Ground Turkey…Not So Much

Really, really, really trying to embrace these new food choices.  I have decided a little turkey goes a long way with me.  Gotta love the journey.

Breakfast:

Advocare Spark

Coffee with creamer

8 inch whole wheat tortilla

1 scrambled egg

1/8 of an avocado

salsa

made a burrito 

Snack #1

extra small banana

1/2 cup pineapple

1/2 cup cottage cheese

Lunch:

4 oz lean ground beef patty seasoned well

tossed salad

A-1 sauce on burger

Snack #2

Extra small apple

2 tbsp peanut butter

Dinner:

4 oz ground turkey cooked with seasonings

1/2 cup brown rice

1/4 avocado

made into a burrito type bowl

Snack #3:

Chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar

OK I will be honest here.  I am not a ground turkey fan at all. I spiced it up and it was really very good, but just something about it creeps me out.  It is kind of like the thought of fish tacos.  I just can't do it.  Not sure I will do ground turkey again.  We will see.  

Show up and make it count,

Cindy

Snacks Galore

I couldn’t seem to get full today.  I have learned to just embrace what you can and eat something healthy if you just feel incredibly hungry.  I think this was how my day went today.  UGH!

   

Breakfast:

Advocare Spark

Coffee with creamer

2 scrambled eggs

Snack #1:

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

1 cup spinach

¼ cup raspberries

¼ cup strawberries

ice cubes

4 oz of water

blended all together for a smoothy

Lunch:

4 oz grilled chicken

2 cups lettuce

4 walnuts/chopped

10 cucumber slices

¼ cup broccoli

Made a salad type thingy

Snack #2:

Advocare Spark

¼ cup strawberries

¼ cup cantaloupe

Snack #3

Extra small apple

15 grapes

Dinner:

4 oz grilled chicken breast

10 stalks of asparagus sautéed in olive oil

5 cherry tomatoes

Snack #4

Chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar (120 calories)

½ homemade banana muffin (75 calories)

See peeps the struggle is real.  Somedays you are just hungry.  It’s all good.

Show up and make it count,

Cindy

Another Day Another Meal

As I said before, I will try and post as much as possible on my meals.  I am one of those people that if you are very specific and the food is half way decent then I am in.  Enjoy these ideas.

Breakfast:

Coffee with creamer

Advocare Spark

2 scrambled eggs

1 piece high fiber whole wheat toast with a teaspoon of peanut butter on it.

Snack #1:

Extra small apple

1 tbsp of peanut butter

Lunch:

3 oz grilled chicken breast diced

½ cup brown rice

¼ cup broccoli and ¼ cup carrots cooked in a small amount of water for 2 minutes in the microwave

1 cup spinach

I made a little salad bowl out of this with the spinach on top.  Sort of like Chipotle.

Snack #2:

Advocare Spark

½ scoop vanilla protein powder

4 oz water

½ cup frozen peaches

¼ banana

¼ cup pineapple

4 ice cubes

Added to the blender and make a smoothy.

Dinner:

1 8 inch whole wheat tortilla

1 scrambled egg

1/8 of an avocado

salsa

I made a burrito out of these foods.

2 oz cantaloupe

I totally enjoy a breakfasty type dinner sometimes. If you need any of the Advocare Spark just click on the link above and they will ship it right to you.

Show up and make it count,

Cindy

The Chub Struggle Is Real

I have been on this journey of better health for over 9 years now.  Wow!  I can hardly believe it.  Lots of ups and downs, but all in all, it’s been good.  I started back to Chubby Girl (Weight Watcher) meetings back in December of 2014.  My weight had started to creep back up and I thought I needed the support of the wonderful community of Weight Watchers aka Chubby Girl once again.  I have weighed in pretty consistently once a week since last December.  This is an overview of how it is going.  My starting weight was 141.  This is 9 pounds over my goal weight at Chubby Girl of 132.  This has been the roller coaster ride on the scale 141, 138.4, 138, 138.6, 137.6, 137.6, 137.6, 137.4, 137, 136.2, 135.6, 137.8, 136.8, 136.4, 136.4, 137.8, 138.8, 138.4, 138, 138, 137.4, 138.6, 137.6, 137.6, 138, 137, 136, 137.2,136.4, 138 and 138.2.  Yes, peeps, the struggle is real.  

I am completely fed up with this process.  I really want to get back down to my goal weight for many reasons.  Those reasons are that I get to go to the Chubby Girl meetings for free since I am a lifetime member of WW, my clothes fit better, my knee feels better when I run or lift and I know that from a health standpoint it is good to be at this weight.

So about a week ago I was going through some of my fitness magazines that I haven’t been able to read and I stumbled on to a pretty simple eating plan.  I started following it on that Monday.  Below is a sample of that first day.

Breakfast:

2 scrambled eggs

1 oz venison sausage

Coffee with creamer

Spark

Snack #1:

12 raw almonds

1 orange

Lunch:

Fill two butter lettuce leaves with 4 oz. of cooked taco seasoned lean ground beef, two slices of avocado and salsa and ½ cup fruit of choice.

Snack #2:

1 banana

1 tbsp nut butter

Dinner:

4 oz. seasoned grilled salmon; ½ cup cooked brown rice, 1-cup spinach.

That’s it pretty simple eating.  I have also continued to run 3 days a week and do a combo of cardio and lifting the other 3 days a week.  I continued eating this way for the rest of the week and I only ate out one evening and that was at Cotton Patch and I had no bread, water and the grilled chicken salad.

The beautiful thing is this.  When I weighed in at Chubby Girl on Saturday morning I was 135.6.  Yes, you read that right, 135.6.  Me, the girl who can’t seem to lose weight. 

This inspired me to start sharing my eating habits.  It is hard sometimes to follow a plan.  I know that I need specifics.  I will try and post what I am eating on a daily basis.  Join me if you would like.

Show up and make it count,

Cindy

2012 Goals

The post today was inspired by my friend Laura. I posted on facebook yesterday that I was already setting goals for 2012 and she commented "share". So here it goes Laura.

I feel as though I have a million goals, but I will try to keep it doable.

1. I want to get to my goal weight with chubby girl (weight watchers) once again. The past 2 or so years have been a roller coaster of hormones, but I think I just about have them whipped. I am 3 pounds from where I need to be. I will make this happen.


2. I want to be a substitute leader for chubby girl (weight watchers) meetings. I have the best leader named Annie, but I am certain she could use a day off. I would like to be her substitute when she wants to take off and go see her grand babies.


3. I want to share Advocare with as many folks as possible. I know I have been blabbing about Advocare alot lately, but I truly believe in their products. They have changed my life. I thought after using them for over 5 years I should start sharing the love. I challenge each and every one of you to at least hear me out about their products. At least try one product. You have to give it a chance. Let me know as I have plenty of samples.


4. I want to net at least $1000.00 a month sharing Advocare with others. This extra money would allow me to hire a pool boy, have someone come and clean my home just once a month, pay for Carly's volleyball dues, pay for Alex's band (OK maybe 2 grand a month), and hand Alex the keys to my new Mini Cooper when she is ready to drive so that I can go and get another one. Lofty I know, but I believe it can happen.


5. I want to grow my fitness business. I love training people. My hope is that peeps will give it a try and not be so afraid of fitness. We do make it fun over here at my house. You can go as hard core as you like or ease into fitness. We accept all levels. I would also like to offer phone support for those that live far away. It is amazing what a 20 minute phone call as week will do to keep you on track.


6. Finally, I want to be the best mom and wife that I can possibly be. I am the luckiest girl to have such a sweet hubby and wonderful girls. My time with my girls is ticking away quickly. They will be out of here and on their own before I know it. I want to enjoy every second with them.

Well Laura that is it in a nutshell. Seems pretty simple when you write it all down. I hope each of you will sit down and set some goals for 2012.

One more thing...why wait until 2012. I have already started.

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Lean in 13 from Advocare

I have been following a plan call the Lean in 13 from Advocare. It consists of eating a clean diet of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and lean protein. You also include Advocare Muscle Gain, Advocare Meal Replacement Shakes and Advocare Post Work-out Recovery Shakes. I found that I was having difficulty getting the shakes to mix up smoothly. I found this great little hand held mixer from Wal Mart. It was around 10 bucks and works like a champ. It is really easy to clean and very easy to use. If you need any additional information about Advocare go here.

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Get Slim with Advocare Slim

Advocare has come out with a new product and I really think they are on to something with this item. As most of you know I am a distributor of Advocare products and I use several of their products on a daily basis. I am not really pushy to sale this stuff to my peeps, but I think this particular item is really cool. It is called Slim and comes in a two ounce bottle as shown in the photo above. This little bottle contains ingredients for appetite management and provides support for long-lasting energy. You may use this product along with your current vitamin and mineral supplements as well. I like it because it is so convenient and portable.

Slim contains two key ingredients Svetol and Super Citrimax. My understanding is that Svetol is a decaffeinated green coffee bean extract that helps you simultaneously lose weight and improve your body's form. You may learn more about Svetol by clicking here. Super Citrimax has ingredients that support weight loss and fat reduction as well. You may learn more about Super Citrimax by clicking here.

I have been using Slim for the past 2 weeks and I have seen a decrease in appetite and an increase in energy. The kicker of all of this is I am only using 1/2 of a bottle a day. The instructions state that you may drink up to 2 full bottles a day. This would be one 30 minutes before breakfast and one around 2 in the afternoon. I think you have to try it and see what works for you and your body. 1/2 a bottle is plenty for me. I have also noticed an increase in concentration. Hey we all could use a little more focus. Another benefit is that it is helping me sustain some of my long bike work-outs. Gotta love that!

Anyway, if you have any questions or would like to order some Slim you may order by clicking here. You may also call me or drop me an e-mail and I could order it for you.

Show up and make it count!

Top 10 List Kinda

I made a wonderful discovery today and that discovery was if you are ever at a loss as to what to blog about talk to my client Kathy. She always makes me think about different topics. Then I really try to find a way to help my peeps begin the journey to better health.

So Kathy...thanks...once again for inspiring me to write!

I wanted to come up with a top 10 list, and it really isn't 10 things it's more like 9 on one list and 3 items on the other. By the time I finish this post it may be more or less. Anyway, my conversation with Kathy was about diet, exercise, losing weight, gaining weight and feeling a whole lot of frustration along the way. The only frame of reference that I have is my own story and journey, so I thought I would come up with a list of what has helped me along the way.

First list up is eating and what I have done over the past 3 years that has helped me first lose the weight and now sustain my weight loss.

1. Eat healthy foods 90% of the time. If this is too much at first then go 75%, then 80% and so on.
2. Enjoy treats or splurges the other 10% of the time in moderation. Have a freaking Margarita or piece of cake or dip of ice cream in MODERATION!!!
3. Be mindful of what you are eating not OBSESSIVE! You know what is healthy and what is not...make good choices and move on with your day.
4. It's not all or nothing! All of this low carb, no carb, no fat, half fat is for the birds. If you eat a nutritious diet of whole grains, lean cuts of meat, chicken, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables and low fat dairy then you are eating healthy things so RELAX!!
5. It must be doable and sustainable. If it is hard to make recipes or boxed food that is costing you an arm and a leg each month and you are so sick of it you can't eat another bite then it is NOT doable and sustainable. Figure out what types of healthy food you like and stock up on it and eat it!
6. Eat like you are a new born...every 3 to 4 hours. Don't get so hungry that you are going to trade your firstborn for a burger!
7. This brings up #7! Be prepared! If you need to cook a lot of food on Sunday afternoon so that you have it cut up, prepared and ready to go for the week JUST DO IT! YOU are WORTH the time it takes to eat well!
8. Know your weaknesses! If you are a stress eater then go for a walk or call a friend or read a book! Don't walk in to the kitchen or pull through the drive thru of McDonalds when you have just had a smack down with your husband! If you eat at night then have something that is healthy to pick up instead of that gallon of Rocky Road ice cream.
9. Try eating clean and healthy for 21 days! If you can make it 3 weeks doing something then you have GOT IT!
10. Modify as you go! You will get better the longer you eat well!

The next list is exercise! This is my favorite area and it can be your favorite as well! I can hear Kenda right now!

1. Do something you totally don't HATE doing! Try different exercises until you find one that you at least enjoy a little and then DO IT!
2. Schedule your exercise just like any other appointment. Take a pencil and mark it on the calendar and then it is on the books. Don't let other things take up this appointment time. It must be a priority as well.
3. SHOW UP AND MAKE IT COUNT! Be consistent. If you work out once a week it will do nothing, but make you sore and piss you off. Three times a week should be your minimum for better health!
4. Take baby steps with exercise! Don't jump in full force if it has been awhile since you have trained.
5. Enlist a friend that will SHOW UP! I know that Deana will come and run with me no matter what! Be accountable to them and them to you!
6. Try it for 21 days...it works with exercise as well.
7. Modify as you go...it works with exercise as well.
8. Be prepared...it works with exercise as well.

There you have it! As I stated before, I only know what works for me and this works for me! I don't take any magic pills or do a whole lot of 5 hour work-outs to maintain the weight loss. I know that the only person or thing that can take this weight loss away from me is ME! If I screw this up it is my own fault. I follow the above ideas and it works for me! I hope this helps!

Show up and make it count!

Chubby Girl Meeting

As most of you know I lost weight through diet and exercise. I totally believe that you have to do both to win this game of weight loss. I continue to believe that you have do to both to keep weight off. The photo just above is one that I carried around in my gym bag so that I could remember where I had been. I believe this photo was taken around May of 2002 and my weight was probably over 170! The photo at the very top was taken this month and my weight was 133 that morning. I have fluctuated from a low of 123 right after knee surgery (muscle atrophy) to a high of 135 (too much holiday stuffing and heavy squat work).

I continue to go to the Chubby Girl Meetings as I fondly call them at least once a month in order to maintain my Life Time membership with Weight Watchers aka Chubby Girl Meetings. I went to my monthly meeting last Thursday and wanted to share some thoughts with you. I noticed that the meeting consisted of alot of talk about food. The other members talked as though they were living to eat instead of eating to live. I have never heard so many suggestion on how to use cream cheese spread. I had one thought for the rest of the day and it was this...it is not about the food when it comes to losing weight. I feel like you have to separate yourself from the food and not let it have so much power over you. I thought to myself to just let it be fuel instead of trying to figure out how to manipulate it so that you could have more. I found myself wanting to stand up and say "Do any of you people exercise"? I know that there must have been a point where I was all about the food and wanted to figure out a way to get more of it and not gain weight, but I am happy to say that I am past that feeling. My goals now are to use it to fuel my body and my activities and to contribute not contaminate by eating nutricious things instead of cream cheese.

I am happy to say that Weight Watchers has jumped on the healthy eating band wagon and are suggesting that all of us Chubby Girls of the world pick healthy filling foods instead of contaminating ourselves until we are just content for the moment. I applaud this move my Weight Watchers.

Please don't get me wrong...I think Weight Watchers is the best program if you want to lose weight and keep it off. I will always remember who I came to the dance with as far as weight loss is concerned. The meetings are always informative and I am always inspired by someone there. I always feel welcome and I always feel like I am not alone in my weight loss journey. If you are looking for a way to jump start your weight loss then I think you should at least attend one meeting and check it out for yourself. I would be happy to go with you if you are ever interested in going to a meeting. They also offer their program online if you can not attend the meetings.

Show up and make it count!

Remember When

I saw my sweet Lorrie at Target today and we had the best conversation. Although she hasn't been to work-out in over 8 weeks...I am willing to forgive her and continue to be hopeful that she will return really soon. She has started a new job and I know that soon she will be back in the groove of working out with us! I am counting on it.

Anyway, our conversation was brief but it made me really think about diet and exercise in general. As I walked away I asked myself just what is it that works for me when it comes to diet and exercise? What keeps me on this journey of good health? What keeps others on their journeys of good health. I decided that I would share some of the things that people in my life have done to find success in diet and fitness.

The first section will be food and eating. My success comes from Weight Watchers and the continued accountability I have with my monthly weigh-ins! Knowing that I have to step on that scale every month keeps me in check. I also eat 6 or 7 times a day. I try to eat what I call "God" food. This to me is food that has little man handling done to it! Think fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and some whole grains and non-fat dairy. I have also realized that there are some foods I just can't have such as donuts! I jokingly call the donut shop the "crack house"! Although I have never had the drug crack I have learned that it is highly addictive. I feel the same way about chocolate covered donuts. I haven't had one in over 3 years and don't plan on having one ever again! I am too weak when it comes to the donuts!

My beloved Joe has had success by simply not eating at night. He does sometimes slip up as we all do, but as soon as he is back on track and not eating after say 7 pm he feels much better. My training partner RUNNER SUSAN has had tremendous success by eating clean and following the guidelines of the EAT CLEAN DIET by Tosca Reno. My long lost buddy Deana has the most success when she is doing Nutri System or Jenny Craig. She loves the fact that her food is portioned out for her and it keeps her organized and in control. Another client of mine Jill gave up soda and continues to watch portions and just keeps out the junk in her diet. My trainer and business partner Denny is great at eating a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and is a very loyal drinker of Post Recovery Work-out Shakes from ADVOCARE. I swear the boy is bionic because he just keeps going and going. I know one day I am going to stumble on to some of his spare bionic parts at the EDGE facility in Keller.

Each of these individuals have found what works for them in the food category and they stick with it! They remember what works and stick with it.

When it comes to fitness and exercise I continue to thrive in the group dynamic. I love to ride my bike with RUNNER SUSAN on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday and I train with Denny and Doug on Monday/Wednesday and Friday. They all make me accountable. Susan is great on the bike and can leave me in the dust. Denny and Doug whip me in the gym as well. I always say train with people that are better than you. You will always be working hard when you are trying to keep up!!! I in turn feel like I keep them motivated as well. I know that Doug and Denny don't want to be beat by a GIRL!!!

RUNNER SUSAN has mentioned that her fitness is both a physical outlet as well as a social outlet. She looks fabulous as well so I know that the results she is seeing are keeping her motivated. The girls gets up at 4:15 on Tuesday and Thursday to come to be tortured by me. Now that is motivation! Jill has mentioned that she is motivated by the results she is seeing in the mirror! She looks great and her success has come from continuing to just show up to work-out and be consistent.

My point to all of this rambling is this...remember back when you felt your best. What were you doing? How was your diet? What type of exercise program were you following? I have found that it doesn't have to be anything drastic. If you are exhausted from your work-out you might need to tone it down and find something more doable. I would love for you to be training with me, but if you are not just do something! If you are starving or can't even get out of bed then maybe what you are doing is to drastic. I do believe that if you take baby steps and have balance that you can figure out what will work for you. I do believe that you can figure out some thing that will be sustainable for life.

Take some time today and remember when.....

Show up and make it count!
For information on Runner Susan, Tosca Reno or EDGE click on their names above.

Bread and "Butt"er

In a never ending battle to maintain my weight loss I am trying an experiment. I have decided that I have to give up some of my beloved bread. I love bread almost as much as my first born child and at least as much as chips and queso. I have realized in the last 48 hours that bread just might be doing me in. I have been having 2 slices of whole wheat bread with my breakfast each morning. My experiment has been this...I am not eating any more bread during the day...only at breakfast. I know it is early, but in the last 48 hours since doing this I have noticed that I am less bloated and my stomach seems flatter. My "inches" around my waist seem smaller and less noticeable. My jeans feel less tight on my legs and booty. I feel like I am not retaining so much fluid that you could pop me like a water balloon. Remember that it has only been 48 hours. I am hopeful that I am on to something here. I will keep you posted.

I have read many books and some state that you have to watch bread intake when you get into your 40's! I am starting to believe that they just might be on to something. I love bread! Please be clear on this! I think most people are very tolerant of it. I just think that for me the answer is the bread just goes straight to my "BUTT"er!

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Hydration Equation

The topic of hydration came up during the Principles of Nutrition section of our seminar at the COOPER INSTITUTE. The main questions were: Why is water so important anyway? How much water do I need to drink on a daily basis? When do I need to drink it? How do I know if I am properly hydrated? I will try and answer some of those questions based on the information I received.

Water is the most important and the most consumed nutrient that a person needs whether you are an athlete or not. You can live without food for quite a while. No water and you are doomed. Our body weight is made up of about 60% water. It helps carry other nutrients through the body. It carries waste out of the body. It also assists with the formation of many molecules in the body. It also lubricates and cushions our joints, helps regulate our body temperature and maintains blood volume.


The adequate daily intake for water will vary from 64 ounces a day to 2.7 liters to 3.7 liters based on whatever website or book you read. I would say a minimum to aim for is at least 64 ounces a day. Athletes or people who lose water through sweating should increase their intake of water. Guidelines state to drink about 2 - 1/2 cups for every pound lost through physical activity. This should be consumed throughout the day. There are many water sources in the diet such as tea, coffee, juice, and food. Although tea and coffee contain caffeine the hydration you receive from the water they contain is larger than the diuretic effect of the caffeine.

A great indicator of adequate hydration is the color of your urine should be almost clear. You will feel more energized as well.

So with that...have a drink on me! Water of course!

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