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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Up hill battle..stay with me

Why is it that it used to be so easy to lose weight? I'm not 30 yet and I am struggling...WTH! I need to get this ship under control right meow. Today has been a STRUGGLE, for some reason I feel as though I have a tapeworm..gross I know, and no I don't really. Seriously, I have had a bowl of kid cereal..yes I have crunch berries in my house...sue me..ive also had hummus with pretzel chips, dark choc almonds and those were snacks...wtf.  I know what I want, but there is this stupid little demotivater in my head constantly. As soon as I lose a pound I think...whew go me, and then have a little slip. Little slips are fine, however they have snowballed for me. I was doing great until last weekend. I love having fun, but if its going to de-rail me like this is it truly fun? Am I alone in this, do you get it?! Although I realize my "bad choices" aren't even close to what they used to be (WINNING), I'm so far from where I want to be. I know e mantra progress, not perfection... BUT I seriously am struggling today. I did however look at the calendar yesterday, and it's about 12 weeks starting Monday from my first 5k, so this is when I need to go into overdrive!! Most of you may think that I am setting myself up, however if you truly know me, you know I am a huge procrastinator, def not a good quality. However, with the bad can come good, I tend to do well under pressure unless I'm driving then eff that shiz. 

Ok so, I probably have not really motivated anyone else, but holding myself accountable right now means that i'm getting up off my butt and doing some turbo fire! I seriously need to be more productive, but if I can get my workout in ill be doing a lot today. Monday starts my c25k for like the 4th time....it seriously needs to STOP effing snowing, I'm SO OVER THIS CRAP. I am also going to probably not be Able to move Saturday, but going with a great friend to an open house at her workout studio, I'm pretty pumped....they will be using drumsticks for one class....hells yes!! Okay now I'm feeling better, maybe carrots and tilapia for dinner plain....yeah after all those calories today it's a must! Thanks to all my followers all four of you ;-) <3
                                           Xoxo, Lindsay

Monday, February 25, 2013

Clean eating...sharing tips along the way-Join ME

So this weekend was probably the most fun I have had in a LONG ASS TIME! Seriously I was off Friday- and so freaking productive- up at 7 to work out (check), cleaned kitchen up, dusted in bedroom ( mega YUCK)- do you know that dust is DEAD SKIN- SICK, and cleaned off our catch-all (dining table).  Saturday was amazeballs- minus during the day when I was bored out of my mind. One of my girls (insert known each other FOREVER) had her birthday party Saturday night and it was OH SO FUN, buttttt I ate bar food and drank a lot of beer. Did you know that as you age your body actually rejects grease and lots of beer (not as many as you would think for how I felt Sunday)- there is a reason college is meant for 20 something year olds- b/c this girl can't hack it anymore...or is this just me?! I am not kidding I was hungover ALL EFFING day Sunday (hot pipes and all). Sunday was lower key but still fun- went and watched the Daytona 500 with my bestie- lots of yummy snacks. (Insert Redneck Joke)

So after this weekend , I am feeling the need for a cleanse. I have always been an advocate for cleanses, as I have been using them since high school. My spark in interest in these started so young because of the Natural food/health influences of my mom's best friend. I linked her website in my previous post of favorite things . I have seen a LOT of people doing the Advocare cleanse- it forces you to eat clean for 10 days. Those who know me, know that for about a year I have been on a huge kick of eating as minimal processed garbage as possible. I try to buy organic eggs as much as possible. I NEVER use margarine (yuck- look at ingredients). I eat as much fruit and veggies as possible ( need to start using the vinegar wash). I don't buy white bread or buns ( my goal is to start making my own and freezing- both) I no longer buy "frozen dinners" or boxed dinners, as much as I want to- they are so easy when trying to lose weight, but just not worth the effects in the long run.

**Disclaimer- this is by far a personal choice for me and for my family ( J and Trigger). Please do not feel judged if you don't eat this way, I have been through a lot of circumstances which have made me think twice about the damage that stuff can do. I do not judge those who choose to still eat those things, so please don't judge my views on why I want to eat clean.

That being said, how many of you have tried eating clean? I am seriously ordering the Advocare cleanse today (Tricia I am going to text you ;)). I tried a weird cleanse from Walgreen's and hated it. I love the cleanse the Nature's Sunshine makes, but I am wanting to try something different.

Now on to the honesty, although what I said that I already do IS true, there are still things in my house that are processed that I will have a hard time letting go of here goes my 10 day give up list:

1. Laughing Cow ( this one will be difficult- EVERY MORNING :( )
2. Chrystal Light ( not every day, but definitely my treat when I want something besides water...
3. Spray Butter- EEK, I said I never use margarine, and I don't when I am cooking- this is what I use on veggies, once on my plate (potatoes, corn, etc )
4. KETCHUP AND RANCH...wtf...seriously I REFUSE to make my own ketchup I have heard horror stories...lol Ranch I am going to attempt some Pinterest recipes :)
5. Any other condiments... :(- seriously I am a sauce girl, I NEED SAUCE FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!
6. I am also going to attempt to lower my salt intake- I do use Sea salt, but I have high BP so I need to watch it.
7. ALL things "Light, and or fat free" yikes this has been a big down fall lately while trying to lose weight
8. I am sure there are more, and I will let you know when my 10 days are up which items i have finally gotten rid of for good, and which are going to be added back in because I can't handle it!

For now, I am going to do some serious RESEARCH on clean eating- I know Mama Laughlin and Skinny Meg will be doing this cleanse with their readers and on Wednesday they are having a link up for clean recipes for anyone who is interested.- If anyone wants to do this cleanse along with me, please share its always nice to know there is someone eating the same foods :) Also, I do not consider this a benefit to losing weight- more so a push to help me eat even better than what I am. So I don't think cleanses are an "easy" out. :)

Side note- I totally just placed my first order with Nature Box and I CAN NOT WAIT to get my first box of goodies!! Thanks for stopping by!

                                 xoxo, Lindsay

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Morning workout AND 5 must haves!

 I must say I did do my workout this morning. WHOOP! I did however not get up as early as I had anticipated, almost an hour to be exact...whomp whomp...BUT I did do Turbo fire, and if you read yesterday's post, I was all about easy workouts. Ummmm if you have not tried any of the Turbo's you are MISSING out! For reals, Chalene..kicks my bootay, and I am pretty sure I am going to be jacked and running faster after I get the whole set...BOOM! I am getting soooo excited to do my first run in June, I seriously can not wait to cross that finish line. I will be honest the last two workouts (last night and this morning), I may or may not have been slightly emotional with myself, but in a good way. I never thought I would get to a point in my life where I really enjoyed working out, but I am there. I almost cried last night and this morning, when Chalene said "you looked amazing"...I know like she could see me, and she says it to everyone. Lay off my kool aide, I needed that encouragement, and she is a dang good sales woman because now I want to buy the whole set simply because of the encouragement in it. Ok that's not the ONLY reason, that TurboFire just kicks your ass, I love kickboxing, and the only thing missing from the video is a punching bag ;). I will definitely be doing that tomorrow morning as well.
    Side note- LOVE that I am done working out for the day!! <3

So on to the next item at hand to discuss, Remember my tip jar?!?! Well it is SLOWLY filling up, I got off track for awhile, but I am back at it, and it felt great to put 2 dolla bills in the jar this morning (last night and today). Have any of you tried this trick? Is it working?!

I thought I would also share a list of 5 of my Fridge MUST HAVES, besides the obvious fruits and veggies-these are things that keep me on track.
  1. Almond Milk- seriously I have the pickiest eater to deal with and he is semi lactose intolerant, so this change has done well for both, and he can't tell the difference. Plus I think it definitely enhances the dishes in a GREAT way.
  2. Light String Cheese- This is seriously the EASIEST thing to throw in my purse or take in the car if I need a quick snack
  3. Pickles- I LOVVVEEE pickles, and they are very low cal- just watch the sodium intake ;)
  4. Eggs- If you follow me on myfitnesspal, then you know that Eggs are almost a daily breakfast for me- LOTS of variations (sandwich, omelet,scrambled, over medium, roll-ups, etc) Let me know if you would like a breakfast post- or I may just post one anyway ;)
  5. Salsa- I heart salsa, in fact it may be its own food group at our house, its low cal and if you make your own its ESPECIALLY good for you!!
Hope you enjoyed my must haves...what are your must haves?!

                                  xoxo, Lindsay

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Morning workouts..crazy or not?!

Ok so here's the deal, I have decided that me being the huge morning person I am, need to start doing AM workouts.
                                            Could not stop laughing, I totally get this!
 I just can't seem to motivate myself to get up and workout in our cold basement or pop in a dance video when I'd much rather watch NCIS at night. So the only thing I can come up with?! Workouts in the morning, EVER DAY! I need to get myself in the routine, so I am going to start tomorrow with AM yoga, because lets be serious its a lot easier to get yourself motivated to do Yoga then it is to do Turbo Fire at 6am, at least to start out ;). SO along with that, I will state, that my workouts may turn into 2 a days (insert High school sport reference) when it FINALLY gets nice out. Mother Nature you are a biotch I am tired of SNOW!

Side note to all you Midwestern readers out there, I know you are thinking- "we live in the Midwest, it snows...get over it" To that I say, yes we do, good observation, HOWEVER just because it snows, does not mean that I have to WANT IT TO SNOW FOR 6 months out of the year, we had our blizzard, now be gone. This girl wants to run outside and feel the sun tanning my glorious pasty self.

So, I NEVER thought that I would agree to working out 5 days a week, let alone 6 and now I am throwing in 2 work outs!?!?! No I do not need committed, what I need is to fix all the damage I have already done to my body over the years. If I can get myself to work out in the mornings, adding in the runs will be no problem because I really really REALLY miss running outside (NEVER thought I would say that). I was seriously the QUEEN of excuses when it came to running. I'm to big, it hurts my chest, I'm terrible at it, I'm slow, I can't because of my knees (legit excuse, but its not going to stop me anymore). I'm done with excuses, I want to feel better about myself. To all of you out there who are my supporters, I love you for thinking the best about me when I think the worst. I am my own worst critic, and I know this. Believe it or not, I used to be A LOT worse!! I know that I am trying everyday, and thats just not enough for me right now, I know I can do better. So by putting it out there, I know I will have to stick to my word, because who wants to be that girl that goes back on what she says?! Better yet...who wants to be that girl that started out trying to motivate everyone else and in the end demotivated herself?! YIKES! NOT ME! So who else has something that they have been wanting to do but can't find the motivation!? Please share

                                           xoxo, Lindsay.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

about that yummy food...

So of course I am terrible at taking pictures, because I have a craptastic camera. So I PROMISE when I get my iPhone, I will start taking pictures of my food/recipes! :)

Ok, so I am sure you are wondering what yummy skinny meal I have come up with today, or maybe not, but in that case...too bad for you! So last night I was going to make Enchiladas, but realized I didn't have any of J's flour tortillas- I usually do half flour and half "La Tortilla" brand. So I decided that I had some corn tortillas I needed to use up, and had seen either on pinterest or the Chew the idea of Enchilada Lasagna. I did not look up a recipe, I just used what I use in my enchiladas (minus the green chiles ,we were out BOO!!!)

I was super hungry for Mexican food- lets get real...I am ALWAYS HUNGRY for Mexican food. If  you know me, you know that there is ALWAYS salsa in my house, and in the summer its homemade ( I ran out of our canned salsa through the winter- probably going to make 5 batches this year). To keep myself on track, I prepped the "lasagna" and had it ready to pop in the oven, while it baked I did my workout- ya know I told you I would try the Turbo Fire if I couldn't run outside. If you live in the Midwest, you know that in a matter of minutes we went from rain to snow- seriously I was utterly confused as to what had just happened.
         Side note- Turbo Fire kicked my bootay! I will be doing it again tonight, and I will definitely be purchasing this craziness!!!

Skinny Enchilada Lasagna

1 small can of Enchilada sauce( could sub homemade)
1 can of fat free re-fried beans
8 oz of Monterrey Cheese (shredded)
3/4 cup of Plain Greek Yogurt (fat-free)
1 cup of corn
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 lb ground meat ( I used deer burger)
taco seasoning packet
9-12 corn tortillas
1 can of green chiles
3/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese (Mexican blend) (if needed)

Preheat oven to 350

1. For the "meat mixture, I put about 1/2 the enchilada sauce into a bowl, added re-fried beans and corn- mix
2. Add in Greek yogurt, and spices
3. Cook ground meat, drain grease, add in taco seasoning- let simmer as usual; add in bean mix
4. place a thin layer of the enchilada sauce in a 9x13 dish; then a layer of the meat mix
5. layer 2 full tortillas and 1 tortilla cut in half- pan should be fairly covered by tortillas there will be spaces
6. cover tortillas with meat mix, then sprinkle cheese
7. repeat 5&6 until mix is gone- you can be fairly generous with the mix- I had to use 12 tortillas because I was afraid I would run out of mix, and I had too much left over
8. Once your mix is gone, and your last layer of tortillas is on top (no mix on top) pour the rest of your sauce and sprinkle any cheese you have left.
9. Bake for 30 minutes

*I topped mine with taco sauce and diced tomato- you get a huge portion for around 350 calories ( each portion is 1/8 of pan- calories will change with different meat ( deer meat is very lean) also account for extra cheese- all of the ingredients listed are accounted for- THIS IS SOOO YUMMY

Monday, February 18, 2013

Weekend extravaganza

So its officially Monday again...whomp whomp. I had a really great weekend without doing anything super extravagant. I went shopping with my mama on Friday, and Finally bought the bag salads that Skinny Meg has been raving about. Let me tell you, the BBQ Ranch- DELICIOUS, I am going to try another one today. :)

So weekend overview, finally got to spend some time with my girls. Can I just say how great it is to be able to say my close girl friends are the SAME girls I grew up with (I'm talkin grade school people). That is nearly unheard of, and my best friend (girl that is) well we went to preschool together. We did the whole thing on the first day of Kindergarten, "wanna be best friends?" and it stuck. So had a great time with them. J and I went before that to see the "armless archer". What a true inspiration, to see someone with an obvious disability, overcome obstacles that most people take for granted. Think about that the next time you text a friend, or wash dishes...he will never have that opportunity.

Sunday was a chore in itself, J and I have nearly completed the "finished" guy-rage (garage). We painted yesterday, and i am excited to say that I am not as sore as I was anticipating. Whoop Whoop! I love spending time with him, and I really love that we can complete projects together, its such a good feeling knowing you have a partner in crime as well as a life-long "helper".

On to more exciting news about my journey, my first 10 lbs have been SOOOOO SLOOOWWWW coming off, like I'm talking snail slow x2. It's always been fairly easy for it to drop off, but I have had to work at it this time. Two things about this are positive as I see it, 1 OBVIOUSLY those easy pounds have always found their way back (not lost anymore), and 2 I am actually making a life change and I KNOW that I can live this way forever. Seriously do you know what i had for supper Saturday night? Pizza and Beer, and helllo scale down 11 lbs Sunday morning. Now that's what I call a  "diet" ;). But seriously, I ate really well all day, eggs with veggies for breakfast with fruit, and a salad for lunch. I allowed myself a tiny piece of cake even. So I don't feel guilty about my choices Saturday as they were in the right portion. I accounted for the calories I was drinking, in a HEALTHY manner.

On a side note, going to attempt Turbo Fire tonight ( courtesy of Tricia- Thanks Girl), unless the weather stays nice, then of course I am going to run outside!! :)) I will definitely keep you posted onto how I feel about it.

Saw this over the weekend and thought I had to share:


Have a Splendid Monday!
                                                        xoxo, Lindsay

Friday, February 15, 2013

Tips I've learned so far

Happy Friday (yeah I know almost Saturday) Hollaa!
So as I was talking to my mama this morning, she mentioned how she wanted a list of tips on foods, exercises etc. Well that got me thinking, I have learned a lot of little easy tips through my journey so far and I thought some of you would love to know them!

Here are some tips to help you stay on track:
1. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS carry your own snacks- I NEVER leave home with out at least an apple or baggie of almonds.
2. Drink as much water as possible a day- ok that's not my tip, my tip? USE A STRAW- I don't know what it is about a straw but I drink close to triple the amount of water with one vs with out. Also get yourself a pretty water bottle (or Jug if you are like me -52oz baby).
3.DO NOT KEEP JUNK in your house...this is A MUST. and by junk I mean your downfall foods, if you can't resist it, don't keep it in your house.
4. Keep some sort of raw veggie on hand at all times- this one is hard as it is expensive, but I have started buying green giant's pre cut veggie bags- way cheaper than the grocery store version, and sometimes you can get them on sale ;)
5. Another easy tip to go along with 4, on grocery day, whatever day that may be for you, pre cut ALL of your veggies (celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) so that it is ready to snack when you are
6. This is probably my favorite tip, I learned this while attempting the carb cycles- CHECK the SUGAR content ON EVERYTHING, things that are "light" or "fat-free" replace the fat with sugar- sugar turns to fat in your body!  I am guilty of eating low fat or fat free greek yogurt, but just make yourself aware of them
7.A good rule of thumb for ingredients- If you can't read most of the ingredients- DON'T put it in your body!
8. Make your plate colorful, try to have at least 3 colors on your plate ( green, red, orange, yellow, etc)
9. Use salad plates for your main meal ( I love this and you really do eat less)
10. Fill Half your plate with vegetables- no I do not mean starchy vegetables, get over your childhood fears and try something green. I have a great marinade for Asparagus that I could probably eat the whole batch in one sitting

Well I know that you probably know most of these, but I want to encourage you all to try one you don't already do. Just one thing daily can make such a huge change in the way you feel and look. I know I can tell a huge difference when I haven't eaten many veggies that day. After awhile your body will start craving the good stuff, and you won't want the bad stuff anymore. If you are just starting out on your own journey feel free to add tips you have learned, I have many more, but thought ten was a good starter! Party on Wayne its the Weekend! Whoop Whoop!

P.S. If you haven't noticed, I LOVE making lists ;)

I hope you enjoyed my tips on this lovely Friday. It may be cold, but I will take a Cold Friday over a warm Monday, ok maybe not, But I LOVEEEE Friday!

                                                     xoxo, Lindsay

Thursday, February 14, 2013

These are a Few of My favorite things...

Ok, be honest...who just broke out in song?!...

I know I wasn't alone there! ;) So its Valentine's Day, or Thursday the 14th, whichever you prefer!. I know some people think that Valentine's Day is stupid, overpriced, etc...and well its not far off. I definitely don't mind having an excuse for  a "special" date, but I will tell you "special" for me, means take out for lunch ;). J works 3rd shift, so it tends to make it difficult to have a social life, or even a dating life for us. So I'll take 'em when I can get 'em. Today I am bringing home Chinese, yummm (don't worry beef and broccoli for this girl ;)) so SALAD tonight!

On to my reason for this particular post, I have two reasons. One being, I got on the scale and gained .2 lbs WTF are you kidding me scale?! So as to not get depressed about this I looked at my baby (insert dog) and realized I have so many great things in my life, and started thinking about what I could never live with out. So here goes my top 25. Why 25 you say? well because its an easy number and a happy medium, not too many, not too few, and because I feel like it so THERE! I will go backwards with most important being #1 :)

FAVORITE THINGS:
25. Warm Sunny days- seriously they can get here ANY DAY!
24. Blogging- it is such an amazing release for me, I love being able to share my journey
23. Running- Never in a million years did I think this would make my list!
22. The Kitchen Store- I can't help but spend HOURS in there!
21. Re-finishing furniture or crafting <3
                               This was an icky orange color to start out and the chairs were the color of the seats. (I'll do a tutorial soon)

20.Dark Chocolate- again never thought I would say that but I LOVE Dark Chocolate almonds and Ghiradelli's Sea Salt Soiree
19. Pictures- I love how they can immediately take you back to a place and time (obsessed with shoes even  at 2)

18. conversations with my grandparents- nothing makes me happier than my grandpa's laugh! <3
17. Teaching friends what I learn about health and fitness
16.My Running Shoes- without I could not continue on this amazing Journey
15.Old movies- see below ;)
14. My Pearls- I love me some Audrey Hepburn and I feel so classy when I wear mine! (doesn't get much classier than this)

13. Four Wheeling- I love to dress up, BUT this is probably my favorite thing to do when its not freezing!
12. Glass of Wine- LOVE ME SOME WINE, especially the kind from South Dakota!

11. Blessed By Nature- anyone who knows me, knows I have been OBSESSED with natural care since I was little this is my "second" mama's store and she is FABULOUS!
10. Shoes, Shoes, and more SHOES!! <3
9. Music- any and all ->> I love how it relates to any emotion I may be having-and Luke Bryan is pretty fun to look at ;)
8.Teal/Turquoise/TiffanyBlue- serious new obsession- I'm not sure what the deal is, but I HAVE to have it if it comes in these colors!

7. Kiki La'Rue- ok I know what you are thinking, really!? a store- seriously this woman has changed my life and I could not continue on my journey without the drive- KLR gives me one of my drives ;)

6. My Kitchen- without it I would not have found such a deep passion for cooking, I love to "collect" recipes, and I ALWAYS change them, I can't help myself!
5. My besties & Loyal Friends- you girls know who you are!..seriously God let us choose our friends, which means they have to be an amazing gift! <3
4.My baby- our German short Hair Trigger ( Dogs are such a gift from God, the most loving animal that ever existed)
3. My mama, my brother and my grandparents- without family, we have nothing
                                        Thanks to Megan Klauer Photography we have a great family picture to cherish!

2.God- I know that He should be first, and he is, but I think today God would be ok with J being #1 :)
1.OBVIOUSLY, I am allowed to be super gushy today and my number 1 is J. I will tell you why I would pick him as my number 1 any day of the week, month, year, to infinity and beyond. Words can not express how much this man does for me, when I am angry he makes me laugh, even if I am mad at him- sometimes I want to get more mad, but I can't help myself he's too cute. When I am tired and cranky he understands ( HUGE), I could seriously go on for days, but without a doubt this song pops in my head now and I cry thinking about it. If you have not heard it please check it out. "This Life would kill me if I didn't have you". Truly how I feel about J, he's my everything.
                                          <3 him to the moon and back

I could seriously probably live with out 8-25, but if I had to live without 1-7, well lets not talk about it because I don't ever want to find out! <3 Have a HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to my loyal readers! Thanks for the support through my journey!

P.S. FINALLY ADDED pics- You are welcome ;)

                                 xoxo, Lindsay

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Do Diet fads work?...part 2

Thanks for coming back for the second part ;) I didn't want to bore you with an extremely long post- what I have a lot of experience with yo-yo's ;)

Going into the summer before senior year of college I decided to try Weight Watchers, my 2 best girl friends had been doing it for years, and it just seemed easy- we spent all summer together. I lost 30 lbs ( NO i am not down 90 lbs at this point), after yo-yoing...A LOTTTTT, I decided that this seemed like a healthy alternative, hmmm seemed. Had I done this properly it would have been healthy, and for the most part I was more healthy than I had ever been, but weekend binge drinking every weekend and not eating before going out to save calories is far far FAR from healthy. So of course Senior year is stressful, and I date a complete Jack wagon 2nd semester and gain weight back. I lost weight again in the summer, but then injured my ankle. Now to explain all my other "fads"  insert DIET PILLS....THERE IS NO SUCH THING as a MAGIC PILL. Seriously if you think a pill will take care of your healthy problems and you change NOTHING else, I am here to tell you IT WILL NOT work, and if it does, it is TEMPORARY.

The January before I met J I did a weight loss challenge at work and I would have won had someone not cheated, but alas I got second ( I'm not bitter I swear). I did a great job and got down to my lowest again. I felt amazing and it showed, still not there on the exercising...whomp whomp. So had an AMAZING summer- love my girls and being single in the summer has perks ;). That December J and I met through a friend (bless his heart). So begins the stages of comfort. I didn't realize HOW HARD it was to eat healthy when you are dating someone. Seriously if you have never been single and trying to lose weight you have no idea how hard it is to lose with someone, especially a someone who hates all things green. Its a work in progress ;). I slowly started packing on the lbs, and I am not sure at what point I noticed, all I know is I couldn't fit into my clothes anymore and I felt gross.

So about a year ago I decided to try Vemma Bode. It was a program I didn't have to order meals, drink shakes, etc. Guess what it worked, however I had to eat a low carb cycle diet- This was really difficult for me to get used to. I don't regret doing this program, however due to costs and my ability to not just eat proteins some days, I decided it wasn't for me. I did however take some tricks with me. Ahhh finally learning things. I did lose weight, and I started the c25k program, and I was really looking and feeling AMAZEBALLS, however I re-injured my ankle and it was like 150 degrees outside, so running went on the way side. Now we have reached the fall, I am trying, but just not able to lose. Not sure if I was really trying or not. :S

So right before Thanksgiving, I decided to try Advocare, again really cashy but supposed to be great. ( Oh I forgot the Green coffee bean pills, and Red Raspberry Ketone pills before) I tried a couple pills, it seemed to work, but it was the holidays and of course we know what that means. So we are almost caught up, I am done with the Advocare and when I finished found a couple blogs, and realized what am I doing?! I am a strong person and I got this. I know I can do this on my own by simply watching what I eat and counting calories- I have done it before and it worked. So I set off on my journey to do this purely on my own. No supplements, no shakes, magic pills, JUST ME. And I am now almost 10 lbs down and I can't tell you how amazing it feels to KNOW that I did this on my own. ALL BY MYSELF, just ME!  I am starting to run again, and adding in weights. I signed up for my first 5k in June and I can not wait

I know I don't have many readers, and that's ok, the point of this is to help someone else out there like Mama Laughlin and Skinny Meg helped me. It is possible to do this on your own, and I love telling my friends everything I learn- seriously about 5 times a day I give food tips its ridiculous. Let me know if you would love a food tip post. I feel some days my brain overflows with them :) I hope you have found some inspiration in this blog or this post, You are not alone on your journey. Now get off your butt and go work it out!

                                                xoxo, Lindsay

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Do diet fads work?..The beginning Part 1

Ok so I know I have talked recently about how I am doing this on my own, and let me be the first to say I have tried almost EVERYTHING shy of surgery.  Before I go any further, I want to say finding what works for you is not necessarily going to be what works for everyone, if you are going to stick to something forever then it has to be something you are WILLING to do FOREVER. I know that seems like such a long term statement, but lets be serious being healthy isn't something that should be short term. So lets start from the beginning for me.

When I was 14 years old I lost the best man I had ever known. I was a daddy's girl and my world was completely turned upside down. I gained nearly 40 lbs in less than a year and it showed. I hate looking at my 8th grade graduation pictures I look so swollen, and I remember how painful it was to walk into  the stores to find a dress (yes we did that). I wanted to look like everyone else, because lets face it the rest of my world did not fit in with anybody else ( at least that is what I thought). My anger and sadness grew daily, but what did I do? well I ate my feelings. It seemed to work for me (insert: BS comment). I was miserable, and it showed from the outside in. So of course what comes after 8th grade graduation? High school. So not only was I miserable and feeling disgusting I was starting what was supposed to be some of the best years of my life. I knew I needed to do something, but since my dad went to every sporting event I had in Jr. High, playing them without him there seemed so wrong, and even more painful. As I write this, I am tearing up, not because I am sad, but because I am so grateful to have learned so much in 12 years.

So I started from square one, I counted calories. I didn't "exercise" outside of school because I figured P.E. was enough. Little did I know then, but I needed something I could continue on, and pickle-ball just isn't realistic. I still had not learned the true meaning of being healthy. All I was focused on was wearing the clothes that my friends were wearing. Now mind you I never really got made fun of to my face that I am aware of, but that doesn't make it any less painful to be the only girl without a boyfriend, or to be able to wear a bikini in the summer, and to look cute in tank top and shorts at the fair. I realize most of you are probably thinking how superficial- Be real...I am talking High school people, in a small town none the less.

So counting calories worked I lost about 30 lbs, and kept most of it off. I tried the hearbalife one summer as well....umm BARF..gritty milk shakes are not my idea of delicious. On to fad number 3, Starvation- yeah that didn't so much stick more than a couple days, although I did attempt another form later on. Once in college, I stayed pretty neutral, no freshman 15 for this girl, but I already needed to lose still. I ended up gaining some back, and lost another 20 lbs by just not eating- boys and college are stressful and this girl had not gotten over the emotional eating or lack there of.  That summer I gained some back- I looked fairly unhealthy before.


TO BE CONTINUED........

                                xoxo, Lindsay

Friday, February 8, 2013

Two wins for me this week! BOOM

So recently I have wondered what has brought on this huge obsession with numbers. Has there always been this obsession or is it just me? Think about it, we want our weight to be a certain number, our pants are defined by numbers, our lives tend to revolve around money, how much? how little?. What about calories, how many can I eat? How many did  I burn? Have we really become too obsessed with numbers that we aren't living anymore? Maybe this is just me, and maybe I am just bored to have the time to sit an think about this, but really- when we see school shootings its not about names its about numbers. Companies are now turning people into numbers- Insurance, social work, hospitals, etc How many NUMBERS? When did we stop caring about humans and seeing them as people rather than numbers? This is very concerning to me, I am going to try and remind myself daily that at the end of the day numbers don't matter. Living your life to the fullest, enjoying your loved ones time, and truly being healthy are what matter. When we become so obsessed with numbers, we forget how to live without them. Now am I saying that you should go out and consume 5000 calories in one meal? NO! That is not living either, but when we obsess about things we forget to "smell the roses". I am going to try my hardest to not obsess over my weight in numbers and focus more on what makes my body feel good. IN FACT,  I had two MAJOR progress steps this week. I had an awful day earlier this week, and normally would have turned to food for comfort to make me "feel" better. However, I stopped myself from wanting to throw that frozen pizza in the oven and really thought, "will this really make me feel better?" The answer was very clear....a big fat NO, I KNOW that I would have felt worse afterwards. So instead I had tuna, no bread, and veggies with light ranch for dip. WIN NUMBER 1 for this girl. Win number two, was dinner out. Normally I convince myself that one dinner out isn't going to kill me so I can totally order that burger with fries, or fried chicken salad ( that's healthy right?) WRONG! Instead I ordered the sirloin with garlic shrimp and steamed veggies, and guess what?!?! that was lower in calories than that stupid salad, and SO MUCH BETTER!!! So this week I discovered two things about myself- I can win against food, and I am finally starting to live the life I  always strive for but never quite could get the hang of. In short, I don't need a fad diet or magic pill to make me healthy and fit. I can do this on my own, and it is WAY more gratifying.  I got on the scale this morning and couldn't believe my eyes! I am so proud of myself for doing this, and I know someday when I have kids my children will benefit because of this lifestyle change.

If you have stuck with me through this, than you are awesome. Thanks to my loyal readers ;)

Side note- to those of you who are doing fad diets, and trying magic pills- good for you for trying to be healthy, I am not knocking them in any way- they simply just don't work for me, nor could I stick with them for life.

                                                xoxo, Lindsay

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Superbowl skinny treats..right up my alley

Well Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone and we all know what that means...spring is rapidly approaching and summer is after that...seriously I know I sound obsessed but holy Moses this time thing can just take a chill pill. So Super bowl Sunday is supposed to be about watching  the commercials and the halftime show football right? Sure...but you have forgotten one minor detail...what do you need while watching said football?...yummy delicious snacks that are usually so high in calories and fat that you consume 2 days worth of calories in one afternoon..GAHHH...that takes the entire fun out of eating the yummies right?! Oh you silly silly readers...have you forgotten that I am on a serious journey!??! I mean really I love the cheesy hamburger dip, the wings, the veggie pizza( made full fat), the poppers, the Texas sheet cake- yes we had this every year and O M G...I think I could eat that cake at least once a week, however that does not fall into my plan for getting skinny and FIT! So here are a few recipes to the list of recipes I tried out on Sunday- um and don't banish me but I totally watched Sex and the City 2 instead of the game, and I am completely OK with it! (the one time having a hunter bf vs a sports fanatic bf plays to my advantage ;)). So first off, I have been DYING to try these roasted chickpeas I have seen all over pinterest, so I did.

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

1 can of Garbanzo Beans ( i.e. Chickpeas)
3 tbsp of EVOO
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1 tsp of  cumin
 Sea Salt

Rinse and dry beans
preheat oven to 450 pour oil onto a cookie sheet with sides
place pan in oven until oil is hot
mix beans and spices together minus the salt
once oil is hot place beans in a single layer onto baking sheet sprinkle with salt
Bake until crisp about 10-15 min

**Best when served immediately, but still delicious after being in sealed container :)
Original recipe here:
Roasted Chickpeas

And now to the desert....Umm who seriously can say they don't like chocolate and peanut butter together?!!? Umm Liars...I kid I kid..but seriously!? ok so here are my skinny PB brownie cupcakes

Skinny Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes
Serves 21-24
Preheat oven to 400

1 Brownie Mix ( I had light on hand but any mix will do)
1 can Libby's Pumpkin (pure pumpkin not pie filling)
3 tbsp of PB2 (Powdered Peanut Butter)
1/5 tbsp of water- you will need to add more, but wait till after powder sugar is added
2 tbsp powder sugar

For the PB mixture:
mix the PB2 powder with water- it will seem really thick
add in your powder sugar-now comes the "tricky" part- you can not nuke this pb like regular pb it comes out like a paste- yuck- so what worked for me is just adding water until you get a more liquid texture much like melted pb

brownie part:
mix your brownie mix and pumpkin together

Take a med scoop and put a scoop into each cupcake liner once your liners are full and batter is gone you are going to drizzle your pb sauce onto each cupcake and then using a toothpick slightly mix- creating a marbled look

each cupcake is about 115 calories (for 21) less if you get 24 I filled my liners a little more than I should have.
Bake at 400 for 25 minutes, they will seem gooey but I promise they are done!! you can refrigerate a few and freeze the rest if you don't have a big crowd- then you have some for later :)


Whew, okay so there were two of my Superbowl treats, I tried a few others but didn't quite like their outcome..YET! :) Until next time my lovely readers..are you out there?! What was your favorite Superbowl treat!?

                                               xoxo, Lindsay

Monday, February 4, 2013

Setting Goals...another tip

Wow, we have reached Febuary...does anybody else think that January flew by without giving time to blink?! This month will be even faster because its shorter..GAHH swimsuit weather will be here before we know it...all the more reason to keep setting goals. So to help myself keep on track...I followed in step with one of my favorite bloggers  Mama Laughlin  .  I read one of her old posts (click on link) where she had purchased a size 8 pair of Express jeans to hang in front of her treadmill. Now I love jeans as much as the next girl, but I like jeans to fit a certain way and I can have 6 pairs of Silver jeans and every damn pair fit different- drives a girl BSC.

The Kenzie Dress

 So instead..I decided to indulge in my KLR obsession and purchase the Kenzie dress I have had my eye on...OMG its fabulous and of course I HAD to have it ;). So I bought a Medium, because I don't plan on going to a small, nor do I think that would ever happen, because A. I would lose my tatas- and lets just say I wouldn't feel like myself if they were small. B. I don't think that would happen ANYWAY. So I bought the Medium and I WILL wear it Hopefully on my 27th birthday...27th?...yeah 27th..yikes I have reached the age wear I can no long REMEMBER how old I am..I S*** you not...I seriously have to stop and think some days....this may not be all bad, by the time I am 50 I'll think I am 20...perrrfeeeccct ;) as long as I don't act 20 I'm golden...side note- I want to be that MILF that dresses adorable...but not the one who thinks she is still 20...if you are wearing your daughters clothes...that show your belly, boobs, or ass....you are slightly cray cray...just saying. I absolutely believe that moms can be fashionable and I hope I am one of them, but I want to be in fashion with my age appropriateness ;).

So here is my tip, force yourself to buy something that is a little pricey that is a size you are striving for- this may not work for everyone, but if you are cheap...like me- you will not want to have spent all that money and then never wear it..talk about a double defeat...GROSS! SO I will wear this dress! I promise you, and then once I reach that size I will be back for more Miss Becka...so be ready! ;)

P.S. I had to do this post today because I got my lovely pink package in the mail...Woot!!! :) picture of dress to come...not on me of course! :)

                                           xoxo, Lindsay


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