Demotivational

Isn't that a lovely title?

Not exactly the up-and-hugs-sunshine-out-of-my-ass post I've been writing.

Why?

Because this is real.


I had a horrendous week diet and exercise wise.  I worked out Monday.  Tuesday - today nothing.  Diet wise?  Three horrific days of caving into to my weakness:  Sweets.

It started out innocent enough.   A piece of cake to celebrate a friends birthday.  Missing a water zumba class to help out a friend.  Then another birthday.  Then I missed my run.

Then it spiraled.  Bad choices that left me hungry, which caused me to make more bad choices.  A general yicky, tiredness that caused me to stay on the couch.  I realize now how easy it is to slip back into old habits.

I can only hope that I stay where I am now, and not gain anything.

Granted this was technically part of last week and part of this week, but I don't think on Wednesday it will matter what part of the week it was.

Tomorrow I start fresh and get back on track.  I've already made my lunch for work.  Picked out my breakfast.  Packed my bag for water zumba tonight.

I'm ready to not let this week defeat me.

I'm doomed to have a bad passport picture..aka Wednesday Weigh In

It is hard for me to believe that it has been just about 10 years since I was getting reading to move back to Germany and study in Berlin.  The time has come for me to do something I've been waiting 10 years for:

Get a new passport.


I have bad luck with passport pictures.  My first passport I was only 15 years old, but I looked like I smoked a ton of doobie prior to going in to the post office..  Luckily I only had to carry that passport around for five years.   My second passport picture came after a stupid idea of perming my hair, realizing that wasn't a good idea, so I cut my hair extremely short.  Horrific hair,  AND I was going through a glasses wearing phase.

I went, paid for the picture, took it and then... I looked like this:

-*

Rabid Badger picture courtesy of: http://crossfitsparta.com/2012/11/01/badger-4/

Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT bad.  It was pretty damn close though.  I remember getting the picture and staring at it in horror.  As a college student about to study abroad in Europe, I was trying to save my money for fun things.  Like spontaneous trips to Oktoberfest and things like that.

Not wanting to waste the money on a new set of photos,  I tried to convince myself that the photo really wasn't that bad and mailed in my passport renewal form.  Two months later I got it back and it really was that bad.  *Sigh*  I vowed never to willing show the passport to anyone.

I know you think I am being ridiculous.  It really cannot have been that bad of a picture.

It was.

You know how most border guards have absolutely no sense of humor (yes, even you my dear bro-in-law ;-))?

Well, Eastern European border guards are even less amusing.  On my way through the Czech Republic (prior to their joining of the EU), not one but TWO border guards laughed at my picture.  Going through customs?  Smirks and snide comments about how that picture MUST be me, because who would want to fake that!

So today I went and got a new picture for my 10 year renewal passport.  

I was very excited.  I thought about how different my life is from the way it was 10 years ago.  I've been all over Europe, I graduated college, I began teaching.  I've taken kids overseas several times!  I've lived in 4 states and two countries.  I got married.  What an amazing ten years!

Then I got my picture.  *sigh*  Not as bad as a rabid badger, but nothing to get excited about.

Then a new thought came to me.  See, today was my weekly weigh in.  My last one for the month.  My first month completed.

An I lost 3 more pounds, bring my total weight loss for the month of January to 10 pounds.

10 freaking pounds gone.  My pants are falling off. Literally.

I realized, this picture represents what will soon be the old me.  The girl who couldn't lose weight.  The 31-year-old woman with the same health issues as a 62 year old.  The picture people will look at and say NO WAY!

A reminder to the healthy, happy, fit woman of how hard she worked to get there.

Bring on the next 10 years!

Recipe Review: Summer Vegetable Crepes

In my hunt for tasty low calorie foods, Eating Well has been a great resource for filling and yummy food that isn't too difficult on the waist line.  This recipe caught my eye and I quickly pinned it with the hope of trying it soon.  Fresh veggies, crepes and cheese??  Sounds good to me!

I was able to get all I needed for the recipe at Publix, excluding the fresh corn.  I think out of season corn tastes blah, so instead of paying I just picked up a can of low sodium corn and rinsed it twice before using it.

When I got home I chopped up the veggies and added a little bit of extra virgin olive oil to the pan:

The veggies smelled great!  In addition to the recipe below, I also added some minced garlic and minced onion!

                     I added the cheese to the veggies and stirred it up good!  It smelled so good.  :)

I scooped out the filling and added it to the crepes.  

Big tip:  Use the wax paper from the crepe packaging to assist in the rolling of the crepe.  Without the whole thing falls apart!

Mmmmmmmmmm!

I added the chive/sour cream/ milk / lemon sauce to the tops and it was time to eat!

I used fat free sour cream

These were SOOOOO yummy.  I am glad I made them on a Water Zumba night, because I could not just eat one crepe.  As filling as it was, they were so good I ate half of another!!

Here is the official recipe from Eating Well:

Summer Vegetable Crêpes

Recipe is from Eating Well at  http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/summer_vegetable_cr_pes.html

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives, divided, plus more for garnish
• 3 tablespoons low-fat milk
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped zucchini
• 1 1/4 cups chopped green beans
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels, (I used canned corn)
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 9-inch “ready-to-use” crêpes,

PREPARATION

1. Stir sour cream, 1/4 cup chives, milk, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, green beans and corn and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low; stir in ricotta, Monterey Jack, the remaining 1/4 cup chives, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook, stirring gently, until the cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. To roll crêpes, place one on a piece of parchment or wax paper (or leave it on the piece of plastic separating the crêpes in the package). Spoon one-fourth of the vegetable-cheese mixture (about 3/4 cup) down the center of the crêpe. Use the paper (or plastic) to help you gently roll the crêpe around the filling. Place the crêpe seam-side down on a dinner plate. Repeat with the remaining crêpes and filling. Serve each crêpe topped with 2 tablespoons of the reserved sauce and more chives, if desired.

NUTRITION

Per serving: 302 calories; 17 g fat ( 8 g sat , 6 g mono ); 46 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrates; 15 gprotein; 3 g fiber; 687 mg sodium; 485 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Calcium & Vitamin C (35% daily value), Vitamin A (20% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Wednesday Weigh in Day or alternative title: The Day People Noticed

Hi!

I was a little nervous this morning before I hopped on the scale.  See, last week was a "party week."  On Thursday we celebrated my awesome principal's achievement with a surprise party that equaled extra snacking.  Not toooooo crazy, but I still took advantage of some yummy food.   Then on Saturday my husband and I (with our second wife Suzie) attended Columbia's World Beer Festival.  If you have never been to a World Beer Festival and enjoy a good beer, make it a priority to attend one somewhere.  So much fun!

However... lots of beer... plus bad choices on snack foods due to copious amounts of beer made me think that this week wasn't going to be a good weight loss week.  However I worked out.  I attended my Water Zumba class, I've been running further and further every time I go out, and I even fit in some weight lifting to strengthen my muscles.

I figure I'd just accept that I would have to work harder next week.

So I hopped on the scale this morning... and I have lost another 2 pounds!  Keeping up with my weekly weight loss goal of 2 pounds!

So, weekly weigh in:  -2 pounds
Total weight loss since January 1, 2013: 7 pounds.

I'll take it.  :)

However, today was a different weight loss mile stone.  Today for the first time since I started my goal, people said something to me.  "You've lost weight."

Now I am not one of those people who keeps track of my inches lost.  That is a little too much work for me.  However, I have noticed that my pants are a little baggier and my wedding ring is becoming a little lose on my finger.   I'm stronger overall, and I know I've lost inches.  Now it is starting to show.

I can't help but smile.

People keep asking me, are you doing weight watchers?  Jenny Craig?  Some "pay money for quick results" gig?

I am so proud that I can say no.  I am working out.  I am making healthy choices when I choose what to eat.  I keep saying no to sweets and am keeping track of what I eat and the calories I take in.

I'm working hard.

I finally learned that there is no quick fix.  It wont magically happen and I need to keep staying focused in order to be successful.

I need to keep doing what I am doing, because it is working and I feel GREAT.

I'm Addicted to Exercise

Actually I am addicted to the endorphins that come from a good work out, which I am currently high on.

That actual working out part can suck hairy donkey balls for all I care.  ;)

New running shoes... with PURPLE stripes

I have been dealing with shin splints and sore knees for the past couple of weeks, and decided to mix up my routine to help with the pain.  First I treated myself to brand new running shoes, and then I decided to mix up my exercise pattern so I wasn't doing the same thing, to the same spot, causing the same pain over and over.

On Sunday Suzie and I ralked (run + walked) the Lake Murray Dam with my wonderful husband watching and cheering us on as we ran ahead.  As gorgeous of a day it was, I just wasn't feeling good.  My legs hurt, especially my right shin. Pushing myself made me feel miserable.  It was obvious that I needed something different.

To mix things up a bit, I talked Suzie into going with me to Water Zumba  on Monday night.  That class was a lot of fun,  but I will share more on that later.  I felt great after the class.  A little tired, but nothing too bad.   However, I didn't realize how much I had really worked out my legs.  On Tuesday night I headed to the gym and tried treadmill running, but I just couldn't do it.  I could barely get myself to run for 20 seconds without having to slow the treadmill down to a walk.  Even a brisk walk was too much.  I kept myself moving at a slow pace so I could still burn some calories, but I felt extremely discouraged.  I was meeting my old enemy of too much too fast.  My brain tells me I can, my body is telling me "HELLZ NO!"

Since Water Zumba is only Monday and Wednesday nights, I decided to go to the class again Wednesday night and take Thursday and Friday off from exercising.  Thursday was a long night at work, and Friday I was just tired.  So I waited.  I gave my body a chance to recover.  I upped my protein, made a batch a larabars, and got a good night's sleep.  Which brings me to today.  The first time I ran a full mile in who knows how long.

And it felt great.

I know that mile is not much to many people, but to me it was a pretty big deal.  See, I know that since I ran one mile, I can run two.  Then three.  Then I am going to enter some 5k road races and continue to grow from there.  Maybe it's the endorphins talking, but now I know the mileage is there.  It's in me and I am going to do this.

One mile at a time.

Wednesday Weekly Weigh In

So last week I counted calories, ate healthy, rejected cake, and worked out almost daily.  When I got on the scale I happily saw that I lost four pounds!

This week I did the same.  So when I got on the scale I lost one pound.

ONE.

I know, I know.  It is still a loss and considering that my program says I'm only supposed to lose 2 pounds a week, I am still a pound ahead of schedule.

This is when I realized how much we focus on actual numbers.  I didn't focus on what a great job I did sticking to my diet and working out.  I didn't focus on how I can feel my pants starting to hang loose or how I am able to run farther and faster ever time I go out.

I focused on how I only lost one pound and how maybe the PCOS is being a bitch and how no matter how hard I try, the PCOS will win.

All because a $5 machine I stepped on said I only lost one pound.

I feel that this is the struggle many dieters face.  It's not a race, it's a marathon and I haven't even reached the half mile mark yet, and feel frustrated because it isn't going as fast as I would like.

So here is my weekly pep talk.

I will not be beaten by a $5 machine that I step on.

I will be happy for doing the right thing.

When I feel frustrated or sad, I will think of something that makes me happy.  Like this:

Recipe Review: 20-Minute Hoisin Skillet Salmon

Salmon  is constantly touted for its heart healthy omega threes, low calorie, superfood... blah, blah, blah.

To me, it has been my cooking foe.

I've tried grilling it.  I've tried baking it.  I've tried pan frying it.  No matter what, it tastes like overcooked salmon crap.

However,  I have refused to give up on it.

When I found this recipe at foodnetwork.com, I decided to give salmon another go.    The ingredients intrigued me and it sounded like a simple enough recipe! To give myself more pressure, I invited Suzie over for dinner and a workout. Here is how it went:

I did need to make a special trip to Publix, not just for the Salmon fillets but also for hoisin sauce.  I wasn't sure what hoisin sauce was and figure if I didn't know what it was suppose to taste like, I wouldn't know if I was making a homemade recipe correctly.  Anyway, I digress.  The trip to Publix was mostly painless, however Salmon is not the cheapest fish.  I sighed to myself as I bought the fish hoping that this time it would be eaten and not thrown out for tasting like crap.

I added the beans and the hoisin sauce to the pan, chopped up some broccoli and added it to the top.

I nestled the salmon into the pan, and then because I love broccoli, I added some more!

I followed the recipe by letting the sauce come to a simmer and then reduced the heat and put a lid on top.  I was still in denial that a salmon recipe could be so easy.

Cooking note:  I omitted the red pepper flakes because I didn't have any and forgot to buy some!

I waited until the salmon was flakey and cooked through.  For the first time in my salmon cooking career, the salmon resembled something that looked edible!

I love cilantro so I added plenty on top of the salmon!

I was so surprised on how yummy this recipe was.  Normally Salmon is so strong in its fish taste that I force myself to eat it down.  No forcing was needed!  Dave has decided that this is one of those recipes that needs to enter our dinner rotation.


Here is the whole recipe:

20-Minute Hoisin Skillet Salmon

Courtesy of: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/20-minute-hoisin-skillet-salmon-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• One 15.5-ounce can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 cups medium broccoli florets (about 8 ounces)
• Four 5-ounce salmon fillets, skin removed
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Directions

Combine the beans, 3/4 cup water, hoisin sauce, red pepper flakes and garlic in a large skillet. Top with the broccoli, nestle in the salmon and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, cover the skillet and cook until the salmon is flaky and just cooked through and the broccoli is crisp-tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with cilantro if using. Add salt to taste and serve.

Serves:4; Calories 297; Total Fat 9 grams; Saturated Fat 2 grams; Protein 36 grams; Total Carbohydrates 20 grams; Sugar 3 grams; Fiber 6.5 grams; Cholesterol 64 milligrams; Sodium 529 milligrams

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