It won't always be easy...

So, today I tried Zumba for the first time and I loved it!  I went right after work and felt amazing after I worked out.  I came home after work and thought about what to make for dinner.  I have been craving pasta all week, so I figured I would make a pomodoro pasta using the delicious tomatoes that I bought at the store the other day.  I also had about 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken leftover and some asparagus that I needed to use up.  I made a pasta dish incorporating all of these ingredients as well as garlic and onion.  I used whole grain spaghetti and portioned my noodles out to about 3/4 cup and topped it with about a cup of the sauce mixture (entire recipe is found in the new recipes tab at the top of the blog).

Delicious chicken and veggies simmering.

Hello portion control! It's nice to meet you, my name is Shannon lets be friends forever!

This was my plate.  Holy moly that is a lot of food.  More than I was planning on eating AND more than I did eat!  It was awesome to eat until I was full and not over-indulge. I saved almost half of it for lunch.

Okay, so you're probably wondering why this post is titled what it is if my day seemed so great right?  Well it was great, don't get me wrong, but I made this meal because it was healthy and because I was craving pasta and because I wanted to try and make something that both Ron and I could enjoy.  WELL, let's just say that my boyfriend is NOT a fan of this meal.  He hated the noodles and thought it was too much tomato.  So, what happens when he says this?  I start bawling like a total freak show.  He has been home for all of five minutes and I am now crying.  He looks at me and is like, "it's okay, I like it, i'll eat it, it's great."  I try to explain in between blubbering that it is not that he doesn't like it, it is just that this is HARD.  It is hard to tell my friends that I don't want to go get pizza for lunch today and sit at my desk alone and eat.  It is hard to come home from a long day at work and try to figure out a healthy option to make for yourself for dinner that your significant other can enjoy.  Ron is amazing and he told me that I was doing a great job and to keep going along and that he will try ANYTHING that I make.  He also said that he will always keep an open mind and that he supports what I am doing 100% and is open to the changes that I am making and willing to try and make some of them with me. 

So, not this isn't always easy, but so far it has been worth it.  I feel some of the changes already and am anticipating the ones that will come.  I know somedays I will not always be cheery about my commitment to eat healthy and some days I will want to just cry and that is okay.  It is okay so long as I keep going and that is what I am going to do. 

Happy Hour is about the people you're with NOT the food and drinks

So, another challenge under my belt.  Today I had a happy hour with co-workers and usually we get a bunch of appetizers and drinks and share them.  Since I am three weeks into this lifestyle change I was a little nervous to see how it would all go.  I ordered a water (i'm not drinking soda anymore) and I ordered a side salad with no croutons and balsamic dressing on the side.   It was super good and I didn't even miss the fried food and cocktails that I used to drink.

On another note I said I would start posting photos of myself, food that I am eating and daily life experiences, so as promised I have some photos to share with you.

This is an example of my homemade 100 calorie packs.  Reduced fat cheese-its, reduced fat wheat thins, animal crackers, goldfish and pretzel gold fish.

Another example of my organizational skills.  1/3 cup dry oatmeal for breakfast or 1 cup of whole grain cheerios.

I like to cut up my fruit and portion it out right away so that I can grab it on the go and can never use the excuse that I don't have anything good to eat.  On Sunday's I usually wash and chop my fruit and veggies in put them in containers.  It is so helpful!

This is an example of a salad that I would eat before eating my grains and meat for dinner.  The salad has romaine lettuce, red onion, red peppers and yellow peppers.  I usually drizzle about 1 Tbs or less of light balsamic dressing to this.

This is an example of the toppings that I would put on my flatbread pizza for dinner.  This is about 3/4 cup rotisserie chicken with the skin removed.  1/4 cup of red onion, 1/2 cup of peppers and a small amount of olive oil and 2 heaping tsp of garlic and 2 tsp of the salt free taco seasoning below.

I am really trying to watch my sodium intake, so I decided to make my own salt-free taco seasoning.  It was from Food.com and it was super good!  I also learned that not all chili powder is created equal.  Some chili powder contains salt, so it is important to look at the ingredients!  Use 1 to 2 tsp on meat for seasoning.

Sorry that this is sideways!  I absolutely LOVE Flatout Flatbread.  Love, love, love!  I make all kinds of sandwiches, wraps and pizza with these.  You need to go to the grocery store and get these now (this is not a paid endorsement I just really love them and think you will too).

All of the toppings on top of the faltbread with 1/4 cup of low-moisture part skim mozzarella cheese. I bake mine in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes on a pizza tray.

 This is the end result!  So delicious and honestly you wont even miss "real" fattening pizza.  It is very satisfying and filling.

So, this is my boyfriend and me about a year ago.  When I started this lifestyle change I was about 25 pounds heavier than this photo.  I am almost back to this size and is something I look at when I need a little motivation.

Have a great weekend everyone!  It is another busy one for me and Sunday is my second weigh-in.  Hoping for some more great results!

Weight Update... The good and the bad

Happy Tuesday!

I have been so busy the last few days that I haven't even had time to blog, but i'm back.  So, there were some victories this weekend and some areas that need improvement.  I kept up with my eating habits friday night and saturday morning with no problem, but when we got to Ron's brother's birthday party things went downhill.  Let's just say that even the most organized people struggle at times especially when you are at the mercy of someone else's cooking and don't want to offend them!  So, we got there and Ron's mom had created a spread of everything his little brother wanted to eat for his birthday, which was, GULP.... seven cheese macaroni and cheese, breaded and fried chicken tenders, roasted asparagus over warm spinach and bacon salad with cake.  YIKES!!!!  I didn't know what to do. I should have told her before I came that I was eating healthy, what was I thinking!?  I couldn't be rude now and say no, but I have been working so hard and don't want to cheat today!!  Well, I ate the smallest portions of each thing that I could without being rude and then I told his mom of my new weight loss journey in hopes that I can avoid situations like this in the future!

On to some good news... I am down 13 pounds in two weeks!!  I am so happy, mostly because I have done it the right way, the healthy way and I committed to keeping it off.  My friends came over on Sunday and we baked cookies and I didn't eat a single one and they also ate pizza and chips with dip and I ate salad, veggies, fruit and healthy chili.  I am proud of my willpower and ready to keep up the good fight!

I found the wagon

Originally Posted 10/6/2010 12:05 PM CDT

UGGGH, so annoyed with myself.  Here I am back to blogging after an almost three month hiatus. Where have I been you ask?  Oh, you know, making excuses, over-indulging, not eating well, not exercising, not sticking to my plan, not feeling good about myself.  First it was my birthday, so I mean why not eat whatever I want and have cake and have several celebrations.  Then it was end of summer BBQ's and the State fair and Labor day.  The next thing you know it is 3 months later and what do I have to show for it?  Not a smaller waistline, not a bigger one either, but that is not the point.  The goal is not to maintain at this point in time.  So, anyway I am back at it.  Today is day three and I can say I feel really committed, I feel like I can do this, I can beat this vicious cycle and be healthy once and for all.  So, I am staying in the positive. I am tracking my progress, I am thinking about everything I put into my body and I am making a relaistic plan that I can stick to.

So, many of you may be asking, what really made her come back.  What is the real reason that she is committed again.  Well, good question.  As much as I would like to say that it is solely because I want to be healthy and to feel good and to live my life to the fullest, that may not be the whole truth.  You see, I am 24 years old.  I know, I know, not necessarily over the hill, I get it.  But, I am 24 years old in a world where people go to college, graduate, get jobs, go to grad school, get engaged, get married and start the rest of their lives.  So, what sounds so bad about that right?  Well, it is the last two things that have been weighing heavily on my mind.  I am in a serious committed relationship with someone that I love and adore, so finding a companion is not the problem.  The problem isn't even so much the getting engaged part... I would LOVE to be enagaged to this person.  I have dreamt about it since I was a little girl, but I have also dreamt about the wedding.  The BIG day.  The family, friends, loved ones and the dress and photos.  AHHHH, the dress. A dress?  An unforgiving WHITE dress!?  Yuck!  The thought of trying on wedding dresses is repulsive in my current state.  I am lucky that I am more advanced in my relationship than my close friends or I would have to be concerned about the dreaded bridesmaid dresses as well, but hopefully I will nip that worry in the bud before it even becomes an issue.  Anyway, back to the big wedding talk.  I know that my boyfriend and I will get engaged in the next year.  We have talked about it, our families have talked about, our friends, co-workers and so on.  So, yes I am excited.  I am beyond thrilled with the idea of everything, but the idea of me in a white wedding dress taking photos that my great-great grandchildren will see.  So, on that note, I have many things motivating me.  I am of course doing this for me and my own health more than anything, but these other motivating factors are certainly playing a role in this.

So, I will keep you updated on my progress and the status of my relationship as things.  Progress.  Is anyone else getting married?  Close to getting married?  Trying to lose weight before the big day?  Tell me some stories, tell me your progress, your success!  I can use ANY sort of inspiration I can get right now.

The beginning of the end...

Originally Posted 7/13/2010 9:19 PM CDT

Today is the day that I have decided that I can't take looking (or not looking at myself) any longer.  I a 23 years old and I have spent my life avoiding mirrors and living in denial of what I really look like. I have always loved the Picasso photo that is shown in this blog because it shows insecurities that woman see that may not exist.  I however, do not look in mirrors and see imperfections.  Instead of looking in the mirror and seeing something that isn't there I choose not to look in the mirror and pretend that things aren't there.  If I don't look in the mirror that extra belly fat isn't there, right? If I don't look in the mirror I won't see that my face is getting rounder and my waist is getting bigger.  The only mirror that I currently use is a handheld mirror to put make up on.  Let's be honest it is hard to NOT look good when you're looking at only four inches of yourself at a time.

I dread taking pictures with people and I loathe when people take photos of me without my knowledge.  In an age of facebook and picture phones it is hard to avoid the camera's lens and not have pictures taken with people.  I went to a cabin this weekend with my closest high school friends and I can't believe that I even put a swimsuit on.  Luckily, no one got a picture of me in my swim suit, however there were plenty of other pictures that people managed to capture of me that did not paint a pretty picture of my current image.  As soon as the emails started pouring in that I was being tagged in photos from this weekend I logged into facebook and immediately started on a de-tagging spree.  As if that actually helps a whole lot since people will still see the pictures and most of them know who I am.

I have been overweight since I was 5 years old. I lost about 70 pounds almost 4 years ago before embarking on a study abroad trip to Italy.  I kept the weight off for about a year, but italian food is not friendly to the waistline and neither is turning 21.  Needless to say I have gained all of the weight back and probably even more. It saddens me to look at the pictures from my trip and wonder how I could have gotten back to this place. How could I let myself go?

Rather than continuing to go on about my current state of affairs I have decided that I am going to lose the weight once and for all.  I am going to do it for me, because if I don't o it for myself than it isn't much worth doing it. I know that it will be tough and that some days it will seem like I can't go on, but I will try everything in power to succeed in this endeavor so that I can live a healthy lifestyle and cross of some the many goals that I have always wanted to accomplish. 

My plan is to blog the good the bad and the ugly of the weight loss journey in hopes that I inspire myself to keep going and maybe help someone else along the way.  I am going to track my food intake and my daily fitness regime as well as blog about my emotions, goals and feelings during this process.  Here goes nothing and everything at the same time.