Being Prepared

Hope everyone had a great long weekend, I know I sure did! Got a lot done around the house and got to spend some really good time with family. As of Monday (weigh day) I am down another 2.6 lbs so I am currently at 216.8 lbs!!! I am so excited, that each week it's been a pound or two.

As I have been doing the past few weeks, I use my weekend to prepare myself for the upcoming week. The hubby made the trip to the grocery store and yesterday we went with my grandma and my aunt to a local farmers market, and got stocked up on all kinds of goodies.

This weekend I got a little more creative with my Green Monsters. Each day I tried pairing a different fruit with the banana and spinach. I tried cantaloupe, blueberries, peaches…. But my favorite is spinach, blueberry, banana and a half of a pear!!!! It was so yummy and just what I needed after a good bike ride!

Speaking of bike ride I really got some good use out the bike a friend of ours given me a few months ago . It’s not the fastest and is meant more for trails than just going the distance but it’s a good start and a blessing since it was for free! Bill told me that if I get into biking more that we can save and get me fitted for one (since this bike is a little awkward for me), so something to keep in mind.

Along with biking, I got some really good workouts in this weekend. I took the dogs for a jog and when I came home I pushed myself for an additional 45 minutes on the treadmill. It really is getting a little easier to run. I remember when trying to go two minutes felt more like 30. I still have my days where it’s difficult but I know I am getting there! Beside I am enjoying it.

Another thing that I got to enjoy was making these beautiful creations! They were so good and my boys loved them! We made kabobs both on Friday and yesterday for lunch. We had a pretty big lunch, so for dinner I wanted something that would help fuel me for my evening run but not a lot of work so I made this Tomato Grilled cheese. I lightly brushed canola oil on my whole wheat bread and used (1) slice of low-fat provolone cheese, organic baby leaf spinach, and some tomatoes! It was delish, and perfect for dinner.

I wanted to focus on getting a few things I can have around the house for a healthy snack. During the week I’m good about packing a yogurt or some cottage cheese to go with some fresh fruit, but on the weekends I look at those and want to pass them up. I have gotten a lot better about always having some fruit or veggies to eat with every snack or meal so that is not much of a worry anymore, but what else can I have on hand that I will want. Well I added two new snack items in the house and I have to say this one is my favorite. I finally found some raw cashews (a find at the farmers market) so I paired them with some raisins, and golden raisins. This is a perfect mid day snack!

The other thing I picked up were these crackers (6 crackers is 70 calories), and one wedge of cheese is 35 calories. With some grapes this is a perfect snack size and will be perfect when I need to smother my urge for bread or chips!

I did have one craving all last week that was a little hard to ignore. I stayed focused and made sure I stuck to my eating and exercise and come this weekend I was still wanting it. What is it you ask?…..I’m so happy to tell you….. my down fall…. PIZZA. I love pizza and I can pack it away! I have made a few pizza alternatives in the past with pita bread and veggies on top, but I didn’t want that this time. So my alternative was this. I bought a two pack mini pizzas at 300 calories a piece (1 fits into my 400 calorie a meal plan), with a small salad… it did the trick and I didn’t feel like guilty after wards.

This post has been mostly about me preparing and planning my meal plan for the upcoming week, but I have been working on a small project the past few months that will help me prepare mentally and help me keep my focus the days I want to quit. This is my “Life, Body, Mind and Spirit” board. It has some of my favorite quotes, pictures of my husband and son, demonstrations of some exercises, and some scriptures or revelations that God has given me. It also has pictures of some pretty in shape ladies. I didn’t put pictures of people that I want to look like, cause I am coming to terms with I want to look like me. I put pictures of these ladies because I want to live my life as they are in these photos… running, biking, mountain climbing. My board is hanging on the main wall as I am walking into my workout room. I told my hubby if I have a day when I’m complaining about my weight or I say I feel too lazy to work out, he has permission to tell me to take it to the board!

What about you out there, do you have anything that helps you mentally tackle the bad days?