Spring Weather and Summer Salad

It is so pretty outside tonight! Bob and I went for day two of our C25K walk. Since it was getting late and we still had to do dinner we just went around the neighborhood. This was very hard for me, as I was feeling ultra self concious!! When I am on the trail or if we go to the track, I don't feel this way. I think it was because so many people were out working in their yards tonight and I was imagining all eyes on me...watching my wiggly, jiggly, huffing, puffing, beat red faced self. Most likely (more like 100% likely) nobody even cared or noticed. It's all me. My husband says that I am way too hard on myself. Probably. I am really working on that! :) The healthier my lifestyle becomes, the more confidence I am gaining, and that feels good!

When we got home we grilled chicken on the bbq and I made my favorite salad. My friend gave me the recipe last summer and I must have made it 1000 times. I change it up...sometimes I add jalapenos, sometimes I skip the onion, sometimes I add tomatoes. Sorry I don't know the exact calories! I roughly added them up and I figure about 130 per cup. Enjoy!

Fresh Summer Salad

15 oz can black beans
15 oz can pinto beans
15 oz can kidney beans
(rinse and drain all the beans)
15 oz bag frozen sweet corn kernels
small chopped red onion
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped green bell pepper
(I always add a yellow bell pepper also)

The Dressing:
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
the juice of two limes
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional, but yummy!)

-Combine the top first 8 ingredients together in a large bowl.

-In small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour dressing
over the salad and toss together.

This is good paired with grilled chicken or fish!

Hope you all had a good day :)

Rain, the Shred and Meals

With the non stop rain coming down, I decided to skip the gym and do the 30 day shred DVD. I really enjoy working out at home. I like the gym, too, but as I have said before it is nice to be able to crash onto the couch afterwards :) Jillian provided a good, motivating, sweaty workout! One thing that my body cringes at though, are the jumping jacks. J.J and my body are not friends. They make my knees hurt...bad, so until I am in better shape I am going to steer clear of them.

Yesterday my husband and I did day one of the C25K. It was hard for me. It was nice to have the prompts. He liked it and I liked it, so we decided that we'll do this together. We both have things to do tonight, so tomorrow will be day 2.

I don't know about you, but finding healthy dinners that everyone in my family will like and actually eat is something I have had a hard time with. My family is used to casseroles and now I am trying to make them eat grilled chicken, rice and steamed broccoli! HA!
I have been searching blogs for recipes to try and one of my favorites is Tj's Test Kitchen Last night I made THIS . It turned out SO good and everyone liked it! Thanks TJ :)

I have a ton of housework to do today and I am actually kind of glad to be staying home. It will give me a chance to get caught up on everything.

Hope you all have a great day.

On My Way to a 5K

Did you know that there is a phone application for just about everything?! I went in search of a C25K app and found calorie counters and food journals and all kinds of cool stuff to use on my "journey". My phone is kind of like my coach now! :)
Anyways, I am starting the C25K program today (as soon as my hubby gets home...he is doing it with me) According to the app...I will be running a 5K in 9 weeks or so. We'll see. I'm going to give it my best shot!

Monday weigh-in = -1.8  

I can't believe that I have already been at this for a month now. Time is really going by fast.

Yesterday I was stuck at home because my car is in the shop and I had nothing healthy in the house. That is a bad place to be! I forgot that I had bought these new flatout wraps at Costco, but I had nothing to put on them. Peanut butter and jelly to the rescue! :)  It has been forever since I have had PB & J. It was yummy and filling. The wrap (100 c) the PB (1 TBSP 90) and the jelly (1 TBSP 50) = 240 calories.

Well, I am on my way to the grocery store to pick up some things to fill up my empty pantry. I have a list ready and I find that it really helps me to avoid the temptation to buy foods that I do not need. (you know like chips, chocolate, ice cream, etc.). Maybe the sun will come out while I am in the store. It has been hailing here today and I really hope that it stops before we head out for our walk/run.

Have a Good Day!

Some Saturday Thoughts

Friday I only meant to stay for an hour at the gym and before I knew it, two hours had passed! I have been working on getting my speed up on the treadmill. As of now I am walking pretty slow (3.1) and at that speed I am not burning as many calories as I know I could if I walked/jogged faster.

Got on the Elliptical again and made it a whopping 5 minutes! HA! Still though- that is better than last time. I am hoping soon to be able to report that I made it 30 minutes!

There is a great machine at the gym that I can do stomach crunches on and for some crazy reason I can go forever on that thing and never get tired! I am paying for it today with very sore stomach muscles.

I'm curious about the C25K program that I have been reading about on various blogs. My girlfriends and I want to sign up for next years Susan G. Komen and since they are all in pretty great shape, I would like to be able to run with them instead of walking. I have over a year to get ready for this! I think I can do that :)

I find myself doing more and more of my walking outside. The weather has been so mild and the flowers and trees are all in bloom. The fresh air gives me extra energy! :)

my favorite pink dogwood!

Even when it is cloudy and windy!

on my walk last week

While cleaning out my closet this week I came across a Christmas dress that I had worn when I was a size 16. I was thinking that it would be reasonable to lose enough weight by December that I could fit into it again. Then I started thinking about how much fun it will be to go to my husbands work Christmas party this year as a new lighter me. He has always been so supportive of me and never once has he made me feel bad about my weight, but I can't wait to lose and look good and be healthy for him. It's that way with my kids too. They have never even so much as mentioned my weight, but I so badly want to be a healthier mom for them and not have all of the issues I have now from being overweight. I keep on saying that I am doing this for ME, but really, to be honest, I'm doing it just as much for THEM.

Hope you are having a great weekend! :)

Number Two is my Favorite

Here are 15 reasons why I am enjoying living a healthier lifestyle, in response to a challenge from Seth over at FITWITHAPURPOSE .

1. I'm setting a healthy example for my kids.
2. I have more energy.
3. I enjoy going to the gym.
4. I don't feel puffy
5. I'm excited to be free from high blood pressure meds
6. Watching my husband lose weight just from the lower calorie foods I'm serving
7. The Can-Do attitude that I have been sporting lately :)
8. Walking up the stairs at school is getting easier
9. I have goals
10. I have found this supportive, inspirational blogging community
11. I am not beating myself up about my weight, because instead I am doing something about it!
12. I'm seeing results on the scale
13. I am trying new things and that is fun!
14. I have been praying more.
15. I am happy.

I'm sure as time goes by there will be tons more reasons. What is there not to love about being healthy? I can't think of a single thing!

I have heard so much about the success of tracking my daily food/calories and with every past diet I have started to do it, but then I would quit. Since this time is different, I am just writing down the calories and not the food to make it extra simple.

I was just keeping track in my head, but I think this will work much better!

Have a great day! :)

Less a Cup of Coffee

Yesterday was weigh-in day. I am down one pound. (YAY!) Even though I know that this is a good amount to lose per week, I guess I was hoping that I would lose more at first. 1500 was where I had originally set my calories for, but on most days I am around 1700. So, I am going to try for one week to cut out my coffee(with creamer) which will be about 200 c. a day. We'll see how that goes!

It was hard to get up and go to the gym yesterday, but I did.
On my way out the door I threw that cake in the garbage!
As I was turning into the gym I got a little lump in my throat. Silly, I know. But, I was proud of myself that I was following through and not giving up. You know, not just thinking about it and talking about it like so many times before, but finally DOING IT! One day at a time! :D

I found/heard about a new trail that is close to my house. My husband and I are going to check it out tomorrow. It is 5 miles all the way around so it is something that I can challenge myself to work up to completing. The only problem is that halfway around there is a Starbuck's. I'll have to make sure I bring my willpower with me!

Thanks again for your encouraging comments. Hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

Pushing through the Pain

There is this area on the right side of my right calve muscle and it hurts every time I move. It is not so painful that I cannot walk or anything like that, just uncomfortable, sore muscle kind of hurt. Anyways, it is making it tough for me to get moving this morning. I have a zumba class at 10:30 and then I weigh in. My shoes are on, house is picked up, the kids are on the bus and it is beautiful outside. There is nothing holding me back. Yet, I sit here and battle with myself that maybe I should give my leg a rest or maybe I pulled a muscle. I'm sure that I am fine. This is what I do every time that I start to lose weight...I make a ton of excuses. Because I am tired (or maybe lazy) and I really just want to sit here and watch tv. Not this time though. All of these inspirational stories that I have been reading on blogs has made me want a story of my own!

Oh, and then there is this pain. HA! A pain in my butt, that has been sitting on the counter since yesterday. I hate wasting, but I think I am going to throw it away before it wears me down. I just have to keep remebering that "NOTHING tastes as good as thin FEELS"!

Well, I hope you all have a Happy Monday! I am going to go throw that cake in the garbage and then go enjoy my zumba class. I'll report back later on my weight loss. (I have hope!! :D )

Sort of a Wordless Post

I took my two oldest kids to the gym with me today. We had FUN!

Yikes.

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday! :)

Finally Friday!

At the gym yesterday:
I usually walk at 3.1 on the treadmill and I really wanted to try adding in some intervals of jogging. Last time I tried jogging on the treadmill I did not last even two minutes. It hurt/burned so bad. Yesterday I pushed past that burn and forced myself. Every five minutes I switched from 3.1 to 4.1 (4.1 has me jogging)and I would stay there for two minutes and then back down to 3.1. The machine shook(is this normal? because it was kind of embarrassing how loud it was), my legs, lungs and hips burned, my head hurt. But, I lasted for an hour! It was a decent workout :)

It is a beautiful day here and in about 20 minutes I am meeting with a friend to walk a trail in town. I am aiming to do the same thing as I did yesterday on the treadmill. I am hoping my friend will be game! I think I will enjoy it more outside...at least the treadmill won't sound like it is going to explode! HA!

Hope you all have a good weekend! :)

Thanks for the Motivation

When I started blogging I never imagined how much motivation and inspiration that I would gain from reading other blogs. Every morning I read the new posts on my blog list and I think...wow...I am not alone in this. lots of others are doing this too. DOING this!! Not just talking about it, but losing the weight and getting healthy and strong. It inspires me everyday and I just wanted to say THANKS for sharing and THANKS for encouraging me on my journey, too.

Today I went to a baby shower at Red Robin. I was running a little late and by the time I got there all of the chairs were taken and there were only a couple of booth spots left where everyone was sort of crowded together. oh, boy. Where the heck was I going to sit? These are the moments that I cannot WAIT to not have to deal with. I felt so uncomfortable because it can be a tight fit for me in a booth. Some are better than others, but at RR in some of their booths, my tummy touches the table. It just makes me feel really self conscious. Anyways, I sat. I ate(ensanada platter w/one chicken breast). I had fun. :) But, as I was scooting my way out after lunch I thought, you know what? It's ok that I feel uncomfortable. I want to acknowledge this feeling and think about it the next time I am tempted to go back to my old habits(eating too much and not exercising).

Oh, and I jogged/ran tonight!! Just once around the track, but for me that was huge. I could barely breathe when I was done, no kidding, it scared me a little. I did it! Didn't think I could and almost didn't, but I DID! And I am planning on going again on Saturday.
**Thanks to Keelie at REAL FAT for her post today that inspired me to try.**

Hope you all have a great Thursday!

My View and Bare Fruit

Still alot of rain going on here with the occasional sunbreak, but definitely a treadmill day. I am always happy if I am lucky enough to get one of the treadmills by the window...and if not, well, then I get to look at a wall! HA!

I have been looking for healthy snacks that I can carry around in my purse(so I am not tempted to get a "bad" snack). I found these little bags of dried fruit and they are GOOD!

And the calories aren't bad either!

And the Scale Said...

Down 1.6 pounds!! I just round to the closest number on my ticker, so I will go with 1.5. WoooHooo! I am a happy loser today :) I am not really noticing a difference in the way my clothes fit or anything like that yet, but I am FEELING better than I have in a long, long time. That is worth everything to me.

I also had my meeting with a trainer at the gym. She was very motivating and she had a weight loss story to share that really inspired me. We went through all of the machines so she could show me how to use them correctly and then she introduced me to the machine that I used for about a minute and almost  died   elliptical. I have actually used it before, but did not do well. For some reason it is just so darn hard for me to use that thing!! So, for now I will be doing the treadmill with intervals of running. She also suggested that I try to fit a yoga class into my week. We walked by the pool and while I know the exercises would be great for me...I do not even own a swim suit right now and I really do not feel like wearing one. I'll think about revisiting that thought next month! :)

After all of that I decided that my favorite workout is still to just take a walk outside in the fresh air. I love it. What is your favorite workout?

Random Weekend Stuff

What's for Breakfast. approx. 250 calories.

We did alot of walking in cloudy, windy and rainy weather and

made a trip to Whole Foods.

I ate pizza which was not in my plans, but I did only have two slices instead of five or six.

Tomorrow is weigh in day and I also have an appointment with a personal trainer. I am hoping to get some advice on which exercises I should be doing that will promote the most weight loss. It came free with my gym membership so that is cool!

Hope you all had a great weekend! :)

What Was I Thinking? Oh, wait...I Wasn't!

Planning, shopping, counting calories-carbs-fat, dicing, chopping, measuring, portioning. I took special care yesterday to eat healthy and within my calorie range. Spent over an hour at the gym. Felt so good!

And then....without warning or thought.....



I ATE HALF OF A CHOCOLATE BUNNY!! :p


It just happened. And I didn't just have a small portion, which would have been fine. I guess on a positive note I could say -at least I didn't eat the whole thing!-

So, as of last night, all of the chocolate Easter candy is out of here. The other stuff like jellybeans and peeps can stay. They do not tempt me in the slightest. But you will find no chocolate here.

With that in the past I am off to the gym this morning to do a zumba class.

Have a Happy day! :)

A little Gloomy News and A little Good News

My annual physical has never been my favorite event, but this time I was looking forward to talking to my doctor about my "plan" and that I had already started losing pounds. He is really supportive and I knew he would be excited for me. The appointment went well and the nurse said that she would call with my test results. She just called. Good news is that my EKG is perfect! YAY for that! Bad news is my overall cholesterol is 246. Blah! and my vitamin D levels are very low. So, the doctor has prescribed me a statin (cholesterol lowering) drug. I usually follow his advice and so far he has not steered me wrong, but I just can't seem to make myself take this. Do any of you all have any experience with taking these drugs?

As of Monday, my weigh in day, I am down another 1.5 pounds! WoooHooo! I'll take it!!

Today I worked out with a friend that is in much better shape than I am. I was a little worried about not being able to keep up, but it turned out to be really motivating! The bad part is that I am dead. I have so much housework to do this afternoon before my munchkins get home from school and all I want to do is sit here and rest my sore body. HA! :) Feel the burn, baby!

I bought a sack of avocados today at Costco. I am looking for some yummy recipes to use them in. For lunch I experimented with some of my favorite ingredients:

1/2 avocado peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 diced tomato
2 oz diced grilled chicken breast
a little diced red onion
squirt a bit of lime juice
a few cilantro leaves
mix all together and serve in a romaine lettuce leaf.

So fresh and yummy! I counted it for approx. 275 calories.

Hope you have a great day!

Happy Easter to You!

Tuesday I made myself a promise that I would work out for an hour a day, for seven days straight. I just finished day four!
Wednesday...Zumba
Thursday...what I call 2 on 2 off - it is where you do the treadmill for two minutes and then two minutes on strength training (oh, and I also bowled with the kids, that counts right? :) )
Friday...I walked some seriously hilly Seattle terrain which left me with some painful calves (ouch).
Today...a "biggest loser" DVD and thought that said calves would literally die from the pain.
I have no idea how I will fit my hour in for tomorrow with all of our Easter activities!

Tomorrow is going to be full of fun, family, worship (and chocolate temptations) and it is the day before my weekly weigh in. I am going to focus on moderation, fresh and healthy choices and the fact that next year at this time I will be thinner, healthier and NOT shopping in the plus size section for my Easter dress! HA! :) I hope you all have a very Happy Easter!

(artwork provided by Vintage Holiday Crafts)