Finding My Happy Place

Greetings friends!  It has been way too long since you have had an actual post.  Well, here it is.  I won't give you the typical excuses that I've been too busy, too tired or whatnot.

I have literally had nothing to say.

OK, pick your jaw up off the table, I am definitely a talker.  I'm an encourager, I can talk to anyone about anything for any amount of time.  This is true. 

But this one thing that I have been so "sure" of, so "on target" with, my weight loss journey, has taken a serious and tough turn over the last six months.  In looking back over 2012, I realized I have had less "good" weeks than "bad" weeks.  I define good and bad as follows:

Good week: eating well and clean 90% of the time, exercising 5-6 days/week.
Bad week: eating poorly most of the time, drinking diet coke again, losing control, not planning and taking more rest days than necessary.

I can complain until kingdom come about the LONG plateau I have been stuck in.  I'm smaller in size than I have ever been (a size 10 mostly with some 12s) but I am weighing around 190 these days.  And not because I have been doing everything right.

I kept having these mini-epiphanies, like maybe if I try this or do that differently, I will get it together.  I definitely realized that I wasn't eating enough for awhile there and while going back to eating more helped, I once again slipped out of control with the "what" I was eating...and once again found myself feeling like crap, angry at myself and gaining/losing the same 5 freaking pounds I've toyed with for awhile.  The mini-epiphanies were NOT working.  What the heck?

Again, my body is smaller and more compact...but how great would I look and feel if I was completely back on track?  Something has been way off in my head and my heart.

My great friend Jessica posted a very thought provoking blog last week that really began me thinking seriously about needing a recalibration.  You can read it here.  She referenced a scripture from the book of Revelation, Chapter 2 v 5: "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first..."  

I really needed that.

This has been swirling around in my head ever since. I have really needed to go back to where I was.  Because at some point I was in a really good place.  I was really strong.  I had resolve of absolute STEEL!  What has happened to me?

So I've gone back to the beginning.  In the last 24 hours I've read most of my blog over again.  Went WAY back to the beginning.  Laughed at myself...cried with myself...reminding me of where I have been and how far I have come.  I really think if my "then" self were speaking to my "now" self I would be YELLING!  WHAT THE HECK?  WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?  YOU WERE DOING SO GOOD!  I HAVE NOT WORKED THIS HARD AND COME THIS FAR TO GIVE UP!  GET UP YOU MORON!

Ok, well maybe not yelling.  But I would be encouraging me.  To keep on going. 

I've re-read my blog posts every now and then just to take a trip down memory lane.  Today, I read my blog as if I were just a visitor or friend of mine, not actually me.

I felt an old familiar stirring in my heart a few minutes ago when I finished reading about my 2011 journey and all I had accomplished.  A glimmer of excitement.  A feeling that reminded me of what kept me fueled on before.  I began to have hope again.  My eyes are filling up just considering it.

In reviewing my previous "works I did at first" I think I may have cracked this shell of confusion I've been curled up in.  This pit of regression has been confusing and frankly, ridiculous.  The people who know me and see me all the time seem puzzled by it.  One co-worker today told me today to stop drinking diet coke.  Another one asked me what was going on...I'm supposed to be the good example for everyone! 

Right now I'm sitting here dying of thirst as I've only had about 40 ounces of water (I usually drink 120!). You know why I didn't get up early this morning to run?  Because my stomach was queasy from eating crappy food for the last week.

Stick a fork in me.

This chick is DONE.

There is absolutely no good excuse for me to be so off track and so far away from where I've been.  Sure, I've traveled alot, but the first 2 years of my journey had me on the road a great deal and I still managed to make healthy food choices, exercise regularly, and lose weight.

It can be done.  So now that I have no major travel coming up until mid-May, I have a few weeks to set things straight in my mind, then really plan how I will be behaving on that trip.

The things I did before looked a little like this, and now I'm turning it into an acronym to take with me:

Plan - plan my meals, my activity, etc.
Rest - get at least 8 good hours of sleep per night.
Enjoy - I love running.  I love working out and feeling strong.  I enjoy making good choices in light of some not so good ones.  I'm going to bask in the things I found joy in before once again.
Pray - I cannot do this in my own strength (obviously!).

PREP.  That's right.  That's my new motto.  I have to PREP if I am going to make it to my ultimate goal.

I'm going to reset my goals soon.  One baby step back into it at a time here. We have alot of uncertainty going on in our personal lives right now, and I'm going to take the advice of a very wise friend of mine and focus on the things I know I have a say in, or control over.

Huge thanks to my friend Jess who picked me up off the proverbial floor with her encouraging message to me today.  We met through my blog and you have encouraged me more than you know with your own blog, journey and friendship.  I am so thankful God has put you in my life!

Thank all of you for not chewing me out when I've failed you.  I have come to realize a leader cannot truly lead and inspire people and not also be true to themselves and honest about their failings.  If I have learned nothing else from this experience it is that I have to continue to be real, no matter how hard or disappointing that can be at times.

But I have this sneaking suspicion by that old familiar feeling in my heart right now that we won't be seeing as many disappointing posts for awhile.

Hugs,
Clara

A Quick Pic

This morning my husband took this picture of me before I headed off to work.  He said if he were still single and so was I, he would be chasing me around!  What a cutie.  Anyway, I put it in a side by side comparison photo as I hadn't done that in awhile.  What do ya think?  Worth the effort or what?  :)

Losing Again!

Not even sure where to start today.  There is so much to tell you!

I went through the 5 day cleanse and did very well; lost six of the pounds I had gained with my travel and non-activity, getting back down to 189.2.  I eased back into my normal eating and activity again.  The scale was up and down and up and down again.  I sought out the Body Bugg Facebook page to see what others were saying on the topic and read some interesting ideas but was not convinced.  In a moment of frustration, I placed this post on the Facebook wall for Body Bugg users hoping for some sage advice. 

"...been working on closing the gap on my too high deficit days - on Mon/Weds I end up burning over 3000 cals with my workouts plus BMR, so my typical 1500 cals leaves me with too large a deficit based on all I'm reading here. Have been closing that gap to be 1000 and hoping for the best; it just feels weird to eat more when I don't really feel like I need more...thoughts? oh - I'm going for 1000 deficit/day as doing 1500 one day and 500 next day are not getting me results."

Almost immediately I had several messages from more experienced Body Buggers telling me my deficit was too high and I needed to lower it to 750/day.  {The deficit is the difference between calories burned and calories eaten - you are shooting to burn more than you eat.} 

That means on my heavy exercise days, like Monday/Wednesday/Saturday, I would need to eat 2300-2600 calories that day.


I needed to take a moment. I took a few moments when I read those suggestions.  I questioned them...wow, I'm trying to lose weight here, and you're telling me to eat more food?  

I was incredibly skeptical, but what did I have to lose?


This 7 month plateau wasn't going anywhere. I'm SO SO SO sick of weighing in the 180s.


So this week I gave it a try.  I watched my calorie burn closely each day and kept my deficit to 800 or a little under.  This means I was constantly eating.  I really wondered what would happen.  I ate as much as 2695 calories one day!  I was sure I was not going to lose.


The 2nd day I was down a pound.  

As of today I'm down a total of 4 pounds, and 1% body fat.


Whoa.


By eating more food.


In researching this a little bit, I found that if you eat less than your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) then your body may go into starvation mode.  Add one of my crazy workouts to it (to the tune of 1200 calories burned) and I'm seriously holding on to fat.  My BMR is around 1850 according to my body bugg measurements.  So if I lay around all day, I will burn 1850 calories.


I was eating 1500/calories day.  I didn't necessarily feel hungry, or bad, so I don't know if I would have figured it out had I not asked the question.  PLEASE realize I have not done this on purpose!  If you've followed my blog at all, you know that I'm all about a healthy lifestyle, NOT starvation, NOT dieting, etc.  I truly thought 1500 calories/day was healthy for me.  And it would be.  If I laid around all day. :)

I was literally, inadvertently starving myself.  I just cannot get over this.  Doesn't it go against everything in the world to be "dieting" but eating plenty?  The difference between before and now is that I'm an athlete now.  I need to feed the athlete!


Part of me is ecstatic.  The other part really frustrated that it took me this long to figure it out!  I'm going to focus on the ecstatic for now.

Honestly, not losing consistently was getting frustrating.  I was sure I was doing something not perfectly, but would never have guessed it was that I wasn't eating enough.


Now, I can actually see how this healthy eating lifestyle is going to work - forever.  I can see this last 20 pounds coming off and reaching my goal in the next 6 months or so.  I can see myself no longer stressing trying to fit only 1500 calories into my day - do you know how hard that is?  I can finally see myself being, well, normal.


Though I must admit its also been difficult to find 2000 calories of healthy food to eat.  I find myself eating 300 calorie snacks now - so my Larabar with an apple.  Or a cheese stick and a protein bar before a workout.


Yes, I'm elated.  And hoping to continue to report on this awesome downward trend here.  Maybe I will ditch the 180s soon! 


When I first got the Body Bugg I was interested in how it would work.  A few people asked me what I thought and while I liked the program, the device, etc., it has taken me 7 months to figure out how to REALLY use it.  My fault for not asking my question sooner!  Really, for me, I would have had to play with my calories to figure out how to find the perfect balance.  I absolutely know now that the Body Bugg is going to do its thing for me and take me on to my goal weight and athletic/strength goals.


Please keep in mind that not everyone should eat 2000-2500 calories a day.  I don't want a bunch of emails and comments from the peanut gallery that they listened to Clara, upped their calorie intake and gained 10 pounds, ok?  You have to match your activity to your eating and not overdo it.  If you seem to hit a plateau, try to eat a little bit more and see what happens!  Everyone is different. 

A few random things:


If you are interested in a Body Bugg, I wanted to share that they are on sale right now.  (I don't use my blog to make money so don't worry, I'm not making anything off of sharing this with you).  Typically it is $298.95 for the whole system, but its on sale right now for $188 which is less than I paid last year!  This set includes the Body Bugg, digital display watch (very handy for tracking your burn throughout the day) and 6 months online subscription to their program.  The program is where you log everything in and sync up your bugg.  Once the subscription runs out, its still affordable, I just paid $50 for a year renewal (there are coupon codes out there constantly on the facebook page).  Click here for more info!


I had someone ask me once how to eat healthy at a Mexican restaurant.  Well I'm lucky enough to have one that serves this:

That is a grilled chicken breast, steamed broccoli and a side of guacamole and jalapenos.  Yeah, I ate a few chips too, and put a few tablespoons of cheese sauce on my chicken.  I don't recommend the chips on a regular basis because they are fried, but a few won't usually put you over the edge.  This was SO good!


And I'll leave you with a recipe here.  It's super simple and forgive me for not measuring, but its just how I roll when it comes to these types of things.


Skillet Zucchini
3 small to medium zucchini squashes
2 tsp olive oil
smoked paprika
sea salt
curry
white pepper
chili powder


Heat olive oil in a non stick pan.  Slice the zucchini into rounds, halve them if it is a fatter squash.  Sprinkle all spices and mix.

Sautee on medium high heat just until they are lightly browned.  If you overcook them, they will get mushy!  You want them slightly crispy still.

SO yummy!  And very good for you.  1 cup equals 43 calories, 1.8 g fat (1.3 of that being the good, monounsaturated fat), 455 g potassium, 7.1 g carbs, 2.5 g dietary fiber and 3.0 g sugar, with 1.2 g protein.  You also get almost half of your Vitamin A need for the day met with just 1 serving!


Hope you enjoy - I do a very similar sautee with asparagus and it is ALWAYS a hit!  My husband prefers my sauteed asparagus to french fries.  That says alot.


Have a great week everyone! Thanks for all of your support. It means a ton.


~Clara

Update on the Blueprint

Hello World!

Here is an update on everything blueprint related.

I have had a CRAZY few weeks of travel and work, this week being my first week back in the office for the entire week.

The first week away, I did GREAT when it came to my eating...for the first day or so.  A biscuit here, chocolate frosting (from the cake) there, bread pudding...yeah, a few indulgences.  I did exceed my calorie burn every day, in fact, I burned 4,078 calories total one day when I ran 3 miles that morning, worked the conference and then danced for hours that night.  It was fantastic.  {I have never actually danced in front of people like I did at this conference - I am giving full credit to Zumba for giving me the confidence to cut a rug...though I have to say, I didn't learn the Sprinkler or the Shopping Cart at Zumba - lol!  Since I don't drink alcohol it isn't even like that would loosen me up...I was just my own crazy self and it was a BLAST.}

I was exhausted coming home from the conference, and had 2 days to pack then turn around and fly to San Francisco for another conference - this one I did not have to work or help plan, I was just an attendee.  My healthy eating lasted until lunchtime on Monday.  Oops.  Yep, I had a brownie after lunch, and a bunch of pieces of dove chocolate later (literally I lost count) it was bad...lets just say the rest of the week included many indulgences, white bread and not so healthy breakfast choices (I say choices because most of the time, healthy options were available to me...and I just chose the not so healthy options).

I also did not exercise on purpose.  I say on purpose because I did go hiking around with my brother and his girlfriend when we saw some of the sights of SF (he lives there and that was a huge bonus for my trip).  I had planned a run or two along the Pacific Ocean, but it turned out to be way cold that week, so I did not want to go out.  The hotel had a fantastic gym.  I did not get out of bed to try it out.

Pretty disappointing.

Needless to say, I returned home and eyed my scale with disdain.  It was my birthday when I came home and I didn't want to burst my bday bubble so I put off weighing.  I celebrated my birthday for a few days (with chocolate cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies, muffins with cream, a yoyo from Publix, fried green tomatoes...) really I shouldn't go on.  I decided I was going to repeat my cleanse this past week so I could get myself back into gear and rid my body of all the toxins I filled it with.

I felt SO sick on Saturday night I was miserable.  Sunday I felt like I had a food hangover.

Did I mention I picked up my caffeine addiction again?  In just 2 weeks?

My weight was back up to 195.  Holy smokes.

This week I've been back into my routine.  Running, Zumba, Boot Camp and the 5 day cleanse.  My body began ridding itself of all the icky fat laden food, sodium and caffeine addiction.  I had some amazing headaches, but my body felt better than it had in WEEKS so I kept with it.  Five days later I'm down 9 pounds, so at 186.  I'm pretty pleased with that for now.

It has me pretty off track for my goals, but I will go in again and readjust them this weekend.  Sigh.  It happens.

Am I mad at myself?  Not really.  Partially because most of the damage has already melted off.

But mostly because being mad at myself accomplishes NOTHING.

You gain NOTHING by wasting time on the what ifs, or wish I hads (or hadn'ts!).

You can gain momentum, however, by moving forward and learning from your mistakes.  You may be reading this thinking I'm a loser because I keep making similar mistakes, in different situations and time frames and more than once.

Well, then stop reading my blog because you won't ever see me as a winner and I'm really happy I'm not participating in your competition.  I'm never going to sugar coat this journey and tell you or anyone else that it is easy and you are 100% completely fixed when you lose a substantial amount of weight.  It doesn't happen that way.

I have lost 100 pounds and kept it off (mostly - one pesky pound left from last week's craziness) for 7 months.  Even though my weight hasn't changed since August, I have dropped another 2 pants sizes due to replacing fat with muscle. 

I'm good with that.  In my eyes, I'm winning.

While I am not, nor will I ever be perfect, I'm real. And I'm ok with me.  And in this case, my opinion counts most. 

Since, ya know, I'm the one working towards these goals.

I'll readjust my goals and post them sometime later this weekend.  In the meantime, I'm going to sync up my body bugg, finish logging today's food and go to bed early so I am up and ready for my 7am run.

Have a great week!

Clara

Food Blog Series, Part 2: Snacks!

Hey friends!

I hope you were able to enjoy the first of my Food Blog Series, focusing on choices for breakfast.  If you missed it, catch up here.

This week's food blog is focusing on another VITAL piece of the healthy eating puzzle - snacks!

I really think snacks are underrated.  In fact, in previous attempts to lose weight, many times I would cut out snacks as I didn't want to use up my calories for the day.

The benefits of snacking are:

1) Snacking keeps your metabolism going throughout the day - if you eat a snack in between meals (just don't get crazy of course) you will keep your body burning all the time. 
**By the way, the same article said that eating breakfast is the first step in boosting up your metabolism; in fact, studies indicate that people who eat breakfast may increase resting metabolism by 10 percent.  That's alot! See the entire article, about 7 ways to boost your metabolism here.

2) Healthy snacks keep you from overeating at mealtime.  I know I eat less when I'm not ravenous.  I eat when I'm hungry and try to stop when I am full.  I am also a fast eater, so its even more important that I snack and don't get over hungry...or I eat way too much too quickly.  Damage done.

Some challenges to snacking are:

1) What do I choose?  There are TONS of options for snacks out there.  How do you know what is best?

2) It takes time to plan and portion snacks out.

3) You have to constantly keep variety going, or boredom will set in and you'll find yourself looking for something else to snack on vs. what you brought for yourself.

Obviously, I'm a believer in snacking, so let me share some of my absolute favorite snacks with you and why they are my faves.

I'm a HUGE fan of greek yogurt.  Yogurt period is a good choice most times, but greek yogurt has almost twice the protein of regular yogurt.  It definitely takes a bit of time to get used to the texture of greek yogurt, it is thicker and feels more substantial going down - because it is!  Twice the protein means you will stay fuller, longer.

This yogurt is 5.3 oz, and has 120 calories, 0 fat grams, 45 mg sodium, 17g of carbs (16 g of that is sugar)  and 13 grams of protein.  It also has 15% of your daily calcium requirement.

This brand and flavor is my new SUPER favorite greek yogurt (the blueberry and the peach are also VERY yummy).  The little pocket to the bottom right of the photo is full of strawberry jam to  mix in with the plain yogurt in the larger section.  It is just the right amount of sweetness.

This was my original favorite brand and flavor - now don't mistake the caramel flavor for the honey flavor.  MAJOR difference in taste.  I love the caramel flavor.  This one is 4 ounces and has 110 calories, 0 grams of fat, 60mg sodium, 140mg potassium, 17g carbs (16 g sugar) and 10 grams of protein.  It also has 15% of your daily calcium allowance.

The plain greek yogurt can be fairly bitter, so you need something to mix in it. If you prefer to buy plain, you can mix in some honey and/or granola to flavor it up. Greek yogurt is a GREAT choice for snacking, and I typically choose it for my mid-morning snack between breakfast and lunch.

Pistachios!  I love love love these nuts.  I portion them out into baggies - because like ANY snack that isn't already portioned out, they can be dangerous if not eaten properly!  This baggie (1/2 ounce) has around 80-100 calories, 6.5 grams of fat, 4g carbs (3g dietary fiber).  You have to crack them open, which keeps your hands busy (or your stapler on your desk at work, for that one or two in the bag that aren't easy to crack open - lol!).  These are a great mid-afternoon snack for me.  Now, the side of the bag of pistachios will tell you that one ounce is a serving (around 49 nuts) whereas I have quoted you half an ounce above.  Cut that in half, and you have a good healthy snack without overdoing it. I also really like roasted almonds, we're just on a pistachio kick at our house right now. :)

Trail mix!  This is a newer favorite of mine.  Now, that is 1/4 cup of tropical trail mix which equates to 142 calories, 6 grams of fat, 22 carbs and 2.2 g of protein. You must be careful with trail mix, just like you are with nuts as it is easy to grab a bag and then wonder where the heck it went!  Recently, I was lucky enough to get to tour a plant that bags up nuts and trail mixes - and saw how they portion things out to go into the baggies - its all very scientific and the machines drop the different components onto a conveyor belt at certain speeds to control how much of each thing goes in each bag.  This is why you never run into trail mix that is mostly chocolate (darn!).  Thought I'd share that tidbit with you.

 Wait, didn't I share Larabars as breakfast items?  Well, folks, they can also be a snack!  I don't recommend eating more than one a day as they are higher in calories, though they are nutrient dense - meaning they pack a good punch of health and no preservatives (huge to me!).  These are great on the days I eat oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, just before one of my 2 hour workouts in the evening.

Yeah, that's an apple.  A gala apple at that.  Does that seem boring?  It shouldn't.  Once you rid your taste buds of all the sugary processed crap you've been eating, this apple will taste like candy.  I promise.  Apples range from 70-100 calories per apple depending on the size.  Try some different brands and types until you find your favorite!  They are also a great source of fiber.

Bananas are a great choice as well.  They also range around 80-110 calories depending on their size.  I love a banana as a morning snack, or sometimes just before my workout in order to prevent cramping and get my blood sugar to a good place just before I sweat like crazy. I don't eat a banana as a snack on the days I chop one into my oatmeal or cereal.

Not pictured are my little grapes and baby bell cheese snack baggies (I'm out right now).  Basically I put about 15 grapes in a baggie with a little round baby bell light cheese round.  The cheese is around 50 cals as are the grapes.  It is SUCH a yummy snack and very satisfying with the protein and fat from the cheese and the sweetness of the grapes.  Those seem to stave off my search for sweets in the afternoon.

So there you have it, my most frequent snacks!  Sometimes I pair the apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter if its post long run or something like that.  I also like my almond milk mixed with a serving of ovaltine for a "chocolate milk" type of snack.  Filling and yummy.

Do you notice anything common about my snacking?  Most of it is real food with minimal processing.  Look, I am not a perfectly "clean" eater, but the cleaner I do eat, the better I feel, and my tummy thanks me...along with my scale being a good friend to me.

This next week I'm traveling for work and there will be an ABUNDANCE of food around. My biggest goal? Stick to my healthier options (which may mean stealing a banana off the breakfast buffet for later) and not to eat just because food is available.  Food will be available to me forever, God willing.  I don't have to sample everything, all the time.

But I also will NOT allow myself to get so hungry that I eat things I don't really like (because I'm staaarving) or clean my plate and feel miserable the rest of the day.

My other plan of action?  Go to the hotel gym EVERY morning AND dance at every opportunity (there will be several).  This will be funny because I've never been much of a dancer in public, and since I haven't had alcohol at all in around 7 years, I'm wondering, who do I think I am planning to dance? 

Well, ya know what?  If I can do Zumba, and I'm half Colombian, darn it, I should be able to cut a rug.  And cutting a rug or two will help me out if I decide I *have* to have that chocolate torte at dinner.

Pray for me?

Have a great week.

~Clara

PS - next Food Blog adventure will take us into the land of LUNCHES!  Hoping to get some good pics for you this week or next while traveling of some of my favorite lunch options.

Food Blog Series, Part 1: Breakfast!

Hey friends!

So as you know I have LOTS of opinions on food  and what is healthy.  Ha!  I get questions all the time about what I eat exactly and its kind of tough to describe exactly how I eat without going into the "why."  I don't believe in "dieting" and yet, what you eat does constitute your "diet."  When asked, I usually don't recommend anyone dive into eating like I do today cold turkey as my eating has morphed over the last 2.5 years slowly and hugely.  It morphed slowly so my new healthy lifestyle could be "doable" to create a permanent change, rather than having an end date for my eating plan and ultimately, my health.

Over the course of a few blog posts, I'd like to share my favorite food items with you along with why I like them and how they fit into my healthy lifestyle.

Why don't we start with the most important meal of the day?  I get asked about what I eat for breakfast all the time.  If you are like me, alot of times your mornings are a scramble to get out the door with everything you will need to have with you for the next 15 hours...for me that would include snacks, lunch, my water bottle filled with green tea and more snacks if its a workout night.  Many times my breakfast ends up going with me as well by the time the rest of that is all packed up!

BREAKFAST is VITAL to starting your day off well. It's really not just something "people" say.  If I eat a good breakfast in the morning, I tend to eat better the rest of the day.  If you don't eat, thinking you are saving a few hundred calories, you will certainly make up for them in your starvation snacking later on during the day.  Don't like breakfast?  Learn to like it - or don't blame me when you find yourself waking up from an I-ate-everything-I-brought-for-the-day-by-10am coma.

Here are some of my faves:

Sometimes I start off with a smoothie with Almond Milk as the base (I like Silk's brand, or Blue Diamond; whichever is on sale at the time - Vanilla and unsweetened is good to have some flavor without too much unnecessary sugar.  Stephen also likes to use this as his coffee creamer). I am not a coffee drinker; I simply don't have a taste for it.

One scoop of this Vanilla Whey Protein packs a big punch of protein (15 grams) and only 100 calories.  So far our smoothie is only up to 140 calories.  Add in a handful of fresh spinach (it only changes the color NOT the taste! Also add in a handful of your favorite frozen fruit - I love frozen blueberries, or you can freeze a banana and add that in.  The frozen element is essential to your smoothie being cold.  Smoothies don't have to have a milk type base; yesterday I made one with a half cup of OJ, handful of spinach and 5 strawberries blended up (I did NOT add the protein powder - only when I make them with almond milk).  It was delicious and about 150 calories, went nicely with my sandwich for lunch and added a bunch of veggies/fruit to my day.  Bottom line; smoothies are a great start and if you make the protein shake version it is great for post-workout recovery as well.

When I don't have time to fool with the blender, I grab a Larabar and a Banana.  I love Larabars as they are all natural (they are also gluten free - but for the record I will say I'm not an advocate of going gluten free UNLESS you have an allergy).  The ingredients label reads: dates, cashews, semi-sweet chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla.  The chocolate chip cookie doug is my absolute favorite flavor, its like eating cookie dough without the sin and guilt.  Now Larabars seem small for the calorie punch which is why they should be limited to one per day - but realize they really do fill you up!  220 Calories, 11 grams of fat (6 grams of which are monounsaturated = good fat!) 320 mg of Potassium, 3 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.  These are also a GREAT pre-workout snack and I'll do that often in the evenings before my 2 hour workouts (as long as I didn't have one for breakfast!).

When I have a few minutes in the morning (not a run day usually) I will mix up a batch of oatmeal in the microwave.  I put a 1/2 cup of oats in a bowl with enough water to cover it and microwave for a minute on high. When it comes out, I mix in a splash of the vanilla almond milk, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and....

Two tablespoons of Golden Raisins.  You could also mix in Craisins, a chopped apple, banana, etc.  It is totally up to you what you want to use to flavor your oatmeal.  This is healthier than buying the pre-sweetened oatmeal as they typically have many more additives and preservatives and even more sugar.  Check out the label next time you are shopping and compare the plain oats with my additions to the boxed sweetened kind.

Uncle Sam's cereal was a part of my life once.  It isn't just good for breakfast, it serves a purpose.  Not to get too graphic, but sometimes we aren't as "regular" as we'd like to be and that can, well, be a PAIN!  With 8 grams of Insoluble fiber per serving, this cereal will DEFINITELY help in that department.  That said it is super bland in taste on its own...it is best eaten with 1 teaspoon of sugar (15 calories) and either raisins, craisins, bananas, strawberries etc.  I try to eat this most days if I am not too rushed.  You can also mix 1/4 cup of this into your favorite greek yogurt to add some crunch to your snack.

So there you have it - my breakfast "regulars."  I also LOVE eggs and on the weekends I like to sautee one over easy on the stove and put it on top of a toasted piece of wheat bread and let the yolk run all over the bread. Yum!  I really don't believe that real eggs are "bad."  It's what we do to food like eggs that makes them bad!  I don't add cheese, and truly do not miss butter on my bread either.  Those little tweaks have really made a difference over time.  Now the egg beaters...hmmm...what does the label say?  Just saying.  Oh - and I DO love the occasional chocolate chip pancake with pure maple syrup (I use the whole wheat blend pancake mix or I mix up my own with whole wheat flour).

Overall, if it has 3 or more ingredients that I can't pronounce without assistance, or are not actual FOOD, I won't eat it (for the most part).  Period.  That makes it easy!

That's all for now...I will do a series of posts about food over the next few weeks including snacks, lunches, etc.  I plan to try to share some of my dinner recipes as well as time permits.

Hope you enjoyed...now get to planning your breakfast for tomorrow!

~Clara

PS - coming soon on the blog will be a review of a BUNCH of workout videos! I have tons of them and tons of opinions to share about them! 

Why the Scale Isn't Everything...

In having a conversation with a friend tonight who recently began her weight loss journey, we were discussing the scale and I was complaining that I have been in the 180s forEVER!  I also complained this morning to my friend Meggan, and earlier this week to my friend Beth.

I'm sure my friends are sick and tired of hearing me complain about it.  In the interest of keeping said friends, I've been trying to readjust my mindset about it.

The scale is important in that you should weigh within a certain "range."  Is it the antiquated BMI range?  Not necessarily.  But you probably have your own healthy weight you are reaching for and that's good (your doctor can help establish it too if they aren't so fuddy-duddy and BMI-chart-gospel).  That's why I only have the main "scale" goal to lose weight in increments and I only record my weight weekly, sometimes bi-weekly if I have an off week or its my bloat week...but my other goals involve overall health, like my BMI, body fat %, healthy eating, and athletic endeavors.

I'm working into understanding and fully owning that I cannot focus so much on the scale as it has been consuming me lately (pun intended).

The most frustrating part about the scale, is that it might not move, but then my clothes show a difference and I can see a difference in the mirror!

I began the 180s as a solid size 14.  I am now a size 12, and can fit into several items (dresses and jeans) that are size 10.  So while I've been in the 180s for 6 month (geez already, right?) I am still shrinking physically.

If you've been following my blog, you know that I recently began a new workout schedule.  Still running several days a week, but have begun focusing on other endurance sports like Boot Camp and Zumba.  Both of these activities are making me train my upper body in a way I almost never have consistently since I am a runner primarily, especially Boot Camp.  I have seen a visible difference in my chest, back and arms in just a few weeks! 

RECENT NON-SCALE VICTORIES:

1) At Zumba on Wednesday night, I caught a glimpse of myself when I had my arms in the air and was jumping - I did a double take and decided the glass must be messed up as I looked slender!  Then I saw the woman to my right and her reflection was exact. 


2) Wearing my size 10 jeans on a date with my husband.


3) Putting on a size 10 dress and rocking it (below).


4) Someone gasping when I mentioned being overweight and saying, "You are SO not overweight."  And it wasn't a "friend" who might feel they needed to say it - lol.


5) My good friend tonight commented on the same; she said she has seen my shape change drastically in the last 6 months.

So while I am not settling for staying in the 180s forever, I am realizing that I might not have 20 more pounds of FAT to lose that won't be replaced, in some part, by MUSCLE.  GASP.  What if I end up in the 170s at 5'6?  Preposterous!  Well, if my body fat percentage ends up being below 25% then the BMI chart can take a long stroll of a short pier!

Not to mention changing the landscape of your body takes time.  I should know.

I'm not losing this weight quickly; I never have.  And I think that is part of why I don't have a bunch of skin leftover, especially with my muscle development.  I'm excited that I likely will never have to have a skin removal surgery to get my body to look how I want it to.

Because I'm not trying to be bone thin.  I'm working on being fit, strong, and I'm totally fine with having fabulous muscles.  Not necessarily body builder looking, but I'm good with some toned arms and legs, and I'd like my stomach to be as flat as possible (giving up on concave, ok?).  Oh, and for my butt and my thighs to have a clear beginning and end.  :)

It helps that I don't "look" like I weigh 180 something.  People tell me that all the time when I share my weight (part of why I don't mind sharing my number - ha!). What do you think?

So if the scale hasn't been your friend lately, don't stress too much about it, ok?  As long as you are working hard and feeling stronger, your body WILL change with time IF your nutrition is on point as well.  I posted a recent link to my facebook page to an article about "malnubesity" which is a sort of made up term about people who eat small amounts of crappy food (i.e. fried, sugary, white flour, etc.) and even though their caloric intake may be low, they will not lose weight as they are nutrient starved.  Think about WHAT you are eating...and of course, how much, but WHAT is almost more vital to begin with to be sure you are getting the nutrition you need.

I'm down to 30% body fat.  I started at 56% body fat!  I've almost cut that in half.  I'm incredibly proud of that, and happy.  Averages online say between 25-31% is considered average.  I'd like to get below 25% into the "fitness" range. 

I'm excited to check my body fat % a month from now when I've been at this new crazy workout schedule for 6 weeks.  No matter what the scale says then, if that number changes, and my size continues to shrink, I will be a HAPPY girl.

Find your happy in something OTHER than the scale this week, ok?  My happy in the form of yet another non-scale victory came yesterday when I ran my 2 miles in the morning after a crazy workout schedule the night before and my legs felt STRONG not tired.

Make friends with your scale weekly if you must, but don't let a daily step up create a meltdown in your mood or routine.  Celebrate those "non-scale" victories, like wearing that new dress finally, zipping up the next size down jeans, realizing your legs don't rub together like they used to.  They are many if you'll pay attention to more than just the number.  Keep on keeping on!

I plan to! 

~Clara