Even though I've been out of college for over a year now, I still get a sense of motivation when the school year begins. I'm not sure why this occurs or if it will ever go away, but I like it!
Along with the summer fun came a little neglect for the gym and eating habits. I've definitely packed on a couple of pounds (especially after going to Wine Country last weekend!) over the summer months, but I think I kind of always do that.
So with my school year motivation and summer coat (haha) I've decided to take on a plan I read about in a fellow blogger's post. This Plan (follow link) centers around weight training, which is always something I've been interested in and even participated in, but have never picked up on a regular basis. I started Phase 1 on Monday, so I'm only on Day 2 so far, but I really like it!
The Diet is kind of labor intensive for someone like me who doesn't plan ahead or take an entire day to cook meals for the week (who does that?!). I have been cutting up veggies and bagging them for an easy raw snack or a ready to microwave/sautee pouch. I've also made a couple of Jamie's recipes (creator of the plan) including Carrot Cake Protein Bars and Ground Turkey Meatloaf Muffins (recipes/pictures below). Along with the slight planning, I've also been cooking my lunches rather than making an easy turkey sandwich so that I can acquire a plethora of nutrients for the same caloric value (and with a tasty result).
The things I'm not doing:
Eating the Egg White Breakfast - I don't have time in the morning, so I've been eating high protein bars with an equal or lesser value of carbohydrates)
Eating the Egg White After-Dinner Meal - I am not hungry after dinner and if I were, I would want dessert, not Egg Whites!
Following the "no starches after 7pm" rule - I don't cook dinner until 7:30 or 8pm due to my work schedule/gym schedule
Taking Fish Oil/Flax Oil - I despise Fish Oil. It's gross. Even the "No Burps" pills are gross and make me burp fishiness. I've never tried Flax, so I plan to, but I haven't gotten there quite yet.
Following the workout plan exactly - I slightly injured my elbow joint on Monday and my triceps (which made the bending of the elbow motion IMPOSSIBLE) so I didn't do the workouts scheduled for Day 2 (involved curls which I could not do). I did the Leg workout from Day 3 instead. Also, the plan says you do not have to do Cardio, but I actually enjoy it as a part of my routine, so I've been doing 20-60 minutes per day. I may as well if I'm in the gym anyway :)
Other than that, I've been doing really well eating every few hours (5-6 meals a day) and following the plan as instructed.
Here is an example of a typical Dinner:
Blackened Teriyaki Tilapia Filet over Brown Rice & Mixed Grilled Vegetables with a Side Salad tossed in Goddess Balsamic Vinaigrette
Here are some other pictures and links to recipes for the items I mentioned earlier:
(Follow Link above for recipe) I made exactly as instructed but forgot to add water. They are tasty, but a little dry. The Protein Powder I used was Pro5 Vanilla (which is AMAZING)
(Follow link above) I made this recipe exactly as instructed, but forgot the egg whites! ahhhh! I realized this at minute 39 of cooking (out of 40), but they still came out fine.
Well, that's all I've got for now. I'm not too far into this plan, so let me know if you'd like to join! I will keep my blog updated each week with tips/experiences, so it would be great to have buddies to share/compare.
Have a wonderful week!
