A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post called The New Before. I was full of energy and optimism. I had big goals and a solid plan on how I was going to achieve them.  Some of my goals- I wanted to run a sub-30minute 5k at Osgoode’s The Goode Run and I wanted to lose some weight and be back at my pre winter size. I was going to achieve this by following the P90X workout DVDs and by eating “perfectly”. Fast forward 4 weeks later- I ran a 31:22 5k at this weekends Goode Run and I’m at my heaviest weight I’ve been all year…. Ugh. All thanks to beer and chocolate.  I’ve been choosing beer and chocolate too much lately! 

I’m disappointed in myself- actually I’m kinda mad at myself. Why did I waste these past 4 weeks skipping workouts and eating crappy food? I could be at my goal right now but I’m actually farther from it! So frustrating.  

What I have learned this year about losing weight is that sitting around and beating myself up for past behaviour is useless. I need to shake off the last four weeks, concentrate on the great things I have done and get down to business! 

The Good Things:

31:22 is not a PB but it is my best time in an actual race. 

 
The ‘Goode Run was an awesome way to celebrate my best friend aka my hubby’s birthday!

 
Both my kids ran! How awesome is that??!!!

  
The race raised $25,000 for my favourite place- The Osgoode Youth Association. Amazing!!!

Now the bad….

My hubby and I have always liked beer. On our honeymoon we toured Moosehead Breweries in Saint John, NB and then a year later we went back and toured it again and we also toured Alexander Keith’s Brewery in Halifax. Since then our beer tastes have matured to craft beer. We first fell in love with Beau’s Beer from Vankleek Hill east of Ottawa but have since discovered Ottawa’s many, many craft breweries! 

 
Unfortunately, craft beer usually comes in big bottles called growlers AND beer tastes great when paired with chocolate. That’s a double whammy of calories!!! So this bad habit has got to go!

So now is the time to refocus on my goals, find a new 5k race to train for and start eating a steady diet of clean and healthy food! Oh and drinking WATER lots of WATER! Lol! 

Healthy food is the most important part of my plan and this recipe my friend Erin found on the Food Matters Facebook page is perfect! She had texted me this picture and I happened to have all the ingredients on hand so I surprised her and made it for our lunch. 

  
For the Quinoa Nori Rolls you will need:

Nori rolls (I bought mine at T&T but I think most major grocery stores carry them)

1 C cooked quinoa

Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced in strips

Avocado

Roasted red peppers

Kale, thinly sliced

Bean sprouts, steamed for about 3 minutes

Hummus
On a sushi mat, place a nori roll. Gently spread the quinoa and cover the roll completely. 

Arrange the rest of the ingredients over the quinoa and tightly roll the nori. Slice with a sharp knife. I made about 6 rolls. 

  
These make a great lunch- filled with veggies and protein! They taste better freshly made so if you are packing them for lunch I would assemble right before you eat them. You will really dazzle your coworkers in the lunch room! 

So if you’re like me and you have been struggling with weight loss- don’t beat yourself up! Start now, be nice to youself and eat some good food. If you want some regular encouragement, you can follow this blog so you won’t miss a post and you can now like “I Choose Happy” on Facebook. 

Choose happy 😀