New Year's Declaration

Well everyone it is 2013. It seems like only yesterday I can remember Y2K and everyone freaking out that the world was going to end or like the Mayan calendar running out in December. Nevertheless here we are today! We are two weeks into a fabulous year. 

As always the new year brings a new you. A lot of people like to make a few resolutions to get healthier or better themselves in some way. Now I know personally I have made resolutions a hundred times and it lasted until maybe March. So instead of making New Year's resolutions, I am making New Year's Declarations!

1. I declare to stay focused on eating healthy and always tracking my meals through Weight Watchers.

2. I declare to go to the gym at least 3-4 times a week.

3. I declare to become a better person on the inside as well as the outside.

4. I declare to never give up on my dreams even when they seem unreachable.

5. I declare to help others when asked.

6. I declare to always stay positive and not to sweat the small things.

7. I declare to blog more even if I am not doing well on my diet.

8. I declare to make a difference.

I feel like "declaring" something just makes it more powerful and kinda makes me excited. I know a lot of people are tired of making the same old resolutions and not following through. Hey I've been there! Trust me I know the feeling. 

So make a list of things you would like to do whether it is healthy lifestyle, traveling more, seeing your family more or shopping less. Whatever it may be, stand up and make a statement! Declare that this year, 2013, you will stick to it as best as you can. 

I feel like I am getting started on the right track. I have been preparing my meals for the week, taking my lunch to work, and cutting out soft drinks. 

A lot of people have been asking so I am working on a lunch post. Pictures and descriptions of easy lunches you can make. I am going to try and do a 30 day of lunches. Now remember this is in the works and will take awhile because I sometimes take the same thing for lunch a day or two in a row. Here is a little preview of some of my lunches so far! I am also going to try to do my instagram meals of the week too since I am highly addicted to my new weight watchers cookbook!!

My Lunch and Afternoon Snack included.

I love Turkey Sandwiches and Soup!

Until Next Time,

Kelly 

#2012taughtme

So I knew I wanted my next post to be about 2012 coming to an end (not the world just the year). I saw #2012taughtme trending on twitter so I thought about what this past year has taught me and here it goes...

 It has been a year of ups and downs, highs and lows, and everything in between. I am declaring 2012 the year I started growing up. So let's see how it all started shall we?

I was a college graduate, living at home, babysitting once or twice a week and eating my feelings because my life was in shambles. I thought the world was going to play out for me one day and I would live this fabulous life of the rich and famous. Clearly I needed to get over that and I did. I made the decision to start of a diet. As the world's biggest yo-yo dieter I was scared.. I did not want to fail at yet another diet. I wanted to truly do this and I did. (I have lost 60 pounds so far) After starting weight watchers I could see my life going in the direction I dreamed of.

In May, I moved to Nashville with one of my friends. It was hard to move away from my family but I had to start growing up. After a few weeks I landed a job. I was so lucky to fall into this position in a communications department of a huge corporation.  I am able to pay my own bills and rent. I never thought I could do this.

I had so many wonderful things going on and it felt almost too good to be true at times..

I still never felt like I was changing. I still saw this extremely overweight girl in the mirror. I had people tell me all the time how great I looked, they loved reading my blog, or how proud they were of my accomplishments. With a hundred wonderful things being said it felt like the few who liked calling me "big girl" or make fun of what I was doing could totally tear me down. I try to be such a strong person but it is hard to be criticized for something you work so hard on.

This year I am going to try and block all of those things out. This is for anyone who has been made fun of or anything. DO NOT let anyone or anything tear you down. Remember that you are working on becoming a better person and they just have making fun of others to get them through the day.

So 2012 has taught me that I am working on becoming the person I was meant to become. A little hard work and determination can go a long way. I know what is important to me and that is family and friends. I cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store for me. Hopefully more weightloss and success. Who knows maybe a boyfriend or something (haha)

Don't You Worry, Don't You Worry Child

Well I lost two pounds! Yay! Praise the Lord! Finally! I was about to start thinking I was never going to lose weight again. LOL I know that is totally dramatic but after a lot of soul searching and figuring out what I need to do to get back on track.

I think I did a lot better because I made sure to check my portions and not guesstimate on what I think was correct portions. I kind of changed my eating habits such as a low-carb dinner and cereal for breakfast. Just little things you know. But with working super long hours this past week (and this week) I am glad I can still manage eating healthy.

I've also decided to change up my usual workout routine. I heard from many people that if you continue to do the same routine that it won't be effective. I mean I go to the gym and it's like a chicken with its head cut off. I am absolutely clueless. Haha. I get on the treadmill and elliptical one day and then some weight lifting the next day.

So I am going to run, zumba, pilates, and weight training. I loved Zumba class so I look forward to doing that at my apartment on Thursdays. (They offer a fun class in the clubhouse! How fun!)

Other than dieting and such, life is going pretty well for me. Two of my good friends, Amber and Lana came into town for the weekend and it was full of fun and shopping! I really enjoyed the shopping part! Then sunday I saw Willie & Korie Robertson from Duck Dynasty! That was so so cool! I love that show so much because it really does remind me of my family in a way (we aren't really rednecks lol).

My mom called me today to let me know she will be passing through Nashville in two weeks and I am too excited. Anytime I can see my mom and stepdad is a good time to me. I love them so much. I just truly love my family. I am blessed with an amazing one. Everyone is so supportive of me and everything I am doing and it makes me so happy.

I just want to let anyone who is struggling with a diet. DO NOT give up! Once you start losing a lot it becomes harder to lose weight. I will say the middle of a diet is harder than the beginning. So if you can make it through this middle stretch like I am experiencing then you can do anything!

Willie & Korie! They said hello to me!

Haha Lana and I giving a peace to the camera!

Give Thanks!

Hello everyone!

Yes it has been 20 days since I last posted. I am truly sorry! Preparing for Thanksgiving and so many other things have been going on in my life. Since I vowed to be honest in this blog I will continue to do so....

I was truly down in the dumps for a little over a week. I mean this diet or any diet is a struggle from day one but this was the biggest struggle of mine to date. I just do not understand how can I plateau  at 50 pounds? I felt like I was on such a roll and then it stopped. I tried different things to eat and such and no change. I mean what gives? I just would cry stepping on the scale and not see anything. I was ready to quit and give up. I wanted to delete my blog and everything. I did not see how I could be a good example for people if I am not producing an outcome.

I took plenty of time to reflect on what I wanted and what was keeping me from reaching my goals. I realized my attitude/mood have not been the best. I felt stressed and sad a lot. I have been living in Nashville for about 6 months now and not having my core group of friends or a group of friends at all is super hard. My FB friends can vouch that I complain about my friend situation all the time. I mean I do not have anyone I can call up. I think I thought friends would come to me and I'm learning that is not the case at all. I've decided instead of moping around about it I need to take action. I've joined the alumnae chapter of my sorority and I am too excited to start getting involved. I know being surrounded by my sisters will be a wonderful thing. I can always count on my sorority sisters.

I also realized that getting use to being on a diet we get comfortable. I was not counting my portions like I should. I assumed. But as I've learned in life...never assume anything.

I could go on and on about things I have done wrong but that is not why we are here. We are here to be positive.

After thanksgiving, I was reminded of how truly wonderful my life is. I am so thankful for a wonderful family who loves me unconditionally every day. They are my biggest supporters. I discussed with my mom my struggles with my diet and she put a lot into perspective for me. I don't think I could love anyone more than my mommy. Seriously she's my best friend and I'm not ashamed of it. She helped me realize that this is only the beginning of my diet and I will continue to have success. I cannot be perfect all the time, which I try to be sometimes. She brought me back down to earth and saved me from insanity. I was about to delete all of this and then after talking with my mom I just need to get back up.

I feel like I post the same thing over and over again. I apologize. I am trying guys. Really trying.

Catch Up Time!

Hello everyone! Yes I realize I have not posted in a very long time! I apologize! My life has been really crazy lately. I will fill you in!

So my mom had surgery two weeks ago. Standard procedures really. Her 45 min surgery turned into 4 hours. She spent the night in the hospital and went home the next day. I actually went home that weekend to help her out but unfortunately she took a turn for the worse and started getting sick. My stepdad took her to the ER and I followed. She had infections from her surgery and she needed to have yet another surgery to repair everything. It was an awful few days. I cannot think of a worse feeling like sending my mom off to surgery and seeing her in ICU. Literally there are no words... makes me emotional just to think about it. Now my mommy is back at home and starting to feel better. Its very hard to see the strongest person I know sick and weak. But she is getting back to her princess status! Yes my mom is a princess!

But moving on to another subject. While I was back and forth from Memphis to Nashville and not sleeping much and being busy I did not have time to cook meals or anything. I did not eat too well last week... I am not happy with it. I ate fast food and let me tell you I literally do NOT like it anymore. I use to love eating fast food but now it is gross to me. I talked with my mom about how I wasn't doing well on my diet. She was telling me if this is something I want I can't let myself relapse into the old ways. I completely agree with her and I realized that I do not think I could ever eat like I use to. I mean I'd rather just starve then eat greasy fast food. Haha! I guess last week was kind of like a test. I know that I need to continue to move forward with my diet and work harder.

Speaking of hard...my diet has been a real struggle lately. I work out and eat right but wouldn't lose weight. It can get really frustrating, I felt as if my hardwork was not paying off. It's like I hit 55 pounds and well i'm done. But I won't let this plateau keep me from reaching my goals, which I definitely let it get to me and maybe that is why I wasn't doing well on my diet last week. I talked to a few people and they say sometimes when you start losing weight after awhile you have to start working a little bit harder than you started because your body is use to the same routine. Now I do not know if this is true...I am not a doctor or nutritionist! Haha!

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy week!

A little bit goes along way

I am down 54 pounds! I am just tickled to death! I cannot believe it! I am so glad that after a couple of setbacks the past few weeks I am here and losing! Sometimes I think how can I workout and eat healthy but not lose? Sometimes this happens but I just make sure to track and eat right! Look at these two pictures...one is before and the other is now....I'm sure you can figure that one out on your own! LOL!

I thought I would throw another post out this week. I've been doing super well so far! I've worked out and stocked the fridge with goodies (all healthy of course!).

I get a periodical emails from weight watchers and contain some wonderful articles. I feel like there is someone sitting at their corporate office and knows what I am feeling because the articles say what I'm feeling. I read one called "Maintaining Your Fitness Momentum"

Let's be real....working out can be a pain. We do not enjoy it at the time but do feel better about ourselves afterwards. I know there are days after work I just want to come home but I have my gym clothes packed in my car and stop at the gym before heading into my apartment.

The first thing that was pointed out was one of the first setbacks a person can come across is lack of confidence. We try to do too much too fast. I can contest to that. I think I should be able to run a marathon but for someone with a very small background of exercise I know that being at an advance level right away is about as likely as me becoming a victoria secret model. Not going to happen.

You have to slow your way into working out. If you want to be a runner then start with the couch to 5k program. I am a huge supporter of this! It really helps! I also suggest the Nike Training Club app! It's awesome for so many different work outs at different levels! The article said that you have to change up your workout routine sometimes to stay on the ball. Changing your workout can be fun and beneficial!

So we can all do this together! Set some goals and get going! Don't start with a hardcore 7-day workout but maybe a couple of days a week just to get the ball rolling! Once you get the ball running anything is possible!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Make sure to stay on track I know the weekend is hard!

Mother/Daughter Taco Cabbage Soup

Hello everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the nice fall weather coming in. I am now that my allergies are calming down and getting adjusted to the weather. The fall is my favorite time of the year. I really get in the mood for soups and let me tell you my mom has a stack full of delicious soup recipes. I mean the best are usually ones she throws together and I always forget sometimes to write down what she makes but there is one in particular I've always liked and it is probably the easiest to make.

My roommate and I were talking about making chili and I couldn't find a recipe online that I just had to make/looked good. So I remembered that my mom emailed me about two years ago her taco cabbage soup recipe and I have had it saved in my inbox. I thought what a perfect timing to bring it out!

I changed it up a bit but it turned out just as yummy as I remember. I could give my mom a run for her money. Hehe. (love you mom!)

So here it is I shall call this Mother/Daughter Taco Cabbage Soup! I feel like this is super appropriate and a great way to honor my mom. Look we share a recipe now!


Mother/Daughter Taco Cabbage Soup
Serving Size: 6
WW+ Points: 5 
Calories: 229, Fat: 4.9g, Carbs: 10.5g, Fiber: 3.3g, Protein: 36.5g

Ingredients:
1lb Lean Ground Beef
1 Head of Cabbage-Chopped
1 Onion- Chopped
2 Packets of Low-Sodium Taco Seasoning
3 Cans of Fat Free, Low Sodium Beef Broth
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Can Rotel Tomatoes
1 Can Dark Kidney Beans 

Directions:
1. Cook ground beef and make sure to drain well to get all the grease out!
2. Cut up Cabbage and chop onion
3. Mix everything together in a large pot on the stove and cook on Medium-High for 35-45 minutes

Browning the meat! Takes maybe 5 minutes.

Literally just put everything in a pot! Super easy to make!

Turns out like this and is super yummy!!!!

I recommend putting a little shredded cheese on top to give it a little something extra! But I mean this is easy that anyone can make this! If you are a busy person just prepare it all and let it cook on the stove while you have other things to do!