Don't get too comfy here...

I'm moving this blog! I currently have two personal blogs I've been trying to keep up with.  It suddenly occurred to me to make them into one!  Don't worry, all of the content (the good stuff anyway) will get moved over to the new blog.

The new blog will be called "Crunchy, Crafty, and Crazy!" It will be filled with all the things you like about this blog, plus the things from my other blog, and any random thing that comes across my mind--everything from healthy, green living to religion and politics.

I hope to have it ready in just a few weeks.  I'll let ya know when it gets done!

Hi my name is Celesa and I am an addict

Wow, it's been a while since I've written! So much has gone on in the last month or so. I've totally broken my diet. It really sucks this time, cause I had done so well for longer than I've ever been able to stick to a diet. At one point I had actually gotten down to 189, but now I'm back up to 193. ;( I'm not making excuses, but there was a lot of emotional stuff to deal with. I swear it would be sooooo much easier to lose the weight if I just lived in a box. I've really come to see just how much I'm addicted to food. I know, I know I laugh when people say that too. Let me explain myself. I believe that when we allow something to comfort us other than God that it is wrong and we will become addicts to whatever it is. Not to mention that gluttony is a sin, and sin always separates you from God. I have been stuffing my face with JUNK for this whole month, literally eating away my feelings. There were a few days when I would realize that I was eating to not have to deal with my emotions. I was relying on the food to comfort me rather than an Almighty, loving God who desires for me to lean on Him. Like every other form of addiction, it was just making things worse and worse. I've been doing a lot of research on just what goes in our food. It's appalling to me what is allowed to go into our food. I've decided to work toward eliminating any harmful or potentially harmful products from our diet, and to restrict the amount of animal products we ingest. No, I'm not going to be vegan, but I will be mostly vegetarian. Im still working out what exactly that entails, but living here in Texas, it's definitely going to be hard! I'll write another post or two to show the research behind why I've made this decision later. I certainly don't think everyone needs to do this the same way I am. I think it's extremely important to educate yourself and look at the issue from every angle, then make a decision that's good for yourself. For Christians, that requires prayer and seeing what God would have you do. I am starting to feel lead that I shouldn't put anything into my body that God didn't make. After all, he did make for us everything that we need. Nutrition is the absolute building block for health and Its more important to me to be healthy than to have the number on the scale drop. For this reason, I will post my weight only as a signal that I'm getting healthier. I no longer have a goal weight. I'm just going to treat my body well, and fuel it properly. That will mean the number on the scale drops, but it also means so much more. I'm not going to diet, I'm going to eat to live and live functioning at my best. As I've already said, I will write more as soon as I figure it all out. :)

Recipe: Delicious Turkey Meatloaf

You can now see this yummy recipe at my NEW blog Crunchy, Crafty, and Crazy!

I LOVE this meatloaf! It's the closest I've ever come to a "real" meatloaf. The texture is great, and there's all
sorts of yummy goodness inside.

I use ground turkey because it has less trans fats than ground beef does.  It's best to get the highest quality, leanest ground turkey you can.  That will reduce the amount of fillers (yucky, yucky stuff added to many ground meats on the market today) and the amount of fat in the finished product.  Here's a tip: get meats from a local meat market.  They may not be found everywhere, but I'm willing to bet there's on pretty close by.  You'll often get the cheapest price, and higher quality meat than going to the super market.  You can also have the a turkey breast ground for you at the meat counter in your local super market.

This recipe does not require an egg, and no more bread crumbs.  Using oatmeal and whole wheat bread, it gets you in a little complex carbs also.  I like to serve it with steamed broccoli with cheese sauce.  Delish!

Like all of my recipes, these are just the general amounts I put in.  If you like more or less of something than add it.  Just try not to do anything that will mess with the fat content.  It the mixture seems too dry add a little milk, if it seems too wet add in more oats or bread.  Feel free to add any other seasonings you'd like, but watch for sodium content.  While the verdict might be out on how sodium may effect your heart, it will definitely make you bloat.

Review: 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet

This isn't my typical review post. This week I wanted to share something amazing that I've stumbled upon. I don't even remember how I found it other than it was truly an accident. I found a FREE weight loss support forum! Well, It's more than a forum they also have numerous articles and other tools. It's all found at 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet.

Pros

It's totally free! Use of the forums, articles and everything else is all at no charge!

You get lots of great support from lots of great people. There's a few men, but a whole lot more ladies on there. Forum topics are divided up well. One other thing I also love is they aren't "clicky" like a lot of other forums I've seen are.

It's easy to set up your account, it's very much like setting up any other online account.

Cons

It's a little confusing at first. The layout of the website is a little confusing. There's just too much on the page. The forums are fairly straight forward, but you definitely need a day or two of exploring to get the hang of it.

There are so many forum posts it's hard to keep up with the ones you've posted in. Especially if you decide to post in multiple sub-groups on the forum.

Well that's all I can think of right now. While navigating might not be the easiest, 3fatchicks.com is a site with a wealth of information. The support you get on the forums from other people with the same struggles is amazing!

Wow!

I haven't written about me in a while. I'm regaining the motivation to keep going. I'm super proud to say I've not gained any weight back even with the failures I've had. I even got down to 191!!!!

For whatever reason that number just seemed to be unattainable. I'm more excited now than ever to get into the 180's. That's my next mini-goal! I will hopefully be there next week!

It's so hard to keep this up, but I'm so determined to keep on. I was exploring the forums over at 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet and found an awesome quote: "Being fat is hard, working out is hard, maintaining is hard. Choose your hard." I definitely never want to feel the hard that being fat brings! I love the feeling of losing and meeting my goals!

It's not been too hard to keep on the diet plan, though I don't track my calories as closely as I should be. I've still been losing. I've had almost no motivation to workout, however. Most of that comes from not getting enough sleep and being tired. I really need to get back into it. It seems to be the glue that sort-of holds my healthy lifestyle together. When I workout I'm more motivated to eat right and my body just works better. So, tomorrow I'll be waking at 8 and eating a light snack before working out. Then comes breakfast, and a day of eating on plan. No waiting til Monday. I'm starting NOW!

Weekly Challenge: Be Un-American

What!? You want me to be unpatriotic? Absolutely not! This challenge is all about not being the average American when it comes to having heathy habits.  Americans are infamous for our indulgences.  We want everything bigger, badder, and better than everyone else.    Everything from the size of our houses to the size of our food portions are bigger! We want everything cheaper, so we allow food companies to put harmful chemicals, additives and preservatives in our food.  It's no wonder we have such a huge problem with obesity in the US! We also have such a low work ethic compared to yester-year that we couldn't possibly get close to burning off all the junk we consume.  There are many different ways you can form healthier habits, but I'm just going to touch on a few.

First, control your portion sizes.  You'd be amazed at how much bigger our portions are than what they ought to be.  There are several different guidelines to help you judge how big a portion is.  The best tool, though is just to look at your hand.  Below is a chart from this site that will help you see what a portion is like compared to your hand!  This other site is also great for foods that aren't on the chart below, or don't relate to your hand.  Look them both over and learn them well!  Even if you've selected healthier options, overeating is not going to get you anywhere on your weight loss.

Second, make better choices.  Dong the Grocery Overhaul challenge will help you a lot with this. Choose baked chips over regular, whole grains over white grains, and add in LOTS of fruits and veggies.  Also read the labels on the things you purchase and try to avoid foods with names you can't pronounce as much as possible.  Especially avoid things like MSG, red food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, and partially hydrogenated oils.  Most of those things are found in highly processed foods.  You might be surprised to find that a lot of DIET foods contain those ingredients.  Try as much as possible to stick with the things God gave us and not the things man decided to add in to raise their business profits. (I recommend watching the documentaries Food Matters, and Food, Inc.)

Thirdly, get off your butt.  A recent study suggests sitting more than six hours a day can increase your chances of heart disease and therefore death.  One news report I heard said this may be because of the type of fat in your body.  Athletes have fat thats similar in consistency to olive oil, whereas a couch potato's fat is more like butter.  It sticks to your insides, even your organs such as your liver, and is harder to get rid of.  Getting in a good workout everyday is important, but If you're sedentary the rest of the day it may not be enough.  Try getting up and walking around, or doing squats, or any other type of exercise every so often while you're at work.  Maybe you can arrange your desk in a way that your computer is at standing level, so you can use it with out sitting all day.  Even little things like parking further away from the door or taking the stairs instead of an elevator, or walking to a person instead of using the intercom will make a big impact.  One of the things I try to do is pay careful attention to how I'm moving my body.  I'm pretty bad about just flopping down into a chair or couch when I'm sitting, but if I pay attention and sit by squatting then I'll be getting in a squat each time I sit.

I hope these simple tips can help you get in better shape.  Losing weight is a marathon not a sprint and every little bit you do can have a large impact on your quality of life!

Recipe: Perfectly Pumpkin Oatmeal

This recipe was inspired by a yogurt recipe I found on Fitness Magazine's website.  The yummy pumpkin pie taste mixed with the oatmeal is delicious.  It almost makes you feel like the fall is almost here!

I like to add some protein powder on some mornings to really pack in some extra protein. Just be sure to add in the protein at the end.   You can add as much of the pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon as you'd like.

Pumpkin is so good for you! It's packed with a lot of very beneficial nutrients.  Oatmeal has also been shown to lower Cholesterol, and is a great complex carb.  Walnuts are also rich with antioxidants and are a great source of heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

The almond milk can be substituted with regular skim milk, soy milk, or coconut milk.  I like vanilla flavored the best. Almond milk really packs in the calcium (50% more than regular milk) which is especially good for women.

I usually count the exchanges as 1.5 carb, 1 fruit, 1 milk, 1 protein, 1 fat. They are probably not exact exchanges, but it's healthy so what the heck lol.

Wednesday Workout: Plyometrics

Haven't heard of it? I hadn't really either, though I *think* it might be part of the P90X workouts.

According to Health.com, it's a really great workout! It's also a super way to get in cardio and strength at the same time!  The particular workout they feature is a circuit of 30 seconds on then 30 seconds rest.  Here's the link for it!

Here's another great workout from Sarah Dussault working for diet.com.  This one looks a little less intense than the Health.com workout.  (you can see more by searching and following both diethealth and sarahsfabchannel on youtube or visit Sarah's website sarahfit.com)

Both of these workouts do require the use of a step.  An aerobics step is best, but you could use stairs if you have them.  You'll also need a bench for the health.com workout and a bosu ball is needed for the video.  You might be able to come up with something else that you could use that wouldn't require those tools.  If you're busty like me, you'll need a good, high impact sports bra.

Weekly Challenge: Do a Hot Workout

WARNING: I've looked and looked and can't find any study to support what I'm going to say, but I know it works cause I've done it and can tell a huge difference.  Just be careful and know this could all be in my head lol.

The challenge is to workout without in a little hotter environment.  For a long time I thought that sweating meant you were burning more calories, but my search for something to prove that actually proved otherwise.  It's fairly understandable since various environmental factors, such as humidity, can play a roll in how much you sweat.

So what benefit does it have? It gets my heart rate up where it needs to be to burn fat effectively MUCH more quickly and with less effort.  Working out at 60-75% of your maximum heart rate has been shown to be the most effective zone for burning calories. (check out what WebMD has to say and see a formula for calculation your max HR here) In a time-crunched society, we need our workouts to be more efficient.  For me being turning off the air right before I work out gets my heart to the target zone faster and I don't have to kill myself in my workout to get there.

I'm not suggesting you go and workout in 100 degree weather.  That could be very dangerous.  Heat exhaustion and dehydration are a huge concern for working out hot.  We use window unit air conditioners in our house, so I just turn the one off in the bedroom just before my workout.  We generally keep that one at 65 degrees, anyway so it is by no means very hot in the room.

If you choose to try this challenge, then please take a few precautions.  First, make sure you've worked out and are beginning to get fit before attempting this.  I would not recommend it to anyone with heart problems or to people who don't sweat.  You do not want to overheat.  Second, take it slow.  Don't do like my hubby and workout with 3 layers of clothing in 90 degree weather right off the bat.  He's worked very hard to get there and is extremely fit.  The room I workout in probably gets to around 75-80 degrees, which is quite mild in this Houston climate.  Thirdly, stay hydrated.  Be sure to drink enough water.  Having enough water will help you recover faster and help keep you cool.  Drinking too much can make you water-logged, though so drink only just as much as you need.  If you start to feel like you're getting too hot or start getting nauseated just turn the AC back on.

So like I've said, this could all just be in my head, but I don't really think so.  I certainly notice a big difference in my workouts when I turn off the AC.  Like with anything on here, ask your doctor if you're healthy enough before trying this.

Recipe: Fried Rice

I love this easy recipe.  I almost always serve it with the Hibachi Chicken recipe.  You can also cut chicken into thin strips, pound them even thinner, and cook before adding in the rice and eggs for a complete meal in one pan. All of the measurements are approximate you can add more or less of anything (except the oil) to your taste.  Try to use a low sodium soy sauce to help keep the sodium content down.   Since it is a carb be sure to measure it out carefully.

You may also want to "deconstruct" it for yourself. What I mean is to measure out your rice, and veggies to make sure it's 2 servings of rice and 1 cup of veggies.  On your own plate.  Otherwise, I wouldn't really count the veggies in this as a veggie serving since there's so much more rice than there are veggies.

Wednesday Workout: Hot Legs Workout

This workout comes from Fitness Magazine's website.  It's a great power packed, challenging, 15 minute workout.  You can increase the number of sets you do if it isn't challenging enough for you. (All pictures comes from the workout website.  They are very unique exercises that will burn! Can you endure? :)

Diagonal Leg

Targets: Abs, obliques, butt, quads, hamstrings, and calves

Lie faceup on floor with knees bent, feet flat, hands on floor by hips.


Lift hips off floor and tuck left foot under right thigh, left knee pointing left. 

Keeping hips lifted throughout, bring left knee out to left to untuck foot, then extend leg diagonally up to left.


Return left foot to tuck position. Do 20 reps. Switch sides and repeat. Do 2 sets.

Side-Lunge Butt Kicker

Targets: Abs, obliques, butt, quads, and hamstrings

Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms by sides.

• Lunge to right with right leg, keeping toes pointed forward and bending right knee 90 degrees. Hinge forward from hips and touch left hand to floor.

Push off right foot to stand on left leg as you bend right knee to bring foot toward butt, reaching left hand behind you to tap right foot. Quickly return to side lunge.
Do 20 reps. Switch legs and repeat. Do 2 sets.

Thigh Trimmer

Targets: Butt, quads and hamstrings

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms by sides. 


Bend knees and hinge forward from hips to touch hands to floor a few inches in front of feet.  Lift left foot behind you a few inches off floor and point left knee slightly to left.

Lift Bent Left leg diagonally behind you toward right.


Swing left knee back down toward left


Do 20 reps. switch legs and repeat.  Do 2 Sets.

Carving Curtsy

Targets: abs, obliques, butt, inner thighs, quads, and hamstrings

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, elbows bent by sides, hands in front of chest


Lunge back with left leg, bringing left foot toward right and bending both knees 90 degrees into a curtsy [same as crossover lunge which are my FAVE!] Swing bent left arm forward, right arm back as [same as if walking]

Stand up on right leg, bringing bent left knee directly out to side at hip level and tapping left hand on left knee


Quickly return to curtsy lunge. Do 20 reps. Switch sides and repeat.  Do 2 Sets.

Golf Swing

Target: abs, obliques, butt, inner thighs, and quads

Stand with feet wider than shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly, elbows bent with hands in front of you.

Lower into squat

Return to standing, balancing on left leg as you swing extended right leg diagonally across body to left lift right leg as high as you can)


Quickly return to squat.  Do 20 reps. switch sides and repeat. Do 2 sets.






Don't forget to cool down with some water, and get some protein about 20 minutes after you're done! All the pictures and instructions are from the website!

Weekly Challenge: Write it down

This weeks challenge is something I've tried to do off and on for the past while.  It amazes me how what you eat can add up.  Just the little journaling I have done has convinced me that it's impossible to follow any diet without planning ahead of time.

In the past when I've dieted, I've just kept track of my points, or calories, or carbs or whatever and end up running out of whatever I'm allotted by the afternoon and end up hungry by night time.  This challenge is for you to also see just what the food you're eating does.

Do a little research for yourself.  See how many calories you need to eat each day to lose weight.  OR count points with a plan like Weight Watchers.  Just be sure you're being reasonable.  You don't really want a diet, but a complete lifestyle change.

Journaling doesn't have to be done for a long period of time.  This challenge is just to commit for one week.  It will require you to measure everything so that you can be sure to have an accurate journal.  It's a great tool to use on when you're stuck at a weight and aren't sure where the problem might be.  Also at the end of the week, you'll have a better handle on what proper portion sizes look like.

Please comment below and let me know if you're going to participate! I expect a full report next friday! lol

Recipe: Hibachi Chicken

We LOVE eating this meal.  It's a staple on our menu rotation, especially since we've all started trying to eat healthier.  It's quick and easy and oh so healthy.  I haven't figured out how to get it "dry" like it is from a hibachi restaurant.  Maybe cooking the veggies separate from the chicken will help, but we don't mind the extra liquid.  You might also try cooking it on something like a smooth topped George Forman Grill--hey that's the closest thing I can think of to a hibachi grill lol.

Some nights I'll even whip up a little shrimp sauce to go with it, and I usually serve it with fried rice.  If you do the shrimp sauce, just be sure to measure your portion carefully.  Since the mayo is the fattier of the main ingredients I measure based on a serving of mayo.

Shrimp Sauce

1 cup Mayo. (as good as it is Dukes is too strong of a flavor)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder

Just mix all the ingredients together and let it sit while you're cooking everything else to let the flavors meld together.

Workout Wednesday: kettle bells for beginners

I got my kettle bells Saturday and just love them. They are such a great workout. I've been watching Marienne's workouts for several weeks to see if KBs are really for me. Here's one of her great beginners workouts. The first video is SUPER important! It's the one I was talking about on Monday that gives pointers on how to do the moves properly.






Please take the time to not only watch the videos here, but to like them on YouTube as well! Huge thanks to Marienne for working so hard to bring these to the public!

Week 3: Results

I've been having such a hard time! It's amazing how just letting your determination slide even just a little can effect how everything goes.

Wasn't able to get to a pic today, but I am somewhat happy to announce that everything is pretty much the same as last weigh-in.  I was down to 192.6 lbs so I was down a little, but definitely not where I should be.  My waist was at 38", and everything else staid the same as well.  If I had followed everything the way I should I'd be down into the 180's.

Last week I worked out only 3 times. I was really down about my weigh-in on Tuesday that I began to self-sabotage, something I do way too often. I lost all motivation and just had no real desire to workout or eat right. On the plus side, I did complete the EA Sports Active cardio jump start!

We had a few drinks twice over the past week, and I swear that changes everything! My body has to work extra hard to detox from the alcohol and it just really sets me back! I'm going to have to keep myself to one drink on rare occasions.  I did do pretty good on Saturday with Sticking to vodka and cranberry for a good bit during the night.

I did have a few saving graces, though.  First off, I didn't have any junk in the house.  So while I didn't control my portions properly, what I was eating wasn't horrific.  When we ordered pizza, I chose one with lots of veggies on it.

This week I've rediscovered my motivation.  Sunday I sat down and re-worked my plan and made a detailed menu for the week!   It's already made a HUGE difference to know what I can eat and when to eat it.  The plan also forces me to get up earlier which helps me get more done throughout the day and sleep better at night.  I'm very curious to see what kind of difference getting a good nights sleep will make in my routine.  I'm also tracking everything I eat.  I have apps on my iPhone and iPad where I can put in what I eat.  That really helps a lot.

Help! Help!

I'll get my weigh in posted later today, but first I want to ask for your help.  Have you ever noticed the little grey icons on the bottom of each post? Those are there for you to help me get the word out about this little blog.

Scrolling over them you'll see there's one to email the post, link to the post on your Facebook Page, Google Plus, Twitter or Google Buzz.  PLEASE click those and let the world know you like my blog!  There's also a button on the left side tab to share the link for the whole blog--not just a single post--onto FB or Twitter!  You'll also see a Not Just a Little Fat logo with some funny looking text in a scrolling menu beneath it.  You can copy that text and add that Logo to your blog for your readers to see it!

You can also subscribe to the blog. You can either click one of the buttons on the left to subscribe via RSS feed.  Don't ask me about that one, though.  I haven't figured out RSS, yet.  Or you can subscribe via email.  This way, you'll get notified each time I add a new blog post.  AND you can share it when you get the updates :)

So please help me out and share with your friends!

Thanks in advance!

Product Review: Tone Fitness Kettle Bells Set of Three

I followed my own challenge and got my very first pair of kettle bells! I couldn't wait to get home and use them!

My journey for the perfect one lead me to Academy. I actually happened across this set way in the corner away from all the other KBs. It comes with three weights. 5 lb, 10 lb, and 15 lb. I think that's a great set for a beginner. The set was about $30. It also came with a DVD.

These are not a piece of metal dipped with some sort of coating to help grip it with like the more expensive ones are. They are a thick vinyl that has cement inside them that makes them weighted. They are definitely not the best quality, but I think they'll do for what I'll be using them for. If you're planning on using them to burn out or you're known to drop weights at the end of your reps, then I definitely don't recommend them. I find the grip to be pretty good on them. I haven't gotten in a super sweaty workout, but I never fealt like they were going to slip. If you ever do, then you might want to get some lifting gloves.

I had been watching workouts on YouTube, so I knew what kind of things to expect as far as a workout goes. I got home got my workout clothes on, then popped in the DVD ready to follow along for a workout. I was pretty disappointed to find it's not a workout so much as it is directions on how to do several of the more common KB exercises. Some of the exercises weren't even done with proper form. There were a few good tips, so it's worth the 20 minutes or so it takes to watch it. (check out Wednesday's workout for some instructions on the proper form!)

All in all I think this is a great set for beginners. They might not be the most durable but for someone that doesn't use them for every workout, and didnt even know if they would like KB workouts, they make a great starter set. I'd say if you're just getting curious about KBs and all they can do for you, then go ahead and get this set!

Weekly Menu

I thought this week I'd show you my weekly menu. I've been having a hard time sticking to the plan, just cause no matter what it is I have a hard time sticking to it and keeping motivated. So this is what I came up with for this week. I've also changed the plan a little bit to have 3 meals and 3 snacks all spread to be within 2-3 hours of each other.  Be sure to drink a full glass or bottle of water with each meal and one 30 minutes before and one after your workout.  That will help get the 8 glasses of water in.

I hope you can get a few meal ideas from this! And Please, PLEASE share yours! I love cooking new things!

*the number of exchanges for each meal are listed beside each one*

Breakfast: 1 carb, 1 protein, 1 fruit, 1 fat, 1 milk

• Vanilla Protein Shake made with Milk, blended with banana. A slice of toast with Peanut Butter
• English muffin with butter, 1 egg, cheese, 1 apple
• Smoothie made with milk, vanilla protein powder, banana, peanut butter, and 1 tsp honey
• Egg sandwich on English muffin with 1 T mayo, and yogurt mixed with strawberries
• Yogurt with a peach and granola, handful of almonds
• Yogurt with pumpkin, walnuts and granola

Snack 1: 1 carb, 1 vegetable

• Baked tortilla chips, salsa
• Rice and broccoli
• bell pepper and corn
• mix of corn and Tomatoes
• Mix of black beans and bell peppers.

Lunch: 2 carbs, 2 meats, 1 veg, 1 fruit, 1 fat, 1 milk

• Salad with croutons, chicken, ranch, tomatoes and cheese
• salad with tuna, ranch, tomatoes, cheese, croutons
• tuna salad sandwich (1 can tuna with 1 T mayo) Lettuce, celery; banana smoothie (1 c milk with 1 banana--or 1 serving of any other fruit)
• French Onion Soup topped with a Toasted, cheesy English muffin. (spread english muffin with 1tsp butter and cheese place under broiler until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly, sprinkle with a little garlic salt); Banana
• Turkey Sandwich with Mayo, mustard, lettuce; yogurt with peach
• 2 tacos (with leftover fajita meat) with tomato, cheese, meat, lettuce and sour cream

Snack 2 (this is a hard one lol): 1 meat, 1 veg

• Almonds and Broccoli Flourettes
• Ham (lunch meat) and Cauliflower
• peanut butter and celery
• hummus and carrots (hummus also counts as a carb you'll have to pull from somewhere else--most likely dinner)
• Slice of Turkey Sandwich meat, tomato

Dinner: 3 carbs, 2 meats, 2 veg, 1 fruit, 2 fats

• White Chicken Chili (made from McCormick Seasoning mix, just follow recipe on package) with crackers (6), cheese, bell pepper and tomato
• Hamburger helper with green beans, carrots and watermelon
• Whole Wheat Spaghetti with ground turkey, sauce, mushrooms, onions (cook the mushrooms and onions with the meat as you're browning it, add the sauce while the noodles are boiling). Strawberry shortcake.
• Turkey Meatloaf with mac and cheese, green beans (I'll get the recipe posted soon. Veggies are cooked into it so I only added one). strawberry shortcake for dessert (slice of angel food cake, sugar free cool whip, strawberries)
• Baked Fish, Mac and Cheese, sweet potato fries, cauliflower. Cantaloupe
• Chicken Fajitas with onion, bell pepper, sour cream, beans and strawberries
• Hibachi chicken, fried rice, watermelon

Snack 3: 1 milk, 1 fruit, 1 carb

• Yogurt with granola and strawberries
• Smoothie: 1 cup milk, 1 tsp honey, 1 fruit of any kind (Ice can be added if your blender can handle it)
• Strawberries with slice of angel food cake and yogurt
• Whole grain cereal (look for one not loaded with sugar or high fructose corn syrup and with no partially hydrogenated oils!), with milk, add fruit of your choice
• Strawberry shortcake with REAL whipped cream, just measure carefully, go sugar free or sweeten with stevia. You'll have to take a fat from somewhere else that day

Alright, so that's it for the week! Who said you have to starve to eat healthy? Like I said before, please let me know what your meal ideas are! I'm so unoriginal when it comes to ideas lol. I'll get more recipes added to the recipes page for the ones not linked on here.

You can email me at lilly.bunns.boutique@gmail.com if you'd like a copy of my grocery list.

This just plain sucks.

Maybe you checked in today wondering what my progress was. I'm sad to say my weight is up :(. I really just want to cry. All week I didn't eat the wayi should. But my workouts were spot on. It just goes to show you you can't out exercise a bad diet.

There were a few times where I ate too much of high calorie foods. For the most part, however, I just didn't eat enough or often enough. My body just chose to hold on to it.

Of course the eating high calorie foods happened over the weekend. So by the time Monday rolled around my weight was stagnant at 193 and my weight this morning was at 194. Now, there are a few things that have made me bloat, but there really should be a significant loss. Plus if I had been following the diet well, I would be much less likely to bloat. I was down to 192 on Sunday.

So learn from my wagon fall, and follow these few tips. Keep on keeping on even if you've fallen off the wagon, just get back up and start again. Of course not falling off is best, though. Keep the fridge stocked. As long as I have a steady flow of healthy snacks I was able to curb cravings, bloat, and keep my energy levels up.

Weekly Challenge: Buy Workout Gear

I don't know about you, but I'm always ready to use something I've just bought.  Whenever I get home from shopping trips, the first thing I want to do is put on my new clothes.  Whenever I buy workout gear, I can't wait to get home and try it out.  So my challenge to you is to get some new gear!

You don't have to go out and spend a fortune.  Maybe you just spend 15 bucks on a new sports bra like the Danskin Now one I reviewed.  Or maybe you want to shell out some dough and get a treadmill.  I don't care what you go for, just get something that you want to use BAD.

I've been doing a lot of research on kettle bells.  I'm really wanting one.  It looks like such a great way to get a good cardio workout at the same time as using weights.  So, I'm getting one this weekend and I'm sure I'll want to rush home to use it!