Whoa..where have I been?

How have I not posted since May???  Bad girl!

For the month of August, my daughter is going to be in Las Vegas visiting family so I will have more than enough time to get back on track with no distractions.  I hope I can do it.  My RealAge has gone up to 26 from 24 even though my weight has gone down to 143.

I've been really trying to make a conscious effort to eat breakfast every day!  It really makes a difference.  I make smoothies or overnight oatmeal so that they're ready for me to enjoy on the way to work.

While I was away, I also had a physical...  After a scare with a family member who fights diabetes and weight issues, my doctor decided that it's now time to start testing my blood levels.  What I was expecting was pretty good levels for a 30 year old woman.  What I got was borderline high cholesterol....  Total cholesterol levels should be below 200 and mine were at 207.  My good cholesterol was barely over what it was supposed to be and my bad was WAY over..  that kind of scared me.  

I want to make sure I'm doing this the right way.  I need to be accountable for my health and I need to be a role model for my daughter, friends and family...  People are definitely noticing the weight I have lost.  I look better.  But I don't necessarily feel better and that's what I'm going for.  I want to do it right.

So, for now...  Ta Ta

So, Life Happens..

Haven't been on much recently but I'm still going..  I had a set back.  I thought I'd treat my self to a frapacino a few days ago instead of getting my usual iced black coffee with one sugar.  Well, that was a mistake.  I was so happy to be under 150 but that one frap almost put my back over.  Definitely a wake up call that this is going to be a forever change.  I had to shake it off and get back to work, though...  My next post will, I will update all my stats and see where I stand and where I need to change up my routine.

Til then...

Down below 150!!

I've made it passed 150 and have been staying there.  It was back and forth for a bit but I'm steady at 148  now.  =)

The best part of it, though I haven't lost a whole lot, is that people have noticed.  It's almost making me feel like I was bigger than I thought I was but it's totally a confidence boost to walk into a staff meeting and have people tell you that you're looking great and what's the secret...  The one thing I do tell them is that I cut out fast food.  It's amazing what that decision can do to benefit your health!

Still going strong but still more to be done!

I Was Bad Today

I went to my best friend's house to have a mini 3rd bday celebration.  Man...let's just call today my cheat day!  I definitely cheated.

Daily Limits
Total Calories Eaten: 2210  
Empty Calories* Eaten:  959  


Empty Calories* Limit: 266 
Total Limit: 2200

Guess where the majority of those empty calories went... 4 SODAS!  

UGH!  I'll be better tomorrow. 

Til next time...

PS...  This info came from a Food Tracker found at www.choosemyplate.gov

At Least I'm Not Gaining...

:-(

I can't get over this hump.. I've been stuck at 150 and am not gaining or losing. Tells me one thing -- STEP YOUR GAME UP, GIRL!

Last night, I put together some fancy water in a pitcher. In that fancy water was
1) Sliced Lemon
2) Sliced Cucumber
3) Fresh Basil
4) Grated Ginger
Let it chill all night and drink the whole pitcher the following day. I am trying to drink only this for the next few days.

I've been eating a lot of salad with grilled chicken, as well. (I made up a bunch so its ready when I need it.) You know what I love on my salad? Ranch dressing! I found the PERFECT ranch dressing. The first time I made it, I fell in love. It's really simple. In a jar, combine 1-2 cups of Greek Yogurt, a little milk to thin it out and a packet of ranch dressing mix you get at the store. Yum. Most ranch is made with mayonnaise which is gross and not the best for you. The yogurt replacement gives it an extra kick.

Getting my diet back on track, along with staying active in the yard should get me back in the losing lane!

Til next time, take care!

Too Busy To Cook??

No way.  I don't believe it.  How can you be too busy to cook?  Of course, this is coming from someone who would spend all day, every day in the kitchen if possible. I love to cook.  However, I do know how it is to work all day and come home and have to cook a meal.  I admit, sometimes I don't cook after I've been working all day but my daughter and I do have home cooked meals 95% of the time.

Here's what I do.  Cook extra.  Pretty simple but effective.  If I know that I'm going to be making a dinner that we both really enjoy, I make extra.  That way, if I'm running short on time, we have left overs that I know are delicious and healthy instead of grabbing something on the way home.

Another thing that helps on these busy days is my slow cooker.  LOVE IT!  I used to be a slow cooker snob.  I literally looked down my nose at people who used a slow cooker like they were somehow cheating in the kitchen.  WOW!  That was until I was at Walmart and they had a slow cooker on sale for $15 that came with 3 different sized bowls to use with it.  I thought "What the hell..." and I was in love from the very first time I used it.

If you have a slow cooker, I definitely suggest using it on those days when you know you won't want to be in the kitchen after a long day of...well...life..

I also suggest checking into Freezer Meals for slow cookers.  I recently found a blog that has so many great freezer meals. Below, I will post a favorite of mine that I've found on her site, mamaandbabylove.com.

Chicken Curry
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1.5-2 pounds chicken thighs, or breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces.
2 cups chopped peeled sweet potatoes.
2 cups baby carrots.
2 cup coarsely chopped mango.  Or 2 cans of chopped mango.
1 cup chopped onion.
1 zucchini chopped, about one cup.
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 chicken bouillon, one per bag.
.5 cup raisins (for garnish)
.5 cup peanuts or cashews (for garnish)
Dump everything into two, one gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freeze.
To cook, take out of freezer and set on counter for about 30 minutes, then dump contents of bag into slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.

I've tried quite a few of her recipes and they really are good.  I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow so I'll be stocking up on more items to do freezer cooking.

Hope you enjoy these meals that she's shared and I really hope you find that there's always time to cook a delicious, healthy meal for your family!

Thank you, again, to mamaandbabylove.com!!

Buffalo Chicken & Sweet Potatoes! SOLD!!

First off, what a difference a day makes!  I feel so much better than I did yesterday.  I think I'm finally getting over this insane cold virus that's been wreaking havoc on me all month!  Thank goodness!!  I'm down a few pounds but I'm sure it's just because I haven't been eating as much as I should since my throat has been so sore.  We'll see if I can keep them off. ;-)

So, back to what this post is about.  Buffalo chicken and sweet potatoes.  Two of my favorite foods. Guess what?  I found a recipe that combines the two and the best part is that it is super easy and healthy! Sweet potatoes have a lot of vitamins and nutrients that our bodies need.  I try to have them as often as possible so when I got this recipe in my email, I knew I had to try it.  Plus, I already had everything in my kitchen anyway.

Before I go any further, I want to give recognition to the woman behind this recipe.  Kristine is behind the blog BusyButHealthy and I absolutely adore it!  A few months back, I signed up to receive her newsletters and I am so glad that I did.  So, without babbling on too much, let's get to the recipe.

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

- 2 medium sweet potatoes

- 6 oz chicken, shredded & chopped

- 1 cup 0% greek yogurt

- Franks hot sauce, to taste

- 1/3 cup green onions, chopped

- Garlic powder & pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook sweet potatoes. Poke sweet potatoes with fork all over and microwave for 6-7 minutes on one side, flip and cook another 5-6 minutes on the other size. Time depends on size of sweet potato. You'll know when its done when a fork goes through it easily. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together chicken, greek yogurt, hot sauce and green onions.

Cut sweet potato in half, scoop out about half the filling and replace with the buffalo chicken mixture.

Serving is 1/2 to 1 sweet potato with filling

This recipe was so good!  I can not wait to have leftovers tomorrow for lunch.  I really felt satisfied after eating it instead of too full to move.  I wasn't sure how the greek yogurt would mix into it but it was perfect.  I really recommend everyone trying this recipe out and signing up to receive Kristine's newletters.

Baked Oatmeal..but Still SICK!!

I think I've been sick for the entire month a March..and the last part of February.  It is not something I'm used to.  I rarely get sick and when I do, I'm back to normal after a few days.  This year has not been good to me as far as my immune goes.

That being said, I'm still making healthy choices in the kitchen for myself and my daughter.  I'm down a couple of pounds too.  I weighed in this morning at 149lbs! YEAH!

One big choice I made this week was baking oatmeal instead of cupcakes.  I'll post the recipe below but first let me tell you a little about them.  I enjoy Oatmeal.  Always have.  However, I do know quite a bit of people who don't like it...AT ALL!  The texture is a little weird, I admit.  Baked oatmeal is a little different.  I made individual oatmeal cups instead of a large casserole dish of it.  They've come in very handy in the mornings when I'm running late and can't have breakfast before work.  They freeze well and take less than one minute to reheat!

The best part....NO SUGAR! Well, no refined sugar.  There is applesauce and stevia in it.  Making them individual sized means that you can personalize them to different tastes in your home.  I highly suggest making them even if you aren't a fan of oatmeal.  You might find this an easier way to get some oatmeal in your diet! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

Baked Oatmeal Recipe from Sugar Free Mom

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups applesauce, unsweetened
• 5 cups, Old Fashioned rolled oats
• 1 banana, mashed
• 2 3/4 cups milk (I used Soymilk)
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons stevia powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Optional toppings: raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana and Stevia together in a bowl.
3. Add in oats, salt, baking powder, flax and cinnamon and mix well with wet ingredients.
4. Finally pour in milk and combine.
5. Spray a 12 and 6 capacity muffin tin with cooking spray or use cupcake liners.
   Pour mixture evenly into muffin tin cups.
6. If using toppings add them onto the tops of muffins now. If using fresh or frozen fruit, drop it right into the batter.
7. Bake 30 minutes until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool and enjoy or freeze them in gallon freezer bags.

This recipe comes from www.sugarfreemom.com

Still Sick??

What is going on?  Last time I posted, I was just getting over being sick and was ready to get back to work. Well, the very next day, I woke up sick again. Fast forward one week and I'm STILL SICK!!  So, though I am still motivated to live a healthy lifestyle, I'm still not eating normally and definitely can't breathe well enough to be able to walk down the hallway without losing my breath. Working out is out of the question.  Hopefully, my doctor will have some answers for me tomorrow!

Til next time...

Getting Back On Track

Well, I'm just getting over being sick.  It knocked me on my butt and my lungs still don't feel 100%.  I was really starting to feel strong and motivated and then I got sick.  My diet was under control, my fitness level was steadily increasing.. I now feel like my body is toxic again and I need to start over from the beginning.  I did it before, I can do it again.  I'm headed back to work tomorrow so it's the perfect time to get back to my regularly scheduled program.

Here's to starting over!

An Easy Startup Workout

I found this cute weightloss blog.  It's a little young for me but it has some cute workout plans to get anyone started.  I'm going to post the "Level One" workout plan below.  Along with my current plan, I think I'll add this in as well.  For example, Day One is 20 Jumping Jacks and 10 Crunches.  That can be done right when I wake up to get my day started.

downtownn

Something else I found today was a love of CUCUMBER WATER!  WHAT!!!  I know...  It's pretty self explanatory but I never thought about adding cucumber to water the way I do lemon.  I saw the always cute, Jamie Oliver and had to check it out..

Flavored Water

Adding a few slices of cucumber really was so refreshing.  I definitely suggest trying it out!




Time to sign off for the evening and get my human to bed.  Until next time, take care!!

Does This Count?

So, who isn't slightly obsessed with Pinterest right now?  lol..

Does it count as part of a workout if I just repin some motivational fitness pins?

Yeah, I didn't think so..  

But, if you are on Pinterest, feel free to follow me there -->Pinterest




In other news...  I'm down 2 pounds!  Totally awesome. =)



2/28/12
Current Weight: 151 lbs
Current Real Age: 25.5

My Plan

This probably should have been post #1 but it'll have to be #3...

My Current Weight: 153.2

Weight Loss Goal: 15 lbs by May 1, 2012

Plan: 

1. Cut out the empty calories in drinks!!  No more sweetened coffee!  I do enjoy iced coffee with 2 sugars in the afternoon and it keeps me feeling more awake than the flavored coffee drinks with make me feel gross afterwards even though they taste soooo good!
2. No more fast food!  The stuff isn't real anyway.  I've already cut out most fast food anyway but I do occasionally find myself in the taco bell drive through when I forget my lunch...  I've decided that if I do forget my lunch, I can drive a few extra miles and stop at Starbucks for one of their Bistro Boxes.  The protein bistro box is one of my favorites.  It contains a hardboiled egg, muesli bread, peanut butter/honey spread and some apple slices and grapes. Love it!  Gives me energy needed to get through the last part of my work day.
3. Stay active!!  Unfortunately, my hours got cut back pretty far at work so until they go back up or I find a more stable job, I can't join a gym.  BUT, I can play with my 3 year old and dance the evening away with our Just Dance 3 game.  It really is quite a cardio workout!

I know it all seems very straightforward but actually making these choices habits is where it gets more difficult.  When you're used to being on the go and grabbing a quick bite here and there, it becomes normal. Not anymore!  The easy road ends now!!!  

Now, I do have to say that in addition to these fairly simple ideas, I signed up with www.realage.com and am excited to finally put my real age plan into practice.  If you haven't signed up and found out your real age, you should.  You may be surprised to find out how old your body thinks it is... Below is the screen shot of my results and I must say that I am very proud of it but ready to get it down even lower!

Cant wait to share my results!!

It Is Just a Video Game...Right?

I recently got my daughter the Just Dance 3 game for Xbox Kinect.  Since she's only 3, I have to turn on the songs for her so she could dance.  I usually do this while doing other chores.  A few days ago, I decided to play along with her.

OH MY GOODNESS!

Talk about a workout!  I almost didn't make it through one song. ONE! ONE 3 MINUTE SONG!  This is not ok.  Since then, I've been playing along with her and sometimes play even longer than she does.

This afternoon, I took a break from chores to dance one song with her and ended up playing for an hour.  HELL YEAH!  I'm getting better (as far as stamina, not coordination...)

Just Dance 3 has definitely become part of my weight loss journey.  I need to make it a habit and do it every evening.

I'm also thinking of getting Zumba for kinect.  I don't have a whole lot of time to head to the gym being a single parent but that shouldn't be a reason for me to not work out.  I think this has been something that I've struggled to get over.  I need to make the time.  I need my daughter to see that I'm taking time to take care of myself so she develops that habit as well.

Well, speaking of my daughter, I do need to sign off so that we can eat dinner.




In my next post, I will lay out a more detailed action plan for everything.

Till then...

And So It Begins..

Here goes the first post of yet another blog that I'm doomed to forget about..  Ok, scratch that...  This is very important to me.  I consider myself to be a very health conscious woman but years of being not so healthy has taken it's toll and I find myself not looking the way I feel.

I feel great!  I feel healthy.  I don't look it, though.  Bad food choices, a child, a love of baking cupcakes.... All these things caught up to me.  Now, it's time to dust off my running shoes and get back on track.  It's time to start looking the way I feel!

I don't know if anyone will read this and that's ok.  I'm doing this for me.  If you decide to read along, that's great.  Maybe you're on a fitness journey as well?

Here's my plan and my starting numbers.

I currently weigh in at...gasp...153 pounds.  I'm 5'2 so 153 is heavier than what my frame should carry.  If you pay attention to BMI, which I don't exactly care about, I'm considered overweight and almost obese.  My BMI is a 28 and should be between 18.5 and 24.9 which is around 125 lbs.  That is not gonna happen.  I'm shooting for 135-140.  I took some before pictures but I'm still not super comfortable posting them.  But they are date stamped so if I post them later, you'll see where I started at.

Ok, I'm rambling.  Let me sign off for tonight cause it's getting late and I have to work in the morning.  Thanks for following along.  I hope you feel motivated right along with me to do what you need to do to feel comfortable in your skin. Let's do this!!!

Current Age: 30

Current Weight: 153lbs

Current Height: 5'2"

Current BMI: 28

Current Real Age: 25

Goal Weight: 135-140

Goal BMI:  24-25 

Goal Real Age: 20