Meet My Running Partners

I am a proud mommy of two Rhodesian Ridgebacks that are still in the puppy stage. They require a lot of attention and exercise. They really keep me motivated. So on the days I want to skip out on myself and say “neh, I can take a break” I don’t because I don’t have the heart to skip out on the them.

Now even though they are brothers they are entirely two different dogs. The big one, weighing in over a hundred pounds is a big momma’s boy, named Brutice. He was special from the start because the breeders wanted to put him down because he doesn’t have a ridge….. but there is no way I could let that happen so we took them both (= I mean really look at this face, how can you not love him!!!!



And then there is Woodrow. This dog is so stubborn. He is the brains out of the pair and there isn’t a trick he can’t learn, but he does it only out of respect. He use to test me the first year of his life, never really giving up that dominance….. but now he is so tender and gentle with me. I think he thinks he is my parent (=

This weekend it wasn’t so dang hot out so I didn’t have to wait till it was dark to take the pups for their walk. We walked for a mile and half and then we starting running. We were about a mile in when Brutice started getting distracted and started sniffing everything we came in contact with. I had to really get his focus back on the run so I was cheering him on and trying to get him to follow me and his brother. About 10 minutes of him being back in the groove I started to get tired and was moving pretty slow. Then Brutice started bumping his head on my keister. I have to admit that made me pick up my pace just a bit, and the minute I started to slack Brutice just kept bumping me. I realized at that point he was helping me, as I was helping him!

Once getting back home I felt so pumped that the running came way easier to me, I wanted to keep going. I got on my treadmill and at first it was a breeze but about 25 minutes in I started to feel tired and I really was feeling my weight. I had a moment I wanted to quit because I felt pain. Not pain due to an injury but just having to move. I looked at myself in the mirror and told myself to suck it up. This little bit of discomfort isn’t anything to what I feel day in and day out emotionally and physically when I deal with my weight. This is where I have to start! Yeah, so I can’t run 4 miles yet on a daily….. but I will. We all have to start somewhere.

At my bible study this weekend I learned a new Greek word. The work is Nikao, which means Over Comer. I am learning so much from this Beth Moore Bible study but this week when she talked about us being over comers, it really spoke volumes to me. One statement she made was, “To prove ourselves as over comers, we have to go through something to overcome.” Hello………. This battle that I am currently in, is something that I need to overcome and I now know that I AM MEANT TO OVERCOME IT!

Another reference Beth had mentioned made me giggle….. she said that she has a grandson and when he was around two years of age he would run around a put his fist in the air and yell “I am a winner”. She said no matter what he did, he was yelling this. One time he got on the bathroom scale and just declared that he was a winner. What a concept folks! Even if we do not feel like winners at all times we need to confess that we are, and strive to be over comers!This morning I weighed myself and the scale went down 2.5 lbs…………. Oh yeah, I came out to my husband and my son and shouted “I AM A WINNER!!!! (and you know what, I feel like it)

Obstacle workout & some more Changes

A few weeks ago I made a comment that my husband and I have been making some changes to help make us a healthier family.

Well one of the biggest things that I need is to get a daily cardio workout. I have access to my work’s gym and we had some equipment in the garage. The problem with working out in the garage is, we live in Texas……… so no matter how I felt the need that I should be working out, it wasn’t enough for me to go out and risk a heat stroke. The problem with going to the gym is I have a two year old so I can’t always leave the house. So what was the solution:

We decided since in the master bedroom we have a half bath and I had dominated the closet in this room, we moved our bed into the guest room and moved the exercise equipment into the master bedroom. Let me just say, I LOVE IT!!!! Moving into this room not only gives me room for my treadmill and spinning bike, I have floor space to work out on it doesn't feel cluttered or like I am going to run into furniture.

The only thing I really want to do now, is get Woven wooden blinds for window treatments and an inspirational quote to put on the wall behind my treadmill. I decided to put my husbands grandmother's rocker in the room and I just added new cushions. This way if someone wants to sit in here with me while I workout they can. I also put a large mirror in front of the equipment and workout floor space..... this I have liked a lot.... when I feel like stopping I just look at myself and say keep going! I also have a armoire that houses my DVD player, workout DVD s.

A few small touches, I have a place to hang my workout bands and ear phones, I have a basket for my small hand weights and towels, and a place to write my workout schedule

So now that you all know where I am working that body, body.... let's talk about last nights workout. It was in the evening, I wanted to workout (had one of those days and I just wanted some me time), I had my sweet Evan in his play crib with his Legos in front of my workout equipment. I decided to run ten minutes at a time on the treadmill and then spin for ten minutes, so I kept going back and forth (a total of 80minutes). Evan has only been in the room with me a few times when working out on the treadmill so he was fascinated with it. I got into my groove and occasionally would look down at him to make sure he was having fun..... do not let this sweet face fool you (=

At one point I hear him just a laughing and before I can react I see him start chunking his Legos my way. The first attempt he had missed, it just bounced of the front of the treadmill, but he was already reloadded and before I could react he made a perfect shot..... right by my feet. Several had hit the moving belt and I had to use my cat like reflexes (yeah right) to not trip on them..... Luckily I was able to hit the emergency stop and myself and the legos were not injured, but he gave me a little more of a workout than I wanted. I love that kid (=

A Flat Belly Diet Weekend

As many of you already know and are probably tired of hearing, I just recently got the new “Flat Belly Diet, Family Cookbook”. So this weekend I wanted to try a few new recipes and get a head start on prepping some of our meals for the week.

Well Saturday started a little something like this. That’s right folks that is dark chocolate you are seeing. This is “Chocolate- Stuffed French Toast”. The recipes makes 4 servings at 416 calories a serving, and it is a meal all by itself. Two things, one I recommend making this a night ahead and putting it in the fridge, it is way better the next day. Two, if you are anything like me and don’t like anything too heavy first thing in the morning I would save this for a Brunch!

So another meal that was a big success for us this weekend was, “Vegetarian Lasagna with Tofu”. This recipes makes 4 servings at 363 calories per serving (again a serving is a big portion). I know there is a lot of skeptics out there about tofu, trust me I used to be one of them. There are ways to prepare tofu to have much flavor and to utilize its texture and this lasagna was just that. All that is in it is no-salt added basil oregano-garlic diced tomatoes, tofu, pesto sauce, baby spinach, reduced-fat Italian cheese blend, and the lasagna noodles. I modified the recipe just a bit. I used the “Plus Omega-3s,and Fiber” lasagna noodles instead of the no-boil noodle. I also mixed the tofu with the pesto sauce so the tofu could absorb that flavor. I was very pleased with the outcome! For a complete meal to help reach my 1600 calorie a day, I paired this with 2 cups of mixed salad greens (18) tossed with 1cup chopped cucumber (16), I cup sliced mushrooms (15), and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (14). Total Meal:426 calories.

I wanted to get a jump start for my week and make sure my family has some quick, healthy choices so I chopped up fresh pineapple, strawberries, washed the blueberries and washed and chopped a good majority of the veggies. One of my biggest challenges has always been eating breakfast. When I wake-up I am not always hungry and really don’t want to spend the time making something. So I get in ruts on eating the same thing every day, like whole grain English muffins with natural peanut butter, or a bowl of oatmeal and fruit. I have noticed I can eat the main dish for a week straight before getting bored or wanting something else, so I looked for some recipes that I can make quick or prep ahead of time and last for a few days. For this week I went with "Lemon – Blueberry muffins" (a serving consists of two muffins each at a grand total of 402 calories). For me I just had one muffin, with a couple of strawberries and 4oz of small curd cottage cheese. This was perfect amount and easy to make. Plus since my muffins are made I have something for the rest of the week. (I love quick mornings without all the calories and grease).


I am also trying to incorporate a snack once a day that’s calorie count is close 400 but that is healthy. I am trying to learn how to hit the 1600 calorie mark, but with foods that my body needs. So one thing that I made was Mango-Pineapple-Avocado salsa. A serving is ¾ cup at 265 calories. I find that this is good to top on a salad, fish, wheat crackers or served with baked chips. (Side note: you can also make a homemade guacamole with mangos and Greek yogurt, Yum! ). A little tip when working with avocados: Most of you know that once you cut avocados that they can turn brown pretty quickly, when putting in the fridge or setting aside either place the pits from the avocados in with your mixture or depending on how you are using them you can spray with cooking spray and that will keep them from turning brown.

On to other fun topics…. Exercise! I had a great weekend in this department. Since the heat has been unreal here in the state of Texas I opted to stay in an to do my thang on my treadmill and spinning bike, but don’t let being indoors fool you. I felt like I really pushed myself this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday I ran three minutes at a time, with one minute walks for 50 minutes total. I really enjoyed breaking it up this way, and felt that I got a really good workout. Once completing this I spinned for 30 minutes both days.

Since I am upping my workout routine (with having a heel spur) I really felt the need for some new shoes, and since it was tax free weekend I got a great deal on these babies!!! I love them, and would love to wear them all day long but I am going to just use them for my workouts.

Overall I had a great weekend and felt very productive, and this morning was even better when weighing myself to find that I am down another 3 pounds!!! Slow and steady!

Everyone's Favorite Day

OK, so maybe not everybody’s favorite day but I can say it is my favorite day of week!!! It’s Friday, it’s Friday (doing happy dance in chair)!!!!! Well I hope you have all survived the week and are headed for a great weekend. I am looking forward to this weekend, cause not only is it Friday it’s payday (Yippee), so we are headed to the grocery store to get stocked up on goodies and some much need supplies to try some new recipes. (Have I mentioned how much I “heart” my new cookbook). I am also going to get some cleaning done this weekend, and I am looking forward to my Beth Moore Bible study on Sunday.

I really have enjoyed the Bible study (It's a Revelation Bible Study by Beth Moore) that I have been attending. My aunt had invited me to attend and I am getting a lot out of it. I'm finding what I am learning is really helping me stay on track during the week. In fact a few times this week I have watched or listened to some teachings while I exercise. I joked with my aunt that I am exercising my spirit as I exercise my body, but it has felt so true. Think about how important it is that while we condition our bodies that we are doing the same for our mind & soul!

Well to write my progress for yesterday I stayed on track with my eating. For breakfast I had a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter and fresh fruit. Lunch was grilled fish and brown rice (left-over’s). Dinner was extra special. My older brother asked me out on a date, so we left our significant others at home and just went out together! I had so much fun spending time with him, it really made my week. He took me to Masa Sushi (one of my favorite local places). I had the veggie roll and mushroom sake roll (nothing but veggies in either one – So not to many calories). When I got home it was pretty late so I only exercised for 30 minutes, but better than nothing.

Today I had the same for breakfast ,English muffin with peanut butter and fresh fruit. My lunch was this tuna pasta….. Yum! Perfect for lunch in the middle of a Texas summer. Didn’t leave me feeling stuffed but it was enough food to do the trick!



I am also excited that I found this Healthy Blog Community. I really encourage you all to go check it out. If you are interested in signing up just follow the below instructions:

Healthy Living Blogs is a new resource for the health blogging community. Created by Lindsey of Sound Eats, HLB is a site designed to enhance the positive community of the healthy living blog world. Bloggers and readers can explore the site and find more blogs to love, bloggers in their area, and forums to deepen healthy discussion and support. If you're interested in having your site listed on HLB, simply send the following information to healthylivingblogs@gmail.com and check the site out for yourself!

· Email subject line: MEMBERS
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Well everyone have a great weekend!

Almost another week down

Yesterday was a pretty good day for me. So far this week no matter what has come my way I have been pretty happy and not letting anything get me down.

Wednesday Meal Plan: For Breakfast I had a whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter and some fruit.
Lunch, I had left over chicken breast sandwich on a whole wheat bun...... but my side dish wasn't too good so I didn’t eat it. I brought a bean salad with a homemade dressing that my husband put more than a generous amount of garlic in! (Talk about being paranoid about your breath, I had curry in my chicken sandwich and I swear from just one bite I felt like I ate
an entire garlic clove - Trident is my friend). For dinner we had Tilapia with a vinaigrette you dress it with, organic steamed spinach and some brown rice...... again the meal was very yum... yum but very light!

So far eating more fish has been a great compromise for me and my husband. He was brought up with the thought that a salad alone is not a meal, and a meal is not a meal until you have an entire cow grilling on your BBQ pit. For me I am happy with just eating veggies but I'm learning my body needs a little of all the food groups, but still eating meat every night was not good for my digestive system..... so that's why fish has been working out great so far! Bill get's to grill and I (and the rest of us) get to reap the benefits of fish. Just hope we keep getting lucky with the good recipes we have been trying.



Once we had dinner, cleaned up the kitchen, I jotted down my calorie intake, got the baby bathed and ready for bed..... I had that moment of I don’t want to work out tonight. So I did the typical "Candice is lazy" thinking:

- It's getting late
- I can make today a rest day
- I can just workout in the morning and the evening tomorrow
- I am really tired, so I probably wouldn't get a good workout
- Do I hear Bill getting into the ice cream?

But then I thought:

- Well you already have your workout clothes on
- You know you are not going to have the time to work out twice
- Quit making excuses
- Girl did you see your butt in the mirror this morning?

Well I ended up on my treadmill, with the intention that I would just do something. No time restraints, even if that meant just 15 minutes..... but really in my head "at 15 minutes I am stopping". So I'm on my treadmill and I am reading a book (7th book in the series) and oh man I got so engaged into this book. It was a real page turner moment for me. I kept so focus on the book and kept increasing my pace. Next thing I know 3 chapters, 50 minutes, and a lot of sweat later I was done. Once I was done I felt so proud, and very thankful that I didn't talk myself out of what I needed to do.

What about you guys? Do you catch yourself trying to talk yourself out of what you know you need to do? When you push yourself do you feel better or worse afterwards?

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Fan-Freaking-Tastic Fish

Monday night the hubby and I wanted to try something new out of our “Flat Belly Diet Family cookbook” (by the way, we are loving this cookbook!!!!). We came across, “Fish Nuggets”. Now my husband is accustom to deep frying fish, so I was a little worried that this would not be a crowd pleaser for the entire family. I have a two year old whose taste change weekly and a hubby that would be happy with pork chops and mashed potatoes every night. So during the ten minute bake time I was thinking, we might just have to eat the steamed broccoli and steamed sweet potatoes tonight. But to my surprise they were a Hit!!!! I mean the BEST, light tasting, but hit the spot fish ever! I highly recommend anyone that is wanting that fried fish taste without the grease to give it a try.

So far during this past week I have been doing at least 45 minutes of cardio daily, and then some major stretching after-wards. Just trying to get my body warmed up to the activity again. Like always I am provided with tons of energy and overall feel so much happier. I have also noticed I am sleeping like a champ!!!! Nothing beats getting that type of sleep.

Yesterday I stayed on track and feel pretty dang good about that! I woke up and had a whole grain waffle with peanut butter and some fresh fruit. Lunch, was a avocado half with chicken salad and watermelon slice and a few wheat crackers. Dinner, curry
chicken breast on whole wheat bun with two slices of avocado and roasted brussel sprouts, and less than ½ cup of cottage cheese. I also managed to get my 8 – 8oz glasses of water in…… though I hate it when I start drinking this much water because I have flash backs of when I was pregnant…. You know the peeing every 15 minutes! But peeing aside I had a great day and finished it with a great 45 minute workout.



I also learned something else from my sweet two year old boy last night. He had his first real shower (he usually just gets baths), and at first we could see a little hesitation but at no time at all he was laughing and jumping through the water. I love how excited and so unafraid he is to try something new. That really got me thinking this morning on how awesome that would be to look at every new adventure like a child does. So Evan baby, thanks for teaching mommy to just jump in and have fun with it!!!

A Little Update

So again I have not made the time to be faithful with writing in my blog, and boy have I missed it. I find that the more I write the more I stay on track. Not only have I not been writing but I haven’t been serious about my fitness journey. I let myself get a little relaxed in a few areas but I'm ready to jump back in the saddle.


It's hard at times not to beat myself up for letting something derail my success but I am proud that I keep going back to it..... eventually it's going to have to stick, right?!?!

Now don't get me wrong the past few months have not been a complete waste. For the month of May I won the Biggest loser competition at work at a total loss of 15 lbs for the month. The downside is the past few months I have been like a yo-yo just trying to maintain it. But it has totally been my fault. I haven’t really put forth the effort.

So we made some major changes in the house (more to come at a later date) and we are back on eating healthier food and incorporating exercise into our daily schedules.

One thing that I am making a must have is more fish! I don't know what it is, if after having my son or turning thirty but I really cannot eat meat much anymore and if I do I'm left feeling sick. The good news is that I am finding I really enjoy grilled or baked fish.So my husband, the Chef of our household is experimenting with new recipes so we don't get bored with it!
Here is what we ate Saturday night, it was very filling but didn't leave me feeling like I ate too much.



Well here is to a new week and a new start!