My 2014 Weight Loss Challenge Week 3

Photo taken from http://jackkunkel.com/2014-weight-loss-challenge/

This week has been a tough one! I took on the big task of painting my kitchen walls and cabinets and this is what my kitchen and living room look like

 This is me feeling the load on my shoulders!

Last week I shared that I had serious issues with my Insulin. Basically what happens is that my pancreas is always on overload and I produce too much insulin, I am what's labeled as Insulin Resistant. When I don't eat a balanced Protein-Fat-Whole grain diet it constantly drops and I get Hypoglycemic seizures. I tried to stick to a Low Carb diet but I can't eliminate carbs all together (just found this out).

This week I had to really pay attention to what went into my mouth and because of this I gained 2 lbs :( so not happy about this but when I go from no carbs to consuming even the right carbs I gain weight. I'm trusting that this coming week I will loose that weight.

I am now following the Trim Healthy Mama diet (this is their Facebook page). It really focuses on balancing your insulin levels and why we gain and retain weight.

I have tried every diet out there and I must tell you, this is an awesome book (I don't get any monetary pay for endorsing them). 

Today I am working on my meals for the whole week. This includes Breakfast, 2 snacks, lunches and dinner with desserts. I know it's not going to be easy but I know it will pay off! Once I have them ready I will share them on another post.

I didn't exercise like I had planned and I know that this always slows my weight loss. I painted a whole bunch but not "actual routine exercises". 

This week I will work on the wii tennis sport program. 30min 3X this week.

http://www.nintendo.com/wii

My goal is to find a good exercise program dvd. I don't like aerobics but more toning exercises. Do you know of any program like this? Let me know!

Let's keep working towards our goals, no matter what comes our way! We can do this!!!!

Recipe Review from last week:

http://expatprep.org/peaches-and-cream-oatmeal/

This was the easiest yummiest oatmeal, hands down! I used a berry mix from Trader Joe's and it was perfect! Recipe on the link.

This week I will try this recipe:

This is the Shrinker from Trim Healthy Mama. I took this picture and recipe from: 

http://training6hearts4him.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-shrinker-from-trim-healthy-mama.html

Boil about 2 cups water and steep 4 tea bags of Oolong Tea and let cool
Get your blender and add:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Milk
• Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (I put 1/4 tsp. but that might be too much for some so start w/less)
• 1/2-1tsp. Cinnamon (add more or less depending on how much you like cinnamon, I add 1tsp+)
• 1-2tsp. Vanilla (again to your taste. The first time I added 1tsp but now add 2)
• Pinch of Himalayan Salt (or any salt you prefer but the better the salt the more nutritious it will be)
• Sweeten to taste (I use Stevia)
• Add the Oolong tea and blend
• Put into a two quart jar, fill with ice, add more water to fill up the jar, shake well and enjoy!

I'll let you know next week how it turned out!

Join our Facebook closed Weight loss challenge page

Weight Loss Challenge Week 2

This week I didn't follow my plan to the T but I did see some differences when I ate.
My husband wanted to go to the buffet and he wanted me to go with him. I knew it was Italian night and I don't do well with Italian food because of all the pastas! Yes, I could have made better choices but I didn't. Every plate I ate, I could only eat 1/4 of it! I was shocked! I didn't even enjoy the food like I normally do! 
I must confess I felt deprived and glad all wrapped up in one.
I have serious health issues and I have to really watch how much sugar and carbs I consume because I have an overdose of insulin in my body. You can imagine what it's like when I consume food that produces insulin...not a good combo.

When we left the buffet I lovingly informed my husband that next time he would be going just with our son to the buffet. I hate it and will not be doing that again!
Since that day, I have been sick and my sugar levels have been dropping more than usual.

Sunday Weekly Weigh-in at home:

This week I lost 1 lb. I expected to either not loose or loose no more than 1 lb. because I had several health issues that kept me from exercising:( I expect to do better in this area this coming week! 

I am going to change things a little this week! I've had three days of not doing well with my insulin levels, they have been too low. I think it is because I haven't consumed enough of the right carbs. This week I am starting to eat The Trim Healthy Mama way ( I shared the book with you last Sunday). I will eat my breakfast and snacks this way and see how I do. This week I have to concentrate on stabilizing my sugar levels and I'm not going to focus on loosing weight. I will exercise 3-4 times this week and I will share with you the videos of those exercises.

How did you do?

Want to join our Facebook Group? Here is the Link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightlosschallenge2014/

Trying this recipe tomorrow morning  

Peaches and Cream Oatmeal

1/4 cup of old-fashioned oats
1.5 tsp of Truvia
1.5 tsp of chia seeds
a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon
a pinch of salt
a dash of vanilla
1/3 cup of 0% greek yogurt
1/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 peach, diced

Just toss all the ingredients into a mason jar, put the lid on, shake it up a bit, and leave it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, it’s ready to eat. No cooking, no mess, no extra dishes to wash. Just the yummy goodness of peaches and cream.

Note:
I will be adding berries because I don't have peaches right now.
I like it warm and I warm it up a bit in the microwave before I eat.

I copied this recipe from this blog:
http://expatprep.org/peaches-and-cream-oatmeal/

My 2014 Weight Loss Challenge Week 1

Photo taken from http://jackkunkel.com/2014-weight-loss-challenge/

Hello...........
Last Week I shared with you that I was starting a Facebook group to help me stay accountable and to have friends join me in my journey to loose weight. I am happy to report that my little group is staying busy and the group members are participating! Thank you!!!

I have tried every diet out there and dieting is not new for me, but more of a way of life, an addiction maybe?

This time around I am focusing on listening to my body signals of when I am hungry and when I am comfortably full. I am learning that I have no problem knowing when I am hungry but it's very hard for me to stop eating because I love food so much! Let's face it, I didn't gain weight just because of some mean magic trick or maybe?

About 10 years ago I lost all of my weight with Weight Watchers and felt better than ever! Life problems, moving to a new city and church, health, etc... last year I was bigger than I had ever been! In an effort to loose weight fast, I did the HCG Diet along with my husband and lost 20lbs in about 35 days and many more inches. I went from a size 14+ to a very confortable size 8 and S-M clothing size. I thought I was set for life but as we all know, it doesn't always happen this way. When we go back to eating regular food... back comes the pounds. I have gained 10 lbs. back and my size 8 clothing has now turned to a 10.

 This is me last year when I had lost a little more than 20 lbs.

I am Insulin Resistant and keeping the weight off is harder for me than other people. I have an overdose of insulin in my body and it makes it very hard to loose weight. This is the reason why I am now just trying to eat this way. I know I have to be very careful of the kinds of food I eat because of my health problems, but for now it's all about listening to my body since I have over dosed it for so long!

This week I learned about a wonderful diet that you may all know about. It's the "Trim Healthy Mama". It really has helped me to understand my body and how I need to feed it because of how insulin works in weight loss. I will eventually use this plan to stay healthy and when I make the switch I'll let you know!

Now to my weekly weigh-in... I lost 4 lbs by just watching the amount of food I ate and eating it only when I was hungry and making myself stop when I knew it was enough. I did home exercises instead of going to the gym and I feel like I worked out harder at home.
I won't always look at the scale for my weekly check in. Sometimes it will be how many times I worked out that week or how many inches I lost, etc.
There are many maybes in my weight loss journey and I am believing that I will learn to turn them around and make the best of them!

I hope you join our group! Here is the link!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightlosschallenge2014/

What are you doing today to make a difference in your future health?

My 2014 Weight loss Challenge

Photo taken from http://jackkunkel.com/2014-weight-loss-challenge/

Just like many of you I too gained weight during the Holidays and I needed some of my friends to keep me motivated to loose weight. I thought about it for a while and I new it was a serious commitment I was making and that is what I needed...
So I created a Facebook private group to share my challenge with my friends!

Here it is...
This group is to keep each other informed and help each other along the way as we start the new year. 
I am challenging myself to loose 25lbs. by July 4th 
What is your challenge?

There is no specific diet endorsed here.
You could be doing Weight Watchers, Atkins, HCG, South Beach, etc. This is not a group to promote any product or diet.
If you have knowledge of a diet and someone asks for information please feel free to share and let the person come to it's own conclusion.
Please keep away from criticizing one diet or the other.

Let me know if you want to join me on my 4th. of July Challenge or share what your Weight loss Challenge for 2014 will be!
Would you like to join us?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/weightlosschallenge2014/

I will be blogging about my journey and I hope you stick around!

Me now January 2014 with my family

25lbs off will feel great!