The 2nd Weigh In!

It is officially week two and the new weigh in. I didn't feel as good as I did the week before. It was so busy & my workouts were cut short. I was bummed about it but, at least I am working out. I have to keep positive. I didn't get to workout this morning because I was working. A cute little newborn girl. I only came home wanting to get fat...well...pregnant. Those shoots always give me crazy baby fever. But, for now, no babies for me. That decision will be made later.

When I hoped on the scale I wasn't expecting a big change. Last week I was at 127.2. Today I stepped on and.............

125.8! 1.4 pounds in the last week. CRAZY BUSINESS! I was expecting MAYBE half a pound not OVER a pound. I am pretty happy about that.

I don't see that big of a change body wise from last week though. Kind of a bummer but it's only been 2 weeks. I can't expect my body to change overnight.

I am happy though despite not seeing much results in my body. It happens. I am feel so much better about food though. I went to Target today to grab a few things. Normally when I have to get food there I hate every single second of it. This time however was completely different. I went in, grabbed my stuff and before I knew it I was checking out without any personal drama...even with two kids who should have been resting. It was an all around success!

Last night we went out with friends. We went to one of my favorite bars. Bulldog. I normally drink and eat super bad for you food. I didn't do either. No booze and a semi healthy sandwich with no tater tots. Seriously wanted them though but not enough that I would cheat. I keep telling myself that I am doing so well. Why would I want to go backwards by eating crappy food and drinking? I know that I will. A week from Sunday Kyle & I are doing to the Mad Men Premier Party and I plan to have a few drinks. I am not going to go crazy or anything but a few drinks isn't going to kill me. I will just workout really hard that morning. lol

So 2 weeks in and 4 pounds down. Yay! So excited to see what the results will be in 2 more weeks!

Coffee Talk - Food Food Food and a little bit of exercise

I am almost 2 weeks into this change and I am finally getting the hang of food. It freaked me out when I first started. Not as much for at home, but when we go out to eat. I mentioned it in my last post about. I was so scared to eat in the real world but I am really getting the hang out of it.

Yesterday it was just Kegan & I since Karie went to my moms house. He really wanted to go out to eat with Kyle for lunch. We said okay & we let him pick. He wanted to go to Red Robin. When I think Red Robin I think delish hamburgers that are a bijilllon calories. I wasn't scared. I decided to take this challenge head on. I mean, I can't live my life without going out to eat. It happens. I also can't force people to go to places that serve only healthy stuff. I need to roll with the punches.

I opened my menu & busted out my phone. What I normally eat there was 1,692 calories. FOR ONE MEAL. Um no. I knew going in my regular meal wasn't something I was going to eat. I found that they have a Grilled Turkey Burger. Then I noticed that instead of the bun you can get it wrapped in lettuce. Awesome. I also decided not to order fries and get broccoli. I nabbed a fry from Kegan & was happy with my veggies since I love them anyways. My meal went from 1,692 to 386. WOW! What a HUGE change!! Now you are thinking. Was it any good? Yes, it was. Besides it being a little spicy for my taste it was decent. The broccoli was delish but that is almost impossible to mess up.

Today my Mother in Law came with me to Kegan's school to help out & read a book. After we decided to go to lunch with the kiddos. We went to Matthew's. If you aren't from the area you have no idea what that place is. It's a local family owned restaurant that my kids love. They always want to eat there. Normally what I eat there is actually healthy. I get the BLT wrap. Yum. Just talking about it makes me want another one. Dinner idea maybe? Anyways my BLT wrap is only 360. Seriously. How easy! I don't eat the chips that come with it & always order water. I was thrilled about this!

So eating in the real world isn't so bad but I like eating at home better. I love the convenience of eating out but I know 100% what I am putting in my body at home. So yay food and not being so scared of it!

Working out is going well too. I didn't get to workout over the weekend. I had a wedding all day on Saturday. I don't know how many calories a wedding burns yet but I know it's a lot. I have been looking at heart rate monitors for the past week and HOPEFULLY going to buy one this week. I haven't had a chance to go look at them in the store but I am hoping on Thursday or Friday I can make my way out to look and hopefully buy one. Sunday I had a photoshoot & Sunday is my normal day off from working out but doing a shoot is a workout. Lots of walking around. Lots of ups and downs. I am so not complaining. I love my job and I love that it is a workout.

I am getting better with my running too. I still hate it. I was told that it takes a month of running before it is tolerable. Ew. I have a few more weeks to go I guess. But like I said I am getting better at running. Every day I go I shave time off my mile. It's pretty awesome. I love seeing that. I want to die after still but I know if I don't push myself there is no point. Right?

I am curious to see what Thursday brings with my progress. If anything, I am FEELING better about myself and that is the most important thing!

Eating in the Real World!

I never paid attention to calories or serving sizes. I just ate because food is delish and I ate the delish food until I was full. I never cared before. "Why should I?" I always thought. I was young and dumb. Apparently ignorance is bliss when you are young. As an adult? Not so much.

Last night Kyle & I went out on a date. A super spontaneous date. We didn't even know where we were going until we dropped the kids off with his parents. His dad gave us a coupon to PF Changs so we decided to go there. Now, I used to eat there quite often. I'd do happy hours there and dinners there with the husband. I love that place. I used to eat lettuces wraps to start and then move to Changs Spicy Chicken for the main course. Of course having a few Blue Moons while we were at it. Without counting desert I would normally eat around 2,000 calories at just that one meal. Seeing that makes me want to puke. Eww. 2,000 calories in ONE MEAL?! What was I thinking? Or not thinking.

I stared at my phone and the nutritional chart. I couldn't believe it. I was in shock. Then I got all freaked out. How do people eat in the real world?! Would I be stuck eating at home forever?! FOR-EV-ERRR!

I sat there looking freaked out just staring. Trying to wrap my brain around how much I used to eat. How I DIDN'T think I was doing THAT much wrong. I just felt gross.


This was a HUGE wake up call for me. I really need to pay attention to my serving sizes. ESPECIALLY when I go out to eat.

So this time. I did it different. We ordered Lettuces Warps but I only ate one (half a serving). For my main dish, I ordered Spicy Changs Chicken and only ate half (1 and a half servings). My total calorie count was 565. Not too bad. I didn't order any dessert and stuck with water.

I can't lie though, I felt kind of guilty when we left. I kind of felt like I cheated. I have been eating so healthy & do everything right and then I eat this! Urgh. What was I thinking?! It was stupid. Looking back now I just want to kick myself. Really? Am I getting all mad over some damn food? Am I really getting pissed that I ate something that wasn't SUPER healthy even though I was still under my sodium intake for the day, on track with my calories and ate healthy that whole day. I worked out. I had no reason to feel so guilty.

Food is so strange. It's so tasty and you just want to stuff your face but it seems like most of it isn't that good for you. It's stupid.

After last nights dinner I really appreciated cooking more. I actually started to like it...I think. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like going on. But I feel way more comfortable in my own kitchen. I KNOW what I am cooking. I see it. I touch it. I know exactly what is going in my body.

Did I just admit that I kind of liked cooking?! I'd blame it on the wine but I haven't had any since I started this whole lifestyle change. Oddly enough I am totally okay with that. I thought for sure I'd want a glass of wine after the awful day I had yesterday...or even after today because today isn't going so well either. But I don't. I'd rather grab a yogurt and a cup of coffee and just chill out while watching my DVR'd shows. In fact, I will probably do that...but later. I have to finish cleaning my house and get my stuff ready for tomorrows wedding. Oh and Kegan's soccer game and soccer photos tomorrow. Busy busy busy.

But for the next 15 minutes I am going to sit & finish watching the rest of Sex & the City and drink my coffee.

This photo also has ZERO to do with my blog post besides the fact that it is me & I like it.

My 1st weigh in!

It's officially been a week since I started working out & eating healthy. Since I started my "Lifestyle Change". A week of change. The only consistent on my life right now is my coffee which I consume daily. Only two days at Caribou which is quite the change from my more 6 days a week. I did however on my last trip there try the "Lite" version of my drink and honestly, I couldn't taste a difference. I know I said I wasn't going to go all crazy and get skinny thin drinks but if it is still MY drink with just less calories AND tastes the same I am doing it. Call me a liar, it's okay. I totally did lie.

When I look in the mirror I still see the same body I saw a week ago. I don't see a difference at all. I feel different. Different = Pain. Working out makes your whole body hurt, I knew that, but I forgot how much. And again, there is no such thing as a good hurt. There just isn't. Hurting on purpose is down right ridiculous but sadly necessary to achieve the results I want.  There isn't much hunger like people said there would be. I still eat 3 meals (well 2 sometimes because I tend to forget breakfast unless you count coffee). I still snack. I don't let myself feel hungry. If you are dieting and you feel hungry, you are doing it wrong.

I workout daily. I workout at the gym most days and at home almost every day. When I am at the gym I run and it sucks. I am getting better though. Every time I run I feel better than the time before. I still hate it. I have no love for running. Maybe one day I will be able to get along with running. I tend to say not nice things about her & curse her more often than not.

For the results!!! I started at 129.8. Not a bad weight but not a weight I felt comfortable with. I already said I don't have a goal but I just want to be healthy.

127.2! That means in the last week I lost 2.6 pounds. That is crazy business right there. I am excied about it but I have to remind myself this is NORMAL in the beginning and this isn't something I will see every week. I want to gain muscle too so in reality I don't want to lose this much every week. I don't want to be skin & bones. That isn't hot.

I can see a difference in my body when I see the photos.

I debated even doing photos. But who am I kidding. I take pictures of everything else. Why wouldn't I take photos of this? I'm glad I did. Like I said before, I don't see a difference when I look in the mirror at myself but I do see a difference in the photos. These photos motivate me to do better. To work harder and be better.

So here is to another week!

Coffee Talk - My thoughts so far

 

I wouldn't call what I am doing a diet. I hate the word diet. It has such bad connotations. I would call it a "lifestyle change" because that is what it is really.  There is nothing wrong with eating healthier and working out. Right now I have cut out most everything that isn't healthy. Not forever of course because this girl couldn't live without pizza, nachos and beer. Yum, beer. Just not right now. The only unhealthy thing I am doing, is my coffee. Life isn't worth living if I can't have my coffee. Okay, so that is a joke...kind of. Okay, so not really. I love coffee. I am cutting back I guess. Instead of 4, 5...6 trips to Caribou a week. I go 1 or 2 times. And instead of getting a large, I get a medium. But I am not getting a skim skinny thin coffee. I am getting what I always get. White Chocolate Turtle Mocha and not feeling guilty at all. I still drink my Caribou Kcups at home. Here's to cup #3 for the day.

So back to the change. Lifestyle change just sounds better. Kyle mentioned to a few people that we are on a diet. It just made my stomach hurt when he said that. People look at me & say "She is thin, she doesn't need to be a on a diet." They are right. I don't need to be on a diet. I need a change. I need to change my bad eating habits.

For the first couple of weeks I am  eating really healthy. Getting adjusted to this new lifestyle. Forcing myself to cook. Forcing myself to try new things. I don't have any junk food in the house besides the candy from last Halloween, Christmas, Valentines Day...ect. Thankfully most of the candy in there isn't chocolate or gummy bears. I don't know if I could resist knowing that there is gummy bears in my house that aren't being eaten. lol It also sounds like we have a lot of candy in the house. We don't. I slowly throw candy out. We don't eat that much. A few pieces a week for the kids. Rarely anything for myself or Kyle.

Before I started this I was so confused on what I could & couldn't eat. I hear people all the time saying "I am on a diet and I am so hungry." That sounds pretty awful. I love eating and I don't want to be hungry all the time. While I am still trying to figure this change all out I knew that there are still yummy things that you can eat.  Anyone who knows me knows I snack like it is my job. I could live each day snacking all day. Thankfully the more I read about getting healthy the more it says to snack. HELL YES! Oddly enough a lot of things I snack on are things I can still snack on. Fruits, veggies, nuts, string cheese, yogurt...ect. Some stuff I changed. Instead of chips and queso dip I switched to wheat crackers and Laughing Cow Cheese. That stuff is legit. I could just eat the wedge without any crackers. Instead of putting cheese on my broccoli I just eat it plain. I have no issues with that. I love raw broccoli. In fact, most of my veggies I love raw which makes for a super quick and easy snack!

Unfortunately, I can't snack all day. I need to make meals. So I have been. Nothing super fancy but those Chicken Fajita Quesadilla's are killer and probably the "fanciest" thing I currently make. Right now I have Pot Roast in the crock pot. I searched the internet for an easy yet healthier version than I have made in the past. Nothing with random packets of things. I combined a few different recipes and we'll see how it tastes tonight. Everything I have read says to be creative with your cooking and that you don't always have to follow a recipe. So that is what I am trying to do. Not sure that is the best idea since I barely know how to cook to begin with. But hey, I get points for trying right?!

Besides the big change in food, there is also the workout portion. I hate working out. It's not fun. Although, my running has improved dramatically since I started. I still hate it, but I don't want to kick the machine when I am done. One thing I do want to kick, the yoga ball. Kyle is forcing me to do sit ups on one. It's hell. My core hurts. Laughing hurts. Talking hurts. Sitting still hurts. My core just hurts. Everyone's all like "It's a good hurt." Um no. There is no such thing as a "good hurt". It effing hurts and I'd rather not feel like someone played guitar with my stomach muscles. No thanks. Oh & let's not forget to mention how much my arms hurt. Kyle showed me some things I can do with free weights. I look ridiculous when I do them but apparently they will give me awesome sexy arms. So I must lift through this awful burning sensation in my arms and the dumb look on my face when I do them.

Overall the food thing is not so bad but the workout part is pretty awful. I will learn to "love" it once I start to see results.

Oh and I am starting the 30 Day Shred too because I am not crazy enough.

Chicken Fajita Quesadilla Recipe

I made this meal the other night and love it. I made it again a couple of days later and decided I'd blog it because it was so delicious. I'd eat it daily and this is coming from a girl who doesn't like peppers...or so I thought.

We are calling them "Chicken Fajita Quesadillas".

This is what what you need.

* 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 4 tortilla shells
* Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese (or Shredded Pepper Jack in my husbands case)
* 1 medium sized tomato
* 1 Serrano pepper
* 2 mini red peppers
* 2 mini yellow peppers
* 2 mini orange peppers
* cooking spray

First thing you do is cut up all the peppers into tiny pieces. You can leave them bigger if you want, but I like them tiny. Put all the cut peppers to the side. Then dice your tomato. Make sure to keep the peppers and the tomato separate.

Next cut up your chicken in the bite sized pieces and in a large skillet cook those babies up!

Once the chicken is fully cooked add the peppers. Stir them constantly for 3-5 minutes or until the peppers are tender.

Next spray one side of your tortilla shell with cooking spray and place that side down in another hot skillet.

Sprinkle some cheese on it. You can add as much or as little as you want. Next put on HALF of your chicken and pepper mixture. Then HALF the tomato. Then sprinkle some more cheese on it. Take another tortilla shell and spray one side with the cooking spray. Put the non-sprayed side on the top. Cook it on both sides until they are slightly brown & crispy.

Do it all over again with the rest of the mixture. :)

Cut into 4 pieces like a pie & serve with a little bit of sour cream.  I can't tell you just how delicious this is. You need to go make it.

Oh and you are welcome. ;)

Weight aint nothin' but a number!

Yesterday, my first day of working out, I took my "Before" photos. Makes me really hate my body even more.

I look 5 months pregnant...which clearly I am not. I also bought a scale. I didn't own one. I was scared I'd become to obsessed with what the scale said and fall into some sort of weight depression. But, with the help of Kyle & my amazing friends, I know this won't happen.

When I opened the box & put the scale on the floor I didn't want to step on it. I really didn't want to know what I weighed. But my kids wanted to know what they weighed so first they weighed themselves then begged me to get on.

I have to keep telling myself that it is just a number. I know a lot of girls would kill to be this weight. It's just a number. In all honestly, this is not a number that I am comfortable with. I have spent most of my adult life (besides when I was pregnant) between 105-115 pounds. When I was nursing it was more around 120 but I had giant boobs then. I miss those boobs.

129.8

It's my number...for now.

I am not picking a goal weight because honestly, I don't know what that is. I just want to look good naked...or in a swim suit. I have cute jeans that I want to look good in. I just want to look good and feel comfortable in my clothes. So, I am not picking a number. That number could be 125. It could be 105. I don't know.

Don't worry friends, I am not going to get unhealthy skinny. I am going to be healthy skinny by working out, eating right and drinking my delicious coffee.

Working out sucks but smoothies are delicious!

Today was my first work out in forever. It was awful. Whoever said working out is fun is delusional. It has to be something you get used to because good grief that was not fun...at all. I kept telling myself the whole time "It's worth. Keep going. You can do it. You'll feel amazing at the end." Um not really. I wanted to throw up and then take a nap. I didn't do either just an FYI. Today's workout was simple. Lots of stretching and cardio. Tomorrow will be the same. This weekend Kyle is going to show me some easy weight training things I can do when he isn't at the gym with me. Did I mention Kyle & I are doing this together? It makes me happy to have him by my side. However, because of our schedules, we won't be able to work out that much together. At least he is eating healthy with me & that is a HUGE thing that I need him there for.

Speaking of eating healthy the girl & I made smoothies. Anyone who knows Karie knows how much she loves smoothies. As we walked out the gym she said she wanted to go next door to Caribou for smoothies. Whoever decided to put a Caribou next to my gym is a total asshole BTW. Instead of going there we went home and made smoothies. Nothing fancy since this is new to me, but it was fun none the less. Karie lives for cooking, baking...anything in the kitchen including hand washing dishes. She did most everything. All I did was cut the fruit.

Yogurt, milk, strawberries & a banana. It was easy. So easy. Now I am kind of hooked and want to try other concoctions. Anyone have any recipes they want to share?

So it begins!

It's a rare day that I don't consume at least one cup of coffee. I love coffee. I am not a coffee snob but you'll never catch me in a Starbucks. I am loyal to Caribou. I don't just love grabbing a cup of coffee, I love grabbing a cup of coffee with a friend & chatting the morning away. Then grabbing another cup. At home I have a Keurig. If I wasn't already married, I might consider marrying it. Is that strange? Probably.

Currently I am drinking a cup of coffee. Gingerbread. It's delicious and with the couple of inches of snow we got last night it goes perfectly. After this cup, I'll have another. I don't feel guilty about it at all.

But you know what I do feel guilty about? The piece of pizza I had at 1am the other night because I was hungry. Really? Who does that? Apparently I do. I feel guilty that I don't drink enough milk. Let's be honest here, the milk I get most days is in my coffee. I am kind of embarrassed to admit that but I am just being honest. I feel guilty about not cooking as much as I should. I hate cooking. I want to love it, or at least enjoy it. Tolerate it I guess.

So, I decided to change things. I went to Target last night & spent $300 on healthy food. Food I am forced to cook. No junk. Don't get me wrong, I love healthy food but I do it kind of wrong. I snack like it's my job. I love fruits & veggies. I rarely eat meals but that is because I don't like to cook. So I bought food I could cook along with different kinds of healthy snacks. I tossed some not so healthy foods that we had in the house last night too, but we didn't have that much.

My goal with my "cooking" is to try new foods and/or eat more things I am just "okay" with. For example, I am not a fan of peppers but we bought bunch last night. I found a few recipes that call for smaller amounts of peppers so I can get used to the idea of eating them. You won't catch me eating mushrooms though. If one day I say I like them, it's because I have been taken over my aliens & you should really call the proper authorities.

One of my other goals is to get back into shape. I don't love my body. When I was younger I worked out a lot & had a decent body. I had kids & while I was nursing I had a great body. I joked that I was going to nurse forever (aka pump forever) because it was a great workout. I may have joked but part of me was serious. However that never happened & I have been done nursing for 18 months. Boo. Now I actually have to work for it.

8 months after I  had Karie my body was banging.

I was still nursing so I had a great rack as well. I was chasing around a 2 year old and an 8 month old ALMOST walker so I didn't have time to not have a decent body. Now both kids are in school. I sit at my computer editing most days. Help kids with homework. And with the longest winter EVER this year and my hatred of cold I haven't done much.

Is it bad that I have a gym membership & I can't remember the last time I went? Probably. That HAS to change. Like I said before I don't love my body now. I know there are so many women out there that want to hit me on the head & tell me I am crazy. That I have a great body. Fine. YOU think I do, but I don't. Just because I am thinner than you doesn't mean I love my body. I don't.

I don't think I am "fat" per say. I just have some extra stuff hanging around that I want to get rid of.

I will. I made this blog to be held accountable. Photos. Posts. Whatever.  Just to get healthier and to look  better with clothes on and clothes off. ;)

But, I will never give up my coffee. Sorry, but not sorry.