Chicken & Fruit Salad

I tried the Chicken & Fruit Salad and it was great!  The recipe does call for romaine lettuce, but the selection at the store was pretty limited, and it didn't look good, so I just got the iceberg lettuce.  I'm sure you can use any lettuce you like.  Try it and let me know what you think!

Learning To Live

Learning To Live by Beth Hart is the theme song for Losing It with Jillian Micheals.  I had never heard this song before I heard it on the show.  So I decided to actually pull it up and listen to the lyrics.  This song is able to apply to any life, no matter what is going on.  I watched the latest episode tonight, and it hit close to home for me.  The family featured had a 14 year old son that weighed 330lbs, wow.  It broke my heart, and then I heard how he was feeling about school and family, and my heart broke even more.  People can be mean, kids can be mean, family can be mean.  At one point his older brother was bragging that he was doing twice the work that his younger brother was doing. REALLY?!?!  Thankfully Jillian worked her magic and got to the bottom of a lot of the family issues and by the end of the show the boy was in a much better place.  I don't think that we all need for Jillian to come and beat us up.  I do think that we all need some one to call us out. Call us out on our excuses, weaknesses, or any wall we have put up.  Most people are afraid of failure, me included.  The way I have been looking at it now is, if you haven't failed, you haven't lived. The only time you have truly failed is when you stop trying.  Take a listen to this song, hope you enjoy it!

A Whole Lot of Everything

First off, I tried Popchips!! They were great!  Go get some. :)  Last night was a night of trying to setup a food plan for myself.  My plan is to have a pretty similar food plan every week just to keep it simple.  Once I feel myself getting bored I will switch it up a bit.  I use SparkPeople quite a bit for recipes.  This site is out to help people with their fitness goals.  The membership is completely free, all you have to do is sign up.  They have plenty of tools such as a food journal/planner, fitness trainer, and tons of other things!  As I was going through recipes I thought I would share some of the ones I am anxious to try:

Parmesan Baked Tilapia
Turkey, Broccoli & Tomato Soup
Crock Pot Taco Soup
BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese
Mexican Casserole
Chicken & Grape Salad
Chicken & Fruit Salad
Cheese Pita Pizza
Chicken Pita Paradise

Try a recipe and let me know what you think! Better yet, if you have any recipes you enjoy, please share!  I should say that you have to make sure that the recipes you are choosing are actually healthy for you.  Not all the recipes on Spark are completely healthy I have noticed. Nonetheless it is a great resource! The food plan isn't completely done yet, mainly because I want to make sure it is something I will actually do.  Although did some grocery shopping for the recipes above.

Been walking the last two days with Kevin and Annie, and got a nice sunburn along with it!  Really enjoyed spending the time with both of them, and getting outdoors.  It's amazing how a simple walk can give someone a pick me up.  I do have a gym membership but I really like doing things outside when possible.  Although I will be walking outside and hitting the gym almost everyday.

 My last post I told you I was going to let you know what my goal was other than weight loss.  My goal is to participate in a 5K, well to run in one.  I am not really sure what a logical goal for that is, so right now I am just going to say by next spring.  I am not sure that I would be ready by the end of summer or fall.  So I will use this time to see what ones will be happening, and to convince Kevin and others that they should join me.  :)  Hey, the more the merrier right? So let me know if you want to join!  I am really pretty excited about it, and the chance to really prove something to myself.  On the other hand I would like to give myself a short term goal of losing 10lbs by my birthday on July 31st.  I figure what better than weight loss as a birthday present to myself!

I thought I would mention something that happened today when going to the grocery store.  Kevin and I went into the store with list in hand, and managed to get through the whole thing with little hassle.  I must mention that WalMart has a strange way of organizing items.  Not my favorite place to shop, but it is what we have.  As were walking out Kevin says "we didn't get anything frozen."  This was true.  I have always been told to stay on the perimeter of the grocery store and avoid the middle aisles, since they are mainly the unhealthy very processed foods.  Walmart isn't really set up this way, but you could definitely tell the aisles that were a no no!  There are some frozen vegetables in the freezer aisles but that's pretty much the only thing you would need in the area. Just remember that fresh is usually always better than frozen!  When freezing they tend to inject plenty of sodium and other misc ingredients to it...so just freeze it on your own.

So to sum it all up: try some popchips, make your food plan, have a goal, go grocery shopping, and stay active :)

Popchips

http://www.popchips.com/

Hey, just thought I would let y'all know about these chips!  I have yet to try them but I plan to as soon as I can get my hands on them!  I have heard so many great things, and that they are DELICIOUS!  They are not baked or fried, but literally "popped" through heat and pressure.  There is an assortment of flavors, and they all have the same nutritional value, so no tough choices need to be made!  I will let you know what I think when I pick some up, go and try some for yourself and educate us!

The Plan Behind The Future Success

This blog/post is also part of one of my goals to rid myself of negativity.  I am guessing you will probably be able to tell in how I am going to word things.  So just to clarify I am not trying to be conceited and act like I know everything, just trying to make myself believe, to turn it into action!  At the moment I am currently in Mn, but will be leaving for home tomorrow afternoon.  So I am using this time to prepare myself for what I need to be doing, and my game plan for it.  My first task when I get home is to go over all of this with Kevin and make sure he is behind me on this, or even better, joining me! 

Accountability is something that I believe is absolutely essential for accomplishing a goal, whether it be big or small.  Plenty of people have told me to find an "accountability partner," but I have decided that I need more than one!  Why is this?  Well, I tend to procrastinate and fib my way out of things.  I need people, multiple of people, to call me on it.  This may make me sound like a bad person, but it's just the way it is.  I know that my "food addiction" will be the toughest thing to break in the string of issues I want to recover from.  I often compare my food addiction to an alcoholic.  There are many times that I know I shouldn't be eating the food, or even thinking about it, but that doesn't stop me.  A lot of the times I don't even realize how much has been consumed until it is all gone.  The problem with food is that you cannot give it completely up since it sustains you. 

Tasks:
1. Plan out the meals for the week, and cook what can be ahead of time.  This will allow for quick and low maintenance meals, and hopefully minimal excuses!
2. Schedule and write out all "gym" days.  Often times when I start out a new diet and exercising I tend to burn myself out by the second or third week. This doesn't do anyone any good.  I believe I am going to allow myself one or two (max) of "rest" days.  I wouldn't have any but I know my body would wear out!  The reason why I am not a huge fan of the off days is because it's hard for me to get myself back into the gym.  I am hoping making a schedule will prepare me mentally for what I need to do.
3. Put together an inspiration book.  This means quotes, sayings, pictures, articles, etc of anything that gets me motivated or keeps me positive.  Also there is something called an inspiration board which is essentially the same thing.  Basically the same idea as the book, but it is on a board of some sort that you display. 

I probably could add a million other tasks that are supposed to aid in my goal but I am not going to allow myself to go there.  In previous attempts I would busy myself so much with side tasks that are supposed to help me in losing weight that I wouldn't have time to actually do the work of losing weight.  So often times I just view all those things as "proof of failure."  So I am going to avoid going down that road, and just keep it simple.

Another reason of why I need some people to keep me accountable: motivation and positivity.  I have the ability to be an extremely negative and belittling person to myself. As I mentioned in the previous blog it is something that I need to work on.  Unfortunately it is one of the number one reasons why I have not succeeded in past weight loss attempts.  If I have a set back, I take it hard, and often find it impossible to think of anything positive to keep moving forward.  I am really trying to rewire my brain to think differently in that matter.  Motivation is something that comes and goes rather quickly with me, this is pretty frustrating. I will be motivated and all ready to "change the world," and a second later I am all doom and gloom.  So I am going to add that to the list of "I need help with..."

Patience?? What's that?  As many of you know I am a huge fan of The Biggest Loser.  I follow many of the past contestants on Facebook and Twitter, mainly because they often have informational things to say about healthy living.  But the one setback to that lovely show is that the time line is not all that realistic.  Obviously if someone can stand being in a gym for 6-8 hours and still having the energy to go to the grocery store and shop with a healthy attitude, so be it, but sorry that's not me.  Of course I would love to have their results they achieve in one week.  But of course seeing all this taints my rational thinking even though I know its not a normal lifestyle. Nonetheless I get mad at the scale when I only see a 1/2 lb loss, and then I tend to give up.  I really would like to find things that keep the positivity and keep my impatience at bay!

Hopefully I have given all of you some food for thought.  Find an accountability partner, strike that, find multiple!  Keep me in mind when your looking, I would love to have many!  Find what motivates and inspires you.  I am going to start thinking about a goal I would like to achieve besides losing the weight.  For example running a marathon, or hiking a certain trail. 

P.s. If you have any inspirational/motivational quotes or articles that you enjoy, please share!

Yes, the blog name does have some truth.

The name for this blog really says it all about my past, present, and future (I'm guessing.)  The past year for me has been a roller coaster ride, but I know it's leading me to happiness.  I am not going to promise you a blog that you will love to read, or even like to read.  This is mainly going to be used as an outlet for me, and I am sure my boyfriend will be thankful for that.

For years beyond years I have always been trying to get fit and live the life of a "skinny girl."  Growing up there wasn't a night that went by that I didn't pray to God to make me magically thin and I would go to church every Sunday in return.  Trying to convince Him that I would be a better servant if I was thin.  While that might be the case, I know (now) that He wasn't just going to hand it over to me, because what would I really learn from that?  Obviously it took me some time to realize that, actually the realization came just as I was writing this.  I am embarrassed about the fact that I made such a silly plea but at the same time it just made me realize why it didn't happen, that it wasn't God's fault, it was my own.  Nobody (typically) makes money without working.  Nobody achieves a goal without working.  So why did I think that I would just say a prayer, and bam! It would be nice thought... :)  But reality has finally sunk in.  I of course have done my share of diets, the good and the bad.  But in the end I obviously found out that good (if you call it that) old fashioned calorie counting and exercising were the key.  At one point I did have a personal trainer, and was successful at losing weight.  But that's when I realized another key issue, I would use food as a reward.  We would have weigh-ins every week, but the ones that mattered were the ones that were every 6 weeks.  I would weigh in, and if results happened, I would reward myself with fast food.  Also if I weighed in and I disapproved of the results, I would get mad, and get fast food.  So I am sure you can see the problem here.  After awhile I really couldn't afford to have a trainer due to life complications, and the excitement for it all just wore off.

Feb 2010 I lost my job due to reasons I am not going to address because I don't want steam to come shooting out my ears.  Since I could no longer afford to live on my own my boyfriend and I decided I would move in with him.  No, it was not the only reason why the move was made.  We had been previously talking about it, and I was actively looking for jobs in the Kenosha, WI area.  This has been the greatest thing to happen in the last couple of years!  Thankfully they also allow pets, so that was a relief!  Annie is enjoying being queen of the castle once again!  Granted I still have not found a job yet, but I did enroll in school for the fall.  Right now just basic administrative courses since I am unable to really pin down my desires. I enjoy being an "assistant" but I know that I don't want to do that forever.

So, why am I writing all of this?  My goal is to entertain, but mainly to find myself, and put some "work" into my life.  I struggle with a lot of negative thoughts about myself, and the things I set out to do.  I really would like to "talk" my way to the root of the multiple struggles I have to gain some ground in my life.  I have always felt that I am at the bottom of everyone's "important" list, and I need to make myself important on my own list.

I love my family and Kevin (boyfriend) more than I thought possible.  Recent events have really made me look at the things that I view as important.  Priorities are being aligned and I think that the next few years are going to be the best one's yet!  I thank God everyday for the people I have in my life! 

Feel free to leave your thoughts and feelings, I enjoy reading everyone's input!