beccalyse

Alright, people. I can say without a shadow of a doubt... Bulletproof Coffee is SO worth it. I drank it around 7 this morning. It's now nearing 2. I haven't been remotely foggy or hungry, I've had great energy levels... it's been awesome. To be honest, the only reason I'm breaking the fast is because I have to close at the store tonight. Seriously, though... give BPC a shot. I'm definitely a big fan.

Learn from my mistakes. I used too much coconut oil. Apparently too much coconut oil makes you tremendously nauseous. I used a Tbs when I should've used a Tsp. My bad.

So, first thoughts on BulletProof Coffee: It's delicious. For real. I normally drink my coffee black, so I wasn't sure how all the added fats would make it taste... added some cinnamon out of skepticism. It's DELICIOUS. It was super quick and easy to make. Like, easier than a smoothie. Easier to drink than a smoothie, too. It's DELICIOUS. SERIOUSLY.For those of you who may have no idea what I'm talking about, BulletProof coffee is coffee blended with grass-fed (Kerrygold) butter and coconut oil (MCT oil if I keep doing this... and I'll probably keep doing this). The idea is that it's super high in fats with no carbs, so it'll keep you full and energetic for the majority of your day. I can honestly say it woke me the hell up, and caffeine typically doesn't effect me this strongly. SO, I have a huge project due tomorrow. I'm going to head to the library and work through lunch getting it done. Then I have a 3 mile run tonight. This is, like, the perfect storm scenario. I'll need mental clarity, energy, and endurance... all in one day. What could possibly go wrong?

Agreed on the expensive and proprietary front. I have the Kerrygold and coconut oil anyway and just bought beans from the hipster joint down the street. My first cup will be tomorrow morning... I'll report back on the results.

Week 1 Check-In Weight: 164.9 Goal 1: Run minimum 1 mile every day. Grade: 100% Like a boss. Goal 2: Handstands, pull-up/tricep-dips work every day. Grade: 86% I missed a day. Oops. Goal 3: CrossFit Drink water to full hydration. Official scoring begins today. Goal 4: Quit stressing the small stuff so much. Grade: 100% With company in town, I ate a lot of meals out and didn't mention Paleo or cheating once. Also, totally had popcorn at last night's movie. So, good and bad things this past week. I'm in the middle of a particularly stressful month at school, financially strapped, simultaneously working too much and not getting enough hours, and just all around being miserable. But I ran every day. And I only missed my arm work because I got home insanely late that night. On the other hand, I probably was TOO lenient with my diet. I used entertaining friends as an excuse to go on a bit of a spree. But yesterday I got back on track and, no matter what, I'm not going to feel guilt about something that happened in the past. Tomorrow, I'm adding a new component to my morning run routine: bulletproof coffee. I'm going to try drinking it on distance days... I've read some great things, but I obviously need to try it for myself.

So... here's why I'm abandoning CrossFit and, therefore, changing Goal 3. Reason 1: I'm a full-time graduate student who's just picked up not one, not two, but THREE part-time jobs. For the past year, I've had nothing but time on my hands. And now I have no time at all. And waking up at 5 to attend a 6 a.m. class the morning after I closed the store at the mall... that's just torturous. And stress-inducing. And exhausting. And unnecessary. Reason 2: I'm starting to really enjoy running. And running is free. And can be done anywhere at any time. And the fact that I can work it into my day when it's convenient is REALLY important... see Reason 1. But also, running is becoming meditative for me... whereas CrossFit has me looking around the room, feeling slow or unaccomplished. After a run, I feel like a badass. After a WOD, I feel awkward. Reason 3: I'd like to explore weightlifting on my own. There are some lifts I really enjoy (deadlifts, bench presses) that I'd love to get better at... but by practicing them regularly. WODs are fun because they change all the time... but I'd like to feel like I'm getting good at SOMETHING. I LOVE kettlebell swings. Why shouldn't I do them a few times a week? So basically, I'm ditching CrossFit for now. Not entirely, because I'm still under a contracted membership for the next month or two, but I'm taking the pressure off to go. Because something's gotta give here. The running streak is great, the half-marathon training is great, the pull-ups/dips are great, the handstands are great, the CrossFit is a source of dread. So adios, CrossFit. I'll replace that goal with a hydration goal. Minimum 8 glasses of water (or brewed tea)/day. Pass/fail grading system. I'll start grading on Monday.

I ate some frozen custard today. With gummy bears. And I didn't beat myself up about it. So there. Also, still on track. Did tricep-dips, crossfit, and handstands yesterday. And ran my mile. Today was pull-ups, handstand practice, and the first 3 miles of my half-marathon training. Also my first day running with a hydration pack... which I ended up loving. I used the one I normally use for cycling, so it's more than a bit bulky... and 3L is probably an excessively large reservoir size. If I've maintained my streak by Sunday (which I obviously will), I'm thinking I'll gift myself with a hydration pack designed for running. 3 miles in 70 degree heat isn't so bad. But as I run farther, it's going to get hotter. And I dehydrate just by looking at the sun through a tinted window. Hope everyone's kicking as much challenge ass as I am.

This morning, I woke up thoroughly unmotivated. Alarm went off at 5:15, hit snooze. But at 5:30, when the alarm went off again, I got up. Wandered my apartment a bit. Tried to justify skipping CrossFit to myself. I had 10 minutes to get dressed and leave if I wanted to make the WOD on time. Then 5 minutes. I got dressed. I went to CrossFit. High-fives all around.

Hello, all. Back in January I embarked on my first NF Challenge. And it went well. And I did another one. And then I got comfortable. Oops. The good news is that I haven't lost the plot completely. Back in January, I weighed 210 lbs, never exercised, ate processed crap, and was generally a miserable human being who hated herself. I'm down to 166 now. I can shop in "normal" stores. I've got a pretty awesome boyfriend. I'm generally pretty damn proud of myself. But I can do better. So I'm back. Some background information on my habits first... I'm a paleo-enthusiast. I've fallen off the wagon more often than I'd like lately, but I cook all of my meals and enter every last ingredient into My Fitness Pal. I maintain a spreadsheet totaling sleep, steps, calories in, and workouts for each day, as well as averaging them out for the week. This probably makes me a psychopath. Because of my mad data-entry skills, I can say that I've regressed a month as far as weight loss is concerned. At the beginning of May, I hit a plateau and lost all motivation. Last week, I cheated to the point of binging... for seven full days. This time it's personal. Literally. This time it's not about weight loss... it's about accountability. I'm better than this past month. I'm strong and dedicated and MOTIVATED and NOT complacent. I've got about 30 lbs to go, but I don't even care anymore. It's not about the weight or the scale. It's about the feeling of personal pride and accomplishment I used to have when I caught a glance at myself in the mirror. I miss that feeling. I'm getting it back. STARTING STATS Height - 5'5" Weight - 166.1 lbs CHALLENGE GOALS 1. We're going STREAKING! No. Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter. I will run a minimum of one mile each day. Be it in the world or on a treadmill. One mile.Credit will be given for runs totaling one mile or more (I'm doing a 10k training program), a point being awarded for each day I run. Assuming I run every day for the whole of the challenge (which I obviously will), a perfect score will be a total of 42 points.2. Work them arms, girl. In retrospect, my phrasing could probably be better there... I will practice handstands and pull-ups/tricep dips EVERY DAY.A half point will be awarded for handstand practice, and a half point for pull-ups or dips (I alternate) for a total of one point per day. Again, should I behave responsibly like the adult I pretend to be, a perfect score will be a total of 42 points.3. You can't always get what you want. But you CAN get what you pay for. I pay for a CrossFit membership. I should use it on occasion. For reals. For reasons I don't entirely understand, I've cooled on CrossFit. I used to be super into it. Then I got better at running. I think I have shiny ball syndrome when it comes to fitness. And technology. And clothing. And people. Maybe I just have shiny ball syndrome all around.Anyway, I pay for a 3 WOD/week membership. I'm going to use it again. REGULARLY.This one's easy to grade. CrossFit 3x/week= 3 points/week. Perfect score of 18 points FTW.4. Be excellent to each other. "Each other" meaning me. I'm a self-hate ninja. I mean, we're all good at something... but I'm a gold medalist at being too hard on myself when it comes to diet and exercise. This is going to be a hard one to grade, but... I'm just not fun anymore. I need to fix that. SO... No more publicly obsessing over what I'm eating (yea... I'm THAT guy). No more meltdowns because I broke paleo and split a dessert with the boyfriend or had a couple of beers at a party or really wanted that slice of pizza.No more shaming myself over ditching my run after only 1.5 miles (it was supposed to be 4) because it was 95 degrees out and I was severely overheating. When I started all this, I couldn't run 30 seconds without taking a break (not an exaggeration). Perspective.I'm giving myself license to live. I meticulously track calories on a daily basis (I've logged into MFP over 130 days in a row now). I track EVERYTHING. And I know I operate at a deficit on the regular. Even WITHOUT factoring in workouts. So if I want to have a beer with a friend after school, I'm going to be alright with it, dammit. Not because I deserve it (food is NOT a reward to me anymore) but because stressing out over it is pretty flipping ridiculous.

Week 3 Progress Report Weight: 178.4 (down 2.4 lbs) Goal 1: Walk minimum of 25 miles/week. Week Total: 29.5 miles (a PR so far... I took the stairs a lot at the hotel) Goal 2: Maintain Paleo lifestyle and fitness routine. Number of cheats/missed workouts: 2 (I missed a run and went on a minor tear at a German restaurant Saturday night. No regrets.) Goal 3: Try at least 3 new foods/recipes per week. Foods tried: pluots (also called plumcots... some sort of apricot/plum hybrid)... and I'm afraid that's it. Goal 4: Clock at least 10 hours of data entry per week. Hours worked: 0 It was the best of weeks, it was the worst of weeks. Not really. Work didn't happen and neither did trying new foods... but that's not a shock since I was traveling. I learned that running on consecutive days kills my knees... which is why I missed a run. I didn't agonize over this one as I have in the past, though. And I upped my walking to try to keep myself moving. And did squats in my hotel room... mostly out of boredom. I'm starting to consider introducing a regular cheat to my routine. I know many people do the 80/20 thing, but I don't want to take it that far. A single cheat per week doesn't sound that bad, though. It gives me an opportunity to be a bit more social as well... as I would be able to adapt in restaurants more easily. Still on the fence about it, so if anyone has any thoughts, please share.

Tonight's my last night in the hotel before I go home. And it's the only night I've cheated. We went to an amazing German restaurant where I willfully ate hand-cut chips AND fried apples... but that was the extent of it. I'm fasting tomorrow anyway, so hopefully I haven't done too much damage to my body. I'm fairly carb and sugar-drunk right now, but that's to be expected. All in all, I have to say I've exceeded my expectations on this trip. I didn't miss a workout, I didn't grab for the "travel" excuse and eat crap all week... I did well. And I went out with the group often. Which is unusual for me. I'm typically more of a loner. I haven't had access to my scale all week, so I won't really know how my body's handled all the chaos until weigh-in on Monday. I'll be curious to see the results.

I've had tendinitis (not really called this, but it's a really long word... and it's not carpal tunnel) in both of my wrists since 2005. It has never gotten better, and the physical therapists and doctors I've seen about it have all shrugged their shoulders and said "you seem to be dealing with it just fine." Because of the tendinitis, I can't carry grocery bags (gripping them is an issue, I have to use reusable shoulder bags), I can't write more than a paragraph or so by hand (I'm left-handed, and it was explained to me that since my hand curls in towards my wrist when I write, I'm actually damaging myself further), and I can't play Wii tennis. Well, I just can't play Wii. In bootcamps and WODs, I've been doing pushups against a bar. And skipping burpees in favor of jump squats. But in yoga, I've been planking and downward dogging. So, in this morning's hero WOD, I did a handstand for the first time. And I did burpees... a lot of them... for the first time. And my wrists are a little sore right now... but screw it. Coddling the injury for 8 years hasn't helped. I'm gonna try pushing myself and see what happens.

Nice work on a great week! I keep meaning to try making mayo, but I've never gotten around to it.

Week 2 Progress Report Weight: 180.8 (down 2 lbs) Goal 1: Walk minimum of 25 miles/week. Week Total: 27.8 miles Goal 2: Maintain Paleo lifestyle and fitness routine. Number of cheats/missed workouts: 1 (the Jelly Belly incident... which I had actually forgotten about until now...) Goal 3: Try at least 3 new foods/recipes per week. Foods tried: buffalo chicken wings (AMAZING), sweet potato fries (recipe needs some tweaking), passion fruit (I was horrified when I cut the thing open, but it tasted REALLY good) Goal 4: Clock at least 10 hours of data entry per week. Hours worked: 14 So, GOOD WEEK! I was a little bummed this morning... hoping to get below 180 lbs. But my logical brain realizes it's a ridiculous thing to get bent out of shape over. I'm also starting to suspect that I am, in fact, defaulting to eating too little. So I'm going to work on that this week and see if there's a difference. I've got a TON to do today after my morning lecture, so I'm not going to prattle on here. Though I did kick this morning's TABATA WOD's ass. Hope everyone did well, and have a great week!

Just look at this as an opportunity to kick next week's ass. The important thing is to give yourself permission to get over the slump and move on.

So, I've recently discovered that I'm no longer receiving invites to social events. Because I don't drink anymore. And I don't attack the snack table. Seriously... I don't get it. I'm more offended than hurt, I think, because it's not as though I'm terribly close with ANY of my friends right now... I don't know. I do tend to go to bed early. Because I wake up early. To work out. And I go home for lunch instead of sticking around in the break room. Because my lunches need to be COOKED in a KITCHEN. And I don't go to happy hour or the like... because I don't drink anymore. And sitting around watching other people drink is boring. I guess I've isolated myself from my social group. Well, not "I guess." I've isolated myself from my social group. Period. What's strange is that I don't really miss it. I mean, I wish I was close to someone in my program, but the things that I care about now aren't terribly easy to relate to when you're up till 4 a.m. drinking Pabst and watching obscure movies. Maybe I need to find some like-minded people to hang out with. People who know what a WOD is. People who understand why I need to special order everything in restaurants. What's funny is that this is probably the happiest and most comfortable I've been in years. Physically, emotionally, psychologically, I'm in a great place. Now, I suppose I need to venture into the world and find people to share the happy with.

One day left in the week and I'm crushing it. Sort of. I've already exceeded my work goal for the week. And I'm going to put in more time tomorrow. So, you know... Snoopy dance. I feel like my walking goal is going to be a problem. I attempted a hike today, but didn't plan too well... regardless of the slightly warmer weather, my Vibram barefoot shoes were no match for the four inches of melty snow that covered the trail. I made it about a mile before I started envisioning frost bite in my future. I bailed shortly thereafter. Diet and exercise on point. I'm running tomorrow instead of today, but no big deal. I forgot to charge my iPod, and the gym closes in an hour... and no iPod means no run. It's charging now. I'll run tomorrow. I bought a cooler and blue ice for my trip. I'm going to stock up in spinach, pre-cooked bacon, and roast beef. I'll bring my oil and vinegar for salads and some almonds and fruit leather to snack on. I intermittent fast twice a week anyway, so I really only have to feed myself for two days. The only thing I'm dreading is cleaning my apartment. The building concierge (don't even ask how much money I blow on rent) is feeding my cat while I'm gone, and I'd prefer not to look like a hoarder when that happens.

So, this Wednesday will be my first trip out of town in the coming months. I was initially planning on dragging food along with me, but it occurs to me that a quick grocery shop after checking into the hotel would probably be easier. According to their website, rooms are not equipped with refrigerator... but I know some hotels keep a small reserve in case they're needed, so I'm going to call and see if it's possible to get a fridge in my room. It would certainly make life easier. Otherwise, I'll have to buy a cooler. I'm thinking grass-fed roast beef would be easy for lunches and/or dinners. Maybe I could throw some guacamole in. I'll have to see what they have on offer for their "complimentary breakfast," but bacon and eggs are fairly standard, even if they aren't the kind I would ordinarily buy. This trip gives me the most freedom as far as scheduling is concerned, so I'm not too terribly worried. Just trying to cover my bases. If anyone has ideas about kitchen-free dinners, I'd love to hear them. Maybe apple slices with Sunbutter would be good for lunches... but as I don't eat fruit after lunch, I can't rely on that in the evening. I'll be gone four nights.

I lucked out when I dropped the junk food. I rarely grocery shopped, buying all my food at drive-thrus, so when I made the Paleo switch, I ended up saving a ton of money over time. As a graduate student myself, I had no business forking over $5 to Panera, $6 to McDonalds, and $10 for take-out each day. And that's not including the cost of the sodas I was practically mainlining at school. It sucks that you haven't been able to workout, but the good news is that drinking more water and making the Paleo transition will eventually even-out your energy levels. Just don't give up on the exercise goals. Keep planning for them.

Whenever I apply for a job, I remind myself that the decision is entirely out of my hands. That the recruiter has never met me personally and knows absolutely nothing about me aside from what's on my resume. I remind myself that anyone who doesn't want to hire me would probably not be a joy to work for. And I remind myself that the person who actually GOT the job is off the market now, and won't be competing with me when that dream job comes along.

Alright, the key to great cake pops is avoiding those silly pans and machine-type things. Bake a cake. Crumble it into crumbs in a large bowl (prepare to find crumbs EVERYWHERE). Take a nice, thick batch of frosting and dump it into the cake crumbs. Mash together with hands. Go ahead and lick your fingers once it's mixed in, because it's almost impossible not to. Using a cookie scoop (or something else to create a uniform size), form cake/frosting combo into tight balls and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Temper small batch of chocolate (or choice of coating) in double boiler to preferred consistency. Dip lollipop sticks, or whatever you're using (they're also good as "cake truffles" with no sticks... but messy) into heated chocolate and push mid-way into formed cake balls. Put cookie sheet in fridge for a couple of hours. Now, temper some more chocolate and dip your cake balls. I'd recommend adding some sort of decorative drizzle or sprinkles to distract from any imperfections. Place back on cookie sheet, and keep in fridge until chocolate hardens completely. Store refrigerated. Enjoy. I used to bake for my office all the time. I make a mean cake ball. : )

Today, my friends... today, I landed my first double-under. Singular. I was only able to do it once, after a full 15 minutes of trying during this morning's WOD. But I did it. Jumping rope is a skill that has eluded me since childhood. In gym class, I was always the girl who volunteered to turn the rope for everyone else. And today, I landed my first double-under. Today was a good day.

Way to go! Keep it up!

Why did I look at the MyFitnessPal message boards? Why?! Seriously, I've never even considered them before. But I was bored, so I clicked on a thread. Which lead to another thread. Which lead to another. And with each thread, I think my jaw got a little closer to the floor. What is WRONG with people?! I know message boards get trolled, but shouldn't message boards on sites devoted to personal health and wellness be largely supportive? I got involved in an argument about water. WATER. And I shouldn't have gotten involved at all, but these people were bragging about the fact that they ONLY drink soda they're perfectly hydrated. And all I could think about was that some newbie was going to read that and take it for gospel. People were logging their soda intake as water, because there's water IN soda. Is someone running on a treadmill while swilling Mountain Dew? When you go on a hike, do you fill your hydration pack with Cherry Pepsi? I don't understand! And don't even get me started on "starvation mode." MFP hates me because I don't eat enough. And, to be honest, my lack of calories is probably holding me back in CrossFit. It's not something I TRY to do, if I'm hungry, I eat, and my fat and protein intake is always WELL over what I'm allotted by the website, but every time I finalize an entry for the day, I receive a warning that I'm going to go into "starvation mode." So this teenage girl posts that she's scared she's going to starve to death because of MFP's phrasing. And I gently correct her and mention that I rarely get the recommended amount, but I'm losing fat and gaining muscle mass. And 900 people jump on me about it! Wait. Let me rephrase. 900 MEN. Whose profile pics are nothing but shots of their abs through the mirror. Apparently, it's impossible for me to be gaining muscle. It's not happening. I'm wrong. Or I'm lying. They can't decide. I just don't understand the attitude. I don't understand telling someone looking for Paleo tips that she should try something that isn't a "fad diet." If my friend told me she was going on Weight Watchers tomorrow, I would internally shake my head, but I'd outwardly be nothing but encouraging. And, honestly, I'm offended that I was called a liar. I know I have to eat more to gain more muscle. Right now, I'm trying to lose weight, so I'm not too concerned with that. Eventually, when I get to where I want to be, I'll worry about eating more efficiently for lifting. I'm just... UGH! So, Nerd Fitness, I'm sorry I cheated on you with another message board. I've learned my lesson. If you're on MFP, I'd be happy to add you as a friend. I'd be happy to offer any support I can. But I'm never opening a thread again. *shudder*

Looks like you're doing well. Keep up the good work!