Fitness? You mean fitness whole pizza in my mouth?

First things first, I have not written in a year and a half…and for that I am sorry.  I recently started a new job.  While I was at a meeting, someone came up to me and asked if I was Brian's fiancé.  I told her yes and she asked me when I was going to start writing my blog again.  I never met her and was shocked that someone other than my group of friends, and family, actually read it.  I knew I needed to start writing again, but I kept making excuses.  I woke up this morning with the need to write and update everyone as many things have changed. 

I think the two biggest things that have happened in the past 1.5 years are my engagement to the ever lovable, and adorable, Brian, and I finally found my fitness home - Burn Boot Camp.  

Brian proposed last September while we were in Baltimore, MD.  It is actually a funny proposal story, but I will save that for another time...especially since it has to do with food.

I wanted to take the time to write this post and tell you all about boot camp and how it has changed my life.  When I first started writing this blog, my main goal was to get into a good fitness routine and start toning up the body.  I walked in there on a hot June afternoon and I fell in love with it instantly.  It was hard, it pushed me to the brink, I was sore for days, but I kept going back for more.  I quickly got the hang of the intensity and in a few short weeks saw some big differences.  My weight was staying the same, but the toning started and I loved the results.

I have been there for almost a year and not only has it changed my body, but it has changed my mindset, too.  I went from hating exercise and feeling like it was a chore, to loving it and knowing that what I am doing is beneficial to my health.  I have more stamina (well, up until about 930pm and I pretty much pass out from pure exhaustion), my strength is tenfold, and my overall outlook on life has changed. 

I can carry 80 lbs worth of dirt; I can throw around a huge jug of laundry detergent as if it almost weighs nothing.  I’ll never forget the day I picked up a huge pumpkin and tried to guess its weight.  I was all, “it’s probably 10 lbs.”  It ended up being 20 lbs.  Ha!!  The kids had a field day with that and exclaimed, “it’s because you’re so strong, mommy!” 

As far as my results go, as of April 22^nd I have lost 10lbs and almost 10% body fat.  Which, in my book, is awesome.  I’ve lost countless inches all around my body (actually, it’s not countless.  They’ve been counted, I just can’t remember…giggle). 

Oh, and the friendships.  That may need to be another blog, but let me tell you all that the relationships I’ve made have been absolutely worth it.  I love my tribe, my support system, my Burn Sisters. 

Now, as always, I’ll list my food for today.  And sorry, y’all…no pizza this go ‘round.  I’ve been much better with my cheats and plan to reign it in even more on June 1^st.  Whole30 here I come…again! 

Before boot camp (5am): Aldi’s brand Laura bar.

After camp (630am): protein shake

Breakfast: two hard-boiled eggs and a banana

Snack: deli ham (no nitrates…etc) and hummus

Lunch: half a roasted chicken with a steamed yellow potato and raw carrots

Snack: ¼ cup of almonds and ½ cups of pineapple

Dinner: whole chicken in the crockpot, lima beans, and another veggie that has yet to be determined. 

Karen and I after my very first 5k!!!  We finished it in 34ish minutes.  Such an accomplishment!   

This is me, begging, pleading....

I need everyone to sit down and read this.  Read into it, don't read into it, do what you will with the information I'm about to provide for you.

Listen, this isn't my first rodeo.  I've gained weight, I've lost weight, I've gained weight, and now I've lost weight...the weight has finally stayed off.  It's been ONE YEAR since I hit my goal weight and I am so happy and excited that I finally figured out that friggin' healthy eating actually DOES work.  I haven't had a McDonald's cheeseburger in 20+ months, or their fries.  I will admit to eating two burrito supremes from Taco Bell, but honestly, two in 20 months is a huge feat...at least for me it is!

Anyway, here's the deal.  If you start this journey, clean eating, healthy eating, whatever you want to call it, you HAVE to stick with it.  If you don't, you'll gain every ounce of weight back.  This is NOT a diet, this is not temporary...it's a life style change.  Once you jump on this ride, you're in it for life, unless you want to ruin all of your progress.

This is why I HIGHLY recommend cheat meals.  One to two per weekend should suffice.  Get that pasta in there, get the sugar in there, get the pizza in there...be bad.  That is totally fine.  The scale may go up a pound or two, but you'll end up losing that the following week, I promise.  Just, be aware of what you're eating.  I wouldn't cheat with a hamburger from McDonald's, at all.  If I'm going to cheat, I want the real deal...I want real food...food with cream in it, and butter.  This past weekend I had Eggplant Parmesan and a side of Alfredo fettuccine noodles...it was fantastic.  There were also tacos added into my weekend somewhere, as well (the innards of the taco are ok, the flour shells, however are no bueno...so those are always a treat for me).

If you go, say, a month without eating anything other than real, clean, healthy food please don't be surprised if you go for your first cheat meal (by the way, I lasted two months until I went for my first cheat meal), you eat it and you're almost instantly sick.  Whether it be throwing up or you're on the pot for a while throughout the day.  Pizza is my kryptonite.  It's the one thing I consistently use as a cheat.  I will eat it and almost always regret I ate it.  Also, if I have too much sugar in a cheat day, my tummy is NEVER happy...ever.  Oh, and I also rarely drink any alcohol.  I've paid attention to my body and when I drink it, it's very, very hard to get the weight off the following week.

So, do this for me - I need you all, who are trying this thing out, to please, please, please don't give up.  Honestly, it works...this whole being healthy thing is actually pretty great.  Remember several posts back when I gave you the run down of everything that's different about my body?  My hair and nails grow insanely fast, my skin is the clearest it's ever been....the weight loss!!  So many more positive things have changed, as well, and it honestly scares me to lose all the progress I've made.  I loved the old me, I have/had great self esteem, but I felt heavy and I knew I deserved a long, prosperous, and healthy life...I have so much more to give to the world and so do you!!!

If you take one thing away from this, please just be aware of what you're doing to your body and how it will impact everything when you make changes...good or bad.  Stay strong, people...you got this!!!

As for my food list today:

*8am - 2 hard boiled eggs and a banana (I'm reducing down to two to see what it'll do...if anything).
*10am - banana (I need to cut up my watermelon and buy more strawberries).
*12pm - grilled asparagus and baked Greek chicken.
*2pm - 3.5 cups of air popped popcorn.
*6pm - grilled shrimp with broccoli and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Say "cheese"...spread!

Oh my word!  While at the grocery store yesterday my children were trying every single free sample the grocery store had out.  They went from fruit, to lunch meat, to cheese, to cookies...and then my daugher asked to try some pretzels that were situated by a free sample of this cheese spread that no one really thought two licks about...until my daughter asked to try that, as well.  She did and she kept going back for more.  I looked at the label and figured I could at least try it...y'all, it was AMAZING!!

I've always been open about eating and loving cheese (it's really the only dairy I ingest), within reason, of course.  Honestly, I wouldn't call it "clean," as it has cream in it...etc.  However, it's low calorie and has zero sugars and very low carbs, so I bought it and have 2 tbsp of it here with me, today.  I'll be eating the cheese spread with carrots, naturally.  I was so excited for my 10am snack time today.  Ha!

Anyway, the kids are off with my parents this weekend so I have a few day to myself, which will be nice, but super weird.  I've been so busy with back to school stuff, for both them and me.  My fall semester starts August 17th and the kids start August 24th.  I cannot believe the summer is over.  We took some great trips, saw some awesome things, and spent a good amount of family time together.  Once again, though, the daily grind will come and we'll all be too busy to really stop and smell the roses.  I'm hoping this Fall/Winter we will all be able to get in that good quality time, so it doesn't seem like a blur, like it usually does.  Life is seriously flying by these days.   

So, that cheese spread, it's this:  http://www.alouettecheese.com/products/flame-roasted-red-peppers-soft-spreadable-cheese  If you need a new veggie dip or something to spread on your lettuce sandwich wraps, I HIGHLY suggest this.  Yum!  Measure it out, though...don't do it blind, or you'll eat too much of it, I promise, it is THAT good.

Last, but not least (and always my favorite part) is my food list for the day...yeah!!

*8am - 3 hard boiled eggs and a peach
*10am - 12 baby carrots and 2 tbsp of the above mentioned cheese
*12pm - roasted pork tenderloin and steamed brussel sprouts
*2pm - 9 strawberries
*6pm - I'mma going out and I believe I'm having the grilled mahi tacos.

I hope you all have an awesome Friday and an even better weekend!!  Peace out, my homies...and much love!!

P.S.  If you wanna try that cheese spread out, it's on sale, BOGO, at Harris Teeter (if you're a local) until next Tuesday.  

I've been a bad, bad girl.....

There are these days, these niches in time where you just need comfort.  You want your mommy and your blankie and you want to curl up and hide away from the world.  

Yesterday ended up being that horrible day, for me.  It was so bad that I ended up eating the world's largest carb filled dinner.  Well, at least "large" in my book.  Let me tell you this, though, it wasn't planned, it just happened.  The bright side?  I didn't over eat, though, thank goodness...there wasn't that immediate regret, or that "stuffed to the gill" feeling.

So, here's the thing, there are days when you need something more, you need a hug so big that it just envelops you.  You need someone on your side, your cheerleader, to let you know that you're ok and what you're feeling is completely valid.  These days, for me, come few far and in between, but last night I hit a wall.  I hit this emotional wall and all of my strength was gone.  I needed, no, I wanted something greater...I needed to be bad.  When cooking dinner I had a plan, I was going to do frozen veggies and chicken, no biggie.  However, I ran out of pots after making everything else (for the kids and boyfriend), so, I said "freak it."  Freak those frozen veggies...I ended up having one taste of those homemade creamy and buttery mashed potatoes and my world came tumbling down into a fantastic carb induced dinner...and it was delicious.  Not my usual drug of choice, but it's just what my mind and body needed. I browned chicken and then baked it, I took the leftover juices from the chicken and I made white gravy (sawmill gravy if you're from the South), homemade mashed potatoes...with cream AND butter, and a box of stove-top stuffing (for the boyfriend)....oh, wait, sweet corn, as well.  I ate it and I savored it and I thought to myself, "self, this weekend you'll do amazing wonderful 'clean' things, but today, tonight, during this very meal, you're going to eat the crap out of some good home cookin' and you'll be fine!"

This is why I'm writing this:  I woke up this morning and I looked the same in the mirror, I wasn't 40lbs heavier, my dress zipped up.  That one night of carb filled goodness did not do me in.  I'm still me, I'm still Kristi, and I'm still eating healthy!  I woke up this morning, made my eggs, ate my banana and had a very healthy lunch, and will soon eat my strawberries.  This is because I'm disciplined, this is because I know that I'm not perfect.  We all mess up at some point and although I wouldn't call this a "doozie" screw up, I'd essentially admit that I really let the day get to me, but in all honesty, I needed to do something out of the ordinary for once.  Screwing up is ok, I promise.  One meal with homemade mashed potatoes won't ruin the past 20 months of my life...uh-uh, no way...I'm stronger than that.

I think the only regret I have is not taking a picture of the meal and sharing it...ha!

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a fantastic week and you're all hanging in there.  Remember, you are strong enough, you have the discipline, you ARE worthy of the life you lead. 

MIA? I think NOT!

Sorry, y'all...I swear I'm not MIA or AWOL.  I took Tuesday off and spent it with my daughter...running errands, dentist appointments, and ice cream...you know, the usual.  My excuse for yesterday, well, meetings, meetings, and it was my night with the boyfriend...so instead of wrting, we spent family time together.

I know, I know...how could you go an entire week without writing?  Well, I've been super-de-duper busy, y'all!  I did, however, promise a brand new recipe and I'm here to, finally, share it with you all.

Who doesn't love seafood?  When you eat the way I do seafood is an amazing option; it's always lean, very low in calories (well, depending on how you prepare it), and has such amazing flavor.  This week I was craving shrimp, but not just any shrimp...I needed, I wanted...shrimp scampi.  Here's what I came up with:
  

Shrimp Scampi

1 lbs uncooked shrimp
2 tbsp garlic
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (I used organic)
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp Italian seasonings
black pepper and sea salt to taste

Add the olive oil to a hot pan and then add the garlic, let it simmer for a couple of minutes (make sure it doesn't burn).   Add your parsley and Italian seasonings to the garlic and let that simmer for a minute.  Then add your lemon juice, veggie stock, black pepper and sea salt.  Let it all come together, let the flavors mingle, while simmering on medium heat.  Add the shrimp a few minutes later and cook the shrimp until pink and curled up.  Put over spaghetti squash, shirataki noodles, or leave it on the side and add a nice helping of veggies.  I had about one cup of shrimp with a side of broccoli (around a cup to a cup and a half) and I was satiated the rest of the night.  My daughter ate it over linguine and went back for seconds.  The sauce IS watery, but the flavors mingled with the pasta and she just adored it.  My son had mac n' cheese...don't ask.  Ha!

Last night I made tacos (taco salad for me) and made it with my usual homemade taco seasonings.  My son asked if it was a new recipe and if it was "homemade?"  I told him I yes, it was and he declared they were the "best tacos...ever!"  I'll share my taco spice recipe with you next time, though!  
My food list today goes a little something like this:

*8am - 3 hard boiled eggs, banana, and a small handful of almonds and cashews
*10am - 7 strawberries
*12pm - shrimp scampi with steamed broccoli
*2pm - 1.5 cups of watermelon
*6pm -  pork chops, grilled aspragus, and homemade apple sauce (no sugar added, only honey)

On a completely unrelated note - A HUGE shout out to my momma, Karen, on her 60th Birthday today!!  She's currently in Florida, somewhere on the panhandle; I hope she has a wonderful day.

Here are the cupcakes I made her, for her birthday...they were delish...and yes, I indulged!

Suuuuuugar, you're sweet.

There isn't a day that I don't login to Pintrest and drool over the hundreds of recipes people pin to their baking boards.  I actually have a board dedicated to "yummies" and I've made many things on there, nothing has disappointed...yet.  Not only that, but I have a board named "dinner" that I habitually post really unhealthy dinner recipes on, you know, just in case I need something horrible for myself or something for the kids/boyfriend to devour while I'm eating my grilled chicken and brussel sprouts.  I'm also the Queen of love and inspirational quote pins, but that's another post, for another day. 

There's so much I could say about sugar and how it really effects your weight loss and gain, but I'll keep it simple.  If you want to lose weight, you have to ditch the sugar.  These days, everything has added sugar in it...including peanut butter and jarred pasta/spaghetti sauces.  Reading labels is key to your success and maintenance.  Once you read enough labels, though, you'll know what you can and can't buy and shopping gets way easier (and quicker).  Sometimes, those convenience things, like the jarred spaghetti sauce, isn't the best bet.  That's why I decided to start making homemade spaghetti sauce.  Sure, it took me awhile to find the best recipe, but when I did I was ecstatic...it's all I ever make now.  I also make enough of it so that I can freeze the leftovers, so if I'm in a bind one night, all I have to do is throw it in the pan and let it defrost and simmer, and voila, perfection!  This goes for sloppy joe mix/cans, jelly, certain canned tomatoes, flavored oatmeal, yogurt, BBQ sauces and marinades, salad dressings and obviously baked goods (there's way more to that list, but I'm experiencing a total brain blockage).  If you really, really want to change your life, start making everything homemade...sure, it takes more time, but do it on a day you have extra time and make extras.  If you make extras and freeze them, you will start to see your meal prep time becoming easier and easier.

I do have bad news, though.  I have yet to find a low-carb/sugar baked good recipe that compares to the real deal.  There is a peanut butter cookie recipe I tried once and it was ok, but honestly, it's not worth sharing...and for that I'm sorry.  However, I do have some AMAZING full on sugar recipes, including cupcakes...the ones I'm known for, the ones I'll be making this weekend for my mom's 60th birthday party.  You also better believe I will partake in the cupcake eating, because it's the weekend and I allow myself a little bit of sugar on the weekends...usually in the form of ice cream on Sundays, but we'll go all out with a cupcake this week. 

Anyway, if I could ask you all to do one thing to change your life, it'd be to start watching your sugar intake!  Be aware of what you're putting in your mouth and into your body.  Once you adjust your daily sugar levels (I get my sugars daily, Monday-Friday, from fruits and vegetables, nothing else) you'll notice a huge difference in your body, even your taste buds will start changing.  Per the American Heart Association women should only be ingesting 25 grams or 6tbsp of sugar, per day.  Take a step back and really look at what you're eating today.  If looking at the per serving on the label and then the sugar content, how much sugar would you be eating today?  For me, I'd be at zero added sugars and around 25grams with the fruit/veggies/PB I'm eating for meals/snacks today. 

Here is my food list:

*8am - 3 hard boiled eggs and banana
*10am - 9 whole strawberries
*12pm - grilled chicken burger (has feta and spinach and spices in it) with steamed broccoli
*2pm - 12 apple slices and 2tbsp peanut butter
*6pm - homemade spaghetti sauce and my shirataki noodles (no carb - found at Walmart in the refrigerated produce section).  My children, as always, will eat regular spaghetti noodles.  I'll also add in browned chicken tenderloins to the sauce. 

FYI, the spaghetti sauce is this:  http://www.tammileetips.com/2013/05/gwyneth-paltrows-go-to-tomato-sauce-recipe/    It is amazing!!! 

It's National Junk Food day!!!!

Who all is celebrating????

I would give anything to sit down and eat an entire can of Pringles and cookies and chocolate, but I care about my body too much to do that.  Sure, I'll indulge on the weekends with a little pasta or pizza, but my all day indulgence is gone.  I know that if I take an entire day, I'll gain weight I don't want again.  Sure, it may not be a huge number, but why screw up a good thing...you know? 

Although, I'm led to believe that there isn't enough caffeine in the world to help me function today...so maybe my "indulgence" will be an obscene amount of that wonderful energizing drug.  One can only hope that I'm not this groggy/foggy/tired, after that much caffeine. 

Since I'm not celebrating (insert pouty face here...because a can full of pringles sounds amazing...LOL), my food today is pretty on point and filling.  Here is what I have:

*8am - 3 hard boiled eggs and a banana
*10am - 6 small strawberries and one small nectarine
*12pm - pork loin, steamed broccoli, and one baby bell cheese
*2pm - 12 baby carrots and 2tbsp roasted red pepper hummus
*6pm - undetermined (I'm house/dog sitting so the dinner situation will be something completely made up; meal prep doesn't count when you're not at your house.  ;) ).

I hope everyone's weekend was great.  It's already Tuesday so we're getting closer to Friday, already...yeah!