Super Secret Surprising Summer Weapons

These things are my (all together surprising) picks for the summer to help keep me on track.

First on my list is ALMONDS (and always COFFEE!).  Supposedly a "natural fat burner" these little crunchy delights are packed with protein and natural fats that are good for curbing your appetite.  I have been eating almonds for breakfast with a piece of fruit and surprisingly I stay full til about lunch time.

Secondly, I have some CHOCOLATE FIBER ONE cereal.  If you like cocoa puffs, you will like this cereal.  At 80 calories for 3/4 cup, I feel best served eating as a dry snack instead of a breakfast meal.  Also, with 9grams of fiber per serving it is a perfect fill you up kind of snack.

Third, I have stolen a trade secret from my parents! They discovered this bread called DIETERS DREAM.  The bread was good, but I found something even better!  BUNS! This brand of bread makes both hamburger buns and hotdog buns.  At only 80 Calories per bun with 0.5 grams of fat and 4 grams of fiber, these buns are unexpectedly delicious.  My husband even ate them and felt like they didn't taste like a "diet bun."  HELLO summer BBQ!

And last but not least on my list is the most surprising of them all is the SUGAR CONE.  1 cone is 60 calories, 1gram of fat, 0 Sodium, 1 gram of Protein, and only 11 carbs.  The posibilities are ENDLESS with these delicious cones.  One night this week I filled the cone part with fruit salad and topped it with 1/4 cup of ice cream.  I actually got the scoop on sugar cones from a Dr. Oz show by the author of Hungry Girl.  She has tons of recipes in this book that will no doubt become our dessert bible this summer.  It is expensive (the most I have ever paid for any book EVER) but I feel as though it will be worth it.

Change is in the air

Spring is FINALLY here. 
to stay.
...we think.

Gone are the days of bulky sweaters, and warm "comfort foods"!
HERE are the days of too short of shorts and an abundance of produce.

It was so nice out, my husband and I went for a mile walk last night.  We even took the dog!
By the time we got back home from the walk, my husband was already sore and I thought the dog was going to die from exhaustion.

...so we're ALL out of shape.
neat.

Looks like change is in the air for us ALL.

So if you wonder why we are tired and grouchy, it's because we are exhausted from getting off the couch and hungry.

very hungry.

Wheezing

So yesterday I was working a wedding (*photography on the side, you see) and this funny thing happened.  Every time I had to walk up a few sets of stairs...or run to the car or my bag for something...or walk from one side of the resort to the other...or stand up/squat down/stand up, I found myself completely winded and wheezing.  And I totally know that people could hear me struggling to breathe in and out because I am pretty sure a couple of people looked at me to see if they needed to assist me in any sort of way. They just had that "ARE YOU OKAY!?" look on their face.   ...I wonder what my face looked like?

Now, see it's the time of year that I could TOTALLY blame my allergies and say that in my whiniest voice that "I am just "SO CONGESTED."

....but the fact is that my little fat body simply struggled with that much physical effort.
which makes me sad.

I always think I am in much better shape than I actually am.  I convince myself that at work I do plenty of walking and standing and moving around with the kids.  CONFESSION #902---I am sedentary.  On those little scales of "How much physical activity do you participate in? Rate 0-3.  Zero being "0-30 minutes a week of physical activity." I would be a zero.
...which makes me sad.

I know how to fix it. 
I know what is right.
I know who to blame.
I know where to go.
I know when to start.
I know why I need to.

Now let me take this allergy pill so I can get started :)

Snow days: Good for the mind, bad for the body

Being a teacher, we get these glorious days once or twice a year.  These days are called SnowDays.

Elusive as snow days may be, when you get the opportunity to miss work WITHOUT having to be sick, it is a real treat.  You wake up, eat, and sit...a lot.  And I don't know about you, but when I am sitting I watch t.v. or read a book.  When doing these things usually I like to have a snack.  Luckily for me, I don't usually have all day long to sit and read or watch tv so I don't snack through the day.

...unless I have a snow day.  Then I sit and I eat.
and eat.
and eat.

No matter how hard I try to eat a salad and drink some water, the C's win it every time. What are the "C's" you may ask? 
The C's are:
*Cookies
*Cake
*Chips
*Crackers
*Carbonated Beverages

Sure there are some healthy "C's" like carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers BUT see...we kind of don't have any of those in our house at the moment.  It's WINTER.  Those things aren't "in season," right?

I mean, who really wants to watch the newest episode of Pretty Little Liars and munch on  a stack of celery sticks?  That is not prime entertainment to me.

It should be.
But it's not.

So I guess what I am saying is, as happy as I am to get a snow day for my mental health, my physical health is screaming for SPRING and SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Snow Day to my fellow teachers!
(*Only 111 days til Summer Break! Not that I'm counting.)

Goal for the Week

Believe it or not, my goal for the week is not to accomplish any real "weight loss"

My goal this week is to cook at home all week.
yes.  it's just that simple.

I have been giving into the easy fix of fast food and restaurants way to easily for the last several weeks.

maybe it was the addiction of greasy deliciousness kept me going back?
maybe it was the convenience of not having to do any dishes?
maybe it was because I just didn't feel like cooking?



they say "you are what you eat"
Well then that would make me fried meats with a side of potato products.


I have three simple steps to getting this task done.
Step One.
Decide what to make. 
Step Two.
Cook vegetables that aren't deep fried.
Step Three.
Don't whine. 
Just get off your rump roast, and cook.

confession #718

yeah...i admit it. I ate that cookie at breakfast.

yeah...i admit it. I ate fried foods from restaraunts alllll week/month long.

yeah...i admit it.  I have not so much as gone for a walk in months.

yeah...i admit it.

at the time all these bad habits were transpiring did I even once own my choices? Absolutely not.

Now that i am ten pounds heavier, my confessions come a bit late.
better late than never?

i knowbetter.iknowbetter.iknowbetter.

now, what am i going to do about it?

a compliment

Since starting back to work last month, I have been touched and overwhelmed by the wonderful words of encouragement and compliments about my weight loss up to this point.  Since Christmas 2011, I have lost 20 pounds.  Now that's not like Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition style weight loss success, but it is a good success for me. 

however, EVERYONE NEEDS VALIDATION to continue a journey.

The way my friends and coworkers have taken notice to my change in body has also helped me continue to change my lifestyle. 

--I have been able to get my style mo-jo back; wearing clothes I wouldn't have dared to wear in the last two years---mainly because my pants don't create a FULL muffin top and scarves don't accentuate my triple chins. 


--I have felt more confident in my self over all.  Smiling more and just generally more pleased with myself and others around me.

I have felt the positive energy in my body and heart.  If I quit now, I not only quit myself, but I am quitting the belief from others that what I am doing is healthy and awesome.

So, THANK YOU to all who have read my blog with me, given me a compliment on ANYTHING lately.

YOU MATTER.  YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
...now go continue on your journey too (whatever that may be)