It’s been awhile!

Hi All,

I know it’s been awhile but between work, school, and trying to maintain any semblance of life I have had very little time to blog as of late, so my apologies!

Firstly, you may remember last time that I told y’all that I was going to continue to restrict my carbohydrate intake.  I’ve been able to drop a couple more pounds (hooray!) and while I don’t take any measurements, my clothes are fitting even better and I’m much more of a true size 10 than 12 as I was before.  I still have an occasional treat from time to time but let me tell you: after reducing my carb intake I’ve noticed that my appetite has gone down.  I’m not sure if this is because I’m eating full-fat food that’s really satisfying, or what.  But it’s been nice that some of the hard work (cravings!) seems to be built in to this way of eating.  No worries though, I’m still eating right around 1650 calories a day without exercise.  Yesterday Wally and I went for a run and I burned almost 600 cals, so I ate a LOT more!

So one of the things I just can’t do without is chocolate.  I found this at Trader Joe’s while shopping last week and it’s my fav new thing.  I only eat a couple of squares and it’s oddly very satisfying (coming from some who, previously, could eat an entire bar).  I like the dark chocolate with almonds flavor:

You can find out where to by at http://www.simplylitefoods.com

Another thing I’ve been trying to eat more of lately is beef.  I’ve been able to find 85% lean grass fed ground beef and I’ve been making bunless burgers.  My favorite recipe currently is as follows:

Cheesy Burgers:

-1/4 yellow onion, chopped finely

-1 lb. ground beef

-1 egg

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/2 tsp onion powder

-1/2 tsp salt

-1/2 tsp pepper

-2oz cream cheese

-2 slices cheddar cheese, divided

-1/4 c salsa, or to taste

-4 c. baby spinach

Mix up your ground beef, spices, egg, and onion.  Form into patties and cook on med-high heat until they’re cooked to your preference.  My husband and I prefer med-rare.  Once they’re almost done, plop the cream cheese and then the cheese on the top, turn the heat on to low, and cover until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat and serve on a bed of baby spinach.  Top with salsa.

I’m so creative…I’m like Bob….

Take care and thanks for reading!

-C

Umm…does sweating out a cold really work?

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a relaxing weekend.  Mine was- I enjoyed a run with my friend Lindsey yesterday morning and today I cleaned up around the house, did some laundry, made my breakfasts and lunches for the coming week, and I even took a nap today.  I always feel like my weekends are so busy.

Anyway, I wanted to post today about working out when sick.  I’ve been dealing with a cold since Thursday and have tried to power through my workouts.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not all too sure when to work out and when to hold off when I’m sick. I think– please remember everyone that I’m NOT a doctor or anything- that if it’s a head cold you can work out safely, but anything below the neck is a no-go.  That said, if you feel like “death warmed up” then you probably shouldn’t be working out at all (credit for that saying goes to Sara with a D if she’s reading…).

I went for a short 3-mile run with Lindsey yesterday but did lots of walking around all day.  I came home last night feeling awful, fell asleep on the couch for a bit, woke up and ate a metric ton of ranch dip and fresh cut veggies, then went to bed.  Today I woke up a bit short-of-breath so I decided to give it a rest today.  I’m going to try again tomorrow morning though- I’ll set my alarm for bright n’ early!  What about you? What do you do when you don’t feel well?  Sometimes I really don’t feel like working out but feel better after I do. That’s how I felt when I ran yesterday, but I think I may have overdone it with all of the walking around and general non-stop action of my day yesterday.

SPEAKING OF, I made more home made ranch dip yesterday.  It’s SO much better than anything you can buy at the store and it’s really filling (granted, I use the full-fat stuff) and this recipe is NOT paleo, but it’s still good if you’re not hardcore paleo or if you’re choosing to follow a more primal diet.  OR if you just love ranch dressing.  Anyway, without further adieu…

Ranch Dip

• 1 C mayo (I like either making my own or using the full-fat kind made with Olive oil)
• 1/2 C sour cream (I use the full fat kind for this too)
• 2 T of fresh chives (or you can use 1 T of dried)
• 1/2 tsp of dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried dill weed
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

• Throw all of the ingredients in a  bowl
• Stir it up
• Taste it! But taste it with like a tomato or a piece of lettuce or something you’d eat it with. I usually add a dash more of onion powder, because I really love onion powder. But there may be other spices you’d like to add, perhaps you love dill. Throw some more in there!
• Proceed to eat with your carrots, red pepers, broccoli, a spoon, whatevs.
• Note: I think this ranch tastes better after it’s been sitting in the fridge for a little while

Now you won’t have to go to the store to get the processed sugary crap we know as ranch dressing! It tastes so much better than what I’ve purchased at the store.

Have a great week and thanks for reading!

-C

The little things

When I first began losing weight (feels like a really long time ago), I started with the little things.

Before I removed anything from my diet, I just started adding healthy things in. I remember the day that I had decided to do something about my weight- and more importantly- my health. I had eggs for breakfast, which still retain the number one spot on my healthy and satisfying breakfast list. I remember looking in the pantry and seeing chocolate (my fave- and still retains the number one spot on my “This tastes so damn delicious” list). Instead of grabbing the entire bag of mini kisses, I grabbed one and grabbed a tangerine out of the fridge.

I did this more and more, until the healthier foods started to replace the bad ones in my diet. It was as low process, and I had to start with baby steps for a few reasons:

1. I felt really, really bad about myself and I needed as many small victories as I could get.
2. Beating yourself up when you’re already down makes things worse. It’s a much more positive perspective to say, “I didn’t eat the whole bag of chocolate! Instead, I had one piece and a piece of fruit” than to say, “I completely messed up my entire diet- might as well say ‘eff it’ and just eat the whole bag.” See the difference there? Losing weight is not just about what you’re doing physically but how you are mentally as well. Positive self talk (as much as the pragmatic voice inside me wants to say “that shit doesn’t work”) works. It’s the best tool you have.
3. Baby steps are better than bigger milestones (for me). If you’re like me, I need goals that are actually attainable to keep going. I’m a perfectionist in every sense of the word. If I feel like I’m not being “perfect” at what I’m doing, I give up. I’m an all or nothing person, and while that has changed over the course of time- you know, I’m older, wiser, and more awesome now- perfectionists can be their own worst enemies.

Even now, I thing the small things add up to one, giant, big thing. Last week I posted my workout schedule, and I’m happy to say that I stuck to every workout except for one. That’s a small thing but if you step back and look at the bigger picture, it’s awesome! Particularly since I had only worked out twice the week before.

Also, let’s talk small amounts of calories burned. They still add up! Last week I took a quick picture of my heart rate monitor after I completed Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30- week 4.

You may say, “BFD Colleen! 362 calories is nothing!” And you’re right, it’s not many. But when you’re already eating enough food that you feel satiated, but at a calorie deficit, that adds up. Therefore, I’ve got a weight loss trend on my hands for this coming week. Also, keep in mind that Ripped in 30 is a 30 minute workout, with about 10 minutes warmup/cooldown. So I will take a quick 362 calories any day of the week.

Also speaking of little things, I’ve mentioned I’m doing Chalean Extreme. Phase 2 of the program has me lifting heavy weights. Heavy weights have a cardiovascular effect. So BOOM even though I’m doing Chalean Extreme to drive down my body fat percentage through weight training, I’m burning quite a few calories as well.

Yep, this is my calories burned after doing Chalean Extreme Phase 2 workout 3 and Extreme abs today. Again, for only 45 minutes, that’s a pretty decent burn for weight lifting.

What have been your small steps toward your goals? Have you set your goals this way? Or do you prefer to have bigger milestones?

Thanks for reading! Check back again later this week when I talk about inspiration and what’s new in my paleo diet for this week. I’ll also provide an update on total weight lost so far.   Also, I think it may be beneficial to start tracking my body fat as well, particularly because that’s really my goal- I’m much more concerned with my body fat percentage than my weight.

Have a good week, all!

-C