Week 39 Wrap Up, Cheat Meals, and Resolutions

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday! My Christmas was good. I cooked all day, then family and some friends came over and ate, played games, and enjoyed each others company. It was a nice time. I was exhausted by the end of the evening, but it was worth it. I made all the dishes for dinner, then everyone else brought desserts. The meal was a great cheat meal, as I used about 3 pounds of butter for the dinner, several cheeses, cream sauces, sugars, etc. But I don't think I did too bad, nutritionally. Everything was made from scratch using whole foods. I actually went down to the gym and had a good cardio session Christmas morning. By the time dinner rolled around, I didn't even finish my plate. I did indulge in some desserts, though. But again, cheat meals are meals you don't have to feel bad about. And I made sure I didn't make it a cheat day. Breakfast was my usual breakfast (two eggs, a slice of gluten free whole grain bread with 1 tbsp of all natural peanut butter, and a cup of green juice).

Below are some pictures of Christmas dinner - (not pictured, I also did a double cranberry sauce made with fresh and dried cranberries, as well as honey spiced almonds) Bake brie with raw honey, served with organic apple slices and whole wheat crackers; prosciutto wrapped melon; sour cream and chive mashed potatoes; brussels sprouts gratin; bacon wrapped turkey; whiskey glazed sweet potatoes; spinach, pear and shaved parmesan salad; fresh italian bread stuffing; and ham with a pomegranate, orange, brown sugar and cinnamon glaze...the ham was purchased from a local organic farm in the area :

Cheat meals can actually be very beneficial things. They should revolve around one major factor, though, and that is the level of the Leptin hormone that your body produces. Leptin is the "anti-starvation" hormone and it helps regulate the amount of body fat that humans carry. The higher the body fat, the higher the Leptin levels in the body (and visa versa...the lesser amount of body fat, the lower the leptin levels). During prolonged periods of dieting, leptin levels decrease...even as much as 50% within the first week of a diet. As the leptin level decreases, so do the levels of Liver Glycogen, which then lowers the levels of other hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, T3 and Growth hormone, and it will also raise Cortisol levels (which is the stress hormone). If leptin levels get too low, a woman could even stop menstruating due to the lack of hormone production. When leptin levels get too low, the body will also not only stop burning fat, but actually start to store fat. So, why are cheat meals and leptin levels so important? If you eat a "cheat meal" that is high in carbohydrates, it helps reverse the process of storing fat by raising leptin levels in the body (this is because the rise in leptin levels have a correlation with the rise of carbs and insulin due to the large feeding). This meal will then get your leptin levels back up high and gets the body to start burning fat again when you go back to a healthier diet. Based on the research I've done, the professionals recommend ONE cheat meal per week for anyone who is restricting calories and trying to lose body fat. But, you have to make sure that one cheat meal doesn't turn into an entire cheat DAY. It's just one meal. Personally, I don't have a weekly cheat meal, but I have upped my cheat meal from every 30 days to one meal every other week (two per month). SCIENCE! :)

I did weigh in on Monday. And the scale finally changed! Before Monday, it was several weeks since I've weighed in. I feel like I've hit the point where I need to stop depending on a number on a scale. When I hit that plateau for two months, my body was still changing even though the scale wasn't moving. But anyway, I am down another 4 pounds for a loss so far of 68 pounds.

With New Years coming up in a few days, I've been asked by several people what my new year resolutions are. I have a few that are business related (by the way, I finished school and ended up getting all As and one B! You may now call me Chef hahaha), but I don't really have any. The few "resolutions" I do have, I have had for the past few months and I've been working on making them reality. Here's my thinking on this whole thing. January 1st is another day. The year may be different, but it's another day, just like today, just like tomorrow, just like every Monday. I started this journey in March. It wasn't even a Monday...it was a Thursday. My day 1 was a Thursday in March. What if those "new years resolutions" meant more to me? Then what....I wait 9 months so I could start this life changing journey on the first day of January? To most people, a Thursday in March is a very unimportant day. To me, it was the first day of the rest of my life. Personally, I don't require a socially memorable day to start something. If you have a big enough desire to do something or change something, then why wait?  You know what tomorrow is? It's Monday. And it's also the first day of the rest of your life. You don't have to wait. If you do, that's your choice, too....maybe that's just the type of person you are. I'm not here to judge. But I think back to 9 months ago and I can't even imagine where I would be right now if I didn't start this journey on that "random" Thursday in March. But I can honestly tell you, I wouldn't be where I am right now and I am SO thankful I didn't wait :)

Week 37 Wrap Up and Doubts

Another week has passed. Life happened and very poor excuses were made this past week. I'm pretty disappointed in myself with a couple days of not working out when I should've. But it's a new week and back to the grind. Just because a few poor days happened doesn't give me a reason to give up. A new day is a new start. So I will keep going and try to work harder to make up for the days I missed. Nutrition has still been good, though. I've been sticking with that, even when I missed a few workouts.

I started working at a restaurant. I was a little nervous to start, but I like it so far. Since I started 2 weeks ago, every day I work doesn't feel like work. I don't leave there exhausted or angry or discontented. This is one of the first times I've felt like that in my working career. The only other time I have felt that way was when I was previously working in the food industry. It makes me feel more confident that the food industry is where I'm supposed to be.

I just finished my last class today, and I'll be honest, I started freaking out a little bit. Classes are done (as long as I pass them....I should be getting my final grades in the next few weeks). With classes done, it means real life is officially starting. The job at the restaurant in which I'm working now will be great experience to get my feet wet. I took this job because the owner of the restaurant is going on vacation in a few months and needs someone to run the restaurant while she's out. It'll be great experience to be able to do this and feel what it's like to actually run an establishment. The opportunity arose and I seized it.

Not too long ago, I found this necklace and ended up having to buy it because I couldn't stop thinking about it, even after I walked away from it. It's a mustard seed that is surrounded by resin. And it's a really great reminder for me. There's a well-known verse that says "even if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, nothing is impossible." (Plus, it's a mustard seed...food related...duh) It's a really great reminder to keep it around my neck. If I have faith, nothing is impossible. During my slight freak out, doubt started to creep into my mind. There are some possibilities that have come up recently that could be an official start to my career. And doubt started. So, I wrote myself a letter (sometimes you just have to write yourself a letter. It's highly therapeutic. I recommend everyone do it sometime). Here it is:

Dear Me,

Life has been changing for you lately. Between starting your journey of weight loss, choosing to follow your passion of cooking and quit your secure job to go back to school, there are a lot of uncertainties you are currently dealing with. You just finished your last class with school, which then starts a whole new chapter in your life. I know you’re starting to freak out a little bit, and while it’s ok to have a little fear of the unknown, do not let it control your. Let that fear push you to do amazing things. You’re capable to do what you want to do and what you’re supposed to do and deep down you know you’re meant to do great things. You are not the norm; you don’t find comfort in complacency. You can’t just sit back in a cubicle and watch the world go by. You know life is meant to be lived to its fullest. So seize any opportunity you have in order to make that happen, no matter how much fear you feel. You know to follow your gut; you know what you’re supposed to do. Because I know this, trust me when I say the following:

Don’t let doubt take over. Doubt has no room is your life anymore. You’ve lived with it before and you’ve seen how it has hindered you. You’ve fought the feelings of doubt in other parts of your life and you’ve seen how it has positively impacted your life. There is no room for “What-ifs.” If one of those “what-ifs” creep deep enough into your thoughts, it will tear down any determination you have. “What if it doesn’t work out?” Well, if it’s not meant to happen through one avenue, it will happen through another avenue. You know what is supposed to happen. You know what you’re meant to do. Pursue it with ZERO doubt. Pursue it with confidence. Pursue it with determination. Pursue it with hope. Don’t allow the doubting “what-ifs” that others may be feeling have any effect on your hope and determination.

You got this, girl! So take a DEEP breath, remind yourself that the hard work to reach success is just beginning, and continue taking those leaps of faith to make your dreams a reality. You don’t always have to take “no” for an answer. And when those hurdles come along (because you know they will), jump those hurdles and keep going. Any roadblocks you hit, don’t be afraid to take a couple turns to get back on track toward your destination. You’re strong enough to do this. You’ve had enough experience in your past to be able to conquer anything. Do all you do with faith and confidence. You can do it. Deep down, I know you can.

Love,

Me

 There's no room for doubts in anyone's life. Don't let the shadow of doubt ever stop you from doing what you have to do in order to be who you're supposed to be.