Hola Everyone: Vacation Blues.

Howdy Ya'll!

It has been some time since my last post, true true.

We had March Break on the last two weeks of March. I went to my parents' house for a week and then to Edmonton with my fiance for a week. Let me tell you something: HOLIDAYS ARE THE WORST! Thank goodness I can't afford to take a million vacations because my eating was OUT OF WHACK for two whole weeks. It was awful. I literally ate lunch and dinner at a restaurant every day for TWO WHOLE WEEKS. Even when trying to choose "healthier option" I had the most difficult time. 

It wasn't pretty... and I knew what I was doing... and it resulted in a whopping 5.2lbs gain (on April 1st). INSANE. NOT HAPPY. WHAT WAS I THINKING!? Ugh... would it have killed me to meet with someone after lunch and have a healthy lunch at home? Apparently... YES. Apparently when I go to hangout with people or catch up with people it HAS to be over a meal. Is anyone else like that? I ate out more during those two weeks than I have my ENTIRE weight loss journey. It was insane. UGH.

The past week has been a big pity party for myself. While I haven't gone out to eat, I still have not been making the healthiest of choice: having 2 wraps instead of 1, eating junk, having second helpings, etc. I have been stepping on the scale every day to try and see that 5.2 pounds leave, but not even taking any steps in the right direction to see that weight melt off. (Yes, I know stepping on the scale every day is not healthy... I know... but I couldn't help it). Last Sunday I was so upset about the weigh gain that I did not meal plan or meal prep. 

I was feeling so bad about myself and having a huge pity party instead of getting my head back in the game and working my ass off (literally).

So this Sunday has been different. I made a list of things I love about myself and what I am proud of. I have come such a long way since 202.6 lbs and I can't let this set back ruin my success. I was honest with myself and told myself  that gaining 5lbs is not work losing all of this progress. If I kept doing what I was doing, I would gain it all back (and quick). 

(Side Note: isn't it funny how long it takes to lose 5lbs but it took me 2 weeks to gain 5lbs? This is how people get to be 500+ lbs so easily- imagine what it would be like to eat fast food every day).

SO:

This week WILL be different. 150% different. Alex and I have planned out our meals for the week and I have started meal prepping too.  I have some goals for this week and I will stick to them. Here are my goals:

Goal #1: WATER BABY. Get that water in. 

Goal #2: Breakfast (Shakeology or something else... but get it in!)

Goal #3: WORK OUT

Essentially my goals are to get back to the basics.

Weigh In:

Original Weight: 202.6 lbs

Last Weight: 176.0 lbs

              Current Weight: 179.6 lbs

Weight Lost From Last Time: +3.6 lbs

Total Lost: 23 lbs

HAVE A GREAT WEEK :)

Stay Focused,

-Becky.

So far 2018 has been Eggsellent!

HOLA! 

So the past week has been quite an interesting experiment. I have NEVER enjoyed hard boiled eggs. I can't stand the smell of them and so I have never even remotely been interested in eating them. Until New Years Day... 

On New Year's Day I decided to make my fiance some Devilled Eggs because he loves them and his best friend always makes them for New Year's Eve. Since we are so far from home I wanted to cheer him up and make some eggs for him. I fully intended on making them just for me and not trying one at all... I really wasn't interested.

However, after they were cooked I decided to take a bite. I wanted to taste what I made for my fiance and prove to myself that all these years of not eating boiled eggs was okay because boiled eggs taste disgusting.

I was wrong.

They were DELICIOUS and I have been hooked ever since. I have been playing around with the recipe to try and make them slightly healthier. I think today is the day! The day that I have created a more healthy Devilled Egg!

Original Recipe:

2 Eggs (boiled... obviously)

1 tbs of Olive Oil Hellman's Mayonnaise 

.5 tsp of French's Dijon Mustard (we have the Chardonnay kind)

Pinch of Garlic Powder

Pinch of Onion Powder

Salt/Pepper to taste. 

By making small changes (since the spices/mustard really flavour the yolk) I have cut this recipe from 267 calories and and 23g of Fat to 190 Calories and 16g of Fat. How you might ask? GETTING RID OF THE MAYONNAISE!

I thought that having the Olive Oil Mayonnaise made it okay, and I am sure it is better for you than regular mayonnaise, but honestly... 100 calories in 1tbs is WAY too many calories for me! 12g of Fat in 1tbs!? Are you kidding me!?

So I looked around in my fridge and was looking at what I could substitute mayonnaise with and came up with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Honestly, it went so well. I thought they tasted wonderful and I wasn't wasting away on a processed food that is completely beneficial to put in my body.

Here's what I did today:

2 Eggs

0.5 tbs Philadelphia Cream Cheese    (23 calories, 2g fat)

0.5 tsp of French's Dijon Mustard'

Pinch of Garlic Powder

Pinch of Onion Powder

Salt/Pepper to taste

I must say, I am pretty proud of myself for this. Usually I would just say "meh, 267 calories for breakfast isn't that bad... I don't need to change." But this new mindset where I am thinking about what I am putting into my body is really sinking in. I now can have a snack a couple hours after my breakfast and not feel guilty or worry about whether or not I am over eating. It has been lovely to tell you the truth. 

Just wanted to get this out there, and hopefully re-reading this in the future will remind me to try new things. Sticking to what you know is what has gotten you into this predicament. You are only going to be a new you if you change. Get out of your comfort zone. Experiment. Try new things. This is going to be my year. I can tell. 

Two Game Changing Items

Whoa, lucky you!

I will be publishing three blogs in a row after I do tomorrow's weigh in! 

Today I really want to talk to you about some items that have been game changers for me the past month or so. As some of you may know, I have been counting calories and being very picky with what I put into my mouth the past little while. It has been great but I realized that perhaps it wasn't being all the accurate. 

A while back Alex bought a food grade scale (he makes homemade beer and liquor) so I decided to try out measuring my food by weight rather than just estimating. I found that by doing this I got more accurate readings of the calories I am am eating. 

For example, I usually write that I am eating 1/4 of an avocado when I am having breakfast. I know I am not actually eating 1/4 but I say that just to be safe. With a scale I can write in the actual grams of avocado I am eating and have it come back with a much more accurate reading. When I put in a lunch of 1 taco with estimates it came to 245 calories, and I was perfectly happy with that. That's a great number for lunch (I would consider that low actually). Today I put in the exact measurements of EVERYTHING and it came to 198 calories!!! Can you believe it? 

I was able to add in a healthy snack to go with it (about an hour later so I could spread out my food).

Measuring lets me eat more (usually) because I am using more accurate numbers. I always think I am eating more than I am!

The second item that has been a game changer is this 5$ cup from independent grocers.

I have found on  my weight loss journey that I am more disappointed with myself when I don't get enough water in than when I go over calories for the day. I don't know why, but it is just how it goes. Drinking water is something that comes so easily to me so there should be no reason why I don't drink 8 full cups. This little tumbler thing has really helped me to get the water in. I don't know why but every time I fill this bad boy up I have the whole thing finished within minutes. I love it. I've even started to bring to school with me.

Well, that's it from me for now.
Cheers!

Becka
xo

Importance of Breakfast

Note: I am currently writing this on my iPad mini because Alex is on the computer and 

I am feeling very inspired!

Hola Amigos !

Okay okay, I know 

. What a silly title. Everyone and their dog knows that breakfast is important. I got it. It is written on every fitness blog, every chat room, and grandma has been telling me for years. However, I am a stubborn human being and I go against societal norms and I am living proof that one can survive 25years without breakfast (even if I am overweight... Minor Side effect). There stubborn Becka has said her bit. 

This week my goal was to eat breakfast everyday. This had a couple of slight setbacks right from the get go... Let me explain. 

1. I am on March break right now and therefore in order for me to have a proper breakfast I must be an adult and wake up at a reasonable time so that breakfast doesn't become brunch/lunch... What a road block for me.

2. I have to get out of this silly mindset that I simply am not hungry when I wake up. I say that will 100% honesty here... I am NEVER hungry the moment I wake up (unless I wake up at noon and go straight to lunch). 

That being said... This week I have been making sure that I have a nutritious breakfast that is well balanced and delicious. I have given myself a little bit of extra sleep in time, forcing myself to have breakfast between 9am and 10am. I set my alarm for 9am and told myself that I had less than an hour to get hungry and have breakfast. If I didn't get hungry I had breakfast at 9:45am anyways.

I have had 2 different kinds of breakfasts this week. I had either had an omelette or a smoothie. I honestly don't know which one I prefer, but I enjoyed getting up and making them.

Here is one of the omelettes I made this week.

I know it isn't the prettiest thing, but dannnnnnng is it ever good. 

Here are the ingredients:

1 Whole Egg

1 Egg White

4 Slices of Sun-dried Tomato

Chopped Onion to Taste

1 Pressed Garlic Clove

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tbs Frank's Red Hot Sauce

1/8 cup Cheddar Cheese OR 1/4 of a Crushed Avocado

Calories: 215   Fat: 14g  Carbs: 10g    Protein: 13 g

Here is a picture of my GREEN Smoothie, something I thought I would legitimately never make.

Again, not the pretties picture... But really yummy!

Here are the ingredients:

1 Banana

8 frozen strawberries

1 cup chopped pineapple

1 cup Spinach

1/4 Cup Greek Yogurt (new addition)

3/4 cup Water 

Calories: 266   Carbs: 59g. Fat: 2g.  Protein 7g

Note on the Greek Yogurt: I bought plain 2% Greek yogurt to put in my smoothie because I found I was a bit more hungry at lunch time without it. Since I was eating virtually no protein. I've only used it once and only added a little bit because I was afraid my smoothie would taste too much like yogurt if I added more. I think next time I make this, I will add more to the smoothie.

Alright, so, how did I go?

It went really well. I didn't feel like I was forcing myself to eat the breakfast. By the time I was done making it I think I was so excited to taste the food that it made me feel like I was hungry, which is good in my books. I really enjoyed waking up have and having breakfast. It just generally boosted my day! 

I also found that I was able to have smaller lunches because I wasn't feeling so calorically deprived from my huge break from food (dinner to next day lunch). I was able to have a healthy turkey taco wrap that held me over for quite some time. I decided to use half a tortilla while making my lunch because I didn't need as much carbs to get me through the days (I still used the same amount of filling I would normally use). It was just slightly tricky to eat a half a wrap. You don't  realize how much bread product you are needlessly consuming when you have a wrap! 

Anyways, back to breakfast. 

So, here are the three benefits that I want to remember about breakfast.

1. You will eat less bad foods if you start eating earlier in the day. Having a stready flow of food throughout the day is so important. You have experienced this during the course of this week. 

2. You will be more excited to wake up and cook and eat if you have a nice breakfast. I've just woken up is such a good mood all week (is this because I am on vacation or because of the food? I don't really know).

3. You can actually accomplish your water goals if you wake up and start eating breakfast (I had a big glass of water with eat breakfast).

I think it will take a while longer to see some of the other benefits that come a long with eating breakfast such as a boost in my motabolism, but I will for sure keep an update on here.

Only one more thing left to chat about. My only concern here is how I will  keep up with this breakfast trend when I go back to work. I can't make these foods and eat them before I leave for work. I am that kind of person that makes up 30 minute before I have to leave. I may to actually wake up at a proper time. That seems like such a silly thing to say, but I am just trying to be honest with myself here. 

There's no way of knowing until I get there. For right  now, I am really enjoying this change. I  hope to keep it up literally forever.

Becka

Xo

Day 45: Being Active and Fixing my Diet

Fixing What I Eat!

This is written on day 45. I am doing this so I can properly reflect on my meals and see where I am going wrong. This is my attempt to be accountable.

So, without further ado: Monday Brunch and how I fixed it for Wednesday!

Brunch:

Admittedly, I did not have breakfast on Monday so I ate much more than I usually would. I was hungry and I could justify having the extra calories. I didn't realize how much fat was in this meal. I knew it would be high calorie, but the fat shocked me. I usually have half an avocado on it which would bring the fat up to 56g and the calories to 710. The sad, funny part about this is that I consider this sandwich healthyish. I would have this over a cinnamon roll or something like that beacuse I thought it to be healthier... 
I've got to change this recipe. 

Here is what I ate:

Becky's Breakfast Sandwich

Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread

1 Egg and 1 Egg white omelette (with green onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder and 1/8 cup shredded cheese)

Tomato Slice

1 slice of bacon

Franks Hot Sauce

President's Choice Monterey Jack Jalapeno Cheese Slice

President's Choice Smoky Bacon Mayo (1/2 tbs)
1 tbs of butter (unsalted)

Total Calories: 601

Total Carbs: 20

Total Fat: 46g (yikes)

Total Protein: 33g

Total Fiber: 6g

I also chugged back a huge glass of water with this meal.

Reflection: 

Okay, so this was not the healthiest of lunches. I did well to start, omelette sandwich (one egg and one egg white), it is the extras that I put on that makes it less healthy. I always put one slice of bacon on my egg sandwiches because of the flavour. The Mayo and extra cheese are not needed. I should have either put cheese in the omelette OR a slice on the sandwich, not both. I mean, since I didn't have breakfast, I wanted a lot of protein to fuel me. 

Breakfast (Brunch):

I remade my breakfast this morning, cutting out everything unhealthy, just to see what would happen and if I would like it. I was literally about to cook the bacon and thought NO it is not worth it. Too much fat. So I did not. Here is my new and improved breakfast-- and I really enjoyed it!

(This is a picture from google, I forgot to take a picture)

Weight Watchers Whole Wheat Bread

1 Egg and 1 Egg white omelette (with green onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder)

Franks Hot Sauce

1/4 tbs of butter (unsalted)

I also had 2 big glasses of water with my breakfast this morning.

                      Monday                                                             Wednesday

          Total Calories: 601                                             Total Calories: 166

               Total Carbs: 20                                                    Total Carbs: 10

                    Total Fat: 46 (yikes)                                         Total Fat: 8

           Total Protein: 33                                                Total Protein: 13

               Total Fiber: 6                                                       Total Fiber: 4

Reflection

Now it seems as thought I am under eating at breakfast. I think I need to add something dairy to the meal, perhaps yogurt or a glass of milk. I didn't have yogurt on hand so I couldn't eat some. I also could add fruit to my breakfast but its grocery day, so I am out of apples and bananas. I was just as full as Monday after I had my breakfast today, but I am sure I will be wanting a snack sooner than Monday. It is time now that I sort out what that snack should be.

I have created this blog entry to be more accountable in my daily life. I can see the difference here. This is why I am not losing weight like I would like to. Just because something isn't sugary does not mean it is healthy. Just because you are FINALLY eating breakfast doesn't mean it is healthy. I ate 50% of my calories in breakfast alone on Monday, and I didn't even realize it until I sat down to make this blog post. I even tracked my calories on Monday (for breakfast) and it didn't compute that it was a huge number until today when I had to write them down for this post. The saddest part is that on Monday I said it was okay to add extra cheese and bacon and mayo because it was "brunch" and therefore I could eat the calories of two meals. I need to stop doing that. I need to be more active in my life. I cannot just assume something is healthy, or eat unhealthy because I woke up after a reasonable time to have breakfast.

I don't know if anyone is still reading this. I don't know if this helps anyone in anyway... but today's post has opened my eyes to make me see that I am not eating like I should be, and that is why these 2lbs have been so hard to lose!

I've got to sort this out.

Have a great day!

Make good choices,

xo 

Day 29: My First Gain

Day 29: Weigh In #4

Alright, quick post today. Let's Reflect:

Last Week's Goals

Goal #1: Drink 2L of water
Still not quite there yet. I have been so sick the past couple of weeks and so I haven't been eating or drinking regularly. I have really tried (I would say 3 days last week I have reached that goal) but I am not quite there yet. It's still an on going process. I do find, however, that whenever I have diet pepsi in the house I do not drink enough water. I am still going to try and drink the proper amount of water. 

Goal #2: Lose 2lbs this week.
Unfortunately, I gained this week (as you will be able to see below). I think this comes with the territory of being sick. Last week I was at 192.4 and this week I am at 192.6. I know it isn't much of a gain, I expected more since I haven't had an appetite for a while last week. I am happy I am still on track to be under 190 by Christmas. This is just motivation to do better this week! So far I am doing well (I know it is Wednesday). I am not going to have a cheat day this week to try and make up for this. 

Goal #3: Eat breakfast every day (Yes, I have been struggling with this again).

Still really difficult for me. I just do not have an appetite in the morning (especially when I was sick). I am going to try again to accomplish this goal. I know I can do it, I just need to be proactive in buying groceries and wake up slightly earlier. I am going to try this again. 

Let's get to the Weigh In!

Weigh In #4
Original Weight: 202.6 lbs

Last Week's Weight:   192.4 lbs         

         This Week:  192.6  lbs

Weight Lost from Last Week: +0.2 lbs                  

              Total Lost: 10 lbs

This week's goals:

1. Drink 2L of water at LEAST 3 times.

2. Go for a walk/run this week

3. Eat breakfast every day!

Have a great week!

See you soon!

xo

Day 22: Another Weigh In!

Day 22: Weigh In #3

Alright, quick post today. Let's Reflect:

Last Week's Goals

1. Water: Drink 2L of water every day (it's not as hard as it seems). I love drinking water so there is no reason why this isn't already happening.

I did much better this week than last week (I did not quite make 2L a day, but I think I did really well). I drank water instead of pop, milk, or juice even though I had all three of those on hand. I think I did really well with this. Still not at 2L per day (I will get there!).

2. Say NO to little treats throughout the day.

I DID do this! There were timbits, wings, donuts, chocolate bars all around to tempt me and I did not cave! I did really well with this goal this week. Super proud.

3. Lose 2lbs this week.

WOOHOO! Lost exactly 2lbs this week. Feeling great!

Let's get to it then

Weight In 3:

Original Weight: 202.6 lbs

Last Week's Weight:   194.4 lbs         

         This Week:  192.4  lbs

Weight Lost from Last Week: 2.0 lbs                  

              Total Lost: 10.2 lbs

I have officially lost 10.2 lbs in three weeks, which I think is incredible. I am so proud of myself for not having a gain yet on this journey. Let's get to this weeks goals!

Goal #1: Drink 2L of water

Goal #2: Lose 2lbs this week.

Goal #3: Eat breakfast every day (Yes, I have been struggling with this again).

Have a great week! I am hoping to blog more this week. 

See you soon!

xo

Day 15: Where I've Been

Day 15: Where I've Been

What a hectic week! We had loads going on, and I unfortunately didn't have the best week. Monday was weigh in day (yesterday). I weighed myself, but I haven't been able to post yet. Let's reflect on my last week's goals and how I did before we talk about weight lost.

1. Water: Drink 2L of water every day (it's not as hard as it seems). I love drinking water so there is no reason why this isn't already happening.

I am in general drinking more water, but since it has been such a busy week I have not been concentrating on any of my goals. I have had a least a liter of water every day (2 of my water bottles). I will continue to work on getting my water in. I truly do feel much better the more water I drink.

2. Say NO to little treats throughout the day (continuation from last week).

This continues to be a struggle for me. I don't know why. Hubby's birthday was on November 8th last week (Tuesday) and I made a birthday cake for him. I have had a slice a day, even when I tell myself I won't have one. There is still a little cake left over and I am thinking of just throwing it out completely. I also had timbits at work (the middle part of a doughnut) and just general snacking when offered. 

3. Lose 2lbs this week.

I didn't quite make it this week, mainly because even though I was eating in moderation and eating small portions, I was still not eating the healthiest (Tacos on Tuesday, Pizza on Friday, etc). 

Weight In:

Original Weight: 202.6 lbs

Last Week's Weight:   196.0 lbs         

         This Week:  194.4  lbs

Weight Lost from Last Week: 1.6 lbs                  

              Total Lost: 8.2 lbs

Goals for this week:

I am going to keep my goals for this week the same as last week, and really focus on them this time.

1. Water: Drink 2L of water every day (it's not as hard as it seems). I love drinking water so there is no reason why this isn't already happening.

2. Say NO to little treats throughout the day.

3. Lose 2lbs this week.

Here's to hoping for a better week!

xo