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I feel like I showed all my cards in the last two post: last week's WIW/Whole30 wrap up & yesterday's post about my training. There is literally nothing else new in my life. I wake up, eat breakfast, go study, eat lunch, study more, go run/Crossfit, clean/prepare for the next day, and go to bed as early as possible. *Yawn*

I have quite a few things to look forward to in April: Doctor Prom, weddings, school events, etc. but I REALLY need time to slow down. It's starting to hit me that in no time at all I'll be taking my boards, going on vacation, and then starting my 3rd year of medical school. Everything just needs to halt before I go insane! 

Moving on...I didn't weigh in this morning but I'm gonna guess that I'm up a couple pounds just based on how I'm feeling; which is heavy and sore. Sore in a good way but heavy in an "overindulged this weekend and now filled with water weight" kind of way. I feel like I'm sliding back into my habit of staying on plan really well during the week and then totally killing everything on the weekend. It's so frustrating but ultimately, I have to get it together! 

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last Week: 189.0

This week: 192ish?

Change: +3.0

Total Loss: -44ish

The good news is that after a gain like this, I usually shed a few extra pounds in the next few weeks on top of what I "gained" in water weight. #science

I decided to add about 200 calories (mostly in the form of carbs) to my plan on days when I train to help keep me fueled & prevent the weekend splurges. I'll let you all know how this approach works - hoping it will help me recover quicker and jump start some slow & steady weight loss again instead of bouncing around week to week.

Would anyone be interested if I started to share my weekly training plan? Training Diary Monday? Thoughts? 

Hope you all have a great week and a blessed Easter!

 

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An InLinkz Link-up

Hello friends! I'm having a slower start to the morning today after my exam on Monday. Yesterday we started our Behavioral Medicine block which I'm pretty excited for - Psych has always been a love a mine! 

Weighing in today, things are moving slowly but steadily.

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last Week: 198.0

This week: 197.0

Change: -1.0

Total Loss: -39.2

I'm a little frustrated since I have been working out consistently. The problem is, because my Crossfit class is a beginner class and focused mainly on technique, we do stand around A LOT. I'm definitely not working out for an hour (more like 15-20 minutes) which means I really could go to the gym afterwards to get my full amount of activity. Ummm...and of course you can't outtrain a bad diet. In  I got lazy a few times this week and made some not so healthy options like post-exam brunch (that toast is HUGE) and Wendy's after my dentist appointment. 

I also need to watch all the "hidden" calories in my food. Like adding a little cheese to my eggs or BBQ sauce to my chicken. All those things add up over the day and I don't always record them in MFP. I definitely need to tighten things up and start meal prepping again! This leads me to my next announcement...

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you know that I recently committed to do a round of Whole 30 starting THIS Sunday, February 1 running until March 1. 

I created a private Facebook group for anyone that is interested in joining me - we have about 15 people so far! If you are interested in Whole 30, shoot me an email and I will add you to the group/send your more information.

Whole 30 is something I've been wanting to try for a long time but it never seems like the "right time." Then I saw one of my favorite bloggers, Andrea @ A Doctor in the House, was doing it while in RESIDENCY. No excuses there! I have way more free time than a resident, that's for sure! 

I'm not going into Whole 30 with the goal of losing a bunch of weight. Weight loss is certainly something I hope happens, kind of like when I did the Advocare challenge. It really jumpstarted my weight loss and helped me gain confidence. This challenge is more about helping myself function at 110% and feel amazing! Lately I feel like my skin is looking dull and breaking out more. I'm also having more frequent tummy issues. Most of all, my energy and especially my mood have been suffering. I think a lot of this is due to the winter blues but I also think my diet could be contributing to the problem. Ever since I added dairy and especially grains back into my diet, my symptoms has gotten worse. Add in alcohol and sugar, then it's clear why things aren't getting better. 

Basically, I'm just looking forward to hitting the reset button and seeing how my body responds to whole, real foods. I've heard SO many wonderful things about Whole 30 and I'm hoping it works for me, as well!

I'm excited to try new recipes and step up our culinary game! Nick has said he will give it a try with me so I hope having his support will make this just a tiny bit easier. I love that he is willing to put up with all my crazy ideas :)

One thing I'm not too excited about is taking out most legumes. I've read "It Starts With Food" (which is what the program is based on) so I understand the scientific reasoning but I'm not sure it's compelling enough for me. Still worth a shot but I'm going to miss beans in my chili! 

If this peaks your interest at all, shoot me an email! I'd love to have you in our group for support, recipe swaps, and maybe some new friends! 

Any suggestions for Whole 30? Have you done it before? 

 

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Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-host!

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction

Decided to work from the home office this morning and I still forgot to post at a decent time. Worst blogger EVER. 

Everything is just ok around here. Yesterday I had my last OSCE (I still don't know what it stands for...) of the semester for my GI course. YAY!!! I think I've talked about OSCEs before but it's basically a 30 minutes clinical encounter with a standardized patient - meaning someone is paid to be a patient actor so we can practice our history and physical exam skills. I think it went pretty well - seems like I got the diagnosis right and managed the patient appropriately :) 

My last OSCE for EENT was probably my worst performance so far - I was stupidly nervous for some reason. This time I really tried to stay calm and not getting amped up before I went in the room. You'd think after working as a CNA (interacting with people in the most vulernable and awkward situations) that I wouldn't get nervous...I think there is a lot of pressure to make sure I get all my points for the encounter. It's so easy to forget to ask an important part of the history or physical exam, especially now that I'm really working to make sure what I'm doing is clinically relevant and useful! 

After our encounter, we write a SOAP note detailing the encounter. 

S = subjective, so everything the patient tells you - history of present illness, review of systems, family history, medications, etc.

O = objective, all the observable or measurable parts of the patient including vitals and physical exam & structural exam findings from OMT.

A = assessment, What's the diagnosis? We also include differential diagnosis, ongoing chronic disease, somatic dysfunction, etc.

P = plan, What are you going to do for this patient? Treatment, orders for labs/imaging, patient education, follow-up or referrals, OMT treatment. 

The most frustrating part of writing a SOAP note is forgetting to document something you KNOW you did or said! Grrrr I get so mad at myself - if you don't document it, it didn't happen!

So anyway, now that my OSCE is over I'm refocusing my energy on my current system - Endocrine. We have our first exam on Monday so I will be playing catchup today & studying my heart out. 

Since it's an exam weekend, I know it will be hard to stick to my nutrition and exercise plan but I just have to! I know it will make me feel better and keep my brain fresh :)

Now for the weigh in....technically I gained a pound but really my weight shot up a couple pounds over the weekend due to water weight and that infamous time of the month - and the subsequent cravings associated with it.  

Even though I haven't been losing weight steadily, I've gotten a few comments recently that have been encouraging. People are starting to notice changes which helps me keep going! When your weight loss isn't dramatic, its really hard to notice a difference but my clothes tell me its getting there!

Weighing In

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last Week: 197.8

This week: 199.2

Change: +1.4

Total Loss: -37

This week I wrote out all my workouts from Becoming Extraordinary by Ashley Horner so I have them ready to go!

Weeks 3-7 call for muscle splits so my schedule will be:

Monday: Chest & tris

Tuesday: Back

Wednesday: active rest day (walk, run, yoga, something)

Thursday: Shoulders & bis

Friday: Legs

Saturday: active rest day

Sunday: full body Crossfit style workout

Each of my workouts call for a 2 mile warm up but sometimes I switch it up -- like last night I did the Stairmaster because I plan to run on my active rest day today! My 10K is coming up at the end of Thanksgiving so I hope I'll be ready. Even though I've run more than 6 miles many times,  I'm a little scared to run 6 because it's been so long! 

As a side note...anyone purchase the new T.Swift CD? I highly recommend :) -- I'm 24 years old and I still love T. Swift. Not afraid to admit it!

That's all for now! I'm really going to put my best effort into the rest of the week and hope for the best. 40 lb loss, I'm coming for you!

What's your favorite music to jam out to when you are working out? (or dancing around your house?) 

 

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Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts!

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction
Erin @ She's A Big Star

Week four of 2nd year - can't believe I've been in school for almost a month! Last Friday I had my final exam for Immunology and then we had a very exciting 4-day weekend to RELAX. I got a much needed highlight and haircut Friday afternoon and then the Luke Bryan concert with a bunch of people from school on Friday night. (I'm trying to avoid posting photos of friends on the blog...sometimes they slip in occasionally though!).

Saturday we deep cleaned the apartment and had a date night at Bub's Burgers. 

Sunday my friend and I started working on these wreaths until I ran out of burlap. Later that evening we went out to dinner/drinks with a few friends.

Bakersfield Margarita - been waiting for one since...forever!

On Monday, Nick and I went bedroom furniture shopping and FINALLY agreed on a dresser and night stand! Yay for Labor Day sales!

Can you see me?

Now for the bad news...5 lbs gained in two weeks. Do you like how I buried that beneath all the fun I had?

Weighing In

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Aug 20: 199.4

This week: 204.4

Change: +5.0

Total Loss: 31.8

Starting from last weekend (at home for the wedding) until yesterday, it's been a free for all.  I haven't exerted much control. However, all of my choices were purposeful - I knew the scale was creeping up.  I didn't go to the gym if I didn't feel like it and if I wanted a chicken quesadilla, I got it. I really don't feel too bad about it. 

For once in my life, I don't feel like a complete failure after gaining some weight. Why? Because it doesn't define me. I made the conscious decision to not stick to my plan and I saw the consequences of that decision. Does that mean I'm a horrible, terrible failure? No. 

It means it's time to buckle down and remind myself of my goals. 

Nick and I are back at the gym & cleaning up our eating again. Setbacks happen but it's how you respond that matters! 

Goat cheese & spinach stuffed chicken breast with a lil' bacon yums, asparagus, & a strawberry spinach salad with homemade balsalmic

My lunch: roasted potatoes with a tofu scramble (broccoli, peppers, onions, mushrooms)

Day 2 of September 30 for 30 with Four Fit Sisters - Haley & Adie!

New Haircut. No more Grinch fingers!

How do you bounce back from a gain?

 

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Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts!

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction
Erin @ She's A Big Star

0.2. Seriously? Seriously? My first inclination when I saw that number this morning was to run to the gym and sweat for an hour...lose that water weight. Then I realized, that isn't the point and that makes me, once again, a slave to the scale. 

So instead I'm going to celebrate 36 lbs lost, gone forever and feel happy knowing there really is no way I won't reach my goal next week. You better believe I'm gonna celebrate with a few new pieces for school! Like these Minnie pants from JCrew (tried them on already, I'm READY!) and this JCrew Factory Henley Tunic. Just a few things to refresh my wardrobe - outfits perfect for professional events, shadowing my mentor, etc. 

Weighing In

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last week: 201.8

This week: 200.2

Change: -1.6

Total Loss: -36 lbs

Today is our Student Activities Fair for school so last night I was charged with making goodie bags for Emergency Medicine Club. Anyone see the irony in giving candy out at a medical school :) Unfortunately candy is a lot cheaper than apples and almonds for 300 people...Moderation is key. Anyway, I definitely had a few pieces while I was making the bags - thank goodness for Jolly Ranchers! Those stupid candies are probably responsible for the 0.2.

I decided to start taking my measurements once a month to measurement my progress in addition to photos and the scale. No real changes in the arms or legs but I did lose 3.5 inches from my torso! I've noticed small changes in how my clothes are fitting, too. I guess all the little things add up!

Measuring Up (inches):

July 2 // August 6

Bust: 44    43      -1

Waist:35.25    34.25   -1

Hips: 46    45      -1

Bootay: 46.5  46     - 0.5

R Thigh/Calf: 28 // 16.5 same

L Thigh/Calf: 28 // 16 same

R Bicep: 13.5 same

L Bicep: 13.5 same

I'm actually pretty proud of how this past weekend went. Nick's parents came to stay with us (thank goodness for our two bedrooms...I have too much stuff!) on Friday night. I think I made really good choices - my weekend behaviors are getting much better.

We hit the gym as a family on Saturday morning and then went to brunch.

Holy moly! This was the best breakfast EVER - Ruth's Cafe at Keystone. Nick's dad and I shared with each other - I got the caprese eggs benedict and he got the pesto, asparagus, tomato scramble. It came with your choice of mixed greens or fruit so I decided to try the salad. Fantastic. We will be going back very soon.

On Sunday I went running at Eagle Creek Park for a little trail run/walk - my first "long run" of half training. It was a perfect day in the shade!

On Monday I made these AWESOME oven chicken fajitas - looked up a recipe for homemade fajita seasonsing, chopped up the veggies and chicken, drizzled with a little olive oil/seasoning, and roasted in the oven for about 30 minutes on 425 degrees. Amazing!

It's Day 17 of the Midsummer Shape Up? How have you been doing? Still going strong over here...yesterday I felt like I was 1000 lbs, like bricks were strapped to my feet. The gym sounded like a terrible idea but I went anyway. You never regret a workout, so make time for it! 

Did you know you can break up your workout into 10 minute intervals and still get the same healthy benefits? A 10 minute walk in the morning, at lunch, and at dinner is better than nothing at all! 

Venti Iced Coffee - fueling med students everywhere.

Happy Wednesday! How have you fit physical activity in when you didn't have a lot of time?

 

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Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts!

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction
Erin @ She's A Big Star

Keeping it short and sweet today! Lots of things on my to-do lists (mostly because I waited until the last two weeks of summer to do things). I'm going to miss my leisurely mornings of watching the news and drinking my coffee/shake.  

No One-derland this week. *Sigh* I knew as soon as I woke up I didn't make it - I feel bloated. And sore. Very sore. It's possible I'm hanging on to some water weight.

Weighing In

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last week: 201.2

This week: 201.8

Change: +0.6

Total Loss: -34.4 lbs

I'm chalking this up to lifting. Since I started learning more about strength training, I've realized my goal is less about "weight loss" and more about body composition change. I definitely wouldn't be upset with being at a higher healthy weight if it means being solid muscle with lower body fat. I understand that it's pretty hard/impossible to build muscle and lose fat at the same time - since they are opposite processes (catabolic vs. anabolic). None the less, I going to continue to preserve my muscle tissue by lifting!

Link

{Did you know the beautiful Marilyn Monroe lifted weights? She has a perfect hourglass shape that many women seek - lifting won't make you bulky!}

Growing up, I thought it was all about being "skinny" at all costs - I would starve myself, then binge, then workout excessively to count the binge.  It's an unhealthy cycle and it stops working pretty quick. {For the record, I'm not skinny shaming. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being skinny or wanting to be skinny if that is your goal. Sometimes I think thin people get just as much crap as heavier people.} 

For now I'm going to keep plugging along, sticking to my calculated macros (which means tracking accurately!!!) and my workout schedule. If things don't move in the next two weeks, it will be time to reassess my macros/caloric intake. Whatever program you are following, give it time to work! Do NOT throw in the towel.

One of the reasons you see people taking "selfies" all the time is to track their progress. At first I felt super awkward doing this but I'm so glad I started. Photos & all the other measures tell a different story about my progress. The scale doesn't tell me if I've lost fat or gained muscle. The scale doesn't tell me if my clothes fit a little better and the scale certainly doesn't tell me that I've taken about 15 more seconds off my mile. Next week when I redo my measurements, the scale might not tell me I've lost those inches either.

These pictures are all 3 weeks apart from each other and represent ~ 2 months of progress (June 6 - July 27). Now I don't know if it's just good angles or lighting or mirrors or who knows what but I feel like there are small changes happening. The funny part? I weigh exactly the same as I did two months ago. Up and down, right? 

Like I said before, I'm still going to weigh in each week until I hit a healthy weight for my height. But as I continue to develop healthier habits, it starts meaning less and less.  

How do you measure your progress? 

How has your view of weight loss/reaching goals changed as you got older?

**Today is Day 10 of Midsummer Shape Up**

Raise your hand if you are still going strong! *raises hand* It's still not too late to join in on the fun. Physical activity 30 days in a row - anything you want! Make sure to CHECK IN via social media with the hashtag #midsummer30for30

Social Media Links

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Hello everybody! Welcome to Weigh-In Wednesday!

Please go check out my sweet co-hosts!

Ash @ A Step in the Right Direction

 Erin @ She's A Big Star

A weekend wedding - med school style!

*Audible Sigh* Someone please just shoot me or shoot my scale. I'm tired of looking at it. 

Weighing In

Height: 5'8"

SW: 236.2

Last week: 202.4

This week: 203.6

Change: +1.2

Total Loss: -32.2

Another great week ruined by an overindulgent weekend. I'm just so fed up with myself. It's easy to isolate this as a temporary gain - just one week - but in reality, I've been STUCK yo-yoing at this weight for over two months now. I should be WAYYYY past this.  

Despite everything I know, everything I learned, I'm still a slave to the scale. I weigh myself DAILY. Sometimes multiple times a day. For instance, last Friday morning I weighed myself to discover a great loss - I was SO close to my goal. Then on Saturday I weighed myself and I went up a pound despite a great day of eating and working out. Well...I took that as a license to eat whatever. Screw it, doesn't matter what I do, I'm just stuck here. We went to a wedding out-of-town Saturday and out afterward. Sunday we went to out to lunch with a work friend of Nick's and watched the World Cup Final. Totally off the wagon - why? Excuses. Same story different weekend.

Lesson learned, I'm off the scale until next Wednesday - I put it under the sink and will be resisting the urge to obsess.

Despite my obsession with the scale, I still feel like I'm making good progress. My clothes are fitting better than they have in years. I bought a dress from The Limited two years ago and was FINALLY able to fit into this weekend. I wore a dress to the wedding Saturday that barely passed as acceptable this time last year. I feel stronger, I'm running faster, I'm able to complete Turbo Fire workouts that I never could finish before. Things ARE changing. I just wish I could SEE it instead of just FEEL it. Does that even make sense???

Nick (and my Mom, etc) tell me I'm too hard on myself. It's that perfectionist attitude - I'm either going to do it right or not at all. Very black and white and very dangerous for weight loss and health. I need balance, I need moderation. Slowly I have to start using these "non-scale victories" to judge my progress more than the scale. When I do use the scale, I CANNOT allow myself to react emotionally. Am I the only one doing this?

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Enough about the scale. *bitting my thumb at you, scale* Now for something more exciting! 

The summer is halfway over and if you're like me, you've had plenty of excuses when it comes to reaching your fitness goals - weddings, picnics, family time, and more. 

Let's stop focusing on the negative and spend an ENTIRE month consistently making time for exercise, healthy, mindful eating, & stress reduction!

I hope you will join me - I certainly need the accountability, support, and motivation. We START MONDAY, JULY 21 and END AUGUST 19 (although it won't really "end"...this is just the beginning!). Let's check in via social media using the hashtag #midsummer30for30

Leave a comment below telling me if you're in and feel free to email me with your ideas and questions - prettystrongmedicine@gmail.com. I'd be happy to suggest a workout program, meal plan options, or anything you need! We can do this together.

If I notice people are being especially active in the challenge, I will be awarding a few random prizes - samples of Shakeology, a bonus DVD workout (PiYo, anyone?), and who knows what else! 

Are you in?