Week XIV: A Week of Three's

First of all, I hope you all had a very special and happy Christmas!

I know I mentioned that the best gift I had given myself was dropping 25 pounds, but can you believe that I have dropped nearly 8 more pounds since then!?! That's right, so now I'm down 33 pounds AND 3 jean sizes. Thus, I am declaring this week my "Week of Three's"!

It has been grueling with all the holiday cookies sitting around and delicious dishes friends and family have brought over, but, somehow I managed to stay mostly on track and only eat goodies in moderation. In all honesty, Christmas Eve was probably the hardest. I ate cookie after cookie, lasagna, drank wine.. you name it, I had it. I felt sick after I'd given in to the temptations around me. But, what I told myself after is what made the difference in my ability to stay on track. I knew that I hadn't eaten like that in a very long time, and wouldn't be successful if I kept it up. So, I made sure I stopped eating around 7pm that night, woke up, and started fresh. I made sure that if I really wanted a cookie I would let myself have one, considering if I hadn't let myself I'd crave it twice over later on. That brings me to a new revelation I've had as well..

The other day my mom apologized to me for having so many sweets and "bad" foods in the house as family came to stay with us. I told her to stop apologizing because I can have those foods if I want them- it's just that I don't want them. I found that if I tell myself I can't have something, I want it that much more- not exactly rocket science. But, somehow I found that telling myself I can have it, that I don't crave it. I mean, the saying does go, "you want what you can't have". And I found that beyond material things, the saying applies to food and cravings as well. The hard part is that it comes down to your own will power at that point, because if you actually do want it, then you better off eating it than craving it x10 in the future. I try to remind myself that even though it looks good and might smell good, it never tastes as good as you imagined and nothing feels as good as having your brother say, "whoa, hello miss skinny!", after not seeing him for 4 months. So, my point is, try to find something to keep you away from wanting what isn't the best for your health, and you'll soon see that it isn't so hard to stare at those fluffy little cookies and look away without taking a bite.

Quote of the Week:
"You can have anything you want if you will give up the belief that you can't have it."- Dr. Robert Anthony

xx,
-Kate

Week XIII: Getting There

Hi little readers!

This weeks post will be super short due to my extreeemely crazy schedule ("schezule", for you fancy folk!). And, I know all of you are superly duperly busy too! Sooo, I wanted to update everyone on my progress with my health and weight-loss goals.

With the help of great friends, family, my amazing/awesome/stellar/bff personal trainer, I am now past the half-way mark to my goal weight! :D Which means I'm down more than 25 pounds!!!

DONE-ZO!

It's sort of crazy to go on the scale these days and see the weight jump down every week. Well.. when I say "jump" I really mean "crawl", considering I've busted my tush for every inch lost and pound dropped. But, it has certainly been worth it. I had a trainer at my gym come up to me and say, "I see you here ALL the time and you look awesome!! You can tell you've lost the weight.". That certainly put an extra bounce in my step while running. I think feedback is HUGE for success in many aspects of life, but especially while dealing with something as frustrating as weight loss.

I've been so happy with my change in, not only my health, but, my attitude towards this lifestyle change and life itself. I found a great balance between eating right and treating myself right too. I still have quite a ways to go with my total weight-loss, but I'm well on my way and excited to get there!

Hope everyone has a happy and healthy holiday! [And don't beat yourself up if you have a few cookies.. you all deserve it!]

Best Wishes,

-Kate

Week XII: Which List Will You Be On?

Hello Fit-sters!

So, I got to thinking.. life is nothing but choices: skip the gym/don't skip the gym; spend the paycheck/don't spend the paycheck; write a blog/don't write a blog; eat the cookie/don't eat the cookie.. Well, you get the point! During the holidays we're often reminded of the choices we have made over the year, particularly through Santa's list *wink wink*.

So, before Santa checks his list twice, I'm giving you one last choice to make: Do you want to be on a "Good List" or "Bad List" with food this holiday season? Now, I'm not one of Santa's little elves so your secret is safe between you and the happily fat, bearded guy. But, I thought I'd make things a little clearer for you with two recipes (below) that fall in the "Good/healthy" list and the "Bad/unhealthy" list. 

Don't forget to choose wisely because not only will Santa treat you as desired, but so will your body :)

Good List

Low-Calorie  Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

Nutritional Facts:
Serving: one slice
Calories=132
Sugar=3 g
Carbs= 9g
Protein=5g

Ingredients:

One 8-oz. pkg reducd-fat cream cheese, softened                                         1/3 cup Spenda granular, divided                            
One 16-oz. can pure pumpkin puree                        
One 4-serv. size sugar free, instant vanilla pudding                                       2 tsps Pumpkin Pie Spice

1-1/2 cups Cook Whip, thawed
One ready-made graham cracker crust    
2 tbsps half & half
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup low fat-milk
                  

Directions:
In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, half & half, 2 tbsps of the Spenda, and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in thawed whipped topping. Carefully spread mixture into crust. (You can also layer this in pretty bowls or glasses.) Using the same bowl combine milk, pudding mix, pumpkin puree, spices and remaining Spenda. Beat until smooth and thickened. Pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Makes 10 servings.

Gingerbread Man-Torturer Bad List

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Nutritional Facts:

Serving: 2 cookies
Calories=200

Sugar=14g

Carbs=22g

Protein=4g

Ingredients:

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES brand Milk Chocolates   1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter              1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar                          1 egg

2 tablespoons milk                                                   1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour                                    1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt                                                      Granulated sugar

Directions:

1.) Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove wrappers from chocolates. 

2.) Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. 

3.) Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4.) Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack open around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cook completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

*nutrients and recipes from "HERSHEY'S KITCHEN"

Fun tip: For my "naughty" list readers, try keeping a bowl of fruit nearby while baking so you nibble on the good stuff instead of licking the batter ;) Or chew on a piece of gum. 

You might be wondering which list I'll be on this Christmas.. Well, like I said, that's between me and the happily fat, bearded guy! 

Quote of the week:

"Gum is my Nicorette for food." - annonymous ;)

xx,

-Kate

Week XI: Holiday Cravings

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and treated themselves to the only "fruits" allowed on Turkey Day: Pumpkin and Apple PIE!! ;)

Okay, so we're allowed one day a year to really 'pig out'. But, even though we all have that left over turkey starring us down in the refrigerator, it doesn't mean we can let that ONE day bleed into the whole next week. Honestly, we really shouldn't be unbuttoning our pants at every meal. So, pace yourself. After eating a lot of junk during the holidays, we start to crave all the wrong things. It's okay to treat yourself but you must get back on the bandwagon immediately after in order to keep your weight in check.

The day after Thanksgiving this year I went to my trainers house early in the morning and we went over what I should expect from my body over the next few days. I've been following a very healthy food plan and workout routine for months and months now so I'm well adjusted to this new lifestyle. However, the minute that my body detected all this new food in my system, it went haywire. Sugar creates cravings for more sugar. So, my trainer prepared me to be craving those types of things. But, I had to remember that it's only in my head. So, anytime I felt a craving during the day, I would go grab a bottle of water and fill it with all-natural sugar-free flavored powders (lemon or raspberry are my personal favorites), and the cravings would subside. Honestly, I didn't even notice the cravings by the middle of the day and I was already back into my healthy routine.

Here are a few things I do when I have cravings that you might find helpful over the holidays:

• drink a full glass of water
• wait 15 minutes to make sure I'm actually hungry
• chew on sugar-free gum
• eat a cup of berries (berries are one of the best fruits for us)
• turn on the Christmas tunes and put up more decorations to keep busy

I know it's really hard to avoid all the treats that pop up during this time of the year, but it'll make those "special" days even better if they remain just that.. special - and not ordinary. Keep Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve/Day as your "off" days and plan around them. This way we can still enjoy the holidays and come out looking fit!

Quote of the Week:
"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup." - Buddy, "Elf"

Also, some of you have had problems commenting on the posts so please see the "guestbook" at the very bottom of the page. Would love to hear your personal health stories/comments!! :)
xx
-Kate