Going HAM: An Update

Hola, peeps! Rest assured, I am still alive and didn't forget about this little blog of mine. The past few weeks have been kinda crazy with activities and a couple of projects I'm working on, but I'm hoping I'll be back to regular posting in a few weeks (at the latest). In the meantime, I wanted to stop by and give you a quick update on my HAM objectives. 

No sweets: This part is going really well. I haven't really been tempted -- I even baked a cake for my co-worker's birthday and didn't try it! I've had a few cravings, which I've been able to satisfy with a handful of dried fruit or a Greek yogurt, but for the most part this has been easy.

Keep a food log: This is going OK. I've been keeping up with the log, but the first two weeks I was allowing myself more splurges (pizza, nachos, etc.) than I'd like. Also, since I was consuming a lot more calories last month, I feel hungry A LOT. My body has to get used to eating normal portions again, and that's where I seem to be running into trouble. I eat my allotted healthy meals and snacks and then at 8:30 p.m., I'm hungry again, so I eat a PB&J or chips or whatever snacky thing I have available. Need to work on that this week, for sheez.

Get your workouts in: This has been kind of a struggle. I've been going to the gym five days a week, but the individual workouts have been rough. Like I want to go to bed immediately afterward. And then the next morning I'm so tired I can't imagine going back to the gym. I'm not sure if it's because I've had a low-level cold for the past few weeks, or I'm got out of my intense workout routine and so now they're more challenging, but I am getting my ass kicked on the regular. I'm trying to push through in hopes that it will get easier soon.

Overall, I feel like the plan is working. I'm down eight pounds from January 1 and I feel much better (not overstuffed and bloated like I was for basically all of December). My specific goals (in addition to those above) are as follows:

- Keep splurges to less than 10% (3-4 meals) per week

- Eat extra veggies/protein when you get hungry

- Take your vitamins

This week's workout schedule:

Monday - kickboxing

Tuesday - off

Wednesday - trainer workout

Thursday - sprint intervals

Friday - weights

Saturday - sprint intervals

Things I'm eating this week -- I make recipes on Sunday and eat the same thing every day for a week:

- Scrambled egg whites (and one whole egg) with sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and onions for breakfast

- Yellow Dal from The Happy Herbivore cookbook for lunch

- Salsa Chickpea Lettuce Wraps for dinner

That's all I got. :) Catch y'all on the flip side!

Going HAM

Side note: Shouldn't it be "going HAAM?" I guess Urban Dictionary is no stickler for accurate acronyms. Also, since I don't actually eat ham, maybe this would be more appropriate:

This year, I fell into the the old holiday "give up your workouts, eat a lot of crap, and pack on a few pounds" trap. This was the first year of falling off the bandwagon for me, because I was never ON the bandwagon in years prior. Not working out and eating whatever I wanted was just my lifestyle, holidays or not. Also, I was going through some shit in November, so I didn't really eat well or work out that month, either. I can't even fully blame the holidays.

As a result, I've lost strength and gained about 10 pounds. I was kinda planning on the reverse of that scenario happening, so I've had a wake-up call and realized I need to get my shit together before I gain another 10. So from now (really January 1, but I'm terrible at timely blog posts) until February 21, I'm going HAM. I'm going to give it my all to move toward fitness for these 52 days.

Why February 21? It just so happens to be my 30th birthday. And I would like to ring in the new decade of my life feeling my best. Also looking my best, because I'm headed to the beach for a week the day after said birthday. Lastly, I just want to. I finally have some motivation back, so I'm going to make hay while the sun shines and get more regimented while the desire to do so is there.

My rules for going HAM:

- No sweets. This means no cakes, cookies, froyo, candy, etc. I can still have fruit and even non-sweet splurges (e.g., a slice of pizza or French fries) on occasion, but I'm cutting out sweets altogether. It's often just easier for me to do all or nothing; I find if I allow myself treats sometimes it quickly becomes all the time.

- Keep a food log. My trainer designed a log I like, where I'm not logging specifically what I eat, just if the meal was compliant (there's a few criteria, but the focus is on veggies and lean proteins with limited carbs), with symbols for treats and after-workout meals. It's faster than keeping a full log and allows me to easily monitor how many splurges and workouts I've had.

- Get your workouts in. I try to work out five days a week (2-3 days each of cardio and lifting), so I definitely want to do that, but even on my rest days, I want to go for a walk outside or do a yoga DVD. Something that keeps me in the mobile mindset.

So, that's the plan. I decided to share it with y'all for accountability. If I'm the only one who knows the plan, it's a lot easier to stop following it. But if I let y'all in on it, I'll feel guilty if (or when; let's be real) I want to quit. I suppose you could call this my New Year's resolution, but it's not really anything I haven't done before, I'm just resolving to get back to business. Side note, part 2: Whenever I say "the plan" in any context, I think of that scene in 10 Things I Hate About You where she shows "the plan" to her soccer coach. Every. Single. Time. Probably cuz I watched that movie about once a week during most of my formative years.

Now that you've seen "the plan," tell me: Did you let your fitness slide over the holidays? And if so, are you dedicating (or re-dedicating) yourself to eating well and working out this month?

High Five for Friday

Yay, it's really Friday! With the midweek holiday, I thought Tuesday was Friday and Wednesday was Sunday, so I'm all turned around. Since I didn't do a High Five last week, I'm just going to cover the whole holiday period, since it's really all a blur anyway. Some of my favorite things from the last two weeks are:

1. Time with friends and family: I tried to unplug some over the holidays and really be present while hanging out with my loved ones. Thus, I have zero photos of my various Christmas/New Year activities. Not great for blogging purposes, but I think it was easier to be in the moment and enjoy the company that way.

2. Cards Against Humanity: This game is similar to Apples to Apples, except waaaaay raunchier. Which is right up my alley, so I love it. We played with my family on Christmas Day (playing with your parents is an interesting experience), then again with pals on New Year's Eve. Good times.

A sample Cards Against Humanity round. These were chosen at random,
so it gives you an idea of how bawdy it is. Obviously, it's not a game for children.

3. My new gym bag: I've been using a giant reusable grocery bag as a gym bag for a few years (yeah, I'm cheap - and it was so big grocery store clerks seemed afraid of it, so I had to find an alternative use), but my mom got me an actual gym bag for Christmas. It's so nice! It's lined, waterproof, and super cute. Plus, having pockets for my electronic stuff (heart rate monitor, headphones) and a little pouch for my toiletries really cuts down on time spent rooting around while getting ready. It's something I didn't think I needed but definitely appreciate.

Showing off my new bag with my best Price is Right model pose.
Just pretend my sweaty gym clothes are a sparkly cocktail dress.

4. Getting back in the gym: I've been kinda half-assing it in the workout department lately (skipping my lifting days, cutting workouts short, or just not going at all), but I finally have my resolve back. I lifted three days this week, and while it was pretty dang tough (turns out consistency is the key to progress, who knew?), it felt great. I'll share more about this on Monday.

5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty: I've been going to the movies like it's my job the past few weeks (all the big movies I've been waiting for are finally out!) and this was one of my favorites. I can be a snarky bitch sometimes, but at heart I want to be optimistic and take chances and embrace the good in life, and this movie totally appealed to that side of me. 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'm linking up with Jennie and Lauren; check out their blogs below. Happy 2014!