Day 1 of 365

I can safely say that I made it through today without over eating, without going to get fast food, without having soda. The only two types of drinks I had today were milk and water. I was VERY tempted today to eat fast food. We were out and about and I was really wanting to just stop and eat. But I didn't..we came home and made some Tuna sandwiches and had a small lunch. It was nice. I am now dealing with a headache..lack of caffeine probably. That is pretty much all that I have to report today. A friend came over and we watched the new seasons of How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. It was a nice night.

30 in 365

Today was my 29th Birthday. It feels like the end of something, like the last chapter of my twenties. I am not super upset about growing older, it means I am that much wiser..right..right? Well I have decided that the best way for me to leave my twenties is trying to get healthy. The thing I have been "trying" to do for the last 10 years. To me it is more than just being thin, and being able to try something on and have it fit me good. It is about being able to go hiking with my friends, go on adventures. Go out and go dancing with my friends and not feel like everyone in the club is looking at me.

I know that I am more then a fat lump, but to be honest most of the time that is all I feel like.

I took a speech class recently as a required class and one thing we had to do was give everyone a compliment when they gave a speech. I LOVED that because everyone was so nice. The nicest thing was that someone told me that I was very charming and my smile is very captivating. Those words have stuck with me. Because I am slowing realizing that I am so much more. More then these negative words that I say to myself, more than the horrible body image I have.

I am excited.

I have taken a first step. I kicked off my birthday with a hike up a 4000 ft mountain. I figured I could go and get some free birthday dinner, or I could go out and hike my butt off. I chose the hiking my butt off.

So today I celebrate first steps~

10 years

First off, HOW did 10 years pass without me noticing it? I have an online diary that I have written in for the last 10 years since I was 18 almost 19. I reread the first entry, I sounded like a teenager. It was slightly embarrassing because if I saw someone writing like that today I would be like get over it. But back then everything was super important and I was so grown up. :D What an idiot.

That doesn't matter though. What matters is that I am thinking about it and I am pretty much in the same position I was in 10 years ago. I am STILL in college although this time getting my bachelor degree and I did work before this. I don't own a home, I don' t have a great job, I don't have children. I have been with my husband for the last 10 years married for 3.

I feel disappointed that I have not done anything in the last ten years. Nothing worth noting anyway. Sad.

It makes me really want to strive for some new and exciting goals. I want to be able to write 10 years from now that I have done something or have something.

Ten years where does the time go. Really...think back about yourself 10 years ago where were you?

First 5K!

Tomorrow is the 5K my family and I are doing to honor our niece who passed away just shy of her 2nd birthday. I am excited! I have walked 5K on my own many times, I actually do it every time I go out to walk. But this time is different it is a RACE! I want to do good, but I have no even tried running in months, so I will have to go as fast as my little legs can carry me. According to my Nike+ I have done a 5K in 35 minutes but I don't know about that. We will see.

Slipping

I don't really want to clutter up this blog with feelings ( I have another place for that). I have been feeling super depressed lately. There are a lot of reasons: People are dying, hubby's dad is going down hill fast, we are having difficulties finding jobs, and on top of that my weight.

The weather has been a real drag around here lately, making me not want to go out and walk. I tell myself that I will do some other exercise at home..but I never do. Which makes me get really down on myself.

I don't know I just don't feel right. :-(

Today I did get out and walk. I went and did 4.5 miles in an hour. It was very nice. I miss it. It makes me feel so good. I have this fear that IF I don't get my weight under control right now. It will just keep getting bigger and bigger. We really want to have a baby, in the near future. But I don't want to get pregnant at this size because I know what that means...I will be bigger.

I am at the highest weight I have EVER been. 10 more pounds and I am at a weight I NEVER thought I would be close to. A weight that when you hear it you are like wow that is big. I am starting to look my weight now. Before I would weight 220 and people would think I was much lighter. I can't hide it anymore.

I NEED this!!!

That is Chef Stephanie

I have been having a real blast lately with planning dinners. I get very bored of the same old thing. If I am having food that is healthy for me, I want it to be interesting and taste good. So every night I try to come up with something interesting to eat. Last night we had Sesame Asian Chicken, and red potatoes. It was delicious, I made the sauce myself. The night before that we had Marinated Portabello mushrooms, grilled green peppers, onion, and zucchini. It was really good. The husband didn't even mind that it wasn't steak lol. Tonight we are having Quinoa and Black Beans. I am hoping it will be good.

I still have either sauteed spinach or just spinach salad drizzled in olive oil almost every night. I just love it that much. I have Greek yogurt almost everyday also in place of a dessert. I think I love that stuff to much lol. I just had it with some turkey meatballs, it was good (don't judge me lol).

Who is this??

Today I had a little laugh at myself. I was standing in the kitchen putting my Portabello Mushrooms in a bag to marinate. I added in the Olive Oil, the Balsamic Vinegar and started peeling the Garlic, and cutting the Onion, and grating the ginger. I thought about what I was doing and just thought "Who am I".. I literally have ginger root, garlic, onions, fresh veggies, fruit, olive oil in my house....and I use them to cook. In the past I never would have had these things.

I love it though. The fresh ingredients just taste so good. They add so many different flavors to things. There is something pretty awesome about preparing a healthy meal for yourself. Standing there and chopping up all the ingredients and making something out of them.

I have also started a walking group. We meet at the college and walk around the track for an hour or so and chit-chat. It really makes the walking much more fun when there is someone to talk about. The time really flies by.

The sun has been out here in Portland and it is AMAZING! Nothing like a good dose of Vitamin D. Which by the way they are saying helps with weight loss. THAT is why I am fat...I live in the Northwest were there is no sunshine..I can finally blame it on the rain..the RAIN made me FAT!! (hehehe)

Hope everyone is doing well.

Recipe Generator

I found this website and it is basically perfect for me. Recipe Generator I always have ingredients in the house, but I never know what to cook with them..well now I do!

Today has been a very lazy day. It always happens this way when I travel, I swear I need a few days to recover from traveling.

We went grocery shopping last night and picked out fruits and veggies. And we grabbed some items we have never had fresh: Ginger root, tomatillo(sp) and fresh basil.(I bought a basil plant) That sure made shopping fun, I was sniffing basil the whole time. Yummy!

So far today I have eaten, Fruit salad( 1 apple, 1 orange 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 Tsp honey) It was really delicious. Lunch was a 1/2 Pita, some light mayo, Turkey Meat and slice of cheese. I am planning on doing some sauteed spinach, steak and something else. I also spent the extra few cents and bought whole grain pasta.

Food Suggestions??

So I have written some about my favorite go to foods. What I would like if everyone can suggest some of their go to foods. What is a favorite food you have found that is really healthy and something you eat a lot.

I will be heading out to my Grandparents house tomorrow. I can hardly wait, they only live 6 hours away but I don't get out there as much as I like. Believe it or not when your in college you have NO free time. You don't get to leave school and have that night to yourself or the weekends. I am constantly doing work and what is worse some of my online courses require me to turn in work on the weekends. So I am actually never able to get away for more then a day or so, because I always have to be back to do homework.

I am thinking tonight is a Zumba night. I actually did it two nights in a row without really thinking about it. It was just that much fun. I don't even know if I am having a good calorie burn since it is just a Wii game, but I know that I keep moving during the whole time and try to follow the steps. So I figure I should be burning a few calories. I am still WANTING a spinning podcast to so I can use my exercise bike to its full abilities. I push myself much harder when I have something to follow.

Peace

My next 30 years

One and a half years and I will be 30. That really isn't the point of this entry, age doesn't really bother me as much as I think it does some people. The point of this entry it what I want.

I want to be healthy and fit by the time that birthday rolls around. I have spent nearly all my 20's chasing that goal. Mostly in half-ass attempts which have resulted in well...nothing.

Looking at a clothing catalog the other day this hit me. I was looking at the trendy clothes and really wanted to be able to just order everything that I thought was cute. To bad I can't, because EVEN if they had my size I can 100% guarantee it will not look like it does on those models on me...or even close to that. It will be all lumpy and stretched out and just look like a bag of potatoes wearing something cute.

So I want to be able to buy clothes that are cute and of course age appropriate for me. I don't need to go wearing something that a 21 year old would wear. But I want the world to see the real me. Not the me that hides behind, tshirts, jeans and sweatshirts/hoodies and jackets.

Here I come!!!!

On a side note, I did Wii Zumba last night. It was fun and it got my heart pumping. I missed probably 80% of the steps but I kept moving. I figured that the steps will come later. Some of the dance moves are AWESOME!! You feel like your out shaking your butt at a club. But the best part is NO one is there to watch you look like an idiot.

Well that is all for now.

Happy Mother's Day to the mom's out there.

Cycling Podcasts??

Well, I have been doing okay. I decided I need to start working out. To bad the weather has decided it will not support me walking/jogging outside yet. (Stupid Rain). So I am going to have to just do my own thing. Probably bust one some of the millions of DVD's I have for working out. Use the Wii Fit again. Something to get myself back in the swing again. I have the exercise bike and the rowing machine I could probably utilize as well.

Do you know what I REALLY want..I want a spinning type workout that I can listen to on my Ipod. That won't cost me a fortune to use. I found a free one from Motion Traxx I think it is. But they only have the one. It is perfect and amazing and just a butt kickin' workout..but to be honest since it is the only one of its kind out there I get a little bored with it. I mean you can only go up the same hills so many times lol.

I would just LOVE LOVE LOVE it if someone would make some more of these things. Maybe I should try to find some good interval training things with good music.

That is my little life in a nutshell..How is everyone else doing?

Pity Party is Over

I appreciate the comments on my last entry. It was just a really bad time for me and I was feeling down and in the dumps, then I go and try on clothes and it just makes it even worse.

In the end there is no magic little person who can take my hand and lead me down the path to thindom. I know this, you know this, we all know this. But sometimes I just WISH it wasn't so.

In the end the only one that can take me where I need and want to be in me. I am the driver, and planner of that trip. I decide when I move smoothly along that path, I also decide when I will take detours, breaks or choose the bumpiest most pot-filled road. These are all things I choose. And when I am not eating right and not feeling successful those are my choices also. It is me..

I have been trying very hard to find foods that I like. And incorporate them into my daily eating lifestyle. In the past I eaten yogurt both greek and regular ( watch the sugar and calories). I also like fruits and veggies. Breakfast not my greatest time of the day..I HATE HATE HATE oatmeal, I will never like it and that is the end of story. So I try to eat something like Cheerios from Target ( NO sugar whatsoever in them). Or I will have Shredded Wheat. I have been using Whole Wheat Pita's for sandwiches either with feta cheese and Tzatiki (sp) or Roast Beef and Gouda ( with no mayo).

My new favorite thing and let me just say it might gross some out but you have to understand I have LOVED spinach since I was a kid, use to eat it all the time.

So my new favorite thing is sauteed spinach with olive oil, garlic, and sometimes mushrooms. It is so yummy I just love it. Obviously use the fresh baby spinach not the mushy can stuff ( which I love lol).

Small steps. I know I will not be thin over night..actually I may never be thin, but I can make sure I am eating healthy and exercising for a healthy me.

Tears on the Dressing Room Floor

I feel like all I can say is help. I wish there was a super hero out there who would just come flying into my life and show/help me with this stupid weight loss thing. P.S I went and tried on close today....it was all I could do to keep from crying with my husband standing outside the door waiting to see the new outfits. So I quickly picked one and left.

The feelings I have right now are just I don't know..overwhelming failure. I know I haven't failed "yet" but you know what when you have been doing this for 8 years and never lose more then 20lbs it seems like failure to me.

It is ALL my fault too.

I know how and what to eat
I know to exercise
I know to drink water

I know ALL I need to know to make this work.

But I can't make it happen. I do good for a week maybe even a month if I am lucky. Then something comes along and just upsets the wagon and I jump off and go back to my old ways. My eating habits really are my worst enemy. I just can't seem to NOT eat foods that are bad for me. Sure I don't eat Burger King or McDonald's or those fast food places...But you know what I do eat. Taco Del Mar, Denny's, other sit down restaurants. When I go there I don't order anything deep fried, but I do get steak with potatoes and veggies, or I might have a eggs and stuff like that. Which are still loaded with calories. I love food and I hate it.


My fridge has good food in it. Cottage Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Feta Cheese, Pita, Roast Beef, Spinach, Eggs, Milk. We have chicken, steak and fish. But yet I still eat out. I hate eating out. The food is bland, and never cooked how you want it but I still go.

Since I am airing all my dirty laundry right now I might as well acknowledge the fact that I am a huge emotional eater. I eat to celebrate, I eat when I am sad, I eat when I am bored, and when I am excited. My life right now would fall into the extremely stressful area. I would like to get a hold of these eating habits now while I can.

I am going to have to 100% change how I do things, and that is scary to me. For me exercise is pardon the expression but it is a cake walk to me. I can do it with little effort. But eating that is the thing I can't get right.

I have a small budget to buy food with so I have become accustom to eating cheap things that are bad. So now I need to find cheap things that are good.

Last night I made James a stuffed pepper with brown rice and I had sauteed spinach with mushrooms and olive oil. ( That was after a day filled with Arby's) But that is beside the point, the food was good. So tonight we are going to have Fish, Brown Rice, Sauteed Spinach and maybe a black bean dish.

Surprisingly, I feel a little bit better now. I feel completely overwhelmed about all this but I NEED to change.

Fail

I think it is pretty obvious I have done terrible with this weight loss. It is strange I get to a point. It is the same point EVERY time. I hit that weight and then I back off and gain back what I have lost. I don't understand why I just can't break through that wall.

I am going to try and get back in the swing of things. After all I don't want to be this size forever. It is really going to make for a miserable summer of hiking with my sister up in the Gorge if I can't lose some weight.

Again I go.

Well I started back to school. I haven't done a workout in a few days. Not super concerned about that. I am more concerned that I haven't been paying attention to my diet. That is the part where I ALWAYS mess up on. But I know this and will get back to it. I am trying to figure out the open gym and swim schedule for the school. It never is very good, but maybe they have changed a few things which would make it more appealing to workout there.

I want to start lifting weights. I LOVE weight lifting. It makes me feel great when I can feel my muscles. hehehe.

I am still doing good though and have a lot of days left on my goal. So no worries.

Exercise Hobby??

Well I am doing FABULOUS!! I feel like my wagon has been up-righted and I am on track to somewhere I haven't been in a long time. The weight is coming off decently, but that isn't a big concern. My body is changing before my eyes and I LOVE it! I finally finally finally found a balance that works for me. I know it might not work for everyone but it works for me. I have a vitamin D deficiency. It is a pretty common thing in the NW lack of sunlight will do that to a person. I didn't have the best diet and I never went outside in the winter which means....ding ding ding always tired. I have noticed it was getting progressively worse or more noticeable is a more appropriate word for it, but I would wake up and be tired, I would have no energy to do anything, grouchy, angry, depressed you name it that was me. I had gotten worried at one point and hit WebMD because I seriously was concerned. So a simple blood test and bingo bango. I am now taking a vitamin D supplement(not to much don't worry.) I have started to drink more milk again. Back when I started noticing all this was when I moved here to the NW and I stopped drinking milk and started eating badly. What a mix. But I feel great now..I actually have energy to do stuff.

Now to discuss my title...

Tonight as I was exercising I was thinking about things and thinking about how I use to be. Really athletic and into sports and all that. I would have basketball practice and still find time for bike rides(intense ones) and exercise. I loved it! This was back when I was just a teenager and didn't really think of exercise as something bad yet..not that I do now but ya know. So I was thinking about all that and talking to my husband while and I think exercise has always been a hobby of mine. Like I use to love the feeling I would get, the changes, all that. Getting to view a new workout dvd. Learning the latest exercise craze. I day dream about opening my own fitness facilities, I yearn after shiny new workout equipment. I have been this way forever. Some how my true self just got lost in the shuffle of life and growing up. But I am back, ready to dust myself off and show everyone who I really am.

Exercising - 60 minutes;
Healthy food - $200'
Getting Back to the Healthy You - Priceless.

It is a lame quote but it is mine and it describes my feelings.

Finally Me Time!!!

I am on spring break as soon as I finish up my Economics class. Which will hopefully be tomorrow. I am so excited to have some time to myself away from school work and distractions. This is the first time I have been in a good place with diet and exercise and I have the chance to just focus on that for the next 2 weeks. That is awesome to me, I really can't wait. I am going to exercise and eat right and just take care of myself. I am about 4 lbs down and 4 to go in the next 2ish weeks. I will have met my 8 lbs a month goal if that happens. Which would put me right on track.

I know that this month might be easier and show a larger weight loss then months to come but I am excited anyway. I have my end goal in mind and I plan on making it there. I can't explain it but my attitude on this whole thing has changed and is very different to me then the last few times.

Thank You Oregon...

For not raining today. I was able to get out and go walking. I decided to go to a place I have never been before but wanted to check out. It was pretty nice but almost to short for my kind of walking. It was down by the river and wow that river was really high and just running like crazy. But I managed to do about 2.5 miles, with a lot of back tracking and circling back. So it worked. I then went to another spot and finished off my workout at a total of 3.4 miles. Not bad! I am hoping to get back up to my 5-7 miles every few days kinda walking.

I am not sure that I mentioned and it is kind of embarrassing and shows off my nerdy side. But I got out all my exercise equipment and set it up in a corner of the house..which we now officially call Club Stephanie!! HAAHAHA I am such a nerd. I told my husband that he could come to my club but he would need a membership first lol.

So the eating has been going fantastic. I haven't craved fast food, or greasy gross food in about 3 weeks now. AMAZING!! Since that was what I always wanted. And this eating every three hours is keeping me from binging which was also another big problem. I find myself at times wanting to snack and roam the kitchen..but I sit back and say just wait you can eat in blank blank hours/minutes whatever it is. And you know what by the time that I CAN eat the stuff I don't want it and find something better for me.

I am going to lose 50 lbs by my Birthday..it won't be easy but I think it is completely do-able.

Quicky

I rode my stationary bike last night..my behind hurts :-S!! I made an effort to workout for 45 minutes, I am trying that 30 minute or more theory of weight loss. I also got into some of my songs and started "dancing" while riding..husband things I am nuts!! He might be right. :D

Tonight I am going to do some boxing. Probably will throw in some free weights also.

We are having Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken...I don't really know what it is, I put some chicken tenderloins in the crock pot, and made some buffalo sauce for it to cook in..These could be really hot yikes!

I watched 2 episodes of Heavy last night. I was able to watch them online as I don't have A&E. I like that show, unlike the Biggest Loser people don't get voted off when they need to be there. It was inspiring.

The eating every 3 hours thing is working out so far so good.

No More Yuck

First I would like to put up a picture that I love...What?? A picture I love..yeah that is hard for me to say because I hate the way I look in pictures, I hate it. In pictures I can't avoid the image, I don't see me I see a stranger. But despite all that I love this picture. Next to my wedding pictures it is one of my favorites.



This isn't the greatest picture of us, but I feel like it just shows off who we are. I think I was about 10lbs lighter in this photo. But we are at the beach having a wonderful time doing what we love to do. This is why I want to get healthy, so that we can do more of these things and just really enjoy life. When I leave this world I don't want people to remember me as someone who sat around and watched tv or played on the computer all day. I want to be remembered because I did fun adventurous things.

The rest of this entry I know will be met with a lot of skepticism. I know that and I have to tell you I am skeptical and also was skeptical. I am not delusional and think things like this work. But for whatever reason I am not craving certain foods.
I have seen many many of those hypnosis weight loss things advertised on TV. Curiosity got the better of me and I went searching...apparently there is an APP for that. So I found a weigh loss hypnosis app that makes you not crave foods that are bad and full of grease, it also it suppose to help you with stress eating. So just for the heck of it I decide to try it.

The first time goes something like this. I get all comfy on my bed laying down ready to see what happens. I must have been really tired. I set up the 30 minute long one, I lay there and he starts talking and relaxing me( at this point it reminded me of a really great meditation.) So I am listening and we get to the count backwards part I remember hearing 10, 9 and then the next thing I know I wake up and the session was over....I FEEL ASLEEP!!! I have no idea if in my sleep I heard any of the session as one of my earbuds fell out and the other one I don't know if it was working.

So I decide to try again the next day, I made sure I didn't fall asleep but it was so relaxing I almost did. This was 2 weeks ago, I haven't craved fast food since then, the thought of it is pretty gross and unappealing to me. I have not craved any greasy of fried food at all. Which is impressive for me considering I LOVE all that stuff. Lately it just seems nasty and bleck!! That kind of food doesn't taste the same anymore.

I have done the session a few times since then mostly because it was so relaxing.

Do I believe that it works...I don't know part of me wants to be skeptical and say heck no..but how do I know. Even if it made me subconsciously not want those foods I have battled with for years that is a good thing in my book. It might have just been the power of suggestion who really knows..but I don't want Burger King anymore so ++++.

Crock pot Yogurt and Crock pot Chicken

I have been looking around on the internet for coupons and tips for saving money when shopping at the grocery store and I came across these two items. The first is Crock Pot Yogurt. It seems interesting I have not tried it yet but it seems like if you have the time and patients you could make yourself some yogurt for a fraction of the cost of other stuff. You do need to use a small amount of yogurt as your bacteria starter but I think you could probably spend a dollar on that and come out with much more yogurt. So here is the recipe.
Crock Pot Yogurt

Ingredients:

Servings:

16
Servings Size
* 3 quarts 1% low-fat milk
* 1 tablespoon plain gelatin
* 1/3 cup cold water
* 1 cup plain yogurt (with active cultures)


Directions:

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 1/2 day

1 Into your scrupulously clean slow cooker, place your milk. Heat on low until it reaches 185-195°F, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
2 In a large measuring cup, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand 15 minutes until bloomed. Add a few ladles of warm milk and whisk until gelatin is dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker and turn down to "keep warm" for 3 hours. (If your cooker does not have a "keep warm" setting, turn the cooker off and wrap it well in several layers of towels. Unwrap it and turn it back on low for the last 30-60 minutes of this time span.). It should be between 122-130°F before proceeding; if it's too warm, turn it off and let it cool.
3 In the same large measuring cup, place the yogurt. Add a few ladles of hot milk and whisk until smooth. Pour into crock pot and whisk to combine completely. Turn off pot and wrap in several layers of towels/blanket to trap the heat. (Do not use the keep warm setting at this point; it's too hot, and will kill the yogurt cultures.).
4 Divide into serving portions. You can flavor with fruit, jam or honey now, or when serving. A thicker Greek-style yogurt can be achieved by using whole milk, then scooping the finished yogurt into cheesecloth and allowing it to drain (in the refrigerator, suspended over a bowl) for 2-4 hours.

I would highly recommend going to the actual website and looking at the recipe as there are some good comments with more directions on making this.


Whole Crock Pot Chicken

I know I really love having a great whole chicken. But I never have time to actually cook it so I buy those tiny precooked ones from the store..Which have you ever read the ingredients?? SUGAR who puts sugar in a chicken?? ( We are extra aware of sugar in this house because hubby can't eat it..CSID<
So here is a recipe I came across for cooking a whole chicken in your crock pot. How easy can that be?

Whole Crock Pot Chicken
http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-chicken-crock-pot-recipe-33671

Ingredients:

* 4 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon onion powder
* 1 teaspoon thyme
* 1 teaspoon white pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible)
* 1 cup chopped onion (optional)


Directions:

Prep Time: 1/2 day

Total Time: 1 day

1 In a small bowl, combine the spices.
2 Remove any giblets from chicken and clean chicken.
3 Rub spice mixture onto the chicken.
4 Place in resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. (I usually skip this step because I'm always in a hurry).
5 When ready to cook, put chopped onion in bottom of crock pot.
6 Add chicken. No liquid is needed, the chicken will make it's own juices.
7 Cook on low 4-8 hours.
8 Note: I highly recommend a pop-up timer in the chicken because some crock pots cook faster/slower than others (my crock pot cooks this recipe in 4-5 hours).

Portion Distortion

This all started with an episode of some show that talks about the things that happen to our bodies when we get to be morbidly obese. It had a lot of good information in it and also got a great conversation going with my husband. We were discussing how much food I put on our plates when I cook. Which is an absurd amount, if people were here and saw how much I put on there I would be very embarrassed. It never really occurred to me how much I was eating in one sitting until I thought about it. We have really huge dinner plates and I feel the need to fill them up..don't ask me why. Last night I made pancakes..the size of a skillet. Why..I don't know. When I was a kid we didn't fill our plates full of food, we had appropriate sizes of food and types of food. It sadly blows my mind at the amount of food I eat on a plate. I don't even know when it started..I can't pin point it or think of a reason..maybe just because we have the huge dinner plates, much bigger then I have ever had before....So I will blame the plates lol. In all seriousness it is a real problem though. So from now on I am going to have to be very aware of portion sizes that I am eating.
Husband said it well last night, with the portions I(We) are eating I would have to exercise hours a day to make a difference.
It was a great discussion with him, and we talked about my weight loss and came up with a great plan and concrete path to follow. I have decided to set up my exercise equipment ( rowing machine, bike, manual treadmill) I can do a variety workout and get in a good workout for 1 hour a day. Which is what I need to do, in the past I noticed that when I workout less than an hour a day I don't see results. Last night on that show they were talking about how the first 30 minutes of exercise your not even burning off the fat being stored ( this is my summary it was much more complicated) and after that point you start burning the stored up fat. Who knows if that is true, but it makes sense to me.

Not Getting Younger

Today I realized I will be celebrating my 29th birthday in September. I can't believe it..really seems like just yesterday I was a carefree kid loving life, riding my bike all over town, running, swimming and having a great time.

Now I am not happy at least in my body. I am happy about other aspects of my life, but I am very unhappy about my body. This isn't me..it just isn't. It seems that I have spent most of my 20's trying to achieve the elusive weight loss. I have not done that obviously.

I had a serious talk with my husband tonight. I told him I wanted to be fit and in shape by my 29th birthday. I want to end my 20's in the body I should be in. So we are going to change our eating habits and work really hard on that.

I am feeling really happy about this. I NEED to get in good shape, we have recently taken up hiking in the Gorge and let me tell you that is not something easy to do when you are over weight.

I am pretty excited!! I know I can do this!!

Inside Out Method

I decided to pick up some workout DVD's. I got the Bob Harper inside out method workouts: Strength, Cardio and Yoga. So far I have done strength and yoga. Tonight I am going to do cardio. I feel the need to review these DVD's.

Inside Out Method Strength



This comes with 25 minutes (beginner) and an hour harder workout. I have only done the 25 minute workout because I didn't want to start to much to soon. I put the workout in and I was worried that it would be to hard to do. It was perfect, the perfect workout for a beginner. As I was doing it I felt like it was just challenging enough. At the end of the workout I wasn't to sore but the next day I could totally feel that I had worked out.

Inside Out Method Yoga



In my head I thought this was going to be the regular run of the mill "low sweat" yoga that I am use to. I should have known when I put the dvd in and there was no 25 minute beginner workout. :) I start the workout and Bob says, "THIS will be like NO other yoga workout you have ever done." YIKES!!!!!!!!! It was a good workout and pretty difficult, the people on the dvd were sweating really hard. It was a great workout and I feel it today.

I am nowhere near athletic but these workouts were do able for me. I had to pause on some stuff and modify other things (mostly in the yoga). But after I finished I didn't feel like a failure because I couldn't do it all.

Totally recommend these workouts.

Tonight I am going to make steak and veggies for our Valentines day dinner. It seems better to just stay in and have a nice dinner rather then go out and eat some over priced meal I won't really enjoy.


This is the BEST thing I have ever owned. A rice cooker, steamer, tons of other things. I love just putting some brown rice in the cooker, throwing some fish on top and letting it cook. I literally don't have to do anything. Its perfect. The fish comes out so delicious. I highly recommend this machine.

Always Start

I just can't seem to keep up with anything. I want more then anything to lose weight and just be able to say hey look what I did. This weekend has been a very stressful weekend and it still isn't over yet. I just want that stress to go away. I can feel it in my back and everywhere. I want to start swimming because I just love being in the water. Which is shocking considering I hated water until a few years ago. I almost drown when I was 5 during swimming lessons. So from that point on I just kinda stayed out of water or when I went in I just splashed around. Never really learned how to swim correctly. I would like nothing more the to learn how to swim well so that I can get a beneficial workout. That day will come when I am able to actually get to the pool. For now I need to figure something else out for exercise. I also need to figure out a good menu and food items to eat.

Quickie

Well things have been going good. I have been cooking at home more and more finding recipes that are interesting that keep me interested in wanting to eat at home. I realized that the food I eat when I go out all taste the same to me..it isn't even that good. So cooking new meals at home helps me have new tastes and keeps things changed up. Not to mention it is way healthier.

I have been trying to run on my treadmill. I am not sure I ever really want to be a "runner" but I am a big fan of interval training and a lot of the Couch to 5k programs have good intervals so I have been using them. I use my manual treadmill because that is what I have and I can make it work. It has a 7% grade that is as flat as it will go so it is harder then a regular treadmill and I get upset I can't go 10 miles on it. But you know what its okay I will do what I can. I need to keep it moving hehe.

In other news my car broke down so we are looking for a new one right now. I think I will post my new favorite recipe on my recipe blog.

Hope the New Year is being great to you.

New Year, New Me??

That is the plan...but then again that has always been the plan. For a least the last 6 new years. I don't make resolutions I just don't because it seems silly to me to wait for a new year to make a big plan only to fail a month later and then wait other 10 months to make that resolution again.

I am going to make every day my new day. I was thinking about buying myself a elliptical machine. And then when I got that I would start working out...after thinking about it for a while DO YOU REALIZE HOW RIDICULOUS THAT SOUNDS!!! I was going to not try to lose weight until I got that. I was doing it again. So I am NOT getting one. I have enough exercise equipment, Wii system and dvd's plus weights to lose as much weight as I want to...I don't need to add more to it I need to really use what I have for once. The money I save will be used to buy good foods for me and perhaps good cookbooks. I also might see how much my school would charge to let me use their pool. I think its about 12 dollars for the term but you can only use it at certain times.

So here I go..