That's right - another 5lbs out the door! I weighed myself Monday morning this time, just for accuracy's sake, and I was quite impressed! I'll be honest, I haven't made the best nutritional choices this weekend (WAY too much sugar!) but am happy that I still had such a loss! It was a long weekend and I'm not going to list every hairy detail but let's just say that it was filled with cookouts, get-togethers, parties, gardening, long walks, and a LOT of fun! One highlight was on Sunday morning when Nora and I took a 5+mile walk/uphill climb! I was definitely at the point of muscle failure by the end!
It really was a great weekend, spent with a lot of family and awesome neighbors. I just love summer holidays :)
I didn't make it to the gym this morning, I'm not so happy to report. Nora has had a cold/allergy issue on top of teething troubles over the last few days, which means little to no sleep for mommy. I woke up to my alarm this morning and was far too exhausted to get out of bed at 4:30. Today, I'm a little zombie-like.. and very grumpy. Oh well, still very happy about my success last week :)
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low Carb Yogurt (raspberry)
Lunch:
1can Tuna, 1tbs Light Miracle Whip, 1tsp Mustard, 1tbs Sugar-free relish and a squeeze of lemon juice
Banana
Snack:
Weight Watchers String Cheese
12 Raw Organic Almonds
Dinner:
TBD
VERY happy to type the following:
Date: May 31, 2011
Weight: 266lbs.
I'm getting pretty excited for my monthly picture on the 15th :)
Well, have a great day!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Saturday :)
Hey! Today is a beautiful Saturday, I'm happy to say! Yesterday went really well, here's a quick recap:
Food:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Banana w/ natural pnut butt
Lunch:
Leftover Taco Salad w/ a dollup of FF Greek Yogurt
Dinner:
Turkey Chilli
Recipe:
1lb Ground turkey, thawed
1tbs EVOO
1/2 Red Onion, Chopped
1tbs Garlic, mincedmi
1tsp Cumin
1tsp Chili Powder
1can Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1can Canellini Beans, drained and rinsed
1can Diced Tomatoes w/ Jalapenos, drained and rinsed
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
3tbs Cilantro, chopped
Tiny bit of grated dark Chocolate
FF Greek Yogurt for Serving
-Brown turkey in skillet w/ EVOO, when 3/4 cooked, add onion and garlic.
-Continue to cook until turkey is cooked through and onions are softened
-Add tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and chicken broth. Simmer for 15 min
-Add beans and bell pepper, simmer for additional 15 minutes
-Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and grated chocolate
-Ladel into bowls and serve w/ a scoop of FF Greek Yogurt
Yesterday was pretty active, too! I went to the gym, Nora and I had breakfast and then went to the grocery store and gas station. After that, we came home and took a vigorous 3 1/2 mile walk/uphill climb. When we got home, we worked in the garden for a bit then took a shower. Nora went down for a nap so I finished up some laundry and did a little more gardening. After Nora woke up, we went to Best Buy to buy 'A Bug's Life', or as Nora refers to it, 'Bees'. We came home, cooked dinner then went to Pier 1 with my mom. Came home again, then relaxed and went to bed!
Today, I woke up around 7ish (yay for sleeping in!), made a big dish of layered Protein Mousse(layers of mousee, strawberries and sugar free Cool Whip) to take to a cookout today, did some gardening before anyone woke up, then after Nora woke up we visited with my parents for a bit and then did some more gardening. Right now, we're relaxing in the house trying to get Nora to take a nap.. although it's not looking very hopeful lol. Oh well, we have a long drive today! We'll work in the yard a bit more then get ready to head to a Crowdus cookout in Campbellsville, KY. I'm going to do my very best to make healthy food choices at the cookout (at least I know there's a healthy dessert :) ). I may try to sneak in a walk before we have to leave, but we'll see.
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Banan w/ Natural Pnut Butter
Lunch:
TBD - maybe some low-carb yogurt and.... something else? lol
Dinner:
Cookout vittles
I'm pretty excited for my weigh-in tomorrrow :) I've taken a lot of walks this week and have been doing pretty well with my nutrition. (aside from the 2 cookies I had at the work cookout Thursday. FAIL, I know - still kicking myself!)
Well, we'll see when I report on Monday!!
Have a great weekend everyone - get outside and do something!! :)
Food:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Banana w/ natural pnut butt
Lunch:
Leftover Taco Salad w/ a dollup of FF Greek Yogurt
Dinner:
Turkey Chilli
Recipe:
1lb Ground turkey, thawed
1tbs EVOO
1/2 Red Onion, Chopped
1tbs Garlic, mincedmi
1tsp Cumin
1tsp Chili Powder
1can Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1can Canellini Beans, drained and rinsed
1can Diced Tomatoes w/ Jalapenos, drained and rinsed
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
3tbs Cilantro, chopped
Tiny bit of grated dark Chocolate
FF Greek Yogurt for Serving
-Brown turkey in skillet w/ EVOO, when 3/4 cooked, add onion and garlic.
-Continue to cook until turkey is cooked through and onions are softened
-Add tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, and chicken broth. Simmer for 15 min
-Add beans and bell pepper, simmer for additional 15 minutes
-Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and grated chocolate
-Ladel into bowls and serve w/ a scoop of FF Greek Yogurt
Yesterday was pretty active, too! I went to the gym, Nora and I had breakfast and then went to the grocery store and gas station. After that, we came home and took a vigorous 3 1/2 mile walk/uphill climb. When we got home, we worked in the garden for a bit then took a shower. Nora went down for a nap so I finished up some laundry and did a little more gardening. After Nora woke up, we went to Best Buy to buy 'A Bug's Life', or as Nora refers to it, 'Bees'. We came home, cooked dinner then went to Pier 1 with my mom. Came home again, then relaxed and went to bed!
Today, I woke up around 7ish (yay for sleeping in!), made a big dish of layered Protein Mousse(layers of mousee, strawberries and sugar free Cool Whip) to take to a cookout today, did some gardening before anyone woke up, then after Nora woke up we visited with my parents for a bit and then did some more gardening. Right now, we're relaxing in the house trying to get Nora to take a nap.. although it's not looking very hopeful lol. Oh well, we have a long drive today! We'll work in the yard a bit more then get ready to head to a Crowdus cookout in Campbellsville, KY. I'm going to do my very best to make healthy food choices at the cookout (at least I know there's a healthy dessert :) ). I may try to sneak in a walk before we have to leave, but we'll see.
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Banan w/ Natural Pnut Butter
Lunch:
TBD - maybe some low-carb yogurt and.... something else? lol
Dinner:
Cookout vittles
I'm pretty excited for my weigh-in tomorrrow :) I've taken a lot of walks this week and have been doing pretty well with my nutrition. (aside from the 2 cookies I had at the work cookout Thursday. FAIL, I know - still kicking myself!)
Well, we'll see when I report on Monday!!
Have a great weekend everyone - get outside and do something!! :)
Friday, May 27, 2011
Successful Friday!
Hey there! FYI Im posting from my ipod again today so please excuse any spelling/punctuation errors :)
Workout this morning was GREAT! I did the following:
1min Treadmill Walk
10min Treadmill Jog
Ball Crunches 20x4
6" Killers. 10x2
1 Leg Bicycles10x3
Wobbly Pushups10x3
10min Elliptical at 'Get it' speed :)
I felt so good today! I had some great music going on the treadmill and decided that I wasn't going to watch the time and I was just going to jog.. Then before I knew it I was at 8minutes! Then I was just like well he'll, Ive made it this far.. might as well pimp it to 10! So I did! I feel very accomplished and it set a great tone for the rest of my workout :)
For dinner last night I made a really delicious and healthy Taco Salad ( same as prev posted recipe)
I'm not going to post my food for today because Im staying home with Nora and Im not sure what Ill be eating.. I'll update tomorrow :)
Well that's all I have for now, tootles!
Workout this morning was GREAT! I did the following:
1min Treadmill Walk
10min Treadmill Jog
Ball Crunches 20x4
6" Killers. 10x2
1 Leg Bicycles10x3
Wobbly Pushups10x3
10min Elliptical at 'Get it' speed :)
I felt so good today! I had some great music going on the treadmill and decided that I wasn't going to watch the time and I was just going to jog.. Then before I knew it I was at 8minutes! Then I was just like well he'll, Ive made it this far.. might as well pimp it to 10! So I did! I feel very accomplished and it set a great tone for the rest of my workout :)
For dinner last night I made a really delicious and healthy Taco Salad ( same as prev posted recipe)
I'm not going to post my food for today because Im staying home with Nora and Im not sure what Ill be eating.. I'll update tomorrow :)
Well that's all I have for now, tootles!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
TGIThursday!
Yay! Today is my Friday and I'm not only excited about that, but I have a 4-day weekend ahead of me.. so I'm in a great mood :)
I didn't make it to the gym this morning, I was so exhausted last night I didn't even wake up to the giant thunderstorm or storm sirens! (probably not a good thing : / ) But, I'm not too concerned b/c I know that I can take a walk with Nora when I get home (weather permitting) or, if I get out of work early enough, hit the gym for a quick cardio killer after work. We'll see :)
I didn't really eat dinner last night, I just wasn't hungry and I wasn't about to force-feed myself! Lunch yesterday was SUPER filling so I ended up cooking dinner for Branen and Nora (baked Tilapia, WW pasta salad and sauteed bell peppers and onions) and I just ate a banana with a little peanut butter for "dinner" at around 7:30. Then, I went to the grocery and came home, put everything away and headed to bed. When I went to bed, I felt that relief in my legs that tells me I burned a few calories throughout the day. Probably walking around in 4" platform heels all day, gardening when I get home, cooking, cleaning, and going to the grocery had something to do with it :)
Today we're having a Memorial Day cookout fully equipped with some fun BBQ games for us all to play :) I'm excited and hoping that there is food that I can eat! I haven't been as carb-conscious this week as I should have been and with 2 more cookouts sill awaiting my presence this weekend.. I'm slightly concerned for the weigh-in Sunday lol. Surprisingly, though, I'm not stressing about it! I know that in my path I will have 'ups and downs' and it is very important that I am still enjoying this life I'm granted with my family and friends while I'm bettering myself. So, I'm just taking everything in stride. :)
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Protein Mousse
Lunch:
Work Cookout
Snack:
? I'll be headed home by then so we'll see!
Dinner:
Perhaps a taco salad? TBD...
Well, that's all I have for today. I'm home with Nora tomorrow so we'll see if I have time to post, we may be too busy playing outside all day :)
Tootles!
I didn't make it to the gym this morning, I was so exhausted last night I didn't even wake up to the giant thunderstorm or storm sirens! (probably not a good thing : / ) But, I'm not too concerned b/c I know that I can take a walk with Nora when I get home (weather permitting) or, if I get out of work early enough, hit the gym for a quick cardio killer after work. We'll see :)
I didn't really eat dinner last night, I just wasn't hungry and I wasn't about to force-feed myself! Lunch yesterday was SUPER filling so I ended up cooking dinner for Branen and Nora (baked Tilapia, WW pasta salad and sauteed bell peppers and onions) and I just ate a banana with a little peanut butter for "dinner" at around 7:30. Then, I went to the grocery and came home, put everything away and headed to bed. When I went to bed, I felt that relief in my legs that tells me I burned a few calories throughout the day. Probably walking around in 4" platform heels all day, gardening when I get home, cooking, cleaning, and going to the grocery had something to do with it :)
Today we're having a Memorial Day cookout fully equipped with some fun BBQ games for us all to play :) I'm excited and hoping that there is food that I can eat! I haven't been as carb-conscious this week as I should have been and with 2 more cookouts sill awaiting my presence this weekend.. I'm slightly concerned for the weigh-in Sunday lol. Surprisingly, though, I'm not stressing about it! I know that in my path I will have 'ups and downs' and it is very important that I am still enjoying this life I'm granted with my family and friends while I'm bettering myself. So, I'm just taking everything in stride. :)
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Protein Mousse
Lunch:
Work Cookout
Snack:
? I'll be headed home by then so we'll see!
Dinner:
Perhaps a taco salad? TBD...
Well, that's all I have for today. I'm home with Nora tomorrow so we'll see if I have time to post, we may be too busy playing outside all day :)
Tootles!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Much Better Today :)
Hola! Thankfully, I'm in a much better mood today. I got home yesterday and grabbed sweet Nora and we went on a feisty 3 1/2mile walk/uphill hike. It felt great and I'm glad I did it! I didn't make it to the gym this morning, when my alarm went off at 4:30 Nora woke up and start crying for mama.. so obviously I cuddled with her for a while. Then my stupid phone died and the rest of my alarms didn't go off :(. I set 4 alarms for the morning lol.. I'm not really a morning person, so it's totally necessary. I set my alarms for 4:30, 5, 6:30 and 7:30. 4:30 and 5 are to wake me up to go to the gym, 6:30 is my warning that I need to be leaving the gym if I haven't already and the 7:30 lets me know it's time to get lunches/breakfasts together.. I have to stay on track or my whole day gets thrown off.
Honestly, I don't feel terrible about missing the gym this morning. After doing the walk last night, I still feel okay. If it's nice out tonight (which, according to the weather service, it's not supposed to be) we'll go on another walk after work. I'm really loving this weather! Well.. I'm really loving the nice part of this weather! :)
For dinner last night, I made spicy black beans (recipe below) with grilled chicken and fresh guacamole. I skipped the chicken and ate the following:
1 corn tortilla, laying flat and topped with:
Spicy Black Beans
Fat Free Cheddar Cheese
Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt
Fresh Guacamole
Cilantro
Squirt of Lime
Spicy Black Beans:
1/4 lg Red Onion, diced
1tsp Cumin
1tbs EVOO
1can Black Beans
1can Diced Tomatoes with Jalapenos
1tbs Garlic
1tbs Cilantro, diced
Juice of 1/2 lime
-Saute onion and garlic in EVOO and cumin 3-4 minutes
-Add Black Beans and Tomatoes, cover and simmer on medium heat 10-15 minutes
-Stir-in cilantro and lime juice and serve!
It was yummy!
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low Carb Yogurt, strawberry pomegranate (Kroger brand)
Lunch:
Eating out today.. Lime Taqueria in Main Strausse.. first time eating there, they cook with fresh ingredients and it looks totally yummy and pretty healthy!
Snack:
Protein Mousse
Dinner:
TBD - I have to go to the grocery!
Oh yeah - a little tip I've been meaning to share... I don't know about everyone else, but after I work out, it takes me quite a while to cool down and stop sweating.. (I guess it's all of my extra insulation!) so what I usually do is when I'm taking my post-workout shower, at the end when you switch from the shower head to the regular spout right before turning the water off, turn the water to completely cold and stick both feet in the cold water for just a second. That jolt of cold water helps a ton to cool down the rest of my body!
Well, I think that's all I have today.. until tomorrow!
Honestly, I don't feel terrible about missing the gym this morning. After doing the walk last night, I still feel okay. If it's nice out tonight (which, according to the weather service, it's not supposed to be) we'll go on another walk after work. I'm really loving this weather! Well.. I'm really loving the nice part of this weather! :)
For dinner last night, I made spicy black beans (recipe below) with grilled chicken and fresh guacamole. I skipped the chicken and ate the following:
1 corn tortilla, laying flat and topped with:
Spicy Black Beans
Fat Free Cheddar Cheese
Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt
Fresh Guacamole
Cilantro
Squirt of Lime
Spicy Black Beans:
1/4 lg Red Onion, diced
1tsp Cumin
1tbs EVOO
1can Black Beans
1can Diced Tomatoes with Jalapenos
1tbs Garlic
1tbs Cilantro, diced
Juice of 1/2 lime
-Saute onion and garlic in EVOO and cumin 3-4 minutes
-Add Black Beans and Tomatoes, cover and simmer on medium heat 10-15 minutes
-Stir-in cilantro and lime juice and serve!
It was yummy!
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low Carb Yogurt, strawberry pomegranate (Kroger brand)
Lunch:
Eating out today.. Lime Taqueria in Main Strausse.. first time eating there, they cook with fresh ingredients and it looks totally yummy and pretty healthy!
Snack:
Protein Mousse
Dinner:
TBD - I have to go to the grocery!
Oh yeah - a little tip I've been meaning to share... I don't know about everyone else, but after I work out, it takes me quite a while to cool down and stop sweating.. (I guess it's all of my extra insulation!) so what I usually do is when I'm taking my post-workout shower, at the end when you switch from the shower head to the regular spout right before turning the water off, turn the water to completely cold and stick both feet in the cold water for just a second. That jolt of cold water helps a ton to cool down the rest of my body!
Well, I think that's all I have today.. until tomorrow!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Pissy Tuesday
Well, hello. I'm in a mood today. Yesterday, the hard drive on my computer at work crashed.. so I lost QUITE a bit of work. Plus, the new cell phone that I just got won't hold a charge (charged all night and dead by 2pm yesterday), and that's also pissing me off. Then I woke up this morning and my iPod was mysteriously drained of battery life so I had to wait an extra 10 or so minutes to charge it before going to the gym (and it still died before my elliptical time).. and I'm tired and I hate this rainy weather. So who wants to hang out with me today? Ha!
Anywho, after work last night, I ran home and changed clothes and took Nora on a fiesty 3.5 mile walk/uphill hike before the storm hit. I have decided that I am going to try my hardest to take a good calorie-killing walk every day that it is nice outside. I'm a bit bummed because I saw the weather report and it's supposed to rain Saturday.. so it looks like I'm most likely not doing the Kicks for Kids 5k. I just hate to register and pay my entry fee then have it be storming as I am most definitely not trekking Nora through a down-pour for 3.1 miles lol.
I made Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs for dinner last night. Not much change to the recipe, I ate 3 meatballs with a touch of sauce and a banana. It was kind of funny becuase in the middle of cooking, the tornado sirens started going off so I shut the stove/oven off and we went to the basement. Turns out, the food continued to cook (in a warm oven and pasta still in hot water) and it was perfectly cooked by the time we came back upstairs!
I did cardio and a little bit of abs this morning at the gym. The workout went as follows;
I was surprised/disappointed to find how hard the 4minute jog was this morning. I pushed through without stopping, but found it to be incredibly challenging. Oh well, building endurance takes time so I'll just continue to do 4 minutes for the remainder of the week.
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low-Carb Yogurt
Lunch:
5 small meatballs with a bit of spaghetti sauce
Protein Mousse
Snack:
12 Raw organic almonds
Weight Watchers string cheese
Dinner:
TBD
Well, that's about all I have for today. For the sake of my husband and the rest of the people that have to be around me, I hope I'm in a better mood tomorrow. But, I guess that's up to me, right?
Tootles.
Anywho, after work last night, I ran home and changed clothes and took Nora on a fiesty 3.5 mile walk/uphill hike before the storm hit. I have decided that I am going to try my hardest to take a good calorie-killing walk every day that it is nice outside. I'm a bit bummed because I saw the weather report and it's supposed to rain Saturday.. so it looks like I'm most likely not doing the Kicks for Kids 5k. I just hate to register and pay my entry fee then have it be storming as I am most definitely not trekking Nora through a down-pour for 3.1 miles lol.
I made Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs for dinner last night. Not much change to the recipe, I ate 3 meatballs with a touch of sauce and a banana. It was kind of funny becuase in the middle of cooking, the tornado sirens started going off so I shut the stove/oven off and we went to the basement. Turns out, the food continued to cook (in a warm oven and pasta still in hot water) and it was perfectly cooked by the time we came back upstairs!
I did cardio and a little bit of abs this morning at the gym. The workout went as follows;
| TIME | EXERCISE | REPS | WEIGHT | SETS |
| 5M | TREADMILL | 1 WALK / 4 JOG | N/A | 1 |
| BALL CRUNCHES | 20 | N/A | 4 | |
| SWITCH STEPS | 30 SEC | N/A | 4 | |
| 5M | STAIR GLIDER | N/A | N/A | 1 |
| 25M | ELLIPTICAL | N/A | N/A | 1 |
I was surprised/disappointed to find how hard the 4minute jog was this morning. I pushed through without stopping, but found it to be incredibly challenging. Oh well, building endurance takes time so I'll just continue to do 4 minutes for the remainder of the week.
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low-Carb Yogurt
Lunch:
5 small meatballs with a bit of spaghetti sauce
Protein Mousse
Snack:
12 Raw organic almonds
Weight Watchers string cheese
Dinner:
TBD
Well, that's about all I have for today. For the sake of my husband and the rest of the people that have to be around me, I hope I'm in a better mood tomorrow. But, I guess that's up to me, right?
Tootles.
Monday, May 23, 2011
5LBS Down!
That's right, I lost 5 POUNDS last week! Color me super excited! I was really concerned due to the fact that I hadn't been to the gym much but I guess my extra dancing and walks helped tremendously! Friday night after work Nora and I went on a 2+ mile walk and Saturday afternoon we went on another 3+ mile walk, and the Saturday one was a LOT of hills so I'm sure I burned a ton of calories :)
I love when the weather is nice enough to take walks outside.. it gives me a chance to spend some extra time with Nora, plus she absolutely loves the outdoors so she enjoys herself. She was obviously quite relaxed Saturday as she took her sandals off an had her feet propped up on her little tray while she was leaning back and drinking her bottle lol.
Yesterday, I weighed myself in the morning and then we gardened pretty much all day, which burned quite a few more calories :) Gardening sounds like an easy thing but when you're pulling deep-rooted weeds for hours, hauling mulch/dirt/tools around and digging all day, it definitely works up a sweat! I ate really well this weekend too, which I'm happy to report.
Saturday:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein shake w/ skim milk
Snack:
Banana w/ natural pnut butter
Lunch:
Salad (lettuce, spinach, mushroom, bell pepper, grilled chicken, shredded Parmesan, red onion, croutons, light Cesar dressing)
Dinner:
1 Grilled chicken sausage
Grilled potatoes and onions
Steamed Corn
*I did indulge a bit and had a couple of small fresh strawberry daiquiris with my mom and my sister's girlfriend. (fresh organic strawberries that my mom froze, a little bit of lemonade concentrate, rum and a splash of water)
Sunday:
Cup of coffee
Snack:
banana w/ natural pnut butter
Lunch:
Salad (lettuce, chicken, grapes, apple, craisins and walnuts w/ fat free vinaigrette)
Dinner:
grilled chicken
potato salad
baked beans
Yummy weekend :)
I didn't make it to the gym this morning :( I've found that Mondays are the hardest day to get out of bed extra early. It's like my body just needs that day to re-group and get back into the routine of the working week.(not to mention a lack of sleep last night) I did work on new workouts for this week but I am going to tweak them again today before starting tomorrow. I may re-write them as Tuesday-Friday and use Monday as a bonus day... ? We'll see.
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low-carb Yogurt (raspberry)
*By the way, I am LOVING the low-carb yogurt! I find it to be much creamier than the regular!
Lunch:
1can tuna w/ 1tbs light Miracle Whip, 1tsp mustard and 1tbs sugar free relish
Protein Mousse (made more this weekend, I am in love!)
Snack:
Tiny salad w/ light Cesar dressing
Weight Watchers String Cheese
Dinner:
TBD... something with ground turkey :)
Oh! I'm planning to do the Kicks for Kids 5k River Run next Saturday! Click Here to register and do it with me! It's only $15 and it goes to a great cause :) Nora and I will be walking, of course :)
Very happy to post the following:
May 23, 2011
Weight: 271lbs [officially 2lbs lighter than when I graduated high school.. and it's only DOWN hill from here :) ]
Well, until tomorrow!!
I love when the weather is nice enough to take walks outside.. it gives me a chance to spend some extra time with Nora, plus she absolutely loves the outdoors so she enjoys herself. She was obviously quite relaxed Saturday as she took her sandals off an had her feet propped up on her little tray while she was leaning back and drinking her bottle lol.
Yesterday, I weighed myself in the morning and then we gardened pretty much all day, which burned quite a few more calories :) Gardening sounds like an easy thing but when you're pulling deep-rooted weeds for hours, hauling mulch/dirt/tools around and digging all day, it definitely works up a sweat! I ate really well this weekend too, which I'm happy to report.
Saturday:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein shake w/ skim milk
Snack:
Banana w/ natural pnut butter
Lunch:
Salad (lettuce, spinach, mushroom, bell pepper, grilled chicken, shredded Parmesan, red onion, croutons, light Cesar dressing)
Dinner:
1 Grilled chicken sausage
Grilled potatoes and onions
Steamed Corn
*I did indulge a bit and had a couple of small fresh strawberry daiquiris with my mom and my sister's girlfriend. (fresh organic strawberries that my mom froze, a little bit of lemonade concentrate, rum and a splash of water)
Sunday:
Cup of coffee
Snack:
banana w/ natural pnut butter
Lunch:
Salad (lettuce, chicken, grapes, apple, craisins and walnuts w/ fat free vinaigrette)
Dinner:
grilled chicken
potato salad
baked beans
Yummy weekend :)
I didn't make it to the gym this morning :( I've found that Mondays are the hardest day to get out of bed extra early. It's like my body just needs that day to re-group and get back into the routine of the working week.(not to mention a lack of sleep last night) I did work on new workouts for this week but I am going to tweak them again today before starting tomorrow. I may re-write them as Tuesday-Friday and use Monday as a bonus day... ? We'll see.
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low-carb Yogurt (raspberry)
*By the way, I am LOVING the low-carb yogurt! I find it to be much creamier than the regular!
Lunch:
1can tuna w/ 1tbs light Miracle Whip, 1tsp mustard and 1tbs sugar free relish
Protein Mousse (made more this weekend, I am in love!)
Snack:
Tiny salad w/ light Cesar dressing
Weight Watchers String Cheese
Dinner:
TBD... something with ground turkey :)
Oh! I'm planning to do the Kicks for Kids 5k River Run next Saturday! Click Here to register and do it with me! It's only $15 and it goes to a great cause :) Nora and I will be walking, of course :)
Very happy to post the following:
May 23, 2011
Weight: 271lbs [officially 2lbs lighter than when I graduated high school.. and it's only DOWN hill from here :) ]
Well, until tomorrow!!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Hello Sun!
Well, it's Friday and the sun is shining! It's SO nice to see the sun shining again :) I (and I think everyone else) is so tired of the rain/clouds!
Last night/this morning didn't go quite as planned, but hey.. how often do things really go as planned? I DID go to Tribal Night at Leapin Lizard! It was a lot of fun! Not quite as much dancing as I had hoped but I definitely worked up a good sweat and my arms were burning! I ended up not cooking dinner last night due to time. We stopped and got Subway for Branden and Nora on our way to Tribal Night and I ate a banana with peanut butter when I got home... I don't like to eat anything before dancing/working out! Not quite as much food as I probably should have eaten, but I'm sure I'll live :)
I didn't make it to the gym this morning. :( My sister and her girlfriend came over last night when we got home (around 915/930ish) and Nora wanted to play with them so I let her stay up late... which meant that we didn't get to bed until almost 11 and when I woke up I was really tired and super sore from the previous 2 days at the gym, plus dancing last night. SO since it's so pretty outside, I'm going to take Nora on a big 'ol walk this evening!
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low-Carb Yogurt (Strawberry Pomegranate)
Lunch:
1can Tuna w/ 1tbs Light Miracle Whip, 1tsp Mustard and 1tbs Sugar Free Relish
Protein Mousse
Snack:
12 Raw Organic Almonds
Weight Watchers String Cheese
Dinner:
Salad w/ Grilled Chicken (take 2!)
Well, not much to report today... I'll be interested to see my weigh-in this Sunday since I haven't been as disciplined with the gym this week. Keeping my fingers crossed :)
I hope to post a little somthin-somethin tomorrow but if not, Monday it is!
Enjoy the sun :)
Last night/this morning didn't go quite as planned, but hey.. how often do things really go as planned? I DID go to Tribal Night at Leapin Lizard! It was a lot of fun! Not quite as much dancing as I had hoped but I definitely worked up a good sweat and my arms were burning! I ended up not cooking dinner last night due to time. We stopped and got Subway for Branden and Nora on our way to Tribal Night and I ate a banana with peanut butter when I got home... I don't like to eat anything before dancing/working out! Not quite as much food as I probably should have eaten, but I'm sure I'll live :)
I didn't make it to the gym this morning. :( My sister and her girlfriend came over last night when we got home (around 915/930ish) and Nora wanted to play with them so I let her stay up late... which meant that we didn't get to bed until almost 11 and when I woke up I was really tired and super sore from the previous 2 days at the gym, plus dancing last night. SO since it's so pretty outside, I'm going to take Nora on a big 'ol walk this evening!
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low-Carb Yogurt (Strawberry Pomegranate)
Lunch:
1can Tuna w/ 1tbs Light Miracle Whip, 1tsp Mustard and 1tbs Sugar Free Relish
Protein Mousse
Snack:
12 Raw Organic Almonds
Weight Watchers String Cheese
Dinner:
Salad w/ Grilled Chicken (take 2!)
Well, not much to report today... I'll be interested to see my weigh-in this Sunday since I haven't been as disciplined with the gym this week. Keeping my fingers crossed :)
I hope to post a little somthin-somethin tomorrow but if not, Monday it is!
Enjoy the sun :)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Almost Friday!
Howdy doody folks! Today is Thursday which means 1 day closer to Friday which means the weekend! I love the weekends.. but then again, who doesn't? Someone who works Thursday-Monday.. that's who doesn't. Anyway, I'm in a weird moood this morning.. but that's beside the point.
I went to the gym this morning getting there a little later at 5:30 rather than 5. I put in a pretty good workout focusing on Abs today (posted below). I'm going strong jogging at 4 minutes a day this week. We'll see about adding another minute next week, considering I haven't had a full week of workouts just yet. I'm going to go tomorrow of course and try to go on Saturday morning as well.. but since they don't open until 8am on the weekends, we'll just have to see how Nora/schedule is.
Workout today:
The past 2 weeks have felt really crazy at the gym b/c I'm not really following any routines. Last week, I knew I wanted to focus on cardio.. so I kind of threw the weight training out the window. This week, my schedule/routine has been all out of whack and I've been thinking about the beach so I've been focusing on arms/abs/cardio. This weekend, I'm going to re-do my workout from 2 weeks ago and add more cardio in place of some of the weight training so it's more balanced. Then maybe, just maybe, I'll start regaining a bit of sanity. (You may have noticed by now, but I'm a little OCD and anal retentive.. and when things go off course, it throws my whole life out of balance!)
Dinner last night:
I made Turkey Burgers with sauteed eggplant and mushrooms (recipe below) and sweet potato fries. I made the simple guacamole to go on the burgers and I was bad and had like 10 tortilla chips with guac before dinner. I ate a turkey burger patty (no bun) with a slice of tomato and some fresh guac on top with the eggplant and mushrooms. No sweet pot. fries.. still trying to stay low carb.
Recipe:
Eggplant and Mushrooms
1 Eggplant, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1c Mushrooms, chopped
1tbs Red Wine Vinegar
1 to 2tbs minced garlic (I used about 2)
1tbs EVOO
1/2c Fat Free Feta Cheese
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
S&P
Dash of Dried Oregano (optional)
-Peel/chop the Eggplant and chop Mushrooms and put into a large bowl.
-Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over veggies
-Heat EVOO in large skillet/saute pan and add veggies
-Season with S&P, Oregano and vinegar and let cook (stirring frequently) for approx 10-15 minutes, until veggies are tender (eggplant will be a brownish color)
-Remove from heat, add Feta and toss to combine
-Serve warm!
I thought it was yummy and Nora ate it too!
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low Carb Yogurt.. "Berry Yum Yum" I think?
Lunch:
1 can Tuna w/ 1tbs Light Miracle Whip, 1tsp yellow Mustard and 1tbs Sugar Free Relish (bought it this morning, found that it is much better for you than regular pickles or relish!)
Protein Mousse stuff
Snack:
Cytomax Protein Drink
12 raw organic almonds
Dinner:
Salad w/ grilled Chicken
and I have a Weight Watchers string cheese in case I get extra hungry at any point :)
Tonight is Tribal Night at Leapin Lizard in Covington! It's a bellydance event with open dance and open drumming. I'm excited and I hope that I actually get to go this time! Branden said he and Nora would come down with me for a while and I hope that they do, Nora will love it :)
Well, that's all I have for today! Until tomorrow!
I went to the gym this morning getting there a little later at 5:30 rather than 5. I put in a pretty good workout focusing on Abs today (posted below). I'm going strong jogging at 4 minutes a day this week. We'll see about adding another minute next week, considering I haven't had a full week of workouts just yet. I'm going to go tomorrow of course and try to go on Saturday morning as well.. but since they don't open until 8am on the weekends, we'll just have to see how Nora/schedule is.
Workout today:
| TIME | EXERCISE | REPS | WEIGHT | SETS |
| 1MIN | TREADMILL | WALK | N/A | 1 |
| 4MIN | TREADMILL | JOG | N/A | 1 |
| BALL CRUNCHES | 20 | N/A | 3 | |
| 6 INCH KILLERS | 10 | N/A | 3 | |
| 1-LEG BICYCLES | 15 EA SIDE | N/A | 2 | |
| 15MIN | ELLIPTICAL | MED | N/A | 1 |
The past 2 weeks have felt really crazy at the gym b/c I'm not really following any routines. Last week, I knew I wanted to focus on cardio.. so I kind of threw the weight training out the window. This week, my schedule/routine has been all out of whack and I've been thinking about the beach so I've been focusing on arms/abs/cardio. This weekend, I'm going to re-do my workout from 2 weeks ago and add more cardio in place of some of the weight training so it's more balanced. Then maybe, just maybe, I'll start regaining a bit of sanity. (You may have noticed by now, but I'm a little OCD and anal retentive.. and when things go off course, it throws my whole life out of balance!)
Dinner last night:
I made Turkey Burgers with sauteed eggplant and mushrooms (recipe below) and sweet potato fries. I made the simple guacamole to go on the burgers and I was bad and had like 10 tortilla chips with guac before dinner. I ate a turkey burger patty (no bun) with a slice of tomato and some fresh guac on top with the eggplant and mushrooms. No sweet pot. fries.. still trying to stay low carb.
Recipe:
Eggplant and Mushrooms
1 Eggplant, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1c Mushrooms, chopped
1tbs Red Wine Vinegar
1 to 2tbs minced garlic (I used about 2)
1tbs EVOO
1/2c Fat Free Feta Cheese
Squeeze of Lemon Juice
S&P
Dash of Dried Oregano (optional)
-Peel/chop the Eggplant and chop Mushrooms and put into a large bowl.
-Squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon over veggies
-Heat EVOO in large skillet/saute pan and add veggies
-Season with S&P, Oregano and vinegar and let cook (stirring frequently) for approx 10-15 minutes, until veggies are tender (eggplant will be a brownish color)
-Remove from heat, add Feta and toss to combine
-Serve warm!
I thought it was yummy and Nora ate it too!
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low Carb Yogurt.. "Berry Yum Yum" I think?
Lunch:
1 can Tuna w/ 1tbs Light Miracle Whip, 1tsp yellow Mustard and 1tbs Sugar Free Relish (bought it this morning, found that it is much better for you than regular pickles or relish!)
Protein Mousse stuff
Snack:
Cytomax Protein Drink
12 raw organic almonds
Dinner:
Salad w/ grilled Chicken
and I have a Weight Watchers string cheese in case I get extra hungry at any point :)
Tonight is Tribal Night at Leapin Lizard in Covington! It's a bellydance event with open dance and open drumming. I'm excited and I hope that I actually get to go this time! Branden said he and Nora would come down with me for a while and I hope that they do, Nora will love it :)
Well, that's all I have for today! Until tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Wednesday
Hey there! Sorry about the lack of posts recently, I've been off-routine and it always throws me for a loop!
I think I'm back in action today, though :)
I went to the gym this morning and got in a good workout! (posted below) I didn't make it yesterday b/c I was crafting from 6-8:30am (not joking)! I was finishing up a couple of birthday presents for 2 sweet little girlies that just turned 3!
It felt good to be back there this morning, even if I wasn't feeling quite up to my regular performance. The 'Wobbly Pushups' were more difficult today and the Elliptical was feeling extra boring but I pushed through it all and broke one hell of a sweat in the process :)
Workout:
Notice the extra minute of jogging :)
Dinner last night was YUMMY, I cooked a new recipe (below) and I will definitely be repeating this one! It's Mexican (shocking, right?) and totally flexible!
Recipe:
Black Bean Cakes (could also be eaten as burgers!)
1can black beans, rinsed and drained
3tbs cilantro, diced
1tbs garlic, minced
1/2tbs cumin
1tbs adobo sauce (sauce from canned chipotle peppers) - if you like it hot, add a whole chipotle pepper
1c almonds (or 2 slices WW bread)
1 egg white
Juice of 1/2 lime
-In a food processor, chop almonds (or bread) until semi-fine powder (a few chunks is okay) and put into large bowl
-Put cilantro, garlic and adobo (and chipotle, if using) into food processor and pulse a couple of times
-Add beans and lime juice and process until semi-smooth.
-Pour mixture into bowl with almond crumbs (or bread crumbs), add egg white and mix together with hands
-Form 4 patties and cook in pre-heated skillet with non-stick spray.
-Cook 3-4 minutes each side, squeezing a bit more lime over patties when almost finished.
I served this with Brown Rice and Corn (brown rice, corn, 3 squirts 'I Can't Believe it's Not Butter' olive oil spray, juice of 1/2 lime, 1tbs chopped cilantro, a little cumin and S&P) and fresh guacamole(below), store-bought salsa and FF Greek Yogurt
UGH it was SO yummy! My opinion may be slightly bias b/c it encompasses all of my favorite flavors: black beans, cilantro, lime, garlic and cumin.
Guacamole: SUPER simple!
1 avocado
1tbs minced garlic
1/2c chopped cilantro
1 Lime (juice)
S&P
-Chop garlic (if necessary, I buy jars of minced garlic) and cilantro and put in bottom of bowl
-Scoop out avocado and chop small, add to bowl
-Squeeze 1/2 of lime juice over avocado and mash with fork until desired consistency
-Season to taste with S&P then add other 1/2 of lime if you want! (believe me, I did!) :)
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low-Carb Yogurt.. I believe Strawberry Colada today?
Lunch:
1can Tuna w/ 1tbs Miracle Whip, 1tsp Yellow Mustard, diced pickles, a little pickle juice (only had a couple of pickle slices) and a squeeze of lemon juice
Chocolate Protein Mousse (tastes MUCH better after it's been in the fridge for a bit!)
Snack:
Cytomax Protein Drink
12 Raw Organic Almonds
Dinner:
Turkey Burgers (no bun for me)
Sauteed Eggplant and Mushrooms
Sweet Potato Fries
I think I'm back in action today, though :)
I went to the gym this morning and got in a good workout! (posted below) I didn't make it yesterday b/c I was crafting from 6-8:30am (not joking)! I was finishing up a couple of birthday presents for 2 sweet little girlies that just turned 3!
It felt good to be back there this morning, even if I wasn't feeling quite up to my regular performance. The 'Wobbly Pushups' were more difficult today and the Elliptical was feeling extra boring but I pushed through it all and broke one hell of a sweat in the process :)
Workout:
| TIME | EXERCISE | REPS | WEIGHT | SETS |
| 1MIN | TREADMILL | WALK | N/A | 1 |
| 4MIN | TREADMILL | JOG | N/A | 1 |
| RAPID FIRE BICEP CURLS | 30 SEC | 7.5 | 3 | |
| RAPID FIRE TRICEP EXTENSIONS | 30 SEC | 7.5 | 3 | |
| CURL/PRESS/TRI COMPOUND | 15 | 7.5 | 3 | |
| MILITARY PRESS | 15 | 7.5 | 3 | |
| FRONT BAR DROP | 15 | 15 | 3 | |
| WOBBLY PUSH-UPS | 10 | N/A | 3 | |
| 20MIN | ELLIPTICAL | MED/FAST | N/A | 1 |
Notice the extra minute of jogging :)
Dinner last night was YUMMY, I cooked a new recipe (below) and I will definitely be repeating this one! It's Mexican (shocking, right?) and totally flexible!
Recipe:
Black Bean Cakes (could also be eaten as burgers!)
1can black beans, rinsed and drained
3tbs cilantro, diced
1tbs garlic, minced
1/2tbs cumin
1tbs adobo sauce (sauce from canned chipotle peppers) - if you like it hot, add a whole chipotle pepper
1c almonds (or 2 slices WW bread)
1 egg white
Juice of 1/2 lime
-In a food processor, chop almonds (or bread) until semi-fine powder (a few chunks is okay) and put into large bowl
-Put cilantro, garlic and adobo (and chipotle, if using) into food processor and pulse a couple of times
-Add beans and lime juice and process until semi-smooth.
-Pour mixture into bowl with almond crumbs (or bread crumbs), add egg white and mix together with hands
-Form 4 patties and cook in pre-heated skillet with non-stick spray.
-Cook 3-4 minutes each side, squeezing a bit more lime over patties when almost finished.
I served this with Brown Rice and Corn (brown rice, corn, 3 squirts 'I Can't Believe it's Not Butter' olive oil spray, juice of 1/2 lime, 1tbs chopped cilantro, a little cumin and S&P) and fresh guacamole(below), store-bought salsa and FF Greek Yogurt
UGH it was SO yummy! My opinion may be slightly bias b/c it encompasses all of my favorite flavors: black beans, cilantro, lime, garlic and cumin.
Guacamole: SUPER simple!
1 avocado
1tbs minced garlic
1/2c chopped cilantro
1 Lime (juice)
S&P
-Chop garlic (if necessary, I buy jars of minced garlic) and cilantro and put in bottom of bowl
-Scoop out avocado and chop small, add to bowl
-Squeeze 1/2 of lime juice over avocado and mash with fork until desired consistency
-Season to taste with S&P then add other 1/2 of lime if you want! (believe me, I did!) :)
Food Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low-Carb Yogurt.. I believe Strawberry Colada today?
Lunch:
1can Tuna w/ 1tbs Miracle Whip, 1tsp Yellow Mustard, diced pickles, a little pickle juice (only had a couple of pickle slices) and a squeeze of lemon juice
Chocolate Protein Mousse (tastes MUCH better after it's been in the fridge for a bit!)
Snack:
Cytomax Protein Drink
12 Raw Organic Almonds
Dinner:
Turkey Burgers (no bun for me)
Sauteed Eggplant and Mushrooms
Sweet Potato Fries
There's a Zumba event tonight at the gym but I don't think I'm going to go (although I did just buy some Zumba-esque pants!). There's a bellydance event tomorrow night and I think I'd rather go to that.. I try to stick to only 1 after work activity per week so I'm not away from Nora too much. :)
Speak of the angel, this was her saying "Belly hurt.." last night.. apparently she had a little belly ache :( She's just fine though :)
Anyway, I think that's all I have for today! Tune back in tomorrow! :)
Monday, May 16, 2011
Picture Day!
Remember when it was 'Picture Day' in school? I looked forward to and planned for that day for like weeks in advance. I always loved having my picture taken! Unfortunately, I was usually disappointed when I got the photos back.. the silly school-hired photographer never quite got my good angle.. :)
So today is picture posting day! I will say in advance, I'm pretty happy with the results shown! I'll post a side-by-side with last month's photo for comparison (I had to pull up the old one for myself after we took the new one!)
I didn't make it to the gym this morning, I got no sleep last night and was just way too tired. I'm hoping to go bellydance in Rabbit Hash tonight to make up for it but if that's not an option, I might try to do Zumba at home (if Nora will let me!). I haven't been to the gym since Wednesday and I'm totally pissed about it. I was going to make up some time this weekend but at the last minute Branden had to go out of town for a family thing so it was just Nora and mommy this weekend. We had so much fun together! I loved getting to spend all of the time with her :) Saturday, Nora and I went did all of the laundry, had Subway for breakfast, went home so Nora could nap and mommy could shower then met Andi and Mama Sue for lunch at Chili's. I don't know if I've mentioned before but I absolutely rave over Chili's kid's menu! They have like 10 different protein options and 10 side options including a bunch of different veggies and fruits plus a drink for only $4.95! I love that they have healthy options for kids! After that, Nora and I went to Louisville to shop in the Mall St. Matthews with my sister (big ups to Aunt Krispy for helping chase Nora around the store!) and we had dinner then Nora and I came back home. Yesterday, Nora and I went to Walmart then just came home as she desperately needed a nap.. then daddy came home so mommy and Ya-Ya went to Old Navy then I met up with Sarah and we went grocery shopping together! We had a pretty busy weekend but it was definitely a good one :)
Okay, food today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Snack:
Low Carb/Sugar Yogurt (carrot cake flavor, yum!)
Lunch:
1can Tuna w/ 1tbs Miracle Whip, 1tsp Mustard, squeeze of lemon juice and diced pickles
Protein Mousse (recipe below)
Snack:
Weight Watchers String Cheese
12 raw organic Almonds
Dinner:
Chicken and asparagus.. not sure how it's going to be cooked, I'll update tomorrow :)
Recipe:
Protein Mousse
24oz Fat Free Cottage Cheese
2 small boxes Sugar Free/Fat Free Chocolate Pudding
3 Scoops Choc Protein Powder
2cups Boiling Water
-Bring Water to a full boil, add pudding powder and whisk until combined, remove from heat and let cool 5-10 minutes.
-While water boiling/pudding cooling, put cottage cheese in a blender and whip until smooth.
-After pudding has cooled a bit, add pudding and protein powder to cottage cheese in blender and blend again until combined
-Refrigerate overnight - should have a mousse-like consistency in morning!
I'll be honest - it's not the most amazing thing I've ever tried - but it's pretty good! And for being really low in sugar/carbs/fat, you can't beat it! I think it will be best served really cold with a couple of dollups of fat free/sugar free cool whip :)
OH and I made a really yummy Taco Salad Thursday night for dinner!
Recipe:
Taco Salad
Romaine Lettuce
Red Onion
Tomato
Chicken Breast (boneless/skinless)
Lime
Guacamole (recipe below)
FF Greek Yogurt
Salsa
Black Bean Salsa (recipe below)
Cilantro
Fat Free Cheddar Cheese
Mexican Seasonings (cumin, chili powder, garlic, paprika - or pre-made taco seasoning [this will have a lot more sodium])
-Season thawed chicken with mexican seasonings and grill over medium heat until cooked through (juices run clear, or you can always slice open the thickest piece. Let rest 5 minutes then chop into bite-sized pieces.
-Chop Romaine Lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put into a large bowl.
-Chop red onion, tomato and cilantro and add to bowl. Squeeze juice of 1/2 lime over lettuce mix
-Add Black Bean Salsa, chicken and cheese to salad and toss to combine
-Serve with a scoop of salsa, dollup of greek yogurt and guacamole (or however you wish)
-Enjoy!
Guacamole Recipe:
3 Avacados
1/2 Red Onion
2 Limes
1/2 bunch Cilantro
1tbs Garlic, minced
S&P
-Scoop out avacados, chop and put into a bowl. Squeeze a little lime over it to prevent from browning.
-Dice Red Onion and Cilantro and add to avacado.
-Squeeze in the rest of the juice from first lime and mash together with a potato masher
-Add garlic, season with S&P and taste. Add more lime juice/S&P if necessary (I LOVE lime, I used juice from 2)
Black Bean Salsa Recipe
1 can Black Beans
1c corn kernels(I used frozen, thawed in bowl in microwave with a little water then drained)
10(or so) cherry tomatoes, diced
3tbs diced cilantro
1tbs garlic, minced
1 Lime (zest and juice)
S&P to taste
-Drain and rinse Black Beans
-Combine all ingredients in bowl, taste and adjust seasonings/lime juice to your liking
Okay, PICTURE TIME!
Above: April 15th, 2011
Weight: 284lbs
Above: May 15th, 2011
Weight: 276lbs - 3lb loss from last week!
8lb loss from last month.
Voila! I think the poundage loss is not quite as impressive as the visible results. I'm super happy with the way my waistline and chin area are thinning! Definitely glad I decided to do the picture thing lol.
Well, this has been a very long post and I thank you all for reading! The support that I've gotten from my friends/family/strangers has been a huge help and motivation to continue on my 'Losing Path.'
Until tomorrow!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Whirlwind Workout
Hello world! Happy Thursday! It's almost Friday, which means it's almost Saturday! I love the weekends, especially when I have NOTHING planned! (that rarely ever happens)
I woke up bright and early at 4:30am and made it to the gym by 5:06am. Getting there took some talking into.. I was up a few times with Nora last night and I was just drained when I woke up. I kept trying to make excuses for not going from the moment I woke up.. I went to the bathroom and I said "if Branden didn't get the laundry last night, I'm not going".. but Branden did get the laundry and it was folded neatly on my couch. Then I said "if I can't find his car keys, I'm not going".. but they were sitting in plain sight. So then I said to myself "get your ass to the gym." So I got my ass to the gym. I figured any workout is better than none! Unfortunately, my lack of energy effected my 'Cardio Killa' motivation, so I did more weight training today. I'm not necessarily saying that it's a bad thing, considering I've really neglected it so far this week. I was a little all over the place but my workout went as follows:
I'm super proud of myself for doing 2 sets of the treadmill this morning! Even if it's only 3min sets of jogging, I'm doing it! I decided I'm going to jog for 3min per day for the next week or so and then steadily increase it by 1 minute every week or every other week, depending on how my endurance builds.
Dinner last night was NOT the most healthy. We have a freezer full of meat at my house and Branden said that he wanted me to cook through what we had, rather than buying new/different proteins every week - which is what I was doing. His mother gave us 2 bags of chicken leg quarters (3 in each bag) so I made one of the bags last night. I baked it with a little S&P and Granulated Garlic for 1 hour, then put a touch of BBQ sauce on top of each and baked for an additional 15 minutes. I also served roasted eggplant (recipe below) and brown rice w/ garlic and lemon juice. I really do not advocate bone-in, skin-on chicken as the fat content is MUCH higher than boneless/skinless.. but I was just following orders :) Of course, we both pulled off the skin and cut around the fat on our chicken.
Roasted Eggplant Recipe: (serves 2-3)
1 Eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2" rounds
Fat Free Feta Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Non-Stick Spray
Minced Garlic
Pre-heat oven to 375
-Line cookie sheet with foil and spray generously with non-stick spray
-Spray each side of eggplant slices with non-stick spray and season with S&P
-Roast for 15 minutes
-Remove from oven, flip eggplant to opposite side and sprinkle garlic and feta
-Roast for additional 15 minutes
It was pretty yummy! Anything with Feta cheese gets my approval :) The original recipe did not include the garlic but I know adding it will make it much better, as I found it a bit bland.
Food Today:
Breakfast
Choc Protein shake w/ Skim Milk
1egg white with a little skim mozzarella cheese
Snack:
Tuna w/ 1tbs Miracle Whip, 1tsp Mustard and diced Pickles
Lunch:
Chick Pea salad over baby spinach (LAST day of this! I finally ran out lol)
Snack:
Cytomax
12 raw organic almonds
Dinner:
Taco Salad
I'm cooking a big healthy taco salad at mom's tonight! I'm excited :) More details about it tomorrow!
Well I think that's all I have for now! 30 days until my birthday! Whoop whoop!
Adios!
I woke up bright and early at 4:30am and made it to the gym by 5:06am. Getting there took some talking into.. I was up a few times with Nora last night and I was just drained when I woke up. I kept trying to make excuses for not going from the moment I woke up.. I went to the bathroom and I said "if Branden didn't get the laundry last night, I'm not going".. but Branden did get the laundry and it was folded neatly on my couch. Then I said "if I can't find his car keys, I'm not going".. but they were sitting in plain sight. So then I said to myself "get your ass to the gym." So I got my ass to the gym. I figured any workout is better than none! Unfortunately, my lack of energy effected my 'Cardio Killa' motivation, so I did more weight training today. I'm not necessarily saying that it's a bad thing, considering I've really neglected it so far this week. I was a little all over the place but my workout went as follows:
| TIME | EXERCISE | REPS | LBS | SETS |
| 2 MIN | TREADMILL | WALK | ||
| 3MIN | TREADMILL | JOG | ||
| DUMBBELL HIGH PULLS | 15 | 10 | 3 | |
| TRICEP EXTENSIONS | 7.5 | 15 | 3 | |
| TRICEP DIPS | 10 | BODY | 3 | |
| ONE LEG BICYCLES | 15 EA SIDE | N/A | 3 | |
| 6 INCH KILLERS | 10 | N/A | 2 | |
| TWISTING BICEP CURLS | 15 | 10 | 2 | |
| CROSS BODY BICEP CURLS | 15 | 10 | 2 | |
| 10MIN | ELLIPTICAL | MEDIUM | ||
| 2MIN | TREADMILL | WALK | ||
| 3MIN | TREADMILL | JOG |
I'm super proud of myself for doing 2 sets of the treadmill this morning! Even if it's only 3min sets of jogging, I'm doing it! I decided I'm going to jog for 3min per day for the next week or so and then steadily increase it by 1 minute every week or every other week, depending on how my endurance builds.
Dinner last night was NOT the most healthy. We have a freezer full of meat at my house and Branden said that he wanted me to cook through what we had, rather than buying new/different proteins every week - which is what I was doing. His mother gave us 2 bags of chicken leg quarters (3 in each bag) so I made one of the bags last night. I baked it with a little S&P and Granulated Garlic for 1 hour, then put a touch of BBQ sauce on top of each and baked for an additional 15 minutes. I also served roasted eggplant (recipe below) and brown rice w/ garlic and lemon juice. I really do not advocate bone-in, skin-on chicken as the fat content is MUCH higher than boneless/skinless.. but I was just following orders :) Of course, we both pulled off the skin and cut around the fat on our chicken.
Roasted Eggplant Recipe: (serves 2-3)
1 Eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2" rounds
Fat Free Feta Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
Non-Stick Spray
Minced Garlic
Pre-heat oven to 375
-Line cookie sheet with foil and spray generously with non-stick spray
-Spray each side of eggplant slices with non-stick spray and season with S&P
-Roast for 15 minutes
-Remove from oven, flip eggplant to opposite side and sprinkle garlic and feta
-Roast for additional 15 minutes
It was pretty yummy! Anything with Feta cheese gets my approval :) The original recipe did not include the garlic but I know adding it will make it much better, as I found it a bit bland.
Food Today:
Breakfast
Choc Protein shake w/ Skim Milk
1egg white with a little skim mozzarella cheese
Snack:
Tuna w/ 1tbs Miracle Whip, 1tsp Mustard and diced Pickles
Lunch:
Chick Pea salad over baby spinach (LAST day of this! I finally ran out lol)
Snack:
Cytomax
12 raw organic almonds
Dinner:
Taco Salad
I'm cooking a big healthy taco salad at mom's tonight! I'm excited :) More details about it tomorrow!
Well I think that's all I have for now! 30 days until my birthday! Whoop whoop!
Adios!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Cardio Killa - Day 2
Happy Hump Day!
I woke up a little late today but went to the gym and still had a good workout! My legs were pretty sore from the hour elliptical run so I didn't spend too much time there, I did some alternative cardio instead. (posted below)
Last night after work, I went to the organic produce market and got a whole flat of strawberries for $6! (that's 8 containers!) I also bought 2lbs of raw organic almonds, cilantro, green onions, oranges, bananas, red bell peppers, cucumbers, lemons, limes and green apples - all for $24! This place is like a gold mine. The only downside is that the produce is typically approaching or just past it's prime, so it has to be used or frozen(if applicable) within the next couple of days. My mom and I always do our shopping together there so the bell peppers, cucumbers, bananas, 1/2 of the strawberries and 1/2 of the almonds went to her house and the rest stayed at mine. I washed and chopped all of the strawberries and put 3/4 of them in the freezer. I love doing the strawberries like this so I can defrost them and add them to yogurt :) The frozen strawberries in the store are like $4-6 per small bag!
After the organic market, I cooked dinner at my mom's house. I made Spaghetti and Meatballs with a homemade shredded chicken sauce that my mom made and froze last week. (we highly support making bulk ahead of time and freezing for convenience and economical purposes!)
I made the meatballs a bit differently since I was in my mom's kitchen and didn't have my ingredients...
Meatball Recipe:
1lb Lean Ground Turkey
1c Italian Breadcrumbs
1/4 Skim Milk
1 egg
1/3c Italian Cheese Blend
1tbs Minced Garlic
Pinch Red Pepper Flake
1tbs Chopped Fresh Basil (from mom's garden - so easy to grow!)
Pre-heat oven to 375
-Combine everything other than turkey in bowl until combined.
-Once combined, add turkey and fold together
-Line cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray
-Form mixture into approx 1" meatballs and bake approx 15 minutes or until browning on edges
Enjoy!
Since I'm trying to cut way back on carbs this week, I skipped the pasta. I actually had a very small dinner last night, just 3 meatballs with some sauce and a tiny bit of fat free feta. Yummy!
After dinner, Branden took Nora to see his mom for her birthday which gave me a chance to run some errands.. I went to Walmart to get a stability ball which I am now using in place of my chair at my desk! It helps enhance balance and is kind of a constant core workout, which is nice! At only $16.77, you can't beat it :) Buy One!
I'm sitting on it right now and it's also fun because you can bounce every now and then and play a little :) (and sneak in a few crunches if you're feeling fiesty!) I also got new PJs, an outfit and a pair of shoes for Nora. Walmart's clothes are super cheap but I think they're perfect for summer play clothes, then I won't get upset if and when they get stained/ruined! Aaaaand I got the Mariah Carey Music Box CD because that was my absolute FAVORITE MC CD and it was only $5! lol Then I went to Meijer, we needed vitamins desperately and they seem to have the best selection/price. I got Fish Oil (buy one get one free! Holla!), L-Argenine and DHEA. All really great things that I take daily! Vitamins are super important in living healthy - I hope you're taking yours, too! :) My mom is a big vitamin person.. she was always trying to get us to take this and that but I hated taking the big horse-pill multi-vitamins so I never would lol. At least I've wised-up!
Workout Today:
Time Exercise Reps Sets
15min Elliptical Med/Fast
Switch Steps 30sec 4 sets
Quick Feet 30sec 4 sets
Ball Crunches 20 4 sets
2min Treadmill Walk
3min Treadmill Jog
I am so NOT a runner so I was pretty happy with myself for jogging the 3 minutes.. it may seem like a teeny tiny amount of time to most, but it's a pretty big deal for me :) I'll work up to a marathon at some point! (one of my goals :))
I felt good after the workout and was sweating my ass off so I must have done something right! Tomorrow I might do another long elliptical day, still undecided?
I'm thinking about buying some ankle weights just to wear around the office. My brother had some and I used to wear them around my house.. I also used to walk around my house and shower on my tippy-toes to build my calves when I was in high school lol. My brother had these shoes (pictured below) for football training and I used to love wearing those too! They strengthen your calves and elongate your achilles tendon. (I have a slight obsession with calves) I'm thinking I might get some after I get in a little better shape :)
You can buy them at Eastbay.
I woke up a little late today but went to the gym and still had a good workout! My legs were pretty sore from the hour elliptical run so I didn't spend too much time there, I did some alternative cardio instead. (posted below)
Last night after work, I went to the organic produce market and got a whole flat of strawberries for $6! (that's 8 containers!) I also bought 2lbs of raw organic almonds, cilantro, green onions, oranges, bananas, red bell peppers, cucumbers, lemons, limes and green apples - all for $24! This place is like a gold mine. The only downside is that the produce is typically approaching or just past it's prime, so it has to be used or frozen(if applicable) within the next couple of days. My mom and I always do our shopping together there so the bell peppers, cucumbers, bananas, 1/2 of the strawberries and 1/2 of the almonds went to her house and the rest stayed at mine. I washed and chopped all of the strawberries and put 3/4 of them in the freezer. I love doing the strawberries like this so I can defrost them and add them to yogurt :) The frozen strawberries in the store are like $4-6 per small bag!
After the organic market, I cooked dinner at my mom's house. I made Spaghetti and Meatballs with a homemade shredded chicken sauce that my mom made and froze last week. (we highly support making bulk ahead of time and freezing for convenience and economical purposes!)
I made the meatballs a bit differently since I was in my mom's kitchen and didn't have my ingredients...
Meatball Recipe:
1lb Lean Ground Turkey
1c Italian Breadcrumbs
1/4 Skim Milk
1 egg
1/3c Italian Cheese Blend
1tbs Minced Garlic
Pinch Red Pepper Flake
1tbs Chopped Fresh Basil (from mom's garden - so easy to grow!)
Pre-heat oven to 375
-Combine everything other than turkey in bowl until combined.
-Once combined, add turkey and fold together
-Line cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray
-Form mixture into approx 1" meatballs and bake approx 15 minutes or until browning on edges
Enjoy!
Since I'm trying to cut way back on carbs this week, I skipped the pasta. I actually had a very small dinner last night, just 3 meatballs with some sauce and a tiny bit of fat free feta. Yummy!
After dinner, Branden took Nora to see his mom for her birthday which gave me a chance to run some errands.. I went to Walmart to get a stability ball which I am now using in place of my chair at my desk! It helps enhance balance and is kind of a constant core workout, which is nice! At only $16.77, you can't beat it :) Buy One!
Workout Today:
Time Exercise Reps Sets
15min Elliptical Med/Fast
Switch Steps 30sec 4 sets
Quick Feet 30sec 4 sets
Ball Crunches 20 4 sets
2min Treadmill Walk
3min Treadmill Jog
I am so NOT a runner so I was pretty happy with myself for jogging the 3 minutes.. it may seem like a teeny tiny amount of time to most, but it's a pretty big deal for me :) I'll work up to a marathon at some point! (one of my goals :))
I felt good after the workout and was sweating my ass off so I must have done something right! Tomorrow I might do another long elliptical day, still undecided?
I'm thinking about buying some ankle weights just to wear around the office. My brother had some and I used to wear them around my house.. I also used to walk around my house and shower on my tippy-toes to build my calves when I was in high school lol. My brother had these shoes (pictured below) for football training and I used to love wearing those too! They strengthen your calves and elongate your achilles tendon. (I have a slight obsession with calves) I'm thinking I might get some after I get in a little better shape :)
You can buy them at Eastbay.
Moving on to more food...
Menu Today:
Breakfast:
Choc Protein Shake w/ Skim Milk
Banana w/ 1tbs Natural Pnut Butter (I was extra hungry!)
Snack:
1can Tuna w/ 1tbs Miracle Whip, 1tsp Yellow Mustard and diced dill pickles
Lunch:
Chick Pea Salad over Baby Spinach
Snack:
Cytomax Protein Drink
12 raw organic almonds
Dinner:
Chicken somethin-or-other.. update tomorrow!
Well, I think that's all I have for today! Toot-a-loo!
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