Did you know?

Frozen fruits and vegetables are NOT necessarily bad for you. In fact, they can even have more of the food's natural nutrients than if the food was bought fresh. How? The foods are flash frozen quickly after being picked, which preserves all the good stuff! Fresh foods often have a lonnng way to travel before they reach our grocery stores, and they can lose a lot of nutrients over the trip.

A Great Find & Some Tips for the Weekend

 I recently bought some frozen fruits and vegetables (Great Value brand... only about $2 for a bag!!). The veggies were the ones I posted with the rice a couple of days ago... and I thawed some fruit to have with breakfast this morning.

DELICIOUS! I'm definitely going to keep buying these!

And yes, that's a Domino's pizza box under there in the 2nd pic LOL, and YES their new pizza is amazing!! 

I've really been worrying about this day "off" that I have planned for Saturdays. I know that I need it to keep me sane during the week, but I DO NOT want to ruin my entire week's work on one day. Someone on 3fc posted THIS article, which has tips for staying in control over the weekend. The tips I'm going to try this weekend:

• Track all my food METICULOUSLY
• Workout
• Eat breakfast & weigh in before and after (already do these)

Thoughts on the article? What helps YOU stay on track over the weekend?

Today I'm getting the 2nd bedroom all cleaned out. The BF's best friend is coming to stay with us over the summer. I think I'll go ahead and clean the whole house while I'm at it! Have a good weekend everyone! :)

as always,

Carissa

The Goings On

Heeeeey everyone :)

I'm just finishing up my 200 calorie grilled cheese sandwich that the bf made me. Yummm. Today is the highest calorie day of the week (1800), and I'm actually struggling to eat that many. When I'm seriously counting, it's hard for me to make myself eat any more than fourteen or fifteen hundred. But I really want to try this calorie cycling thing, so I'm doing my best. I think I'll also have to really try to keep my portions under control on Saturday so I don't ruin the entire week's deficit.

Tonight I went to an awards banquet for the College of Business and received a generous scholarship :). There was sooo much DELICIOUS looking food there.. but I did SUCH a great job! I had a few grapes, chunks of cantaloupe, a strawberry, and one jalapeno popper. I also might have snuck a bite of this ridiculously indulgent cheesecake - and I don't regret it! ;) But I'm really proud that I didn't over do it and that I was able to stay in control.

Tomorrow is clean house day, and then I'll be spending the rest of the weekend studying for finals!! Wish me luck! :)

♥ you ALL!
CARISSA

So good I had to share :)

It's a pretty starchy meal, but I loved it. It was a brown rice minute cup with soy sauce and some steamed snow peas, potatoes and red peppers. Total calorie count.... 409! :)

Alsoooo.... I've had a twitter for awhile but never used it. I'm starting to use it to post pictures/info on my meals and workouts and everything else that's going on! The most recent updates will be to the left, so even if you don't have a twitter you can still stay updated :). If you DO have a twitter account, my username is kuhrisuh!

My New Plan

After losing nothing for an entire month, and after taking a short break and stepping back to look at everything again, I've decided that I need a new plan. One that's different from what helped me lose the first 70 lbs, and one that's aggressive enough to help me lose the last 30.

I did a little research, and I came up with a new strategy to try: calorie cycling. I used this calculator to get a general idea of the zig-zagging, but I ended up coming up with a completely different cycle. Basically, I'll eat anywhere from 1200-1800 calories on a rotating basis. The days that I do cardio and lift weights will be the days that I eat more; the days where I'm only doing cardio will be lower calorie days. The theory behind this cycling idea is that it keeps your body and your metabolism guessing, so as to never let your body become accustomed to any one calorie level and start storing fat/eating muscle.

Something else that is different about this strategy is that I've given myself one day to be "off" from calorie counting (if I feel like using it - if not, I'll eat 1200 cals). My hope is that having that one day each week will help me resist urges to overeat throughout the rest of the week. It will most likely lower my calorie deficit for the week, but it's what I think I need to be able to stick with this cycling thing and stay sane, lol.

Here's the game plan!:

(open in a new window to see the whole thing :])

I think I'll actually change Sundays to 1200 calories. And the L1, L2, L3's all stand for what level of the 30DS I had planned on doing, but I think I'm going to wait to start that until this summer, since I wont be able to use the gym during that time. I know that calorie cycling is going to take a lot of effort and persistence on my part, but that's what it takes to reach goals of any kind. Continuous commitment and a strong will to succeed. My goal is to be 169 lbs by the end of may, which is VERY bold, but seeing as how I haven't lost anything in quite awhile, I feel like it's possible.

Have any of you ever tried calorie cycling? What did you like or dislike about it? Any tips?

Love you all!

Caaaaaarissa

Today's an "Off" Day I Guess (WARNING: CRYBABY RANT)

Time to start being upfront and 100% honest. One day I can feel really positive and motivated, and the next I feel completely hopeless and depressed. I'm already over my calories for today, and it's only 7pm. I guess now I'm off to the gym for a long workout... which my mind says will make up for the garbage (Sonic, to be exact) I ate, but in reality, I know the damage has already been done. It's been such a frustrating week and a half... working so hard and losing NOTHING. It makes me not even want to TRY anymore, because I feel like no matter what I do, I won't lose any more. I wish I was already done with this whole stupid weight loss thing and was onto maintaining and just living a happy, fun life. Somedays, it seems like I still have so far to go... I know that patience is the key, but what if I just. don't. want. to. do. it. anymore??? I'm sorta feeling that way about school too. I need to learn that when things are hard, that's when I have to push harder. I hope I have it in me.

UGH, everything is just so FRUSTRATING.  I can't lose weight, I can't figure out my classes for next year, I can't file for my financial aid, I can't afford enough healthy groceries, I can't afford clothes that fit me, I can't make any friends, .....

I should be focusing on what I CAN do, but as of now, Pessimistic Me is throwing a temper tantrum. I've been trying to make myself go workout for a minute now, and I just don't feel like it. I will though. I guess I can't afford not to.

 

Hopefully I didn't ruin Sunday's weigh in.


/rant

*Edit*

okay... I'm back from the gym and I'm feeling a little better. It's crazy how exercise really is a mood lifter. I realize that I was a bit melodramatic in this post, but these are literally the thoughts that swarm through my head most days. I struggle with making decisions.. I'll agonize over it for quite awhile and then either end up giving in or not. Today, I gave in. Next time, I will do my best not to.

Now I'm going to re-look at the "I can't"s that I listed earlier and turn them into "I can"s, just to make myself look at things with a more positive mindset. Some of it might be forced... but ahh well. 

"I can't lose weight" ... The only way that I can't lose weight is if I quit completely and go back to my old lifestyle, which I will not do. So as long as I keep trying my best and taking it one choice at a time, I can lose weight.

"I can't figure out my classes for next year" ... Hmmm. Still not sure what to do about this... but I'll figure it out. I just need to do more looking, I guess.

"I can't file for my financial aid" ... I will call my dad on Sunday (when I know he's off) and ask him to help me, since I have to have all his info off of his w2, because I'm still considered a "dependent" (which is annoying in itself, but nothing I can do about it).

"I can't afford enough healthy groceries" ... I will work with the boo to try to make sure that buying groceries is closer to the top of our "to-do" list when he gets paid. He's such a sweetheart for taking care of me! :)

"I can't afford clothes that fit me" ... I will start applying for jobs. I DID end up selling some of my old jeans, and with that money I bought a pair of dress pants (all my old ones are too big) that I will be able to wear to an interview. Then, I'll be able to help with the bills, the groceries, and be able to save for new, fitting clothes.

"I can't make any friends" ... This I have no solution for. I'm kind of a hermit.. for a variety of reasons. One of my hopes throughout this process is that I can gain confidence and will be able to be more social and enjoy my life more. Sometimes I feel so lonely... but I'm very lucky to have the people in my life that I DO have, and I wouldn't trade them for the world!

Whew. I believe I just put Pessimistic Me in her place. Thanks for letting me say anything & everything I need to say. It feels a lot better just being able to get it OUT of my head and into words.

Have a good rest of the night :)

A Possible Plateau and Other Ramblings

Today is the seventh day in a row that I've weighed 179 lbs. Buuut, I'm not too worried about it, seeing as how I didn't work out much over those past 7 days. I did get a good workout in today, though, so I guess tomorrow morning we'll see what Mr. Scale has to say about that! ;)

Yesterday for dinner I tried the Smart Ones Ham and Cheese Scramble. It's made with egg whites, ham, potatoes and reduced fat cheese - which totals 220 calories & 9 g of fat.

I put salsa and salt/pepper to taste on mine, but it didn't help a whole lot. It got cold really fast and a lot of the chunks of ham were rough and not edible (for me anyway)... the potatoes were the best part. The meal overall just wasn't very good. I didn't even end up eating the whole thing... so, I probably wouldn't recommend it.

I also wanted to give props to all you real-life runners out there... on Sunday, I went to the park to walk around with my hand weights. Now - at the gym I've worked my way up to being able to run anywhere from 5-10 minutes @ 5.5 pace. But when I ran at the park, I could hardly go for a minute or two (granted I wasn't timing myself, but yeah)!! I was really surprised! I thought at the time that maybe since I hadn't run in a few days my stamina had gone down (ha), but today at the gym I ran for 7 mins! The treadmill moving does a lot more work than I initially thought, lol! And different muscles in my legs were sore than usual - it's so crazy. Sooo yeah, all you athletic people who walk/run outside, I admire you!!

Today for breakfast I had cereal + cinnamon sugar toast (yum!), and for lunch I had the Smart Ones 3 cheese ziti marinara + corn. For supper I was planning on having a Velveeta Shells & Cheese bowl (another yum) + beans, but I actually FEEL LIKE EATING SALAD AND VEGGIES. UH, WHO IS THIS CRAZY PERSON AND WHAT HAS SHE DONE WITH MY CRAVINGS??!! HAHA! Seems like while I was trying to go gluten free my body got used to eating more whole foods and less frozen meals, which I'm totally okay with :). I will say, though, that there's nothing better than a Smart Ones lasagna/pizza/dessert when I get a hankering for one! What changes have you noticed in your appetite/cravings since you started your WL journey??



Hmmm... guess that's it for this update :). Love you all!

-Carissa

I DID IT!!! (+ weigh in)

HOLY CRAP. For the first time in... well probably for the first time EVER, I made it the entire weekend without going over my calories! I can hardly believe it. Every week its always the same thing... do great until Thursday, try really hard on Friday, give in and go up a few (or 5) lbs by Sunday. BUT I'M FINALLY BREAKING THAT CYCLE!!! I didn't work out Fri or Sat, but that's okay. One step at a time. I'm so proud of myself!! :) :) :)

Now, time for the weigh in:

A new decade, woo hoo!!! Just barely, but I'm there! :) I've actually been seeing 178-179 on the scale since Wed, but the fact that I've maintained it - even through the weekend - feels awesome. It feels so surreal to be in the 170s... I can't remember ever stepping on a scale and seeing a # that low. To be honest, saying that I'm working on getting into the 160s is kind of intimidating. I guess because it's still so new to me... I'll get used to it in no time, I'm sure! ha!

So even though it took me a bit, I'm down 6 lbs from the last weigh in (that was after a binge, so most of it came off pretty quickly) and that puts me at a total of 70 pounds lost. Wow.

174 is my next mile marker - that means 75 lbs lost, 3/4 way to goal, and my 3rd reward: hair rollers!!! :))


Hope you all had a FANTASTIC weekend! Let's make this a STRONG week. We are in control and we are capable of doing what it takes to get healthy and feel great in our bodies. Remember to drink your water, watch your portions, and move a little! You CAN do this!

Love!!

The Botanical Gardens :)

Today my hunny & I went to the Botanical Gardens. It was sooo beautiful! I can't wait to go back in May when everything is in full bloom!! :) Just wanted to share the beauty with you!

What does 100 calories look like?

Check out this quiz someone of 3fc found... 

http://www.menshealth.com/100calories/

I got 15 out of 24.. which apparently makes me a smart snacker, lol! How did you do??

She A Busy Body

Wow. I don't know how I let my posts become so sparse. It seems like there aren't enough hours in the day to do all of the things I want to do. I've been busy, but with the same things over and over again, day after day, week after week. I've been doing great on weekdays... eating right, exercising... but then come those weekends that, as you know, have been so hard for me throughout this entire journey. All I know it that I have to keep making an effort. One or two days off track is WAY better than no days on track.

I want to start posting interesting stuff again. Things that will help & inspire both me AND you. Maybe I need to set a specific time to post (assuming I'm home) each night. Hmm.

Anyway, I'm huuuuuuuuuuuuuuungry. Time to make some eats :).