Week 15/Final Update!

Well, well, well.  Here I am at the end of my weight loss challenge and I can't believe it's finally over!  For the past 15 weeks I have been working my butt off (literally) to try to lose 15 pounds.  It all began with a giant wake-up call in the form of me stepping on the scale one day and deciding that enough was enough.  Things were getting out of hand, and my health and happiness were on the line.  It was that moment that made me decide to get myself in gear and make some serious changes, and that's exactly what I did.  I set a realistic, yet challenging goal for myself: lose 15 pounds in 15 weeks.  With Memorial Day weekend beach plans with my friends looming in the distance, 15 weeks was exactly how long I had to get myself ready for bikini season.  My plan was simple - move more, eat less.  I tracked my food intake, counted calories, and worked out regularly.  In the end, I was more than successful at achieving my goal, and now I'd like to share my final results with all of you!

I didn't post my weight on this blog when I kicked off the challenge, mostly because I was so embarassed.  Now that it's over, I'd like to give everyone the full scope of how much my body has changed over the last 15 weeks:

Starting weight: 163 lbs
Ending weight: 147 lbs
Total weight loss: 16 lbs - that's 10% of my body weight!!!

Starting BMI: 28 (overweight - 30 or higher is obese)
Ending BMI: 25.2 (Still technically overweight, but just over the line from being "normal" [18.5-24.9])
Total BMI lowered by 2.8

Starting body fat %: 28
Ending body fat %: 23 
Total body fat loss: 5%
(Average body fat percentage for women is 25% - 31%, "Fitness" level is 21% - 24%)

To put this all in perspective for anyone out there reading this who doesn't know me, I'm a 25-year old female and I'm 5'4".  Also, because I know that this is what a lot of people were hoping for, I decided to swallow my embarassment and give you some before and after photos as evidence of these changes!

"Before" photos taken: 2/2/13
"After" photos taken: 5/19/13

The bottoms I'm wearing are part of a bikini that I was really hoping I would fit back into in time for my beach getaway this coming weekend, and thanks to my efforts I'll actually be able to!

So there you have it - I wanted to lose 15 pounds in 15 weeks, and in the end I managed to lose 16!  I also drastically reduced my body fat percentage and lowered my BMI.  Now I'm right over the line from having a "normal" BMI, and I reduced my body fat by FIVE PERCENT!

I'm also very proud of the fact that I did this completely on my own.  By that I mean that I didn't have a personal trainer, nutritionist, or chef, I didn't do any cleanses or fad diets, and I didn't take any supplements or mystery pills; all I did was get a gym membership.  Pure diet and exercise is what it really comes down to when you're trying to lose weight. 

All in all, I just feel so much better after having finished my own personal weight loss challenge.  This was really about so much more than just a number on a scale, even if that's what my impetus was for getting things started.  I've made so many positive changes in terms of my diet and exercise habits, and I hope to keep those healthy new habits and use them to maintain my body the way it is now.  Maybe in the future I will challenge myself once again and try to make more changes in my body, but for now I'm so perfectly happy with all that I have achieved over the last few months and I fully intend to enjoy my renewed sense of happiness and well-being throughout the summer!  Cheers!

Weekly Tip: For the Snackers

You know who you are.  You're the one who strays to the kitchen cabinet when you're bored, looking for something to munch on.  You're the one who can't sit through a movie without something sweet to nibble on.  You're the one who will keep eating even after you're full as long as there's still food in front of you... You're a snacker.  Don't worry, no judgment here - I'm a snacker too, and today I'd like to give you some helpful tips to curb your snack-stealing ways.

• Chew gum - If you're anything like me, you just need to have something to chew on.  Many times I find that I'm halfway through eating something and I realize that I don't even want it anymore, I'm just eating it to have something to munch on.  If that's the case, always having gum nearby can give you something to chew on without giving you extra calories.
• Stay busy - A lot times I find I'm snacking out of boredom, which means I just need to find something else to occupy myself with until I stop thinking about using food as a means to pass time.  If this means going out for a stroll or finally getting some cleaning done, even better!
• Track it - It's very easy to trick yourself into thinking that if you only eat a tiny bit of something then it doesn't count.  Well let me tell you, it does.  If you start tracking everything you eat, even the tiniest little spoonful of something, you'll see that it all definitely adds up in the end, which could stop you from reaching into the pantry for "just a little taste" of something.
• Surround yourself with healthy snacks - If you don't have junk food nearby, you're a lot less likely to eat it.  If you must keep a supply of snacks around at all times, make sure they're healthy ones.  I'm a big fan of trail mix, but those 100-calorie snack packs also work (if you can stick to just one), or fresh veggies and hummus.  If your healthy food is as easily accessible as some of the other less-healthy options, you're more likely to make smarter choices.

Hopefully these little tips will help you as much as they've helped me!  I know I love to always have a little something around to munch on, and that was one of the hardest challenges to conquer throughout my weight loss process.  Implement these tricks and you may find your weight loss goals are more attainable too!

Tuna Macaroni Salad

One of the recipes I made this week was this healthy take on Tuna Macaroni Salad that uses greek yogurt as a subtitute for all the mayo you'd usually use.  It tasted great and I'm happy I found a healthy version of one of my favorite summer foods!

You will need:
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
2 cans of chunk light tuna packed in water, drained
3 cups cooked whole grain pasta (I accidentally made 4 cups so it came a little more dry than it probably should, but still tasty!)
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 tbs light mayo
1/2 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 tbs red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
-Mix everything together

Literally, that's it!  I'm a huge fan of mac salad with tuna and peas in it, so when I came across this recipe I was pretty pumped.  The greek yogurt really saves you a lot of the fat and makes you feel a lot less guilty about eating this!  I also used whole wheat pasta to make it even better.

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com: Yields 6 servings, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 244; Total Fat 2.5g; Saturated Fat 0.2g; Cholesterol 13.3mg; Sodium 261.8mg; Carbs 43.7g; Dietary Fiber 4.8g; Sugars 5.4g; Protein 17.7g.

Week 14 Update

Well, folks, here we are: it's almost over, only one week left in my challenge!  Since losing the 15 pounds, I have tried to stick with my plan and see if I can lose any more weight, but I have to admit I've been particularly lax, especially last weekend.  I had friends in town visiting, went to a beerfest, and it was cinco de mayo.  I may have partied a little too hard because of those things, but really I only have myself to blame for my week 14 results.

Physical Fitness:
-5/4/13: ran on the treadmill for 45 minutes
-5/6/13: went on the elliptical for 30 minutes and then ran 1 mile on the treadmill
-5/7/13: BODYATTACK
-5/8/13: BODYSTEP
-5/9/13: ran outside for 35 minutes, went 3.2 miles
-5/10/13: ran on the treadmill for 45 minutes

I tried to work out extra hard to make up for my weekend fun.  I've been doing a lot of running and it's grown to be much more bearable than it was in the beginning.  I used to hate running, now it's something I tolerate.  After all, it's one of the best forms of straight up cardio you can do.  So far the spring weather has been perfect for running outside, but I'm concerned that once the DC summer weather really kicks in it'll be too hot and I'll be relegated to the treadmill.  Or maybe I'll try to force myself to get up earlier more often to fit in morning runs before work, and before the temperature rises too much for the day.

Food:
I did a good job with food during the week and ate pretty much all the normal things.  The problem during week 14 came from my weekend partying.  In particular, on cinco de mayo my friends and I all went to a beerfest and despite my best intentions, I let the alcohol influence my food choices and I wasn't strict enough about it.  The beerfest was followed by a cinco de mayo dinner, complete with margaritas.  I know I've talked about this before, but alcohol really is just completely terrible for you if you're trying to lose weight.  Not only is it empty calories with little to no nutritional value, but alcohol itself slows down the fat burning process, and influences you to make poor decisions food-wise.  That's why as of the seis de mayo, I decided that I wouldn't drink any more alcohol until my challenge is over and I'm at the beach with my friends.  The Outer Banks trip that I'm taking over Memorial Day weekend was what inspired me to start losing weight in the first place and marks the end of my weight loss journey, so what better place to celebrate my success and end my detox than a sunny beach vacation surrounded by my friends?  God, I can't wait to have a gin and tonic...

Cooking:
Once again I didn't use my time efficiently enough to schedule in a night to cook something new.  I am making up for it by making 2 new recipes during Week 15, though!  One of them was a healthy tuna macaroni salad that I made last night - recipe to follow.

Weigh-In:
Thanks to my partying ways last weekend and depite my attempts to make up for it with 6 workouts throughout the week, last week I lost...

0 POUNDS!!!

That's right, once again I have stayed the exact same.  It would have been nice to lose another pound, but I'm still very pleased with making my 15 pound goal so it's good to know that I didn't derail all that progress by gaining weight back last week.  I also think at this point my body has completely gotten used to my new lifestyle in terms of diet and exercise so I'm hitting that plateau I've been dreading.  I'll try and push through that to see if I can lose any more weight in the last week of my journey.  I'm motivated and ready to move forward through the 15th and FINAL week of this challenge!!!

Weekly Tip: Translating Restaurant Menus

It's going to happen to you at some point in your weight loss journey, it's inevitable: you're going to eat out at a restaurant.  Situations like going out to eat make it difficult for people to make good food choices because there's so much temptation, but there are ways to interpret the menu and figure out which dishes you should opt for.  Here are some things to keep in mind:

-Good: grilled, broiled, roasted, baked, steamed, steamed, blackened or poached

-Bad: pan-fried, sautéed, battered, breaded, au gratin, cheesy, creamy, buttered, deep-fried, béarnaise, or crispy

-Go for veggies!  You don't necessarily have to order a salad, but when looking over the menu try to pick out the items that include lots of veggies.  Opt for sides like steamed vegetables instead of french fries.

-Keep it simple! Aim for the simpler sounding dishes.  The more complicated a dish sounds, the more ingredients it has in it, which means the more calories it probably has.

-Sammies: order sandwiches with whole wheat, pita, or multi-grain bread. 

-Get saucy! Watch out for cream or cheese sauces, try to choose lighter sauces and clear broths instead.

Of course there are other great tips for eating healthy when eating out as well:

-Look up the menu online before hand and have an idea of which things you can eat before you go.  Try to make a plan and stick with it.
-Ask for a half portion, or ask the server to box up half your entree before serving it to you.
-If you know you're going out to eat for dinner, try to eat lighter or get a good work out in earlier in the day.  Don't skip meals, however, since then you'll show up to the restaurant starving and probably make poor choices.
-Remember: you're the guest at the restaurant, which means they'll give you what you want.  Don't be afraid to customize a dish or ask for substitutions.

Happy dining!

Portobella Mushroom Pizza

I took a turn cooking family dinner for my friends last Sunday and decided to try out this recipe for Portobella Mushroom Pizza.  It's such a fun and healthy twist on normal pizza; you cut out the starch by using mushroom caps instead of dough!  It's also perfect because each mushroom cap is the perfect portion for 1 person.

You will need:
4 large portobella mushrooms (I used 6 since I was cooking for more people, so in that case you can also use a little more tomato and onion etc to make more of the sauce)
4 tomatoes, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
parmigiano reggiano cheese
fresh parsley
1 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil
salt

the sauce simmering away

empty mushroom caps just waiting to be filled!

"pizzas" ready for baking

 Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 400F.
-Heat up the olive oil in a pan.
-Add the onion and stir until it’s slightly brown.
-Add the tomatoes, garlic, leek, and a pinch of salt to the onions. Saute the ingredients until the tomatoes are soft.
-Squeeze about 1 table spoon of fresh lemon juice over the ingredients.
-Add about 5 leaves of chopped, fresh basil.
-Spray olive oil on a baking sheet and place the mushrooms on the sheet with the bottom side up.
-Add the mixed ingredients from the sauce pan into each mushroom and top with grated parmegiano cheese.
-Bake for 12 minutes.
-Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Ready to serve!

Just out of the oven

close up

so much cheesy, saucy goodness!

This was such an easy and creative recipe.  You could also play around with the toppings a bit and put on whatever you want.  It's full of veggies, super tasty, and each mushroom cap is only 200 calories!  If you're looking for a healthier twist on plain old pizza, you should definitely try this.

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com per 1 mushroom cap: Calories 209; Total Fat 12.6g; Saturated Fat 4g; Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 187.8mg; Carbs 12.9g; Dietary Fiber 3.3g; Sugars 2.9g; Protein 8.9g.

Mom's Three Bean Salad

This past Sunday afternoon as I was standing in my kitchen singing along to Enya, mixing up this three bean salad that my mom always makes and wearing a dress that my mom also owns, it suddenly dawned on me: I have officially turned into my mother!  The whole scene was literally a flashback to any number of such afternoons in my childhood, but instead of my mother dancing around the kitchen with me watching, this time it was me!  This is not at all a bad thing; those of you who are fortunate enough to know my mom already know what an amazing woman she is, and for those of you who don't know her, you can take my word for it.  I'm happy to be a living replica of such a wonderful woman.  So in honor of my mom, and the fact that Mother's Day is right around the corner, I'd like to share one of her recipes with you: her Three Bean Salad.

You will need:
2/3 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cans each, drained: green beans, yellow wax beans, kidney beans (use the low sodium kind!)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery

Directions:
Mix everything together in a bowl.  Literally, that's it!

Since I didn't make anything during Week 12, I made 2 recipes on Sunday to make up for it and this was one of them.  This salad is really light and refreshing, with a touch of sweetness from the sugar.  It's the perfect side dish for a cookout or a picnic. The beans are full of protein and the celery adds a nice crunch.

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com: Yeilds 8 servings, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 240; Total Fat 9.5g; Saturated Fat 1.4g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 87.6mg; Carbs 35.9g; Dietary Fiber 7.6g; Sugars 19.2g; Protein 6.4g.

Quinoa Vegetable Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

In keeping with my warm weather recipes, I made this Quinoa Vegetable Salad last week and was so glad I did!  It was packed with yummy vegetables, filling quinoa, and the lemon-basil dressing was a nice, light touch.

You will need:
1 cup uncooked quinoa
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 roma tomatoes
1 orange bell pepper
1 1/2 cups corn
4 green onions

For the dressing:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp basil (or fresh if you have it)

veggie prep!

Directions:
-Rinse quinoa, and cook according to package directions.
-In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, and basil. Set aside.
-Slice green onions, dice roma tomatoes and bell pepper.
-When quinoa is done cooking, let cool. Then place all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
-Pour dressing over top and mix well to combine.
-Can eat immediately or chill before serving.

Everything in one bowl, just the way I like it!

pretty :)

If you're looking for a light but filling summer side dish, look no further.  This quinoa salad is something I will definitely be making all summer long to take to cookouts and picnics.  You could also throw in other veggies as substitutes for anything you don't like, but I think it's perfect the way it is!

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com: Yields 6 servings, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 269; Total Fat 8.1g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 288.3mg; Carbs 40.8g; Dietary Fiber 9.5g; Sugars 1.3g; Protein 9.6g.

Weekly Tip: No Excuses

If anything should be your mantra throughout your weight loss process, it's this: no excuses allowed.  The moment you start making excuses for yourself is the moment your progress stops.

It's really easy to do when you think about it.  "I don't have time" and "I'm exhausted" are among the biggest offenders.  We get so caught up in our day-to-day lives that we don't make time to focus on our health and fitness, but if you want to see results and make real changes, it's time to re-evaluate.  Stop coming up with all the reasons why you can't put in the work and start committing to your goals.

At the end of the day, if you're not seeing the results you want, you have nobody to blame but yourself.  Take a closer look at what you're doing and focus on ways you can improve.  It's important to know your limits and be realistic about what you can do, but unless you start challenging yourself, you're not going to see any real results.  6 months down the road you're going to look and feel exactly the same way as you do right now.  How long is your lunch break at work? It probably doesn't take you a full hour to eat a meal, so when you're finished eating, go take a walk around the block.  Your friend invited you out to dinner after work but you haven't been to the gym yet this week, so SAY NO.  You're so tired after work you can barely move, so go to bed early (and I mean actually go to bed, not go home and watch tv or look at facebook until 2AM) and get up in time to fit a workout in the next morning.

I work from 8am - 6pm, Monday - Friday, and I have about a half hour commute each way.  I have 2 side jobs, I'm on a kickball team, and I volunteer for my neighborhood newspaper.  I have a very active social life, and yet on top of all that I still manage to work out at least 5 times every week, prepare most of my meals myself, and get 8 hours of sleep at night.  Do you want to know how I manage to do all of that?  It's because I'm serious about my goals.

No excuses.

Skinny Raspberry Lemonade Cupcakes

These cupcakes are such a perfect summer dessert that won't hurt your diet plans.  The original recipe is here.  The day that I made them we were having Chicken Tinga for dinner, a Mexican dish that a friend of ours made for us.  The cupcakes were perfectly refreshing after the somewhat spicy meal and they weren't too heavy to eat on a warm spring day.

You will need:
1 box white cake mix
3 tsp Raspberry Lemonade flavored Crystal Light Drink Mix
1 6 oz. container Yoplait Light Raspberry Lemonade flavored yogurt (my grocery store didn't have this flavor so I just used Light Raspberry)
2 egg whites
1/2 cup water
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip Lite

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-In a medium size bowl or stand up mixer, mix cake mix, egg whites, Crystal Light mix, yogurt, and water until well mixed and lump free.
-Pour mixture into a 9x13 inch pan or two 8 inch round pans (or a cupcake tin like I did!  I made 20 cupcakes but you could make bigger ones and do about 16).
-Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until cake has cooked through. Let cake cool and top cake with Cool Whip Free topping. For optional toppings, use fresh raspberries or lemon slices. 

adorable pink cupcakes before being frosted...

...and after!

Insta-cupcake

Initially I was nervous that a "skinny" cupcake recipe wouldn't come out quite right, but these cupcakes were the perfect texture and consistency, and the flavor was great!  The bite of the lemonade flavor was balanced out perfectly by the sweetness of the cool whip frosting.  Even the cool whip was a great touch instead of real frosting because it wasn't too heavy or too sweet.  This is a great summer dessert recipe that you don't have to feel bad about!

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com for 20 cupcakes (serving size: 1 cupcake): Calories 32; Fat 0.9g; Saturated Fat 0.8g; Cholesterol 0.3mg; Sodium 26.8mg; Carbs 4.4g; Dietary Fiber 0g; Sugars 2.5g; Protein 0.7g.  I got this recipe from the same place as the Skinny Chicken Florentine I made in week 9, and once again our nutrition info differed a lot, so I just went with what livestrong.com gave me since that's the site I always use.

Week 10 Update

Slow and steady wins the race, right?  That's exactly how I feel about my progress over the last few weeks.  I'm not seeing the big numbers I was posting towards the beginning of this challenge, but I am still consistently getting results and I'm doing it in the healthiest way I know how.  Read on to find out how week 10 of my challenge went!

Physical Activity:
-4/6/13: ran on the treadmill for 45 minutes
-4/7/13: ran outside for 30 minutes (total distance was about 2.7 miles)
-4/9/13: BODYATTACK
-4/10/13: BODYSTEP
-4/12/13: ran outside for 28 minutes (did the same 2.7 mile loop - I got faster!)

The weather is finally turning spring-like in DC, which means I've been able to start running outside more instead of always heading to the gym for the treadmill.  Even though running outside presents challenges in terms of keeping pace etc, it's also much more enjoyable thanks to the changing scenery.  Living someplace like DC really helps because most of the time I go run around the national mall, which means I'm looking at the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building, as well as beautiful museums along the way.  

I also tried another new class this week, and I think I might be hooked!  BODYSTEP is another Les Mills class that they offer at the Gold's Gym I go to.  I've always been nervous about taking step classes because I'm not the most coordinated person and I'm always afraid that I'll trip over the step.  This week I decided to get over that and I ended up really enjoying the class.  The instructor was the same woman who teaches the BODYATTACK class on Tuesday and she is really great.  She's very positive and motivating throughout the whole class and she never makes you feel like you're not doing something right, she just encourages everyone to do what they can and to keep moving.  All in all, BODYSTEP was a great workout and I'd like to keep taking the class to switch up my workouts throughout the week.

The biggest proof that my drive to stay on track with this challenge continues is that I actually woke up extra early on Friday morning to get a run in before going to work.  I had only fit in 4 workouts last week and I knew my schedule wouldn't allow me to exercise Friday evening after work, so I did what I had to do and forced myself out of bed bright and early.  For anyone who doesn't know me, I am not a morning person, so the fact that I woke up even earlier than I normally do on a work day in order to EXERCISE is really saying something.  It all comes down to the fact that I just really don't want to fail in this challenge.  I want to make sure I accomplish this goal I set for myself, so I'm willing to do whatever I have to do to make it happen.

Food:
I have to honest and admit that I did not make the best choices in terms of food and drink at the beginning of week 10.  Last weekend was filled with a lot of food-centric activities, and when that happens it's hard for me to be as vigilant about calories etc.  I can at least say that I was very aware of all the choices I made in regards to food and alcohol, and even when I didn't make the best decisions, I still tracked everything that I consumed, and that's really important.  It would be very easy to just leave things out when I'm tracking my food intake, but that wouldn't be honest and I need to see all those things written down in order to stay conscious and responsible for what I eat and to make sure I balance things out during the rest of the week. 

For example, my friends and I always do family dinner together on Sunday evenings.  It's a wonderful tradition we started to give ourselves one more thing to look forward to every weekend and it's a great way to bring all our friends together to catch up and regroup.  Last weekend we had a guest join us for Sunday dinner and she cooked the most amazing Mexican food for us, she made a dish called Chicken Tinga.  The food was phenomenal, but the problem was I had already treated myself earlier that day at a brunch picnic that some friends and I had attended, and I also ended up consuming more alcohol that day than I originally intended, merely because of the fact that I took on a careless attitude that day.  I definitely enjoyed myself a lot at both activities and I worked hard during the rest of the week to make up for the binging I had done over the weekend, but I still wish that I had made better choices and been a little more selective with my choices on Sunday.  I didn't need to have a bloody mary AND a mimosa at brunch, and I didn't need to have a glass of wine AND a beer at dinner.  I think this is very common for people who are trying to lose weight and are watching their diet.  You want to eat and drink the things you normally would when you're out and about with your friends, but it's important to maintain the balance between enjoying yourself in the moment and putting in effort towards achieving your long term goals.  That's something that I'm definitely still working on!

Cooking:
I decided to tackle something new last week and opted to make dessert!  I had yet to attempt a dessert recipe throughout this challenge and there was a skinny raspberry lemonade cupcake recipe that I had been wanting to try.  It was a gorgeous day when I made them so the raspberry lemonade flavor worked perfectly.  The cupcakes turned out to be a really nice treat and didn't endanger my diet plan at all!  Everybody enjoyed them and I didn't have to feel guilty about eating one, so that's a win-win!  I'll post the recipe later this week.

Weigh-In:
Like I said before, I was really concerned last week because of the decisions I made during the weekend.  I did work very hard and was very disciplined during the week in terms of food in order to compensate, but I was even more nervous than usual before my weigh-in.  Maybe I need to start thinking about those nerves when I'm making decisions about what to eat!  With that said, this week I lost...

1 POUND!!!

I was so relieved to see that I still managed to lose another pound this past week, despite the fact that I was very worried I wouldn't.  I'm happy that I'm still progressing, but I need to use Week 10 as a lesson that cheating too much or binging on the weekend and then trying to work double time during the week to make up for it is not the best strategy.  Moving forward into the last 5 weeks of my challenge I want to keep that in mind at all times.  I'm 12 pounds down and 2/3 of the way through my challenge and the end is in sight, but there's still plenty more work to do!

Skinny Chicken Florentine

I made this recipe for Skinny Chicken Florentine last Friday night and it was a big hit.  My only complaint was that the recipe says it makes 6  1 1/2 cup servings, but we only got 3 out of it, so you'd have to double everything if you want to feed more people.  Also the nutrition information provided on that site and the nutrition information that livestrong.com generated for me were different, so I just stuck with the info that I had gotten.

You will need:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 box (approx. 5oz.) frozen spinach, thawed & squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 large garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tsp. from my jar-o-garlic)
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs flour
1 tbs lemon juice
1 can no-salt low fat added chicken broth
pinch nutmeg
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
8oz. whole grain pasta

cooking the chicken

ooey-gooey yumminess

Directions:
-Cube 'n cook chicken
-Cook pasta according to package directions
-Mix cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, and spinach together until smooth 
-In a large pot, heat olive oil
-Add flour and whisk for 30 seconds
-Add chicken broth and stir until thickened (about 3 minutes)
-Add lemon juice, garlic, nutmeg, oregano & pepper
-Bring to simmer
-Remove from heat and add blended cottage cheese, spinach, chicken, Parmesan cheese & pasta. Stir to combine
-Place in lightly sprayed casserole dish
-Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes

ready for the oven...

Ta-da!

final product on my plate!

This is a great cold weather recipe that will satisfy your cheese and carb cravings without ruining your diet.  It tasted great, was easy to make, and isn't that bad for you - what's not to like about that?  

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com:  Yields: ~5 cups, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 432; Fat 16.9g; Saturated Fat 6g; Cholesterol 56mg; Sodium 889.6mg; Carbs 38.4g; Dietary Fiber 5.4g; Sugars 3.8g; Protein 31.5g.

Week 9 Update

As the weeks continue to fly by during this challenge, I keep trying to challenge myself and make sure that I get the results I want.  Week 9 was another week of dedication and commitment, and I was able to benefit from that in terms of my weight loss.  Here's the recap!

Physical Activity:
-3/30/13: ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes, then did 30 Day Shred level 3
-4/1/13: 30 Day Shred level 3
-4/2/13: BODYATTACK
-4/3/13: ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes, then did 30 Day Shred level 3
-4/4/13: swam laps freestyle for 30 minutes, 900 meters total

I'm finally done with the 30 Day Shred DVD goal that I set for myself, which was to do each level 6 times, or 3x per week.  Now I can focus on getting more cardio in, but I still may pop the DVD in every once in a while to mix things up.  Overall I can say that DVD definitely kicked my butt, but in a good way.  Jillian Michaels is so motivating, so I might try one of her other DVDs at some point.  Also, I'm up to running 2.5 miles at a time on the treadmill, which I'm super proud of!  It's so helpful to see tangible progress throughout this challenge to keep myself motivated to continue.  I'd like to get the point where I can run at least 3 miles without stopping and then sign up for a 5K!

Food:
Last weekend my mom was in town visiting, and it was Easter.  My mom and I went out to eat Saturday night at Fogo de Chao, which is a Brazilian steak house.  For anyone who doesn't know, that means the servers come around to your table with skewers of different kinds and cuts of meat and slice off whatever you request onto your plate.  Basically it's meat overload, and there's also a pretty extensive salad bar for non-meat lovers.  I did try to stick with the fresh veggies on the salad bar, which were delicious, but I couldn't resist trying the many varieties of meats the restaurant had the offer.  The saving grace was that all the meat seemed to be just drenched in salt, which meant I didn't end up eating a whole lot of it.  On Sunday we went to my cousin's house for Easter dinner, which was wonderful.  I love spending time with my extended family since I don't get to see them very often.  Dinner was wonderful and I made sure to keep my portion sizes in check, and was still able to enjoy a glass of wine or two!  When weekends like this arise where I know I won't have as much control over my food options, I make sure to at least try and stick to normal portions and I definitely make sure to get plenty of exercise in so that I don't end up feeling guilty.  I also kept my calorie counts in check for the rest of the week to make up for any splurging I had done.  

Cooking:
My cooking experiments continued in week 9, and I tried out a skinny recipe for Chicken Florentine.  It was a delicious casserole with chicken, spinach, and pasta.  Two of the most voracious eaters in my friend group helped taste test this for me, and one of them wanted seconds, which I know is a good sign!  I think I'm becoming more comfortable in the kitchen, but I'm still a beginner, so I don't want to toot my own horn too much.  I'll post the recipe later this week, since this is one that everyone should try!

Weigh-In:
I'm happy to report that my weight loss continues, and this week I lost...

1 POUND!!!

I'm steadily working my way toward my goal, and I'm now down 11 pounds in 9 weeks.  Taking this challenge 1 pound at a time has made it so much easier, because my goal is reasonable and I've been able to see progress pretty steadily throughout the last 9 weeks.  I'm so close to the end I can taste it, but I know there's a lot more work to be done.  Here's to week 10 being just as much of a success!

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars

I made these Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars last week to change things up from the dinner recipes I had been trying and they came out great.  I ate them for breakfast all week long, they were so satisfying!  Not sweet enough to be dessert but not too dry or bland either.

You will need:

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt (I used regular salt, just use half the amount)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large mashed banana
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I used low fat)

dry ingredients

after adding wet ingredients

Directions:

-Mix together the quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt, and ground cinnamon.
-Add in the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Mix the ingredients together.
-Add in the mashed banana and peanut butter. Combine all of the ingredients.
-Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch metal baking pan. Bake at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes.
-Cut into squares and enjoy!

All done!

so light and fluffy!

These are just like making your own granola bars, except way better since you know all the ingredients and what's going into them.  They're perfect in the morning with some fresh fruit and a cup of coffee.  These bars  were so tasty and satisfying, I would definitely make them again!

Estimated nutrition info from livestrong.com:  Yields: 8 bars, Serving size: 1 bar.  Calories 160; Fat 5g; Cholesterol 0.9mg; Sodium 164.8mg; Carbs 24.5g; Dietary Fiber 2.1g; Sugars 10.1g; Protein 5.4g.

Week 8 Update

I'm 2 months into my weight loss challenge and I continue to work hard and see results.  Here's the week 8 recap!

Physical Activity:
-3/23/13: ran on the treadmill for 40 minutes, then did 30 Day Shred level 3
-3/25/13: 30 Day Shred level 3
-3/26/13: BODYATTACK
-3/27/13: ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes, then did 30 Day Shred level 3
-3/29/13: ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes

I finally made it to level 3 of my 30 Day Shred DVD and I was SO not prepared for it!!!  These workouts kick my butt so hard every single time I do it.  You would think that it would get a little easier as you continue, but it doesn't.  It's always difficult, but I stuck with it and I'm almost done so I can be proud of that!

Food:
Despite going to the La Boum brunch at L'Enfant Cafe last weekend (if you've never been or don't live in DC, you can find out what La Boum is here), I still managed to do pretty well with my food intake.  I let myself indulge a little more with alcohol (because when the champagne bottles come out with sparklers attached, how can you NOT order multiples?!), but since I had been really good about that over the previous 2 weeks, I thought that was okay.

Cooking:
I had been making a lot of dinner/main dish recipes lately, so this week I decided to try something different: breakfast bars!  I followed a recipe for Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal bars and they were awesome.  They were very light and fluffy, almost a cake-like consistency, but they were very satisfying.  I had them for breakfast throughout the week and it was almost like having a granola bar, but better!  Recipe to follow later this week.

Weigh-In:
This week I reached another major milestone with my weight.  I stepped on the scale Saturday morning and saw that I had lost

1 POUND!!!

This means that over the last 8 weeks I have lost TEN POUNDS!  I'm 2/3 of the way to my weight loss goal and I still have 7 weeks left to lose the remaining 5 pounds.  I couldn't be happier about this progress and I feel really great that I've made it this far.  Onward and upward!

Weekly Tip: Portion Control

I'm a firm believer in the idea that it's not necessarily what you eat that impacts your weight, but how much.  Everything in moderation, right?  A lot of people struggle with portion control, including myself, and no matter how much working out you do, if you're still eating too much you won't be able to achieve your weight loss goals.  Understanding what 1 serving of something actually looks like can really help.  Learning how much food is appropriate to eat in one sitting can be a challenge, and one of my main goals for my weight loss journey was to adjust my concept of portion sizes and what's appropriate, so I've come up with a list of tips on how to train yourself to eat less.

•  Track your food!  I've said this once and I'll say it again: tracking my food has been the single most helpful change I've made since starting my challenge.  I had no idea how much food I was actually eating until I started recording every bite, and it really opened my eyes to the fact that I was eating way too much.  If you start keeping track of your food intake, you automatically start thinking about your food choices more, which can lead to better eating habits.
• If you're a visual person, use smaller plates.  You have to trick your brain into thinking that a full, albeit smaller, plate of food is the appropriate amount.  Especially if you feel the need to finish everything that's on your plate, this trick will allow you to do so without overeating.
• Put your fork down in between each bite.  We all need to slow things down a little when it comes to meal times.  We're always so rushed to shovel all our food into our mouths like it's going to disappear, but guess what: it's not going anywhere.  If you slow down your eating, you give your stomach time to send signals to your brain that you're full, so you end up eating less.
• Don't put more food in your mouth until you've swallowed your last bite.  Why must we constantly try to fit as much food into our mouths as possible?  Waiting until you've swallowed to take another bite of something works on the same principle as the last trick, it slows you down.
• Read nutrition labels.  Any food that comes with a label will give you a serving size, and this is what you need to be paying more attention to.  Not only does reading the nutritional information help you get a better idea of what you're putting in your body, but sticking to the serving size listed on the package means you're eating the proper amount.

In order to break bad habits, we have to create new ones to replace them.  These tips will help you retrain yourself into understanding how much food is the right amount to be eating.  Let me know if they work for you!

Corned Beef, Cabbage, and Potatoes

My first ever experience making St. Patrick's Day dinner was a complete success.  The corned beef was juicy and flavorful, and the vegetables were cooked to perfection.  There are only 7 ingredients, and it all went straight into the crock pot, which made for very easy prep.  The hardest part was chopping the veggies!  The original recipe I used is here.

You will need: 

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces 

10 baby red potatoes, quartered  

1 onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces

4 cups water 

1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet 
6 ounces beer (I didn't have any at the time so I omitted the beer and it still came out fine)
1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped 

Look at that beautiful hunk of meat!  And what a wonderful job of chopping veggies someone did...

Directions: 
-Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker, pour in the water.
-Place the brisket on top of the vegetables. Pour the beer over the brisket. Sprinkle on the spices from the packet, cover, and set the cooker on High. 
-Cook the brisket for about 8 hours. An hour before serving, stir in the cabbage and cook for 1 more hour. That means total cook time is 9 hours, so be prepared!

Nothing says Irish like corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes

Perfectly cooked corned beef

Delicious veggies

Ta-da!!!

Week 7 Update

Week 7 was my idea of the perfect week.  I stuck to my guns in terms of food and alcohol all week, kept up with my workouts, ate well, and saw awesome results.  Ideally, every week of this challenge would go that way, but we can't have everything.  Or can we? 

Physical Activity:
-3/16/13: ran on the treadmill for 45 minutes
-3/17/13: 30 Day Shred level 2
-3/18/13: ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes, then did 30 Day Shred level 2
-3/19/13: BODYATTACK
-3/20/13: 30 Day Shred level 2
-3/21/13: swam laps freestyle for 30 minutes, 800 meters total

I'm still sticking to the 30 Day Shred 3 times per week plan, which is working out really well.  Incorporating that DVD for the month of March has meant that I've been working out 6 days per week most weeks, which seems like a lot but since the DVD workouts are only 25 minutes it's completely manageable.  I also reached another running milestone; I can now run 2 miles on the treadmill without stopping!  Since I have more time and energy on Saturday mornings as opposed to week nights after working all day, that's the day when I spend a little more time on the treadmill, usually about 45 minutes.  When I first started I would tend to run for a few minutes, then walk for a few minutes, then run again etc.  Now that I've worked my way up to running longer distances at a time, I can run 2 miles on the treadmill, then walk for a few minutes, and then run another mile before cooling down.  I know my progress is somewhat slow, but it's still progress!

Food:
Week 7 kicked off with St. Patrick's Day last weekend, which I somehow managed to survive in a completely sober fashion.  I stuck to my 3 drink maximum at a St. Patrick's Day party with my friends.  I was able to have fun and enjoy myself while still respecting the guidelines I had set for myself ahead of time, so I was very proud of myself for that.  I also fell in love with a new snack last week: mixing greek yogurt, berries, and granola.  I know this is not a new concept for a lot of people, but I'm just getting on the parfait train now and I'm loving it.  Altogether it's under 300 calories, so it's a great way to satisfy my sweet tooth without putting my calorie count in danger.

Cooking:
Last weekend I cooked St. Patrick's Day dinner for the first time ever!  Growing up in a half Irish household, I was raised on corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes, but this was the first time I've ever made it.  I did it in the crock pot, and it came out amazing!  At a table of 7 people, the corned beef literally disappeared before our eyes.  I had made A LOT of veggies, so there were leftovers of those for me to have throughout the week.  Yum!

Weigh-In:
I'm always a happy girl when I can see positive results in number form on the scale at the end of every week.  I also get nervous the night before about not making my 1 pound per week goal, but week 7 was a very successful week in my eyes.  Thanks to my hard work, I lost not 1, but...

2 POUNDS!!!

This brings my total weight loss to 9 pounds in 7 weeks, and I still have 8 weeks to go to lose the remaining 6 pounds.  I was ecstatic about this progress and can only hope that it continues in the coming weeks.  With dedication and hard work, I'm confident that I can keep seeing results like this.

Chicken Orzo Salad

As usual, this recipe came to me via Pinterest, you can find the original here.  I followed the original recipe and what I got was a refreshing, light salad that's perfect for the coming spring and summer months.  It was incredibly easy, meaning you literally throw everything into one bowl and stir.  Next time the only thing I might change would be to add slightly more dressing, since it did get a little dry when I ate it for leftovers throughout the week, but besides that, perfection!

You will need:
1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo

3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken and picked the meat off)

1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

6 tbsp goat cheese crumbles

 

Salad prep!

Directions:

-Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well.

-Combine pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.

-Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

 

Finished product

 I brought this over to my friend's house for a cookout and it was a big hit.  It's such a fresh, warm weather recipe that's perfect as a side or the main dish.  

Here are the ESTIMATED nutrition facts:  Serves 8, serving size: 1 cup.  Calories 347; fat 16g; saturated fat 5.6g; cholesterol 79.9g; sodium 396.9; carbs 30g; dietary fiber 1.8g; sugars 2.8g; protein 21.9g.