I'm baaaaack!

Wow, I can't even tell you what the last two weeks have been like...CAAAARAAAAAZY!!!!
Imagine this, taking two days to decided to pack up your all your belongings  to put into a storage unit for a year and moving to Canada with just a suitcase in the trunk. Sounds scary, huh. Well, that's my story. I had things packed, was in the process of getting out of phone contracts, rental contracts, and researching moving companies (cause you know I couldn't lift everything by myself) and then as fast as we decided to move, we changed our minds again. Back to unpacking boxes, telling all my friends that I'm really staying for a few more months and trying to regain some normalcy under some strange conditions. I had extreme lows, not so many highs and exhibited Emotional Eating 101.
So what am I up to now? Our daily routine is somewhat normal although my husband is living in Canada and I'm living in the US until my immigration paperwork clears (which could take 4-12 months.) So I'm a single mommy for the next few months (or a year...eek.). Now this isn't entirely new, my husband used to be a long haul trucker prior to the last few weeks so I was used to being on my own, but now I don't get periodic breaks when he was home etc.  Needless to say, I'm tired, it's hard and some days it's really lonely.
Amazingly, I have not gained anything, I actually lost weight....so at least I'm doing something right. I haven't tracked my food for the last two weeks although I have been wearing my bodybugg and uploading my burns so I knew I was burning a good chunk of calories...I was just hoping I was eating fewer. Apparently, I was :)

So the here are the juicy details-
last week I lost .6 lbs  and this week I lost 1.6
A little smaller than my averages but I'll take it! I feel like I'm back on track, I'm counting my calories and today I even took a 2.5 mile walk, in the rain, with my kiddo in tow (two thumbs up for the inventor of stroller covers!)

Whew, that was long, anyways, I hope that you all have a Happy Father's Day weekend!

Cross Your Fingers for Me :)

So tomorrow could be a big day...I'm flirting with hitting the ever so coveted 2-5 mark on the scale! I've been close all week, in fact, I hit it today, right on the nose, but I don't "officially" way in until bright and early Saturday morning after my morning tinkle. (I know, TMI, but I'm keeping it real ) Wish me luck and if I hit it, my first free moment (which are few and far between in the semi-single parent world aka a trucker's wife) I'll let you all know!

I'm still feeling good, still have the drive which is what I think makes all the difference. I'm trying to keep the spark alive in this  healthy eating thing, trying new foods, new activities and challenging myself in other non-weight loss related ways. And so far, it's working!

A couple other tidbits to tide you over until my (cross your fingers) 25 pound post..... NEW FOOD ALERT!!!

I found these scrumptious AmyLu Mango Chicken Sausages at Costco and they are soooo yummy. And you'll never guess how many calories.....90! That's it and it honestly feels like you are indulging in something you shouldn't.

Throw one of those 90 calorie sausages into this 80 calorie bun (which was found at Safeway) and you've got about 8 inches of pure delight for only about 170 calories, pre-condiments of course.

Enjoy!

Secondly, I'm going to post my weight (gasp!) and loses somewhere on my sidebar tonight. I'm going to own it and I hope to show other people who have a LONG way to go that if I can do it, anybody can. Have a great weekend everyone!

You're AWESOME

Wow, you guys are amazing! I put out a "hello, anyone out there" and many of you gave me an encouraging word, a hello and even a follow to boot.

And as a thank you I'm going to share one of my favorite recipes. Now, I'm not a chef by any means and it is  just a simple modification from a higher fat option but it was a favorite at our house.

Stuffed Zucchini

Zucchini split in half, lengthwise
1/4 fat free ricotta cheese
1/4 low fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 Parmesan cheese
squeeze of lemon juice
garlic, pepper, Mrs. Dash or whatever seasonings that you and your family like

Scoop out the pulp from the zucchini to leave a nice shell to replace the new mixture. Place the pulp, and your cheeses, squeeze of lemon and seasonings into a mini food processor and push the handy dandy button that does all the work for you. Rescoop mixture back into the zucchini shells and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven at around 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until zucchini is tender. Voila...it's done!! Take it out and let it set for about 5 minutes or so and then enjoy.

 My husband and I usually each eat half of it since my 3 year old is not a fan of any type of zucchini (surprise, surprise.) It is VERY filling and we usually just pair it with salmon or grilled chicken and skip any type of "starch" with that meal since you really wouldn't need it. I'm not a big bbq'er but I'm wondering if it would be easy to do on the grill as well? What do you think? From what my bodybugg program tells me it would be about 50-60 calories per serving, dependant upon the size of your zucchini and the calories on your specific brand of cheeses.

Sorry for no pictures of the final product but next time I make it I'll definitely take a few shots so I can add it to this entry.

Bon Appetit!!

Anybody Out There???

To all my faithful followers ( all 5 of you, ha ha),

Sorry it's been so long for an update. I find that I do so much better at being active and involved in life if I stay away from this wonderful, but time consuming computer! My son and I took a road trip (11hrs one way) over Mother's Day to visit my mom since my hubby had to work. We had tons of fun, did a lot of shopping/mall walking, walks by the beach, and hung out in the backyard.  I even indulged a bit on Mother's Day at Outback and it was DELICIOUS!! I still made smart choices, but avoided the bloomin' onion (only took two bites) but thoroughly loved every bite of my steak. Overall, between MANY McDonald's salads and trying to take walks at rest stops, I stayed even steven, which I was really proud of.

Fast forward to the present...I'm down a total of 22 pounds. HOORAY! I'm feeling good, still have the drive to do better and have an amazing support group including two great friends who are on the same journey as me. I have a much farther road than they do but as a team, we're all doing great things.

I'm hoping that by the end of June to be down another 10-15 pounds and that my steps will be closer to 10000 daily. While most people are enjoying summer-like weather, here in the Pacific Northwest we're dealing with unusually COLD temps, major rain downpours combined with hail and wind. Fun times, huh. Needless to say, my step count has been dwindling since I started my weight loss journey.

Have a great next week everyone.

I'm Coo Coo for Cous Cous

One of my new favorite, super easy side dishes.

Pour a cup of this into a saucepan

Add a couple handfuls or more of any frozen veggie mixture (I like Trader Joe's Frozen Foursome Medley)

 Get it up to a boil and then add a cup of whole wheat couscuos

Now here is where I stop, dish out my 3 year old's portion and then proceed to make it into something truly yummy (I know I get excited about weird things)

A dash or two of balsamic vinegar, then fluff that couscous

And then top it off with a tablespoon of fat free feta cheese

I've made this the last few nights and have even eaten the leftovers for snack the following day. I've paired it with my 4 oz. meatloaf cupcakes, freshly steamed green beans, and corn for a very satisfying, low calorie yet filling meal.

What is one of your favorite side dishes?

Week 2 and Week 3 Weigh-ins

It's been awhile, hasn't it?

Let's see, Week 2 was going really well. Worked out at least once each day, sometimes twice. I met my calorie goal each and every day but stayed even steven on the scale. I was a little bummed to say the least and in the past it would have been a breaking point, but this time I had a little positive self-talk with myself

"Laura, you're hitting your calorie burn and calorie intake each and everyday. You're eating the right foods and your energy levels are soaring, you're doing something right. Stick with it, it will come off....a 1500 daily calorie deficit is going to produce weight loss. Just trust the system! "

Well, I'm so glad that I listened to myself ( now, if everyone always listened to me it would be even better) cause by-golly, those pounds did fall off. Which brings us to Week 3 and a weight loss of 6.8 pounds! For a total of 15.4! I'm so glad that I only took a glance out of the big ugly window of dissapointment  but walked my  big (although somewhat smaller than before) hiney through the door of opportunity. 

I'm hoping to do a food finds entry this week and if I can get my act together a weekly or bi-weekly series on trying new recipes. If your interested in joining in or have a great healthy recipe that you would like me to try and post about. Let me know.

Chugga Chugga and Week 1 Progress

It's been two weeks since I watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, which I truly believe is my "AHA" moment, and one week of wearing my bodybugg and food journaling. So without further or do,  ladies and gentlemen....I'm down 8.6 pounds. Wohoo!

My energy levels are bursting at the seams (unlike my hips after this week's weigh-in) and I feel alive. For the first time in all my weight loss efforts, which have been too many to count, I view food as fuel. Prior to these last two weeks, that concept could never be fully instilled in me. Sure, I've heard the line before but I've never "lived it", I never honestly, whole-heartedly, believed in that concept.

And why is it sticking this time? I'll tell ya, my kiddo. My crazy, train lovin', 3 year old is helping his 30 (shhh, don't tell anyone) year old mama learn a long overdue lesson. As I'm learning more and more about nutrition, and relaying it to him in relation to his fave toys, trains. You've got to fuel the train properly in order for it to work. A very simplistic concept that I'm using to teach him about  fruits and vegetables could very well be the  piece to the puzzle that could save my life!

Crazy, huh! Sometimes I think that is so embarrassing that it took me this long to figure it out and other days it can be incredibly empowering to know that I might finally be getting it.