A Retraction.

So, I think it's hilarious that a few weeks after I wrote my last blog post I realized I was pregnant! HA! 150's, I think I'll be seeing you plenty after all. I'm just hoping to not be greeted by my old acquaintance 200's. :)

A Goodbye Letter

I've learned a lesson that I do not want to forget; gaining weight is easy and losing weight is hard. This is something that I've always known in theory, but I've lived it. A few weeks ago I reached a milestone in my weight loss journey, only to gain the pounds back through indulgence. Losing those pounds again was tough! Losing weight takes focus, self-control, determination and hard work. But when achieved is so rewarding! I couldn't wipe the smile off my face this morning as I said goodbye to the 150's! Farewell, adios, peace-out! I hope that I remember this lesson. I hope to never see you again.

New Goals.

I've lost 15 pounds since the year began. I'm super happy with my progress. Slow and steady has always been my way.  I feel like I have learned SO much about health and fitness since having babies. In the beginning, dieting meant buying "healthy" frozen meals for lunch and getting a diet soda instead of getting a Root Beer. Slowly, but surely, I began to make small changes. I heard about the disadvantages of High Fructose Corn Syrup and started to read labels (it's in SO many things). I felt such a sense of pride in making healthier choices for my family. I started buying whole grains instead of white bread or white rice and real butter instead of margarine. I wanted our food to, at least, be all natural. It was such a great start and as I learned new things I would adopt them into our lives. In March I spent two weeks "sugar free." I cut refined sugar out of my diet. I knew I was addicted to sugar and I was ready to see if I could go without it. I quickly learned how many things had added sugar in them that really didn't need it. Those frozen meals, salad dressings, even "healthy" options at fast-food restaurants. (And as a rant, why do people think that brown sugar is a healthier option? It's not like substituting white rice with brown rice. Sugar is sugar.) But, it wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be and I actually felt better after those two weeks were over! I had lost a few pounds and I knew it had benefited me. I think my decision to cut out sugar was a stepping stone into the phase of my life that I'm in right now. I had been toying with the idea of cutting processed foods out of my diet, but I didn't know if I could do it. As I had begun to understand the benefits of "whole foods" I knew it was something I needed to to for myself and for my family. One morning my sister, Kacey, and I were watching Dr. Oz and he had Dr. Fuhrman on as a guest. I loved everything he said. I agreed with it and it made sense. No gimmicks, no weird ideas or crazy meal plans. He wasn't selling a product, just information. It peaked our interests. We brought it up to my mom and she happened to already own his book! We were stoked and committed right then and there to follow his 6-week diet plan starting April 1st. We pigged out (ok, I did for sure!) all we could before April rolled around and then jumped into our new way of eating. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts were found in abundance in our fridge and pantry. That first week was SO hard for me. I struggled with not using salt and oil in my food. I craved cheese desperately. It took all I had to not run over to El Taco and get a green quesadilla! I was having major withdrawals. I knew it would take time for my body to acclimate, so I hung in there. It's been two weeks now and I feel amazing. I feel so healthy and good about our change. I no longer crave cheese and the only time I think about a green quesadilla is when I realize that I'm not craving it anymore! It's been an adventure to try out new recipes. Some good, some not so good. But I feel such a sense of accomplishment in making our meals from scratch. I told Brett that the best of both worlds would be to make all of our food from scratch and have it be completely delicious! Haha, we're still working on that. It's a learning process but I'm enjoying the ride. Looking back makes me feel that I've come a far way. Looking forward makes me feel excited for all that I still have yet to learn.

My Fitness Pal

Do you use My Fitness Pal? I do! Let's be friends and help each other. 

My profile: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/kellietlarsen

Oops... Again.

Looks like I fell off the bandwagon again. It's so hard to stay focused on my weight goals! I want to be healthy. It's a mater of motivation. And this got me motivated again! ...At least for today. :) And tomorrow I'll need to find my new means of motivation.

 

What motivates you?

8 down!

Woo! Lost another pound. It's so nice to see the the small sacrifices being paid off. 

This week I am focusing on counting calories, drinking enough water and exercising. When it comes to exercise I totally skipped out on it last week. I was just too tired. But my goal this week is to do it Mon-Fri and if for some reason I can't do it one day I am not going to freak out, but I will definitely need to get back into the very next day.

Last night we went to Mimi's Cafe to celebrate Brett's Grandma's birthday. I was all ready with my item of choice ready to go. I knew exactly how many calories it was and I made sure I had enough left for it in my day. Well, when I get there it isn't on the menu! How disappointing. But I chose a Cob Salad which was under 600. Little did I know it came with a HUGE, 500 calorie muffin. I ended up eating about half of it. I totally regret it and learned my lesson. Next time I am offered something like that I will just ask for fruit or some other healthier alternative. That was way too much of a temptation for me. By the way, Mimi-'s has a LOT of low-cal options and their salads are way good and super filling and they have two low-fat dressing options. So great! I love that they have the calories right there on the menu without having to ask for nutrition information.

How are things for you? What are your mountains? What are you focusing on this week?

1 More Down...

Just checking in to say that I hit my goal this week (Tuesday) of losing 1 pound. Yay! I know the key to my personal success is COUNTING CALORIES. There is NO other way. If I don't count calories I am not holding myself responsible for what I am eating and I slowly drift farther and farther into eating too much. So I am trying really hard to document everything on My Fitness Pal. It helps. 

This week I had a few too many opportunities to eat out. But I am really pleased with the way I handled each situation. I debated back and forth in my head, each time, about if I would choose to be "healthy" or if I would choose to splurge. After each debate- healthy won! I realize that I can order healthy options, totally enjoy my food, feel full afterward and feel GREAT afterward because I exercised self control. It's such a battle, though. Every choice is a big one. 

I tried two new recipes this week that I LOVE. 

THIS isn't exactly "low-cal" but it is healthy. Whole-wheat pita, low-fat moterella, avocado (healthy fat!), and an olive-oil based cilantro sauce. I didn't calculate the calories for this, but I rounded to 500/pizza. Our pitas were big and thick. When I make this again I would cut the pita in half to cut out over 100 calories. I made this when friends were over and everyone LOVED it. I give it a 10. Yum. We served it with watermelon.

I love a low-cal dessert. I'm totally a "treat" girl who likes to have a little something sweet in the evening. THIS strawberry drink makes enough for two and it super low-cal! Only 83 calories per 1 1/2 cups! I added in a frozen banana for some extra flavor. I tried stevia for the first time. That stuff is expensive! But I love that it is a natural sweetener, unlike aspartame which is in SO many "healthy" options.

One thing that I really need to work on is my water intake. I usually realize in the evening that I need to catch up and end up drinking it all before I go to bed. Not that great. 

How are you doing?