Eating Out and How to do it Right

Eating out is one of the hardest parts of being healthy. Or at least for me it is. When I eat out, I want to splurge...cheeseburger, fries, coke, appetizers, desserts. I want it all! However, if you want any sort of success in your weight loss journey, you have to learn what kinds of food to order in a restaurant.

Mexican food is my absolute favorite. I love everything about it...especially the free chips and salsa. But now when I go to a Mexican restaurant, I ask them to please hold the chips and salsa. The temptation is just too much. As for my actual meal, I used to order a chicken chimichanga with beans and rice. But now I have taught myself to order on the  lighter side, which includes a grilled chicken salad (no cheese) and a side of pico de gallo to use as my dressing. It is delicious!! Another option I choose is a veggie fajita (this is best to split with someone else as they are usually HUGE). I also skip the flour tortillas and beans and rice. It's still yummy without it!!

The main things to look for when ordering at a restaurant are:

• no fried foods! (baked, broiled, blackened, and grilled are okay)
• substitute veggies (Broccoli, green beans, asparagus, side salad) instead of fries, chips or a baked potato
• when ordering a salad, ask for fat free dressing; again, be sure to order grilled meat on this; also ask for no croutons or crackers, bacon, and limit the cheese (I usually ask for no cheese)
• choose turkey or veggie burger if offered (and go easy on the condiments!)

You can even follow these guidelines when eating at a fast food restaurant. Wendy's is the best, because their salads are actually delicious and healthy (as long as you get the half-size, and limit the amount of dressing used).

These are just some basic rules and guidelines that I follow when going out to eat with friends and family. It's not hard, it just takes some practice and will power. Trust me, I know how tempting those mozzarella cheese sticks and french fries sound...but don't do it!! You have to make these lifestyle changes a daily habit. If you think about it like that, it will get easier each time. :)

Find Something You Love

I have never been someone who enjoys working out. I hate running. I am not a good swimmer. I don't particularly enjoy lifting weights. These things have just never been something I've liked to do. When I started my weight loss journey, I began going to the gym in order to help myself get back into shape...even though I kind of hated every minute of it.

The problem was that I was doing exercises that I despised. I needed to find something that I actually enjoyed doing. For me, that something was cycling. I went to a spin class and I loooooved it!! I don't dread going to spin class; in fact, I really look forward to it! I think that is the most important part of finding success: finding something you love.

Like I said, for me the "something" was cycling. For others, they may hate cycling. Your "something" can be anything: running, swimming, Zumba, kickboxing, whatever it is that you find enjoyable, rather than miserable.

I also found that for myself, going to group exercise classes helped me become more motivated. When I am in a spin class, I push myself so much harder than when I try to ride the bike for my own workout. I think that finding a class can really help to push yourself to its limits, which allows you to get a better workout in the end.

Just another lesson that I learned the hard way: Find an exercise that you love. And then do it.

Salads: How To Do It Right

Salads are sneaky. We think they're healthy. I mean, it's just a pile of lettuce, right? Wrong. Salads are healthy...until you douse it in a gallon of fat-filled dressing. When dressing your salad, here are some things to consider:

• No bacon bits; use grilled chicken, fish, or shrimp instead (a palm-sized amount of meat)
• No croutons or crackers
• Limit the amount of cheese used (and try to use reduced fat cheese)
• You should only use 2-3 TEASPOONS of fat free salad dressing-- that should be enough to coat the salad leaves. There should not be glops of dressing left at the bottom of your salad bowl after you've finished eating.
• Good toppings for salads include: chopped tomato, red onion, chopped bell peppers (any color), mushrooms, 1 deviled egg
• Use a mixture of iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce and spinach leaves. The spinach and romaine lettuce have more nutrients than the iceberg lettuce does.

The moral of this post here is that you can be tricked into thinking you're having a healthy meal by having a salad, but if you load it up with very unhealthy food items, it completely negates the fact that you're eating a salad. At that point, you may as well have a cheeseburger and fries.

However, if you follow the guidelines above, you can eat your meal knowing that you did in fact make a healthy salad, and all will be well!!

Typical Meal Plan

To give an idea of how I choose my meals that I eat each day, I am going to post what a typical day for me looks like. I obviously have variations each day, because I can't stand to eat the same things over and over! But at least you can get an idea as to what my day looks like. Something that I have found very useful when counting calories is an app called "My fitness pal." It has literally every food listed on it, and it helps you manage how much you should be eating for each meal. You can also log your exercise, too. It's an awesome tool to have!

6:00 am Breakfast (VERY important!) Always eat breakfast. It gets your metabolism going which helps you burn more calories throughout the day.

• Thomas' Light Multigrain English Muffin- 100 calories
• The Laughing Cow Cream Cheese Spread; Garden Vegetable (1 wedge)- 45 calories

11:30 am Lunch

• Joseph's Low Carb Pita Bread- 60 calories
• Honey roasted turkey breast (about 3-4 slices)- ~45 calories
• 2 slices of tomato- ~8 calories
• Fat free Italian dressing (1 tsp)- ~5 calories
• Dannon light & fit Greek yogurt- 80 calories

3:00 pm Mid-afternoon Snack

• Clementine- ~35 calories

7:00 pm Dinner (This meal varies A LOT because I have so many different things for dinner each night)

• Butterball turkey burger (grilled)- 240 calories
• 1 cup green beans- ~40 calories
• 2 slices of tomato- ~8 calories

The Importance of the "Before" Picture

I'll be honest. I was not a fan of taking a picture of myself at my heaviest weight, wearing tight fitted clothing. I could see every bulge in my stomach, every ounce of cellulite on my legs, and every piece of the unhealthy person that I wanted to shed. It was hard to take this picture. However, it was one of the most motivating aspects I could have. Seeing that picture and realizing how out of shape I had let my body become was a huge wake up call. In the beginning when I would begin to lose focus and have thoughts such as, "Well....it probably wouldn't hurt to have just one cookie," or, "Do I really need to go to the gym today?" I would look at that before picture, and tell myself that I had to stay focused. It was a huge motivator for me!!

After I reached my halfway goal point and took the "halfway" picture, and saw the transformation side-by-side, I couldn't believe it. I debated for a long time about even posting the picture, because I was so embarrassed to admit that I had ever allowed myself to become so out of shape. However, I wanted to let my friends know about all the hard work I had done, and that they could do it too! I'm so glad that I posted that picture, even though I still get somewhat embarrassed when I look at that before picture, because I know that it has helped others realize what they can do to make a healthy change in their life.

My "Secret"

I have had so many people ask me what my "secret" is regarding my weight loss. I have a hard time answering this question, because there really isn't any secret, other than eating right and working out. When I first began my attempt at being healthy, I signed up for Take Shape Life (TSFL) which is fueled by Medifast foods. It worked great; I lost 6 pounds in one week, and I felt awesome!! However, not long after being on the program,  I learned that I was allergic to soy (which is the largest component of the Medifast meals). This meant that I could no longer use the Medifast food. I was disappointed, but I started looking for ways that I could continue my quest to health in another way.

Along with the TSFL program, I was given a book that is loaded with ways to live a healthy life. I began following the diet plans listed in this book as my alternative, since I could no longer eat the Medifast food. These alternatives had a very simple idea behind them: low calorie, low fat, low carb. There were many food options listed, including greek yogurt with a half cup of strawberries, a slice of tomato with fresh  mozzarella and basil, sliced turkey on whole wheat bread, and so many more! I began using these ideas to guide my decisions of what I would eat.


Once I had found a way to choose better foods, I needed to find a way to become more active. I had a membership at the Y because my sister is an employee there. I decided to take advantage of this, and I began hitting the gym! When I first started I would do about 30 minutes on the elliptical. While on the elliptical, I would choose the "Weight Loss" option, which basically consisted of 4 minute intervals that would switch from a level 4 to a level 10. After my 30 minutes on the elliptical I would do some weights, alternating my days between arms and legs. My favorite leg workout is definitely the hip abductions. It works the inner and outer thigh, which we all know is somehting that every woman wants to looks great! Once I became more comfortable at the gym, I started branching out and trying different classes that are offered at the Y, such as BodyPump and cycling.

As you can see, there is no big secret to how I have lost my weight. I have used very simple (not easy), but simple ways of changing the way I live my life. The most important key to my personal success has been the motivation and determination to make a change. I have to constantly remind myself why I am doing this, and to not give up. Ever.

The Never-Ending Journey

When I first began this journey, I never thought I would be blogging about my "success." I never thought that the changes I made in my life would help others make changes in theirs. However, after posting this picture on Facebook and receiving so many positive encouragements and questions from others who are trying to make healthy changes, I realized that I could help others in their own journey to health and fitness.

I call it my "journey to health and fitness" because I still have not quite finished it yet. In fact, I'm not sure that the journey is ever fully complete. My goal weight to lose is 30 pounds and thus far I have lost 15 pounds. I wanted to see the transformation I had made at just my halfway point. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the transformation side-by-side.

I want this blog to serve as a motivator for others who are trying to make better life decisions regarding their health. I think it will even serve as a motivator for myself! Just receiving positive feedback from friends on Facebook has made me want to push myself and work even harder to achieve my ultimate goal. I hope that sharing my journey can do that for others. Through this blog, I plan to share my exercise routines, recipes, and sample meal plans, and lots of encouragement!! I am excited to share my experiences with others in an effort to help some people realize that anything is possible with a little bit of sweat and determination! :)