If anyone reads this, I'm sorry my posts are inconsistent. I'm starting a new journey so I'm going to try to post more frequently. Not only to keep myself accountable but in the hopes that someday, someone will find this and take a look.
Here's a little bit of history. In March 2012 I ran my first Half Marathon, at 195 lbs. I've always been overweight, but active. (I use the term ran loosely.) The week after the half marathon I started a VLCD program from Dean Healthcare. The VLCD (Very low calorie diet) program is a total food replacement program where the patient eats only supplements prescribed by the doctor. I did not take any medication or appetite suppressants. I'm sure everyone has their own opinions on these kinds of programs and I had some thoughts of my own before starting it, but I've learned that not everything works for everyone and this program works for some. It is doctor managed, you see a nutritionist once a week, doctor once a month and get blood work done to ensure everything is operating properly. I followed the program to a T for 4 months and lost a total of 50 lbs. It was awesome. I was at a weight lower than I'd ever weighed but what I think is maintainable for my 5'1" frame. Fast forward to today I've since gained all 50 lbs back to no fault of the program. The program has a transition phase and maintenance program that I choose not to follow. Additionally, I got the Implanon birth control implant and saw a significant weight increase due to that and it was impossible to lose it regardless of the dedication I put to working out and eating right. In addition to the struggles I had losing weight, I suffered an ankle injury that needs surgery to repair so I've decided it's time to start over.
Starting September 22nd I am doing the VLCD program again, and hopefully for the last time. I learned some lessons last time about what I can do differently and what I did wrong. On September 25th, I'm going in for ankle surgery and for 6 weeks post surgery I will be non-weight bearing meaning I cannot put any weight on my right leg at all. The time has come to recommit and get this done once and for all. I cannot wait to feel comfortable in my skin and clothes again and to return to the active lifestyle that I had. I plan to document my journey, struggles and triumphs here in hopes to encourage someone else and keep myself accountable.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
It's been awhile....
Well it's been awhile since I last posted.... I've cooked a bunch of delightful meals since then and I can't wait to share them with you but before I do that, I want to change direction a bit.
I read a lot of different fitness blogs and the majority of the time the story goes... writer was overweight, started running, changed eating habits, got really good at running and lost weight. Don't get me wrong, I am always very inspired by these and LOVE reading them. I can really relate except for the running thing. I have yet to find a blog of someone that is a terrible runner but just keeps pushing, even though it's hard every time. So I want to continue sharing my delicious eats but also my journey to better health and fitness and hopefully as a result, lower weight. Those who know me know I've struggled with weight for many many years. I've tried many different diets. Lost 50 lbs and gained most of that back.
I started "running" two years ago and I am literally a terrible runner. My average mile is 12-14 minutes and involves quite a bit of walking. I thought when I started running that at some point it would get easy. I see people and know people who run and it just seems easy to them. Of course it all takes effort but it still seems easy, like they're good at it. Running never got easy and I'm about to begin training for my second half marathon pretty soon. Even though running isn't easy, it's something I like to commit to. Knowing that I'm pushing myself and making progress makes it all worth it.
Five weeks ago I decided to change my lifestyle. It's time to end the cycle of gaining and losing, starting and quitting. I'm currently on the injured list with a sprained ankle and my body isn't responding like it should to the reduced calories. Either way I know I'm doing the right things for my body and I'll stick it out. I started weight training and look forward to sharing my new experiences with you all. My hope is that someone who is new to running finds this and my experiences can help them and encourage them in their journey.
I read a lot of different fitness blogs and the majority of the time the story goes... writer was overweight, started running, changed eating habits, got really good at running and lost weight. Don't get me wrong, I am always very inspired by these and LOVE reading them. I can really relate except for the running thing. I have yet to find a blog of someone that is a terrible runner but just keeps pushing, even though it's hard every time. So I want to continue sharing my delicious eats but also my journey to better health and fitness and hopefully as a result, lower weight. Those who know me know I've struggled with weight for many many years. I've tried many different diets. Lost 50 lbs and gained most of that back.
I started "running" two years ago and I am literally a terrible runner. My average mile is 12-14 minutes and involves quite a bit of walking. I thought when I started running that at some point it would get easy. I see people and know people who run and it just seems easy to them. Of course it all takes effort but it still seems easy, like they're good at it. Running never got easy and I'm about to begin training for my second half marathon pretty soon. Even though running isn't easy, it's something I like to commit to. Knowing that I'm pushing myself and making progress makes it all worth it.
Five weeks ago I decided to change my lifestyle. It's time to end the cycle of gaining and losing, starting and quitting. I'm currently on the injured list with a sprained ankle and my body isn't responding like it should to the reduced calories. Either way I know I'm doing the right things for my body and I'll stick it out. I started weight training and look forward to sharing my new experiences with you all. My hope is that someone who is new to running finds this and my experiences can help them and encourage them in their journey.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Valentines Breakfast
It's been awhile since I posted so you're getting two posts today!
Just wanted to share a cute idea for a Valentine's day breakfast. Heart shaped french toast and heart shaped bacon. Awww how cute!
I'm not going to bore you with a recipe for french toast. Mine always includes a dash of cinnamon and a dash of pure vanilla extract though.
I've never made heart shaped bacon but it seems pretty simple. Here's a link to a blog where someone else made it. If I find any helpful tips/tricks I'll be sure to share.
http://www.wendyseewendydo.com/2012/02/i-heart-bacon.html
Either way, I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's day!
Just wanted to share a cute idea for a Valentine's day breakfast. Heart shaped french toast and heart shaped bacon. Awww how cute!
I'm not going to bore you with a recipe for french toast. Mine always includes a dash of cinnamon and a dash of pure vanilla extract though.
I've never made heart shaped bacon but it seems pretty simple. Here's a link to a blog where someone else made it. If I find any helpful tips/tricks I'll be sure to share.
http://www.wendyseewendydo.com/2012/02/i-heart-bacon.html
Either way, I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's day!
Pretzel Crack
Maybe you've heard of it. Maybe you already have an addiction. Either way, this is something you're definitely going to want to make!
Pretzel Crack
2 Sticks Butter
1 C light brown sugar
1/2 bag mini pretzels
1 bag chocolate chips
sprinkle of sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in the brown sugar, heat and keep stirring until the mixture forms a caramel type substance. It will become bubbly.
In the meantime, cover a cookie sheet with tin foil. Place a layer of pretzels on the bottom of the pan. (It's best that it's flat-ish). Next, pour caramel mixture over pretzels, it may not cover all of them. Place in oven for 5 minutes.
Remove pretzel/caramel mixture from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Place in oven for 1 minute. Remove from oven and spread chocolate around(it may not cover all of the pretzels).
Place the whole pan in the freezer or other cold place and let cool. Once cold, break into pieces. The piece will be all different sizes, that's ok!
My recommendation is that you have plans to share this... it's SO good it's hard not to want to eat it all.
Pretzel Crack
2 Sticks Butter
1 C light brown sugar
1/2 bag mini pretzels
1 bag chocolate chips
sprinkle of sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in the brown sugar, heat and keep stirring until the mixture forms a caramel type substance. It will become bubbly.
In the meantime, cover a cookie sheet with tin foil. Place a layer of pretzels on the bottom of the pan. (It's best that it's flat-ish). Next, pour caramel mixture over pretzels, it may not cover all of them. Place in oven for 5 minutes.
Remove pretzel/caramel mixture from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Place in oven for 1 minute. Remove from oven and spread chocolate around(it may not cover all of the pretzels).
Place the whole pan in the freezer or other cold place and let cool. Once cold, break into pieces. The piece will be all different sizes, that's ok!
My recommendation is that you have plans to share this... it's SO good it's hard not to want to eat it all.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Superbowl Winner
There are three main components to the Superbowl; football, commercials, and food. There is a clear winner today and I'm not talking about the Ravens or the 49'ers... I'm talking about Turtle Cheesecake.
As a general rule, I do not like baking.. I find the exact-ness (I know, not a word) needed to measure all of those ingredients to be too constricting and I just don't like it. That being said, my baking usually only includes cheesecake, peanut butter cookies...they have three ingredients, I can handle that, and boxed brownies. Homemade cheesecake is so easy to whip up and can be topped with so many different things, which makes it pretty versatile.
I whipped up a cheesecake last night for The Boyfriend to take to his Superbowl Party today, we decided on a turtle topping with caramel, chocolate and pecans.
As a general rule, I do not like baking.. I find the exact-ness (I know, not a word) needed to measure all of those ingredients to be too constricting and I just don't like it. That being said, my baking usually only includes cheesecake, peanut butter cookies...they have three ingredients, I can handle that, and boxed brownies. Homemade cheesecake is so easy to whip up and can be topped with so many different things, which makes it pretty versatile.
I whipped up a cheesecake last night for The Boyfriend to take to his Superbowl Party today, we decided on a turtle topping with caramel, chocolate and pecans.
According to the recipe it makes 16 pieces. I cut it into 8 pieces, just had a hunch that football watching, Superbowl partying men were not going to be satisfied with 1/16th of a cheesecake
I got a text from The Boyfriend around 3:30 that said "Your cheesecake is gone already and everybody isn't even here yet... Best cheesecake ever, you're pretty much a star here right now." My response was that the people who weren't there were going to be mad and I was told that "we already made a pact to not tell them." So, I guess it was good.
I don't have a super special secret recipe... I just used the Philadelphia cheesecake recipe from Kraft. Here it is: Philadelphia Classic Cheesecake
Please note* Depending on what you're cooking, I've found you can use off brand cream cheese to save a little bit of money. Do not do that in this cheesecake, Philadelphia cream cheese is the only option, it makes a big difference in the end product.
I topped the cooled cheesecake with mini chocolate chips and pecan pieces, then I melted chocolate chips for a chocolate drizzle and topped it off with a drizzle of caramel topping (found by the ice cream).
Enjoy!
Love and Garlic Salt
Here it is folks... the very first post.
I absolutely love cooking. It's my favorite thing to do. There is so much freedom to throw things together and see what comes out of that. I decided to start documenting my adventures in cooking. I'll share recipes, tips and reviews. I'll also talk about the challenge of balancing eating delicious foods with eating nutritious, healthy, waist-friendly foods. Good food isn't always butter and cream and all those other delicious, not so good for you things, sometimes it's fresh veggies and grains and herbs and turkey sausage.
I'm by no means a chef and no where near a baker, I'm just your at-home, throw some crap together cook. Sometimes I burn things, sometimes they're too salty but they're always made with my favorite ingredients; love and garlic salt.
Enjoy!
I absolutely love cooking. It's my favorite thing to do. There is so much freedom to throw things together and see what comes out of that. I decided to start documenting my adventures in cooking. I'll share recipes, tips and reviews. I'll also talk about the challenge of balancing eating delicious foods with eating nutritious, healthy, waist-friendly foods. Good food isn't always butter and cream and all those other delicious, not so good for you things, sometimes it's fresh veggies and grains and herbs and turkey sausage.
I'm by no means a chef and no where near a baker, I'm just your at-home, throw some crap together cook. Sometimes I burn things, sometimes they're too salty but they're always made with my favorite ingredients; love and garlic salt.
Enjoy!
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