM! That’s a win:win in my book.

This “TREAT” [that’s it’s actual name!] is the perfect serving size, a petite 3.5 oz, which is just enough to satisfy a craving, even on a full stomach.

In researching them on Amazon.com, I discovered that they come in a variety of flavors [OMG, they have Caramel Apple!] and they average about $1-$1.75 per pouch.

Can I let you in on a little secret?

You have to promise not to tell anyone, OK?

……

…..

…

Alright… here’s the scoop:

I found these at Big Lots for just 50 cents per package.

I KNOW. Just 50 cents!

So, before you order these delectable delicacies online, check your local Big Lots to see if they have them in stock. The store near my house carries a surprising variety of organic and Paleo-friendly snack foods [organic beef jerky, even!], so I always stock up when I see a new item there that I can eat. For just 50 cents a package, I bought DOZENS of these TREATS for later consumption.

Yum, yum!

Bon appetit, my friends – and happy bargain hunting along the way!

~ Tori

Friday Miracle?

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Brace yourselves, everyone, I think the second coming of Christ is imminent.

Why, do you ask?

This morning I witnessed a MIRACLE.

In my usual sleepy stupor I hopped on the scale, anticipating a small drop [I’ve been sticking to my diet 100%] but also not getting my hopes up, as I’ve steadily lost 0.2 to 1.4 pounds every day since Monday.

Here’s a little summary of my weigh-ins this week:

Monday: 143.6

Tuesday: 142.2

Wednesday: 141.0

Thursday: 140.8

So, want to know Friday’s weight?

….drum roll….

…….

137.8

I literally dropped 3 lbs overnight.

No, I didn’t take a diuretic. No laxatives. No supplements of any kind, other than my normal morning regime of a multivitamin and a vitamin D tablet.

I hopped off the scale, reset it to zero, and hopped on again to verify the number. Yup. 137.8.

How does that happen?!

weight-loss-scale

This guy is my new best friend.

I’m not complaining at all, of course. I’m THRILLED to be back in the 130 range, but how in the world did I go from 143.6 on Monday to 137.8 on Friday? That’s a loss of just under 6 lbs!

Did my mitochondria go into overdrive last night and decide to metabolize at three times the normal rate?

Did a mystical liposuction fairy come in the dead of my sleep and slurp out some hidden fat cells?

And, if so, how can I make him come back?!

I have no idea what caused the sudden drop in weight other than the fact that I’ve hit the gym consistently this week and stuck solid to my Paleo diet. I’m going to maintain this pattern through the weekend and pray to the Gods of Ketosis/Metabolism for their continued grace and blessings.

With that note, I wish all of you a happy weekend and, as usual, bon appetit!

~ Tori

Dining Out on Paleo

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So for the past four days, I’ve been sticking religiously to the Paleo diet.

No dairy. No wheat. No soy. No corn. No soda.

Basically, I’ve only been eating things that came straight out of the earth or had been consuming the earth just a few days prior.

I still can never understand why I strayed from this diet in the first place. When I was first introduced to it in August 2012, I immediately picked it up and lost almost 25 lbs with little to no effort. I exercised less, ate MORE food [both volume and in quality], and never felt deprived.

With the holidays came laziness, pecan pie, ripe cheeses, and lots of bad decisions. Yeahhhh. I had been on a downward spiral in my dietary habits pretty much from December until this past weekend. It was bad.

Needless to say, after four days of eating clean, I’m feeling much better.

Each morning my weight has gone down on the scale. Monday morning I was 143.2 [ouch!] and this morning I was back down to 140.2. Not back to the 134.4 I was last October/November, but I’m steadily working my way back to it.

Every day I’ve eaten until I was full with no feelings of regret, deprivation, or otherwise dissatisfaction.

Here’s the kicker —

Every day I’ve prepared all of my own food. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve made sure to  follow the Paleo diet to the T. Today was the first major challenge which involved eating out.

Could I do it?

OHHHH YEAAAAAAH.

Baja Burrito Kitchen = Paleo Heaven on Earth

Baja Burrito Kitchen = Paleo Heaven on Earth

You know, most people think that dining out is challenging, but the Paleo diet is easy. Keep it fresh, keep it clean, and don’t eat anything that doesn’t need to be refrigerated. As you can see in the above picture, that’s not hard to do at most restaurants.

At Baja Burrito Kitchen, I just ordered the “Baja Burrito Kitchen Combo” and asked them to sub the rice and beans for onions and peppers and to double my guacamole instead of the sour cream and cheese. It was DELICIOUS. A few squeezes of lime, some fresh salsa, and lots of cilantro. LOVED IT.

So, this proved that dining out on Paleo is not only possible, it’s EASY. And I don’t see this being hard at pretty much all restaurants: seafood, steakhouse, Mexican. Really, the only challenge would be Italian [no noodles? sauce over veggies? hmmm] or Chinese [um, steamed veggies and seafood, no soy sauce?]

So, theoretically, I have no reason to cheat on Paleo. I can cook for myself or pick food up. I have a collection of healthy snack food options and I also know what I can safely pick up at a gas station if I’m in a rut.

I think I’ve got this.

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Life Lessons

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I just wanted to take a quick moment to share some life lessons I’ve picked up in the last 24 hours.

Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.

  1. It’s a bad idea to sign up for GymPact the evening before you have an out-patient surgery. Out-patient surgeries typically don’t allow you to do strenuous workouts for a few days after the procedure to ensure you don’t exacerbate the injury.

  2. It’s an even WORSE idea to ignore the post-op care and attempt to go for a run 24 hours after your procedure. Popped stitches = owwies. But I’m not losing my $5, damn it!

  3. If you’re hungry but don’t know what to eat, drink a Fox Barrel Blackberry Pear Cider. Fucking delicious. 130 calories. And Paleo!

  4. Ciders [or the alcohol inside them] numb your stomach and you no longer want to eat every piece of junk food in your house.

  5. Sweat REALLY burns when it gets into your stitches.

  6. Seriously. Sweat + open wounds = bad idea.

That being said, I skipped my workout on Monday but went today, primarily because I didn’t want to lose money on GymPact and I needed to hit 5 workouts by Sunday at midnight. With Monday a wash, I couldn’t skip a second day.

What did I tell you? I’m motivated when I have a goal – especially a financial one – on the line!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Renewal Monday

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You guessed it. It’s Sunday night.

That means I’m in the deep, dark trenches of remorse. Remorse for a weekend weeks of bad eating, weeks of sub par workouts, and weeks of mistreatment to my body as a whole.

My postings on here have been minimal the last few weeks, primarily because my commitment to any diet/exercise regime, despite solid inspiration, was basically non-existent.

As a result, the scale is reporting a number so high, it’s too painful for me to post. A number that I haven’t seen in almost a year. An increase of almost 12 pounds since October 2012, which is horrifying to me.

In the course of a few weeks, I undid the hard work of nearly eight months of intense dieting and exercise.

Funny how that works.

I’ve decided it’s time to put my money where my mouth is. Since setting goals only works for me when financial loss is on the line, this seems to be the only reasonable option for me. Don’t believe me? The ONLY reason I stuck with my diet through April was because I didn’t want to purchase a second bridesmaid’s dress if I couldn’t fit into the first one.

The same went for my girlfriend’s wedding the year before. I always manage to follow through on my goals when it involves the purchase of another $200 dress.

So, I just downloaded GymPact to my iPhone.

gympact

I’ve committed to 5 workouts per week. I’ve set the stakes at $2.50 earned for workouts completed, $5 per workout missed. So I have the potential to make $12.50 per week or lose up to $25. If these stakes aren’t enough to keep me going, I’ll up the ante to $10 per missed workout. Whatever it takes.

The next few days, I’m going to try and cleanse, especially from this weekend, and focus on just fresh veggies and lean meat – no sugars, no processed foods, minimal salt. I hope to post a weight update by midweek – assuming I’ll have flushed the superfluous weight – and just praying that it’s not as painful as it was this evening. Yikes.

Wish me luck!

~ Tori

Vingt à Neuf (because everything sounds better in French)

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So, another birthday has come and gone. It’s official. I’m 29.

I have entered the last and final year of my 20s.

Boy, that went fast.

I had just gotten into the groove of the 20s, feeling like I was coming into my own. Now, suddenly, I’ve gained sight of the bridge leading into my 30s. Whoa, slow your horses there, friend. I’ve only just set the cruise-control on my 20s and it’s already time to slow down, shift gears, and prepare for the ascent into those trichotomous digits? No, no, no. I’m not quite ready for that, thanks.

I’m 29 and I still feel like I’m 21. I’m a college student (for the second time), I drink more of my calories than I eat (whoops), and my weight is still yo-yo’ing more than it remains still. Shouldn’t I have better control of that on the brink of the triple-decade?

As you can probably guess, I did NOT hit my goal weight by my birthday. In fact, I packed on two pounds, bringing me back to 144.

Lovely.

I was 134.4 [my lowest since grade school] just before the holidays, and I’ve been spiraling out of control [OK, that’s slightly dramatic, but you know what I mean] since Christmas dinner.

Will my 29th year of life bring me some stability?

Will I suddenly, on the cusp of “true” adulthood, find balance in my diet, in my exercise, and in my body image? Or will I spend this last year of my 20s just as obsessive about food and numbers on a scale as I had for the decade prior?

I’d like to say that I am starting 29 with a renewed sense of self-worth and purpose, but really, I’m just starting it with a muffin top, a lingering hangover, and a wish for another piece of birthday cake.

Hmmmmmm.

Maybe it’ll be better tomorrow. Until then —

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Independence Day

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It’s been over 200 years since America declared its independence from their distant British ruler. Over two centuries since America and its colonies established itself as a force to be reckoned with on a global scale. For 237 years, the United States has stood for freedom, for acceptance, and for refuge for those suffering.

Suffering from persecution, prejudice, or the restriction of their basic human rights? You’ve found sanctuary here.

It seems fitting, then, that I found myself reflecting on my personal struggles with weight and body image during the festivities of the 4th of July celebration.

For years, I’ve been a slave to the scale.

You can't see it, but imagine a ball and chain locking me to this damn thing.

You can’t see it, but imagine a ball and chain locking me to this damn thing.

I’ve allowed it to dictate my mood, control even my most basic decisions, and play the role of judge and jury over the value of my life.

I’ve talked about it here extensively in the past, but the scale in my bathroom is both one of my most prized possessions – as well as one of the most malignant items in my house.

A good weigh-in means a day of happiness, of celebration, of pride.

A bad weigh-in means a day of guilt, of self-inflicted punishment, of shame.

You know, I’m getting really tired of the oppressive dictatorship of my scale.

While I can’t directly compare it to the British control over the American colonies, I can relate to the feeling that it’s not quite FAIR that this scale – which is not involved in my exercise, my diet, or any other element of my health – is able to have so much control over me. Sort of feels like taxation without representation, you know?

That’s just not right.

So, with that thought in mind, and a healthy dose of American pride coursing through my veins thanks to the fireworks yesterday, I’ve decided to declare my independence from the scale.

While I’m not sure I have the strength or fortitude of our founding fathers to make it a PERMANENT division in our relationship, I do plan to secede from the scale for as long as possible. A few days. A week. Maybe I can make it until the end of July, who knows.

Regardless, I’m declaring today – July 5th, 2013 – my personal Independence Day from the scale. Much like the British, I anticipate a bit of retaliation from the little metal and glass piece of evil… but I’ll fight that battle when I have to. In the meantime, I’m going to savor my liberty for as long as possible.

Bon appetit, my friends, and happy Independence Day [from the scale] to all!

~ Tori

Too much of a good thing?

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Everyone has a favorite.

A favorite color. A favorite food. Favorite pair of jeans. Shoes.

Place. Person. Pet.

[Shhhhhhh. Don’t tell anyone, but I sort of like my boy Chihuahua a bit more than my girl. Proof is that he has his own Facebook page and she doesn’t. Whoops!]

Everyone is guilty of having favorites in almost every aspect of their life, including their fitness regime.

I happen to have a favorite type of cardio exercise: the elliptical machine.

If you've followed this blog for a while, you probably realize that's not ME in the photo.

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you probably realize that’s not ME in the photo.

Image source: http://www.ellipticals.us/

I don’t know what it is about this machine in particular, but I can literally spend 90+ minutes on it and feel great. The TV distracts me, I’m often rocking out to some killer tunes, and in some cases, I’m reading a book for the duration of the workout.

Unfortunately, you can have too much of a good thing.

I’m extremely guilty of not diversifying my workout. I have a tendency, especially when I’m tired or not motivated, to do the exact same exercise [60-90 minutes on the elliptical] every time I go to the gym.

For the past three weeks, other than one super motivated day in which I did a strength circuit, I’ve ONLY done the elliptical machine as my exercise.

Yeahhhhh.

The same machine. Always for 60-90 minutes. Every week, 4-5x per week.

As you can probably guess… it’s not helping my weight loss. In fact, as of this morning, I’m up a pound from my starting weight on June 11th.

It’s frustrating, because, despite the repetitious-aspect, I’m putting in effort. I leave the gym pouring sweat. I feel an ache in my legs the next day, which is normally a good indicator that I’ve given those muscles a pretty strenuous workout.

Why isn’t that enough?

I was reading a few fitness articles online and I discovered there are a couple of major CONS to doing the same workout over and over.

  • For one, you’re more prone to injury! As this article by Body4Life states, doing the same workout over and over creates a “repetitive-task” response, which can lead to an increased chance of injury.
  • The workout becomes less effective. As you continue to do the same workout over and over, your muscles learn the motion and it requires less energy/effort to mimic the action. Practice makes perfect – but, in this case, it means the workout provides less overall caloric burn because it’s not a challenge to your muscles anymore.
  • You won’t see the same results. If you continue doing the same exercise over and over but expect different results [aka, new definition or muscle development], you’re going to be sorely disappointed. [get it? sorely disappointed?! I’m such a pun-artist!]

So, with all of that being said, I guess I’ve fallen into the cardio-rut and it’s time to overhaul my workout a bit.

I hate to say this, Mr. Elliptical-by-the-Door, it’s time to take a break. I need to see other machines.

facebook-break-up

That treadmill is looking mighty sexy. And I’m pretty sure Mr. Stairclimber has been checking me out all night. Don’t get me started on the rowing machine… he’s been dying to bend me over since he laid eyes on me.

Don’t be upset. We can stay friends. I’ll still visit from time-to-time. I’m just not ready for a committed relationship at this point, you know?

I’m glad you understand. I love you and I’ll never forget the joy – and the sore buttocks – you’ve brought me.

Bon appetit, my friends —

~ Tori

 

Paleo Super Foods Shake

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This morning I went to the local farmer’s market, where they had incredible organic fruits and veggies available. I stocked up on some of season’s best: fresh, plump blueberries, sweet pineapple, and fresh kale.

Since I’m still not much of a breakfast person, I created the following recipe for a healthy morning shake pumped full of nutrients. My hope is that the shake will give me enough natural energy that I can break my morning coffee habit [processed creamer + splenda = bad!] and get myself to a point where I’m eating as clean as possible.

Here’s the recipe I crafted – delicious, sweet, and refreshing!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup ice
  • 1 cup vanilla, unsweetened Almond milk
  • 2/3 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped pineapple
  • 2 tbsp organic flax seed
  • 2 tbsp organic chia seed
  • 2 leafs of kale, rinsed and chopped

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend for two minutes on high. Serve immediately.

You can’t even taste the kale over the sweetness of the pineapple and the seeds add fiber and protein otherwise absent from a fruit shake.

I hope to have this daily, though I might substitute blueberries for frozen raspberries once mine run out. 🙂

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori