Sunday Summary: The Green Smoothies continue…

Hello peeps! Short and sweet this week.

So I finished the 10-day Green Smoothie Cleanse last wednesday and dropped 10 lbs. in 10 days. Pretty sweet. I am following it up with 1-2 smoothies a day and low carb meals, and I am allowing myself three cheats per week.

Yesterday I went to the movies to watch Tomorrowland (fantastic by the way) and had a small popcorn and a diet coke (cheat #1). Today I had breakfast at my favorite breakfast joint (Le Peep) and had pancakes (cheat #2). YUM! But my other meals have been green smoothies and salads.

Today’s Awesome Smoothie was very yummy and included

• 1 1/2 cups Spinach
• 2/3 cup purified water
• 1 orange
• 2/3 cup mango
• 1 tbsp. ground flaxseeds

I can’t recommend this book enough. I love that JJ Smith keeps it real and I’ve discovered a world of smoothie options that I didn’t know existed. I already made two converts. 😀 This is the perfect time of the year (in the northern hemisphere) to do this. If you’ve been looking for a plan to jumpstart your weightloss journey or get back on it, I sincerely recommend you give this a shot.

Weekly Words of Wisdom

 

Sunday Summary: Day 7

Hello peeps!

I hope you’ve been having a fantastic week. I’ve been busy… but I can’t tell you why. Hopefully I’ll be on a sharing mood soon.

Today I just wanted to let you know (and keep it on the record) that I’ve made it to Day 7 of JJ Smith’s 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse. WOOHOO!

I got to be honest. It’s been a little trying but only a little. I am actually pretty happy with how well I have been doing. For those of you not familiar with this program, it’s a 10-day plan in which every day you have the same smoothie for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (there are 10 different smoothies). The smoothies are mainly made of 2-3 cups of dark leafy greens (spinach, spring mix, kale), and fruit. In the morning you start with a cup of detox tea (I use Yogi) and lots of water (or herbal tea) throughout the day. You are also allowed to eat crunchy fruits and vegetables like apples, celery, and carrots; and nuts and peanuts as long as they are raw and natural; and hard-boiled eggs (random?). I’ve calculated my daily calorie intake at around 1200 (the smoothies take about half of that). It also says that you should have up to three bowel movements a day and to help yourself with Salt Water Flush or MagO7, but I’m not doing this, I’m letting nature do it’s thing.

So, Day 7… I’m down 7.6 lbs. which is great but I had gained about 15 lbs. since my lowest point and although I am super happy I am aware that there is much work yet to be done. But I’m liking this. I can see continuing with 1-2 smoothies a day and yummy salads with protein.

I am usually very skeptical about these programs but this one is pretty doable; mostly, because you do get to eat something in between. I admit that I don’t follow it completely and have “cheated” with avocado and oranges which are not on the list but I don’t think they’ve done much harm. JJ Smith also manages a super encouraging Facebook group that I recommend you check out if you are wondering how other people do on this.

That’s it for now…
Weekly Words of Wisdom

good advice 😉
and thanks for stopping by.

Sunday Summary: Mother’s Day

Hello peeps!

Check out my mom and me (circa “let’s not go there”). Aren’t we cute! 😀 She is the boss of my life and since I have no kids of my own and no siblings to share her with… well… let’s just say that our relationship never gets boring.

On that note, Happy Mother’s Day to all the amazing women out there who put their needs on hold to meet the ones of others. Mothers are great at that and I know a few that while not being moms they sure are mothers so happy day to you too.

My mom got an iPhone that is proving to be great for her but not so great for me. 😆 I also took her to her favorite breakfast spot, Le Peep, which here in the south serves the best (according to her) grits ever! Alas, this was not enough and she’s also made me promise to try JJ Smith’s 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse. We start tomorrow. Wish me luck!

On other news, I ran/walked my fifth 5K of the year (one of my resolutions is to run one 5K every month). For the first time I had to walk some of it because I did not train at all this past month so I definitely need to start training again if I want to do better next month. I’m still pretty proud of myself for completing it and sticking to the plan.

Weekly Words of Wisdom
(courtesy of my Julep box)

As always, thanks for visiting.
And have a fantastic week.
🙂

Hello May

Happy May Day peeps, and welcome to my birthday month. 😀

There are a lot of birthdays in my family this month, including my own (on the 30th) so May has always been a little extra special. The nice weather also helps.

In any case, summer is right around the corner so lots of pool (and maybe beach) time is coming near and I can’t wait to get into my bathing suits. Here are some other events I’m looking forward to this month…

May the fun begin:

Cinco de Mayo is an important date in my household but not because of Mexico’s Batalla de Puebla but because it’s my mom’s birthday. We don’t really do big celebrations but this year I am planning to learn to make Drunken Noodles, her latest favorite dish.

Get in the Pink! I’ll be earning my fifth race bib of the year on Saturday May 9th. Although I am not looking forward to the early start, I am happy to participate in a local event that also supports a local charity that raises money and resources to assist and support breast cancer patients from diagnosis to remission.

I am not doing too well on my current Dietbet and therefore I have given few updates but I have a plan for this month so rain or shine I’ll be posting an honest update on May 21 or 22. I don’t know where I am going to be. I hope it’s a better place than where I am now but we’ll have to put in the work and then see. Wish me luck!

And then there’s May 30th… my birthday 😀

Sunday Summary: Rainy Run

Hello peeps! I had a pretty interesting week. High on the yuck scale I woke up Wednesday to some pain in my mouth that turned out to be a gum infection. Thankfully I found an amazing dentist that was able to take care of the problem right away and I got a good teeth cleaning for good measure. I’m still on antibiotics but I was able to run on Saturday so it’s all good.

My Saturday 5K was met with rain and I was utterly unprepared for it. Nevertheless, my time was better than last week but that had probably more to do with the path which was much flatter this time around.

Once I got home I did some research on how to perform better during a rainy run. Here’s what I wish I had known/done better:

1. Dress in layers – The cotton shirt got really heavy once I was completely soaked. I should have known better. Had I paid attention to the weather report I would have chosen to wear different fabric.
2. Wear a hat – The rain mixed with my sweat which got into my eyes and mouth. YUCK!
3. Wear the right shoe – My Vibram Five Fingers were still dirty from last week’s Color Run so I decided to take my New Balance which don’t have the same traction and although I did not fall or skid at all, the road was slippery and a little scary. Choose carefully.

For more great tips for running in the rain click here.

On other news I’ve been really relaxed with my diet this week. I did not track at all but I did eat less and much healthier than previous weeks. I also exercised a little less but still managed to clock around five hours of activity.

Weekly Words of Wisdom

As always, thanks for stopping by. 😀

Sunday Summary: The Color Run

Hello peeps! With Spring in the air my allergies are acting up. No fun! I trust that you’re having better luck. In any case… no stinking allergy was going to keep me away from sticking to my New Year’s Resolution to run a 5K every month and therefore starting a race bib collection. So yesterday I woke up early and joined my friends for a morning full of fun at The Color Run.

Although my time suffered, I still managed to have a great time and get a good burn. My team and I got there early and took a brisk walk through the park to warm up a bit. It was chilly. Then we warmed up for real doing about 40 minutes of zumba. I fueled with a breakfast smoothie of almond milk, banana, and blackberries; then snacked at the park on a KIND bar, then had salted caramel GU Energy Gel right before the run… I ate all this in hopes of not cramping throughout the race. And I believed it worked because I made it through. I realize that I need to run with my water bottle because by the time I reached the water station I was very dehydrated. So next time… I’m running with water.

After the run we stayed a bit longer to get more color on us and settle down. We were pretty high on life. It was so much fun. Around five in the afternoon I was crashing and not surprisingly slept like a baby.

FitBit Update – This week I started logging my food intake and I have to admit that it’s been easier than I thought it would be. In the last six days (Monday through Saturday) I was on point on my calories two days, under my calories one day, and over my calories three days. I see that I have much to learn but I also see how this is going to help. The goal for next week is to be on target at least half the week.

Exercise-wise I did pretty well. I believe I have really reached a point where I just crave it so it is not a struggle. Since I have had to stay home (remember, car accident… no car), I have discovered some great exercise routines on YouTube. My favorite is a ~40 minutes Cardio Kickboxing workout that helps me burn around 350 calories and adds over 4000 steps to my daily step count. Amazeballs!

Here’s my workout report card for the last six days (Friday and today were rest days):

That’s it peeps! That was my week… that, and talking to insurance companies, and working from home. Honestly… I can’t really complain.

Weekly Words of Wisdom

Thanks for visiting peeps!

PS. Special thanks to the bloggers participating in April's A to Z Challenge for visiting and commenting. I can't wait to get started although I still need a title for H, K, L, U, Y, and Z. The theme? On a weight-loss journey. 😀

Sunday Summary: Taking a step back

Hello peeps! I’m starting this weekly post the way I usually end it: with my weekly words of wisdom. I’m starting there because these words best explain what happened to me this week and explain why I’m taking a step back and what that means.

OK… here we go
Weekly Words of Wisdom

Last week I was elated with newness… I was looking forward to my experiences with online dating, using my new fitbit, diversifying my exercise routine, and just getting out there and trying new things.

On Tuesday as I was coming back from the gym, a 20-year-old kid ran a red light and totaled my car.

Yeah… that happened.

Thankfully, the airbags kept me safe but pretty much everything else fell through the cracks of the crash. My dates had to be cancelled, my exercise routine stalled, meetings had to be rescheduled, others missed… and now I have a check with which I really can’t buy the same car I once had (which I loved) and a big question on what I should do next.

OK… some context… my job can be done from anywhere and I have been where I am because it was comfortable but now with no car, the money from said car has opened a possibility to relocate to a place where I don’t really need one. Should I go? Should I stay? Well, that is the question. 

A question for which I do not have an answer…

… yet.

Anywho, on better news I did manage to use the fitbit. I have not used the food tracking system yet but I am planning to start tomorrow. Hopefully it sticks. It is not something I like to do. I did keep it on while I slept a couple of times this week and it says that my sleep efficiency is at 94% which I believe is good. What I have really enjoyed it how it keeps track of my exercise.

Check this out! Here’s a summary of this week’s exercise plan. Friday and Sunday were rest days. I did not wear the fitbit all day every day.

I know that these numbers may not be super accurate but they do help me see the difference in burn among instructors. So I’m going to be favoring some instructors based on the results I see.

So far, I am loving my new toy. I can’t wait to get the Fitbit Aria (thank you VISA).

Fellow Fitbit Users, FRIEND ME.

On not so great news, today marked the end of Round #2 on Dietbet. I am so off it is not even funny. I went up 3 pounds this month which puts me back in the 170s. This is getting very very old! I now have 30 days to drop 18.7 pounds (my best month ever has been 9 pounds). I am not feeling confident but I want to give it my all. I am adding running/walking to my morning routine and I hope that food tracking keeps me more honest and less likely to cheat. Here’s hoping for the best.

As always thank you for your support!

PS. I am trying not to plan too far ahead and just let life be for a while.
PPS. Fellow bloggers, don’t forget April’s A to Z challenge.

Sunday Summary: New Experiences

Hello peeps! This has been an interesting week with a lot of firsts: 1. I went on my first online dating date. 2. I tried a cycling class.  3. I attended a bodybuilding competition. 4. I got a fitbit.

So, I have a confession to make. Those who have been reading this blog for a while might remember that I once created a Match.com profile but never paid for the subscription. Well, last week I decided to finally give it a real try so I paid a 3-month subscription. 😯

I had five emails sitting in my inbox which I was finally able to read. Three out of the five had very little in common with me and I politely replied “thanks but no thanks” (I was nice, I promise). One was a little older but I figured better give it a chance so on Tuesday I went on my first date in ages… years… it’s been years. I have to admit to you that although the guy is really great, he is certainly not my type but it was fun to be out and about again. I already have another “date” scheduled for next weekend and I’m working out a time and place for a third prospect.

OK… that’s it for now. I will report back with more stories as they occur. For now I haven’t really been able to assess what it’s like. Also, my liberal political leanings and lack of religiosity really limit my options here in southeastern United States. I’m still trying to decide if that is a good or bad thing. Wish me luck! 🙂

On Thursday I attended my first cycling class and I did really well. I have always been curious about it but never given it a shot. I am very glad I did. Although my butt did hurt the next day and during the first 15 minutes of class 😳 I am sticking with it.

This week I promised myself to diversify my exercise schedule. Although I failed to add swimming and running as I initially intended, I still managed to switch it up adding a yoga and cycling class. I look forward to adding other options next week.

Yesterday I attended the KGB Klash. I really wasn’t sure what I was expecting from a bodybuilding competition and was surprised at the number of women competing. Way more than men. I was in awe of what the human body can do… at any age. I initially thought that I would feel terrible about myself (I know, something I must work on), but the opposite happened. I walked out super inspired. And I mean… how could I not? Check out these amazing athletes:

Today I bought my first-ever wearable device. After careful consideration I decided on the Fitbit Charge HR. I’ll start using it tomorrow and look forward to reporting back on what I learn next week.

Overall it was a pretty good week exercise and experience-wise. Food, again, was not on point. I am having a hard time eating what I plan to eat. I hope that next week is better.

Weekly Words of Wisdom
I am sure that I have shared this before but it’s always a good reminder.

As always, thanks for visiting.

PS. Bloggers… it’s almost April and with April comes the A to Z challenge. Care to join?

Sunday Summary: Girl Power

Hello peeps! Happy International Women’s Day and congrats to all the women and girls who have access to the internet and can read. Special thanks to those of you who choose to visit me.

This year’s theme calls for greater gender equality with the hashtag #MakeItHappen, a kind reminder that we count and that we are important and capable members of society. And a wake up call for me to finally focus on something… career-wise. I am currently a bit all over the place.

On better news I didn’t gain nor lose weight but I worked-out hard this week and I am very proud of my accomplishments. I ate pretty well, way more than I am used to but had about four meals out this week which is way above average. I didn’t run at all but I met with my trainer and I have a diversified workout schedule for next week that includes running, swimming, and spinning. I’m looking forward to the change of pace and the impact it has on my body.

Yesterday, I attended my local consignment store’s biannual $10 bag sale. I bought two bags and brought home a nice selection of spring and summer clothes sizes 6 through 10. I can’t wait to fit in them.

Today, I had a date with two of my book club pals. We had a great brunch and then visited my local Contemporary Art Museum for an exhibition of American impressionist Charles Courtney Curran. The artist’s work from late 19th and early 20th century is incredibly realistic and a few even had a 3D flare. Pretty impressive.

Overall a pretty good week. Nothing to complain about.

Weekly Words of Wisdom 

Thanks for visiting – Have a great week!

The Extra Pounds turns one

It’s hard to believe I have been writing somewhat consistently for a year now. A year ago today I had been dieting and exercising for six and a half months and had reached the 50-pounds weight loss mark and upon sharing this picture I got a lot of friends interested in what I was doing. One friend suggested I start a blog and so The Extra Pounds was born. My first post simply described what I had discovered worked for me (up to that moment). As I re-read it I realize how much more I have learned.

When I started this blog I weighed 175.4 pounds. Since then I have managed to lose about 15 pounds but I recently found about 10 of those and last Sunday (Sundays are now my official weigh-in days) I weighed in at 169.2. #thestruggleisreal

The most important and recent lesson that I have learned is that I need to fuel to burn. Weight loss is not simply “calories in and calories out;” it is much much more. Now that I consistently go to the gym and work out quite the sweat I also need to eat more in order to burn more. I am excited for the next year and seeing my body change again.

Blog Highlights

I cannot celebrate this blog’s birthday without a huge shoutout to my virtual friends who have liked and commented since the beginning. There are a lot of you that visit and comment but my virtual pals Karen at RunWright.net, Michelle at FindingYourFitPlace.com, and Clifford at Advocareadvisor.wordpress.com have been my biggest cheerleaders and sources of information this first year and for that I am very thankful.

One thing I am very proud of is my consistency. It is the one thing I worried about when I started… I worried that I would soon forget the blog but I didn’t and I am very happy about that. Although I would like to write more often, you can always count with a Sunday Summary post with anecdotes and lessons learned and my consistent Weekly Words of Wisdom which I hope you have and will continue to enjoy.

Top Posts

In case you missed them, here are the posts that got the most love, traffic, and/or shares:

1. Sunday Summary: @theextrapounds does @fitbloggin
2. Monday Miles: 5 Lessons from a Rookie Mudrunner
3. Year One: The Weight Loss Chronicles

I am so not surprised that these have been the most popular. They have the most lessons and also show the most fun I have had.

What the future holds

This year my 2015 resolutions are taking central stage. I started a new meal plan and I am trying to learn more about how to nourish my body to get the results I want. I may not have lost much weight in the last 12 months but I have lost inches and I have gone down a size so I am sculpting my body and not just losing mass. I have a lot to learn still and I can’t wait to share it.

Thank you!

PS. Are you on a similar journey? Are you blogging about it? If so, share your blog url in the comments section.