25 days challenge: loose 10 pounds, gain muscle, eat amazing food and still stay on a budget

I read about the paleo diet, my best friend told me about weight watcher, I tried the detox morning drinks…and everything seems just so much work with so little good food while spending so much money.

So, for the rest of us 20 something year old about to be 30 something …. I want to try something else. Inspired by the recent movie I just watched #julieandjulia , I am going to start a 25 days challenge of detox, work out and still eat amazing food while not breaking the bank. 

For the next 25 days I will be cooking, eating, exercising and having a blast (hopefully). The goal is to lose a solid 10 pounds, to have amazing thighs and arms and to eat plenty of good food. There is a catch, NO alcohol, absolutely no alcohol! Why? too much sugar and when you have something to drink, it is easier to get hungry and easier to give yourself more leniency.

Why 25 days? why not…? Actually because I will be traveling to India and Vietnam in 25 days and I would really want to eat whatever I want there and not having to pack more weight on me. Plus, it’s always more fun to be a bit different!

Today: Day 1

Woke up at 7 from the sound of my alarm, snoozed until 7:30. Received a text from my roommate from the other bedroom asking me if I was ready to run in 10 mins. Thank God for an extra push! Snoozed for another 2 minutes, and up and ready. Ran for almost 2 miles around the lake. I love being awake in the morning and breathing in the humid summer air.

Breakfast: left over chicken Parmesan with grilled red and green peppers and Portobello mushroom.

Lunch: went to the red rooster fair in this small town in Dassel, MN. Half a BBQ chicken, 2 scoops of potato salad, 1 scoop of cole slaw , one glass of milk and 2 glasses of water. Need to keep drinking more water!!!

Labor Day treat: my roommate’s grandmother’s apple pie with one scoop of vanilla ice cream, served with Swedish egg coffee.

Dinner: beef stew and lots of broccoli. I did have a sugar cookie instead of the birthday cake. After the birthday extravaganza, went to have 3 more slices of homemade sourdough pizza with the theme : passion of the Christ. and a desert with a tiny round of salted brownie and strawberry cream with fig, sprinkled with candied walnut.

Maybe a bit too much but it was a holiday and my first day of the challenge.

Tomorrow: wake up at 6:30 to run 2 miles, go to work and walk up the 16 flights of stairs! That should burn the desert and the ginger cookie I had today!!!