10 Day Slim-Down Results

After making a commitment to myself to follow my 10 Days, 10 Rules Slim-Down, I got the results I was looking for.

In just 10 short days, I dropped 4 pounds and reduced my bodyfat percentage by 2.2%.

I was especially happy to get my bodyfat back under 20%. I use that number to gauge when things are getting out of control -- we all have some sort of tool to gauge this. For most, it's the number on the scale, for me it's my bodyfat percentage.

Chart from American Council on Exercise

I can always tell when my diet has been slipping, when I start to look a little softer than I'd like. Yes. Even I slip on my diet at times. And when this happens, it's time to be tough on myself!

The fix? My 10 Days, 10 Rules Slim-Down. It was difficult to limit my starchy carbohydrates to one serving per day and eliminating my after dinner glass of red wine. And dairy. Yes, saying goodbye to my beloved cheeses for 10 days was a little tough. But after the first couple of days, my body adjusted and everything went smoothly.

I almost had a major slip-up -- or so I thought. Saturday was the night of the Pacquaio vs. Bradley fight. The family and I went to a fight party to watch it. As you know, with any party, you fully expect all sorts of indulgences to be there. I brought a salad filled with tons of veggies and the host provided healthy options for dinner, which was nice. I did take two sips of a martini, felt guilty about it then gave the rest to Hubby. Whew.

Otherwise, I stayed true to the rules (with the exception of a couple graham crackers and spoonfuls of red beans and rice) and exercised every day. My normal workout routine is 4 days per week. That's a good maintenance routine for me, but when I'm trying to make some changes in my body, I know I have to step it up. And I did. And it worked!

I kept a log of all my meals over the 10 days. Check it out below. Now that the 10 days are over, what's next? Well, I of course will follow a clean diet and watch my starchy carbohydrate intake -- that's what does it for me. Too much bread (whole wheat even) or pasta (whole wheat even) will make the pounds creep up. I'll go back to my 4 days per week workout routine and limit my red wine indulgence to one glass per week. And that ought to put me in a good maintenance routine.

If you were following along with the Slimdown, I hope you got the results you were looking for. If not, consider using my meal plans and exercise routine as a guideline and give it another try.

Day 1 Mon
8:30 green smoothie, 1 banana, 1 cup grapes, 1/2 cup cherries
1:00 1 cup bulger wheat veggie salad, medium mixed greens salad with homemade vinaigrette
4:30 medium greens salad
6:30 medium bowl of cooked greens
8:30 slow cooked chicken breast, 2 cups broccoli
11:30 cup grapes (oops, late night munchies)

2 liters water. Workout (at home): jumping jacks, push-ups, rear delt raisies, abs circuit

Day 2 Tue
8:30 cherries, banana, pear
12:00 protein shake
3:00 vegetarian chili and salad
6:00 large salad
8:30 chicken breast and peas

2 liters water. Workout (at gym): 20 min cardio, back, chest

Day 3 Wed
7:45 apple, pear, hot water with lemon
9:45 oatmeal with cinnamon, stevia and almond milk
12:00 strawberry protein shake
3:30 large salad with nutritional yeast sprinkled, 1 boiled egg, 12 almonds
7:00 2 baked chicken wings, 1 cup peas, coffee

2 liters water. Workout (at home): abs

Day 4 Thur
9:00 green smoothie, apple
1:30 protein shake, homemade light veggie fried rice
6:00 1 boiled egg, apple
8:30 salad with nutritional yeast, handful pistachios

2 liters water. Workout (at gym): 20 min cardio, shoulders, biceps, triceps

Day 5 Fri
7:45 green smoothie
9:45 apple
11:45 protein shake
1:30 1.5 bananas, handful of almonds
4:30 can of tuna, 10 seed crackers
8:30 tilapia, 1.5 cups peas
10:30 graham cracker (oops)

2 liters water. Workout (outside): played basketball with the family and ran hills

Day 6 Sat (fight party)
9:00 coffee, banana, grapes
1:30 protein shake
2:00 chicken salad over spinach
5:00 2 graham crackers
8:30 1/2 lumpia, 1 chicken leg, 1 cup broccoli, salad, 2 sips martini, 3 spoonfuls mango and graham cracker dessert

2 liters water. Workout (at gym): 20 min cardio, legs

Day 7 Sun
7:30 banana
10:30 banana
1:30 chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat, salad
5:30 1/2 banana
7:15 3 spoonfuls red beans and rice (oops)
7:45 orange roughy, salad and bowl of cooked greens

2 liters water. Workout: Bikram yoga session

Day 8 Mon
9:30 banana, apple
1:30 veggie sandwich on whole wheat, large salad
4:30 orange, banana
8:30 pork chop, cooked greens

2 liters water. Workout (at home): abs

Day 9 Tue
9:00 2 cups grapes, banana
12:00 protein shake
4:00 1.5 cup basil, tomato pesto pasta
7:00 1/2 protein shake
8:30 pork chop, salad

2 liters water. Workout (at gym): 30 min cardio, back, chest, abs

Day 10 Wed
8:30 1 cup pineapple, banana
11:00 banana
12:00 1/2 cup oatmeal
2:00 pineapple, banana
4:00 1/2 can tuna, 10 seed crackers
7:30 baked chicken thigh, 1 cup peas

2 liters water. Workout (at home): abs

10 Days, 10 Rules Slim-Down

Every now and then, even I, need to get tough on myself. My maintenance diet with an indulgence here and there has involved a few more indulgences than I intended. So, I've decided to get strict on myself for ten days.

To start a program, sometimes it's helpful to get into it and be very specific as to what you're eating and what you're doing for exercise.

Below, are the ten rules I'll be following for the next ten days from Monday, June 4 through Wednesday, June 14. If you're looking to start a program or fine tune your diet and exercise plan, join along with me! Are you up for the challenge?

Follow me on Twitter @trainertiff for my meal updates, workouts and overall progress. Let me know how you're doing as well. At the end of the ten days, I'll put up a post on how things went along with my food logs.

This starts tomorrow, June 4. Good luck!

RULES
1.  Eat a small meal every 3-4 hours which will be about 5-6 small meals each day.
2.  No processed food.
3.  No dairy.
4.  No added sugar.
5.  Drink a minimum of 2 liters of water each day.
6.  No dining out.
7.  Exercise every day.
8.  Limit starchy carbs -- one serving each day and none in the evening.
9.  Get minimum protein requirements each day.
10. No alcohol.

Mediterranean Quinoa Pasta Salad

Eating pasta while trying to watch your weight can be challenging. Oftentimes, when we eat pasta, the portions we put on our plates are double a serving size -- or more. One serving of pasta is one cup -- or about what you can fit inside the palm of your hand. That said, pasta is still delicious and can be eaten as long as you don't overeat.

I created this recipe one day when I had a taste for pasta with a flare -- I put a Mediterranean spin on it. A bonus to this recipe is that it's gluten free because it's made with quinoa pasta. Check it out.

Ingredients:
1 8 oz box tri-colored quinoa veggie curls
1 small can sliced black olives
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 Roma tomato, diced
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
black pepper to taste

Dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt

Directions: Cook pasta according to package and be sure not to overcook. Once pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water.

You'll want to make sure that the pasta is completely cooled so that when it's combined with the cheese, the cheese does not melt. Then, in a large bowl combine the pasta with the olives, cheeses, cucumber, tomato, and parsley. Mix well.

Place all the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until emulsified (about 20-30 seconds). Then pour dressing over pasta mixture and mix well. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. I'd recommend allowing pasta to chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.


Enjoy!