Happy December

Hello everyone and Happy December! I am so happy to share that I am feeling much better, last Tuesday I bought a neti pot to help flush our my sinuses, wow I wish I had bought one when I first felt like crap. I was skeptical and unsure of how it would feel, and it just feels strange. The key is using a saline solution or else it will burn like it did when you were a kid and got water up your nose. I am so grateful that I didn't have to call the Dr. for a course of antibiotics like many of my co-workers, all I could think was I didn't want to destroy my good gut bacteria. I like to think that my sinus cold wasn't as severe and didn't hang on as long because I have been good about low sugar, who knows if I'm right but it's something that makes me feel good. In case you missed it last time this is what I did to help with my cold symptoms: I made a ginger lemon tea by placing peeled and sliced ginger and sliced lemons and water in my crock pot on low all day, I highly recommend that. Advil cold and sinus allowed me to function during the day and get good rest at night. I also made low salt turkey and chicken soup and tried to rest as much as possible.

I have been doing great on the bfc my jeans are fitting much better and I am sooo happy! I have been staying away from work food and also doing great on drinking less. Basically I've been doing the things that I know I need to be doing. I am confident that I can make it though the rest of the holiday season successfully and it feels realistic to be at 135 by the time my birthday rolls around at the end of January.

Have a wonderful week, I will try to post more so I can stay connected and I will work on getting some cute pics of our house posted :)

Thankful Thanksgiving is Over

Hello everyone, I am having a hard time getting this post out this is my third time sitting down to write :) Wow it's been a busy one since I last posted. Monday I got the crud that has been going around. I  put some peeled and sliced ginger and lemons in water and left it on low all night. The result was a very gingery lemon tea which helped me feel a ton better at work on along with advil cold and sinus. From what I can gather any kind of cold or cough syrup contains an absurd amount of sugar but cold/flu tablets may only contain a small amount of sugar if they have a coating around them. I also made chicken and turkey soup.

I am so thankful that Thanksgiving is over! Even though it went smoothly it was a lot of work since I didn't feel 100% and hubby was busy with school and work. Our folks helped us out a ton getting ready, my Mom came over and helped me clean and last minute decorate, my FIL came over and helped finish painting our upstairs bathroom and installing a vanity. Long story short everything turned out nicely and with all our help I was able to stay out of the kitchen with my cold.

We had a pretty traditional meal: turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn casserole, rolls and gravy. I think I did pretty good I filled up half my plate with turkey, and only had a dollop of mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry and green beans. It was just the right amount of all the carby side dishes I had several good bites of each thing without going overboard. I completely stayed away from the sweet potatoes since the bfc all that added sugar just tastes gross, and I've never liked gravy.

All in all I'm sure I had more carbs than I needed for the whole day, but I feel good about it. I didn't go crazy with appetizers before dinner like I have in the past, I didn't drink too much wine I only had two glasses after everyone left and we watched a Christmas movie and looked at the black Friday ads. Another thing I did which has helped us not to pig out in the days after Thanksgiving was to send our guests home with generous plates of leftovers...all these things paid off because my weight was 139.5 on my Sunday morning weigh in :) Have a wonderful week everyone :)

Good things

Hello everyone, I must be doing something right because the scale was down to 140.5 this morning!!! I feel good and super encouraged to keep it up and stay on track. Yesterday I went to the mall and I found a cute sweater and fleece at Old Navy which surprised me because I haven't found anything there in forever. Even better news is that I didn't hate the way I looked in the dressing room mirror. :)

It's amazing what can happen when I just stick to what I know works. For me that includes drinking very little, this weekend I had one beer on Saturday, last weekend I had 1 glass of wine with dinner and the  weekend before that I didn't drink at all. And for the past month hubby and I have been good about not drinking during the week. I have managed to stay away from the work sweets, and if I ate any snacky carbs I counted them out....55 goldfish crackers is a satisfying amount of crackers. I have been getting whole grain carbs in with the ezekiel bread and lots of veggies. I have also been drinking lots of the celestial seasoning holiday teas with whipped cream.

Next on our agenda is hosting Thanksgiving. I feel good about that because I think it will be easier to sneak belly friendly options in along with the usual sugary carby fare. Have a great night :)

Portion Controll

Hello everyone, it's a rainy weekend up here in my neck of the woods perfect for house projects, meal planning and cooking. Our first Halloween in our house was fun for me hubby missed it because he was at school studying. He is such a good man and a hard worker. He works full time and goes to school full time, which is hard for me sometimes because I hardly ever see him.  On Halloween I took a page out of Rosalie's play book and handed out bags of chips instead of candy. I wanted to hand out bags of pirate booty but I couldn't find any at costco or the grocery store, next year if I think of it in enough time I'm sure I could order them off amazon. The parents of a super cute little chick gave me the thumbs up on bags of chips instead of candy :)

Yesterday I started reading the original bfc again, and wow there was a ton of stuff that I had forgot, or that I have been pushing the line on. I think that is part of the problem too often we eye ball it or think that what we are doing is the right thing when it comes to weight loss and maintenance.

Another really simple and common sense thing I have been overlooking is lately is portion size of what we take to work everyday. When I make food and put it away in the fridge hubby takes whatever container it is in so if I put something away in a larger container he will take that container and eat it. I find that I have been taking a larger container with the thought that I will eat some at lunch and some at break, but I often eat too much at a time. Yesterday I talked to hubby about this and he agreed that sometimes we are just eating too much food even though it's not sugary or carby.

I guess that's all for now, I hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

Bfc friendly chocolate peanut butter pudding cake

Hello everyone, today was a beautiful fall day  I had coffee with a friend and we took a walk around a beautiful park. It was a cold damp rainy day but fortunately we didn't get rained on. It wasn't as cold as it was during the rest of the week so it was a great day to get out and enjoy the fall leaves. We might get an early snow this year (yikes) I always hope that it doesn't snow until the end of November or the first part of December.

Something that has been on my mind this week is how easy it is for me to think of the work week and the weekend as being separate.  It's so easy to think that after we have been good during the work week we can relax on the weekend. This way of thinking has really slowed my progress and I'm ready to acknowledge that when I am trying to lose weight I need to be extra good on the weekend as well as the week.

I am loving my crock pot so much and I really want to build my collection of recipes apart from stew, soup and chili. Last year for Christmas I asked for "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufman. I made my first recipe this week, which seems crazy since I wanted it so bad and then never made anything until now....go figure. The recipe I tried is "chocolate peanut butter pudding cake" although I altered it to be bfc friendly.

Here is the original recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake:
1c flour
2T unsweetened coco powder
1/2c sugar
1, 1/2t baking powder
1/2c whole milk or chocolate milk
2T peanut oil, canola or walnut
1 T vanilla
1/2c peanut butter
1/2c semisweet chocolate chips

Topping:
3T unsweetened coco powder
3/4c sugar
1,1/2c boiling water

BFC Friendly Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Cake:
1c  almond flour
2T unsweetened coco powder
several packets of stevia (I think I used 5 or so)
1,1/2t baking powder
1/2c half-n-half
2T walnut oil
1T vanilla
1/2c peanut butter
1/2 dark chocolate bark cut up

Topping:
3T unsweetned coco powder
several packets stevia
1.1/2c boiling water


Cover the bottom of your slow cooker with butter, oil or spray and spread out the cake batter. Add the topping and cook on HIGH for 2-2.5 hrs. After it has finished cooking let it sit for at least a half an hour. I found that it was 10x's better after sitting overnight.

Hello everyone, slowly we are getting our bfc groove back. I tried a delicious new recipe from pinterest in my crock pot.This morning I also started re-reading the original bfc and bfc ft...very helpful. I was surprised that there were a lot of things that I had forgot. I'm really committed to doing this thing and getting back on track. This week at work I have been very disciplined and I haven't gotten into the crackers and other carby things that get me off track...it was especially hard to stay out of the goldfish crackers today. I have learned that being good in these things that seem small is what counts for me. Have a wonderful rest of your week :)

Thai-Style Pork Stew 
www.myrecipes.com/recipe/thai-style-pork-stew-10000000354826/

• 2 pounds boned pork loin, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 cups (1 x 1/4-inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce    
• 2 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter 
• 6 cups hot cooked basmati rice
• 1/2 cup diagonally cut green onions
• 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

How I adapted it...I was inspired by Jorge's "Sumptuous Pork Stir-Fry" in the original BFC pg. 229. For a sweet and sour sauce I used one part balsamic vinegar, one part low sodium soy sauce, two packets of stevia, and one tsp. ginger instead of teriyaki sauce. And instead of rice I used quinoa, and added broccoli. 

Still trying to find my bfc groove

Hello everyone, what a week. First of all we found out that someone had gotten hold of my husband's credit card number and probably had a new credit card made with out number. We were alerted by the credit card company when they had used the wrong zip code while getting gas. Crazy huh, when I told my folks about it they said the same thing happened to them last month.

Food wise I did great this week, I did not cheat at work even though there was a ton of bad stuff to eat there. My work place loves to have potlucks for any occasion, we have had two in a row. It is so easy for me to mindlessly eat while at work. It is especially hard for me to stay away from chips and salsa. I had learned during my time doing the bfc that chips are my downfall. Once I start I can just eat and eat and eat. I have counted them out before and just ate one serving, but that is really hard one serving is usually 14-17 chips.

I also did not have any candy from the candy drawer. It is so easy to tell myself that the bite size candy bars are so low in sugar or calories that I can have several and it won't hurt me...I just googled bite size butterfinger and they have 3.67g sugar and 33 calories. Which is not super bad, but not helpful if you are trying to lose weight. Plus it's hard for me to have just one, once I start I want at least a couple more. Another thing that I did great in this week was not drinking more than two glasses of wine at a time, which is big progress for me because I LOVE red wine.

I feel like I am still trying to find my groove in several areas especially getting back into the bfc groove. I had been in denial so long about how I was doing that it is taking a lot of effort to get my mind back in the game. I guess it will come with hard work and time. I guess that's all for now have a great weekend everyone.

Random things

I remembered what I wanted to say before, I love fall foods especially squash here is my tip: don't throw away the seeds. I know it is a hassle but just toss them in the strainer and separate them from the stringy squash, add a splash of olive oil or grapeseed salt and pepper. Put them in the oven on 400, make sure to stir them often to prevent burning and cook until they are a nice golden brown.

Roasted veggies are my favorite thing to make right now, I've truly been making them a ton but hubby hasn't complained yet :) Roasted veggies also make wonderful fall soups. I love to make soup, but lately I've decided that I don't like using pre-made chicken or veggie stalks because they are usually full of salt. I would rather be in control of how much salt I put in my soups.

Have a wonderful Monday :)

Hello everyone, thanks for the great comments. Thank you Amy your comment made me feel really special and good, so thank you for brightening my day :) Last Saturday was a great day my Mom and I found some items for my mantle from Pier 1 and Hobby Lobby slowly very slowly I feel like this house is ours.

Hubby is back in school which is great but it's an adjustment on both of us to get used to him being busy all the time. Last week I spent a lot of time at the gym which I feel really good about because I want a strong, fit body. I wore jeans this weekend that I haven't worn in three weeks and they fit better! I love that feeling when your jeans fit better, they still don't fit the way I want but I know it will take more time and hard work to get there. Today the scale was up a pound but I'm not worried because my jeans fitting better shows progress that the scale doesn't show.

I know I had more on my mind to share but I can't seem to think of it at the moment....so I guess it will come to me at some random time :)

Checkin in

Hello everyone, I've been playing around on pinterest and catching up on the blogs...Ashley Mae have you decided not to blog any longer? If so I wish you the best on your weight loss journey.

I'm sure hubby and I look pretty amusing we are in the basement in our beach chairs with a rubbermaid as our end table watching football, I mean hubby is watching football and I've been on pinterest. I love love love pinterest.

I have been a very good girl lately, I've been eating right and working out hard this week I am down .5 lb my tummy looks smaller to me and I have tightened my belt buckle...I feel so encouraged. I can do this!

I don't have a ton left to say not much has been happening, we are still getting settled in putting things and doing lots of yard work. Things are coming along nicely, today my Mom and I went and started getting fall decorations for my mantle.

Would you like to know what I have been eating this week? Roasted veggies and baked meatballs, tri-tip roast with butternut squash, breakfast burritos with low carb tortillas, turkey breakfast sausage, eggs and cheese. Snacks: 1/4c Thai curry cashews, and avocados.

3rd day in a row blogging, go figure

Hello everyone, I don't even remember the last time I blogged three days in a row. Thanks for all the great comments yesterday. Welcome Debbie what is your blog address? I googled Debbie's Journey and several blogs came up but it didn't seem that any were yours.

Yesterday was weigh in day and whooo hooo down 1 lb to 142. It's progress and it shows that I was good with food and exercise last week. I feel encouraged that I can exercise and eat good and get back into good shape. 

The roasted veggie soup I made Saturday turned out great and it was so simple. I roasted zucchini summer squash, butternut squash and a medium slice of onion in grapseed oil salt and pepper for an hour on 400. I then sauteed a bunch of kale and celery and then added the  roasted veggies, water parsley and a little more salt and pepper. It was delicious and I didn't even have to add any more chicken or veggie stalk for flavor. I LOVE LOVE fall soups.

Have a wonderful day :)

It's a new day and I don't feel so discouraged like I did yesterday a good workout really helped to clear my head. It didn't take much to get me off course or to think that I was doing better than I was. I spent some time thinking about what has worked for me before. When I was in High School my family was doing the Zone or South Beach and I started running cross-country I felt amazing. After my freshman year of college I gained weight I lost it by exercising and portion control. I used my measuring cups a ton and wrote down what I ate. Two years ago when I broke my knee cap I purposed not to snack because I couldn't get up and move around very well and I didn't drink at all. When I first lost weight with the bfc I kept track of everything I ate and blogged every day.

Why is it so easy to stray off course and put the weight we lost back on? It's easy because there are so many delicious bad things to eat out there and it's easy for me to feel like I am missing out if I don't eat them even though I know it's not true.

I put an article about goal setting in my food/inspiration journal I don't know who the author is which makes me feel bad passing on this information...anyway here it is in a nutshell. It's easy to blame our failures in the weight loss area on our lack of willpower. The actual problem is relying on willpower to begin with. The real key to success is taking baby steps "the path from dream to reality is laden with digestible  and specific monthly, weekly and daily challenges." Remember baby steps from the movie What about Bob? I have lost sight of my daily goals and too often brushed them off thinking it didn't matter.

Katie's Baby Steps:
Starting 143: Goal 130-135
Daily goals: keep track of all food that goes in my mouth
Portion control: using the my food scale or measuring cups and spoons rather than eyeballing it.

Weekly: exercise more cardio and group classes.
Blogging: keeping my head in the game and staying honest

Monthly: to see a change in the way my clothes fit, and to look good when we go to Seattle for a wedding October 20th.

 That is my first plan, I will stick with it and I won't make excuses...I know I can do this!!! :)

First of all I just want to say Rosalie I am so sorry for your loss.

Hello everyone, it's a quiet Saturday around here hubby is doing yard work and I just finished making a roasted veggie soup with zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, onion, celery, kale and pork chops. I'm feeling a little discouraged with myself because I realized that I am back to where I started in Jan 2011. I guess it's not a big surprise after hubby and I put an offer on our house in Feb we our eating habits changed a bit. So, I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I know works for me and so far I've come up with: no drinking, exercise, measuring things out and staying away from work food. So far I've not been drinking for 3 weeks and trying to get back to the gym and not mindless eating.

A part of me hates sharing that I am back to my starting point, I wish I could say I've kept it off even during times of stress. I am committed to being mindful about all the food I put into my mouth and doing what I need to do.

Last week was my Mom's birthday I got her some chocolate and a cooking class for the both of us. The chocolate was a big disappointment. ChocoPerfection bars claim they are the best tasting low carb chocolate bars, but in my opinion they lack great taste and texture, and at $ 4.75 a bar I don't plan of buying them again.

Have a wonderful Saturday, I plan on blogging much more because it keeps my head in the game.

Getting Settled In

Hello everyone, the move is done and we are finally getting settled in our new house. Some days I feel really excited about getting settled and putting everything away, others I just feel tired and overwhelmed with getting organized. I've had a big sweet tooth this week so I made more coconut pumpkin muffins and chocolate almond cookies I like using the nustevia I find I use less of it than I did truvia. I've also been a little bad and I've been eating sugar-free instant pudding and oreos, I feel bad like I am poising myself with sucralose. I feel once in a while in small amounts is ok but I've really been eating a lot of pudding. And you know what, the sugar free pudding isn't even that good it has that gross fake taste to it.

I changed my settings on my comment form to make things easier so please let me know if it isn't any different. Have a great weekend everyone :)

Ahhh finally a chance to sit down and blog

Hello everyone, the move is DONE, the apt is cleaned and now we need to unpack and settle in. We won't have interent until Tuesday right now we are at the folks watching the BYU WSU game...college football is here, bring on the madness.

Today I ate my last low carb tortilla for breakfast, I put 1/2 of the black bean chipotle burger, scrambled eggs and pepper jack cheese for a yummy breakfast burrito. It was delicious and kept be full until lunch time.

I have been craving something sweet and finding it hard to stay away from the bite size candy bars in the candy drawer at work. I decided that I would make some chocolate almond cookies but this morning I couldn't find the almond flour so I made coconut pumpkin muffins instead, wouldn't you know when I was cleaning up after the pumpkin muffins I found the almond flour. I've put most of the kitchen away now I just need to remember where I put things.

I bought some new stevia yesterday since I discovered that truvia is not a very good source of stevia, has anyone else used this brand? Any thoughts? My pumpkin muffins turned out great and I know I will be making lots of them now that fall is right around the corner. Well I guess that's all for now I hope everyone is doing great. I will blog more once we have internet at the house.

Good News :)

Hello everyone, another busy day at least roto rooter came and the sink is back to normal, no more washing dishes in the bathroom sink :) More good news WE ARE MOVING INTO OUR FIRST HOUSE TOMORROW!!!! It's been a loooong road we put an offer in Super Bowl Sunday and the reason it took so freakin long is because the house was in short sale. I have been trying to take a play out of Rosalie's play book and I've been trying hard not to eat bad because I've been stressed with all that had to be done. That's probably why we have been eating a lot of smart and delicious low carb wraps the past several weeks. I have made some delicious breakfast burritos and wraps for lunch and dinner.

This afternoon while packing I was craving something sweet big time cookies, cake or ice cream I went to the store and got sugar free mini peanut butter cups instead I felt much better and a sugar crisis was averted. The sugar free peanut butter cups are not something I would consume frequently because they contain sucralose but I think once in a blue moon is ok.

So in a nutshell that's what is going on over here. One last bit of good news I have been taking a body conditioning group class at the YMCA for a couple of months now the Monday Wednesday instructor is super into arms, all the emphasis on arms is paying off while packing I noticed I have a set of guns now :) I feel encouraged to keep working at the other areas that are hard for me such as abs and not cheating at work or enjoying too much wine and telling myself it's ok. I have to remind myself that I have to be consistent and diligent in doing the work to see the results. Have a wonderful weekend everyone :)

Hello everyone, things are good and a little crazy over here. Our kitchen sink has a major clog somewhere in the main pipe. Our sink went from being slow to drain, to being clogged with water even after washing only a few dishes, someone from roto rooter comes tomorrow. We have been eating a lot of low carb tortillas as wraps and breakfast burritos as an simple solution to avoid too many dishes.

I have heard some good things lately, first of all our cells retain water when they are dehydrated which is even more inspiration to stay well hydrated. Another is to say "I don't eat ___" instead of
I can't eat___". When you say you don't it helps you to stick to your guns and not to cheat. This makes perfect sense to me and is something I will be trying out at parties and gatherings in the future.

Well, I guess that's all for now it has been a long week at work and I am ready for bed, I just wanted to check in and say HI :)

Stressed? Try Easy Now tea

Good Morning everyone!!! It is a beautiful Sunday, the weather has been hot and wonderful. When people complain about the heat I always say don't wish it away it will be gone soon enough. A co-worker from Connecticut said that the weather up here is very similar to New England except the summers are shorter over here.

Anyway,  yesterday we had make-your-own sandwiches for lunch at the in-laws, there was white bread and whole wheat to chose from. The whole wheat had 4g of sugar per slice which is pretty typical of many breads, so I made my sandwich with one slice of bread. We have also been eating a lot of the low carb tortillas as wraps for lunch or breakfast burritos.

Another thing that I have been wanting to share
I have been drinking a lot of traditional medicinals easy now tea, and I find it very helpful. One of the ingredients is lavender which makes a very calming and relaxing tea. Two years ago when we were in the process of moving back home after hubby got out of the military I felt stressed and wound up all the time. In the process of saying good-bye to beautiful San Diego we stopped at a coffee tea and wine house that was on the list of places to try. They had all sorts of beautiful teas on display in beautiful glass jars. When they asked what I wanted I told them I was moving and feeling very stressed, and they recommended lavender tea.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week :)

Hello everyone, we had a wonderful time camping!!! It felt so wonderful to be able to hang out with the family and relax. I guess I will start with run down of the bfc friendly food I brought.


My parents dog Sadie on the river

The river in the morning

• Everyone loved the chocolate almond protein bites, no one thought they were "weird, or too healthy tasting" my only complaint is that if they were left out of the cooler too long they made a mess. I will defiantly be making these again.

• The crust less mini quiches were perfect for snacks and breakfast. In mine I put frozen spinach, sauteed asparagus, turkey breakfast sausage and cheddar cheese. In my opinion they are good  served cold or hot.

• The lemon coconut bread was a perfect snack for us, when it was our turn to cook breakfast for the clan I served it along with rudi's English muffins, eggs, sausage and bacon...I didn't get much feedback so I don't think it was a big hit with the others, but no big deal it was worth bringing it because I think it helped me to stay away from other high sugar treats.

Sugar Free Marshmallows

• I also made two batches of marshmallows one sugar free and one regular. In my opinion it's not hard to make them, just time consuming. Regular marshmallows are basically sugar and corn syrup heated on the stove and then added to unflavored gelatin and beatten until white and fluffy (15 mins). I found a recipe for sugar free marshmallows on Lauren's Healthy Indulgences blog when I first started the bfc and I have been waiting for a  good occasion to try them out. Making sugar free marshmallows involved boiling xylitol and honey (I used natures hollow honey) and then adding the hot mixture to unflavored gelatin and beating until white and fluffy.

• I first tried making marshmallows two years ago for Christmas from a recipe from a book I was given for my wedding Autumn by Susan Branch. She says "roast 'em at a hayride, bonfire or melt them in hot chocolate" They are delicious in hot chocolate but I wanted to see if they roast up nicely over a fire....I was VERY disappointed that both my sugar free and regular marshmallows do not roast up nicely at all, in fact many fell into the fire and only several made it for smores.

I guess that's all for now. Have a wonderful day everyone :)

Goin Campin :)

Good morning everyone!!! Today we leave to go camping...yeehawww!!!! Yesterday I spent all day in the kitchen making belly friendly goodies to take, last year I came home 4 lbs heavier, so I really put some thought into how this year can be better. I made: lemon coconut bread, almond protein bites, mini crust less quiches, and sugar free marshmallows that I have been wanting to try for a long time. I also made a batch of regular marshmallows for everyone else.

On Saturday we went to a bbq with our out of town friends and some other friends in town we don't see very often, I was a good girl no beer for me :) And surprisingly I felt great and I didn't feel left out at all. We had cheese burgers and kaboobs so there was plenty of things to eat, it was a good get together.

I love how I feel when I am good and I just have the discipline to stay away from belly bad foods. My jeans still don't fit the way I want :( but I know they will if I keep having more good food days, keep up going to my exercise classes and get in more cardio. Sometimes it's frustrating that I'm not just there now, but I know that some of my small cheats this summer, are the reason I'm not there.

Well, I guess that's all for now have a wonderful week everyone :)

Hello friends, Happy August!!! First of all things are moving forward with our house (for anyone who doesn't know we are in the process of buying a house that is in short sale) nothing official to share just yet but it's looking like it could be soon.

Yesterday hubby commented that my shorts are much loser than they were when I first put them on this summer...I said yes when they didn't fit it was a small crisis...he then said that when my clothes don't fit I don't treat it like a small crisis...LOL. SO TRUE. That reminded me that I have made some progress and I need to keep it up, because it's easy to make some progress then slack for a bit because I think I can. This weekend we have friends coming into town and we are hoping they will come over for dinner Friday if their schedules allow. Whenever we hang out with these friends we usually drink, I have been not drinking at all lately because my slim down goals are important to me and at this stage in the game I feel like alcohol throws me off my game. I have been giving myself pep talks all week about how I can totally hang out and have a good time and not have anything to drink.

Instead of having a cold beer I will have lots of water or iced tea. I am not just trying to lose a couple of pounds I am trying to work on my self-discipline which is a large part of the bigger picture. It's easy to think "I need to be skinny" but I am more concerned with being healthy. Eating right and getting enough exercise is sooo important, I hope that by taking good care of myself I can avoid some  health problems later on in life. :) Big hugs to everyone :)

Good news for the end of July

Good morning everyone, it's early here but right now it's the most realistic part of my day to share. Good news!!!! I have meet my goal for July and I am down from 145 to 140!!! Whoo Hoo!! My next goal is to get to 135. I've been working hard hitting the gym, I love group exercise classes, I find that I work harder in them than I do on my own. We have basically been doing the fast track for the past several weeks so we can eat some of the yummy summer fruit, but starting next week we will go back to the regular bfc. We are going camping with our family and hubby told me last night he wants to be able to eat some sandwiches while we are camping.

I have been sitting on an article from a free weekly paper the Pinch that has some helpful tips about weight loss in the summer. "5 Surprising Summer Habits that Pack on the Pounds"

1. Load Up on Sugar (duh lol) most processed foods are full of sugar, but added sugar can also be found in processed meats.
2. Skimp on Protein and Fat: people who eat protein and fat in every meal are less likely to overeat.
3. Eat more Breakfast Cereal, which won't keep you full very long.
4. Fill up on Fruit and Fruit Juice...sugar sugar sugar. A good way to balance out fruit and vegetable intake is to eat 3-4 servings non-starchy veggies with each serving of fruit.
5. Reward Yourself after every Workout: it doesn't take much to offset what you burn in a workout.

Number 5 Don't reward yourself after every workout is the tip that works best for me it is so easy for me to think "I worked out this morning and a little of ___ won't hurt" I have been good lately not giving in to that thought, I have been staying away from all the sugary carby goodness at work.

I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the wonderful summer weather while we have it!!!!

Hello friends, I know I have been absent for awhile but don't worry I haven't fallen off the wagon I've just been enjoying summer. Today hubby and I went to an Oil and Vinegar store and bought some yummy olive oil and balsamic vinegar to make our own dressing...I am so excited to try it on my hearty salad for lunch tomorrow.

I just started reading a book called "Cooking with Coconut Flour" by Bruce Fife N.D. that my Mom gave me to borrow. In the first several pages he says some interesting things that I did not know:

• Most gluten-free products are high in carb, few gluten-free alternatives are gluten free and low in carb
• Coconut flour is low in digestible carbs and full of fiber
• Coconut flour is considered hypoallergenic because few are allergic to it

I found that info very interesting because I often find myself, like many others thinking that gluten-free is somehow healthier, just as we used to think that anything low in fat, or fat-free was healthier. I also have a paleo cookbook and an almond flour cookbook to look at from my Mom. When I am finished I will share my thoughts. I know many of you are getting away from the coconut and almond flour goodies because you feel they are too fattening. At this point I'm not sure what I think.

That's pretty much all for now, I want to get some more reading in before bedtime. I hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow. Big hugs :)

Hello everyone, this afternoon I listened to "The Truth About Sweeteners" by Dr. David Getoff...WOW. I agree with what Rosalie said the other day about never buying truvia again, I honestly had no idea that not all stevia products are not created equal. I am trying to wrap my mind around all that he said.

I am proud to say that I have been staying away from the wheat thins and cheez-its at work!!!! Whooo Hooo! I have been drinking a ton of water, I read that if we are not well hydrated our metabolism goes down 3%. My discipline is paying off I am down 2.5 lbs :) yeah!!! I feel super motivated to keep being good, my goal is to be 140 by the end of July.

That's about all I have to say for now I just finished making lunches for tomorrow and after I jump on pinterest it's time for bed.

Things are good

Hello everyone, I have had a hard time thinking about what to blog lately. I haven't fallen off the wagon actually hubby and I are doing great food and exercise wise. I looked back at my journal for June and I was surprised to see that I did better than I thought I did. I drank less and exercised more, although I didn't write down every time I cheated at work, but this is a new month and I am being more disciplined. I am not letting the cheez-it's and wheat thins have any power over me :)

We have been eating a lot of grilled food and salads lately and I can tell a difference in both of us. Instead of throwing away my old sugar I have been making sugar scrubs I got the idea from pinterest. This morning I made one with brown and white sugar, grape seed oil, coconut oil, vitamin E oil and jojoba oil. My skin feels soft and amazing, I would really rather go to the lake than work this morning :) Well, I guess that's all for now I need to finish getting ready for work. Have a wonderful day everyone :)

Good morning everyone!!! First of all have you guys noticed that it seems tons of words are underlined and now have links to them???? What's up with that??? And does anyone know how to disable it? ???It annoys me that the things I say have links to them that I did not put there.

What a week it felt like it draged on and on, mostly because work was slow but I had several late days because although it was slow things did not end early. Monday we looked at the house that we are in the process of buying :) The renters recently moved out so we were able to see it empty for the first time, which was very helpful to get a better picture of what shape the house is in. Things have been moving VERY SLOWLY because the house is in short sale. Our parents came with us on Monday and they had a lot of good ideas and suggestions, even though hubby and I are entering our 30's it still feels good to get our parents opinions on things :)

Foodwise it was  a good week for me I did really good staying away from all the sweets and carby things at work, and I stayed strong in my decision to not have any alcohol for awhile. The quote I posted from Dr. Atkins about alcohol postponing weight loss really hit home with me. This will be a challenge for me because I really enjoy a nice glass of wine after a long day, or a cold beer on a hot summer day.....but I am ready to stop making excuses and just to make some sacrifices to get to where I want to be. I feel like I talk about alcohol a lot and if any of you are wondering if I have a problem I want to assure you I don't. It is just a struggle for me because it's something I enjoy.

So that's what I've been up to lately, just pluggin along trying to be good, waiting for news on our house. I hope everyone has a nice weekend :)

Hello everyone, I am so happy to share that the past several days have been very successful for me!!! I have stayed strong and I haven't eaten any snacky junky food at work. Even though there has been plenty of opportunity do so. Sometimes I feel like I work in Sugar City in the State of Carbohydrates, there is always something sweet and very belly unfriendly. I keep telling myself that I just need to stay away, no cheating allowed. I have realized that it is just easier to stay away all together than to have just a bite or a taste of anything, doing that just makes me want to eat more.

7g of sugar in these mini sugar cookies

Last week when I was cheating at work I ate one mini lofthouse sugar cookie, I thought it's just a mini cookie and when is the last time I had a sugar cookie. I totally justified it to myself. Anyway, that one stinkin mini sugar cookie had 7g of sugar. Eating that much sugar in one little cookie is not what I need to be doing to get where I want to be. I want to be healthy, fit, toned, firm, happy and at a good pre-pregnancy weight for the time that hubby and I start trying to have babies. All of this requires putting in work, setting goals and sticking to them. Tomorrow we are having another pot-luck at work I'm sure there will be tons of tempting goodies, but I am in a better place than I was during last week's pot-luck, and I know I won't be cheating with those mini sugar cookies.

Much better today

Hello everyone, thanks for the great supportive comments!!! I am feeling much much better about things. Yesterday I went to the gym and had a good workout, I then spent a good portion of the evening journaling. I am in the process of making an action plan for myself in 6 months I turn 30, I want to be in a good place to start a new decade. I am setting goals and making a step by step plan of how to reach them. I feel that I am finally setting myself up for SUCCESS!!!

As far as food goes I have decided to make some delicious filling veggie soups or salads to fill me up at work, and practice some discipline when it comes to wheat thins and cheezits...I like how Trina put it that like an alcoholic she can't have just one of anything she shouldn't. I think that is a good way to look at things and it will help me to stay away from the junk. I also agree with Kay, I have had my best success when I give up alcohol for awhile. Alcohol gives us calories with no other nutrition, and it loosens my resolve to lose weight. I saw a quote yesterday from Dr. Atkins that makes a ton of sense to me:

"Here's the problem with all alcoholic beverages, and the reason I recommend refraining from alcohol consumption on the diet. Alcohol, whenever taken in, is the first fuel to burn. While that's going on, your body will not burn fat. This does not stop the weight loss, it simply postpones it." Dr. Atkins

With that said I have picked myself up from my cheating ways, and I have decided that NO cheating is ok. My goal is to be fit, slim, healthy, toned and cheating simply won't help me get there. I am gonna work very hard to get back into the zone and get away from emotional eating. I hope everyone had a nice weekend, I will talk to you guys later :)

Hello everyone, I am frustrated and annoyed with myself and I have had a hard time wanting to even get on blogger to read your blogs and to share. I was doing great until last weekend. Saturday we had my folks over for dinner we had lots of yummy bfc approved food I just ate too much...we had burgers I ate a whole wheat bun 5g of sugar, homemade fries, salad, wine (2 glasses) and a clemmy O for dessert. Nothing too crazy but I know between the carbs from the hamburger bun, potatoes it was too much. Sunday we had a bbq at my in-laws for Father's day, I ate too many cheese potatoes and several glasses of wine, although I did good resisting pie and ice cream for dessert.

I wasn't much better during the work week, I ate wheat thins with my lunch and when hubby and I went out to dinner on Wednesday for a much needed night out I drank an Italian Sidecar which is a vodka drink my co-worker has been raving about with pellegrino orange which had 20g of sugar alone....What is wrong with me? Where has my discipline and self-control gone? I have been listening to the voice in my head that says "It's ok,  you never eat this, you deserve it and it won't count" I don't know what to do with myself. I am back on the straight and narrow again but I need to put the kabosh on all this cheating. I feel crummy from all the extra carbs and sugar. If anyone has any helpful suggestions on how to quit cheating so much I would love to hear them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mood matches our weather, I feel gray and gloomy...so after I finish this I am off to the gym for a good workout. I am drinking lots of water today and I am hoping to feel better tomorrow.

Checking in Short and Sweet

Hello everyone, thank you for the nice comments. It feels so good to be back in the swing of things. Yesterday we went over to my folks for dinner my Mom made salmon with natures hollow apricot jam and horseradish, and we had zucchini and asparagus and clemmy o's for dessert. It was a very belly good meal. My folks are doing the bfc and they look good, I am proud of them :)

I am also very proud of my hubby he got his lab results back from his yearly physical and he lowered his cholesterol from last year :) We are working together to figure out how to make the bfc work the best for us and to be the healthy and fit people we want to be.

Well, I guess that's all for now I just wanted to check in and share some observations on how the bfc is positively affecting those close to me.

I love peonies and I have some that look just like these sitting on my dining room table.

It has been a good week :)

Hello everyone, things over here are good hubby and I are practicing some discipline and we are being faithful to the BFC. I am really proud of us, we are on the straight and narrow and we haven't been cheating. Yesterday we went and saw the alien movie Promethus no high sugar or carb snacks for us we had a cup of coffee because we went to the 10 o'clock showing. I think I like watching movies at home better, I like to stretch out on the couch and  be able to pause the movie for potty breaks.

Today we were both sore from working out and we decided to go to the gym and sit in the hot tub, sauna and steam room...and it was heaven. We came home feeling so relaxed and refreshed. It felt good to relax in a way that didn't involve food or drinks.

I have been on pinterest pinning diet/fitness inspiration like a mad woman, it may sound corny but I am really finding it inspirational and helpful. It was last Saturday when I really realized that I wasn't doing as good as I thought I was when I realized my jeans were too snug. Since then I have been making better choices I have written everything down that has gone in my mouth, I have measured food instead of eyeballing it no cheezits or wheat thins at work even though they were calling my  name, lots of water, blogging more frequently, less wine and consistent exercise. It feels sooo good to be back in the swing of things, I like knowing that I am doing good not just thinking that I am doing good.
 I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, it's rainy and cold up here which gave me a good excuse to take a long nap :)

Here I am for the weight loss party

Hello friends, thanks for the encouragement. Right now I feel pretty good that I am following through with being more present in the blog community. I am finding it very helpful to use my food journal again. For me it's an outlet where I can vent about everything, I have come to realize that there are a lot of things that I don't want to keep bottled up inside, but I need to be careful about what I share. When I have been faithful about journaling in the past I have felt more at peace and I have been more successful with my weight and fitness. I have a quote from Kay that I absolutely love and I have written it on the inside cover of my journal: "I really think we all do better when the BFC is forefront in our minds. Blogging, reading the blogs, getting inspired...they all go together" Her words really inspire me I agree we all do best when the bfc is forefront in our minds, if it's not it is so easy to get sidetracked and fall off the straight and narrow.

I have been looking for diet/fitness inspiration on pinterest, here are some of the things I found that inspire me :)

Honesty

Hello my friends, I'm embarrassed to say that I have gained weight :( It's crazy that I didn't notice I feel good, but Saturday I went to put on my jeans and it was not good, then to see what the real damage was I got on the scale...yikes 145. I realized that I must have been living in the famous state of Denial. Denial because I really thought I was doing good except for little cheats here and there because I just plain wanted them and I thought I deserved them. Since I haven't been fully plugged into the bfc community lately I was a little out of touch with what I was really up to. Well, I had the "come to Jesus" talk with myself over the weekend and I decided that I need to get back to purposeful, mindful eating. I've also started food journaling again, if it goes in my mouth I have to write it down, doing that really makes me aware of what I am really up to.

I am glad to be out of denial, I plan to be more plugged in by blogging and commenting on others blogs. I am journaling my food and I am taking advantage of our new gym membership. I feel actually kinda refreshed to have had this epiphany about myself and my plan to lose the extra lbs and get back on track.

I am not discouraged or depressed about the extra weight, I am committed to getting back on track and figuring out better ways of making this work long term. I turn 30 in January and I've been doing a lot of thinking about where I want to be then and how to get there.

If you have been living in a state of denial like I have, it's ok...just pick yourself up and start again. Start being mindful and intentional about what you put into your mouth. I will be more faithful in posting about my journey to getting back on track, together we can do this.

Thank you everyone for the nice comments on my last post, Kim I would love to know how you make greek yogurt :)

Hello everyone, can you believe June is here, where did May go? May was a good month for us, the bank did not accept our offer on the house (which is fine becasue we gave them a low offer to see what they would say) but we accepted their counter offer :) :) :)  Sometime this summer we could be in our first house :) Last week was my last body fit and zumba classes that I took through the parks and rec program :( Hubby and I decided that since I have come to love the group exercise classes it would be more cost effective to join a gym. Last weekend we became members at our local YMCA :) I have already taken two zumba classes and I look forward to trying out more classes. This is the first time that I have worked out in a gym since hubby was in the Marine Corps and I worked out on base.

Hubby and I have been having a more of a cold cereal version of the make ahead oatmeal smoothies I talked about recently.
327 calories, 26.5g carb, 2g sugar and 7.9g fiber.
1/4c old fashioned oatmeal
1c unsweetned coconut milk or almond
1T chia seeds
1T whole flax seeds
1T barleans
1/4c Trader Joe's 2% Greek style lowfat plain yogurt

I love Trader Joe's Greek Style 2% lowfat plain yogurt. It has the lowest ammount of sugar that I have found in plain greek yogurt. For one cup it has 5g sugar, 9g carb, 24g protein and 160 calories. I often just use 1/4c or 1/2c at a time for even lower sugar. And for 16 oz I paid $2.79.

I guess that is all for now, I hope eveyone is having a nice weeknd. P.S. this is my 300th post :)

Pinterest Party

Good morning everyone and Happy Hump Day :) I was glad to share the make-ahead smoothie recipe that I found on pinterest. I love having food ready so that I don't  have to worry or make a big mess in the mornings. Yesterday I instead of a smoothie I had more of a breakfast pudding. Monday night I put almond milk, chia seeds and a little oatmeal in the food processor, I added a squirt of strawberry banana barleans, and a scoop of whole flax seeds, I ate it with some redi whip and two slices of lemon coconut bread. Yum :) Hubby and I talked about adding some protein powder to the smoothies/pudding...the options for these smoothies/puddings are endless.

Last night my Bible Study girls and I had a Pinterest party, everyone brought food from recipes found on pinterest and some girls brought crafts. It was so FUN. I brought mini caprese bites that I made with mini heirloom tomatoes, basil and mozzarella all from Trader Joe's. One girl brought a bird house craft to do, another brought tissue paper to make flowers which she is making for centerpieces for a friends wedding, and another brought fabric to make flower hair clips. The night was a huge success and I hope to host my own Pinterest party when we have a house of our own.

Hello everyone, Happy Monday :) It's a beautiful rainy day up here in my neck of the woods. Thank you for the feedback on my question about allowing friends/family to read the blogs and your opinions about sharing personal information. I have decided that I am comfortable with what I share, but I will remember to be cautious in what I say.

This weekend I made some lemon coconut flour bread which delighted hubby since I haven't made it in awhile. Our local health food store Huckleberries had their quarterly sale on their natural living section, so I picked up some strawberry banana barleans and the lemon barleans for my Mom. The past several days I have been making a recipe I found on Pinterest :)  From the yummylife.com make-ahead oatmeal smoothies. It's a wonderful idea, used the recipe for strawberry banana as a starting point

make-ahead smoothies from theyummylife.com

Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Smoothie from theyummylife.com:

1/4 cup uncooked oats (old fashioned rolled oats recommended; do not use steel cut oats)

1-1/2 teaspoons dried chia seeds

3/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup low-fat yogurt (Greek yogurt recommended)

1/2 cup fresh quartered strawberries

1/2 cup fresh banana slices

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 teaspoons honey, optional (or substitute preferred sweetener)

Here is what I did:
1/4c uncooked old fashioned oatmeal
2 T chia seeds
3 strawberries
3/4c unsweetened almond milk
3 fresh strawberries
a squirt of barleans strawberry banana

The options on the make ahead smoothies are endless...hubby is very happy that I have started experimenting making them. He was especially happy when he woke up late on Friday and as he was rushing out the door I handed him a smoothie and a lunch.

Hello everyone, sorry I haven't posted in awhile my mood has been much better I've just been busy with the usual stuff. The other week my Mom and I were having a discussion about my blog, she thinks I share too much personal information and it might come back and haunt me later, she also dislikes facebook and texting. (this is not a dig on my Mom in any way) Since she feels that way I have asked her to please not read my blog, she agreed not to but she thinks she should be able to because it is on the Internet and available to everyone to read. This discussion all started because back in Feb or March I said that "I had fallen off the wagon" referring to falling off the bfc wagon not referring to the alcohol wagon. So that makes me wonder how do you guys feel about sharing personal information on your blogs? And how do you feel about those close to you in your personal life reading your blog?

Lately I realized that the group dynamic is really helpful for me. I love this blogging community and I recently discovered I love taking group exercise classes. I personally think the group dynamic is a big part of why WW is so successful. The bfc/ft is successful for myself and hubby when we stick to it. I'm sure you know what I mean about that. Having chips around is just asking for trouble for us. We have decided to be extra good until the end of hubby's school quarter in the middle of June. Extra good for us means no beer for hubby or wine for me. We are not giving these things up because we have a problem, it is that we want to be extra mindful in our eating and when you cut something out for a time or cut back we have found that to be helpful.

Things are good up here in our neck of the woods, the weather has been beautiful and I love seeing the trees and flowers in bloom. We are hearing good rumblings about our house, nothing official to share yet, just things are moving in a good direction :) On Saturday I was at the mall trying to exchange some work shoes and I decided to pop into Bath & Body Works to see if they had any deals....boy howdy they had their large candles on sale 2 for 1. My hometown Spokane, WA is also known as the lilac city. There are tons of beautiful fragrant lilacs in bloom all over right now. Lilacs have a strong but lovely scent, but often when their scent is manufactured it smells terribly. The slatkin & co. candle that I bought at Bath & Body works is delicious. I also purchased a coconut candle that smells like summer. :) Have a wonderful day.



Hello everyone, sorry it's been a week since I last posted. Last week I was in a terrible mood I think it was a combination of pms and the full moon. Whatever you want to call it I was cranky pants. Anyway I want share some of the delicious things I have been making.
I made a double batch of the turkey pumpkin chili in the crock pot from skinny taste at hubby's request. Lately I have been making it with Italian turkey sausage and that adds some nice spice. We put several containers in the freezer which is perfect for hubby's lunch on days that we don't have leftovers.


Chicken stir-fry with quinoa (left) Katie's meatball broccoli quinoa delight (center) turkey pumpkin chili (right)

6g of sugar for the whole jar.

I made a delicious new dish this week that is a keeper in my book :)
"Katie's Meatball broccoli quinoa delight"
 First I made meatballs based off a recipe from allrecipes.com "meatball nirvana" This is my version:
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 tsp. powdered garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 T. worcester sauce
1/2c panko instead of bread crumbs
1/3c  unsweetened almond milk.

Preheat oven to 400, mix all ingredients until blended, form 1 1/2 inch meatballs placing on a baking sheet. Make sure to use a baking sheet with raised edges or else the grease will run off your pan and make a big mess in your oven, I learned this the hard way. I personally use a pampered chef baking stone. Bake meatballs for 20-25
While my meatballs were baking I steamed several heads of broccoli and their stalks I added a cup of cooked quinoa and  a jar of trader joe's pomadoro pasta sauce which has 1 g of sugar per half cup which comes out to 6g of sugar for the whole jar. I then combined the broccoli, meatballs, quinoa, sauce and lots of fresh basil and let everything simmer for several mins. I served it topped with more fresh basil and mozzarella cheese. Delish.

Mini Crust less Quiches:
Last night I made crust less mini quiches, so easy and delicious. I thawed and drained a box of chopped spinach, cooked some turkey breakfast sausage's, added some bacon, fresh basil and ricotta cheese and eggs. After every thing was mixed I sprayed my muffin pan with pam and spooned the mixture in. I baked it at 350 for about 45 mins. Depending on your ingredients it doesn't always take that long I set my timer for 25 mins but when I put a butter knife into them they weren't done yet.

Balsamic Vinegar stir fry with quinoa:
Last night I also made a delicious green stir fry. I sauteed asparagus, kale, celery, broccoli and portobello mushrooms in olive oil. I then added fresh garlic, garlic salt and balsamic vinegar. I topped it off with leftover pork chops and quinoa, I portioned it out and...bam lunch and enough to freeze for a later date.


Left mini quiches, Right quinoa stir-fry

Hello everyone, what a refreshing weekend :) So many good things are happening I hope I remember to share them all. First of all I walked to work for the second time on Friday, it feels good to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring sun before work. Friday night we had dinner at my folks, we had taco salad which was delicious. My Dad is still doing the fast track and he looks great, he doesn't want me to share how much weight he has lost but I am very proud of him. My Mom won't be doing another zumba class with me because she is going back east to help my great aunt move. My Mom is such a sweet heart and I am very blessed to have her as my Mom.

Saturday I gave our apt a good cleaning, took a long nap went grocery shopping with hubby and got some new sunglasses. I have been looking for sunglasses that cover more of the delicate skin around my eyes. Hubby and I had another taco salad. Today we went for a long walk which was really nice I love how everything is starting to pop. Weight wise I haven't gotten on the scale lately but I put on a pair of jeans that I haven't worn for awhile because they had gotten too sung...and holy moly they fit :) yeeehawwww:)

Foodwise I am mostly doing the fast track and I feel this works for me. I am exercising more and still drinking less, I feel good about what I have been up to in April. Hubby and I are taking a financial class at our church by Dave Ramsey called Financial Peace, we are so blessed by what we are learning. His premises are simple save, don't spend money you don't have and budget. He breaks is down in a bunch of baby steps. That way of thinking is really helping me in how I view diet/health/exercise. Our class is literally right after work so I have been working on having food available for us to eat so we don't get fast food or go hungry. Tonight I made a crutsless quiche, and a broccoli, spaghetti sauce (low sugar from trader joe's) and meatball dish for us to have for dinner and lunches this week. I feel like this week is off to a good start already. I will let you know how my quiche and broccoli dishes turned out and if they are keeper recipes I will post them. I hope everyone had a nice weekend :)

I love how this blog community is growning

Hello everyone, I love how this blog community is growing I love finding new blogs or blogs that are not new but just new to me, to learn from and to provide support and encouragement :)

Today I started to to journal my food again, I would have started yesterday but honestly I kinda forgot. My food has been good Sunday I made a delicious veggie soup with quinoa and chicken, Monday I added to it with spinach, baby bok choy and mushrooms. I love soup!!! I was inspired to make it after reading an article in Women's World about a new version of the cabbage soup diet. I've done the cabbage soup diet in the past and I actually liked the soup but it was hard to stomach morning, noon and night. Soup can be such a filling and satisfying meal and if it is low in sugar and sodium it's great for weight loss.

For this soup I sauteed a little onion and garlic, 1 carrot, savoy cabbage, 1 tomato, daikon radish, broccoli and asparagus. I then added water and a little sea salt, powdered garlic, and fresh basil. Then I added leftover quinoa and cubed chicken. The next day I added baby bok choy, sauteed mushrooms and a package of frozen spinach, more fresh basil and fresh Italian parsley.

100 calories, 16g carb, 5g protein, 5g fiber,1g sugar

I tried a new veggie burger for lunch today it was a nice addition to my veggie soup with chicken, I used a flax muffin and 1/2 avocado for a sandwich, it was yummy and I only ended up eating half. This burger has a nice flavor and is not very spicy at all.

I think I have shared before that I struggle being productive in the morning, this is an area I am working on  and I am happy to say that I did a good job this morning. Last night before bed I made a realistic list of things that I wanted to accomplish before work: exercise, Bible study, and doing my breakfast dishes before work. This morning I did a 20 min zumba ab workout, eventually I would like to work out more in the morning but this is a realistic start for me. Yesterday was my zumba class that I take with my Mom, I LOVE it and I want to do more. This is the first exercise class I have taken, I was always held back by my own insecurities to ever take anything before. I am so glad that I went out of my comfort zone to take this class because I love it! I have to say I even tried zumba because Kay talks about it on her blog, I was curious and wanted to see what all the hype was about. Happy Tuesday :)

Making this weekned count

Hello everyone, this past work week was a busy one for me I currently have three after work evening commitments, zumba, bible study and a fincial class with hubby. So I was very grateful when Friday rolled around, I recently realized that I have been treating the weekends like they don't count food/drink wise. In my head I know that they are the same as any other day but lately hubby and I have been going out to eat more on Fridays and when we go out to eat it is easier for me to cheat and eat higher carb and sugar items. I think that is because when I make food at home I know how it is prepared and how much fat/sugar/salt is in the meal. I need to be more purposeful to eat good when I eat out because little cheats add up to big cheats and bad behaviors. Another thing about the weekends that we are working on is our alcohol consumption, I feel hesitant in talking about this because I know my Mom sometimes reads my blog and she commented on it the last time I talked about it. Anyway, lately we have been having about two extra glasses of wine at a time and it is getting in the way. So for now I am committing to not drinking and getting back to the basics, focusing on food journaling, and low sugar and better carb eating, and being consistent with my exercise.

Last night we had a delicious salad for dinner with a dressing I made with a little greek yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, chives and oregano, I put everything in the food processor and it was delish. After dinner we were productive instead of sitting on the couch enjoying wine and a movie, I cleaned/organized my closet (a big thing for me because I hate doing it) and hubby worked on organizing his study room.

It feels good to treat this weekend like it counts right now instead of my usual wine on Saturday I am enjoying green tea and hubby is in the study working on homework. As I reflected on 2012 so far I realized I had gotten lax and straight up lazy with some of my habits. Starting with the superbowl hubby and I lowered our guard and ate and drank too much causing both of us to gain weight, once I had to reckon with my weight gain I vowed to do better in March, and I mostly did except I was still treating the weekends like they didn't count, and it has truly only been in this last week that I have realized that I need to start treating the weekends like they count or I will never make the progress I desire. I guess that's all for now, I hope everyone is having a nice weekend :)

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, thank you for such wonderful comments on my last post, you guys are so awesome!!! It feels like a lot has happened since I last posted, Thursday hubby and I celebrated our 4th anniversary we joke that it has been four LONG years, being able to laugh with each other and at each other is a wonderful part of our relationship.

Today we had a nice day with my folks after church we had a ham and quiche brunch, my Mom made a quiche with almond flour that was delicious, and no one could taste a difference. Almond flour is defiantly a keeper in my book, yesterday I made two almond flour pizzas which turned out so yummy, I only put 1/2 tsp of salt in this time instead of 1 tsp. I still love coconut flour but it doesn't seem as versatile as almond flour because everything has a coconut taste to it.

I am looking forward to my second zumba class tomorrow with Sandy. Did I mention that my Mom and I are going together, It's fun that we are trying this together. Hubby and I are still working out together, but it is getting a little challenging now that he is back in school, but it feels good every time that we make the time to do it because we want to be healthy in shape people, and we don't want to keep using the excuse "we don't have time" because our lives will only continue to get busier and there will never be a time that is the "perfect time" to exercise.

Kay said something that really inspired me on my last post " I really think we all do better when the BFC is forefront in our minds. Blogging, reading the blogs, getting inspired...they all go together" Amen to that! I have been thinking a lot about being purposeful and mindful lately concerning my diet/fitness. I realized that I do my best when I am really plugged into this community, I really think being able to share, encourage and inspire is what helps us to be healthy and to get to where we want to be weight wise.

Hello everyone thanks for the great comments, I really appreciate your feedback. I agree with Diana I don't really like Conda she comes across as controlling and bossy. It felt so good so share with all of you how I have been struggling and the steps I am trying to take to get back on track and to basically find  good healthy habits and a good groove. I was looking at my posts and during the time that I was struggling in Feb I hardly posted...I guess I didn't want to share what was happening that made me turn to high carb food (mostly the initial stress about putting an offer on the house....fyi we still haven't heard anything new) Any way I should have been sharing more because this community is so helpful, being able to share involves success and struggles.

Anyway I want to let you guys know that I appreciate your constructive criticism, I am really helped by your honest insights. So please feel free to offer your insights and don't worry about offending me. Helen, your comment was great and I appreciated your take. Tonight I heard something that made me think of our blog community...we can't see the blind spots in our lives, and we need others to point them out for us. So, friends please help me to see my blind spots, because I want to reach my goals of being overall healthy but also having a strong core that has minimal belly fat.

On a different note I am also excited to be able to wear sandals again :) I also found a zumba class through the parks dept that fits into my work schedule...Yay! Last night was my first time and I loved it. I got a better workout from the class than I do at home when I do it by myself. No wonder zumba is so popular it's fun and you don't feel like you are working out.

Hello everyone, March just slid on by didn't it? I didn't make as much progress as I wanted to (the scale doesn't say what I want, and my jeans fit better but not the way I want) But I have no one to blame but myself, only sometimes I was really good about portion control, exercise basically the usual offenders. Hubby and I have started watching the Biggest Loser together, and boy howdy this season is really speaking to me. In case you don't watch this season's theme is "no excuses" each week they tackle some of the most common excuses for not taking the appropriate steps to being healthy. Watching it shines a bright light on all of my excuses, some of my personal favorite excuses: I deserve to eat ___ because I never do, I had a stressful day and I need/deserve a glass of wine, I can make up for my lack of exercise or good eating tomorrow, I'm too tired to get up and work out in the morning or after work" Do any of these sound familiar to you?

Exercise is a funny thing isn't it? I am thankful that I have a hubby who shares my feelings on health/wellness. We want to be healthy fit people and hopefully by good habits we avoid having heart attacks that run on both sides of our family. I have been thinking about Diana's question about Tracy Anderson the past week, in some ways she is like Jorge because her workouts are unconventional, she works your larger muscle groups to exhaustion and then works the smaller accessory muscle groups. I know a lot of people are critical of her but I really enjoy her workouts. I recommend her Method Mat Dvd, because it involves minimal equipment (a chair and small hand weights) I don't dread it and I haven't gotten boared by it. And my hubby who knows much more about fitness than I do thinks it is a good workout. So that's my two cents on Tracy Anderson's Method Mat workout.

On other news life is good, things are starting to green up around here and I am looking forward to the Spring flowers. On Saturday we had a homemade pizza night at my folks I made the almond flour pizza for the first time and everyone thought it was tasty. I tried to take a picture of it with my new phone, but I didn't know what I was doing and I ended up taking unflattering pictures of myself and videos. LOL, I am hoping to figure things out so I can more easily take pictures to add to my blog. I guess that is all for now I hope everyone is having a nice first week of April :)

Happy Spring

Hello everyone, Happy Spring!!!! This past week has been a good one for me and I am excited to share. One of the biggest things that I accomplished this week was exercising every day with my hubby. I was having a hard time finding the motivation to exericse and the discipline to make it happen, and honestly I was full of excuses as to why I didn't. I realized that my pride was getting in the way of asking for his help, I felt that I should be able to get it done on my own. We did Tracy Anderson together this week and holy crap it was so much harder doing it with him because he pointed out that I wasn't doing a lot of the exercises properly. His criticism even though it was constructive was hard to take and I found myself getting pretty defensive. I never thougth that this would be something I would struggle with. I am trying to be less prideful and to recognize that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, and it gives more opportunity for growth. On my March goal poster I have some slim down tips that I cut out of a magazine to help motivate me, one of them is "use the buddy system: friends can be accountability partners for you- use them! Support each others goals"

Sorry it took me so long for this post, I started it on the weekend, but for some reason it took me forever to finish it. Life is good over here, hubby is on Spring break and we have been having much needed fun together. Saturday and Sunday we got some really nice walks in. Sunday was the most beautiful day we have had so far all year and it felt divine to get an iced americano and enjoy a walk. I hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday :) lots of love to everyone :)

This is something I found on pinterest, talk about motivation :)