Ready For The World

I felt great this morning!  The fresh start of a new month coupled with a little extra sleep had me ready for the world.  The first thing on my mind was GET TO THE GYM.  Just ditching exercise for a few days had made me so unhappy!

Since big daughter was feeling better (still kept her home for one more day), I was able to slip out for a quick stint at the gym.  I jumped right on the elliptical and cranked it out for 45 minutes.  It felt great!  My whole mood changed and I felt ready to be back on track!  On a side note, my dizziness has gotten a lot better, so I’m going to get back to my regular exercise routines (including running – I can’t wait! <------still can’t believe I say that!) and see what happens.  I can always scale back if it acts up again.

I wasn’t very hungry this morning.  It makes me wonder if it’s my body’s way of getting me back to a normal eating pattern.  Funny, if we listen, I guess the body does it’s job! 

I grabbed a Chobani yogurt before I left and ate it in the car after my workout…before driving, Mom …

I had planned on eating something else a little later in the morning, but it got close to lunch time , so I just went right to it.  I went with a simple turkey wrap with dijon mustard and a good handful of broccoli slaw for a little different twist.  POPchips and apple on the side made this a super crunchy lunch…

 

The afternoon was a bit of a challenge.  Bowls of candy seemed to  beckon to me (I am packing them up now!), but I planned a big snack to combat the evil sugar soldiers…

It kept me busy for a while, so I was able to pretend I didn’t see forget about the candy:)

Dinner was a precursor to Thanksgiving.  Roasted turkey breast, mushroom gravy, roasted potatoes and green beans…

So delicious!

Okay, it’s a complete MIRACLE that I was even able to post this as I have been extremely distracted by little daughter who has basically been doing a three act play in front of me, jumping around like a crazy person, grilling me with a hundred and fifty-two questions about where stuff is and pretty much torturing our dog by dressing him up in random things found in my closet.  Time to go!!!

Have a great day, everyone!  Oh, and THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of your supportive comments on yesterday’s post!  We can ALL do this together!

Off to get the duct tape…kidding…kidding :)

Just Another Sunday

I have to start off this post saying THANK YOU to all for your encouraging and congratulatory comments!  I am so humbled by it and I appreciate it so much.  It makes me so glad to think that I have inspired some of you to push outside of your comfort zone, set your fears aside and accomplish things you never thought you could.  It’s so cliche, but seriously, if I can do it, you can, too!  Don’t let fears hold you back.  You can lose weight, you can keep it off, you can make healthy choices, you can make time to exercise, you can run, you can bike, you can..you can.. you can!  Don’t doubt it.  It’s all out there waiting for you :) 

Okay, Tony Robbins pep talk over;  let’s get to the food!

After lazing around the rest of Saturday, it was a little hard to get moving on Sunday.  We had to be at church by 9:30 for a special service involving little daughter’s religion class, so I was rushed for time.  I ended up not eating breakfast before we left and forgot to grab a bar or something portable, too!  The race fried my brain!

Thankfully, the husband keeps a nut stash in his car for snacking during his travels, so I grabbed a handful and munched after church…

We ran some errands as a family which is always fun not and headed home for some much needed lunching.  I was in a salty mood (in flavor not attitude!), so I made up a proscuitto, asiago and pesto panini using 2 slices proscuitto, 1 slice asiago cheese, 1 tsp. pesto and a handful of baby spinach on whole wheat pane bread.  I pressed it in the George Forman grill til it got warm and melty.  Sweet goes great with salty, so a Fuji apple was the perfect side…

A little later, I worked on some homework with the daughters.  I made us a study snack of Celestial Seasons Sugar Cookie Tea and some homemade granola bar pieces…

Tofu was on my dinner menu (not the husband or daughters of course!) since I had some Nasoya Firm Lite Tofu in the fridge that needed to get used up.  I decided to dice it up and bake it this time instead of baking in slices like I have done in the past.  I seasoned it with some garlic powder, onion powder, s+p, a few dashes of Frank’s Hot Sauce and a tbsp. of honey bbq sauce.  I baked it, on a foil-lined cookie sheet, with some sweet potato wedges and served it with green beans sauteed in evoo and garlic.  This was the best dinner…

And ketchup on sweet potatoes = fab:)

So, that’s my regular old just another day Sunday!  Quite anti-climatic after Saturday!  But, it’s just the way I like it :)

ONE GOOD THING:  My hip is not as sore as I thought it might be after the race.  I think the pre and post ibuprofen really worked!

Question of the Day:  What is one thing that you would like to do, but have doubts that are holding you back?

5K Eve

Well, it’s almost time!  I’m starting to feel a little less nervous and more excited!  I drove through the course today to familiarize myself with it, so I feel a little better about where to go and what the run will look like.    I have to say that I’m a tad bit disappointed with the weather.  We are having a Nor’easter – rain, cold, wind.  Major yuckiness.  Not pleasant for running, but what’s a girl to do?  Drop out?  No way!  I’m doing it…no matter how nasty it gets!  How’s that for motivation?!  *okay, that was a total “fake it til you make it” move, but it sure sounded good, didn’t it?*  ;)

My stomach was a bit off this morning and I got a late start on breakfast.  I opted for a Chobani yogurt with lowfat granola and it was perfect…

I had some errands to conquer, then drove my course.  I got a Pumpkin Spice Latte to keep me company (didn’t have my camera on me – bad blogger, so I took my pic when I got home!)…

Lunch was ridiculously late by the time I got home from my gallivanting.  I whipped up a Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burger, topped it with some arugula and Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade and put it on an Ezekiel Sesame Hamburger Bun.  I definitely needed some Sea Salt and Pepper Rice Chips for crunch on the side…

The daughters had friends over for the afternoon and I helped them put together a Halloween Gingerbread House, then left the room before the icing licking got out of hand!

It was pizza night for the husband and daughters, but I opted to eat from the freezer.  I heated up some Vegetable Lasagna along with green beans with evoo, garlic and topped with parmesan…

Who needs pizza ;)

Okay, the time is near.  Thank you all for your awesome comments!  One in particular that cracked me up was from Anonymous Paula telling me to enjoy myself and not worry so much cuz it’s not the Olympics!!  LOL!!!  True that!  But, in a way, it is my own personal version of the Olympics.  I have never done anything like this in my life.  I have never been athletic, never been in shape, never ran and heck, until about 2 years ago, never even like walking much!  So, I’ve come a  long way.  I’ve worked hard these past 2 years to lose 70 lbs., start and continue with a regular exercise program and slowly, but surely, work my way into running.  It’s been a struggle, but the results have been rewarding.  Although it’s scary, I’m looking forward to this race tomorrow.  No matter what the outcome may be, I can feel good about pushing myself to do something that I never thought I could.

Better get some rest.  Big day tomorrow.  Deep breath…

Lazin' Around

I got in too late to post last night, so here's a little update on my day yesterday...


I was slow going in the morning. My hips (now my left side hurts, too) were still sore, so I bagged exercise today. I wanted to get in some weights, but that never happened :( After lazing around, I got up and had breakfast. I wasn't very hungry, so a CranBran Vitatop and fresh pineapple with shredded coconut was just the right meal...


Still slow going after breakfast, but I managed to do some de-cluttering of various rooms in the house. By lunch time, I felt more like eating. I had some leftover zucchini and some chickpeas that sounded good to me, so I combined them and made a Zucchini Chickpea Quesadilla using a store brand high fiber tortilla (La Tortilla Factory clone) and some asiago cheese. The fruit and veg stash is seriously low (need to go to the produce store), but I managed to scrape up some grapes to go with it...


The asiago cheese makes it! I am loving this cheese lately. It is full of flavor and only 50 calories per slice so you get a lot of taste for not many calories...

I had an eye doctor appointment in the late afternoon and then a meet-up with an old friend ( hi Teresa!!!) from high school! It was so good to see her and catch up. We gabbed away, sitting at her kitchen table over some delicious espresso.

I finally left realizing I was way late for dinner at the parents! Big trouble!!! Our dinner was in honor of my nephew going off to college. Sniff..sniff. Mom and Gram made all of his favorites: tortellini, chicken cutlets, green beans with garlic and evoo and green salad. They were finished eating by the time I got there, but there was plenty left to eat! I was starving by this time and dove right in...

Right before bed, I felt a little hungry, but it seemed too late to eat and I felt too lazy to go down to the kitchen, so I headed off to sleep! I'm sure my body will make up for it today as I am already starving!!!

See you later tonight!

Have a great day everyone =)

Ride On

Finally!!!! Some sun! We woke up to a beautiful morning. The husband and I decided to ride bikes to go get some bagels for the morning's breakfast. It was a nice 2 mile ride in the sun! While everyone chowed down on giant bagels, I made my cereal bowl of 3/4 c. Puffins, 1/2 c. Almond Breeze and strawberries for 3 POINTS...



After breakfast, I took another 2 mile bike ride to return a movie. I am loving this bike riding! I was thinking during my ride how nice it would be to live in a little town where you could ride your bike everywhere. I would have one of those cruiser-type bikes with a cute wicker basket on the front. I might even wear a big hat with a giant flower on the front! LOL!


Before heading to the pool for the afternoon, I made an easy lunch of leftover roasted chicken breast with lettuce and a half slice of cheese on a small whole wheat roll. I had more carrots and pineapple to go with it. A quick 5 POINT lunch...

We spent the afternoon swimming in the toasty pool. I love heated pools! I took the opportunity to do more pool exercises (about 40 min.) and then goofed around with the husband and daughters in the pool. It was a great time!


We headed home late in the afternoon and I was starving! I dug into some pretzel sticks...

and some Annie's Cheddar Bunnies...

Mom and Gram made another wonderful dinner tonight. I was feeling hungry, but I mentally prepared myself before sitting down. I took a few minutes to "talk to myself" and figure out what my game plan was going to be. I thought about exactly how I wanted my plate to look with the prepared food and told myself to stick with my plan. My plate looked just like it did in my mind...

I enjoyed every bit, passed on the bread, and put my silverware on my dish and pushed myself back from the table when I was finished. I was still engaged in the table conversation, but wasn't tempted to add more food to my plate. I felt good about that =)

And after dinner, guess what I did?? Big daughter and I went for another 2.5 mile bike ride! I'm a ridin' fool today! When we got back, I dug into a bowl of Breyer's Fat Free Vanilla Ice Cream topped with about 1/4 c. freeze dried blueberries and a squirt of Hershey's Special Dark syrup for 3 POINTS...

Another day of sun is on tap for tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to some beach lounging! See you tomorrow; have a great night!!!

Recoginizing What Works And What Doesn't

My focus today is on getting in more filling foods. Weight Watchers classifies these foods as whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and lean meats. They are foods that keep you feeling satisfied for longer and keep hunger in control. I think it will also help with my cravings and munching in the afternoon. We'll see! I will keep tweaking and rearranging to get me to goal. I'm looking forward to get to my Lifetime status!



Breakfast was an open-faced omelette. I used 3 egg whites and topped them with canadian bacon, chopped green pepper and a Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge. Leaving it open-faced made it look like more food than it was; a great trick! It was suprisingly filling for 3 POINTS and left me full for hours...







After breakfast, I did a 45 minute weighted walk on the treadmill. I have a weighted vest that can hold up to 20 lbs. and I used to use it all the time when I was walking. Since, I have progressed to running, I haven't been wearing it. My Mom reminded me of it yesterday, so I decided to suit up today! I put in 12 lbs. (so heavy!) and did brisk walking while watching TV. I really enjoyed it. It was nice to do something different. Not sure if I burned as many calories as running, but it was still a good workout. I also realized I have been chintzing out on the workout time lately. I have only been doing 30 ish minutes running and I think I need to keep it at least 45 min. for weight loss.



More filling foods were on the menu for lunch. I went with some Stuffed Pepper Soup that I had in the freezer topped with 1 oz. Cabot's 75% Reduced Fat Cheddar, carrot sticks with 2 tbsp. homemade hummus and a Golden Corn Vitatop. A big lunch for 6 POINTS...



I started feeling a little hungry around 3:30, so I made a Strawberry Smoothie with 1/2 c. skim milk, 4 oz. container of Activia Strawberry yogurt and 1 c. fresh strawberries. Very yummy and very filling for 3 POINTS...

The daughters had dentist appointments (no cavities!) and we got home right around dinner time. They were starving! I fixed them a quick chicken, mac n cheese and peas. I had planned on salmon for myself and also, wanted to try this Shibolim Whole Spelt Couscous for my side dish...

These are the size of Israeli couscous which is more like a pasta. I was interested to try this because it was made with spelt which I have never tried. The nutritionals were impressive with 195 cal., 0.5 gr. fat, 7 gr. protein and 9 gr. fiber for a 2 oz. serving. That's a huge serving for 3 POINTS!

It was the perfect side for my Salmon Roulette and green beans. A wonderful 8 POINT dinner...

The husband and daughters were having leftover birthday cake for dessert, but I had enough yesterday! Well, not really, but I'm telling myself that!!! I did have a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich as a sweet 2 POINT treat...

Another realization that I came to today was that I am getting lax with my bites, licks and tastes. I recognized this when I was making the daughters' lunches, cutting off crusts and about to pop them in my mouth. And then again, when I was scraping the peanut butter off the knife and about to lick it off my finger. Yet again, when I was throwing away their plates and about to nibble on what they left on it. I used to not do any of that, but somewhere along the line, I got myself into this pattern of mindless nibbling. I became very conscious of that today and made it a point to stop myself before I ate those things.

Overall, I felt happy and satisfied with the changes made today. I'll try again tomorrow to incorporate the filling foods. I'm taking it one day at a time and I know the changes that I'm hoping for with the scale will come!!!

Oh, by the way, I am way overdue in updating my blogroll! I have so many blogs that I love to read and haven't listed yet. I hope to get to it this weekend; if you would like me to add you, let me know and I'd appreciate if you would add me to yours, too!

Have a great night!!