Here we GO!!!!

Eat to Live round 1 was an awesome experience for me and showed me a few things about myself. 1) Yes, I am capable of commitment to a healthy diet that doesn't include counting points or calories, and is actually a feasible way to live. 2) I like lots of whole foods I never thought I could even taste. 3) My journey has influenced not only myself and family, but my friends, and I have loved being an inspiration to others! SO, that being said, let me recap where Ive been the last month. My first 6 weeks on ETL was a huge success. I had envisioned finishing out that 6 weeks, and continuing on my journey in a manner that would follow the basic principles of ETL with my own modifications I felt I could live with. Then came an event that I wasn't quite ready in my journey to handle properly. VACATION. Damn, I completely blew it. I ate popcorn. I ate candy. I ate cheese. I ate more sodium that any one person should legally be allowed to consume. I even ate a chili cheese coney. Lord, HAVE MERCY!! In short, it was binge central. UGHHHH! I felt horrible.  This cycle has continued for the last month or so. I haven't been quite so awful with my choices as I was on vacation, but there has definitely not been much ETL going on. The guilt has been plaguing me over the last weeks, and I feel ready to jump back into it once again. The results I got with the initial 6 weeks of ETL were amazing. I would like to say this, though, even with my ridiculous binge fests I have been able to maintain my weight loss. 20 pounds lost. So, all this being said, I have recommitted myself to this journey once again and I would like to come back to document as my journey continues and I request your support! Tonight I am going to stuff spinach and kale as well as the usual array of frozen fruit and flaxseed into my ninja and get this party started.

Hanging my head....

Clearly I have been absent lately. Probably that is because I have had some hiccups and been avoiding this place. SO, confession time. My family came to visit, and as strong as I was in my first month, I was just not strong enough to beat out the temptation that Uno Chicago Grill offered. I ate ranch dressing. I ate feta cheese. blah, blah...that is how I felt the day after, and still feel now. Man, times have been tough! Anyway, I would like to mention that at my one month weigh in I lost a total of 14.5 pounds!! How amazing is that?? I guess what I have learned is this; this is life. I will try to eat 100% clean 90% of the time, and that 10% of "oops" moments are OK! I didn't gain any weight after my "oops" and am back on track now. It was actually good for me, in a way, because I had that "cheat" meal, and immediately felt that pang of guilt that often follows poor food choices. It was convicting enough to send me running back toward the light. So, here I am, once again dealing with withdrawals. The headache I felt this morning was just about unbearable. Its almost not worth the uh oh!
Right now, in addition to my eating, I am really focusing on my last month of my training program. I cant wait to share my before and after photos with you all. I have come such a long way. Its amazing how far this journey has taken me in just a short amount of time. I feel energized, and as though there is hope I will actually achieve goals I honestly never thought Id achieve. Do you all have any recipes you could share for clean eating? Of course, Id love to see some vegan options, but that isn't required. Post below!!
Tomorrow I have an intensive workout scheduled at the gym, then tomorrow evening I have a date to run 7 miles. Definitely going to sleep well tomorrow night!
Ok, folks, I am officially back.

Week 3

Well, this week didn't end as I hoped. I only lost 1.5 pounds during week 3. That brings my total loss to 11 pounds. I suppose I can't be too sad about that!

Lately....

My husband just instructed me that it had been far too long since my last post so I should get my tired butt up and BLOG! So, here I am. I admit, he is right, it has been a while since my last post. I have been doing well. No set backs, cheats, or doubts here. OH, let me talk about my dinner tonight. I am constantly amazed at how easy this way of life is becoming. Earlier today, Lorie and I went to Wegman's. LOVE! Its such a great store, they have anything and everything from a bakery, to a sushi bar, to an amazing vegan section. Anyway, it was there I obtained a 100% whole wheat pizza crust and decided to try out an Eat to Live friendly pizza. At home I put into my Ninja 2 cans of unsalted diced tomatoes, about 1/3 jar of organic unsalted tomato paste, minced garlic, a pile of garlic powder, Ms. Dash's Italian medley, basil, and oregano. Blended this all up, and used it as my sauce. I heated up my wonderful pampered chef pizza stone, and put a tbsp of olive oil and garlic powder onto my crust with a brush. I chopped up a red onion and a green bell pepper for my toppings. I added the sauce, then the veggies, and topped it with nutritional yeast. I was a bit skeptical because we have tried whole wheat crusts before, and they were just disgusting. However, after about 20 minutes in the oven at 400 degrees, it became browned and crispy on the edges. My hubby and I ate the whole thing! It was wonderful! This is def something we will make again. Something else I have been enjoying lately is fresh guacamole with fresh salsa. Actually, I'm not a guac person and have never liked it much, but I have been CRAVING it like crazy since I tried this fresh one at whole foods! I put it into a bowl (about a tbsp of guac mixed with fresh salsa) and spread it onto some 100% whole wheat mini pitas, DELISH!!! Just make sure you dont eat to much guacamole if you do since avacados are high in fat. Yes, good fats, but only needed in moderation.
So, that seems to be all that's going on here right now. I have family coming this weekend and I am a little nervous about eating well while they are here because they love to eat out as much as I do! I am praying for the ability to make good healthy choices! ALSO, tomorrow is my official week 3 end weigh in! Get excited!! I am. I cant wait to see how much I am down! Stay tuned for that. Good night all!

Why does it have to be so hard???

Alright folks, let me give an update. I'm going to back up to Friday.I spent my evening bowling with the spouse's club, where they provided pizza and nachos. My sister, Stephanie, and daughter, Emma, accompanied me. My sister couldn't help but order a pitcher of beer. Nice. Then Emma wanted french fries. Just GREAT. The smell was so inviting and so tempting. I wanted to eat that food and drink beer so badly! My belly was growling even though I ate before I went in hopes of keeping my hunger at bay. I managed to succeed in getting through the evening without falter, but it made me long for that junk I hadn't really been exposed to since starting Eat to Live. Sure, the caring cart holds temptation, but at least there is no having to smell it! Let me say this really quick; I don't want to send the message out that this way of eating is miserable and I am always longing for crap to eat, but I want to be real. I want my readers to understand that this is hard. I face trials every single day and feel as though it would be easier to quit sometimes. The biggest push though, comes with the results. I see pounds lighter on the scale despite weight training and doubts. I hear the comments from my friends and family about the difference physically they see. I feel the increased energy everyday. Right now, yea, this is hard. Hard as hell. It will become easier though. With time, the junk wont seem so appealing. However, until then, I will keep coming here to complain every time I am tempted because I find this so therapeutic! I cant run to just anyone to complain. Their solution? Just eat. Umm, no thanks. Ill take health and longevity if I have to suffer a little bit for the greater good. Moving on to Saturday. The ballgame happened, and I prevailed. My hubby and I went tout to eat at an authentic Chinese hole-in-the-wall restaurant in downtown DC's China town before the game. I had veggie soup and a little veggie fried rice. Yep. I had some white rice. Im ok with that. It wont happen again for a long time, and it didnt kill my diet. Moving right along. After we ate, I opened my fortune cookie, and got the most inspiring message I could have possibly gotten. It was made just for me! On a completely unrelated note, the game was awesome, Wizards got that WIN, and I got to high-five the entire starting lineup, including John Wall...twice!!! AND, my sweet hubby had a note posted to me on the scoreboard! Anyway,I am getting tired here, and my laundry room is calling my name. Until next time......                                                        

So yummy, so yummy there's a party in my tummy...

Just had to share my dinner with y'all. 100% whole wheat tortillas, black beans, onion, corn, peppers, diced chilis all inside the tortilla. On top I put both fresh salsa and guacamole. Omg, so delish!!!!

I also had a salad, to include romaine, carrots all shredded up, red onions, cucumbers, celery, and my fave sweet onion and basil dressing from whole foods. I call dinner a success.