holidays are almost over!!

well ladies and gentlemen, the holiday season is almost over and life can get on as usual. the good news is, i have not gained any weight this season. the bad news is, i think it is only because i was puking for a whole day lol one more holiday to get through, i hope you all have your fruits and veggies with you or set out at your party, lots of water available to drink and if you choose to have any alcohol look up some lo cal recipes on skinnygirl.com or hungrygirl.com also, a wonderful alternative to the greasy munchies that will be all over the house this weekend, pop some popcorn on the stove or in an air popper, spray a bit of olive oil on it and sprinkle with your favorite herbs and spices, this is my favorite snack no matter what time of day or season... so tell me, how have you all be fairing with beating the holiday bulge? 

HOLIDAZE....

how ya'll doin? it has been a chaotic few weeks for me and just trying to keep my head screwed on so it doesnt fly off into the cosmos... my uncle sent me a link to an amazing website with tons of recipe modifications for all our holiday favorites, keep in mind the modifications does not mean they are a free food, it just means that you can eat one with out feeling extremely guilty about it... i hope you are all staying active and sane through the holiday season and in a week and a half we can all start fresh with a new year! 

http://www.prevention.com/food/cook/20-holiday-cookie-recipes

K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid)

here is an article on some simple exercises you could do to help tighten your mid section and get your heart rate up, and get your endocrine system working. being stagnant for too long creates a build up of toxins in your glands. do this 3 days a week and progress as it states, with some walking/running/dancing on the between days and you will start seeing and feeling amazing differences in your energy levels and body shape! you may have to push yourself to put forth the effort in the beginning, but i know from experience that you will reach a point where you crave the endorphins that come with exercise, it is very addicting...
http://ow.ly/7zVkH
 remember, drink lots of water as it helps shed fat and toxins... enjoy!!

long holiday

well, i hope your holiday was amazing the that the one coming up will be as well... i am thoroughly exhausted from my travels and am still getting back into the swing of things... i would love to hear what you all did to stave off the urge to splurge on thanksgiving... i myself ate every veggie i could get my hands on and drank tons of water, before dinner even started :-) then i ended up at walmart thursday night and power walked till 330 in the morning!! it was a blast!! well, i would love to hear from ya'll and see how you are doing, any progress being made? remember, one day at a time. it took years to gain it it isnt going to go away in a day... :-)

muscle!!!

ok, so last night i decided to do a buns and thighs pilates workout followed by a kickboxing workout and i am one hurtin unit!!! lol BUT the nice thing is, i know i am going to be stronger, leaner, and HUNGRIER because of it. building  muscle raises your metabolism and causes you to be genuinely hungry (which was a feeling i had forgotten until i started working out) one major key to remember is vitamin c and protein after and good hard workout, breaking down muscle causes the body to focus a lot of energy to the rebuilding of those muscles thus makes you more susceptible to illness... vitamin c for your immune system and protein for the the muscle reproduction... so, i know you read my post about my spaghetti last night and today for lunch i topped a naked baked potato with the left over sauce... AMAZING... and it wasnt empty carbs because i knew i would be running today and utilizing the potassium and carbs... for dinner (after my run) i had 2 turkey dogs in one bun with total 0% fage greek yogurt, mustard and one slice of tillamook sharp cheddar... so good... lots of water and a powerade zero and im hitting the sack, gonna get my rest for my long drive to BONNEY LAKE!!! see ya'll soon!! Happy eating! 

dinner!

I know a lot of you have expressed concerns about dinner time. one of the simplest meals is spaghetti... get experimental with it, i dont use sauce from a can, i build my own with fresh tomatoes, garlic, red, green, yellow, and orange peppers, onion, and tons of seasoning... if the consistency is too runny add a can of tomato paste... this is a great way to get the kids to eat veggies ( and your pesky husbands) also experiment with different meats... turkey keilbasa, ground turkey sausage, regular ground turkey, even TVP if you want to go the vegan route... always use whole wheat noodles and remember it is an entree not a meal... a serving of spaghetti should only cover about a quarter of your plate, add a green salad and some fruit and you have a perfectly square meal... Happy Eating!!
PS... what has everyone been doing for activities... get up and move!!! remember, eat to live dont live to eat... :-)

monday monday...

well, i hope you all had an amazing weekend, we had our first official snow here in spokane on friday night, it all melted by saturday morning but it was good! one thing i experienced this weekend was a stiff neck... im attributing it to poor sleep, stress, and lack of proper stretching... do not for get to stretch! every time you exercise or use muscles you arent used to using on a daily basis, sttreettcchhh them out... i had an amazing 2 mile run yesterday (i only did 2 because once my heart rate was up the stiffness in my neck created a headache) it was beautiful. i was in Ceour d'Alene Idaho having my car fixed by a friend and went for my run up towards the national park... the colors mixed with the evergreens and only a couple hundred feet up the hillside was snow... get out and enjoy the seasons. you dont have to run, you can walk. this time of year the air is clean and fresh and the animals are out and about scurrying to get ready for winter... hit the trails while you can... for those of you in western wa you have a major advantage, there are trials right in your back yard... LOTS OF THEM!! even in the down town areas of auburn, puyallup, bonney lake and sumner. if you dont want to drive too far you dont have to... let me know if you need ideas of where to go and i will point you in the right direction... remember, eat to live, dont live to eat...

It's a New Day!

11/11/11 what a powerful day, it is a full moon, veterans day and a day for change... have you kissed a vet today? it was a rough start to my day, in case you havent heard, my grandfather passed away yesterday afternoon... exactly one month from when my brother was killed... i had a rough start to my day but quickly got moving through it with breakfast, cleaning the kitchen and work... after i was done with work for the day i decided to rake the yard, i only got half way through it (its a huge yard) and had a good sweat going, now i am going to walk 3 miles to my zumba class, dance my ass off and binge the rest of the night lol... (i am only human) if any of you are interested a suggested reading material would be Jeff Oleson's "the slight edge" it isnt a health/wellness book but it influenced my decision to get off my ass... remember it is progress not perfection... Happy Eating!

Long day

well, today was an interesting and exhausting day... so my post today is going to be short and sweet... 
this morning i ate my standard breakfast with my standard coffee and hit the desk trying to get this new business running, drank powerade zero, and ate carrots, for lunch i had left over cheddar broccoli soup and in about 45 min i am going to leave to run with the Flying Irish Running Club... before i go i will eat a slice of bread and drink an entire glass of water... this is the only time i eat bread so i enjoy it lol... by the time i drive downtown it will have settled and will sustain me for my run... when i get home the first thing i will do is have a protein shake with a frozen banana because i need the protein and potassium to rebuild the muscles i broke down running... after i shower i will eat my grilled chicken salad and have popcorn tonight before bed... Happy eating! 

PS... i would love to hear from you guys what foods you are experimenting with, what exercises you are trying or if you just dont know where to start... let me know

dinner

evening peeps! ive had a fantabulously productive day and i hope you have too! just an update on my eating habits for the day if anyone is interested, my oatmeal as i described in my first post, two cups of coffee, carrots as a snack, a Huge salad with grilled chicken, a plum, a ton of green tea, and now for dinner i am making broccoli cheddar soup... i know i know "what?!" its semi-healthy lol here it is in full detail...

• start with a pan of warm olive oil, sautee diced garlic onion and celery
• put mix into a large pot with low sodium chicken stock and skim milk (50/50)
• warm on medium heat and add frozen broccoli and cauliflower mix
• once warm add 8 oz of 1/3 fat cream cheese
• once this is melted down fully add the shredded cheddar a little at a time till the flavor is how you like it

this takes time cause if you add all the ingredients too fast the cheese clumps up...

i hope you all enjoy this receipe, i intend on ending my night with some barre 3 and froyo! Happy Eatting :-D

meal plan

alright, so when i started my lifestyle change the first thing i did was get rid of all the frozen processed crap from my freezer and i quit eating out at fast food restaurants... after a few weeks of sticking to that i decided to up the challenge and i contacted my good friend Nikkie Lengling... she is a nutritionist and helped me set up a food plan that was right for what was my current weight and activity level... i am going to post it here for anyone who is interested... a few key points... 1) this was custom built for me @236lbs so be sure you make modifications where needed 2) there is a lot of this that i still follow and some that i have modified as my weight loss requires 3) the most important and hardest part for me was fasting from sugar and refined carbs... its a killer but once you detox from it and stay off it for a few months it is easier to control the cravings... on that note... here it is...

Breakast
3 egg omlet with veggies
1/2 cup old fashioned quick oats (cook with 1/2 cup water for 1:30)

 add cinnamon or stevia for flavor and tiny bit of fat free milk
8 oz water
1 fruit
477 Cal

Lunch
4 oz. Salmon or Boneless skinless Chicken breast 

(use only herbs and lemon or 1 teaspoon olive oil for flavor)
Green Veggies (steamer bags are quick and easy) Sea salt for flavor
1/2 cup brown rice
1 fruit (no bananas right now)
415 Cal

Dinner
3.5 ounce very lean beef
Green veggies
1/2 cup brown rice 
1 steamed or baked potato (I like to mash it with 1 teaspoon olive oil,

 garlic and sea salt and herbs)
495 Cal
(Alternate chicken or fish for the beef every other day)

Snack 1
1/4 cup almonds
1 protein shake made with 8 oz fat free milk
380 Cal

Snack 2
4 cups popped popcorn (with 1 tablespoon olive oil)
244 Cal

Snack 3
Protein shake (made the same as above)
1/4 cup almonds
380 Cal

i hope this helps, any questions let me know. another suggestion i have is to find 

a favorite cardio/strength work out 

that is 20min or more and dedicate yourself to doing it 3 days a week... i started

with jillian michaels 30 day shred, she is very IN YOUR FACE lol and motivating... 

she used to be a fat girl, which i found helpful... nothing worse than working out 

with some skinny female who has never had a problem with her weight... any ways,

keep in mind that it is progress not perfection... on thing at a time and as long 

as you are making more positive decisions for your health and weightloss it will 

over power the negative... Happy Eating! :-) 

ok, so i decided to write some more today. just going to state how my day was today... this morning i woke up and had my breakfast (refer to my first post) and my coffee... i use sugar free vanilla creamer that i measure precisely and sugar free white chocolate powder that i measure also... i didnt take my kids to school today so my morning was spent cleaning the kitchen and working. for lunch i had greek yogurt (specifically Fage total 0%) with frozen blackberries and strawberries... when the kids got home from school i had them do chores and i made dinner.... i made them penne and cheese from scratch and ate a tiny bit, (meaning about 8 noodles) for myself i made a large salad of spring greens and spinach with diced carrots, celery, grilled chicken that i season strongly, 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar, and raspberry vinegrette... i almost didnt finish it is was so big... now i am going to enjoy some homemade tapioca pudding that i made with stevia and skim milk... i warm it up and add one square of lindt dark chili chocolate... allow yourself a treat now and then (with moderation and control) otherwise making this "diet" a lifestyle will fail... (diet is a dirty word in my book) i plan on working out after my boys go to bed, i am going to hula hoop for 30 mins, and do a 20 min pilates video... for anyone with comcast there are TONS of workout videos in the ondemand under sports and fitness... for the rest of the night will drink water and green tea... any questions let me know! love you guys!

here's a start

alrighty then, here it is... the start of my blog... it has been asked of me to blog about my weightloss and to share tips and inspiration... for starters, get up! lol movement is key, even if it is just making sure the house is spotless everyday or a 20 min walk down the street, (yes, i consider housework exercise) another key point, eat breakfast, i know a lot of us have quit eating breakfast, and believe me this was one i had to over come too... my breakfast would consist of a cup of high calorie coffee from my nearest espresso stand and a cigarette... the simplest way to a balance breakfast is 1/4 cup of oats, 1/4 cup of TVP, 3/4 cup water microwaved for 2 min... add vanilla protein powder and a fruit, either berries or a small apple, or even a peach... i try to avoid frozen but going into the winter season it is just going to have to be frozen berries for now... this is a near perfect ratio of carbs, protein and natural sugar... and it is yummy too... my next tip for the moment is to throw out any and all processed frozen or boxed "meals"... they are making you fat! the additives in these products make  you crave them and thus have an unhealthy relationship to food.... ok, so this is a start... any questions you know how to find me...