Seriously, just look at this salad.
It’s sexy.
Ripe avocado. Red, luscious bites of tomato.
Tangy crumbles of feta.
Foodgasm is imminent.
Bon appetit!
~Tori
fat loss
Friday Miracle?
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?!
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
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
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
Renewal Monday
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.
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)
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
Too much of a good thing?
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.
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.
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
One Month
Crap.
It’s June 11th.
How is it already June?
Hell, how is it already summer to begin with? I swear, yesterday I was still cleaning tinsel and pine needles from my carpets and now suddenly this blasphemous wall calendar is telling me it’s mid-June. What gives? I deserve at least another six weeks of May before we move into this horrible, no-good, very bad month.
Why am I panicking?
It’s one month away from my birthday today.
For most people, this is an exciting thing. Good things are on the way, right?
Presents! Cake! Friends! Celebration! Presents! Time off! Presents!
For me, the weeks leading up to my birthday tend to be stressful. For one, I’m not handling the whole aging-thing well. I know my face isn’t collapsing into wrinkles yet and I’m not standing in line for Botox, but I can definitely see the years moving faster and the toll it’s having on my body, my mind, and my heart – and it terrifies me.
I have a list of goals a mile long and the time seems to be sneaking away faster and faster.
One of the goals I have [every year] is to hit my goal body weight. Amazingly, I was on track for more than the first six months of this year [birth year, not new year], but I lost my mojo right around the holidays and have yet to get back into motion.
More than ever, I’ve been yo-yo’ing up and down since December 2012 and haven’t been able to get back into a diet or workout regimen that I can stick to for more than a few weeks.
Well, now we’re officially one month away from my birthday and I’m sitting more than 12 pounds over my goal weight, whereas I was just 4 pounds away from it back in December.
To say that I’m mad at myself is a bit of an understatement.
I’m disappointed. I’m embarrassed. For such a driven person, why do I let food and my own laziness beat me so often?
Fortunately, I’m not a morose person by nature, so instead of wallowing in depression today, I’ve merely recommitted myself to my goals. While I don’t think I can get 12 pounds off in 30 days [not in a healthy way, at least], I do think I can dent that number pretty substantially if I set my mind to it.
So… here goes. [Boy, deja-vu with that statement, right?]
Today’s weight: 142.2
Ideal Body Weight: 130 or less
Let’s do this.
Bon Appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
Paleo Pasta
Last night, after a two hour cardio session at the gym, I was craving COMFORT food. Fattening, carb-rich, and delicious – I felt I deserved it.
Of course, it takes almost two hours to burn off 1,200 calories but about 5 minutes to eat it, so I opted to still prepare a healthy dinner so as not to negate my efforts.
Exhausted as I was, I threw together a fast, healthy, Paleo-friendly dish in about 10 minutes and it turned out to be a winner. Basically, I modified your “typical” Italian dinner – mounds of pasta with rich, creamy sauce and hunks of sausage – into a lighter, leaner version.
The Meat Sauce:
- 1/2 cup red onions, diced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup button mushrooms, washed and chopped
- 5 Jennie-O Sweet Italian Sausages, slice about an inch thick
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 jar of Organic Basil Marinara
- 4 tbsp dried onion flakes
- 2 tbsp dried basil
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
In a large sauce pan, start by sauteing the onions and mushrooms until tender, or about 5 mins at medium heat. At this point, add the slices sausages and the dried seasonings increase the heat slightly, so as to sear it evenly. Once the sausages are cooked through [really, just 2-3 mins], add the red wine, the jar of sauce, and the water, as well as the onion flakes. Simmer for about 8 mins, or until your whole kitchen smells like a pizzeria.
The Noodles:
Here’s where you have options. Personally, I am OBSESSED with Shirataki noodles, such as Miracle Noodles or NoOodle, but you’re also welcome to use thinly sliced zucchini or even spaghetti squash [steamed, for both] as your base. In the case of the Shirataki noodles, just drain the noodles well in a colander, then dry-saute them in a wok or large pot in order to cook off the excess water. I drizzle them with a tiny bit of olive oil to keep them from sticking.
Putting it Together:
Once both the noodles and the sauce are finished, I prefer to toss it all together for even coating of the sauce and then sprinkle with just a DASH of Parmesan cheese. Depending on if you’re a hardcore Caveman, you may not have cheese. I try to avoid dairy, but permit myself the occasional sprinkle of Parmesan on my dishes, because it just adds so much flavor for very little caloric punch.
And there you have it! Paleo pasta that doesn’t negate your workout! Even non-Paleo dieters will approve, as the sauce is surprisingly flavorful and the sausage adds a distinct richness, despite the turkey-base. Yum yum!
Bon Appetit, my friends!
~Tori
Spicy and Savory Brussels Sprouts – Paleo Recipe!
Last year, my husband and I vacationed with some friends at a hotel down in Miami. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant, but the hotel featured a steakhouse that served the most delicious, most decadent side dish I’d ever had: Roasted Mustard Brussels Sprouts.
I know, I know. How can I use “delicious” and “Brussels Sprouts” in the same sentence? I’m one of those weird people that has ALWAYS loved them, but even my husband, an avid veggie hater, couldn’t stop enjoying these suckers. We personally ate two orders of them ourselves and shared a third order as an appetizer with the table.
I’ve tried to mimic the recipe and never gotten it perfect… until tonight. And, amazingly, I made my version in the lightest way possible AND kept it Paleo-friendly.
Here’s the recipe I concocted this evening:
INGREDIENTS:
- One pound Brussels Sprouts, raw.
- 1/4 cup garlic powder
- 1/4 cup onion flakes
- 1/2 horseradish mustard
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup Daiya “mozzarella” cheese
- 1 tsp yellow curry powder
PREPARATION:
- Boil the Brussels Sprouts in salted water [salt to your preference] with 1/2 of the garlic powder mixed into the water. I boiled mine for about 15 mins, until the Brussels Sprouts were bright green and still a little firm.
- Drain the sprouts and then put them in an oven-safe baking dish.
- In a small bowl, mix the almond milk, cheese, mustard, onion flakes, garlic powder, and remaining garlic powder into a thick sauce. Pour over the Brussels Sprouts, stir to coat, and pop into the oven on BROIL [500 degrees] until you see them getting nice and browned, approx 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for a moment or two, then stir to redistribute sauce and serve.
Seriously, even veggie-haters will enjoy this dish – it’s surprisingly low in calories and BIG on taste! The original we had at the restaurant in Eden Roc was made with lots of butter and probably other loaded ingredients, but this version came amazingly close to the same flavor for far less damage.
Enjoy and feel free to give feedback on any substitutions you try out!
Bon Appetit,
~ Tori
Simple Paleo Protein Shake
In an effort to get back into a healthy regimen, I’ve been forcing myself to eat breakfast every morning. I’m normally a cup-of-coffee and go kind of lady, but I realize the importance of getting some protein and fiber in before running out of the house. Breakfast is crucial to jump-starting your metabolism in the morning, so my habit of skipping breakfast over the last few weeks is likely the main contributor to my recent weight gain [up 3 lbs!] and voracious hunger in the evenings.
Since I’m all for simplicity, I’ve been making the following protein shake for breakfast every morning:
- 1 cup Blue Diamond, unsweetened almond milk – 30 calories
- 1/2 cup organic frozen blueberries – approx 25 calories
- 1 level scoop of Optimum Nutrition 100% Egg White Protein Powder – 120 calories
- 1 tbsp cinnamon – 0 calories
- 1/2 tbsp organic vanilla extract – 0 calories
- 2 tbsp raw, organic cocoa powder – approx 25 calories
- 1 heaping cup of ice [if preferred]
Blend this all together for about 30 seconds [total prep time is less than 2 mins] and enjoy! I’ve had this exact recipe for breakfast the last three days in a row and I’ve REALLY enjoyed it. I drink it around 8am and don’t get hungry until after 12pm. Yesterday, I didn’t eat lunch until 1:30pm, as I felt totally full all morning. Normally I find myself grazing for snacks by 11am, so that’s a pretty huge testament to the filling power of this shake.
Of course, you’re welcome to make substitutions to this to suit your tastes. One good substitution is to remove the berries and add two heaving tablespoons of instant coffee and a handful of Enjoy Life non-dairy, non-soy chocolate chips! I swear, when I do this, the finished product tastes just like the Jamocha Shake from Arby’s. Yum!
Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori
The Memoirs of a Yo-Yo Dieter 