What's the Biggest Set Back to Weight Loss? TIME!

Time...I could use another hundred hours or so in my week, couldn't you? As a matter of fact I have talked to a number of you who have either been to Fitness Ridge with me or apart from me and every single one of you said time was the major hinderance. We work, have kids, families, animals, boy or girl friends, hobbies, friends, or melt downs in any given day. Where do all those hours go? Not into a black hole my friend - oh no! But once they are gone, they are gone.

Let's say you work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. If you sleep 7 hours a night then that leaves you 9 hours in your day to do everything else. Laundry, dishes, cleaning house, paying bills, cooking, exercising, playing with animals or kids or both, homework or working from home, going out with friends, church, and let's face it, just sitting down and reading a good book because we can't be running every minute can we? Are you stressed out yet? I am! I sat down yesterday morning and wrote down everything I do in a day and figured out, I don't have near enough hours to get it all done. This causes stress and the pile gets bigger.

So I came up with a plan. My husband is a marvel when it comes to solutions. We talked about what could easily be eliminated from my list, not much, but every little bit helps. I have decided that my Thankful Goat soap business has gotten so big I won't be able to do special orders anymore. I love doing it, but I just can't. I also won't be cooking every day. I have chosen three days to cook for two hours each day and the other four we will eat leftovers, because I will fix enough. I will only work on my business three days a week leaving two days to do sewing and art, things that I rarely get to work on. The plan came together quite nicely and I got up early this morning to walk for an hour:) Check.

I loved the food that was prepared at Fitness Ridge, but I learned the best thing about it is that I DIDN'T have to prepare it:) It just magically appeared in front of me and I ate it and went on about my day. When I got home preparing it like Chef and the crew did was almost impossible unless you are independantly wealthy and don't have anything else to do all day. And if you know me, you know how much I LOVE to cook. So here's what I have done. I have made it so we can get dinner on the table in 15 minutes or less every night. Fitness Ridge Style:) We ate a lot of 93% lean ground turkey and it usually came in two forms: skillet prepared or molded into some shape and cooked, ie. burgers, meatballs, stuffed peppers, etc. The skillet prepared was just like you would fix meat for spaghetti sauce or chili. What I am proposing is making this stuff up and doing enough for the whole week. You cook one time then you can get supper or lunch going a lot faster.

I know what you are thinking "Ground turkey every single night! I might barf." Believe me you won't even know you are eating the same thing! In order to make this work you will probably have to order Chef's cookbooks at www.biggestloserresort.com You can just get their number and give them a call and they will send them right to your door. But believe me, you don't even need that.

A package of ground turkey has 16 oz. in it. That's two dinner sized portions or four lunch sized portions. Figure out how many meals you need for your family size, and buy that many packages of 97% fat free ground turkey. Sometimes I have to get 93% if there isn't 97% at the store. Here is the skillet recipe:
2 packages ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can, drained and chopped, roasted red bell pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1-2 tsp granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper, optional
Cook everything in a skillet until all the meat is browned and the juices are evaporated.
This is the base for spaghetti, chili, greek pitas, turkey soup, tacos, enchiladas, pizza, burritos, taco salads, oriental salads, and the list goes on. Remember you have to cook enough at the time to make for the whole week so get a big pot. You will thank me later:)

The other ground turkey concoction is the patty kind. You will mix it up and leave it in a covered bowl raw, until you are ready to cook something with it.

2 packages ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can drained and chopped, roasted red pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1-2 tsp granulated garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper, optional
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 egg
Put everything in a food processor, again making sure that you have enough for the week. I do half skillet style and have this recipe. You process everything til it's ground up. This stuff has amazing flavor and all you have to do is ball it up. 1/4 cup is a serving for lunch and 1/2 cup is good for dinner. You can make burgers, meatballs, stuffed red peppers, salisbury steak and gravy, again, the limit is up to you. I also make extra brown rice so I will have some for some of the meals as my carb side.

Two other things that would be helpful is to prechop a salad bar and make a gallon of soup base.

For the salad veggies only! Spinach (never iceburg lettuce!), spring mix, tomatos, carrots, broccoili, cauliflower, onions, bell pepper, frozen thawed peas, etc. Put them in ziplock baggies and get them out when you need a snack or want a salad with your meal.

We had soup every lunch at the Ridge, but who has time to stop and make soup AND lunch. So I make the base and have it on hand so I can make whatever kind of soup I want. The soup base:
3 cans of chicken broth
2 Tbls Tone's Chicken
2 cups water
1 onion, quartered
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper, optional
Cook in pot until onion is soft, puree in blender and store in fridge.
This is the base. To make the soup, pick a veggie: beets, carrots, butternut squash, jerusalem artichoke, red bell pepper, parsnips, etc. I use a big handful of chopped veggies to 32 oz of broth (4 servings) and bring to a boil. It's done when the veggies are soft. I pruee the whole thing and serve up 8 oz to begin lunch. This helps you to feel full and gives you flavor and fiber.

So...if you have your meat ready, and your salad ready, and your soup stock ready, then you are more than half way there. Also you don't have to stick to a schedule. If you come home and want a burger, it's ready to fix, burrito, no problem:) This is so easy and I hope it takes hours off your busy schedule. I also hope it inspires you to eat healthier, and gives you more time to exercise or be with those important people in your lives. Being prepared is all it takes! No more wondering what's for dinner.

March 2012 Top Running Songs

Chris has hooked me up with some great tunes to workout/run to. Thought you might enjoy these. He will be sending them every month. Let me know if you like what you see here and want me to keep posting them. I love having new options to workout to. Just click on the link and it will play you a little sample. I haven't listened to each song completely - disclaimer for explicit lyrics;) You can go to Spotify and listen to the whole songs for free. This site runhundred is for purchase on Amazon.com or Itunes.

These are the top ten for March 2012:
Lady GaGa - Marry The Night (Afrojack Remix) - 132
BPM
Allstar Weekend - Dance Forever - 125
BPM
Rihanna - You Da One (Almighty Radio Remix) - 129
BPM
Breathe Carolina - Blackout (Wideboys Remix) - 128
BPM
Flo Rida & Sia
- Wild Ones - 129 BPM
Fun. & Janelle Monae - We Are Young - 92
BPM
Snow Patrol - Called Out In The Dark - 121
BPM
Steve Aoki & Rivers Cuomo - Earthquakey People -
128 BPM
Madonna, Nicki
Minaj & M.I.A. - Give Me All Your Luvin' - 147
BPM
The Wanted - Glad You Came - 127
BPM

Good running:)

On Sickness, Couches, and Coughing a Lung Up!

This is the secret weapon in fighting sickness:)

On Thursday Dorian got it, three days later he was generous enough to pass it on to me;) Now we are each on a couch, for the last four days. His is a sinus infection that spread to his lungs and mine is just a sinus infection. I think we haven't been this sick in the Mathew's home for quite some time. Yesterday we enjoyed The Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four two, and Iron Man. What else could we do LOL! Wondering what will be on today. This is the first day I've actually felt like typing too!

When we get sick in our house, the first thing we do is make the chicken soup. It comes in many forms: Mexican, Italian, American, but I have learned the secret ingredient to making it a sickness fighter...OK two ingredients...garlic and crushed red pepper. And lots of it!!! Both are so helpful on so many levels to fighting anything from the common cold to the flu. This time since it was me who was sick, my sweet husband brought home the mexican soup from our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Here's the recipe: Boil boneless skinless chicken breasts in canned broth, tear into bite sized pieces. Add pico de gallo (recipe follows), chopped avacado, and they add rice but I omit it because with the diabetes it makes my sugar go up, even if it's brown rice. The pico de gallo is equal parts of finely diced onion, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro. Yes I said equal! I know you are thinking this will light you up, but trust me it's great. Oh and you have to add salt and lime juice to the pico. Now back to the soup. We keep the components in the fridge and mix them together and heat as we need it. If you put it all in a big pot and reheat it the pico isn't as fresh and the avacado turns brown. At the table use some lime juice and whole wheat tortillas instead of crackers. Here is where i add the crushed red pepper and chopped raw garlic if sick. Remember lots of both:)

Hoping you don't get this, but remember if you do. Even though you might not be able to go to the gym, you can still eat right. This chicken soup is good lunch and supper and it's what your body needs. For breakfast I eat 1 cup of plain Greek style yogurt with 12 chopped raw almonds, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 tsp Truvia, and a tablespoon of grape nuts. Good bacteria for the evil antibiotics I'm taking.

Change is Guaranteed

Several of you have told me you want to see more pics of the food we are eating so here are a few pics. Just like the Ridge huh? OK so this first one looks loaded with fat and calories doesn't it? Makes you want to run for the treadmill screaming. Well, it's turkey polish sausage and homemade sourkraut. Hard to make you ask - certainly not. You slice cabbage up as seen here and add salt, more than you think you might need. Then you take a glass or pestle and beat the salted cabbage to bruise it. Burning calories like Sharon's kick boxing class already. Way to take your agressions out on that cabbage. Now that you are destressed you place a lid on top of it and add a couple of cans so that the plate squishes the cabbage. Let it sit out on the counter for up to a week, tasting it every few days and when it gets the right 'whang' you store it in a jar in the fridge for up to a month or two. In the summer it makes quicker than the winter because cold weather slows down the process. The health benefits....endless. This is an actual fermented process unlike a lot of the krauts you get in the store that are modified and sped up by using vinegar. Probiotics abound in this homemade version and eating a little every day will keep your gut all nice and healthy. This is similar to Kimchee in Korea and other various fermented foods eaten around the world. Americans have stopped eating fermented foods and it has hindered us in our gut health and healing process. Many think sourkraut made the right way will help to keep away cancer and other physical illnesses. I just think it tastes good!!! Much better than store bought;)

One of my favorites. Pasta. Yes we can still have it on occasion and this one is whole wheat. They tast much better than they use to but remember it's the serving size that counts. Only 1/2 a cup is a serving size. Really you have to check the carb count, because it varies from one to another. 15 grams of carbs is one serving. That means you have to check your cereal too. Did you know one serving on Grape Nuts has close to 50 grams of carbs!!! You have to read EVERYTHING! Don't let the front of the box fool ya! The sauce here is made with all kinds of veggies: Carrots, celery, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, tomato sauce and fresh basil and oregano out of our garden. The meat is ground turkey...what else! I am using Chef's guide for dressing. Our family loves ranch and if you saw this week's Biggest Loser you know Ranch Dressing can have up to 130 calories per serving. This one weighs in at 40 for one tablespoon! It's made with half Nayonaise and half Veginaise. Chef combines one jar of each and together they actually taste like real mayo! I use 1/2 cup skim milk and 1/2 cup mayo mix and ranch powder. You can make your own, but I was in a hurry. It is really similar to ranch and lets you feel like you are really eating;) I know you will ask so the rings on there are pickled bamboo, an oriental treat. My high school art teacher's mom make it and it is wonderful.

Breakfast??? Seriously??? Yes!!! The Israelis really know how to have a good breakfast. Except I'm missing the greek yogurt and hummus. Didn't have time to make those;) Israelis always eat 'salad' for breakfast. And by that I mean chunks of veggies without lettuce or dressing. Sometimes there is a little squirt of EVOO, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Very healthy.

MY LOVE! Jason's Deli;) This is the one restaurant I can eat out at and not gain 5 lbs the next morning. So it's about the only restaurant I do eat out at! I always get the salad bar and load up on fresh veggies. My extras are an egg, a little cottage cheese and reg cheese and sunflower seeds. I also love their roasted red pepper hummus, but I'm afraid to see what the calorie count is. I have kept putting off Googling it. Those little toasts are nummy with the hummus. I get the dressing on the side and dip my fork in it so I don't eat as much.

Chef Smart! I even made the soup, Chef would be proud of me. I usually forget the soup until about 15 minutes before we eat and by then it's too late;( Two happy customers! And they stayed full til supper too, just like at the Ridge.

The soup was Butternut Squash with cilantro. I used chicken stock, and onion, a butternut squash, salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cilantro. I also think I added a few crushed red pepper flakes. Cook it all for about 20 minutes, blend it in food processor or blender and continue to cook down til it's thick.

Sloppy Toms. Sloppy Joe's made with ground turkey served on flat buns. The salad is kumquats, strawberries and mango with romaine and strawberry lemonade dressing. Chefs salad dressing recipe modified a little.

I really have seen a difference this week. I am starting to feel smaller and am down 5 lbs. I am guessing it's mostly fluid since that's what you lose first but I'll take it. I saw two people in the grocery store yesterday that I haven't seen face to face since I lost the weight and they both told me how good I looked and that is wonderful no matter when it happens. Continued confirmation that I didn't fail:)

Last Saturday our family processed a hog. Yes we drove to a farm, had it shot, loaded it into the pick up and drove to a friend's house where we skinned it, cut it up and now our freezer is full of yummy pork. OK I know it's not Chef Smart, but there are more mouths in this house than me;) I tried my hand at curing the bacon. Still in the works, I'll let ya know how it goes. That night after the hog adventure I started having pain in my chest and my heart rate was over 100 at times. Steve too my BP and it was 142/84, very high for me so we went to the ER and let them check me out. It wasn't a heart attack thank goodness, but they ended up keeping me over night to run some more bloodwork. That was very scary and I really think it could have ended up much worse if I had never lost the weight over the last year. Thank you again Fitness Ridge for saving my life;)

If you change something, change is guaranteed. Right? Nothing stays the same unless it stays the same. Are you staying the same or changing? Nothing says changes has to be fast. Change can be slow and steady and still be change. That being said, if you do nothing, well, you get nothing. Do something, anything, make the difference because you can and you are worth it. People are counting on being able to love you for a long time, but you need to love on yourself to get there. I love you too and hope whatever journey you are on it is paved like Stop Sign (Ridge humor). Beats the devil out of Three Ponds Overlook anyday.

Got Peeps On My Side

Halloween with Little John, Frier Tuck, and Robin Hood

I looked back to see the most recent pic I had of me and this is it folks. We had the cameras out at Christmas and didn't take a single picture. Can you believe it??? I was proud of our meal choice though. My mom and I went in together to create a Charlois Steak House salad bar. We divided the ingredients and I made the dressings. We also had ham and duck, but the salad bar was the star of the night. The best part? I didn't feel like a chunky salt block the next morning;)

Now that the New Year is in full swing, it's time to get serious about training again. Thankful Goat Christmas shopping season is behind me, settled back into homeschool with the boys, and the Dr. gave me a full steam ahead on the workouts with my elbow...not my hip though. He has banned me from Zumba for a little while longer til we figure out what's really going on inside there. I can do yoga, stretch, and walk. No running. Ugh! He's killing me!!!

I arranged a phone chat with Jenn Morton at Fitness Ridge last night and a 25 minute session has helped me see so much clearer. Some of the best money I have spent this Christmas - BELIVE ME! If you have been keeping up with my blog you know that I kept having these thoughts that I had gained all my weight back. I started having these thoughts the day I got back from the Ridge. Jenn asked me what that would mean to me if I had gained all the weight back and I told her it took a lot financially to get me there for a month and a lot of time away from my family. To me, it would be like I failed myself, my family, and I wasted my money. But here's the thing. I DIDN'T! I didn't gain it all back. I'm within 5 lbs of my Fitness Ridge weight today. It is all in my head, but the head does take time to catch up with the body! She reminded me of the most important thing we learned at the Ridge: Calories In/Calories Out. It's math and you can't go wrong with it. So last night I strapped on the old Polar chest strap and set up a 24 hour calorie count. I just hit 16 hours and I'm at 1320. Dang those things could be made a little more comfortable for sleeping though;) Now I think I have one of the slowest metabolisms in the galaxy, but Jenn did my calorie deficits for the Ridge and each day I was there I averaged an 1,800 calorie deficit. EACH DAY! I can do this, yes I can. If I want to lose around 20 lbs before I go back to the Ridge in May all I have to do is have a deficit of 500 a day. If I'm burning around 2,000 just living life and I only eat 1,500 there's my deficit. Add exercise and I burn more.

It is simple but here's the thing. We live in an all or nothing society don't we? We are either all in or all out. We win or we fail. We dominate or we are a buffoon. Am I right? Learning this lifestyle is give and take, it's living a little and moderation moments. We blow our diet on Monday at lunch and think the whole week is blown. Psh, I'll start back next Monday. I realized, except for eating out (which will kill ya!), I have done pretty good. Yes the Christmas cookies called my name, but when I went to clean out the pantry after Christmas it was OK. Just a couple packages of pasta (whole wheat) and some crackers! Not bad really considering I live with a husband and two growing boys! We can have a little fun and learn to maintain, but when you hit that 5 lb hazard - Blow the whistle on yourself and reel it in. So...stop feeling guilty about whatever you did to yourself last week or last month and reach for that darn whistle. It's like the one attached to the life jacket on the cruise ship of life;) BLOW IT and signal for help. I did. I was feeling low and now Jenn and my doctor got me back on course.

On that note I just want to say I have some pretty amazing friends. Some of the best people a person could know actually! They are friends from high school, college, life, Fitness Ridge, and the list goes on. Some of these people I don't even know!!! We are friends on the Biggest Loser's Fitness Ridge Alumni page on facebook. Yes, they have one of those and you should go there right now if you haven't. You don't have to be an alumni to join and you can ask questions, get encouragement, and meet some really great peeps. OK, back to my friends...You have really been there for me the last year. Encouraging me on Facebook, in person, emails, and phone calls. Everything I've been through has brought me closer to being the me I want to be. And for that I thank you!!! If you were all here right now, I would throw a party in your honor!

Here's the last bit of homework Jenn gave me. BLOG!!! I had never blogged until Fitness Ridge, but I did it for a whole month and loved it. I posted pictures, and told how being there made me feel. I have that to look back at now and it helps so much. If you are thinking about going to the Ridge, give it a try. Yes I fell asleep at my computer a couple of times, but it was so worth it to have all that recorded. My friend Frances from the Ridge told me about a month after we had been home that it seemed like it was all a dream, I agreed. What we did, going out there, was crazy, but if I didn't have the blog it would seem even more dream like. I shall blog. I shall! I had stopped doing it much since there wasn't anything exciting happening, but Jenn helped me see that it's not so much for you guys as it is for me. Don't get me wrong, I love all the fame and fortune blogging has brought to me - ha LOL! Having had over 7,000 hits goes to your head, but then you wonder who in the world has been that interested in your life. So for all you blogstalkers out there, take heart, you can now once again live vicariously through my mundane life, looking at pictures of what I eat, where I hike, and when I help my three goats give birth in March. Hee! Yes, you are looking forward to that one aren't you;)

Every step counts. In my life and yours. In order for us to have a straighter path we need someone to come along side us and show us the way. We all need accountability. We all need friends for whatever our journey is. The New Year is here. Are we ready to show 2012 who's boss? Are we ready to have more fun living our lives this year than last? I am. In the words of one of my favorite TV characters ever, Jack Bauer, "Let's do this!"

First Goal, Check

I just wanted to pop in and let you guys know I made it. My first big goal for keeping the weight off was the day after Christmas, exactly one year to the day since I called Fitness Ridge and made my reservations for 2011. I wanted to end the year within 5 lbs of my weight after returning home from the Ridge. I DID IT!

I have to say it's been hard these last couple of months. My goat milk soap business has been in full swing not allowing me time to eat like I want and work out enough. My hip and elbow has been healing. The elbow is looking good and I can now swing the kettlebell again, but it looks like my hip may need something more. Hopefully not surgery!

How do I feel? I have good days and bad days. The mental thoughts are still the hardest to follow. I still wake up thinking I've gained it all back, guess I'll get use to it eventually;) I can't wait now that Christmas is over to get started back training. I'll be leaving on April 28th for another trip to Fitness Ridge. This time will only be for a week, but I'm excited to go with my friend, Crystal. We will have a blast. I found out I have something called Somigy effect. Think I spelled it right;) It's where your bloodsugar rises over night and it's no fault of your eating or anything else. I have had to take medicine at night for it, but hopefully when I get off another 30 lbs it won't do it anymore. There are no guarantees from the Dr. though. I don't like the squishy self I've become. I loved being rock hard when I got home from the Ridge but the injuries have kept me from keeping them. The one thing I keep telling myself is: If I did it once, they will come back with the hard work. I know now that I have it in me and I can't wait to get started back.

Welcome to 2012. It won't wait for you. It's like a train pulling out of the station. Start running and jump on the rung because there are adventures to be had. I wouldn't miss them for the world. This new life I have is too much fun! See you on the other side;)

Nine Months and Counting

Steve and I at the Hospital Fundraiser Gala Ball last weekend. Now there's a dress I never thought I would wear to some gala!

It's been nine months since I dialed up Biggest Loser, and with a shaky voice told Nancy to sign me up for a month. I immediately started to exercise and cut back on my eating. I immediately saw results and five months later as I boarded the airplane for Utah, I had dropped 25 lbs. I spent the next month being molded into Linda Hamilton from Terminator 2 and dropped another 15 lbs. I got home and dropped another 10 lbs. Hanging out within 5 to 10 lbs of my first goal, here I am nine months later. Fifty-five lbs lighter than I was last Christmas. I have gone through the psycho dance that we all experienced when losing that much weight. You don't know how it will effect you, you just know it will. I have gone through the eating what I like phase that sends you up 10 lbs and scares you half to death so you don't eat much more than salad for a few days. ;) You remember that too, huh? I have been injured so I couldn't workout and got squishy even though I weighed the same. And here I am nine months later. Long enough to grow an offspring in my loins. I guess in my case I have birthed a miracle. My doctor told me when I got started that if I lost the weight I needed to, I would be in the 1% of adults with diabetes that could get off my meds. Enter the miracle! Am I happy with the results: yes! Am I longing to finish the journey: yes! Overall, I couldn't be more pleased. As with most people who have struggled with weight, I have tried all this before. What has been different is the results in my mind. Biggest Loser gives you the tools you need mentally to focus on your goal and the tools food wise to do it. I got back on the wagon after a trip to South Georgia for my husband's grandmothers funeral without really thinking about it. I was up over 12 lbs and the old me would have said, "Oh well, I guess I really can't do it!" But the new me got right back to work and within 6 days I was back down again. I walked in the parking lot of the grocery store around the corner this morning for an hour. I took my husband, two boys, and dog with me. We decided we like it so much that we would do it every morning the weather will allow from now on. Get it over with first thing so it's done. The black team would be proud:) I still have 30 lbs to go. I will not say I am at a stand still. I am maintaining. I am taking a break at the bottom before starting the next hill. I have 30 more lbs to go and 7 more months before I step back on that airplane and head off to Utah again. I can smell the victory and I like what I see. I feel good and I'm taking one of my dearest friends along for the ride. I will enter Fitness Ridge a different person than last year, I will learn new things, I will have new personal records, and I hope to conquer that 10K. Big dreams, big goals, playing big... Isn't that what it's all about.