Journal Saturday, April 30 (Jillian Michaels Book Signing at Festival of Books)

Jillian Michael's Book Signing at the LA Times Festival Books at USC!
(Links to video Part 1 Part 2 Part3)
At the start of the day, my daughter was excited and ready to go meet Jillian Michaels for the first time! (Notice her multi-color kid's K-Swiss Tubes)

After making our way through the maze that is LA traffic and USC parking structures, we arrived in plenty of times to get seats (in at least partial shade) to see Jillian's talk on the Los Angeles Times Stage. She spoke for about a half an hour and was adorable as always. She even brought her Mom on stage to answer a question. It was so fun watching Kayla excitedly take pictures of Jillian. (Links to video Part 1 Part 2 Part3)

After Jillian finished answering audience questions, we got in line to meet her and get her autograph! My friend Kelly, my husband Mike, and I all enjoyed watching Kayla's excitement grow as we got closer to the front of the line. When we were two people from the front, Kayla said she was "very nervous!" When it was finally our turn, Jillian asked Kayla "And who's this?" Kayla answered and asked her if she would sign her Tubes. Jillian answered, "Of course!" and the proceeded to pick Kayla up to put her on the table! Apparently signing shoes is easier said then done, because it took a few minutes, several different markers, suggestions from Giancarlo, and supervision from Heidi and Jillian's mom! Jillian was laughing and smiling the whole time. They were all so cute and it was so obvious how much Jillian loves kids!

Kayla ended up with two signatures and a cute heart drawn by Jillian on her Tubes!

Kayla had grabbed my Master Your Metabolism book off my bookshelf last night to have Jillian sign for her and Jillian wrote her a sweet message in it!

But then Jillian said that book would "be Greek" to Kayla and asked what my Twitter name was so she can send Kayla her own signed copy of Unlimited! (I had gotten my own copy of Unlimited signed two weeks ago and hadn't thought to buy another one just for Kayla.) Seriously how sweet is Jillian?!? The whole time my husband and Kelly were snapping pictures (the album is on Picasa). My husband got a cute photo of Kayla, Jillian, and I! After we said thank you to Jillian, Giancarlo wrote down my twitter name and clarified how to spell Kayla's name. All of them could not have been sweeter or more gracious! After all the excitement, Kayla fell asleep not five minutes after we got in the car. What a fabulous day!

Food Journal:

Since we were going to be gone most of the day, my daughter and I packed our lunches, snacks, and dinners Friday night. If we all had yummy food with us, we would be less tempted to grab unhealthy food while we are out! (I snapped pictures as we were packing up our food.) We are also brought a gallon (plus full bottles) of our reverse osmosis water so that we don't have to buy bottled water. (Side note: If you haven't watched the documentary Tapped, I highly recommend it.)

Breakfast: Trader Joe's fiber muffin (not organic), nonfat plain Greek yogurt with pear slices and walnuts (350 calories)

Lunch: Plain Greek yogurt, blackberries, raw almonds, and Tropical Punch Crystal Light Pure (352 Calories)

Snack: Cliff Kid Organic Chocolate Brownie Z Bar (130 calories)

Dinner: Whole wheat pita with roasted turkey, provolone cheese, mixed greens, and no salt added stone-ground mustard, BBQ Popchips, and baby carrots (387 calories)

Activity: Cardio Only Day
Walking around USC (and getting slightly lost on the way back to our car) counted for today's cardio!

Calories burned: 2878
Calories consumed: 1219

Deficit: 1659

Journal Friday, April 29

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites), cinnamon raisin Ezekiel toast, nonfat plain Greek yogurt with blackberries, and coffee (360 calories)

Lunch: Pork Medallion with Pomegranate Sauce (left over from last night's dinner) in a whole wheat pita with mixed greens, and Berry Crystal Light Pure Fitness (364 calories)

Dinner: Shrimp and Peas with ginger-soy glaze (soy sauce, rice vinegar, broth,  sesame oil, and fresh ginger), apple with cinnamon (443 calories)

Activity: Rest Day!
Took a 2.5 mile walk to go get a pedicure because it was such a beautiful day!

Calories burned: 2712
Calories consumed: 1166

Deficit: 1546

Journal Thursday, April 28

Breakfast: Make-ahead Muesli (steel cut oats, walnuts, raw honey, cinnamon), peppered hard-boiled egg whites, espresso (499 calories)

Lunch: Cedarlane bean burrito, avocado, carrots, and salsa with Tropical Blast Crystal Light Pure (491 calories) The burrito is made with organic ingredients (not certified organic item), but also is a bit high in sodium. The burrito and the Crystal Light Pure are not a "superfoods," but they aren't gonna kill me either! And they're yummy!

Dinner: Pork Medallions with pomegranate sauce and mixed greens (254 calories) We are trying another Master Your Metabolism Cookbook (page 134) recipe tonight, but I couldn't find organic pomegranate anywhere, so I just bought pomegranate seeds from Trader Joe's refrigerated section. Obviously this is not a huge deal, but I'm trying to make it a point to mention when things aren't organic since 99% of everything in my blog is organic. Kinda a truth in advertising kinda of thing ;) The thyme used in the recipe came straight out of our herb garden. Fresh and cheap! Gotta love that!

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Activity: Pull Muscles and Cardio

Jillian Michaels Maximize - Back in Action DVD

Gym - 1 hour total (40 min elliptical, 20 min stairmill), average hr 153 (80% max hr). I was sweating buckets, but couldn't seem to keep my heart rate up very high. The highest I got my heart rate up to was 168 (shown in pic), but my average was only 153. Just wasn't feeling it! On a different (but related) note, I have a pet peeve at the gym to vent about. I hate having to use the bathroom while at the gym and having my sweaty butt stick to the seat cover! Ewwwww. Does this happen to just me? Maybe I should drink less water?!? lol

I'm glad tomorrow is a rest day for me. I felt fine (although not especially into it) at the gym, but I lost my cookies when I got home! Still trying to figure out why, and if it happens again I might try to get some professional advice. Cause it really sucked!

Calories burned: 2784

Calories consumed: 1243

Deficit: 1541
By the way, if my "math" is bothering anybody and it seems like I can't add or subtract, I just wanted to say that I've noticed there is a slight (we are talking 1-2 calorie) difference in the Bodymedia calorie calculations. Obviously this is of no actual importance, just wanted to mention that I can add! I am just copying the totals off my Bodymedia Activity Manager!

Organic & Healthy at Costco

I get so excited when I go to big box stores and find healthy options. I love that organic and healthy items are becoming less expensive and more accessible! Today, my husband and I went to Costco and we found organic options on almost every food aisle! While it did take willpower not to fill the cart with the very reasonably price wine and liquor (which normally finds its way into our basket), we did buy some great items! This is what was allowed to make its way into our cart today:

I also took pictures and prices of a few items that we enjoy (or I was just excited to see Costco carry).

Cliff Kid Organic Bars (24 pack) $10.79

Organic Kashi Autumn Wheat Cereal (55.8oz) $8.99




Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Grain Quinoa (64 oz) $9.49

Lundberg Family Farms Organic Short Grain Brown Rice (12 lb) $12.89

Larabars Variety Pack (18 pack) $15.59




Organic Blue Agave (50 oz) $6.99

Organic Cage Free Brown Eggs (24 count) $5.99

Cedarlane Burritos (8 count) $9.89 (these are a little high sodium, but my hubby likes taking them to work for a quick lunch)



In addition to the above items, other organic items we found:
flax seed, strawberry preserves, peanut butter, whole wheat spaghetti, pasta variety pack, cooked brown rice bowls, free range chicken broth, salsa, extra virgin olive oil, soymilk (not personally a fan, but still wanted to list it), rice milk, reduced fat chocolate milk, half & half, lowfat milk, tortilla chips, orange juice, frozen yogurt, frozen yogurt bars, frozen juice variety pack, frozen baby peas, frozen sweet corn, frozen garden trio veggie blend, frozen blackberries, carrot juice, baby carrots, petite heirloom lettuce, spring salad mix, sliced apples, edamame, whole grain bread, and sprouted honey wheat bread

We also found these healthy products:
Amy's soup variety pack, Purvia, Ecos 100% Natural laundry detergent, Chobani and Fage Greek yogurt (but not organic), vitamin water zero, and Baba Foods Hummus

Overall, we found about 60 very healthy food items at Costco! (And that's not even including some produce which is safe to eat non-organic).  If you think about, that is quite a bit of organic food options at amazing prices.  I love that cost is beginning to be less of a valid excuse for not eating organic!  Eating organic really can be affordable!

However, when we got home and were unpacking the boxes, we found something we didn't remember buying today!

 
The one caveat to shopping at Costco is the samples though!  Luckily we went in the middle of a weekday, so there weren't too many.  We did try a sample of pita chips and dark chocolate acai berries.  Both weren't really worth the calories (but still fun to try).

Have you been to any stores recently where you were happily surprised at the healthy options you could find?

Journal Wednesday, April 27

Breakfast: Egg sandwich (Ezekiel English muffin, over-easy egg (no oil!), and reduced sodium/fat cheddar cheese) and a pear. (413 calories) We are out of coffee :( And I really NEED coffee this morning!

Snack: Cliff Organic Chocolate Brownie Z Bar (130 calories)

Lunch: Whole wheat pita with grilled turkey breast, lettuce, carrots, and tzataiki (304 calories)

Dinner: Almond-crusted Turkey Breasts and salad with balsamic vinaigrette (380 calories) (The turkey is from the Master Your Metabolism Cookbook recipe called "almond-crusted chicken breasts" on page 112, but we had turkey breasts on hand so we made a substitution.)

Activity: Push Muscles and Cardio

Jillian Michaels Maximize - Full Frontal DVD

Gym - 1 hr total (20 min stairmill, 20 min treadmill, 20 min elliptical), average hr 163 (85% max hr)

Calories burned: 2750

Calories consumed: 1227 Calories

Deficit: 1523

Journal Tuesday, April 26

Breakfast: Nature's Path hemp waffle with banana, raspberries and maple syrup, peppered hard boiled egg and egg whites, White Avuredic Chai tea (from Teavana, not organic :( but so yummy) (297 calories)

Lunch: Turkey sandwich on six grain bread with avocado, tomato, lettuce, sprouts, jack cheese, and sun dried tomato spread, string cheese, and carrots (670 calories - I had to estimate how much meat/cheese/etc was on the sandwich because it came from our natural foods store, but I think I estimated fairly well)





Dinner: Nonfat plain Greek yogurt, strawberries, 1/2 Coconut Cream pie Larabar, Crystal Light Pure Fitness Tropical Punch (quick dinner I packed for school!) (260 calories)

Activity: Rest Day!
Walked around mall and park a bit though :)

Calories burned: 2730
Calories consumed: 1227

Deficit: 1503

Journal Monday, April 25th

Breakfast: Ezekiel english muffin with raw almond butter, kiwi, and whey protein mocha (Show Me the Whey chocolate protein powder mixed with coffee) (479 calories)

Lunch: Black beans with mashed avocado and cilantro (fresh from our herb garden!), shrimp, salsa, and plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) and Lemonade (Crystal Light Pure Fitness) (396 calories)

Dinner: Banana Bread Larabar, apple, and carrots (because I was running out the door late for school!) (350 calories)

Activity: Pull Muscles and Cardio
Jillian Michaels Shape-Up Backside DVD
Gym - 1hr total (30min stairmill, 30 min treadmill), average hr 165 (86% max hr)
Okay, seriously who wears $175 jeans to the gym? The (hot) woman in front of me on the treadmill was incline walking in Seven for all Mankind jeans. Guess I missed the memo about the gym being a fashion contest today!

Calories burned: 2893

Calories consumed: 1125

Deficit: 1668

Journal Sunday, April 24

I'm logging all food and exercise in my BodyMediaFIT activity manager and I plan to post my weekly summaries of all calories burned and consumed every Sunday. I will also post my weekly nutrition log, but I thought it would be fun to make a daily photo journal!

(Note: pretty much everything is organic, but I'm gonna get annoyed typing "organic" all the time. So, assume everything is organic unless I specify otherwise.)

Breakfast: coffee with xylitol, nonfat Greek yogurt with raspberries and raw walnuts (377 calories)

Lunch: shrimp with salsa, ak-mak crackers, apple with cinnamon, Crystal Light Pure Fitness Berry (484 calories)

Dinner: Pepper and herb seasoned Pacific cod, broccoli with reduced fat/sodium cheddar cheese, carrots and tzatziki (333 calories)

Activity: Push Muscles and Cardio
Jillian Michaels Shape Up-Front DVD (Old school Jillian!)

Gym -1 hour total (30min elliptical, 30min stairmill), average heart rate 160 (83% of my max hr). My phone died and I had no music for half the time. Seriously sucked!

3.5 mile hike (Boulder Loop trail at Daley Ranch) with my family

Calories burned: 3109

Calories consumed: 1194

Deficit: 1915

Ready, Set, Go! (STARTING STATS)

I can't believe I'm posting this online, but what is more scary than that...I can't believe the scale! Urgh! Seriously?!?

Okay, here's where I'm at:

Stats Sunday, April 24 (Starting):
Weight: 179.9 lbs
Height: 5'8"
Chest: 37"
Waist: 29"
Hips: 43"
(Yeah, that's not a typo my hips are that much bigger than my waist. I guess I'm curvy to say the least!)

My current BMI is 27.35 (which is overweight).
My current Waist-to-Hip Ratio is 0.67 (which is in a healthy range).
According to my impedance scale, my body fat is 31.4% (Which apparently is "acceptable," but ICK! That needs to be closer to 20%!).

I graduate with my MBA seven weeks from today and I'm determined to lose 25 lbs by then. I've calculated that a daily deficit of around 1500 calories a day (which accounts to losing about 3 lbs per week) should get me to my goal!

So, here are the steps I'll take to help me reach my goal:
1. Eat 1200-1400 calories a day.
2. Have a daily deficit of at least 1500 calories.
3. Get at least 10,000 steps daily.
4. Drink at least 100 oz of water daily.
Perhaps less "important," but still helpful steps:
5. Aim for a 40/30/30 carb/protein/fat ratio (I'm a balanced oxidizer).
6. Eat every four hours, no food two hours before bed, and no carbs in last meal.
7. NO processed/junk food and eat organic WHENEVER possible.
8. Aim for less than 1500 mg sodium daily.
9. No Alcohol :(
10. Train at 85% max heart rate for 1 hour at least 5 times a week.

For those of you who are Jillian Michaels fans, you might notice that this is pretty much the plan she lays out in Making the Cut. I am (much) more than 25 lbs from my goal weight, so it should be safe for me to still drop some big daily deficits. As I get closer to my goal weight, I'll gradually up my calories until I'm eating my BMR (which is around 1450 when I'm close to my goal weight).

What do you guys think? You think this do-able? Think I'm missing anything?