Treats!

Like I have mentioned previously I am a big fan of sweets, and I love baking so I am always looking for new recipes that will let me have my desserts and not kill my weight loss efforts. Below is a list of my favorites!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats 

Subs: 

Use 1 TBS of PB2 instead of peanut butter

Use low fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt instead of plain yogurt 

Use 1 TBS of chocolate protein powder instead of cocoa

Skip the Truvia, it's not needed

333 calories, 22 grams of protein 

I like to make this a protein packed treat, hence the greek yogurt and protein powder. 

Cookie Dough Overnight Oats

I skipped the nutmeg... not my favorite spice 

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter oat Cookies 

No subs needed

118 calories per cookie 

As you can see, I am a big peanut butter chocolate fan :) 

Sugar free pudding 

Sometimes I add a tablespoon of chocolate chips :) 

Otter pops 

Old school sweet treat, 4grams of sugar and only 15 calories! 

Banana or Apple with peanut butter and chocolate chips and nuts

Love this one!!

Finding Balance

Today was my anniversary. I told my husband to plan something fun. Remembering that i was dying for a hot dog a few weeks ago he found a gourmet hot dog place in Denver to take me too. It was amazing! I even got a side of fried mac n cheese which i have always wanted to try. then we seen t3 hours wandering around the zoo and opted for some soft serve ice cream. On the way home we stopped to get King Soopers famous chocolate covered strawberries because tomorrow is Valentines and that's the only time they have them.

Why am I telling you this? Because clearly I didn't stick to the eating plan that comes with this 60 day challenge. But I'm not sorry.

Three years ago I started this journey and for two and half years I tracked every bite of food I ate. I missed out on lots of fun things because I was always obsessing over how many calories I consumed. I realized it was getting out of control. It was unhealthy, I was unhappy. I felt like I was trapped in a  box I built myself. I hit a breaking point and I couldn't keep counting. I had to just live. At first it was difficult to really let go and not worry about food. But slowly I began to relax and I was able to just exist. I gained little weight back, but I didn't care, I needed to just be. I needed to reassess and find out what I really wanted and how I wanted to live my life.

I wanted to be thin and have the six pack I always dreamed of, but I didn't want to go back to where I had been. I wanted to enjoy food, not dread meal times. I wanted to have a beer with a friend, and not be worrying about how much of a workout I would need to do to work it off later. After lots of thinking and analyzing I have finally come to the conclusion that I can't live my life in a constant attempt to have the "perfect body." If I can't have my dream body and still enjoy my life then I don't want that body.

Today I ate what I wanted and I enjoyed the moment. I enjoyed my life! I didn't worry or count, and I didn't care. I just had fun with the man I love.  I don't feel guilt for that deep fried cheesy goodness, I feel balanced. Tonight I will do my normal workout and tomorrow I will go right back to eating super healthy. Finding balance was hard road for me, and it looks different for everyone. I still push myself, I still workout even when I'm tired. I still choose to eat healthy 95% of the time. I like who I feel when I do, and I like who I am when I feel healthy, and that's what I am working for now.

I'm sharing this because I think it's important for us all to find that balance. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone, work for what you want. Be healthy, be active, but don't obsess, don't take it to extremes. If you find yourself becoming unhappy and missing out on life step back and think about what's most important. You have one life, just one. Don't miss it obsessing over the "perfect body." You are perfect just the way you are. Strive for health, strive for a, happier, healthier you.

Foods you will ALWAYS find in my house

A few items that are always in my arsenal...

Lowfat Vanilla Greek Yogurt- I use this for everything! It's a great guilt free treat and it's an awesome baking alternative to oil or butter, and can be used to make overnight oats. Love it!

Egg Whites- I keep these on hand in case I want to bulk up my breakfast without adding too many additional calories. I always opt for whole eggs, but might add in few egg white as well. Again, great sub for baking.

Unsweetened Almond Milk- This is a very low cal option, that feels like a creamier step above water. I use this in my protein shakes, and again for baking and overnight oats!

Avocado- I literally buy like 8 of these each time we go to the store. I use it in place of mayonnaise, and salad dressings.

Tuna- This is a protein packed super food low in calories. We buy several mini cans every week. I usually eat at least 2 servings of tuna each week.

La Croix, sparkling water- I love these because I feel like I'm getting a fizzy drink treat but zero calories and zero guilt. No sugar, no weird stuff, just yummy sparkly water.

Dave's Killer Bread (small loaf)- This bread is packed with grains and delicious. I have it most morning's with my breakfast. One slice is just 70 calories.

Protein Powder- I always have chocolate and vanilla protein powder on hand at my house. I use it in baking, and in treats. I am a big protein advocate so I pack it into anything I can!

Apples- I eat an apple almost every day. It's a great sweet treat when I start to feel hungry. I grab an apple and then think about what my body really needs instead of opting for crappy food.

PB2- I love peanut butter, and this dry mix is awesome because it's like 1/4 of the calories of the already made stuff and you can put it in everything!

This week's menu

The most important part of any weight loss program is your diet. If you aren't on point with your food, you will not see results! Plan for success, by planning your meals. It seriously makes everything so much easier!

Here is what we are having for dinner this week.

Mexican salad with grilled chicken 

Sausage, squash bowl

Tilapia with quinoa and green beans 

Shrimp scampi with zucchini noodles

Because I want you to succeed....

I started this journey in May of 2013. I changed my diet, and got active, like super active, and in 4 short months I shed 30 pounds. For about a year and half I tried hard to keep losing, to define my body and get that six pack I always dreamed of. But it proved to be much more difficult than I initially imagined. So about a year ago I let go of the obsession and decided I just wanted to maintain, and for the most part I have! There is a good 10 lbs that comes and goes, but I still wear the same pants so I call that a maintenance victory.

In the last 3 years I have spent and insane amount of time studying, researching, pouring over articles, and blog posts, and books searching for information on nutrition. There is so much conflicting information out there, and it is difficult to figure out what you should be doing. There are diets that are low carb, no carb, gluten free, vegan, dairy free, and the list goes on and on. They all promise if you just follow THIS you will see the results you want. But how on earth are you supposed to figure out which one is right?

In 2014 I was at a standstill with my weight loss. I couldn't figure out why. That was when I met a friend who was doing something called the 21 Day Fix. I was immediately intrigued because it came with an eating plan that made it super simple to see what size portion you needed and how much you needed every day. It seemed like the answer I was looking for. All I wanted was a silver bullet answer, something to just tell me in layman's terms what I was supposed to eat! I attempted it for 1 week, and then gave up. I was starving following the plan and I felt like it just couldn't possibly be the answer I was looking for. Surely I wasn't supposed to be so hungry all the time.

So I did more reading, more research, and found so many resources that were in direct opposition to the eating plans that come with most "get thin quick" plans. I love Beach Body workouts, but  you must keep in mind when doing them that the eating plans are meant to be used to lose weight quick. They are not meant to be sustained over long periods of time. The Beach Body programs do work. If you follow it you will see results. If you need a jump start they are a great way to get yourself going. BUT if you are looking to make changes long term, do not rely on these programs solely.  Quick fixes  are not sustainable over time, especially if you are not a personal trainer, or a fitness model. You can see more about my feelings on restrictive eating programs here . The programs are a great guide. They are great way to retrain your brain and change your eating habits, but you have to figure out how to keep those changes going once the program ends.

When you begin a Beach Body program you must think about where you are. If you are someone who regularly consumes over 2300 calories a day and you suddenly cut that down to 1500 a day and add in intense exercise you are setting yourself up for failure. You will be tired and hungry and could potentially screw up your metabolism ( Read more on this here , here , and here ).

I found a great book "Strong is the New Skinny" about a year ago and I started following their eating plan which allowed me to eat 1800-1900 calories a day 3 days a week, and every 4th day I upped it to 2300. I followed this for over a month with no variations, I was consistent and I lost weight! My body started to change. I saw definition, and I saw results, and I wasn't hungry. I didn't have to starve. I was finally feeding my body enough that it could work efficiently and make the changes I wanted (read about more on that here) . If you want to see more about this plan and the calculation I used click here . Or buy the book, it is great!

This last year my journey has been about finding out what my goals really are, what is really sustainable for me, and what is realistic. A little advice on what I have learned...

These bodies, are A LOT of HARD work, all the time. These people live fitness. They always think about what they eat. Their life is their body.





And that's ok, but that is not me. And it's probably not you either. Chances are you need to find a way to make health and fitness a part of your life, but maybe not your entire existence. I am guessing you want to lose weight and feel good about yourself. You want to make changes, but you still want to live and have cake and wine sometimes.








As much as I would love to be fitness or swim suit model, I just don't have the energy or time to devote. Now that I know what it takes, I realize that is not how I want to live my life. I want to be healthy, happy, confident, and feel good. But I also want to enjoy a burger with my husband, eat cake on my birthday and get a beer with my friends. I want to live a life of balance. Back in August of 2014 I was the smallest I had been in years, my waist (measured just under my belly button, the widest section) was 33 inches today it is 39 inches. Would I like to go back to that smaller midsection, heck yes! But that wasn't a sustainable life for me.

I want you to challenge you to think about what you really want, and what you can really achieve while still living a life you enjoy.

A New Challenge

I took a hiatus from the blog for a while. I started a new job, I was swamped and exhausted and just needed some time to reassess things.

But I'm back and excited to start something new! I have partnered up with a dear friend of mine to help her build her Beach Body empire. I am not a Beach Body coach, but I am working as her "assistant" to run challenges and spread the word about the awesome effects of beach body workouts.  I love it because it helps keep me motivated and accountable and I get to do my favorite thing, motivate and inspire others!

Monday we start a Piyo Challenge. For those of you who don't know what Piyo is here is a quick breakdown.

Piyo is a mix of Pilates (Pi) and Yoga (yo). It is a low impact way to help shape and define your body.   The program is great for anyone with an injury, or anyone who is just getting into fitness. It can also be a great way to define after an extended period of weight loss.

Your program includes the workouts, the eating guide, and a measuring tape to help you keep track of your progress. You can purchase the pack here  this link is the challenge pack that also includes Shakeology which is a big part of the Beach Body approach. I personally don't drink it because I'm always on a budget and I feel like my basic muscle milk is sufficient (I don't drink lots of protein shakes at all because I prefer eating food) but you may find you love it! Try it and find out. 

If you want to join us for the challenge there is still time. You can order the pack through Beach Body on demand and stream it all straight through you TV. No waiting on shipping. 

If you want to join our challenge comment on the post and I will reach out!