Power of Positive Thinking

Today has been a super good day for me. Mentally, I'm saying, "You can do it!" and pushing forward. I'm not giving up this time, although I've said  this before! This time is the real deal. I'm 23 and I've spent over half of my life being "fat". Not anymore. I have to change the way I see myself and the way I see food. Today I'm with the kids all day with no car so exercising is limited. I did a 35  minute dance video on Netflix and 50 crunches and 15 push-up and am going to do some curls with a 15 pound weight later. I froze all the chocolate in my house so it's not just their! If I want a piece I have to let it thaw and wait patiently for it instead of cobbling it all down! Which I thought was a pretty ingenious plan. I should have thrown it away but I didn't want to be wasteful and Shawn will probably want some too. Anyway! Here is my food journal for the day! I've been super good and I'm proud of myself. I see good things in the future :)

food Journal

Breakfast: Heart Healthy cranberry oatmeal, orange slices, coffee with light soymilk and splenda, and 1 egg cooked in olive oil.

Lunch: 1 green apple, cucumber salad (leftover from last night) and light vanilla activia yogurt.

Snack: dry roasted peanuts & 1 cheese stick

Dinner: TBA. Probably pan seared pork chops, salad with feta cheese, carrots and light dressing....maybe some cous cous....

Hiking Up That Ladder

Still trying to get back to controlled eating and not just eating because I can. Doing my best to "de-junk" the house but unfortunately their is still some chocolate in my stocking. Luckily, its mostly gone and the rest I am going to designate the rest to my husband. Today was hard, I'm not going to lie. It feels like I'm constantly fighting the rotten lazy side of me that just wants to sit and eat candy all day. Thank goodness my Mom was interested in going hiking again today! We hiked up hill a long ways and our total hike lasted about 70 minutes. One the flat part of the trail we jogged for a bit. When I'm exericising I feel so alive, so good, so invigorated! That is what I have to hold onto to keep me motivated and help me fight my endless sweet tooth. But, despite a few slips I am doing better. And with me I just have to be thankful for pregress not perfection. SO, this journey winds on and for today I'm on my way up!

Food Journal

Breakfast: Fruit smoothie made with frozen berries (strawberries, blackberries and raspberries), 1 ripe banana, cherry pomegranate v8 splash juice, 1 medium peeled carrot! So yummy!

Lunch: Low card wrap with 1 slice of mesquite turkey, lettuce, guacamole, and cucumber slices. Vanilla activia light yogurt. (A few bites of span my hubby was eating lol ewww nasty)

Snack: Pork rinds

Dinner: baked tilapia with soy sauce & lemon pepper, turnip greens seasoned with ham, cucumber salad (fresh cucumber with sea salt, low fat balsalmic venigrette, and shaved carrots), Mashed sweet potatoes (sweet potatoe with lite soy milk, caramel 0 cal syrup, cinnamon and 1 tsp of honey)!

Snack: Peanuts (dry roasted no salt)

Naughtiness: Several hand fulls of chocolates :(

The Beginning of the End of my Fat Days

I have finally made it through a month of eating whatever the heck I want...the snacks and junk food. I feel so much better today physically and the guilt from eating unhealthy foods is gone now! Not sure why I went crazy but sanity has returned and I'm ready to shed some serious pounds. No more indulging in whatever I want. I want to still be able to have a small dessert on a rare occassion but not every day or every week. Losing control of my diet was not fun and actually felt pretty terrible. But, I feel like I'm back to my normal routine and the life style I really enjoyed. Eating well made me feel good about myself on a regular basis and it is something I looked forward to doing. Trying new recipes and seeking out healthy choice had become a really big part of my life and when I threw it out the window for the Holidays it really messed me up! It was like I gave up on myself, like I have done dozen of other times through out my life time. And I never want to feel like that again! ANYWAY, rant over. Called my Mom who is also trying to get back into her routine after Christmas and we went for a Hike at Cove Springs Nature Resort. We hiked uphill a good way and my knee hurt a bit because of the cold but I slowed down a little and after I got warmed up it felt better. It felt so good to get outside, see the scenery and get my heart pumping. The trail we walked was pretty moderate and it ran beside a really pretty creek with rushing water. We hiked for about 45 minutes! I might also do some dancing on the wii later to burn some more calories. Plus it is just fun. Tomorrow I'm going to post picture, my weight and consider this the beginning. I don't really want to but hey, gotta start somewhere!

Food Journal

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs with a splash of milk and sea salt. 2 cups of Coffee with skin low fat creamer.

Lunch: Low carb wrap with one piece of turkey, lettuce, cucumber, guacamole and a sprinkle of cheese. One 70 calorie light Activia Yogurt and 5 orange slices.

Dinner: Wild alaskan salmon burgers with honey mustard and pickles on 40 calorie (per slice) wheat bread. Salad with feta cheese and light wasabi dressing and carrot shavings. Diet 7 up.

Turkey Chili & More Rain

Today has been a good eating day! Did a lot of cooking! Tried a few new recipes and they were just wonderful! Cooking is one thing that makes eating healthy more fun for me. Trying new recipes is like experimenting and finding things I like and letting my family and I try them out! Made a wonderful vegetable pizza for lunch, a little mini-person pan pizza type deal. I made the crust from scratch! It was so light and fluffy and thicker than the thin flimsy little jobs you buy at the grocery store. And a good old turkey chili for dinner. I did not exercise today. My incision from my c-section has been burning and is very uncomfortable. Even when I am not doing anything strenuous so I didn't want to do anything to make it worse. I'm aggravated and scared because I don't know what is causing the pain. My scar was pretty much healed so it just seems weird for it to be hurting again and I have just come from a good stretch of rest over the holiday's...haven't really been running or anything. Well, anyway I am going to go to the Doc to have it checked out tomorrow.

Food Journal

Breakfast

90 calories Special K Cereal bar

1 sliced yellow apple

Lunch

Personal pan pizza with home made crust, topped with cheese, artichoke, mushrooms and spinach

Sugar Free butterscotch pudding (made with 0% milk and topped with sugar free cookies)

Dinner

Turkey Chili--

My Special Recipe

Two cans tomatoes paste

1 can diced tomatoes

Mushrooms (sauted with ground turkey)

1 cup cooked Carrots (fresh just boiled until tender)

16 oz. ground turkey

1 can black beans

1 cup chicken broth (sodium free)

1 can of corn

Dessert

1 banana w/ 1 tsp peanut butter and ten sugar free chocolate chips

OH! And here is the home made crust recipe from cooks.com it is so easy! I added some dried basil to it. I used the portions and split it in half to make two mini pizzas. One for my husband and one for myself! Here's the link if you'd like to check it out, it was quick and easy and you dont have to use yeast or wait for the crust to rise.

Easy Pizza Crust;

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,2341,157183-233201,00.html

Not Giving Up

Today is Monday! Most people aren't happy about Monday's but for me it always feels like a new start, and the best day to get back up on the horse. Weighed myself since I missed last weeks weigh in. I lost another 2.4 lbs. I was sooo surprised. I honestly haven't been working out much (other than about a 2 mile walk this weekend) and I have been eating a TON of chocolate. I don't know why but it has been my weakness. Broke down and bought a big old bag of Kit Kats and was eating them. But, I made my husband take the rest of them to work. SO, I've had my chocolate fix and it's time to move past my dietary discretions and start eating healthy and working out again! I did 30 minutes of Zumba today and it was fun! Shawn works 2-10pm so I won't be able to go to the gym or running but the wii is my best option! I'm going to do some light weight lifting and possibly some Yoga. I've got some great wii workout games I  just need to get up off the couch and get moving. It's hard on rainy days like today when I'm basically stuck in the house with the kids and no car. But, enough with the excuses. I could literally think of 101 excuses not to work out but enough of that. Time to stay as motivated as I can and keep going. Motivation is hard to find but yesterday my Dad, Mom and husband both told me in different conversations and in their own way not to give up. I'm glad to have support but from what I've learned personal motivation comes from within.

Food Journal

Breakfast

Chex Cereal and 0% milk

Snack

90 calorie Special K bar

Lunch

Stuffed Pork Chop

Flavored water

Snack

Cheese stick

Dinner

Spaghetti Squash w/ sauted mushrooms and sauce

Snack

Banana

A Healthy New Five Star Recipe!

MAN! This recipe is definitely a keeper! I've been thinking of making it forever but I finally did and I regret waiting so long. The stuffed cabbage rolls were very easy, delicious and filling! I give this recipes five stars AND two thumbs up! Of course with everything I make I added a few of my own modifications to make it my own! So, here is a pic and check out the recipe. Follow the link to allrecipes.com for cooking directions.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup uncooked white rice
• 8 cabbage leaves
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup

My Modifications: I used lean ground beef, Cambells Tomatoe Herb soup and replaced the rice with cous cous. I cannot cook rice and I like cous cous better anyway. I think it gave it a wonderful, light texture combined with the beef. I also used a few sprinkles of garlic salt.

Check out the link for the recipe;

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/stuffed-cabbage-rolls/detail.aspx

Back on Track

Thanksgiving has been easier to recover from than I expected. My body is thanking me for giving up the rich foods for more healthy choices. I haven't done any exercise yet today but I am going to Zumba and play on the wii for a bit and if this nasty rain ever clears up, go for a good old run/walk. I've still got a bit of a sinus infections and I don't feel 100% but I know exercise is important to recovering. I made the most delicious smoothie today! I mean yum! I got a new Ninja blender type thing as an early b-day present and it is just awesome! I will post the recipe and a pic for your smoothie lovers. Also, trying a new recipe, from my favorite website allrecipes.com. It's called 'Stuffed Cabbage Rolls'. I will of course post pics and my review of the recipe after dinner time! Can't wait! I love trying healthy new recipes! Good food is what making health and weight loss fun!

                                            
                                       Ingredients
                               
                                       2 cups of mixed frozen berries (raspberries, blueberries, and black berries)
                                       1 very ripe banana
                                       3 ice cubes
                                       6 oz. kiwi strawberry juicy juice
                                       2 packages of splenda