gain[z] box

Diet Pills......The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

January 27, 2017


Well hello there! Happy Friday! How was your week? You look great today by the way. Are you doing something different with your hair?
I did, I recently chopped al of mine off. How liberating. I love cutting my hair. But as soon as I do I miss my long hair. I’m weird.
This past weekend we purged the house. We went through the guest bedroom closet, my office and the garage. I could not believe the amount of stuff we threw out. Who knew we had that much stuff?! It was crazy. I’m not a person who likes clutter so our place in general is minimal but I am VERY sentimental so I had a lot of items I was storing in containers. I went through it all and got rid of garbage bags full. I mean…..I’m 33 and married I don’t think I need to keep the box I had of keepsakes from my last relationship or my high school……yes..HIGH SCHOOL… relationship anymore. Sheesh. So, I dumped those boxes, I also got rid of some stuffed animals I was holding on to, some out dated curriculum I had from when I taught, holiday decorations we haven’t taken out in years. The list could go on. We spent 7 hours just purging, cleaning, reorganizing. It was great. We were exhausted by the end but it felt so good to get rid of so much.

I mean seriously! Look at all the junk behind my hunk!
Then Sunday was grocery shopping and football. We did go look at a new housing community but that was uneventful. I went to bed early for the 4th evening in a row. I’ve got to drop this cough I have. The extra sleep, Nyquil, Listerine and Green juice have really helped. My body is just telling me to rest so I’m TRYING to do that.
Ok so as promised let’s talk diet pills.
Oh, the diet pill. Isn’t technology great! Practically everything we want is at our finger tips. You want directions? Your phone will tell you how to get there quicker than you can find a map. You want food? There’s an app for that. Just text your order and it will be delivered to your door step. You want clothes or household goods? Amazon will deliver most things same day now! So why put in the weeks, months, years of work to lose weight and keep it off? That’s absurd! We want it now! Well guess what?! There’s a pill for that! Just pop a pill a couple times per day and you can lose several pounds in one week! Need to slim down quick for a special event? Just pop that pill! Sounds great, right?
Yes, it sounds awesome. Anyone who has ever had to or wanted to lose some weight can attest to the fact that it would be great to wish the pounds away. And guess what? The answer is yes, diet pills work. They help you lose weight. It’s amazing. So why not take diet pills? With quotes out there like “Nothing tastes as good as thin feels,” it’s easy to find a reason to give into the hype.
I’ll start with the positives. I feel its beneficial to provide all perspectives so you can come to your own educated conclusion. Diet pills can help shed the pounds quickly. That is the best part! Do you even need to hear the rest? Maybe not but I’ll go on. Many diet pills offer an appetite suppressant. As weight loss requires a calorie deficit in order to be successful and appetite suppressants can make it a lot easier to restrict calories. If you don’t feel hungry it’s a lot easier to resist snacking especially on unhealthy snacks. Diet pills act as a diuretic. They can reduce water weight your body is holding. This can make an impact of a few pounds on the scale for sure! Another great thing about diet pills is they help increase resting energy which allows for more calorie burn throughout the day.  Many diet pills contain caffeine or an ingredient with the same affect to boost the metabolism and keep calories burning throughout the day. Hey! With all that extra energy, you may be able to kick that coffee habit! But that’s silly……..who wants to give up coffee?! It’s a delicious little oasis to start the busy work day.
But with the good comes the bad. Diet pills can help shed pounds quickly. Hmmmm sound familiar. Right now, are you like, “Well she messed up the post, she already said this.” “Is this a bad copy/paste job?” The answer is nope!  As good as it is to shed 10 pounds in 1 week it’s just as bad. It is difficult for the body to burn large amounts of fat calories in a short amount of time which means you may also be burning lean muscle tissue. Rapid weight loss can also cause malnutrition, gallstones, constipation, dizziness, as well as hair loss and for women irregular menstruation. Its recommend to lose 1-2 pounds per week. Steady weight loss is more sustainable and allows the body to gradually adapt to the lifestyle change. Keep in mind, easy weight loss also means it is easier to gain back.
Many diet pills offer an appetite suppressant. UGH! I hate this one…..maybe the most! I have been asked a few to many times by friends and acquaintances what I would suggest as a good appetite suppressant. My answer is always the same, water and exercise.  I mean, seriously, lets break this down. You take a pill to suppress your appetite. What do you think is going to happen once the pill wears off? You’ll be famished! This is what leads to binge eating. It just creates poor eating habits. And binge eating will not help with weight loss that’s for sure. Binge eating can make your body hold on to the fat. This is because your body thinks “well crap! Who knows when I’ll get food again.” So, you binge and your body stores it to hold onto energy for your body to function. Then, let’s say you lose the weight you want and stop taking the appetite suppressants. All you’re left with is a disordered eating habit of suppressing your appetite then bingeing. I just can’t. If you consistently drink plenty of water and regularly exercise your cravings to just eat to eat will subside. You’ll eat because your body needs the fuel. Try this, next time you feel hungry, drink a glass of water first. If you are no longer hungry then that means you were just dehydrated! Save the food for your next true meal.
Diet pills act as a diuretic. EHHHHHH! NEXT! Drink your water people! It’s good for you! It helps the body function properly and flushes out the bad. Diuretics just dehydrate your body. If you abuse diuretics, you can cause some significant damage to your organs. Also, they will age you. Dry skin causes wrinkles and makes you look older. If you’re a lifter and you’re all dried out get ready for your skin to tear on your next deadlift. EWWWWW!
Diet pills help increase resting energy which allows for more calorie burn throughout the day. You know what else does this? Weight lifting! Now that doesn’t mean you must go all body builder, The Rock style to reap the benefits and burn those calories. Even adding some weight training to your exercise regimen can make an impact. If you are just starting a weight training routine start small. Maybe only do 2-3 days a week and work your weight up. Try circuit training. With circuit training you can combine weights and cardio for a calorie scorcher! Besides, the added caffeine that is found in diet pills to artificially increase your resting energy can do bad things to your heart and no one wants that.
So there ya have it. DO NOT TAKE DIET PILLS! Even “natural” ones. Supplements are not regulated by the FDA like prescriptions. They can contain harmful ingredients without your knowledge. Anytime you take a supplement do your research. Google those MoFo’s. I had a friend end up in the ER for some wonky supplement she ordered online. No Bueno.  
Trust me when I say you want to lose weight the right way. I know it can be enticing to drop the weight fast. I’ve been there. I regret it. When I started my weight loss journey I lost my first 50lbs in 3 months. I still have extra skin on my lower stomach because I did not give my body enough time to adapt. I have also experienced depriving myself then binge eating. My metabolism is super slow now and I really have to watch what I eat and really push myself in the gym to keep the weight off.  But it’s part of my journey so I own it.
Hey go check out the blogs Instagram. I posted about meal prepping, which also helps ward off the overeating. If you need help with meal prep or food shopping for the right foods let me know! I’ll be happy to help! You can comment below or e-mail the blog at barbellsandboyshorts@gmail.com

Fun Fact: Every day you are breathing in about ¼ of other people’s farts!
If you didn’t know. Now you know.

You’ll want to check out the blog next week! I’ll be serving up two paleo recipes for your super bowl festivities!

Hey, have a great day!
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These are a few of my favorite things...right now

January 20, 2017


OK I would like to start with a product review. Apple AirPods. OMG. These little wireless earbuds have completely changed my work out! I have tried several different types of wireless headphones and have had nothing but issues. They fall out, they lose connection, they don’t stay charged. I have not had any of those issues with the AirPods. I do a lot of jumping around at the gym, I run on my lunch break and they stay securely in my ears. They are the best! I love them! LOVE LOVE LOVE! If you haven’t ordered them ORDER THEM! You will not regret it! Best investment ever……even those these were a gift BUUUUUUTTTTT I would have bought them for myself anyway.
So in my last post I talked about how I’ve been trying to wean myself off of my almond and cashew addiction. Well I think I took care of it this past weekend. Following the Whole 30 is difficult because you can’t make or eat and “paleo”-ized baked goods or desserts. Almonds and cashews have helped me fill that void. Well Sunday I was craving sweets SOOOOOO bad I went completely ham on cashews and almonds to the point I can’t even look at them anymore. UGH!  I binge ate the f%&$ out of almonds and cashews. So disappointed in myself. I reminded me of how I can’t drink tequila sunrises anymore or chardonnay. Oh man……Jon's cousin fed me tequila sunrises all night at his brother’s wedding. I tried to drink one a few months later and couldn’t get past the first sip. With Chardonnay, basically I drank it till I puked. I was left sleeping next to the toilet with my poor puppy watching over me. I’m such a great parent LOL such a shining example of what not to do. I haven’t been able to stomach it since. Sheesh, I have better control than that. Shameful. When I got up Monday morning I was very disappointed in myself. I try to tell myself its ok, it happens but it’s not ok. I just feel like I took so many steps back in my progress all because of one weak moment. DARN YOU Almonds! DARN YOU delicious Cashews!

Yah know, they say when you go after sweets that your body Is really craving or needing some nutrient. Maybe I should have cooked up a sweet potato or had some spinach or something. So, frustrating. I didn't think this Whole 30 would be difficult but it is. Not during the week so much but the weekends. Oh man. I usually have a cheat meal on the weekends and it includes dessert. Albeit a paleo cheat meal and a paleo dessert but still. Dessert is involved. Whole 30 equals no dessert, no paleo biscuits with Sunday morning breakfast and no Smoothie King! Oh man…I’m obsessed with Smoothie King! So delish!

But, I can’t dwell on it…even though I will. One day of lunacy does not mean the week has gone to shit.

Monday morning I did crush my back workout though!

I love back day. I think it’s my favorite. I also really enjoy hamstring day. I have been separating my leg workouts lately and dedicating a whole day to hamstrings and one whole day to quads. I love hamstring day because I need to work on my hamstring strength and my booty. Gotta try to calm that thing down. When its hamstring day two songs are on my play list. I feel like these songs were made with me in mind. LOL



With my leg workouts, I’ve been working in more, what I call, pretty leg movements. By that I mean like hamstring curls on the ball, bridges, abductors, step ups etc. I already have thick, bulky legs so I’m trying to do more movements to lean them out a little and make them more “pretty.” I’ll let you know how that works out for me. I know it won’t make a huge difference. I was blessed with short, thick legs and a long torso so I won’t have model legs from incorporating more of these movements but we’ll see if I can make them look a little longer. While we’re on the topic of legs I have another product review for you! I have problems with my right knee. I contribute my knee issues to when I fell roller blading many moons ago, all my running, and all of my jumping around. This past year I purchased a knee sleeve and it seemed to help. It wasn’t anything fancy, it was super stretchy and seemed to offer a little extra protection during squats, lunges and leg extensions. Well, I’ve realized lately that I really need to take better care of my knees and I wanted to buy more durable knee sleeves. Yes, sleeves, I want to wear them on both knees. So I purchased some through amazon. I was finally able to use them this week. They are so difficult to get on but let me tell you, they are worth the struggle. My mobility was slightly limited but I could squat more, leg extensions didn’t bother me and leg press was a breeze! It was so great to feel like I could push weight and not fear my knee crumbling beneath me. Great purchase and great investment for my knees. I mean, I’m not getting any younger over here!
Ok, I have a question. I want to apologize to my male readers as this part will be agonizing for you. If you want to, just skip this part just move down a paragraph. Anywho….how do you keep your makeup on your eyes!? I am really trying to embrace my femininity in 2017 and that includes putting more effort into my hair and makeup, getting my nails done and taking better care of my skin.  I feel like everything is coming together but every day before lunch I have raccoon eyes! It’s so frustrating! I use eye primer, I use the translucent powder method, I use waterproof mascara and waterproof eyeliner. No matter how little or how much makeup I wear on my eyes it ends up on my lower lid or even my cheek before ½ the day is even over. I even use a makeup finishing spray. ::sigh:: Please help me. I’m just trying to adult. Oh, speaking of adult, I now have a 401K. Oh yeah!!! I was also able to put my husband on my vision and dental insurance! So responsible I am!
So lately I’ve gotten several compliments on my gym attire. Calm down Barb…..not my boy shorts, but my joggers and my zip up hoodie. So I wanted to share with everyone so you can help support this wonderful small business. Wait for it….its short story time!
After I ran my marathon in March of 2014 I didn’t want to run anymore. My body was so beat up and I was just over running. I couldn’t bear to think about running another mile let alone another 26.2.  I was still in the gym everyday but with no purpose. I had no direction. All I knew was cardio. I had always done some weight training but nothing significant or even that heavy. I wanted to be fast and I wanted to be thin, not strong. So for the rest of that year I just plugged along at the gym. Being on Instagram allowed me to see several women and men in the fitness community.  I would follow some and try to get ideas. This one female kept showing up in my feed. I would look then scroll past. I didn’t really pay her much attention. One day I saw a post of hers and I thought to myself “why does this girl keep showing up in my feed? There must be a reason.” So, I went to her page. I spent forever just looking through her pictures. She was so strong. She trained intense but still looked feminine. She was adorable. I found myself visiting her page daily after that. I wanted to know more and see more. Then I started following her and I knew this was my inspiration. This is my next endeavor. My body was never going to be naturally thin so why not work with what I have. If I can’t run my body to the figure I like maybe I could build my body to a figure I appreciated. This female is Dana Linn Bailey. She is a natural athlete. She just likes to lift! She doesn’t follow the conventional rules of body building. She is the 2013 Ms. Olympia-Women's Physique and I idolize her. Her husband created the company Flag nor Fail. A homemade/handmade clothing company. They are small and have limited releases of items from time to time. The clothing doesn’t make me stronger but it makes me feel cool! It’s comfy, affordable and durable. They put so much of a personal touch into everything they do. I watch their You Tube videos every day. I stalk their IG and Facebook. They inspire me to follow my heart and follow my dreams and not worry about what others think. She has been berated up and down on social media and she is still such a genuine, kind, positive person. I like to think I’m that way. You should check them out!



Well, that about wraps up my favorite things....right now! What are some of your favs either in the gym or out in the real world? I'm always looking for new stuff to try, especially if it makes my life easier!

Come on back next week! I’ll be talking about the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of diet pills and supplements.

Have a great weekend!

 Oh before I forget..FUN FACT! We have all heard great things about Green Tea...well here's another one! Drinking a cup of green tea stimulates the release of fat from the cells and converting it into energy! So get to drinking some green tea and release those that fat people!












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Jen loves the nuts

January 13, 2017


You sick F&*%. Yah you.......I know what you thought this post was going to be about. I am appalled. I'm a precious little pumpkin and would never elude to such a thing! Now, can I get back to my blog post please?! ::Pshhhhaw::

WTF! It’s been freaking cold! I woke up on Monday and it was 41 degrees. WHAT! Now, I need everyone to calm down if you’re reading this from Boston. I know this is like shorts weather for you guys but in Florida! OMG! It was super cold Sunday night. I had the heating blanket cranked up. I went to bed with socks on. SOCKS ON! Who does that? When I got out of bed in the morning, holy bajesus Batman……..frigid.  FYI, I’m not allowed to use the heat in my house, Ah hem……husband, so the tile in the bathroom was eye opening to say the least. But the electric bill is nice. Does anyone else forgo heat to save on electric? I mean, it’s gotten cold enough in years past that I’ve had to wear a snow cap to bed. Ya feel me? Yes? No? Ok.

So how are you surviving the winter? Our winter will end by Friday. It will be back in the 80’s. Now I just sound like I’m bragging. Ok I kinda am!  But let me tell you, I really don’t have winter clothes so it’s good that is comes in short spurts. I only have maybe two “winter” gym outfits as well so going to the gym as early as I do its crazy cold. When I went Monday morning, I put sweat pants and a sweatshirt over my regular gym garb just so I could survive the ride over.

So on the socials I’m starting to see the quotes and memes about Summer bodies being made in the winter. Ok, I mean only if you can muster up the courage to get out of the house to go to the gym in this weather. If you can’t, I know I’ve mentioned before, You Tube is an excellent source for at home work outs.

I also follow Miranda Oldroyd and Hollanderfitness on Instagram and they post at home workout routines several times per week. Hollanderfitness even uses items you have at home to strength train! She’s awesome.

So at the beginning of January I started a Whole 30. Whole 30 is basically a more rigid version of Paleo. I decided to do it as a reset for the year. I really like making paleo breads and desserts and becoming accustom to those items as part of my diet will not really help me out with the goals I would like to achieve. So, the Whole 30 doesn’t allow you to eat any of those types of items. I also occasionally eat cheese or have dairy and that is restricted as well along with alcohol and any artificial sweetener. Now the alcohol thing is no big deal. I’ve been pretty much off that train for about 5 months. The few times I have drank, the next day I felt like total shitake and didn’t drink again for a while. The artificial sweetener has been difficult. I LOVE my morning coffee and that includes Stevia and Creamer. I also like to have green tea throughout the day at work. So, I went from 2 to 1 cup of coffee per day. I still have my stevia but I switched to Almond Milk for my creamer. For my green tea, I have stopped adding stevia to the tea and just drink it straight. It’s not great but I can get through it. I gotta break as much of the artificial sweetener habit as possible.

What has been the hardest for you to give up or find alternatives for in the New Year? I would say the most difficult for me is giving up nuts. I love Almonds and Cashews. LOVE. They are such a quick little snack for me. But I abuse them and although they are good fat….they are still fattening and full of calories. I’m and extremist in a way. For me its either all or nothing, especially when it comes to food. If we have dessert in the house I either need to eat all of it or none of it. This is why I can’t buy a box of Quest Bars anymore. I’ll eat like two a day if not more. They are so yummy! It was when I started sneaking them…for what reason I don’t know….I realized I was reverting back to my old habits so I had to stop buying them. If you feel you have to sneak food that’s never a good sign. I mean, why sneak it? My husband wouldn’t judge me. My dog isn’t going to judge me. I just felt ashamed for going ham on some Quest bars. ::sigh:: I love them. I’m sort of like that with almonds and cashews. I don’t really sneak them though but I can put away some almonds and cashews! I tried portioning them out. It has helped a lot but when I get home I still reach for them if I’m hungry before dinner.  I used to also have them after dinner as a “dessert” almost but with the Whole 30 I have stopped eating after dinner. I love to snack so that has been pretty difficult. If I crave something after dinner I try to drink some almond milk so I feel full.

Something else I am working on is only eating until I’m satisfied. Julie Bauer from PaleOMG now has a podcast on iTunes. During one episode on her Pod Cast she briefly mentioned how one of her CrossFit coaches discussed not eating until you’re full but eating until you’re satisfied. That really made me stop and think. I mean, how many of you, growing up, were asked by your parents, “are you full?” or were encouraged to clean your plate? I know I was. My mom even encouraged going back for seconds. This has trained us from a young age to basically stuff ourselves. Well, brace yourself for what I’m about to say. It is ok to not be full. ::Gasp!:: It’s true! Why be full? When I’m full I feel like I have less energy and all I want to do is go to bed. I know there have been several cheat nights when I have eaten myself to the point of being just completely uncomfortable. Why?! Do I really think someone is going to come take my food? I can save it for later Sheesh! For me it’s not really a resolution I would just like to be more cognizant of how my body feels when I eat meals. Once my body is satisfied I need to work on not eating anymore.

A goal I do not have for 2017 is having a baby. So stop asking people! My husband and I were together almost 12 years before we got married this past September. No one really bothered us about kids. All of a sudden, we sealed the deal and now everyone wants to know…”when are you having kids?” We’re not. Sorry to disappoint but we’re not. I love kids but let’s get real. I haven’t gotten any younger since we got married and we’re just really set in our ways at this point. We want to start travelling more and we have individual goals we want to accomplish and it would make it very difficult if we had children. Ya know, growing up I never played like that. I never dreamt of being married and having kids. Maybe because I was raised by a single mom but I just never wanted to be a mom. When I would play house with my friends’ I wasn’t the mom, I was the dog. Growing up I wanted to be an astronaut or a marine biologist. When I was in high school I still wasn’t sold on marriage. I decided I wanted to be a teacher. I would teach during the school year and life guard in the summer. I imagined myself with a Jeep wrangler and two little boys that would come to the beach with me every day. No husband was ever in that picture so the sheer fact that I found an awesome human being that I love, admire and adore enough to enter into the contract of marriage in itself is wonderful to me. People often ask if I don’t want kids because I don’t want to get fat. My answer to that is no……that’s terrible. Anyone who avoids having a baby because they don’t want to gain weight is ridiculous. Women who give birth have the most beautiful, amazing bodies. Anyone who births a child is such a hero in my eyes. Not to mention stretch marks are gorgeous! I have a good amount on my lower stomach from when I was bigger. I have NEVER been ashamed of them. They tell a story of my life’s journey. I don’t want them to go away. Now my cellulite…..that’s a different story. I used to want to adopt because I am not brave enough to give birth. Just thinking about birthing a baby makes my vagina hurt! Hmmmm…..too forward? Sorry…but its true!

Ok enough about that LOL

Oh! You guys didn’t tell me I missed a couple fun facts! So here’s one for ya;

FUN FACT: Dark chocolate, honey and eggs can help increase blood flow, prevent depression and increase your energy.

Sounds like the makings of a yummy cake recipe to me!

Speaking of recipes…….Ha, see what I did there?! I’m giving you a simple week night recipe this post. This is another one I am obsessed with lately; Shrimp scampi with Zucchini Noodles.

But first a product review!! Spiralizer! WHAT WHAT! It’s amazing!!!!! I didn’t get all the hype until I received one as a gift for my bridal shower. Now I use it at least once a week and I LOVE it! Mine is an attachment for my Kitchen aid mixer but have no fear……if you do not have a kitchen aid mixer they also sell a hand propelled one! I have not tapped into all that the spiralizer can do but what I have used it for I’m obsessed!!!!!! So for this recipe you will need a spiralizer or you can cut the zucchini noodles by hand if you're savage like that!


Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

3 Medium Zucchini

16 shelled and deveined shrimp (I use already cleaned and deveined frozen shrimp. I allow them to thaw completely prior to cooking)

1 Tblspn Red Pepper Flakes

2 Tblspn Ghee

1 Tblspn minced garlic

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Rinse 3 Zucchini

Using a knife, chop off the stem and the tip of each zucchini

Use a spiralizer to make the zucchini into noodles

-If cutting by hand, cut the zucchini length wise in to ¼ inch slices

Line a cookie sheet with paper towels

Place the zucchini noodles on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt

Place a layer of paper towels over the zucchini and press another cookie sheet on top.

This will draw the water out of the zucchini while you prepare the shrimp.

In a large skillet put 2 tablespoons of Ghee over medium heat

Once Ghee is melted add the red pepper flakes, garlic and shrimp.

Cook shrimp until bright pink

Then add zucchini and salt and pepper to taste

Fold ingredients together until fully combined and zucchini is slightly tender.

Split between two plates

Eat up!



 Hey! Any questions or suggestions? E-mail the blog at barbellsandboyshorts@gmail.com


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New Year, same neurosis

January 6, 2017


Well happy new year everybody! How are your resolutions going so far? Did you make one? I haven’t really had a chance to practice my resolutions yet but my goal of one unassisted pull up is going…….blah. I’m over it and want to quit and say F&^% It! I’m just not meant to do pull ups! But I’m plugging along. Even did some assisted pull ups while I was out of town. I tried one unassisted and my elbows still don’t bend. Just when I think I’ve come so far, the damn pull up bar puts me in my place. BEND ELBOWS BEND! UUUGGGGHHHHH!

So, the last time I threw some words down I was telling everyone how I was going to Boston and I was dreading the cold weather. Well we went. We left Friday night after I got out of work. The plane arrived early which was great except we weren’t at the gate. We were too wrapped up in eves dropping on some other couples’ conversation during, what was supposed to be, a quick bite to eat. So they embarrassingly announced our names over the loud speaker that they were waiting on us. Whoops! We made it to Boston though and the weather of course was quite chilly. It was bearable but it was still cold and a little outside of my comfort zone.

On Saturday when we woke up it was 10° outside. yes, 10! The husband and I went to a local gym that was just a couple blocks away and I actually got in a really good back and arm work out. I wanted to make sure I had a little pump going on for the wedding seeing as I was wearing a sleeveless dress! ;-)

I mean....that focus though!

Then we left and it was pretty chilly after the gym only because I was drenched in sweat. We made it back to his Aunts house where we had spent the night and had breakfast with the family. We then walked to the local Dunkin' Donuts to get some coffee. P. S. If you didn't know, Dunkin' Donuts is a big thing in Massachusetts. There seems to be one on every block. It's really funny, the whole time I was there I saw maybe two Starbucks and probably 10 to 15 different Dunkin' Donuts! It may just be the Dunkin’ Donuts capital of the world! I’ll have to google that one. The rest of Saturday we pretty much spent going from my husband’s aunts house to the hotel and then getting ready for the wedding that evening.


The wedding was beautiful! It was in a Catholic Church in downtown Boston. The interior was so ornate. I loved looking around at the architecture and stained glass. After that we went to the reception venue which was also in downtown Boston. The reception was held on the top floor of a building, don’t ask me the name, sheesh, so we could see the entire city from all the windows that lined the venue. It was so much fun seeing all the cousins and aunts and everything. Not to mention we really took advantage of the Photo Booth.

The next day was spent walking around Boston. When we went out at noon the weather was really nice and it wasn't too cold. It was great for walking around. I did layer up and wore a hat but it was very comfortable. As the day wore on, however, it grew colder and colder and my poor nose just couldn't handle it. I think everyone thought I was dying because I kept sneezing and blowing my nose and it was just out-of-control. I kind of even looked like death because my eyes were so puffy from sneezing so much. It's clear that my body just does not do cold weather because when we got back to the hotel and we got inside my symptoms seem to subside a little bit.



We walked about 5 miles that day. It was great being outside in the fresh air and seeing the city. One of my husband’s aunts stated that I didn’t even need to go to the gym that morning because of all of the walking we did. She clearly doesn’t know me to well LOL. We could be climbing Mount Everest and my ass would be in the gym that morning.

That evening we went to dinner in Little Italy. We went to a local restaurant called La Famiglia Giorgio's and their portions of pasta were ridiculously huge! so I knew that was going to make Jon happy. I stuck to grilled chicken and sautéed vegetables. Needless to say, I was the lame one but I knew I didn't want to feel to full to get a good night’s sleep because we had an early flight in the morning.

Now normally I would go a little crazy because I wasn’t going to be able to hit the gym before we took off on our flight Monday morning but I was actually really OK. I knew when I got home I could hit the gym. I don't usually like to wait. I like going early to get it out of the way that's why when we were in Boston on Saturday morning and Sunday morning I made sure to get up at a decent time so I could go to the gym before the day’s festivities began. But Monday that just wasn't going to happen. It usually causes me some anxiety if I don't get to go to the gym before starting the day. But I was actually OK and I was really proud of myself for not freaking out. But you have to know that as soon as I got home that was the first thing I did was get my gym clothes and go to the gym.

It's like the more and more I write these blogs I find out how much anxiety I really have but then I take a look back and think how much anxiety I've overcome over the past few years. I'm really trying to just let things go. I'm slowly realizing that I certainly can't control everything and they're going to be bumps in the road and I need to learn to deal with them instead of freaking out about them, especially when it comes to food and fitness. it's a journey and one day is not going to break everything that I've worked so hard for. I've also realized that in order to achieve my goals I need to refocus and I need to clean up my diet a bit. Not that my eating habits are bad. I mean I generally follow a Paleo diet, always gluten-free, but I do have my treats occasionally and I really need to hone that in as well as revamp some of my workouts to fit the goals that I want to achieve.

I've really been considering competing in a fitness and figure competition and that's really scary for me to say because I'm very insecure about my body.  I don't like people to look at it but it's almost like I feel I need to take that leap because I have something I need to prove to myself. I need to prove that I have come along way. I also like having to be very disciplined (because I'm crazy.) People always commend me on my willpower and discipline and it's not really so much willpower I mean I do have good willpower but it's more of this is my life, I have to follow this kind of diet plan, I have to eat this way because my body won't let me eat “normal” food. But I haven't been super strict about limiting my caloric intake or watching my macros. For so long I was always hungry. I always felt hungry for many years. I would feel hungry and it was always “oh Jennifer you can go little longer you don't need something to eat” and that's not a healthy way to live ,it's not a healthy mindset. So ever since I have just not wanted to be hungry and so I don't really count calories that much anymore and I have treats when I want them but if I want to achieve my goals I really have to start being more mindful.

I don't know if I'm going to compete, it’s just something silly that's dancing around in my mind and sort of motivates me. It would be nice to look like that! My goal isn’t necessarily to look like a bodybuilder but I want to look like I put the work in. I don't feel like where I am now people look at me and think “that girl puts in the work” and that is what I want people to look at me and say. I put in a lot of work. I'm at the gym every day and I'm there an hour and a half to two hours always trying to improve and make myself better. I want my body to show that. I want people to see that. It is important for me. I don't want to look sexy or pretty I want to look fit. Does that make sense? I don't know. Maybe I'm just rambling.

AnyWho, I don't really have anything too important to discuss this week I just wanted to tell you a little bit about my trip and let you know what my plan is for the new year. But if you have any questions or need help with your resolutions whether its fitness or nutrition related I will certainly be happy to help. Even if it's not related to any of those things it's just a personal goal you want to achieve and you think I might have some insight into it I'd be happy to help too! These past couple days, if you have started on your Paleo journey I gave you some excellent people to follow and a good recipe in the last blog post. I'll try to periodically post some different recipes and give you some good people to check out related to the Paleo diet just to kinda help you expand what you're eating and expand your knowledge about the lifestyle to make it easier for you.


Ok BBBBBYYYYYYEEEEE!

 P.S. Does anyone have a good arm workout? My Biceps and Triceps workouts lately have been lack luster. My baby bull dog arms are going to dwindle because I'm bored with arms. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.




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