Day 62

 After the many diets I've been on over the years, 

there is one thing that has stuck with me.......drinking water.

As a teacher, it is almost like a science having to figure out the

timing of when and how much water to drink.  

With a classroom of students, running to the bathroom just isn't an option.

BUT......getting in all my water makes a HUGE difference on the scale,

 so I make it a point to get it all in by the end of the day.

If I don't drink all of my water, I can notice it in my fingers and on the scale too.  

There REALLY is such thing as "water weight".

You always hear that 8 ounces of water, 8 times a day is the magic number.  

But, a few "crazy" diets ago, I learned that isn't particularly true.  

The amount of water your body needs depends on your weight.

Take your weight in pounds; Divide it by 2....that is how many ounces of water you need a day.

 Another "water" tip is to drink a glass or two BEFORE your meal to help fill you up. 

 I always keep my waiter/waitress "hopping" when we go out to eat because they are constantly having to refill my glass with water.

 I hear a lot of people say they just can't drink water because they don't like it.  

If that's the case, there are TONS of options available these days to spruce up the taste. 

There's lemon juice, Mio water flavor drops, and Crystal Light.  

 I used to add flavor to my water, but eventually learned to drink it without anything extra.

Here's trick I did before I got into the "habit" of drinking all my water every day.

I bought a plastic jug and filled it with my daily allotment of water. 

 I took it to work with me and filled my glass up periodically throughout the day.  

 The next time you're feeling thirsty, go for a tall glass of water and reap the healthy benefits.

And, of course, Remember........Everything 4:13!

Day 61

Remember........Everything 4:13!

Day 60

 Today marked the beginning of Month 3!  

I'm trying REALLY hard not to get too frustrated over the fact that I was 

4 lbs. shy of my goal for February. 

Instead of coming up with a list of excuses and reasons why I didn't reach my goal, 

I'm trying to focus on the positive and celebrate my successes I've had so far in 2013.

Top 10 Reasons I'm Happy about the First 60 Days of My Weight Loss Journey:

10.)  I make better food choices.

9.)   I drink less diet soda and MUCH more water

8.)   I am one clothing size smaller.

7.)   I move more and sit less.

6.)   I am 12 pounds lighter.

5.)   I've learned how to eat more veggies.

4.)   I'm well rested.

3.)   I've learned to conquer my "chocolate splurges" at the grocery store 

       checkout aisle

2.)   I've got a wonderful support group of friends and family helping me 

       along the way

and........

the #1 Reason I'm happy with what I've accomplished so far this year is.........

 

1.)  I ALWAYS Remember.........Everything 4:13!

 

Day 59

The "small town" girl in me came out today. 

 I had to drive over to St. Pete for a doctor's appointment this afternoon.  

Driving to St. Pete means.........driving over the Skyway Bridge.  

Driving over that bridge FREAKS me out, BUT it's gotten easier every time.  

 The first time I drove over it was on a windy day.  

My white knuckles were tightly gripped to the steering wheel at the 10:00 & 2:00 position. 

 I had the radio turned off and my cell phone off to keep me focused.  

I was terrified.  

Today's trip over was a little scary at first with construction and traffic but as I continued along, the better I felt. 

 On my return trip back over the bridge though, I realized how relaxed I was. 

 I found myself singing along to the Zac Brown Band on the radio and actually took the time to glance over at the water and enjoy the beautiful scenery.  

Why was it so much easier this last time?  

It was probably due to several reasons.......

Traffic was much lighter, there's no construction on the south side of the bridge, and

 I had some experience under my belt and had more confidence in myself.

You may be wondering what in the world crossing the Skyway Bridge has to do with weight loss. 

 If you think about it........

working towards a weight loss goal is EXACTLY like crossing a bridge.  

Sometimes it's scary and sometimes it's smooth sailing.  

Outside variables that are beyond your control can make it more difficult than you expected. Regardless of how you feel as you cross that bridge, it feels GREAT once you get to the other side.  

Sometimes the bridge between Fat to Fabulous can be scary.  

Sometimes I want to turn around and go back where I started.  

Sometimes I want to speed up and get to the other side as fast as I can.  

But, when I let go of my anxieties and fears and put my faith in God, the journey is so much easier.  

The next time you are worried about crossing a bridge into unknown territory, 

keep your eye on the prize and 

Remember........

Everything 4:13!

 

Day 58

Most nights, my brain has a VERY hard time shutting down at bedtime.  Which, of course, causes me to have trouble getting to sleep.  Instead of using some type of over the counter or prescription sleeping pill, I decided to give Melatonin a try. It has really helped.  I try to take it an hour or so before bed and I haven't had any trouble "getting my brain to quit talking" and have felt well-rested in the mornings.  Apparently,  Melatonin has other health benefits as well AND a good night's sleep is good for weight loss too. Win-Win!

With the "healthy sleep" thing in mind, I've made a conscious effort to go to bed an hour earlier and wake up an hour earlier this week.  It's amazing how much more "with it" I have felt this week.  I have time in the mornings to get my "mind" ready for the day and I am well rested too.  After trying for weeks, I was also FINALLY able to wake up early enough to exercise BEFORE work two times this week!  (I won the battle with the snooze button!)

 

The next time you are tempted to stay up a little later one night and/or hit that snooze button one more time in the morning........keep in mind that the old saying "Early to Bed Early to Rise" is actually good for your weight loss goals (and your sanity too!)  Remember..........Everything 4:13!  

Day 57

Weight Watchers posted the following tip on Facebook today:   

"Accept imperfection. 

Aim to eat sensibly MOST of the time. 

None of us have a 'perfect' diet. 

Instead, make the best choices you can, when you can!"

Accepting imperfection is hard for me......actually it's hard for all women.

It's just in our nature to strive for perfection in EVERYTHING we do.

Instead of having a desire to be perfect, 

we need to remember that the only one with perfection is God.  

His grace gives us the strength to succeed in spite of our imperfections

so we can be and do exactly what HE has planned for us.  

The next time you feel tempted to "beat yourself up" for having that piece of chocolate, having a messy house, forgetting an appointment, or anything else that is "imperfect" in your eyes......

Don't let it get you down.  

 

Remember........Everything 4:13!

 

 

Day 56

 

I have 3 yummy, healthy recipes to share today.  I tried all three and I definitely plan on making each of them again.  

 

The first thing I made is the "Southwestern Chicken Salad".  There are a few things I plan on doing differently when I make it again.  I made it for the purpose of having something to eat for work.  Although I didn't add the dressing until I actually ate it, the other ingredients still were kind of soggy.  Next time I make it, I plan on prepping the ingredients and just combining them each morning when I fix my lunch for school.  Here's the recipe.

Southwestern Chicken Salad

(7 WW+ points)

1 head of lettuce, chopped 

2 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 can low-sodium black beans (rinsed)

1 can sweet yellow corn 

2 diced tomatoes 

(I forgot to buy tomatoes, so I used a can of ro-tel...still yummy)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 ripe avocados, diced

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

Dressing:

1/2 c. mayo

2/3 c. greek yogurt

1 tbsp. dry ranch seasoning

1 tbsp. taco seasoning

 I made "Skinny Spinach & Artichoke Chicken" for dinner tonight.  Although my boys turned their noses up at the green stuff, they still managed to clean their plates.  I'm excited that there is enough left for me to take to class tomorrow night.  The topping taste like Spinach/Artichoke dip.....which I LOVE!  (By the way, the "Emily Bites" blog is one of my favorite sites for healthy recipes.)

Spinach & Artichoke Chicken
Source: adapted from Add a Pinch

Ingredients:
8 (4 oz each) raw boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (2 lbs total weight)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped onion
14 oz can artichokes packed in water-based brine (not oil), chopped
10 oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (the kind that comes in a can)
½ cup shredded 2% Mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly mist a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.
2.    Lay the chicken breast cutlets across the bottom of the dish in a single layer (see photo above). Sprinkle them with salt and black pepper and place them in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
3.    While the chicken bakes, combine the yogurt and softened cream cheese in a large bowl and mix together until thoroughly combined. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir together until everything is well mixed.
4.    Remove the chicken from the oven after the 15 minutes (it will not be fully cooked yet). If the chicken has released a lot of excess liquid at this point then drain it out or soak it up with paper towels and discard. Using a large spoon or a spatula, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the chicken in a nice thick layer. Place the dish back into the oven and continue to bake for another 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Yields 8 servings. WW P+: 6 per serving 

(P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
Nutrition Information per serving from myfitnesspal.com:

 232 calories, 6 g carbs, 8 g fat, 35 g protein, 2 g fiber

I pinned the 1 minute "cup"cake recipe a LONG time ago, but have never tried it.  At today's Weight Watcher's meeting, someone mentioned how good they were.  At only 3 points, it is GREAT for when you have a sweet craving but don't want to jeopardize your diet.  The recipe is easy.

3-2-1 Cake

Ingredients:

1 box of Angel Food Cake mix

1 box of cake mix (any flavor, your choice!)

Mix the two boxes of cake mixes together in a storage container or ziploc bag.  Get a coffee mug or some other type of microwaveable container.  Scoop 3 tablespoons of the cake mixture into the cup.  Stir with 2 tablespoons of water.  Microwave for 1 minute!

Yummy!

Remember........Everything 4:13!