Here's to reaching goals!

S0, it looks like it's been nearly a month since we have had anyone post anything on this blog. Hope everyone is still doing great and working towards their goals.

With the holidays coming up, it's only going to get harder to hit the gym and avoid some of those traditional holidays treats...Mainly Halloween candy, Pies, mashed potatoes and gravy, cookies and egg nog. Yum!

I have to share. I had a breakthrough today and I am officially back to my pre-pregnancy weight and have even exceeded it by a whole pound! I am so stoked! Best thing about this is that I feel amazing, have more energy and It seems like I have a whole new wardrobe [my old skinny clothes]. I can't say it's been easy and that I haven't wanted to give up, but I can say it is SO worth all those early morning classes [where I'm practically stumbling out of bed to get my butt to the gym on time], Avoiding all those delicious looking treats, and just staying focused on what I know will make me happiest.

Anyway, I hope this serves as a motivator. Hearing that other people can do this is what helps me stay focused and hopeful. I have 2 more pounds until I reach my ultimate goal and I know I can do this. Some words of wisdom that I have received have been that getting fit and reaching your goals isn't just something that you stop doing once you have attained your goals, but it's more of a change of lifestyle. I strongly believe this and so far, I think I'm really liking this lifestyle.

P.S. Amy, you're the best workout partner anyone could ask for. Thanks!

Update

Just wondering how everyone is doing out there. Are we sticking to our goals, exercising, and, hopefully, losing weight? I am having a hard time with the eating part of this whole challenge, which I new would be what I would struggle with. I had a few good weeks, but have kind of reverted back to my old binging days. Why does food have to taste AND make me feel so good? Anyways, just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to resist food. Maybe I just need to padlock the door and fridge...

***Some good news is that I lost 2 pounds this week. That sounds better than it really is, cause you see, I gained a pound last week. So, basically I just lost 1 more pound towards my goal. I hope you are all having some success!***

Going Down!

I weighed myself today and I lost another 3 pounds!

Very Berry good!

The weekends are always hard for me to fight off temptation and one thing that made this weekend even worse, was that I wanted a bowl of ice cream. So, yesterday I got online and searched for a healthy low fat treat. I found one, tested it out, and it was delish!

VERY BERRY FROZEN YOGURT

Ingredients:

2 Cups fresh Strawberries or Raspberries

1/3 Cup Sugar

1 2lb container of fat free yogurt. (I used vanilla)

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl smash up berries and stir in yogurt. (I like my ice cream without fruit chunks so I blended all the ingredients together)

2. Pour berry mixture into 2-quart ice-cream freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Scoop into serving dishes or ice-cream cones. (I opted for some fresh banana slices on top)

I loved this recipe. It was refreshing and just what I wanted without feeling guilty about indulging my appetite.

Cream of Zucchini Soup

My mom made this soup and it was so delish. It is pretty healthy too, except for the butter that is! I am sure you could reduce it if you wanted. My mom used skim milk and it tasted great!

Cream of Zucchini Soup

1 large onion chopped
6 T. margarine or butter
6 c. sliced or shredded zucchini (the giant ones with seeds removed work well)
6 c. chicken broth

Simmer onion until soft in margarine. Add zucchini and broth. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes.

Add:
¼ t. ground black pepper
¼ t. nutmeg¼ t. salt

Put all in blender and puree. (may have to do half at a time) Put back in pan and add:
1 ½ c milk or half and half
Heat but do not boil.

Garnish with shredded cheese.

Recipes

I've been searching the internet for healthy recipes. I've found a lot of sites that have "healthy" recipes. Basically any recipe site has a "healthy" section. I stumbled across a particular site that I've really liked.

Diet.com has a lot of different utilities built into it. I spent a bit of time in their Recipe section and I was really impressed. You can sort through recipes by meal(snack, dinner, dessert) or by cuisine(American, Italian, etc) or by Nutrition(calories, fat, etc). And the recipes I've peaked at look really yummy! Also, each recipe has all of the nutritional information posted, so you know exactly what you're consuming.

Take a peak! Maybe some of the other aspects of the site will come in handy as well, I was just looking for recipes in particular.

Weight Loss

I finally lost some weight. 2 lbs actually. I was excited at the weigh in yesterday. I need to measure myself again to see if there are any changes in that area too. However, someone has my tape measurer...you know who you are.

Here is a recipe blog that my cousin has set up. There are only 3 recipes on there right now, but I will tell her to add more. She is freakin skinny, so if she eats like this it should help us all right?

http://skinnychicksforever.blogspot.com/

Everyone keep up the good work!