The Good: I reached my 5% weight loss target tonight at Weight Watchers! I have lost a total of 5% of my body weight since December 15. :) Lovin' it! It didn't look like I was going to lose the weight at all last week even though I worked really hard last week but this weekend, 3.2 lbs fell right off! Next goal: 10%! I am a little over half way there!!
The Bad: STRESSED OUT! Bottom line.
The Ugly: STRESSED OUT! I have way too many things on my plate right now but unfortuntely I cannot get rid of any of them due to our financial situation with Shawn still being without a job. I know him getting a job will not solve all of our problems but I do feel that I will be able to breathe a little bit more again. I have worked myself to death the last year and a half to keep our head above water so I am ready to put some of that energy into working out. I will be lucky if I get a decent workout in this week due to my crazy busy schedule. Hopefully I will get a chance to have a long workout on Saturday.
P.S-New giveaway starts TOMORROW!! I cannot wait to let you in on it! I know you are going to LOVE it! Please remember that you have to be a "follower" of my blog to be a part of it. It is really easy to "follow" my blog. Just click on the "follow" button on the right side of the screen. Sign in using a gmail account. If you don't have one, make one up because it is FREE! You can use that email address as your healthy living email and sign up for healthy living newsletters. I am signed up for Jillian Michael's daily newsletter, Hungry Girl's newsletter which is amazing, Weight Watchers emails, Whole Living emails, etc. It is nice that it all goes to that one email address so my personal email doesn't get bombarded. :) I look forward to seeing your "face" pop up under my followers!!
Weightloss Tracker
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Berrilicious Smoothie Pops
Berry Smoothie Pops
Calories: 60/popsicle
3/4 cup of strawberries
3/4 cup of blueberries
3/4 cup of raspberries
1/3 cup of Truvia
2 6oz containers of plain Chobani greek yogurt
Pour all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into popscile molds. Freeze for several hours. Enjoy a yummy treat for only 60 calories! :) Very easy!!
*I found my popscile molds on Amazon.com (thanks to Karen Gregory) but I have also heard Bed, Bath, and Beyond has them too!
Calories: 60/popsicle
3/4 cup of strawberries
3/4 cup of blueberries
3/4 cup of raspberries
1/3 cup of Truvia
2 6oz containers of plain Chobani greek yogurt
Pour all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into popscile molds. Freeze for several hours. Enjoy a yummy treat for only 60 calories! :) Very easy!!
*I found my popscile molds on Amazon.com (thanks to Karen Gregory) but I have also heard Bed, Bath, and Beyond has them too!
January 30
The Good: I made several yummy recipes this weekend. I have two more to post, one is a Mushroom Pasta and one is Berry Yogurt Popcicles. I will try to post them tonight so you can make them this week if you are interested. :)
The Bad: I have been slammed busy this weekend trying to work my other 2 jobs, clean the house, a friend's wedding shower, etc. I have not had much time to get a workout in. :( I did get in about a 20 minute kettlebell workout in yesterday and I could tell today because I was sore! I LOVE kettlebells!! Today, I have not been able to squeeze in a workout today due to long meetings this afternoon/evening for KD. It is slightly frustrating because I am CRAVING to get a good walk/run in. I will have to start over tomorrow and let today be my "rest" day.
The Ugly: Last night we had a blast over at a friend's wedding shower but it was my first real test with dealing with yummy, high calorie food. There was a huge spread of chicken fingers, fruit, dips, cocktail weenies, brownies, cookies, candy, salsa, etc. I was very tempted to devour everything I saw but I stuck to my plan for the most part. I had grapes, strawberries, and I did eat a few tortilla chips with salsa and shrimp. I thought I did well for the most part considering all of the food that was there to tempt me but I did think I could have done without the chips and salsa.
The Bad: I have been slammed busy this weekend trying to work my other 2 jobs, clean the house, a friend's wedding shower, etc. I have not had much time to get a workout in. :( I did get in about a 20 minute kettlebell workout in yesterday and I could tell today because I was sore! I LOVE kettlebells!! Today, I have not been able to squeeze in a workout today due to long meetings this afternoon/evening for KD. It is slightly frustrating because I am CRAVING to get a good walk/run in. I will have to start over tomorrow and let today be my "rest" day.
The Ugly: Last night we had a blast over at a friend's wedding shower but it was my first real test with dealing with yummy, high calorie food. There was a huge spread of chicken fingers, fruit, dips, cocktail weenies, brownies, cookies, candy, salsa, etc. I was very tempted to devour everything I saw but I stuck to my plan for the most part. I had grapes, strawberries, and I did eat a few tortilla chips with salsa and shrimp. I thought I did well for the most part considering all of the food that was there to tempt me but I did think I could have done without the chips and salsa.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Banana Nut Bread!
I love banana bread and every time I buy bananas I always make sure I don't eat a few of them so they can become ripe for a banana bread. :) I have tried so many different recipes for banana bread and they either don't taste right or they are packed with calories and fat. I finally found one that was DELICIOUS and only packed 130 calories per slice/muffin! I can manage that! I found this recipe of course from, Skinny Taste (my favorite blog ever) and I couldn't wait to make it this morning for breakfast and realized last night that I was missing a few ingredients that I needed so I woke up early this morning, ran to Publix, and started baking. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! :)
Banana Nut Bread (You would never know this is a healthier version!)
Makes 2 loaves (26 slices) or 1 loaf and 12 muffins
WW PointsPlus: 4pts/slice or muffin
Calories: 130/slice or muffin
*I also made a loaf without nuts. The Calories are 106 and the WW Pointsplus are 3.
Ingredients:
7 ripe medium bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
8 tbsp of Egg Beaters Egg Whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 oz (3/4 cup) chopped walnuts
2 tsp of cinnamon
PAM baking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°. Spray PAM on two 9x5 inch loaf pans or muffin pans.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
Add flour mixture and walnuts, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.
Pour batter into loaf pans/muffin pans and bake on the center rack for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If you notice the really black bananas on the plate in my first picture, those are ripe bananas that I put in the freezer. If you don't have enough ripened bananas to make something, throw them in the freezer to use later. When you want to use the bananas in the freezer, set them out on a plate and let them thaw out. I did mine overnight. Cut the top off of the banana and squeeze the banana and the contents come right out! Very easy!
Using these bananas will make your bread or muffins a slightly darker color but doesn't change the taste one bit.
Banana Nut Bread (You would never know this is a healthier version!)
Makes 2 loaves (26 slices) or 1 loaf and 12 muffins
WW PointsPlus: 4pts/slice or muffin
Calories: 130/slice or muffin
*I also made a loaf without nuts. The Calories are 106 and the WW Pointsplus are 3.
Ingredients:
7 ripe medium bananas, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
8 tbsp of Egg Beaters Egg Whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 oz (3/4 cup) chopped walnuts
2 tsp of cinnamon
PAM baking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°. Spray PAM on two 9x5 inch loaf pans or muffin pans.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer.
Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
Add flour mixture and walnuts, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.
Pour batter into loaf pans/muffin pans and bake on the center rack for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If you notice the really black bananas on the plate in my first picture, those are ripe bananas that I put in the freezer. If you don't have enough ripened bananas to make something, throw them in the freezer to use later. When you want to use the bananas in the freezer, set them out on a plate and let them thaw out. I did mine overnight. Cut the top off of the banana and squeeze the banana and the contents come right out! Very easy!
Using these bananas will make your bread or muffins a slightly darker color but doesn't change the taste one bit.
Friday, January 28, 2011
January 28
The Good: I had a pretty good day at school today which was much needed. Next week is going to be a bear but I know I will be able to handle it one day at a time. Honestly, I am already looking forward to February being over with! It is going to be crazy busy and I know I am going to have to really find time to do my exercise somewhere in between my busy schedule. I am also excited about the 5K at the end of the month! Looking forward to walking my first 5K with my family and friends!!
The Bad: I was wanting to make a few new recipes tonight but need some extra ingredients I don't have on hand. I looked up a couple of different ways to substitute the ingredients that I am missing but they all seem like it would be best for me to go to Publix in the morning to get them. I cannot wait to try them out and share them with you.
The Ugly: The scale has not moved all week! Agh!! I have done very well with keeping a consistent daily exercise routine and I have actually been under my calorie goal every day this week. I have not done as well with my water this week so I hope to work on that this weekend. I hope that I will see a loss on Monday at my WW meeting! Pray that all of my hard work will eventually show up!
The Bad: I was wanting to make a few new recipes tonight but need some extra ingredients I don't have on hand. I looked up a couple of different ways to substitute the ingredients that I am missing but they all seem like it would be best for me to go to Publix in the morning to get them. I cannot wait to try them out and share them with you.
The Ugly: The scale has not moved all week! Agh!! I have done very well with keeping a consistent daily exercise routine and I have actually been under my calorie goal every day this week. I have not done as well with my water this week so I hope to work on that this weekend. I hope that I will see a loss on Monday at my WW meeting! Pray that all of my hard work will eventually show up!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
January 27
The Good: Zumba is tonight!! I have been looking forward to getting back in the routine of going to Zumba on Thursday nights. I went almost every Thursday this past summer and LOVED it and then got in the craziness of school and stopped. I did have to remind myself today that I AM going tonight whether I feel too tired to go or not. I am exhausted after a VERY long week but I cannot break a commitment to myself. It also helped that I invited several people to come too so there is my accountability! :) I am looking forward to a fun and cardio-kicking workout!
The Bad: I hate not having a plan for dinner. It always seems that it happens once a week which isn't bad but I can tell a difference when I don't plan. I feel uneasy because I am not sure what calorie count it will have or if I will have enough calories left to eat whatever we choose and I feel like I am more vulnerable. Usually on the nights I forget to plan dinner we get Zpizza which is a nice change for the nightly cooked meal. So, tonight Zpizza it is after Zumba! I am looking forward to it! I do need to make that a goal of mine next week to write down my weekly menu so I don't feel trapped or vulnerable. I also want to try a new recipe this weekend or next week to add to my weekly rotation.
The Ugly: I hate feeling stressed. I know it is just a natural part of living in a busy world but I feel like it takes so much out of me. I am proud that I now deal with stress by exercising which always makes me feel awesome when I am finished but I do wish I could find some other ways to de-stress, especially at school. I think I need to find me a stress ball to keep at my desk! :)
The Bad: I hate not having a plan for dinner. It always seems that it happens once a week which isn't bad but I can tell a difference when I don't plan. I feel uneasy because I am not sure what calorie count it will have or if I will have enough calories left to eat whatever we choose and I feel like I am more vulnerable. Usually on the nights I forget to plan dinner we get Zpizza which is a nice change for the nightly cooked meal. So, tonight Zpizza it is after Zumba! I am looking forward to it! I do need to make that a goal of mine next week to write down my weekly menu so I don't feel trapped or vulnerable. I also want to try a new recipe this weekend or next week to add to my weekly rotation.
The Ugly: I hate feeling stressed. I know it is just a natural part of living in a busy world but I feel like it takes so much out of me. I am proud that I now deal with stress by exercising which always makes me feel awesome when I am finished but I do wish I could find some other ways to de-stress, especially at school. I think I need to find me a stress ball to keep at my desk! :)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
January 25
The Good: I was so proud of myself today because I used exercise today to destress instead of food for the first time EVER! Shawn and I have been extremely stressed financially since he has been without a job for almost a year and a half and for the last 4 months has not been on unemployment. We know that we have survived this long but we are at the point that we honestly cannot live off my salary any longer. I literally got to the point that I could not think about bills any longer and I jumped on the treadmill. I was able to do SO much today because I was able to put all of my stress into my workout and afterwards I felt like a different person! I was amazed at how much better I felt afterwards, a MUCH better feeling than binging on any food I see in sight.
The Bad: I have been so overwhelemd with so much going on. My month of February is so booked that it made me cringe just thinking about February 1. I have so much going on. I have made it a point to make SURE I spend time on "me" every day by exercising even if I have a million things on my list to do. I realize now that I HAVE to take care of myself before I do anything else. That has been a HUGE realization for me and I am glad that I have finally made that promise to myself.
The Ugly: STRESS!!! I try so hard to be relaxed about most things but things just keep piling and piling on my plate and I cannot seem to figure out a way to get them to stop. I hope to work towards finding a balance and try to find a few things I can let go so I can take care of myself. I will be doing a lot of soul searching in the next few months to make decisions on what I need to let go so I have more time to take care of me. This is going to be very difficult for me because I honestly love everything I do but I also have to make time for me.
The Bad: I have been so overwhelemd with so much going on. My month of February is so booked that it made me cringe just thinking about February 1. I have so much going on. I have made it a point to make SURE I spend time on "me" every day by exercising even if I have a million things on my list to do. I realize now that I HAVE to take care of myself before I do anything else. That has been a HUGE realization for me and I am glad that I have finally made that promise to myself.
The Ugly: STRESS!!! I try so hard to be relaxed about most things but things just keep piling and piling on my plate and I cannot seem to figure out a way to get them to stop. I hope to work towards finding a balance and try to find a few things I can let go so I can take care of myself. I will be doing a lot of soul searching in the next few months to make decisions on what I need to let go so I have more time to take care of me. This is going to be very difficult for me because I honestly love everything I do but I also have to make time for me.
Monday, January 24, 2011
January 24
The Good: I somehow managed to fit a workout in my busy schedule today. I decided to try writing down my exercise plan this week so that I would hopefully stick to it. I write down everything I eat and it keeps me accountable so I thought I would give my exercise a try too. Here is the plan for this week:
Monday-45 minutes walking in afternoon
Tuesday-30 minutes walking in the morning, 30 minutes walking in the afternoon, 30-45minutes of weight circuits during Biggest Loser
Wednesday-1 hour walking in afternoon before Wednesday night church
Thursday-30 minutes walking in the morning, 30 minutes walking in the afternoon, 45 minutes of Zumba
Friday-30 minutes walking in the afternoon, DVD with weights
Saturday-1 hour walking 5K practice
Sunday-Rest
I hope that I will be able to stick with my exercise plan this week. I hope to eventually bump all of my cardio times to one hour but I am slowly easing into it so I don't burn myself out.
I also had a 3 pound weight loss this week! Woo hoo! I will be honest, I was hoping for about a 5 pound loss but I am still happy with my 3 pound loss. :)
The Bad-My shoulder is still hurting a little but I can tell it is definitely on the mend. :)
The Ugly-Busy, busy schedule! I am crazy busy this week and it is only going to get worse as I get into February. Just pray that I can work through the daily stresses.
Monday-45 minutes walking in afternoon
Tuesday-30 minutes walking in the morning, 30 minutes walking in the afternoon, 30-45minutes of weight circuits during Biggest Loser
Wednesday-1 hour walking in afternoon before Wednesday night church
Thursday-30 minutes walking in the morning, 30 minutes walking in the afternoon, 45 minutes of Zumba
Friday-30 minutes walking in the afternoon, DVD with weights
Saturday-1 hour walking 5K practice
Sunday-Rest
I hope that I will be able to stick with my exercise plan this week. I hope to eventually bump all of my cardio times to one hour but I am slowly easing into it so I don't burn myself out.
I also had a 3 pound weight loss this week! Woo hoo! I will be honest, I was hoping for about a 5 pound loss but I am still happy with my 3 pound loss. :)
The Bad-My shoulder is still hurting a little but I can tell it is definitely on the mend. :)
The Ugly-Busy, busy schedule! I am crazy busy this week and it is only going to get worse as I get into February. Just pray that I can work through the daily stresses.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Breakfast that Tastes like Dessert!
Honestly, I feel like I am eating something way beyond my daily calorie count when eating these delicious, Pomegranate Scones from Skinny Taste. They have just enough sweetness from the pomegranate arils to make them feel like you are eating something too decadent for it to be healthy. I will tell you that these babies were extremely messy to make but if you like to bake, then you will be fine. Flour ended up all over the place but it was a pretty easy clean up. They were worth the mess and while they baked in the oven, I loaded up the dirty dishes from making these so it really didn't seem all that bad.
I made these scones for our Sunday School class tomorrow morning. I hope they will be a hit! Of course I had to taste one tonight to make sure they would meet my approval and they did! I had mine warm, right out of the oven and plain. You can put a little bit of butter or honey on them if you would like to sweeten them up but I enjoyed my piece just fine without adding extra calories. I hope you will enjoy making and eating these!
By the way if you are wondering, a scone is a lightly sweetened English biscuit served during tea time. :)
Pomegranate Scones
Servings: 10 (I made a double batch for our SS class)
WW PointsPlus: 5/ 1 serving
Calories: 150/1 serving (Skinny Taste has it as 177 but I used Truvia instead of sugar)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of 2% organic milk
1/4 cup of Truvia (not sugar or Splenda)
*Splenda actually stores fat in your body and it is man-made! Yikes! Truvia is a natural sweetener. FYI.
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups of ultragrain flour (found it on the bottom shelf at Publix)*If you cannot find this flour, use a 50/50 mix of white and whole wheat flour.
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp chilled butter cut into small pieces (must be cold)
1 cup of pomegranate arils
cooking spray
1 large egg white, beaten
2 tbsp Truvia
Open the pomegranate to get the seeds out. The easiest way to do this is cut a small portion off of the top. Then score the sides slightly with the knife. About 5-6scores around the pomegranate skin is fine. Then peel open the skin using your fingers to get the arils out. Be very careful of the juice, it will stain. I recommend wearing an apron or an old tshirt. It takes a while to get all of the seeds out but it is WELL worth it! They are SOOO yummy!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spray pie plate or cookie sheet with cooking spray. I used a pie plate because it was easier to get the round shape.
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk. Add in chilled, small butter pieces. At this point, I started using my hands and getting them dirty. It made it easier to make sure everything was blended well together and the butter was blended well with the flour. You want the mixture to resemble coarse meal. Gently fold in the pomegranate arils. Add milk mixture from other bowl. Stirring until moist, will start to resemble a sticky dough.
Place dough on a floured surface and kneed lightly four times with floured hands. Form dough into a large circle and place in pie plate.
Using a knife, cut dough into 10 wedges without going all the way through. Brush egg white over dough and sprinkle with Truvia.
Bake until golden for about 20-30 minutes. Serve warm. Enjoy!!
I made these scones for our Sunday School class tomorrow morning. I hope they will be a hit! Of course I had to taste one tonight to make sure they would meet my approval and they did! I had mine warm, right out of the oven and plain. You can put a little bit of butter or honey on them if you would like to sweeten them up but I enjoyed my piece just fine without adding extra calories. I hope you will enjoy making and eating these!
By the way if you are wondering, a scone is a lightly sweetened English biscuit served during tea time. :)
Pomegranate Scones
Servings: 10 (I made a double batch for our SS class)
WW PointsPlus: 5/ 1 serving
Calories: 150/1 serving (Skinny Taste has it as 177 but I used Truvia instead of sugar)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of 2% organic milk
1/4 cup of Truvia (not sugar or Splenda)
*Splenda actually stores fat in your body and it is man-made! Yikes! Truvia is a natural sweetener. FYI.
2 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups of ultragrain flour (found it on the bottom shelf at Publix)*If you cannot find this flour, use a 50/50 mix of white and whole wheat flour.
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp chilled butter cut into small pieces (must be cold)
1 cup of pomegranate arils
cooking spray
1 large egg white, beaten
2 tbsp Truvia
Open the pomegranate to get the seeds out. The easiest way to do this is cut a small portion off of the top. Then score the sides slightly with the knife. About 5-6scores around the pomegranate skin is fine. Then peel open the skin using your fingers to get the arils out. Be very careful of the juice, it will stain. I recommend wearing an apron or an old tshirt. It takes a while to get all of the seeds out but it is WELL worth it! They are SOOO yummy!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spray pie plate or cookie sheet with cooking spray. I used a pie plate because it was easier to get the round shape.
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk. Add in chilled, small butter pieces. At this point, I started using my hands and getting them dirty. It made it easier to make sure everything was blended well together and the butter was blended well with the flour. You want the mixture to resemble coarse meal. Gently fold in the pomegranate arils. Add milk mixture from other bowl. Stirring until moist, will start to resemble a sticky dough.
Place dough on a floured surface and kneed lightly four times with floured hands. Form dough into a large circle and place in pie plate.
Using a knife, cut dough into 10 wedges without going all the way through. Brush egg white over dough and sprinkle with Truvia.
Bake until golden for about 20-30 minutes. Serve warm. Enjoy!!
Soup...That's What's for Dinner!
Shawn and I made this yummy soup tonight from Skinny Taste because we were in need of getting rid of some of our fresh produce. We had brocolli and carrots that needed to be cooked asap. I also had some chicken broth left over from the Dijon Mustard Porkchops I made the other night that I needed to finish up too. The verdict of this recipe....
We decided it was a perfect dinner to cook on a cold evening. Very warm and filling!
Brocolli, Cheese, and Potato Soup
Servings: 4 (1 1/4 cup)
WW Pointsplus: 7
Calories: 281
Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cups of brocolli florets(about 2 heads), chopped
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp butter
2 1/2 cups of fat free, organic chicken broth
1 cup of organic milk
1 1/2 cups of 2% cheddar cheese
2 slices of American cheese
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Chop onion, carrot, and garlic in a chopper (Pampered Chef makes an AWESOME one!).
Melt butter in a large soup pot on med-low temperature. Add chopped veggies on low heat until soft. About 5 minutes. Shawn accidently threw in some of the broccoli so that is why ours has brocolli in it. Brocolli goes in at the end but we couldn't tell a difference.
Add flour, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth.
Add chicken broth, milk, and potatoes.
Stir often. Turn heat on high until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Add brocolli and parmesan cheese. Stir these in well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until brocolli is cooked. About 5 minutes. Add cheddar cheese and American cheese. Stir well until blended and remove from heat. Enjoy!!
We decided it was a perfect dinner to cook on a cold evening. Very warm and filling!
Brocolli, Cheese, and Potato Soup
Servings: 4 (1 1/4 cup)
WW Pointsplus: 7
Calories: 281
Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cups of brocolli florets(about 2 heads), chopped
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tbsp butter
2 1/2 cups of fat free, organic chicken broth
1 cup of organic milk
1 1/2 cups of 2% cheddar cheese
2 slices of American cheese
1 tbsp parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Chop onion, carrot, and garlic in a chopper (Pampered Chef makes an AWESOME one!).
Melt butter in a large soup pot on med-low temperature. Add chopped veggies on low heat until soft. About 5 minutes. Shawn accidently threw in some of the broccoli so that is why ours has brocolli in it. Brocolli goes in at the end but we couldn't tell a difference.
Add flour, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth.
Add chicken broth, milk, and potatoes.
Stir often. Turn heat on high until it comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Add brocolli and parmesan cheese. Stir these in well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered until brocolli is cooked. About 5 minutes. Add cheddar cheese and American cheese. Stir well until blended and remove from heat. Enjoy!!
5K Practice Completed!
Today, I decided to do a practice run for the 5K I am doing at the end of February. I wanted to get a good idea of what my time would be and how I would feel throughout it. I did pretty well staying at a consistent 3mph with a 2 minute warm up on 2.5mph. I ended up completing it in 63 minutes! I hope to be able to complete the actual 5K in February under 60 minutes.
*When I stopped it to take a picture, It did not show my time. Boo! But I wrote it down so I would remember. :)
I also added some weights in my walk today since I haven't been able to lift anything this week because of my neck/shoulder. I think I could have walked a little faster if I had not done that. I only used 2lb weights but was amazed and how heavy they felt after working with them. It made me think that I need to be happy when the scale only shows a 2lb loss because 2lbs is really heavy after a while and that is 2lbs my body won't ever have to carry again!!
*When I stopped it to take a picture, It did not show my time. Boo! But I wrote it down so I would remember. :)
I also added some weights in my walk today since I haven't been able to lift anything this week because of my neck/shoulder. I think I could have walked a little faster if I had not done that. I only used 2lb weights but was amazed and how heavy they felt after working with them. It made me think that I need to be happy when the scale only shows a 2lb loss because 2lbs is really heavy after a while and that is 2lbs my body won't ever have to carry again!!
Friday, January 21, 2011
January 21
The Good: It is FRIDAY! I am so glad it is the weekend! I feel like I can get some things accomplished around the house, exercise, clean the house, organize, etc. I appreciate the weekends so much because it gives me time to relax and work on things that I don't get a chance to do during the week.
I also have to brag about my grocery store experience today! I went to Publix after school today to get some things for this weekend and the coming week. I wanted to go ahead and get it over with so I could enjoy my weekend plus we are in charge of taking breakfast to Sunday School on Sunday so I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed for it. I was so excited to walk around the store with my cart because it was FILLED with fresh produce! I am addicted to buying fresh produce now and I don't mind spending a little extra money on the items that I know are good for my body. As I grab fresh produce, I am reminding myself of the health benefits each item packs and it makes me excited all over again!
The great thing about Publix this week, is that they had several organic produce items on sale this week! Awesome!! Since I cannot make a weekly trip out to Earth Fare, I was very excited to see these deals! After shopping around and grabbing a few extra items in the regular isles like canned beans, Rotel (to make the awesome chicken chili again), almonds (B1G1), produce containers (40% off this week), cheese, and dark chocolate, I was excited to go check out because I had several coupons that I was going to use. I ended up saving about 45% on my grocery bill and at least 70% of my cart was fresh produce!! Hello!! What an awesome feeling to know that I CAN eat healthy on a (really tight, one income) budget!!
The Bad: I overate tonight as my evening snack. I was out of dark chocolate and was craving it so I got some when I went to Publix this afternoon for our other groceries. I ended up treating myself to 4 small squares of the bar and then Shawn decided to pop some homemade popcorn and I decided to have a few servings of that too! Luckily, I only went over my daily calorie allowance by 38 calories and it was WELL worth it! One good thing about the way I am eating is that I hardly ever feel deprived. I have found that my tastebuds have come to life! They are craving yummy, full flavored foods now and they also are enjoying the taste of fresh produce and the sweetness of fresh fruit. :) Since I have cut out almost all sweets except dark chocolate, I have FALLEN IN LOVE with dark chocolate. In several books I read that you should only eat 60% or higher dark chocolate and I never thought I would enjoy anything over 60% but I LOVE Lindt 70% Dark Chocolate bars. UNBELIEVABLE! I told Shawn tonight that I didn't know if I could ever go back to regular milk chocolate because dark chocolate is SO-SO-SO good!! Grab a bar next time your at Publix and try it for yourself! (PS- I tried the 85% dark chocolate and I did NOT like it, way too bitter!)
The Ugly: I did not exercise like I had planned on today. That leaves me 2 days in a row of not exercising when I had planned on exercising every day this week. Unfortunately with my shoulder/neck pain it has been very difficult to do much of any type of physical movement. Since I skipped out again today, I plan on making up for those 2 days tomorrow and Sunday. I am so close to my goal of 5% weightloss that I want to do everything I can this weekend to finish out strong before weighing in on Monday.
PS-There is a new giveaway coming in February!! I cannot wait to share it with you! Please make sure you are a "follower" so you can be a part of it! I actually have 4 items I am giving away starting February 1 and I cannot wait until then! Stay posted! :)
I will give you one hint......
This product is a Certified SC Product!
I also have to brag about my grocery store experience today! I went to Publix after school today to get some things for this weekend and the coming week. I wanted to go ahead and get it over with so I could enjoy my weekend plus we are in charge of taking breakfast to Sunday School on Sunday so I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed for it. I was so excited to walk around the store with my cart because it was FILLED with fresh produce! I am addicted to buying fresh produce now and I don't mind spending a little extra money on the items that I know are good for my body. As I grab fresh produce, I am reminding myself of the health benefits each item packs and it makes me excited all over again!
The great thing about Publix this week, is that they had several organic produce items on sale this week! Awesome!! Since I cannot make a weekly trip out to Earth Fare, I was very excited to see these deals! After shopping around and grabbing a few extra items in the regular isles like canned beans, Rotel (to make the awesome chicken chili again), almonds (B1G1), produce containers (40% off this week), cheese, and dark chocolate, I was excited to go check out because I had several coupons that I was going to use. I ended up saving about 45% on my grocery bill and at least 70% of my cart was fresh produce!! Hello!! What an awesome feeling to know that I CAN eat healthy on a (really tight, one income) budget!!
The Bad: I overate tonight as my evening snack. I was out of dark chocolate and was craving it so I got some when I went to Publix this afternoon for our other groceries. I ended up treating myself to 4 small squares of the bar and then Shawn decided to pop some homemade popcorn and I decided to have a few servings of that too! Luckily, I only went over my daily calorie allowance by 38 calories and it was WELL worth it! One good thing about the way I am eating is that I hardly ever feel deprived. I have found that my tastebuds have come to life! They are craving yummy, full flavored foods now and they also are enjoying the taste of fresh produce and the sweetness of fresh fruit. :) Since I have cut out almost all sweets except dark chocolate, I have FALLEN IN LOVE with dark chocolate. In several books I read that you should only eat 60% or higher dark chocolate and I never thought I would enjoy anything over 60% but I LOVE Lindt 70% Dark Chocolate bars. UNBELIEVABLE! I told Shawn tonight that I didn't know if I could ever go back to regular milk chocolate because dark chocolate is SO-SO-SO good!! Grab a bar next time your at Publix and try it for yourself! (PS- I tried the 85% dark chocolate and I did NOT like it, way too bitter!)
The Ugly: I did not exercise like I had planned on today. That leaves me 2 days in a row of not exercising when I had planned on exercising every day this week. Unfortunately with my shoulder/neck pain it has been very difficult to do much of any type of physical movement. Since I skipped out again today, I plan on making up for those 2 days tomorrow and Sunday. I am so close to my goal of 5% weightloss that I want to do everything I can this weekend to finish out strong before weighing in on Monday.
PS-There is a new giveaway coming in February!! I cannot wait to share it with you! Please make sure you are a "follower" so you can be a part of it! I actually have 4 items I am giving away starting February 1 and I cannot wait until then! Stay posted! :)
I will give you one hint......
This product is a Certified SC Product!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Porkchops with Dijon Mustard Sauce
Tonight I made a delicious dinner of porkchops with dijon mustard sauce, asparagus, and carrots. I made enough so I have lunch for tomorrow so I don't fall in the same predicament as I did today. I have read in several books and on many websites that it is always wise to make some "extras" so you can pack lunches for the week or have another dinner for a night during the week when you are really busy. I am starting to get in the habit of making a few more servings of dinner so I have my lunches taken care of. I found this recipe on Skinnytaste.com and it was delicious! I changed a few things because of what I had in my pantry and because I am trying to go organic as much as possible. I didn't have any regular sized bone-in porkchops so I used the thin, boneless ones. They were good but I can only imagine how yummy the big bone-in porkchops are! I will be trying this recipe with them soon! :)
Porkchops with Dijon Mustard Sauce
Servings: 4
Calories: 166/porkchop
WW Pointsplus: 4pts/porkchop
Ingredients:
-1/2 onion chopped
-2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
-2 tbsp chives chopped
-salt
-pepper
-1 tbsp of Annie's Organic Dijon Mustard (Publix)
-4 porkchops
-1 tbsp of organic butter
-3/4 cups of chicken broth or chicken stock
In a large frying pan, melt the butter on low-medium heat. Heat oven on "warm" setting or 150 degrees. Salt and pepper the porkchops to taste.
When the butter is melted in the pan, on MEDIUM heat, cook the porkchops in the pan for 7 minutes on one side, flip for 7 minutes on the other side.
Make sure the internal temperature is around 160 degrees. Place the porkchops on a platter and place the platter in the warm oven while you mix together the sauce.
Add chopped onions in the pan and cook for about 3 minutes until soft (still on medium). Add chicken broth to onions and let simmer until you have about 1/2 cup left in the pan. It only takes about 3-4 minutes. (I accidently let mine go too long tonight so I had a thicker sauce.) Add fresh parsley, chives, and dijon mustard to the sauce. Stir around for about 2 minutes.
Pull porkchops out of the oven and pour the sauce over them on the platter. Serve and enjoy!! :)
Porkchops with Dijon Mustard Sauce
Servings: 4
Calories: 166/porkchop
WW Pointsplus: 4pts/porkchop
Ingredients:
-1/2 onion chopped
-2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
-2 tbsp chives chopped
-salt
-pepper
-1 tbsp of Annie's Organic Dijon Mustard (Publix)
-4 porkchops
-1 tbsp of organic butter
-3/4 cups of chicken broth or chicken stock
In a large frying pan, melt the butter on low-medium heat. Heat oven on "warm" setting or 150 degrees. Salt and pepper the porkchops to taste.
When the butter is melted in the pan, on MEDIUM heat, cook the porkchops in the pan for 7 minutes on one side, flip for 7 minutes on the other side.
Make sure the internal temperature is around 160 degrees. Place the porkchops on a platter and place the platter in the warm oven while you mix together the sauce.
Add chopped onions in the pan and cook for about 3 minutes until soft (still on medium). Add chicken broth to onions and let simmer until you have about 1/2 cup left in the pan. It only takes about 3-4 minutes. (I accidently let mine go too long tonight so I had a thicker sauce.) Add fresh parsley, chives, and dijon mustard to the sauce. Stir around for about 2 minutes.
Pull porkchops out of the oven and pour the sauce over them on the platter. Serve and enjoy!! :)
January 20
The Good: I made a really yummy recipe tonight that I cannot wait to post! I also have worked out every day this week except for today. I felt like my body, especially my shoulder/neck, needed a break today. I will start back tomorrow. :)
The Bad: My shoulder/neck is still hurting me pretty good so I haven't been able to lift any weights or do any type of upper body workout this week. :( Bummer! I am itching to lift weights again and continue with my Jillian Michaels' workouts! I am hoping it will be healed by Monday so I can start with weight workouts again next week.
The Ugly: I did not prepare much for lunch today for carbs and protein which left me STARVING this afternoon! I should have made something last night for my lunch today but I didn't get home until 8:30 last night from Wednesday night church and had a million things I had to get done before school today so I didn't have time to make anything for lunch. All I took today was some mashed red potatoes, asparagus, mixed berries and yogurt. It held me fine for a little while but my stomach was growling big time when I got home today. I need to be better prepared next week!
The Bad: My shoulder/neck is still hurting me pretty good so I haven't been able to lift any weights or do any type of upper body workout this week. :( Bummer! I am itching to lift weights again and continue with my Jillian Michaels' workouts! I am hoping it will be healed by Monday so I can start with weight workouts again next week.
The Ugly: I did not prepare much for lunch today for carbs and protein which left me STARVING this afternoon! I should have made something last night for my lunch today but I didn't get home until 8:30 last night from Wednesday night church and had a million things I had to get done before school today so I didn't have time to make anything for lunch. All I took today was some mashed red potatoes, asparagus, mixed berries and yogurt. It held me fine for a little while but my stomach was growling big time when I got home today. I need to be better prepared next week!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Pound for Pound Challenge
Tonight while I was watching The Biggest Loser, I decided to pledge my weight loss for the Pound for Pound Challenge. I pledged 50 pounds by May 31, 2011. That is a huge challenge for me but I feel like I can lose 10 pounds a month.
Pledge: For every pound you pledge to lose through May 31, 2011, the Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 11¢ to Feeding America® — enough to secure one pound of groceries on behalf of local food banks. $1,040,000 maximum donation.
Go pledge your pounds!! How awesome that losing weight can help feed someone who needs it. :) It is all about paying it forward!
Pledge: For every pound you pledge to lose through May 31, 2011, the Pound For Pound Challenge will donate 11¢ to Feeding America® — enough to secure one pound of groceries on behalf of local food banks. $1,040,000 maximum donation.
Go pledge your pounds!! How awesome that losing weight can help feed someone who needs it. :) It is all about paying it forward!
January 18
The Good: I challenged myself big time today. I walked a total of 11653 steps today (7018 steps were aerobic), 3.2 miles (getting ready for the 5K), and worked out twice today (before work and early evening). I feel so successful! I told myself last night that no matter how I felt this morning, I was going to walk. I told myself even if it was just for a short period of time, I was going to do it and I did. I feel that keeping this attitude gave me a chance to be successful instead of saying to myself, "well if I am not tired when I wake up then I will go walk." I have told myself that 100 times before and I never get out of bed, I only hit the snooze button. It really did help my day start out on a positive note. I definitely feel that cardio helps relieve stress! I also noticed I had more energy today which was great! My goal this week it is work out twice a day every day. This is what Dr. H on Biggest Loser suggests is the best way to drop pounds because you are giving your metabolism twice the boost in one day.
The Bad: Shawn and I cannot keep up with the dirty dishes. This has been a big adjustment for us. In the past, we ate out almost every meal so we never had dirty dishes. We would have occasional dirty dishes when we ate cereal in the morning or cooked dinner but it was only 2-3 times a week. Since we have only been cooking at home, we have piled the dishes high! It is a great change but it adds one more thing I have to do when I get home, but it is WORTH IT! :)
The Ugly: This morning when I was running/walking, I was trying to push myself to run for 3 minutes straight so I dropped down and pushed it out. When I reached three minutes, I popped up really fast and suddenly felt severe pain. I ended up being in tears for 30 minutes because my neck/shoulder hurt so bad I couldn't hardly move my upper body without feeling major pain. I have had pain in my neck area the past 2 days but this morning I really felt it. Shawn was an awesome husband and got up and helped me get dressed and cook breakfast. What a champ! I finally went to see my chiroprator, Jason, and he looked at it and said it was probably some pulled muscles. He helped it and told me to keep an ice pack on it 10 minutes on, 30 minutes off. It is feeling slightly better tonight but it still hurts. I was proud of myself for not giving into the pain and quitting on my weekly goal this week. As hard as it was, I decided to jump back on the treadmill tonight and finish what I started this morning. I pushed through the pain and it was the greatest feeling of accomplishment in the world! I broke through a wall that I had put up for so many years! I was able to turn an "ugly" into an "awesome!"
I also got some roll-on Biofreeze to help with the pain. I highly suggest it!!
The Bad: Shawn and I cannot keep up with the dirty dishes. This has been a big adjustment for us. In the past, we ate out almost every meal so we never had dirty dishes. We would have occasional dirty dishes when we ate cereal in the morning or cooked dinner but it was only 2-3 times a week. Since we have only been cooking at home, we have piled the dishes high! It is a great change but it adds one more thing I have to do when I get home, but it is WORTH IT! :)
The Ugly: This morning when I was running/walking, I was trying to push myself to run for 3 minutes straight so I dropped down and pushed it out. When I reached three minutes, I popped up really fast and suddenly felt severe pain. I ended up being in tears for 30 minutes because my neck/shoulder hurt so bad I couldn't hardly move my upper body without feeling major pain. I have had pain in my neck area the past 2 days but this morning I really felt it. Shawn was an awesome husband and got up and helped me get dressed and cook breakfast. What a champ! I finally went to see my chiroprator, Jason, and he looked at it and said it was probably some pulled muscles. He helped it and told me to keep an ice pack on it 10 minutes on, 30 minutes off. It is feeling slightly better tonight but it still hurts. I was proud of myself for not giving into the pain and quitting on my weekly goal this week. As hard as it was, I decided to jump back on the treadmill tonight and finish what I started this morning. I pushed through the pain and it was the greatest feeling of accomplishment in the world! I broke through a wall that I had put up for so many years! I was able to turn an "ugly" into an "awesome!"
I also got some roll-on Biofreeze to help with the pain. I highly suggest it!!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Amazing, Awesome, Delicious, Taco Chili
No lie, this is the best chili I have ever eaten. Hands down. I got this recipe off of SkinnyTaste.com and it was definitely a winner! I cannot wait for you to try it yourself and I will be making this recipe again soon!
Taco Chili
Serving size: 1 1/4 cups
Makes around 6 servings
Calories: 207/serving
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 5/serving
Ingredients:
1 16oz can of kidney beans
1 16oz can of black beans
2 cans of Rotel mild chilies
1 8oz can of Muir Glen tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp fresh cilantro or dried cilantro
1 package of taco seasoning
1 pound of boneless chicken breasts
2% shredded Mexican cheese (1/4 cup is a serving)
In a crock pot combine, kidney beans, black beans, Rotel chilies, taco seasoning, tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin. Place uncooked chicken breast on top. Cover and cook for 10 hours on low or 6 hours on high.
Before serving, place chicken in food processor and shred into small pieces. Put the shredded cheese back in the crock pot and mix all ingredients until chicken is fully combined with the beans and sauce. Sprinkle cilantro on top before serving.
Serve with 2% shredded Mexican cheese to taste. Enjoy with a spoon or dip with tortilla chips (my favorite!). This awesome, delicious meal helps fix my Mexican food craving! SO EASY and SO GOOD! Enjoy!! :)
Taco Chili
Serving size: 1 1/4 cups
Makes around 6 servings
Calories: 207/serving
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 5/serving
Ingredients:
1 16oz can of kidney beans
1 16oz can of black beans
2 cans of Rotel mild chilies
1 8oz can of Muir Glen tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp fresh cilantro or dried cilantro
1 package of taco seasoning
1 pound of boneless chicken breasts
2% shredded Mexican cheese (1/4 cup is a serving)
In a crock pot combine, kidney beans, black beans, Rotel chilies, taco seasoning, tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin. Place uncooked chicken breast on top. Cover and cook for 10 hours on low or 6 hours on high.
Before serving, place chicken in food processor and shred into small pieces. Put the shredded cheese back in the crock pot and mix all ingredients until chicken is fully combined with the beans and sauce. Sprinkle cilantro on top before serving.
Serve with 2% shredded Mexican cheese to taste. Enjoy with a spoon or dip with tortilla chips (my favorite!). This awesome, delicious meal helps fix my Mexican food craving! SO EASY and SO GOOD! Enjoy!! :)
January 17
The Good: Shawn and I both counted our calories today to the tee and both came up slightly short of our goal! Woo Hoo! I am excited that I have found some great, yummy foods that don't pack many calories but pack tons of fiber and nutrition! Once again, I LOVE LIVESTRONG.COM's MY PLATE!! I think I need a shirt made with this on it! I cannot wait to get my new phone in March so I can have My Plate with me on the go so I never have to doubt if I can eat certain foods. :) PS-I think Shawn is addicted to this site now too!
I also made a wonderful "copy" of my FAVORITE Rustica pizza from ZPizza today using my Arnold 100cal flatbreads! Shawn and I found organic chicken sausage at Publix yesterday and it is SO GOOD! All my pizza flatbread had was marinara sauce, fresh baby spinach leaves, mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, and chicken sausage. DELICIOUS!
The Bad: I once again did not make time to exercise today. :( I have GOT to get better! I have a week goal of losing the rest of my weight for my Weight Watchers 5% goal. That will require me to work out every day this week and eat smart.
The Ugly: My neck is still hurting pretty bad. I am definitely looking forward to an after school trip to visit Jason @ Palmetto Chiropractic tomorrow!
I also made a wonderful "copy" of my FAVORITE Rustica pizza from ZPizza today using my Arnold 100cal flatbreads! Shawn and I found organic chicken sausage at Publix yesterday and it is SO GOOD! All my pizza flatbread had was marinara sauce, fresh baby spinach leaves, mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, and chicken sausage. DELICIOUS!
The Bad: I once again did not make time to exercise today. :( I have GOT to get better! I have a week goal of losing the rest of my weight for my Weight Watchers 5% goal. That will require me to work out every day this week and eat smart.
The Ugly: My neck is still hurting pretty bad. I am definitely looking forward to an after school trip to visit Jason @ Palmetto Chiropractic tomorrow!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Goals
I wanted to do a special post on long term and short term goals. It is necessary and important to have both. Short term goals are great because they are usually easily accomplished and you get a feeling of success quickly. I always try to set monthly short term goals and I think about what I want to accomplish in a short period of time. I don't set a goal that I don't think I can accomplish during this time. One of the greatest feelings is being able to accomplish a goal but one of the worst feelings you can have is not accomplishing a goal that you set. Be practical when setting your goals and always set them in a positive light.
For example, here are my goals for this month:
-Lose another 10 pounds (or more)
-Eat more vegetables
-Shop at the Farmer's Market
-Try 2 new veggies and 1 new fruit
-Plan a consistent exercise routine
-Practice my 5K walk on January 26 (to help prepare myself for the LRAH on Feb. 26)
-Receive my 5% lost award at Weight Watchers
-Continue to drink more water
-Log my food intake daily on Live Strong
Long term goals are slightly different than short term goals. Long term goals usually have a "vision." They are the ultimate goals you want to accomplish. They take longer to accomplish but when you do accomplish them, they usually change your life. Setting long term goals is very important because it gives you the opportunity to look at the "big picture" of what you are wanting to do. Several people have long term goals for school, careers, weight loss, etc. I also have set rewards for myself to help me find motivation to accomplish my long term goals. These rewards I set for myself excite me and keep me going when I think I can't do it. I am not sure how long it will take to accomplish some of my long term goals but I hope around a year.
My long term goals:
-Lose 100+ pounds to be at a "healthy" weight
-Manage my PCOS WITHOUT medicine
-Become more active and adventurous
-Run a half-marathon
-Run as a stress reliever
Rewards:
-Emerald and diamond necklace to wear as a reminder of how far I have come in my weightloss journey. I read in Ali Vincent's book, Believe it, Be It, that she wears a necklace every day that reminds her of her journey. It gives her a gentle reminder to keep pushing through the tough days and not revert back to her old habits. I thought this was a great idea and I plan to do the same when I get to my goal weight. I decided that I want an emerald in the middle and diamonds around it for every 5 pounds I have lost. As of right now, I have 2 diamonds to put on it! As you can see, it keeps me excited about my long term goal of losing 100+ pounds. The picture below is just an "idea" of what I want my necklace to look like.
-A photo shoot. I know this one sounds silly but honestly, I want pictures of my "new and improved" self when I get there. I want to be able to enjoy looking at myself in pictures again. I used to LOVE being in pictures but in the last several years, I am always trying to get out of them or hiding myself behind someone in a picture. I saw on Facebook where Ada (Biggest Loser season 10) had professional photographs done when she got to her goal weight and they were beautiful. I cannot wait until that day comes!
-A kayak. I want to get a kayak to take down the river or take to the beach. I went out on a kayak in Edisto last year and fell in love. I can't wait to get to the point where I can take long adventures in one and enjoy all of God's creation. My goal is to kayak over to Otter Island which you can see from Edisto possibly next summer. :)
Otter Island view from Edisto:
These are just some ideas to give you as you think about setting short and long term goals. I would love to know some of your goals! Leave a comment about short term or long term goals/rewards you have for yourself. It is always best to WRITE THEM DOWN so you don't forget. :)
For example, here are my goals for this month:
-Lose another 10 pounds (or more)
-Eat more vegetables
-Shop at the Farmer's Market
-Try 2 new veggies and 1 new fruit
-Plan a consistent exercise routine
-Practice my 5K walk on January 26 (to help prepare myself for the LRAH on Feb. 26)
-Receive my 5% lost award at Weight Watchers
-Continue to drink more water
-Log my food intake daily on Live Strong
Long term goals are slightly different than short term goals. Long term goals usually have a "vision." They are the ultimate goals you want to accomplish. They take longer to accomplish but when you do accomplish them, they usually change your life. Setting long term goals is very important because it gives you the opportunity to look at the "big picture" of what you are wanting to do. Several people have long term goals for school, careers, weight loss, etc. I also have set rewards for myself to help me find motivation to accomplish my long term goals. These rewards I set for myself excite me and keep me going when I think I can't do it. I am not sure how long it will take to accomplish some of my long term goals but I hope around a year.
My long term goals:
-Lose 100+ pounds to be at a "healthy" weight
-Manage my PCOS WITHOUT medicine
-Become more active and adventurous
-Run a half-marathon
-Run as a stress reliever
Rewards:
-Emerald and diamond necklace to wear as a reminder of how far I have come in my weightloss journey. I read in Ali Vincent's book, Believe it, Be It, that she wears a necklace every day that reminds her of her journey. It gives her a gentle reminder to keep pushing through the tough days and not revert back to her old habits. I thought this was a great idea and I plan to do the same when I get to my goal weight. I decided that I want an emerald in the middle and diamonds around it for every 5 pounds I have lost. As of right now, I have 2 diamonds to put on it! As you can see, it keeps me excited about my long term goal of losing 100+ pounds. The picture below is just an "idea" of what I want my necklace to look like.
-A photo shoot. I know this one sounds silly but honestly, I want pictures of my "new and improved" self when I get there. I want to be able to enjoy looking at myself in pictures again. I used to LOVE being in pictures but in the last several years, I am always trying to get out of them or hiding myself behind someone in a picture. I saw on Facebook where Ada (Biggest Loser season 10) had professional photographs done when she got to her goal weight and they were beautiful. I cannot wait until that day comes!
-A kayak. I want to get a kayak to take down the river or take to the beach. I went out on a kayak in Edisto last year and fell in love. I can't wait to get to the point where I can take long adventures in one and enjoy all of God's creation. My goal is to kayak over to Otter Island which you can see from Edisto possibly next summer. :)
Otter Island view from Edisto:
These are just some ideas to give you as you think about setting short and long term goals. I would love to know some of your goals! Leave a comment about short term or long term goals/rewards you have for yourself. It is always best to WRITE THEM DOWN so you don't forget. :)
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