Brain Dead in the Burbs and Cooking Your Way Back to Sanity

This is the title of the book that my sister-in-law just published the end of November and I have been busy trying to get the word out.  It is hilarious!  A fabulous stocking stuffer,  also a great book club "book" to read and share stories. 

It's available locally in St. Louis at a few bookstores, at http://www.amazon.com/

and

through pay pal at http://www.braindeadintheburbs.com/.

This is the type of book that describes one of those crazy insane days that you wish you could write about!  And my sister-in-law, Laura, has written all of these great laugh- out-loud stories.  You'll love it.  Each chapter ends with a delicious recipe!  Which I have to admit is partly to blame for my recent weight gains.  So now I'm back to blog world to gain support from all my blogging buddies to get me back on track!  Please check out the book, it's amazing!  I'm so proud of her for publishing.  Many of you may remember back in August my posts regarding Laura making all of her dishes so we could photograph them for the book.  Well it has all come to fruition!  If you get a chance to visit her website or read the book then let me know what you think.

Yoga

After resting my sore shoulder/back from too many resistive exercises, I got back in a Yoga class on Sunday.  If I had to measure a successful class based on how I felt before & after, then this class was an A+.  Muscle where tight & sore before hand and after a few poses (like the one above) then I felt great.  Ok, I have never quite mastered that pose, but nevertheless it was a great class.  I'm so proud of all of us who had to sit out of some of our normal exercises last week due to sore muscles.  Just think sore muscles continue to burn calories just to repair themselves!  Also, if you were taking a break to let your body heal that is so much better than just not being motivated to exercise.

Namaste

This is an arm balance pose called the "Crane", Baskasana for you Yogi's out there.  This is a slighly easier pose compared to the Eight-Angle pose above (Astavakrasana).  I have only been able to acheive the Crane pose once for a balance moment of .5 seconds.  Impressed?

My "new" Favorite Lunch

This is my 3rd post in a row of food!  I think it's a way for me to savor it longer than it takes me to eat it.
Love the Turkey, Tomato, and Avocado on Wheat!  I just made Turkey Chile last night for dinner.
I was amazed at how low in fat it was.  Let's have a Chili Cook Off and everyone comment or post their favorite recipe. 

Hot 100 goal:  Strategy to keep myself healthy in the future.  Keep some "safe" treats in my car for emergencies, like today when I missed lunch and instead ate many small slices of bagel thinking "oh this is just a small bite".  So now I'm going to pack up some small zip locs with low fat wheat thins and keep them in my car.

Awesome Tuesday

Homemade Granola Bar

Ok, so every once in a while my husband makes homemade granola bars from the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics Cookbook. I decided this could be part of my breakfast, but I wanted to do a calorie check first.  Adding up all the ingredients this came up to 220 calories.  I decided it was a reasonable temptation and ate it before I could change my mind.  That's not emotional eating is it?  I almost took a picture of this Granola bar next to a Cliff bar at 240 calories (but the Cliff bar looked so pitiful in comparison that I couldn't do it, plus it was smashed because I dug it out of my son's backpack).

What does everyone think of all the so-called "health bars" on the Market? 

Cooking Dinner

Eggplant Pasta Primavera

1 T. Olive oil
2 garlic gloves
2 celery ribs
1 medium onion
1 small eggplant
1 c. grape tomatoes
1c. Tomatoe sauce
1c. Part-skim Mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg. Penna or rigatoni pasta

Saute garlic, celery, onion and eggplant 8-10 minutes.  Add tomatoes and tomatoe sauce.
Pour over drained pasta, add cheese and serve.

1 cup serving 230 calories

My family actually liked it!

10 Things That Make Me HAPPY

Thank you Vicki  http://cupcakesandveggies.blogspot.com/  for honoring me with this award!

The rules for the award:

1.  Post who gave the award

2.  List 10 things that make me happy

3.  Pass on the award to 10 other bloggers  

What makes me happy..

1. Achieving something that I set out to do (currently the Hot 100 Challenge)

2. Rewarding myself for a job well done

3. The warm sun on my face on a cool day 

4. Getting ready to go out & not having to struggle with finding something that fits!

5. The "good feeling" after a great work out.

6. Having a Healthy family: My husband,2 children, and Bailey (our yellow lab)

7. Observing a miracle no matter how big or small, but just knowing that God had his hand in it

8. Having someone visit my Blog

9. My head hitting the pillow after a tiring & successful day
10.Passing happiness on to someone else.

As I mentioned in #10, It makes me happy to pass this Award on to:

I Think I Can, I Think I Can

Previously Plump... in progress
and I would like to pass on some Happiness to fellow  Hot 100 Challengers:
Mrs. Happy Pants

Shauna
Faby
Tami@nutmegnotebook
Olivia
Josie
Maggie
Virginia

Regarding my progress in the Hot 100 Challenge: Goal #4 is to engage in some form of exercise every day.  So yesterday I posted my goals and today was busy with an early school visit to my kids classes, lunch, 2 errands, grocery shopping, making dinner, attending son's football game, then at 7 pm I was bringing my daughter to her guitar lesson and I realized I still hadn't engaged in any exercise.  So I threw my tennis shoes on, set my phone alarm for 14 minutes and headed out walking down the street after my daughter went in for her lesson. When the alarm went off I turned and headed back.  Then a surprising thing happened and I jogged the last 10 minutes back to the music store.  For anyone that knows me, I'm not a runner, but I follow alot of runners on their Blogs so Nej at I Think I Can, I Think I Can you inspired me to kick it into high gear.  On the way home from the lesson I logged the course that I walked/jogged at 1.6 miles.  I don't think I'll be signing up for any marathons, but I did get my daily exercise in!

An commendable effort?!? Cooking dinner

So if you're dieting (I know I should say healthy lifestyle change), but when you're cooking healthy dinners you're happy but the rest of the family is not so excited.  If you make something that they love...then chances are that it's not a great choice for me.  It is way too time consuming to make 2 entrees.

I made Tilipia in a light soy, honey, fresh ginger marinade.  I loved it, the kids not so much.  I got an honorable mention from the hubby. 

Awestruck with receiving a Blogging Award!

I feel that I'm relatively new to Blogging and losing weight, but I have to admit that I was more excited about receiving a Blog Award than losing 10 lbs.  My daughter would say "Get a life mom",  but I say "Yeah me!"  and "Thank you to all my fellow bloggers".  Because Blogging is not sitting on the couch or playing a video game or talking to people who want to sabbotage your weight loss, it's gaining support and information on how to become a healthier person.  First I received the Award from Tish at Incremental Improvements and then practically at the same time from Patrick at Responsibility 199.  Please visit these fabulous Blogs for true inspiration.

The Rules for Eligibility are:

1. Answer the question, "If you had one chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?

2. Pass on to six people and inform them of the award.




The one thing I would change is that I would have rebelled against my parents who said I had to eat everything on my plate!  We develope our eating habits at a very very young age, and eating everything in front of us is a very difficult habit to break. 

Love ya mom, but that didn't serve me very well.


Today I'm delighted to nominate six bloggers who have "Beautiful Blogs with that Little Bit Extra." 
1. Michelle at Meesh (previously The Garlic Chronicles)
2. Diane at fit to the finish
3. Aliana at Health Love Happiness
4.  Tania at The Road Back To Being Me
5.  Marcelle at Marcy's Weight Loss Journey
6.  Terri at Territorial

Congratulations everyone!  Have a great Sunday and keep on Blogging!

One inch to go!

Actual picture taken this morning!  Love the white skin, it's blinding.  This is a side pant zipper with me facing the left.  Tryed these pants on a month ago and there was 5-6 inches left unzipped.  I think the way clothes feel is a better way to measure progress than the scale or measurements!

Sunday: It's official - I'm down 10 lbs. in 6 wks.

I truly don't think I could have done it without Blogging.  I picked up so many tips and inspirational information from reading every where I could in Blogland.  So, I have 15 lbs. to go!  I just made a very tasty beef and vegetable stew-yummy.  My mindless snacking is gone and my cravings for everything sweet are entirely under control.  I do have to say that this lifestyle is extremely time consuming: between blogging, healthy food shopping, preparing foods, recording what I ate, and exercising.  But I love it and it's actually giving more energy to do the other things I'm trying to accomplish.


Hope everyone has a great week.

Tuesday: Felt like a Monday

Bailey- "I promise I'll take you swimming tomorrow!"  Very light work out today, healthy eating in several small meals.  Bailey tried to tell me multiple times today to get off the phone and the computer and take her walking and swimming.  There is always tomorrow!

Day 24 through Day 28: Happy Labor Day/post Wedding

I just got back from a beautiful Wedding in Atlanta!  I ate very reasonably, walked alot, even used the small hotel gym, and danced a ton at the wedding.  I somehow managed to gain a pound over the weekend despite all my efforts :(   I think the only explanation is that instead of 4 small meals, I tended to have 2 large meals each day.  Anyway, I refuse to let this get me off track, so back to gym today and eating 4 small meals and I'm sure I'll be back to losing.  Afterall, if I was in my pre-diet way of life, I would have gained 3-4 lbs. over the weekend.  Absolutely, a beautiful day on Saturday in Atlanta for an outside wedding and it was great to see all of the family.  Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Day 23: Best Time of Day to Exercise?!?

Below are some pros & cons on the Best Time of Day to Exercise from an article I came across 
http://weightlossandtraining.com/best-time-to-exercise: 

Morning:

Pros:
■Fewer distractions and schedule interruptions
■Raises your metabolism to burn more calories throughout the day
■Gives a physical and mental energy boost
■Easier to form exercise habit through morning exercise
■Cooler temperatures in the summer
Cons:
■Body temperature is at its lowest meaning less energy and blood flow
■Cold muscles are more prone to injury


Noon:
Pros:
■Body temperatures are higher
■Can help regulate the amount of food you eat at lunch
■Improves blood flow to the brain for the afternoon
■Can make it a habit to walk at lunch time with an exercise buddy from work
Cons:
■Time constraints might not allow a full workout
■Lung function is worst at noon
■Distractions are readily available

Afternoon:
Pros:
■Best time to exercise for endurance and for building muscle
■Body temperature is at best level
■Lung function is best
■Perceived exertion is lowest
■Stress relief after busy day
Cons:
■Distractions may keep you from exercising


Evening
Pros:
■Muscles are warm and flexible
■Perceived exertion is low
■Can help regulate the amount of food you feel like for dinner
Cons:
■Need to wind down after exercising to fall asleep
■Distractions may keep you from exercising


So really when is the best time to exercise? The best time is the time that you are most likely to workout consistently. Exercise when and where you most enjoy it and you’ll be more likely to stick with your routine.
I’d love to hear your comments on when you have found is the best time to exercise for you?
Liz

Day 19,20,21, & 22: Did anyone miss me?

First Day of School and my son's First High School Football Game!

(My son is # 74 on the 50 yd. line)

I've been missing my Blog for a variety of reasons, but the main one is that I somehow acquired a corneal abbrasion and couldn't really read for a few days.  Much better now that I've seen the doctor! So, I somehow managed to lose a half of a pound yesterday despite the fact that it was my mom's Birthday and I went out to eat for Lunch & Dinner with her to celebrate.  I suppose getting my workout in counted for something.  Does anyone know the best time of day to exercise?
It seems to me that I try to get a workout in the morning and then if not I can always try to get some sort of walk or exercise in during the evening.

Day 17 & Day 18: Weigh-in

Officially, it has been 4 weeks since my weight loss plan started. I hit this high number on the scale right before I went on vacation to the beach, not good!  What was even worse was I discovered that I was practically the only person wearing a one piece suit!  I decided to be more careful with my meals on vacation and exercise at the resort's gym, I was pleased to see when I got back that I lost weight! Which has to be a first on vacation!

So my weigh in yesterday was 7 lbs. loss. (1.75 lbs. a week) To celebrate I made Lasagna (Eggplant Lasagna substituted with Portabella Mushroom, kudos to Previouslyplump.blogspot.com for posting her recipe of Eggplant Lasagna).

Today, still getting kids ready to go back to school.  They finially go back on Monday, Aug. 30th.  So today will be backpack shopping.  So maybe some Mall walking for me.

Day 16: mini-TRIATHLON

A 45 work-out at the gym and then my 13 y.o. daughter who is not back a school yet decided we should do a MINI-TRIATHLON. Which was about 1/4 mile run (i'm not a runner) a mile bike ride (ill-fitting bike with almost flat tires,don't think I'll be investing in any fancy pedals Tish) and 6 laps in the pool (She won finishing her laps as I approached the pool). Followed by chin up contest from the diving board. She won 28-22 chin ups. Overall a fun thing to do!
Hope everyone had a successful day.
Liz

Day 15: No exercise :(

A sedentary day of meetings and driving.  Will make a change for tomorrow! No excuses!
Liz

Day 14: Impatience vs. Staying the Course

Ok, scale is shifting one way or the other.  Light work out today and good food choices.  Preparing for  committees as school is almost back in session.  Not much else to report on...Good night.
Liz

Day 13: Take Two

So, 2 parties all summer, both in the same night.  Last night I ate lightly before I went to the parties then I only at healthy choices.  I came home last night and entered all the healthy choices and they added up to about 700 calories.  I didn't go over my total caloric intake for the day, but I was very surprised at what everything added up to when I thought I wasn't eating alot! 

Then back to the gym this morning, followed by working a 4 hour shift selling hotdogs, brats, & burgers at a booth for Boy Scouts.  I didn't eat or drink any booth food-yeah! 

Then came home to "take two" of my sister-in-law's photography shoot of all the recipes for her soon to be published book Living in the Burbs and Cooking My Way Back to Sanity.  Another challenging night of avoiding devilish appetizers & desserts.

I'm surrounded by food!  Yikes!
Liz

Day 10, 11, & 12

I haven't fallen off the wagon.  I had 2 days of Migraines and 1 day to recover.  I finished my 4 day Jump Start Plan from the Flat Belly Diet !  I don't reccommend it-way to harsh.  I think it didn't have enough calories and made me weak and suffer from Migraines.  However, I will say this, I don't crave everything I see now.  I'm back in the gym after at 3 day break!  Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Liz

Day 9: Catching up on 1st Season "Lost" episodes with my daughter.

So, I've been putting off my post today because I had a migraine and a stomach ache most of the afternoon.  The recovery period was laying on the couch watching Lost with my teenage daughter.  I did manage to wake up early and get to the gym before my migraine set in after noon.  I believe the trigger might have been this Jump Start diet plan that is pretty dismal.  I'll have to re-evaluate tomorrow.
Good night everyone,
Liz

Day 8: Week 1 - Weight In

Well, I've been pretty focused on eating the right things & right amounts along with daily exercise.  My scale showed 1 pound loss.  But if I keep in mind that I really started exercising and watching what I ate on the day I left for a Beach Vacation on July 30th then I've lost a total of 5 lbs. in 2 1/2 weeks.  So I refuse to quit!!  A friend loaned me her copy of the Flat Belly Diet and it gives you a 4 day Jump Start plan so I started today.  The food and this Sassy Water (ginger, cucumber, lemon, and spearmint soaked water) is pretty dismal but it claims that you can lose around 4 lbs.  The most successful diet I was on a few years back was LA Weightloss (then they went bankrupt), anyway they had this pretty similiar Take Off plan for 2 days.  I think it just somehow let's your body and brain know that you mean business.  So, I'm determined to give it a try.  I'll keep you posted.  Anyone out there have any luck with the Flat Belly Diet?
Liz

Day 7: Monday

I suppose I survived last night's feast (11 recipes soon to be published in my sister-in-law's book Living in the Burbs and Cooking My Way to Sanity) Ok, this is the thing, we are all very excited about the book and I didn't want to detract by discussing my weight loss plan.  So as much as possible, I exercised portion control and completely stayed away from the appetizers and the desserts.  The scale wasn't all that sympathetic this morning!  Which I didn't think was playing fair.  I've decided to only weigh in once a week and to quit expecting results overnight. 
Today was back to the gym, healthy meals, work, and back to blogging.  I think I'll plan an after dinner walk.
Everyone have a wonderful evening!
Liz

Day 6: Sunday's S.O.S. Shout out

Yesterday's reward was to take my work out after the gym to the Pool and then to soothe my muscles in a hot tub. What a treat! Then last night I dodged a high calorie dinner out by ordering a seared Tuna steak and only eating half. So now I'm on a statiomary bike and anticipating trouble as my wonderful sister-in-law who is about to Publish her hilarious book entitled: Living in the Burbs and Cooking My Way to Sanity is coming over tonight with 11 of her recipes to photograph and then devour. WHAT DO I DO?
Help!
Liz

Day 5: Saturday

Up early again for Bootcamp! Still thinking that I need to mix up my work outs. My arms are feeling it today, so I'll focus on legs. Scale showed some progress today, I think I'll need to reward myself (massage, pedicure, some non-food reward).
Everybody have a great day.
Liz

Day 4: BOOTCAMP

Yesterday was a great day! To follow up on yesterday's tip-I bought Stevia (the natural sweetener) at GNC only to find out an hour later that it's half the price at the grocery store (oh well).Anyway,I tried it in my coffee with a little coconut milk and it was good, also put it in my Oatmeal. Good investment.

Since I'm waking up early everyday to bring my son to football,I decided that this week is bootcamp! Which also means I need to shake up my exercise a bit and bring it to the next level. Wish me luck in Amy's "Core and more" class that starts in a couple of minutes.
Liz

Day 3: Liz Weight Loss Journal

Yesterday was a good day, but man I was worn out. I brought my kids out for frozen yogurt, I had a half cup which is 0 fat,100 cal + fresh berries. So for today up at 6:00 as yesterday (remember my son needs a ride to football practice). I made a bowl of oats & green tea again instead of latte (but I miss my coffee). I found this article from Mike Geary's newsletter author of the Truth About Six Pack Abs.
"But instead of loading up the coffee with lots of sugars and chemical-laden artificial creamers, what we've been doing at the cabin we're staying at is using a can of coconut milk as our coffee creamer and using stevia for the sweetener.
The coconut milk is a healthier alternative because of the healthy fats, specifically the medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) it contains, which support your immune system and are a type of fat calories that are readily used for energy."

So, I'll give it a try and let you know. Have a great day.
Liz :)

Day 2: Liz weight loss journal

Yeah! Early results (always good feedback). The scale this morning was 1 whole pound down! And yeah, I know you aren't suppose to weigh everyday-but I usually do anyway. So on this Blog, I am going to try to employ and share some new weight loss "trick" each day. Today's tip is foods that are natural metabolism boosters. Green tea is know for this,so instead of having my traditional latte this morning I substituted for a cup of green tea. Drove my son to his Z am football practice wearing my workout garb and now I'm on the elliptical and blogging (multi-tasking). Recently a supportive friend told me told me to eat within a half hour after waking up,so I poured boiling water into a half cup ofOats sprinkled with cinnamon and ate them when I got to the gym.OK-now I'm going to finish my 30 min workout, drink water and move along to the rest of my day. By the way, I feel great and it's only 7:30 am. More to come

Help-It's still day 1

I all but finished posting my first Blog entry and the doorbell rang-My family just ordered a large Imo's Pizza unbeknown to me!  OMG it looks good with sausage, mushrooms & bacon.  I'm trying to dodge the bullet. I quickly made a lettuce salad with a balsamic vinegar dressing, had a peach, and a few slices of fresh turkey from the Deli...Whew.

My personal weight loss journal (Personal enough for the whole world to see)

Ok, so once again I am 20 lbs. overweight.  What to do?  Do I sign up for Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, by some new weight loss book?  A half hour ago, I was one keystroke away from buying The Truth about Six Pack Abs for $40.  Then I decided on the key elements of a successive weight loss program and decided I already know most of them:
1. Be Accountable - record what I eat & what activities I do
2. Support - This is usually the "nice" consultant at WW or LA Weightloss (that is now out-of-business)
3. Spreading out small portion control meals/snacks throughout the day
4. Fat burning exercise (which can be anything from walking the dog to bootcamp)
5. Drinking lots of water (have to stay hydrated in the heat of summer anyway)
6. Overall eat less calories per day than you burn (but don't starve your body)
7. Learn what type of foods work for you to loss weight and to be healthy (avoid fried foods, hydrogenated oils, etc)
8. Eat a balance of Fruit, Vegetables, Protein, Dairy, & Fats
9.  Have a positive approach :)
10. See the results!

So today is day 1 of my Blog "Liz is losing weight!" - Like the positive approach? So I have a personal food/activity journal that I keep in my purse (I'm not going to bore you with each bite I take-but more on that later) and I have #2 solved my support is all of you readers.  So please be supportive and share your tips.  I will share what I read, past experiences that work and don't work for me, and how I try to implement all of the above key elements.  My goal is to lose weight and not spend an arm & a leg joining a weight loss program.  Please follow my progress-more to come.  Remember your my support!
Thanks,
Liz