Getting Fit

Three pounds gone!! That is what the scale said yesterday and just to be sure I was not dreaming it I checked again today. Same number!   Really happy with that.  I know that some weeks will not be like that but it was a nice reward for a tough week last week.  I had a hard start last week.  Felt deprived and grumpy.  I had a good week this week.  I am starting to figure out the best things to eat for me.  Things that keep me full and still taste good.  I am also learning that I need to spread my food out during the day.  Instead of eating several things at lunch I am eating a sandwich or something similar and one other small thing.  Then waiting an hour or two and having something else.  This has been helping me get to dinner without binging on junk.  This week has been a good week but I am sure they will not all be easy.  I know this is going to be hard work. 

I need to do this.  As of yesterday I am on a beta blocker for my blood pressure.  Boo!  Medicine sucks.  My doctor believes that if I loose the weight I can come off of the medication or at least give it a shot.  The thing is I don't just need some gimmick diet so I can get the weight off.  I need to change the way I eat forever.   That just makes sense since I am obviously not one of those people who can eat whatever they want, whenever they want and be skinny.  Is there such a person?

Luckily Matt and I like to play around in the kitchen and learn new recipes.  The last week or so we have been making batches of beef broth and chicken broth.  This is a much better of option for our family since there is a lot of sodium in the store bought brands.  I also learned that I can buy dry beans,  cook them, and freeze them for later use.  I love this!!  Now I don't have to buy canned beans either!  Again more sodium.  I am hoping to keep learning more and more useful information like that!

I spent part of naptime today trying to figure out what the heck quinoa is.  Apparently it is very good for you.  I keep seeing it on all sorts of healthy eating blogs.  That is my mission for this weekend.  Find this stuff and give it a shot.  Anyone have any tips?

My favorite good food that feels like a treat for this week is a smoothie.  Yummy!  I got this bad boy at Walmart last week.  It was a pretty reasonable price and I figured between Shelby and I it would see some good use.  I really like it.  It come with several containers and lids.  I can make a smoothie at lunchtime, put it in the fridge, and have it during naptime when my hunger cravings (or boredom) start to kick in.  Shelby prepares her breakfast smoothie the night before so she does not have to make time for it in her rushed morning. 

What smoothie recipes do I use?  Well, for the most part I just throw stuff in.  I usually use 1/2 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt or greek yogurt, 1/2 cup milk, a dash of vanilla, and then throw in whatever fruit I feel like using.  I buy the frozen bags of fruit at Walmart. I did find a recipe in a Biggest Loser book I am that I tried today it was pretty good.  I adapted it a little to be lower calories.

Peanut Butter/Banana Smoothie-
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt, 1/2 cup milk (preferrably fat free but I only had 2%), 1 small banana, and 1 tbsp of peanut butter.


I tasted pretty good!  The recipe called for 2 tbsp of peanut butter but I looked at the calories on the label of the peanut butter I have at home currently and that would have been over 200 calories!  Holy cow! 

I am curious about a few smoothies I have seen on Pinterest that have spinach in them.  Gonna try that soon also!


Below is a pic of our smoked pulled pork and black bean soup we made the other night.  That meal number three with the pulled pork before we froze it.  Matt just wings it but so I have a hard time coming up with a recipe but I can tell you what was in it.

Ingredients:  homemade chicken broth, the equivalent of 2 can of black beans (we used cooked and frozen ones), tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, diced potatoes, corn,  pulled pork, celery.   I bet diced zucchini and green pepper would also be good in this.  He pretty much just keeps adding ingredients and taste testing until he is happy with it.  He is talented like that.  Me....I need a recipe.

I plan on having some of this yummy soup for lunch tomorrow.  No crackers though.  Decided those are totally not worth the calories or the sodium.  A bummer. 

One week down.  Proud of myself.  Hopefully I can keep up the good attitude.  No whining!!!  Time to call it a night!


Favorite part of the day-I let the boys run in circles around the table this morning to burn off some  energy.  Jadon decided that he wanted to wear his dinosaur tail and pretend to be a dinosaur and chase his friends.  Then the boys started taking turns being the dinosaur.  When I could not take anymore of the noise and was concerned that if I let it go on too long someone might end up getting hurt I declared that is was time for stories.  Jadon decided that he wanted to listen to our stories as a dinosaur.  Had to take a pic because this just did not look comfortable.  He is so silly. 

If you are reading this and are also on a weight loss journey you are sharing I would love if you left a link to your blog in comments.  If you have any tips you have learned I would also love to hear those as well!  

Have a great evening!