The Dungeon

i love my gym. but there are things in it i have common sense enough to avoid. like this thing for example...













and there are certain places in it that i avoid all together... like the steam room (icky) and the child care area (noisy).....

my gym is divided into sections. there is the cardio section (we know each other well) and a "fluffy weight area" with all the pulley machine things. it was only recently that i even ventured into this area. ya know... it looks like this....












but there is another part of the gym. i like to call it the dungeon. its
in the basement. and its full of scary things like big sweaty muscle-headed men that grunt and drop the weights dramatically between sets. and the weights dont have pullies... they are just weights... and not the cute pink and blue and yellow vinyl covered ones they have upstairs like this...










they are like just METAL. ugly black and silver metal. like this....









and the machines have poles for you to put on your own huge discs of weights....











its really quite terrifying. but i have found that the fluffy upstairs weight area with pink dumbbells that only go up to 10 lb just doesnt cut it. so i have to go to the dungeon. i slap on my game face and suck it up... and do it.

The Cheese Stands Alone

who doesnt like cheese? its delicious on its own and makes everything else even more delicious. i love it on everything from apples to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

but if you're on a diet, when you hear "cheese", instead of thinking this...
















you probably think of this....








it has a bad reputation.... as a notorious diet saboteur.


but this stuff is breaking all the stereotypical barriers. Cabot 75% Reduced Fat cheese. yum. 60 cals, 2.5 g fat, and 9 g protein make it a favorite "protein portion" of my snack. i usually have it with a piece of fruit for a filling and healthy snack.

its a bright spot in my day when i realize it's 11am and i get to have my cheese!!!! is that sad?

Green Chicken Chili

i love salsa verde. some times i go to this burrito place that has all you can eat chips and salsa just to chow down on a about a gallon of this stuff! its made of tomatillos and jalepeno and onions and garlic and crystal meth (probably)...







for lunches this week i made Green Chicken Chili which is basically the salsa with chicken breast in it. and wow. its awesome. and pretty simple. the trick was these little mexican tomatoes.

meet my new best friend, the Tomatillo.













Ingredients:

1.5 lb tomatillos, papery husks removed
1/2 jalapeno, diced (more if you like it spicey)
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 large onion, minced
3 chicken breast, chopped small
2 cans (4 oz each) green chilies
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (i used water and no-sodium bullion)
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice


Step 1:
puree the tomatillos in a food processor.










Step 2:
cook onions and jalepeno over high heat 3 mins. add garlic and cook 1 more minute.









Step 3:
add the chopped chicken breast and cook until browned.

Step 4:
add the green chilies, tomatillos, and broth. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer uncovered 45 mins.









Step 5
remove from heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice.


heaven in a bowl!

I'm a Believer

i look in the mirror and i cant even imagine how i REALLY look. like how im supposed to look without an extra 120 pounds of fat on my skeleton. and i cant do it. losing weight seems impossible. like the tooth fairy or santa claus. a lie that we convince ourselves is ok to tell because it sounds nice. this is why i give up.

because i dont believe its actually possible. and why keep working so hard for something that wont ever happen.

but it CAN happen. i know because it HAS happened.

i watch this from time to time to remind myself. i get goose bumps every time.

its my turn!!!!

BFL Week 1 Weigh-In -10.4 lb

ok, so im serious this time. i really mean it. this is the last week 1.

i got on the scale last monday to find that i had regained all the weight that it took me a month to lose. granted it was only like 7 lb.... and really i spent the first two weeks losing weight and the next two weeks gaining weight.

my husband and i decided to start body for life and really DO it. no more of this crap. if im going to spend 2 weeks gaining weight im going to have FUN doing it... not PRETEND to be on a diet.

i was very skeptical that this program would work for me. it seemed toooo simple.

1. eat a portion of carb and a portion of protein at each meal (even white potatoes are ok!)
2. eat veggies at at least 2 meals
3. drink 10 cups of water
4. do 20 minutes of cardio 3 days a week (seriously??? that's all????)
5. do 45 minutes of weights 3 days a week
6. have an OFF day once a week (candy, pancakes, whatever!! and NO exercising!)

ummmm... this is tooo goood to be true. right???

but the before and after photos caught my attention. and so did the transformation of a friend.

the results. i lost 10.4 lb the first week. yes, yes, yes, i hear you Bubble-Bursters, it was mostly water and blah blah blah. i dont flipping care!!! i am so happy!

i had mini meltdowns all week. i found out that "simple" does not mean "easy"..... yes, the exercise and food prep was hard. but the emotional and mental aspect was even harder. this was the first time i had really committed since the Great Weight-Loss of 2007. and to really commit requires the hardest thing of all....

believing that you can actually lose weight.

i am fat. i am a fat girl. that's who i am. all week i battled (not so much to get to the gym) but with the overwhelming fear that i was kidding myself, fooling myself, lying to myself. wasting my time. it's a horrible feeling.

i dont feel like this body is who i am. i feel like a hostage... yet, the thought of being in a smaller body is even more terrifying. who would i be then? i havent met that girl. i dont know how to be that girl.

but i better start figuring it out. because it's happening. 10 lb down.... 40 more to go!

W3 Weigh-In

so i gained 0.4 lb this week. yeah im sad but im over it.

on the brighter side, i found an incredible weight training program. i was at the gym the other day and ran into a friend of mine....a friend who has been looking rather fabulous as of late. this particular friend is a little on the chubby side despite the fact that she is a total gym rat and faithful weight watchers follower. we dont really talk that much about diet and exercise but in the past she has mentioned her frustration over not being able to lose weight despite her strenuous efforts.

i noticed she was holding a clip board with a printout full of notes. thats when she let me in on her secret. she is doing Body For Life.

yes. due to the fact that i have been living under a rock (apparently) i hadnt heard of it before.











she proceeded to tell me how instead of going to the gym EVERY day (and i do mean every day) and running on the treadmill for miles and miles and doing a weight lifting routine that a "personal trainer" at the gym put together for her, she now only does 45 mins of weights and (are you ready?) twenty (*TWENTY*) minutes of cardio every OTHER day! the results?

fabulous! in just one month she has dropped weight and significantly changed her body. sold!

the basic idea is that for weight lifting is that for each muscle you do 12 reps at one weight, then add weight and do 10 reps, then add weight and do 8 reps, then add weight and do 6 reps, then reduce weight and do 12 reps....THEN you do another exercise for the same muscle and do 12 reps. if you actually care about the details, you can read all about it here.

i walked around the gym yesterday holding my book and reading about every exercise before i actually did it. i felt like a total loser. but the results were worth it. im sore in all the right places today!

Breakfast Blues

breakfast is the most important meal of the day....and the most frustrating. i barely have time in the morning to EAT breakfast let alone MAKE breakfast. and we all know how easy it is to get HEALTHY food FAST....right? so, every morning, i usually end up singing the Breakfast Blues.

but i found it. a healthy, filling and fast breakfast.

GREEN(ish) SMOOTHIE

my awesome and super cool mom bought me one of these for my anniversary this year.














so, each morning i just take a cup of this (no sugar added frozen mixed fruit)












with 1/2 cup of this (vanilla greek yogurt)









and a cup of this (baby spinach)






i also add some water and i get a yummy green smoothie that i sip on the way to work! it's got tons of protein, fiber, and deliciousness.













it literally takes me 3 minutes in the morning to make it. and since i drink it
while driving to work, it takes 0 (extra) minutes to eat breakfast!

and since the blender canister doubles as a to-go mug, there isnt any clean-up!