cheat

Saturday Accountability: CHEAT DAY!

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I have very little say other than:

It was my cheat day.
I went to an all-you-can-eat Argentinian steakhouse.
Margaritas.
Cheese.
Sangria.
Dulce de leche.
Picana steak.
Jumbo shrimp.
Cheese.
Potatoes.
Cheese.
More and more and more.
Did I mention there was a cheese bar?!

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Back to normal tomorrow: under 1,350 calories, burning no less than 1,000 calories in exercise. Today was a fun rest/cheat day, but I’m already feeling the repercussions: stomach is KILLING me!

Time for some alka seltzer and a warm bath.

Bon appetit, my friends!
– Victoria Elizabeth

P.S. I should mention my weight was down to 129.8 this morning: a solid 6 lbs down from Monday. I figured I should document it here now, as today’s cheat meal will likely prevent me from seeing that number again for several days, if at all. :/

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Accountability for Friday

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I wrote a nice, long post yesterday to give you an update on my day …and my browser froze, losing EVERYTHING.

Ugh.

Well, I don’t feel like repeating all of it, so I will just sum it up as best as I can:

1.) Discovered I could still taste peppermint despite my cold.
2.) “Accidentally” found my hidden stash of gourmet peppermint bark. :/
3.) Ate almost 500 calories of said peppermint bark.
4.) Felt guilty (since it wasn’t my cheat day), I hit the gym.

Here’s my summary for yesterday—

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I’m still feeling all of the cold symptoms, but it’s not enough to inhibit me from my workouts, so I’m going to stick with it until my body tells me otherwise.

Happy weekend to everyone!

Bon appetit, my friends!
– Tori

New Obsession

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I admit it. I’m one of those people.

I love the fall flavors.

All of them.

Pumpkin spice, caramel apple, you name it… I inhale them.

I swear, I’m not into it to be cool: I just ADORE them. Can’t help it.

Always on the hunt for healthier alternatives, I decided to scope out the Greek yogurt section for a treat. My hope was to find a nice, low sugar vanilla option that I could blend some pumpkin purée and cinnamon into and cry while I watch someone else eat my beloved pie.

Then I found THIS:

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Oh… My… God.

This stuff is AMAZING.

Just 80 calories, 12g of protein, and only 7g of sugar, this tastes like caramel apple pie a la mode!

It has little chunks of apple in it, and it’s got just enough caramel to make it decadent without overpowering the creamy flavor of the yogurt.

This tastes like real dessert. I’m floored.

I normally try to limit my consumption of fake sugars (or any product with an ingredient I can’t pronounce), but these delicious Dannon science experiments might be good enough to make me break my rule daily. So good.

And for just $1 each, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than my normal kryptonite: the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.

Pick one of these up next time you stop by Publix – you won’t regret it!

Bon appetit, my friends!

– Tori

Trying to Get Back on the Wagon

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Man… it has been a rough few weeks when it comes to my health/fitness.

My weight has continued to go up, week over week, and my sweets-cravings are through the roof. I am a STRESS eater and I’ve been under a lot of stress lately. Candy has become my best friend …and the worst enemy of my waistline.

I’ve promised myself I won’t weigh-in until Friday, but I can tell you the scale and I did NOT have a pleasant interaction this morning. I worked out 5x last week, but I also indulged in tons of cookies and salty snacks – more than I could cancel out with even the most intense workout.

I’m hoping that one week of rigid discipline will get me back on track, so I’m going to post my calories/meal plan on here for accountability and to try to keep myself on track.

Here’s my food plan for the day:

2am: Quest Cookies and Cream Protein Bar (180 calories)

5:30am: Two OIKOS Plain, Fat Free Greek Yogurt Cups (160 calories)

9am: 100 Calorie BetterOats Oatmeal and 1 cup Blueberries (170 calories)

12pm: 2 cups raw spinach, 3 oz Oscar Mayer Rotisserie Chicken, 1 cup sliced carrot chips, Spicy Guacamole (224 calories)

3pm: Sugar Free Chocolate Muscle Milk (100 calories)

5:30pm: Natural Almonds Snack Pack (100 calories)

8pm: Grilled Chicken Breast and Stir-Fried Veggies (approx 280 calories)

By eating every few hours, I anticipate never feeling “out of control” with my hunger and I’m hoping to quell sweets cravings by snacking on fruit (blueberries) and chocolate protein shakes.

If I can stick to this diet all day (I’m good so far — as of my 9am meal), I will allow myself a 90-calorie Chocolate Pear Squeeze Treat (sooooo good). If I hit the gym (as planned) and do at least 30 minutes of cardio, I’ll swap out the Chocolate Pear Squeeze Treat for one of the 150-calorie Paleo Brownies I made last week. 🙂

It’s all about compromise, preparation, and holding myself accountable this week. Wish me luck!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

 

Keeping Cheat Day Reasonable

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Saturday is the unofficial cheat day in my household. It’s never officially talked about or agreed upon, but nothing is said if someone orders a burger instead of their usual grilled chicken salad.

After an 8.76 mile run on Saturday morning, I knew I wasn’t going to worry about what I ate for lunch: I deserved anything my little heart craved.

That being said, I decided to finally check out the little bar at the East End Market (in Orlando, Fl.). Located at the end of a row of artisanal restaurants and stores, you can order practically anything you’d like to eat to accompany the drink(s) of your choosing.

With a boulangerie behind me and a charcuterie to the right, I made a good decision:

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Paired with a collection of Florida wine flights, really, I couldn’t go wrong:

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A delicious, satisfying cheat meal – that really wasn’t a cheat, if I’m being honest – and a new experience supporting local small businesses. I would say it was a win/win Saturday!

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

Bon appetit, my friends!

Tori

Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater!

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Remember that old adage from elementary school?

“Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater!”

Never has it been more true for this yo-yo. Not only have I been cheating on my Paleo diet, I’ve been cheating with… you guessed it… PUMPKIN!

The Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks and it happens to be my greatest weakness:

This is the same sign that will adorn the gates of Heaven. Or Hell. Probably both, except it's calorie-free at the Northern gates.

This is the same sign that will adorn the gates of Heaven. Or Hell. Probably both, except it’s calorie-free at the Northern locale.

I normally try to avoid both pure sugar and dairy, yet I find it nearly impossible to this time of the year.  Late August through the holidays = kryptonite to us pumpkin-lovers!

Why, oh why, did a cruel Barista feel the need to introduce me to this decadent temptation two years ago?

I’ve been an addict ever since.

If you can resist the lure of these sirens, you're a f*cking saint. Image Source: http://media.northjersey.com/images/1028F_starbuckspumpkin40p.jpg

If you can resist the lure of these sirens, you’re a f*cking saint.
Image Source: http://media.northjersey.com/images/1028F_starbuckspumpkin40p.jpg

And, since I’m cheating with these dairy killers (even ordering the nonfat version with no whipped cream, it’s still over 260 calories for a grande – and I never get less than a venti!), I’m allowing myself to have my other dairy favorite:

SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!

SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!!!

Chobani Nonfat Plain Yogurts!

At least these protein-packed dairy-bombs feature far less sugar (just 7g!) and deliver a whopping 18g of protein – so it’s probably one of the healthiest of all cheats. Of course, dairy is normally eliminated from the Paleo diet due to the mucus-development that ensues and the gastrointestinal disdain your stomach feels for you after it’s passed through… but damn, it’s so good.

So, yeah, between PSLs and Chobani dream-cups (my new nickname for ’em), I’ve been cheating my way right to the scale the last 48 hours. Although, I don’t plan to weigh myself this week until Friday (I’m really trying to get down to 1-2x per week versus daily), so I won’t actually know what damage I may be causing to my Paleo weight loss success for a few more days.

On that note, I can really go for a latte before my workout tonight!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~Tori