A Deep Breath

This past weekend was an incredibly amazing one, but it was a VERY busy one.  Lots of stress, lots of chances for binge eating, and not a lot of chances to get to the gym.  But, we kept on, made it through, and came out stronger on this end.  Our weekend started on Friday night with a great game for my sweet L.  She made a GREAT save as goalie and was so proud of herself.  On Saturday, we started with J's game and she played very well.  We came home and started cleaning out the kids' closets and boy did we clean!  We weeded out 5 garbage bags full of clothes and some toys as well.  Then, onto L's second game.  The girls played so well and I was so proud of L.  Before the game, we had discussed that she could be aggressive and still be a good sport.  During the game, L was playing defense and she hip-checked a girl and knocked the other girl down.  I'm sure someone will think that I shouldn't be so proud of her for knocking down a girl, but for my sweet, sweet daughter to be even a little aggressive was a HUGE step in the right direction.  She did feel a little bad for knocking someone down, but you could see the pride in her eyes.  On Sunday, we started the day with a regular mass, then we prepared for L's First Communion.  She looked so beautiful and did such a great job.  She did a reading and was confident, not bad for a girl with some stage fright!

My sweet L standing in front of our church's garden.

My beautiful family, I'm so blessed!

There was so much that happened during the service yesterday, it would take me forever to tell you all about it.  Suffice it to say, it was an amazing day and I was so proud of her!!  After her First Communion, we geared back up for our 4th soccer game of the weekend.  L's team was on again and they played the best we have seen them all season.  The girls one 5-1 and although she didn't score any, L had 2 awesome shots on goal that missed by mere inches.  She played hard and did a great job!!  Needless to say, it was a long weekend, but was worth every moment!

I was pretty proud of myself though, there was cake at her First Communion Reception and I didn't have any.  I love cake, so that is a big deal.  I did have a small cookie, but only a small one. :)  I tried to stick to my plan for the weekend and did pretty well.  I wasn't able to get to the gym Saturday or Sunday, but I did do my challenge exercises, so I got some movement in.

I worked out my lower body this morning, and I have started adding in some stair running.  That is an experience.  I am quite clutzy, so I have to really pay attention to what I am doing.  Today, I did 15 lunges, quickly went down the stairs, walked 1/4 mile in the gym, ran back up the stairs and did 15 more lunges.  Then I repeated that circuit.  I ran out of time, but hopefully Wednesday I can get at least 2 more sets of that in.  It was difficult, but felt great when I was done.   I should probably add that I've done 270 squats today too! My butt is going to look so good!

I get asked a lot about what I eat, and I've tried giving you a pretty good idea of my general nutrition intake.  But, because I believe in full disclosure, I feel the need to tell you I just ate a bunch of chocolate and peanut butter.  No, it was not healthy.  No, it probably wasn't the best choice.  But, sometimes cravings get the best of you and for the sake of your sanity, you go with it.  I think I'm good for awhile now.  I have no guilt about eating it.  I was fully aware of what I was doing.  I made the choice and it was my choice alone.  Now, I move on, I recognize a slip and know that I no longer eat that way every day.  To quote Elsa, I "Let It Go."

I finish today's post by showing you this lovely picture taken yesterday of my sweet husband and me.  He looks so serious, but he really is very funny!  I love him greatly!

Faith. Courage. Strength. Change.

Getting My Veggies!

One thing I have found that I sometimes have difficulty doing is getting my veggies.  I really do not know why that is.  I actually like most vegetables so theoretically it should be fairly simple to to get the 4 servings of vegetables (according to www.health.com) that active women should get each day.  It isn't.  I'm not really a girl who digs salads.  Well, let me retract that.  I prefer my salads to be slathered in dressing, and not the healthy kind (Blue Cheese is my absolute favorite!).  So, since that isn't exactly the healthy way to eat salads, I just don't eat them.  That leaves me with a problem in getting my veggies then, doesn't it?

That is one of the reasons I eat smoothies the way I do.  I can throw 1-2 cups of kale in the blender and get some veggies that way, then I don't feel bad about not eating salads.  I throw veggies like zucchini and squash in with my eggs which I love.  I try and sneak them in any thing I can so I make sure I am getting them.

I also love noodles.  Unfortunately noodles aren't exactly low in calories even though my new favorite kind, Ronzoni, is much lower!  So, a while ago, I tried something at the suggestion of the Hungry Girl called Tofu Noodles.  If you know me at all you know that I am NOT a tofu girl.  I am a meat and potatoes girl.  But, she talked about them so highly I thought I would give them a try.  UGH!  Yeah, they were GROSS!!!!  Yuck.  I have kept my eye out for another idea for noodles.  I heard about spaghetti squash which I tried with fantastic results.  Seriously, if you haven't tried spaghetti squash, run to to the store and get some!!

In my daily perusal of Pinterest, I found that Hungry Girl had suggested using Broccoli Slaw instead of noodles.  Now, I like slaw, I like broccoli, and I like noodles.  But, this seemed a little crazy.  I'm willing to try new things though, so I bought a bag.  I gave THIS recipe a try.  Oh My Goodness.  It was very good.  Now, realize up front, you are not eating noodles here.  They are still a little crunchy, but I put some home made pasta sauce (thank you Aunt Terri!) on them and a little Parmesan Cheese and it was really very good and very filling.  I will most definitely give this another try!  It was only about 170 calories for the entire bowl!  AND it gave me 2 cups of vegetables (that does not include the veggies in the pasta sauce either!) for my lunch.  Personally, I think it was WAY better than a salad!!

Let me know if you give it a try, I would love to know what you think!!

Faith. Courage. Strength. Change.

Oh, My Crazy Life!

I am so sorry that I haven't posted anything yet this week.  It has been a very very busy week.  I did weigh in on Monday morning and had a good week.  I know I haven't really posted a whole lot about my actual number of weight loss, but since I am now 4 months in, I thought you might want to know where I am.  I have lost 41.8 pounds total in this 16 weeks.  I look at that number though and know that it is so much more than 41.8 pounds.  I have put on a lot of muscle.  I can watch my body in the mirror and watch those muscles WORK.  They aren't just moving weight around, they are LIFTING that weight and becoming stronger.  Each week, I am able to lift more weight that I did the week before, each mile gets a little faster, and each 500 split gets a little less scary.  Now, let me be clear.  I did not say it ever got EASIER.  I just get stronger.  I get more confident.  I get better.

Last week I answered a question I have been getting.  I have two others that I have been asked a lot and I think they are worth addressing.

"What are you doing? What diet are you following?"

First let me say this.  THERE IS NO MAGIC here people.  I'm not trying to sound harsh.  I used to think that there had to be a quick easy way to lose weight.  I would see commercials on TV for Hydroxycut or some weight loss aide of that type and think, "Could it really be that easy?" "Surely there has to be SOME truth to this claim!".  Unfortunately, it ISN'T that easy and there is NO truth to that claim (or VERY little).  I really wish it was though, I truly do.  As it is, it is HARD work and there is NO easy fix.  I have had to make a CHOICE to do what I am doing.  I have had to make my own magic to do what I am doing.

So, what am I doing?  Well, it is a simple formula.  I watch my calories and I work out.  Let's address the working out first.  I am at the gym 5-6 days each week.  I take a spin class 2-3 times each week, a rowing class twice each week, I lift 3-4 days each week, I walk, I use the elliptical machine, and I do core work.  I fit in other things when I can.  If it will be helpful, I will post my workout schedule and what I do on one of my blog pages.  The simple answer though is this: I work my ass off.  Not pretty, but it is the truth.  Hard Work.

"What diet are you following?"  I really dis-like this question.  I am not following a diet.  I try really hard not to even use that word.  Yes, I am watching what I eat.  Yes, I count my calories.  No, I do not starve myself.  I use the "Lose It" app on my phone (www.loseit.com) to track my calories. I do this partly to be in control of what goes in my mouth.  I also use it to make sure I am eating enough.  Starving myself is NOT going to work.  Eating too much crap is NOT going to work.  This works for me.  I am making this a life-style.  This is not a "diet".  This is my life and if I want to eat pizza I will.  If I want to eat chocolate, I will.  But, I will eat it in control and I will make decisions that are going to benefit me, not derail me.

I hope that helps put those questions to rest.  Hard work and smart decisions.  Those are the answers!

Tomorrow I will include you in a challenge I am starting.  I will be posting what is being done daily so you can join in if you would like.  I will also add a page with my workouts so you can see what I do on a daily basis.

Blessings!

Easter Food Hangover

Yesterday was an amazingly wonderful Easter Sunday in which we celebrated our Risen Lord.  After a beautifully moving Holy Week, I had so anticipated this day. The Easter Mass was awesome and our family celebration afterwards was great!  It was wonderful to visit with everyone and watch my kids and their cousins play all afternoon.  It was a great and very blessed day! He is Alive!

I don't know what Easter dinner in your family is like, but in our family, it means ham, cheesy potatoes, corn pudding, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, rolls, ham/pickle rollups, and desserts. Oh the desserts!  I had given up sweets for Lent and had not had dessert in 40 days. I was wanting dessert people!  I'd love to say that not eating all the sugar during Lent got rid of all of the cravings, but unfortunately, that is not the case.  Since I started my life change, I had not really had a day in which I just ate what I wanted to eat and didn't stress too much about the calories (otherwise known as a splurge day!).  I decided that I needed to have one of those so I might as well make it a special day.  I tried not to go overboard, but I did enjoy the day.  I really enjoyed the desserts!

Yesterday morning I weighed myself just because I was curious where I was before my Splurge Day and then I weighed myself this morning to see the damage I did.  In the course of 24 hours, I "gained" 2.4 pounds!  Now, I know that I had ham and Ramen Noodle Coleslaw Salad, both of which are SUPER high in salt.  I also didn't get as much water yesterday as I would have liked.  I also know that there was no way I ate 8400 "Splurge" calories to cause a 2.4 pound gain (3500 calories per pound to help the math impaired.) so I know that although some of that gain may be legit most of it is probably water.  Today I have been flooding my body with water.  I have drank so much water, I feel like I'm floating a little.  I have to admit I have had a couple of non-healthy things today as well, but nothing like I did yesterday.  Let's be honest though, it is in the house staring me in the face, and I only have so much will power.  I will be glad when it is gone.  All of this explanation is to just say that sometimes a gain is a gain.  Sometimes a gain is bloat.  Sometimes you have to enjoy special days in your life.  Sometimes the chocolate is just really that good.  And sometimes, even with a 2.4 pound "gain", you still lose weight from the week before!  Not bad, and I will take it!

The knee is feeling so much better now.  I was able to lift lower body today and do squats and lunges.  I was on the elliptical and did a good hard workout on the treadmill.  Tonight I am heading to spinning, which I am looking forward to since I haven't been on a bike in the week.  It will be a good night!

Leftovers for dinner tonight means some of that food from yesterday, but continuing to drink lots of water and managing my portion size will make a big difference.

I hope you had a wonderful Easter with your family.  I wish you all the blessings in the world today and every day!!

Dinner Choices

Man, it has been a week.  And I know that it is only going to get crazier with Holy Week coming up, but it will all be worth it.  Holy week is such an awesome experience and I love that I get to be a part of it through singing in the choir.  Anyway, I have been continuing to work hard and then work harder.  I knocked out a lot of Miles for Eli this week and only have 55 to go to the finish line.  The guy in fourth place is right on my tail though, so I am going to have to step it up!  I'm hoping to be done by Easter.  I should be finished several days prior to that though!  

I did have a pretty awesome success this week...I am up to benching 105 pounds!  And I got all 12 reps at that weight AFTER doing 12 reps at 85 and 12 reps at 100!  That seriously felt incredible!!!  I love that I am feeling myself get stronger.  I was able to increase the weight on about half of my upper body lifting.

Right now, I want to talk about food.  I try not to talk about calories and such too much on here because I completely know how easy it is to become obsessed with counting calories and all of the zillion different things women are told about how many calories we should be eating and blah, blah, blah.  I have discussed this thoroughly with several different trainers and everyone is different.  Everyone has different caloric needs.  Now, remember, I am so NOT a trainer or a dietitian, anything I put on the blog here is information I have gathered from others (I will try to give credit where credit is due!) or just information that I have learned about myself through this journey.  I HIGHLY suggest talking with someone who knows what they are talking about before starting this kind of journey yourself!!  I use the Lose It App on my phone to help me keep track of what I am eating.  As of today according to the App, I should be eating 1739 calories per day.  That is a base number.  When I first started this journey, I was told I should eat close to 1900.  In the beginning, I had a really difficult time getting all of those calories.  I have spent so many years thinking I need to eat less to lose weight.  I know you all have heard the whole, "women should only eat 1200 calories each day".  Well, that may work for some people, but it wasn't going to work for me.  Discussions with one of the trainers at the gym taught me that I HAVE to eat AT LEAST 1600 calories each day MINIMUM and closer to 1800 would be even better!!  It has been really difficult to wrap my brain around that, but I am trying.  Exercise does give me more calories to eat if I need them, but I don't eat them too often.  Sometimes though (like yesterday), I get hungry, or I REALLY want an extra bowl of yummy soup, so I dig in to those extra calories.  But, the biggest lesson anyone starting a journey like this needs to know is that you can't starve yourself.  Your body will eventually go into starvation mode and you will NOT lose weight.  You won't build muscle.  You will NOT hit your goals.  Get what I'm saying?  Eat people!

That said, I was looking at some items on the Lose It App this afternoon and about DIED when I saw the calorie count for some things.  E said we could get Applebee's for dinner tonight.  So, I looked at how many calories I have eaten today and what I had left to eat to try and make my decision.  I LOVE to order from Applebee's because of their Under 550 calorie menu.  A lot of times the food on those types of menus are not very good.  But, I think the things on Applebee's tastes really good as well as being good for you.  Anyway, I was looking at the calorie count for some of the things I USED to eat.  Check this out!

Quesadilla Burger-I LOVE these but at 1400 calories, it is a no go, especially after I add the mayo I love on to it!

Riblet and Chicken Tender Platter (with fries and coleslaw)-1880.  Yeesh!

Appetizer Sampler-and YES, I would order and eat the entire thing myself, weighs in at 2340 calories.  Dude, that is more that I should eat all day and I would eat that in one sitting!  No wonder I gained weight!!

I'm not at all saying you should never splurge, because you absolutely should.  But, for me to have something like this again, it is going to take a LOT of understanding what I am eating up front and a lot of work in the gym BEFORE I even think about ordering one of these items.

My new favorites though have become:

Lemon Parmesean Shrimp

Signature Sirloin with Garlic Herb Shrimp and sides

Zesty Roma Chicken with Shrimp and sides

Each of these is under 500 calories and really they taste so good that I don't feel like I'm missing anything by ordering a healthier choice.  I think that is key in all of this.  You need to find foods that are a healthier choice, but do not make you feel like you are sacrificing taste.  I still LOVE Taco Bell (no comments please about that dangers of Fast Food...at least I am not eating McDonald's!).  Sometimes I splurge and get my favorite Grilled Chicken Burrito.  Sometimes I just get something from the Fresco menu (no cheese, but has pico de gallo instead).  You can find healthier choices just about anywhere, you just have to be willing to try them.  I promise, you just might surprise yourself!

So, for dinner tonight, I think I'm going with the Sirloin and Garlic Herb Shrimp.  What are you having?

Blessings!

PS...no, I get nothing from Applebee's or Taco Bell for any endorsements I gave today, however, if they would like to give me something, I'm good with that. :)