Monday Session

Happy Monday Everyone!  Does anyone else have a hard time falling asleep on Sunday's?  I think I slept 30 minutes last night.  I don't like that.


I made healthy banana things this weekend.  I will post some pictures later, but I am at work and without my camera.  Thank you to Tim over at Fat Boy Thin for giving me a really great recipe!    

Goals

1. Take a picture of myself sweaty from working out every day this week.

Fail.  Mostly because I forgot my camera three days in a row and then when I finally remembered I tried to turn it on and it was dead.  So, guess what?  Back on the list.  I am about accomplishing things and making progress.  No sense in taking it off my list if I didn't do what I set out to do. 

1. Sign up for my first 5k.

Can I just say that I had NO IDEA there were so many races of all lengths in the Twin Cities.  How amazing?  I decided that I am going to sign up for the Challenge Obesity 5k that was recommended to me by Sarah over at the amazing blog Fat Little Legs.  I am very excited and nervous and I know that I really need to kick it into high gear until then.  The race is in April.

 

Newish Goals

 

1. Take a picture of myself sweaty from all of my work outs this week.

So, as I said before this one is making it on here again.  Not much explanation needed.  Not only do I want to have proof of my hard work at the gym, but I need to add some pictures to spice up life.

 

2. Try two new fruits and vegtables.

This is one of my old goals and I am bringing it back because certainly I can eat more than lettuce, apples, bananas and carrots in the fruit and vegetable department.

 

I am going to conclude this post as is, but I will be adding a post later on that is more of a wedding related post.  I know that this is a weight loss blog, but a huge part of my life right now is planning a wedding and getting in shape for a wedding.  I know that many of you have been down this road, so your advice in weight loss and weddings is important to me!  So, I hope you don't mind my occassional wedding post.  If you do, stick around for the next weight loss one! :)

Must-Have Monday-Newbie's

Today, I met a friend for happy hour at the restaurant Crave in the new trendy area of the twin cities known as the West End.  I had not seen this friend in a year and a half, which is always a good bad feeling for me. On one hand I am ecstatic to catch up with my friend that I haven't seen in a long time and on the other hand I am always nervous about what they think I look like (in comparison to the last time they saw me, as in I hope I am not bigger than I was before).

I am also nervous to tell people that I am eating healthy and not drinking.  This is not because I am afraid that I won't have willpower, but it is because I don't want to make other people feel bad for their drink and food choices because I am choosing to live a certain way.  So far it has NOT been an issue.  I am actually not sure what I am afraid of.  Is there a chance that someone would actually say, "You're eating HEALTHY!?! What a crock of sh**!"  No, people wouldn't say that even if they think that.  I have also found an interesting behavior pattern emerging.  My friends who are thin, healthy and active are totally understandable and supportive of my decisions, while it seems that some people who are heavy or who enjoy a poor diet are always saying things like, "you can't eat like a rabbit forever, you will fall of the wagon some day!"  I know, i know this is NOT rocket science.  Of course people who are overweight want people to eat like them because they want to continue to tell themselves that it is okay for them to eat that way.  As I was thinking about this in the car today all I could think was..... WOW!  This used to be me not that long ago.  I used to love when someone would say let's just veg out and eat snacks and lay around all day and order take out.  I used to be the person who I have now just figured out.  I have just foiled my past behaviors.  This was a mini break through of sorts for me.  I know that this journey is more than just changing my willpower and outlook on life.  It is more that just determination and hard work.  It is a large part about changing my behavior and how I look at food.  Losing weight is not just about what you put into your body, but also what you take out of it.  The bad thoughts, the negative images, the poor behaviors.  I am not where I want to be in a year, but I am better off than I was a year ago or yesterday for that matter.

Alright.... after that moment of personal growth I would like to start my first ever Must-Have Monday post.  I am going to post three things that I can't live without every week.  This is a time to give thanks and to spread the love. This week's focus is on new items that I have discovered.

1. Boca Crumbles- Honestly, I just discovered how amazing this product is and I am already trying to dream up things that I can cook with it.  I made a healthier take on Mexican pizza using this as the meat and it was FABULOUS!  I will post the recipe tomorrow.  It is NOT healthy as in as good for you as a salad, but it is a much healthier way to get a Mexican fix.

2. Trader Joe's Chicken Sausage.  They have many different flavors and they are all really good.  One sausage is about 100 calories and between 4.5 and  grams of fat.  This is obviously not as healthy as regular chicken breasts or other lean meats, but it is a nice change of scenery and good to have every once in awhile. They sell similar chicken sausages at many other grocery stores if you don't have a TJ's by you.

3. Pears- It doesn't mater which variety.  Pears are rocking my world as of late.  I am loving them and eating one a day it seems like.  They must be in season because they are relatively cheap right now and super delicious.

Sunday Sessions

1. Try a 2 new fruits and 2 new vegetables this week.
Done!  I tried pomegranate and kiwi.  I have had kiwi before, but never purchased it on my own and I hadn't had it in a long time.  I really like them when they are not too soft.  They are the perfect size for a quick and healthy snack in between meals.  I also bought a pomegranate and I have to say that I have not eaten it yet, but it looks good and I just saw that someone else posted on their blog about how to cut them, so I am excited to eat it this week.  I got eggplant and spaghetti squash for my two vegetables.  The eggplant I roasted in the oven and I was not really a fan of it.  Everyone tells me to try eggplant parmesan, so when I buy it next time I will get that.  The spaghetti squash was awesome!  I even got my boyfriend to eat it.  I ate it with some low sodium sauce, sauteed veggies and some grilled chicken and a little bit of reduced fat feta cheese. YUM!


2. Move my body as much as I can throughout the day. 
I think that I did really well with this goal this week.  I parked in the back of lots, got up and moved around at work more than usual and worked out more than I have any other days so far on this journey.  I also tried to move around at work more and stood at my desk doing work for a few hours.  I know this is always something that I can improve on, but it was a great start for me!


NEW GOALS 


1. Change up my work-out routines.  As my brother-in-law calls it, muscle confusion.  Sometimes I get on the elliptical for 45 minutes and I wish the time away.  I hate this.  It makes me dread my workout and hate what I am doing.  So, I have printed off the group fitness schedules for my gym and I have highlighted all of the classes that I could attend during the week that sound good to me. I have a plan to mix-up my work outs this week and "confuse my muscles" so that I am getting a really good work out and hopefully burning more fat!


2. Organize my closet, try on clothes and get rid of what doesn't fit. 
I have clothes from one size larger than I am now all the way down to 4 sizes smaller than I am now.  I know, I know it is crazy and I need to get rid of things that don't fit me so that it isn't convenient for me to gain weight and move back into my old clothes.  I still don't know what to do with my clothes that don't fit though, so I need to organize my closet and make a plan for these items that are now too big.  Yay!

Saturday Sessions

Update from Last week...


1. I need to work out everyday this week for at least 30 minutes.  I know that this may seem like small potatoes to you, but some days I have no motivation to do this. 
Mission accomplished!! I had a personal training session, attended two group fitness classes and cardio one day at Lifetime Fitness and 3 days at home doing the Biggest Loser 30-Day Jumpstart.  This is really an accomplishment for me because I can eat healthy everyday, but working out everyday is just as important for weight loss and I need to make working out a priority everyday. 

2. I need to eat dinner on my own before 7:00.  My boyfriend works long hours and I love to eat dinner with him when he comes home, so I usually try to wait.  Some days he isn't home until 7:30 or 8:00 and one day this week I didn't eat until almost 9:00 and I try to go to bed at 10:00.  That is not working for me. I need to just eat on my own.
This went pretty good, but there is room for improvement.  I ate almost everyday before 7:00, but two days it was about 7:30, so I need to continue to work on this goal.
3. I just got my three Hungry Girl books in the mail and I am very excited to start cooking with them.  Once I get my camera back from my friend I will work on getting more photos posted and also my experience with the HG recipes.
Love this!!!  If you remember my post a few weeks ago about breaking down bawling because my boyfriend didn't like what I cooked, well I have found a solution and it is Hungry Girl!  I gave my boyfriend the cookbooks and he wrote down all of the recipes he would eat, which was at least 50+ recipes!!  Wahoo!  I was so excited that he found so many things that he liked that were still healthy options for me.  We have only made one recipe, but I am going to post pictures from now on of the meals that I make, so be on the look out for that.


New Goals...


1. Try a 2 new fruits and 2 new vegetables this week.
I feel like I always eat the same vegetables and fruit every week, so I am going to step out of the box and out of my comfort zone and try new vegetables and fruits this week and see if I find new things that I like.  I also really like buying what is in season and local produce if I can, so that is another one of my goals that I am trying really hard to adhere to. 


2. Move my body as much as I can throughout the day. 
This seems obvious, but when you really think about it we probably don't move as much as we can throughout the day and we often take the easy way out.  What I mean by this is that we park as close to the store as we can, take the elevator, take the bus all the way to our destination and so on.   I am going to take the spot at the back of the lot, take the stairs and get off my bus a few stops early every day this week.  I want to push myself to be active as much as I can since my job requires so much sitting.  I heard a story a few weeks ago about an older man who owned a shop right down from hill from his house (about a half a mile or less) that he used to drive to everyday.  He started to walk because the weather was nice and at his next check up his blood pressure was dramatically lower, he had lost 25 pounds and was no longer pre-diabetic.  So, some small changes can make a BIG difference. 


I will post more later today or tomorrow.  I will also update some of my pages, add new recipes and some new photos of me at my worst and best.

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!