Ups and downs

Since my last post, my weight was all over the board! It was never lower than 155, but at night it was up to 158.5! My thyroid meds have been adjusted and I'm guessing that had a little to do with my changes in weight. I was also really ridiculously busy and most likely didn't drink enough water on a daily basis and didn't "hit it hard" like I said I would! So my hubby and I talked about doing another raw/green cleanse this coming week! I have my 15 year highschool reunion coming up the day after Thanksgiving, and I sure would like to look good for it. Actually, more important than that, I want to feel good...back to my old self (pre crazy thyroid stuff)!! I promise to post again on Sunday to give you the gameplan for my next cleanse! I'd love any encouragement you want to send my way! Thank you!! And I hope you are doing well on whatever journey you are on.Whether it be weight or something entirely different, I'd love to be able to encourage you somehow!

Down one more!

So happy to be down one more pound! I'm going to hit it hard this week to see if I can drop at least two more by next Monday. I'll post my strategy tonight! UPDATE: Life got in the way...I'll be posting my strategy sometime "soon"!

Slow and steady

Well, it has been a little while since my last post, but I have slowly been dropping a half pound here and a half pound there! And I'm glad to report that I am now down a total of 20 pounds from my high water mark of 177! I started this blog at 170, so I've lost 13 since 7/10/11!
It has not been all downhill. Some days I wake up and I'm a pound or 3 up, but most likely it is always due to water weight...ie. I had too much salty food and/or didn't consume enough water the day before. It is funny how that works. If you drink more water you retain less water! Making sure you drink at VERY minimum 8 - 8oz glasses of water each day is essential to healthy weight loss.
So, I've been having some thoughts on perspective lately and I will try to post on that real soon!
I can tell you I am thrilled to be headed into the holiday "eating season" 20 pounds down. This will give me just the motivation I need to keep plugging away and not succumb to overeating of Halloween candy, Thanksgiving goodies, and Christmas yummieness! How great will it be to see January 1st, 2012 almost at my goal weight...INSTEAD of just starting!
I hope some of this may help you find just the motivation you need to start becoming a healthier you!

ahhhh so excited...150's here I come!

THRILLED!

Too bad you can't see me jumping around in this picture, but I am just thrilled beyond belief! It has been far too long since I've seen the 150's and I couldn't be happier to even be on the highest end!

It's working! All my effort is paying off! I've been exercising at least 3 times per week. I've been eating at least 51% (a little more than half) raw fruits and vegetables each day. I've been starting myself off each day with a healthy meal (a green smoothie or homemade granola with fat free plain greek yogurt and strawberries or 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of whole wheat toast and fruit)...then lunch is something like a can of tuna with 1 T light mayo and an apple cubed up (all mixed together) or black beans with cheese and a medium sized salad and dinner has been something simple 1 protein (4-6 oz), 2 veggies, 1 unrefined carb (like a baked potato or quinoa etc.) and 1 fruit (as "dessert")! Then when I have a snack, I am choosing something unprocessed, like a handful of almonds, some celery with homemade peanut butter, 1 small salad, a plate of tomatoes and avocado...etc. For me, much of the key to this process has been KEEPING IT SIMPLE! My birthday is September 20th and I am hoping to see 155 by that date! I know that is kind of a lofty goal, as I have been on the 1 pound per week track, but I am going to work out hard, stay consistent with my eating and pray! :)

By the way, sorry for the delay in posting, but I just started on the 18th homeschooling my daughter for the first time! It has been great, but certainly has kept me busy! Now I think we are getting into our groove! :)

Down another lub!

So, it may not seem like much, but yesterday I hoped on the scale to find that I was down another half pound and then this morning, the other half pound was gone!!! Totaling another ONE pound lost! What this means to me is that I am one step closer to seeing the 150's! It has been far too long since I have seen them! So, I'm still 31 pounds away from my goal, but keeping in mind that my high was 177 and now I'm 161...I'm THRILLED!
What am I doing you might ask?
Well, it's nothing complicated and I'm not being overly rigid, but I am making healthy choices.
I'm making sure that over half (even just 51%) of what I consume everyday is fresh raw fruits and vegetables! It's not too tough...just look at your plate and make sure that a little more than half is something colorful and fresh! Also, it's important that you don't just eat fruit and forget about the veggies, because to your body the fruit is still a "sugar". Yes, it is good for you, but too much of it can slow down your results.
Also, I am avoiding highly processed foods! There are lots of different definitions for "processed food", but for me that means if there are more than 5 ingredients in something or if I couldn't spell the ingredients in a spelling bee, then I don't eat it! So, now I'm paying more attention to the ingredients label on packages! For example, I wanted to make my own homemade peanut butter and saw that you needed 1 ingredient to do so: unsalted dry roasted peanuts. I went to the store and picked up a jar of Planters peanuts (thinking it was a good name brand) and was horrified when I turned the jar around to look at the label! Seriously people...these are just NUTS...why on earth does all that other junk need to be in there??? MSG? Yeast? Gelatin? ahhhh... (Peanuts, salt, sugar, cornstarch, monosodium glutamate, corn syrup solids, torula yeast, gelatin, paprika, onion and garlic powders, spices, natural flavor.)

Then, to my relief, Trader Joes came through in the clutch providing me with unsalted dry roasted peanuts with just 2 ingredients...peanuts and oil!

Anyhow, the importance of what I'm saying is you don't know what you are eating unless you look at the label. Do you really want all that extra stuff put into your body, especially when there are better alternatives?
Ok, so I do have to say that it is also important not to become obsessive and drive everyone in your life crazy! I don't push this on anyone else, but I am trying to teach my children to make healthy choices, without depriving them of occasional treats! If we are in someone else's home and they offered my child a snack, I am not going to ask to see the label, in fact I'll probably let them eat it. I never want it to be a case of "my mommy says I can't have it". One processed snack isn't going to "ruin" my kids. It is all about learning to make good choices and it is not worth losing friends or making people feel awkward! Bottom line is that it's not a matter of what my family "can" or "can't" eat, it is a matter of choosing to buy food for our home that is healthy for our bodies!

No Change and Total exposure!

Hey there! No change this week. I guess that is better than an upward change, but I definitely have not been "perfect" in my choices this week either. Nothing terrible, but there were 2 nights (one of which was tonight) that I ate after 7pm and for me that just needs to be the absolute non negotiable. Also, I only ran 2 times last week. I did manage to stay away from any added salt, so that was an accomplishment!!! :)
I am anxious to get my next blood test to see where my levels are with my hypothyroidism! I've had some "symptoms" this week, like feeling cold, and considering it has been in the upper 90's this past week...that is not normal! With approval of my doctor, I'd like to complete another smoothie, raw or fresh juice cleanse. I felt so amazing after I did the first one and it proved to have remarkable results, that were not just loss of water weight or I would have gained it all back by now!!!
One thought for the day...just because you make one bad eating choice, that doesn't mean the rest of the day needs to go down the tubes! In other words, you succumbed to a chocolate chip cookie, a big bowl of ice cream, a bag of chips or even a lack of eating, you can still eat well for the reminder of the day!!! I promise you will feel much better if you say, oops that was one little blip and move on, than if you binge for the rest of the day. Trust me, I've been there! I was there TONIGHT! It all started with not eating a complete enough meal for breakfast, so the remainder of the day I have felt "deprived"...almost like I needed to catch up on the calories that I missed. So, I ate a good dinner...homemade cashew stir-fry and organic texmati brown rice, finished off by some homemade sorbet. That is where I should have quit, but then over the next 3 hours I had some (probably 1/4 cup) dark chocolate covered edamame, then a handful of organic mini cheese crackers, then 1 light string cheese stick, 1 small tomato, 5 pretzels, 1 marshmallow and 1 bowl of cheerios with strawberries/blueberries and skim milk! Holy Crap! That is embarrassing to write! Trust me I didn't think about writing it as I was eating it! Yeesh! Really, that is just gross! Well, I can tell you that if I have to write another episode like that down again it most certainly won't happen...and since that is the purpose of my blog (to hold me accountable) I am going to remember how yucky it made me feel to type this all for the world  (or whoever reads this blog) to see! Totally disgusted with myself! The good news is the other night that I ate late (Friday night), I only ate an egg with cheese, 1 tomato and 1 piece of toast!  Since being diagnosed with hypothyroid 5 weeks ago, I had only had one glass of wine, until Friday night when I had 3, over several hours...but they definitely affected me! So, when we walked back home, I felt like eating something would be wise! It was wise, but what I learned that evening was that if I want to lose this weight badly enough...I can't drink anything at all, because all it will make me do is eat more than I should!
So, that was my week!
Here is to a better week and new goals!
1. Exercise  4 days this week (run-Tues/Thurs & strength training Wed/Fri)
2. Absolutely NO eating after dinner (ie. nothing after 7, except water)
3. Out of my daily 3 meals and 1 or 2 snacks, make sure at least 51% of my intake comes from raw fruits and veggies)

Feel free to check in and hold me accountable!
Are you working on anything new this week, whether your diet or life in general? I'd love to know and help if I can!

A little compliment...

...goes a long way! Tonight while I was out to eat with my family, I ran into a friend that I have not seen since school let out at the beginning of June. Well, she noticed that I had lost weight!!! I can not even begin to explain how great that made me feel! I've been struggling for so long as the weight kept creeping on (partly due to my ridiculous hypothyroid problem that I was unaware of) and trying so hard to get the weight to come off, that hearing one person notice that I looked different was such a huge encouragement to me!! It was far more encouraging than any number on the scale. It was way better than being criticized for a food choice made. And it had a lot more meaning than someone simply saying "good job".  It gave me an added boost! Just what I needed to keep plugging along. It actually made me want to go home and run a few miles...seriously, but it was raining! Oh, and if you don't know me...I hate to run, so that was big!
I can guarantee that tomorrow will be a good day! I'm gonna get my butt out of bed and head downstairs early to get a workout in before the kids get up and maybe even take a run in the evening after my hubby gets home!
So, if you see someone out that looks great...TELL THEM! It could help them get over their next hurdle!
I had not yet worked out this week, but I have stayed away from the salt grinder!
In fact, I had to make a conscious choice to NOT put salt on my tomatoes (which I usually do)...so that was a success!
Now onto more successes and more lubs dropped!!!

Exercise and Salt

So, it looks like I will be down one more pound for the week. I was hoping for more, but I guess I can't complain.
Now, I need to start working out regularly. It has been a while since I have followed a routine. This might be the biggest hurdle for me. I have such a hard time convincing myself to work out when there always seems like something else I could be doing with my time. I know it is needed...I guess! I just hate it! I don't have this love for working out like some people do. I'm frankly not sure how that love even grows in people!
Also, I have realized that I need to cut out the added salt to much of what I eat.
In doing the raw cleanse this was one of the things that they talk about and how it is such an addiction to many of us. I don't put salt on everything, but I do like it...probably more than I should!
So, this upcoming week I'm going to put away the salt grinder and turn on my DVD to do some at home workouts! I hope I'm successful and I can drop another lub or 2! :) What are your goals for the week?

Cashew Cream/Dressing

This recipe can be used with the raw lasagna or to dip raw veggie sticks into for snacking. It is creamy and refreshing! Plus, it is always nice knowing exactly what is in something you are eating!

Ingredients:
1/2 C raw cashew nuts
1/4 (or less) water
1/2 sprig of basil (I would NOT recommend subbing dry basil here)
1/2 sprig of dill (or 1/4 t dried dill)
1 T lemon juice
pinch of sea salt

Directions:
Blend cashews to a flour like consistency in blender or food processor, then add 2 T water to start. Add spices, lemon juice and salt. Add 1 T at a time of additional water until desired consistency.

Recipe slightly adapted from: "Raw Food" by Erica Palmcrantz and Irmela Lilja

Marinara Sauce

You can use this as a lasagna sauce or as it's own side dish with whole grain pasta.

Ingredients:
2 whole tomatoes
5-6 sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 red or orange bell pepper
2 t EVOO
1 T fresh basil OR 1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency. I like mine a little chunky. This sauce last for 3 days in the refrigerator

Raw Lasagna

I fixed this recipe for my husband and I after the kids went to bed, thinking that I would probably be the only one eating it. Well, to my surprise my hubby loved it! He even took leftovers to work the next day! He said that he would NOT pick up a slice of raw zucchini to eat, so I was pretty amazed. I also enjoyed it!

Ingredients:
1 T EVOO
2 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise (I used a mandolin, you can also use a potato peeler)
1/2 package of spinach (about 2 packed cups)
Homemade marinara (recipe to follow, but this is what made it so yummy)
1 or 2 avocados, sliced

Directions:
Put spinach with a few Tablespoons of water in a food processor or blender and pulse until it becomes a sauce. Set spinach sauce aside in small bowl.
Cover the bottom of a rectangular baking dish with 1/3 marinara and layer about a third of the zucchini slices on top of the sauce.
Top with avocado slices, then put half of spinach sauce over avocado.
Continue with more zucchini slices and alternate remaining ingredients with marinara being the last layer on top.
Serve and Enjoy!

NOTE: You may also add a cashew "cheese" in between layers if desired or cashew cream (recipe to follow)


Recipe adapted from: "Raw Food" by Erica Palmcrantz and Irmela Lilja

Homemade Granola

Thanks to my dear friend Keli, I now have a wonderful recipe for homemade granola. I have tried many many recipes and haven't been to thrilled with any of them. A few of them were ok, but this one is absolutely awesome...so great that I'm not sure I will ever buy store bought granola again! I hope you enjoy it also!

Ingredients:
4 cups rolled oats (I used thick organic oats)
1 cup shredded or chipped coconut
1 cup nuts of choice, chopped coarse (I used walnuts)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil or 1 stick butter (I used coconut oil)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

To stir in AFTER baking:
1 cup dried fruits (cranberries, cherries, apricots, raisins, etc.) optional...(I did NOT use any)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, silpat or grease.
In a large bowl combine oats, coconut, nuts and salt
The directions call to melt butter or oil in saucepan and blend remaining ingredients into oil, then pour over dry ingredients, but I skipped this step and dumped everything into the large bowl by accident. Fortunately, it turned out great.
Spread onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes (min took about 40 minutes), stirring every 5 minutes until golden brown. Do not overbake!
When it comes out of the oven it will still seem soft, but as long as it is nicely golden brown in color it should crisp up nicely upon cooling.
Place baking sheet on wire rack to cool. Once the granola has completely cooled, stir in dried fruit if desired and store in airtight container or plastic bag. It will keep for several weeks.

Makes about 5 cups of Granola
NOTE: Recipe from http://www.cookingforseven.com

Today's Menu

Now 4 days after successfully completing the raw/green smoothie cleanse I am continuing to make healthy choices. Surprisingly to me, it hasn't been too difficult. It does require thought and staying ahead of my hunger! That is one thing I have learned...don't allow yourself to get too hungry without having a plan or temptation could get the best of you! Grab an apple, a stick of celery, a cup of low fat cottage cheese, or 8 oz of water before you grab a handful of chips or cookies! It is amazing how water can fill in the gap sometimes and most of us don't drink enough water on a regular basis anyhow, so it would be great to drink an extra glass or 2 each day...I know I was guilty of this (and am now slowly getting better). :)
So, on to today's menu:
Breakfast-1 cup 0% fat greek yogurt, 1/2 cup homemade granola (recipe to follow) and 1 cup sliced strawberries
NOTE: I left the house so I took a Trio bar and 32oz. of water with me in case I got hungry (I did NOT end up eating the Trio bar, but drank all of the water)
Lunch - 1 baked potato with 1 t butter, 1 t light sour cream and 1 wedge of chipotle laughing cow cheese
Snack - 1 whole roasted beet with goat cheese crumbles and 1/4 cup light wheat thins
Dinner - 3 slices of grilled eggplant with EVOO, 1/2 cup cooked quinoa and 1 small romaine and spinach salad with avocado, onion and 1 strawberry sliced with 1 T fat free organic poppyseed dressing.
Throughout the day I had 64 oz of water total.
I felt satisfied today and one step closer to a few inches smaller! :)

A new kind of typical

Since the green smoothie fast I have found myself with a new kind of typical. One of my biggest challenges used to be finding something healthy to eat in the middle of the day when I am busy preparing food for my 2 children, trying to clean up after them and trying to get SOMETHING accomplished during the day. Somehow, what I ate and how I took care of myself always took the back seat position. I would preach to my kids about making healthy choices, then scarf down a handful of pretzels or maybe a bowl of cereal and call it a meal. Well, since I learned that green smoothies don't taste so bad, they are really good for you, and they are quick to prepare...they are now an everyday part of my diet! They take the place when I find myself hungry, but lacking time to prepare an entire plate of food. I can blend something up and take it with me in the car. I actually might say I crave green smoothies now!
A typical day of eating before the cleanse consisted of lots of carbs, a no holds bar sweet tooth and maybe a decent dinner with a vegetable...followed by various snacks after dinner! I always thought we ate healthy and probably compared to much of the USA we did. But we were designed to eat far more fruits and vegetables than we consume.
Anyhow, last night I took the kids out to Jason's Deli. I ordered a chicken wrap and was only able to consume half. I also got a fruit cup, instead of the chips that were supposed to come with it and I passed up the free ice cream that I would usually put in a large cup to be able to eat as much as I could! How did I do this? Well, it wasn't will power. I didn't even want it! It is really absolutely crazy, but the cleanse did something to my system to reduce my craving and change my desires.
I think since the cleanse allowed me to drop 7 pounds, I am more determined than ever to keep it off and keep dropping more lubs!

Peach Pie Recipe

Everyone that tasted this pie enjoyed it! I was truly surprised, as this whole "raw" thing is still very new to me. I would definitely make this again! It was terrific!!!

Crust:
1 3/4 cup raw almonds
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
4-5 dried dates
2 T honey
1 T almond or canola oil

Filling:
4 peaches
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 T coconut flakes
4 dried dates
1 T honey

Directions:
Finely chop the almonds in a food processor or Vita-Mix.
Add the rest of the crust ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Spread the dough out evenly on the bottom of a pie dish.
Put 2 peaches in the food processor or Vita-Mix. When they are finely chopped, add the rest of the filling ingredients, EXCEPT for the last 2 peaches. Blend thoroughly, and remove from processor.
Slice the remaining 2 peaches and mix with filling mixture. Stir gently by hand.
Pour filling into pie dish.
Garnish with mint sprig if desired.

Recipe slightly adapted from: "Raw Food" by Erica Palmcrantz and Irmela Lilja

What does a 7 day green smoothie - raw cleanse look like?

I followed the "raw diva" cleanse, which men can also do! This is a link to the materials page, which will help you make better (for your stomach) smoothie combinations and teach you some of the basics of raw eating. http://www.therawdivas.com/7daydetox/downloads.php
I chose to do mainly green smoothies during my cleanse out of ease.
I only ate 3 "meals" a day, but you must consider that each smoothie was approximately 24 ounces.
The night before starting at 7pm I did a 24 hour water ONLY fast. You are supposed to break the fast at 7pm the following night with a single fruit dinner. Melon is what they encourage you to eat that night. That is what I did. I ate 1 whole medium sized cantaloupe for dinner, drank more water, then went to bed.
The next morning I would start consuming 3 green smoothies per day!
NOTE: When making smoothies add at least 2 ounces of water to the blender and more after blended when necessary, as the smoothies can get quite thick the longer they sit. I liked to put my smoothies in a large 32 oz. Nalgene bottle, then add a bit of water and shake as my smoothie thickened.
My second day consisted of:
Breakfast green smoothie #1 - 3 bananas, 2 handfuls of spinach and 1 handful parsley!
Lunch green smoothie #2 - 3 kale leaves, 1 carrot, 1 stick of celery and one granny smith apple. (not the yummiest)
Dinner green smoothie #3 - (a treat for gulping down all of smoothie #2) 2 1/2 peaches, 8 strawberries, and enough spinach to stuff the blender full! Delicious!

Other things eaten during the remaining 5 days were:
Green smoothie: 4 large kale leaves, 5 strawberries and 1 1/2 cup blueberries
Green smoothie: 1 celery stick, 1 peach, 1 golden delicious apple, and a blender full spinach! I'm enjoyed this one!
Green smoothie: 1 handful of romaine lettuce, 1 handful spinach, 1 celery stick, 3 inches of cucumber, 1 peach, and 1 golden delicious apple (same as above, just romaine and cucumber added and it was still good)
Favorite smoothie: 1 mango, 1 chunk pineapple, 1/4 cup shredded coconut and the remaining part of the blender packed with as much spinach as I could fit!
I also ate a plate of avocado, tomatoes and cucumber simply sliced as one meal.

On day six we were planning to have a cookout with some friends who would be eating burgers, hotdogs, chicken, salmon, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies...so I prepared in advance!
I marinated a portabello mushroom in some organic garlic/apple cider vinegar dressing, along with some sweet red bell peppers. I had some cucumber, tomato and carrot sticks. For dessert I ate fresh watermelon and I prepared a raw peach pie (recipe to follow). I was completely satisfied and felt great that I averted the various temptations.
If you choose to do the cleanse you can tailor it to your needs, but remember that whatever you eat, it must grow naturally from the ground and be in a raw state. I chose not to eat any nuts or add any sweeteners, except for what was in the peach pie on day 6, because I wanted to get the maximum benefit from the cleanse.
I'll tell you after the 7 days were over, I felt terrific!!! I have more energy and just feel more vibrant!
I will continue to incorporate green smoothies into my every day life as I work to drop the remaining 33 pounds!

Dropping Lubs

As my 6 year old daughter was learning about sharks and reading their stats, she commented on how it was amazing that one shark could weigh 3,000 "lubs". She was phonetically reading the lbs! It made me laugh, so I decided to put a lub tracker on the top of the page. Lets drop some lubs friends! :)

1 year 9 months later!

After 1 year and 9 months, I was STILL struggling with my weight! Lacking motivation to exercise. Lacking self discipline to eat properly. And here I am fatter than I was before.
With a recent diagnosis of hypothyroid and the viewing of a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead...I finally was spurred on to action!
I'm up 40 pounds from what my target weight really should be and feeling lousy to boot!
So, last Sunday night 7.10.11 (weighing in at 170 lbs), I started a 7 day green smoothie/raw food cleanse. I successfully completed it last night and weighed in at 163! I finally have done it...I finally jump started my weight loss...I finally have less cravings...I finally have more motivation...I'm finally ready to make a FOREVER change. 1 year and 9 months (maybe sooner) from today I hope to post a hot picture...not a fat picture! No more excuses!