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!