Saturday, January 3, 2009

:: 01/03 - 01/10 MJ Meal Plan ::

*All recipes from Peter Berley's The Flexitarian Table

Saturday
Phyllo Pie with Lemon Tofu and Winter Greens

Sunday
- eat out at Harvest -

Monday
Creamy Root Vegetable Soup with Honey-Crisped Walnuts

Tuesday
Slow-cooked red beans in White Wine with Escarole

Wednesday
Millet cauliflower "Polenta" with Crispy Shallots

Thursday
Leftovers

Meat Friday
Chicken in Mole Negro
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Monday, December 29, 2008

: holiday season hiatus ::

So to be honest, I haven't made a dent in my weight goals for 01/29. I'm really screwed! Reflecting upon the past weeks, I must say that nutrition has taken a hit. It was not unexpected because of all the holiday eating + cooking. And also the weather really got me feeling pretty lazy although I've been sure to hit up KB workouts at least thrice a week. I hit some high moments but also had some low moments.

I wonder if i'm gaining more my muscle with the KB workouts? I dunno but I'm feeling pretty crabby today. I think I need to pay my friend the warrior diet an extended visit.

On another note, this was yesterday's breakfast blend. So delicious!!!

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:: conditioning milestones ::

The last time I hiked Mission Peak it was July 27th (Day 42 of the health journey) and it took me 1:28:34 to ascend the 2200 ft (2.8 mi one-way).

Mission Peak hasn't changed much since then but I have! So we decided to hike up again yesterday and test our conditioning levels. The whole way up, I just kept telling myself - do your personal best, do your personal best. It was still frigging tough, but I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other. I stopped for no rest until just before the final peak ascent and boy am I proud of us! We made it up in 1:09:43, our personal best ever! I guess it does help that I'm lugging up alot less body weight now but still, my heart felt strong and great. Burnt 900 calories on the way up maintaining an average heart rate of 173 and maxing out at 183.


We're going to be doing MP alot more often now to train for our 4- day classic inca trail hike next year. Hopefully we'll get to sub-hour time at some point.

feeling very accomplished. and sore. haha
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:: I challenge myself ::

== This entry is going to remain at the top until 01/29/09 as a reminder of my goals ==
Ever since the competition ended, I've lost another 10 lbs. But I'm still behind in my goals which was to be at 140 lbs by Dec 31st. Yeah.. that's really not going to happen. Considering there is thanksgiving and christmas season coming up, who am I kidding? The slowdown in weight loss is you know... expected. I've been pretty good about nutrition but exercise has definitely take a hit.

Nutrition:
The system has worked itself out nicely for me. I still continue to follow warrior diet principles and undereat mostly fruits, vegs, seeds and nuts in the day. I've found that in general my appetite has diminished significantly during the day. I eat "anything" for my main meal but mostly prepare delicious meals made from fresh, organic, sustainable produce and stay away from processed foods. I'm also a flexetarian, eating meat when requested by the husband. I won't be a snobby eater at social gatherings because relationships are more important to me.
Exercise:
I haven't done anything in awhile. First there was the sprained ankle, and then the post-marathon recovery and then the 2 week cold. But with my running shoes in my garage and my kettlebell in the living room, erm, what excuse do I have? I need to exercise at least 5x a week which includes running, especially if i want to run a marathon in 2009. Discipline is much needed in this area. I also need more yoga to really help me balance things out. But essentially, I need to keep my body youthful, strong and supple! Especially if we plan on having kids in the near future!

Spiritual:
While taking care of my God-given body is priority in my life, I need to take care of my spiritual being as well. I'm way behind in my new testament bible reading but I've given myself 6 months to complete it with the guide I purchased.

The New Challenge:

The chinese lunar new year falls on January 29 2009. That is my new deadline to get to 140 lbs which translates to about 2 lbs/ wk. Difficult but still doable. I was saddened yesterday to read that both Tracy and Mark have decided to stop blogging. They have both been huge in inspiring me on my journey especially when I started on the biggest loser challenge. So this is it, I have to challenge myself. No one's gonna love my body for me, I have to love it and care for it. It is my responsibility.

But if you have been inspired by my journey, and want to partner with me, let's do this together! (what that looks like, I don't know!)

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