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I am a former career girl and am now a stay-at-home-mom to 2 amazing little girls. Exercise and "dieting" have never been easy for me. But now more than ever, I am determined to adhere to a more active, healthy lifestyle. I am not dieting - just making smarter, more natural food choices. I want to set a great example for my girls. I starting running last year with the Couch-to-5K running program. I've lost over 35 pounds since last year and I want to lose 60 more. I completed my first race (a 5K) in October and I running a 10K by this summer. My long-term goal is ultimately to run a half-marathon in 2012. I've created this blog to put it all out there and most of all - to keep me honest. I include a tested recipe & inspiring workout song on each post. I am also hoping to inspire and be inspired by you! I would love for you to join me for this journey and become an official follower of this blog!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

James Brown



I feel good. I feel I am mentally back on track, and in control like I was before the holidays. And that's big.


Last week I didn't lose an ounce. I said I was going to work extra hard to make up for it and I did. I lost 3.5 pounds this week. 

Here's what I think were the major contributing factors:
Cooking. I prepared all my own meals except one. I almost always had a big side of veggies (my go to veggie mix was sauteed zucchini, red onion, tomatoes with basil and salt & pepper - mainly just because it's what I had in the fridge!). I either used 1 tsp of olive oil or cooking spray but I also added a splash of chicken broth for extra flavor without the oil (I always seem to have a box in the fridge).
Protein. When I was hungry for the most part I ate protein for meals and snacks. My favorite protein packed items from this week were fat free plain Fage yogurt - I ate about 1/2 a cup on a baked potato for a few meals this week along with a side of veggies. Another was light string cheese wrapped in a piece of turkey and microwaved for 30ish seconds, and roast beef.
Apples. Besides protein my go to snack was an apple that I often had with the protein.
Outdoor Running. Intervals of walking and running OUTSIDE! You burn more calories when you run outside due to the uneven terrain etc. I also love the feeling of being unhinged whereby I am not running at a certain pace the entire time, and I am more apt to dictate my own pace - which actually makes me run faster than running on the treadmill! Today it was nasty, so I had to go back to the dreadmill, but hopefully not for too much longer. 
Small Indulgences. I did go out for a nice dinner for a birthday celebration. I had a salad and a petit filet (with no butter etc), one cocktail, one glass of wine and I even had a delicious cupcake. Other than this I really stayed on track. I think if you let yourself slightly indulge once it really helps staying on track the rest of the week.

I think what is helping me the most is that I am not looking for instant results and I have come to terms with the fact that this is going to take time.  When you realize that, it just doesn't seem as daunting as it really is.

For anyone counting... this means I have 8.5 more to lose by the end of April to reach my short term goal of losing 18 by the end of April! I am well on my way :)! 

SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING THIS WEEK: "Rolling in the Deep" Adele. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G song - actually the whole CD is great - you should check it out!
RANDOM TIP OF THE WEEK: Tea, tea and more tea. Not only are some teas great for you - green and white teas. They also can be a very satisfying end of meal drink! That's one of the things that really helped me this week. Sometimes when I would finish a meal I knew that I should be satisfied but I still felt like I wanted something else. I would cap off the meal with a glass of tea or two and it really helped me feel more satisfied. I specifically am really enjoying flavored white teas these days! My favorite is Imperial White Peach....... so fulfilling.
THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Country-Style Beef & Green Pepper Soup (modified from a Clean Eating recipe). This recipe is delicious and super healthy! The balsamic is a must!
Country-Style Beef & Green Pepper Soup
Ingredients:
It tastes so much better than it looks, promise :)!
- 2.5 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 12 oz extra lean ground beef, I used ground sirloin
- 2 medium green peppers
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 lb of fresh tomatoes chopped
- 6 oz fresh green beans, broken into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
- 2 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (this makes it!)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Heat 1 tsp oil in large pot or dutch oven on medium-high - tilting to coat. Add beef and cook until browned. Drain excess fat and then place beef on paper towels to remove excess grease. 2. Heat 1 tsp oil in pot on med high. Add bell peppers and onion and cook for 6 mins or until edges begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Add beef back to pot along with tomatoes, beans, corn, cabbage. broth and oregano. Bring mixture to a boil over same heat, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 mins or until beans are tender-crisp. 3. Remove pot from heat, stir in remaining ingredients. including remaining oil. and let stand for 10 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
Nutrition info for a 1.5 cup serving: 182 calories, 5.5 grams of total fat, 1 being sat., 17g carbs, 3.5 grams fiber, protein 16 grams, 4pp+!
*Hopefully there aren't too many typos - i am pooped and don't feel like proofreading tonight!

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