I want to be healthy...I think?

Its week I don't even know of this healthy lifestyle change and I've fallen off the wagon hard. I think I may have JUMPED off the wagon head first, even.

One of my biggest rules for myself had been not to cheat.  A lot of members reward themselves weekly when they've done well.  My personality can't really handle that type of thing.  If I am going to purge something out of my system...I want it completely out of my life.  If there is any trace of it I'm likely to over indulge.  We're talking food, amongst other things.

I'm not certain where I went wrong but I'm making the connection that the word "lifestyle" encompasses so many things.  You have to be fully committed.  You have to cover all of the bases.

If you're a comfort eater then you need to have a plan for when life is sticking it to you.
If you're on a budget you have to know how to make your money stretch and you have to set goals in advance.  Eating healthy can be expensive but you can do it on a budget.

You really have to program yourself to say "no" to anything that is going to hinder your progress and more than anything...you have to honor that commitment.   Its a commitment that you are making to yourself.  You have to own your responsibility in the matter.  To eat better.  To make better decisions.  To give your body what it needs and deserves.  To take care of yourself.  Take...care...of...YOU!

You can join a million support groups.  You can buy the fanciest workout clothes.  You can download all the apps in the world.  It means nothing if you can't be honest with yourself.

Really?

My truth?  My weakness isn't sweets.  It isn't fast food.  It isn't fatty foods.  It's alcohol.

I buy a half gallon of vodka on a Friday night and it is gone on Sunday morning.

I plan my meals.  I go to the gym at night after I've fed my children and put them to bed.  I don't eat late at night.  I'm not a big snacker.  But...when I'm stressed...I drink.  When I'm bored...I drink.  When I'm mad at my significant other...I drink like its no tomorrow.  When I drink, the likelihood of me handling any of the things I need to do for myself ...decreases majorly.  I'm thinking about a drink as we speak, simply because writing this is awakening so many thoughts.

Whatever the case may be, I am reevaluating my commitment to myself.  I have no one to answer to but me.

Recipe: Spaghetti Squash, Garlic Shrimp with Vegetables, and Stuffed Scallop Shells

One of the most difficult tasks, for me, in this lifestyle change is keeping the menu fun and non repetitive.  Luckily our resident Fitness Friend Candace lends us this great recipe! 

Ingredients:
1 Medium Spaghetti Squash
2 lbs Shrimp
1/2 Stick No Salt Added Butter
4 Tbsp Minced/Fresh Garlic
4 Cups Frozen Stir Fry Vegetables
Dash of Salt

Directions:
1. Slice spaghetti squash in half vertically and clean out seeds.
2. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray.
3. Place FACE DOWN on cookie sheet and bake at 375*F for 30-40 minutes, or until a fork sticks into it easily.
4. Meanwhile, place butter, garlic, and shrimp into a pan on medium high heat.
5. Cook until shrimp no longer opaque and have that pink/orange tint on them. Set aside.
6. In same pan, place frozen stir fry vegetables in pan and cook until done, stirring occasionally.
7. Remove spaghetti squash from oven and let rest for about five minutes.
8. Scoop the insides out into a bowl and shred with fork. The noodles of the squash will look like spaghetti noodles when done!
9. When vegetables are done, place spaghetti squash and shrimp in the pan.
10. Sprinkle with a dash of salt.
11. Enjoy!

Yields 4 servings

Fitness Friends: Meet Robin

Meet Robin. 

 Robin is a married mom of 3 school aged children.  I sat down to talk to Robin about her lifestyle change and what it means for her family.  She had this to say:

"Healthy living" means being consciously aware of my actions. Whether it’s spiritual, financial, health and fitness, or mental outlook. All of life’s aspects should come together to help me grow, and allow me to be in-sync with the universe.

I have been trying to live healthy since 2009. My diet mainly consists of eating clean, and researching what I’m putting in my body to make healthier and wiser decisions. It’s been a struggle, but there have also been remarkable changes.

In September 2009, I went to the doctor for my annual physical (that wasn’t so annual). The doctor told me my blood sugar was elevated and I needed to come back in 30 days. Thirty days later my blood sugar was higher than the previous month. He stated, “If you don’t get your blood sugar under control I will need to prescribe you medication.” I asked why my blood sugar was elevated. I've never had this problem before. He said “ I've looked at your chart and you've never been this heavy. In 1998, you were 157 pounds. After you gave birth in 2001, you were 203 pounds. Then you put on a significant amount of weight with your last pregnancy, and you haven’t lost as much as you've gain. If you get your weight under control, the elevated blood sugar will go away.”

The very next day, I hired a personal trainer and began working with a nutritionist. I went back to the doctor 90 days later after working out three times a week for 60 minutes with a trainer and eating clean. My blood sugar was significantly lower. A year later, I went back and my blood sugar was 85. (Anything over 100 is considered elevated, anything over 120 is considered pre-diabetic) 

The thing that’s most challenging is making me the #1 priority in my life. I often spend so much time taking care of my family, and investing in my career that I put my diet and exercise on hold. I do it because it’s so easy to ignore it. In the long run, I’m only killing myself.  The easiest {[part] is researching and shopping for all the things I need.

 My weakness is definitely my mental focus. When I am focused I am unstoppable. I workout and eat clean religiously. When I am not focused every little distraction is a reason for me not to follow through.  My strength is my family’s willingness to embrace my changes, even when I fall off the wagon they are there to start again with me. It could be roller skating, chopping salad, drinking water only, reading labels, etc. They’re definitely my biggest support system and really help keep me honest.

I love the LoseIt app, skinnykitchen.com, fitsugar.com, and watching Biggest Loser. I’m starting to enjoy running now; I just need to be more consistent.

I asked Robin to complete this sentence, I will know that I have met my goals when I can buy clothes from the women’s section (not plus size), and I am able to fit into a swim suit without the cover-up.

Good luck, Robin!

Who says your salad has to be boring?

FF Tarah shared this quick and easy salad a while ago.

Blackened Salmon, spring mix, strawberries, cranberries, reduced fat feta, candied walnuts, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a splash of extra virgin olive oil!

It looks delicious!

FF Candace had this to share.

A simple and delicious salad!!!

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bulb fennel
1 dash pepper
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 avocado
1 large orange

Directions:

1. Wash the fennel well and dry it. Remove the top part from the bulb, cut the bulb in half, then slice thinly. Put into a medium bowl.
2. Peel the avocado, cut it in half, then chop into approximately half-inch cubes, then add them to the bowl with the fennel.
3. Peel the orange, removing all of the white pith, then separate it into individual wedges. Add the wedges to the bowl.
4. In a ramekin (or bowl), whisk the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper together until they're well-blended. Drizzle over the salad and toss gently. Serve or chill for later.
*** Note: white wine can be used instead of cider vinegar.

140 Calories/serving
Total Carbohydrates: 11.44g
Dietary Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 5.7g
- Net Carbs: 6.04g
Protein: 1.84g

Thinking about Juicing? Meet FF Kala!

Kala was inspired by FF Carlos' 7 day fast and decided to do a full 30 days.  I'll sit down with Kala later this week.  If you've been thinking about juicing, what questions would you like me to ask?

In the meantime, check out this great documentary on juicing by Joe Cross Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead

Recipe: Steamed Wild Atlantic Mahi Mahi & Vegetables

This great recipe was submitted by FF Candace!  Enjoy

You will need:

1 - 4-6 oz FROZEN Mahi-Mahi


1 - 1 Cup FROZEN Mixed Stir Fry Vegetables (no sauce) 


1 - 32 oz Low Sodium, Free Range, Organic Chicken Broth Favorite Seasonings 


Cooking instructions:

1. Pour broth in pot, and bring to boil. 
2. Once broth is boiling, place fish and vegetables on steamer tray.
3. With favorite seasonings, season fish and vegetables. 
4. Place steamer tray on top of pot and cover with aluminum foil.
5. Cover and allow to steam for 7 - 15 minutes. 
6. Remove steamer tray from pot.

No time to workout?

You CAN do it!

Recipe: Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Many of the Fitness Friends are battling with caving to sweets.  My temptress is salt.  I have manged to cut out fried foods completely and I generally do not cook with any oil...if I can help it.

I was looking for a healthy way to prepare sweet potatoes (an alternative to fries).  Found this great recipe over at:  www.health.com

At 189 calories per serving (1 cup), they were delicious.

I used garlic powder, thyme, and basil instead of rosemary.  Everything same.

Ingredients

• 3 small sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic-flavored olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Peel sweet potatoes; cut each potato lengthwise into 8 wedges. In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes and remaining ingredients; toss well to coat.

Photo: my own

Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake potatoes at 450° for 30 minutes or until soft and lightly browned, turning wedges after the first 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Photo: www.health.com

20 Minute Living room workout

Can't find the time to go to the gym?  Fitness Friend Renee shared this home-friendly workout.!  Enjoy

10 day mini challenge

Our fitness friends are on varying degrees of "working out".  Some run daily, participate in aerobic classes, utilize gaming systems, walk during lunch breaks, participate in office aerobics, and some...haven't quite mustered up the ability to start.

This week FF Cnadance introduced a mini challenge to get everyone into gear.  Some are only doing this challenge and some are adding it to their daily regimen.

For all those who are interested in the challenge, please do so...this is just a "mini-challenge" just to jump start some of us!!! Here's the challenge for the next 10 days: 1. Do 10 sit ups a day ... Guidelines: Have your knees bent and the balls of your feet and heels placed flat on the ground. Place your hands on opposing shoulders, so that your arms are crossed over your chest, or behind your head. Keeping your heels on the ground and your toes flat to the ground, slowly and gently lift your head first, followed by your shoulder blades. Hold the position for a second. 2. Do 10 push ups a day   Guidelines: Place your toes and hands on the floor, making sure your back and arms are straight. Keep your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart and tighten your abdominal muscles. Inhale as you lower yourself to the floor, stopping as your elbows reach a 90-degree bend. Keep your body from touching the floor. Exhale and push yourself away from the floor. Don't lock your elbows, and don't bend your back. A modified pushup: Place your hands and knees on the floor. Keeping your gluts and abs tight, your back should be in one diagonal line with your head and neck, and your feet should be lifted from the floor. 3. Do cardio exercise 10 minutes a day   Guidelines: It can be on the elliptical, walking outside, running up and down stairs or parking the very farthest possible from the mall.... I hope to see you there...at the finish line!!!

 

Fitness Friend of the Week: Brandi

Meet Brandi!

If ever there were a picture that captured her personality...THIS is it!

This Fitness Friend is a 34 year old mother of 2, with her youngest being 5 years old.  She has displayed the heart of a lion over the past 3-4 weeks.  I sat down with Brandi recently and here is what she had to say:

• 
  
  

  On balancing homelife with her new lifestyle

  The most difficult part for me is trying to find the time to exercise. I do not have time to go to the gym after work and give my children the attention that they deserve so this requires me to get creative with my workouts.

  
  

  On her eating habits

  I always eat breakfast. That is a meal that I do not skip because if I do, I will be tempted to snack all morning and I will be more likely to overeat by the time I get to lunch. Breakfast is usually 1) flourless pancakes with fresh fruit and yogurt, turkey bacon, egg and cheese on a sandwich thin or oatmeal sweetend with splenda and raisins. Lunch is usually leftovers for dinner or a sandwich on a sandwich thin with fruit and raw veggies. Dinner is chicken, fish or beans and veggies. Since I am short on time I break down my workouts. I do my cardio during my lunch everyday. At night after I try to do bodyweight exercises but I have been lazy about it lately.

  
  

  On challenges

  The toughest part about my lifestyle change limiting my carbs. Oh how I love bread, pasta, rice, cake, doughnuts, muffins, cupcakes...I could go on and on. I realize that I have no self control when it comes to these types of foods so I have cut most of them out.

  
  

  The easiest part about this change has been utilizing the support system that you have created on Fitness Friends. I feel like I have people that are in the struggle with me and we embrace each others highs and lows in this judgement free zone. I had thought about getting in shape finally this year since Jan. 1 but that is all it was - a thought. This group and the camaraderie that has been built here is so motivating to me because I know that we will all fall, maybe more than once, but I KNOW that none of us will fail because we won't allow it.
  

  

  
  
  

  Her advice to anyone struggling to get started

  My advice is to sit down and create a detailed plan for your meals and your workouts. If you don't the process can be very overwhelming. It's okay to have to cook separate meals for you and your children, I do it all the time. Try to incorporate your children into your workouts. The Wii is a great tool to get sweat equity when the kids think you all are just having fun.

  
  

  How she plans to celebrate reaching her goals

  When I finally hit my goal I am going shopping! I was trying to formulate what reaching this goal will mean in a deeper cosmic thought provoking way..but hell I am a girl and I just wanna shop in the tiny sizes!
  
  Congrats to Brandi...and keep up the good work!

Fitness Friend of the week: Carlos

Meet Carlos J.

Carlos is one of our seasoned members.  His journey began back in 2011 with suggestion from his wife.  I sat down with Carlos and he shared these highlights about his journey.

Carlos says a comment from his wife led him to take a look at himself and his habits:

"I was like dang how did i let myself get so big? So when i saw my picture with Kurt Angle (wrestler) I said enough is enough. 

I started walking every day because I was too heavy to run...when I tried to jog my back and knees were really hurting. I knew I had to change my diet to lose weight so that I could exercise.  Mid 2012 I started experimenting with juicing after watching Fat Sick and Nearly Dead (Documentary/). By this point, I had lost about 20 pounds.

After seeing some results it motivated me to try to get back down to my weight when I was in the army which was 230 pounds.  I am currently 25 pounds away from that weight.  This year my attack plan is to run at least 3 times a week from anywhere to 2 miles to 6 with a goal of running at least 9 total miles for the week. Seeing the changes in my body and weight is what pushes me. 

I have a run playlist I use that is full of Gospel, Rap and Black Eye Peas...my "get amped" song is Lift His Name Up by Cross Movement (Video). 

The easiest part of juicing is breakfast.  That drink pumps me up for the day...I usually struggle during dinner but then my workout has increased so I just drink more water...in closing my wife is very happy with my body transformation."

Carlos started walking in late November 2012 to prepare for a company wide 5k.  His goal was to be able to jog and complete the challenge.  He is currently RUNNING 3 times per week (despite weather conditions) and is accompanying a FF newcomer in a 30 day juice fast for moral support.

Carlos offers this advice to people that have made the decision to start an exercise plan.  "Start walking first. You can really hurt yourself if you try to run and you haven't been doing it.  After a couple weeks of walking work your way up to a mild jogging pace and so forth"

Q & A: When did you decide that you were overweight?

One member asks the question:

 "What made you look at yourself and say ok that's it I'm over weight and out of shape. And did anybody else cry"

Here are some of our VERY real answers:

May sound crazy but I didn't recognize myself in some pictures from Christmas. Sad I know...

I saw a pic that my cousin took on Christmas and saw myself i'm the background.. she posted the pic on fb and tried to tag me.. lol that wasnt gonna happen.

For me after my mama died I said it was time to NOW take care of ME! Sure I wasn't just big because of eating. The steroids and medications played a part but I WANTED TO LIVE AND NOT JUST EXIST. They said if I tried to do certain things [gastric bypass surgery] it would kill me because of my health but hey I was dying anyway so I took my life back with the help of GOD and great docs that supported me and AWESOME FRIENDS and family but MOSTLY I motivated me. After seeing a picture where I looked like the GOOD YEAR BLIMP!

 I hate the way my clothes look on me .. And yes tears have been shed !!!

Pictures. Definitely. But after losing so much weight after having a baby???? I threw all my fat clothes away. I KNOW my weight comes from drinking bc when I was pregnant and nursing I was sooooo small. I literally have NOTHING to wear to work everyday. One of my bosses always makes cracks on my weight. Ppl perceive me as this emotionless being but he has really hurt my feelings several times. Y'all know I love taking pics. I haven't taken any pics of myself recently until my bday. And I hated the way I looked. 

I knew the day that I tried on every pair of jeans in my house and none of them fit and all I could do was sit on the floor and cry

I will not take a body pic and I'm glad that I don't club anymore the last time I went out someonr touched my belly and said omg you are having a baby . I lol and said no I'm just fat but when I got home smh I broke all the way down and will not go to a party again

Which time? Lol 
This time, I knew I was too big bc my big clothes started getting tight. That's when I was like nah buddy lol. I made a commitment a while back to never let plus size be mandatory for me so unless I'm going to make my own clothes, I had to shrink lol.  I have shed a tear as well. I think being in a relationship makes it worse bc u want to look ur best for them and u know that isn't ur best. 

A few years back, when I was starting my new relationship, he asked for a pic of me. I couldn't find a current one of me that I was happy with. I started taking pics of myself, searching for a complimentary pose and hated everything I saw. I also looked in my closet and realized I had gotten rid of everything that was, in my mind, an okay size. My closet belonged to a big, frumpy girl and I knew it was time to change.

My high school reunion picture did it for me, I was wearing a tire around my waist. Felt like I could rest my elbows there and maybe a drink.

Step 1 - acknowledge that there is a problem.  Step 2 - determine that you ARE going to do something about it!  

You are not alone!

Making Changes (Photos)

Our members are committed to changing their eating habits.  Here are a few still photos from our gallery.

One member has resolved to meal plan in advance.  She has precooked and packaged her breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the upcoming week.  In doing so, she hopes to control her portion sizes.  She will also save money!

Way to go!

Another member has vowed to change the things that she brings into the house.  This is her first round of health conscious grocery shopping.

Yummmy!

 This delicious concoction is a flour-less pancake.  Wrapped and served with fresh fruit.  Stay tuned for recipes from our members.  Including the one below!
Happy Eating!

Week 2/Weak Too

A little over a week ago, I posted a status on FB. The status conveyed my frustration with myself, the need to change my eating habits, and my inability to stay on task. I asked my FB friends if they were interested in a private group to document our struggles and get advice or positive encouragement. I had no clue 30+ people would respond.

The rules are simple:

1. Introduce yourself. 
2. Post a current picture 
3. Post a target picture 
4. Participate in daily food/workout logs 
5. Weigh in every Friday. 

It has truly been an amazing week. I never imagined that people would be so open, honest, and vulnerable. 

Our group ranges in body types, shapes, goals, motivation, knowledge,health issues, and overall personality; however, one thing is consistent. We all have a desire to change. With one week under our belt many members have dropped lbs. Some have not. No one is discouraged (for too long). Some members have been on their independent regimen for weeks prior but we are still equal in the desire to have someone to pat us on our back when we've done well, redirect us when we are falling short of our goals, and share the joys of getting back into our favorite pair of pants.

We are all inspiration to each other...we hope to inspire others, as well.