Sunday, September 30, 2012

Eating out


My husband it not a very healthy guy. He ALWAYS eats out and I don't join him all the time but I will eat out with him about 2-3 times a month.  I hate it but I love spending time with him so I go.
Have you ever figured out how many calories are actually in one dish?
We went to Outback Steakhouse and there was a little leaf symbol at the bottom of the menu that said all meals with this symbol are under 600 calories.  WHAT? So all the meals that didn't have the leaf next to it were 600+ calories? which mean they probably averaged around 900-1200 calories.  I couldn't believe it so I ordered the house salad and chicken tortilla soup and water and it was very filling :)

Another fyi, when we would eat at Chili's I would get the quesadilla explosion salad. Well the other day I just saw online that the explosion salad is 900-1300 calories depending on if you eat all the quessadillas.
 Can you believe that? I about fell off my chair!   So the other day we go to Chilis and now that I have that info the most healthy thing I could find on the menu was the chips and salsa with guacamole. MMMM, they put cilantro in there avacado dip and avacados are healthy, same with salsa, the chips not so much but I had to compromise.

I do have to say that I snuck and got on the scale on Friday morning and this is what it read:
down another .6lbs!  however I don't think I will see that # for a while. I went out to eat with my husband and Red Lobster friday night and I got the Shrimp nachos and now the scale has gone up :( I don't know how I'm going to lose this weight!!!  Its impossible with a husband that wants to eat everything and ANYTHING. Because the next day he ordered pizza and hot wings for dinner. (i should have taken a picture) it smelled so good but I didn't have any.  And if your going to say "why don't you cook for him" I do cook. I cook almost every night however he will not touch the stuff I cook.
So my next weigh in will be this wednesday. I have 3 days to get that scale to read 148.4 or lower.



Wednesday, September 26, 2012

My 10lb Journey weigh in


So are you ready? Today is Wednesday and it is my weigh in!  I'll show you what the scale read:
I could not believe it. Last week I weighed 151.2 so I have lost 2.2 lbs in one week! Do you want to know how?  My diet. It has to be my diet! Or maybe running? I have been running about 3 miles a day...maybe it's both? I found an article about diet being 80% of weight loss, see here:

http://fasteasyfit.blogspot.com/ puts it all in prospective. Eat all natural foods!   You don't need to focus on spending 3 hours in the gym do 30 minutes of interval training instead.

Don’t make the common fitness mistake of trying to simply “sweat” the fat off with lots and lots of long, boring, steady-state cardio workouts (treadmill jogging, stationary bike ride, elliptical machine striding, etc). There’s a much more efficient, fun, and safe way: bodyweight workouts. 

Every other day do a short (20 minutes max) workout based around the most effective bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pulls-ups, squats, lunges, inverted rows, dips, and burpees. Throw in short, high-intensity interval training sessions (aka HIIT workouts) based around bodyweight cardio like sprints, box jumps, rope jumping, etc. Keep the workouts brief but intense and never try to “kill” yourself or you’ll end up getting hurt or becoming over-trained very quickly.

The key to working out for the fastest and best possible fat loss results is intensity and quality of exercise. High-volume, low-quality workouts can work over the short run. But higher-intensity bodyweight training is definitely the most efficient form of exercise because it stimulates the metabolism, causes powerful hormonal changes, burns fat for hours after the workouts are completed, and builds/preserves lean muscle all at the same time (and with minimal risks or energy or over-training!).



Exercise: Intense, Full-Body Calisthenic Workouts


One of the most efficient ways to burn fat rapidly while also building/toning lean muscle at the same time is to do short (20 - 30 minute), high-intensity workouts based around bodyweight calisthenics like free squats, lunges, dips, push-ups, pull-ups, inverted rows, etc. These workouts can be done almost anywhere and do a fantastic job of jump-starting your metabolism while protecting vital lean muscle mass.

For the best, and fastest, results do a full-body strength workout every other day. Do some form of light cardio on the other days. Give yourself a full "off" day every 7 - 10 days. Definitely don't go overboard and try to do too much volume or intensity. The goal is to just stimulate your body's natural fat-burning mechanisms and "good" hormone production, leading to quick fat loss and a fitter, sexier-looking body in a matter of days or weeks.


With that being said I'll share 2 new recipes I tried this weekend.
1st I made some pumpkin protein bites:

My recipe came from Shawncanblog    
They are not too bad and I like how they have 10 grams of protein and no wheat or flour.
It was perfect timing that I found this recipe. I was getting sad because I really wanted to make zucchini bread but I was so afraid to make it thinking I would eat it but I made the zucchini bread the same time I made these pumpkin muffins that way when I smelled the lovely aroma I could reach for one of these healthy protein bites to eat.
Just stir your dry ingredients and combined them with your liquid ingredients and throw them in the oven for 25 minutes.
This is what mine looked like. not quite as scrumptious looking as the ones on ShawncanBlog.
But they don't taste half bad. I actually enjoy them. The recipe makes 9 muffins. I just freezed 5 and put the rest in the fridge. these will be good to have 1 daily. It's just like a protein bar without all the sugar.
I also tried another batch swapping the pumpkin out for banana and it wasn't that good. for some reason it was more dry and it didn't have much taste.

The 2nd recipe is a protein shake that I made up myself. 
Ingredients:
1 frozen banana
1 scoop protein powder
some almond milk
spinach
1 dollop of greek yogurt

I figured its about 270 calories but it has alot of protein and it is very filling and  healthy! 
For me eating clean is not hard. I was already eating fruits and veggies so I just had to eliminate a few things from my diet.  I'm hoping I can keep this positive attitude going thru the rest of the week.





Sunday, September 23, 2012

motivation monday

Gearing up for my weigh in on Wednesday,
I found this site http://www.stephaniedotfitness.com/  She blogs about losing 10lbs.   That is exactly what I need. I'm starting to get it thru my thick skull that losing the weight is not just about exercising. 80% of it comes from your diet.  Quit Putting Junk in your mouth Delilah!
I'm changing up my workout routine. I'm not going to focus on running 3 miles anymore. I'm focusing more on interval training.
Here is my puppies reaction
watching hiit
hehe. I was doing jumping jacks and burpees and jump roping and I guess he was just making sure I would be ok!  He keeps me company when I work out in the house.
Stay tuned for my results on Wednesday (weigh in results)

Thursday, September 20, 2012

this challenge is making me Angry!

There is not much I cannot do. I am self taught. I'm good at sewing, painting, building things, baking, crocheting, quilting, gardening... I have so many hobbies, there is not much I cannot do BUT THIS....I cannot seem to lose weight and it is pissing me off!!  At this point its not that I think I need to lose weight, I'm not doing it for anyone else...  I want to lose it just to know that I can do it.  It's a challenge that I must accomplish!  
I posted this before and after because I want a before and after!! I think my frame is her pic on the
 left. If I had to guess I think this is a 10 lb difference. I want the 10lb difference! I have been wanting to lose 10 lbs for a year now, no more yo yo-ing  I am going to do this! This is day 13 and I want to quit but then I need to read this poster:


So this means I still have 17 days to go before I see results.  Ugghh.

So I will continue to drink my spinach shakes.


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Candy shop

DIY Sign. 
This is a fun little project to do in a couple hours.

First I put tape down so I could paint my stripes

I always remove the tape before the tape dries. Once the paint dried I took a sander to it...You will be able to see in this next picture.

Do you notice how the paint is a bit faded?   

click on this post to find out how I copied the words onto the sign.

Then just paint it on with a little paint brush

And your done! I always run my sander over the top of the words when finished so it doesn't look so perfect

I like it! It looks like an old vintage sign and didn't cost a thing!
DIY Show Off
Catch a Glimpse Button




Tuesday, September 18, 2012

10lb Challenge

You may think this is a sewing or crochet challenge however I am changing it up a bit!
Running is what I have been doing lately.   I have taken time out of sewing to enjoy the weather while trying to lose a couple more pounds. The weather has been perfect so I feel like I need to be outside!
Wanted to share some pix of the trail I've been on:
Beautiful Right?
This is the beginning of my 28 day Running Streak!

A new subject on my blog will be Wednesday weigh in. I want to lose at least 5 pounds going into the holiday season. 5lbs may not seem like a lot but it is still hard!! The last 10 pounds is always hard. This is no doubt a challenge and who can pass up a good challenge? I know my blogging friends LOVE challenges!!  I have challenged myself to run for 28 days straight! Let me rephrase that... run 2.5-3miles everyday for 28 days. Right now I am on day 11.
When we get so consumed with crafts, sewing and painting and everything DIY it's hard to find time to work out but it is very important to make time. You have to set aside time to stay in shape! 
 I have attached some links that will convince you to workout and hopefully that will light a fire under your you know what!


What you can expect from me:
Every Wednesday I will weigh in and post my results and (crossing my fingers) hopefully I can inspire you!
The most important thing I have had to come to terms with is controlling my diet. You have to eat clean,  that is more important than working out ( believe it or not) if you are addicted to sweets like me then you will want to take a sweet tooth challenge  just take it one day at a time like I did.
When you get the urge to eat the entire pan of brownies,  just tell yourself if you can get through today then you'll be able to have sweets tomorrow...
then by the time tomorrow comes you'll be so proud of not having sweets the day before that you continue not to have any for the next day so then by the time 3 days have passed you will have overcome your craving!  Easier than you thought right? 
My triggers or weaknesses would be trail mix ,oreos, chex mix and banana bread therefore I never, ever eat them! If I took a bite I would never be able to stop! Now that may be different for most of you. Some people can have sweets in moderation but I can't. I'm like an alcoholic only with sweets...I just can't stop at 1 bite.
And when it comes to working out.... just do it!!!  don't think about it. So many times I have thought about it and I thought myself out of working out but you have to stay with it.




Even as I'm writing this I am craving something sweet. well you know what? Every time you get a craving get down and do the plank for 30 seconds!
I had to share this picture because every time I get down to do my sit ups or push ups my doggy has to join me. He comes and sits right next to me. I think he is checking to make sure I have proper form. He is just there to support me mostly :)



check back next week for my results and I will also be blogging about the different diets that I've tried and share some healthy recipe ideas!

Oct 10th-Staying motivated and my workout playlist. 

Now is the hard part. I obviously have to post my weight......ughh I hate this part but how are you going to know if I lose if I don't tell you?  Will you just take my word for it? can I just post a picture? Actually I think when I weigh in next wednesday I will post my weight.  Sorry guys...please be patient with me.


Until next time.....








Saturday, September 8, 2012

Having a little fun with the website   www.picmonkey.com

striped skirt

It's been awhile, even though I haven't been bloggn' I've still been sewing.
This skirt is made from my project runway pattern.  It is Simplicity #2698. This pattern is not the easiest or fastest and the waist area is a bit tricky but I made do!

I really like my skirts to have pockets so that is why I picked this pattern.
 
sewing pockets on takes a bit longer but its worth it. And I love using a different pattern for the pockets.


And adding pleats adds a little bit more character as well.

So I think its not too bad right?

You can't have too many skirts for work.

Thanks for looking! Click on the button to see other great sewing projects
Photobucket




Sewing Scrap Projects! A Quilted Bag.

Don't you just love all this fabric goodness?  In todays episode we will dive into scraps of fabric again! Do you have a fabric stash? I...