New to The Cardboard Box Diet? Click here. Welcome to Week 11! If you’ve been here before, you know the drill. To see previous weeks, click here. To participate, fill out our weekly survey, post it to your blog (including a button/link back to this blog/post), and link up via Mr. Linky (below). Comments are great too!
Week Eleven. Time flies when you’re having fun, right? (Insert crabby diet joke here.) Honestly though, some of you have been here since the start, and are still here, and that’s awesome. Some of you are just getting started, and that’s awesome too. We can do this, ladies. We have to keep reminding ourselves it’s not a quick fix. This is a long-term solution.
I look at it like this: What’s something that is going to work for me for the next fifty years? Because I certainly don’t want to continue on the path I was on before, slowly gaining weight every year, from now until then. But I also don’t want to spend the rest of my life turning down food that makes me happy in the name of a number or a size. Slowly and steadily making better choices, even if they are small, and gradually working more and more exercise into my life, is something that can realistically stick with me for a long time. I don’t want to crash and burn, I don’t want to plateau. Just a slow, steady, gradual move forward. I believe wholeheartedly that it’s possible.
- Weigh-in: Down about the same. I did have a little bit of a loss this week but I’m only blogging losses if they’re half pounds or more. Anything else I feel could be my scale being weird or my weight fluctuating or whatever. I am getting frustrated that I’m not seeing the scale move very much, but I’m also really liking the way my body is starting to look/feel. I feel slimmer and healthier. My clothes are fitting better. My legs are stronger. I have more energy. I consider all of these things to be wins, even if the numbers aren’t moving as quickly as I’d like.
- Exercise completed: Are you guys ready to be really proud of me? I made it to yoga on Saturday and Pilates on Tuesday! Plus my usual runs. My abs hurt so much but I’m proud of myself. That’s quite a few workouts for a girl who wasn’t working out at all less than 3 months ago!
- Splurge/Guilty Pleasure: A girl brought brownies to class Wednesday night, and I took one without even batting an eyelash. Something like 4 people tweeted about brownies Tuesday night, and I had wanted one so bad, so I considered it a sign.
- Success story: My workouts. I was up super late on Tuesday night, reading for class, but still got up and completed a three-mile run before work on Wednesday. Progress! Also, still doing well on resisting the fast food (usually). Once every couple of weeks is a lot better than a couple of times per week! Drinking more water. Eating lots of fruit.
- Recipes/photos: I don’t have a photo of my recipe because it was the least attractive meal ever. But it was also simple and delicious. Here goes:
-Make some quinoa. I used 1 cup dry quinoa, which makes about 3 cups prepared.
-Steam some broccoli, but leave some crunch to it. I used frozen, but use whatever works. I made a lot. Maybe 6 cups? Maybe more? I really like broccoli.
-Whisk honey and soy sauce (measurements depending on what you like) together. Marinate sliced chicken breasts in the mixture for a couple of minutes.
-Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet. Cook chicken until slightly brown. While chicken is cooking, sprinkle with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper.
-Whisk some more honey and soy sauce, combine with broccoli (also season with garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper).
-Combine everything for the best, most filling, healthiest “stir-fry” ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but it’s really good. And simple.
Link up below and grab a button (or link back here in your post). Leave a comment too, if that is your thing. Don’t forget the hashtag #cbdiet if you tweet or instagram so we can follow along! (And if you’re on MyFitnessPal, add me!)
Heather says:
You have inspired me to get back to running or something. It’s just so hard with 2 kids and I work full time (I know – excuses, excuses). There is a gym in my building at work I need to check out. :-)
Melanie says:
Way to go Lauren! Go you for trying Quinoa! It’s so delish, a complete protein, and so versatile! Also, you probably know this, but muscle DOES weigh more than fat, so be encouraged that the number on the scale might be reflective of greater muscle mass! Oh and I know you will be proud of me about this (or more likely fainting from disbelief)… I’ve been running three times a week for 2 weeks now! But not at some ungodly early time, just after work, ha! Guess I finally gave up on my 6am yoga goal :/
Jill says:
I’ve never tried quinoa. I need to give it a whirl! Thank you for eating the brownie…makes me feel less guilty :)
Tabaitha says:
Way to go on the exercise this week! I also need to try quiona. I’ve pinned several recipes to try, which means I need to pick some up next time I’m at Costco. Brownies are so good!
Hilary says:
ooh … yeah, quinoa! I’ll take quinoa over rice any day of the week, it tastes so nutty and delish! Much better than rice of any variety.
Hilary says:
ack … could you remove link #5 which was the first I posted, by mistake! link #6 is the #cbdiet one. Sorry!
Beth says:
good for you for trying new exercise – and keeping up the running. Awesome :)
Sarah says:
Your recipe sounds delish! Quinoa is one of my new favorite foods! You should try Giada de Laurentis’ Herbed Quinoa!
Miemo says:
I am not seeing any weight movement on the scale either. But it’s okay because I FEEL better, and I actually got to zip up the pink lace shorts I’m working towards. Its still a struggle but at least i got it over my butt!