i’m bringing healthy back…yeah!

so i’m going on week 2 of my tracking/p90x/turbofire extravaganza! i’ve gotta say, i feel great. i’m going to be honest and say that i hate ab ripper x, but i love what it’s doing to my stomach! i can feel it getting flatter and cinching in more at my natural waist (hourglass WHAT!) my second day of doing the chest/back went really well…i felt stronger and could do more push ups/pull ups than the week before, which is always a plus. i’ve been walking the dogs a lot more since the weather is absolutely GORGEOUS outside, and i can feel it, especially in my hip flexors…they’re so tight! gotta stretch them out more!

as for tracking, i’ve been really good at tracking everything i’m eating and not going over my points allowance. i even lost 1.2 pounds on saturday! woot woot!! just gotta keep on this track and i’ll be at my goal in no time! i have to say, as annoying as it is to track sometimes, i love weight watchers. i love being able to still eat whatever i want without feeling guilty. i make better decisions based on the points system…i still eat what i want but i prioritize and try to fill my day with fruits and veggies. i say this now as i’m still riding the high of this past week…let’s hope the feeling stays!

turbofire you make me feel…like i’m on fire!

i forgot how much i loved turbofire!! today i did the fire 30 class as part of my p90x/turbofire hybrid schedule, and i feel AWESOME now! the first time i ever did this class it wasted me…i mean i was gasping for breath, had to take a few breaks, whole body shaking…i mean the works. this time, it wasn’t as bad! i guess it means i’m slowly getting stronger? don’t get me wrong, i was still huffing and puffing my way through it, but i did all of the fire drills to the fullest, jumping and squating like before. it’s good to feel your body getting stronger and stronger with each day!

now i’m snacking on a gluten free blueberry waffle with sunbutter and some chocolate chips, and it’s deeee-licious! probably not the most healthy post-workout snack, but it’s making me happy so that’s what matters. i tracked it and everything, so no worries on the WW front.

 

this week has been going great so far…great workouts, good food, every morsel tracked, and i’m feeling in control! c’mon saturday, get here so i can weigh in and reap the rewards of a hard week’s work!

points plus crazy!

so another meeting of weight watchers came and passed, and another week of not losing any weight.

harumph!

i’ll be the first to admit, i’m not the best when it comes to tracking my points everyday. and there are some days that i just don’t plain do it. so my goal this week is to become the points plus nazi. I am tracking every single crumb that goes into my mouth. i’m going to work this program like whoa. we’ll see what becomes of it on Saturday at my next meeting. if i lose weight, then great, i’m back on the WW horse. if i don’t, then it’s time to sit down with my leader and be like, wtf?!

so first thing i noticed, tracking is a pain. i’m doing it all on paper instead of online because it just seems like it counts more when i write it. it’s so easy to type stuff, but it takes effort to write everything down. maybe it makes it more concrete in my head? who knows.

in addition, i’ve been really great with my exercise this week! i’ve decided that while i love insanity, i’m honestly physically not ready for it. exercising to the point where i’m exhausted sets me up for failure…it makes it so i don’t want to exercise the next day, which kind of defeats the purpose. so my goal is to do a hybrid of p90x and turbofire to get myself into Insanity shape!

so far i’ve done the chest and back dvd, the arms and shoulders dvd, and yesterday i did yoga (which is counting as my “rest day”) so tomorrow i’ll be turbofiring it up!  so  far it’s been going great. i forgot how much i love to lift weights and strength train. plus, that sore feeling you get after doing a gazillion pull ups is a great feeling!

i have a good feeling about this week. i’m already almost half way through it, and i’m still riding the high of exercise and healthy eating. (put it to you this way, i’m fine with only 1/2 cup of pomegranate chip ice cream…that’s saying something!) also, i only stopped 3 times during ab ripper x…abs of steel here i come!!

Insanity is…insane!

surprise surprise right? a program called Insanity would be insane, who would’ve thunk?! i’m going on day 4 and i can honestly say, this may be the hardest workout i’ve ever done…and i’ve done p90x, turbofire, zumba, spinning, and my own weight/cardio regimens in the gym. not gonna lie, i’m swearing at the tv and cursing Shaun T’s name the entire time i’m exercising, but truthfully, when it’s done, i feel AMAZING! there’s really no better feeling than that once you’ve accomplished a hard workout. endorphins are running, you’re sweaty, sore, and your limbs feel like jelly, but also you feel like you could run the world.

however, last night i felt like throwing up was going to be a viable option. i chose not to, but the idea was def floating around in my head. i’m going to do my best to complete all 60 days of the program. i’ve taken my before pictures because if i’m going to suffer for 60 days, i want my free t-shirt! hopefully it’ll get a little easier…still challenging, but i won’t feel like my heart is going to explode.

things on the paleo front have actually been pretty fantastic! on Sunday i made up my bison meatloaf with turkey bacon on top (all grass fed, no added antibiotics, pasture raised, humanely handled) and stuffed peppers. all week i’ve been snacking on strawberries, bananas with nut butter, tanka bars (if you’re not sure what tanka bars are, go to www.tankabar.com and check them out!) and pistachios. I can honestly say i’m never really “hungry” throughout the day. i’ve been drinking my water which i’m sure helps. if i’m craving something sweet, i’ll blend together frozen bananas, almond milk, and frozen cherries and throw some walnuts in that and eat it like ice cream (seriously…way good!) i’m also not obsessing over what i eat or when i’ll be eating next, which is a welcome feeling after a lifetime of food/diet obsession. who knows, maybe i’ve found my soulmate eating style?

stay tuned for more insanity and paleo updates! i wont’ be posting my before picture yet…not ready for that…but if i start seeing improvements i’ll put them up!

new beginnings

so i know it’s been awhile since i last wrote and for that i’m sorry! life has been so crazy hectic it’s unbelievable. school is getting into full swing and work has been crazy as usual. however, much has happened since the last time i wrote!

on feb. 11 i became a licensed zumba instructor! that’s right, i’m now able to teach zumba officially! i’ve been working on my first class and am talking to a bunch of people about getting some teaching gigs up and running. tomorrow is my first meeting to see if i can start teaching zumba at the yoga studio i currently go to. keep your fingers crossed!

on feb. 14th i got the letter in the mail welcoming me to the goodwin college nursing program! it’s official, starting in May i’ll be officially enrolled in the RN program, became a real bonafide nurse 12/2013!! of course, this also means my life becomes even more blah come may! however, i plan on doing my clinicals on sunday so i can still do the drive in on Friday nights once that comes back into full swing!

besides what’s been going on in my professional life, my eating/exercise habits have officially sucked in the past few weeks! i’ve decided to start a 30 day paleo challenge starting tomorrow. essentially the paleo diet, or “caveman diet,” is all about eating the way our waaaaaaaaaaaay back ancestors used to eat. we’re talking meats, fruits, veggies, and nuts. no bread/wheat, dairy, or sugar. since going gluten free, i’ve rarely had bread or wheat, so giving that up won’t be as difficult since i’ve been doing that already. i’m lactose intolerant, so i don’t eat much dairy anyways, and i’ll be able to survive 30 days without any additional dairy. as for the sugar…that will be the difficult part. i am a sugar addict, so that is going to be my biggest challenge, but one i hope to take on head first.

okay, this post has gone on for long enough! if you’re not already bored, don’t worry, i’ll be ending this soon enough! i’m going to try to post more often, journaling my progress through this challenge, hoping i can make it from day 1 to day 30! wish me luck folks, it’s gonna be an interesting ride!

macaroon heaven

i figured i’d try to get in a post recapping parts of this week i’ve missed due to workschooldogsnofreetime… work has been stressful lately, so of course i naturally revert back to my lovely habit of inhaling everything in sight. luckily this week that meant macaroons!! every week two guys come around selling fresh baked pastries to help support recovering drug addicts in the area. we’re all too happy to help, and it doesn’t hurt that the food is AH-MAZING! i bought us some macaroons yesterday to help take the edge off of work. 

if you’re wondering if they taste as good as they look, they do!!

these macaroons are perfectly crunchy and caramelized on the outside, and the inside is so gooey and cocounutty. OMG, they just melt in your mouth and you’re instantly washed away to coconut heaven. I honestly can’t even put into words how good these things are!! let’s put it this way, one macaroon is enough to satisfy any sweet tooth, but if you’re like me, it takes at least 3 before you’re willing to stop

 

other than macaroons, i swear i’ve been eating somewhat healthy! my last snacks included a blood orange, a KIND almond and coconut bar (i’m noticing a trend with coconut…) and a small piece of peanut brittle. 

today’s menu includes a farm fresh egg with morningstar bacon and a fruit smoothie for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and snacks are grapes with cheese and a mango with a scoop of peanut butter (eaten separately, not together!) have a lovely day folks!!

Ohayou gozaimasu!

in other words, good morning!! i’m currently attempting to learn Japanese through an immersion program the hubs got me for Christmas…that’s about as much as i can remember at the moment! that and domo arigato (…mr roboto!) i have a long ways to go!

anyways, i woke up this morning with a HUGE craving for oatmeal!! it’s funny because i used to hate oatmeal with a passion. it just always tasted bland to me. however, thanks to blogs like KERF and Carrots n’ Cake i have developed a new relationship with oatmeal. i guess it never occurred to me before that i could actually add stuff into the oatmeal (seems like a pretty simple concept, right?) so this is this morning’s bowl of deliciousness.

it’s been awhile…

so i’ve really been MIA for the past week! it seems as though days pass and then i realize i haven’t posted or taken any pictures of what i’ve been eating!! life is pretty crazy at the moment, and time is limited, but i want to establish a new goal of posting at least 3 times a week. by writing down and taking pictures of what goes into my mouth gives me new appreciation for what i put into my body, and also holds me accountable. 

 

so…if you’ve been following at all you’ll see that i changed the title of my blog. to be honest, my views on what i want this blog to be has changed a little. i’m a foodaholic. i’ll admit it. “hi my name is taryn and i’m a foodaholic.” i LOVE food…sweet food, savory food, healthy food, and not so healthy food. i’m in a constant struggle to balance eating food for pleasure, but also using food for fuel. hopefully from here on out, blogging at least 3 times a week, i can start finding this balance!

gelato….mmmmmm

i just want to say, sea salted caramel gelato from talenti is AMAZING! seriously, if you want heaven in your mouth, eat this gelato!!

all of the ingredients are whole, too! no preservatives here!!

cross state

up bright and early this morning! i have a training in new haven all day, so must get up early to drive clear across the state. i always wondered why it’s easier to get up at 5:30am on these days, yet when i want to get up earlier on other days so i can get more done i always just end up hitting the snooze button…

since i have numerous dietary restrictions, i have to make sure i have a good breakfast because who knows what i’ll be able to eat once i’m there. so what’s on the menu? oatmeal of course!

this bowl contained the usual:

oats, almond milk, blackberries, pinch of salt, vanilla, chia seeds, goji berries, sunbutter, and a handful of “save the rainforest” whole foods granola

of course i had to have my coffee with it (it’s early!) by the way, HOW AWESOME IS THIS MUG?!?! love the hubs!!

off to walk the dogs quickly before i head on down to new haven!!

bishop is shy…i tried to get his pic but he literally kept turning his head away!

 

d’argo, however, loves the camera!