2014 is almost here

I seriously cannot fathom it.  I cannot believe that 2 years ago, I was watching Labyrinth and telling my awesome husband that I didn't think the baby would come tomorrow, but maybe the 1st.  Our firecracker was born at 8:32am 12/31.

So, tomorrow, we will celebrate with an outing, lunch that she likes, cupcakes at our house (with ponies on them of course!)

Then on the first, I will begin my first DietBet!  It's a fun concept and I just heard about it.  I have three friends taking the challenge with me and am excited for the social aspect of it.  The way it works is described on their site, so check it out.

I haven't quite decided if I will be counting calories or not during the 28 day challenge.  I want to drop my 4% that I committed to (about 6 pounds) but would love it to just come off with the Paleo diet and my current workout routine.

I am planning to add the challenge from ShrinkingJeans

This is less a New Year's Resolution and more set in to my plan for January for 2014.  I don't like resolutions but I do like goals and plans…

I will be blogging as we go along so stay tuned, or better yet, join the challenge!

Getting on the scale tomorrow

And I'm scared.

It all went downhill when I weighed myself & got a crazy good number. I knew it was off.  But I hoped!  Then the next week, I was proven right & then it was Christmas....

And now I have work to do.  I'm puffy & lethargic & skipped the gym in favor of sweats and another cookie.  

But tomorrow... It's on.  No cheat on Saturday either.  

How are you doing???

Here's to a Rockin' New Year!

I love lemons in my water, but ....

I love adding real lemon juice to my water but hate the processing of doing it fresh every day.

So, I made lemon juice ice cubes!  Yay!

Just 5 minutes and I have fresh lemon juice for water every day & only have to clean up once!

Why lemon juice?  Check out the benefits!

http://pinterest.com/pin/58546863877533466/

Thoughts???

Results , week 3

Down 1 lb!  I'm excited about that.  I did cheat some this week.  Cookies at small group, soy caramel brûlée latte on Thursday.  I pushed myself during work outs though.

Monday: RIPPED & Zumba

Tuesday: Zumba toning

Wednesday: Cardio Dance  & RIPPED

Thursday: Zumba + strength portion of RIPPED

Friday: 30 min Zumba toning + 60 min Zumba

Saturday: RIPPED & Zumba

Calorie burn from Wed

Steps from Sat

Here's to a zero change week ahead !  Whose with me???

Device I use and Love

So, I blogged a bit ago about my FitBit (find that post here)

Here's a picture of my Heart Rate Monitor after my work out at the Y.  I double up on classes a few days a week and today was a dance class followed by RIPPED.  Love getting my workout in on days like this!

What I like about the Heart Rate monitor is that it accounts for exertion, something the FitBit can't really do.  So, when I'm lifting weights, but not moving, the FitBit thinks I'm "inactive".  My heart rate says differently.  It's a more accurate calorie burn picture in my mind and also is a gage to me of when I can "push harder".  It does require a chest strap.  The one that comes with this is soft and has a removable node so it's easy to wash and care for.

Here's the FitBit that I have and I do still use it daily.  I love having the challenge of 10,000 steps, the social interaction of having friends there and compare stats between the two from time to time.  It's a nice daily reminder to be active throughout the day.  Here's a screen shot of what the app looks like.

It's super easy to use, tracks water, weight, foods and you can tell it what your goal weight is and it will adjust.  I like that it's so easy to use.  I don't use it much for food now but it's highly functional for that.

So what would I recommend?  Depends on your goals.  If it's simply to encourage more daily activity and you're motivated by goals like the FitBit provides, it's a great option and their customer service is awesome.  If you're working out a good amount and curious if that "calories burned" that your Zumba instructor or other fitness instructor cites is accurate for you, definitely go with the heart rate monitor.  I use both :)

Do you use a fitness device?  If so, what?

Birthday Week

It was my hudband's birthday  & a very busy week.  Between baking homemade cupcakes with buttercream & feeling like I needed 30 hours in every day , it was easy to let the eating slide.  The scale showed it- up a pound.

So I'm going back to being good this week.  Started again today which means resisting the urge to enjoy the BOGO at Starbucks today.  *sigh*

I'll be happy Sat but am craving a latte now!

Happy Sunday folks !

Cravings

One of my biggest cravings/ comfort foods is pizza.  Yum.

I wanted nothing more than to pick up a pizza on the way home from Zumba along with The Croods for movie night.

But, I stayed strong and we're eating the stuffed peppers I prepared earlier today.

I'm curious- what is your hardest to curb craving?  Do you have a healthy alternative or indulge sparingly? :)

Week 1 Results

I lost 3 pounds this week!

More important to me, I broke through a plateau!  I haven't been below 140 since I delivered my daughter almost 2 years ago.  It's like a whole new weight "decade".

So, needless to say, I'm happy with the results both with my weight & how I'm feeling!

What My First Paleo Week Was Like

Tomorrow will be my official weigh in.  Here are my thoughts on the past week.

1. I was the only one in my house to completely switch to paleo. (and that's ok.  I wasn't as tempted as I thought I would be.)
2. I could tell a big difference in my clarity of mind and ability to stay calm in situations that normally would have sent me over the edge.
3. I realized that one of my biggest concerns (being a picky girl with texture issues) was that I wouldn't have enough "ok" foods to be satisfied.  I'm still working on this one, BUT, I also realize that the foods I was putting in to my body otherwise weren't healthy or "ok" choices.  It's hard to explain, but it makes sense in my head. ;)
4. Even someone who doesn't like veggies and fruit can make a stab at this and see how it works out.
5. I am looking forward to date night tomorrow and my cheat meal.  I'm debating how much I want to "cheat' because I know that I'll feel cruddy after I do. 

So, what did I eat?

Everything we ate this week was great.  I'd put it all on the menu again.  Some of the meals were:

Pork Roast with Mashed Parsnips

Butternut Squash Soup (topped with walnuts) with Almond Biscuits

Pumpkin Muffins for Snacks & Breakfast

Rotissiere Chicken (used carcass for broth for the soup) and sweet potato rounds

Italian Sausage and Sweet Potato with peas (shown in photo above)

Definitely didn't go hungry and I felt way better serving my family real food again.  The kids are not on board yet, but I am hopeful that the more we just serve food in a "this is what you get" mentality, they'll eventually adapt.  I do add fruit and a carb to their plate to help transition them in to trying something new.

For me?  I pushed myself once or twice to do an apple dipped in almond butter.  That's WAY out of my zone!  And kept some Lara bars on hand.  I am planning to try and make my own for the upcoming week.

And tea.  I'm not cutting the sugar out completely at the moment so sometimes, during the day, instead of eating, I would just make tea.  I swapped out creamer with unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

What did I love about this week?  My energy level, how easy it was to fall asleep (and I was actually tired earlier in the evening) and not counting calories.

I hope that helps!  Do you have any favorite wheat & dairy free family meals?  I'd love the links!

Restarting

It's not so much a restart as an adjustment.  I have posted about my love of my FitBit and I do adore it.  The tracking is awesome and the Friends feature is such a motivator for me.

But I have a 22 month old who has been fighting serious asthma issues and I am looking at eliminating dairy to see if it helps.  I have a very active boy who I have considered an elimination diet for many reasons and for the past few years.  I have been edging our family more towards WHOLE eating as well...  So, of course, I started reading up on Paleo.

I'm not saying I'm going strict, cold turkey and agree with all the logic.  But I'm curious.  So started today with it.  This carb-loving, dairy addicted momma didn't have either today and I actually feel decent.  (Wait, I am sure that I had carbs, but I had no processed grains.)

I'm inspired by some of the transformations I have come across and also by the clear cut way to decipher whether something is "ok" to eat.  I am worried my palate is not going to allow me to eat the breadth of foods that I need to see the biggest benefit BUT, even doing anything is better than nothing, right?

Will post weigh in results on Saturday (I weigh and then I cheat- only way I can avoid binging!)

Have YOU tried Paleo?  Thoughts?

My new toys-

I am an engineer turned entrepreneur/direct seller.  One of the key passions in my life though is showing my kids how to live an active  & healthy lifestyle ( something most of us had to learn the hard way)!

My first love:

I found this at Target, but I think it was a mistake !  I'd been tired  & down and was getting this as a pick me up.  I didn't buy at Best Buy to get my 5% red card discount but was so excited to find this!  God breeze! 

Last week, using the FitBit app alone, I lost 6 pounds.  I drank my water, hit my 10,000 steps 6 of 7 days and stayed inside my allotted calories 6 of 7 days.

This came today:

One of the downfalls of the fitbit is it can't account for the exertion level of your workout, so I believe it under estimates calorie burn for Zumba, etc.  I'm going to try it out for a bit & see how the numbers compare.

I'm excited both for the numbers , the results. & of course, how much better I am feeling.  Next up?  A great cross trainer & a good dance shoe.

Staying Motivated through the Holidays

So, while I didn't "exactly" reach my goal for our trip, it was AMAZING and I felt great.  Now that we're back, and the holidays and fall are approaching, I went quickly from vacation mode and continued it at home.  But, I don't want January to come this year and me to be where I was last January.  I want to do better...

So, I am made a motivation board for my kitchen:

The bright squares are printed on Post It notes- quotes that I liked from Pinterest and then some images that I liked as well.  They are motivating for sure!  The blue notes stand for days of the week and are stapled together.  I cross off one each day that I get a work out in.  The yellow note is to cross off the pounds.  The pink is my meal "plan" calorie wise- breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner to be within my daily calories. 

I also recently got a FitBit- found one for 1/2 price at Target, and love the challenge!  Last night, I was doing jacks to get to my 10,000 mark.  I think the calorie burn might be a little low so I can't wait to try out a heart rate monitor to compare the two.

First weigh in after refocusing is tomorrow.  I cheated and weighed on Wednesday- noticed a positive change! :)  

Hope that helps someone else!

Results-

Did it.  Got past the number I'd been seeing for a month!

Down 2.2 pounds this week.  Keeping focused on continuing down this path.  I am seeing the results I want but you can't stop.

Today, I don't count calories.  In the past, it was a cheat day, but I realized a day was too much for me.  So, I won't count during the day but I won't overindulge either.

Here's from yesterday.  I used the pre-calculated recipe total for dinner but when I did the math, mine was higher calorie, so I was over 1200.

My jars are getting happier too!

Stay focused!!!

Harder day & product endorsement

Today was more challenging just because I got little sleep, the husband was on a trip, the baby was up, the cat puked...  You get the idea.

Breakfast: oatmeal with 1 T 1/2 & 1/2, 2T PB2, cinnamon, 1 T raw honey, 1/3 c oatmeal

Tried to have my coffee but I stink at making coffee so I skipped the calories for the creamer (and sadly had no caffeine all day)

Lunch: Smoothie (banana, spinach, almond milk, vanilla, protein powder).

2 Ak Mak crackers with 1T total White Choc Wonderful PB

Snack: Protein bar & 1/2 oz mixed nuts

Dinner: 2 oz whole grain angel hair pasta with crock pot chicken cooked with Masala sauce from Wildtree (will def make again)!

Totals from today (Zumba & RIPPED workouts).

Hoping to see even a small improvement on the scale.

*hello????*

I'm back.  It's been a while...  But I am back.

I will be doing a daily post:

Breakfast: Lara bar with coffee & creamer

Lunch: green smoothie (spinach, OJ, strawberries, yogurt, water, ice)

Snack: almonds, mocha freeze at Costco

Dinner: 3 eggs + 1 egg white & ultra thin cheddar cheese slice

The test will be resisting late night cravings, but I have work with my hands to do which should help.

Today:

Pretty good.  I have 29 days to shed some of the pounds hiding the muscle I have been building.  I want to love the pictures we take on this awesome trip!

How do you stay motivated???

Dinner & treat

I made this for dinner as a pizza (in an 8" round pie tin).  Worked great since my mini muffin Pam is missing from our last move. :(

Very filling & healthy!

http://pinterest.com/pin/58546863878601542/

I checked & after dinner, I was still low for my calories (about 1100).  I am a believer in your body needing 1200 calories, so I broke out one of my splurges.

Yum!  If I eat a sweet, I pick quality over quantity, always.

Totals: 

Cals eaten: 1353

Cals burned: 445

I got a compliment at the gym from my instructor on my arms today.  She's awesome- makes it hard to hate her when she's instructing us, lol.  But her words meant a lot.  

Always remember:

We've been here about 6 weeks

Shakeology Berry Smoothif

Today:

- 1 scoop Greenberry from Shakeology

- 1 small banana

- 1 c almond milk (vanilla, unsweetened)

- 1 c strawberries (frozen)

- 1 ice cubes

- 1 t vanilla pudding powder

Cals: 333

Cheating & Dinner

My awesome friend sent me these today as an appreciation for our work together. I was so happy I almost cried.

I also had a Monday from hell (lending to how appreciative I was of such a gesture).  So, I totally cheated.  Sorta.  I didn't eat my apple & almonds but am still within range for me today.  I just choose sugar. & refined flour over wholesome today.  I just had 1.  A butterfly. :)

Then, dinner tonight is a yummy black bean & turkey chili. A family fave!

199 cals/cup.

Cals today:  1434

Cals burned: 391

Lets hope tomorrow is better.

My favorite protein shake

By far. I was having trouble getting the PB2 to blend but turned by Vitamix higher than  normal for a bit & fixed that problem!

In order I put them in the blender:

- small banana

 - 2 T PB2

- 2 scoops Aria vanilla protein powder

- 1 T raw honey (allergies)

- 15 ice cubes

- 1 c chocolate almond milk, unsweetened

Cals: 320

Yum!

Starting the week right!

After a very hectic weekend, I am starting this week out with as positive an outlook & plan as I can manage.

Breakfast is an egg sandwich as usual.

Meals are planned.  I downloaded a meal plan but used white stickers to cover the meals that wouldn't work for our family & added a few that would.

Focuses for the week:

- drink water

- apple/day

- clean eating as much as I can

Goal- 2 pounds weight loss.

Most excited that our gym reopens so my workout schedule will go back to normal!  Yay!!!

How about you?

A crazy day

So, yesterday simply didnt go as planned to the tune of ending with an overnight ER stay with one of our kids.

But, I tried to not let that be an excuse to make bad choices.

Breakfast- sandwich just like yesterday

Lunch- protein bar on the go between dr office & hospital.

Dinner- hubby brought Chipotle (nakes burrito bowl with pork, cheese & beans with chips). 

Who knows what today will bring.  I am hoping my own bed and a glass of wine before bed.

The good news is I weighed in yesterday morning & last week, surpassed my 2 lb goal- I lost 3!  Here's to another great week after we get home!

Turkey Meatloaf & Roasted Broccoli

Ok, this is another time I deserve props.  I had to eat my (admittedly small) serving of broccoli fast.  It was all I could do not to gag in front of the kids.  My husband likes broccoli & said it was delicious, as do all of the recipe reviewers. I'm just a big kid.

Turkey Meatloaf (adapted with no onion)

Recipe:

http://melaniemitro.blogspot.com/2011/09/turkey-meatloaf.html?m=1

Mashed sweet potato with butter, brown sugar & cinnamon (a little goes a long way!)

Roasted broccoli

Recipe: 

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=217248

Cals: 445

Totals:

Calories: 1,321

Burned: 475

Post Workout Frosty like Smoothie!

Yum!

Based on this pin:

http://pinterest.com/pin/58546863878616348/

Mine used chocolate almond milk & added honey & small banana.

Cals: 275

Breakfast!

It's so easy to let a holiday interfere with your goals.  But what will make you happy long term?  A hot dog or fitting back in to your per-baby clothes?

Breakfast:

Egg, cheddar (ultra thin slice) on Orowroot double fiber muffin

Coffee with Natural Bliss creamer

Cals: 295

Have a healthy day!!!

Lunch time!

Today, my breakfast took a lot of my calories (400 so on a 1200 day goal, that's 33%!).

I am glad I didn't stop for coffee after an awesome workout (although I did think about it).

Today, I actually had double the crackers & laughing cow shown here.  I was hungry ;)

Cals: 435

I am planning Chicken Bake for dinner & it has 291 cals/ serving.

Recipe here:

http://melaniemitro.blogspot.com/2011/11/chicken-bake.html?m=1

On the topic of exercise, I had a big accomplishment!  I was able to do a portion of our RIPPED workout for the first time since I started about a year ago.  Push up, brazillian kick, under the bridge.  I did the first 2 reps without going to my knees.  I am getting STRONG, not just skinny & it feels great!!!

Clean eating stuffed peppers

Ok, I need some replies & love for not only making this but also eating it!!!

Ok, so it wasn't 100% clean, but I had to try the cheese (it was WW Mexican blend). I should have just left it off because it didn't add anything flavor wise.  

Cals: 402

Used coconut oil as the spray for the pan.  Will definitely make these again!!!

Based off of this recipe but adjusted some (no squash, tomato paste instead of tomatoes, onion powder in place of onion). 

http://melaniemitro.blogspot.com/2011/08/eat-clean-stuffed-peppers.html?m=1

Totals for today:

Ate:  1373

Burned: 781

Peanut Butter Oatmeal

I'm not usually an oatmeal kinda girl but I thought I'd give this recipe a try!

I was pretty impressed by how much food it made.  This is a good point in comparing this versus a 350 cal fast food breakfast sandwich. No contest which will keep you full longer & is better fuel for your body, right???

- 1/2 c oats cooked in..

- 1 c unsweetened vanilla almond milk

- 1 Tbsp ground flax seed

- 1 tbsp raw honey

- 2 tbsp PB2

- 1 tsp cinnamon

Cals: 358

High protein dinner

I was originally planning on a 2 egg meal but upped to 3 because I was hungry. Didn't even grab one of the leftover slices of frozen pizza from the kids dinners. 

3 eggs

1 slice Ultra Thin Cheddar

3 ready to eat turkey sausage links

Cals: 375

Total for today:

Cals:1,414

Burned: 306

Apple & Almonds

It's snack time.  If you know me, you know how hard this is for me to do.  I have texture issues & a bad gag reflex to go along with it.  Here's to healthy changes!

Easy weekday lunch

Here's my lunch today!  Easy & yummy.

Roasted Red Pepper & tomato soup (Pacific Natural Foods), 1 cup

4 Ak Mak Crackers with 2 wedges laughing cow light Swiss (total)

Cals: 282

This was easy for this busy momma to throw together & would be highly portable for work too!

Go Raw Super Cookies

I found these at FredMeyer (aka Kroger) in Seattle.  Just tried them.  I like the crunch but the ginger taste is strong!  I think it's a great snack choice especially since 16 little cookies are 1, 160 cal serving!  Today, I ate 8 and a big 16oz glass of water.  It's going to be a hot one so drink up!

Breakfast

Morning came early.  Being on the west coast means I can be on a conference call at 6:30am before I've gotten out of my PJs.  That was today.  I meant to cook eggs but didn't have time once I got everyone (else) fed & dressed.  

So, after my coffee, I had a protein bar. They are yummy & available at Costco.  I'm sure there are some not so great things inside but I'm being honest here & it's got to be better than hitting a drive thru, right?

A word of caution with protein bars: they are calorie dense.  This one was about 280 calories which doesn't seem to bad but it is 21% of my daily caloric intake.  It's easy & convenient but you have to factor in the impact of the calories.

Goals this week

My weigh in this week was a day early due to traveling and I maintained which I expected & was ok with.

I am putting goals out there to lose 2 this week which would put me on track to where I want to be at the end of the month.  I am going to achieve this by:

- drinking my water

- eating an apple a day (as suggested in the skinny rules)

- add a Crossfit (no equipment) workout in at night with my husband after the kids go to bed

My goal with the last point is to curb late night cravings & add something fun for us to do as a couple.

Will be reporting the results!

I've been bad- what's your struggle?

When a week comes along where my emotions are tested, it's so hard to stay on course!  Even though I know I will feel better if I do!  Add to that our gym closing where I go to my classes to get it resurfaced & it's not a good week all around!  But...

What about you?

I've gone just over my daily calorie goals this week & we have a trip to Seattle planned this weekend.  My goal today & tomorrow is right at 1200 to hopefully break even this week at my weigh in.

I have 10 pounds to lose before July 23.  And then 10-15 more before Sept 8.  I will make this work!!!  Thanks for reading.  Even typing this out helped!

Weigh In!

Saturday is my weigh in & cheat day.  

I am down another 2 pounds this week!  I have a goal to lose 9 more by July 20.

I am really excited about the weight loss. It moved me to a lower "decade" on the scale.  Work outs are getting easier & I am getting STRONG.  Very happy.

In inches, I lost inch but it feels like more.

Leftovers lunch

Sometimes it is a struggle to use leftovers for my lunch.  Typically, leftovers come from dinner.  Since dinners usually have a higher calories/serving than I eat at lunch, that's a struggle.  But, I love having food ready.

Today, I had 1.5 servings left over from last week.

Cals: 360 cals

Breakfast Sandwich!

Today for breakfast:

Coffee with coffee mate creamer (3 T)

Orowroot English muffin. (Double fiber) with eggs, 1/8 c shredded mild cheddar cheese & 1 turkey sausage link.

Cals: 347 cals

Breakfast Burrito for Lunch

Healthy, protein packed lunch!

Includes:

La Tortilla Factory Large WW tortilla

1 egg

3 Tbs egg whites

1 ultra thin slice Sargento mild cheddar cheese

8 Hormel Turkey Pepperonis.

Cals: 253

Breakfast on the go

This is one of my favorite breakfasts when I have to grab & go.

Cals: 220

Leftover chicken tortilla soup with a treat

Sometimes you need a treat.  My favorite lately is 1 square of this:

Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Bar, 3.5-Ounce Packages (Pack of 12)

http://amzn.com/B002RBTXL2

Yum.

Rainy day snack

It's a rainy day in Washington.  I made it everywhere I needed to be including an interval & weight training class.  I craved a treat.

Yum.

350 cals

Nutritional calculator:

http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/white-chocolate-mocha#size=148690&milk=61&whip=NA

Peanut Butter English Muffin

I'm remembering Bob's Skinny Rules as I need a snack.

So, it's an Orowroot English Muffin (double fiber) with 1.5 T of Bees Knees PB that I adore!!!  Served with a big glass of water.

Calories: 245