Well I had a great week, and I hope all of you did too! I have successfully pushed through 9 days straight doing Cize and have stayed consistent with logging my food into MyFitnessPal as well. While it might seem like a pain in the butt to log what I consume everyday, it really helps keep me accountable. I have used MyFitnessPal in the past, and it really helped me last year when I was trying to get in shape for the wedding. Sometimes it's so surprising the little things we waste our calories on. On the other hand, it's also amazing when you realize there are so many good things you can eat and eat a lot of. I never feel deprived or hungry! I still eat all the foods I love. This week I ate brownies, pizza, pasta, steak... and I STILL made progress! Of course, the key is to control your portions and make sure the rest of your diet is well balanced. After all, they do say that abs are made in the kitchen!
Anyway, let's talk a little bit about my first week of 'Cizing it up'! It was a bit of an adjustment getting up and working out in the morning! I cannot reiterate reiterate this enough... I am not a morning person!! Again, it all came down to knowing myself. I knew that I would make up excuses when I came home from work and I would not exercise, so I had to make the change and move workouts to the morning. What's an hour working out in the morning? 4% of your day! THAT'S IT! Don't get me wrong, I was still struggling to leave the warm confines of my comforter, and sleepily drug my feet down the stairs several mornings. I scowled through the first few minutes of many workouts, but once Shaun T said that is was time for the cool down I felt energized and accomplished! Which brings me to the main topic of today's post...Non-Scale Victories.
Wait, first I'll start by saying my goal right now is to lose at least 2 pounds a week. When I stepped on the scale Thursday morning for my one week weigh in, I'll admit, I was terrified. So many thoughts ran through my head. "What if I didn't lose any weight?" "What if I GAINED weight?" Alas, I peeked down at the number on the scale. SUCCESS! 3.6 pounds down. 3.6 pounds closer to my goal weight. That's nearly double my weekly goal, and I could not be happier about it. If you want to SEE my progress check out my Instagram here -- MotivateMandz
Seeing the number on the scale go down is great and all, but something else I want to focus on is not obsessing over that number and acknowledge accomplishments OFF the scale. When I tried the 21 Day Fix, something we used to discuss in our challenge group was "Non-Scale Victories". It is SO important to celebrate Non-scale victories! Remember when I was worrying to myself about not losing weight in my first week? This is when we need to recognize these victories. Let's pretend I didn't lose the 3.6 pounds... What DID I accomplish? Waking up every morning to work out has seemed to boost my energy. I'm sure eating right has also helped. I haven't been feeling that 3 pm slump that I usually feel at work. In fact, I feel happier! I'm sure many people know that exercising produces endorphins. If you don't know what endorphins are, they are chemicals your body produces that can help reduce pain and also trigger positive feelings. They basically make you feel good and are like your body's natural pain killers. Another victory was just making it through the whole week working out every single day and not giving up! Being able to see all that I've accomplished in just one week has given me the motivation to stay positive and keep going! I think that feeling of motivation is another victory in itself. So you see, even when you feel like you might be failing, there are ALWAYS Non-Scale Victories to celebrate!
What have been your non-scale victories? I'd love to hear them!
One last thing I want to celebrate is my re-discovery of nopales aka cactus! Cactus salad has to be my favorite thing that I ate this week-- It's my recipe of the week. It sounds intimidating but is so easy! I hope you try it. It is a delicious and refreshing salad that can be eaten on it's own, but I think Tony and I are going to use it as filling for Cactus Tacos as our Meatless Monday meal. See below for the recipe.
Until next time, my loves! Remember, it's not a diet... It's a lifestyle.
xoxo
Mandie
Ensalada De Nopales - Cactus Salad
Shoutout to Magali (Hey boo!), it was her Purty 30 birthday on Monday and of course everyone brought yummy (and dangerous) food to celebrate. She encouraged me to try a cactus salad that another co-worker of ours brought in, and I fell in love with it. Yes, cactus. No, it's not prickly. Yes, it is delicious! Cactus has been a staple in Mexican cuisine for centuries, and according to my google research, it's beginning to gain popularity in the US due to its health benefiting properties. Cactus is a low calorie vegetable and is a rich source of dietary fiber that actually helps control cholesterol, blood sugar and aids digestion. One cup of this salad is 85 calories and quite filling! Aside from being full of other vitamins and minerals it is also said that cactus helps boost your immune system. All that being said, I didn't even know it was so good for you, but I loved it so much I decided I had to make it that night. So with Magali and Nora's basic instructions, a trip to the grocery store and some courage I made my version of Ensalada de Nopales (Cactus Salad).
Ingredients are gathered and ready -- It's not so much cooking but prepping and mixing in a bowl.
I poured the jar out in a colander and removed some of the peppers and onions that accompanied the nopales. I guess you could leave them in there if you like more heat.
Rinse and rinse the nopales with water until they didn't feel slimy anymore
Dice up your nopales, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro (Whoops forgot to take a picture of the nopales & cilantro!) *I used yellow cherry tomatoes instead of romas because they were on sale and I was also using them for a salad later in the week*
Juice your limes!
Crumble your queso fresco!
Mix it all together, and you're done! It's that easy!
Ensalada De Nopales (Cactus Salad)
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes:
Queso fresco is salty, you may not need additional salt. Taste first before adding!
This salad is best eaten fresh but will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days or the texture changes and becomes unappealing.
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