Most ingredients fit into the chop chop salads, but conserve on your calories by lessening your dressing and adding flavorful vegies and spices!
Read More »
Who else is finding that your weight loss journey is about more than just food? I’ve been working on losing weight for more than a year and I realized that I didn’t get to where I was by mistake. The way that I deal with my emotions is directly tied to the way that I eat. Many of you that know me also know my wonderful daughter, Makenna. She is a beautiful, sweet and intelligent little girl. She was also born with a rare joint disorder that caused her to be born with dislocations throughout her body. She has undergone numerous surgeries, endured many casts and gone to countless doctors appointments. She is a miracle! The doctors couldn’t tell us whether or not she would ever walk. But she not only walks now, she even runs and dances. She has endured a lot and overcome a lot. As parent, it has definitely been an emotional roller coaster. And this past week, I realized again how I turn to food for my “comfort”. We went to an appointment in Seattle for her and leading up to the appointment I so badly wanted to find a comfort food to alleviate my anxiety. Then when we actually received good news at her appointment (YAY!!) all I wanted to do was find food to celebrate. Making the commitment to this challenge has allowed me to recognize the situations where I use food and it’s helping me overcome them. I stayed strong that day and didn’t give in to my emotional temptations. I realized I had the perfect inspiration right in front of me…Makenna! If she can overcome the obstacles that she faces each day, then I can overcome FAT, right? So I challenge all of you to look at your emotional journey and find a new inspiration. Thank you Makenna for being my miracle, my inspiration and my HERO!
Read More »
Who else watches the Biggest Loser? I love to watch that show. I call it my “motivation”. It makes me want to head to the gym in the morning. It’s so amazing to watch the transformations. I wish I could drop 10-15 pounds a week like they do! I’d be done already! But if you think about it, those of us on the challenge are doing our own “real life” Biggest Loser minus the giant scales. (Thank goodness!) I recently got the Biggest Loser Simple Swaps book and it has a lot of good ideas and recipes. Here’s one I tried and liked. I’d love to see what everyone else is eating, so feel free to share your favorite recipes in the comments.
Read More »
For the most part we all love Ranch! But let’s face it, it’s not too healthy. Here’s a recipe that will fit into your healthy lifestyle!
4 containers of FAGE greek yogurt
Three large spoonfuls (heaping) of light or fat free sour cream
1 packet of hidden valley ranch seasoning
Mix all together and serve with Snap peas, celery, peppers for a tasty, low cal, nutritional snack…..6oz is only 95 calories!!!
Congratulations to all the New Orleans Saints’ fans! I admit I’m not the football fan that my husband is. The Super Bowl for me is more about commercials, socializing and eating. It’s always fun to get together with friends and eat yummy food while watching the big game. In the past, the food usually consisted of pizza and wings or some other high fat appetizers. Of course, this year I knew I couldn’t do that and, of course, my husband NEEDED to watch the game so we came up with a solution. A “healthy snacks” Super Bowl party! We got together with friends and everyone brought a healthy snack to share. We had soup, hummus, light cheeses, edamame, chicken meatballs, fruit and lots of veggies. My new favorite recipe was a faux ranch dip. Just mix a ranch seasoning packet with plain Greek yogurt and YUM! I LOVE ranch dip/dressing so to find a healthy alternative was awesome. Thank you Kari for giving me another yummy, healthy recipe! I was excited that we had a wonderful time without the junk food. So many social events seem to pivot around food and I realize that healthy living just means choosing the right foods.
Read More »
Wow! What a weekend! I felt like I was put to the test. Saturday was especially difficult. We had big scheduling issues. My daughter had a school activity that required her to be there all day, my husband needed to be at the office all day and I had my two-year old to entertain and his naptime to work around. So when was there time for me to workout? How was I going to work in my healthy eating? How was I going to take care of everything and still take care of me? Thankfully, I have a wonder husband. He was able to go in to work a little later than planned. I got up early and went to the gym, and then finished my workout at home while the kids ate breakfast. I packed lunches for all of us and somehow we made it to school on time and even had cookies for the bake sale. Then I was faced with my next temptation…dinner. We had a small break between school performances in the evening. The kids really wanted McDonald’s and, well, I really wanted McDonalds. I admit it….I have a problem with fast food. “Hi, my name is Melissa and I love french fries.” It would have been so convenient to run and grab fast food. But “It’s not willpower, it’s discipline”, right? So we reluctantly headed home for dinner. Yes, it required more preparation on my part, but in the end I felt great about sticking to my meal plan and it was healthier for everyone. I realized that I will continue to be faced with temptations and challenges in the next couple of months and beyond. My own discipline will be my weapon against them.
Read More »
I’m always looking for new, healthy recipes. I’m probably one of the pickiest eaters on the planet, so when I find something I actually like I’m really excited about it. If anyone has a recipe to share, I’d love to see it. I tried the Lentil & Chicken Sausage soup recipe from the Challenge playbook and thought it was great. I decided to try and make a favorite soup recipe a little healthier. So, I took Paula Deen’s Taco Soup recipe (you know, the southern gal from the Food Network) and changed a few things. It’s great because you can dump everything in a crockpot and at the end of the day you’ve got dinner. So here it is:
Read More »
| Is anyone else amazed at how much mindless eating we do? Since I’ve started tracking my food, I’m shocked at how many times I’ve caught myself reaching for food when I really wasn’t hungry. Sitting down to watch television or a movie always seems better with a snack, right? Do you finish your child’s plate because you don’t want to see the food go to waste? What about just being bored and wandering into the pantry for something to do? I know that I’m guilty of all these eating scenarios. I know that mindless eating has definitely contributed to my weight. Food tracking has been a great way for me to really put my eating habits in perspective. It’s amazing to see how quickly the calories can add up (and realizing how long it takes to burn them off). Sometimes I don’t eat the food just because I don’t want to take the time to record it. Lazy, right? At least, I know I didn’t need to eat it as much as I thought I did. |
This weekend I was faced with one of my biggest challenges…eating out. It’s my downfall. I’ve been known to say things like “If I’m paying for it, it’s gonna taste good”. So I make an excuse and order something full of fat and calories because it tastes good. This weekend we went out to dinner to celebrate a close friend’s birthday. This typically involves even more consumption. A typical evening could go something like this: an appetizer to share, a full course dinner that starts with a salad, then meat, potatoes and veggies, and finally a dessert to celebrate. Oh, and don’t forget the wine! Instead, I planned out my calories for the day, made the decision about what I was going to order (grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side) and was armed with a supportive husband and friends. (Thanks Kari for removing the bread IMMEDIATELY!) I even skipped the wine and ordered a Diet Coke. CHEERS! My meal was great and I had a good time without the large caloric consumption. More than anything, I felt great that I did it. It was a personal success!
Read More »
Loading ...
