Worth It

How was everyone's 4th?  I just had a small bowl of ice cream and last night I had an oreo shake (always my downfall).  Not too bad though.  One important thing though when trying to change something in your life... you need to keep moving forward.

If you cheat a little more than you'd like or if you completely fail and don't exercise for a few weeks (guilty!).... it's okay.  Accept it.  Forgive yourself.  And move on.  Every time you move forward with something you are a new person.  Think about it.  How many times have you decided to exercise 3 times a week and you have failed?  To give up a bad habit?  5 times, 11 times?  It doesn't matter.  You, right now in this moment, are who you are right now.  You aren't that same person, even if you failed yesterday.  Life gives you new direction, new experiences, and it all comes together to make you who you are.

So if you have been trying to change something about yourself and you keep failing, it's okay.  Just keep moving forward.  It's a brand new day and you have a brand new perspective.  Don't be to hard on yourself.  Something that I have learned is that you need to love yourself first or else you'll never be satisfied where you are in life.

Anyway, that's my little rant for the day.  Don't give up on yourself!  You're totally worth it!

4th of July Drink

So big holiday tomorrow... it will be hot and you might be looking for a sweet, cool drink.  I was at a bridal shower the other day and my friend made an amazing drink.  Fast, easy, sugar free, and delicious.

Crystal Light Lemonade

Fresh strawberries

Ice

Refreshing.

Feed the Craving

If you don't have The Biggest Loser Cookbook, I highly suggest that you get it!  I checked this book out from the library once and I fell in love with it!  There are so many amazing recipes in it.  They are delicious and so healthy for you, I love them!

I've already posted about a couple of the recipes, the meatball one and the sweet potato fries recipe.  My favorite things about this cookbook are:

* over 125 healthy recipes
* kid friendly (also Katie friendly... I'm a picky eater)
* Calls for easy ingredients that you have actually heard of!
* Quick and easy meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and desserts!
* Gives the serving size and nutritional info so you know what you are eating.

I had one of these recipes today to satisfy a sweets craving.  This is one of my favorite snacks.  I've also had it for breakfast and a after workout snack.  It's so easy and it's delicious!  You have to give this one a try!

Banana, peanut butter, yogurt, topped with granola... (I like to use Kashi cereal).
Then you're done!  I've tried this recipe with lots of different yogurt flavors.  The recipe calls for Boston Cream Pie... that one is good for a dessert.  For breakfast or a snack I like to use strawberry or strawberry/banana yogurt.  So so good!

So be sure to get The Biggest Loser Cookbook, it's less than $9 so it's budget friendly!  Or check it out from the library and try it out for yourself!

Week 3 Goal: No Sweets

GOAL: No sugar or sweets this week.

I did okay at the reunion.  I ate a lot of M&Ms and Sweetish Fish (fat free so those aren't bad right?).  The scale didn't like me this week though... so I've been avoiding snacking and sweets this week.  Usually I try to just have one treat a week... so Friday nights I usually have a wonderful ice cream creation.  I find that if I eat well the rest of the week, my one night of treats doesn't kill all the work that I have done.  But this week I need to just avoid it all.  I'll probably do this next week too.

I've heard so many people say how wonderful they feel when they don't eat sugar and I am thinking I want to try that.  It will be really hard at first... but I did this several years ago and it got to the point where you don't crave sugar anymore!  After I had gone a couple of months without eating sugar, I went to my favorite ice cream joint (where I usually eat everything in sight and they have the largest ice cream creations in the world!!), while I was there I could only have a few bites of the ice cream because it was soo soo sweet!  But little by little I build up my tolerance again to sugar so I'm now able to eat the whole ice cream plus some more.

I will not give into my temptations and I'll remind myself why I am doing this... why I want to be healthy.  Something that helps me with temptations is to chew some gum.  I did this a lot at my reunion last weekend.  I find that the fruit ones get rid of my cravings the best.  My favorite kind is Trident Watermelon Twist.  It's a great flavor that leaves me not wishing for sweets.

So whether or not you want to join me on this goal or you may already be doing it, I'll be posting what I'm doing to keep up that goal!

Have a great week and stay healthy!

Weekend Reunion

Update on last week's goal... I did have a lot of liquids but it was mostly soda or pepto since I had food poisoning or the flu.... either way, not a fun week.  I still lost a couple of pounds but that sure wasn't due to exercising.  I took the week off in order to let my body recover from whatever I had.

Looking towards this weekend I am feeling a little scared... family reunion.  You know what that means.  Lots of food.  Lots of snacks.  Lots of treats with unlimited access, and everyone telling you to let loose and eat whatever you want since it is a special occasion.  Now, I'm not opposed to having a treat here and there.... but when it is uncontrolled and unmonitored eating that it becomes a problem.

A couple of weekends ago I was at another family get together and there was junk food everywhere!  But I went into the weekend with my mind already made up.  I wasn't going to cheat, at all!  None!  Surprisingly, it was a pretty easy weekend for me.  Usually when I am faced with a large bowl of ice cream with a side of a few candy bars.... I sit and debate with myself about if I'm going to give into my craving or not and I usually give in and end up eating everything in sight!

So when I went into the weekend with my mind and will power already set it was amazing!  This weekend I will probably end up eating something delicious and very fattening.  But I'm making up my mind right now that I can indulge just a bit.  Now that doesn't mean snacking all day long, having huge meals, snacking some more and finishing the day off with a dessert buffet.  I will indulge just a bit without letting myself go crazy!

Whether you choose to not have anything or choose to just have one or two things then great!  Go for it.  Just be strong and stick to your plan!  So wish me luck, and if you want to read a little article about not cheating... see this.

I'll be reading it and I'll do my best to not gain back all the weight I've worked hard to work off!

Week 2 Goal: Drink Up!

GOAL: Drink 8 glasses of 8 oz of water everyday.

Water is so so good for you.  I always have a hard time drinking enough water though.  I find keeping a water bottle with me the entire day helps me to remember to drink.  I also like to use sugar free sweeteners sometimes as well.  

It's important to drink before, during and after workouts.  Once again, having a water bottle on hand helps a lot.  I also try to have a full glass before I eat, another during my meal, and another one once I am finished.  I find that this helps me to feel more full so I don't over eat as much.  Sometimes between meals I feel "hungry" but I know I've had enough food and that really isn't the case... sometimes I just feel like snacking.  Drinking some water or your favorite low-cal drink will help you with that unsatisfied feeling.  I try to drink water most of the time and I save a diet soda or a low-cal drink for those times to get over my sweet tooth.

As for last week... I had a crazy week with my work schedule and I never made my 9:30 bedtime.  I will try again this week though.  The important thing is to not give up and to keep trying to improve each day! I'm sorry about only posting once last week, I'll do better this week!  So drink up and I'll be back soon!

Weekly Goal: Sleep

GOAL: Be in bed by 9:30 this week.

Sleep is a very important aspect of your health.  I've already posted on what sleep can do for your health here.  Not only does it help your emotional and mental health, but it also plays a crucial role in how your metabolism is performing... aka... it plays a role in weight loss.

 Researchers from the University of Chicago has found that when you get enough sleep while trying to loose weight, you lose more fat compared to those who don't get enough sleep and they lose more muscle mass.  And just like I described in my earlier post, they found that when you are sleepy your body makes a hormone that makes you feel hungry....causing you to over eat and not lose weight.

I have found this to be very true.  I have noticed a significant difference in the way that I feel emotionally, mentally and physically depending on how much sleep I get.  When I was in college and I decided I wanted to change my life and get really healthy- I was in bed by 9:30 during that semester.  It was so hard to do!  I had homework, friends, and my roommates were all up till the early hours of the morning, but I forced myself to keep that strict bedtime and after a couple of weeks I felt like a completely new person.  I felt so good!  Better than I had ever felt!  After getting married and moving on with life I have lost that habit and I can feel the effects of it.

So this week I am going to be in bed by 9:30.  Hopefully after a week or two I'll have more energy like I use to.  Now you don't have to choose 9:30, maybe 10 or 10:30 is a big step for you!  But do try to focus on getting to bed earlier this week.  It won't be easy, but stick with it and you might be surprised at what a difference sleep can make for you!

Weekly Goals

As I'm working on my own journey to being as fit and healthy as I can, I'll be posting about nutrition, what my eating plan is, what my workout schedule is, and how I'm dong with all of these things.  I've had so much success so far (down 29 pounds) and I'm excited to share what I've learned about eating and exercising in a healthy, realistic, and affordable way!

In addition to posting these things, I would like to have weekly goals.  These goals will target a specific thing so hopefully I can start making these goals turn into healthy habits.  I'll be posting these goals each Monday and report how I'm doing, and give tips for success that have worked for me.  This coming week I will be focusing on sleep.  More on that on Monday but start thinking of what your new sleep goals could be for next week!  See you all then!

Finally!

So I've been stuck on a plateau for a few weeks now.  I've been exercising and eating well but the scale has been at a stand still.  But I kept trying my best and I tried not to get too discouraged.  I was seeing results even if the scale didn't show any.  I have gone from only being able to fit into one pair of pre-pregnancy jeans to fitting into most of them!  It's a good feeling when you can wear some jeans that would have been impossible to wear just a month ago.  So I've kept my spirits up knowing that something good must happening... as tempting as it was to give up for an evening or two and just eat whatever I want... since I was working so hard and nothing was happening.  But this morning I am so happy to report that I have lost 3.5 pounds since last week!  It's finally paying off!

So just know that if you feel like you are working hard and you aren't seeing the results... put away the scale for a week or two.  Just pay attention to how your clothes are fitting.  Measure your inches once a week and track your progress there.  Whatever you do, don't give up and keep working hard.  It will finally pay off!

Goals

`Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?' asked Alice.

`That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat. 

`I don't much care where--' said Alice.

`Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat. 

Just like Alice, if we don't have an idea of where we want to end up, then it doesn't really matter where we end up!  If you float around aimlessly in life, then you won't have much say in what happens to you.  The same principle applies to your health and fitness.  If you don't know what you want, then how do you know what to work for?  How can you track progress?  The best way to track progress and to make sure you end up where you want to is to set some goals.

Right after I had my first baby I decided that I wanted to train to run a half marathon.  At the time I could hardly believe that I had set such a goal.  I hadn't been running for the past year and I wondered if I could be ready in time.  Once I got the 'okay' from the doc to exercise again I had three and a half months to train and to be ready to run.  I must say that setting this goal was the best thing for me.

On days when it was hard to run, or I didn't feel like training, the thought of finishing my goal helped motivate me to get going!  I remember my first 'long run' day... six miles.  I got home from my run and tearfully told my husband that I couldn't do the half marathon.  I had just about died running six miles!  How could I ever run 13.1!  But I had already registered and paid for the race and I was committed to finish.  I got excited to think that someday I would actually run a half marathon.  Me!?  That's crazy!  I loved the thought of accomplishing something I thought that would be "too difficult" for me.

I was nervous and excited on race day.  I was ready and I wanted to run!  My goal was to finish the half marathon under three hours and I did!  It was such an amazing feeling!  I was so happy to finally cross the finish line!  The last couple of miles had been brutal!  

I got my medal, and my creamy (best creamy I've ever had) and met up with my family.  They were such a support to me and I couldn't have done it alone!  It felt so good knowing that I had set a goal, worked really really hard, and I had accomplished that goal!  I felt so powerful!

The thing that I love most about goals is the direction they give you.  Your goals are so personal and they belong to you.  I hope you all have your own goals that you are working towards.  Write them down!  Look at them often!  I like to keep a list by my bed so I can read over them often.  If you need to revise and write new ones there is nothing wrong with that.  Just do what you want to do.  Set some goals regarding your health and fitness.  Set some goals involving relationships and personal growth.  Have something to work towards and stretch yourself.  Stretch yourself and you will be amazed at what you are able to accomplish.  

I hope you sit down and seriously think about what you want to accomplish.  Have fun with it!  Don't stress and as my mother use to say, "believe in yourself, it works!"

Strawberry Lime Slush

Being healthy doesn't mean you have to give up the sweet things in life.  You just have to be smart about what you eat.  There is no reason you need to live a life eating organic fig bars just for the sake of being healthy.  

The other night it was pretty warm outside and I was having my nightly sweets craving.  I had a bunch of strawberries in the fridge that needed to be eaten so I thought I would make a delicious slush to cool down and have a treat.

Strawberry Lime Slush

1 liter Sprite Zero

1 package of fresh strawberries (or 3-4 cups frozen)

1-2 cups of ice

1/2 lime

Blend the Sprite, strawberries and ice and add enough lime to taste!  I used the juice from half a lime and thought it was perfect!  So easy and so delicious!

It's very low in calories, full of fruit, and sweet and tasty.  So the next time your sweet tooth comes calling give this baby a try!

Lose It

Alright everyone, I'm here and I'm ready to lose.  I'm in the process of loosing some baby weight and I thought that six months later I would be down to my ideal weight.  Six months have come and are leaving quickly and I'm not where I thought I would be.

This was my first pregnancy and I gained 35 pounds.  So far I have lost 25 pounds... ten more to go until my pre-pregnancy weight.  Over all I would like to loose 30 more pounds to be at my ideal weight.

I'm so excited to be starting up this blog again.  I'm going to be sharing with you my journey of weight loss.  Whether you're battling the baby weight or just trying to get fit and healthy, these weight loss tips and strategies I will be sharing will work for anyone.  While I was in college I worked hard to finally reach my ideal weight, something I'd never been able to do in the past.  I learned a lot in the process but I know that it works.  I've done it and I'm ready to do it again... and keep it up.  It will be a lot of hard work but it will be so worth it in the end.

So I hope that you join me!  I'd love to hear your goals and problems.  I have hard days too... Oreos are my downfall... I'll be sharing all of these with you and hopefully we can get through this battle together!  I'll be back soon so until then think of your own health goals....fitness, weight loss, handling stress better... whatever you are working towards write it down and lets lose it!

Sweet Potato Fries

I recently tried this recipe and it did not disappoint.  I absolutely love sweet potato fries... especially from Red Robin!  But let's be honest, those are not very healthy.  So I have found a solution to this problem.

This recipe comes from The Biggest Loser Cookbook.  And if you don't have this book, you should go buy it.  Right now.  I've tried about 15 recipes from this book and they have all been amazingly good and amazingly healthy!  Also, they are very realistic.  It's not a bunch of health recipes about these gourmet meals that include fish and ingredients you've never heard of.  They are good, simple meals.  I've already shared one recipe from this book for meatballs.  And I have several others I will be sharing.

So this recipe is great if you are craving those wonderful sweet potato fries!  And if you don't like sweet potato fries (gasp!), then just substitute with a normal potato.  But you should give sweet potatoes a try.  They are lower on the glycemic index and your body can process them better (so it does go to fat!).

Just thinking about these little babies is making me hungry.  I think I will have to make some right now!

Parmesan-Pepper Sweet Potato Fries

(makes 1 serving)

1/2 pound sweet potato fries, cut into 1/4''-thick sticks

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil (I go for the cheaper route and use canola oil)

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of cayenne

Salt, to taste

Pinch of ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the potatoes in a medium bowl with all of the ingredients.

Place potatoes in a single layer on a nonstick backing sheet.

* Bake for 8 minutes, flip potatoes and bake for 10 to 12 minutes (or until potatoes are tender and browned in spots).

* I got this tip from Rachel Ray.  Place a cooking rack on your baking sheet and then put the fries on top of that.  This makes it so you don't have to flip the fries half way through.  They get crispy on both sides if you use this method.  (This is also a great tip for baking chicken!)

Delicious, Healthy Smoothie

I made this smoothie this afternoon... it was sooo delicious!  I just had to share it!  Once again, I didn't follow a recipe but this one was such a winner, I will making it again!

  

Berry Delight

1-2 heaping cups of fresh spinach, rinsed

1 banana

1 apple

1-2 cups of pineapple

1 cup of frozen berries (I used a mixture of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries)

1/2 cup of ice

1/2 cup of skim milk

1/2 cup of strawberry yogurt (I used Yoplait Light)

Mix it all up and enjoy!

    

Drink Up!

Green smoothies are definitely something worth trying.  They are basically a fruit smoothie with some added spinach.  I can't stand to eat spinach but when added to a smoothie, you don't even know that it is there!  Spinach has a very high amount of vitamin A and C, plus a ton of other things that are good for your body.  If you need away to get in your daily amount of fruits and veggies, than a green smoothie is definitely for you!

Usually I add some berries and I would definitely suggest this in the future.  The smoothie I made in the video was good, but the berries make it super delicious.  I would also suggest adding more milk or some yogurt to make the smoothie a little thinner (the one I made was pretty thick).

I found a recipe at Sing For Your Supper.  I think it looks like a really good one.  I'm going to try this recipe out next time I make a green smoothie.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Green Monster Smoothie
1 banana, roughly chopped
4 or 5 strawberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 small peach, peeled and roughly chopped
1 heaping cup (or more) fresh spinach leaves, thoroughly rinsed
splash vanilla soy milk
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup crushed ice
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.
*this recipe makes a very large smoothie- two could easily share.

Eat Your Veggies

When I was little my parents and I had a constant battle over the vegetables.  My mother would always say, "When you grow up, you'll learn to like vegetables."

Well, I am pretty sure that I could be considered "grown up" now and I still hate vegetables!  Yes, I am a veggie hater.  But did you know that George Bush doesn't like broccoli either?  And I'm pretty sure he is "grown up" too.

Even though I hate veggies, I eat them.  They are so healthy!  They are one of the best foods that you can give to your body.  High in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, while being very low in calories.  They lower your cholesterol, boost your health and help you feel better all the way around.

So for you veggie haters... like me... I have some solutions for you to help you eat your veggies.

Sneak your veggies in - You can add chopped vegetables to dinners you already love.  Zucchini slices, chopped spinach, crushed tomatoes, or cooked carrots will go unnoticed if added into lasagna, omelets, quesadillas, hamburger helper, spaghetti sauce, soup, salads, or other types of food you may love.

Cooking vs. raw - Try different ways to eat your vegetables.  Try steaming, baking, grilling, anything in between, or just eat them raw.  Find which way you prefer.  For example, I prefer raw carrots to cooked carrots.  And I hate raw and steamed broccoli, but I love it when it is baked!  For a good recipe for baked broccoli check this post out.

Take a dip - If you need to use a little ranch in order to eat your veggies then go for it!  Yeah ranch is pretty fattening, but you can go for a low fat or fat free ranch.  You can also get fat free sour cream and season it with a ranch packet.  Overall it's worth it if it means you'll be getting the servings of vegetables you need each day.  (you can also try a little melted cheese on your veggies, just make sure there isn't more cheese than veggies!)

Drink up - This is my number one method of choice for getting the servings of vegetables that I need.  I suggest V8 vegetable juice - low sodium.  Doesn't taste as good as a milk shake, but they are small 5.5 oz cans that I can drink in less than a minute.  So a very healthy serving of veggies in a matter of seconds?  Yes please.  I'll take that over a plateful any day.

Make it fun - Going along with drinking vegetable juice, you can make green or monster smoothies!  These are amazing!  Who doesn't love a smoothie?  They are full of vegetables and fruits, very healthy and very delicious!

So give some of these tips a try and see if you can eat more veggies in your diet.  I am going to be making a monster smoothie later this week and I will post the recipe and tips for making a delicious smoothie so stay tuned!

Get Some Rest!

I apologize for my long absence.  School has just demanded too much of my time.  But I have now graduated and I am ready to start bloggin!

Going along with the start of the new year, I have a New Year's resolution for you.  Just about everyone promises to "get in shape" or " to be more healthy".  But did you know that you can't do either of those successfully unless you get enough sleep?

Yes, getting enough sleep at night can help you lose weight!  Your body has a system of hormones to help you stay fit and healthy.  But when you don't get enough sleep, these hormones can't work properly.  Ghrelin is produced by your body and it stimulates your appetite.  Leptin is also produced and it signals to your brain that you are full.

When your body sleeps it produces leptin and ghrelin levels go down.  If you don't get enough sleep, the opposite happens.  Your body starts to have a hard time signing to your brain "I am full".  This can give you the feeling of never feeling full or satisfied causing you to eat much more food than your body actually needs.

Lack of sleep also puts stress on your body.  Which not only can lead to weight gain, but it could lead to other health problems as well.

So if you have wonderful plans to lose weight this year, make sure that you get enough sleep!  It will keep your body running the way that it should so you can be a lean-mean fat-burning machine!