So today we ate only our frozen meals. Breakfast was breakfast pizza, and it was a very small portion. Lunch was the Cuban sandwich quesadilla (delicious!), which was also a small portion (one tortilla folded in half). Dinner was turkey enchilada casserole, which was supposed to be 4 servings, but we ate the whole thing because we were starving. The pizza was soggy from defrosting, but I'm sure if I put it in the toaster oven it would be fine. The quesadillas were a bit soggy, but once I microwaved them they were fine (and I'm VERY picky about texture). The casserole was perfect, and it was so nice to take about 5 minutes total preparing dinner. Not to mention less than 5 minutes of clean up. I forgot to mention, we had the sweet and spicy chicken stir fry for dinner last night, which I served over brown rice. I added a little soy sauce, but it was fine.
My verdict so far about the once a month cooking: It's totally worth the planning and the day of cooking. However, we will have to make our own menus and shopping lists to fit our appetites and taste buds. We will be lucky to have 2 weeks of food from this menu, much less an entire month.
Some of you have asked about my weight loss. I'm down about 18 pounds, which is great. Over Spring Break I relaxed a bit too much and gained 6 pounds (you can imagine my reaction when I stepped on the scale), so I skipped weigh in that week. The next week's weigh in I was down .2 lbs from the week before Spring Break (so I lost 6.2 lbs, but it only registered .2 overall, I hope that makes sense). This week I lost another .2 pounds. I believe we only have 2 more weeks until the final weigh in, so I'm hoping that my new meal plan and the nice weather will help me get over my hump and loose a few more pounds before the competition is over. I don't want to get too confident, but we are currently in first place with a 4% lead over the team behind us. So unless they go crazy and loose tons of weight or one of us goes off the deep end and gains a million pounds, we've won this thing. It helps when the other members of your team have lost over 30 and even 40 pounds :)
Monday, April 23, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Day of Cooking
Yesterday we cooked all of our meals from Once a Month Mom. It definitely took a full day and our bodies hated us by the end, but none of the recipes were "hard." It was easy to make and package, just a lot of work. We did some chopping and prep the night before, and that combined with our work yesterday, minus breaks, equals about 7 hours of cooking. 14 man hours if you consider Chris and I were both working the whole time (except when I had to leave the kitchen to avoid puking from the smell of banana filling the room).
Everything fit in the freezer. What you need to do is put the food in Ziplocs, then flatten it out as much as possible. Our tiny side by side freezer fit everything with room to spare.
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The only bad thing about the meal plan is that it only allows for 8 breakfasts, 8 lunches, and 14 dinners. She explains this in her blog, but we didn't read that until after we had cooked. She says this is to allow for eating out. That's a lot of eating out!!!! So basically, we only have enough food for about 2 weeks. We are going to try it out, and if we like it then in 2 weeks we will just double up on everything and then have enough for a full month. So, for example, we would type in 4 instead of 2 where it asks how many people you are cooking for. Another thing we will do is make our own shopping list. The grocery list and the recipes don't call for the same things. For example, 2 medium carrots does not equal 4 cups. Also, we like more meat in our meals than the recipes call for. In addition, the recipes don't include side dishes or snacks, so that is an added expense and something that needs to be considered while planning out the month. So, just like everything else in life, we will need to adjust the recipes and shopping lists to accommodate our needs. But the basic concept is amazing, and we are super excited to eat all of the yummy foods!
Everything fit in the freezer. What you need to do is put the food in Ziplocs, then flatten it out as much as possible. Our tiny side by side freezer fit everything with room to spare.
The labels are a must; with this much food in the freezer it's tough to remember everything you have. They are quick to print out, and save tons of time with labeling.
The only bad thing about the meal plan is that it only allows for 8 breakfasts, 8 lunches, and 14 dinners. She explains this in her blog, but we didn't read that until after we had cooked. She says this is to allow for eating out. That's a lot of eating out!!!! So basically, we only have enough food for about 2 weeks. We are going to try it out, and if we like it then in 2 weeks we will just double up on everything and then have enough for a full month. So, for example, we would type in 4 instead of 2 where it asks how many people you are cooking for. Another thing we will do is make our own shopping list. The grocery list and the recipes don't call for the same things. For example, 2 medium carrots does not equal 4 cups. Also, we like more meat in our meals than the recipes call for. In addition, the recipes don't include side dishes or snacks, so that is an added expense and something that needs to be considered while planning out the month. So, just like everything else in life, we will need to adjust the recipes and shopping lists to accommodate our needs. But the basic concept is amazing, and we are super excited to eat all of the yummy foods!
I do want to add that everything we made looked and smelled delicious. We tasted the egg rolls, waffles, and minestrone, and they were all yummy. The hardest part of cooking was making a ton of food that we really wanted to eat, but weren't allowed to. At least we have something to look forward to over the next couple of weeks! We are excited to have different things to eat for breakfast and lunch, instead of cereal, sandwiches, and left overs all the time.
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| Southwestern egg rolls, breakfast pizza, healthy breakfast cookies |
I would definitely recommend trying this out if you are looking for a way to eat well and save time. My advice is to take the time to make sure you have enough meals to cover the month, and to adjust the portions to fit your appetite. Make sure you add in side dishes and snacks, and compare the shopping list to the recipes so you don't have to run to the store in the middle of your day of cooking (like we did). If you want to try this out, but have other questions or need some advice, let me know!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Once a Month Mom
There is one thing that has kept me from thinking that I can really keep my new healthy eating lifestyle, and that is the cost of food. Since January, Chris and I have been spending AT LEAST $100 a week on groceries, usually closer to $150 and even getting as high as $200. A Week. For two people. That's freaking ridiculous! Plus having to cook every night, which takes 1-2 hours, then cleaning up the kitchen. It's a huge strain on time and money, and while I love eating natural, healthy foods, I really don't see it being possible to do in the long term, especially once we have kids. That is why I was SO EXCITED to find the website onceamonthmom.com on Pinterest (Thanks Andi!!!). It's a blog by a mom who had the same problems we've been having- she wants to feed her family wholesome homemade food, but doesn't have the time to prepare the meals every day. Instead, she has created a system where you only cook ONCE A MONTH and freeze everything. This includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She gives you printable recipe cards and a grocery list for everything you need, and you can adjust the number of people you are cooking for and it automatically adjusts the amounts. She gives you directions for how to cook everything on your day of cooking in order to stay organized and maximize your time. She tells you how to freeze your foods, and how to do it if you have a small freezer (like we do). She even gives you printable labels to put on your meals that say what it is, how to thaw it, and how to cook/reheat it. It is the most organized system I have ever seen for meal planning. And all of the info and printables are FREE!!!!!!
So, we decided to do it. My amazing husband printed everything we need and organized it into a binder, complete with page protectors so the recipes don't get food on them while we are cooking (he's so organized, according to my grandma, because he's a Capricorn). We took our printed grocery list to the store, and not even using coupons or shopping for sales, we spent... are you ready... $183.16 on a month's worth of groceries. I was so excited I think I weirded out the cashier, talking all high pitched about how much money we saved and jumping up and down a bit (I even got a little teary eyed, but that might have been from the sappy country song they were playing and my emotionalism (yes I made that up, and yes this is a parenthesis within a parenthesis, but this is my blog and I can do what I want!)). That included buying freezer bags, 8x8 foil casserole dishes, a box of cereal, and some yogurt that wasn't on the list.
Saturday we are going to cook. I'll let you know how it goes. My only concern is that the portions will be too small to fill us up, or it'll be gross. But the recipes sound yummy, and we are supposed to eat smaller portions anyways, right? If anything we can supplement with healthy snacks and side dishes. But right now, if it works out as planned, we will be saving up to $500 a month, and 48 hours of cooking a month. And that is totally worth the planning, the 2 hour shopping trip, and giving up a day for cooking.
P.S. We are doing the March 2012 Diet menu. There were too many things we don't like on the April diet menu. There are several menus, including vegetarian, dairy/gluten free, and even on for baby food.
P.S. We are doing the March 2012 Diet menu. There were too many things we don't like on the April diet menu. There are several menus, including vegetarian, dairy/gluten free, and even on for baby food.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Luck O' The Irish
I'm convinced the weigh in scales are messed up. But when it's in my favor I'm okay with that.
When I got home from school today I was over my weight from last week, so I stripped down to just shorts and a tank, weighed myself again, and was dead even with where I was last week. So I walked on the Nordic Track for 30 minutes. Miraculously I went down 0.4 from that little bit of exercise. I threw on my coat and boots, took my sexy white legs outside in our 18 degree snowy weather, and went to weigh in. My official weight is down 1.4 pounds from last week, a full pound less than my scale says (which matched what their scale said last week, by the way). I'll take the higher weight loss, especially considering the corned beef and Irish soda bread binge I had 2 days in a row, and my Shamrock shake on Saturday. I just hope it doesn't even out with my scale next week and show less weight loss, like what happened the first week.
My goal is to have lost 20 pounds by spring break. That means losing 5 pounds according to my scale, 4 according to theirs, in 2 weeks. I can totally do it if I don't cheat.
Dinner tonight is "fried" rice. I got an Asian medley frozen veggie mix with little corns in it. Who doesn't love little corns?? Mix that up with some lean marinated stir fry steak, brown rice, a scrambled egg, and some low sodium soy sauce. Mmmmmm :)
When I got home from school today I was over my weight from last week, so I stripped down to just shorts and a tank, weighed myself again, and was dead even with where I was last week. So I walked on the Nordic Track for 30 minutes. Miraculously I went down 0.4 from that little bit of exercise. I threw on my coat and boots, took my sexy white legs outside in our 18 degree snowy weather, and went to weigh in. My official weight is down 1.4 pounds from last week, a full pound less than my scale says (which matched what their scale said last week, by the way). I'll take the higher weight loss, especially considering the corned beef and Irish soda bread binge I had 2 days in a row, and my Shamrock shake on Saturday. I just hope it doesn't even out with my scale next week and show less weight loss, like what happened the first week.
My goal is to have lost 20 pounds by spring break. That means losing 5 pounds according to my scale, 4 according to theirs, in 2 weeks. I can totally do it if I don't cheat.
Dinner tonight is "fried" rice. I got an Asian medley frozen veggie mix with little corns in it. Who doesn't love little corns?? Mix that up with some lean marinated stir fry steak, brown rice, a scrambled egg, and some low sodium soy sauce. Mmmmmm :)
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Asparagus Chicken Cordon Bleu
Tonight I made a really yummy dinner, so here's the recipe!
Asparagus Chicken Cordon Bleu
Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Trim and rinse chicken breasts. Place one at a time between cellophane and beat with a mallet until it's about 1/4 inch thick (I use Press and Seal, it's thicker and doesn't tear). Lay flat on cookie sheet. Squeeze a stripe of Dijon mustard lengthwise onto each breast. Lay one slice of ham across each breast. Spread 1/2 a wedge of cheese lengthwise across top of ham. Cut ends off of asparagus and coat leafy ends with olive oil to prevent scorching. Lay 6-7 spears lengthwise across chicken, using the cheese like glue to hold them in place. Wrap the chicken and ham around the asparagus like a taco, and use toothpicks to hold in place. Sprinkle outside of chicken generously with garlic powder, Mrs. Dash (or whatever you want, rosemary would be good), and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 30 minutes. I served mine with brown rice and mixed veggies.
Asparagus Chicken Cordon Bleu- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 slices ham sandwich meat
- 2 wedges Laughing Cow Cheese, I used garlic and herb flavor
- Dijon mustard
- Asparagus
- Seasonings
- Olive Oil
- Olive Oil cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Trim and rinse chicken breasts. Place one at a time between cellophane and beat with a mallet until it's about 1/4 inch thick (I use Press and Seal, it's thicker and doesn't tear). Lay flat on cookie sheet. Squeeze a stripe of Dijon mustard lengthwise onto each breast. Lay one slice of ham across each breast. Spread 1/2 a wedge of cheese lengthwise across top of ham. Cut ends off of asparagus and coat leafy ends with olive oil to prevent scorching. Lay 6-7 spears lengthwise across chicken, using the cheese like glue to hold them in place. Wrap the chicken and ham around the asparagus like a taco, and use toothpicks to hold in place. Sprinkle outside of chicken generously with garlic powder, Mrs. Dash (or whatever you want, rosemary would be good), and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 30 minutes. I served mine with brown rice and mixed veggies.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Hey Saggy Pants
It's been awhile... oops.
Monday was weigh in. The week before that I lost 2 pounds, woohoo!! Then I ate crap all week, but still managed to be down .2 pounds yesterday. Since I fully expected to gain 5 pounds, I'll take the .2 and be happy with it.
We are half way through the challenge, and they had an event last night to celebrate the half way point. We were supposed to weigh in, then have healthy snacks catered by an eatery in town, and then they were giving a prize to the man and woman who lost the most, and another prize to the person who submitted the most meaningful change they've made to be successful in the challenge, and for that prize you had to be present to win. So I waited until 6 to go, walked in, and did get a $10 gift card to Natural Grocers. Then I weighed in and lost .2 pounds. The lady who weighed me in said, "Good job Betsy, I'm so proud of you!" Now I appreciate the support, but I don't know her, and I barely lost any weight. Give me a break lady.
Anyways, I was all excited to get free healthy food, and walked up to the small buffet table with a huge grin, completely starving because I hadn't eaten in over 6 hours. I grabbed a plate, listening eagerly for the food lady to tell me what everything was. My face dropped as I looked at what they had to offer. There was a fruit pastry made with buttery white flour croissant looking bread. There were white bagels with hummus. There was some vegetable shit full of onions that was covered in oil. There were sauteed veggies, covered in oil. And there was spaghetti squash with a marinara sauce, which I'm sure was equally oily. I looked at the lady with my empty plate and realized there was nothing for me to eat. I thought they were giving us healthy snacks!!?!?!?? If you are going to eat the pastry and the bagel, you might as well eat pure sugar. Just because you put hummus on it doesn't make it healthy. Veggies are really good for you, but not if you cover them in salt and oil. Chris ate it and said it wasn't even that good. No freaking wonder people are having a hard time loosing weight, they don't know how to eat, and not even the sponsors of the challenge can lead them in the right direction.
So I was starving and disappointed, and sat down to wait for them to announce who had submitted their most meaningful change and won the money. The way they advertised the contest made it seem like they were going to actually read them and put some thought into the winner. No. They put them all in a box and randomly picked one. And the guy who won put "diet and exercise." Well no shit!!! By that time I was so pissed and hungry that I had to walk out. I went home and made a low calorie chicken piccata, with whole wheat pasta and green beans.
Don't get me wrong, this challenge has motivated a lot of people in this town to do amazing things for their health. I feel great, my self esteem is way higher, and even though I only have one pair of pants that actually fit, I'm fitting shirts and bras that haven't fit in a few years. But if you are going to sponsor a competition, then you need to have a freaking clue and not screw everything up.
At this point I'm thinking the other teams can eat the white flour and sugar and oil and all the shit they want. MY team will eat healthy food, and exercise, and won't waste time talking about our most meaningful changes because nobody seems to care, and we will win this competition. MY team won't eat a bunch of junk and then wonder why we aren't loosing weight. At least when we do have bad weeks we know why, we admit that we didn't do our best, and then we work extra hard to make up for it the next week. We are going to win.
I just hope they don't screw up the prizes.
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Dinner tonight is quinoa stuffed peppers. As always I played with the recipe a bit, but they are really yummy. We also discovered 100 calorie frozen treats at the grocery store. We got some fudgsicles and some sorbet ice cream pops that are AMAZING for my sweet tooth, and they aren't itty bitty either. The weird thing is that I still crave sweets after every meal, but if I eat a cookie or a brownie or something it tastes too sweet. It's like quitting smoking, you still crave a cigarette but when you smoke one it tastes and smells so nasty that you can't enjoy it.
One last thing, is I can't get over how yummy the turkey quinoa meatloaf is. It is so moist and flavorful, not dry and bland like ground turkey usually is. I really recommend trying it!!! Here is a side view. I really like taking pictures of food, so I might as well share them :P
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Monday was weigh in. The week before that I lost 2 pounds, woohoo!! Then I ate crap all week, but still managed to be down .2 pounds yesterday. Since I fully expected to gain 5 pounds, I'll take the .2 and be happy with it.
We are half way through the challenge, and they had an event last night to celebrate the half way point. We were supposed to weigh in, then have healthy snacks catered by an eatery in town, and then they were giving a prize to the man and woman who lost the most, and another prize to the person who submitted the most meaningful change they've made to be successful in the challenge, and for that prize you had to be present to win. So I waited until 6 to go, walked in, and did get a $10 gift card to Natural Grocers. Then I weighed in and lost .2 pounds. The lady who weighed me in said, "Good job Betsy, I'm so proud of you!" Now I appreciate the support, but I don't know her, and I barely lost any weight. Give me a break lady.
Anyways, I was all excited to get free healthy food, and walked up to the small buffet table with a huge grin, completely starving because I hadn't eaten in over 6 hours. I grabbed a plate, listening eagerly for the food lady to tell me what everything was. My face dropped as I looked at what they had to offer. There was a fruit pastry made with buttery white flour croissant looking bread. There were white bagels with hummus. There was some vegetable shit full of onions that was covered in oil. There were sauteed veggies, covered in oil. And there was spaghetti squash with a marinara sauce, which I'm sure was equally oily. I looked at the lady with my empty plate and realized there was nothing for me to eat. I thought they were giving us healthy snacks!!?!?!?? If you are going to eat the pastry and the bagel, you might as well eat pure sugar. Just because you put hummus on it doesn't make it healthy. Veggies are really good for you, but not if you cover them in salt and oil. Chris ate it and said it wasn't even that good. No freaking wonder people are having a hard time loosing weight, they don't know how to eat, and not even the sponsors of the challenge can lead them in the right direction.
So I was starving and disappointed, and sat down to wait for them to announce who had submitted their most meaningful change and won the money. The way they advertised the contest made it seem like they were going to actually read them and put some thought into the winner. No. They put them all in a box and randomly picked one. And the guy who won put "diet and exercise." Well no shit!!! By that time I was so pissed and hungry that I had to walk out. I went home and made a low calorie chicken piccata, with whole wheat pasta and green beans.
Don't get me wrong, this challenge has motivated a lot of people in this town to do amazing things for their health. I feel great, my self esteem is way higher, and even though I only have one pair of pants that actually fit, I'm fitting shirts and bras that haven't fit in a few years. But if you are going to sponsor a competition, then you need to have a freaking clue and not screw everything up.At this point I'm thinking the other teams can eat the white flour and sugar and oil and all the shit they want. MY team will eat healthy food, and exercise, and won't waste time talking about our most meaningful changes because nobody seems to care, and we will win this competition. MY team won't eat a bunch of junk and then wonder why we aren't loosing weight. At least when we do have bad weeks we know why, we admit that we didn't do our best, and then we work extra hard to make up for it the next week. We are going to win.
I just hope they don't screw up the prizes.
Dinner tonight is quinoa stuffed peppers. As always I played with the recipe a bit, but they are really yummy. We also discovered 100 calorie frozen treats at the grocery store. We got some fudgsicles and some sorbet ice cream pops that are AMAZING for my sweet tooth, and they aren't itty bitty either. The weird thing is that I still crave sweets after every meal, but if I eat a cookie or a brownie or something it tastes too sweet. It's like quitting smoking, you still crave a cigarette but when you smoke one it tastes and smells so nasty that you can't enjoy it.
One last thing, is I can't get over how yummy the turkey quinoa meatloaf is. It is so moist and flavorful, not dry and bland like ground turkey usually is. I really recommend trying it!!! Here is a side view. I really like taking pictures of food, so I might as well share them :P
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Go Fish!
I know I should eat fish twice a week, but I really don't like it that much. So tonight I made sort of a one dish meal that turned out pretty darn tasty!
Brown rice (I use minute rice, and made 4 servings, I'm not sure exactly how much it was cooked, but my guess is 3 cups)
4 Tilapia fillets
2 cloves garlic, diced
Olive oil
1 bunch fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
about 1/3 each red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup toasted chopped pecans (put them in a pan on medium high heat and stir a bit until you smell them)
Parmesan cheese
Put a little olive oil in a pan, and heat. Add tilapia and sprinkle with some lemon pepper. Add garlic to pan. When fish is cooked, chop it with a spatula into bite sized pieces (much easier after it's done). Meanwhile, cook the rice. Mix together all ingredients but the cheese, add salt and pepper to taste. Heat until spinach is wilted and it's heated through. Put in bowl, top with cheese, and enjoy!!!
By the way, I'm feeling pretty awesome about myself. A lady that helps at my school sometimes (I'm not even sure of her name, but we say hi in passing) saw me in the office this morning and exclaimed "you look great!!!!" I had a meeting at the district office after school, and the ladies there made me stand up to show them how good I'm looking. Plus I wore my skinny jeans today, which normally give me a nice little fat roll over the top, and I have to take them off as soon as I get home. But I'm still wearing them 12 hours later and they're as comfy as leggings (and no fat roll) :)
If only my hair didn't look so stupid, I'd be feeling so sexy my head might explode!!!
This is a great mantra for anyone trying to reach any goal...
Monday, February 27, 2012
I'm in the 150's!
Lost 2 pounds, so I'm at 159.8.... I'm out of the 160's!!!! I know it's barely below the 160 mark, but I don't really care :)
Now I just need to keep pushing forward, no going back! I've lost 13 pounds, or 8% of my weight so far. That's kinda cool.
It was also kinda cool when I weighed in today and told them my team name. A bunch of people turned when they heard it, because they know that we are number 1 and that they need to step up to beat us.
Before I get too cocky, I should weight for the week's results for all the teams :)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Is Cheating Even Worth It?
It's been awhile!
Our team has been #1 for several weeks in a row now, and we've been in the paper. The editor asked for a comment about what we are doing that works, and after Kim spent 5 hours and we all gave well thought out input, she didn't quote a word of it. She probably just wanted to steal our secrets for herself :P I finally saw our team before photo, I did a pretty good job of making myself look like a blimp. We are going to need to find sexy outfits for our after photo.
While I haven't lost as much as my teammates, I have consistently lost since starting the challenge. I didn't go to last week's weigh in. I kinda spaced it out. I'm thinking I should be down a couple pounds when I weigh in tomorrow. I got an awful haircut yesterday, but that knocked me down a pound. I'm noticing a flatter tummy, thinner arms, my pants are saggy, and my boobs are smaller. I've gone from a 36 to a 34, which translates to a smaller back and an inch smaller in the bust (I was a bra fit expert at Fashion Bug when I was in college). I found some Victoria's Secret bras that I had "grown out" of, and they fit again. So see, I really am bringing sexy back!!!
I've stopped doing P90X. It's way above my fitness level and it was making me miserable. I might pick and choose what videos I want to do, like the Kempo or even Plyometrics. My in laws lent us their Nordic Track, so I'm going to try to do that every day.
I've cheated a couple times on food. The best was when we went to the movies in Vail on Friday, and we had baked goat cheese with figs and pistachios, and then I had a garlic shrimp ravioli in vodka sauce. It tasted like heaven in my mouth. One thing we've noticed, though, is that when we cheat our bodies feel like crap for at least a day after. We were both so bloated and gassy that we had to ride with the windows down. I guess we aren't used to all that fat and carbs and processed yumminess anymore. Which I guess is good, because now I don't really want to cheat because then I don't feel good.
I've discovered a few new favorites also. Strawberries were on sale, so we bought a bunch of them. I wasn't sure what to do with them, so I melted a handful of dark chocolate chips, dipped the strawberries in, and we had some delicious chocolate covered strawberries. I've also discovered that one wedge of laughing cow garlic and herb cheese on a serving of reduced fat wheat thins is yummy and satisfying. Also a serving of blue tortilla chips with a couple tablespoons of salsa is good. Dr. Oz said that blue chips make your body act like the body of a skinny person. Not sure what that means, but the chips aren't bad for you and I'll take it. Tonight for dinner I made a quinoa turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes with skim milk, low fat sour cream, and a bunch of spices. It was surprisingly delicious! Instead of the topping in the recipe, I mixed a teaspoon of brown sugar with 3 teaspoons of ketchup and like 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard, and put it on top for the last 10 minutes (it's a Paula Deen recipe that I tweaked a bit to lessen the sugar, and it's too delicious to give up). And of course instead of the onion I used a shallot, and we don't have hot sauce so I used Heinz 57 steak sauce. Something I learned, is that uncooked quinoa is as staticy as the beans in a bean bag chair, and would make a huge mess if spilled (luckily I didn't). Also it floats. But it was super easy to cook, and I'm excited to use it in future recipes!
Our team has been #1 for several weeks in a row now, and we've been in the paper. The editor asked for a comment about what we are doing that works, and after Kim spent 5 hours and we all gave well thought out input, she didn't quote a word of it. She probably just wanted to steal our secrets for herself :P I finally saw our team before photo, I did a pretty good job of making myself look like a blimp. We are going to need to find sexy outfits for our after photo.
While I haven't lost as much as my teammates, I have consistently lost since starting the challenge. I didn't go to last week's weigh in. I kinda spaced it out. I'm thinking I should be down a couple pounds when I weigh in tomorrow. I got an awful haircut yesterday, but that knocked me down a pound. I'm noticing a flatter tummy, thinner arms, my pants are saggy, and my boobs are smaller. I've gone from a 36 to a 34, which translates to a smaller back and an inch smaller in the bust (I was a bra fit expert at Fashion Bug when I was in college). I found some Victoria's Secret bras that I had "grown out" of, and they fit again. So see, I really am bringing sexy back!!!
I've stopped doing P90X. It's way above my fitness level and it was making me miserable. I might pick and choose what videos I want to do, like the Kempo or even Plyometrics. My in laws lent us their Nordic Track, so I'm going to try to do that every day.
I've cheated a couple times on food. The best was when we went to the movies in Vail on Friday, and we had baked goat cheese with figs and pistachios, and then I had a garlic shrimp ravioli in vodka sauce. It tasted like heaven in my mouth. One thing we've noticed, though, is that when we cheat our bodies feel like crap for at least a day after. We were both so bloated and gassy that we had to ride with the windows down. I guess we aren't used to all that fat and carbs and processed yumminess anymore. Which I guess is good, because now I don't really want to cheat because then I don't feel good.
I've discovered a few new favorites also. Strawberries were on sale, so we bought a bunch of them. I wasn't sure what to do with them, so I melted a handful of dark chocolate chips, dipped the strawberries in, and we had some delicious chocolate covered strawberries. I've also discovered that one wedge of laughing cow garlic and herb cheese on a serving of reduced fat wheat thins is yummy and satisfying. Also a serving of blue tortilla chips with a couple tablespoons of salsa is good. Dr. Oz said that blue chips make your body act like the body of a skinny person. Not sure what that means, but the chips aren't bad for you and I'll take it. Tonight for dinner I made a quinoa turkey meatloaf and mashed potatoes with skim milk, low fat sour cream, and a bunch of spices. It was surprisingly delicious! Instead of the topping in the recipe, I mixed a teaspoon of brown sugar with 3 teaspoons of ketchup and like 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard, and put it on top for the last 10 minutes (it's a Paula Deen recipe that I tweaked a bit to lessen the sugar, and it's too delicious to give up). And of course instead of the onion I used a shallot, and we don't have hot sauce so I used Heinz 57 steak sauce. Something I learned, is that uncooked quinoa is as staticy as the beans in a bean bag chair, and would make a huge mess if spilled (luckily I didn't). Also it floats. But it was super easy to cook, and I'm excited to use it in future recipes!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Tips and Tricks
We made the paper! Not uncommon living in a small town, but still... The editor of the paper emailed us asking us to share what we are doing to be successful. That's kinda cool, but isn't this a competition? of course it's not like we have a secret either. So I guess we'll be in the paper next week too!
I thought I'd post some foods that I've discovered that are delicious. I actually crave these things now, and my cravings for cookies and chips are, albeit slowly, diminishing.
Kashi Cereal: I have it every morning for breakfast, and one serving has 10 grams of protein, a bunch of fiber, and whole grains and it keeps me full for at least 3 hours. The regular Kashi is gross. The crunch is good, but a bit too crunchy. What I'm addicted to is the Go Lean Crisp. My favorite is the berry blast flavor, with dried strawberries and whatever else in it. There is also a Cinnamon flavor that tastes just like Cinnamon Toast crunch.
Salsa: There are so many flavors!!! And the generic brands are more delicious that the more expensive name brands. In 2 Tbs., which is more than enough, there is about 10 calories, which is nothing! There are tons of different flavors too. Right now I have a spicy, smokey, fire roasted chipotle habanero and a sweet peach mango in my fridge. It's good in wraps, fish tacos, on chicken, you could even dip veggies or crackers in it. And everyone loves saying, "salsa."
Dark Chocolate: Let's face it, sometimes a girl needs chocolate. When a craving hits, I'll have about a Tbs. of dark chocolate chips. It's the purest form, with the least added oils and sugars, and it's full of antioxidants. Plus it has helped me ween myself off of sugar. I've gone from having this everyday to maybe once a week now.
Yoplait Light Yogurt: I have it everyday for snack. It also helps curb a late night sweet tooth.
Other things I love: hummus, golden raisins, Puffins Cereal, garlic, cilantro, Mrs. Dash, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme, lemon, lime, avocado, olive oil, minute brown rice, lemon pepper, dried mixed berries, green chilis, olives, ummmmmmmmmm sugar free pudding, Prego Veggie Smart pasta sauce, and my food processor.
Also, if I want to snack at night I'll go take my shower or brush my teeth or do something else to distract myself, and it usually works. It's a lot like quitting smoking, you have to distract yourself until you get past the craving.
I try to use fresh ingredients that are as close to their natural state as possible. Of course that makes it all more expensive.
Finally, other than my morning coffee, all I drink is water. Everything else bloats me way up. Even sugar free drinks, like Crystal Light. Once in a while I'll have a little bit of a 0 calorie flavored water, but only about 8oz.
I saw this on Pinterest, and it kinda makes me regret my delicious Doritos treat I had last week.
I thought I'd post some foods that I've discovered that are delicious. I actually crave these things now, and my cravings for cookies and chips are, albeit slowly, diminishing.
Kashi Cereal: I have it every morning for breakfast, and one serving has 10 grams of protein, a bunch of fiber, and whole grains and it keeps me full for at least 3 hours. The regular Kashi is gross. The crunch is good, but a bit too crunchy. What I'm addicted to is the Go Lean Crisp. My favorite is the berry blast flavor, with dried strawberries and whatever else in it. There is also a Cinnamon flavor that tastes just like Cinnamon Toast crunch.
Salsa: There are so many flavors!!! And the generic brands are more delicious that the more expensive name brands. In 2 Tbs., which is more than enough, there is about 10 calories, which is nothing! There are tons of different flavors too. Right now I have a spicy, smokey, fire roasted chipotle habanero and a sweet peach mango in my fridge. It's good in wraps, fish tacos, on chicken, you could even dip veggies or crackers in it. And everyone loves saying, "salsa."
Dark Chocolate: Let's face it, sometimes a girl needs chocolate. When a craving hits, I'll have about a Tbs. of dark chocolate chips. It's the purest form, with the least added oils and sugars, and it's full of antioxidants. Plus it has helped me ween myself off of sugar. I've gone from having this everyday to maybe once a week now.
Yoplait Light Yogurt: I have it everyday for snack. It also helps curb a late night sweet tooth.
Other things I love: hummus, golden raisins, Puffins Cereal, garlic, cilantro, Mrs. Dash, red pepper flakes, rosemary, thyme, lemon, lime, avocado, olive oil, minute brown rice, lemon pepper, dried mixed berries, green chilis, olives, ummmmmmmmmm sugar free pudding, Prego Veggie Smart pasta sauce, and my food processor.
Also, if I want to snack at night I'll go take my shower or brush my teeth or do something else to distract myself, and it usually works. It's a lot like quitting smoking, you have to distract yourself until you get past the craving.
I try to use fresh ingredients that are as close to their natural state as possible. Of course that makes it all more expensive.
Finally, other than my morning coffee, all I drink is water. Everything else bloats me way up. Even sugar free drinks, like Crystal Light. Once in a while I'll have a little bit of a 0 calorie flavored water, but only about 8oz.
I saw this on Pinterest, and it kinda makes me regret my delicious Doritos treat I had last week.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
We're #1!!!!!!
For reals, click here if you don't believe me.
I guess the word on the street is that my team is starving ourselves and that's how we are so far ahead of everybody. That must be easier to believe than we have been working hard and eating healthy food and aren't cheating (much). I guess in this town if you're number 1, you MUST be cheating (fellow teachers know what I'm talking about). Oh well, haters can hate, and we'll keep bringing sexy back (my husband just asked why I'm dancing. Apparently I was shaking my head with attitude as I wrote that hahaha!!)
I lost 3 pounds last week. Since I had a cheese steak sub and brownie for dinner Friday night and didn't really work out at all last week, I can only really attribute the weight loss to getting my period on Monday, staying home writhing in pain and not eating anything but a small bowl of cereal and about 10 Advil, and then pooping a lot. But hey, I still lost!!!! After weigh in we went to subway, and I got a turkey sub with lots of veggies on REAL BREAD and then I had a bag of NACHO CHEESE DORITOS and it was the most amazing thing I've ever had, at least in the past month :)
I didn't get home until after 7 last night so we didn't work out. Today we started a new cycle of P90X (every 30 days you do something new, apparently it confuses your muscles and that's good). Tonight's workout was Core Synergistics. I'm not sure what the hell it is, but the workout video people were spinning around like they had Lazy Susan under their butts, rolling around like I don't know what, and squirming on the floor like worms on concrete. "WTF?!???" Came out of my mouth more than once. I have no balance and pretty much flopped around like a fish for an hour. I'm not sure that this P90X thing is going to last much longer. It would be a great workout if I could do the moves, but I feel like I'm flopping around and then watching the video for 5 minutes waiting to flop around for the next move. I would burn more calories by doing something less intense for 30 minutes straight than watching people workout for an hour and doing a few push ups and squats in between. My in laws offered us their Nordic Track. Chris said no, but I'm thinking we need to say yes!
Anyways, dinner tonight was spaghetti with whole wheat pasta, Prego Veggie Smart sauce, ground turkey, and frozen spinach. We are out of cheese so I peeled a low fat string cheese and put that on top. I wanted a little crunch so I put some Melba Rounds in the food processor until they were crumbs and sprinkled that on top. It looked weird, but it was delicious! Tomorrow for lunch we are going to put the left over sauce into pitas and have like an Italian meatball sub.
This week I'm going to really focus on working out, even though P90X sucks and kicks my ass. I would love to weigh one fifty something next week.
Being first isn't what this is all about, be it sure is an awesome incentive. So is seeing results. I really wanted a snack last night, but thought about how nice it is not to have a big gut anymore and that was enough to curb my appetite. My students know about the challenge (a lot of their parents are in it), and today when I told them we are in first place they were all pumped up and supportive and said they are rooting for us, so I said please don't bring anymore cupcakes.
I'm not doing this to loose weight, and then quit when it's over. This is a whole new lifestyle, and it's going to take a while to build new habits. Just need to take it one day at a time :)
Here's some motivation
I guess the word on the street is that my team is starving ourselves and that's how we are so far ahead of everybody. That must be easier to believe than we have been working hard and eating healthy food and aren't cheating (much). I guess in this town if you're number 1, you MUST be cheating (fellow teachers know what I'm talking about). Oh well, haters can hate, and we'll keep bringing sexy back (my husband just asked why I'm dancing. Apparently I was shaking my head with attitude as I wrote that hahaha!!)
I lost 3 pounds last week. Since I had a cheese steak sub and brownie for dinner Friday night and didn't really work out at all last week, I can only really attribute the weight loss to getting my period on Monday, staying home writhing in pain and not eating anything but a small bowl of cereal and about 10 Advil, and then pooping a lot. But hey, I still lost!!!! After weigh in we went to subway, and I got a turkey sub with lots of veggies on REAL BREAD and then I had a bag of NACHO CHEESE DORITOS and it was the most amazing thing I've ever had, at least in the past month :)
I didn't get home until after 7 last night so we didn't work out. Today we started a new cycle of P90X (every 30 days you do something new, apparently it confuses your muscles and that's good). Tonight's workout was Core Synergistics. I'm not sure what the hell it is, but the workout video people were spinning around like they had Lazy Susan under their butts, rolling around like I don't know what, and squirming on the floor like worms on concrete. "WTF?!???" Came out of my mouth more than once. I have no balance and pretty much flopped around like a fish for an hour. I'm not sure that this P90X thing is going to last much longer. It would be a great workout if I could do the moves, but I feel like I'm flopping around and then watching the video for 5 minutes waiting to flop around for the next move. I would burn more calories by doing something less intense for 30 minutes straight than watching people workout for an hour and doing a few push ups and squats in between. My in laws offered us their Nordic Track. Chris said no, but I'm thinking we need to say yes!
Anyways, dinner tonight was spaghetti with whole wheat pasta, Prego Veggie Smart sauce, ground turkey, and frozen spinach. We are out of cheese so I peeled a low fat string cheese and put that on top. I wanted a little crunch so I put some Melba Rounds in the food processor until they were crumbs and sprinkled that on top. It looked weird, but it was delicious! Tomorrow for lunch we are going to put the left over sauce into pitas and have like an Italian meatball sub.
This week I'm going to really focus on working out, even though P90X sucks and kicks my ass. I would love to weigh one fifty something next week.
Being first isn't what this is all about, be it sure is an awesome incentive. So is seeing results. I really wanted a snack last night, but thought about how nice it is not to have a big gut anymore and that was enough to curb my appetite. My students know about the challenge (a lot of their parents are in it), and today when I told them we are in first place they were all pumped up and supportive and said they are rooting for us, so I said please don't bring anymore cupcakes.
I'm not doing this to loose weight, and then quit when it's over. This is a whole new lifestyle, and it's going to take a while to build new habits. Just need to take it one day at a time :)
Here's some motivation
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Enchilada Stuffed Peppers
Another of my own creations! If you need exact measurements, sorry. Just do what sounds yummy.
Boil 2 small chicken breasts, with a bay leaf and some salt. Make sure you scrape off the nasty foam stuff. When it's done, shred it.
While that's cooking, boil 1 can red enchilada sauce mixed with 1 small can diced green chilies, until reduced by about half.
Rinse and strain a can of black beans.
Chop some cilantro.
Rinse 2 halves of whatever color you want bell pepper (I used the leftover halves from last night's dinner). Put into a baking pan. Put a couple spoonfuls of black beans in the bottom. Sprinkle on some cilantro and spoon on a bit of sauce.
Mix shredded chicken with some more of the sauce (maybe like half of what's left? You want it wet but not dripping). Divide it between the 2 peppers and smoosh it in (that's a real culinary term, look it up). Top with more cilantro and some mozzarella, then bake. I did 375 for 20 minutes and they were a bit brown (I got sucked into watching the wheel and kind of forgot about them). We put some low fat sour cream on them before we ate (not pictured). It's yummy, low carb, low fat, fast, and filling!
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Boil 2 small chicken breasts, with a bay leaf and some salt. Make sure you scrape off the nasty foam stuff. When it's done, shred it.
While that's cooking, boil 1 can red enchilada sauce mixed with 1 small can diced green chilies, until reduced by about half.
Rinse and strain a can of black beans.
Chop some cilantro.
Rinse 2 halves of whatever color you want bell pepper (I used the leftover halves from last night's dinner). Put into a baking pan. Put a couple spoonfuls of black beans in the bottom. Sprinkle on some cilantro and spoon on a bit of sauce.
Mix shredded chicken with some more of the sauce (maybe like half of what's left? You want it wet but not dripping). Divide it between the 2 peppers and smoosh it in (that's a real culinary term, look it up). Top with more cilantro and some mozzarella, then bake. I did 375 for 20 minutes and they were a bit brown (I got sucked into watching the wheel and kind of forgot about them). We put some low fat sour cream on them before we ate (not pictured). It's yummy, low carb, low fat, fast, and filling!
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Monday, January 30, 2012
Smells like Eggnog
Well, the official weigh in results are I lost 3.8 pounds. I can live with that. That puts me right about where our scale at home says. It would be lovely if both scales could say the same thing. It would be awesome if my team lost the most and wins the $250 prize for this week.
I don't know about you, but I need food with good flavor, texture, and color in order to feel satisfied. I could each a million rice cakes and still want chocolate cake afterwards. However, by filling my tummy several times a day with delicious, flavorful, appetizing food, I haven't had a hard time with craving junk food. I've also found good substitutes for some things I couldn't stop craving. Also, if I want chocolate, I'll have a few dark chocolate chips. It has antioxidants!
On that note, dinner was super yummy tonight. I kind of invented it. I'll try my best to give the recipe:
1 package, 6 links, Italian chicken sausage (was on manager's special and it's full of flavor)
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
about 1/3 a box of frozen spinach
Whole Wheat pasta (I used rainbow fettuccine, which is fortified with carrot, spinach, and something else to make yellow)
olive oil
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
Remove sausage from casings, cook thoroughly while breaking up into pieces. While that's cooking, mince the shallot and garlic. Add to pan when done, with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until shallot is translucent. Add chopped peppers and spinach, cook a couple of minutes until tender and heated through. Toss with cooked pasta. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon more olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. I sprinkled mozzarella over mine, but only because we are out of parmesan, which I think would taste better. It would also be good with black olives, but we don't have those either.
A couple of days ago our refrigerator started smelling very strongly of eggnog. We cleaned out all the left overs and everything that might be a little old, and nothing has spilled or leaked. We have to hold our breath when we open it. I have a feeling it's some healthy new food we haven't had in there before, but we really can't figure it out. Any ideas?
I don't know about you, but I need food with good flavor, texture, and color in order to feel satisfied. I could each a million rice cakes and still want chocolate cake afterwards. However, by filling my tummy several times a day with delicious, flavorful, appetizing food, I haven't had a hard time with craving junk food. I've also found good substitutes for some things I couldn't stop craving. Also, if I want chocolate, I'll have a few dark chocolate chips. It has antioxidants!
On that note, dinner was super yummy tonight. I kind of invented it. I'll try my best to give the recipe:
1 package, 6 links, Italian chicken sausage (was on manager's special and it's full of flavor)
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
about 1/3 a box of frozen spinach
Whole Wheat pasta (I used rainbow fettuccine, which is fortified with carrot, spinach, and something else to make yellow)
olive oil
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
Remove sausage from casings, cook thoroughly while breaking up into pieces. While that's cooking, mince the shallot and garlic. Add to pan when done, with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook until shallot is translucent. Add chopped peppers and spinach, cook a couple of minutes until tender and heated through. Toss with cooked pasta. Drizzle with about 1 tablespoon more olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. I sprinkled mozzarella over mine, but only because we are out of parmesan, which I think would taste better. It would also be good with black olives, but we don't have those either.
A couple of days ago our refrigerator started smelling very strongly of eggnog. We cleaned out all the left overs and everything that might be a little old, and nothing has spilled or leaked. We have to hold our breath when we open it. I have a feeling it's some healthy new food we haven't had in there before, but we really can't figure it out. Any ideas?
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Accidental Pizza Incident
Haven't posted in a while because my weigh in Monday left me in a very negative attitude. And nobody wants to read more negativity. But, I have changed a few things this week, including my mindset. I'm not going to stress out about how many pounds I loose every week. Instead, I'm going to think to myself, "Did I do everything in my power today to be a healthier person?" And if the answer is yes, then I have succeeded. And I think that if I continue to make healthier choices, my weight will naturally reflect that.
I also started taking lactobacillus acidophilus pills again. It's the bacteria found in yogurt times a million (or so). It really helps with digestion, and I've noticed less gas, more poop, and less bloating. Also, if you are taking antibiotics, it will prevent a yeast infection. It's an amazing little pill, and I highly recommend it. Don't take too much though. I did that once, and a very embarrassing problem developed (thank goodness it lasted less than a day!!).
So with my new mind set and tuned up digestive system, MY scale says I've lost 4 pounds this week (so that makes 7 pounds since I started). Who knows what the weigh in scale will say. But I can't control that, so I'm not going to worry about it.
We have been slacking a bit with our diet and exercise this weekend. Yesterday we went to Chipotle, and had burrito bowls with brown rice, black beans, barbacoa, salsa, lettuce, and a little sour cream and cheese. I only ate half of it, and then we walked around the grocery store for 2 hours (and spent over $200 AGAIN!) so I figure that evens it out. We skipped our legs and back workout too.
Today we tried to go to a healthy soup, salad, and sandwich place, but after getting lost and walking for an hour and who knows how far (literally from one end of Breckenridge to the other) the place was closed. By then we were starving and ready to kill each other, without many options, so we went to a pizza parlour, and shared a thin crust pizza with chicken, broccoli, garlic, mozzarella, and marinara. Not ideal, but better than meat lovers! After that we walked to the other end of Breckenridge again. So we definitely got our exercise in today, probably aren't going to eat more than cereal for dinner, and we aren't doing our workout tape today. I feel guilty about the pizza. Especially the day before weigh in. But seriously, oh well!
Tomorrow is weigh in. I'll let you know how it goes.
Here's my inspirational quote for the day...
I also started taking lactobacillus acidophilus pills again. It's the bacteria found in yogurt times a million (or so). It really helps with digestion, and I've noticed less gas, more poop, and less bloating. Also, if you are taking antibiotics, it will prevent a yeast infection. It's an amazing little pill, and I highly recommend it. Don't take too much though. I did that once, and a very embarrassing problem developed (thank goodness it lasted less than a day!!).
So with my new mind set and tuned up digestive system, MY scale says I've lost 4 pounds this week (so that makes 7 pounds since I started). Who knows what the weigh in scale will say. But I can't control that, so I'm not going to worry about it.
We have been slacking a bit with our diet and exercise this weekend. Yesterday we went to Chipotle, and had burrito bowls with brown rice, black beans, barbacoa, salsa, lettuce, and a little sour cream and cheese. I only ate half of it, and then we walked around the grocery store for 2 hours (and spent over $200 AGAIN!) so I figure that evens it out. We skipped our legs and back workout too.
Today we tried to go to a healthy soup, salad, and sandwich place, but after getting lost and walking for an hour and who knows how far (literally from one end of Breckenridge to the other) the place was closed. By then we were starving and ready to kill each other, without many options, so we went to a pizza parlour, and shared a thin crust pizza with chicken, broccoli, garlic, mozzarella, and marinara. Not ideal, but better than meat lovers! After that we walked to the other end of Breckenridge again. So we definitely got our exercise in today, probably aren't going to eat more than cereal for dinner, and we aren't doing our workout tape today. I feel guilty about the pizza. Especially the day before weigh in. But seriously, oh well!
Tomorrow is weigh in. I'll let you know how it goes.
Here's my inspirational quote for the day...
Monday, January 23, 2012
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME??
Tonight was the first weigh in since the first weigh in. The first one that shows results. After the first weigh in I weighed myself on our scale at home, which put me at 4 lbs heavier than official scale A. According to that scale, as of yesterday morning, butt naked, I've lost 5 pounds. So going in to this weigh in today I was expecting at least 2 pounds, but hopefully closer to 4. So imagine my surprise when I stepped on and weighed .8 pounds less than I did a week ago. Not 8 pounds, POINT 8 pounds!!! I looked at the lady and said "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" To which she replied, "Well at least you lost SOME and didn't GAIN any!" I just looked at her. If you know me, I'm sure you can imagine my facial expression. Then she said, "would you like me to write it on your card for you?" I said whatever and kind of tossed it to her. I feel like I should apologize to her for my bad attitude, if only I knew who she was. I wanted to break into tears right there. The team member I went with lost 12 pounds. I kept my emotions under control, while listening to a girl talk about how she ate a bag of chips today and has had dessert and still lost 2.2 lbs. I tried to be excited for them on the ride home. As soon as I walked in my door I took of my coat and my boots, stood on MY scale wearing exactly what I had worn not 15 minutes before, and it said I've lost 3 pounds. How does this make sense???? Their scales are fucked up, that's how. They were even talking about how they need to check them, because some people have lost a ton of weight, and others haven't lost any. But then, another team member text me, and said she lost 9 lbs. She also uses scale A. I don't get it. But they need to check their shit. There's money on the line and I have a team counting on me, and for me to bust my ass all week, loose at least 3 pounds, and then have a scale say I've only lost POINT 8 pounds is so not cool.
All of my motivation, all of my confidence, all of my excitement, all of my give a fuck flew out the window. I've worked my ass off for a week for POINT 8 pounds. I've stuck with it without cheating through a very busy and very stressful week at work for POINT 8 freaking pounds. Chris and my mom tried to make me feel better by saying I know I've lost weight and I feel good about myself and that's all that matters. Well I still feel like a fat ass, except now my body hurts everywhere and all I want is a brownie, and that doesn't exactly help my team out in the competition. I'm going to email them and ask them to check their equipment. If they are holding a competition with money on the line, they need to make sure their equipment works.
Anyways, after I stopped crying and realized life wouldn't be over if I just ate something, I made a really yummy dinner. Fish tacos (fish leftover from last night) with 2 whole wheat tortillas, low fat sour cream, mango salsa, and avocado.
Here are some oh so true words of wisdom to end the night...
All of my motivation, all of my confidence, all of my excitement, all of my give a fuck flew out the window. I've worked my ass off for a week for POINT 8 pounds. I've stuck with it without cheating through a very busy and very stressful week at work for POINT 8 freaking pounds. Chris and my mom tried to make me feel better by saying I know I've lost weight and I feel good about myself and that's all that matters. Well I still feel like a fat ass, except now my body hurts everywhere and all I want is a brownie, and that doesn't exactly help my team out in the competition. I'm going to email them and ask them to check their equipment. If they are holding a competition with money on the line, they need to make sure their equipment works.
Anyways, after I stopped crying and realized life wouldn't be over if I just ate something, I made a really yummy dinner. Fish tacos (fish leftover from last night) with 2 whole wheat tortillas, low fat sour cream, mango salsa, and avocado.
Here are some oh so true words of wisdom to end the night...
Sunday, January 22, 2012
We're in the paper!
How could I forget?!? We made the newspaper, twice. Here's the link to the article. I thought they were going to post our starting combined weights, and our team names and people participating and descriptions, but I guess that was too embarrassing or something. And they got their facts wrong, Nancy isn't on our team. Just us ladies standing up. We are famous!
This was taken when the speaker unexpectedly asked the getting back to sexy team to stand up. As you can see, Kim embraced the moment.
Week One Is Done!
Friday was rough. My arms hurt so bad I couldn't write on the board at school. I was exhausted and crabby and done.
There was a Kit Kat in my box, and without thinking I started to open it to eat it. When I realized what I was doing I yelled "What am I doing?" and threw it on one of the secretary's desks. It made me realize how much junk I've been eating without even thinking about it.
Friday's workout was yoga, the one everyone has been saying is the easiest. Well I made it 20 minutes. My arms couldn't support my weight, my wrists hurt, my hands went to sleep holding them above my head, and I have no coordination to move quickly between the poses. So I thought okay, I'll just do what I can, and wound up standing there watching it, doing nothing. After hurting my shoulder, side, knees, and wrists, and seeing that I still had an hour and ten minutes to go, I gave up. I lost all drive and motivation and didn't care anymore. Chris got mad at me and I was mad at myself, but oh well. And I'm not doing that video again. The last thing I need is to try to do something outside of my ability and let it crush my spirit as much as that did. So we are either going to find a beginners yoga video, do the abs workout, or redo the kick boxing video that was today. Anyways as I sat on the couch trying not to cry my dear husband suffered all the way through, and my cat Maggie did my part for me.
Yesterday was better, the workout was still tough but I made it through. For dinner I made a really yummy Asian pasta for dinner. I kind of made it up, and you could do a lot to change it, but here's my recipe:
1/2 box whole wheat pasta
1 zucchini
2 large carrots
1 red bell pepper
sprouts
2 cloves garlic, minced
Chicken breasts- I only had 2 so that's what I used, but I'd use at least 3 next time
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil (good fat!)
2 Tbs lime juice (or rice vinegar)
1 1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro- I only had dried, so I used 1 Tbs. of that
**the recipe for the sauce had sesame oil and sesame seeds in it, but I didn't have those.
Cut chicken into bite size pieces and cook in pan with a little canola oil and some salt and pepper. Boil noodles until done. In food processor (or with grater) matchstick carrot, zucchini, and red pepper. When pasta is done, strain. Put matchsticked veggies in pot and put hot noodles on top. Put lid on, to steam the veggies. When chicken is almost done, add garlic and cook a couple of minutes until done, then add both to pot. Whisk together soy sauce, oil, lime juice, pepper flakes, and cilantro, pour over noodle mixture and toss to coat. Put in bowl, and top with desired amount of sprouts. Should make about 4 servings.
Last night I had a killer craving for dessert and a cherry soda. I thought I was going to go crazy, until an amazing friend on Facebook suggested a Yoplait yogurt. That Light Red Velvet Cake Yoplait was the most amazing thing I've had all week.
Today's workout was like kickboxing, I don't remember the real name of it. It reminded me of Tao Bo and the stuff I did in women's self defense. Lots of punching and kicking. This was by far my favorite of the videos. I just pictured a certain parent who for very good reason I would love to knock some sense into, and let my fists and feet fly! It was kind of stress relief too. I think I would enjoy a kickboxing class. Plus I actually got my heart rate up and was sweating during this one, unlike the others.
Dinner tonight is Tilapia, baked herbed potato wedges, and salad. The healthy version of fish and chips.
I've made it through the week without cheating. Tomorrow is weigh in.
There was a Kit Kat in my box, and without thinking I started to open it to eat it. When I realized what I was doing I yelled "What am I doing?" and threw it on one of the secretary's desks. It made me realize how much junk I've been eating without even thinking about it.
Friday's workout was yoga, the one everyone has been saying is the easiest. Well I made it 20 minutes. My arms couldn't support my weight, my wrists hurt, my hands went to sleep holding them above my head, and I have no coordination to move quickly between the poses. So I thought okay, I'll just do what I can, and wound up standing there watching it, doing nothing. After hurting my shoulder, side, knees, and wrists, and seeing that I still had an hour and ten minutes to go, I gave up. I lost all drive and motivation and didn't care anymore. Chris got mad at me and I was mad at myself, but oh well. And I'm not doing that video again. The last thing I need is to try to do something outside of my ability and let it crush my spirit as much as that did. So we are either going to find a beginners yoga video, do the abs workout, or redo the kick boxing video that was today. Anyways as I sat on the couch trying not to cry my dear husband suffered all the way through, and my cat Maggie did my part for me.
Yesterday was better, the workout was still tough but I made it through. For dinner I made a really yummy Asian pasta for dinner. I kind of made it up, and you could do a lot to change it, but here's my recipe:
1/2 box whole wheat pasta
1 zucchini
2 large carrots
1 red bell pepper
sprouts
2 cloves garlic, minced
Chicken breasts- I only had 2 so that's what I used, but I'd use at least 3 next time
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil (good fat!)
2 Tbs lime juice (or rice vinegar)
1 1/2 tsp crushed dried red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro- I only had dried, so I used 1 Tbs. of that
**the recipe for the sauce had sesame oil and sesame seeds in it, but I didn't have those.
Cut chicken into bite size pieces and cook in pan with a little canola oil and some salt and pepper. Boil noodles until done. In food processor (or with grater) matchstick carrot, zucchini, and red pepper. When pasta is done, strain. Put matchsticked veggies in pot and put hot noodles on top. Put lid on, to steam the veggies. When chicken is almost done, add garlic and cook a couple of minutes until done, then add both to pot. Whisk together soy sauce, oil, lime juice, pepper flakes, and cilantro, pour over noodle mixture and toss to coat. Put in bowl, and top with desired amount of sprouts. Should make about 4 servings.
Last night I had a killer craving for dessert and a cherry soda. I thought I was going to go crazy, until an amazing friend on Facebook suggested a Yoplait yogurt. That Light Red Velvet Cake Yoplait was the most amazing thing I've had all week.
Today's workout was like kickboxing, I don't remember the real name of it. It reminded me of Tao Bo and the stuff I did in women's self defense. Lots of punching and kicking. This was by far my favorite of the videos. I just pictured a certain parent who for very good reason I would love to knock some sense into, and let my fists and feet fly! It was kind of stress relief too. I think I would enjoy a kickboxing class. Plus I actually got my heart rate up and was sweating during this one, unlike the others.
Dinner tonight is Tilapia, baked herbed potato wedges, and salad. The healthy version of fish and chips.
I've made it through the week without cheating. Tomorrow is weigh in.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Exercise Gives Me a Foul Mouth
Tony Horton is the host guy in the P90X workout videos. I like to talk to Tony. Here's how our conversations have gone...
Day 1: I don't get it! How are you doing that? What's your name again? German Potato Soup!
Day 2: Hellz ya Tony! You're so witty. Let's do this! HOOrah!!!!
Day 3 (today): F!$& you Tony! YOU do 10 more all you do is walk around talking nonsense! How the HELL do you expect me to do this? F$%# S%!@ F F F F F F!!!!!!!
you get the point.
How am I supposed to work my abs if I can't lift my legs? And my butt is bruised from sitting on my mat on the floor. I don't get how people do this and think it's fun.
The food part is going good. I've been saving the dark chocolate chips from my trail mix for dessert
Tomorrow is yoga. I hope it's restful.
Day 1: I don't get it! How are you doing that? What's your name again? German Potato Soup!
Day 2: Hellz ya Tony! You're so witty. Let's do this! HOOrah!!!!
Day 3 (today): F!$& you Tony! YOU do 10 more all you do is walk around talking nonsense! How the HELL do you expect me to do this? F$%# S%!@ F F F F F F!!!!!!!
you get the point.
How am I supposed to work my abs if I can't lift my legs? And my butt is bruised from sitting on my mat on the floor. I don't get how people do this and think it's fun.
The food part is going good. I've been saving the dark chocolate chips from my trail mix for dessert
Tomorrow is yoga. I hope it's restful.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Plyowhat?
Wasn't as sore as I thought I'd be today. I was really tired this morning though.
For dinner, I made a cider glazed chicken that was delicious. The sauce has butter in it, but just a bit. I also attempted a brown rice carrot pilaf. I thought I could modify the recipe and make the rice in the rice maker, then mix in the other stuff. Well the rice wasn't even a little cooked after the rice cooker finished, so I put it in a pot with more water in it and simmered it. After 2 hours it was still crunchy. We ate it anyway. It had a great flavor, I'm sure it would be amazing if the rice cooked correctly.
Today's workout was plyometrics. I had no clue what it was. Now I know. So do my legs. The DVD froze and skipped 10 minutes. We were completely okay with that.
The local paper came out today. I'm in 2 pictures. The first picture is of all the people participating in the challenge. I wasn't paying attention, and my big white head is smack in the middle. I have no clue why my head looks so big in pictures, it looks normal when I look in the mirror!
The other picture is of my team when they asked us to stand up and talked about getting back to sexy. We look okay in that one, but they listed a person who's not on our team, as being on our team. Oh well.
Listening to other people who are participating in the challenge, I feel like my team is putting way more effort into this that anyone else. Some people don't even have a diet or exercise plan. Others are already cheating.
I haven't really felt deprived when it comes to food yet. I really want a brownie, but that's nothing new, and not satisfying the craving isn't new either. Everything I've made so far has been healthy and tasty. Salad is getting old quick though.
I guess we will see at the next weigh in if this is working!!!
For dinner, I made a cider glazed chicken that was delicious. The sauce has butter in it, but just a bit. I also attempted a brown rice carrot pilaf. I thought I could modify the recipe and make the rice in the rice maker, then mix in the other stuff. Well the rice wasn't even a little cooked after the rice cooker finished, so I put it in a pot with more water in it and simmered it. After 2 hours it was still crunchy. We ate it anyway. It had a great flavor, I'm sure it would be amazing if the rice cooked correctly.
Today's workout was plyometrics. I had no clue what it was. Now I know. So do my legs. The DVD froze and skipped 10 minutes. We were completely okay with that.
The local paper came out today. I'm in 2 pictures. The first picture is of all the people participating in the challenge. I wasn't paying attention, and my big white head is smack in the middle. I have no clue why my head looks so big in pictures, it looks normal when I look in the mirror!
The other picture is of my team when they asked us to stand up and talked about getting back to sexy. We look okay in that one, but they listed a person who's not on our team, as being on our team. Oh well.
Listening to other people who are participating in the challenge, I feel like my team is putting way more effort into this that anyone else. Some people don't even have a diet or exercise plan. Others are already cheating.
I haven't really felt deprived when it comes to food yet. I really want a brownie, but that's nothing new, and not satisfying the craving isn't new either. Everything I've made so far has been healthy and tasty. Salad is getting old quick though.
I guess we will see at the next weigh in if this is working!!!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Day One
I've survived day one!!!!!!!
It started off eating a bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch. I was so damn crunchy it took 15 minutes to eat, and I wound up being late to school. Explain that one...
Snack was a light yogurt, lunch was some surprisingly yummy lentils, lowfat cottage cheese, rye crackers, and a cutie orange, with a naturally flavored raspberry peach crystal light with added fiber (say that 5 times fast). Afternoon snack was trail mix, dinner was a salad and cauliflower crust pizza with ground turkey, garlic, banana peppers, red peppers, a bit of mozzarella, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. The crust was a lot like dough, but it stuck to the pan so much it wasn't much like pizza once it got on the plate.
I wasn't really hungry all day, and the food was good. This is doable. As long as the gas subsides (quick story, I told Chris I feel bad for my students with me crop dusting all afternoon. He said that's what they get for calling me gordo. Ha!).
When I got home from school Chris and I did our first P90X workout, which was chest and back (could have fooled me, and my poor arms) and abs. I did better than I thought on both, but the push ups are going to take a lot of work. My goal is to be able to do at least 5 of each type of push up without grunting, by the end of the 30 day cycle. That achievable, right? Even the ones with your feet on a chair, or the dive bomb things I'm not coordinated enough to even comprehend right now. The abs were easier, but still tough. It's been 2 hours since the workout and I'm already sore. Tomorrow's going to SUCK.
The paper posted a picture of my team (plus Lanie, second from right) on their Facebook page today. We look like crap.
It started off eating a bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch. I was so damn crunchy it took 15 minutes to eat, and I wound up being late to school. Explain that one...
Snack was a light yogurt, lunch was some surprisingly yummy lentils, lowfat cottage cheese, rye crackers, and a cutie orange, with a naturally flavored raspberry peach crystal light with added fiber (say that 5 times fast). Afternoon snack was trail mix, dinner was a salad and cauliflower crust pizza with ground turkey, garlic, banana peppers, red peppers, a bit of mozzarella, and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. The crust was a lot like dough, but it stuck to the pan so much it wasn't much like pizza once it got on the plate.
I wasn't really hungry all day, and the food was good. This is doable. As long as the gas subsides (quick story, I told Chris I feel bad for my students with me crop dusting all afternoon. He said that's what they get for calling me gordo. Ha!).
When I got home from school Chris and I did our first P90X workout, which was chest and back (could have fooled me, and my poor arms) and abs. I did better than I thought on both, but the push ups are going to take a lot of work. My goal is to be able to do at least 5 of each type of push up without grunting, by the end of the 30 day cycle. That achievable, right? Even the ones with your feet on a chair, or the dive bomb things I'm not coordinated enough to even comprehend right now. The abs were easier, but still tough. It's been 2 hours since the workout and I'm already sore. Tomorrow's going to SUCK.
The paper posted a picture of my team (plus Lanie, second from right) on their Facebook page today. We look like crap.
The paper comes out Wednesdays. I'm in suspense wondering what's going to appear in that...
Here's a couple pictures of my pizza. It really was tasty, and very low carb. AND easy to make.
crust, after baking, before toppings
After toppings and broiling for about 3 minutes
I need to make sure I have an ample supply of Advil in my purse for tomorrow.
Monday, January 16, 2012
No Pressure!
Today was the day to measure my starting point. It was also my last day to eat whatever I wanted. I was able to drink a 42oz. Diet Dr. Pepper, eat a bbq bacon cheeseburger, fried cheese curds, and a vanilla shake before the weigh in. Still, I feel like I could have done more to bloat up before the first weigh in. Oh well.
This morning Chris and I did the P90X fitness test, which determines whether or not you should even try the program, and also shows you where you're starting so that you can measure growth. I'll list the stats below. Let's just say I'm very borderline for even being able to start the program. 2 minutes of jumping jacks was not possible today. My arms still hurt.
This evening was the first weigh in and screening tests for the Get the Lead Out challenge. My mother always tells me I share too much on the internet, but this is part of my journal/ accountability/ peer pressure piece. Once again, I will list those stats below.
After the weigh in was a presentation of the challenge's sponsors and a motivational speaker. The room was filled with members of our community, including several of my students there with their parents. Little did I know my team would become the center of attention. The editor of our local paper, the Leadville Herald Democrat, began by saying how wonderful it is that so many people are participating, and that nearly every part of our town is represented (I believe there are 37 teams of 4-6 people competing). She then asked all members of our school district to stand, which we did, and said how great it was that we are setting a good example for our children. Then she asked us to sit. THEN she asked the "Getting Back to Sexy" team to stay standing (she is of an older generation, I don't think Justin is on her playlist). I was so caught off guard that I just stood there turning red with a dumb expression on my face. She paraphrased our team description, saying that we are dedicated teachers who have let ourselves go because we are too busy educating our future generations, and that we are going to get back to sexy.
I wrote the team description. Apparently my writing skills made an impression on the editor of the Herald.
Anyways, after she was finished, another lady got up for her turn to talk, and looking at our team said that teachers will always be sexy because of the hard work we do for kids. Ya right. Then a representative of the paper came and asked for our names to use in the paper. I corrected her on our team name. Maybe we'll make the front page!? NO PRESSURE!!!
Then we had a motivational speaker. A guy who used to be overweight and an addict, and now runs the Leadville 100. He said something that impressed me, "You can't loose 160 lbs. at once. But you can loose 1 lb. 160 times in a row." Granted if I loose 160 lbs. I'll be dead, but you get the point.
Looking at members of the other teams, and knowing how motivated my team is, I feel that we have a good shot at winning. And even if we don't win, I know for damn sure that we will have brought at least a little bit of sexy back.
So, here is me, as I stand right now. Tomorrow is day one. Hopefully this doesn't kill me.
January 16, 2012
- Height 5'6"
- Weight 169.4
- BMI 27.4 (overweight)
- Body Fat 41%
- CBGlucose 90 (really good considering what I ate for dinner)
- Blood Pressure 104/76
- Oxygen Saturation 90 (remember where I live)
- Pulse 87
Body Measurements
- Bust 39"
- Waist 33"
- Hip 43"
- Thigh 26"
- Arm 12 1/2"
P90X Fitness test results, prior to day 1
- Pull ups: 20 (this is really wrong, we don't have a bar so did tension bands)
- Vertical Leap: 10"
- Push ups 8: (on knees)
- Toe touch: 10" away from toes
- Wall Squat: 13 seconds
- Bicep Curls: 15
- Abs test: 15 reps
- Heart Rate after "2 minutes" of jumping jacks:
- Immediately 160
- After 1 minute 118
- 2 minutes 114
- 3 minutes 100
- 4 minutes 104 (???)
Here are my before pictures. I didn't suck it in. Dear God, please don't let Brad Pitt read my blog!!!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Why I'm Bringing Sexy Back
I'm sick of feeling fat. I'm sick of avoiding full length mirrors. I'm sick of it taking 15 minutes every morning to decide what to wear. I'm sick of my students saying "La maestra es gorda," like I don't know what it means. I'm sick of feeling everything BUT sexy.
So... I'm bringing sexy back (cue Justin Timberlake now)
I got married in July. Every girl looses weight for her wedding. Me? If anything, I GAINED weight before my big day (emphasis on big here). The stress and pressure of the wedding, combined with the expectation on me to look great, backfired.
My only consistent reliable motivator throughout my life has been peer pressure. Until now, I have had none.
My lovely little town of Leadville has decided to host a challenge titled "Get the Lead Out." We have 16 weeks to loose as much weight and body fat as we can. The winning team gets $1,000. Some friends and I have decided to compete. What better way to loose weight than to have it cost you, your husband, and your friends/coworkers money? Our group weight and subsequent weight loss will be posted in the local newspaper. Half the people I know are participating and competing. I can't think of much more peer pressure than that. Plus, with the idea of starting a family in the back of our minds, I need to start preheating my oven.
Our team name is named Bringing Sexy Back. Our first weigh in and informational meeting is tomorrow. Diet and exercise plan starts Tuesday. I have the P90X DVDs burned, purchased a workout mat and resistance bands, and $222 worth of healthy food is stocked in my cupboards. I've eaten or thrown out all of our junk food, got my last Chipotle fix today and will have my last burger, fries, and milkshake fix before the weigh in tomorrow. I'm ready.
Why am I blogging? Because it will help me keep track of my weight loss progress, what I eat, how much I work out, etc. It will also give me a venue to bitch about how much it all sucks, and brag when I feel like I've done well. But mostly, it will give me one more piece of wonderful peer pressure to keep me motivated. What's more public than the internet? If I eat that candy bar, it will be like doing so naked, in front of a mirror, in front of a studio audience. NO THANK YOU!!!!
I plan on using this blog as my daily journal. The accountability piece of my diet/exercise plan.
Let's do this!
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