Meanwhile six months later……

I cannot believe it has been so long since I have last posted…so let’s catch up, I still eat very clean and it is actually very easy to do, I avoid anything processed, no artificial sweeteners, etc…and I workout consistently but and its a big BUT …haha…my weight is still the same..hasn’t moved in either direction..so frustrating…..I have a big family reunion in July and I want to look my absolute best ie at least ten pounds lighter and I see a glimmer of light on the horizon. I have become a coach with Bodyfx and they are coming out with a whole new line of amazing supplements…..right now anyone can join as a distributor for free while they are still in the prelaunch stage and I just placed an order for the shakefx which looks amazing! It won’t be able to be shipped until May 15th that’s how new these products are but stay posted as to my results, I am hoping these products can help me get passed this eternal plateau…..I love anything that is non-gmo!

Fantastic ground floor opportunity during the pre-launch!

Join now for free!

How often do you find an opportunity before it has already reached its growth limit? I am so excited about these new products.

Follow the link below to sign up, there is not much on the webpage yet since it is still prelaunch but distributors can order you can either go for the whole kit etc or just specific supplements….

http://www.fithockeyfan.bodyfxprelaunch.com/

I will keep everyone updated on my progress! Whoo hoo, 72 days until I leave for the big vacation!

Enjoy the Journey!

 

Halfway through October Unprocessed and the living is fine!

I have been such a slacker about writing but I just read another post and was shocked how it could have been written by me! So I felt the need to share lol I mean everything she said about growing up truly resonated with me the only part of the story that I would change would be every Sunday morning my father would go the the Italian bakery and bring home amazing and incredible Italian breads, sausage rolls and Italian meats it was such incredible food! Can you tell how much I loved it? But I had to be careful how much I ate because no lie my father was totally keeping track and when I look back on pictures from then I was so not overweight if anything I was lean and fit having been a swimmer…in any case to this day when I am around my 89 year old father I still am careful what I eat and how much because he is still watching!  One day maybe I will actually grow up and not care but its unlikely if it hasn’t happened  by now!  This is the post and blog that started my reminiscing  http://fatgirlinskinnyworld.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/belly-on-up/#comment-215 . Definitely check out her blog I really enjoy it especially now that I know we were twins separated at birth but still ended up with the same parents haha.

I know it shouldn’t shock me how much weight loss/gain is mentally induced but it truly is. I am going back up North next summer and when I think about it I already start to stress and swear I need to be at my absolute thinnest because in my family skinniness is next to godliness…you are seriously perfect if your thin…sad I know but soooo true. It doesnt help that my five older sisters are slim and petite, how I ended up at 5’8 and large boned  is a mystery maybe the fedex man was tall …just kidding….but it would explain alot!

So the info you’ve all been no doubt waiting for is the magic number on the scale after two weeks of eating only unprocessed foods…drumroll please….188.8 crazy isn’t it? My body seems to be desperately clinging to every ounce of weight, I have to say that I don’t care because I feel great and I am diligently being a workout queen and I know that the weight loss will follow ….please please please God…..make it happen….one thing is for sure i am not giving up I for once do not feel like I am dieting I feel great and have a good feeling about giving up all processed foods. Of course, I have been scaring the crap out of myself reading articles on GMO‘s and the preservatives that are put in just about everything in our food supply..its disgraceful that the United States allows these companies to put this crap in our food supply and they don’t even have to tell us its there..that is just complete BS….even Russia has banned GMO’s….we seriously need to get with it over here…of course big business rules our country to hell with the fact that its terrible for us! Okay enough..see what I mean I have been losing sleep over this stuff…what exactly is Soy Lecithin..ummm sludge…bleached sludge that they didnt know what to do with so they figured they would put it into every product on the shelf…..I am such a devoted label reader and it is definitely having a trickle down effect on my husband (who lost ten pounds these last two weeks) damn him!

Okay I am done being on my soapbox, seriously its the Leo in me its all or nothing and I am all in with eating unprocessed, wish me luck and pray for weight loss!!!!

Here are the links to those fun articles about GMO’s and Soy Lecithin….caution it will so freak you out, but knowledge is power…isn’t it?

http://www.thealiveacademy.com/genetically-engineered-foods

http://preventdisease.com/news/09/073009_soy_lecithin.shtml

 

 

A Challenge For October

Ok Fridays weigh-in was 189….that seems to be my holding pattern for right now and I am okay with that but with my newest challenge for the month of October I am hoping to jump start my weight loss.

Presenting my October challenge:

Its thirty one days of clean eating and I am all in..truthfully I have been cheating way too much on the weekends and it is slowing the scale down, so this is my diving board and I am giddy about it! Here is the website if you are interested in joining in: http://www.eatingrules.com/october-unprocessed-2012/

We just got a Trader Joes here in Sarasota and I love it! So many reasonably priced healthy choices.  I went for a quick run- through the other night and now I am making a shopping list to prepare for October…it really is all about being prepared, you have to do your food prep and shop with a purpose otherwise the quicker poorer quality choices get picked.

My workouts have been awesome, I am so proud of how I never blow off my workouts and this week I will start increasing the weights used to push the envelope a bit.

This is my motto now! Come on, join me!!!!!

Skinny jeans…Here I Come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Feeling the Blahs…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well Fridays weigh in was dismal 189….blah! It was disappointing since I had stuck with the healthy eating and working out so what did I do?. ..well I spent the weekend eating of course…so today I have guilt and remorse and I know I need to move on and I know I will ..so this is my quick post and then I will just go to sleep and end this weekend.

Tomorrow is a new day, a new week and a new chance for me to continue on my journey to a healthy weight. I have eight of my twenty wishes so far and I will try to add to my list this week.

This is going to be a fantastic week, I will make it a fantastic week! Carpe Diem and good night!

 

 

Twenty Wishes

I just finished a book by Debbie Macomber called Twenty Wishes and it got me to thinking about what my wishes would be if I was to make such a list..In the book, one of the girls used a binder and clear pages to slip pages into and put pictures of her wishes..the idea really grew on me and I have decided to give it a try..they say it is important to make lists of your goals/wishes so that is what I am going to do this week…I will share these wishes when I have completed my list..it may take longer than I think because I honestly couldn’t think of more than five right off the top of my head…..what may be the hardest part is when I think of one and then I talk myself out of it because it may be unattainable..but this is a wish list so I am going to make it the skies the limit, no holds barred kinda list…anything goes!!! Stay tuned for my completed project…any ideas what you would put on your list?

Now on to the good and bad news..Fridays weigh in was 186.8…I almost passed out I was so ecstatic and really rode that wave of happiness all day…then I weighed myself again this morning (I know, I know but I weigh myself a lot I find it helps keep me honest about my food choices)  anyway, it was 188..oh the depression, then I told myself to get over it because my body does this… weight loss is a process and as I lose weight I hover back and forth and then drop down so its all good and I am really starting to see the wonderful effects my workouts are having on the way my clothes fit it is very encouraging….

I am not sure if I mentioned that I started this weight loss process in January of 2011 with a girl I share my office with ..she lost almost 60 pounds and still has about  60 to go to reach her goal..if you look at old pictures you think she is wearing a fat suit ..what an amazing transformation!..the problem is she has stopped losing weight and now has gotten it into her head that because she thinks she is starting to go through menopause, she can no longer lose weight, what I see is she is eating like a third of a cup of peanut butter with her apple and I have a feeling she is eating more than that at home, she also has not really committed to exercising..she has tons of excuses too…I got kinda annoyed with her the other day and told her that if she kept telling herself she wasn’t going to lose weight she wouldn’t, it’s a fine line for me to point out how much she is eating so I keep that to myself but I want to help her to continue on the journey she started… if anyone has lost weight during menopause I would love to hear from you so I can tell her she can do this!……..whew I needed to get that off my chest..I feel much better now!

Some words of wisdom for an incredible week!

So start and MOST importantly don’t quit!!!!!!!

Inspiration

Hello! Its has been a great two weeks the scale of course has leveled out and is still on 189 but that is so normal for me, I will stay here for a while and then hopefully through hard work I will continue going down. I have been incredibly faithful with my workouts and can say that I really look forward to doing them….The Firm series is fantastic and you see results so quickly that its  impossible not to be motivated! I really love them…..I am also walking every day for a mile with the dogs and on the weekend I hit the treadmill for interval training….I did try Zumba last Monday, bought a Groupon for $29 for 10 classes at $2.90 a class you can’t go wrong…..did I love it?…no actually I kinda hated it..I didn’t really feel like I got a good workout and I only worked up a slight sweat nothing like when I am doing intervals on the treadmill, so I wasn’t impressed….I will continue to go because maybe it will grow on me and its already paid for and it is movement for an hour after sitting for eight…but I am not seeing what all the fanfare is about…guess I am not a girly girl lol…..

Diet wise I am ditching the diet foods so to speak and focusing on the eat clean method, if I can’t pronounce the ingredients on a label I won’t eat it, It really simplifies things….I look to Pinterest for lots of great recipes and this leads me to why I called this post Inspiration….Where does everyone get their inspiration from? I wanted to share with you where I am getting mine from, maybe these sites will inspire you as well or maybe there are some worth seeing that I haven’t found yet…Please share if you have a real winner!

1. Pinterest – Everything under the sun, great recipes, workouts, inspirational quotes, you name it its on there!

2. Facebook sites:     http://www.facebook.com/#!/ThePursuitOfHealthiness

http://www.facebook.com/#!/canyoustayfordinner

http://www.facebook.com/#!/wholeliving

http://www.facebook.com/#!/HeandSheEatClean

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Purpose-Fairy/196758903675076

http://www.facebook.com/#!/100daysofrealfood

http://www.facebook.com/#!/BeautifulLiguria

(nothing to do with healthy living I just really want to travel to Italy and I want to    be fit and healthy when I do go!)

3. Blogs that come to my email Inbox: I have quite a few so these are the ones I really look forward to reading:

http://weightlossandcorinne.com/author/c2691/

http://tonetiki.com/author/tonetiki/

http://kaftanbikini.wordpress.com/author/mimioso/

http://www.anitalophile.com/author/CathyP

Well, This is a sampling of my inspiration…by quickly scanning these posts and emails I realize that I am not alone in my quest to be fit and healthy and that is is hard work but very very worth it! I would love to hear about any sites that inspire you..Have a fantastic week!

One word…Awesome!!!!!

Fridays weigh in was….drum roll please…..189.3!!!!!!   Mega whooo hoooos happening that morning and then I started questioning it and of course questioned my husband if he rigged the scale……after he gave me the your crazy look he denied having anything to do with the wonderful number on the scale its just been so long since I saw that eight I was terrified it wasnt real soooo when my son woke up I told him to weigh himself..you see he is trying to gain weight for football so he knows exactly what he weighs well the scale for him showed two pounds gained…omg its true all my diligence and working out is really paying off and I am thrilled!!! This just makes me even stronger in my resolve and even more committed to my goals.

My new lower number on the scale was the best birthday present ever and I am proud to say that instead of having a free for all weekend I enjoyed my birthday dinner but didnt overdue and I worked out every day….tonight I made a Zucchini casserole for my daughter and myself and baked ziti for the boys….

This is the recipe for the zucchini, its from skinnytaste which is a great spot for fantastic recipes, this is the link: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/07/zucchini-casserole-25-pts.html

Zucchini Casserole

A great recipe for zucchini lovers! Makes a great side dish. I am always looking for great recipes for zucchini since I have so many in my garden. I used one large zucchini to make this recipe. It is best to use a 9 x 12 casserole dish.

Zucchini Casserole
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 12 servings • Old Points: 2.5 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 110.2 • Fat: 6.2 g • Carb: 10.6 g • Fiber: 1.2 g • Protein: 3.7 g

• 4 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup bisquick (using heart smart)
• 1 small onion, grated
• 3 egg whites, 1 whole egg
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp parsley

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix everything together in a bowl. Spray a pie dish or a casserole with Pam and pour mixture. Bake approximately 45 minutes, until golden brown. Put a toothpick in the center to test if it is done. If it comes out clean, it is ready. Divide into 12 equal parts.

Oh and during the week, also from skinnytaste.com I made this cauliflower soup it was delicious!! (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/03/cauliflower-soup-0-ww-pts.html)

Dad’s Cauliflower Soup
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes

Servings: 6 servings • Time: 20 minutes • Old Points: 0  • Points+: 1 pts
Calories: 45.1 • Fat: 0.6 g • Carb: 8.8 g • Fiber: 3.7 g • Protein: 3.3 g
Sodium: 469.1 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 large head cauliflower – chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 4-6 cups water
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a 5 quart saucepan, add all ingredients. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes.) Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.

If you check out this recipe you will see some suggestions in the comments and I used some of them..I used a mix of beef and chicken broth, added some fresh rosemary and sauteed the onions with some garlic before adding the broth..oh and I put it in the blender since I dont have an immersion blender….this was great soup!

I wish everyone the best of luck this week reaching your goals, I am so incredibly motivated !!

Merrily I go along…

I am feeling really good! Fridays weigh in was 192.2..which I am happy about…..I have been doing great with keeping my caloric intake under 1400 calories and I have been loving my workouts I fit them in whenever I can either in the morning or at night but the important thing is that I do them, I started mixing it up a bit and switching back and forth between the two programs below….after I got the cortisone shot in my shoulder which the doctor diagnosed as a frozen shoulder I have finally been able to  use it again and add some strength training this truly has made all the difference in the world……

I am now a pro at the weekly farm market and load up with tons of fruit and veggies and here is the important thing….as soon as I get home I wash everything and package it for the week…what a difference this makes, everything gets eaten with very little waste…..I have so many big life changes coming up in two years and I so want to be fit and healthy ( time flies so quickly that I know its not as far away as it sounds!)…trust me I still have my bad moments when I want to eat everything in sight but I find if I wait fifteen minutes the cravings actually go away (well they are not as strong…) …..one big change I made this week was to actually measure the amount of creamer I put in my coffee and wow was I using way to many calories there!!! I now always measure and use only one tablespoon…my coffee is darker but it doesnt take long to get used to it and its a much better alternative than giving up my daily cup of java i love it way tooo much, especially Starbucks!!!

These are my go to workouts right now:

I seriously love The Firm…you see changes so fast!!!! On the rest days I do the treadmill workouts from Prevention….

total body TransFIRMation™ system

Jump Start Workout Calendar Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Hi Def Sculpt Cardio Party Rest Hi Def Sculpt Express Cardio Party Hard Core Fusion Express Rest no weights weights for upper body only no weights Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Hi Def Sculpt Cardio Party REST Hi Def Sculpt Express Cardio Overdrive Express Hard Core Fusion Rest weights for upper body only weights for upper body only no weights weights for upper body only Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20 Day 21 Hi Def Sculpt Cardio Party Rest Hard Core Fusion Express Cardio Overdrive Express Hard Core Fusion REST weights for upper and lower body weights for upper body only add weights weights for upper body only Day 22 Day 23 Day 24 Day 25 Day 26 Day 27 Day 28 Hi Def Sculpt Cardio Party Rest Hard Core Fusion Express Cardio Overdrive Express Hard Core Fusion Rest weights for upper and lower body weights for upper and lower body add weights weights for upper and lower body

I alternate between these two workouts, this is the link where I found them, http://www.prevention.com/print/26102:

The Cardio Plans

Speed Ladder
This challenging exercise routine features intervals that get increasingly harder but shorter, followed by brief recovery periods.

Time	Activity (Speed*)	Intensity**	How It Feels
0:00	Warm-up (3.0 mph)	4	Breathing harder; can speak in full sentences
4:00	Moderate walk (3.5 mph)	5	Slightly breathless; can still speak in full sentences
9:00	Brisk walk (3.75 mph)	6	Somewhat breathless; can speak in short sentences only
13:00	Moderate walk (3.5 mph)	5
15:00	Power walk (4.0 mph)	7	Mostly breathless; can speak in phrases only
18:00	Moderate walk (3.5 mph)	5
20:00	Fast walk (4.5 mph)	8	Breathless; can speak just a few words at a time
22:00	Moderate walk (3.5 mph)	5
24:00	Speed walk or jog (5.0 mph)	9	Very breathless; can’t speak
25:00	Cool-down (3.0 mph)	4	Breathing slows
30:00	Finished
*These are suggested speeds only and may not be appropriate for everyone. The right speed for you should be based on intensity recommendations and how you feel.
**Based on a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 being as easy as lounging on the couch and 10 as hard as sprinting to catch a bus as it pulls away

Power Walk
This cardio routine is a great way to build endurance while burning calories.

Time	Activity (Speed*)	Intensity**	How It Feels
0:00	Warm-up (3.0 mph)	4	Breathing harder; can speak in full sentences
5:00	Power walk (3.5-4.0 mph)	5-7	Somewhat breathless; can speak in short sentences only
25:00	Cool-down (3.0 mph)	4	Breathing slows
30:00	Finished
*These are suggested speeds only and may not be appropriate for everyone. The right speed for you should be based on intensity recommendations and how you feel.
**Based on a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 being as easy as lounging on the couch and 10 as hard as sprinting to catch a bus as it pulls awayI am looking forward to another fantastic week…..and if I keep it up I am sure to see some weight loss…skinny jeans here I come…lol…Have a great week everyone….Enjoy The Journey!

Baby steps toward success

Fridays weigh in was 192.4 yay ! I know one pound is not a huge cause for celebration but to me it is wonderful, I will take whatever baby  steps I can get towards my weight loss goal…I am doing great with my workouts on the treadmill, I am actually looking forward to them and that is so not me..

I hit the farm market again on Saturday and got some Asparagus oh and peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, avocados, mint plants, cilantro, cucumbers…I brought my son along to carry the bags lol (they are so heavy)….this is the recipe I am going to make with the asparagus:

Warm Mushroom, Roasted Asparagus and Wild Rice Salad with Feta

A warm sauteed mushroom, roasted asparagus and wild rice salad in a balsamic vinaigrette with crumbled feta.
Servings: makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hours

 

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 1 1/4 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 1 handful dill, chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 4 cups salad greens
• 1/4 cup feta or goat cheese or blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Bring the wild wild rice and broth to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered, until the rice is tender, about 50 minutes.
2. About 30 minutes in, heat the oil in a pan.
3. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Add the mushrooms and saute until just caramelized, about 10-15 minutes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Meanwhile, toss the asparagus in the oil along with some salt and pepper.
7. Spread the asparagus out in a single layer on a baking dish and roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
8. Mix the wild rice, mushrooms, asparagus, dill and balsamic vinaigrette.
9. Serve with the mushrooms and wild rice on a bed of salad greens, topped with roasted asparagus and garnished with crumbled feta.

Its from this blog…http://www.closetcooking.com

I have already washed and chopped the cauliflower and broccoli, I read that you should do it right away so it doesn’t go uneaten, I’ll let you know how it goes…

Have a great week! Be happy and enjoy the journey

 

Good things come to those who wait..and work hard!

Well on my weigh in on Friday the number was 193.8 so basically I am of course staying the same but I do have to say I am starting to really enjoy running/walking on the treadmill I have been very committed to doing this at least four times a week in addition to my morning mile walk with the dogs and even though its 90 degrees out and my treadmill is on the lanai I have been faithful and I am starting to see very good progress, my times are getting better and I have signed up to do another 5k in October……this is progress for me and I am content to be happy with this for now.

I bought a pair of J.Crew jeans in size 12 at a thrift shop for a whole dollar..I love them, they are so cute!…I hung them on the back of my bedroom door and they are my next goal jeans, its only one size down but they run a little on the small size so I am estimating 15-20 pounds in order to wear them…by Thanksgiving I will be in them, sooner would be better but right now I will give myself until thanksgiving…I mean since the scale doesnt move one way or another I need to be conservative in my goal lol..

I am really doing it, I watch my calories, eat clean, and most important exercise daily…this is going to happen..I am so excited!

Have a great week everyone! I know I will….