10 tips to lose 10 pounds

Ras-le-bol of those extra pounds? Want to quickly and effectively find your line? Here are some tips to lose 10 pounds without taking the head.

1) Reward support you
The motivation is 70% of the diet. If necessary, hire a friend of yours or your spouse to play the role of coach and railing. Or, make your diet group. Seeing others take will make you hang you.

2) Take your time!
Lose 10 pounds, it does not happen in one week, or in 1 month, nor in two. Take the time to take a balanced diet, otherwise hello gaps and soft strokes. It is generally a pound per week is the maximum rate.
And do not forget: losing too fast often means back so quickly. 

3) Remember to consult a dietician
10 pounds, it starts to make a lot. To lose them permanently and safely, it is better to hire a professional who not only refer you to the nutritional level, but in addition motivate you. 

4) Say goodbye to sweets and meats
No secret, diet, limit see evacuate its supply high-fat foods or sugary. However, this does not mean ban all fat.
In fact, any food and family foods provide us with essential nutrients, including fat and sugar. So yes a little oil in the salad spoon! 

5) Say welcome to fish
The fish is the perfect friend in a plan. Low in calories, full of omega 3 good for the form, it copes well with the vegetables. And in terms of variety, you only have to choose from: salmon, tuna, whiting, Emperor, place and many others.
Attention breaded fish is not recommended! 

6) Take your sneakers
And yes! This step is often the most complicated, at least the hardest to overcome. But the hardest thing is to get started, while at work. All means are good to do some exercise, steps of stairs to vacuuming up the little one race on foot. One slogan move!
Ideally, you must compel you 2-3 hours of sport per week. But you can totally split, and do 20 to 30 minutes a day, it also works. 

7) Watch your fridge
The essential in a diet is not to eat anything, and therefore to have on hand as healthy food. Before you start, get rid of all the cakes, sweets and other meats, all of which are unnecessary temptations. Develop lists of menus, or food allowed, and try to stick to it. And most importantly, never go shopping on an empty stomach, at the risk of you throw drive on any indulgence. 

8) Do not skip meals
When you start a diet, there is a tendency to want to do too much. The biggest mistake is to skip a meal. Indeed, not only encouraged to skip a meal to eat the next or snacks, but also the body, alert, store more at the next meal. It is always better to split meals, ie breakfast, lunch and dinner, and one or two small snacks in between.

9) Follow the rule of food pyramid
Diet in shape, there must be a simple principle: eat well in the morning and afternoon and light evening. First, the morning and afternoon, the body needs energy, while at night, it will store. Then, a light lunch facilitates sleep. 

10) Also, be careful to drink
Alcohol, it seems harmless like that, but it's filled with sugar. So seriously limit your intake if you want to deflate.
Banish sodas, packed with sugars. You can consume light, but in moderation. Overuse may cause laxative effects, and more consumption of such beverages addictive taste sweet. 
  

The tips in addition to lose 10 pounds:

> Use and abuse of vegetables and fruits
Vegetables, it is completely at will! Low in calories, full of fiber and vitamins, they are more satiating. By level against fruit, do it gently. We must consume 2 or 3 per day, in various forms, but no more. Although they are excellent for form, they are still sweet.

> Beware of diet products
Products 0% is good, but do not rush headlong over. Look at the labels, they can hold surprises. Some sugars, but addition of fat, or vice versa, or end a very minor heat loss. And the most dangerous is that because it is lighter you can drop! 

A diet to lose weight fast and help fight against cellulite

The fight against cellulite today affects millions of women worldwide. It can occur at any age and may be related to a number of factors, hormonal changes, weight changes, dehydration, lack of exercise, poor diet, etc. ...

Solve the problem of cellulite is possible by changing our habits. Better to start with exercise. It should be noted that they may be mild, but daily exercise are needed. It is also recommended to switch to a healthy and balanced diet, drink plenty of fluids and getting enough sleep at least 7 hours per night. It is important to reduce salt intake.

If you already have cellulite, it is advisable to follow a special diet to periodically cleanse the body of toxins and improve skin condition.

Below is a quick diet to lose weight fast and get rid of cellulite. It should be applied for three weeks, its effectiveness is greatly enhanced when combined with dietary restrictions and physical activity: walking, jogging, swimming or other sports that have your preference.

Monday

Breakfast: juice of citrus fruits or vegetables, one boiled egg, coffee or tea without sugar

Lunch: grilled steak, salad of tomatoes and cucumbers with dill dressing: Mix ½ tablespoon olive oil, 1 yogurt and spices of your choice

Snack: 1 cup of skim milk without sugar, a grapefruit

Dinner: 120 g low-fat cottage cheese, salad seasoning spinach shoots olive or flax oil, lemon juice or cider vinegar 

Tuesday

Breakfast: tomato juice, 1 boiled egg, coffee or tea without sugar

Lunch: 200 g of fish, lettuce, celery, cucumber dressing of olive oil or flax, lemon or apple cider vinegar or steamed vegetables

Snack: 1 apple, coffee or tea without sugar

Dinner: vegetables, seasoned with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 slices of pineapple

Wednesday

Breakfast: 1 cup of skim milk with cereal and 1 tablespoon of honey

Lunch: 2 boiled eggs, tomatoes, seasoning olive oil or flax cider vinegar with spices of your choice, salad spinach

Snack: 1 apple, coffee or tea without sugar

Dinner: raw or cooked steamed vegetables, yogurt dressing with lemon or olive oil or linseed oil with apple cider vinegar, 200 g of fish steamed or baked and two slices of pineapple
  
Thursday

Breakfast: orange juice, coffee or tea without sugar

Lunch: 1 grilled white chicken (150g) zucchini steamed or boiled decorated with a teaspoon of olive oil

Snack: 1 cup of skim milk without sugar, 1 apple

Dinner: 150 g of beef steak with herbs, pumpkin steamed or water, mixed salads

Friday

Breakfast: 1 white low fat cheese with fresh fruit, coffee or tea without sugar

Lunch: 50 g of whole wheat pasta, pepper, salt, spinach salad seasoning same as the day before

Snack: 2 slices pineapple, coffee or tea without sugar

Dinner: vegetable soup, mixed greens, 70 grams of Dutch or Swiss cheese 

Saturday

Breakfast: 2 slices of fresh pineapple, coffee or tea without sugar

Lunch: 2 boiled eggs, asparagus and other vegetables steamed with a teaspoon of olive oil

Snack: 1 fruit (of your choice), coffee or tea without sugar

Dinner: 1 white decorated chicken soy sauce, steamed vegetables with a teaspoon of olive oil

Sunday

Breakfast: 1 cheese low in fat with fruit, coffee or tea without sugar

Breakfast: 1 egg, 50 g cheese, steamed vegetables with a teaspoon of olive oil,

Snack: 2 slices of pineapple or a fresh fruit salad, coffee or tea without sugar

Dinner: 50g wholemeal pasta with pumpkin steamed or decorated water soy sauce cooked or steamed vegetables

Warning, this diet is a diet that can lead to severe deficiencies given its restrictions. It is therefore temporarily apply and should not be followed in the long term because it could put your health at risk. 

The Visitor - A Tale for Valentines

I've often likened myself to an island.  I love people, and I love music.  Those two things quite suffice.

However, one of dearest friends in Liverpool said something that got me thinking way back when.  She said, "Sarah, you know, it's strange - I'd consider you one of my best friends, but I know very little about you."

She was right.  I know so many people and could chat the day away, but as excruciatingly social as I am, I am also intensely guarded.  I've always figured that I had a certain amount of transparency and that people could just inherently "know" me.  Well, they may, but I'm not the greatest at getting very close with people.

I'm even worse at using the word boyfriend.

I am a lover of humans.  I thrive on human interaction, and am happy to galavant about and join in whatever people just might get up to.  It is as though the entire world is my boyfriend.  

I had an odd thought lately, but I'm going to share it with you anyway.  You should expect this by now.  

When I'd started dating someone a bit back in the day in Liverpool, a friend of mine said, "Sarah - it's just strange.  And this isn't meant to sound horrible, but it's almost like you're asexual.  I just can't imagine anyone being attached to you."

I thought that was hilarious, and actually quite accurate!  As I said, it is as though the world is my boyfriend.  It's almost as though I have this silly sense of duty to the world to love everyone and be everything I can be for them, so to have someone, one person, who I call my boyfriend or even, maybe, you know, fall in LOVE with, would just be ludicrous and a huge disservice to all of the lovely humans.

I did tell you it was an odd thought.

But, here's the thing.

This island had a visitor.

The visit was far more brief than I'd have cared for it to be, but it happened.  Someone got to this island.  It was good.  It was fun.  He was lovely.  I wasn't expecting it, and I got more out of it than I could have possibly anticipated.  Even when it ended, it ended with a three hour, wonderful conversation that literally ended a phase of chaos and helped me learn a great deal about myself.  

I'm not an island, I suppose.  And letting someone get to me, while possibly a disservice to all the other humans in the world (oh gee, laugh out loud, etc.), turned out to be wonderful.  

A few things that I got from this:  

I know even more lovely humans.
I learned that it turns out, I'm a pretty good girlfriend.

I learned that I don't have to worry about being able to handle work, working out, dieting, a social life, plus having a companion along for the ride.  I can do it.

I was reminded how wonderfully we all deserve to be treated and can't wait for it to happen again someday.

I also got Mister Breakfast.  It just happened, and we had to elaborate...  See below.

I'm spending Valentines Day running around town in a red polka dot shirt my Mom got for me handing out silly Lego Star Wars & holographic kitten and puppy valentines with candy hearts in them to all of my favorite humans, and probably a few I don't even know.  And then I'm going to have dinner with one of my favorite ladies in the world.  And then I'm going to smile for a moment and look forward to when I have another island visitor to share it with someday.

I do have copious amounts of love for you all.  Have the happiest Valentines Day.

Feeling good feels good.

It's impossible to not feel slightly more good after listening
to this.  Walk down the street playing this in your earbuds
and tell me you don't smile.  Impossible!

It's funny how life has its ebbs and flows.  This is nothing new, but somehow it seems like an epiphany over and over again.  When you're in the thick of it, some part of you is very logical and aware that it will most certainly pass, but another part of you just can't see past it.  It's hard to remember how to get back to feeling good again.

Once I got the hang of tracking my food, eating healthier and exercising regularly, it got to be second nature. It seemed so easy.  It was the norm.  It wasn't a challenge.  It was my way of life.  It was all so simple and so good.  

I forgot how easy it can be for that to not be the norm.

After a summer and an autumn of struggle, things are finally getting back to normal.  Being the person of extremes that I am, I expected to just start back up and rule the world as I remembered doing before.  But, therein lies the problem!  I had to break my mindset of trying to get back to where was.

I

am

not

THERE anymore!  That was then.  This is now.  Move along.

A lot has changed since then.  But, things have settled down and I'm in a better place in every way now.  I love it when you finally feel something break, something give way, and you know that you're on the right path again.  Well, it's not even that you're on the correct path again - you're at a great pace and making some serious headway towards whatever intersection, bend, bridge or whatever might be on the way.

I met up with a friend last Sunday who is a dietitian.  The initial plan was to talk about food, get some good ideas for new ways of eating, and new things to eat.  It ended up being a great conversation about where I'm at in life in general and what I've got to do to progress.  

It was a healthy dose of divine intervention.  Even though the things we talked about are things I already knew, it sometimes takes the right person at the right time saying something they didn't even know they needed to that hits you, breaks you down, builds you up, and propels you all at once.

I keep forgetting that life is a process.  Things don't magically find a perfect groove forever.  You may have a good stretch, but you'll have rough ones, too.  And they will come and go, and then come and go again.  

I'm finally starting to get it.  

I don't have to do it all at once!  There are so many things I need to do, both at work, and for myself.  But I've been working on a few things at a time.  This week, my goal was to go grocery shopping and return to my regular eating and exercise habits, remembering that even if I only get a half hour of something in, it is better than nothing.  I've also tried starting my days with 10-15 minutes of some kind of exercise.  One morning, I did a 10 minute Pilates video.  Another morning, I did a bunch of core exercises.  I've overcome my urge to buy peanut butter, because if that's in my house, well - it's over.  

I've also done necessary but boring things like scheduling appointments with doctors and insurance agents, rethinking my spending habits and reworking my budget, getting organized, and figuring out a regular schedule of exercise.  I just might start going to bed earlier, too.  

You've heard me say this before, and I will say it over and over again.

It is amazing what happens when you make calculated, boring, conscious choices to simply do things.  

I'm learning that feeling good and being content is not as simple as "feeling" good.  Right now, I've got a lot to work on.  But feeling good is a choice, and it's choosing to make good decisions that will lead to a life of good, not a season of good.  

It's a new kind of goodness, but nonetheless, it feels good to feel good once again.

Food Or Diet

Some people say that “there is no such thing as a “good food” or “bad food”, just bad diets”. Usually after that they say something about another kind of low-fat, balanced diet which will let you reach your 100′ birthday in good health. Most of this “wonder diets” became sooner or later another dietetics mistake and are replaced by new ones, which, after some time, are also replaced, because of the new revelations in the dietetics. And so it goes on and on, making people who want to live healthy life more and more frustrated, but still believing that the most important thing is not what lands on their plate, but the amount of it. Today, when there are so many kinds of food on the market, we should not only care for the calories, but also look carefully at what we are actually eating.

Difference between organic, conventional and genetically modified food

We all know that organic food is healthy, conventional food is accessible and genetically modified food can be solution to the food problems around the world, but when asked for details only few people can answer precisely what this is all about. Organic food is produced using ecological methods of farming. That means no pesticides or fertilizers with synthetic ingredients for the plants and no growth hormones and antibiotics for the animals. When you buy certified organic food, you can be sure that all of the above won’t land in your stomach and affect your organism. However because of the slower production process and lesser efficiency this kind of the food is more expensive and even if all the farms would start its production it wouldn’t be enough to feed people all around the world. Conventional food is produced using almost all available technologies provided by the science, save genetic modifications. Still, because of the intense production process, many chemicals and medicines are involved to guarantee that crops or animals will grow at the appropriate rate. Some of these “stimulants” can be found in the final product which we buy and may affect our health (notably the growth hormones in meat). Anyway, conventional food can be found in almost every kitchen around the world and some of the scientists start to wonder how could we feel without this additional dose of antibiotics and artificial poisons which we involuntary eat. Genetically modified food is the most controversial. The process of growing it is similar to the conventional, the only difference is that in GM food a part of the DNA is transferred from another species in order to change its characteristics into desired one without some long-lasting and sometimes in vein inbreed process. All scientists working on GM food projects say that everything is under control, but a few accidents when transferred genes didn’t behave as they predicted show us that it may not be as safe as they want. The real advantages and flaws of the GM food will be known only after long time, all we know today is based only on theory and laboratory tests, not the real life.

Copied with permission from: http://plrplr.com/62312/food-or-diet/

Y'all best appreciate.

Admit it.  You do it, too.

Sometimes we get so focused on the things that we need to work on that we forget to stop and appreciate the things we've already done and what we've got.

Me?

I've got a bum.  Yup.  I've not been the biggest fan of this bum and, in fact, started to focus on trying to trim that little lady down.  But, the street I work on and walk up and down multiple times a day lends itself to forgetting anyone else is on the other side of those windows and checking yourself out in the reflection.  (Seriously - ask my friends who work inside a media hub on the corner, and they'll have a few goodies to share about things people do in those windows' reflections, including me doing the running man while they're in meetings.)

Today, while strutting past those windows, I noticed my bum.  And I also noticed that it's not too bad of a bum.

I'm doin' alright.  You're doin' alright.  And if you aren't doing' alright, then do a little something about it. Take .3 seconds and remind yourself about the things you DO like about you.  There's a lot more good than we take the time to remember. Y'all best appreciate.

A New Resolve for a New Year.

Ending 2012 trying to remember how
far I've come!

Dear, dear readers!

A year ago, and feeling amazing.

Oh, my, so much has happened in the last couple of months.  So very much.  And you can be sure I intend to fill you in little by little.  It would be too much for one conversation.  Silly as it may seem, I do view these blogs as more of a conversation with all of you lovely humans I picture as I write.  I have missed you all.  I have missed our chats.

So, let's get reacquainted.  Catch up a bit.

How are you?  Did you have happy holidays?  What did you get for Christmas?  Did you indulge happily, satisfyingly refrain, or a bit of both?  Did you kiss someone on New Years' Eve at midnight, or did you make the most of a bit of mistletoe?  Did you make any resolutions this year?  If you made any last year, how did that go?

The New Year has never felt particularly new to me.  I've never felt like January 1st is anything other than a new day on a calendar.  I've never felt any particular significance to the magic date change that begins the next year.

Since I can recall, my year's always begun around August to September.  Having parents in education, being a student once upon a time, and working within the entertainment industry lends to things winding down in June and kicking back into high gear in August and September.

It just so happens that something's been brewing within me for quite some time, and the resolve to push forward finally made its way to the forefront.  I like that this happened to happen right now, the beginning of a brand new year.

When people have talked about "plateaus" in the past, I always surmised that it was a physical one.  Turns out, it can be mental, too.  And mine certainly has been.  A few things have happened in the last week, though, that have renewed me and instilled a drive and lust for life that I've been missing for a while.

A dear friend of mine put it like this:  there's a wall in front of you, and you've got a few big cement blocks you can stand on just enough to see over it, so you think, "Sweet!  I'm out of it!"  But, it turns out you aren't over it - you just got a view of the other side.  Then, something happens - and whatever it is, it puts its hands together, gives you a foothold and a lift, then nudges you on your way up the wall.  Before you know it, you're on top of the wall and all you have to do is start down the other side. Or, if you're like me, you just jump.

A year ago also, thrilled to be turning 30
and DJing alongside friends.

So, with this new year, I will not make resolutions.  I will embrace this new resolve and the faith that things are better, will continue to get better, and remember what I have done and what I am capable of doing.  I will be thankful for the things I've done and experienced in 2012.  And I will start out 2013 with the resolve to work on these things:

I will be thankful for the wonderful humans that have entered into my life, some of these even in just the last couple of months.
I will work harder.
I will focus, organize, and start ruling the world once again.
I will start tracking my food and working out a minimum of 5 times a week (and attempt to do so in the morning).  This is not because of a desire to be thin, but because of the satisfaction and contentment and happiness an active, healthy life brings me.

And I'll tell you all about it along the way.

Happy New Year, friends.  I hope and pray your 2013 is one full of truly living life, and things that may not be comfortable, but will be very, very good.

Cheers.

Back in the saddle again.

Doubt.

Confusion.

Chaos.  

Defeat.

Unbalance.

These are a few of my (least) favorite things.

As you know, they have been some of the most prominent things in my life over the last while, however.  So I went back to the beginning: what started all this?  What did I do that made this work?

Simple.

I didn't feel.  I didn't analyze.  I didn't get all bent out of shape about things.  There was no "A-ha" moment that made me magically start doing anything.  I made boring, calculated, measurable choices that eventually led to bigger changes both physically and mentally.

So I did it again.  I just started.

I'd gotten back up to 200.6 lbs as of about a week and a half ago.  I made myself get on the scale because I knew I needed to see it.  I broke down crying at the gym and felt like an utter failure.  Then, I went a bit numb for a few days.  

I made a boring, calculated choice to start doing what I know I should do again.  

1.5 weeks back into it?  This is what happened.  

I.  AM.  BACK!!!!!

Here we go, people.  I shall never cease to be repeatedly amazed at the simple truth that great things happen if you'll simply just do it.  

Carry on, people.  Carry on.

YO. Reality Check (one two, what is this?!)

So, you remember that on and off switch I mentioned a while back?  Well, I know I said that I was ready to turn the whole weight loss thing up a notch because I've been too casual about it lately.

That hasn't happened yet.  

Time for some honesty, people.  When I go quiet, it's because I'm ashamed.  And here is why.

I've been burning the candle from both ends and then once it was out, picked up the wax, melted it, stuck a piece of yarn in it to try and reuse it as a candle until eventually I was out of light and had acquired a pointless ball of waxy stuff.  I burned myself out, but it's been fun.  Downside?  I'm back up to 196lbs, peoples.  I was down to 188, but I've had a complete lack of self-control with food in the midst of all the fun I've had.  

I made myself take a break from freaking out and being so obsessive over losing weight.  I needed to lighten up and do a bit of living.  The problem is, I let myself go a little too far.  SWITCH - off.  I had such a good balance going around the beginning of July and got down to 188, but then started finding comfort in food when a lot of life changes began overwhelming me a bit.

What do do you when life comes at you from every which way?  I've freaked out a little bit, which I'm sure you can tell looking back at my more recent blogs.  Finding balance, questioning things, feeling defeated, losing focus - these things happen.  But, it sucks.  I got it together for a little while, but I'm still a bit flustered.  

In an effort to regroup, I've been reading up on some of life's biggest stress-causers.  Change, even great change, can throw you for a loop!  I'm still in mid-loop-throw, it would seem.  But, a good chat with your parents, some organization, and structure go a long way.

So, unless it involves some sweet, old-school hiphop, no buggin' out necessary.  

Balance.

When life gives you a box of chocolates, or some lemons, or a tornado or a big sunny double rainbow - I don't know.  Feed the tornado some lemons while you juggle chocolates trying to explain to one rainbow that the other one just forgot it's not its turn that day.

Life makes just about that much sense.

These last couple of months have been interesting!  I feel as though I've fallen into a trap of apologetic blogger who means well but doesn't post enough, etc.  So, let's just get that out of the way.  Sorry I haven't been posting as diligently as I once did.  But, well, rainbows are fussy and it turns out tornadoes love lemons.  The chocolates?  Well, they looked delicious - but I'm trying to maintain my girlish figure, so I thought I may as well learn to juggle.  With chocolate.  It's been interesting trying to figure out how to balance it all.

Which brings me to today's lesson:

Balance.

How does one obtain this?  Some people just seem to inherently have it.  Others never have it, but they're really good at juggling.  Some people learn it eventually...  Others just don't have it, don't get it, and never will.  I'm not quite sure where I fall on this spectrum, but the last few months have been a lesson in this department - that is for certain.

As I've mentioned before, I don't have a dimmer.  My switch is ON, or it's off...

Kalamazoo State Theatre, Kalamazoo, MI.  My home away from home.

I work at a beautiful, historic, old theatre.  Tucked in little coves along the theatre walls are these fantastic Liberace-esque candelabras.  Until a few years ago, their only light setting was on.  Really, really on.  We wanted to install dimmers so that we could dim the lights during our events to still have that romantic, old-school aesthetic, but we knew that it was going to be quite a tedious and laborious process to get it done.  This place is nearing 90 years old, and changes like this are always quite a feat.  Getting to wiring tucked in walls made of plaster, horse hair, and more is always a bit of a trick.  Every time I sneak into the theatre during a show and see the gentle glow, though, I'm reminded of how very much it was worth it.

I've been trying really hard to install my own dimmer, but apparently it required a couple of meetings, some brainstorming sessions, a cost-analysis, some compromise, and then some difficult rewiring to install this stinking dimmer.  Actually, I'd prefer to not think of it as a dimmer, but more of a...  balancer-thingamadoojob.  Yes, that's much better.

Nearly 90-year-old light control panel.  The
switches next to the tape marked "on" actually
turn on stars and clouds on the theatre ceiling.

I'm quite hard on myself when I'm not as diligent about my food.  I stress out when I have a day that I didn't work out, and I really get perturbed when there are a few days in a week where I don't work out.  But there is so much life happening - meeting people, changing circumstances, fun things that pop up, and more.  I've had so much fun getting out and about, making an effort to be present, do things, have fun with people, enjoy new and old friends.  My role at work has evolved in a wonderful way, bringing along new, interesting challenges, and I am one busy, busy bee.  Finding time for everything I want to make happen in a day is a challenge.

So many interesting, and thankfully, good things are happening.  I've been reminded recently by a few of you outstanding people who I've gotten to know through this blog that, sometimes, it is good and it is necessary to pause, reflect, see how far you've come, and appreciate where you're at.

I'm in the mood to turn the lights on full blast again.  Brighten it up a bit.  But, I suppose adjusting my balancer-thingmadoojob to let life happen every now & then won't kill me.  I may not be as full bore at all times as I have been, but I'm certainly enjoying the glow.

Dinner on the fly.

I'm hungry.  What am I going to do?  I have fresh salmon, fruit, and frozen vegetables, and I'm in the mood for balsamic vinegar...

Light bulb!

Here's my dinner from a couple of nights ago.  I reduced some balsamic vinegar by letting it simmer on medium heat, stirring it regularly and letting it thicken and tossed in about a 1/2 cup of blueberries, chopped up peach, and a bunch of basil.  Then, I threw my green beans in a pan to steam, and my salmon in another pan with some garlic powder, ginger, lime, and pepper.  After the green beans were done, I tossed them with a smidge of garlic powder, a bunch of ginger, and a teaspoon of soy.

Result!

The whole meal was 450 calories, which is higher than usual for me, but the piece of salmon was 5.5 ounces, about 1.5 ounces more than I usually eat and the balsamic fruit reduction added a few calories, too.  Was delicious, though!

Any random experimentation you've all been up to lately?  Share!

Restart - Take 2

I just got hit by a rogue shell.
Fire power gone...
No worries!  There's a box with a question mark.
It better not be a coin...  I need a "big."  Right.  Now.
Great!
Wait...
NO.  No.
PAUSE!
Okay...  I can be little Mario and try to finish the level, orrrrrr...

Annnnnd I'm dead.

Meh.  Restart...

If only starting over were as simple as smacking a button on the top of my brother's Super Nintendo system...  So many times I'd get to a point where I'd try the same level over and over, and in a fit of frustration, "SMACK!!!!!"  Reset.  Do over.  Restart.  "Stupid moving pipey things with fireballs coming at me and a wizard that just keeps appearing...  OVER IT."

I said I'd start over in my last blog.  I did, for a couple days.  Then blew it...  Then I did again for a couple of days!  And then I blew it for a few days...  I'm not sure what my problem is, but I am all out of sorts lately!  It seems like every few months, I've got to sit down and hash out a game plan.  Get organized.  Get back on a schedule.  Plan out my eating.  Clean my abyss of a bedroom.  Oh, Lordy - here we go...

Step 1 
Pre-planning my food again as usual.  As I mentioned before, a key to my progress has been making sure that I have good food available to me, things that are quick and easy to grab, and often planning out what I'm going to eat for the whole day either that morning, or the night before.  I haven't been buying groceries as thoughtfully as I used to. I've got to be honest with myself.  For whatever reason lately, I've had a very difficult time sticking to my guns and I have to make sure there is nothing in my cupboard that will allow me to splurge thoughtlessly.  Usually, I've got it down. I've got control.  I don't have as much control lately, and I've got to keep things away from me that will tempt me to do the wrong thing.  It's about to get real.

Step 2
The bedroom!  They say messy house messy mind, yeah? This is true.  I'm a bit of a discombobulated thingamabob right now trying to sort out quite a few aspects of life. When I get frazzled, I let my room get uber-frazzled.  It is time for a top-to-bottom clean of my room, and a purging of the wardrobe.  Anything that doesn't fit must go.  What will I do with all of those clothes?  I will have a garage sale at my parents' - date TBD.  I've got a lot of great stuff in very gently/never used condition.  I'll keep you all posted.

Step 3
I love flying by the seat of my pants.  But, I've got to have structure.  I need to get to bed earlier, get up early and work out, and make the most of my day.  Structure may seem restrictive, but oh no, no, no, it is not.  Structure allows you to get done what must be done in a timely fashion so you can do more with the time you have left over.  I spend too much time trying to figure out what I'm going to do and how, easily distracted by - well, I'm easily distracted period, and end up spending too much time on random minutiae instead of just getting to it.  I'm a list-maker extraordinaire.  I will tackle lists like nobody's business, but if it doesn't make the list...  Bad news, bears.  I've got to give myself guidelines, timelines, lists, and things of the like or else it all goes to pot.  I'm better at this at work than I am with my personal responsibilities, and this is a change of the most critically imperative nature.

Now, if only I had a Yoshi I could ride around - everything would be sorted.  How? I don't know, but I've always wanted to ride a dinosaur with a shell on its back that can reach things from long distances with its tongue.  Haven't you?!

5k and A New Day.

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Sunday.  It should have been a great day.  I should have been really pleased with myself.

Should have...

Last year, my grand ol' city of Kalamazoo became host to a new marathon - Borgess Hospital's Run for the Health of It.  The company I work for decided to sponsor any of us who wanted to get involved, so I decided it'd be a great idea and a great example of my new-found healthy lifestyle to take part.  I had a hard time coming alive that day, but I pushed myself through it and I finished in 52 minutes.  I was disappointed that day because I knew I did over 3 miles regularly in a little less than that, but I was pleased that I'd decided to partake.

It's so interesting looking back.  One year ago, I was about 285lbs and had lost about 30.  I was in better shape and feeling really good about myself.  I walked along with my friend Erin, each of us with our pump-you-up tunes channeling into our brains through one earbud so we could chat along the way.  We huffed it!  We did the math, and we walked an average of 4.13 miles per hour and I was really pleased with the steady pace, even uphill.  It's really weird to think that I did the same thing today as I did a year ago, but about 90lbs lighter, and about 10 minutes faster.  It felt good to improve and feel how far I've come.

But.

After all of that, I couldn't stop thinking about how my lack of diligence has caught up with me and I spent the better part of the day feeling so very disappointed in myself.  I know I've put on a couple of pounds.  I've had a rough month, which is no excuse.  But instead of my exercise enhancing my weight loss, it's helped me juuuuust about break even.  I've realized that if there are easy, yummy things around me, I don't say no very well.  I'm just fine when I can control the foods around me and how they've been prepared.  When I'm not in as much control as I'd like, though, I find myself either eating without even realizing what I've consumed, or almost having an anxiety attack about how what I'm going to do so that I stick within what I know I should consume.  I've had a few awkward moments at restaurants when I pretty much have an anxiety attack over what I'm going to eat because it seems like there isn't anything reasonable for me to eat.  True story.  Ask my Mom.

What am I going to do about this?

I've gotta celebrate!  I've come so far!  I'm perfectly capable of making good choices, but I realize I'm still in a phase where I have to log my calories the majority of the time, because while I am a better eater overall, I still have times where I eat thoughtlessly and end up eating things that I shouldn't.  Work in progress here, people.  Work in progress.  And while this is nauseatingly overused, tomorrow really is a new day.  Today was a new day, too.  What did I do with it?  What shall I do with tomorrow?

I decided that today, I would reboot - get back to my good, ol' healthy eating standards and let my body get back to normal and recover from all of the things it's not used to processing.  I already feel better.

And what surprise awaited me on this day of getting back on the horse?  A phone call from my gym.  I work out regularly at my local Snap Fitness, and they started a weight loss challenge in the beginning of March.  We had to do the final weigh in last Monday, the last day of my gym membership.  I was really sad that I wouldn't be able to afford to keep it up, but it turns out  I will have 3 more months of gym membership.

For free.

Yep - for free.  I won!  Diligence pays off, and just because I may have flubbed up for a while...  Well, I am human, and I mess up sometimes.  Thank God for reminding me, though, that just because I screwed up, it doesn't mean that I am a screw up.

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Goodbye, 200's!

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On a work-out date night with
my friend, Lindsey.

I was prepared for my weigh-in Tuesday morning.  It is a huge time of transition, and I must admit – I lost control the last couple of weeks.  I worked out hard, but I am hugely aggravated that, in a mentally and emotionally difficult time, I allowed myself to be comforted by indulging in food.  Well – and a few pretty magical craft beers.

I actually left the 200’s the week prior, but I didn’t want to commit to it because I knew that I’d messed it up.  I was certain.  So, I braced myself, stood on the scale, and to my complete surprise, I saw these numbers:

197.7

ONE HUNDRED ninety seven pointseven pounds…

I’m really not in the 200’s anymore…  My weight really starts with a 1…  Can you even remember the last time you were in the 1’s?  The smallest weight I can remember is 216.  You are really, really for real in the 1’s, Sarah.  You’re really still there.  That sounds…  Normal…

Things are changing; so many things both in and out of my control.  And while there are many different ways these things have manifested, I realized it all boils down to this: 

I am finally okay with being me.

“Why is this a problem?” you ask?  Because more than being content and confident in myself, I have this little voice inside my head telling me to “know my place.” 

“You can’t say you’re pretty, or go for that, or try this, or think great things are possible for you – be humble,” I hear from some cruel, bossy place within me.  That is not humility. That is confusion, doubt, and fear rearing their ugly head. There has been a big, mean battle within me, and I seem to pull no punches.

No more.  I’m done with the 200’s, and I’m done with this battle.

Eat my shorts, 200's.  I kick and I punch.

Here is what has begun to sink in over the last couple of weeks:

I am a beautiful, loveable, smart, confident person who absolutely adores people and life, and has a good head on her shoulders.  I have no reason to doubt myself.  I have no reason to not stick to my guns.  I have no reason to cower.  I have no reason to feel unworthy.  I never used to be this way, I never should have begun, and I am finished with it.  

Moving into the 100’s, I’ve got to tell you – it’s an interesting time.  It’s a little scary.  And sometimes it’s hard.  And sometimes I freak out a little bit because I’m in a transition between who I was for a while, who I am, and who I’m becoming.  

I like who I’m becoming.

From top left to bottom right:  Me at about 320lbs in January 2011, me at over 300lbs in March of 2011, then
me at 60, 70, 80, 90lbs, and 100lbs lost!

If you'd like to catch up on the big milestones since I've started this here blog, feel free to check these out!

Sixty, Shimxty: Another 10lb Benchmark Smashed.
70lbs - Gone To The Fishes.
81lbs Get The Boot.
30's, Here I Come: Gained a year, and lost 90lbs.
Lost 101 Pounds and Found Myself.

Readers, have you already gone through some of these changes or find yourself in an interesting time of transition, yourself?  I would really love to hear from you.  How are you doing?  How did you get through it?  What advice can you give the rest of us, or what advice do you need from others?  There’s a pretty great group of you out there with invaluable life experience, so let’s share.

Light Eggplant Parmesan

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I was in the mood for eggplant parmesan from one of my favorite restaurants in downtown Kalamazoo, Mangia Mangia.  SO, I took it upon myself to scour this here interweb for a light version to try out.  There were quite a few people ranting and raving about Moosewood's Eggplant Parmesan and tomato wine sauce, so I tried it out with a few minor alterations.

Um...  Awesome.

Even two servings of it is still a reasonable dinner!  It was great the first time, and even better the second time.  So here it is.  I seriously encourage you to try it.  Whether you're trying to watch your calories or not, it is absolutely delicious.

Serves 8.




Tomato Wine Sauce
2tsp olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves
2 tsp ground fennel (couldn't find any, so I substituted a cup of chopped, fresh fennel)
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried basil
1/2 cup red wine (I used a burgundy per the advice of a darling elderly lady in my local super market)
1 can Hunt's whole canned tomatoes (3.5 cups)
pepper to taste


Warm olive oil, onion, and garlic and saute on low heat for 5-7 minutes.  Add fennel, oregano and basil for 1 minute.  Pour in wine & bring to boil.  Blend tomatoes to desired consistency (I like it chunky) and add, simmering for about 20 minutes.



Eggplant Parmesan
1lb eggplant cut crosswise into 1/3" slices
4 egg whites
2 servings (60 chips) Special K Sea Salt Cracker Chips (instead of bread crumbs)
3tbs grated Parmesan cheese
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2tsp dried basil
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
8oz reduced fat part skim mozzarella cheese
tomato wine sauce

Preheat oven to 375.


Slice eggplant and set aside.  Find a bowl in which the eggplant rounds can lie flat and lightly beat hte egg whites.  Crush Special K chips into bread crumb consistency.  In a large bowl, combine the crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and basil.

Dip the eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Should you have any leftover bread crumb mixture, set it aside.  Bake eggplant for about 15-20 minutes on each side until tender and easily pierced with a fork.

Spread about half the sauce in the bottom of an 8x12" glass baking dish.  Layer about half the eggplant slices on top of the sauce.  Spread all the ricotta cheese evenly on the eggplant and top with about 1 1/2 cups mozzarella.  Use the rest of the eggplant slices for a second layer.  Cover the with remaing sauce and any extra bread crumb mixture.  Sprinkle the top with the final 1/2 cup mozzarella and bake, uncovered for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

And, don't forget to drink the rest of the red.

Nutritional Info:
Calories:  230
Carbs:  19
Fat:  8
Protein:  18
Sodium:  542
Fiber:  6

Weight Watchers Points Plus Values:  5pts (free fruits and/or vegetables not included)

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