First off these views are solely my own and I take all responsibly for what is said.
In my last post, I talked about my journey to start taking back my life and living better. The thing that has helped me the most has been MyFitnessPal. A great friend told me about the website and I have now logged in for 140 days in a row! Rock on!
It is a calorie tracker and overall amazing tool!! You can keep track of all you eat and see nutritional info for everything. The site helps you determine your calorie deficit, the amount of calories you can consume to lose weight. You pick if you need to gain, maintain, or lose weight. It is safe in that if you are under 1200 calories for the day it pops up with a warning and the site does not let you pick to drop more than two pounds per week. You can track exercise. You can connect with others and see inspiring stories. I enjoy seeing others who have lost over 100 pounds and their before and after pictures. It is completely free, which is incredible. There is an app for smart phones. I love my app. It has been what has helped me the most. I am able to scan my foods and it remembers the foods I eat the most. You can create recipes, set the serving size, and see how many calories it would be.
Overall, if you are looking to track your food intake or maybe even lose some weight, I would recommend MyFitnessPal to anyone and everyone.
love
anc
I got this.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Honesty Time
*deep breath*
My story so far.
I have always been the big girl for as long as I can remember. I was very active in sports from a young age and played varsity golf during my high school days. However I towered over everyone and was always large. In the sixth grade I remember being a large t-shirt and sixteen jean. I thinned out a bit in middle and high school. Size fourteen jean and medium t-shirt (that fit snug) is the smallest size I ever remember wearing.
I went off to college as a size sixteen pants and medium to large shirt. I maintained this size for the most part. I got pregnant and the morning I was to deliver I was quite large even for a pregnant lady. My weight was around two sixty. I lost a lot of weight, thirty pounds, by the time I left the hospital (due to an almost ten pound baby boy and twenty pounds of water weight). The smallest post little man I can remember is two thirties. Depression kicked in and I shot up on the scale and sizes. My highest was a tight 2x shirt and tight twenty-four jeans. I tipped the scales at my highest weight of two eighty-seven.
This is were my journey takes a new turn, one for the better. There are a few distinct events that I recall that helped me to see enough is enough and I am going to kill myself if I keep this up. One is while watching the biggest loser. The show is such a motivation... however I realized that many of the contestants on the show actually weighed less than I did. I was horrified. I never saw myself as THAT big.
Although I felt big in high school, I never really grasped how large I was at this stage in my life. I am still struggling with that. I will be folding my clothes and think, "Wow these pants are big." But when they go on they fit. Not a fun feeling.
Next, was seeing my dad lose weight. It is hard to explain and I do not mean to be mean towards him in any way with this however it was just one of my wake-up calls. He got down to the two eighties I believe, and was continuing to drop the pounds. He has always been a big guy and to know I was almost to the point of weighing more than him upset me.
Another reason it finally sunk in that I needed a change was my clothes were getting too tight. I owned one pair of jeans and they were really on their last leg -- no pun intended :-) I refused to go up a size and buy size twenty-six jeans.
My finally straw, the one that pushed me to fix myself for myself, actually has to do with little man. He was four months shy of three years old and I could not sit on the floor with my own son. My feet would start to tingle; my back would hurt horribly; I would actually start to get a headache. Enough was enough. If I want to be there for him and for my own life I would have to start changing the way I was living.
I want to be able to walk up a flight of stairs and not be completely out of breath. Heck, I would even like to be able to run them! I want to chase my son around the park and not be the fat mom who cannot run. I want to make it to my thirtieth birthday (which is still over five years away) and be able to look hot.
I am finally starting to recognize myself when I look in the mirror. Tomorrow morning I will have my weekly weigh-in. This week has been a great one getting myself back on track from the holidays. I am expecting a few pounds lost this week and should be on target to hit my first goal in the next week or two. I'll share more when it happens.
I got this.
Will there be set backs? Duh. Will I stop? Not a chance. Will I stumble? You betcha. Will I get back up? Hell yeah.
love
anc
I got this.
My story so far.
I have always been the big girl for as long as I can remember. I was very active in sports from a young age and played varsity golf during my high school days. However I towered over everyone and was always large. In the sixth grade I remember being a large t-shirt and sixteen jean. I thinned out a bit in middle and high school. Size fourteen jean and medium t-shirt (that fit snug) is the smallest size I ever remember wearing.
I went off to college as a size sixteen pants and medium to large shirt. I maintained this size for the most part. I got pregnant and the morning I was to deliver I was quite large even for a pregnant lady. My weight was around two sixty. I lost a lot of weight, thirty pounds, by the time I left the hospital (due to an almost ten pound baby boy and twenty pounds of water weight). The smallest post little man I can remember is two thirties. Depression kicked in and I shot up on the scale and sizes. My highest was a tight 2x shirt and tight twenty-four jeans. I tipped the scales at my highest weight of two eighty-seven.
This is were my journey takes a new turn, one for the better. There are a few distinct events that I recall that helped me to see enough is enough and I am going to kill myself if I keep this up. One is while watching the biggest loser. The show is such a motivation... however I realized that many of the contestants on the show actually weighed less than I did. I was horrified. I never saw myself as THAT big.
Although I felt big in high school, I never really grasped how large I was at this stage in my life. I am still struggling with that. I will be folding my clothes and think, "Wow these pants are big." But when they go on they fit. Not a fun feeling.
Next, was seeing my dad lose weight. It is hard to explain and I do not mean to be mean towards him in any way with this however it was just one of my wake-up calls. He got down to the two eighties I believe, and was continuing to drop the pounds. He has always been a big guy and to know I was almost to the point of weighing more than him upset me.
Another reason it finally sunk in that I needed a change was my clothes were getting too tight. I owned one pair of jeans and they were really on their last leg -- no pun intended :-) I refused to go up a size and buy size twenty-six jeans.
My finally straw, the one that pushed me to fix myself for myself, actually has to do with little man. He was four months shy of three years old and I could not sit on the floor with my own son. My feet would start to tingle; my back would hurt horribly; I would actually start to get a headache. Enough was enough. If I want to be there for him and for my own life I would have to start changing the way I was living.
I want to be able to walk up a flight of stairs and not be completely out of breath. Heck, I would even like to be able to run them! I want to chase my son around the park and not be the fat mom who cannot run. I want to make it to my thirtieth birthday (which is still over five years away) and be able to look hot.
I am finally starting to recognize myself when I look in the mirror. Tomorrow morning I will have my weekly weigh-in. This week has been a great one getting myself back on track from the holidays. I am expecting a few pounds lost this week and should be on target to hit my first goal in the next week or two. I'll share more when it happens.
I got this.
Will there be set backs? Duh. Will I stop? Not a chance. Will I stumble? You betcha. Will I get back up? Hell yeah.
love
anc
I got this.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Chicken Taco Soup
I have made this dish a few times now and it is a good one. The sodium content is really high due to the salsa but it has a nice kick. Also high in sodium is the taco seasoning packet. I am sure you could use your own spices to make this good without the sodium...however I am just learning how to substitute things while cooking. And yes I consider crockpot cooking to be real cooking! It is better than simply grabbing a frozen meal and makes me feel accomplished for having planned!
Ingredients:
- 16oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can baked beans
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can kernel corn ~ no salt added
- 42 oz salsa ~ I get the picante sauce one jar mild and one medium heat.
- 1 package taco seasoning
I rinse the corn and black beans.
Place chicken in crockpot.
Mix everything else together.
Pour over chicken.
Cook on LOW heat for 6-8 hours.
Shred chicken and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
The great finished product!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Fruit and Yogurt
I enjoy eating yogurt. However eating all the extra junk that comes in the fun flavored kinds is not so enjoyable. I decided to take a try at making my own flavors. It was amazing! I tried grapes and strawberries. The berries definitely make a better overall flavor but I am super happy with the results. All you need is some plain yogurt and your favorite fruits!
Grapes and Yogurt~
Grapes and Yogurt~
Get grapes
Cut grapes in half
Get plain yogurt
Add grapes to yogurt and mix! Yum!
Strawberries and Yogurt~
Get strawberries
Cut up strawberries
Get plain yogurt
Add strawberries to yogurt and mix! Yum!
I've found, especially with the strawberries if you let the mix sit in the fridge a while the yogurt is not so overpowering. It gives everything a chance to blend.
This is just a way I'm looking at living life a little healthier :-)
I got this!
Love
anc
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Pictures
My very dear friend Sara took these pictures of little man and me. Also are a few of my little sister. I made a photo book for my parents of these pictures. Here is a rather large sample of my favorites!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Resolutions
This year will be great. School has taken a change for the better. I now only have four semesters left, or two years, instead of seven semesters, which was three and a half years. I found a program that fits my life as a mom better and childcare is pretty much taken care of! Life is good!
Now don't get me wrong, saying "life is good" does not mean its all flowers and perfect stuff. Life is still messy. I, however, choose to go at with with God on my side and know that even though this life may be a total roller coaster, I am loved by Him and know where I am going.
This is something I've had to work through a lot the past few months; finding my place in this messed up world, still living for Christ, and trying to make a difference.
So as I said, I am not doing any resolutions this year. Keep up the good work and love God through all of it is my goal and purpose.
love
anc
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