Beginning Tony Horton's Eating Challenge

Today was, to coin the phrase, a little different. I started my morning with the normal oatmeal. Only difference is I didn't give in to my favorite temptation of allowing myself 1 teaspoon of sugar. If I am going to be doing this the right way, I have to follow the program. So "buh-bye" sugar. I actually picked up some Agave at Wal-Mart. If you have never had this stuff, you have to try it. It is all natural nectar from the agave plant. It looks a little like syrup, not quite as thick as honey, but still just enough sweetness. This is my oatmeal's new best friend. And yes, Tony did say it was okay!

Lunch was a bit of a challenge. Seems like it came up on me before I could plan it out. So I had 1/2 cup of baby carrots and a baked potato with sour cream that was made from tofu. It was a non-dairy substitute. It wasn't the worst I have ever had, but wasn't exactly sour cream either. It had the same consistency and tasted good. There were just moments it had a funny after taste. I suppose it will just take some getting use to.

Dinner was really good. I managed to get myself out in the cold and snow to travel to the grocery store. I decided to make some hot and sour soup. I found a really good recipe at www.allrecipes.com . If you haven't visited their site, you should. They have tons of really good recipes and they are rated with helpful hints. I use it almost religiously. We also made the Szechuan Black-Eyed Pea Salad recipe in the Thin Kitchen Recipe Book that BeachBody sent me for becoming a member. I've never been a fan of black-eyed peas, but this recipe is worth mentioning. It was REALLY good. I actually can't wait to try it out for my folks when I go home to visit.

I was very surprised at ALL the variety of food items our local grocery store has. I think I spent too much time reading labels. However, it sure was enlightening to see just how many food items have either milk or wheat in them. So it was a little more of a chore than I had expected. But I did find some rice pasta. YAY, gluten free pasta. So tomorrow night we will be eating spaghetti with a tomato basil sauce. The "no meat" thing is really tough, but doable. I also think I bought just about every kind of bean they had on the shelves. Time to get creative in the kitchen. I would sure be curious to know what you guys use for protein that would fall within the guidelines of the challenge. Just leave me a comment. It would definitely be appreciated. I like beans and nuts. Just not sure my husband will be thrilled with beans every day of the week.

I also got in the YogaX. I know, I was supposed to do it last night. Well I spent most of the afternoon researching and reading. I got my neck in a terrible kink. So I had to put off all those vinyasas until this morning. I have to say it was a really good session. I am so use to doing the YogaX upstairs in the livingroom and relying on my furniture to work as a crutch when I get in an awkward position. Today my family was using the upstairs so I had to venture to our basement. In the basement I had to totally rely on my own balance and skill to save me. To my surprise I was able to get through all of it with only a few tumbles. I think from now forward, the basement will be my yoga home.

Tomorrow starts back with the doubles. Looks like I'm adding in CardioX 4 times a week now. I'm ready to BRING IT! I also started the BeachBody Slimming Formula to help jump-start my metabolism. This is my first day and happy to report no side effects. I was expecting it to make me jittery or something, but have noticed nothing out of the ordinary. You take 2 caplets before each meal. Time will tell how beneficial it is. I will keep you guys posted. Well its bedtime. I have a date with CardioX in the AM and Chest & Back/Ab Ripper X in the PM. I think I need may need my sleep.