Weight loss isnt easy!

I haven't been religiously tracking calories, more like estimating them in my head and tallying them up to be close to my daily limit per day. It shows, because I haven't lost any weight recently :(

 I've actually been fluctuating between 129-131 pounds over the past week.

I really want to see 128.5 before the end of May! Thats my goal!

The up and down of it is driving me nuts!

I wish weight loss WAS easy. Its not. It requires patience, persistence and diligence. These aren't 'easy' qualities!

However, I am still really elated to be where I am right now!

 I'm glad I've been trying. If I hadn't been trying at all I'd still be 143 pounds. But because I've been trying to be patient, persistent and diligent I have lost 13 pounds since I started this blog on January 11th. /XD And I havent been pushing myself that hard. /sweat If I really had been puffing away on the treadmill since January I'm sure I would have lost double that! But I've been doing what I can, my life is really busy as a full time worker, college student, owner of two mischievous dogs and paramedic's other half!

Just by being more conscious about my food choices and trying to take walks on my breaks at work and doing Jillian's DVD once or twice a week, I've lost those 13 pounds.

On a happier note, I actually went to the gym last night despite being exhausted! And by the time I was done I felt invigorated with my endorphin rush and not tired anymore!

I know that working out can help overcome feeling tired and give me more energy, but its hard to overcome the mid evening slump! I did it by telling myself I'd just go walk for half an hour on the treadmill and watch TV, its right by my house so I might as well....I ended up doing a half hour inclined walk, and ten minutes of solid running with zero breaks. Once I'm actually there, in my gym clothes I take that extra step and amp it up. Its just the battle of getting the sneakers on and getting there.

I also went for a really long walk with my man and Ellie, Tux has as sore foot to his dismay and had to stay at home!


I'm also really happy that this isn't a 'diet' but a lifestyle change. I try to get my vitamins and nutrients from my food rather than a pill. I try to eat for health and longetivty. The lifestyle change shows in that many of my previously unhealthy, nutrient foods have been forever replaced. So even when I'm not being tooooo conscious about my eating for the day, I'm till reaching for healthy options in my fridge!

I snack on cashews and cucumbers and fruit. I have yogurt cups at work for the 3pm hunger attack instead of chocolate bars.

I reach for a Naked Fruit Smoothie in the morning when I'm running out the door instead of a piece of bread.

The only 'treats' I have in my house is organic, health food store brought liquorice and a mini 150 cup of Skinny cow ice cream, as well as some frozen fruit popsicles.

Which is good, because on Monday I realized I just have ZERO willpower when it comes to delicious foods being in my house- I made fresh, home made peach cobbler for my man.

And I had a slice too...well what started off as a slice........and progressed to another one......

...and then later on that night another one.........so yeah, I just cannot making baked goods or fattening dishes even for my man because I cannot control myself when it is so easily accesible!

Food Log for the day: (time to start this up again, it really helps me!)

Breakfast:

Naked Blue Machine (full of blueberries and anti-oxidants and easy to grab out the fridge in the morning!) 340 calories and one of the tastier ones!

+ coffee (and creamer) about 100 calories of creamer

Lunch:

I made myself a burrito last night to bring into work today (I know I know- going to the gym AND making lunch for the next day? I'm on a winning streak =D>  ) I used an organic whole wheat wrap, lemon pepper grilled tempeh and home cooked pinto beans with taco seasoning, topped with salsa. Mmm...cheaper than anything I could buy at work and yummier too! Awesome  /nobigdeal

about 500 calories methinks...

Snack:

Vitatop- 100 calories

1040 so far for the day.. about 200 left- so I will make a smoothie or have zucchini for dinner, something light

Nobody but you is responsible for your life. It doesn't matter what your mamma did. It doesn't matter what your daddy didn't do. You are responsible for your life. What is your life? What is all life? What is every flower, every rock, every tree, every human being...ENERGY.You are responsible for the energy that you create for your self and you are responsible for the energy that you bring to others. -Oprah Winfrey
/bye

I love Hodgson Mill! Waffles and blueberry sauce!

On Friday night I found this lovely whole wheat multi-purpose insta- bake flour in the organic section of Publix:

It has a nice short ingredient list and the flour is stone ground!

They have a bunch of products and recipes on their website too:

http://www.hodgsonmill.com/recipe/

 On Saturday morning my man and I made delicious hot waffles using the mix, we couldn't even tell they were whole wheat that's how great the flour was!

We also made a quick and easy blackberry sauce by boiling 2 cups of blackberries, half a cup of water, half a cup of organic sugar and a teaspoon of corn starch for ten minutes.  

Its getting too hot in Florida to do much outdoors, though we tried! It was 94 and we went to the pool, as well as flea market shopping with friends- I barley survived, I had to drink cold water the whole time the heat was so dehydrating! At least I kept my new min-bamboo plants alive until I got them home from the market!

On Sunday I made a random concoction that turned out great! I cooked fresh broccoli, peppered cashews, seitan, and Parmesan into a peanut sauce with mini cheese dumplings. I added a bit of a kick to it with chili and fresh ginger and red onion. The flavor was Asian inspired, and it all worked together! We each had two servings though, that's how good it was- TOO good! The scale wasn't a pleasure to confront on Monday....

I also bought a new cookbook- Cooking Light Way to Cook Vegetarian

I was in Books-A- Million for an hour or two on Sunday night sifting through their cookbooks section. This book excited me the most- it has a great selection of down to earth, practical -to- make looking meals (nothing with 20 exotic ingredients in in as far as I could see!) but still enough dishes to impress friends with when need for entertaining!

It also has detailed how-to instructions with photos, going through the recipes in a step-by-step process! I saw how to make red-pepper sauce and how to properly fold a burrito as I flipped through the book- I cant wait to delve into it more!

I like my cookbooks to be glossy, full of photos and inspiration, practical, with achievable recipes and fat- I want lots of options! This seems to fit the bill :) My man was pretty excited when he saw me buying it too :D

In other news- biology is killing me! I'm taking an 'intro to biology' course in college and I can't believe the level of detail it is going into! It is an online class, maybe thats why its so hard!

Under 130 pounds! :D

A bit of a milestone for me- I'm now under 60 kilos! /XD
Otherwise known as 129.4  pounds :D  It was a pleasant surprise over the weekend, to see the number on the scale! That was my weight in my late teens- wow!!




Still going for my goal of 128.5 pounds at the end of May, and it actually seems achievable now!! I'm sooo proud of myself for NOT snacking at night, working out, and eating consciously! =D>

Thought I'd share a pic of our doggies realxing on the shelf we built them in their room- it is in the window and has a little ramp leading up to it. They LOVE it because now they can see out the window ALL the time, their favorite hobby besides de-squeaking toys!

Breakfast:


Naked Orange and Carrot Juice- it was delicious!

Lunch:


Amy's Organic Palak Paneer- I wish I could have eaten about 4 of these, soooo good!

Dinner:


I wasnt in the mood to cook, so my man made himself some yummy tortillas (hes a GREAT cook, Im lucky!) and I was craving fresh fruit, so I had a 'breakfast for dinner'. This included


 a cup of fresh blackberries

a cup of sliced fresh strawberries (farmers market, local!)

 and a pouch of organic granola with a lovely looking ingredient list (I find pouches easier for counting calories!)

1 cup of organic fat free milk....all mixed together ....yum :D

I also had a third of a cup of salted cashews for some healthy fats- a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that fats are bad, but NO fat in your diet is actually bad for you! Fats are needed by your body for all sorts of functions!


All of this put me at my limit of 1200 calories for the day :)



I felt a little hungry at about 9pm but I just drank some water, because sometimes when you feel hungry its actually thirst! I was exhausted from a long, no stop 'go go go' kind of day, so I went to bed soon by 10pm. That helped me to not snack!

I didnt work out as it was a scheduled rest day, but I still feel great from doing the 30 Day Shred the day before!

 

I do the shred instead of the gym when Im short on time, and also when I feel like I want a TOTAL body workout, not just my legs on the elliptical at the gym! Jillian really uses my arms, back, abs, legs and my Achilles tendon always gets a nice stretch which feels wonderful after a day in high heels at work!

 

The crazyness begins!

/hihi! 

A week doesn't seem like long enough to re- cooperate! :( I worked the week and enjoyed the lack of homework but I sure don't feel ready for the summer semester!

How was your weekend? I went house hunting (our lease is expiring and we at least want to look before we sign again!), spent time with my man and  friends, cooked some mean dishes (like this wholewheat flatbread 'pizza!)

2 for my man, one for me :) And grilled tomatoes on the side

Close up- pinapples, green peppers, mushrooms, cheddar, crumble veggie patty and a slice of veggie turkey just for fun- DELISH

 and went through old photos from London! They made me nostalgic!

Outside Buckingham Palace

A friend of mine came over to chat with me about Australia and where she should move to- I recommended the relaxed, vegetarian friendly Byron Bay in Brisbane over corporate Sydney. I also felt a twinge of jealousy- I want to go live in Byron for a year!

Byron Beach

Todays Food Log:

Breakfast:

I had the new Berry Veggie Machine™ It contains purple carrots, sweet potatoes, red beets, sweet corn, cherries, strawberries and plums and is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, E, B3, B5, B6, B12, potassium, fiber, iron and calcium. Plus, it holds two whole servings of veggies and one serving of fruit in each 15.2oz bottle.

I did not like the taste though, compared to their other flavors, and the beets are really staining. I had to go brush my teeth again before work and use mouthwash and was still spitting red!


Lunch:

230 Calorie Amy's rice and enchiladas

Snack:

160 Calorie Chobani Banana Strawberry Greek Yogurt, my favorite!

Dinner:

I made a delicious sweet and spicy stir fry for under 400 calories! I went on calorieking.com to check everything and make sure everything was correct- yet again I was surprised at how low calorie mushrooms are and loaded up the stir fry with them! So much food for so few calories!!

Ingredients:
1 fifth of a block of spicy tofu (I usually do more but just that much was 90 calories, glad I checked, and when I cubed it it was enough!)
half a green pepper, sliced
8oz fresh white mushrooms
1 cup of canned pineapple chunks
1 cup of boil in a bag brown rice (cooked)
Chili flakes
Braggs Liquid Aminos (Zero calories and delish!)
A quarter of an onion
Fresh crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste

I grilled the tofu first, letting it soak up some brags and put the remainder of the block in a Tupperware with sesame and ginger marinade for next time! Then I added in the mushrooms and onions&spices, and put the pineapple and peppers in last for some crunch.

Feeling happy I cooked and didnt grab take out even though I was exhausted!

I was SOOOO full from this meal I didn't even THINK of snacking later on in the evening :)

Workout:
I've done about 45 minutes of walking for work today...too tired to do more!

Cinco de Mayo means its time to get to my May goals!!

Happy 5th of May! I hope you have lots of yummy Mexican food and maybe even a drink or two.....

I'm hoping that even with a chore list the size of the Eiffel Tower

 maybe I will be able to cook dinner for my man and I and make something Mexican themed :) In my dream life I would have friends over for a delicious home cooked Mexican feast but in my real life I don't have the time or money! One day....

Today I realized that it IS May and I have a tough goal to reach!

I'm at 132 pounds (April's goal CHECK!) and my goal for my as 128.5 pounds. Not an unachievable feat, but if I'm not going to just stay at where I am at I will need to push myself to do something different.
I know what that is- get to the gym!
I must confess, I've not been putting in the hours on the elliptical or with my Jillian DVD's! I want to work out three times a week at least!

So how does a person lose 3.4 pounds in a month? I read this helpful article
http://www.ehow.com/how_4682079_lost-lbs-month.html

I liked these tips:

Eat every 3 hours. If you eat every 3 hours your body does not have time to stop digesting your food. This will maintain your metabolism. This is great for people who are not active.

 

Buy a calorie counter. These are $20 at any wal-mart or department store. This will gauge about how much you burn just by walking everyday. Walking to your car, walking to your house, to the fax machine all the way upstairs. If you see your progress it will encourage you.

By now, if you count and weigh all of your food. Weigh yourself every other day, in the morning at the same time, NAKED. You will start to see at least a 1 lbs a week coming off.

Read more: How to Lose 4 Lbs a Month | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4682079_lost-lbs-month.html#ixzz1LVXO8ckz


and then double checked my BMI and daily calorie needs on this great website:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/calories-burned

I also entered gym workouts onto my outlook calendar at work to try remind myself to go, as well as put a sticky not on my monitor with the cryptic message: 128.5- no one else will know what it means but to me it will be a daily reminder of this months goals! I think I might put one up at home on the fridge too!

Today's Food Log:

Breakfast:
1 Banana Nut Vitatop (100 calories)
Wallaby Organic Australian Yogurt, Raspberry Flavor (140 calories)

Milk and Creamer in coffee= 150 calories

Lunch:
Amy's Tofu Scramble with Hash Browns (320 calories)

Snack

Dreaming Cow Strawberry Pomegranate Yogurt (140 calories)

So far today=
 850 calories

Dinner:
Baked eggplant/tofu/ parmesan towers with maranira sauce and I also tried to make Mama Pea's Sauce but it was a bit toooo curry flavored!

I will put up my own pic later when I get one of my camera, but for now this is kinda how it looked

Calorie count? Who knows! Low I hope, I did bake the eggplant, went light on the sauce and cheese and only ate until I was satisfied, not gorged!

Workout: I did it- Level 2 Jillian DVD :D