Week 4

I'm up a pound. This is supposed to be normal, because I'm building muscle. And I am building muscle. Not that anyone else would notice, but I can feel it in my arms, and this morning I found a nice little bulge in my calf while I was shaving. My body feel stronger--I carried the heavy bags of groceries without even noticing the weight. So this is all good and worth it. But being up a pound, especially when I've only lost 2 in three weeks, still stinks.

And I overworked my ankle Saturday, so I've been hobbling in pain for two days. I had expected to feel better today, but no luck. Which means I'm not going to the gym today. Hopefully tomorrow.

This last week we were allowed to have one dessert if we wanted, so with it being Easter and conference I indulged a little. But really only a little. I had one hollow chocolate egg, some Doritos, and three medium-size meringues with lemon curd and strawberries for dessert (yum!). And still I don't miss or crave sweets.

Today I took the day off to spend time with James, who has spring break today and tomorrow. Atticus went back to school today after his spring break last week, so it was nice to have some adult time. We went out to breakfast at our favorite French bakery, and I had hot chocolate, vegetable quiche with salad and rosemary roasted potatoes, and two macarons for dessert. I haven't made yummy noises in a restaurant in a long time, but I did today. But not for the macarons. They were just ok.

Now my "vacation" is over, and it's time to get back on track. Dinner tonight is greek salad, which is homemade potato salad mixed with romaine, tomatoes, feta, and olives with a lemony vinaigrette. When you mix it up the potato salad becomes part of the dressing, so it's not so heavy. I make it with delicious avocado-oil mayo, full of all those good fats. :)

The goal this week is to eat healthy meals--watching portion sizes, avoiding processed food, and increasing produce. She outlines a new strength training routine, but it's kind of high impact, so I'm going to continue with the one I've been doing. She also has a new ab workout.

Questions for Week 4
How do I feel about reducing my portion sizes? 
I'm ok with it. I don't feel like I have a real problem in that area, though I could certainly improve.

Is there a certain food that is tripping me up each week (as in, I eat too much of it)? How could I deal with that this week?
I seem to have replaced sugar with fat. They're all "good fats"--nuts, eggs, unsweetened dairy--but they're still fat. The nice thing about fat is that it helps keep you feeling full longer. I can eat a cup of yogurt and honey or half a peanut butter bar and feel satisfied for a while, but crackers or apples or carrots just don't have the same effect, no matter how many I eat. I think I'll cut back my portion sizes for the fats and increase produce to balance it out.

How am I feeling about my body? Is it growing in strength?
See above. I'm frustrated with the scale but satisfied overall.

What does the future look like if I continue developing these new habits?
It looks pretty good. Even if I never lose another pound (which I really really hope won't be the case), I like what exercising has done for me so far. I've been toying with the idea of getting a fancy blender for smoothies instead of a bike, but I really want the bike. I love being outside, and I'm really looking forward to exploring the neighborhood on a bike. I still want the blender, though...

Have I planned my exercises and meals for this week?
Kind of. I know what we're eating for four or five meals, and I know what I want to do at the gym once my ankle starts cooperating again. I just don't know which days I'll go.

Do I have any favorite exercises?
I really like hand weights and squats. I did 50 squats Saturday (20 with weights), and other than my ankle, I didn't have trouble walking. A few years ago I did 50 squats and I couldn't walk straight for three days. So that's something.