Monday, April 30, 2012

Let's Imagine For A Moment......

You have a friend that you have been friends with forever and you care about her deeply!! You guys have been friends for 30 years and for 20 of those 30 years, you friend has been a functioning alcoholic. You watched as your friend went to work and went to school and maintained her family but you knew that behind closed doors, she got drunk as a skunk. She needed alcohol the minute she woke up, she needed alcohol to sleep, and on special occasions she needed even more alcohol. You worried about your friend but you didn't say anything because you didn't want to hurt her feelings. Finally, your friend found out she was having a baby!! How exciting! But she didn't want to set this example for her child. She immediately joined an AA group and has been sober for 18 months. You must be such a proud friend!! Now, she's sober, she's living the healthy life and maintaining it but you know her skeletons. You know that she still has a weakness for alcohol. 20 years is a long time to be addicted to something to just forget about it in 18 months! Being the good friend that you are, you continue to show your support and tell her how proud you are every day.
Now I have a question.....

She got promoted at her job this week, which only calls for a celebration!! CHAMPAGNE!!!......Do you offer your friend champagne? Do you tell her that she deserves it and she worked hard? Do you tell her to let loose and enjoy herself once in a while reassuring her that it's okay to overindulge and it's only one time? Then the next time a celebration comes up, hand her another glass telling her the same thing? And the next time? And the next? How many "Only one times" can there be??

Hello, my name is Krystle and I am a recovering food addict.

I am sending out a plea to my friends and family. I know that you are all super proud of me. I know that you think that sometimes I think too much about weight loss and counting points and you think that offering me a 2nd piece of cake or telling me I don't have to workout today and should take it easy sounds nice. But I ask that you think of me as a recovering addict from any other drug and treat me as such. When you push food on me telling me that it's just one time, it enables me. When you tell me how great I look and a 2nd piece of cake won't hurt me, you're wrong. It won't hurt me that one time, maybe but the next week when someone else tells me the same thing, that enables me and makes me let my guard down. And week after week and event after event of letting my guard down could very easily pack the pounds back on someone like me.

Many of you have seen me struggle with my weight for a good portion of my life and just because I have changed my ways in the past year and a half, doesn't take away from the 22 years that I ate when I was happy, ate when I was sad, ate when I was angry, ate because it was time to eat, ate to put me to sleep, and so on.

When I was still 200+lbs I heard "You look great, keep up the great work". Now, I hear way too often "You look great...stop losing weight....you need to eat something."  I am pleading with the people who love me to continue to show the same support at 152lbs that you showed me at 250lbs. This goes for friends that I know as well as friends that I have never met. This is STILL a struggle for me and will continue to be something I will have to overcome but with your support and my determination, I will succeed.

As always, I love you all dearly and thank you for the daily support you show me!! xoxo

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Ready to BE what I've been working so hard to BECOME!

+1.4 last week.
+0.2 this week.

Down 100.4lbs total.

But more important than ^ that number is the fact that I am healthy. I'm healthy and I'm happy. For once I am not upset about a gain or two gains but I am content. I'm okay because I know that I have made life long changes and although the scale may not reflect those changes recently, I know that they are there.

I read a blog once by my friend Helene about wanting to eat and act like a "skinny person". She spoke about how she was going away for the weekend and didn't want to track points or obsess over everything she put in her mouth, that she just wanted to do what skinny people do. I know you're wondering, how do skinny people eat???

First of all, I'm going to replace the word "skinny" with "healthy" from this point forward.

How do healthy people eat?

Healthy people don't force themselves to finish their food just because they spent money on it or "because there are starving kids in Africa".

Healthy people offer to share their food with the company they are with.

Healthy people drink lots of water and avoid unnecessary sugar and fat.

Healthy people stay active day in and day out.

When healthy people go out to eat they naturally choose the healthiest thing they can find on the menu, ask the server to hold any sauces or gravy or put them on the side, and choose things like steamed veggies over fries.

Healthy people don't OBSESS!

That last line is where I'm at right now. I'm done with obsessing. Obsessing over what that number says and every morsel I put in my mouth is equally as unhealthy for the mind as stuffing my face is unhealthy for my body. I'm ready to take everything that I have learned in the past year and a half and BE the healthy person that I have been working so hard to become.

As mentioned before, I am planning to follow Simply Filling for the next several weeks and that is still the plan. However I am ready to put my lessons into action by living life as a "healthy" person - not just someone on the Weight Watchers plan. If that makes any sense?

At the end of the day, I am THERE. I AM at a healthy weight. I never thought I'd see the day that I weigh 152lbs again!! I weighed that in 6th grade!! I am teaching my daughter healthy habits. I love that her favorite foods are rice cakes and bananas. I can run and jump and play with her. I'm inspiring everybody around me to take care of their health. This IS who I am. "Health" and "fitness" are words that go hand in hand with "Krystle". And in my opinion, THAT matters much, much more than a number on the scale. The rest will come when it does.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Plan for Summer Festivities!!

This weekend: Bay Fest (A festival in my area Saturday), friends in town, which means going out Saturday night, March of Dimes walk, and a baby shower.

Next weekend: Attending a wedding, more friends in town Saturday, my graduation and graduation party on Sunday.

The following weekend: Mother's day - making the rounds.

Then there's BBQ's, parties, showers, bachelorette parties, more weddings, my daughter's birthday, 4th of July, all the way up until Vacation the last week in August.

Summer hasn't even begun yet and it's already jam packed weekends! How is one to stay on plan??!!!

The last three weekends between our vacation, Easter, and my sister's bridal shower, there have been things going on that I completely overate and every time Sunday night rolled around, I was kicking myself in the butt!!! While that completely SUCKED, I think it set the bar for me for the upcoming weekends.

Going into this weekend as well as the ones to come, I am going to be constantly reminding myself of how I felt after the previous weekends and how I do NOT want to feel again!! It feels good to feel good! And .....it feels crappy to feel crappy!!!

So I need a plan!!

That plan is Simply Filling. I've mentioned Simply Filling before and how it has worked for me so starting after I step off the scale tomorrow, I am going back to the Simply Filling technique. This means eating all power foods and staying away from JUNK! This should be pretty simple since I am already eating a mass amount of vegetables daily with my meatless weekday challenge!

Stay as active as possible. Vow to get 10,000 steps on my pedometer daily.

How will I use my weekly points, you ask??

Well, guess what?? I'm human. I'm 24. I like to go out when my friends are in town and I like to DRINK! It's that simple. I plan to use my weekly points for alcohol.



Thankfully, Weight Watchers allows me to be just that - HUMAN.

On that note, I am looking forward to all the events coming up in the upcoming weekends!!! ESPECIALLY my graduation next week!!!!!!!!

Happy Friday!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Black Bean and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Here is another recipe from the Weight Watchers Powerfoods Cookbook:

Black Bean and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers:

  • My review: SUPER YUMMY! Super filling!! Definitely will be making them again.
  • Serves 4 / 7 points per serving (2 stuffed pepper halves)
  • Nutritional Info:
    • 256 cal
    • 8g Total Fat
    • 2g Sat Fat
    • 0g Trans Fat
    • 8mg Chol
    • 504mg Sod
    • 37g Carb
    • 3g sugar
    • 8g Fiber
    • 12g Protein
    • 251 mg Calc
  • Ingredients:
    • 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
    • 2tsp olive oil
    • 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
    • 1 medium tomato, chopped
    • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
    • 1 tbsp plus 1tsp chili powder
    • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
    • 4 large poblano peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1.2 cup shredded low fat mexican blend cheese (I used WW mexican blend)

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray baking dish with nonstick spray.
  • Cook quinoa according to package directions. Fluff with fork. (Here is a link for cooking perfect quinoa)
  • Meanwhile, to make filling, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 minutes. Add tomato, corn, chili, powder, cumin, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until corn is crisp and tender, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in quinoa and beans.
  • Spoon about 1/3 cup of filling into each pepper. Arrage peppers in a single layer in baking dish. Add water to baking dish, cover and bake 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle peppers with cheese, and bake until melts, above 5 minutes.
Enjoy!!

Southwest Bean Burgers from Powerfoods Cookbook

Hey loves!! I've been promising recipes for a while and not posting them. Here is one of the ones I tried recently. I will post another blog with a different recipe.

Southwest Bean Burgers (From the Weight Watchers Powerfoods cookbook)
  • My review: The texture took a little getting used to but they were definitely yummy, super easy to make, and FILLING! I wish I took a picture but I forgot until it was half eaten LOL!!
  • Serves 4 / 4 PointsPlus per serving (1 patty)
  • Nutritional info:
    • 182 calories
    • 5 g Total Fat
    • 1g Sat Fat
    • 0g Trans Fat
    • 0mg Chol
    • 636 mg Sod
    • 25g Carb
    • 1g sugar
    • 7g Fiber
    • 8g protein
    • 52mg Calc.
  • Ingredients:
    • 2 tsp olive oil
    • 1 shallot, minced
    •  1 garlic clove, minced
    • 1 (15.5oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
    • 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
    • 1 large egg white
    • 2 tbsp slivered almonds
    • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
    • 1tsp ground cumin
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp black pepper

  • Heat oil in small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to food processor.
  • Add beans, oats, egg whitem almonds, cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper to processor. Pulse until combined. Shape mixture into 4 patties.
  • Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstrick spray and set over medium heat. Add patties and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes each side.
I served these just like a hamburger with sauteed onions and mushrooms and a slice of tomato with hummus on whole grain bread and a side of chips and veggies.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

What's Going On???

Maybe subconsciously I'm scared to reach my goal. What other reason is there for the way I have been constantly over eating and "relapsing" then starting over full speed ahead just to relapse again? Last weekend. This weekend. What is going ON, Krystle???!!

*sigh* . I remember reading a blog a while back that every time I clicked on it, it was about how many times she had failed and how she didn't know how to pick herself up and I stopped reading that blog eventually because it wasn't inspiring me anymore. That is the LAST thing I want for my blog!!!!

Soooo I have to open up and tell you guys what has been going on. At least the gist. Some things are to be kept personal - I can't be completely transparent but I will share with you that I have been going through personal isssues:

On top of my back hurting again restricting my workouts, I messed UP my birth control. (If this is TMI for you, stop reading now!) . I really really jacked it up and my hormones are so out of whack. Most of you know that I am a generally happy go lucky person all day every day but since I have messed up my BC, I have found mysef down in the DUMPS. I find myself depressed and anxious for no reason. In my head I say to myself "Krystle, there is no reason for you to feel this way" yet no matter what I do, I CAN NOT shake that mood. Sometimes I eat my emotions, sometimes I don't but either way I don't feel good about myself. Most of what I have been doing is drowning myself in coffee, which can't be helpful. I find myself really criticizing my appearance, my thoughts, and myself and if anybody has been reading for any amount of time, you know that is NOT who I am. It's crazy what jacked up hormones can do to a woman.

In the midst of that, I have every day stressors that can feel like a million pounds on your shoulders when they begin to add up and you're already not at your strongest.

For 22 years I ate my emotions. I ate when I was happy. I ate when I was sad. I ate when I wasn't sure how I felt. I ate and I ate and I ate. So finding myself at this weak(er) point in my life, I keep turning to food - especially with not being able to just go for a run to shake it off.

I have a "food baby" and it's GROSS. Aside from seeing the 1.4lbs gain on the scale this week, I can physically see the gain in my stomach. It makes me sick knowing that I can do that to myself. Not the number on the scale but I am watching my stomach grow with food and have the audacity to joke about it.

*Agggghhhh* can you feel my frustration with myself?

Well BUMP THAT!!! ....keep reading.....

I can't even believe that the above words came out of my fingers. I'm done with it. I'm done with having to confess my horrible eating weekends and joking about my food baby. I'm done with looking at myself in complete awe. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. Do you hear me??? DONE!!!!!

Tomorrow I go to the doctor to figure out what I need to do about my birth control to get myself back to normal. I also go to the neurosurgeon this week to figure out what's up with my back. I'm in the process of tackling the unmentioned personal issues that I'm having one at a time. I'm done school this week, which means one less stress factor. These past couple of weeks will be a chapter in my book.

PLAN: 120oz of water daily. Accept the fact that I can't do Turbo Fire but stop being completely lazy. Do what I can do without hurting my back. Continue my meatless challenge. THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS!!!

My motivation: The top pictures are from my sister's baby shower in August 2009. The bottom pictures are from her bridal shower today. The above pictures I used as my fat pictures and I hated hated hated the candid shots of me. Today when I looked at the candid shots I loved the way I looked. I need to make sure that I never look back at these pictures and say "I want to be that skinny again" or use the bottom pictures as my "skinny motivation pictures" to help me lose weight. I'm rambling but you get me!!


I want to FEEL the way I LOOK.
I hope that you all continue to stick by my side while I go through these trying times. I know it has been on and off for quite some time now but I promise you and I promise myself that I will get it under control. I'm still learning! I'm a work in progress. Thank you all for growing with me on this journey.

Love always,
Krystle

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Meatless Weekdays - Summer Challenge!

So far today I have had a breakfast that included egg whites, spinach, asapragus, onions, and a banana, a snack of an apple, and a lunch that has included chick peas, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, onions, cabbage, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. Which leads me to this - my summer challenge! Meatless weekdays.

I'm giving up meat all summer *on weekdays* (I'll explain the weekday part in more detail in a minute).  I actually started this yesterday though and am not waiting until the official start of summer but plan to end the challenge August 26th, 2012.

First let me specify: To me, meat does NOT include fish or animal byproducts. I am not becoming a "vegetarian" or "vegan" or anything with a label. I am simply avoiding the flesh of warm blooded animals for the summer (and who knows how long after). I still plan to eat eggs, drink milk, and eat fish but I don't plan to eat chicken, beef, or pork, etc..

I came up with this when I realized that 99% of the decisions I make regarding food typically don't include meat anyway. I am a VEGGIE LOVER - as you can tell above.



I have also done meatless mondays, for the most part, since the beginning of the year and have decided to give myself a challenge, switch things up a bit, and experiment with new food!


Allow me to share with you some of the benefits of being "meatless". Here are the health benefits listed by MeatlessMonday.com:

  • LIMIT CANCER RISK: Hundreds of studies suggest that diets high in fruits and vegetables may reduce cancer risk. Both red and processed meat consumption are associated with colon cancer.


  • REDUCE HEART DISEASE: Recent data from a Harvard University study found that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (for example, meat and full fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (for example, vegetable oils, nuts and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%.


  • FIGHT DIABETES: Research suggests that higher consumption of red and processed meat increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.  


  • CURB OBESITY: People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices. A recent study from Imperial College London also found that reducing overall meat consumption can prevent long-term weight gain.


  • LIVE LONGER: Red and processed meat consumption is associated with increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.


  • IMPROVE YOUR DIET. Consuming beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.


  • Not to mention the plethora of environmental reasons!!


  • ^ That is enough reason for me!

    So now to the weekend part: My good friend Daphne reminded me that Summer is prime time grilling season and if you're at a BBQ that you aren't hosting, a grilled chicken thigh can be a life saver when it comes to saving your plan! Sooo with that being said, if need be, I will allow myself lean protein on the weekends. That doesn't mean I will eat 3 hamburgers every Saturday and Sunday. Just that if the situation arises, which I'm sure it will, that I am at a gathering and the healthiest choice is chicken, then chicken it is.


    SO WHO'S IN????

    If this is all new to you and you're not sure about doing all week, try participating in Meatless Mondays or committing to going meatless 2-3 days out of the week. If that's too much, try 1 meatless meal per day.  You will probably learn how many ways you enjoy your vegetables prepared and how good things like tofu can be. TRY IT! Switch things up a bit. Not to mention, summer time calls for light, refreshing meals and for me, there is nothing more light and refreshing than fruits and veggies!

    Getting Started:
    • Check out any cookbook you already own - there is always a vegetarian section and sometimes a whole grains section as well as a vegetables section. Don't be afraid to try something new.
    • Check out Www.meatlessmonday.com for their favorite meatless recipes. Don't be afraid to try something new.
    • Google "meatless recipes" and be specific about what you're looking for. If you want something with cheese or with a certain vegetable or grain, put it in there. Don't be afraid to try something new.
    • Fitness Magazine's vegetarian meal ideas: Click hereDon't be afraid to try something new.
    • I'll post anything I try starting with the bean burgers I had last night when I get home!
    Did you get the memo???


    It's good for you in all facets of your life. It keeps things fresh! Dull is boring.

    sooo..... who's with it?? Let me know in the comments!! I tried to make a poll but it was giving me a hard time lol.

    xoxo

    Wednesday, April 11, 2012

    Dear Elliana: A letter to my baby.

    Dear Elliana:

    I hope you know that everything mommy does, she does with you in mind. From the moment I found out that I would be your mommy, I knew that my life was about to change but I never could have imagined how MUCH change was actually in store for me. I knew you'd call me "mommy". I knew I'd have to be less selfish and put you first. I knew that I'd trade in eye liner for baby spit and pocket books for diaper bags. Long baths for quick showers. I knew all these things. What I didn't know was how you would change me INSIDE. When I found out that you were going to be a little girl, I was on top of the world. A little girl was just what I wanted. Mommy's little girl.



    Once it sunk in that I would be the mother of a little girl, I began thinking of my childhood and what it was like to be a young woman and then what it would be like to raise a young woman in this new era. That's when I realized that my life was about to change in more ways than just becoming a mother. You see, I was an overweight child from a very early age into adulthood. I was made fun of. I was treated differently for being chubby. In high school I couldn't shop in the same stores as my friends because the clothes didn't fit. I was picked last in gym class because I was slow. I couldn't even run the mile that we had to run in school. I never had a real boyfriend who truly loved me until I met your daddy. I was looked at in a different way than the skinny girls were and that made me sad. I didn't always show that it made me sad but deep down, it truly did. It hurts to be treated differently.



    I don't want that for you. I don't ever want you to feel sad or for people to hurt you and I certainly don't want you to ever be unhealthy. I want you to be able to run and play and keep up with your friends. I want you to be treated the way an angel like you should be treated. I know it's not nice that people who look different are treated differently, but sadly that is the way our world is. I want you to grow up a healthy, happy, little girl and young woman.


    Which is why, when you were born, I decided to change MY ways and lead by example. If I want you to eat healthy food then I have to eat healthy food too. If I want you to run and play then I have to run and play too! We can do these things together! I don't want to be the mommy sitting on the porch watching her kids play on the lawn. I want to be the mommy out on the lawn playing tag WITH you! You have shown me so many things about myself just by being you. You have inspired me to finally drop the pounds I had been carrying around for so long and break my old bad habits so that I can teach you NEW and improved habits that will stick with you for life. I want to give you the best life possible and that starts with showing you how to take care of your one and only body - your temple.


    Thank you, Elliana, for simply being you. Thank you for showing me the meaning of unconditional love. Thank you for changing my life.

    I promise you this: I promise that I will always practice what I preach. If I want you to do something, I'll SHOW you how, not just TELL you. I promise to always take care of MY health so that I can grow old with you and be the best mommy that I can be always and forever! I promise to always be your best friend.

    I've been inspired by many things in my life but never anyone or anything quite like YOU.

    Love,
    Mommy.


    Tuesday, April 10, 2012

    It works for me.

    I haven't really been 100% clean eating like I had mentioned in the beginning of the year. I have allowed some things back in my life because I have done what I feel works best for me. I don't eat any processed meals: Smart Ones, Lean Cuisines, etc... I don't eat Fiber One bars or any of those things but I do eat some cereal that isn't organic. I do eat Weight Watchers oatmeal because I enjoy it and it's 3 points. I do eat fat free cheese on occasion. There are certain things that I deemed OKAY in my book because that is what works for ME.
    Here is my take:

    "Food companies hide their ingredients to trick you", "if your water isn't filtered then it's not good for you", "whole grains might not really be whole", "artificial coloring causes ADHD", "hot dogs increase the risk of brain cancer", "if you can't pronounce the ingredient don't eat it",  "chewing gum makes you crave junk", "granola is full of sugar and you shouldn't eat it" and so on and so forth.

    I like some foods that have hidden incredients.
    I don't restrict myself from foods that I enjoy.
    I eat things in moderation.
    Sometimes I can't pronounce ingredients but the food satisfies me and works with my plan.
    I like tap water.
    I eat enough vegetables in one day for two people.
    I snack on fruit.
    Hot dogs are gross anyway.
    I don't have time to obsess over every single thing I put in my mouth and what hidden ingredients are in it.

    What I'm doing is working for me. I eat grilled chicken instead of fried. I eat Cheerios instead of ice cream. I eat gum instead of candy. I stress WAY less since I have loosened the reigns a little bit on my eating regimen. I still track everything I eat and I make BETTER choices. Maybe they're not what some may view as the BEST choices but for me - they work.

    Maybe one day I may choose to be more into each ingredient that I consume but not right now.

    To each their own.

    :)

    Saturday, April 7, 2012

    Death of the BLT's. (And Easter-ness)

    No, not THAT BLT....

    I'm talking Bites, Licks, and Tastes!!

    I mentioned last week about working on taming my BLT's and working on new habits and let me tell you: it paid off!!

    First of all, let me talk about this week's journey with cutting out BLT's. I knew that it was a problem for me but I never realized how MUCH of a problem it actually was!! Now that I actually started paying attention to NOT taking a bite here or a taste there, I realized how many times prior to this week that I did nibble and taste things.

    Just a few examples:

    My daughter likes a banana and peanut butter in the morning: Normally I lick the knife, I lick my finger, I take a bite out of hers, I take a little piece of peanut butter off the edge, then if she doesn't finish I take the last couple bites.

    Lunch time comes and she likes Easy Mac (the kid loves it. I even get away with mixing in broccoli or spinach sometimes). It comes out of the microwave and I have to make sure it's not too hot for her so as I sit and feed it to her, I temperature test with my tongue, which turns into 1-5 actual bites throughout the meal.

    Snack time: She brings me to the cabinet and says "snack" so as we figure out what she wants, I hand her a cheez-it. She says no, I eat one. I hand her a pretzel. She says no, I eat it. I hand her a raisin. She says no, I eat a handful. You get the picture?

    Make her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She doesn't finish, I take a few bites out of the middle as if the middle doesn't have points.

    The list goes on!!!! The bottom line is that I realized that I use AT LEAST 20 points in UNTRACKED Blt's a week! I counted at least 5 temptations each day. Craziness.

    But this week was different. I decided to make a conscious effort to NOT do all the things mentioned above and if I was going to eat something, I was going to weigh, measure, and track it. I freakin' KILLED IT!! I did so good. I couldn't have been more proud of myself. I even said a few days ago that regardless of what the scale said, that I had accomplished something this week. I am in the process of breaking OLD habits and making NEW ones!!!

    But the scale agreed....

    I weighed in today with a whopping 2.8lb loss!!!!!



    Do you see that total???!!! 101.8lbs!!! That means only 3.2lbs left to lose!!! Way, way excited.

    This was just the motivation that I needed to have a successful early Easter holiday today and not regret my choices.

    First of all, I came home and went for a celebratory 3 mile run. It was one of the best runs I have had yet. Running outside for the same distance I can run on the treadmill has been a challenge for me but I ran almost the entire 3 miles with only two 30 second walking breaks. AND when I got home, my toe was bleeding. I wasn't upset though!! I didn't cry about the pain or the blood. I celebrated some more BECAUSE....now I can finally say that I have put BLOOD, SWEAT, and TEARS into this journey!!!! :)

    This is me at the end of my run stretching on the beach. I love where I live!
    We had a family Easter Egg Hunt today as well as an early Easter dinner at my mom and step dad's house and I had been slightly worried in the beginning of the week but I knew that I would go into it with a plan.

    MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

    At the hunt, I chose my few pieces of candy from my daughter's basket, looked up the points, tracked them, and fully enjoyed them.

    My daughter and nephew after the hunt!
    At dinner, I asked my mom a bazillion questions about what was in what and I tracked every single thing I ate. I may have OD'd a little bit on fruit but seriously? When there is honey glazed ham, sweet potatoes in brown sugar and butter, mashed potatoes, cheesecake straight from philly, and so on staring you in the face, OD'ing of fruit is a victory in my book!! I ordered the biggest, most delicious fruit tray to bring and it was the best $40 I ever spent.

    I won today on so many levels and I couldn't be more proud of myself.

    One more tid bit:

    My kinda-cousin who is six years old wanted me to play outside with her after dinner tonight so she was showing me how to do dances and what not. Then it turned into showing me how to do cartwheels!! I haven't done a cartwheel in at least 10-15 years but when she put me up to it, I took the challenge. I ended up doing about 20 cartwheels tonight and all kinds of "exercises" that she showed me how to do. Once we were done and sitting on the couch together, she said to me:

    "You know...you have to walk and run so that you can keep your knees and your bones healthy and you have to exercise too and sweat! you gotta sweat! Oh ...but don't forget..you have to POOP!!"

    LMBO!! I was cracking up. Out of the mouths of babes. I felt so proud though. I hope that when my daughter is that age she is telling people the importance of exercising!! :)

    Her and I hanging out after our "workout"


    Happy Happy Easter my lovely followers!!
    xoxoxo

    Friday, April 6, 2012

    Dinner tonight!

    Yummm just made a SLAMMIN' dinner! My honey said "This tastes very gourmet. Like they would make it at a restaurant at Revel" :)


    Asparagus: Boiled asparagus for 10 minutes then sprinkled with lime juice and Parmigianno Regianno cheese. (1PP)

    Acorn Squash: Followed this recipe from Skinny Taste. Smart Balance Light butter and brown sugar. So yummy!! (4PP)

    Chicken: (6PP - depending on how large your chicken is)
    • For the salsa I finely chopped a half of cucumber, 1/4 red onion, and quartered a few cherry tomatoes then added lime juice, salt and pepper, and chives. - Put it in the fridge until the ready to be served (At least a half hour)
    • For the chicken I just marinated it in this apple pulp balsamic vinegar that I have for a half hour or so with a little salt and pepper then stuck it on the George Foreman until cooked all the way through.
    And voila! Super duper yummy dinner!

    Tuesday, April 3, 2012

    Tangible Reminders.

    When I started losing weight, I never imagined I would lose this much. I started out just wanting to be 199lbs and a size 14-16 thinking I would be happy. Never in a million years did I imagine I would have made such a drastic change. So, with that being said, I got rid of my fat clothes, not thinking I would like to have a pair to look back on.

    So today, I was walking through the Good Will store looking for some good finds and just happened to catch my eye on the plus size section and decided to take a walk back in time for a minute. I grabbed a size 22 just to see what they actually looked like and where I used to be. For $6, I decided to purchase them and keep them in my closet as a tangible reminder of where I will never return.

    Are you ready to see the pic??


    KJB Tip: Don't get rid of ALL of your starting weight clothes. Keep one pair for a reminder of where you were and where you will never return.

    That's all for tonight. Just wanted to share.

    xoxo

    P.s. I love and appreciate all your comments!! You guys rock my world.

    Monday, April 2, 2012

    We will be victorious!!

    I had all intentions of coming here and writing a blog about habits then I realized I already did that not even a month ago (See that blog here) . So not sure where this blog will lead but I'm just gonna let my fingers work.
    Lately I have been having a REAL struggle with the Old Krystle. She has been sneaking back up in my life and trying to remind me of how comfortable it is to not have to think about food or working out and just go through life eating and doing as I please. What she tends to forget is how UNcomfortable 250+ pounds is. She keeps trying to get the best of me: knocking me off plan, convincing me that I don't feel like working out, picking up food and putting it in my mouth without tracking it, trying to tell me that I don't want to track forever etc... that B must be in cahoots with the devil - trying to slip me up, trip me up.



    I REFUSE.

    I REFUSE.

    I REFUSE.

    to ever be one of those people who you see 5 years after their weight loss and they gained it all back. I refuse!!!!! But I also don't want to have a mental battle every day of my life for the rest of my life. So what do I do about it??

    Well, I was reading in WW magazing this morning, David Kirchhoff, the WW CEO's entry. He types a blog about his maintenance journey but in this piece in the magazine he talked about how it took him 9 years to lose his weight and it wasn't until he made things a habit instead of a chore that he was able to find peace and keep his weight off.

    At one point, I felt that I was THERE. That this was all a part of me now and I didn't have to put much thought into it. I was wrong. I am not there yet. This is still a struggle for me. Not all the time though. Some days, I do great and I don't have to put much thought into it but other days I just want to stuff my face and sit on the couch and I openly admit that!!

    I don't want to struggle like this forever though. I don't want to burn out my mind thinking about points and the scale and drive myself to the point of quitting and giving up. I want to be a healthy, thin, strong, fit person and I want it to just be a part of who I AM.

    SO...I am working on creating new habits and breaking old habits and creating the new me that I want to live my life as. Starting with reading Chalene Johnson's book PUSH. I started reading it a while ago and never finished but I am picking it back up and supercharging my life.


    One habit at a time: Today started my quest to break my BLT (bites, licks, and tastes) habit. I got through the entire day without a bite, lick, or taste and I tracked everything i put in my mouth. Tomorrow, I have to do it again. I hope that after a couple weeks of being strong with this, that it will become second nature. They say it takes 21 days to create a habit. Here's to 21 days and a LIFETIME dedicated to a better ME!

    As I make it very clear, I am not perfect. I am not the perfect Weight Watcher or weight loss person. None of us are. That's why we are all here, doing it together so that we can support one another along the way. Some days will be better than others. Some weeks will be better than others. But each day is a small battle in the war and as long we are willing to fight the next battle, we will win the war. We WILL be victorious!!

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