Weigh-In: Week 5

Current Weight: 230lbs

Weekly Loss: -3lbs   Total Loss: -11lbs

I swear, I thought I was going to have to post my first "gain" weigh-in of this go around.  I have no idea how I managed to lose 3 pounds this week!

I took a picture because I didn't believe it!

I had a rough eating week.  Started off being ravenous while PMSing, just eating whatever was around and lots of it!  Luckily, I don't have anything in my house that's really horrible, but even healthy foods aren't good in copious amounts.  I ate A LOT.  

This is my HANGRY face.  You don't want to be around my HANGRY face!!!!

I also went to visit my BFF/Soulmate this weekend, and I'm one of those people who loves to eat while driving, and I had a good 7 hour trip.  I put together a bag of healthy stuff, but also managed to consume a bag of Smartfood popcorn on my way down due to stress eating (major car issues!).  My friend is awesome, though, and made delicious food that was on the healthy side for us!  On the way back, stress eating resumed with pretzels and a bag of sour patch kids.  I didn't even want to get on the scale today.  So, yeah, I lost 3lbs  but I almost don't like that I lost weight, because it wasn't a great week.  

I'm up to 37.5 miles for April.  Still have a few days to reach my 40 mile goal, I know I'll get there!  I'm also hoping this weight loss sticks, because I really wanted to be out of the 230's by May.  We'll see what happens next week!!!

Weigh-In: Week 4

Current Weight: 233lbs

Weekly Loss:  -2lbs    Current Loss:  -8lbs

Doing good, feeling good, looking good!

Slow and steady wins the race, so I'm happy being down 2 more pounds!  

So far, I've walked 33 miles this month!  I'll definitely reach my goal of 40 miles for April!

I also hope to be out of the 230's by May, so we shall see how that goes.  

I feel great!  I have energy, I physically feel great, and I mentally feel awesome!

The secret to what's working for me this time around?  TIME!

The harsh reality of life is that there is no easy fix for losing weight and being healthy.

Pills won't last in the long run, neither will anything that involves extreme fitness or diet.

Those aren't really healthy, either!

What does work?  Taking the time to do what you know you need to do.

I spend AT LEAST 2 hours a day, 

if not more, on my health.

It might be an hour of yoga, 45 minutes walking, time cooking and prepping meals, scheduling exercising, developing recipes, grocery shopping, etc.

Yes, the time might seem like a lot, but it's our lives we are talking about. 

If your life isn't worth the time, what is?  Money?  No.  Making other people happy?  No.

Family?  Family is important.  Get them to be a part of your journey!  
If they can't/won't, realize that in order for you all to enjoy your times together, 
you need to be healthy!

One of the greatest parts of this week was seeing how supportive my husband and friends are with my efforts.  My husband and I both work a lot, and that means we don't have much time to spend together.  This week, we were going to go out to dinner on Friday since we were both free.  I felt bad, but I asked Chris if we could do dinner at 8:15 so I could go for a walk and go to a yoga class.  Without any problems, he said yes, of course!  He knows that in order for me to be successful, it's going to take time.  He's even getting back into cycling, too!  Yesterday morning he went for a ride while I went for my walk.

My friends are also awesome!  We went to dinner at a friend's house on Saturday night.

She kept me in mind and had plenty of healthy options for me to enjoy!  How sweet!

(Note: I was responsible for dessert.  I brought fancy cupcakes.  We had a cupcake tasting.  

It was amazing!  And not healthy.  Amazing nonetheless.  I fail lol.)  

(No) Weigh-In: Week 3

So, I didn't weigh in this week, for a few reasons.  The main reason- I believe in only weighing yourself once a week max at the same time on the same scale.  I wasn't home on my weigh-in day (Sunday morning) since we spent the weekend away, so I passed on it for the week.  Sorry!

I had this past week off, and made it all about me!  Most days went like this:

8am- wake up
9/10am- yoga
12pm- cook lunch
2pm- go for a walk/jog
3pm- plan meals and go grocery shopping
5pm- cook a fantastic, healthy meal
6pm- eat dinner

I really wish I was independently wealthy so I could spend all of my time on myself!!!  It does a body good!!!  So far, I've walked/jogged 15.5 miles this month (not counting our trip- see below)!  I'm going to try and get to 40 miles by the end of April.

I originally planned to do a massive cleaning of the house from top to bottom.  I didn't clean anything (besides laundry and dishes from all of my cooking!) and that's great!  I needed to take care of me!  I got my exercise and food back on track, got my hair colored and cut (I'm in love with it!!!!) and had a relaxing, rejuvenating break!

We spent this past weekend in the city.  We had such a great time!  We walked about 9 miles on Saturday which made me feel less guilty about all of the yummy things I was eating!  We wanted to go to so many restaurants and try a million things, so Chris and I split one dish at most of the places to save calories and room for more!  It was a great plan, so happy!

One thing I noticed- we barely drank any water!!!  We were so parched.  This week, I'm thoroughly hydrating myself.  I know I'll be running to the ladies room every 5 minutes, but who cares.  I need water!!!!

So, yes, life was lived, and now it's back to reality.  Food is back on track, exercise is all planned out.  Today brought my breakfast, lunch and snacks to work, plus my workout clothing.  After work, heading to yoga but taking a solid half hour walk/jog before class begins.  I promise I'll be home to weigh-in next week!

Baked Eggs with Peppers and Zucchini

This is such a great recipe for when you want to impress without working too hard!

This egg bake is delicious and filling!  And just over 200 calories!

You can customize it based on whatever veggies and spices you have around.

Recipe below is for 1 serving, just multiply per scrumptious serving!
Calories per serving: 210   Carbs: 10g     Fat: 14g     Protein: 14g

Ingredients:

1 zucchini, spiraled or julienned, blotted of excess moisture

1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (I used 1/2 red, 1/2 green)

1 tsp olive oil

2 eggs

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

In a pan, heat olive oil.  Sauté peppers until soft and starting to brown.  Add zucchini and cook another 2-3 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.

Place veggie mixture in an oven-safe dish.  Create a small well in the middle.  Crack 2 eggs into a ramekin (or another small dish) and make sure there aren't any shells.  Transfer onto veggie mixture.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until eggs reach desired doneness.  

I topped mine with hot sauce.  This was fantastic!  Enjoy!

Weigh-In: Week 2

Current Weight: 235lbs

Weekly Loss:  -3lbs    Current Loss:  -6lbs

I feel good (da na na na na na na)..I knew that I would!

I feel so amazingly awesome this week!

My body has accepted physical activity and all the pain has stopped!  

My muscles are tight and sore, but I feel strong!

This week, I walked 9.33 miles.  I'm going to keep track from week to week.

I've been doing yoga and walking.  I do at least one of these every day, and many days I do both!  I was afraid of moving from regular yoga to vinyasa because of my back pain last week, but I went and it was awesome!  I'm also walking further and further each time I go out, adding in short bursts of jogging.  We're on the slow and steady path, so I don't want to push myself too far too fast and end up hurting something.

I know there isn't really a physical change in the pictures, but a lot of my bloated feeling has gone away.  My clothes feel good, not tight.  My stomach has gone down slightly, and I can really feel the change.

6lbs down, many to go, one day at a time!

Stuffed Plantains

Who said that eating healthy has to be tasteless and boring?  

This is probably one of my favorite recipes.  It's so flavorful and completely different!

If you haven't ever tried plantains, you should!  They are starchy, not mushy like bananas.

Serve with a side salad for a really hearty meal!  

You can also make a larger amount of the filling in advance and have it on hand 

for the week, so all you have to do is bake the plantain and stuff!

Ingredients:

2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced almost through lengthwise

olive oil spray (I use my Misto)

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 white onion, minced

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed

Handful of cilantro, washed and chopped

1/4 cup tomato sauce (if you like spice like me, use the small cans of Goya hot tomato sauce)

1 tsp cumin

2 tbsp shredded Mexican blend cheese

salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Coat baking sheet with olive oil, place in plantains, and coat with olive oil.  Bake for 40 minutes or until tender.

 

Meanwhile, heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Add the diced onion and sauté until translucent.  Add in cilantro and black beans, continue to cook for 3-5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, add tomato sauce and cumin, and season to taste with salt.  Remove from heat.

When plantain are tender, carefully remove from oven and fill each with half of the bean mixture.  Top each plantain with 1 tbsp cheese, and return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.