Yep, I cut my losses on the 21 sugar detox. While I definitely took less insulin, my blood sugar numbers were all over the map! I would have thought they would be low, but even after eating stuffed peppers that had no rice or starchy fillers at all ā and even after taking what little insulin I thought I would need for a low carb dish ā two hours later my blood sugar was 279! Crazeballs.
So, I am going back to what I did back in June when I started Insanity. I told myself nothing was off-limits. And with that mindset, I was in charge of what I ate. I could choose to eat a donut, but I didnāt! This last week when I was restricted on what I could eat ā all I did was obsess about what I couldnāt eat and it was driving me nuts. So I am back to my calorie counting and balancing out the ratio of carbs/protein/fat. Sorry Peggy if I let you down ā but you are being a great cheerleader to the people who finished up their first week on the detox.
I was thrilled when right before Christmas I was contacted by Balance Bar to try out some of their new Balance Bars. These actually saved me the week Tony was in the hospital because I kept them in my purse and a couple times my blood sugar was low and it was nice to just grab this bar without having to leave his hospital room.
Um, these are the bars that are left ā Iāve already eaten four of them! Along with the bars I got a 2014 Calendar. They have teamed up with lifestyle expert, Laurel House, with tips on how to live your best in 2014.
January –
Make an āintentionā board to stay motivated. Create an intention board of images and words cut from magazines
that illustrate the energy behind your goals/intentions/resolutions for the year.
I actually like the word āintentionā rather than goal. Intent to me means that you have an action in plan to get to your goal. I am making it simple for myself again ā just make each day the best that I can make it, and move on to the next day. No regrets for the day before and no anticipation of what the next day will bring. Just living in the moment.
I am happy that I only work on Friday and Saturday night at the restaurant, so I am hitting the gym before work everyday this week except Friday, since I will be working a double that day. I will make Friday my rest day and make up the workout over the weekend. I have all my meals planned too ā some interesting things this week! Thanks to Courtneyās menu post, I saw the recipe that Jessica made ā honey chipotle chicken bowls. Itās made with a lime quinoa ā cannot wait to have this for lunch today!
Not only did I get this package from Balance Bar, but they are offering up the same package for one of my readers to win! You will receive a variety of Balance Bars, the 2014 Calendar and the Yurbuds headphones. OMG, I LOVE these headphones! I cannot tell you how many times when I bent down to do barbell rows to not only have one, but BOTH ear pieces fall out of my ears. These have a unique ātwistā so they fit perfect for women, and are guaranteed not to fall out. I wore them for a good two hours yesterday while cleaning my pantry, going up and down stairs for laundry, etc. and the fit was wonderful.
Excuse the messy hair ā I was still in my jammies when I took this picture!
So because itās their giveaway, and not mine, a couple rules.
- Check out their New Yearās Balance Bar Pledge;
- Like their Facebook Page
- Check out their Twitter
- Check them out on Pinterest
- Check out Yurbuds (FYI, the Yurbuds have a retail value of $29.99!)
Do you pledge to be a better version of you in 2014? Just leave a comment below letting me know that you have checked out the above links, and I will choose a random winner on Wednesday, January 15. Good luck!
I always tell Tony that we should eat more fish. I am the problem. He would love it if I cooked salmon, but I am picky about fish. What I do love, of course, are the most expensive fish like Chilean Sea Bass and Ahi Tuna! I scored and got two tuna steaks ā each $4.99 ā at The Fresh Market. I can justify the cost because there is no way weād be able to get this meal for $5 a person at a restaurant! I ended up marinating my piece in this marinade on the left, just a tablespoon, and I also bought this toasted sesame blend for the sides.
I served it over a lobster stock risotto with edamame and carrots. So good! I almost overcooked the fish though ā it was delicious and Tony ate every bite. I am confident that my brother and sister wouldnāt eat this dish. Mom, would you??
So I finally weighed in. After my mindless eats at night while Tony was in the hospital, not getting to the gym like I used to . . .it caught up with me. Since December 1 Iāve gained 6.5 pounds.
Yep, mismatched socks for you this morning ā my toes need a pedicure so I didnāt want to gross you out too much! So, I am pulling my big girl pants up and getting back at it. I worked too hard from June to December to go back to where I started from, just glad that I am getting back on track now, instead of months from now!
Off to finish putting my food together for the day ā on tap for lunch today? Jessicaās honey chipotle chicken bowls with lime quinoa! Yum!
I need those earphones. Love your blog and read everyday
http://www.howsweeteats.com/ is one of those blogs I somehow forget to check regularly, but when I stumble across it again I get wrapped up in it for an hour or more!
Don’t sweat a few pounds–especially since you have a plan of attack (so to speak) it’s not like things have been easy or normal in the last few weeks. Just get back into it and you’ll start to feel better again. š
RE: fish, I find that making whole fish helps, as there are lots of mild-flavored options like trout available that you can do quite a bit with; even seasoning one well on both sides with salt, pepper, some garlic shoved into the cavity, and some lemon and herbs around it, roasted in a pan, is sufficient.
I checked out all the links – please enter me into the giveaway! Thanks!
Now I have to check out the lime quinoa chicken bowl – sounds so tasty. š
My boyfriend and I tried to eat more fish last year and had limited success, we’ll be working on this again this year.
Re the gain – your eating and exercise routine went through a lot last month with the new job and T being in the hospital (and the holidays to boot). But now’s the time to get back on track and nip this gain in the bud! You can do it!
I’m the same exact way… when I start to limit what I eat & cut down on the types of foods I eat I then crave (like a monster) those foods. No limits…no obsessions!
LOL – Love your mismatched socks. That’s what I love about you – you keep it REAL!
Ahi Tuna is something I really need to make. I love it on the rare occasions I have it!
Ummm…the quinoa bowl – MF – that’s AMAZING!
Don’t sweat it over the gain in pounds. Remember too some of it may be muscle weight. As long as you feel good and your clothes fit about the same i wouldn’t worry.
The balance bars sound like they would be good. I am always hesitant if stuff like that will have that weird “whey” taste. But hey if you like them then you know I’ll have to at least try one. I checked out all the links but hopefully I didn’t have to tweet anything. I know nothing about tweeting. The yurbuds look awesome I’m going to have to put those on my wish list. I hate that any I’ve tried always fall out and I’m not even super athlete girl.
Your second parapraph is exactly the reason I’m not doing diets anymore. As soon as I count calories or am restricted to what I can eat, I start eating too much. No limits in what I eat works best for me because if I know I can have it if I want too, in most cases I don’t take it because I don’t want to eat it.
I’m picky with fish too and I know it’s good to eat at least fish once a week but I don’t want to eat fish every week because I don’t like it that much. I learned to eat it only a couple of years ago. So we eat fish occasionally and I’m fine with that.
That honey chipotle bowl looks absolutely delicious…MUST cook soon.
As for the 6 pounds….honestly, I wouldn’t sweat it. The man you love more than anything has been in the hospital, the holidays were here (that in itself is a mine for weight gain!) and were different than they usually are because of the different home dynamic. You are one of the strongest and most dedicated people I’ve ever known (or ‘internet’ known, rather š ) and I have full faith that you will get back to a place where you’re happy and healthy. You deserve it š
I checked out those balance bars.. dear lord, those look incredible. And the headphones aren’t bad either š everytime I go running, I have to put a headband over my ears so the earbuds don’t fall out. Would LOVE to win these and hopefully put the tacky headband trick to rest.
xoxoxoxo
Kayla
That tuna looks AMAZING! š I checked out the links and would love to be entered in the contest…I actually already have a paid of Yurbuds, and LOVE them…I would love to pass along a new pair to my best gal pal/gym buddy. š
Great post!! I love how you keep it “real”. š
Hi there! Longtime lurker here…excited to see the Balance Bar giveaway; I checked out all of the links. Keep on keeping on! š
Great post biz!
I agree that it’s sometimes easier to stick to a healthy lifestyle when nothing’s “off the table,” so to speak. You know what works for you!!! Hope you have a great week š
Don’t worry. you’ll have that weight back off in no time! I checked out all the sites & took the Balance Bar Pledge!! š
Tonight I’m heading back to WW after being off for over a month. I dread weigh in but I’ll just have to suck it up, face the truth and get back at it!! 2014 is going to be a great year!
I love Jane’s Krazy salt but haven’t seen the sesame seasonings in our store but I’ll be looking for it now.
Love the socks!! š
Mismatched socks to go with your mismatched feet! LOL! š Your tuna steaks are so gorgeous – I’ve never had tuna steaks and I so need to hit that! š And speaking of edamame, I’ve had a total craving for them lately and in 12 hours have eaten an entire bag by myself. Soooo good.
Hi Biz…well I will take the challenge….yep resolutions are hard to keep. Would like to try those balance bars, will have to see if they are sold here in Appleton. Liked on FB, got lost on twitter but following. Need to go to Pinterest yet and check out those yurbuds, am always looking for buds that fit, they always fall out.
Oh…I made that roasted vegie tomato sauce over zoodles (gave JP pasta) GOSH was that delicious!!! JP had 3 platefuls, he really liked it!!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
161 lbs is not a bad weight to be, just think where you have come from, so you are doing really well. Yeah, I would stick with what works the best for your body…..and as SharonF said “I’ve seen a lot of diets come and go” best thing is sticking with healthy foods, can lose with that. Have a great day.
Thank you so much for the shout out – I like, squealed outloud! š
Love the word intention, I find it so much better than goal.
The tuna looks BEAUTIFUL – wow, fancy dinner in Biz’s kitchen!!!
And lastly, I’m loving the mismatched socks š