Week 5: Relief

After a long and stressful week of lots homework and tests and way too much eating.... I would like to let you all know that I finally got the numbers on the scale to move! Down 3 lbs from last week!! Yah!

All the walking and biking we did this week must have helped cause god knows I didn't eat very well at all! Cheers to more pounds off next week!! :) happy weekend!

Case of the Mondays anyone?!!?!

Those of you who are not facebook friends of mine, I just wanted to do an update about how my jogging was going.... since I mentioned about doing The Color Run in like 2 weeks. :O 

This is me Dying when I got home.

Well, my first jog in quiet a while took place saturday morning! YAY. I'm really proud of myself, I did the jog for a couple blocks walk for a block, I went about a mile and a half in 20 min... some might be laughing but I felt a sense of accomplishment, it's been months since I have attempted or have even be able to run and I finally just put my foot down and said I'm gonna do it! I did feel like death for a bit, my lungs wanted to fall out but other then that it made me feel great! That's what I always remember about running is it isn't always super fun while your out doing it, but when your finished you feel Great! 

Awe! Isn't he the cutest! He looks
like an old man! ;) {love you honey!}

On sunday I was thinking that my boyfriend and I haven't taken our bikes out to much lately so I asked him if he wanted to ride to Ames to get some breakfast and he said sure! So we got a good 20 mile ride in man on man am I sore today! Here's a cute pic of us once we got to Ames! :)

Monday's are not my friend, but I'm gonna do my best to push through this and quite eating everything in sight to stay awake! (coffee wasn't helping me any this morning)  Hope everyone has a great week! :)

Week 4: Lifestyle Change

It has taken me a month to finally realize that this journey I am on is not just a 'diet' or a temporary thing, it's a LIFESTYLE!  I am learning and training my mind to think about the benefits of the foods I'm eating so that I can be healthier and feed my body what it needs to survive! (not just things that taste good)  I'm seriously having SO much fun with this, it's exciting to read about what different foods can do for your body, instead of thinking about what is going to taste GOOD, because most of those foods (although I have found that I love the healthy foods I'm eating) are not beneficial to your body even though we all thing they taste good and especially those greasy fried things we all enjoy! (not saying I probably won't enjoy those things EVER but on a VERY limited basis! at this point it doesn't even appeal to me)  A diet to me means "temporary" or until you get to the goal you want to achieve.  Lifestyle change means that you are learning how to change the things in your life to become healthier not just what you eat or how much you workout or even what the number on the scale says, you are figuring out how to get yourself into a 'habit' of doing these things on a regular basis, so that you will have long term effects, not short term (which is the way I see 'diet').  You have to be completely committed to giving up those things that you maybe eat once in awhile or more often that aren't beneficial! It's okay to have some things in moderation, just not to often!  Obviously I'm not an expert and or perfect but I'm slowly learning and trying my best to be successful and to have a healthier, happier life! :) 

If you guys are like me I love my snacks, I look forward to eating most of the time, mainly when I'm at work because I get bored so if I think about what I am going to eat next it makes time go by a little faster! :)  I found that POPCORN is filled with LOTS of antioxidants, it has more then a days worth of fruits and veggies, and it also has as much fiber as 1 cup of cooked brown rice! Well that is great news, because I love to eat popcorn at night while I watch my evening shows! The only thing to remember is that you get the most benefit if the popcorn is plain (meaning not the buttery store bought stuff) or air popped and then you can add the things that are better for you such as olive oil (lowers cholestrol and benefits insulin levels as well as blood sugar control) and then sprinkle on your favorite seasonings.  Some things I found in Woman's Health magazine is to put rosemary and grated parmesan cheese also another that sounded good was lemon zest, oregano, and dill!  OMG, so many POSsibLItiEs I can't wait to spice up my evening snack! :) 

In my food for thought the other day I forgot to mention my most favorite thing Kombucha with chia!!!

Chia- is often called 'runners food', it's a superfood that provides sustained energy for the body.  It has more then 8x the omega-3 found in salmon, more antioxidant than blueberries, and more fiber than oatmeal.
Kombucha- is furmented tea and sugar. The benefits of this drink is it can boost immune system and reverse the aging process (no wonder my dad never seems to age.. lol).  It can improve the body's defense by detoxifying and enhancing the immune system and then helps fight off diseases.  It can also help improve liver function(god knows I can always use help with that!!). {just for the record I have been doing much better with the amount of alcohol I drink, I'm really not an acholoic like everyone probably things... hehe}

 Look at all the benefits I can get just from one drink!!! Kombucha with chia seeds in it! :)  My dad introduced me to Kombucha a few years ago and a friend of mine introduced me to Mama Chia (thanks Bliss!!) and the reason it caught my attention in years past is because the fact that it said Chia is 'runners food' and I used to run quite a bit.  Then recently they came out with Kombucha that had chia in it and I was thrilled! Not to mention now I know exactly why it so good for my body to consume, and I have some great health benefits to prove that. 

During this process I am learning SO much about my body and the way it's changing and it is so benecifial for my self-esteem these days.  I am so proud of myself for having willpower again and to not just let myself go I can finally say for real I'm getting my life back! :) 

Just want to throw in there a Happy Anniversary to my Wonderful parents! 27 years and it's be a crazy ride! :) Love You guys!!!

Food Education

I told you guys that my goal for this next week was to get myself educated on foods so I thought I would share a little about what I have come across! :)

Sweet Potatoes- They are a good source of carbs.  It contains beta carotene and potassium which promote recovery and it also has magnesium which improves performance and is essential for muscle function.

Chickpeas- (used in hummus) are rich in protein and have no cholesterol or saturated fat! They also have Omega-3 which helps maintain a healthy heart and prevent cholesterol build up.  It also helps maintain correct blood sugar levels.

Eggs- they have lots of protein and amino acids which the body uses to rebuild muscle that is broken down when you exercise.

Black Beans- fiber rich carbs, protein and antioxidants.  Protein and antioxidants help with muscle recovery.

Yogurt- good source of protein and is also very high in calcium.  (I had greek yogurt for lunch today-- I'm not a big yogurt eater-- but it had 14g of protein in that little container!)

Quinoa-  A food that I am still familiarizing myself with! It has healthy carbs which provide muscle building protein, and the amino acids in it also helps put the protein to good use within your body. 

Coffee-  I know everyone's favor thing! Well it's still good for you! The caffeine helps boast performance, endurance, and recovery. 

Cottage Cheese-  High in protein.

Some things that I have been eating throughout the day to balance my daily needs and keep myself eating what my body needs is:

Omelet

Breakfast: Usually is a 2 egg omelet with ham and onions and a little cheese to top it off. 5 pts.

Typical lunch.

Lunch:  a sandwich with whole wheat bread, turkey, swiss, lettuce and a little mayo;  yogurt or a small salad; an apple that I dip in the yogurt or else 2 Tbsp of peanut butter; and I love Kumbucha with chia!

Dinner: Just depends on what I feel like.... Spaghetti Squash Casserole; Healthy Meatloaf; Lasagna Rolls; something along those lines and I make sure to only have one serving. 

Spaghetti Squash- This is
sorta like the casserole but
I decided to put in the pan
instead of baking it.

Snack: I was told that if you eat something high in protein right before bed it keeps your body working throughout the night which helps keep your metabolism going.  I choose cottage cheese or yogurt they are both pretty high in protein.

Those are just a few things that I have researched a little bit, and there are tons of recipes that you can find to use these different items in.  Hummus is a good recipe for the chickpeas, and the slice a Jicama up and dip that into it.  Quinoa can be used in just about anything, I like to make Quinoa Cups, which is basically ham and eggs and lots of veggies and I put them in muffin tins and bake and then heat up in the mornings for breakfast.  Black beans as well can be used in about anything, I tend to put them on my nachos along with hamburger meat and a little cheese.  If you don't enjoy yogurt which I'm not a huge fan... I just tried yoplait greek yogurt vanilla and I dipped my apple chunks in it(YUMMY!).

       

On a different note, I FEEL GREAT, now that I am filling my body with  things that it can benefit from.  My bf and I went to a local pond that has a path around it and we walked for and hour and even jogged a little and I still felt great when we were done... I was like the energizer bunnY! :)

Week 3: All Positivity

As mentioned earlier in the week, I had a lot of activity points built up this week!  Activity doesn't necessarily mean that you will lose weight though, because although I stayed within my points and I did use most of my weekend points (non of my activity points) it all depends on what you fuel your body with.  I obviously didn't fuel my body with things that were very beneficial for the health of my changing body, because I lost .2 lbs this week.  I'm not complaining because I'm happy I did lose! yay! It's okay to lose the weight slowly and it's way healthier for your body, but I'm disappointed in the food I choose to put in my body this week. 

Something I learned from a blog I've been reading lately, a lady who lost 133lbs and has kept it off for a year, is that you should eat something within an hour of going to bed (I know usually ppl say not to eat before bed) and make it something that is HIGH in protein so that way your body will keep working overnight while you are asleep! She suggested cottage cheese because it is one of the highest protein filled foods! :) Just a little tid bit I learned this week! I definatley recommend reading this ladies blog, especially if your feeling insecure and also if you have a lot of weight you are trying to lose! She is writing about here journey after she lost the weight and kept it off for a year, so you get to see what her tricks are and how she pushed herself though and set herself up for success! It brings happiness to my heart and I did shed a few tears while I read about her journey! her blog is http://joyjourneypaige.blogspot.com/

This week I'm going to really focus on educating myself on how to fuel my body properly! I think it's important to know what is good and benefical to your body, even though on weight watchers you can eat pretty whatever you want to eat, I think it's important to give your body the foods that will make it work properly and more efficently!

This week I encourage everyone to get educated on what they are putting into your mouth everyday and how it is benefiting you and your body! :) I will do the same!

GO CYCLONES!!!!!!!!!!

Yay for Holiday's!

Who doesn't love having an extra day on the weekend?! :) We had a fun filled great weekend with friends and family! Here's a little bit of our fun:

This would be a view of our back yard.... and no that it NOT
our tree! UGH.  Noticed this Saturday morning and was
not thrilled about it. 



WAHOO. Go State!!!! :)



Awe. Look at that adorable couple! (if i do say so myself.)

We had a great time with friends at the tailgate Saturday afternoon, we didn't go into the game we just pregamed and enjoyed the fact that football season has started again! :)

We enjoyed a long 27 mile bike ride!



I just want to throw this out there mainly because I'm so proud of myself, this 27 mile bike ride earned me 46 activity points! YAY! and not to mention Monday (our day off) the bf and I went on an hour and half walk and that earned me another 11 activity points! I'm rocking the activity points this week, I just hope the scale shows it on Friday!

After having a great weekend, it's now back to reality.... I'm kinda behind with school this week since I usually do most of my homework on Monday's... so now I'm catching up! (not giving up though)  I just really want to express some of my inner feelings and thoughts, I am seriously really proud of myself (not many ppl can say that about themselves) mainly for sticking with weight watchers, this is my 3rd week and I have lost 6.5lbs, even though that's not a huge number and I still have over a hundred pounds to lose, I can still say I'm happy and proud of myself for gaining willpower back.  If it weren't for my boyfriend being SO supportive I probably would have gave up by now (looking back on all my previous posts, you can see that I haven't been very successful with weight lose in the past), things are about to change cause I'm really tired of being SO out of shape! I want to have a great life (not that I don't already) where I can do anything especially physically, not gonna lie by boyfriend said to me the other night when we walked you seem like you are doing a lot better and you don't get as winded.  That made me happy to hear, like I said I haven't lost a lot of weight but every little bit helps and it makes me feel more confident in myself. 

I've got my big girl panties pulled up and I'm ready to take on this challenge no matter how hard it will be and already has been.  Not to mention my body has given my crazy fits the last few weeks as I have changed my diet/eating SOO much, and I never want to have to do that again! 

HERE'S TO SHEDDING POUNDS AND FEELING GOOD!

Oh boy is it hard to say NO to good (bad) food.
Just reminding myself of this statement!