The Look Great/Feel Amazing Journey of Grokalicious!

Not sure if I'm quoting Huxley or Shakespeare at the moment. Matters not. I finally took my before pics. Brave new girl. Ha. Anyway. I didn't die from it, so all is good. Kinda cock-eyed pics but it's cool. They show where I'm at. Side view isn't too bad. Back view shows me twisting to shoot the photo and all of them have a flash where my face is which is perfect. And ever-so-friggin motivating. Now to find balance between knowing this is a process (blah, blah, blah) and wanting to give it more than my all 24/7. <Insert eye roll here>

Why Grokalicious, you little extremist! Absolutely. This girl does not know anything other than black and white when it comes to her goals. No gray areas for me! (Excuse me for going from third to first person grammatically, too tired to change one or the other). I'm either winning or losing. No such thing as placing or showing. Neigh, my friends, neigh...

Eggs for breakfast AND lunch because lazy bones could only get it together to hard boil some eggs for lunch. I had 2 strips of bacon with breakfast and a small apple with lunch. Dinner was Delicata squash diced into my primal chili.

Day off from the ol' gym today but I shall be there with the sun rise in the morning, first thing. Exactly 4 weeks til NY Eve. Even if I don't lose the 7 lbs I've pledged to lose, I will be that much ahead of the game for not gaining weight over the holidays! Bravo!

Just a quickie here. I am on Day 10 of my Whole 30 (37) and the results so far have been great!

Sleeping deeply
No bloat or fatigue
More even-keeled energy
Dark undereye circles lessening (some of which is genetic, thanks Mom)

And, I've lost 5.25 lbs, almost an inch off of my waist, .5 off of my hips. To say I am thrilled with all of this would be the understatement of the year. I feel amazing!

I entered my foods in fitday for yesterday and was at 1300-ish. More than I thought for the day and perfectly fine on a non workout day. Am off to the gym now and will up my calories a little for the day.

A great day ahead!!!!!!!

Just staying on it, I guess.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Tennessee Williams)

I was that cat today. But, guess what? I did stay on the roof, and then some. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to succeed at something other than sales. You are always a cat on a hot tin roof in sales. Although, mind you, I am proud of my integrity and sincerity. Even a little proud of my sales style. Oh, I will absolutely make you laugh and you will never feel as though I've got the better of you because that just is not how I do it. But, regardless, it leaves me feeling empty and disappointed. I used to love a good sale. I'd get that little frisson of excitement and once the deal was closed, ooooooh. Lovely. Not any more. I simply don't feel that any more!! Mebbe this is good. I say so. I say that this will allow me to move forward with other goals.

Sore tushy from squats. I actually went lighter this morning but was insane with form. Did better with assisted pull ups and bench was cool too. Planks? Still can't do more than 45-60 seconds. Food was good. Eggs for breakfast (with bacon, of course) and eggs for lunch...oh she of little domestic creativity. Also had a mushy apple that I threw out and polished off the primal chili for dinner with a couple of avocado slices. My last account asked me if I was hungry and wanted to feed me something or other with cheese. Er, no.

Ok, a little more work and off to sleep, perchance to dream of Mr. Man...

Yay - before pictures! Love that you have measurements, as well. So many people use only the scale and that just does not show results quite like those pictures and measurements do!!


[QUOTE=Grokalicious;1023398]Just a quickie here. I am on Day 10 of my Whole 30 (37) and the results so far have been great!

Sleeping deeply
No bloat or fatigue
More even-keeled energy
Dark undereye circles lessening (some of which is genetic, thanks Mom)

And, I've lost 5.25 lbs, almost an inch off of my waist, .5 off of my hips. To say I am thrilled with all of this would be the understatement of the year. I feel amazing!

I entered my foods in fitday for yesterday and was at 1300-ish. More than I thought for the day and perfectly fine on a non workout day. Am off to the gym now and will up my calories a little for the day.

A great day ahead!!!!!!![/QUOTE]

More cheers for your progress! Kick'n a$$ and takin' names - that's the way to do it!

GROK ON!

Wonder if he wrote that before, during, or after the kite flying incident...

Anyway, he's right. Just stick to "it" regardless of what your "it" is and you're golden. Trip, take a misstep, fall down. Doesn't matter as long as you keep on keeping on. No giving up! It isn't an option.

No hunger today. My body just wasn't having it. Food, I mean. I had a salad with arugula and avocado with olive oil and an itsy bit of balsamic vinegar. Some eggs, an apple (a good one this time) and some beef jerky that a friend made. S'ok. Tomorrow is another day and I'm sure I will be hungry after the killer workout that I have planned.

So, that's it. That's all I've got today. Nothing terrifically earth shattering or amusing. Feel as though I am standing in a doorway awaiting a sign for my next step...

It better be good!

From "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Light on the food today. No workout as I hit my bum hand when I tripped on the stairs in the house. Now it's screwy again and hurts. But, I shall work out tomorrow. With weights if the hand is better. Long and slow cardio if it isn't. Another pound gone as well as a slightly smaller hip and waist measurement. But, now it's getting to be too much weight off a week. I need to slow it down. Just so much going on that I have little appetite. This too shall pass!!!!

Sigh, Mr. Man's close friend (a close friend of mine as well) was fishing on the phone tonight about my feelings for Mr. Man. Fishing a lot! High school is alive and kicking. Close friend was a little buzzed when we spoke so won't even remember the gist of the call. But, it did give me pause. I am not into these games but definitely into Mr. Man. My Mom knows close friend well and she says to not fall for fishing, which I won't. Too funny.

I am actively looking for a guest house. Let's just put it out there that I will have a place lined up by this time next month. Soooo ready. Going to record my voice demo at the end of January and pay my voice teacher to direct it. So, life is in motion. I like!! And, being in better shape and having more energy makes me feel like a million bucks and increases my confidence and positivity.

Yes!

Or, so it would seem. Going to look at "the" guest house this Sunday! Yay!!!!!! And, if all goes well, I will be in new digs on the first day of the new year. Auspicious day to start my new life.

Off to the gym. Another pound gone! :)

My Dad always said that "It's always now." Never really got that until years after his death. I get it, I get it. So true.

It is officially 2 weeks into my Whole 37. I need to eat more food, I think, as I am 8 lbs down since I started. Measurements down too, so I am confused. I started at 140.6 and am now at 132.4. I've eaten enough calories except yesterday. Am at an average of 1300-1400 a day. Thinking I should slow things down by adding in more food. You know what? I never counted dairy as calories. At least not the dairy I used in coffee. My old way was to have at least 3 cups of coffee in the morning as well as a latte in the afternoon. Wondering how many calories I bade goodby to there. And, morning coffee was full fat unwhipped whipping cream. Clueless what to add in. More importantly, I really do feel great. Scads of energy, great mood. Just need to slowwwwwwww down the weight loss.

Maybe I am just keyed up from all of the impending change ahead. Good change, but change none the less. I go see the guest house tomorrow! Fingers crossed.

Off to the gym after a big ol' breakfast of eggs and grass fed steak. Rooooooar!!!

My plans for dinner:

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs. of butternut squash, chopped (if you don’t feel like chopping, you can buy the ones that are already chopped.)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1 nub of ginger, finely minced
1 apple, cored and diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Roast your chopped butternut squash for at least 40-50 minutes until cooked. Once the squash are cooked, set aside and let cool. Now, in a large stock pot, add in your coconut oil, onions, apple and ginger. Cook through until the onions are translucent. Then add in your butternut squash to the stock pot, along with the broth and coconut milk. Let it boil and now you can either use an immersion blender or you can work in batches and use a food processor to puree your squash mixture, until smooth. Then add it back to the stock pot. Once that process has been done, season with salt and pepper to taste. I served it with grilled chicken on top. You can add crispy bacon on top. The possibilities are endless.

Mmmmm that sounds delicious. I need to get groceries today... Adding butternut squash to my list. Thanks!