Can you juggle?

Because I can't, and I desperately need someone to show me how.

I've been completely MIA, and I apologize.

I know some of you know what's going on with me, and I think it's only fair to give the rest of you the low down. 

6 months ago I made the decision to leave my husband for several reasons that don't need to be expressed here.  But it was my decision, and let's be clear that this is what I wanted.  But, I had to move into my parents' house, and my daughter and I have been there since.  It's difficult, and it's been an adjustment not just for us, but for my parents as well.  While we've all finally grown accustomed to sharing the kitchen, the washer and dryer, and every one's space, it's still hard to not have my own space.  I know it's hard for them as well.

I'm in the middle of an ugly divorce with someone who is completely unreasonable, and uncooperative.   This has taken a huge toll on me, in addition to my daughter whom I'm trying my damnedest to allow this to affect her as little as possible. 

I've lost all motivation to work out.  My eating is horrible, and I'm back up to 230 lbs, lowest being 211.   So, a 19 lb regain.  It's not the end of the world, but to be honest, it's the last thing I think about.  I often lay awake at night, allowing my mind to wander about all these things going on in my life.

"Is Grace OK?"
"What if she's not?"
"I'm sticking to my plan to move out in a year"
"What if I can't save enough money?"
"What if I can't find a place?"
"Can I do it on my own?"

I tend to focus on things I cannot change, or things I have no control over, which causes me to consume myself with worry, and continued anguish.

I'm not sure why I'm telling you all of this, considering my blog is about weight loss and eating...  but I guess my point is that the curve balls of life that have been thrown my way in the past 6 months have really screwed me up.  I've tried to catch them as they came, but I haven't been successful.  I'm finding it extremely difficult to juggle it all.   Work, my daughter, friends, family, relationships, gym, eating right, etc.   How do I get back to my routine?  How do I find that balance again?   I miss my happy place, but I'm headed to Gold's Gym tonight to see if I left it there.   

10 Reasons Why Women Should Stay Away From Weights

Put it down, woman!

1. You might break a nail.
2. You could even bruise a male ego or two.
3. You’ll eat properly and still be able to lose fat. Work of the devil!
4. You’ll look more like an athlete and less like a runway model. Skeletal is sexy, right?
5. You’ll be able to lift heavy things without asking a man for help, thus upsetting the balance of the universe.
6. You will be seen in public without high heels.
7. You’ll grunt, sweat and feel sore. So unladylike!
8. You’ll be proud of your pert bum instead of being self conscious about it like a normal woman.
9. You’ll be more active and confident instead of sitting around looking pretty. What are you, some kind of feminist?
10. You’ll be stronger, leaner and sexier – and we all know where that can lead!

HA!!! I loved this when I read it this morning.   I absolutely LOVE lifting weights. Strong bones, tendons, and muscles that also look and perform better; what woman would want that…?

Simply put, a weight trained woman will look better, and feel better in my opinion. There's just something about feeling stronger... having my muscles contract when I work them slowly.  There is seriously nothing better!   Luckily for me, today is my upper body training day.  

Now here's a good article on why women should lift weights...   ENJOY!  :)


Have a good Wednesday kids!

Monday Weigh In Day!

Hey kids!  I hope everyone enjoyed their weekends.  It was a lovely weekend here in St. Louis.  Sunny and in the upper 80's.   I LOVE warm weather.

Anyway..    Let's get to it.

Yesterday was Sunday Funday for me.  Meaning, it was my ex's day to have our daughter, so I went and socialized with some friends.   I indulged in a few adult bevvies, as well as food.  I ended up splitting hot wings and fries with a friend for lunch, (I ate 5 wings, and maybe 15 or so fries).  Then dinner was sushi.  I had one sushi roll, followed by the biggest slice of chocolate raspberry ganache cake I'd ever seen.  OMG it was a huge slice of heaven!   

So - with the water retention from the alcohol, combined with wings and fries and chocolate cake... I was a little leary of the scale this morning.

Well, I shouldnt have been. 

I'm down from 1 lb from Thursday, and overall down 4.6 lbs since last Monday.    So, my first official week of increasing my calories, and making it to the gym 5 days last week WORKED!!  I couldnt be happier.

Plans for this week...  dont really have any.  I'm just going to stick to what I did last week. 

Greek yogurt/organic granola for breakfast, snacks will be clementines or apples, almonds, turkey sticks and string cheese.    Lunches will be salads per usual, and I'll also be making chili or chicken and wild rice soup tonight for the rest of the week.

That's all I got kids...  Have a fabulous week, and I'll check in on Thursday with my stats!

As always, thanks for reading!

Mid-Week Check In

Today's Thursday so it's mid-week for me.   Let's talk about my new "plan", and upping my calories. Let me be clear here, I still dont understand how this is working, or how its going to turn out.  I was leary.  Honestly, I still kind of am.  I'm trying really hard NOT to get excited about this, but it seems to be working.

I stepped on the scale this morning..

Down 3.4 lbs since Monday...

That's right!  3.4 freaking pounds!!!!!   

I dont know how it happened, nor do I care.  But I'm gonna take it. 

Now I'm sure youre interested in what the hell Im eating right..??

The more appropriate question would be, what am I NOT eating..??

I can tell you this, it is REALLY hard to eat 2300-2500 calories of good, nutritious foods.   I'm allowed 10% junk, so 230-250 calories a day of crap.   Trust me, I've taken advantage of that. 

Here's just a few things I've been shoveling into my mouth. 

Love my almonds!! 

 Typical Breakfast -  Chobani or Oikos Greek Yogurt, with 1/4 cup granola

 Lunch this week has been this steak and blue cheese salad.   Romaine lettuce, 4oz sirloin, bacon pieces, onion strings topped with Bolthouse Farms Creamy Blue Cheese dressing

Dinner last night - 4 oz tequilla lime shrimp over 1/2 cup black beans, and 1/2 cup frozen corn.  Because of my "fabulous" band, I could only eat half, so the other half is lunch today with a salad.

Snacks have been the Simms Turkey Sticks from Aldi, usually 2 with 2 slices of Sargento Ultra Thin Cheese slices, clementines, small apples, more greek yogurt, almonds of course or 100 calorie bags of popcorn.

I'm eating alot!!

Some of the junk Im eating looks a little like this...

 Buffalo chicken bar bites and sweet potato fries from Dave and Buster's. NO worries, I split them with a friend and only ate half.

 Chicken club wrap and sweet potato fries from TGIFridays... again, only ate half the wrap, but ALL the fries of course.  You know I LOVE me some french fries!

Mmmmm smoked baby backs!   Ate 1/2 rack

In addition to eating 2300-2500 calories a day, Im burning 600-700 calories at the gym on those days.  Or at least I think I am, Goddamn Polar...  

Anyway - average NET calories for the week is 2,012, and Ive been to the gym Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. Plan is for the gym again tonight, tomorrow and Saturday to give me 6 days this week.

Enjoy the rest of your week, and I'll weigh in on Monday!

Make good choices, and have a great weekend!

You want me to eat HOW MUCH????

As you all know I've been so back and forth lately, it's disgusting.  When people say "life gets in the way", it couldnt be more true.  My life has been an emotional rollercoaster for the past few weeks, maybe even longer.  To be honest, I stopped keeping track because I just stopped caring.  Part of the reason why I stopped caring was because the life changes that were going on, and are still going on, but also because I've hit a wall.  I've fluctuated with the same 3-5 lbs for the past 6 months or so.  I could easily blame it on my eating habits, but I was still getting to the gym regularly 4-5 days a week.  My NET calories each day were never above my BMR of 1860, and on most days my NET intake was around 1000-1300, so I should've been actively losing.    Right? 

Well, maybe not.

I've been at this for 3 years now.   I've consumed myself with knowledge of BMR, BMI, NET intakes, Simplex vs Complex carbs, lean proteins, etc.  I've done this and managed to lose 100 lbs.   So, it works right??  Cutting your calories, working out... basically calories in vs calories out.   Everything I've researched, everything I've done has worked.   Until now.

I met this guy at the gym, and we began talking about our journey, and our struggles.  He's lost 140 lbs in a year, and looks amazing!  He too has hit a wall, and has been fluctuating with the same 5 lbs month in and month out.   He told me about this podcast...    Fit 2 Fat Radio.  I thought his theory was RIDICULOUS... He was telling me that I should increase my calories and never eat below by BMR of 1860, in fact on the days I work out, to eat MORE than that.    I've always heard of upping your calories to see the scale move, but this was a little overboard.    It just wasn't adding up. Until I visited the website and listened to a few podcasts.    This is the one that hit home for me.. #83 "Eat More, Weigh Less"  It make's complete sense!   In addition to these podcasts, they have calculators on their site.   I took my measurements and according to their calculator, my Body Fat Percentage is 29.1%, which is in a healthy range.  This boggles my mind.   I put in a goal of 24% body fat, and it said my goal weight would be 210 lbs.   210!!!???   That's only 20 lbs away from where I am.    All of this is probably making your head spin.. either that or you've lost interest by now.   I know my head was spinning when He and I were talking about it.  It seems so confusing. 

My thoughts are this..   I havent lost any weight in over 6 months, so by giving this a go what's the worst that could happen?   I dont lose weight for another month?    

Conclusion - I'm going to try this.   Yesterday was Day 1... and I ate 2381 calories, burned 678, which leaves me with a NET of 1703.   It was actually really hard to eat that many calories of good, nutritious food, which is crucial.    I'll continue to weigh in weekly, I weighed in this morning and it was NOT pretty.. 

UGHHHH

So I guess a week from now we'll see how this pans out.    The pod casts say to avoid the scale, and take measurements.  But - we all know I cant do that.   I'm going to take measurements also, but I'll be report those at the end of the month.

Sidenote - My Polar died yesterday.  For real this time.  No battery is going to fix this issue.   But - it is 5 years old, and I've worked out with it 4-5 days a week for 5 years.  So I guess I got my $120.00 worth.   Working out yesterday without it felt so weird.  I'll get a new one soon.

Have a great Monday!

Weigh In Wednesday

Hey there!

So, on Sunday after my weekend of fatty-food (yet OH SO DELICIOUS) eating... I weighed in at 229.

I'm happy to report, that today, just 3 days later - I'm down to 227.  

I've logged onto MyFitnessPal everyday, logged all my food, and I've been honest with myself. 

Living with my parents is not easy!!   My dad is a meat and potatoes kinda guy, he also has a love affair with potato chips and cookies, specifically Double Stuff Oreos, and Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies.   There are 7 boxes of Thin Mints in the freezer 10 feet from my bed right now.  Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to NOT open that box and eat them all!!??    I'm not really sure how he's NOT fat, but whatever..  obviously I wasn't blessed with his metabolism.  Then we have Ms Grace... whom eats pretty healthy for the most part because that's what I've tried to teach her, and lead by example, but she's not deprived in any way and of course we have things like fruit and string cheese, granola bars, and cereal (from Costco no less... who the hell needs 5 lbs of Cinnamon Toast Crunch!!???)  and fruit snacks.. my god I'm a sucker for some good fruit snacks!  Then we have my mother.   My mom is a snacker too.  Wonder where I get it from.  HA!   But luckily she eats pretty healthy too.   She's a FABULOUS baker, and her meatloaf is to die for.  So, I indulge on Sunday's when she makes a family dinner, but other than that we're cooking 3 separate meals a night.  It's hectic, but overall seems to work out okay.

Anyway, with all these temptations, I've been eating the "right way" according to my surgeon's rules because I have not done that in a very long time.  It's amazing what following the rules will do for ya.    For those of you that don't know, the rules are pretty simple...  lean protein first, followed by veggies, then finally carbs/starch.     The protein ALWAYS fills me up, and that's why I'm so used to eating them last, because let's face it... I'd rather have the mashed potatoes first! :)

I've been eating healthier snacks, something like this...  I've been avoiding almonds even though I love them, seeing as though I can't stick to one serving, and before I know it I'll have eaten them all.

Dinner last night was this lovely frozen delicacy

If you haven't had these, you HAVE to try them.   It's a complete meal, in a parchment pouch.  They're roughly $7.99 for 2 full meals.  They're in the frozen section, and there are several different options.   This specific one is 390 calories, 28 grams of protein.    The only downfall, by the time I'm ready to eat dinner after the gym, I hate waiting 30 minutes for them to cook.  They have a microwave option for 8 minutes, but I try to avoid that at all costs.  It never tastes the same, and since they have really good flavor it's worth the 30 minute wait.

That's it for me today.  Have a great day kids!

Finally Settled In

Yep, you read that right kids..  I moved to my parents' house on January 16th, and I'm finally settled in.   It took a while, but all in all everything is going well with that, and my personal life. 

My eating on the other hand...EEEKK!!  That my friends, is a goddamn TRAINWRECK!  But, I'm guessing that's to be expected, yes??   I'll tell you one thing though, I never realized how much blogging actually kept me accountable, so guess what...  you can expect to see a few blogs a week from me.  I need something to keep me accountable again.

My last post here I was around 231-229 lbs.  Ive managed to maintain that weight all this time, so I guess things could be worse.

I traveled to Cleveland Ohio on Thursday, and I tell you what, there was NO holding back when it came to food, or alcohol for that matter.  But, I'm somewhat happy to report that this morning, I was 229, even with the Chocolate Dipped Cone from Dairy Queen I had for dinner on my way home from the airport last night.

Also - back to Weigh in Wednesday's, so I'll expect you to tell me to remove my from my ass if I slip up.  Thanks!

With that being said.. let's talk soup.

As you all know, I LOVE soup.  I love making it even more than I love eating it. Okay, well maybe that's a lie, HA!!

Since I'm at my parents' house now, I don't make my own soups anymore.  Mostly because I don't have my own kitchen. It's already hectic enough when we have 3 separate meals cooking for dinner, and both my mom and I making our weekly lunches at the same time.

So, I started using these.

 You can find these soups everywhere.   I've found them at WalMart, and locally at both Schnuck's and Dierberg's.  They're $3 a bag, and they come in tons of varieties.   Most of them are around 90-100 calories per cup, and each bag is 8 cups.  I usually eat 2 cups at a time, so $3 for 4 days worth of lunches is a hell of  deal if you ask me.

The Chicken Enchilada was just alright, kinda bland actually, but the rest of them are very very good!   They also make a pretty good chili, but you'll have to add meat, or it's not quite as filling.  

On the stove now for lunches this week, but not pictured, is the creamy broccoli cheddar which is also, 90 calories per cup and VERY good.

Anyway, now that you know I'm alive and haven't gained ALL of my weight back, I look forward to blogging again, and hopefully you look forward to reading them again.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

As always, thanks for reading!

Thank You!!!! (and I'm sorry)

Hey guys!!   Let me start by saying how sorry I am.  I've been MIA for a few weeks now.  I've had a lot of things going on in my personal life that I dont really wanna get into on here, but everything is fine, and my daughter and I are doing well.  We're trying to get a new daily routine down that works for us, and I'm trying my damndest to get it under control, but it hasnt even been a week yet.  I'll get there.

Because of the issues in my personal life I've been slacking at the gym.   I SWEAR I'm gonna get it together.  Actually, this week has been a vast improvement from my norm, so it's a start.  Yes, another start.  Another beginning.  Another do-over.   I'm tired of the rollercoaster, the up and down, the back and forth.  

My last post was a few weeks ago... and I was 227.   The week after that I think I was pushing 231.   This past Monday I was 229.   SO, at least I'm fluctuating within the same 5 lbs.  But - let's be honest, we all know playing with the same 5 lbs SUCKS!  

Onto my "Thank You"....  Eating For Real clocked in at over 10,000 views this week!!!!!  Thank you so much guys!!!   This is awesome!!

With that being said...  Have a great weekend!  I know I will... I'm spending it inside Gold's Gym... 

Monday Weigh In Day and New Years Resolutions

Hey!! Guess what happens when you take control over what you're putting into your mouth combined with exercise...

A 5 lbs loss, that's what!!!   Granted, since I gained 12 lbs over the holidays, I'm still up 7 lbs, but a 5lbs loss is a vast improvement, and a step in the right direction.

I had the day off today, so I decided to start the week off right.. hit the gym for an hour and 20 minutes, and burned 923 calories.  I was really working it today!! I guess all those New Year's Resolution people had me motivated. LOL  Speaking of... I hate the NYR's.   I know that's probably not the nicest thing to say, but seriously... pick a machine, get on it or MOVE out of my way.  I mean really... they'll be gone by mid February anyway, and the gym will be back to normal.  Thank God.

Let's talk food for today.  Since the gym is my strong suit, and food isn't, my New Year's Resolution isn't to lose weight, that's my daily life, but it's to be more accountable with what I"m eating.  I usually don't make NYR's only because it's more than likely something I should be doing anyway, just like this one, but I thought "why the hell not?"

I didn't have breakfast today, instead just coffee, then I made my way to Gold's.

Lunch was a salad... (sorry I dont have a pic) romaine lettuce, bacon pieces, tomato basil feta, shredded carrots, croutons and Botlhouse Ceasar.

About 2 hours later I was hungry.. a salad with no protein, of course I was hungry.   Good thing I decided to make soup before I left for the gym.

   

This was FANTASTIC!! I cooked it in low fat/low sodium chicken broth instead of water, and it made about 8 cups.  1 cup of soup was 210 calories, and VERY filling.

Dinner tonight was shrimp and rice...

7 large shrimp sauteed in the jerk sauce, mixed with 1 container rice/veggies - 480 calories.

This rice/veggie mix is usually $1.25... the entire box is 210 calories, and you microwave them for about 2 minutes.

 These are found in the freezer section as well, they're quite pricey though.. $7.99 for a box, and about 14 large shrimp, (2 servings).  Schnuck's had them on sale last week BOGO, so for 2 boxes, $8.00 I figured I could justify that.  Especially since that's 4 meals for me.   It was VERY good!!  I got the Island Lime Flavor too.  I'll try those this week.

So...  I consumed 1383 calories today, burned 923 and I'm left with a NET intake of 460 calories.  A bit low for me, but seeing as though my birthday's in 6 days, and I have several days planned with friends eating and drinking, I think it'll be fine and I'll make up for it somewhere along the way.

Have a great week, and Happy New Year!

Anyone out there???

Yes I'm still here.

Yes I'm still alive.

Yes I've been eating EVERYTHING in sight for the past month...

and

No I haven't been working out... at least not the way I SHOULD be working out.

Do you know what happens when you have a "It's the Holiday's" attitude....

This...

Yep... that my friends would be a 12 pound gain from November 21st.   EEEEKKK   I weighed in at 220 on November 21st.  How terrible! And frankly, it's disgusting.  But - If you're human, you know it happens to the best of us.  Maybe not 12 pounds, but most people gain something over Thanksgiving and Christmas.  However - as we all know, I am not most people.  

If it were just the holiday food, I think I would've been okay.  In addition to the holiday food, and the over abundance of cookies, cakes, candies and let's not forget the alcohol.... I was eating out.  Pizza, hot wings, Taco Bell, McDonalds, sushi, you name it my friends... I was eating it.

So - what's the plan right...???

Monday - I stepped on the scale to see that number, then decided that I obviously need to re-committ myself.  I ate well, and went to Gold's to see if it was still standing.  It was, in fact still standing.  And let me just say, I'm so used to kicking the gym's ass.... no way!  I really thought I was going to die.   But of course, I didnt.   I then went to the grocery store and got all healthy options for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners so there would be NO excuse to eat out.

Tuesday - I woke up SO SORE!!!! But it was just a reminder of what my body was clearly missing.  I ate well again.... for the most part...  and went to the gym again.   But then opted for a small McFlurry from McDonalds...

Today is Wednesday, and I'm still sore... but I'm pushing through.   I've kept my food in check today, and I'm planning for a decent dinner, and yet another visit to Gold's tonight.

So with that being said.. I have a plan... I'm trying my damndest to stick to this plan with the help of a few of my calorie nazi friends stalking me...

I'm also going to start blogging again... I've had several of you ask where I've been, and I apologize.. but I'm here now!

Take care kids!! As always, thanks for reading!

Reviews and Recipes

As promised... (yes, I know it was well over a week ago...)  But here they are.  We got a lot, so get comfy.

Up first..   My version of chicken salad.   A few weeks back, a co-worker, Marcy brought this amazing chicken salad she found at Sam's.  It was sweet, and chunky, and super-fab.  I decided I could re-create this.  Sho nuff...  here ya go.

Here's what you need:

1 can Tyson Canned chicken breast (mostly because it's just easier)

4 tbsp of Kraft Poppyseed dressing

8 tbsp of Fresh Gourmet Cranberries and Walnuts (if you dont like nuts, just go with the cranberries)

1 small/medium Granny Smith apple (not pictured)

It made 4, 1 cup servings and came out to 208 calories, 18 carbs and 20 grams of protein per cup.   I ate mine with Kashi Asiago crackers.  YUM!

Let's move onto product reviews...

If you've followed by blog for awhile, you know I LOVE my salads.   As mentioned before Bolthouse Farms Yogurt dressings are my ABSOLUTE favorite!!  They come in a variety of flavors and ranch from 45 to 80 calories per serving, depending on the dressing you choose.   Locally, they can be found at Schnuck's and Dierbergs.  Each location has different selections of course, and they're located in the refrigerated section with the bagged salads.  They're normally around $3.99 each, which is more than I typically care to spend on salad dressings, but take my word for it, they're worth it!  Check the date though!!!  Some of them expire quickly... I'm guessing it's because of the "yogurt" in them. 



from left to right - Thousand Island, Chunky Bleu Cheese, Classic Ranch, Ceasar Parmesan, Honey Dijon,
 Classic Coleslaw 



My favorites are...

Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Ranch - 70 calories per 2 tbsp

Bolthouse Farms Balsamic Vinagarette - 45 calories per 2 tbsp

Botlhouse Farms Ceasar Parmesan - 70 calories per 2 tbsp

Bolthouse Farms Honey Dijon - 45 calories per 2 tbsp (EXCELLENT on grilled chicken breast topped with melted swiss)

and my 2 new favorites that I just found at Dierberg's (Thanks Pam for the heads up)

Bolthouse Salsa Ranch - 45 calories per 2 tbsp

Botlhouse Zesty French - 45 calories per 2 tbsp

Next up...  Marshmallows!!!! 

I usually hate marshmallows.  It's the texture that gets me.  BUT - I found these at Dierberg's and they were $1.  So why not right???   They came in all types of flavors.  I saw Chocolate Mint, German Chocolate, Coconut, and they were out of the Pumpkin Spice, so I opted for the Cinnamon Bun flavor.  My first thought was, "what the hell am I going to do with marshmallows??".  Then it hit me.. I'm a sucker for coffee creamer, so why not add it to my coffee for wayyyyyy less calories??   BINGO!

You can have 17 of these little gems for 100 calories!!! They're a pretty good size so I only added 4 (24 calories) to my coffee with 1 tbsp of Sugar Free Vanilla Coffeemate.  It was delish!  

I wish they would've had the Pumpkin Spice because how good would that be topped on some warm sweet potatoes!!!??? 

I think that's all I have for new stuff.   Let's move to Thanksgiving sides!   My favorite food ever... Macaroni and Cheese!!!   I'm making 2 versions this year.  My normal crock pot mac and cheese (recipe below), and a pumpkin mac and cheese.   I found this Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese recipe in the October Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  I love all things pumpkin, and let's be honest here, EVERYTHING is better with cheese, so why not give it a go!?   I'll report next week how good it is. LOL

In addition to the mac and cheeses, I'm making 2 cheesecakes, one pumpkin cranberry and one chocolate chip, and Hawaiian Bread Stuffing.

I love Thanksgiving!!!  But, let's keep it in check people!!  Take your measuring cups, your food scales, use smaller plates, whatever the hell you gotta do NOT to go crazy!  Stick to the white meat, no skin, skip the gravy... opt for either mashed potatoes OR stuffing, or just have smaller servings of both.  Stick to ONE plate and have dessert... no seconds.  These are all great ideas, yeah???  Let's see if I can take my own advice. LOL doubtful!  

Either way...   HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and yours!!  As always, thanks for reading! 

Hawaiian bread stuffing

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup craisins
1/4 cup I Cant Believe It's Not Butter Light
1 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery, or 2 stalks
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and finely chopped
3 large eggs
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8-10 Hawaiian rolls, cubed and toasted Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

*In a small bowl, combine chicken broth and cranberries; let soak for 30 minutes.

*In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and celery; cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently or until tender. Add apples and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

*Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.

*Beat 3 eggs in a separate bowl. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.

*In the large bowl with vegetables, stir in chicken broth mixture, mushroom soup, and nutmeg. Add toasted bread, stirring gently to combine. Add eggs. Spoon mixture into prepared dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until center is set.

12 (1 cup) servings.
227 calories per serving, 38 carbs, and 6 grams of protein

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

1 pound (2 cups) elbow macaroni or shells (or any other pasta of your choice - I prefer fusilli, or spiral pasta, it tends to hold sauces/cheeses better)

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

24 oz (2 cans) evaporated milk

3 cups heavy cream (or milk, but if I’m doing mac and cheese, I’m going all in with the cream)

4 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

*Coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray

*In a large bowl, beat eggs with cream and evaporated milks.  Mix in the uncooked macaroni and 4 cups of the shredded cheese mixture.  Transfer to slow cooker, and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

*cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Do not stir or remove lid while cooking.

15 (1 cup) servings

555 calories per serving, 30 carbs, 20 grams of protein

Weigh in Day

Happy Monday!!!

I'm  happy to report that I'm down 6 lbs from last week!! WOOHOO!! All my hard work paid off this week.  That makes me incredibly happy. Now, I just have to keep the momentum going.

STATS:

Total intake for the week - 8,858 calories (last week was 13,622 calories)
4 days in the gym - 18 miles done (I set a goal of 20) and 2,630 calories burned (I set a goal of 3500) Neither goal was met, but obviously I'm okay with that.  This leaves me with a NET intake with an average of 1265 calories per day.

As I mentioned in last weeks blog I said I was going to start doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.  Yep, I tried it.  Not a fan.  I burned more calories working out on my own at the gym, than I did in those 26 minutes, or however long it was.  I didnt feel challenged, which I guess is a good thing, but at the same time I feel like I need to step up my game.  Obviously this DVD isn't the right option for me to do that.   I'll have to come up with something though.

I also promised that I'd blog some new recipes and product reviews, and I apologize that I haven't been able to do that.  I'll make it a priority this week though.

Have a Happy Monday and as always, thanks for reading!

 



"It Will Never Be"... A little motivation for your Monday!

I meant to post this last week when I read this on his blog, and totally got sidetracked with work.. go figure, that damn work thing...  LOL  Anyway, it's a cool read and very true!  If you get time, visit his blog,  Nerd Fitness.


It will never be:

• easy
• perfect
• the right time

Nobody is going to:

• tell you exactly what to do
• drag you out of bed in the morning
• yell at you to eat healthy
• lift weights for you
• run a race for you

There will always be:

• holidays
• sick days
• sleepless nights
• early mornings
• vacations
• bad weather
• long days at the office

It will always be easier to:

• say no
• hit SNOOZE
• do nothing
• settle
• blame others
• make excuses
• give up
• say “I tried my best” when you really didn’t

Life is freaking tough - health, wealth, and happiness certainly don’t come easy.
For those reasons, you don’t need:

• The best equipment
• The best business plan
• The PERFECT workout program (it doesn’t exist)
• A super specific meal plan

And it’s okay to:

• not have all of the answers yet – NOBODY does
• not have your life completely figured out yet – NOBODY does
• get started and figure things out as you go

As Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are.”
Take action.  Make changes.
You will make mistakes.   You will fail.  Embrace it!
You know what’s NOT okay?

• to expect instant success and gratification
• to give up immediately when life doesn’t go your way
• to keep doing the same thing while expecting different results
• to coast through life while complaining about it
• to constantly wonder “what if” without ever finding out

Tomorrow never comes. 
Eventually never happens.
Today.
Now.
Shut up and start.


Cool huh??   Now, if you're sitting there thinking about working out, I hope this motivates you to get your ass up and go.   If you're sitting there about to shove another cookie in your mouth... again, I hope this motivates you NOT to do it.  Or, if you're anything like me, you're going to eat 5 of those damn cookies, THEN go to the gym and burn em all off!  LOL Either way...  get up, get out, get moving!

Weigh in Day

Let's get right to it shall we...??

Last week was 227, this week 226.  Down 1.  
I'll take it considering it's a loss and not a gain which  has been my norm as of late.

STATS:

Total intake for the week - 13,622 calories
4 days in the gym - 14 miles done, 3,516 calories burned leaving me with a NET intake of 10,106, an average of 1443 per day.

Goals for this week - 20 miles (either on the treadmill, outside, or on the bike), and to burn at least 3,500 calories again this week.

I'm also starting Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred tonight, thanks to my fabulous sister in law, Stephanie for lending it to me!!   I'm usually not a big fan of exercising at home, because honestly, it doesnt "click" with me like it does when I step into Gold's.  So - we'll see.

In other news, I'm LOVING MyFitnessPal.  If you're looking for an easy to use site to log your food, definately give this one a go!!  They also have an app for Android, which is what I usually use instead of the computer.  

That's all I got guys... Have a good Monday!!!

Thanks for reading!

Weekly Weigh In

Do you know why diet is as important as working out....

This would be why...

I'm up 2 lbs this week from last week. 

I worked out 4 days last week, for a total of 6.5 hours and I completed 23 miles on the treadmill and the bike combined, and I still gained 2 lbs.      Why you ask..   Well, because I'm about to share my HORRIBLE eating pattern with you from last week.

Monday was Halloween, and we had a birthday celebration for 2 of my co-workers, where I proceeded to have a huge slice of red velvet cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory, I ate 2454 calories (no gym)

Tuesday - I ate 2185 calories which included countless fun size candy bars and another slice of cheesecake, AND pizzsa for dinner (no gym)

Wednesday - I ate 2577 calories, more fun size candy  bars (spent 90 minutes at the gym, and burned 903) NET intake was 1674

Thursday - I ate 2261 calories, you guessed it... more candy bars (Spent an hour at the gym, burned 770) NET intake was 1491

Friday - Heres the REALLY  bad one...   I ate 3566 calories.   This included candy... donuts...  dinner was homemade meatloaf, cheesey potatoes, and baked mac and cheese, all washed down with a full bottle of pinot grigio.  You guessed it, No gym.

Saturday - I was feeling bloated and disgusting from Friday's disaster, so I hit the gym, and I hit it hard.  I ate 2129 calories, and spent 2 hours in the gym for a total burn of 1338, NET intake of 791.

Sunday - I was feeling better, sore from the gym, but overall pretty motivated to get back there.  So after I made breakfast for the fam, I went and did another 80 minutes for 844 burned.  I made the hubbs take me to dinner though.  We went to Pei Wei and I opted for the Thai Dynamite Shrimp.  It's fabulous.. but its also 870 calories, and god only knows how much sodium.   A few hours later, while watching tv I ate a 100 calorie bag of popcorn and a Reese's Tree.  (Yes, the trees are already out)  Anyway - totals for yesterday are 2328, NET 1484.


So - all in all, I ate 16,500 calories, which comes out to 2357 calories per day, before exercise.   I burned 3855 calories, over a pound...  yet still gained...  My average NET intake for last week, 1806 calories per day.  THIS my friends is why the food choices we make, are more important than the calories we burn at the gym.

You think NOW I'll be able to make better food choices, and say NO to the junk??? 

Dear God let's friggin hope so...

Butternut Squash Soup

Have you ever had butternut squash??  Well, up until about 2 months ago I never had.   Now - I'm in love with it.  It's sweet and kinda nutty, and you can prepare it so many ways.  In fact, last week instead of making my pumpkin cheesecake that my husband loves so much, I substituted butternut squash and he had no clue.  If you love pumpkin, you'll love butternut squash.   However, you won't find butternut squash in a can, like you will pumpkin.

Anyway - so since I'm into making my own soups these days, what better soup to make than butternut squash soup.

Again, I took a recipe I found and tweaked it to my needs.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (I used one large squash)
• 6 cups fat free, low sodium chicken broth
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (I used more)
• 1 tsp ground sage
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 
• 4 stalks celery (chopped)
• 4 large carrots (chopped)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender, then add garlic
• Add celery and carrots, squash, apple, chicken broth, salt, pepper, sage and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
• Puree squash/soup mixture and cream cheese in a blender or food processor (I use a blender because I dont have a food processor yet)  in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, but make sure the burner is off.  There is no need to keep cooking.
• Top with a dollop of sour cream!  Enjoy!

 Makes 10 - 1 cup servings

203 Calories, 20 carbs and 5 grams of protein per serving.

Let me know if you try it, and how you like it!!   I'm off to the gym!  Have a great Sunday everyone!

What's your number?

After telling my friend Pam I ate a much need chocolate iced donut this afternoon,

Thanks Aub's for the pic!

(Donuts are the devil by the way, I think they're cousins with the scale... they work together to conspire against me..)  Anyway, she proceeds to tell me about this website/program, "Shrink Yourself".  So of course I'm intrigued and go take a look.   Are you an emotional eater?  I can relate the most with #3, and #5.

Yep.  According to this I am.  I'm 5 of the 8 scenerios.   Now of course this is no news to me.  I know I'm addicted to food, I know I want certain foods, vs actually "needing" them, but my goodness who isn't like that??  I think I just take my addiction partnered with the "want" and it becomes extreme.

None the less, it prompted me to go here and take the free assesment, it's pretty direct, and accurate.

Now that I know I'm addicted to emotional eating, what do I do about it??   I guess I just keep trying my damndest to succeed...  one of these days, I'll get there!

Have a great day guys!

Didn't we just finish Halloween??

Yep!!! And I'm still raiding Grace's Halloween Candy. I REALLY need to remove it from my house.  Upside - I made it back to the gym yesterday for the first time since Cardinal playoffs began, like 3 weeks ago.  Hence why the scale on Tuesday was UG-LY.  But it is what it is.    I managed to complete 90 minutes, burn 903 calories and I ended the day with a NET intake of 1500 calories.   A VAST improvment from the past month.  

Today has been a good day thus far.  I've only had ONE fun size Butterfinger, and 3 Starbursts instead of the 3 or 4 fun size candies I've been grabbing at one time.  Gym tonight is lower body leg work/push ups/ab work and 45 minutes of cardio.   My friend Pam suggested a November challenge... 90 in November.  90 miles by Dec 1.   You know Im a sucker for a challange..   I skipped November 1, so yesterday I managed 6 miles  (3 elliptical, 3 treadmill), and today's goal will be another 4.

Moving on..

While at my mom's house on Halloween night, my Aunt turns and says to me, "What do I need to bring on Thanksgiving?"   HOLY HELL its right around the corner!!

Just 3 short weeks from today, Thanksgiving will be here.  The day we stuff ourselves full of the most delicious comfort foods, a cornucopia of foods if you will...  mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn, cranberry sauce and, of course, turkey, among other delights, making us eat until we want to nap.  That damn tryptophan.

Last year was my first year hosting Thanksgiving, and I must admit, other than cleaning my house for hours only to have to re-clean after everyone leaves, I loved it.  All of my friends and family know how much I love to entertain, so this really doesn't bother me at all.  Plus - there's nothing better to me than having a house full of family to share the holidays with.   The best part of planning... THE MENU!!!    My family is pretty straight laced when it comes to food though.  They're traditional in the sense that they really don't like trying new things, but they're going to this year!   I've found an awesome recipe for stuffing, but you know me, I like to mix it up and create my own, so here it is...

DISCLAIMER:  this is in NO WAY healthy for you, so just have a little.  :)   Moderation, right??
2 cups chicken broth (I use College Inn, low sodium low fat chicken broth)
1 cup craisins (these can be found in the salad/condiment aisle, if you dont like craisins, regular dried cranberries will do)
1/4 cup I Cant Believe It's Not Butt Light
1 yellow onion, chopped (I actually grate my onion now, because I hate the texture….thanks Carolyn for the idea!!!)
1/2 cup chopped celery, or 2 stalks (I hate celery, so I chop it fine)
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and finely chopped
3 large eggs
1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8-10 Hawaiian rolls, cubed and toasted (1 package should work just fine)
Salt and pepper to tasteDirections:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine chicken broth and cranberries; let soak for 30 minutes.
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, pepper and celery; cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently or until tender. Add apples and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.
Beat 3 eggs in a separate bowl. Add salt and pepper. Set aside.
In the large bowl with vegetables, stir in chicken broth mixture, mushroom soup, and nutmeg. Add toasted bread, stirring gently to combine. Add eggs. Spoon mixture into prepared dish and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until center is set.

12 servings.
227 calories per serving, 38 carbs, and 6 grams of protein.

I dont know about you, but I'd MUCH rather have this, over 200 calories of mashed potatoes! 

Have a great day guys!! Thanks for reading!

November 1, Weigh In Day

Yes Yes, it's actually November 2, but I was too busy napping and eating pizza last night to write my blog.

True Story.

Before we go into my weigh-in, I want to thank my very amazing sister in law, Stephanie for reminding me, that the scale is a tool... just like my band...  the number does not define who I am, only helps me along the way of my journey.   She emailed this to me a few weeks ago after I had a rough food day, and it made me smile.   Thanks Stephanie, I love you!  :)

So, the results are in.. (I apologize for not taking a picture, I forgot) 

October 1 weigh in - 220 lbs

November 1 weigh in - 225 lbs

This is proof that monthly weigh ins just DO NOT work for me. 

Excuses???   Let's see, I blame the Cardinals for going to the NLCS play offs...   winning those games, then going onto the World Series, and winning that!  YAY CARDINALS!!!!  However - my nights during Red October have been full of Bud Select, hot wings, cheese fries, pizza, etc while watching these games with friends, and celebrating these victories.

It's now November, and baseball is over, (until April 13th) and I NEED to get back to my regular routine.   I will...  beginning today.   


Have a good day friends, as always, thanks for reading! :)

Sunday Soup Recipes

Hey Hey!!

I dont know where you're from, but here in St. Louis fall has arrived in full force.  (except for today, which is 75 degrees)  LOL...   anyway - I love soup all year round, but now that it's getting cooler, I eat it more often.   The downfalls of soup... sodium!!!!!   Ohh man, the sodium is killer in canned and processed soups.  So - I've started making my own.

I made this soup last week for my work lunches and it's excellent!!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I made a few changes. 

• Left out the celery.  yuk.  I hate celery.
• used 6 cups low sodium College Inn chicken broth instead of 4 cups.
• used 2 cups of half and half, instead of 3 cups heavy cream
• used 1/2 cup I Cant Believe It's Not Butter Light, instead of regular butter
• used 1/2 cup flour instead of 3/4.  

This recipe made 12 cups, and each cup came out to be 207 calories.  It's excellent!!   If you like Panera's low fat chicken and wild rice, you have to try this recipe.  It was super easy!!

My friend Carolyn sent me this recipe, and I cant wait to try it.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

Chili and buffalo chicken, mixed together!!???  Yep!! Count me in.  The plan is to make this next weekend, for lunches.

I'm also dying to try this one!! Butternut squash has become my new obsession!!

Butternut Squash Soup


If you have any good soup recipes, or other fall/wintery soups or stews,  I'd love to try them, so please share!