I'm ready for my 3 day weekend

It is Friday at 1:30PM and I do not want to be at work any more. I want to start my weekend. I'm not doing anything super thrilling but I will definitely be relaxing. Tonight I plan to finish putting away my laundry, work out on my Wii, and watch a little tv.

The Wii is so much fun. I got a new game called EA Sports Active which has a personal trainer and all kinds of workouts. So far I have done inline skating, boxing, kick-boxing, side to side lunges, lots of arm workouts using resistance bands, and walking/running.

The weight loss is still going well. I lost nearly 4 pounds last week. On Sunday I will enter my 6th week on this detox diet. So here is my game plan once I finish my 6th week. I'm going to continue how I've been eating during this time, except that I will slowly start adding in healthy carbs (whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, etc). I will also start incorporating some dairy back in (low-fat yogurt and the occasional cheese). I will have red meat and pork occasionally. I was never a big meat eater, usually just when I get a craving for steak or something (and then I assume my body needs the iron).

As far as sugar and fatty stuff, I plan to stay away from it for the most part. The exception being that I'm giving myself one day a week where I can eat whatever I want for 1 meal. I'm planning to make my eat anything day special. I've got a list of places I want to try and thing I want to make. I have felt so good since I've been eating this way. Can you believe I've only had fast food twice in nearly 6 weeks? And those times it was grilled chicken, lettuce, and tomato from a chicken sandwich and I threw away the bread. It really proves that all that fatty fast food I was eating helped to pack on the pounds.

I've already thrown away my leftover Easter candy (even my Cadbury cream egg). Those things are so sweet that they always make my teeth hurt. I can just imagine how I would feel after 6 weeks sugar free. I was originally saving it until after the diet. However, I decided that I wasn't interested in eating all that junky candy. If I eat candy it will be a teenie amount of the super fancy good stuff, not some groccery store junk. The funny thing is that I keep having nightmares about people forcing me to eat candy.

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend. I'll try to post some pictures next week of me using the Wii and my cute little avatar (or Mii as they are called).

Amanda is leaving work in 2 1/2 hours.

Things I have learned without sugar & less fat

Tomorrow I will start on my 5th week of my eating plan. Just one more to go after that! I've listed the basics below. If anyone is interested in more details, let me know and I can email it.

Week 1 & 2 (olive oil, chicken, fish, turkey, nuts & vegetables, except corn & white potatoes), Week 3 & 4 (add fruit & organic fruit juice, diluted - half juice half water), Week 5 & 6 (add beans, peas, legumes, soy, & peanuts). After week 6 you slowly start adding grains into your diet, one at a time.

Now on to the things I discovered! The foods that I have missed the most aren't the candy bars or the burgers and fries. I am looking forward to having a piece of whole wheat bread or a nice bowl of whole wheat pasta.

I don't miss sugar like I thought I would. It is amazing how sweet, refreshing, and satisfying fruit is. After eating a bowl of fruit salad, I am satisfied. I don't have that "I've got to keep eating" feeling that I get after eating candy. By the way, my favorite combo is blueberries, blackberries, oranges, kiwi, raspberries, & pineapple with a little pineapple juice for a sweetener. Dried fruit (the unsweetened kind - apples, cranberries, etc) is also very tasty.

I've learned that I can enjoy foods I thought I didn't like. I was never a fan of avocados and now I can't get enough of veggies dipped in my homemade avocado salsa (tomatillos are the secret ingredient). I didn't like spicy foods before and now I enjoy hot sauce on lots of foods. I always thought that I hated almonds. Nope! Turns out I was wrong about that too. I especially like smoked almonds. Last but not least, I discovered that I love fresh peanut and almond butter. I'm not talking about the stuff in the jar but the fresh kind made just from the roasted nuts. Dried apples or fresh apples dipped in peanut or almond butter is one of my new favorite treats.

I guess the bottom line is that I learned I can take control of how I eat and still be happy and satisfied. Food doesn't have to be an emotional crutch. I've also learned that I have more willpower than I thought I had. I haven't cheated at all. I even have leftover Easter candy in my room and I have no desire to gobble it down. Thanks for reading this long post. Stay tuned for next week when I'll tell you my plans once I finish out these 6 weeks.

Amanda is watching Ghost Whisperer.

First Celebrity Victim of Swine Flu

And we all know who gave it to him!! It's not easy being green.
Amanda is laughing out loud.

Happy Mother's Day

I spent a nice Sunday with my parents. They came to church with me and then over to the house for a Mother's Day feast. I made kebabs on my indoor grill (shrimp, chicken, turkey, peppers, onions, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, & pineapple). It was delicious! For dessert we had poached pears. I've always thought that was such an elegant dessert. They turned out really well. For you cooks, my poaching liquid contained no-sugar added cranberry pomegranate juice, pure vanilla extract, cinnamon sticks, & the zest of one orange.

I also bought my Mom 2 sets of flowers (roses & irises). Now here's the funny part about the day. Mom & I both dressed very similarly. We're wearing a very similar pattern/color combination except that my print was on the top and hers is on the skirt. I swear we didn't plan this one!! Check out the pictures below.

Finally, an update on my eating plan progress. Today is Day 2, Week 4 of no sugar no added fat. Things are going quite well for me and I have lost a couple of inches and several pounds. I got a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit on Saturday. It is so much fun. The Wii Fit has a built in scale on the balance board and you can track you weight progress and goals. Plus the games are really fun. So far I like the hula hooping and the yoga stuff the best.

Amanda is ready for lunch (leftover kebabs, mmmm)

Spring is finally here

The weather has been just the way I like it. Lots of rain mixed in with warm sunny days. I'm all finished with school and I'm taking the summer off. I just started my 3rd week of the no sugar healthy eating plan. In the 3rd week you get to add fruit to your diet. Today was my first day and the fruit has never tasted so sweet. I spent a nice afternoon with my parents having a yummy lunch and playing games (most of the time my dad won). We took a walk around Temple Square and it was so pretty. I attached a couple of the pictures we took today.

Amanda is feeling happy.