Mrs. Dash

Just a tip for you all. Mrs. Dash seasonings are amazing. They have really expanded their flavors and I have been using them like crazy. I just thought I would put that out there!!

The Fresh 15

It has been 3 weeks since I started Medifast and I am down ***15*** pounds! I am so excited and I am feeling so so good! I am only 6 pounds away from my smallest weight...so from that point on, any weight I loose will be weight that has been on my body for the last 10 or so years. I have not been in the 140's since my early years of high school! This adventure is so amazing and I can't wait to celebrate the next 15!!

Things I loved to eat today

If you read this blog, you know a few things about me by now...one thing you may not know about me, is that I HATE most vegetables. Sure, I love the easy ones like carrots, sugar snap peas, corn...all of the stuff that is not allowed during phase one of Medifast. So, the hardest part of my day is the "lean and green" meal I make myself. I have pretty much eaten cucumbers, lettuce, asparagus and radishes every stinking day! I have tried...REALLY tried to love other veggies, but I get SERIOUSLY gaggy if I eat certain things. Well, to mix things up, cut up my chicken and put it in my salad. This did a few things; A) it spiced up the regular ole bowl of "yard work"! B) I felt like I needed less dressing because of the moisture from the chicken. C) made me feel like I was eating something new even though it was the same stuff I eat all the time only in a different form!

I did however do something really yummy with the chicken first! I seasoned it with Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb, the sprinkled a bit of Garlic Salt over that, sprayed the chicken with Butter Crisco cooking spray, slapped it into a frying pan and cooked it. I like to cook my chicken at a really hot temp right at first so it gets crispy on the outside, then I turn the temp way down and let it cook slower maintaining the juiciness! I topped off my salad with my fave sun dried tomato dressing and then proceeded to thoroughly enjoy it!!

It's Official...I'm a Coach!

I know it may seem quick to be jumping into a health coach position, but I feel like I have a lot to share and I am so excited to be able to help those I know and love achieve their goals. This company is so amazing and I just can't wait to really help make a difference! So, if you are interested, visit my website HERE!

Sticking to the Schedule

While doing Medifast for the last 2.5 weeks, I have discovered something pretty interesting...on the days I eat precisely on schedule, I loose weight every day...and if I don't stick to the exact schedule, I either gain a few oz. or I stay the same. I was reading a few days ago in the Habits of Health book by Dr. Anderson, and he describes why it is our bodies NEED to be fed every 2.5 to 3 hours. It is a way to condition our metabolism to stay high. By fueling our body every 2.5-3 hours we are keeping our blood sugar levels normal, thus keeping our insulin pump from over producing, therefore, keeping our metabolism in a state of fat burn. It is so amazing to read something, test it, and prove it right in your own body. I also noticed that when I wait too long to eat breakfast, and I let myself get really hungry before I have a shake in the morning, I spend the rest of the day chasing the hunger. On Sunday, I waited too long after I woke up to have my shake, and I spent the whole day being hungry. But on Monday, I had my shake within 30 mins of waking up, as suggested by Dr. Anderson, and I had no hunger the rest of the day, and lost 1lb. It takes some preparation, and a close relationship with a clock or timer, but I have determined to stick to as strict of an eating schedule as I can. Give it a try and see what you think!
I think that making sure to have snacks in between meals is on of the hardest parts of this idea. Sure, I can prepare a meal when I am supposed to during the normal eating times, but it can be a bit difficult to stop what you are doing to grab a snack. This is why I have loved this program, there is very little thinking at this stage. But for those of you not on medifast, or for those of you just looking for some snack ideas, here are some suggestions for your snacks in between meals. Each snack should be about 100-110 calories

• 1 cup puffed rice & 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 cup puffed wheat & 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 English muffin & 1/2 tsp butter
• 1 slice toast & 1 tsp jelly
• 1 rice cake & 1 T. peanut butter
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 large apple
• 1 pear
• 1 small banana
• 1 cup chicken rice soup
• 1 cup beef barley soup
• 1 oz. mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup minestrone soup
• 1 cup turkey vegetable soup
• 1 cup chicken noodle soup
• 1 cup peas & carrots
• 1/2 cup prune juice
• 4 oz. shrimp
• 2 oz turkey
• 1/2 cup sherbet
• 1 cup apple juice
• 10 walnut halves
• 15 almonds
• 4 brazil nuts
• 30 pistachios
• 1 tsp. peanut butter
• 1 frozen fruit bar
• 1/2 cup fat-free frozen yogurt

-2 cups raspberries
-28 grapes
-1 cup blueberries
-1 cup mango chunks
-½ medium cantaloupe
-15 strawberries dipped in 1⁄4 cup Cool Whip Lite
-45 steamed edamame (green soybeans)
-2 tablespoons each of mashed avocado and chopped tomatoes stuffed in 1⁄2 mini pita
-½ red bell pepper dipped in 3 tablespoons hummus

Portions

I have stayed up wayyyy past my bedtime the last few nights reading, "Dr. A's Habits of Health"...I just can't seem to put it down! It is so interesting to me, and yet at the same time, I seem to be learning things I already knew in my heart. Things that the "diet" society would tell you to ignore. Things our bodies and our spirits know to be true. One thing that I love is that this book is all about balance in our lives, and not just balance in our diet. For the first time, I am not being told to work out til I puke, and cut out everything from my diet except fish and lettuce. I am being taught how to make better choices, and how to enjoy a balance in my diet of all the food groups. It is no little secret that the current food pyramid is bogus. Since it's introduction in the 80's we as a country have only gotten fatter...so what do we do?? We blame it on all carbs, and all fats instead of looking at the real problem...portions. So in the book Dr. Anderson tells us when preparing a meal to take a 9 inch plate and divide it like so:

50% of the plate should be fruits and veggies...preferably veggies, especially if you are trying to loose weight

25% should be lean protein such as fish or chicken, and to use other meats sparingly

25% should be your starches, once you have reached your goal weight, avoid starches during weight loss. Whole wheat pastas and other whole grains are most favorable

I was elated when I read that at some point in my life I could eat some of my favorite starches again...in moderation!

So take this little chart and remember it when you make up your plate next time...you will be amazed at how far off our society is when it comes to a balanced diet and the proper portion sizes!

Things I loved to eat Today!

When I am in weight loss mode, the one thing I do miss is comfort foods like PB&J, grilled cheese, chocolate chip cookies...you know the normal sinful foods we give up to get the pounds off...but...tonight, I had a stroke of genius!! I was blending up my favorite Medifast meal...peanut butter soft serve ice cream, when it hit me...add some raspberry flavoring syrup, and this may just taste like a PB&J!! Well, I tried it, and EUREKA! It really did remind me of one of my faves! Plus it gives me one more variety of desert to enjoy while on this journey!!

Things I loved to eat today!

Tonight I think I ate the best salmon dish I have ever tasted in my entire life!! My dear husband grilled me up 1 1/2 salmon patties over mesquite briquettes with a marinade of Kraft sun dried tomato vinaigrette. THIS WAS AMAZING! I served it with a side of grilled asparagus and enjoyed it out on our deck on this beautiful evening followed by a vigorous trampoline jump with my adorable son...this was an amazing night! And while on a diet, I enjoyed amazing food!!

My New Found Love!

If any of you are like me...sometimes getting the right amount of water each day can seem like a chore. I have always struggled with the "getting enough to drink" battle. So I have tried a few tricks to make this battle a bit easier to win.

1. Buy cute re-usable cups with straws that are easy to re-fill and keep one with me at all times stocked with ice cold water
2. Buy lemons and limes and slice them in my water
3. MY NEW FOUND LOVE....sliced cucumbers. They add a really fresh summery flavor to the water. I even mixed a lime and cucumbers today...it was pretty good!!
4. If I drink ANY soda, I have a rule for myself that I have to pound a giant glass of water before and after the soda!
5. Last but not least...stay close to a bathroom...you are going to need it!!!

Things I loved to eat Today!!

Medifast has a vast array of yummy shake flavors. A friend gave me a packet of the banana cream to try. I didn't order any of the fruit flavors because sometimes in diet food, fake fruit flavors can get sketchy...however...this was so yummy!! Here is what I did!

1 packet medifast banana cream shake mix
1 cup water
1cup ice
1 TBL sugar free caramel flavoring syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon

This shake tasted just like banana bread! It was delish!

From my couch to a 5k!!

About this time a year ago I challenged myself to begin running. It took me 5 months to get to get up to running a 5k distance and then...I injured my knee...actually, I injured my entire left leg. My soft tissue therapist told me I had one of the worst I.T. band injuries he had ever seen. The depressing thing is, I never had any reason for an injury, one night I went out for a run and BAM, my knee gave out, and I was benched. This was so hard for me and so depressing. I had worked so hard and had accomplished things in my fitness I NEVER thought possible and in one day it was all taken away. Well, this sent me into a spin and I have never been as dedicated to working out since then. BUT now, my knee is better, I know how to keep it healthy, and I have decided to start anew! I want to be able to run in the St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration at the end of September! This is a 5k fun run/walk/stroller/wheel party! I have always wanted to do it and I think this year is a perfect time! So to help me I have enlisted the help of my iPod and a fun little app called C25K. This is a running coach right on my ipod! Tonight is the kick off and I am so excited! Wish me Luck!!!

Something New and Fun!

Yesterday while I was loading my car after a trip to Target I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and it was an old friend from my home town! It was soooo good to see her and chat and it just so happens her daughter is an amazing coach for TSFL. So naturally our conversation turned to food, and tips and tricks, and since she has been doing the program longer than me, she had some great advice. Lucky for me I was right next to Costco, because one of her golden nuggets of wisdom pertained to the Kirkland brand of salmon burgers. I happen to be slightly picky when it comes to salmon and was praying these were good....so tonight for my lean and green, I fried one of these up with some Mrs. Dash garlic herb seasoning, and ate it with some baby cucumbers from Costco(which happen to be my FAVORITE!!) and the remaining fritters I had from last nights meal! It was DEEEEEEELISSSHHH! I loved these, and they are so quick to make!! Try them out and let me know if you have any other preparation suggestions!

Things I loved to Eat Today!!

I started out my day with a shake...sounds awesome right??? WELL IT WAS! And I will tell you why! I took a little trip to Cash and Carry on Wednesday and purchased 5 bottles of Sugar Free flavoring syrups! One in particular helped make my breakfast shake amazing...Pumpkin Pie! So I blended up my shake, added 1 TBL of the syrup and then tossed in some pumpkin pie spice blend from my spice cupboard, added some ice and cha ching...one of the tastiest shakes I have ever had! This recipe could work with any vanilla based protein shake you choose!

Then for dinner, I tried a new recipe, Zucchini Fritters. I was nervous because I had no idea what to expect but they were so yummy!

1 cup grated zucchini
2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1 tbl onion finely chopped
onion powder to taste
garlic powder to taste
black pepper to taste

fry these up in a frying pan 1/4 cup at a time. They have a runny consistency so keep an eye on them. These turned out more like a pancake so I put them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up. This recipe made 7 fritters and I ate 3 dipped in a tiny bit of low calorie sun dried tomato dressing and served them along side the leftover pork chop I had in the fridge! They were delish, and I could totally see eating them for breakfast with cinnamon and nutmeg in them instead of onion and garlic!

I am back!

By now most of you who read this blog know that we were pregnant and that unfortunately we lost the pregnancy about 3 weeks ago. I have been through the gambit of emotions this last three weeks, but as a family we have been comforted and we know that we are being prayed for, and watched over. We have given ourselves a three month break before we start trying to get pregnant again. I felt like I needed the time to clear my head, get our lives back, get my husband into school, and for me, get some weight off!

So that is why I am back again so soon! This time, because of our shorter time line, I have chosen to do Medifast through Take Shape For Life. I am on day five and can I just say...A-FREAKING-MAZING! I feel so good, the food is good, and drum roll paaaleeeeaase, I HAVE LOST 9 LBS IN 5 DAYS!!!!! Now, I know that this won't be the case for the duration, but it is one heck of a jump start! I had put on about 20 pounds since April...one, I was pregnant for four months, and two, I have spent the last three weeks eating my sorrow. I had given myself the green light to eat whatever I wanted and however much of it I wanted...and it showed...on the scales. So here I am once again, blogging my feelings, tracking my success, and hopefully, helping someone else along.

HERE is a link to the Take Shape For Life site...if this sounds interesting to you...let me know! I was one of this plans BIGGEST skeptics, and I have been proven wrong, VERY wrong. It took the first few days for me to become a believer, but the first time I stepped on the scale and saw a 4 lb loss...I WAS SOLD! There is an amazing book that the company just released called "Dr. A's Habits of Health,". I have been reading this book as I go along with the program. It is one of the most amazing health books I have ever read...and I have read a ton of them! Even if you don't think this plan is for you, if you read this book, you will be convinced! Well, I am glad to be back! I won't have as many recipes or product suggestions for this first little while because I am eating one cooked meal a day, but I will try to share my tips and tricks, and mostly journal. If you have any questions about the program...feel free to email me at majohnson10@hotmail.com!!