DAYS 71-78

I have a confession: I'm not as positive as I try to be on here. Despite my best efforts, this week was actually extremely rough. It culminated in my ex moving out of the apartment, and despite it being the best for both of us, I let myself feel the sadness that was dying to break through for the past few weeks. Though I tried to keep a smile on my face and maintain my workout schedule (1 exercise DVD and two days hiking accomplished), there were days where I did little more than walk the dog and watch TV (unless crying counts as a full body workout, which...I'm inclined to believe it does). The truth is, sometimes it's incredibly hard to stay upbeat, especially in the wake of a major life change like a breakup. And sometimes you just need to take some time to wallow. So, I did.

This is my wallowing face.

That said, after a full day of wallowing yesterday (and today, honestly), I'm ready to get back to it. The month of July is completely open, and ready for me to take some positive action.

First on the list was to weigh myself, because I totally forgot to do it on Saturday with all my wallowing. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I passed the 15 lbs lost mark (barely, but still!).

Next was to get on top of my meal plan. Because I know I'm more likely to emotionally eat if I'm not prepared, I wanted to make sure everything was taken care of. The past few days I went "off book" more than once - I ordered a cheeseburger out with a friend who was in town one night and got soda at the movies the next. Obviously it wasn't the best, but I'm not beating myself up about it either. The cycle of guilt I used to be so familiar with only produces more guilt and more eating unhealthy foods. Instead, I've crafted a brand new plan which focuses on clean whole foods, heavy in protein and produce. My days now consist of three meals and two snacks that add up to approx. 1500 calories. A few people have asked what that looks like, so I decided I would share a sample day from my meal plan.

DAY 1
Breakfast (305 cals). 7 mini chicken apple sausages, 1/4 avocado, 3 egg whites, and 1/2 pink grapefruit.

Snack #1 (100 cals). Handful of raw almonds.

Lunch (305 cals). 1 multigrain wrap/flatbread, 4 oz low sodium turkey, 2 tbs hummus, drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and 1 persian cucumber.

Snack #2 (180 cals). 6 oz. plain nonfat greek yogurt, and a banana.

Dinner (450 cals). 6 oz. baked chicken breast, mixed green veggies (brussels sprouts, kale, and broccoli) with maple tahini dressing and toasted nuts.

Dessert (150 cals). 2 cups strawberries.

All in all, it comes out to about 40% proteins, 30% carbs, and 30% fats. And it's all super delicious! I'm extremely excited to try my new vegetable recipes (thanks to many of you who sent me your faves).

After getting my food situation sorted, I knew I needed to figure out something new with my exercise plan. While I adore hiking, the summer weather hit me like a scorching ball of sweat soaked exhaustion last week. I thought hiking was going to be my go to plan because I've lost my passion for going to the gym and lifting weights. It's something I've always had a knack for, and lifting makes me feel strong and powerful. However, in the past year and a half, it's become something my ex and I did together. And attempting to go to the gym without him has proven more challenging than I originally anticipated.

So today, instead of going to the gym, bought myself a subscription to ClassPass. ClassPass is amazing, and I've always wanted to do it. But it's fairly expensive - one monthly fee to go to as many exercise classes from a (very lengthy) list of local studios. While I was working it seemed like I'd only utilize the classes during the weekends, which didn't really seem worth it, but now with my schedule completely open and nothing to do but hang out in my empty apartment, it seemed like a really good idea to book four classes a week and at least have appointments booked. As I browsed the site, I realized how many classes I'd wanted to try out, too. Cardio Barre, CycleHouse, CorePower Yoga, Pilates, Ballet Beautiful...the list goes on. I spent the afternoon figuring out which classes I wanted to try first and booking them. I'm excited to try so many new workouts, and possibly meet new people in classes.

I'm also terrified. I've made a lot of changes in my life extremely quickly, and it feels like a bit of a whirlwind. I'm incredibly thankful for all the support I've received and honestly don't know if I could do this without all of you. Because of your feedback I'm more motivated than ever to continue, and I'm inspired by the way my own journey has motivated all of you. As always, let's keep doing this!