OK I'll Play..but only 'cause I went to the gym today

Hey, that rhymes!

Went to the gym, first time in long long while, did 45 min in the elliptical, then went home, but it's a start.

Breakfast : Scramble made of 1 cup broccoli, 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, 1 whole egg, 1 egg white & 3 small fresh mozzerella balls..tad of olive oil (scramble is a lazy omelet)

1 homemade (homemade by me!!!) bagel, roughly 2/3 rd the size of a regular bagel, 1/2 tsp butter

Coffee/2% Skim

Then walked 12 blocks to a meeting, where I had a herbal detox tea

Came home around 4..then had 3 small homemade peanut butter cookies (homemade by me!) which I know for a fact had only 4Tbs of butter , 1 cup sugar in the whole batch (@ 40 cookies total).

Went food shopping at Target, so add another 5-block walk in there and had a low fat string cheese when I got home.

Now am making dinner we are going Old School tonight

Shrimp Cocktail ( I found 8 shrimp in the freezer, so 4 each) w/ homemade cocktail sauce (it is awesome BTW)

London Broil ( v. low fat cut) w/ rosemary, garlic & mustard

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes: Using 2% milk, Olive Oil and prepared Horseradish... if you add some thing really flavorful like horseradish or roasted garlic, you can do away with butter, use a LOT less fat and they are really really good.

Sauteed Pea Shoots & Arugula w/ Garlic

I'm not going to lie there is ice cream in my fridge, but I will eat a small amount . And I'll prob have 2 glasses red wine.

As far as water I need to drink more, like right now. What works best for me is to fill a large water bottle and keep it near me all day, for some reason when I drink it by the glass I drink far less.

I will also take this time to offer my most helpful hint : FROZEN VEGGIES. They are guilt free, meaning they do not lie in the bottom of your crisper drawer making you feel guilty by not eating them, they are nearly as nutritious as fresh and make it super easy to had a handful or two of veg to whatever you are eating.

upwards and onwards

Drink More Water

I may have to make this same post every day until I finally do it. All diet books tell you that if you drink more water, you'll flush more toxins and speed weight loss. So, why is this such a difficult task??

Chocolate Indulgence

The whole point of this blog is to serve as a support system for people facing the same challenges and sharing the same goals...Fitness, healthy food choices, feeling great and looking fabulous. It is definitely a lifetime commitment, but it doesn't mean we have to give up ice cream, or stop eating out.

I'm committing to blog what I eat and the types of work outs that are working for me as I get back on track and ready for the summer. The hope is that it gives some inspiration and new ideas for healthy meals or fun workouts. When I started, I was just writing to my sister, Vicki. We promised to be accountable to each other, since we had fallen off track a bit. It was just the push I needed, and I'm back in my favorite jeans...so I'm hoping this might help a few other people get ready for the upcoming summer season. Use this blog to post your frustrations, ask questions, post great recipes, motivational sayings, fun new exercises, find a workout partner...anything that has to do with living a healthy life.

On that note, lets talk about the fabulous night of chocolate decadence I had yesterday!! This snow was the straw that broke the camels back. It's slated to cost me another few thousand dollars in sales this weekend. So, as I like to do, I decided to feed my frustrations. However, this time, there was no guilt and I walked proudly to the frozen food section to find my ice cream. After a few weeks of strictly reading nutrition labels, I will admit, it was a difficult purchase. But, I managed to find a chocolate caramel brownie ice cream made with skim milk. So, it only had 3.5g of saturated fat. The challenge was only eating one serving. But, nothing tastes as good as skinny feels, so I kept it to about 1/2 cup and took small slow bites, savoring every second. I loved the chocolate so much, I got up and made a chocolate espresso martini. Ok, I made a shaker of it...still have to figure out that sugar and calorie count. But, I did 90 minutes of working out, so I earned it.

All weight loss advocates agree that keeping a food journal, will help you lose weight and give you a real look at what you are putting in your body. They also say that we usually miss 500-1000 calories. That's scary when we are told to strive for 1200-1800 calories.

Anyway...here is yesterday:
1/3 veggie egg white omelet - left over from south st. diner
1 grapefruit
2/3 cup of dry roasted soy beans (throughout the day...#1 diet tip...these will keep you feeling full all day)
Lunch was the left overs in my fridge (some roast pork cut up and Near east pecan and garlic whole grains) Threw that in the pan, while broiling a fillet of haddock. Fill the pan with baby spinach and a splash of olive oil, toss and cover for 1-3 minutes till wilted. Toss again and throw in the haddock. Easy, yummy, and nutrient packed. It was a big hit and ready in under 10 minutes.
Dinner...well this is the point where I was feeling a little sorry for myself and decided to feel better Bridget Jones style with ice cream and cocktails. So dinner was a bowl of ice cream and a pair of chocolate espresso martinis. I had some roasted chicken that I cut up as if I was going to make some kind of stir fry. But, I was so content with the ice cream, that I had a few bites of chicken and a few roasted soy beans and called it a day.

All the fiber I have been eating seems to be keeping me satiated. If you are reading this saying "Yeah Right...that would never happen to me." Try it. Eat a VERY high fiber cereal (7g+) with fruit every morning for a week or two. I'll bet your cravings will be cut in half. I am someone who was 100 lbs overweight, as many friends can attest. I ate fatty foods, I ate lots of food. Eating had nothing to do with hunger. I just love food and love eating, so that's what I did. Now, strangely, my challenge is to get enough calories so that I can keep up my metabolism. And, I definitely haven't' given up my restaurant visits. I've just cut out as much processed and box foods as possible, added fiber and really pay attention to portion sizes.

As for exercise: I was duped into an intense ab workout in the morning. It was listed on demand as yoga with an ab focus. It was weight training for your abs, but I did all 20 minutes! Then, I had a kickboxing training session. WOW that was amazing! I can't afford it often during my slow work season, but I try to fit it in at least 2x a month, because it is intense and I get great tips on my other workouts. For info call Dan at 215-668-6493). Then, basically because I'm starting to see a little definition in my abs, I went back on demand and did another 12 minute ab work out. It's amazing how hard it is to get back on the exercise train, but once you do, it can become addicting. I am trying to do something every day and maintain a slight burn...you know that feeling that you've worked out your muscles. Not to the point that you can't walk, but enough to remind yourself about the hard work you are putting in. It reminds you to stay on track on the food side as well. Who wants to put in all that hard work and throw it away over a few twinkies??

So...what did you eat today? Did ya get your work out in? What's your biggest challenge? Any motivational tips to share?

OK...this super skinny girl just asked Dr. Oz if it is safe that she just started the no carb diet!?!?!?

OK...first of all, let me just say that I lost my first 35 lbs on a no carb diet. I loved eating bacon double cheese burgers and mayo (just hold the bread)! And, breadless hoagies and bacon and onions and cheese on everything. But, 1st of all, I needed to loose 100lbs. This girl was easily a size 0-2! And, secondly, I finally came to my senses and started eating whole, real, nutrient rich foods!!

I'm a proponent of anything that will jumpstart a new healthy lifestyle. And, I know that the Atkins diet really changed my life. Others need to do a "toxin cleans", others need to do a fast or some crazy fad diet like the grapefruit diet. Whatever works to kickstart your changed eating and exercise...go for it!! Just remember a long term solution needs to be something you can stick to. Something you can enjoy. It takes about 2 weeks to change cravings. So, if you need that 2 weeks carb free to squash those crazy sugar cravings...do it! I used to think about food and plan my next bite 24/7. After a few weeks of high fiber cereal and fruit for breakfast and adding whole grains to my diet, I have found myself forcing myself to eat. Reminding my self that it was time to put some calories (energy) into my body instead of constantly being reminded by my belly or even my eyes when I saw something yummy in the house or the store.

Yesterday was one of those days where i just didn't eat enough. It still boggles my mind after being controlled by food 30+ years.

Ok...to the food and exercise journal. Well, I think I posted my food yesterday, except for my real dinner which never happened so I had a 1/2 cup of dry roasted soy beans. I'm addicted. Some people don't like the dryness. So, get frozen ones. Throw them in a little cold water to defrost and pop them like peanuts or popcorn. They are a superfood paced with anti-cancer properties, tons of fiber and protein.

Today: Breakfast was a full grapefruit and the left overs from yesterdays breakfast. 1/3 eggwhite veggie omelet and I took about large tablespoon of the homefries. I'm saving the rest to add to lunch. Making 1 meal stretch into 2-3 saves TONS of calories (and a little cash)

Working out: Got up and did a 20 min super ab workout on demand. and, My friend is on his way over now with pads to give me a little kick boxing training!!! It's amazing. If you are looking for a motivational trainer who focuses as much on your mind as your body, call dan 215-668-6493! He comes to you! It's awesome!

More food and maybe a little stretching to come later.

A workout can turn your day around

I watched a friend having a rough day today, so I suggested a "General Hospital Workout." That means cardio on the commercials, weight training while the show is on. We worked up quite a sweat and got a fantastic hour long circuit training work out in! At the end...his mood had completely turned around....nothin like releasing a few endorphins to help us drop a few pounds and bring a smile to our faces. Alot of times its very hard to get our sneakers and work out gear on, but once we are finished...we always feel great!! So, next time you don't want to work out....remember how you'll feel (AND look) when you are finished!

Breakfast: Cup of Coffee, water, Egg White Omelet with tomato, broccoli, avacado and mushrooms. I ate 2/3 of it and brought the homefries with onions home to add to a different meal.

Water...I've been trying to get my 8 glasses in. That's been my biggest challange, but everything that I read tells me that getting 8 glasses a day will help maintain your metabolism, flush toxins and maintain energy. So...I'm gonna keep working on it.

Lunch...I forgot again...this is my other biggest challange. And, this amazes me, because before I got back on track, I was thinking about food, if not eating it 24 hours a day. I did drink a V8 at my meeting, just to make sure there were some calories in my body.

Early Dinner: After working out, I cut up some chicken from a roast chicken I had in the frige and threw it in a pan with the seafood pasta from earlier in the week. There was about 1/3 serving of whole wheat pasta, the rest was shrimp, scallops and chicken.

And now...I'm starving so I think I'll have a 2nd dinner :) I definately haven't had enough calories today! And, if we don't eat enough...we condition our bodies to need less food and slow our metabolism. That is NOT an option for me.

Today's Challenge: What's a good, guilt free dessert? I would really love a BIG bowl of ice cream with tons of toppings right now!!! I know I can have some. But, I need some ideas for daily desserts!!

Eating in can be amazing!! Great Meals

Tip of the day: Experience and Enjoy your food. I'm stealing this one from the girl on Rachel Ray today. She asked everyone to put a raisin in thier mouth. Wait for a minute, then chew slowly. It was an exercise in experiencing your food with all of your senses. You will eat slower, you will eat less and you will enjoy every bite.

I have really embraced cooking and can't believe how fabulous some of these meals are turning out. And, I'm doing it on a tiny budget and meals that don't take long.

Last night dinner: Roast Pork with Spinach, Tomato and Avacado with a side of blackened asparagus and whole grains.
I sauteed some onions in Orange Juice. Added some canned diced, fire roasted tomatoes (check the sodium levels and chop size, when picking a canned tomato.) I sliced a few pieces of pork off of a huge side of pork that I slow roasted the other day and threw it in the pan (fat removed). I threw some fresh spinach to fill the rest of the pan, a splash of olive oil and covered it to wilt. Toss a few times. Threw it on a plate and topped it with sliced avacado. For sides, we went with with pan seared asparagus and Near East Whole Grains. Eat it seperately or mix it all together. YUM!! Full of protein, fiber, good fats and flavor!!

Tip: Always cooking something in the oven while your working in your kitchen will keep you with great lunch and dinner quick additions. The pork slices came from big chunk of pork I had from the huge $.99 pork combo sale the other day, covered it and threw it in the oven covered for a few hours at 275. add whatever seasoning you want) It took no effort or time, and I've got a lean protien option to add to things for the next week!

Breakfast: 1 serving of steal cut oats, a serving of frozen berries, defrosted, 1/2 serving of greek yogurt and a bit of honey to sweeten. I added some ezzekiel whole grains cereal for crunch. A lite sugar granola would have been great too.

Lunch. Yesterday's left overs. Whole wheat pasta (less than a serving) pan grilled shrimp, squid, scalops and pork. I threw it in the pan and filled the rest of the pan with fresh baby spinach. Add a little EVOO, cover to wilt and stir till evenly hot and wilted. Salt and pepper to taste...So freakin good!!

Tip: Keep everything a little less than a serving...you can always go back for more or eat something else. Plus, you'll never have that stuffed feeling or feel guilt over anything you are eating.

It's not my workout...it's my morning

I'm trying to make that statement a reality. I havesignificant neck and back pain. It is definately held in better check when I do a simple 10 minute AM Yoga. And, I feel increased energy as well as a happier sense of being!! When I first got back into healthy living, I would count that as my exercise for the day. now, I want to make it part of my every day routine. That's the whole point of this blog. When I put it in writing, it's more likely to happen. Today, it didn't, but I'm going to work in a 20 minute power yoga before my General Hospital Workout. For those who haven't experienced that yet. It's an amazing circuit training that can be as challanging as you make it. Cardio on the commercials (jumping jacks, knee repeaters, run up and down the stairs, skaters, ...whatever you want. It only lasts about 3 minutes, and the goal is just to get your heart pumping again. During the show, it's weight training. I usualy switch betwween legs and arms for the first 45 minutes and hit the abs during the last segment. DONT FORGET TO STRETCH AFTERWARDS!!

Yummy Breakfast...(No effort) I threw some frozen strawberries and blueberries in the microwave for about 30 seconds to soften and made some steel cut oats. The juice created from the fruit gave my breakfast a fun color and a sweet taste. So, I didn't need to add butter, sugar or milk. SO YUM. And, I measured my serving. It did look rediculously small. But, I am stuffed now. The fiber will do the trick if you give it a minute to set in. I also saw a really cool recipie on Dr. Oz...visit his website to check it out. They used avacado instead of butter in a killer chocolate mouse...Might have to try this one myself.

Going to keep some roasted soybeans with me all day to fight off any cravings and try to keep with small meals every few hours. The challenge for the day is to drink a glass of water each hour. Something needs to get that back into my routine.

So...goals for the weekend...MORE WATER, 10 minutes of yoga as soon as I get up and ENJOY every minute.

Calories in...Calories out!

Can't seem to get a full meal together today. Had whole grain cereal with blueberries this morning. I had to defrost a few frozen berries, but right now there aren't alot of great fresh berries. And, the frozen blueberries make a GREAT snack! (tip: your fingers will turn blue, if ya don't use a tooth pick or spoon.) by 1, I was starving. I just grabbed some rice that was already cooked and threw a sweet potato and butterut squash (cut in half, upside down) in the oven. An hour later, took out the insides and mixed them together. I had a bananna pure in my cabinet, but you could sweeten it with honey or a little maple syrup and black pepper. It will make a great side dish, but I took out a serving as my 3:30 meal. No exercise today, so I'm going to stick to small serving size sessions throughout the day.

Guess I need to work in some greens and protein. Fridge is getting empty. That's when these partial meals start popping up.

Bulk up to Slim Down

Well, it's a combination of tight budget and focusing on nutrient rich foods, but I have noticed something that tasted fabulous, minimizes the waste and keeps me satiated throughout the day.

Tip #1 Always have nutrient packed bulk food in the cupboard. If you add a cup of spinach to your rice or pasta dish, you just cut the fat and carbs in your serving size. I just had a a fabulous brunch that took me about 8 minutes to make.

So...brunch was a nice surprise. I love opening the fridge with no plan and coming up with restaurant quality meals!! I just grabbed my left overs mixed em and stacked em and YUM!!! While I was making dinner last night. I made Some Seeds of Change, Whole grain Tuscan Rice. Took it from the stove to the fridge in the pan. So, this morning, I threw about a serving in a pic sauce pan. I had a serving of sliced chicken, assiago and spinach sausage. With of course, some bulk spinach that was left over from earlier in the week. (because I always make 1 extra serving of things so I can reuse it in something else later.) I put that sausage mixture on another 1/3 of the pan and filled the rest with a cup-ish of fresh spinach and a touch of olive oil. Mix it all up till the spinach is wilted and everything was warm. Make enough room for an egg. The pan already has a little olive oil and natural juices, so no need to add butter or additional fat. So the over medium egg sat attop a phenomenal mix of sausage, spices, whole grains and spinach. It was comfort food full of protein, fiber, iron and lots of other goodies. Not to mention...I'll be full for hours!!!

Tip #2: Take a BIG spoonful or 2 off of your plate before you start. You can always go back for 2nds that way. And, sometimes you won't. Those calories add up!!! I also threw a nice serving scoop of it the sausage, spinach and rice mixture back into the rice in the fridge to shrink my portion and free up some cheat calories :)

Good Bulk items that are easy to have on hand at all times without worrying about waste.

• Spinach (This gets added to almost every meal i eat. Super easy and you just add it at the last 5 minutes of cooking)
• Edammame
• Pasta (I'm partial to 100% whole wheat THIN spaghetti or cappellini. You can't even tell its wheat.)
• Chick Peas
• Beans (Butter, Kidney, lima, white, whatever works for you, I change it up all the time)
• Whole Grains
• Any roasted vegetables ( When I'm cooking another meal, I throw in some bite size potato, and various veggies. Bake them with some olive oil and choice of seasoning. By the time your finished cooking and eating dinner. You box up the roasted goodness and throw it in the fridge!! A great snack, bulk food or side for an up coming meal. How happy am I in the morning when I get a fantastic side of home fries in about 5 minutes?!?!! And, its only 1 serving, so I don't over indulge. :)

Ok...time to do some real work....It'll be snack time in no time :)

Yum! Yum! With enough whole foods in your house, every meal is YUMMY!

I just boiled up some Far East Whole Grains and threw all of my leftovers in there with some fresh baby spinach to wilt in the heat. the left overs were spaghetti squash and some pan grilled scallops, shrimp and pork. I have been really trying to cut portion sizes and just go back for 2nds if I need to. So, I have just the right amount of protien to put in there. And, what's left of this can be kicked up with a salmon, just more veggies...whatever I happen to make next. And, it is so freakin good!!! I might make it in the future on purpose!

Breakfast was boring, a fried egg (in the green pan, so I didn't need butter) chopped up just before yolk finished with spinach and herbs, in there just long enough to wilt. I may have grated some fresh provolone on the top. I kept it to under an ounce though....with moderation, I can eat everything!!

Like the mocha cookie sticks in my bar. Every time I walk by, I take a bite. But, I'm breaking it in to bite size and keeping it to less than a serving a day.

As for working out today has been weird. I don't wanndo a tape, so I shovelled for 45 minutes and worked up a good sweat. Then needed to watch the View since Dr. Oz was on. Hello?!?!? Two quilty pleasures at once, how could i resist. So, I earned it by doing yoga stretches and pilates moves while watching. I'll do a General Hospital Workout too. That is my penace for missing out on a 45 minute super intense tape. 2 hours of much less intense exercise...that's the way I had to do it today. whatever works!! If I'm going to comit to a healthy active lifestyle for the rest of my life, which is likely more than 40 freakin years....I'm gonna have to switch it up every once in a while :)

liquid calories

www.fitnesspal.com I belive I was singing their praises yesteday! But, today when I started to input the wine from lunch I couldn't believe how quickly the carbs and calories added up (yes...I had wine at lunch, it's friday and I'm about to be snowed in for DAYS!!! The news keeps increasing the snowfall amounts....I'm gonna have another glass of wine too!! But, man, I'm gonna do a quick bout of power yoga so I feel less guilt :)

Just wanted to pop on really quickly and sing the praises of beans. I bought big butter beans. I pan seared a nice BIG piece of salmon (which also put me over my numbers.) And, then in the same pan seared some red and yellow peppers, strawberries, butter beans and a splash of mojo chipolte sauce for a kick. Then at the last minute threw in some spinach just enough to wilt it so it was nice and warm, but held on to all of its nutrients. oh and some yummy walnuts and a tad of fresh shredded provolone. I forgot to throw in some of the hard boild eggs. But, oh well, next time.

takin everyone down with me

So, I've been working out and eating right for a week. So, all of a sudden, I am an expert and I want everyone else to do it too. Meanwhile, I might have lost 3 lbs. But, I do feel better, I have a ton more energy. I'm not being as productive as I'd like, but in general, we're getting the food and exercise in, no matter what.

I thought I wasn't eating enough, till I found this on-line calorie counter. Apparently I'm way heavy on the protien. Almost there on the fiber, Way low on the carbs and right on for calories, fat.

So, we'll try again tomorrow.

Started off the day with high fiber flax seed ceral (mix of Sam's, NAture's PAth and brown rice crispies) quickie snack of left over salmon and ablondigas (small pieces) dinner was a plate full of ground turkey, spinach, tomato, left over whole grains and flax seed pasta. I had a snack of 1oz cheese and of course a fudge pop.

Food Shopping tomorrow. Need to get some sugar snap peas (my new potato chips), and I really need to start drinkin more water. Going to try and get it in the form of herbal tea.