Roasted Vegetables

So simple but so good.....roasted vegetables. 

 

If you have never tried roasted your veggies you should definitely give it a try.  Just toss with some olive oil and whatever seasoning you like and roast until done to your liking.  Roasting intensifies the flavors and brings out the natural sweetness.

Healthy Salad

My new favorite healthy salad.

Ingredients: Baby spinach
                    Diced Turkey

                    Cheese

                    Roma tomatoes

                    Walnuts

                    Pine nut hummus

Colorful and healthy.

Yummy

Breakfast:

Scrambled eggs with peppers and onions, topped with cheese and salsa.  Mandarin orange and link sausage.


Lunch:

Salad with baby spinach, roma tomatoes, chicken fajita meat, cheese and hummus.

 

Snack:

 

Homemade juice: Fuji apples, navel orange,

strawberries and baby spinach.

 

Dinner:

Brown rice with peppers, onions, minced garlic, green beans, and chicken fajita meat.

Healthy eating can be yummy!!!!!

PCOS

     PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which I was diagnosed with about 20 years ago.  At the time I was trying to get pregnant and it just wasn't happening so after a visit with my OB/Gyn I found out why.  PCOS can make it almost impossible to get pregnant because it affects your menstrual cycles.  A simple cure for that most of the time is to lose weight but PCOS can cause weight gain and make it harder to lose weight.  After many heartbreaking negative pregnancy tests we decided to try fertility treatments which were quite expensive but in the end worked.  My first son was born on December 12, 1996.  After his birth I was determined to lose weight; so determined that I turned to very unhealthy ways of going about it.  Within a year of my son's birth I was in the grips of full blown bulimia.  It took me about 14 years to break free of my addiction, even as I typed that I can't believe I did that to myself for 14 years.  My eating disorder did lead to me losing weight and 5 years after my first son was born I gave birth to my twin sons; without the help of fertility drugs.  So you see losing weight can reverse PCOS.  At this point in my life I don't want to have anymore kids but I do want to get healthy because PCOS can cause many health issues.  Among these are:

• Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Insulin resistance
• Hair Loss
• Depression
• High blood pressure
• Hormone imbalances

    So you can see there are many important reasons for me to lose weight.  So after a visit with my OB/Gyn last week she decided to put me on Metformin which is a diabetes drug but can be used to treat PCOS.  She also instructed me to eat a low calorie diabetic diet which means low carb.  I've been eating healthy for a few days and I feel pretty good and I'm losing weight. 

   Well I've run out of time, got to get to work but I will be updating my blog more often. 

Losing Momentum

     I'm only two weeks into eating healthy and working out and I'm already losing my momentum.  The old thought patterns are creeping in and I'm just not motivated to workout.  I know this normally leads to me just giving up but I don't want that to happen this time.  I've decided to come up with a game plan for tomorrow so I can get back on track.  So here's my plan:

Breakfast:  Slow cooker Banana Nut Oatmeal

Snack:  Orange

Lunch:  Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread

Snack:  Greek yogurt and granola

Dinner:  White Bean Chicken Chili

Snack:  Nature Valleys Simple Nut Bar

Water:  140 ounces

Exercise:  Walk with the kids and go to the gym


I also have a long list of things I need to accomplish. 

• Clean house
• Clean up yard and porches
• Clean up and wash car
• Get animals vaccinated
• Color hair
• Give kids haircuts

Now all I have to do is follow this tomorrow and I will have an awesome day.  Update will follow tomorrow with pics of my food.

Lists

    So you may have noticed by now that I love making lists.  I've always been into writing things down but I also enjoy marking things off which gives me a sense of accomplishment.  Recently I've gotten into something called Bullet Journaling.  In my Bullet Journal I keep everything that's important to me, things I may need to have easy access to, and lots and lots of list.  Its a place for me write down anything I need to remember either daily or long term.  So of course now I have a list of things that I put into my Bullet Journal.

1.  Monthly calendars that record what I have scheduled for the month
2.  To do lists
3.  Call lists
4.  Shopping lists
5.  Wish lists
6.  List of special occasions
7.  Gift Ideas
8.  Record of animal vaccinations
9.  Home and car maintenance records
10.Record of kids immunizations
11.Personal and insurance info
12.Bucket List
13.Date ideas
14.Budgeting and spending tracker
15.Monthly Habit Tracker
16.Weight Tracker
17.Savings Goals
18.Contact List
19.Home remodeling plans
20.Vacation planning
21.Meal planning
22.Walking Goal
23.Weight loss plan
24.Weight loss rewards
25.Reasons to lose weight
26.Ways to stay motivated losing weight
27.Favorite quotes
28.Cleaning lists
29.Daily journals
30.Blogging ideas

     As you can see you can include anything in a Bullet Journal.  I've found it to be a real help at making life less stressful and motivating me in my weight loss journey.

Emotional Eating

     Emotional eating has always been an issue for me.  No matter what the emotion my first thought is to turn to food.  They say eating can be a way of suppressing your emotions.  That may be true for awhile but once I'm done the emotions come flooding back.  The guilt and regret I feel only makes it worse.  Its an endless cycle of emotional abuse that I put myself through.  So I've come up with a list of things to do instead of eating. 

1.  Listen to music
2.  Watch a movie
3.  Play a game
4.  Cook something healthy
5.  Exercise
6.  Play with a pet
7.  Soak in a bubble bath
8.  Call or text a friend
9.  Browse the web
10.Clean the house
11.Read a book
12.Go to the park
13.Paint your nails
14.Color in an adult coloring book
15.Take dog for a walk
16.Go shopping
17.Have manicure, facial, pedicure done
18.Find a good cause to volunteer for
19.Play with kids
20.Visit a friend

     I'm doing pretty good so far at redirecting my feelings and thoughts to avoid turning to food.   I welcome any suggestions of activities I could include on this list. 

Update on Weight Loss

     Well I've been eating healthy for 5 days and I'm happy to say I've lost 10 lbs.  It really hasn't been that hard because the food I've been eating has been so good.  I haven't started exercising yet but I am starting very soon.  I guess being as heavy as I am it's intimidating when I think about going to the gym but I'm not going to let that stop me.  There are so many reasons I want to lose weight.  As you may be able to tell by now I love my lists so I've made a list of the reasons.

1.  To be able to love myself
2.  For the before and after pictures
3.  To no longer be the fat friend
4.  To be able to walk into a room with confidence
5.  To not be embarrassed to go to the gym
6.  To be proud of myself
7.  So I can stop hiding my body
8.  So I can finally be the woman I want to be
9.  So I can be in pictures without wanting to delete them
10.To have more energy
11.To have an overall feeling of well-being
12.To be less self conscious
13.So I can enjoy shopping for clothes
14.Improved self esteem
15.Reduced depression
16.To live longer
17.To be able to breathe easier
18.So I don't have to dread getting on the scale
19.So I can hug my boyfriend and feel so little in his arms
20.So I don't feel like people are judging me
21.Because I'm worth it
22.So I can sit comfortably
23.No more shopping in the plus size department
24.So my boyfriend will be proud to have me on his arm
25.To be an inspiration to others
26.To not have a double chin
27.It will be easier to shave my legs
28.Less perspiration
29.So my boyfriend can pick me up without me freaking out
30.So I have the energy to play with my kids

     I'm sure there are lots more reasons but those are the main ones.

Bucket List

     As part of my plan to start living I decided to write my bucket list.  I'm sure I will delete and add things over time but this is the list I'm starting with.

1.  Kiss in the rain
2.  Go on a cruise
3.  Camp in the back of a pickup truck under the stars
4.  Be kissed under the mistletoe
5.  Visit New York
6.  Ride in a limo
7.  Visit Niagara Falls
8.  Have a romantic picnic
9.  Make someone less fortunate smile on Christmas
10.Learn to shoot a gun
11.Visit the Grand Canyon
12.Take a road trip across America
13.Paint and frame a picture
14.Have pin-up style pictures taken after I lose weight
15.Sit in a hot tub outside in the winter
16.Get a small tattoo that has a special meaning
17.Finally accomplish my weight loss and fitness goals
18.Get a professional makeover
19.Host a party
20.Grow my hair out
21.Enjoy a spa day
22.Take up running as a hobby
23.Complete a marathon
24.Stop being lazy and start living
25.Own my dream cat
26.Throw a message in the bottle in the ocean and see if anyone ever responds
27.Stay at a bed and breakfast
28.Visit Las Vegas
29.Have a romantic dinner
30.Be proposed to in a special way
31.Get a kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve
32.Finish remodeling my home
33.Run an 8 minute mile
34.Buy a whole new wardrobe
35.Give up fast food for 1 month
36.Reach goal weight
37.Be comfortable and confident in my own skin
38.Swim with dolphins
39.Find love and happiness
40.Do random acts of kindness
41.Do something out of my comfort zone
42.Be an inspiration to others
43.Research my family tree
44.Do a polar plunge
45.Attend the second chance prom
46.Start a new tradition
47.Sing karaoke
48.Have plastic surgery done
49.Win the lottery
50.Live a life I'm proud of

     So that's 50 things I would like to accomplish in my lifetime.

Game Plan

    Ok so I thought maybe I would use this post to lay out my game plan.  I've spent the last few months thinking about all the things I would want to accomplish in my life and the list is long.

    One of the biggest goals I hope to accomplish is losing weight and getting healthy.  I'm currently at the highest weight I've ever been in my life and I can tell what an impact it is having on my health.  I have no energy, shortness of breath, aches and pains and everything is so much harder to do when you are overweight.  So here's my game plan for losing weight.

1.  I've enlisted friends and family to motivate me and hold me accountable.
2.  I wear my Fitbit tracker everyday with a goal of hitting 10,000 steps daily.
3.  I record my food and water intake daily in my journal.
4.  I need to hit the gym 5 to 6 days weekly.
5.  My calorie intake should be around 1500 daily.
6.  No soda, only water.
7.  I've set realistic weight loss goals and rewards to go along with hitting these goals.
8.  Reduce carb and sugar intake and increase protein and vegetable intake.
9.  Meal planning is a must.

     I have to learn to take this process one day at a time otherwise it seems overwhelming.  So let's get started and make this happen.

An Intro

Hi my name is Christina. 

     I guess I should start off by introducing myself and telling you a little bit about my life.

• 42 years old
• I'm 5'6" and I weigh way to much
• Mother to 3 boys
• Employed as a Pharmacy Technician
• I have 3 cats and a dog
• I enjoy cooking and watching tv

    Well those are the basics, pretty boring I know.

     The purpose of this blog is to motivate me to learn to live and enjoy life.  I've spent so many years just waiting for things to happen instead of making them happen.  As I've gotten older I've realized that there has to be more to life then just existing.  There are so many things that I want to experience and up until now my philosophy has been why do it today when I can put it off until tomorrow. 

     So I invite you to join me on this journey.  I also welcome your suggestions, comments, encouragement and most of all support.