Thursday, May 23, 2013

Trip #1

I wasn't supposed to travel until the first week of June, but things happen -- such as D's football team making it to the Championship Play-off Final (if they win they get promoted to the Premier League) -- so I'm headed to London tomorrow to for Monday's match!

Today was spent packing and doing a few pre-travel errands. I've outlined a workout plan for my trip and I'll try to stick to it. Flying to London for just 4 days (actually just 2 full days) makes it a little bit awkward but we'll see how it goes. Of course my main concern is food -- but then, I'm always concerned about food, even when I'm home!!

So, no workout this morning. I definitely benefited from that extra rest. I had Kajukenbo class at night. It went really well. I'm really enjoying it :)

I had a late breakfast/early lunch (brunch) at home -- leftovers from last night (the remaining half of my salmon over the rest of the quinoa and salad)



Dinner at a new restaurant, Le Sushi Bar, with friends tonight -- it was incredibly delicious. I had 2 different Maki rolls and some edamame.





Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Lead Legs

First of all, thanks so much for all the great comments from my progress picture post! I was really touched! Thank you, thank you, thank you! xx

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Last night I could barely walk -- I think waddle is a more accurate description. My legs were SO sore! This morning, after a good night's rest, I did feel better ... however, I was still feeling really stiff and achy. I usually only do Body Balance on Wednesdays, but since I knew I wouldn't be working out later in the day, I headed to the gym a bit earlier to do some cardio.

When I got on the treadmill, I could barely move my legs. Running was out of the question, so I just put the incline up to 1% and walked for 1/2 an hour (3 km). It wasn't much, but I knew I needed to move to loosen up those muscles.

Body Balance was painful - again, my legs were so stiff that it was hard for me to ease into the poses like I normally do. However, by the end of class I felt much better.

It was an afternoon of grocery shopping and cooking for me. Last October I met with two friends while I was on the Whole Life Challenge. We talked about my eating, and while it did seem like I cut out a lot of things (ok, I did cut out a lot of things) I wanted to show that it was possible to eat healthy and have your food taste delicious. So, tonight was my night to cook a CLEAN meal for them - and hope that they enjoy it! I think everything came out great, and it was nice to see them leave with leftovers too :)

Dinner
Appetizer: Hummus with veggies
Main course: Quinoa w/peas, carrots, and red bell peppers; Salad w/tomato, yellow bell pepper, and diced sweet potato - baked in the oven to make them crispy - balsamic/olive oil dressing; Salmon - baked in the oven with herbs and spices [I only ate half the salmon]
Dessert: Greek vanilla yogurt with sliced strawberries (pictured below)



Other food I ate throughout the day:
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with avocado; Lunch: same as yesterday; Snack: protein shake; Dessert from above pictured here




One Year Progress Picture

I wanted to post this picture on Instagram, but I chickened out. In the picture that was taken last year, I had already lost 16 kg (35 lb). I was so happy with the progress I had made. Now I look at that picture and think, holy shit. I was still so huge. It makes me sad. It also makes me paranoid that the picture that I have now (another 15 kg lighter - 33 lb), is not as good as I think it is (thought it was). I stared at this before and after shot for ages. I asked a friend if I should post it, and he said yes, but I still couldn't. I was so embarrassed at how big I got, especially knowing that this isn't even me at my biggest ... I'm pleased at my progress, but knowing that I have 8 kg (18 lb) left to reach my goal weight freaks me out and makes me really, really anxious. Will these mental demons ever disappear? So ... I couldn't post it on Instagram, but I'll go ahead and post it here on my blog. (My squinty eyes in the new pic bug me too!)


May 2012 - May 2013
one year of consistent clean eating and hitting the gym - no gimmicks; no shortcuts
weight loss: 15 kg (33 lb)

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Eat Clean, Train Dirty

This has definitely been the motto that I've been trying to follow. I think I've done a pretty good job so far, though the eating could always be cleaner, and the training could always be dirtier! I'm workin' it out!

I though I'd be more relaxed during summer vacation, but the days have been really busy. I'm a bit behind on my food pix, so here they are from the past 3 days.

Sunday
I felt the lingering effects of Saturdays carbs and sugar today. I wish I hadn't had the tuna fish sandwich for lunch coz' I really should have skipped the bread, but it was there and I ate it. I had the usual breakfast - banana, date, and peanut butter - with a slightly different presentation! I was getting tired of the other picture! Lunch: tuna fish sandwich. Dinner: baked salmon over quinoa salad. Snack: Papaya - the whole bowl. Not pictured: a cup of green tea





Monday
Ok - today was slightly different. I had a bigger breakfast first (the egg white omelet pictured below for Tuesday) and then in the afternoon I had the banana/date/protein combo (also pictured below). Dinner was at a friend's house - grilled chicken with salad. 



Tuesday
I thoroughly enjoyed my food today! Banana, date, peanut butter in the morning, an egg white with mushroom omelet with a side salad and some green tea post-workout, some grilled chicken with half an avocado and some cherry tomatoes for lunch, baked fish in a spicy sundried tomato sauce over vegetables. Not pictured: a protein shake




Trying to Train Dirty



Monday, May 20, 2013

Topsy Turvey

Day 1 of my summer holiday - what a joy! My goal was to sleep in until 9 a.m. (I had a late, late night on Saturday) and then go about my day. I don't know what I was thinking! I woke up at 5:45 a.m. feeling frantic. Not anxious frantic, just busy - omg I have so much to do - frantic. So I started tidying up the house. Once I got started with that, I had a hard time stopping ... and consequently I did not make it to the gym in the morning. 

I did, however, do 100 burpees and 135 squats (Day 14 of the squats challenge) and I got a whole lot of stuff done at home. 

I think my frantic-ness of the day was caused by a sugar/carb-crash following what I ate the night before. Although it may not seem like a lot, when you don't eat that kind of food on a regular basis at all, I think your body reacts to it much more quickly. These are the consequences -- I gotta live with them. 

On my way to acupuncture in the morning my car battery light went on. I was already overdue going for its servicing, so I freaked out a little (the last thing I wanted was an overheated car!) so off to the garage I went, and then I was car-less. Ugh. How annoying!! 

D was a sweetheart and came home by 4 p.m. so that I could take his car to Kajukenbo at night. 

We did some circuit training before our martial art workout. I can really see the impact of my CrossFit & weight training paying off here. While all the other girls were totally out of breath (one even vomited - she was new to the class) I was feeling the effects, but I could keep on going without much difficulty. It felt good. I felt strong! 

By the time I got home, washed up etc. I was exhausted. I had just enough energy to watch the Arsenal match and then I was pretty much ready for bed (and it was only around 8:45 p.m.). I lazed on the couch for a bit and was in bed before 10. I was SO tired! 

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Headed out of the house early this morning to get my car. The car was ready yesterday, but I had to make a decision - get my car or go to Kajukenbo? Kajukenbo won. I had them keep everything ready for me so that I could get it first thing this morning. I was so happy to see it parked right at the entrance of the garage ready for me :) 

Off to the gym --- though I met with a friend for breakfast first. We hadn't caught up in a while, so once again my morning workout didn't go as planned (I feel like such a slacker!!) but we both went in for Body Balance so at least I got that in! 

This afternoon was my last CrossFit class until August. I'll be traveling soon and then the schedules will be topsy turvey because of everyone else's travel plans for the summer. I'm ok with that as I still have the gym. However, I will miss CrossFit. 

Today's WOD left me completely breathless. OMG what a killer. We were supposed to do 3 rounds, but our coach stopped us after 2 coz' it was just deadly - lots of burpees, deadlifts, mountain climbers, push-ups etc. Definitely left me with a workout to remember for the rest of the summer! I'm hoping that while I'm in the States I'll get a chance to try out a CrossFit box or two. We'll see how that goes. 

I've got a birthday dinner to attend tonight. They're all gym buddies so I'm pretty sure that the food will be healthy. 

Picture post tomorrow! 


Saturday, May 18, 2013

My Day in Pictures

Breakfast 
(the usual + a cup of green tea - not pictured)




Yoga on the Beach 
(practicing my wheel pose)



Cardio at the Gym 
(1 hour on the cross-trainer)



Lunch
(just veggies + 1 tablespoon of pine nuts)



Dinner 
(my best friend's baby shower - I knew it would all be bread & I was right; I ate, I tried to stick to the least harmful things; I enjoyed what I ate, and most of all, I shared a wonderful evening with my best friend)

Quinoa Salad 


Plate of Carbs




Yes - A Cupcake




Best Compliment of the Day 
"I'd like to congratulate you on your amazing new body; I'm so proud of you because I know you've worked your ass off and you look incredible." 

I was taken aback, slightly embarrassed, but also really happy :) 




Friday, May 17, 2013

Thursday and Friday Food Pix


Thursday Food:

Breakfast #1
The usual - Peanut butter, banana, and 1 date



Breakfast #2
Tuna salad
(tuna fish, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrot, balsamic vinegar)



Lunch
Grilled chicken with leftover vegetables from the night before
(broccoli, carrot, sweet potato, and bell pepper)




Dinner
Fish salad - confession, this is an old picture and it has crumbled feta cheese on it; my dinner did not have any cheese



Friday Food: See last Friday's pix. Everything was the same except for lunch, which was the same as yesterday (chicken with vegetables).


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Made it to Thursday!

I woke up to this email from one of my students:



Seems like a perfect way to end the semester. I can't tell you how happy I am that summer is here!!

This morning I hit the weight room. I'm so glad that the focus of today's workout was on the upper body because my legs, thighs, and ass were really feeling the effects of yesterday's squats/workout. I was ready for a bit of relief.



My workout went well. I managed to up my weights for the last set of each exercise (3 sets of 15 today so overall my weights were still a bit lighter than usual).

This afternoon I had Kajukenbo practice -- we did some arm conditioning. Holy *hit! Just blocking punches hurt! I've already got bruises on my arms. Still, he says that with conditioning practice our arms will get tougher and stronger -- I sure hope so!


I then practiced Jiujitsu with D for about 45 minutes. We didn't have a long session as it's the end of the week and we were both tired. Still, we practiced a few drills, and that was good enough for today.

... and that's it! I've come to the end of my week and I am so happy!

Food pix will be posted tomorrow!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Quick Summary

I didn't have to go to work either yesterday or today. I feel like I finally got a real taste of what my summer holiday is going to be like. All I'll be doing is working out, eating, resting, and alternating between studying for my personal trainer certification & working on my research. Definitely can't complain! Oh, and travel of course. Yes, there will be lots of travel!

I didn't get around to blogging yesterday. I was so wiped out by the end of the day that I barely made it off the couch and into bed!

So here's a brief summary of what I've been up to:

Here's what I did:

Workouts
Morning
- cardio warm-up (just a 1 km jog)
- weights almost 1 1/2 hours -- focus was 4 sets of 10 reps. I increased my weights with each set (except for the step-ups) and was pleased with my performance
- sat poolside for an hour though I didn't swim

Afternoon
- Kajukenbo practice for almost 1 1/2 hours

Evening 
- Jiujitsu practice for 1 hour

See what I mean about being exhausted? It was fine. I didn't overdo it. I just think that not getting a good night's sleep the day before had me start the day a bit tired, and I never really recovered from that.


Burpees: Tuesday 30 & Wednesday 30
Squats: Days 10 & 11: 105 & 110 respectively (ouch!)

Today: 

Morning
- Body Balance (1 hour)

Afternoon
- CrossFit (1 hour): strength focus: Deadlifts (lifting 120 kg feels good now (264 lbs); WOD: 4 rounds (30, 25, 20, 15 reps each) mountain climbers, hand-release push-ups, jump squats; followed by 100 crunches & 3x1 min planks.

I left the CrossFit box drenched. in. sweat!

Food

Yesterday: 
Breakfast and lunch (see what I ate on Monday) (my usual banana date mix plus chick peas -- not the chicken wrap)

The only things different were an apple that I had as a snack & my dinner - steak with vegetables.





Today was quite different! I don't know if I changed things up because I was bored of the food or tired of posting the same photos!!

Breakfast: Scrambled egg 
(1 whole + 1/2 cup egg white) + mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers




Lunch: Chicken with broccoli and 1/2 sweet potato




Dinner: Shrimp with vegetables



Snack: 2 oz of this dark chocolate



Other stuff: The main thing I accomplished today was that I signed up for my CPR and First Aid certification through the Kuwait Medical Association/American Heart Association. I'll be doing the course at the end of this month.





Monday, May 13, 2013

Chasing Endorphins

Am sitting here at my desk after CrossFit, still sweaty, arms still shaky and sore, and feeling totally satisfied. I tell you, there is something about CrossFit that gives you a different type of endorphin high. I mean, I get an endorphin high after all my workouts, but there's something different about CrossFit. I think a lot of it has to do with being able to track your progress. I think that's why I like lifting weights in general - when you see your improvements especially lifting more weight, you feel even more empowered and stronger. It's a great feeling. At CrossFit, when you finish a WOD you know that you've been challenged and that you survived. You give it your all, and it's ok if you're slow, just as long as you're doing the best you can. Slowly but surely you will improve. You just have to keep pushing yourself. That's another great thing about the CrossFit box - both the coaches and your teammates also push you and encourage you to do better ... to do your best. It's a great feeling. I left CrossFit today with a smile on my face, and it's still there :)


what's written on the wall as you enter our CrossFit Q8 box

Today's workout at CrossFit Q8 was Fran (21, 15, 9 reps of thrusters (30kg) and pull ups (still using a band but getting better) followed by 100 burpees for time (I finished in 9 min 36 seconds).

My afternoon workout was much better than this morning's -- just 5 km on the cross-trainer. I really need to make an effort to do some more focused cardio. Hopefully now that the semester is coming to an end I'll be able to do if after my weights workouts in the morning. I need to do something. I feel like I'm yo-yo'ing at this weight - +/- 1.5 kg. I'm frustrated!! I know I'm eating well, but I may have to revise my portions and my food prep too ... I don't know. I have to do something. If I want to see a change, then I have to make a change.


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Food for the day:

Breakfast -- are you bored yet? I know it's the same photo, but it's the same meal day in day out!


Breakfast #2: I got to work and realized I had forgotten to pack anything to eat. Not good! I knew I had a long morning ahead, so without hesitating I went to the cafe & stood there for about 10 minutes asking the guy tons of questions about the foods - none of them healthy really - and went for a chicken wrap. I had him cut it in half and I only took one half. I took 4 bites and then I was done. I just wasn't interested in eating anymore. I have not had bread in such a long time. It just wasn't that tasty plus I was full. I know it's wasteful, but I wasn't about to finish the wrap when I knew I didn't want anymore.

What I bought:



How much I ate:


Lunch: Chick peas


 Dinner: Salmon with salad (balsamic vinegar & olive oil as dressing)


Dessert: Grapes 




Today:
- Workouts:
  • Cardio at the gym - 5 km on the cross-trainer (38 minutes)
  • CrossFit at CrossFit Q8 (1 hour): Fran + 100 burpees
  • Burpees: 100 {3,830/20,130}
  • Squats Day 9: 100
  • Stretching: 20 minutes
- Food: 
  • Breakfast: date/peanut butter/banana; 1/2 grilled chicken wrap
  • Lunch: chick peas
  • Dinner: salmon with salad
  • Snacks: grapes
- Other: Went through my wardrobe and got rid of all the tops that don't fit me anymore. Managed to cross off one more thing on my 'to do list'. Did lots of research on hotels in California; it's tough to decide where to stay!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

That was a Surprise!

When I woke up this morning I was in so much pain and discomfort from bloating and cramps that I couldn't even stand up straight and walk or breathe properly. I was actually in more discomfort than pain. The bloating felt like my stomach was about to pop; it was terrible.

I sat on the couch in the living room for a while, trying to will myself to go to the gym and just walk because light exercise can help relieve cramping ... but the bloating was just too much (way more than the cramping) and the dizziness and nausea made me feel like trying to attempt any exercise at that moment in time would be a bad idea. So I went back to bed and slept for another hour or so and definitely felt much better by the time it was time to get up and go to work.

It was a short day at work today - just admin stuff. I'm really happy with how my students did on their final exam. Their overall grades for the semester are great :) Yes, definitely pleased with how this term went. Just a few more days until summer vacation ... can't wait!

I just relaxed in the afternoon. Today was supposed to be my first proper Kajukenbo class and I didn't want to miss my first day. The bloating and pressure had gone down a bit. I knew the main thing that I had to do was fix my mind -- if I was going to go to class then I'd have to just suck it up and do my very, very best. No excuses. Just do it.

I went, and I think I did great. It was just me and another girl. She had been doing Kajukenbo for 2-3 months. The first thing I noticed when I saw her was that she was thin, and I thought, damn. Here I am, still the fat one in the class. Blah.

The first half hour of the class was warm-up: burpees, tons of jumping jacks, mountain climbers, running, tire flips, tire/hammer swings etc. Whatever he asked us to do, I did. It was really tiring, but it was good. I felt like my workout at CrossFit have really  helped me build up my endurance, though of course there's a lot more work to be done. I felt most proud when we got to the jump rope section. I think I jumped for about 5 minutes straight. In the meantime, the other girl couldn't even do a few skips. It seemed like she had never jumped before (perhaps she hadn't). So for the entire time that she was trying, I was continuously skipping. I felt good.

Something new we tried was rolling on the ground - basically somersaults but without putting our head on the ground. It was tough and intimidating. I tried - didn't do a very good job (was more rolling to the side than the front) but I tried.

After that we worked on punching and kicking, my favorite part. We don't wear any handwraps or gloves, so it's straight punching on the pads. I'm fine with that, but it definitely hurts more when trying to use both power and speed. I gotta watch my wrist positioning and work on improving my wrist strength.

Then finally ... he had us stand in fighting stance ... and that's when I saw him get the baton -- a 2 foot long hard plastic baton ... and I knew what was coming next. He had us raise our arms up, exposing our abdomen.

As he approached me I just looked straight ahead. I tightened my abs and I focused on my breathing. He said he was going to hit my abdominal area once for me to get an idea of how it feels. I didn't say anything, just stood there concentrating.

Whap!

Fuck that hurt.

I didn't flinch. I didn't move. I just breathed ... and at the same time I was thinking, holy shit, did that just happen?

He did the same to her and she yelled.

He came back to me and hit twice.

Whap! Whap!

Same thing. No reaction from me. Just me talking to myself in my head - staying calm, staying focused, this is only something physical. If you trust your coach, then you trust them 100%. I knew he was not trying to hurt me, and I knew that if I was going to do this - If I was really going to try and become a fighter in some shape or form, then I was going to have to learn how to take pain.

For me, this was lesson #1, and I was really happy with my performance.

So yes, this whole part of the lesson was definitely a surprise! 

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Not much appetite today ...

Breakfast: The usual - banana, peanut butter, 1 date + a cup of green tea (not pictured)



Lunch: Grilled chicken with tabbuleh salad




Dinner: King Fish on the George Foreman grill with steamed carrots and string beans 


Dessert: Papaya (12 pieces)



Today:
- Workouts:

  • Kajukenbo at KOK (1 hour)
  • Stretching: 15 minutes
  • Burpees: 10 {total: 3,730/20,130}
  • Squats Day 7: Rest Day

- Food:

  • Breakfast: banana, peanut butter, date, green eat
  • Lunch: grilled chicken with salad
  • Dinner: grilled king fish with steamed vegetables
  • Snack: papaya

- Other: Booked my London hotel! :)

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Simple Saturday

I found it really annoying that I was up at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Seriously? Who wakes up that early on the weekend, especially when I had wanted to sleep in for a bit? Anyway. I got up and got started with my day. First things first, the menu for the week and the shopping list.


Then off to the grocery store. Today's shop was pretty simple; that's definitely one of the advantages of cooking/eating simple. Having a list and a plan helps -- all you have to do is stick to it and not get distracted by all the other stuff in the supermarket!

I was home before 10 am so I thought it would be the perfect time to beat the crowd and head to the mall to buy a much needed new bathing suit. The suit I bought was 6 sizes smaller than the one I wore last summer - can you believe it? I couldn't! That was definitely a good feeling.

I normally have 2 exercise classes on Saturdays - Yoga on the Beach and CrossFit, but both were cancelled. To be honest, I was kinda relieved. I just wanted to chill today. That doesn't mean I didn't exercise -- D & I did an hour of Jiujitsu practice; I did 100 burpees plus 80 squats as part of the 30 Day Squats Challenge.

I was invited to go see a Kajukenbo purple belt to blue belt test in the evening so I went. Wow. It was really, really, really intense. Talk about street fighting meets self-defense. It was really impressive, and it gave me a much better idea of what's involved in this martial art (basically what I might be getting myself into!)






My meals for the day:

Breakfast - the usual. 
I really didn't feel like eating yet the same thing today. However I didn't have anything else planned so I had to stick to this. I need to find a way to change things up a little for my weekend breakfasts. 


Lunch - chick peas. (recipe here)
This was really, really, really yummy - but the main drawback is that chick peas make me bloat and that gets really uncomfortable! 


Dinner - Arabic food
Grilled chicken, tabbuleh salad, 1 tablespoon of hummus, muttabel, and muhammara each


Today:
- Workouts:

  • BJJ practice at home (1 hour)
  • Burpees: 100 {total: 3,720/20,130}
  • Squats Day 7: 80
  • Stretching: 15 minutes

- Food:

  • Breakfast: date/peanut butter/banana/green tea (not photographed)
  • Lunch: chick peas
  • Dinner: shish tawook, tabbouleh, hummus, muttabel, and muhammara

- Other: Booked NYC hotel :)


Friday, May 10, 2013

Fridays

I've still got numbers on my mind.

This morning I was relieved to see a 0.5 kg (1 lb) drop in my weight. I'm still 1 kg over my lowest, but I'm making my way back down there again.

The other number on my mind is the saturated fat content in my coconut fish stew. I know healthy fats are good for you, but 7 g. of saturated fat in one meal just seems way too high. It upsets me because I really enjoyed the meal and was happy to have it as my go-to lunch during the week when I'm in a rush.

Thank goodness for the Internet. A few articles that I read online were quick to confirm that coconut milk is good; however, the amount of saturated fat is a concern. The simplest solution, besides just not having it, is to reduce the amount used and diluting it with water. I think that's what I'll try to do in my next batch of soup - use only 1/2 the can of coconut milk and replace the other half with just water. We'll see.

I had quite a relaxing day today. It felt amazing to wake up this weekend morning and realize I had not papers to grade or lessons to prepare, and I won't have any of that to do until September!! Seriously, amazing feeling.

I used some time during the day to complete 2 more quizzes for my Personal Trainer certification (100% in both - nerd mode on!) :)

The best part of my day was my first attempt at practicing Brazilian Jiujitsu with D. D's been taking Jiujitsu classes for just over a month now. We bought mats a couple of weeks ago for our house with the intention of practicing. However, we never got around to it. Today we finally gave it ago and it was great. We practiced for two hours (following the Gracie Combatives DVDs). You wouldn't think you'd work up a sweat practicing a few moves (today was different variations of trap and roll), but we were both sweating - and a bit bruised by the end of it. It was so great, not just to practice, but to do this together. I think it's extra beneficial for me because D is bigger than me, and one of the main principles of Jiujitsu is how to handle yourself against a bigger, stronger opponent. It was great :)

--------------

Fridays are my no cooking days. When focusing on living a healthy lifestyle I think relying on food from restaurants or ones that are pre-cooked is dangerous. However, during the Whole Life Challenge when I had put many, many restrictions on my diet, I discovered a few places that I could eat. I take full advantage of them on Fridays.

Fridays are also the days that if I may have something sweet after dinner. I do cringe at the words 'cheat meal' and the thought of using food as a 'treat', but I guess that's what I'm doing. For me, I'm careful with what I eat, and if I eat something that is off plan, then it's something that I really want and do not feel guilty about eating, nor will it be something that will really throw me off course with my weight loss. Are these excuses? Perhaps. I'll modify my plan if I have to with no bitterness or complaints that I'm feeling 'deprived.'

Fridays are also my days with D. It's the one day that we spend entirely together and it's great - much needed after our busy week.


Breakfast - La Pain Quotidien 
One of my favorite places to eat because they will accommodate any changes you want to make to the foods. My usual Friday breakfast is an egg white mushroom omelet. The omelets usually come with 2 slices of organic whole grain bread and a side salad; however, I ask them to remove the bread and just give me extra salad. I had this with a cup of green tea (not pictured) 



Coffee - Starbucks 
Ok, I don't count the coffee from Starbucks as coffee, especially not their flavored ones (which is what this is - a skim caramel macchiato). This is basically dessert in a cup. I have to be honest, I look forward to this cup and I do enjoy every drop. 




Lunch - Dean and Deluca
Broiled shrimp marinated in olive oil, parsley, and tomato plus grilled vegetables (eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini)



Dinner - Ninos 
Grilled chicken and avocado salad with pine nuts and a mustard lemon dressing
I was really happy to discover this salad. It is delicious!




Dessert - Papaya from Dean and Deluca
Earlier this week I had a craving for some chocolate ice cream. I thought that I'd have it tonight after dinner ... but by the time Friday rolled around, I didn't want it anymore. Instead I had 5 pieces of delicious papaya that I had picked up at Dean and Deluca's this morning. Really, really yummy. 




Today:
- Workouts:

  • BJJ practice at home (2 hours)
  • Stretching (20 minutes)
  • Squats day 6: 75
- Food:
  • Breakfast: egg white mushroom omelet + green tea
  • Lunch: broiled shrimp and grilled vegetables
  • Dinner: chicken avocado salad
  • Snacks: skim caramel macchiato & papaya
- Other: Completed 2 PT certification quizzes