Cold Weather Food Capsule

We *sort of* have a new cold weather food capsule going, so I thought I'd share.  Basically, I've been trying to make the switch from salad to soup.

Breakfast hasn't changed much, but we have made sweet potato pancakes a few times, which is a fun way to mix up the routine.

For lunch, I've started making two different vegetable puree soups: green (broccoli/green beans/peas, seasoned with parsley) and orange (sweet potato/carrots/cauliflower, seasoned with sage).  The orange soup has a little bit more carbs, but not too bad.  We usually eat them with ham and cheese rolled up.  Sara eats ham, cheese, and cut up vegetables, because she refuses to eat "baby food."  :)  I had aspirations of making other soups for lunch (chili, chicken vegetable), but so far we've had chili for dinner and never made chicken soup.  We also found a restaurant that delivers with a great cream of broccoli soup and grilled chicken, which we order quite a bit.  Occasionally, I still have salad if we're out at McDonald's or Subway.

For dinner, we have had chili, tacos, or a meat (salmon or burgers, usually) with sautéed vegetables (two of either broccoli, carrots, Brussel sprouts).  We also recently started making spaghetti again.  We've tried spinach noodles, but I'm looking forward to trying a spiralizer I bought recently to make zucchini noodles.  We made our own sauce for the first time last night, since the store-bought kind has sugar in it.

What looks best? I'd like your opinion.

Lately I've been experimenting to see what shapes are most flattering on my body.  I thought maybe it would be helpful to expand beyond my and my husband's opinions.  The better I know what looks best on me, the better I can narrow down my wardrobe.  Which do you think looks best, and why?  Please be kind and constructive!  :)

1. green maxi skirt
2. navy maxi skirt
3. green short dress
4. navy short jersey skirt
5. navy short circle skirt
6. brown corduroy pencil skirt

 (side view of the same skirts, dress not pictured)

1. tall cognac boots
2. ankle cognac boots
3. short brown boots w/ heel
4. metallic flats

(another church outfit I've worn lately)

Capsule Wardrobe - Fall Oct-Nov 2017

For the first time in a while, I decided to try a capsule without teal as one of my colors.  To keep it more fall-ish, I decided to use olive green instead.  Traditional fall colors are some of the best for my coloring as a "Warm Autumn/Warm Spring," so I made this capsule as an experiment to see how I feel without teal.

Colors: Navy, cream/white, burnt orange, olive green

Shirts:
Chambray
Orange/navy plaid flannel
Dark green flowy
Navy long-sleeved tee
White short-sleeved tee
Olive short-sleeved tee
Navy short-sleeved tee
Cream/navy 3/4 sleeve tee

Sweaters/Blazers:
Burnt orange blazer
Navy 3/4 sleeve blazer
Cream/navy stripe blazer (not pictured)
Navy open sweater
Cream/navy stripe open sweater (not pictured)

Bottoms:
Dark denim skinny jeans
Medium wash bootcut jeans
Dark green corduroy
(Wishlist: olive jeans)
Brown leggings (not pictured)
Navy leggings (not pictured)

Dresses/Skirts:
Denim shirtdress
Olive green dress
Burnt orange dress
Navy maxi skirt? (not pictured)
Navy/white striped maxi skirt? (not pictured)

One of my 3 church outfits

Accessories:
Brown/orange blanket scarf
Navy/white blanket scarf
Burnt orange scarf
Dark green scarf
Navy scarf
Burnt orange winter scarf (not pictured)

Shoes:
Navy slip-on sneakers
Short brown boots (w/ heel)
Short brown boots (flat)
Tall brown boots

Outerwear (not pictured):
Navy jacket
Green trench raincoat
Dark green puffer vest
Brown puffer winter coat
(Wishlist: stretchy denim jacket? Olive jacket?)

Capsule Wardrobe - August-September 2017 (size Large)

When I was in the US in July, I bought some new clothes that fit me currently.  Most of my clothes were too small, and I felt so self-conscious wearing them. I had gone through all of my clothes in June to make a list of what I wanted to buy (see this post).  I ended up getting a really nice collection of things from Old Navy outlet, which I finished out at Kohl's.  I also bought a few pairs of shoes at the outlets.  Overall, I'm really happy with my purchases.  After we got back home at the beginning of August, I made a capsule wardrobe for August-September.  I've discovered that 2-month capsules work better for me, because the weather is more consistent.

I actually started writing this post mid-August but never finished, and I think it's really interesting to look at what I planned vs. what I actually used.  

This was my capsule:

Bottoms:

1. Skinny jeans cuffed
2. Bermuda jean shorts
3. Navy striped maxi skirt
4. Navy/brown pattern maxi skirt
5. Army green flowy pants
6. Elephant pants
7. Navy knee-length skirt
8. Blue/green knee-length skirt
9. Navy leggings?
10. Brown leggings?

I wore the bermuda jean shorts almost every day.  I really am just a jeans girl.  I also wore the long jeans cuffed when it was a little cooler.  I wore the green flowy pants several times, mostly to the park.  Unfortunately, my elephant pants got a hole in them, so I can't wear them anymore.  :(  I'm hoping to ask one of Cameron's classmates to pick me up another pair in Thailand.

I've realized that it works perfectly if I have exactly 3 outfits to wear to church.  I can rotate them and it doesn't seem like I'm wearing the same thing too often.  It made it incredibly simple for me to decide what to wear.  I bought a solid navy maxi skirt (not pictured above), and I rotated it with the navy striped maxi skirt and the navy/brown pattern maxi skirt.  I couldn't wear the shorter skirts yet, because I needed to wear longer shorts under the skirts to keep my legs from rubbing together, so I never wore them at all.  I also never wore my leggings, because it was too hot.

These are the three outfits I wore to church:

Continuing my capsule:

Dresses:
1. Army green mid-thigh
2. Denim shirtdress
3. Navy floral (special occasion)

I never wore any of these dresses, because they were too short.  I will be able to wear them with tights/leggings when it gets colder.

Tops:
1. Pink lacy tank
2. Jewel green leaf tie-back tank
3. Cream/navy striped tank
4. Chiang Mai tank
5. White tee
6. Jewel green tee
7. Teal lacy square neck tee
8. Navy tee
9. San Diego tee
10. Navy striped lace-up tee
11. Brown batwing tee (replace?)
12. Teal lacy flowy vest

I wore most of these, except for the Chiang Mai tank (still a little too tight) and the brown batwing tee (which I would've worn with the elephant pants that got a hole).  I think my capsules tend to have more tops because I have so little variety with bottoms.  I basically just wear jeans all the time, except for church.  I'm wanting to try colored jeans, but it's hard to find them in a curvy fit, and my size is still changing, so I don't want to invest too much money on pants that may only fit for a few months.

Shoes:
1. Brown teva flip flops
2. Tan strappy sandals
3. Brown Sketchers wedges
4. Navy walking shoes
5. Navy wedges (not pictured)
6. Teal gym shoes (not pictured)
7. Black/pink running shoes (not pictured)

I wore all of these, except for the navy wedges and the black/pink running shoes.  I found it easier to wear the same shoes to church every week, and these brown wedges are slightly more comfortable than my navy wedges.  I really want to find a tan strappy wedge, but I haven't found the perfect pair yet.  Obviously comfort is a top priority for me for shoes, especially since I do a lot of walking in the city.

It's really interesting how, since I got pregnant, I've been forced to live with a smaller set of clothing - first for maternity, and then now since most of my pre-pregnancy clothes are too small.  This time has helped me separate myself from a lot of the clothes that I used to wear and further define my uniform and what's most important in my wardrobe.  When I set out to buy this size large capsule, with the hope it would only be temporary, I wanted to buy only the essentials to make me feel good in my clothes but not have a bunch of things I didn't need.  I feel like I can better pare down my wardrobe in the future and not just put back in my closet all things size medium.  I know better what I actually wear on a regular basis.

Personal Training - Week 6 Thoughts

Well, the good news is that I'm down about an inch (3 cm) overall!  The training is going as it should.  It's hard, and I'm sore, but it's ok. 

But honestly I'm just sick of eating like this.  It's so hard.  I miss eating junk food and carbs.  I mean, I eat some carbs, like carrots and fruit, but I've been eating healthy like this since June.  That's 3 1/2 months.  I know it's supposed to be a lifestyle change, but a part of me wants to stop at some point and go back to eating like I used to.  I just want to sit around, eat pizza and chocolate chip cookies, and be skinny and have loads of energy.  As it is, I'm doing personal training, I'm walking more, I'm eating salad, and I'm still not skinny and I have more energy than when I started, but I'm still tired a lot.  And sore.  Some diets incorporate "cheat days", but I'm not cheating.  I am however planning to eat one chocolate cupcake on Sara's birthday.  That's a month from now, which feels like forever. 

I'm eating so healthy and it is so much work.  It does taste good, but not as good as a chocolate topped donut.  Which by the way is one of the things we count in one of Sara's new books - 4 chocolate topped donuts.  I want to eat them all every time I read it.  And she loves that book.  She wants to read it over and over. 

But anyway.  I know I'm complaining a lot.  We are in a good routine with what we're eating, which helps make it easier.  I wouldn't yet call it a food capsule, but we're getting there.  Also, pretty soon I would like to start having soup instead of salad as it gets colder outside.  I should be able to mostly use my regular soup recipes, but I just won't be able to add bread/crackers as much as I used to.  This new way of eating is all a big learning curve. 

Breakfast every day: scrambled eggs w/ spinach and half a tomato

Lunch every day: salad w/ lettuce, tomato, avocado, carrots, ham, olive oil, & Italian seasoning

(Sometimes I have a salad from Subway or McDonald's instead.)

Dinner every night: meat (chicken, beef, or salmon) and vegetables

I did change a few things from the Sugar Detox, since we finished it and are now just on maintenance.  A nutritionist I work with suggested I eat high protein/low carb/low fat, so I'm not limiting my servings of dairy, just switching them to low-fat versions when possible.  The Sugar Detox was closer to a high fat diet.  I still haven't found an easy high protein snack instead of cashews/peanuts, which are high in fat (good fat, but still fat).  It would be a lot easier if I liked yogurt, but I just hate it.  I can only tolerate it as a substitute for sour cream.  I keep telling myself I will make some ranch dip with yogurt, but I haven't done it yet.  I've also started eating salmon more frequently.  I usually have one serving of fruit a day, and occasionally a piece of dark chocolate.  I want to try sweet potato pancakes, but I haven't yet.

So that's how it's going.  I'm looking forward to eating one cupcake in a month, and I might also eat whatever I want for Thanksgiving.  I wish I had a better attitude about this, but all I can think about are the foods I'm not allowed to have.  It feels like a punishment.  But I'm pressing on.  I'm really proud of the results I've had so far, and I know that I can reach my goals if I keep working hard.

Personal Training - Week 2 Thoughts

I'm starting realize that most likely Thursday will be my hardest day of the week, making actually Friday my hardest day of the week.  I go to the gym Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Thursday I am still sore from Tuesday.  And since the soreness is worst the day after the workout, Fridays are the hardest.  This Thursday was by far my hardest day yet, which was compounded by Sara waking up at 4:30AM that day and not going back to sleep.  But the workout was harder too - I maxed out on reps of lifting my arm over my head.  I literally couldn't lift my arm higher than my shoulder!  Crazy feeling.  I took some Aleve before I went to bed on Thursday in anticipation of waking up sore, but it ended up being so much worse than I thought.  Cameron had meetings all morning on Friday, and Sara was getting into everything, as usual.  Mostly she likes to try to eat our shoes and electrical cords, so it's pretty important to be on top of her every second.  It was getting to be time for her morning nap, but she just wasn't acting sleepy.  I was hurting so much that I did something I've never done before - I put her in bed with a toy and sat on the couch.  I just couldn't pick her up anymore, and I needed to put her where she would be safe.  Thank goodness she didn't get upset, and she actually fell asleep on her own 10 minutes later, so I didn't feel so terrible.  As soon as she went to sleep, I did too.  When I woke up, the pain was even worse, so I took 4 ibuprofen.  Two Aleve and 4 ibuprofen, and it barely took the edge off.  I was still hurting.  I knew this journey was going to be hard, but man was yesterday hard.  I ended up taking another nap after Cameron got home.  Then when we were making dinner, I literally didn't have the strength to cut the cabbage, so I had to ask Cameron to do it for me.  I'm feeling better today, still taking some pain medicine, but not as much.  I should add that my legs and my abs are sore as well, but they just aren't as noticeable because the soreness in my arms is so intense.  But climbing our stairs wasn't easy.

**EDIT: In my negativity, I forgot to mention that I'm down 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds)!  I also measured myself, I have slimmed down just a little bit in several areas!

Fitness Goals and Personal Training

I decided that I would make August-Christmas a big push for weight loss and better fitness.  We started the Sugar Detox again on August 3, and I started personal training last week.  I'm writing this post mostly to have a record of my goals and how I'm feeling at this beginning point.

My Goals:
1. Weigh the same or less than I weighed when I got pregnant
2. For my stomach to be smaller (in inches) than my chest
3. To be able to wear mid-thigh shorts/skirts/dresses without my legs rubbing together so much that it hurts

My Motivation:
1. To be able to run and play with Sara
2. To have more energy
3. To have more freedom in the clothes that I can wear

I was so nervous about beginning personal training, but my former Zumba instructor Margo is doing a lot of personal training now, so that helped me feel more comfortable.  I knew that I could trust her to do a great job.  I wasn't sure if she had worked with many people my size, but she has been incredible at modifying exercises so I can do them.  I know that by continuing to build up my muscles with the modified versions, I will eventually be able to do the full exercise.  For example, I've never in my whole life done a proper push-up, and she tells me I will be able to if I keep working.  She's so gracious about my shortcomings, but doesn't cut me any slack about what I AM able to do.  I've been pretty sore and tired, but I know it's all for my good.

I haven't done the Sugar Detox perfectly this time around, but I'm following it pretty closely.  The very few small cheats I've done were not that serious - I had some watermelon when I can only have berries and apples this week, I ate one slice of pizza when I went to a party and there wasn't anything else to eat.  Overall, I feel good, and it has been much easier this time around.

I'm not 100% sure if I will continue with the Sugar Detox.  Margo suggested that I think about seeing a nutritionist.  I'm going to see how things go as is for a few weeks and then decide if I need to change my diet plan.