Feeling Lighter

I have mentioned a couple times that I am back on a diet. And yes, this means that i gained a bunch back! Well, I am switching things up and this time instead of doing Lindora (like i have done for the better part of the last 7 years), my hubby and i heard about the Carb Cycling Solution! I thought i would give you a quick run down of what the diet entails, plus at some point i can share my meal planning forms that i have created! 

Here's the low down: 

-You alternate between a high carb day and a low carb day!

-Eat within the first 30 minutes of being awake! And then eat 4 more meals every three hours after your breakfast. 

-Breakfast is always high carb, no matter what day! 

There's so many more details, but you can read the book for that! 

Choose to Lose by Chris Powell

(BTW - there is a TON of info in the comments section on this book on Amazon!)

My take on this whole diet thus far? 

Here are some notes to give you my opintion:

Facts:

-I have lost 11.6 lbs. 

-My husband has lost about 10 lbs. 

-I have felt hungry in the late evenings. 

-My clothes are fitting better!

-Cheat days are relaxing!

-I feel as though i can now have carbs, good ones of course! 

-One month on this diet and still chugging along!

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Pros: 

-Weight loss! 

-Great tasting food! 

-Gets easier to plan after a couple weeks. 

-Lots of options

-Can vary between different types of foods such as Mexican style and Italian. 

-Prior to this diet i hadn't had pasta in months. 

-Veggies! I love bell peppers and mushrooms! On this diet there is no limit to the amount of veggies! 

-A new way to think about food groups!

-Costco can really help with items that we seem to just go through every week! Almond milk, salsa, veggies and fruit are some of those items on our Costco list every week! 

-The 100 calorie portion list in the book is helpful!

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Cons:

-Feeling tired at times

-In order to work with my school day, I have to be up at 5 am so i can keep the "eat every three hours" schedule.

-Food prep can take a while. 

-Menu planning can take some time as well. 

-I often want more fruit, but understand that it is listed as a carb! 

-I wish there were more details about specific foods. For example, i wish there were more clearly outlined guidelines about calorie limitations for certain foods. 

-It can be a bit expensive at first.

-If hubs wakes up after me, we do not get to eat together to follow our schedule. This has not been a huge problem for us, but still could be for a family who likes to sit and eat a meal together. 

-The book gives a great 100 calorie list, but it can be difficult to determine the correct portions. 

-The list of approved foods and the 100 calorie list could be combined better. (look out for a Freebie of this sometime soon!)

-More recipes needed! (I will probably be posting a few of my recipes too!) 

-Spices- these seem a bit limited! I personally have not followed the rules on the spices front! I just feel that spices should not be limited to what is on the list. 

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I think that's a pretty good run down! When we are done with the carb cycling and weight loss portion of the diet, we will increase our food a bit and then see if maintenance is better than the whole low carb thing that i had done before! 

Have any of you tried to do this carb cycling thing before? 

H54F 2.24.13

Whew! What a week this has been! Between sickness hitting our household and then the craziness that work and life can bring, it sure does feel like this week was a whirlwind! Oh boy! 

So, here are my high fives for the week! 

|one|

Get well notes from my kiddos. When i called out sick on Tuesday, the therapist that works with my students ditched her original plan for my kiddos and kindly had the kids think about their teacher. They all wrote get well soon notes to me. I got pictures, stickers, notes and so much love from them!On Wednesday morning when i got to work, still feeling crummy, I was so touched to read the motes and look at everything from the kids! It meant a lot! (It has been soooooo crazy since Wednesday that i keep forgetting to take a picture of thier notes!) 

|two|

My hubby and i have done so well on our diet! Woo Hoo for Carb Cycling! I will be writing a whole post on this but it hs been great thus far! i love that we are both committed to it and that we can both encourage ech other

|three|

A great weekend planned! Saturday we are headed to some fun times with some good friends and I am way excited about it! More details after the event for sure! 

|four|

Loving that my husband wants an earlier bed time lately! Usually he is such a night owl, but we have changed our night owl ways and have been hittin' the hay MUCH earlier. Loving that! Who doesn't love sleep?

|five|

Friendship. There have been a select few ladies that have lately really stood out to me in the friend department. Those of you that i talk to on a pretty regular basis, though it may not be everyday, you all mean the world to me. For example, i got a text from a friend who was somewhat familiar with my route to work. When a shooter went nuts the other morning and ended up killing himself in an intersection i pass through everyday, i got a text message from a friend making sure i was ok. Luckily, i called in sick that morning! Others have reached out and trusted me with crucial information, invited me to outings, included me in groups i love and really jsut spent time with me. It means so much! These are all people i want in my life and the life of my hubby for a long time!

Head on over to visit Lauren to see everyone else's High Five! 

Sorry for the lack of pics this week! 

H54F 2.15.13

Here's my high 5! 

|one|

Dinner at la creperie! One word: YUM! 

|two| 

This kitty! She has been so sweet the last couple days. This is her rediscovering her bed. (She has not used it since she first came home.)

|three|

A day off where i could sport my rainbows! If i could wear these things all the time, i think i would. There was a time in my life where i did! Oh and i get one more three day weekend! Wowie! 

|four|

Dieting! This Chris Powell Choose to Lose book sure does work thus far. I am down 7.2 lbs as of Thursday morning and have enjoyed it! It does take effort to plan and prep, but it is worth it! 

|five|

Valentines day note from one of the kiddos. This made my day for sure! 

(In case you can't see it, it says "Mrs. Simone is sweet because she has beautiful hair." and yes that is me in the pink box, or at least what looks like a cactus is a drawing of me!) 

Go see Lauren over at From My Grey Desk to see more High 5's! 

Recommendations Wanted

Hi ya! 

I had a great weekend and i hope you did too! 

My husband and i ran errands and wandered around Orange County searching for homes within our price range to get a good idea of neighborhoods we might like! I tell ya, it only made me want out of this apartment sooner rather than later. My husband quickly reminded me that we only have 20 weekends left! *fingers crossed* & *prayers said*

Anyway, today i don't have anything in particular to post but I have been wondering about a couple things. Here they are in no particular order, of course:

|one|

I need a new face wash and need one now. Hubs and i wandered target a bit in hopes to find one that is reasonably priced and that i might like to help clear up my skin a bit. I am just not really happy with the Cetaphil i have been using and feel i have only broken out more with the stuff. I have toyed with the idea of changing up my routine a bit, but i want to be careful about drying out my skin, as i know this could cause breakouts as well. I have combination skin. Some spots are oily and others are dry, dry, dry! So, i am looking to you, my dear readers, to recommend one. What face wash do you use? What do like about your current face wash? 

{source}

|two|

I cannot for the life of me correctly type the word recommend  reccommend... no, reccomend, ugh recomend, gosh! geez louise!  And now the correctly spelled one looks just flat out silly! Arg! I will just depend on spell check for this one!

|three|

My husband heard about a diet from a co-worker and this time his suggestion might stick and pull me away from my Lindora-esq ways! Yes friends, its time again that i loose some weight. The thing i always struggled with, even on Lindora is maintaining. It is difficult, in fact, the most difficult part of changing your diet for the better and for the long run! So, my husband really wants to give the 7 Day Carb Cycle Diet a try. It is based on the book "Choose to Lose" written by the guy from Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition (Chris Powell). I have read a good portion of what the diet entails and really seem interested. I told the hubby to give me a week to prep everything. We plan on starting the day after the Super Bowl. Have any of you started this diet? Heard about it? Read the book? Just wondering any thoughts about it... help a sister out! 

|four| 

Big things are happening again this week. Be sure to stop by tomorrow!