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Weigh In - Week 33

I'm still sick and coughing and tired from the last few weeks.  Trying to shake the January gunk has proven to be a tall order.   But this morning, while I was wheezing my way through boot camp, I decided that it didn't matter.  Who cares.  It will go away eventually, right?

Its been a tough week for me emotionally.  (See THIS post about Charlie's recent MRI and you'll know why.)  And I've been super moody and susceptible to frothy milky coffee drinks and sugary snacks.  But you know what?  They made me feel better.  So when I do the cost-benefit analysis at the end of the week, I count those little trespasses as harmless necessities. 

I am feeling a little stalled in my weight loss, I've been bobbing around 44-46 pounds lost for over five weeks now.  I'm not sure what the magic will be, but I'm getting a little nervous.  My goal is to drop 75 by June and while 45 pounds is nothing to sneeze at, it certainly falls short of my goal.  So, I may need to do a little tweaking with my food intake.  I've been eating more because I'm working out more.  The good thing is that my body feels good and I'm not discouraged.  I'm just trying to figure out what the next step needs to be.

Pounds lost this week:  1

Total pounds lost: 46

The "I Did It" List

three hours of boot camp

made healthy meals for my family all week

played catch with my son when the weather was nice

bought a box of produce from Bountiful Baskets Co-Op

juiced most mornings

Sort of Raw

I've had lots of questions lately about the raw food plan I set for myself last summer - Am I still eating raw?  How much of what I eat is raw?  Why in the world would you not cook your food?  Do you dehydrate your food? Etc.  So, yes, I'm still incorporating LOTS of raw food into my daily diet.  Am I all raw?  Well... no.  It's a lofty goal, and maybe someday I'll get there, but frankly, its not really sustainable for me and my family.  But I still eat a higher percentage of raw food than cooked food.  I like eating raw food because its easy on my digestive system, I can feel the immediate benefits of consuming live enzymes (which are lost when you cook food over a certain temperature) and raw foods provide lots of energy to my body and vibrancy to my life.  Also, I do not have a dehydrator and I don't eat dehydrated stuff very often.  I stick to the fresh stuff - greens, veggies, fruit, nuts and seeds.

So what does it mean to be "sort of raw"?  I juice in the morning (raw) and I drink coffee with cream (not raw).  For breakfast I enjoy fresh fruit (raw) and sometimes whole grain toast (not raw).  For lunch I tend to eat big salads with raw homemade dressing (raw raw raw).  In the evenings I cook a meal for my family and add lots of raw elements.  For instance, two nights ago I made veggie tacos.  I filled small whole wheat tortillas (not raw) with sauteed onions, garlic and zuchinni not raw).  Then I added dark leafy greens, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, salsa fresca (all of which is raw).  They were delicious!

Some days I get on a kick and make it a game to see if I can eat all raw all day long.  Its fun and good for me!  And some days, like yesterday, I take my son to Krispy Kreme to share a doughnut and a milk.  He had a great day at school and deserved a treat.  So did I.  For me, all my food choices must be balanced and sustainable.  All raw all the time would be a train wreck at this point in my life.  But, I really enjoy striving towards a diet that includes more and more raw food. 

Breakfast this morning was a pint of Green Lemonade and a 1/2 cup of coffee with half and half.   Then when I returned home from boot camp (by the way, class today was awesome!) and a jog I had a huge bowl of fresh fruit.  It was so pretty, I had to share it with you...

So that's the news.

I'm sort of raw and sort of not. 

Progress, Not Perfection

Today, Dallas is wet wet wet.  We had a beautiful storm yesterday evening, floods in the middle of the night and a very rainy morning drive to boot camp.  I was super sore from boot camp on Monday.  We did lots of push ups and my triceps had that beat-up bruise-y feel.  Yesterday, while in the shower, I looked like a T-Rex trying to shampoo its head.  I had to bend my neck and head down to meet my hands and dip my hair into my shampoo covered hands.  I'm sure it was quite a sight.  But I find that the best way to combat the sore muscles is to do more.  So today, despite the rain, I hit the push ups and kettle ball swings and sit ups with gusto!

I received an email yesterday from a dear friend whom I have not heard from in many months.  I had no idea that she had been reading Smaller Sarah.  She expressed her gratitude for the inspiration that this blog brings to her daily life.  I was on cloud nine.  Sometimes I feel like I'm writing here in a private journal, tucked away on the Internet.  But this email reminded me that sharing your journey and your thoughts is a very powerful tool.  This blog keeps me on track and accountable, but it also allows me to meet my personal challenges with compassion and perspective.  So, dear friend, thank for your letter - for sharing your journey with me.  As you said so beautifully in your letter, "progress, not perfection is what [we're] aiming for."

Grocery Resolutions

I just wanted to check back in about my new year's resolution to spend less at the grocery store.  I read all of America's Cheapest Family - Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half, and found it to be very helpful.  Our family eats mostly produce and whole grains, so I've been tailoring the suggestions in the book to suit our lifestyle.  (ie. I won't be buying bulk bags of hot dogs or buy one get one free bottles of "Cheese Squeeze".)

My goal is to shop only once a month (gasp) and keep my monthly bill under 400 dollars.  That's it.  How will I do this?  I'm not sure, but menu planning helps as does scouring the weekly ads for grocery sales and knowing what I already have on hand in the house.  Yesterday, I had my first opportunity to shop.  I had a list and an envelope of specific sales I wanted to cash in on.  I also went to three different grocery stores: Aldi, Fiesta Market and Tom Thumb.  I bought all my staples at Aldi.  Then I bought everything we needed that was NOT on sale at Fiesta - a market that caters to the Latino population in Dallas.  I got some incredible prices on produce at Fiesta.  Then I hit the sales at Tom Thumb.  I kept my total bill to 320 dollars.  I also have a 15 dollar basket of produce for pick-up on Saturday through Bountiful Baskets Co-Op.  That brings my total to 335 dollars.

Now, through careful meal planning and strategic freezing, my hope is to save some serious money and time this month.  And, I'll still be able to juice, eat a partly raw diet and feed my family nutritious foods.  To better organize my fridge, I picked up some dollar store baskets for all our produce and labeled them with a Sharpie marker.  Take a look:

And here is a look at my pantry after putting away my groceries last night. 

As you can see, I'm still using the IKEA jars for all my bulk dry goods.

Weigh In - Week 32

I just returned home from a morning at boot camp and a mile jog with the kids in our double stroller.  This was my first day back to boot camp in ten days.  TEN.  It was a rough morning, but I'm so glad I just dove in again.  There came a point when I had to sit out for a moment as not to keel over or throw up.  The lasting effect of my ear infections is that my equilibrium is crap.  Today, we did a lot of work with empty tires, which by the way are F-ing heavy!  All four of us were swinging these tires around to Lady Gaga and looked like a high school production of "Greased Lightning" gone all kinds of wrong.  Then I remembered that the tires used in the musical numbers for "Grease" were Styrofoam painted to look like tires.  Our tires were very very very real.

After this past week of illness and infection and eating poorly and almost no exercise, I'm ready to reinvest my energy in pursuit of Smaller Sarah.  I won't bore you with the laundry list of shitty food I consumed this week or the hours I logged on the couch.  Suffice it to say, I'm ready for a little detox.  I'm considering another juice fast in the coming weeks just to re-set my eating habits and re-tune my body after being ill.  Have any of you, dear readers, done any kind of a fast after being ill?  How was it?

I hopped on the scale this morning, and it said I had lost a pound.  Then I hopped on the scale after my run and it said I had gained a pound.  For our purposes, I'm going to call it a wash and say that I am still the same weight I was at the beginning of the last week. 

Pounds lost this week: 0

Total pounds lost: 45

The "I Did It" List

I'm having a really hard time coming up with something...

I made it through the week

I didn't kill my children

I tipped the pizza guy well

 um... 

...that's all I've got.


And just for fun, here is "Greased Lightning" from the movie.
They don't bench press tires in this version because they're skinny wimps.

Chaos

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, chaos ensues.  This week has been pure chaos for me.  I'm not mad or sad about it.  I have accepted the week and plan on moving forward after the weekend.  My sons and myself were all ill with ear infections.  My husband was out of town (still is) for the entire week on a business trip and I've been trying to keep my head above water.  And today, a dear neighbor took my four-year-old for the morning, while I took Charlie (17 months) for a brain MRI.  As most of you know, Charlie had a stroke in utero and the MRI is simply to look at the site of the bleed.  There's nothing like a pediatric hospital at 6am to finish off the week.

I have not eaten well.  I have not done much exercise.  And I'm not really worried about it.  This was a "do-what-you-have-to-do-to-get-by" kind of week and I haven't had a week like this in a long long time.  In fact they're quite rare.  So, I'll just clean up the mess at the end of the week and start anew on Monday with my beloved boot camp class and a detoxifying glass of freshly juiced greens.  Plus, I'm kind of excited to see what comes out of this blunder-bust of a week.  (See quote below.)

sick sick sick

Well, I think this week is going to be a wash.  

I'm sick.  

Charlie is sick. 

It's time to buckle down and focus on getting through the week.

No boot camp.

No time for running.

No time for meal planning.

Just flying by the seat of my pants this week.

Weigh In - Week 31 (Sick Day)

Hi everyone.  I'm taking a sick day.  My kids are both coughing, sputtering, snotty messes and I've still got an ear infection that has now decided to migrate to the other side of my head.  We're all groggy, sleep deprived, throat-hashed zombies this morning. We took my hubby to the air port yesterday, so all of this is on top of his week-long absence.  (Don't feel bad, Jack, if you're reading this... January is always a bitch.)

So what happened this week?  Lots of exercise and juicing.  As far as my overall goals, this week was actually pretty good. Then right at the tail end of the week, while on the brink of illness and mommy-induced exhaustion, I visited a marvelous friend who made me a beautiful platter of focaccia breads, prosciutto, crackers, cheese, and chocolate.  I couldn't say no.  Then I followed it up with a few glasses of champagne.  Oye.  Needless to say, I didn't feel so hot.  The meat, bread, alcohol combo has never been a good one for me.  I immediately gained 17 pounds and got a zit and a yeast infection.  Okay... that's maybe an over statement, but I did gain a pound this week.

Okay. Here's one SUPER awesome thing that happened this week:  I ran two miles in 22 minutes on Thursday.  That's definitely a record for me.  And thank you to everyone who has emailed or messaged me this week about how much you are enjoying my blog.  It means the world to me that you are reading and finding something positive and inspiring from my little corner of the web.  (Well, except for today's "droopy dog" post.) I love hearing from you!

Pounds lost this week: 0

Total pounds lost: 45

source

The "I Did It" List
juiced (green lemonade) most mornings

ran 2 miles on my own in 22 minutes

attended 3 days of boot camp

took care of sick babies

Raw Cherry Cashew Cheesecake

This is going on my "must try" recipe list:

from Freedom Sweet Freedom food blog

Raw Cherry Cashew Cheesecake
(serves 8)

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup raw pecans
• 8 soft Medjool dates
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked if they're actually raw, but don't bother otherwise)
• Juice of 1 lemons
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 10-15 fresh sweet cherries, pitted (or any other berry, I'm sure)

Instructions:

1. In a food processor, combine pecans, dates, salt and vanilla.

2. In a spring form pan, or a pie dish lined with parchment paper press crust mixture evenly.

3. Process the ingredients for the filling until it forms a very creamy paste. All traces of cashew crumbs should be gone. 

4. Scoop about half the filling into dish and spread evenly. 

5. Add cherries to remaining filling and process until smooth. Spread remaining filling in dish. Place in freezer until firm.
6. Remove from freezer 15-30 minutes before you want to eat it.

Impossible Things

When I embarked on this journey last June, I wondered if it was even possible.  At times, I was sure my dream of being smaller was, in fact, NOT possible, a wild hair, a shot in the dark that resided just outside the realm of possibility.  My dream was reserved for women with resources and means and time and will power and a magic wand and beauty (or at least what I perceived as "beauty").

Now, seven and a half months into my Smaller Sarah year, everything has changed.  I am seeing real results.  And while these results haven't come easily, it certainly didn't take an act of sorcery to make it happen.  Now, I'm believing all sorts of impossible things.  I wake up in the morning, stretch out, look at my smaller self and think of all the good work I'm going to do that day and the wonderful nourishment I'm going to give my body. Then I vision forward to a time when I can walk into a clothing store and buy something off the rack.  I see myself on an airplane, comfortably seated in coach with room on each side of my hips.  I think of sliding around the back of a dining chair without having to ask my guest to scoot forward.  I dream about running and swimming and diving and dancing and singing and splashing and enjoying the multitude of gifts that come from a healthy body.  The more I engage in a full physical life, the clearer and more expressive I become.   And isn't that the body's ultimate purpose?  Expression?

source

Cutting Down on my Grocery Bill

One of my goals for 2012 is to cut back on our grocery bill.  When we started eating more fresh food in August followed by a daily juicing regime, my grocery bill shot up.  The fact of that matter is that good whole food costs more than processed corn food-products, that can sit on your pantry shelf until the year 3055. 

Not only have my cooking and food prep habits changed, but the nature of my kitchen has changed as well.  Its been a wonderful shift, but the monthly price tag is more than I can afford at this time in my life.  My dilemma seems to be this:  I want to eat healthy, whole foods.  I also want my grocery bill to stay around 350 dollars a month, as it was before Smaller Sarah existed. 

I have been reading America's Cheapest Family - Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half  and consulting online sources that have some good strategies for keeping grocery costs down while on a whole foods diet.  Here are some of the tools I'll be implementing this month.  Of course I'll make adjustments as I learn more about how to do this effectively.

only two grocery shopping trips per month

scouting out best prices and going to more than one store for things on my list

buying produce that is in season

monthly menu planning
no impulse buys - stick to the list

 buying pantry items in bulk when they are on sale

keeping an inventory of what needs to be eaten first so it doesn't decay

The concept of researching the best prices on individual items when going on my monthly or bi-monthly shopping trip is new to me.  I have four major grocery chains within 3 miles of my home.  So going to multiple stores to keep my bill down will not be a hardship.  Its definitely worth my time and energy.

Now its your turn. 

What do you do to keep your monthly grocery bill down?

Weigh In - Week 30

Wow.  I can't believe I've been at this for 30 weeks!  I started the week with a nasty ear infection that I am still trying to get rid of.  The pain is gone, but I can't hear out of my left ear and my balance is wonky.  Half the time I appear to be quite drunk, what with all the loud talking and tipsiness.  However, I've had a great week.

Monday: I took off to nurse my sad ear
Tuesday: Ate light, raw meals and took a 75 minute yoga class in the evening
Wednesday:  Boot camp class in the morning (ran a 12 minute mile!!!!)
Thursday: 6am yoga class and an 30 minute power boot camp class in the afternoon
Friday: Boot camp in the morning followed by a dinner party where I served a raw meal!

I took Saturday and Sunday off because, frankly, I was bushed.  Lots of exercise and an ear infection is the perfect recipe for a pooped out Mama.  But I'm feeling optimistic this week.  I'm working on a few new year's resolutions, some of which I'm fine-tuning at the moment so that they'll be sustainable and nourishing.  I'll share more on that this week.  I'm feeling optimistic about my health, my weight loss and the new group of women I've been introduced to through my neighborhood boot camp classes.  Sometimes, much to my surprise, everything comes together all at once.  All the little things I've been longing for and dreaming about appear en masse.  It can be a little overwhelming, but its important to be open, ready and willing to say YES. 

Pounds lost this week: 3

Total pounds lost: 46

The "I Did It" List

attended two yoga classes
attended three boot camp classes

subjected my friends and husband's colleagues to a raw meal (they loved it!)

treated my family and myself to Gelato yesterday afternoon

juiced (green lemonade) most every morning
ate sensible, mostly raw meals

The New Shoes

New running shoes make me want to dance!  Or run.  Or run and dance.  Even my four year old got in on the action.  Thank you Dad for the new shoes and thank you Steve, the kind shoe salesman at Luke's Locker, for refraining from making faces or commenting on my somewhat stinky feet.  I can now run in comfort life a real self-respecting runner! 

Early Morning Yoga Class

I bought this yoga deal - 10 dollars for 10 days of unlimited classes.  And being the Scottish Cancerian that I am, I want to get my money's worth.  So this morning I woke up at 5am to make a 6am Vinyasa Flow class at Uptown Yoga.  To say that I'm not a morning person is putting it lightly.  I'm like a zombie before 8am.  So in this pre-coffee, zombie-like state, I drove downtown so that a chipper woman named Maria could stretch me up, roll me down and ring me out.  Again, I heard my inner Sarah saying, "Excuse me, where am I and what am I doing to myself?"

Fortunately, somewhere between 6:20 and 6:25am, the blood started flowing, the brain started responding and I felt my spirit engage.  And now, here it is, a quarter to 8am - I've played with my sons, had a cup of coffee, and am happily blogging away at my computer.  Wow.  Performing a sun salutation when the sun is actually rising might actually help me be more present throughout the day.  Will I go to another 6am yoga class?  Ha!  Fat chance. We'll see...

Getting Better All the Time

On my very first day of boot camp (November 6, I think) I was lead through a series of physical assessments.  Every test was like a mini-nightmare of amalgamated junior high PE classes.  We ran the the mile, did push ups, sit-ups, jumped rope, hung from a bar - you get the idea.  Basically, I was thinking, "What in the world am I doing?  I'm a grown, fat, happy woman.  There is no need for all of this macho nonsense.  Just go home, dive into a double pumpkin pie latte frap and forgetaboutit."  Thank God I didn't.  As you know, I returned for more and more and more.

Here were the results of my first assessment back in November

NOVEMBER:

Situp – 17 in a minute
Pushup – 14 (modified on knees) in a minute
Jump Rope – 51 in a minute
Plank – 1:19 modified (we hold this as long as we can, then collapse into a heap of heavy breathing)
Hang time – 6 secs (don't laugh, this shit is hard)
1 mile – 15:10
Waist measurement: 42"
Hip measurement: 53.5 "

Today, I did the same physical assessment that was given two months ago. Drum roll please.... here are the results:

JANUARY:

Situp – 23 in a minute
Pushup – 27 (4 military) in a minute
Rope – 87 in a minute
Plank – 28/1:33 total (again, holding the position as long as you can)
Hang – 8 secs
1 mile – 12:10
Waist measurement: 41.5 "
Hip measurement: 52.5 "

I am so pumped about taking 3 minutes off of my mile!  That, for me, is the biggest and most compelling gain so far.  Well, that and taking an inch and a half off my waist.  That's pretty great too!  So today, I'm celebrating.  My body is healthy and my heart is glad.

Deep Stretch

I went to a yoga class tonight - my first since July. It was the Deep Stretch class at Uptown Yoga (Lakewood) with Cheryl Johnson. I was feeling a little bunched up from two days of ear infections and missing boot camp.  Sometimes my body just needs to be rung out a bit and tonight's yoga class did the trick.  Tomorrow, back to boot camp!

Weigh In - Week 29

New Year.  New Me.

I hope you all had a safe and happy New Year.  2011 was an enormous year for me and my little family.  Years from now, when I look back at 2011, there will be two dates that come to mind.  The first is August 1st, Charlie's craniofacial surgery - the day I handed my baby over to a team of surgeons who would completely transform Charlie's body and his life.  The second date I'll remember years from now is May 31st, the day I began this blog.  Without any forethought whatsoever, I decided that enough was enough - it was time to get healthy.  I began a journey that would ultimately transform my body and my life.

However, the most unexpected surprise of 2011 was starting boot camp classes.  A friend mentioned Mallory's classes to me and again, without any forethought, I joined up.  I thought I'd go to a class or two just for fun - something to switch up my routine.  I had no idea that Mallory and her classes would change my life for the second time in one year!  I have never felt stronger, more confident or more hopeful about what lies ahead.  And I believe that my recent mental shift is directly related to my classes with Mallory at Positively Fit Lake Highlands.  Boot camp has made me positively fit, positively happy and positively beautiful inside and out.

Today I have a raging ear infection, which has landed me in bed with nausea and some wicked dizzy spells.  So, I missed my boot camp class this morning.  But up until the ear ache, I had a great week.  I attended three days of boot camp, ran a two miles on Tuesday and 3.4 miles on Saturday.  I ate lots of greens and other healthy food as well.  You'd think with a week like this, I'd lose a few pounds.  But to my great surprise, I didn't.  I'm still the same weight as I was last week.  I know that I'm gaining lots of muscle because I can feel it.  I look more toned and my clothes seem a bit baggier this week.  So I guess the old "muscle weighs more than fat" thing is true.  

Pounds lost this week: 0

Total pounds lost: 43

The "I Did It" List

3 days of boot camp

jogged 5K for the first time ever!

bought a pair of real jogging shoes (ASICS)

registered for my 5K in March

committed to run the Warrior Dash in April

the hubby and I rang in the new year with dinner at home and "Roman Holiday"