I'm in California!

Right now I'm sitting in my friend Sydney's house. We just had a full morning+afternoon and we're wiped out! We:

• Went out to breakfast at around 9am
• Drove around Syd's neighborhood and saw lots of celeb houses!!
• Drove around scenic Malibu
• Walked around Santa Monica Pier
• Had lunch with my brother and his girlfriend at Bubba Gump!
• RODE A ROLLERCOASTER. See below.
• Rode a ferris wheel!
• Shopped at the Third Street Promenade
• Ate delish fro yo at Yogurtland

Tonight we're going to sushi! Which I've never eaten before! Yay!

Note about the rollercoaster: Holy crap it was horrifying. It was my FIRST TIME riding one and I just did not enjoy it in the least. Haha. The dropping sensation, the speed, the terror I experience the entire time...not my thing!!! But I survived. And I loved the ferris wheel cause it was slow, scenic, and relaxing.

Peace out :) -Ellen

On the Road to Cheeseland!

Hi guys! Sorry if the formatting on this post is wonky. I'm typing it in the car on the way to Wisconsin! I'm already sleepy and we are only 2 hours into the 7 hour drive!

I'm excited for the wedding tomorrow and I'm sure I'll have a fun time in Wisconsin and California!

Enjoy your Thursday evening :)
-Ellen

Just call me the Barre Tender (Ha?)

I actually went outta my comfort zone and tried a new workout class today! YAY for embracing Workout Wednesday!

Tonight my mom and I went to a barre exercise class (Barre="bar"). I had never even heard of it before, but mom said she'd heard from her friends that it truly transforms the body and we had to try it some time.

When we got there, we entered a medium-sized room lined with mirrors and barres (like, ballet style.) We were given two 2-lb. weights, a resistance band, and a small rubber dodgeball. The class had about 30 people in it and lasted for one hour.

This class was HARD. Instead of the typical large movements they encourage you to do in zumba classes and workout videos, the barre workout consists of tiny isolations that involve lifting and squeezing only a matter of inches. There were abs and arms portions, but the main focus was on the "seat" (which I thought was a cute way to refer to it) and the thighs.

There were certainly times when I had to stop and rest my muscles, and there were definitely times when my legs were quivering a noticeable amount. Tomorrow I'll let you know how sore I am, because I'm sure that's when I'll be feeling it the most!

It's been a while since I've been to a workout class. I'm so accustomed to the privacy and comfort of my basement that it was kind of a culture shock to work out in a studio with so many people around me. I quickly realized I was the least flexible and one of the least fit people in there, which was slightly disheartening. But I was proud to finish the class in one piece, having only taken a few quick breathers. A few weeks ago I know that would've been impossible for me. Also, watching myself work out (in the mirror) was a new experience, and it was empowering to see how strong and focused I can be.

I'd give the barre workout the following ratings:

• Difficulty: 8.5/10
• Fun: 6/10
• Worth it? Yes.

Next time, Mom and I are going to zumba! We agree that it's more fun and burns almost as many calories.

Quick health update! As you can see by my ticker, I'm down 6 pounds since the start of the summer! (Well, technically 5.8, but, shh.) YAY! I don't expect to lose weight on my vacation in CA, but I'm hoping not to gain any, either! Fingers crossed. 

Have a great Wednesday!
-Ellen

Almost Halfway There!

Hi y'all :) Happy Tuesday. I just have two more work days this week until I embark on my journey from Indy to Wisconsin to Indy to LA! I started meticulously planning out everything I need to pack, and I'm getting more and more excited by the minute!

Camp was really fun today. We had a crazy dance party during craft time and played the game where you stick your hand into a brown paper bag and guess what's inside (i.e. Jello, grapes, spaghetti). I'll miss my campers and counselors during our week off next week!

In other news, Monsters University was so good! It was really cute and funny and I'm glad I went to see it :)

Health Updates: Trying to eat less and exercise more. (In a good way, not like an unhealthy way.) The JM Level 3 is gradually getting easier, but it still kicks my butt every day! How many days are even left of the 30 Day Shred for me? I don't even know. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when they're over. I'll probably start Ripped in 30, another JM DVD, which I'm guessing is a similar program.

As usual, my main problem is with eating healthy food. For breakfast and lunch, it's totally doable. But for dinner, I'm usually expected to get my own meal somehow. My parents don't cook much anymore, and they go out to dinner all the time. So I go out to eat almost every night. BAD. I love cooking, too, so I don't know what's been stopping me from making my own dinners. Gotta start that up again ASAP.

In two days, it will be the halfway point of the summer. I haven't weighed myself in a week, so I'll find out tomorrow what half a summer of working my tail off has accomplished. Let's say it's 6 pounds (Hopefully!) If I can lose that same amount during the second half of the summer, I'll go back to school 12 pounds lighter! I need to keep that number in my head in order to push myself for the next 50 days!

-Ellen

Crazy Monday

Of course, after the laziest of Sundays, I should've expected the craziest of Mondays!

Camp was nuts with our group of new kiddos today. We had a really fun time doing an amazing scavenger hunt that ended in, well, this:

 

What a great summer job I have :) 

I rushed home from work and did my workout PLUS a little bit of running! Even though I only ran for a few minutes, I could see a huge improvement in my endurance!! That was the first time I've really noticed a change in my fitness level! Staying strong and trying to lose all these excess pounds has been a big challenge, but I'm so happy I've made it this far and I'm excited to continue my journey!

  

I look crazy. Also, that's a 3 lb. weight. This photo isn't very impressive. Move along now.

 

Even better news: I'm going to MONSTERS UNIVERSITY tonight!! YAY!

Have a terrific Monday!

-Ellen

Lazy Sunday

Ah, Sundays. During the school year, I dread them all week long. There's always homework to finish up, meetings to attend, and errands to run, when all I feel like doing is sleeping and snuggling in bed. Bleh.

But, during the summer, they are simply the best.

Since my summer classes have ended (Praise the Lord) I no longer have to wake up and do 2+ hours of homework every Sunday morning. I just get to sleep in as late as my heart desires, scroll through Pinterest, and leisurely make my way downstairs for breakfast and my daily workout. Then, I get my errands done if I need to, eat a nice dinner at home, and relax watching Food Network Star and Cupcake Wars, two of my favorite shows! (Note: I don't recommend watching these shows while on a diet...too many temptations! Luckily, I'm usually able to satisfy my cravings with a small piece of dark chocolate.)

Today I did a little bit of shopping as well. Got some new clothes to make sure I'm lookin' cute during my upcoming Cali trip! I also went to the grocery store and got plenty of healthy breakfast and lunch materials. I even got almond milk, something I haven't tried before! Looking forward to putting it in my Honey Bunches of Oats in the morning :)

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Health Updates: I planned on doing Jillian Michaels + 20 minutes of additional cardio today. I ended up doing the JM Level 3, and then a 10 minute segment from the BL cardio DVD. The only reason I stopped was because I was starting to get dizzy...weird. I also didn't eat much today. Around 1100 calories, I'd say. That's not enough and I'm sure it's not the healthiest thing to do. BUT. I ate too much yesterday. Hopefully the two days balance out.

Looking forward to a 4-day work week, then tons of traveling adventures!

-Ellen

:(

Guys, I had a fun day. I really did. I worked at a special event where I supervised kids playing on giant inflatable water slides (AND I GOT TO GO DOWN THEM!!) Josh and his siblings even came!! And I got to go out to dinner and ice cream with my coworkers, who are all really awesome! Though I did get these sunburns:

But, all of that aside, I suck and you should all hate me because I just went crazy with my eating and it's not okay. I don't even wanna get into the details of what I ate, but it's shameful. I haven't eaten like that since my diet started 43 days ago. And I had no time to exercise. So, basically, I'm the worst human in the world.

I'm literally so mad at myself that tomorrow I'm eating nothing but the following:

• Breakfast: 1 egg + 2 egg whites, scrambled
• Lunch: Whole wheat wrap with turkey and Laughing Cow + Apple
• Dinner: Salad + Chicken
• Snacks: RICE CAKES ONLY. 

Yeah. That's it. And I'm going to do Level 3 along with 30 additional minutes of cardio.

It's getting down to the wire. No more mess-ups.
-Ellen

What you feel is what you are, and what you are is beautiful.

Hey there! :)

My life has been pretty uneventful for the last couple of days. Camp's been going well.

I started my 5-lb. victory shopping spree! So far I've hit DSW, Old Navy, and American Eagle. Next up are Nordstrom Rack and the Castleton stores :) :) Yay clothes.

Today was kind of momentous because I purchased my first bikini ever. I know it's supposed to be just for when I've lost 20 lbs, but I felt that I should have one just in case an event comes up which basically requires me to wear it. Hopefully, it won't. I don't look good in it AT ALL!!!!

Even though I've lost a little bit of weight, my self confidence is still miserable. I've been dressing comfortably and conservatively for so long, even though I long to be fashionable and wear so many clothing items that my brain considers off limits. Will I ever feel good in my own skin? Is this a weight issue, or will I feel this way even at my ultimate goal weight? Who's to say. It's important for me to remember that this isn't just a weight loss journey. It's a journey of improving my overall health, and an important part of that is embracing who I am. Gunna try to keep that on the back burner so I don't feel so down whenever I go shopping.

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Health Updates: Level 3 is going well! I was curious to see how many calories each one of the 30 Day Shred workouts burns, and the number I found was a bit lower than expected. Even though I'm dying, sweating, and crawling up the stairs after the intense workouts, I'm apparently burning less than 200 calories....WHAT. So, I plan to add running to my exercise plan. Just 20 minutes or so, at my own pace. I was really hoping to lose all this weight without resorting to my least favorite thing in the universe, but looks like it might be a necessary addition to my routine.

Only, what, 7 weeks left this summer? Not nearly enough! Challenging myself to lose 7 more pounds.

Have a fab weekend.
-Ellen

You are as beautiful and strong as you feel!

 Today, for Workout Wednesday, I decided to really challenge myself by advancing to Level 3 of Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred!

It was the third and final level and, as I expected, it was killer. I probably took more 5-second breaks than acceptable, but I made it through. Most of the strength exercises in this level were plyometric (jump training) and therefore extremely difficult. However, I've tried the P90X plyo video before, and some of these moves are in the BL Cardio DVDs, so I'm sorta familiar with them and I'm not completely inept. But one minute straight of jump lunges? I'm not that fit, guys.

I have been having the most intense cravings today and it's been muy muy hard to ignore them. But so far, so good. No time to dilly dally with fatty foods (like the Arby's mozzarella sticks my brain thinks I'm in dire need of) when there's only fifty something days left before back to school!!! I just put in a countdown calendar at the bottom of this page to help motivate me to lose as much as I can before I move back in. I got this brillz idea from my friend Esha :)

Here's Josh as a penguin. He's great.

Happy Workout Wednesday, readers. Work up a sweat today and you won't regret it tomorrow!

-Ellen

Howdy :) Yet another crazy Tuesday at camp is over! Tuesdays are the nuttiest days. It's like the campers subconsciously agree to test our limits now that they've been with us for a couple days. Ha!

I'm feeling very bloated and icky as of late, so I'm not going to weigh in for a few days. However, I've gotta start making healthier decisions. I was golden until I got home from camp and my frustrated brain demanded me to eat chocolate. Ah, well. As usual, I'm under my calorie limit, so we should be A-Okay.

Tomorrow I am going to start Level 3 of my workout vids! I'm terrified. It's going to be sooo hard. But I want to look great for the wedding I'm going to next weekend, plus CALIFORNIA!

Wish me some luck :)

-Ellen

Joshie's Big Day!

HOORAY! Josh turned 21 today! :) We had fun celebrating with his family at dinner, then played some board games, made sparkler words, and ate delicious cheesecake. All of those, my friends, are components of a great great day.

You may have just cringed reading that I ate a piece of cheesecake. I mean, I shudder to think how many calories were in that decadent, creamy little slice of heaven. Not to mention, this followed a portabella mushroom burger and a hearty helping of waffle fries for dinner! :/

This is my first real cheat day in weeks. A cheat day, by my definition, is a day where I knowingly consume more calories than I burn off. This is not an okay thing to do. Even when I eat unhealthy meals, I always stick to my calorie limits. But today was a really special day for Josh and I'm okay with having one off-day in order to properly celebrate with him!

I have faith that I can lose another 1-1.5 pounds this week. Gunna try moving on to Level 3 of 30-Day Shred later this week. If Level 2 completely kicks my butt every time, I'm terrified yet intrigued to learn the challenges Level 3 holds!

Have a great evening!
-Ellen

(I'm not going to even bother calling this Fun in the Sunday...not doing so well with the themes! Ah, well. I'll continue updating daily but may not stick to those!)

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H O O R A Y !

Today I reached my first benchmark. I've officially lost 5 pounds!

 I feel so proud and accomplished! Even though this is just the first benchmark and I have many more to go, reaching this goal has really empowered me. As Jillian Michaels says in her 30-Day-Shred videos: "When you realize how strong you are physically, it will flood over into other aspects of your life." I think this statement is so so true. I never thought fitness would do anything for me besides help me to lose weight, but I was wrong. 

My fitness journey has taught me how amazing it feels to achieve success after working hard to reach a goal. It's taught me that I'm stronger than I believe myself to be, physically and emotionally. And it's taught me that, with perseverance, anything is possible.

If you remember from a few weeks back, I set some goals and set up a rewards system for when I reach certain benchmarks:

 

So, as you can see, my reward for getting rid of these first five pounds is a shopping spree! After the craziness of Josh's birthday and science week at camp, you can believe I will be hitting the mall ASAP. Can't wait!

Also, I'm going to California in a couple of weeks, and I plan on working extra hard before I take off! That way, I can enjoy the vacation by indulging in some delicious Sprinkles cupcakes and other LA cuisine without feeling too guilty for it.

Feeling renewed, excited, and proud today. Can't wait to continue this crazy health journey!

-Ellen ♥

 

My Spice-it-Up event of the day was seeing a new movie with Josh: Man of Steel!

I've gotta admit, this movie was...not my favorite. 90% action, 5% aliens, 5% plot. Not so Ellen.

Also today I worked on some homework, did a workout, and got some healthy food from the grocery store! Thrilling, right?

I'm pretty sleepy, so I'm going to bed early. Looking forward to Father's Day fun tomorrow :)

-Ellen

 

Hello! CHEERS to the freakin' weekend.

Blame it on the first week of camp, blame it on my lack of sleep, blame it on sheer laziness, but my health has not been my first priority over the last few days.

Snacking has increased, dinners have become less healthy and less carefully portioned, yaddah yaddah.

Tomorrow after working out and typing my final sociology paper, I'll be hitting the grocery store to pick up some healthy items. No more cookie dough bits and handfuls of pretzels when I'm bored. IT'S BEEN 5 WEEKS AND I HAVEN'T EVEN LOST 5 POUNDS. LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS.

I really like this quote:

So, yeah, I've made some progress. 4 pounds isn't a lot, but it's not nothing. Now to focus on what's to come.

I've got 60 days until back-to-school and I intend to lose as much as possible! No more messing around, no more lazy days. If I want to come back to school and receive those Wow, you lost some weight! comments, I've gotta get a move on. 8.5 weeks left. I'd love to lose 8.5 more pounds. Or more. I don't know if that's realistic--but it seems like it should be (??). I've got to work so so so hard to do it, but I have faith in myself! I need to conjure up some will power, determination and focus. Then, I can do anything I set my mind to!

LET'S GO!

-Ellen

P.S. My Feel Good treat for the day was baking a batch of cookie bars for my dad for Father's Day. I love baking and I find it almost therapeutic, but it's tough not to eat a hearty helping of the finished product. I did try a small sample of the cookie bars, but nothing too crazy :)

This Thursday, I am very thankful for my campers.

Today at camp, a little blonde girl said to me: "I just want you to know, you're my favorite counselor. And I really like the bows you wear in your hair every day." Isn't that cute?! Comments like these make me so happy about the career path I've chosen. Even the little ones who giggle at a corny joke I've made, or the ones who silently hold my hand on the walk out to the playground show an unspoken appreciation through their tiny expressions of thanks.

It's a special thing to be able to work with children on a daily basis. Though sometimes I may want to rip my hair out because of the crazy chaos that comes with managing 35 five-year-olds, overall, it's a truly amazing and fun experience every single day. I'm so thankful for each child I've been able to work with at camp, and for my future students, because I already know that they are going to be so wonderful and lovable :)

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Health updates: I still haven't weighed myself since camp started and my lifestyle became significantly more active. I am a bit nervous because I've kinda been using the excuse "I'm burning a lot more calories than usual" to make some questionable diet choices. Not anymore!

I've been taking the lazy way out by eating whatever is convenient instead of taking the time to prepare healthy dinners for myself. I plan to go to the grocery store tomorrow and replenish my supply of healthy ingredients and snacks. That always helps motivate me to eat healthily, because I'm reminded of all of the awesome, tasty, nutritional stuff I can eat!

And, of course, it's important to remind myself: Treat your body with respect. Show yourself the love you deserve. You work hard exercising and staying active, so don't ruin it with unhealthy food!

 

Have a fantastic Thursday!

-Ellen

Today I continued with Level 2 of the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. Holy cow is it a tough workout. Like I said, my lifestyle has become a lot more active (I am constantly moving/walking/running/playing from 9am-1pm every day) and therefore I'm working out a little less and eating a teeny bit more.


Haven't weighed in since camp started so I am a bit nervous to see if my body is adjusting correctly and if I'm still burning off enough cals every day.

I would love to get to a Zumba class one of these Wednesdays to really switch up my workout. I'll try to do that next week if my life isn't so crazy. Luckily my online classes end Monday (HALLELUJAH) and that's also Joshie's big birthday, so I'll be done gathering gifts for him :) (No hints for you, mister. You'll have to wait and see whatcha get!)


I challenge you to really push yourself this Workout Wednesday! Try a new exercise or even do an extra few jumping jacks. Small changes and moderation lead to big results over time :)

Peace out,
-Ellen

Hi! This Tuesday I enjoyed some tasty leftovers from Josh+I's trip to Olive Garden yesterday :) Not healthy. At. All. But I was super active. Like extremely active. Like so active I'm typing quickly to get this over with so I can go to sleep at 10:15. Yeah.


SO TIRED.

Sorry for the lame post. I'm sure you're so upset about it.

Kay bye. -Ellen

Today I'm playing catch-up! Enjoy the double post :)

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Sorry for missing a day yesterday, folks! It kind of went by in a blur. I woke up and the first thing I did was check the scale. As you'll notice by my ticker on the right sidebar, I'm now down 4 pounds! Yay!!! 1 more until my first benchmark and my shopping spree :) 

After that, I was very motivated to work out. So I did my last day of Level 1 of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. Then I hung out at Josh's, and watched yet another Star Wars movie (The Empire Strikes Back, if anyone's interested. I liked it better than the first one.) I also had a nice yummy dinner with my family. My mom makes an excellent shrimp stir fry! Finally, we watched the Tony Awards and I went to bed early in anticipation for the first day of CAMP! Once again, I failed at spending the day outside. Whoops.

 

Today was....the first day of CAMP! It went so well! No rainstorms, boo-boos, or tantrums. It was fun to see some of the returners as well as meet the new kiddos! I had a really great day and I'm excited for the rest of the summer. 

Mindful Monday: I am feeling great about where I am with my fitness! Sooo close to the 5 pound mark. I can do it!

Workouts and Health Updates: After camp, I knew my energy levels were winding down, so I needed to work out ASAP so I wouldn't put it off and then never do it. So I immediately went downstairs and started Level 2 of the JM DVD. Ho, ly, cow. I know I've said other workouts are tough, and I've made comments like "I've never worked out that hard!" but this took the cake. (Ah, geez now I want cake) 

ANYWAY - It was hard. I did almost all of the moves full out and my heart rate was through the roof. After I finished, red and panting, I knew that I would have to immediately run upstairs and shower or I would lay on the basement floor until I fell asleep or possibly died. So I sprinted up the two flights of stairs, showered, and now I'm relaxing with my cat in bed. Aaaaaaaah. 

Can't wait to get up tomorrow and do it all again! :)

-Ellen

P.S. I changed my activity level on the MFP app to "active" because at camp I run around like a chicken with my head cut off for most of the day. This means I get to eat an extra 100 calories a day. Chyess. Excuse me while I eat this Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich...

HAPPY 2000 PAGEVIEWS! :) Glad someone out there is enjoying my blog!

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I suppose you can say I "spiced it up" today by trying a new cookie decorating technique I've been wanting to do for ages.

Tah dah! Those are the best of 'em. Lots are not quite as pretty. But I will tell you, it was hard work! Not too shabby for a first attempt, but I will definitely be trying it again soon and improving as I go :)

The bad part about making cookies, even if the intent is to feed them to other people, is: you always end up nibbling on them yourself! Tiny bits of dough here and there, one or two "sample" cookies. You get the picture. Not easy to estimate calorie-wise. I was worried about going over my limit so I went on a brisk evening walk to (hopefully) burn off those extra few calories...

I also made a really yummy lunch that I thought I'd share. However, I should note, this isn't a normal lunch. It's definitely more of a breakfast. But it worked for me, and it was so packed full of protein that I was seriously too full to finish it. And this was before the cookies! :)

 

This is just 1 cup Kashi Go-Lean, 1/2 cup blueberries, and 1 container Yoplait light vanilla yogurt. Delicious, healthy, filling, and great for a sweet tooth!

Yours truly,

Ellen

 

 
I had SUCH an amazing Friday! I had a great time cheering the Indianapolis Indians on to victory and watching the spectacular fireworks show after the game. So much fun, and I felt just like a little kid again.

 

Duck in the outfield! 

However, my feelings of joy are currently being tainted with the amount of GUILT AND ANGER that I feel about my ridiculous food choices. I could have just sampled some Cracker Jack at the game, but, I foolishly decided to down the whole bag. Not to mention the not so tiny slurps I took from Josh's milkshake after the game and the "few" fries I snagged. What was I thinking? Also, I didn't even exercise today. WHAT?! 

Tomorrow I have to do two workouts of course, because I lazily chose to nap today and eat unhealthy foods. BAD Ellen. I also have to write a paper. And, oh yeah, I'm making sugar cookies for some friends. As if I needed the temptation of eating extra dough scraps and icing. 

Tomorrow I hope to wake up, get focused, and remember why I started all this in the first place. I've gotta get on the right track if I hope to even come close to my goals this summer. Yikes.

 Okay, wish me some luck. And enjoy your weekend!

-Ellen

Today I'm thankful for my awesome job! The last three weeks have been pretty fun, just sitting in a circle with the other counselors and planning out awesome, messy, crazy, and hilarious activities to do with our 5-6 year-old campers :) It's been fun getting to know my fellow counselors and I cannot wait for the real fun to start next week when camp begins! I'm sure I'll have plenty of wacky stories to tell about campers, games, and laughs that will happen over the next eight weeks, so stay tuned for those :)

 

This is a camp photo from last year. A group of thirty kids made me into a human sundae with whipped cream and various other toppings. I was picking oats (yes, oats) out of my hair for three days!

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Health Update: Didn't weigh in today. Because I'm nervous. After many laborious hours of research I'm still puzzled as to what's up with my lack of weight loss. That's the frustrating thing about this whole process: Nothing is concrete or proven. Everyone has a different theory about how to lose weight and an opinion on what's right or wrong. There are no definite answers or specific formulas because every body is different.

I thought maybe I wasn't doing enough cardio, so, as I mentioned yesterday, I upped it to 40-50 minutes per day (Well, this includes strength and abs, as well) from my old 25-35 minutes a day. We'll see if this helps.

I've also read articles about the "starvation mode" theory that states: If you work out, you need to eat more than 1200 calories a day. Otherwise your body will think it's starving and store the fat instead of burning it. I'm not sure if I believe in this theory, but, if it's true, that could be what's happening to me. Though on days when I exercise I tend to eat more like 1300 calories, leaving "wiggle room" of 200 or so calories in case I overestimated my exercise or underestimated my food. (On the My Fitness Pal app, that's the green number that shows how many cals you have left to consume that day.)

If anyone has any encouraging words or advice, please feel free to comment!

Have a great Thursday :)
-Ellen

Happy Workout Wednesday. Or should I call it WERK-IT-OUT WEDNESDAY. (No?)

As I mentioned on Monday, I just started the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. I do this in conjunction with either one 10-minute segment from the BL cardio DVD or any old workout from one of my various DVDs.

I love this workout. I know that I literally said that it wasn't very hard two days ago, but I changed my mind.

I find it unique because of the emphasis on arms + legs. I'm so sick of everything being about the abs. Of course they're important, but so is the other stuff! Even though I use dinky 3-lb. weights (Shut up, I'm a beginner) I definitely feel my arms working really really hard. And she keeps saying in the video "Working your arms isn't enough. You have to combine arm and leg exercises in order to burn max calories." So so helpful. Hopefully, so true.

Today, I combined it with a new BL DVD featuring Bob Harper. I can't remember what it's called. Sorry. But it kiiiillllleeeedddd me. I did the level 2 part right after the 30-Day Shred and my arms and thighs were definitely quivering by the end.

Health Updates: I am disappointed in my number on the scale, you guys. I've been told time and time again not to worry about that number, but how can I not? It's the primary way to measure weight loss. I didn't weigh myself for a few days because I knew that I wasn't going to like what I saw. But during those 2-3 days, I worked extra hard and did extra cardio and everything, and then I get this stupid number on the scale. It's the EXACT same one I've been seeing, but with an added .2 lbs. (Yeah I know it's .2, and it could be water weight or something, but, COME ON.) Gotta keep going.

-Ellen :)

Tasty Tuesday: Zucchini Lasagna!

 Today I made something I've wanted to try for a long time: Zucchini lasagna!

 This zucchini lasagna represents me because, while highly unphotogenic, it is beautiful on the inside. Ha! Just kidding guys :) This stuff was really good though! Next time I will add more zucchini because I didn't find it super filling/substantial, but the taste was great! I mean, how could you go wrong with delicious ricotta and mozzarella cheese, basil, and tomato sauce? Mmm.

I'm going to link you to the recipe because I don't feel like typing it all out, but I did make a few adjustments. I didn't add ground meat because I hate it, and I made a much smaller serving in a little Pyrex (I think 6" by 4"?) and then ate half. Also instead of making the sauce I just dumped in some Classico tomato & basil. #lazychefprobz

It did take a fairly large chunk of time to prepare and cook, but I think it was worth it.

Here is the recipe!!!

Good luck :)
-Ellen

Happy Monday! I'm about to fall asleep because I'm exhausssssted. Didn't get any sleep, plus did two workouts today.

 

My eyes look 10x smaller than usual today...?

I did the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred video for the first time today and really liked it! I just did the Level 1 part (and then used my BL cardio DVD for the other workout). It surprised me because it wasn't as hard as I was expecting. Maybe it isn't that bad or maybe I'm just getting fitter? Even so, I was very wiped after all that exercise.

I made a delish caprese omelet for lunch, and thought I'd share the recipe! Here ya go:

• 1 egg
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup chopped tomato
• 2 TB fresh chopped basil

Scramble the egg + egg whites and pour into greased pan. Add other ingredients when omelet looks almost fully cooked. Flip/fold as you please :)

Time to zzzZzzzZzzz...

-Ellen ♥