A weekend to remember...

So I'm just now starting to catch up with myself after a whirlwind weekend! My husband's family was in town for a birthday celebration and boy I'll tell you...I was jumping on and off the wagon faster then a kid on a pogo stick!

I definitely let food rule my weekend, and I've gotta be more conscious about my efforts in the future. My husband, his family, and myself are a bunch of pretty good cooks and I have a hard time resisting a GOOD home cooked meal! 

Now, I don't wanna write too much about my indulgences, so I'll just give you a recap of the best and the worst of my decisions.

Best Indulgent decision = Mom's Baked Ziti.

I know the family all loves this...and boy so do I! This meal is always worth it, especially when she cooks it, But like I said...in the future I'll just have to watch portion control. 

Worst Indulgent Decision = Red Velvet Cupcake

I have a weakness for cupcakes of ALL kinds and this made my mouth water. But seriously...it was more then $3 and it was mostly gooey cream cheese frosting. You know...the kind that leaves a sugary coat in your mouth! There was barely any cake, and it was also filled with a sweet cream cheese. This is the first cupcake that ever made me go, blech!

There were definitely other yummies involved...my Husband cooked, as did his Brother. Heck, I even made one hell of a brunch. I just get so excited when people visit...I always want them to leave full and happy. Maybe next time I'll include a few salads in our meals.  LOL
 

Waking up on Saturday for a brisk walk / jog was also not enough to counter the deliciousness that was this weekend. So...a few lessons have been learned by this fat chick. I won't regret any of my decisions, because time spent with family is always a joy...but I'll just do better in the future. 

Until next time, Big squishy hugs...and thanks for reading!

Oh What a Week!

It has been a bit of a roller coaster week for this fat chick, but I'm so happy it's Friday!

Although my week has been crazy, I have done pretty as far as food is concerned. In fact...I feel like I've made some pretty good choices:

• I did not stop at McDonald's for Breakfast AT ALL this week...in fact, I only ate there once, and I chose nuggets! GO ME!

• I have re-discovered a love for Veggies (In particular, Edamame, Celery, and Carrots) and no, despite what the evil little devil on my shoulder says, they do not need to be boiled to oblivion, covered in butter, or dipped in cheese to taste good!

• I have not had one drop of Mt. Dew soda. I am enjoying the bubbly goodness of Vanilla Coke Zero or Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry.

My favorite find this week has been the 200 calorie "Snack Fresh" container from Harris Teeter.  Celery, Carrots, Light Ranch Dipping Sauce, and Colby Cheese bites. I'll be picking a few more of these up for lunches next week!

If anyone reading has a favorite healthy food find, I'd love to know about it!

My next challenge will be the weekend. Birthday celebrations for family are involved, but we're cooking at home, so I'll report back on how I do!

Ta Ta for Now!

Winner Winner Pasta Dinner

So, I was in the mood to cook this evening, but I wanted something hearty and satisfying. It took me a little while but I found what sounded like a delicious pasta recipe on the Weight Watchers website. Now...I was a bit skeptical, but decided to give it a try anyways.

All my my 'ethnicities' are known for their food. I'm a delicious mix of Polish, Irish, and Italian all rolled up into one happy fat chick. Reading the words 'Low Calorie' in the same sentence as 'Pasta' was like trying to understand some type of foreign novel. It's just not a concept that I understand.

But I went with it...

Here's a link to the recipe:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeID=51449


My only changes to the recipe (and for completely selfish reasons) were:

• Using ground chicken instead of roasted (made it easier for me to measure)

•  Using drained canned spinach instead of frozen (I HATE the taste of frozen spinach)

I served it with some steamed broccoli on the side.

Here's how it turned out:

Weight Watchers did a great job with this one...they were just gooey enough to be yummy. We'll definitely be making these again! 

Hubby Also made us a relatively waist friendly dessert consisting of pound cake, low-fat vanilla iced cream, and sugar free caramel sauce.

I've gotta say...I'm doing the happy fat chick dance tonight.

My stomach is quite pleased!

Oh Sweet Taco of the Gods...

So...today was pretty good for a Monday. I had a productive day at work, went for a walk during lunch, worked hard at rehearsal, and ate fairly healthy...

What's fairly healthy you ask...? That's my way of saying that I fell off the wagon ONCE today! No sneaking candy and not counting it. No snacking from my pantry. Once...just once, and WOW! It was  TOTALLY worth it!!!

I finally got to try the amazingness that is The DORITOS TACO from Taco Bell!

That's right folks...all the yumminess of a taco, shoved neatly into a DORITO shell!

Can I just tell you, that this was worth a tiny slip.

I have a weakness for doritos, and have REALLY been wanting to try this just to get it out of my system.

I'd say this was pretty successful.
I'm a happy fat chick right now. 

Until next time...thanks for reading. Let's see what trouble I can get into tomorrow!

I will BE a Triathlete!

Several weeks ago, I signed up for a triathalon...you read that right...a TRIATHALON!

My swim assessment was scheduled for Sunday morning, so I busied myself with chores and didn't let my brain think about it until the very last minute.

I got there...signed in, changed, and waited in line with the other women. I had a brief discussion with a mentor, and then hopped in the pool to swim my lap. That's all I had to do. ONE lap. How hard could that be, right? Apparently quite hard when I let my brain get the best of me.

The thought of people watching and evaluating my fat butt in a pool kinda terrified me, but this wasn't for time, and the object wasn't to pass or fail. The only real purpose of this was so that I could get put in the appropriate training group.  The only thing I had to do was just, simply, swim.

Now why couldn't my brain process that in the pool?

Here's a pic of me, post assessment:
(Aren't I atrractive? Bug Eyes and all?)

After the assessment, a code was written on my hand, and I was sent to a table to record what training group I'd be placed with. Well...I'm a beginner. Duh. All this worry for nothing. I'll never know why I stress about the silliest things.

That's just how my brain works I suppose...

The assessment was over, and I was finally able to breathe. I was sitting in the car gathering my thoughts before I went about the rest of the day, and it was at this point that something amazing happened...I looked down and noticed what was written on my hand.

                                                                    

BE. Just one little word, and I felt all my anxious energy roll away.

A symbol of a beginner to this group of strangers, but a testament of my strength.

By the end of all this, I will BE a triathlete. 

This, made me smile.

Breakfast of Champions?

I found myself wondering about breakfast this morning...

• How necessary is it to my health?
• Are there true benefits to eating early in the day? 
• What constitutes a "healthy balanced breakfast?"

It may make you laugh, but I have good reason to think about these things.

Those who know me (ESPECIALLY my Husband) will tell you that I LOVE to sleep. We often joke that if it were possible for a human to hibernate, I totally would. I wait to the last minute to get up in the morning, rush to get ready, and run out the door. EVERY day. I seriously have a love affair with my bed.

This means that I RARELY ever eat breakfast at home. I either pop a quick granola bar with a diet soda, or I hit fast food on the way into work. Now...I know that stopping for fast food doesn't always have to be so bad, but let's face it; I live in the south and the smell of fresh biscuits, or the lure of the golden arches all but makes me drive off the road in the morning!

So, in my brain I am formulating a plan. I know I'll never get up any earlier then I already do...so, it's time for a healthy compromise.

I did some reading this morning, and the science behind these two articles actually made sense to me:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/on-fitness/2008/04/08/is-breakfast-really-necessary

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-and-nutrition/AN01119

So, here's my bright idea:

If I grab something healthy on the way out the door, but eat my real breakfast at work, I think I can make healthier choices during the day. When I DO decide to grab fast food on the way in, I should take more time to look at the choices and pick something reasonable!

Today I ate quietly at my desk and it was wonderful.

Whole Wheat Raisin Toast with Peanut Butter.

So now...I'm saying a prayer that I can keep this up!

Food is Life?

As I sit here eating my biscuit, drinking my sweet tea, planning a family dinner, and wondering what deliciousness awaits me this weekend...It dawned on me that 'holy crap! My life kinda revolves around food!'

Isn't that the case for a lot of us? We meet friends for dinner, order popcorn at the movies, eat hot dogs at ball games, and not really think twice about it.

I grew up in a home where, although they made fun of my size, there was always some type of food on the counter. Without thinking about it, you walk by and just grab whatever's there. Between that, and a constant supply of soda, the chubby bar was set pretty high at an early age.

Now, as an adult, I am following the same pattern. Wash, rinse, repeat. When you're picking stuff off the counter or out of your fridge just because it's there, that's where the problem starts. Food should not become my life. It should be used as nourishment.

I signed up for a triathalon, so I'm trying to pay attention to myself and my habits. I know they will have to change or else I'll never make it through this. It's gonna be rough, but I'm strong. I can do this!

Now...I think perhaps I'll have a salad for lunch.
It is, after all, the Ides of March.

The New Adventures of Old Kristina

Ever have one of those days where you're bored and have no desire to do the tasks at hand...? That's completely me today. I'm at work, and while I do have TONS to do, I just can't put my brain in the right place.

So what's a gal to do? I've decided to start writing again! I'm venturing back into the world of fitness and weight loss, and am on a serious journey to being healthy. For me. I'd like to be that person in mind, body and spirit.

I think this blog will be a good way for me to vent frustrations, list observations, post findings, and just clear my crazy brain.

I tried doing this a couple years ago when I was training for a 5K, but I quickly got bored. To be honest...that's a major fight between me and my brain. I get involved, work toward my goals, but when it comes to the 'maintenance' portion, I completely slack off.

If you're reading, thanks for tuning in, and I guess that's all for right now.
I plan to get better as time goes on...you know, kind of like a bottle of wine!

Love always,
(Your Favorite Fat Chick)
~Kristina

PS: Here's the link to my old blog if you'd like a little back story:
http://biggirls5k.blogspot.com/