July 15th

This week was okay. Not quite as marvelous as the first week of July. My weekend, however, has been lovely. I've been productive and busy. 

Work was kinda irritating this week and I have been exhausted again! I've been sleeping well, for the most part, so I'm not sure why. My caffeine addiction is spiraling out of control… I've come to making coffee in the afternoons/early evenings. I'm up to about 48 oz of coffee a day. Not great. 

I did pretty well this week. Got in 209 minutes of exercise. My eating could have been better. No binges, no alcohol. But I didn't lose any weight, and I might know why. I've been consistently over my calories. Not by much. Usually only 50-100. But I've also been eating more fat than usual, because I'm obsessed with almonds. By the end of the evening, I've basically tracked all my food for the day, and then I know roughly how many calories I can still eat, so I just tried to estimate a serving of a snack or nibble on little things here and there, without weighing out my servings. I've gotten really good at eyeing out portion sizes, but I think those last few bites of the day that I'm not necessarily tracking properly might be affecting me. I think I've just been thinking that as long as I'm working out consistently, which I am, that I can spare those extra calories. Probably not so. My BMR is roughly 1,750 calories so I figure that as long as I stay under that, I should be losing weight since I'm also working out. 

I'm going to try to eat less fat this week and see if that makes any difference. Usually I'm still within range for all my macronutrients, but I'm lower on the protein side and higher on the fat and carb side. 

Managed to squeeze in some creativity this week with some poetry and book writing. 

I'm getting excited for my week off in August. I may or may not make a trip to Minneapolis, haven't decided yet. I do think I'll make a trip or two to Devil's Lake to go hiking, if there are any days where it's not a billion degrees. Might go to Chicago. Not sure exactly what I'll do yet, but I want to do SOMETHING. I'm pretty broke these days so we'll see how much gas $$ I can afford.

I have a friend visiting so I'm gonna keep this short. Here's my menu plan and exercise plan for this coming week.

SUNDAY

Honey Cashew Chicken with bell pepper, broccoli, and edamame

Step Aerobics, 63 minutes

MONDAY

Caprese sandwich (toasted bread, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, greens)

Rest day

TUESDAY

Leftovers

Backside circuit training, 50 minutes

WEDNESDAY

Jimmy John's vegetarian sub

Rest day

THURSDAY

Falafel with chopped salad, rice, and pita (takeout from a local food cart)

Spark Cardio Blast, 35 minutes

FRIDAY

Vegetable no-bake summer lasagna 

Cardio kickbox, 25 minutes 

SATURDAY

Mushrooms stuffed with artichoke and spinach

Frontside circuit training, 43 minutes