I committed to the Holiday Hottie Challenge. Anyone want to join me?
(It’s free. You’re not buying any products, workout videos, etc – it’s just a good, old fashioned weight loss challenge!)
Go to www.fitzness.com for more info!
Bon appetit, my friends! ❤
~ Tori
Struggling to stay on track. Exercising like a beast, then eating like a madman. Ugh.
Boy, that’s the truth.
Must. Get. Control.
Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
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
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:
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.
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
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
I did it!
Saturday morning. 6.75 miles, 25 obstacles.
Other than a few scratches and a lot of mud (in unspeakable places, but that’s another story), I survived!
I completed the race in 1 hour, 49 minutes — which includes the wait time at each obstacle. I wish there was a way to know my TRUE time (wait times removed), but I’m pretty happy with what I accomplished.
Bon appetit, my friends!
– Tori
The day before a big race, what do YOU normally do?
Eat a few bananas? Stretch? Have a good, complex-carb rich dinner?
In my case …I go to Epcot with the family. Margaritas! Beer! Good food!
Probably not the best idea before a 7 mile, 25 obstacle foot race, but to each their own.
Wish me luck for tomorrow and let’s pray the Tequila doesn’t give me a hangover …
Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
I’ve been silent about this for the most part, but on Saturday I am competing in the Savage Race in Dade City, Florida.
In case you’ve never heard of the Savage Race, this is what it looks like:
Fires. Electrified barbed wire. Mud. Ice-filled dumpster swim.
I’ve done this once before (back in 2012) when I was not in as good of shape as I am now (I was about 15 lbs heavier) and there were several obstacles I physically couldn’t do. This year, I’m hoping my lighter weight and stronger upper body will allow me to complete the whole course without skipping any of the stops.
The only obstacle I REFUSE to do? The 2-foot wide tunnel INTO THE GROUND that is 100% pitch black.
Nope… just, nope. I’m severely claustrophobic and panic in an elevator (or a car after too long), so the thought of being in a hot, dark, cramped tube with people jammed in front of and behind me is HORRIFYING. Besides, it’s not even a test of strength so much as it is a test of fear. And I don’t need to test that today.
I’m running in the 11:20am heat on Saturday and my husband is coming along to cheer me from the sidelines. Wish me luck!
Bon appetit, my friends!
I’ve officially begun the last two weeks of my internship, which means this is the last two weeks of surviving on less than 3 hours of sleep per day.
While I will certainly miss the excitement of the TV studio, I won’t miss the exhaustion and incessant hunger that accompanied my crazy schedule.
Since starting the internship on 7/28, I went from 123 lbs up to 135, but have managed (through a LOT of self control and cardio) to come back down to the 127-128 range in the last two weeks. My hope is that once my schedule returns to normal (last day is 10/31), I should get back to my pre-internship weight by November 15th, and down to my goal (119) by December 24th.
Yes, it’s weird to set weight loss goals around the winter holidays, but I figure if I can stick strong through Thanksgiving and Christmas, I can survive anything!
So, here’s to my final 10 days of exhaustion, and the coming weeks of intense cardio, dieting, and energy needed to just get back to where I started.
Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
While my husband watched football Sunday night, I decided to check out Pinterest for fun decorating ideas and easy recipes. I stumbled across these incredible, no refrigeration-needed breakfast jars that I thought were so brilliant, I ran out immediately to get the ingredients:
MASON JAR OATMEAL!
Seriously, so simple, cheap, and easy to store.
I bought a dozen pint-sized mason jars (just $9 at Walmart), and immediately set to work prepping two weeks’ worth of delicious breakfasts!
Ingredients:
– 1/2 cup old fashion rolled oats (go for these instead of the instant, which are less nutritious)
– 2 packets stevia
– 1/2 tbsp Chia seeds
– 1/2 tbsp Flax seeds
I put this as my base in all twelve jars. Then, I decided to get crazy!
In four jars, I added:
– 1 tbsp unsweetened, shredded coconut
– 1 tbsp slivered almonds
– 1 tsp Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips
In another four jars, I opted for:
– 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
– 1 tbsp crushed walnuts
– 1/2 cup dried apple slices
And in the last four jars:
– 1 tbsp unsweetened craisins
– 1 tbsp crushed pecans
Amazing!!
Twelve jars, three flavors, and about ten total minutes of prep! The jars are air tight, so I can store these in the pantry for at least a month for a quick breakfast on the-go, but I doubt they will last more than two weeks now that I’ve tried one!
Just add 1 cup of boiling water (I eye-balled it, since my jars have 1/2 cup markers on them), shake it well, and then let sit (with the lid on) for about ten minutes while it “cooks.”
I tried the chocolate coconut almond flavor today and I LOVED IT!
I want to purchase freeze-dried strawberries and powdered milk to see if I can make own own shelf-safe strawberries and cream! Yum!
Bon appetit, my friends!
The Memoirs of a Yo-Yo Dieter 