Day 9 of 10!

Okay, let's see how this all went down. It's been a few days,  so I'm a little fuzzy.

Last Wednesday was day 9 for me. I had gained a pound from day 8, so momma was not a happy camper come day 9. I pretty much threw in the towel that day and ate Chili's for lunch, followed by Taco Bell for dinner. I stepped on the scale day 10 and lost nearly a pound. Ain't that a bitch?!?!?

Yes it was.

I wanted so badly to complete this 10 days and I wanted so badly to have the 10 pound loss. Neither of those things happen, which is fine. I tried it. I did work a little, then it stopped. Some say it could be that my body went into starvation mode and held on to everything. I dunno enough about the science and what not to argue one way or another. All I know is, it's very frustrating to work so hard and sacrifice so much for a few short days, to be slapped in the face with a pound gain.

I do believe there is a method to her madness. I did see a difference in my "flab" over the course of this, so mad props to clean eating. It does work.

I think her system could have been just as effective with a variety of foods, versus the same thing for 10 days straight, 3 times per day. It was so hard to stomach some of the food and even now, I don't want to really eat or think about chicken. I'm kind of burned out..

Again, like I said above, I think there's a method to her madness that could very easily work and work well for some. For me, I need variety. I was a little hesitant of that going into it, but didn't think it would be that bad. It was.

I learned lessons, though, and I plan on using them throughout my journey. I have since signed up for Weight Watchers, because I need an accountability system and I know WW works when used correctly. After having a few bad days (okay several), I was at 162.6 again this morning, so I guess something is working okay.

Follow me along as I progress on this WW journey. I'm committed to exercising more and to incorporating weights into my workouts. I even got up on Sunday morning and did a Jillian Michaels workout, before church. I worked so hard and got so sleepy, I laid down and took a nap and slept right through Church and had to miss. (oops).

Something different.....

I know I owe you the final recap of "Lose 10 in 10", but I'm going to do something a little different today....a linkup with Holly and Jake.


I'm a little late to the party, because they all did this like 2 days ago (oops). I haven't done one in awhile and this one looked kinda fun....Here we go!

If I had one extra hour in the day... maybe I would get that exercise in. Or maybe I would sleep more. Or just maybe I would get those pesky chores done that I keep putting off. Nah....I would probably just sleep it away, spend it on Pinterest surfing, or watching trashy tv.

I wish my name... was Amy...duh. 

I think anything chevron is... okay in moderation. It's cute and fun, but a little chevron can go a long way.

My last nightmare... the last bad dream I had was a few nights ago and it was about having a flat tire, when I was driving by myself. (Funny thing is - that really has happened to me several times) Although in my dream, my husband wasn't readily available, but I was talking to him on the phone while I was freaking out. Then all of a sudden I was like "oh nevermind, my tire isn't flat anymore." Weird, I know. 

Sometimes... I wish I had an endless supply of cash and could just vacation anywhere on a moments notice. 

My last meal on earth would be... Chocolate, Mexican food, fried rice, sushi, cheesecake, and a giant Pepsi to wash it all down with. 

I would much rather...work 4 10 hour days, than work on Friday. 

Mayonnaise... is good on certain things. Cheeseburgers - yes. Sandwiches - yes. French Fries - no. 

10 years ago, I didn't think...we would still be living in Oklahoma and married, but both seem to be working out well! 

Selfishly... I would love to go on an endless shopping spree and buy a whole new wardrobe from head to toe, but the kids think they need new school clothes instead. 

My favorite show on TV right now... Big Brother, Real Housewives of OC, Tia and Tamera, Bill and Giuliana, and my soaps. 

And, George Zimmerman... is a pompous ass. That's all. 

Day 8 of 10!

I stayed on track all day with good and water. Today this happened:

'Nuff said. Momma's not happy. I have been eating horse sandwiches religiously and I have gained weight. The math and the science doesn't make sense to me. 

No more horse sandwiches for me! I will stay on plan for the duration, minus the horse sandwich, and then figure out what the next step is.

Day 7 of 10!

We ran! Finally, we made an effort to get our butts in gear and run. We only did a 3 mile jaunt, but since this is like the first run in weeks, it was pretty impressive for us. We stopped after every mile and walked for about a block, so we could regroup and catch our breath. The last mile was like the longest mile ever...wowsers. I'm so glad we ran, but I'm more glad it's over with. 

 

He's such a good guy!

It had been raining all day long, so it was pretty humid during our run, but the temps were in the upper 70's/low 80's. 

And the moment you have all been waiting for.....DUN. Dun. dunnnnnn......

My eating fell apart a bit yesterday. We had a Birthday in the office, so we ordered take out from Louie's and cupcakes from Sara Sara Cupcakes. For lunch, I had a house salad with grilled chicken and sliced avocado and a drizzle of raspberry vinaigrette. For dessert, I had a cupcake called "Two Great Tastes", which was a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting, topped with chopped peanuts. It was a good cupcake, but I didn't enjoy it. 

I guess not having any sugar for the past 7 days, does a lot to your system. The cupcake immediately gave me a headache and it literally took me 2 hours to eat it. 

If you know me, you know that I love cupcakes. I would love to have my own bakery someday, so for me to say it was "just" a "good" cupcake, says something. First of all, in my almost 35 years of life, I don't know that it has ever taken me two hours to eat a cupcake. Ever. I just don't waste good food. Today was different. It was almost like I ate the cupcake, just to eat it, but I didn't really want it and didn't really enjoy it. I, Amy Cunningham, just admitted THAT to the world. That's a big deal, people. 

Day 6 of 10!

I'm going to keep today's post short and sweet, since I rambled yesterday. 

Our Sunday summed up - church, lunch, grocery store, rainy day = afternoon naps followed by our favorite Sunday evening shows. All in all a good Sunday!

Here are some pictures of my dinner that consists of 6oz of chicken breast (I came in just a shade under 6oz), 1 cup of broccoli, and 3 new potatoes. 

My dessert, as my family eats ice cream:

Today's weight: 162.2

A little bit better than yesterday, but I'm still not happy. No I haven't exercised, so that could be the problem, but if you are burning more than you are eating - you should be losing. Maybe my body is in starvation mode and holding onto everything....I don't know. I'm giving it a few more days and go from there. 

My thoughts lately are what's next? Do I want to go to Phase 2, or do I want to try something similar, such as Weight Watchers, but offers a variety of food?

I want long term success, not 10 days. I want this to be a permanent system, not a 30 day trial. I will be seriously weighing (no pun intended) my options over the next few days. 

I want to eat clean as much as possible and I know fruits and veggies are free on WW. WW offers a ton of recipes that aren't weird, that I think the whole family can enjoy. I'm also a huge fan of www.skinytaste.com 's website, as she has hundreds and hundreds of WW friendly recipes. 

The jury is out - I will have a decision made by day 10....

And just because they are so cute, I have to post this. You may have seen it already, if you follow me on Instagram. (amyjcunningham) 

Day 5 of 10! Halfway there.....

I really love the weekends and what they have to offer, but what I really don't like about the weekends is how a diet can go topsy-turvy in no time. That was my fear, as I faced my first weekend on "the plan".

Anyway, Friday night was pretty chill. I got home from work and watched "Safe Haven", with Miss Thing. I ordered it from Netflix weeks ago, but hadn't had the time to sit down and watch it. Finally, I made myself sit and enjoy the movie. It was a good movie. I want to watch it again, because I missed the very, very beginning and that is important in this movie.

That's my boy!

That's my girl - beating up on the boys.

Saturday we had to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn to go watch the kiddos play indoor soccer. I was a proud momma bear, though, because it's been a few years since the kids actually played on a team together. It was neat to see them working together on the field. And of course, I missed the opportunity to snap a photo of them on the field together, so here they are in separate pictures.

After we watch their first game, we busted it home to get some chores done. The girls cleaned house, while the boys trimmed trees. We all got finished about the same time and settled into lunch and relaxation for a bit, before having to go back into the city for game #2. 

As I'm loading the dogs into the garage and the pig into his kennel, for a few hours from the scorching heat, the kids and hubby are frantically looking for the cat. They can't find him. Tyler put him in Jayden's room, but kitty was nowhere to be found there. 

Day 3 of having a cat and we have lost him. Great. Just great. 

We had to get going, because we are already running a few minutes behind and have to pick up another player along the way. We get to the soccer fields and luckily they were running 15 minutes behind, so we were actually early. While there, I managed to lose my keys. Yay! Luckily, I must've left them on the counter when I was checking field schedules and someone turned them in for me. (Thank you, Baby Jesus!)

After game #2, we rushed out of the soccer complex, after locating said lost keys, and booked it to Target to shop for the birthday party Jayden was going to attend later that evening. We got all of that done and headed home, so Tyler could clean up and get to a swim party by 4:00.
Oh, and we found kitty! We knew he had to be in Jayden's room, because that's where Tyler had left him prior to us leaving for the second game. I opened up her bottom drawer of her dresser and he was all snuggled in the blankets we keep in there. Whew! 
On the way to drop him off, we also dropped off the extra player we had picked up prior to game #2. (Extra player = Jayden's friend/Tyler's ex-girlfriend).

We dropped them off at their designated locations and went home to enjoy two hours of silence in the pool. (which we have managed to neglect pretty much all summer). I bought a floatie at Target, so I was anxious to try it out. It was so hot yesterday, so the pool was just the ticket for cooling off and napping, apparently.

Don't mind the green water. That's what happens when you don't get in your pool enough to keep the dirt stirred up.

We had a great (short) nap on our floaties, until it was time to take Miss Thing to her Slumber Party at 6:00.

Scott had invited me to go see a movie after dinner, but was worried about the popcorn situation. I can't (not) have popcorn while watching a movie at the Theater. I told him, I could probably swing a small popcorn and be okay.  So after dinner, we freshened up and headed to the movies to see "The Heat". I did order a small popcorn, which we shared, and had a bottle of water.

On our way to the movie!

That movie was hands down, one of the funniest movies in a long time. I laughed so hard, I snorted. I don't snort when I laugh. It was so funny. Melissa McCarthy is a riot and pair her with Sandra Bullock, you have double-hilarious.

I was very mindful of my popcorn helpings and drank my water. I got home and stepped on the scale and was scared what today's weigh-in could bring. I didn't want to be set back, but I didn't want to not enjoy popcorn at a movie. (Although, I will say the popcorn didn't taste as good as I was hoping it would.)

Long story short...here's today's scale reading: 162.4

I'm a little bummed, because I did gain and I don't feel like I ate enough popcorn to cause that. Here's my theory. If my BMR is in the 1500's, that means I should be able to eat my 950 calorie diet and still lose. Mind you, I ate more than that yesterday, but I also moved a lot more yesterday than I would sitting at work all day. I cleaned house, I walked, etc.

I'm not throwing in the towel yet, though. It's a minor set back and today is going to be a good day, so hopefully tomorrow's scale reading will be twice as wonderful! Maybe since it's cooler and a little rainy out, I will go for a run after Church.

Day 4 of 10!

Just a quick note this morning, as we are off to watch our kids play in an indoor soccer game....at 7:30 in the morning....on a Saturday. 

Yesterday was good for the most part. I am struggling with the sandwich at lunch, but everything else is fine. I'm powering right through the other food. I think the sandwich is getting old, because it's not something I typically eat. I feel like I'm eating horse food...really. 

I wasn't so excited to jump on the scale this morning, because my weight was higher last night. (Yes, I weigh myself at night, so I can estimate what my weight will be the next morning.)

I jumped on the scale and was pleasantly surprised. 161.8. I really wasn't expecting it to be that low, honestly. I weighed again and again, still getting the same reading. I tried to take a picture, but the scale changed. It went up to 162.8 for a few times. I then stepped off and tried a few more times....162.0. So frustrating. 

I feel the 161.8 is the accurate reading as it's the first reading I had, and was consistent for several times after that. 

Today is going to be a true test. It's my first weekend on this plan, so I'm anxious to see how easy/difficult it is going to be. I will have a full report tomorrow...stay tuned! 

Day 3 of 10!

I have to stop and think as I wrote these posts, because my mind is focused on the day ahead, but I'm posting about the previous day. 

Anyway, Day 3 was better! I had a little bit more energy throughout the day. I'm still getting a dull headache from time to time, but I think that's to be expected, due to lack of caffeine and lack of calories/carbs.

I ate everything later than normal yesterday. 

Breakfast - 9:30

Am snack - 11:00

Lunch - 1:00/1:30

Snack - 4:00

Dinner - 7:30

I only got in a touch over 2 liters of water yesterday, so I wasn't sure how that would affect my results. I was busy at work yesterday, which caused the later eating times and lack of water intake.

We went out of town for a few hours last night to retrieve the newest member of our Funny Farm. Meet Berkely: 

He's a 10 week old Bengal kitten and he's so pretty. He has the marbling color in the black/brown shades. He's a sweetie. He loves to sleep on your shoulder. 

Anyway, back to the weightloss topic. After we picked up Berkley, we went to Petco to get his supplies. On our way out of town - heading back home, we stopped by Chick-fil-a for dinner. 

Now, don't get me wrong I wanted chicken nuggets and french fries, dipped in Chick-fil-a sauce, and washed down with a diet coke. What I actually ordered was a Cobb salad with avocado lime dressing and an ice water. Boo. 

Then I stepped on the scale this morning to see what damage I caused myself with not consuming as much water as I should have and de-railing from the written plan for one meal. 

This is what I saw:

So here are my results, already noting Day 4's weight. 

I'm still on track! When I first stepped on the scale, it said 163.6, which bummed me out since it was only 2/10 of a pound lost. Then I stepped on the scale 3 more times and got 162.6 three times in a row, so that's what I'm going with. 

I'm so excited to break into the 150's. if I stay on this track, I will be in the 150's early next week. Thursday is my final day of this Phase and then I'm onto Phase 2.

Stay with me to see how I do in the days to follow!! 

Day 2 of 10!

Well, because I'm a jacknab that forgot to look closely at the scale before starting, I have no idea what my starting weight was. My husband thinks it was 167, but I'm remembering 168.2. At any rate, they are both bad, considering have been in the low 160's for 5 months. (Slipping down to 155 for a few days in April)

Day 2 is complete and I'm feeling pretty good! I was terrified that I wouldn't enjoy the same foods, but I think at this point, I'm just excited to eat!

I'm living with Truvia. (I've never been a fan, but because that's the only thing I can have to sweeten my coffee and grapefruit, I'm just going to power through it!) 

I don't have a lot of energy right now, but it is hard for me to know if that is the diet, heat, stress, or being on the go for 2 straight weeks. I'm going to keep a mindful eye on it, because I have read about people who have gone Paleo and felt like crap for a week or two, then burst with energy. (I'm ready to be at that point). 

Mentally, I am staying tough. I know if I say "this sucks" or "I'm sick of this food", I will cave and be calling the local pizza joint for a large, greasy pizza pie. 

I'm doing the right things for my body. Yes, it's a weird to have to eat the same things for 10 days, but I'm hopeful that Jackie Warner knows what she's talking about.

I'm powering right through the 3 liters of water, like a champ! I have even consumed more than the 3 liters and probably exceeded just a hair over a gallon. 

Exercise hasn't been something I have done a lot of. Because this phase is only 950 calories of food, it is recommended that you not burn more than a few hundred calories. She does have some workouts designed specifically for this phase, but again, I have no energy. 

We did play softball Tuesday evening, but everything felt different to me. I wasn't catching well, I wasn't hitting well, and I wasn't running well. Mind you, it was 100+ degrees out, our team shirts are black, and I hadn't eaten anything since my 3:00 snack, which consisted of celery and almond butter.

Here are my scale readings, so far.

Day 1: 167 (??)

Day 2: 164.8
Day 3: 163.8 (Since I'm just starting day 3, I thought I would go ahead and record my weight.)

I do weigh myself at the same time everyday. First thing in the morning, after I pee.

Not bad for just being 2 days in!

"Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days"

Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it probably is. 

My dad always said, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". I'm a sucker, what can I say? I'm the girl who is rooting for the underdog, hoping for the upset. The girl who is willing to try almost anything once, just to see if it does work. Work from home businesses, yes please! Now, before I start getting grief from anyone who does currently operate a successful work from home business, I truly applaud you, but I also know "timing is everything" when it comes to those types of things. (Trust me, I have tried at least 5 that I can think of right off the top of my head.)

Anyway, I'm not trying to go off on a tangent, I do have a point to make here. Okay, maybe not. But anyway...

I went to Hastings last week and picked up a copy of this book:

(Image: Google)

When I started reading this book, I was determined to really study it. And I have. However, after I studied that book, I found another book by Jackie Warner and downloaded it to my Nook.

(Image: Google)

Of course, I was intrigued and started reading it right away. After seeing the "diet plan", I decided to give it a whirl. 10 days...Schmen days...right?!?!?!?!

I'm happy to announce that I have nearly survived day 1. I only have 9 days left in this Phase, and then I'm on to Phase 2. 

Here's what today has looked like for me:

1 cup of Alfalfa Sprouts on my sandwich for lunch

Breakfast: 1/2 grapefruit, 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, 1 whole walnut,  and black coffee
with Truvia and a splash of Almond Milk. 

I think this is the first time in my 34 years that I have actually eaten a grapefruit! 

Lunch: 2 pieces of whole wheat bread, 1/2 spinach, 1 cup of alfalfa sprouts, mustard,  one slice
of a beefsteak tomato, and 1/4 of an Avocado. It was pretty good, considering there is no meat on it!

Coolest gadget it ever! It cuts, de-pits, and slices avocados...all in one handy tool. 

Dinner: 6 oz chicken breast, 1 cup of broccoli, and  3 new potatoes

Because, I don't always play by the "exact" rules, I did modify a few things. For lunch, I put 1/2 an avocado on my sandwich, instead of just 1/4. For dinner, my broccoli was all frozen and iced over, so once that all cleared away, I realized I didn't have even close to a cup of broccoli. I just went with what I had and threw in some onion for depth. (I'm a rebel like that). Seasoned both the chicken and the veggies with olive oil, minced garlic, and salt & pepper.

Also on the menu for the day is green tea (decaf) with a fruit herbal tea before bed and 3 liters of water throughout the day. Oh, and I almost forgot about the snacks. This a.m. snack is an apple with 8 almonds and the p.m. snack is 8 celery sticks with 1 tablespoon of Almond Butter. 

I made it through the 3 liters of water and then some! My friend was sweet and checked in on me this afternoon, to see how I was doing with my water. 

Since day one is almost to an end, and I'm still kicking, I would say I did alright. Am I looking forward to the next 9 days? Yes and no. No, because I will get tired of eating the same meals for the next 9 days, but on day 11, I get to start a whole new menu. I know this program can work, and if nothing else it's making me more disciplined and focused on clean eating. 

Since I started my job a month ago, I have become very lazy with eating right attitude and I have gained some weight because of it.  When you work with boys, you eat like boys - and the scale is definitely proving that! I just needed to get re-focused on track and this may or may not be the right way to do it, but like I said above, I'm willing to try almost anything once! 

When I get to the point that I'm happy doing this system....aka seeing results,  I will go back to the "This is Why You're Fat" book and use that program for the maintenance. 

Wish me luck!

The Day After....

As fun as Fourth of July is, the day after really sucks when you have to work....especially when it's a Friday. I mean, the decent thing to do would be to close the office Thursday through Sunday and just regroup on Monday, right? Okay fine, wishful thinking on my part, but you can't blame a girl for trying. 

We had a fabulous holiday. We went to the lake around 10:30 yesterday morning and got home about 10:30 last night. Luckily, there's a lake right in the town we live in, so we don't have to travel too far and it's great for when you forget things.

Spending so much time on the lake is fun, until you have to wake up the next morning. I am so sore from riding the jet skis all day, but it was worth it. We bought them a few weeks ago and haven't had a chance to play with them much, so a solid day on the lake was just what we were craving. The weather was gorgeous all day long! 

I'm ready for another day on the lake. Maybe not 12 hours, but a few hours at least. 

Well I'm off to sleep work the rest of the day. Happy Friday! 

Happy Fourth of July!

Runner-up to Christmas, 4th of July is my favorite Holiday! 

I've always been a sucker to patriotic colors. In fact, when I graduated from community college, my party theme was patriotic. So festive!

My hometown in Kansas has always had the BEST Fourth of July celebration. From a 5k run, to turtle races, to the silver sand pile, to basketball tournaments, to sand volleyball, to the parade, to the baby contest, and finally the best fireworks show. (I'm missing several events, but you get the jest.) It's one day full of events...fun for all.

"There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

Because this year's holiday fell on a Thursday, and we have to work tomorrow, there's just no way we could possibly make this work. I'm bummed, but today we are going to spend the day on the lake, playing on the jet skis and soaking up the sun. 

Finding fireworks in this area, is never a problem. Because we live so close to the Indian Reservation, we have fireworks all around us and the city always does a display at the lake. Really, we are blessed to have so many options, readily available. 

Anyway, enough of that. I have been a pinning fool on Pinterest this week. As I told you above, 4th of July is one of my favorite Holidays. I even have a board on Pinterest, specifically for the 4th of July. 

Here are a few pins that make my heart happy.....

Wishing you all a HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH OF JULY!