progress

Naked And Afraid – The Before Photos

Standard

Tonight I did something that was at the highest level of anxiety, pit in the stomach, REAL.

I finally got up the courage to take the #BeforePic.

Mentally, we see ourselves so different than the camera does. Subconsciously, I think our brains leave out the dimples, bumps and flaws. Our brains delude us into thinking our 3 Bedroom figure is a studio apartment and we never really get that feeling of what our true canvas looks like.

Tonight I did. Tonight I cried.

I was hit with a harsh reality that I deep down knew existed. If I’m really going to be successful…If I’m going to transform myself to the way, in my heart I feel I need to be, then it needs to be done 100%. These photos were sent to two of my closest fitness friends. Friends who I know won’t judge and will help motivate me. Most of all, they will keep me accountable to the results I’m striving for. This was the single hardest thing I’ve done. I allowed someone else into my reality.

Well, it’s time to change that reality. It’s time to be the woman I know is hiding behind the curtain of bad decisions, eating habits and laziness that shrouds my body. Time to let the Strong Beast that’s inside this skin, out.

Seeing yourself through the lens…is terrifyingly enlightening.

Advertisement

Overnight Oats & Weighing in on the Weekend

Standard
SELF_3lbs week

3LBS BOOM!

Last week was my first week in over a month that I was able to make it to all three of my training sessions.  It was glorious!  As of Friday, my birthday, I was down 3.0 lbs from Monday.  I’ve set a minimum of 2.5 lbs per week goal til my Nashville Trip.  That will at least put me 10lbs down, and although I will still be far from my goal, I’ll be 10lbs lighter in my step.  After an awesome workout and a little extra cardio on Friday, I headed home.

Everyone kept asking me what I was doing, where I was going, how drunk I was going to get.  Truth be told, none of the above.  Other than a super tight budget due to paying for our upcoming trip to Vegas, I wasn’t about to take those 3 pounds and just put them back on with night of drinking which inevitably leads to a late night trip through the Taco Bell Drive through and a day of Carbs licking my liver’s wounds the next day.  I was surprised at everyone’s reaction to this.  They felt sorry for me.

Well, they were the only ones feeling sorry for me.

FOOD_PB&JInstead of the normal Mexican Village or other restaurant free meal or dessert, I opted for something that wasn’t totally naughty, but also wasn’t on plan.  Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich.  Let me tell you.  After a week of eating Chicken, Broccoli, brown rice, Oatmeal and Whey Protein..this sandwich was like a flavor explosion consisting of winning the lottery, getting a pony and fireworks over the lake all wrapped into one.

Saturday my husband took his 1970 John Deere Snowmobile to the antique Snowmobile Ride In in Waconia and I got to spend the day with Timothy.  We never left the house once.  We made Valentine’s Day Window Clings to send to family and made our first finger painting masterpiece.  Then we read a couple books, napped and laughed a lot.  I’d say it was a pretty awesome day.

Sunday was a day to plan.  If there is one thing that I’ve noticed, eating clean is not always cheap. Especially when you have a 17 mos old and a husband to feed as well.  So, planning this week on a tight budget was insane. After 45 mins of coupon clipping, Target Cartwheeling and sale shopping, I took a load of Groceries that rang up at $112 and the coupons brought it down to $72.00. BOOM!  #SuperShopper.

I decided to try an overnight Oats recipe I found on Pinterest.  I’m really digging it, but next time I’ll make this variety without the maple.  I don’t know why I put it in there.  I loathe oatmeal with cinnamon, maple or brown sugar varieties.  I’ll eat brussel sprouts before those. That’s saying alot.  Brussel Sprouts are like ipecac for me.  So I used Blueberries and Almond milk.  They turned out great, just weird to eat them cold, but that’s easy to get over 🙂

1st week official weigh in today at 2:30 pm.  Excited and nervous all at the same time.  Let’s keep this Train rollin’!

FOOD_Overnight Oats 2

Best Picture I could get…I scarfed these before I took it..whoops.

Overnight Oats with Blueberries & Maple

  • Small 1/2 pint canning jar with lid/ring
  • 1/4 c Old Fashioned Oats
  • 1/4 c Greek Yogurt
  • 1/3 c Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 1 Tbl Flax Seed / Chia Seed /or mix
  • Blueberries to fill
  • Tsp Maple Syrup
  1. Put the Oats, Milk, Yogurt & seeds into the jar.  Cover and shake til mixed.
  2. add Maple and fill the jar with Blueberries.
  3. Cover again, shake til mixed then put in fridge overnight.
  4. Enjoy Cold or hot the next morning.  (evidently this keeps for up to 3 days)

(Adapted from this Post)

Day 4: Beast Mode – Salad Style

Standard

Today was a pretty good day other than the -22 temps and -50 wind chills.  ugh.  My workout with Ben was good.  If there’s one thing that challenged me today, it was my hunger.  I ate on plan all day and I was constantly hungry.  It was like I would eat and my system would forget I had eaten five minutes later.  This wasn’t a “oh you’re telling yourself your hungry” or “you’re bored and your brain says to eat” kind of hungry..this wasn’t emotional. It was CARNAL to say the least.  This is a good sign that it’s all coming together.  My body is starting to amp up the way it needs in order to burn fat and start building up new muscle.

When I left Rejuv after my workout, I stopped by the local Grocery and picked up a decent sized salad I fashioned from their faboosh salad bar.  Romaine, Spinach, Mixed Greens, Mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, egg, chicken…oh the list keeps going.  At this point, my hunger was ROARING.  You could hear my stomach.  When I got back to work, I grabbed a fork and knife, sat at my desk and this occurred.

 

I swear if anyone or anything had come between that salad and I, it would have been grim.

I didn’t post my Current Stats from Day 1 (Friday, Jan 3) so here we go:

Neck: 15
Chest:  50
Waist:  52
Hips:  59
Thigh:  28
Calf:  18
Bicep:  15.5

BMI:  43.1
BF%:  45

Weight:  300.4
Height:  5’10”
Age:  33

 

Chicken with Balsamic Tomatoes & Artichokes

Standard

2013-12-30 19.54.01Alright. First off I’d like to thank the Academy.  Ok. Not really, but I would like to thank my mother for always making things from scratch.  After years of peering over the counter watching her chop veggies and try new recipes, I can officially say that I’ve inherited the kitchen bug.

I found a recipe similar to this one last night on Pinterest and totally forgot to actually pin it…what does this mean?  Well it means I’ll never find it again. It’s now lost in an abyss of recipes and handicrafts.  Thankfully, I read the recipe well a couple of times and had already done the shopping for it.  Now, it’s time to put my own twist on it.

The original recipe only called for around 5 ingredients:  Roma Tomatoes, Jarred Artichokes, Flour, Sugar and Chicken.  That’s it. yup.  It was a Clean Eating Recipe and well, I guess they didn’t realize that white flour and white granulated sugar are both no-no’s in the Clean Eating world.

I also am a HUGE fan of Fresh Herbs and food with a bit of a tang to it:  Insert Balsamic Vinegar.  Oh B-Vin you ol’ dog you!  You always know how to make a girl feel sophisticated.

I also forgot the temp on the oven and how long to cook it…so we winged it…and well..it worked!

My husband gladly ate his over angel hair pasta and said he liked it enough for me to make it again, but not enough to eat leftovers.  I still consider this a victory since my husbands idea of pantry staples are Manwich, Suddenly Salad, Frozen Pizza and Pierogies.

You can use any 9×13 cake pan or roaster…I have a Le Creuset 3qt Au Gratin that I used for this recipe.

If you are super new to cooking..don’t be afraid this is NOT a difficult recipe 🙂

Materials I used:

So I started out by cutting each Roma Tomato into 4, then coring them, then chopping them up from there.  I drained a small jar of Artichoke hearts and added them to the bowl.  This is where I start to get creative because the original recipe only called for two more ingredients, white flour and sugar. Nope Not using those.  So instead I add Balsamic Vinegar, Honey, Chopped Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped Fresh Basil, minced garlic, salt & pepper, grated Parmesan and whole wheat flour.  I generously Salted & Peppered my Chicken breasts and then popped it in the oven! BOOM that easy!

2013-12-30 19.01.38

I baked it, covered in tin foil, at 350 degrees until the chicken was almost done, then took off the foil, stirred it up a bit, basted the chicken, sprinkled on some Parm/Asiago mix and fresh parsley and popped it back into the oven until bubbly and the chicken/cheese mix was slightly browned.

2013-12-30 19.54.01

Served it over Quinoa for me and Angel hair pasta for my husband. it was delish 🙂

2013-12-30 20.12.06Chicken with Balsamic Tomatoes & Artichokes

Easy / Serves 4-6 depending on portions

      • 2.5 lb pack of boneless skinless chicken breasts (thawed/fresh)
      • 6-8 Ripe Roma Tomatoes
      • 1 small jar of Artichoke Hearts
      • 1 heaping TBL of Whole Wheat Flour
      • 1 clove garlic minced
      • 2 Tbl grated Parmesan Cheese
      • 2 Tbl to 1/4 c Shredded Parmesan, Asiago or blend Cheese
      • 1 tsp honey
      • 1-2 Tbl Balsamic Vinegar
      • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Flat Leaf Parsley (reserve 1/4c for end of baking & garnish)
      • 2-3 large Basil Leaves Chopped
      • Kosher Salt
      • Pepper
    1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
    2. Wash then Quarter, core and chop up Roma Tomatoes and put them in a large mixing bowl
    3. Drain and add Artichoke hearts to the bowl
    4. Add Garlic, 1/4 cup of the Parsley, Basil, Honey, Balsamic Vinegar, Grated parmesan cheese, Whole Wheat Flour and mix together.
    5. Pour into a greased baking dish
    6. wash and pat dry the Chicken breasts, then generously salt and pepper them.
    7. Arrange the chicken pieces on top of the tomato mixtures
    8. Cover with Foil and back until chicken is almost finished, approx 50 mins.
    9. Take the foil off, stir it up, baste the chicken and sprinkle shredded cheese onto chicken.
    10. Place back in oven and bake until bubbly and the chicken/cheese turns a golden brown.