Sundays Are For Relaxing

My first thought this morning was that I wanted to run outdoors. It's been quite a while and I figured if I got out early enough, the heat wouldn't be too brutal. I decided to go to a local track instead of running my hilly neighborhood; I didn't feel quite up to that. When I arrived at the track, it was already 80 degrees! There was a bit of a breeze, so it wasn't too bad. I wanted to run 5k and a quarter way through, my right hip started killing me! It was so sore. I worked through it by keeping my stride short and lots of pep-talking! I finally finished the 5k in 45 minutes...





Me and my bum hip headed home for some breakfast and Advil! I had a whole wheat cinnamon raisin english muffin topped with PB2 and a sprinkle of shredded coconut...




Later, we packed up our lunches and headed to the parents' pool for our final swim there. Dad is having some repairs done and closing it up. Boo!





Before the final swim, I ate some lunch. I brought an all- leftover lunch : Mushroom Asiago Stuffed Burger, Gram's green beans and chick peas. I went bunless for the burger, but not, topless! I added an extra slice of asiago for more yum...

still delicious...

We had a very relaxing afternoon in the pool. I even lounged around on a pool float for a while! It was great.

We headed home for dinner with our guest for the evening - Gram =) I had a light, easy dinner planned : Barilla Plus Farfalle pasta with homemade marinara...

Sauteed zucchini from Mom's garden with garlic, evoo and parmesan...

tomato and cucumber salad, also from the garden...

I had a small bowl of pasta...

and plate of zucchini...

I felt satisfied after eating this, so I stopped. This is a major coup in the fact that I have rarely not gone back for seconds or thirds with pasta. It's just something that is hard for me to control, portion-wise. But, I knew I could have more if I wanted it, but since my stomach was satisfied, I decided to be done =)

It was a beautiful evening and we enjoyed dining al fresco...for about 10 minutes! The bees were so annoying and the daughters are extremely freaked out by them, so we headed in for the remainder of the evening.

Before bringing Gram home, we enjoyed a cup of coffee...

I've been Splenda-free for 3 weeks!

As I am writing this, my stomach is beginning to growl! Why does pasta not hang around very long?? I may have a snack of a handful of cheese crackers; don't think I can go to bed growly :(

It was a nice relaxing Sunday! Hope you had the same =)

Have a great night, everyone!

The Dieting Mind

I've been on a diet my whole life. Ever since I can remember. And when I wasn't on a diet, it was because I was in a "Oh, just be fat and happy" stage. But , I was never happy about being fat, which ultimately led me to whatever the latest and greatest diet fad was to go on. It was a vicious cycle and often self-defeating. The most success I ever had dieting was a 30 lb. loss and that was acheived through a "doctor supervised" diet of deprivation (no sugar, no bread, no oil, no alcohol) along with a side of Phen-Fen to go with it. How crazy is that? Well, in times of desperation, nothing's crazy. Every false promise of weight loss following some ridiculous program, I believed. I was willing to try it all, each time believing, wholeheartedly, that this "diet du jour" would be the answer to it all. Low carb, low cal, Grapefruit diet, 3 Day Diet, Atkins, Nutrisystem; I tried them all and more. Each diet had it's long list of rules and regulations, stipulations, food choices (good and bad) and combinations. I would absorb it all like I was studying for a big-time exam and prepared myself to follow all the rules, which I would always do. Until I fell off the wagon. That usually led to inhaling all the foods on the "don'ts" list in epic proportions.



I have thought about this mindset of a dieter a lot lately. Why do we need lists and rules and do's and don'ts when it comes to eating?? Really, isn't that absurd? I'm starting to believe so, but I think I know why we need them: we don't trust ourselves enough around food. The temptations are everywhere; the outside influences are strong to lead us to the dark side of excess. But, if we truly listen to our bodies and just feed our bodies to function while still enjoying what we are eating, it's got to be "the answer" , don't you think? It's definitely worth a try =)



On to the food...



I was a bit sore this morning from some weight lifting yesterday, so I decided to forego my regular morning workout and thought I might visit my long lost friend Wii Fit later. I got right to breakfast - a whole wheat cinnamon raisin english muffin topped with 2 tbsp. PB2...







Then I spent some time fiddling with Twitter. I am such a novice at this techy stuff, but it was fun fooling with it all! I finally broke myself away so the daughters and I could head over to my MIL's for lunch with our Aunt and cousins who were visiting from Texas. My MIL ordered Italian hoagies from our favorite place, John's Village Market. So good...




There was also a delicious macaroni salad made by my SIL...

along with bowls of nuts, pretzels and assorted peppers. I chose to eat one of the sandwiches with a few sweet peppers and a scoop of the macaroni salad. I took my time and enjoyed every bite...

Out came the dessert next. I made a flourless chocolate walnut pie (sorry, I forgot to take a pic - *think* fudgy dense brownie). We also had raisin spice cake, homemade oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies and bowls of chocolates everywhere. I didn't have a thing. No, I didn't have a fever. I just checked in with myself and realized that I was very satisfied with my lunch. It was tasty and full of flavor. Definitely not the healthiest choice, but it was the offering on the table and instead of feeling scared to eat it or denying myself, I ate what I needed to be satisfied and enjoyed it. No need to eat more than that. I hear you saying, "who is this lady and what did she do with Marisa?" =)

For dinner, I was definitely craving some fruit and veg. I opted for both! I made a tomato, cucumber and mozzarella salad...

and a fruit salad...

and had a light, but filling dinner...

I know my posts have been extremely long; thanks for hanging in there if you made it to the end! It feels good to be able to share my thoughts with you all as I try out this new way of eating life and I'd love to hear your thoughts about it, too!

Oops, way past my bedtime...have a great night!

Branching Out

Today was a lot better. I got right to the exercise; no fooling around. I thought my run might be a little weak, but it was great! I got in a nice, strong 40 minutes. Much needed after the eats yesterday.


Breakfast was a whole wheat cinnamon raisin english muffin topped with 2 tbsp. PB2. A delicious and hearty 3 POINTS...


After breakfast, I cleaned up and did something I never thought I would do. I joined a gym! I am now a proud member of Planet Fitness. They are having an amazing deal right now of a year's membership for $99. It's a cool place with tons of weight machines, ellipticals, bikes, treadmills and a 30 minute express workout circuit. I thought it was about time that I got out of my basement with my archaic fitness equipment although, it has done me well all this time. I'm really excited about trying something new and I'm looking forward to getting a good weight training routine together. I'm hoping this will be just the thing I need to drive me to goal! I won't get to the gym very often until the daughters go back to school, but I wanted to join now while the special was going on (which is only until July 22, if you're interested). So, more on my new gym adventures when I get there...

Lunch was a leftover barbecue chicken calzone (about two-thirds of the calzone) and some super sweet cherries that my MIL brought us. A delicious 7 POINT lunch...

Snack time called in the afternoon and just to prove to myself that I can eat only 1 serving of friggin' Cheez-its, I portioned out a serving for 3 POINTS...

And that was it! Mainly because there wasn't much left in the box ;P

More leftovers for dinner. I'm trying to be good about using up stuff in the freezer and fridge. I made Veggie "Fried" Quinoa -Italian style...

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• couple tbsp. chopped red onion
• 1/4 c. diced carrot
• 1/4 c. diced zucchini
• 1/4 c. diced mushrooms
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 tbsp. parmesan cheese
• s + p
• pinch of dried oregano
• pinch of red pepper flakes

Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a nonstick pan. Add ingredients and stir-fry until veggies are slightly softened....

I also had the leftover tomato, cucumber and mozzarella salad ( minus 1 mozzarella ball -given to big daughter)...

A nutritious 10 POINT dinner...

It was such a beautiful night, we went for a leisurely family walk after dinner. Then came back home for dessert. I had a No Pudge Brownie - straight up - for 2 POINTS...

Now, I'm ready for some relaxing! Have a great night, everyone =)

Let The Games Begin

Well, The Biggest Loser was stinkaroo last night, don't ya think? Could they have dragged it out any longer? I mean, c'mon THREE hours is too long. And then there were the less than fantastic transformations. That was disappointing. I felt badly for Tara that she didn't win, but she is still a winner in the fact that she can now live the life she wants and feel good about herself. I'm not sure how I feel about Helen. She looks good, though. And Jerry did an amazing job for himself, not to mention Mike, too! Now to wait for next season! Anyone catch when that is supposed to start?





It was another fantastic morning of sun, so I thought a run was in order. I had a million errands to take care of, so I decided to eat breakfast before my run. I went with a Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin (these are whole wheat -from TJ's) with PB2 for 3 POINTS...







I went for a run on a different trail this time. I decided to change not only the venue, but the workout, too. I ran for 1.5 miles, then fast walked mixed with 20 second hard-as-I- can- run sprints for the last mile. I know I look totally foolish doing this. The junk in the trunk is jiggling all over the place coupled with the fact that I am breathing like I am gasping for my last breaths. What is this all doing for me? I don't know. I "think" I am burning more calories. I hope I don't break my neck. I ended this dufus track meet with 30 tricep dips on a park bench.



After my olympic games, I did more running, but of the errand kind. I was all over the place and I started to get hungry, but really wanted to finish what I had to do. I decided to stop in the mini-Starbucks in Target and get a Tall Caramel Light Frappuccino(2 POINTS) to tie me over. It was good to the last drop...



I finally got home to make lunch and I was really ready. I used the leftover Barbeque Bean Salad and made 2 mini wraps with the small La Tortilla Factory Tortillas that are 50 calories each. Along with it, I had some yummy watermelon and a HALF serving of Sour Cream and Onion Rice Chips (yay, me!). A delish 6 POINT lunch...

Mmmm....this bean salad was even better today...

Then, it was off to afterschool activities and volunteering at church. I knew I would be home later, so I grabbed another Gnu bar. This chocolate brownie flavor was pretty good, but not my favorite! I can't believe it! My favorites were (in order of yumminess):

• Peanut Butter
• Banana Walnut
• Cinnamon Raisin
• Orange Cranberry
• Chocolate Brownie

I will definitely order these online so I can get the flavors I like best. My TJ's only carries the Cinnamon Raisin and Orange Cranberry. Can't beat a 2 POINT bar with 12 grams of fiber...

When I got home, I whipped up an easy dinner of Perdue Baked Chicken Tenderloins with a side of Gram's green beans for 5 POINTS...

I ended the night with some Banana Split Froyo for 2 POINTS...

and a couple of .... you guessed it...chocolate covered almonds! I should throw them away. They are evil. I am requesting that God make an ammendment to the 10 Commandments to include #11 - Thou shalt not buy nor eat chocolate covered almonds. Although, that may not completely work as a deterrent for me. Ugh, burn, baby, burn...

Oh well. My goal...goal...goal tomorrow is to NOT eat those flippin things. I gotta stop playing these head games with myself and just buckle down and finish this!

Have a great night everyone!