Summer Survival

My biggest struggle right now with the changing weather is staying away from all the delicious cold treats! I love ice cream of all sorts. I also love frozen cookies, popsicles, and much more. Temptation City! I have found a few ways to curb my frozen treat appetite without giving into all the calories and fat. Also knowing what exactly you are eating definitely helps me stay away from it. For example-Coldstone has ridiculous amounts of fat and calories even in the smallest portion available. A Like It serving of Sweet Cream Ice Cream has 320 calories and 20 grams of fat. It's just not worth it. Hagaan Dazs & Dairy Queen are the same way! A medium Butterfinger Blizzard alone is over 700 calories! Yikes!!! Be aware of what you are eating!

Instead of going out, try Edy's Fat Free Yogurt Blend. I will admit that on its own, it does not taste like ice cream, but I've started using it to make smoothies and milkshakes and it's awesome. I take a few scoops of this and add some skim milk with whatever you want to make a yummy frozen dessert. I even put oreos in one and it's still WAY better for you than going to DQ. And much cheaper. The first time I put in 4 oreos but it was way too much. I tried one cookie the next time and it was perfect! You don't need much to make it good-and fewer calories! PERFECT!

I also freeze grapes in the summer time. Quick, cool treat that I can just grab a bag of and go! 

 I also get Weight Watcher Latte Bars which are only 90 calories and absolutely delicious! Rocket popsicles are another good choice coming in at only 35 calories.

So try some of these cool treats this summer to help you reach those goals and resist temptation. 

Today is Jon's last day at his current job! Celebrating by going to De Novo with some friends! Lobster Mac & Cheese will be my temptation to resist. I'll opt for a salad instead. Always make your decision before arriving! I've already checked out their menu online to ensure this happens :) Happy Friday Ya'll!!!

P.S. Running starts Monday!!! Ahh I am so excited.

Back to the Daily Grind

Hey everyone! I'm finally back! My trip was absolutely AWESOME, and it would take me forever to tell you all about it, so I'll try to keep it as short as possible! :)

Well, as Britt alluded to in her post yesterday, I did encounter a tarantula...and on my first night there too! I was terrified! But luckily, we didn't encounter any more of those throughout the week. We DID however, encounter about 5 cockroaches during our stay...one of which was in our room! AH! But, I got pretty used to creepy crawlers, and by the end of the week, they barely phased me! ha.

Kinda like this little guy..baby lizard :)

We worked on some pretty AWESOME projects while we were there. We had some engineering students put up solar panels on one of the schools that we worked with, along with installing the lights and light switches and such.  We had a group of education majors who worked with 8 different schools throughout the week, and gave them books in the Haitian Creole language. They first taught the teachers some strategies on how to use them to help the kids learn how to read, and then they traveled to different schools to demonstrate it with the kids. We also had a project that dealt with the "One Laptop Per Child Foundation". We interviewed teachers to find out what kind of computer programs would be helpful in their classrooms.  Based on their feedback, we're going to be programming some lessons and such on the small laptops.

The guys installing the solar panels

Showing the teachers some strategies for using the KEEP books

Students working with the "XO" Laptops

So, it was a very productive AND super fun trip! I learned so much about all of the projects and also about the Haitian culture, made a lot of new friends (with both the people in the group that I went with, and also some of the Haitian people that I met!), and definitely had a life experience that I will never forget! (Oh yea, and I got a pretty bad sunburn too...)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Some of the kids at one of the schools-
enthralled with my Blackberry Playbook :)

On the last day that we were there, we had a reflection time as a group.  One of the questions that we all answered was, "What now?" After such a huge and amazing experience, what happens now when you go back home to your normal lives? One of the guys said something like, "Well, back to the daily grind, I guess."  I couldn't have said it better.  It seemed like I had been in Haiti for months, and it felt so weird to be going back to the United States! But, just like he said, back to reality- back to the daily grind.

While I was on my trip, I definitely wasn't thinking about dieting or exercise.  For one, I didn't have a choice in what I ate! Whatever they sat in front of me, I ate or stayed hungry! Also, we were so busy with our projects most of the day that I didn't really even have time to think about myself.  With that being said, my diet still wasn't horrible while I was gone.  Since we had controlled amounts of food, and we couldn't just snack whenever we wanted to, I was on a good eating schedule.  The food that the guest house provided wasn't always the healthiest, but even the most unhealthy meal that they served was definitely healthier than eating American fast food! And for the dinners, we only actually got a "sweet" dessert a couple of times, and the rest or majority of the time, we were served fresh fruit as a dessert. (Which was absolutely delicious!) Being on a bed at 11 PM and rise at 6 AM schedule helped my metabolism also. (Much better than the bed at 2 AM and rise at 10 AM schedule I was on before I left!) We were also pretty active while we were there, as we did a lot of walking!

So, even though I didn't eat horribly and I was active for the most part, I still have the mindset of "back to the daily grind" in every area of my life now that I'm back! And one of those areas is my healthy lifestyle. Back to the daily grind with my diet and exercising. I'm actually pretty excited and motivated to get back at it right now! After the trip, I just feel a new sense of renewal! It just made me want to do better at everything that I do. So, here's to going back to the daily grind, and making a difference- not just in the lives of other people, but in my OWN life by living healthy. :)


The whole Haiti Empowerment Project 2012 Crew!

CHIPOTLE

So the first day of spring was when? Last week? Something like that. Any way-spring time means SPRING FOOD! I love when spring and summer come and bring the farmers market lifestyle with them. Carrying cash becomes a necessity to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables on the way. So delicious. So here are some foods to make sure you add into your diet this spring :)

1. Asparagus-Try it steamed with a little lemon juice and a pinch of garlic salt. So good!

2. Radishes- I recently discovered my love for radishes. So crunchy and great in some homemade dill dip.

3. Avocados- They are going on sale everywhere and finally in season! You know about my love for avocados so need I say more?

Okay those are my top picks.

I had Chipotle for lunch. This was my healthy option for Chipotle.

1/3 of Rice Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice-There are no different nutritional facts for Brown rice, but I did get Brown. I also got 1/3 of the rice.

1/2 Black Beans

1/2 Pinto Beans

Fajita Veggies

Tomato Salsa

Corn Salsa

1/3 Cheese

1 Tbs Sour Cream

1 Tbs Guacamole

Romaine Lettuce

Make sure to order a salad so the base of your meal is lettuce opposed to rice. 

Totals were the following:

Calories: 420 Calories

Fat Grams: 16 grams

Carbs: 55 Carbs

Most of the carbs came from the corn. I had no idea that corn had that many calories or carbs. I will probably go for a tsp of the corn salsa next time to lower my totals. Very good and filling lunch though! I didn't quite finish it all.

Any good meals lately?

I'd Like Another

O man. Today was another one of those days. I ruined one of my tires and ah, I just suck at life lately. 

I did have another successful 24 hours of meeting my goals. Last night, I went on an hour and a half walk with the pup and my friend Meg and her pup. It was a great little workout. Today, I opted for some fresh fruit and green tea for breakfast. When lunchtime came, my friend/office mate brought up Bob Evans. Ah! Tempting. I did make a good choice though! GO ME! I ordered from the Fresh n Fit menu. I got the Pick Two Combo and chose the cup of Bean Soup and a baked potato. It was so filling! Great choice. I would definitely get it again.

Farm Festival Bean   

127cal / 2g fat / 1g sat fat  / 716mg sodium

 Baked Russet Potato

 (with a serving of margarine)

    231cal / 4g / 1g / 32m

Not bad for lunch.

I ended my meals with a dinner that I will probably have again for the next 10 days. I made an avocado grilled cheese. SO DELICIOUS. I used 35 calorie bread, spray butter, a fat free cheddar cheese slice, and a few avocado slices. I used the leftover avocado to whip up some guacamole and finished that off with some pretzel thins. 

I'm waiting for Meg to get home now so we can have another long walk. We both agreed that we could pick up the pace a bit so that is the game plan for tonight. Next week, I start running! Ah. So excited. I want to give my foot one more week and also give my organs aka kidneys a chance to get 100% before doing anything too strenuous. 

Cross your fingers, cause I believe Lindsay may post tonight about her trip! Yay! Can't wait to hear more about the tarantulas.... :)

Healing is on the Way...FINALLY!

So for the past week, I've been on four different antibiotics. Had three urine tests done. Took an entire week off of work. And spent one whole day in the Emergency Room. WOOO! 

So I have a kidney infection, and a bad one at that. I've lost six pounds for the nausea and am still getting back to normal as far as sleeping schedule and appetite. After getting a cat scan and two different types of ultrasounds, we found the kidney infection an also some liquid flowing around that wasn't supposed to be there.  Found out that the liquid came from a cyst on my ovaries that burst. The liquid was further irritating all of my already swollen organs. My fever peaked at 102. Sound fun yet? So we also found several MORE cysts on my ovaries. Fun. So while I am feeling MUCH better, my week has been filled with yoga pants, heating pads, and doctor appts. 

On the upside, my diet is going awesome and my foot feels great! I think I'll be ready to run in a few weeks. Meg and I went for an hour and a half walk tonight and it's still feeling awesome! I could not be happier. Thank you God! Also on the upside, I got my new glasses. I love them in person, but in pics-I just can't decide how much I like them. I definitely look like my dad in them. Hahaha. Pretty humorous. 

I am so ready for spring and summer time. The sunshine, the walks, the dog parks, the milkshake runs, the runs at Hargus-I love it all! I am simply ecstatic about this summer. Doing a lot of things around the house this time of the year. Spring cleaning always turns into spring remodeling. My living room no longer has a couch, coffee table, end tables, or dog crate. God rid of or sold all of it. My plan is to fill it with some reading chairs to save on space and cash. I want to create a nice reading space. I also have plans for a barnwood desk to replace my glass L shaped desk. 

Any way, as for my diet as of late-I've officially given up coffee and soda. Today would be Day Ten. Go Me! I didn't think I could do it. It's definitely helped as far as feeling like I'm being a little more healthy. I did have a downfall today with my mint milanos. I just cannot stop with a few! They are absolutely delectable. I also started lifting arms again. It's just simple arm workout but I know it has worked in the past so started it back up again last week but didn't get far with all the sickness so I picked it back up this week. Here's the the rest of the week!

Try New Things Tuesday!

So HI from Lindsay. She is thousands and thousands of miles away in Haiti this week. She is having a blast and is looking forward to sharing her trip details when she gets back. The most disturbing detail I know about is that  they found a tarantula in their house! Eek! I would be on a flight back to the US of A immediately.

As for me, things have NOT been going very well. My body is just really messed up. Saturday I shopped for 14 hours straight. This was such a bad idea for my foot. Because I've slightly changed the way I walk in order to cater to my hurt foot-my entire lower body started falling apart. My night ended in tears of pain and frustration.

On top of my foot issues, I started having some woman issues. I have a possible UTI or maybe even a burst ovarian cyst. Tests are being run this week to check everything out. But there is a positive here-I decided to change up my diet once again. I am on Day 3 of no coffee or soda. Things are going well so far. I have had a few headaches but I don't think they are caffeine withdrawal headaches. This morning I had a hot cup of green tea.

My grocery trip for this week was a little different this time. Instead of Low Calorie bread, I opted for the super fiber filled nut and grain type of bread. 80 Calories per slice. I also got some ham and cheese to makes sandwiches for lunch. I got Grapenuts and Skim milk to breakfast. I also stocked up on bananas, avocados, tomatoes, and corn. I get bored with diets very easily so as long as they are all healthy options-I think it's okay to switch things up! Also, it is SO much easier to watch what you are eating when you keep yourself busy. So stock up your schedule. I'm starting some strength training tonight. Since I can't do much with Cardio-I figured I might as well do something still. I've been pretty down and out about my foot lately but let's see. I also bought a new pair of AWESOME running shoes Saturday. I never knew Asics were the best running shoes but I found this out and got a great deal on this pair.

They are SUPER comfy. So back to healthy eating and no diet soda or coffee for this girl. Try something new on your diet today! Whether it's giving up something or adding some fruit, veggies, or yogurt into your diet-give it a try especially if you've hit a plateau.

Freedom!

Freedom feels soooo good! I officially finished Winter Quarter 2012 as of 3:00 A.M. after completing my research paper. I've been free for about 2 and a half hours and I don't even know what to do with myself! In my mind I'm thinking...there has to be some assignment that I have to work on or something! Ha...that's what an overloaded school schedule will do to ya! But, regardless of the tricks my mind is trying to play on me, I AM free! Well...free for about five days.

Haiti is just around the corner! I officially leave VERY early on Sunday morning! I'm not exactly sure how to explain my feelings...but I'm super excited and super nervous all at the same time! You can't blame me for being nervous...I've barely been outside of my own state!

Now, I know what you're thinking.....this is another one of her set-ups for telling us that she's been struggling with her weight-loss and fitness plan lately. But! It's actually my motivation right now.  You're right...the busyness of the end of the quarter of school HAS been getting to me, and I have barely even had time to think about what I eat...if I even made time to eat at all! But with these next few days of freedom, I am going to work my butt off to make up for the past few busy weeks.

I won't have a choice of what I eat while I am in Haiti, and I definitely won't have time to work out- let alone even have a PLACE to work out! But, a change in my every-day schedule is definitely going to help! After many nights of staying up until 2 AM trying to get some work done, it will be good for me to get on a schedule of going to bed at 10 PM and getting up at 6 AM. I also won't have access to junk food and snacks, and I'll be too busy to even think about eating those things anyway!

So all in all, I think that this trip is exactly what I need to set me completely back up on my feet on my fitness and weight loss journey! Sometimes that's all you need- just a little jolt from your every day routine.

So, wish me luck! I'll let you know how it all goes. :)

Thirsty Thursday

I cannot believe it's Thursday already! This week has been very busy. Unfortunately I have not worked out like I wanted to. I'm finally coming to the realization that I can't really do anything until my foot is completely healed. We had a few spring like days this week and they really reminded me how badly I want to be able to run come full time spring weather, so this girl is taking recovery serious starting this week! I bought some new inserts, and I plan to buy the $50 Dr. Scholls inserts where you stand on that machine and it tells you exactly what you need. I've been doing massages every morning and every night with a frozen water bottle. And I've been doing a lot more exercises and stretches with my foot. So here's to a quick recovery!!!

We haven't posted at all this week. Ugh. So I wanna recap on my weekend/week. I spent Saturday with friends and puppies for Lona's Birthday!!! It was her 1 year adoption birthday. I know people think I'm weird or dog crazy, but Lona was definitely game changer for this girl right here. I was dating someone that I probably shouldn't have been dating and I was on the rebound and just really lonely. He was a really great guy so it made it even harder to end things between us, but when I got Lona-I finally got the courage to be on my own. I even made a cake. The dogs loved it!

Food Time

I made some pasta this week. Just some whole wheat penne with ground turkey and Sugar Free pasta sauce. I packaged it all up for easy lunches to grab. CONVENIENT!

I also made some taco dip. Weight Watcher approved! 1.5 points per serving. I eat mine with Fat Free Pringles which are only 1 point for every 15 chips. 

I already had an amazing Salad. Spinach with some shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, and some carrots.

Sunday, Jon and I started a three hour drive to Elryia, OH to hear my daddy preach! I was dead until we got to Starbucks. YUM! I hadn't eaten breakfast so I got their reduced fat blueberry muffin with my Grande Ice Coffee-2 Splenda with Cream.

We also made a SECOND Starbucks stop. Hahahaha. We were bouncing off the walls singing, dancing, and playing swords with paint sticks we found in the truck.I also got another little snack. Instead of a candy bar or something not so good for this girls hips-I opted for some pickled eggs. Lots of protein and very delicious.

Found a cute new outfit I paired together. Lovin the coral! I had to wear my glasses all weekend because I got a small piece of glass in my eye. Luckily, I got it out on our way to the ER. EEK! I hate hospitals.

Happy Thirsty Thursday Everyone!!!

Tip of today: Drop the calorie filled drinks, today and grab a water instead!