One at a Time

The other day I was chatting with a friend about their own journey towards weight loss.  This friend went on to tell me that she hasn't been too disciplined and that she had only lost a pound or two.  She brushed the success of losing two or three pounds off and acting as if it was a bad thing instead of a good thing.  Shortly after she told me this we both were pulled in opposite directions (darn kids) and our conversation ended.

What she said has stuck with me for awhile now.  It's stayed with me because I KNOW losing weight is tough - in fact, it's a total bitch!  This journey I am on has been one of the most fulfilling things that I have ever done and also one of the toughest.

Each big or small step you take towards losing that weight is a success...even if it's a half pound weight loss, or no second helpings at dinner, or taking a walk around the block.  Don't give up on your own personal journey and don't give in to your extra weight - take it one pound at a time!

Happy Wednesday!

Eck - it's the dreaded 'P' word!

I've heard about it and never really believed it existed.  But I soon found out that yes, it does exist.  The good news is with some minor adjustments you can break through that plateau and be on your merry way to Healthyville!

Since a few weeks before Christmas I have been sitting at the same weight.  At first I blamed it on the holidays, you know you miss a few workouts, maybe eat a piece of pie (or 2 or 3) or too many servings of Aunt Mary's stuffing.

Once I realized that it was NOT the holidays but something else, I got online, poured through all my fitness magazines and chatted with a few of my fitness buddies as well as my trusty personal trainer.  I wanted to know anything I could find out about the 'P' word.  I got a variety of information and advice and decided to go with what was the most common throughout all my sources.  In a nutshell, the advice was to tweak everything that I have been doing, just a touch - nothing too drastic.

* Adjust your cardio, do something different or a little bit more. It can be as simple as taking an additional (brisk) walk around the mall since your there anyway or parking your car at the end of the parking lot at work instead of the closest spot you can find or instead of doing your weekly Zumba class take a run on the treadmill instead.

* REALLY pay attention to what you are putting into your body.  A few extras here and there does make a difference.  For instance, a typical bowl of the famous Olive Garden salad will give you an additional 350 calories (ut oh!) or those 2 glasses of white wine you had with dinner will set up back 290 calories.

* And probably the most important - DON'T GIVE UP!  Give yourself a break, you packed on those pounds very slowly and losing it slowly will be to your advantage.  Every single time you make a step toward your goal, even if it's a tiny step, IT'S.  A.  STEP!

With this information, I made those tiny adjustments and now I am positively thrilled to say I beat down that 'P' word and have lost a grand total of 40 pounds.  I would have never, in a hundred million years, thought that I could have lost 40 pounds.  Even hearing myself saying it aloud, seems like a dream. 

Tonight I will toast my coveted weekly glass of wine to YOUR dreams coming true.  Cheers, my friends!

It's The Most Important Meal of the Day

I eat my breakfast at my desk 5 days a week; so they have to be easy, tasty and healthy.  Here are some of my go-to breakfasts.

Eggs, Grapefruit and Toast

2 hard boiled egss with salt & pepper and several dashes of hot sauce

1 grapefruit

1 slice of whole wheat toast

Greek Yogurt with Fruit

These little bad boys are awesome - just grab the flavor you like and you are all set!


PB & 'Nanas on Toast

Toasted whole wheat with a smear of peanut butter and banana slices, yumo!


Eggs in a Mug

Here's what you'll need.
  Over sized mug
  Fork
  2 eggs (or just 2 egg whites)
  Shredded cheese
  Milk (cows, rice, soy, whatever!).  I have to use Lactaid, because cows milk makes my tummy get angry.
 

Crack two eggs into your mug and scramble them

Add a small pinch of that shredded cheese.  By the way, do you have any idea how hard it is to take a picture of yourself with one hand while the other is simulating dropping shredded cheese in a mug?  Freakin' hard!

Add about 2 teaspoons of milk and pop in the microwave for 30 seconds

Fluff with a fork, zap it for another 30 seconds

Fluff it again and decide how much longer (if any) you still need to cook your eggs; I usually do another 10 seconds. 

Wala! You now have a nice warm mug of super fast and super easy scrambled eggs.  As a finishing touch I always add my usual dashes of hot sauce.

I typically take my cracked eggs, pinch 'o cheese, splash 'o milk and put it in a Tupperware container before I leave the house.  When I get to work and just dump everything in my mug and get to cookin'.   

Yogurt, Granola, Fruit & Nuts

Here I have about 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt with a small handful of blueberries, granola and almond slices.  Mix the granola and nuts in at the last minute or they will get mushy.

Oatmeal

It's back to basics on this option...old fashioned oats with a pinch of brown sugar and a few golden raisins.