victoria elizabeth

Monday Update and Accountability!

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So …hopped on the scale this morning to discover a pleasant surprise:

128.2!!

That means I went down -gasp- seven pounds last week!

Granted, I know the vast majority of it was water weight, but it still makes me feel good. Plus, it doesn’t hurt my motivation to stick with it this week!

I ate a little more than planned, but that’s because we had a family dinner and I hate to eat restaurant food. I made the healthiest choice possible (grilled salmon salad, no dressing), but it still adds up.

Here’s my daily summary:

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I’m off of work this week (it’s my first week back in school, so I took the week off to get ahead), and with that extra time I want to hit the gym hardcore every day.

Wish me luck!

Bon appetit, my friends!
-Tori

Sunday Accountability Report!

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Today was a low key day, and I found it surprisingly easy to get back to my clean eating today despite yesterday’s massive cheat meal. Though I did indulge in an extra piece of chocolate this evening with my wine …

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I kept my exercise lighter than usual, as I was feeling a little feverish this evening when I got home from work.

Of course, illness won’t keep me away from my daily glass of Malbec. 😉

I hope everyone had a great day!

Bon appetit, my friends!
– Tori

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. :/

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

Setback: a Cold!

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The worst thing that can happen when you’re on a new exercise and diet regimen is a sudden, unexpected roadblock. That could be a birthday party invite, a holiday, an injury, or, in my case …a cold.

I had a sore throat and a bit of congestion when I woke up yesterday morning, and I noticed that my normal energy was lacking. I initially attributed it to overexercising the day before (which I most certainly had), and just took it easy yesterday.

Today, however, I woke up with major congestion in my lungs, a hacking cough, and a low grade fever.

UGH.

On the plus side: my appetite, which is normally uncontrollable, is barely a shadow of it’s normal self. I’m eating my planned snacks and lunch at work today purely out of habit, not hunger.

The down side is that I have zero energy. I’m exhausted, and I slept a full 8 hours last night. That, in itself, is unusual for me, as I tend to exist on 5-6 and feel great.

I don’t want to skip the gym, but I also don’t want to make myself worse …a bit of a dilemma.

My plan is this: eat healthy throughout the day, try to walk around the office (it’s raining outside, so that’s out the window for the moment), and see how I feel when I get home at 6pm. If I’m not feeling better, I’ll do a yoga workout video at home (very low intensity), but if most of my symptoms are better, I’ll try to squeeze in at least 30-45 minutes of cardio before having dinner.

Tomorrow night is the “cheat meal” for the week, and my husband and I are giving serious consideration to hitting Texas de Brazil. Go big or go home!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Accountability for Thursday

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OK, it’s my fourth day of clean eating (counting a daily cheat of chocolate and/or wine), and I definitely felt challenged to stay on track.

I had four pieces of chocolate, and it took every ounce of self control not to have 1,871,491 more. Ugh.

My appetite is crazy, probably from the massive amount of cardio I did yesterday. Here’s how I managed for the day:

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As you can see, I definitely toned down the cardio today. I’m sore (and tired), plus I have a bit of a sore throat/sniffle thing starting …uh oh. Hope I don’t catch something, as that will completely throw off my exercise routine.

I’m dosing up on NyQuil and hoping a good night’s sleep knocks it out of me.

On that note, bon appetit, my friends!
– Tori

Tiny Breakthrough!

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OK, I know I promised myself I wouldn’t weigh-in daily (trying to do just Monday/Wednesday/Friday), but I woke up this morning and felt smaller. I’m not sure if it was the ridiculous cardio yesterday or the fact that I couldn’t stop going potty (seriously, I felt like I was going to dry up like a prune, but it never ended), but I just knew the scale would be good to me, so I did it.

Today’s weight?

131.2!

That’s down 4 lbs since Monday morning (135.2), and much closer to where I expected to be after my trip to New York.

I’ve set a “soft” goal (translation: won’t beat myself up if I miss it) of being back under 127 by January 31st, and back under 125 by February 28th. I think this is very moderate and achievable, especially given my rate of exercise.

My long term goal is under 118 (please keep in mind I’m only 5’2″, so this is a very healthy weight for my size), but I don’t anticipate hitting that until closer to the summer.

So …today’s off to a great start with a positive weigh-in! I’ve packed only healthy foods (homemade fruit salad, non-fat Greek yogurt, a big salad with salmon, and carrots with hummus for a snack), so temptations won’t be an issue. All in all, it’s under 800 calories for the whole day, and that means I get to have a fun dinner (and a glass of wine)!

Bon appetit, my friends!

~ Tori

Today’s Accountability Report

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I’d originally planned to post pictures and measurements, but I hit the gym TWICE today and I’m too exhausted to move.

I weighed in this morning at 134.4, down 0.8 lbs from Monday. This seems like a lot, but considering I gained almost 6 lbs during a five day trip to NYC, I’m sad the number isn’t moving faster (which would indicate water weight). This leads me to believe I really did pack on some “insulation” during those few days.

Mathematically, it doesn’t add up (considering what I ate versus the excruciating amount of walking I did), but I guess that’s just my body.

Here’s how I did today:

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Yeah, I definitely overdid it. An hour of elliptical before work, two hours after, and just one short walk during the day.

Keep in mind my Jawbone Up tracks the movements of my arm as “steps,” so the three hours elliptical make up a HUUUUGE part of those 33k steps. That’s why those steps don’t actually count to my workout, because the mobile app recognizes that I’ve already given myself the credit from the elliptical exercises logged. I swear, I’m not walking laps all day, every day. Hahaha!

Here’s hoping the scale is a little better to me in the AM!

Bon appetit, my friends!
– Tori

P.S. For those curious about my breakdown of nutrients:

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I normally have a protein shake (whey protein, banana, strawberries, and almond milk) for breakfast, a pear or apple for a morning snack, a giant salad (no dressing) with grilled chicken for lunch, hummus and carrots for a mid-afternoon snack, grilled chicken or steak (or fish) for dinner with tons of veggies (cooked in salsa), and then a daily cheat of one glass of red wine (Malbec) and 1-3 pieces of chocolate.

Normally equates to 1,300-1,500 calories.

Accountability for the Day – Day Two

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Well, I survived the Three Kings dinner with my family with minimal damage.

Despite the insane temptations, I managed to eat only half of a chicken tamale, about half of a serving of torta espanola (an egg/potato/onion quiche thing), and just the topping of my piece of Rosca de Reyes, the Mexican version of fruit cake.

Despite wanting to go home and veg out, I kept my workout commitment with my girlfriend and we killed it at the gym:

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Boy, I wanted to quit after the first 30 minutes on the elliptical, but we hopped from machine to machine to keep ourselves from getting bored and it worked! Almost 100 minutes of pure cardio, plus a fun conversation!

I came home hungry, but only let myself have my pre-scheduled mini cheat (two pieces of chocolate, no wine) and a half slice of cheese. I wanted to scarf some leftovers, but it’s almost 11pm and I know I don’t need it.

Day two is in the bag!

Bon appetit, my friends!
~ Tori

Day One Down, a Lifetime to Go!

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Yesterday was a success, with less than 1,350 calories consumed, every color of the spectrum of fruits/veggies, 12 glasses of water, and a kick-ass workout.

I feel good: slightly sore, but strong. I think my strategy of building in a small “cheat” each day is going to really help me stay on track. Last night’s glass of wine and two pieces of chocolate were so satisfying, and knowing I had them to look forward to in the evening kept my will power strong throughout the day.

Tonight will be a bit of a challenge, as we’re having dinner with the in-laws (Three Kings Day) and I doubt they’ll have the healthiest food options. So let’s hope my promise of wine and chocolate later in the evening will help me be strong!

Bon appetit, my friends!
– Tori

P.S. Weigh-in and measurements to come tomorrow!