UPDATE: Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2013 +RECIPES!

Drinking my greens!
{kale, carrots, celery, pear} 

Hello everyone! Last weekend I posted about a 21-Day clean eating detox plan I'm currently following and I thought I'd give an update. But first, in case you missed what this detox is all about, it's basically a 21 day food based plan of sparse and simple clean eating that is designed to give your digestive system--especially your liver, a much needed break from working so hard to clean your body of impurities. By sparse and simple clean eating, I mean eating small amounts of highly nutritious, easy to digest foods. All meals are made from whole food ingredients, organic as much as possible and absolutely no processed foods or beverages, no sugar, alcohol, dairy or gluten (wheat, barley, rye) for the duration of the plan. Through this clean eating plan, your body gets a chance to catch up on cleaning out your system and you essentially gets a clean slate for a healthier you. For more information and source links, visit last week's post, Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2013.

Salad with Orange and Sardines

In week one, I ate ONLY vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and plant-based oils. It was tough, but I made it. Today is Day 14 for me, marking the end of the second week and I'm still going strong. Meals were more satisfying and easier to plan this week since I was allowed to add fish, beans, legumes and gluten-free grains to my diet. The foods I added this week were quinoa, oats, brown rice, cannellini (white) beans, tuna, salmon and sardines. Yes, sardines! This was a first time for me--am I the only one who's never had sardines before? Well, I'm glad I finally did because they were a lot better than I expected! Did you know sardines are super good for you, too? They're also a very affordable and sustainable choice. I bought a 3.75 oz can of boneless, skinless sardines in olive oil (the only ingredients being sardines and olive oil) from Trader Joe's for under $3. Okay, so if you're feeding a hungry family of 5, maybe it's not the cheapest protein source, but since they're so healthy, I'm going to make them a regular choice in my salads in the future. I had them in a green salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Have you ever had sardines? If so, how do you like to prepare them?

The toughest part of Week 2 continues to be preparing "regular" meals for my family--they're still eating meat, dairy and gluten-foods such as pasta or bread--and making something completely different for myself. It was a bit easier this week, however, because we all could eat rice and fish a couple of nights, but I couldn't make them eat that every night! The key was to make sure my meal was planned and even ready before starting their dinner. This way I could have a few bites as I got hungry or started wanting a bite of their pasta or chicken. I stayed strong, though!

But.. I have a confession. I ate an oreo one night last week. Gah! For some reason I bought my kids a pack of Birthday Cake Oreos last week. I usually bake homemade snacks or treats for my family, but I thought that would be too tempting for me during the detox, so I bought them the Oreos instead. Well.. I was going mad not having one, so I did. Ugh. What a mistake. Not that I'm riddled with guilt or anything.. but it tasted SO sugary sweet and fake! Ick! I hope this means I'm on my way to un-conditioning myself to want sugar. I hope!

So what new recipes did I try this week? 
Two of them were hits and will make regular appearances in my diet long after this detox is over. One is quinoa porridge for breakfast. It takes a little while to cook the quinoa, but I'm learning to start my day with a mug of hot water and lemon and then waiting 30 to 60 minutes before eating, so I don't mind the time it takes to prepare the quinoa. It can also be made ahead and reheated. The other is Dried Fruit and Oat Bars--a great afternoon snack or workout snack. I'll be making these in the spring to take along on those long bike rides. I adapted both of these recipes to my own preferences and have posted them separately from this post so that I can link them with my other recipe posts more easily.

In the meantime, here's a quick and easy recipe for homemade pear sauce that I made when the mood for something apple-pie-like struck me last week. It's a delicious sweet snack with no added sugar--it's nice warm or cold--and a whole lot healthier than a piece of pie! I've decided this is my favorite way to eat pears. I'm just not crazy eating them out of hand or in a salad.

Unsweetened Pear Sauce 
6-8 pears, peeled and diced (I used a combination of Bosc and D'Anjou or Bartlett pears)
1 small cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/4 lemon)
water

Combine pears, cinnamon stick, lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover the pears halfway, about 1 - 1 1/2 cups water. Simmer pears until they are soft and about half of the water remains, stirring frequently, mashing a bit towards the end with a spoon. Remove cinnamon stick and let cool. Delicious served warm or chilled. Can be used in the recipes for Quinoa Porridge with Blueberries and Dried Fruit & Oat Bars [both vegan].

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Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun! 

Note: your post does not have to be posted on the weekend, but do visit Beth's blog over the weekend to link up your post. 

Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2013

This time last year I did my first ever detox diet, following the food-based body cleanse featured in the 2012 January-February Whole Living magazine. Since then, I've done a 24 hour green juice cleanse but that's about as extreme as I'd go. The detox diets presented by Whole Living magazine are food-based plans that restrict your diet to simple, whole foods in spare quantities that are gentle on your digestive system. This gives our detoxifying organ, our liver, a break from being overworked, allowing it to focus on cleansing our body of impurities. The diet is sparse, yet nutrient dense to supply our body what it needs most for a much needed tune up.

The beginning of my first detox last year was challenging, but I muddled through those first really tough days and managed to stick it out for the full 3 weeks. I lost a few pounds, which was great, but the best part was that I broke my addiction to caffeine*, discovered the awesomeness of green juicing and found out I felt lighter, more comfortable and less bloated when not eating gluten foods. It's not even that I thought I felt bloated before, but rather that I could feel the difference when I wasn't eating those foods compared to how I normally felt. I don't otherwise have difficulty with gluten foods, but it did make me mindful of how much wheat is in my diet practically at every meal. I think we, as Americans, unnecessarily consume far too much wheat--a dietary trend that is actually considered harmful in some nutritional circles [See Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD and Crazy, Sexy Diet by Kris Carr among others].

[*since breaking my coffee addiction, I no longer get frequent migraines. Whereas I used to get 2-3 per month, I only had 2-3 in all of 2012! Something to think about if you suffer from migraines.]

In any case, my mindfulness of wheat foods in my diet didn't stick the entire year. Eventually I went back to eating at least one wheat-based food per meal whether it be breakfast cereal, bread, power bars, pasta, crackers, cookies and other baked goods. Not the direction I had hoped to take.

Sometime amidst the holiday season of plentiful and delicious foods and treats, I began to look forward to a return to some serious healthy eating, including a jump start to a healthy year by revisiting the Whole Living detox plan. I heard rumors that Whole Living magazine was going to be discontinued, which at this point I think is accurate news. I'm quite sad about this, since I only discovered this magazine a year and a half ago and I thoroughly enjoy it. In any case, I received the January-February 2013 issue of Whole Living magazine in my mailbox last weekend and instantly jumped on this year's detox plan.

The 2013 Whole Living Action Plan is very similar to last year's, so I was already familiar with the strategy and even have a repertoire of recipes to which to turn. This latest issue is also chock full of new recipes to help participants have a successful and enjoyable detox. I've already prepared most of the Week 1 recipes, which were all very good.

Blueberry Mint Smoothie and
The Jan-Feb 2013 issue of Whole Living magazine

I started my 2013 21-Day detox on Monday, January 14 and after a few rough days of hunger, bloating and crankiness, I think the worst is behind me and I'm now feeling good about the detox and how my body is responding.

Here are this year's guidelines:

NO caffeine, alcohol, sugar, dairy, gluten, processed foods or beverages.

All of these tax our liver and digestive systems.

Start every morning with a mug of hot water with a squeeze of lemon. 
There are many benefits to this morning ritual, including the fact that it aids in digestion and detoxification of the body by stimulating the digestive system and helps loosen the toxins in the digestive tract. I love this part of the detox. I know so many people rely on coffee to jump start their day, but why not consider having hot water with lemon upon rising and waiting an hour before reaching for caffeine. I continued this ritual last year for several months, but fell out of habit when the warmer months approached. I hope to make hot water with lemon first thing in the morning a permanent part of my daily ritual starting now.

Why You Should Drink Warm Water & Lemon from MindBodyGreen
Drinking Hot Water & Lemon in the Morning from Livestrong.com

Drink plenty of water. 
We hear this all the time, right? Drinking plenty of water--aim for 64 oz. a day--to keep hydrated and facilitate your body in flushing out impurities.

Week 1: Eat ONLY vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, lentils, plant-based oils and seasonings.

Week 2: Introduce fish [not shellfish], legumes, beans and gluten-free grains such as brown rice, quinoa and oats.

Week 3: Introduce eggs and organic, non-GMO soy 
[specifically, tofu and edamame as these are the most natural, unprocessed forms of soy].

So what do I want to get out of this detox action plan?
First and foremost, I want to jump start my year to healthy eating and I think this cleanse can get me to a great starting point--a cleaner body and some new eating habits. Like hot water and lemon in the morning, more green juices and green smoothies, and eating mostly vegetables throughout the day and fewer daily servings of wheat. I'm not quite in the school of thought that wheat needs to be completely eliminated from our diets, but I would like to generally eat less wheat and wheat products.

If I'm honest, I also hope to jump start some weight loss with this detox. I lost 30+ lbs. in 2010 and have kept it off, but would love to lose another 20+ lbs. Or at least lose inches in certain areas of my body. Whether that's 15, 20 or 25 lbs. from where I am now, I know when I'll get there.

How am I doing with Week 1?
Today is Day 5 and I'm feeling pretty good. The first three days were the roughest. I was hungry and cranky.. craving carbohydrates and sugar. I felt bloated and uncomfortable and quite fatigued by the end of the day, but at least I slept well! I maintained some low to moderate workouts throughout the week, which I think my digestive system welcomed as did my mental health! As many of you know, I exercise almost every day, so I needed to get out there and move for my personal sanity. By the middle of the week, I found some relief from the bloating (I'll spare you the details) and I felt as though I put the worst behind me. My body is now comfortable, although I do still fell hungry several times a day. Although.. maybe I'm not hungry but rather just craving sugar in the form of a cookie, muffin or even a bite of good bread! Those habits die hard! But after five straight days of this, I'm not wasting all that hard effort and sacrifice on a cheat so I'm sticking it out. On Monday I'll start Week 2 and be able to eat fish, legumes, and gluten free grains. The addition of protein will provide the liver with amino acids it needs to flush out more toxins.

My favorite recipes from Week 1: All of the green juices are very good, but I think I like the Cucumber-Pear Juice best. For the entrees, it's a toss up between the Creamy Broccoli Soup and the Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew. The latter tastes even better the next day!

Creamy Broccoli Soup
[see recipe link in paragraph above]

Red Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew
[see recipe link in paragraph above]

For recipes and more information about how the cleanse works, check out the January-February 2013 issue of Whole Living magazine on newsstands or the Whole Living website at http://www.wholeliving.com/216880/2013-whole-living-action-plan.

I also highly, highly recommend you visit Sarah Britton at her website My New Roots for tons of information on detoxing your body and living and eating clean and healthy. She offers sound advice and so many wonderful mouthwatering recipes that are super good for you. Here are some links to get you started:

Simple Detox For All from Sarah Britton at My New Roots

A New Year, A New You! Sarah B's Whole Living Detox Plan 2013

A New Year, A New You! Sarah B's Whole Living Detox Plan 2012

Have you ever treated your body to a detox before?

Have you ever given up a food or foods that you absolutely loved for an extended period of time? How did you do?

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Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun! 

Note: your post does not have to be posted on the weekend, but do visit Beth's blog over the weekend to link up your post. 

Drinking Your Greens

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day and all things green, I decided to talk about drinking your greens today.

Do you drink green smoothies or juices?
I had my very first green juices and smoothies just this year when I did the Whole Living Cleanse in January. Before then, I always made my smoothies with fruit and yogurt... but the cleanse taught me how delicious and nutritious green smoothies and juice can be and now I'm hooked!

Why drink your greens?
There are lots of reasons, but the main reasons I've recently started drinking my greens are:
1. Drinking your greens is a super easy way to get several servings of raw fruits and vegetables under your belt. Literally!
2. Green juices and smoothies are nutritious, low calorie and delicious!
3. All the wonderful vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber you get from leafy greens are more easily digested and absorbed into your body when in liquid form!

Wheatgrass juice served in a shot glass

Wheatgrass* Juice
Before January of this year, I had never heard of wheatgrass juice. Then just days before I planned on starting the Whole Living detox and cleanse, my friend Marie mentioned going to a local juice bar for a shot of wheatgrass with a friend of hers who is battling cancer, and then proceeded to tell me all about the purported health benefits of wheatgrass. I was impressed, and even if the healing, restorative properties are not as comprehensive as proponents claim, there's no denying wheatgrass has incredible nutritional value, so why not try it?

My friend Marie decided straightaway to do the cleanse diet with me and on our first day, we went to the juice bar to celebrate the start of our cleanse with a wheatgrass shot. The wheatgrass juice was served in a shot glass with wedge of orange to chase and actually tasted much more pleasant than I expected.

Wheat grass is a whole food and complete protein rich in enzymes and minerals. One ounce of wheatgrass juice contains the nutritional value of 2.2 lbs. of leafy greens. Wow!

*fyi wheatgrass contains no wheat gluten.

Green Juice

Green Juices 
During my cleanse, I took a bag of vegetables to a friend's house and used her juicer to make this awesome green juice. We used collard greens, romaine lettuce, carrots, celery, apple, ginger and lemon. The juice had a very fresh, bright taste to it--I honestly really liked it! We had enough for both of us to have a generous glass full and I took home a mason jar with the remainder to have the next day. Juice is best the day it is made--better for you and better tasting, with which I agree, but I also say leftover green juice is better than NO green juice.

Green Smoothies
This is the easiest way for me [and probably most people] to drink my greens because I can make it at home anytime I want using fresh greens, fresh or frozen fruit and my blender. Easy peasy.

Green Tropical Smoothie

Green Tropical Smoothie 
1 cup very packed fresh baby spinach
1 cup coconut water or unsweetened soymilk*
1/2 cup cubed mango, frozen if possible
1/2 cup cubed pineapple, frozen if possible
1/2 cup chopped ice, if your fruit is not frozen

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.

*I like to buy organic, unsweetened soymilk for which the only ingredients are filtered water and organic soybeans.

Morning Green Smoothie

Morning Green Smoothie
1 cup very packed fresh baby spinach
1 cup pineapple chunks, frozen if possible
1 fresh orange, juiced
1/2 banana, cut into chunks, frozen if possible
1/2 cup carrot juice

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.



What about you? Do you drink your greens? 



Have I inspired you to make a green smoothie?

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Added on March 18, 2012:

Want to learn more about drinking your greens? 

Visit my favorite website for smoothies, juices and healthy, clean eating and living: Green Lemonade. I encourage you to visit this site even if you're a little bit interested in making your own healthy smoothies.. green or any other color of the rainbow! I think you'll find some great inspiration there. Here are some links to get you started:

All About Green Lemonade

Why Are Green Smoothies Good For You? 

How to Make a Green Smoothie (Without Bananas)

5 Easy Green Smoothie Recipes

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Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun! 


Note: your post does not have to be posted on the weekend, but do visit Beth's blog over the weekend to link up your post. 

Final Reflections: 2012 Whole Living Action Plan

Last Sunday was my last day of Week 4 of the Whole Living Action Plan I had been following in order to cleanse my body of impurities and establish healthier and cleaner eating habits. So Yay! I am officially finished with the cleanse. Phew! Looking back.. it wasn't so bad. Okay, that's not true. The first 3-5 days were SUPER hard. I was plagued by caffeine withdrawal headaches, detox headaches, a little nausea from the detoxification. Actually, the entire first week [or two.. ] was REALLY hard. I was often hungry, tired and cranky.

How was Week 4?
I'll start right out and confess that I cheated a few times in this last week. I had ice cream. Twice. I also had a cookie one day, too. [sugar and dairy were still on the forbidden list]. I don't think it is horrible to eat these foods, but once you do, it's that much harder to say no to it the next time.

The addition of animal protein back in my diet made meal preparations so much easier and I definitely felt better fueled for my day. However, I think adding gluten products back into my diet brought back the feeling of fullness that wasn't there during the weeks I was gluten free. I've been thinking a lot about gluten vs. gluten free lately and while I don't necessarily believe gluten is inherently bad for everyone--in fact, whole grain wheat, barley, rye and other grains with gluten are not only good sources of fiber, but also valuable nutrients, I do think that most of the food products that contain gluten in the American diet are the processed foods that contain refined ingredients such as wheat and white flours and sugars, that are actually unhealthful. Truly whole grain bread products are actually difficult to find in the average supermarket! What does this mean for my diet? I think I really need to be cognizant of the gluten foods I eat every day and keep them at a minimum number of servings per day in order to feel my best. I think I'll need to rethink some of my typical meals and make some permanent changes. I also read that proteins and carbohydrates should be eaten separately throughout the day. If that's true, there goes my turkey sandwich on multi grain bread! I'm still thinking about this aspect.. it's kind of a work in progress.

How do I feel about the cleanse?
The cleanse was difficult, but it felt good mentally and physically to do something so positive for my body. I would do it again sometime. Next January if not sooner.

I learned how comfortable it felt to eat until I'm no longer hungry as opposed to eating until I'm full. If you eat just until you are no longer hungry, you're content. If you eat until you're full... chances are you ate too much! The key is to stay aware of this difference at every meal!

I am no longer addicted to caffeine. I had my first cup of coffee today, actually, after having been caffeine free for 32 days. You know what? It was just okay. I thought I'd slip into heaven with that mug of java... but it turned out to be very anticlimactic. I'll still indulge in a cup now and then, but for the most part I'll stick with hot water with lemon, herbal, green and black teas.

I ate SO many fruits, vegetables and nuts during the cleanse and discovered so many delicious and healthful recipes and eating strategies that I will continue to follow in the months and years to come.

Now that the cleanse is over, what happens?
Do my best to adhere to the healthful, clean eating habits and steer clear of processed foods, keeping caffeine, alcohol, sugars and dairy to a minimum. Still debating on level of gluten products to allow myself. They're SO hard to avoid.

Try to get my family to eat cleaner, too. I think that we already eat very healthfully, but let's face it... must of us have room for improvement in our eating habits.

I had fun documenting my adventure with the Whole Living Action Plan over the last month and I made a few new friends, too, just by using the #WLActionPlan hashtag on twitter and instagram. It's really amazing how the social media brings people together from around the world with just one common interest. Then voila! Friendships are forged.

I also discovered a two wonderful new-to-me websites that I just LOVE. Both of these websites instantly became favorites.

MyNewRoots.com Sarah B is the holistic nutritionist who designed the first week of the cleanse--methodology and recipes-- and she has so many fresh, delicious and nutritious recipes and other inspirations for healthy eating and living on her website.

GreenLemonade.com is hosted by Noëlle, where she shares information and recipes on daily detoxing and healthful eating. More great stuff!

Finally, the cleanse got me to visit and explore the WholeLiving.com website which is just loaded with ideas, advice and inspiration on healthy, green living for both mind and body. SO many amazing recipes, exercises and mediations!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read through my weekly reflections throughout the month and leaving such supportive comments, as always. I hope you enjoyed my posts and maybe found a little inspiration to make some healthy changes in your life, too.

Here's to healthy, whole living! xo 

My January Adventures

Instead of doing a 'Monthly Reads' post for each month, I thought I'd try making a monthly post recapping anything noteworthy that went on in my world such as the books I read, athletic adventures, travel or anything else interesting. Interesting to me, anyway, but hopefully to you, too.

January 2012 was surprisingly jam packed with adventure for me. This post ended up much longer than I expected. Feel free to scroll to the parts that most interest you. ;)

Reading adventures:
I had my all time record low reading month since December 2007 when I didn't read a single book! Last month, I read only THREE books!

1. The Longest Night by Kathleen O'Reilly
You can read my review for this book HERE, which I read for January's TBR Challenge.

2. Tides of Passion by Tracy Sumner
This book had the makings of a great story--interesting characters, a fun premise and a wonderfully unique setting. Unfortunately, I felt the main characters said or did things out of character one too many times and it weakened the credibility of their story.

3. Wife by Wendesday by Catherine Bybee
This book has been on the top of the Amazon Kindle charts for a really long time now. I don't know if the author has any secrets for keeping it up there, but I can tell you this story was really fun and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every page! It's a contemporary marriage of convenience turned true love story. Utterly adorable and believable, too! The ebook is only 99 cents!
Amazon Kindle
Barnes & Noble
Smashwords

I sure hope February is a better reading month for me or I'm never going to get to 101 books by the end of 2012! Good thing February has an extra day this year. ;)

Did you read anything good in January?

Health and fitness adventures:
So what was I doing with all that time that I clearly wasn't spending reading? Detoxing, working out and a bit of traveling, that's what!

As many of you already know, I started following the 28 Day Whole Living Action Plan featured in Whole Living magazine and on their website earlier in January. It's a food based detox-type-mind and body cleanse. It's kept me busy preparing new food dishes, healthy snacks and smoothies and because my caloric intake was naturally so low because of the plan and I wasn't drinking any coffee or tea with caffeine, I admit I napped a lot the first week or two. I have a few more days to go before I'm finished.. but already my diet feels close to normal again, but heavier on the fruits and vegetables. That's always a good thing!

Since the detox-cleanse is meant to be restful and healing, I eased up on my regular workout schedule a bit, which I thought would drive me crazy, but actually felt welcomed in the early weeks of the plan. Giving up coffee for the diet combined with fewer calories overall made me very tired and sleepy this month! I still managed to keep my miles and hours spent exercising at a decent level, though, so I'm happy about that. Here's a look at what I was doing in January to keep my body moving and my heart rate up:

Run ...................... 14.0 miles
Bike ..................... 56.7 miles
Snowshoe .............  3.5 miles

Spin class ................. 2.5 hrs
Kickbox ................... 3.5 hrs
Strength training .....  5.0 hrs
Cardio interval ......... 2.0 hrs

Total fitness challenge 'miles' ..... 77.5 miles
[My typical monthly goal is 100 miles where 1 fitness challenge mile = 15 min cardio or strength = 1 mile run or snowshoed.]

Other highlights:
I ran a 5K Race on New Year's Day hoping to break my 30:02 PR, but ran 30:31 which is still under a 10 minute mile, so that's cool. Maybe next time. :)

I started new small group TRX training classes in January after my gym had TRX Suspension Trainers installed. TRX suspension training is a fully body strength training workout in which you suspend your body weight by straps and do various strength exercises all the while your core is fully engaged.
Want to see a video? Visit trxtraining.com or go straight to the video HERE.

I went snowshoeing for the first time when I participated in the Tubbs Snowshoes Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe event. and loved it! I want my own snowshoes! Thank you again to everyone who supported me and donated to the cause on my behalf! xo

How did your workouts go in January?


A photography adventure:
One last adventure to share with you. After three failed attempts at doing a 365 Project, I started fresh again for the fourth time on January 1 and so far I haven't missed a day! I'm doing this project exclusively using my iPhone 4S and Instagram. I know this is probably a ridiculous way of doing a 365 Project when I have a fantastic digital SLR, but the iPhone is SO convenient and I always have it with me, so I'm hoping the convenience of it will enable me to stick with the project and take a photo every day. Oh wait... I just realized this is a leap year. I guess this is a 366 Project? ; )

Have you ever done a 365 Project? 

Traveling adventures:
My husband, daughters and I took a long weekend getaway to Florida over Martin Luther King Weekend and had a really great time even though it was really cold that weekend! I wanted sunny warm 70s--not chilly, cloudy 50s. I heard it got warm the day after we left. Figures.

We have very close friends who moved to the Orlando area several years ago and who were always inviting us to come down to visit them, trying to lure us with all of the theme parks in the area. [We are more of a National Park kind of family--not the amusement park kind, but it was still really fun.] We really enjoyed visiting our friends the whole weekend in their lovely home. It was so relaxing staying with them!

Hogwarts
 Harry Potter World in Universal Studios
Orlando, FL

The first day we went to Universal Studios and pretty much beelined for Harry Potter World which was SO COOL!!! It really felt like you were walking through Hogsmeade and into Hogwarts castle. The ride in Hogwarts is a simulated broomstick ride and omg it felt so real! I admit I screamed when the dragon ... well, I don't want to give anything away. We went into Honeydukes, Ollivanders wand shop and of course, Zonko's! And we ate lunch at Three Broomsticks. We even had Butterbeer!
How cool is that? :)

Totoros!
From 'My Neighborhood Totoro'

The second day we went to Epcot. We had fun walking around, doing some of the attractions, visiting the international pavilions, but I don't know... it didn't seem so amazing. Even the fireworks were just okay. We ate lunch in 'Japan' and got giddy over the souvenirs from our favorite Hayao Miyazaki films.

The third day we went to an Indian Kite Festival with our friends. I had no idea kite flying was so competitive! We arrived with numerous kites in our arsenal. You'd think it's challenging enough to just get your kite up and flying, but no! All the other kite fliers will start maneuvering their kite to cross yours and with the right tension and direction, their kite string--which is actually finely coated with glass--cuts your string and your kite falls to the ground! So you have no choice but to be both an offensive and defensive kite flier to keep your kite in the air. On a side note, I ate some amazing Palak Pakoras [spinach-chickpea fritters] there. I had forgotten how much I LOVE Indian food. Mmmm I want some right now!  photo to come... maybe.

The Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB)
Kennedy Space Center
[photo taken from tour bus]

The fourth and last day, we went to Kennedy Space center. We spent time walking around the visitors center and then took the up-close tour of the space center and Vehicle Assembly Building. We actually got to walk inside the VAB and see the orbiter Endeavor up-close! Then bus took us around to the launch pad. Afterwards we spent an hour or two in the Apollo Saturn V Exhibit.

Endeavor 

I loved the up-close tour! I think it was especially meaningful for me because after college [I had just earned my B.S. in Electrical Engineering] I worked for an aerospace company that was a subcontractor of a subcontractor of NASA, updating and writing new test software for two electrical devices we built for the space shuttle program. So I was familiar with the very basic picture of preparing the space shuttle for launch and then the retrieval of the solid rocket boosters after each launch. Anyway, visiting the Kennedy Space Center was definitely a highlight of this trip for me!

Did you go anywhere special in January? 

Thanks for taking the time to read about my January adventures. I assure you January was unusually adventurous for me and future monthly posts will be much shorter!

Wishing you all a fantastic February! xo

Reflections on Week 3: Whole Living Action Plan

For the last three weeks I've been following the body cleanse plan outlined by Whole Living magazine in their January-February 2012 issue and on their website at wholeliving.com. The 28 Day Whole Living Action Plan is designed to cleanse your body of impurities that have built up in your body {primarily in your liver which gets taxed by the impurities in the food and beverages we consume} and establish healthier and cleaner ways of eating and living. Today is the last day of Week 3 for me... so only one more week to go!

To learn more about the cleanse, visit the link in the paragraph above for the wholeliving.com website.

How was Week 3?
This week was very similar to Week 2 a lot of ways, but I did feel as though I had more breakfast choices--and especially welcomed eggs and oats to fuel my morning workouts. I had a few small servings of brown rice during the week as well--1/4 cup one night with dinner and about the same in a homemade veggie burger two other days.

I thought I would have pounced on the opportunity to have grains back on my plate, but I actually preferred filling up on flavorful vegetables and salmon instead of the rice. That's a good sign to some newer habits setting in.. I hope! Here's a look at what I ate in Week 3:

• hot water with fresh squeezed lemon at start of day.
• green juice {I went to a friend's house and used her juicer!}
• Toasted Coconut Muesli
• egg and spinach omelet
• fresh fruit & vegetables
• steamed or roasted vegetables with olive oil
• Baked Sweet Potato with Citrus
• nuts & dried fruit mix {homemade}
• popcorn! {air-popped or popped on the stove top with olive oil}
• cinnamon poached pears
• mixed green salads with cilantro, radish, apple, and pecans, dressed with homemade pomegranate vinaigrette
• Chickpea-Brown Rice Veggie Burger
• Spiced Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
• oven roasted salmon
• Curry Vegetables {my own recipe}
• sushi {a treat! the only cheat was that the sushi was made with short grain white rice, not brown rice--but still gluten-free so it's technically okay}

What did I learn this week?
It's still really hard to deprive yourself of your favorite foods for so many weeks in a row. For example, my family had Thai take out one night this week and it was pretty torturous to eat sit at the table and sip my bowl of plain vegetable soup with all of that delicious smelling hot food laid out in front of me. I actually had to leave the room. But I chose to do this and it's only for several more days, so I'll stick it out.

How do I feel?
I'm feeling pretty good about the foods I've been eating over the last three weeks. Lots of different flavors, colors, textures and all so healthy! It's a good feeling knowing I'm doing something good for my body. I feel more tired at the end of the day than I did before doing this cleanse so I'm falling asleep earlier and sleeping more soundly, too. I don't know if this is part of the cleanse or the lack of my usual caffeine or if it's because I'm not eating enough calories to sustain my energy for my usual 18 waking hours. I used to get by on 6+ hours of sleep... now I feel I need at least 7 hours, if not more.

I've lost a total of 7 lbs. on the detox in the last three weeks so far.

What do I miss?
I still miss coffee, although interestingly, not necessarily first thing in the morning. I tend to look for a cup either mid morning or mid afternoon. And a cookie. Just one cookie. That's what I'm going to try to do when this plan is over.

As I forge ahead into Week 4:
This week is the bonus week of the cleanse. I can add lean chicken and beef and grains with gluten in moderation. Looking forward to having meat back in my diet, but I'm going to do my best to keep the number of servings of carbohydrates low this week--especially grains with gluten. I definitely feel sluggish and bloated when I eat the smallest amount above one serving of these foods.

Here's to healthier, whole living!

For more information about the Whole Living Action Plan 2012, visit Whole Living at wholeliving.com.

Reflections on Week 2 : Whole Living {detox} Action Plan

I've just finished Week 2 of the Whole Living Action Plan that I've been following to cleanse my body of impurities, get control over sugar and carb cravings and establish better habits of eating clean {i.e. eating foods as close to their natural state as possible; no packaged or processed foods}.

Carrot Mango Herb Smoothie

How was Week 2? 
Although still challenging to avoid all grains, this week was significantly easier than Week 1. After having eaten ONLY fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and olive oil for a week, I welcomed the addition of seafood, legumes and organic soy in Week 2! These protein and fiber rich foods were more filling and I felt much more satiated after each meal. Here's a list of what I ate in Week 2:

• hot water with fresh squeezed lemon at start of every day.
• detox smoothies for breakfast {Carrot Mango Herb Smoothie is my favorite so far} 
• fresh fruit & vegetables
• steamed or roasted vegetables with olive oil
• nuts & dried fruit trail mix {also Dried Fruit and Nut Bites}
• mixed green salads with black beans and avocado, dressed with lemon or lime juice and olive oil
• red lentil soup
• tofu with red curry coconut sauce
• oven roasted salmon

What have I learned so far?
Be prepared! If you have a few plan-approved snacks prepared in advance, you'll reach for the right foods instead of being tempted by the foods you should be avoiding during the detox. The same goes for the meals. Have a big bowl of greens ready for salads so you can just assemble your salad and eat! Make a big pot of soup in advance and store individual portions in glass jars or microwavable safe containers--ready to heat up when you are.

How do I feel?
I felt really good this week. I have more energy again so I've increased the intensity of my workouts this week almost back to my normal levels. I also feel 'lighter' than I did before starting the detox--which is a good feeling. Not that I thought I felt 'full' or 'bloated' before, but I guess I'm just aware of it now that I feel so much better.

I've lost a total of 6 lbs. on the detox plan so far. This is keeping me motivated to stay on track, although I know this will probably taper off to a rate of 1-2 lbs. a week once I add grains back into my diet.

What do I miss?
Coffee, oh how I miss thee. One afternoon last week I really, really wanted a cookie and a cup of coffee. I survived.

As I forge ahead into Week 3:
In Week 3, eggs and gluten-free grains are re-introduced. I am already planning an omelet with spinach and tomatoes for breakfast tomorrow. I can't wait! I'll also be able to have oats again--I've missed them. FYI, oats are an essentially gluten-free grain, but many popular brands are not able to tout the gluten-free label because they are grown, stored and shipped in ways that may contaminate them with traces of wheat, barely or rye. Since I'm not gluten intolerant, I'm not going to worry about those trace amounts and I'll be digging into my store brand oats this week!

I think the return of eggs and oats in my diet this week will allow me to have a breakfast that will better fuel me for my regular full speed ahead workouts. We shall see..

I already have a few dinners planned this week with brown rice, rice noodles and the superpower grain quinoa. I've only had quinoa a few times in the past, so I'm looking forward to getting to know this grain again.


Here's to healthier, whole living!



For more information about the Whole Living Action Plan 2012, visit Whole Living at http://wholeliving.com.

My First Snowshoe Event

Today was the Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe 5K and it was a blast! First and foremost, however, with the help of many generous friends, I am pleased to report that I raised $335 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Most of this funding is used to provide essential breast care education, screening and support to women without access proper medical coverage.

Thank you very, very much to those of you who made a donation on my behalf--your support is very much appreciated. Every bit will help stomp out breast cancer.

The evening before the snowshoe event, I drove up to the ski resort with one of my friends where we joined a group of women she knew who organized the rental of some condos at the resort. We woke up this morning to several inches of snow on the ground, which to me, made this event so much more exciting. It snowed all day while we were up there and I loved it!

The start line of the Snowshoe 5K. Go pink!

The snowshoe walk took place right on the slopes on trails marked off for walkers right alongside the ski trails. We shared part of the trail with skiers and other parts were just for the snowshoers. I had expected the snowshoe trail to be flat, but we actually had some decent inclines to walk up and down, making for a pretty decent workout! If you are a skier, the steep parts were walking up a blue trail. Of course, being the kickass athletes that we are {haha!}, three of us when up and down the steepest part of the trail three times before continuing on with the rest of the walk! ;)

A pic of me at the finish line. 

I had so much fun snowshoeing that I think I might invest in a pair of my own snowshoes!

Thank you again to those of you who supported my cause today. As always, I appreciate you wonderful support! xo

Reflections on Week 1: Whole Living {detox} Action Plan

Wow. It's been a week since I last posted. I have so much to share. One of the reasons it was so quiet here is because we went on getaway over the holiday weekend and even though I brought my laptop with me, I barely had any time to blog. But I'll tell more about our trip later. Tonight I want to take the opportunity to share some of my reflections on the detox plan I've been following. I think self-reflection is very important in our every day lives, but even more so when we're being challenged--whether that challenge be chosen or forced upon us. For me, putting my self-reflection to words helps even more. In the case of the detox plan, sharing my experience reinforces its purpose and my goals, which will then help me stay inspired and focused in the next week. Sharing it with you just makes it that much more fun!

If you missed my post last week about the detox plan, you can read about it in my previous post, Whole Living {detox} Action Plan. Basically, this detox plan is a food based plan that is designed to sort of reboot your digestive system by eating only pure, whole plant based foods, allowing your body to cleanse itself of impurities. At first this sounded far fetched. Detox your body? By eating vegetables, fruit and nuts? ... But the more I read about the plan, what to do, how it worked and why it's good for you, the more it made sense and the more I wanted to do it. And now here I am already nine days into the plan!

What do I want to get out of the detox plan?
First and foremost, I want to get rid of the cravings for simple carbs such as sugar and wheat based carbs. Foods like bread, pasta, rice, crackers, chips, cookies and other baked treats. If all goes according to plan, if I'm not reaching for those foods anymore, I'll be able to lose weight more readily. Another goal, which I've come to appreciate more as I've learned more about the chemistry of a body cleanse, is to clear toxins from my system and give me a clean start to healthier living.

How did Week 1 go?
It was tough! I had a miserable headache the first day from just after lunch until I went to bed. I'm sure this was due to caffeine withdrawal. I had lingering, mild headaches on and off for the next couple of days, but by the fourth and fifth days, I started to feel better--and different! Even though I was definitely tired in the late afternoon, I wasn't feeling sluggish or bloated anymore. Just wholesomely tired.

What have I learned so far?
I don't eat until I'm full ... I eat until I'm not hungry. Yes, there is a difference.

I start my morning with a mug of hot water with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Sounds terribly boring, but it is actually quite soothing. The lemon juice triggers your liver to release cleansing digestive enzymes

The detox plan is a restful, healing process. I thought I could do my regular workouts during the detox, but after not feeling so great a couple of hours after a tough workout on Day 3, I finally dug up some information on the plan that said Week 1 is a restful, healing week and vigorous exercise should be avoided. Stretching, walking and strength training is okay, but not heavy duty cardio. Oops.

You actually can stick to this detox plan while you travel. It was exceptionally difficult to do, but I did it with only a few minor infringements. I ordered edamame at a Japanese restaurant on Day 5 and only remembered that I wasn't supposed to have soy until Day 7 after I'd eaten most of the beans. Then on Day 6 I was famished and the only food available to eat were these absolutely delicious Indian snacks made with spinach and chickpea flour, which I ate. Again, I wasn't supposed to have chickpeas or other legumes until Day 7. I also had some sips of regular, unsweetened iced tea, which does have some caffeine. Again, it was what was available and I was thirsty! All in all, not such bad cheats while away from home for the long weekend. I forgive myself.

What do I miss?
Coffee!!! Is it the remnants of caffeine addiction or is it just something I really enjoy? The ritual, the smell, the taste?

Any surprises?
I can't believe that I ate ONLY vegetables, fruit, nuts and olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper for a week. No added sugar, no grains, no dairy, no meat, no alcohol and no caffeine for the last nine days. Except for a few sips of unsweetened iced tea.

I lost about 3 pounds in Week 1.

What happens in Week 2?
I can't believe today is the end of Week 2 Day 2 already, but it's true! Having come this far, I feel like I've sealed the deal and I'm sticking through to the end. In Week 2, seafood, legumes and organic soy are re-introduced. I'm hoping the addition of these protein sources will give me what I need to pick up the level of my workouts again. I miss running around, jumping, kicking and pedaling!

Here's to healthier, whole living!



For more information about the Whole Living Action Plan 2012, visit Whole Living at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action .

Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2012

Beet Carrot Smoothie 

All my talk last week about getting back on board with calorie counting on the Lose It app?

That's going on hold.

I decided to do something different to jump start my way to healthier eating this month. On Monday, I started the 21 day detox plan that's featured in the January-February 2012 issue of Whole Living magazine. and can also be found online at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action. It's called the Whole Living Action Plan 2012 and is basically a detox plan that's designed to give your liver and entire digestive system, really, a break from the stresses of the foods so typical in our diets. I'm looking at as a way to give my mind and body a clean slate for the New Year and hopefully eliminate cravings for sugar and simple carbs that seem to be the pitfall of healthy eating and living.

Foods that are completely off limits for the entire 21 days [28 days if you do the bonus week] are processed foods and beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine and alcohol. No coffee... :(

Week 1: Eat ONLY fruits, vegetables and plant-based fats such as nuts, seeds and oils.

Week 2: Reintroduce seafood, legumes, beans and organic soy.

Week 3: Reintroduce eggs and gluten-free grains.

Week 4 [the Bonus week]: Reintroduce lean proteins such as chicken and beef, dairy and grains with gluten [wheat, barley, rye..] in moderation. Maybe a sip or two of coffee? 

I started this plan on Monday, so I've survived the first two days! Although I am about to go to bed a little hungry, at least today I didn't have that awful caffeine withdrawal headache I had yesterday.

Have you ever followed a detox or cleansing plan before? Survived coffee withdrawal? 


Interested in joining me? 

If you're interested in learning more about the plan, visit Whole Living at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action.You can also follow Whole Living magazine on twitter at @WholeLiving and or follow participants like me [@ChristineA] on the plan with the hashtag #WLActionPlan.

Wish me luck! :)

A Snowshoe 5K: Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer

As many of you already know from my post Love your Breasts... do Self Breast Exams back in October 2011, I found a lump in my breast in year ago this very week while doing a self breast exam, only three months after having a routine, clear mammogram. After several nerve wracking weeks involving consultations with my physician, a breast care specialist and finally a lumpectomy, I was diagnosed with a rare, benign breast disease known as Pseudoanginomous Stromal Hyperplasia of the breast or PASH. You can imagine my relief hearing a diagnosis of a benign breast disease and not a cancerous one! Unfortunately, that's not the case for many women. Did you know that ONE in EIGHT women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime? That's startling!

To help combat this overwhelming statistic, I've decided to strap on a pair of snowshoes and participate in the annual Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe Series®. I'll be participating in a 5K Snowshoe Walk on January 21, 2012 to raise funds for the local Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® which supports local community-based breast health programs focusing on underserved and uninsured women. 75% of the net funds support local communities (NJ-NY Metro area) and 25% net funds goes to support national research to help find a cure.

If you feel so inclined to make a donation to support this cause, you can donate online at my Stomp to Romp page. I understand the financial challenges facing many individuals and families these days, so please do not feel pressured to do so. However, anything you can contribute would be greatly appreciated! Thank you. :)

The Party's Over

No more holiday debauchery! It's time to get focused again on healthy eating and regular exercise.

I used the Lose It app on my iphone in 2010, which I swear was the key to my weight loss success [I lost 30 lbs. from April-November 2010]. But then I got stuck on a weight loss plateau for a couple of months that I just couldn't overcome, so I took a break from tracking my daily calories for a while. The good news is that I managed to keep the weight off for all of 2011. Well, except for two pounds... pish! The bad news is that I never got to my target weight and I still really want it. 

Soooo.... today I got on the scale and started a new program on the Lose It app. I went over my calorie budget today, but I'm okay with that for now. I'll ease back into the program this week as I get re-accustomed to proper portion sizes and better snack choices and so on. If everything goes according to plan, I should reach my goal weight between May and July--depending on whether I lose 1 or 1.5 lbs. a week.  

Have you made a New Year's Resolution to lose weight this year? 

Eat healthier?  Exercise regularly? 

I almost followed with, 'Let me know--misery loves company!' ... but truthfully, this is not going to be miserable. It's going to be fantastic! It's not going to be easy and I might get a little cranky... but it'll be worth it because I know it'll feel great! 

Who's with me?

Learn more about the Lose It app in the app store in iTunes or at www.loseit.com.  Lose It is also available for the Android.

For some great advice on achieving success with your resolutions, see this article on Four Keys to New Year's Resolution success written by Sean on The Adventures of a Bookonaut.

Love your breasts... do Breast Self-Exams

Photo taken by my daughter

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month dedicated to promoting breast cancer awareness, education and empowerment to women to make informed decisions regarding their breast care. Right now is as good a time as any to evaluate your personal breast care plan for early detection of any breast tissue diseases.

In October last year, I wrote the post "Love your breasts... get a mammogram" reminding, encouraging, imploring women to be conscientious about monitoring the health of their breasts by getting their annual [or biennial] mammogram starting at age 40, or earlier for women with a family history of breast cancer.

This year, I am reminding, encouraging and imploring you to be conscientious about another important part of your breast health plan and that is to do regular Breast Self-Exams [BSE] starting in your 20s.

I personally endorse this as an absolute necessary component of your breast health plan because in January of this year, I found a lump in my right breast while doing a Breast Self-Exam, just two months after having had a clear mammogram. Thankfully, I was eventually diagnosed with a benign breast disease, but it was a harrowing several weeks between finding my lump and receiving my diagnosis. An experience that I will never forget.

My Story...
On the morning of January 4, I was doing a breast-self exam while lying bed and found a lump on the lower, outer area of my right breast. It felt about the size and shape of an almond in its shell, and since it was close to the surface, I could put fingers around it and move it. Startled, I went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. I raised my arm over my head and moved my breast aside and saw the shape of the lump protrude under my skin. I tried to remain calm and optimistic that this could be something benign, but boy that is WAY harder than it sounds. I admit that the fear that I was going to start a battle with cancer was hard to tamp down, but I tried my best to think positively.

I called my gynecologist as soon as her office opened and was grateful that she saw me that same afternoon. She reassured me that she was confident it was a benign tumor but ordered an ultrasound to decide the next step. I had an ultrasound about two days later, but the lump was un-imagable, indicating that the lump tissue was the same density as the surrounding breast tissue. When my gynecologist got the results a few days later, she referred me to a breast care specialist, whom I saw about a week or so later.

The breast care specialist is a surgeon who specializes in breast care and breast diseases. He concurred with my gynecologist with the likely diagnosis of a benign tumor, and because the lump was palpable and easily accessible, the best and most thorough course of action would be to surgically remove the tumor and have it sent to the lab for evaluation. So that's what we did. Two weeks later, on the morning of that horrendous ice storm that hit the East Coast on February 2, 2011, I had a lumpectomy on my breast. A week later, my breast care physician called me with the histological results and informed me that the tumor was indeed benign and my official diagnosis is a breast disease known as Pseudoangiomatous Stromal Hyperplasia of the Breast, also referred to as PASH. PASH is a rare, but benign breast disease that causes the proliferation of stromal lesions or tumors in the breast. It is a huge relief to know PASH is always a benign disease, but because it is a recurring [can happen again] and proliferative [grows and spreads quickly] disease, I am being diligent about doing monthly self-exams so I can find any future tumors early. The doctor has implied that it's likely I'll never have another PASH tumor, but if I do find one, it's likely another PASH tumor and not a cancerous type of tumor. From what I understand, PASH is more closely linked to progesterone receptors as opposed to estrogen receptors, which is good news for me since malignant breast diseases are more closely linked to estrogen, not progesterone.

Fortunately, my diagnosis has a positive prognosis. If I had not found the lump early, it could have proliferated and been more difficult to remove if it had grew very large or spread to other areas of my breast. Or if the lump was not caused by PASH but by a malignant breast disease, and I had not found it early, the course of treatment could have proven more complicated and even life threatening. But those scenarios didn't pan out because I do self-exams.

So here I am, proof positive that Breast Self-Exams are a valuable part of a breast care plan and I emphasize how important it is that YOU take this component of breast care screening into your own hands--literally!--an do Breast Self-Exams.

For information on how to do Breast Self-Exams, talk to your health care provider.

You can also find a lot of accurate information on breast care and how to do Breast Self-Exams from reliable sources online. Here are a few links to get you started:

Susan G. Komen Cure: Breast Self-Exam

American Cancer Society: Breast Cancer Detection

BreastCancer.org:  The Five Steps of a Breast Self-Exam

WebMD: Breast Self Exam Tool
WebMD Breast Self-Exam

Please love your breasts... do breast self-exams! 

One Year Later

Here I go again talking all about myself and my journey to a healthier me. I apologize for the self-centeredness, but posts like this are effective methods of reaffirming my commitment to myself. Hopefully, I'm also providing encouragement and inspiration to anyone else on a journey to a leaner, healthier self. :)

Exactly one year ago today I wrote a post called New Beginnings in which I made a commitment to myself to make changes in my eating habits in order to become the healthy and fit me that I want to be.

I had already been exercising almost every day already at that time, but I knew the final steps to reaching a healthier weight were to make permanent changes to my diet. Those changes were pretty simple-- in theory, anyway. I basically started counting calories. Every single calorie. For a whole year. I won't lie and say this is not driving me crazy at this point, but it works, so I don't want to stop. Anyway, I counted calories by using the Lose It app on my iPhone almost every single day in the last year. I relearned portion sizes by counting and measuring and weighing foods and I reduced and eliminated a lot of snacks and desserts. I found great incentive in exercising every single day so that I could 'earn' those calories back into my daily budget. Believe me, there were many days that I wouldn't have had enough calories in my daily budget for dinner if I hadn't gone on that 20 minute run or that 10 mile bike ride.

I had a lot of success with the Lose It app and lost 37 pounds between April 1 and November 1 last year. I feel great --both physically and emotionally being where I am now and am never going back to that weight ever again. I just know it.

But, I'm not done yet! I hit that dreaded weight loss plateau last November and haven't been able to break it until very recently and even then, it's slow going. In truth, I gained about 8 pounds between late November and early March of this year. It baffles me as I've been counting calories all this time with the exception of several days around the holidays. And while I indulged a little bit over the holidays, I didn't go crazy pigging out and partying and I was still working out during that time, too. I started strength training two times regularly starting in October, so it is likely that I've gained some muscle mass and we all know that muscle weighs more than fat per volume, but not 8 pounds worth! Two different fitness professionals have suggested that I may have gained some weight back because I am not getting enough calories. You read that right. The argument is that you can actually slow your metabolism down by not getting enough calories to sustain your activity level. So your body sort of goes into conservation mode and stores the calories you consume instead of using your reserves, i.e., burning the fat you already have on your body. It just feels so counter-intuitive to actually eat more to break the plateau and start losing weight again, but I thought I'd try it. So I adjusted my program in Lose It so that my calorie budget was higher each day by about 250 calories, and guess what? I've lost 2 pounds over the last three weeks. Slow, but at least it's budging. I also think I'm at the point where what I eat is as important as the number of calories I eat. I'm going to start reducing the frequency of "white" foods--i.e., simple carbs such as white flours and simple sugars, etc. in my diet. I know it's going to be a lot easier said than done, but I'm going to make a conscious effort to do so and hopefully see some results.

I have 25 pounds more to lose to get to my target weight. I know I look healthy now and most importantly, I feel it, too... but why settle for looking and feeling good when I know with some dedication and discipline I can look and feel amazing, right? It's what I want, so I'm going to do it.

Maybe it'll take a little less than 25 pounds to get there. I'm not exactly sure of the numbers. I figure I'll know when I get there. :)

As always, thank you for your continued support and encouragement as I made many self-absorbed posts like this one throughout the last year and I'm sure will continue to do so in the future as well. I've got the best team of personal cheerleaders right here in you guys.
Thank you!! xo





You can download the FREE Lose It app to your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad at the iTunes store.

You can also sign up to use Lose It on your computer at http://loseit.com.

In my experience, the calories burned for the exercises in the Lose It app database are often largely inflated. I recommend using the calories burned calculator at fitday.com for a more accurate estimate of calories burned for the activities you do and then creating a custom exercise for each activity in the Lose It app. Or purchase a heart rate monitor that has a calorie counting feature for even more accuracy.