Changes...

EEK! I just noticed that it has almost been a month since I last posted.  I am so sorry! That just goes to show how fast time really does fly!  So much has happened in the past few weeks!!  I have changed programs and jobs.  I have realized that if I actually live in the town that I live in, I pretty much love the town I live in.  :)  I have become the happy girl I always knew I was.  YAY!!

I have stopped TSFL and using Medifast products.  Turns out that out here in the real world, working a job where I am constantly busy: using MM just doesn't work for me. I was unable to eat all of my meals each day and also unable to get in all the additional foods I was supposed to be eating.  Call it poor time management, or poor prepping or just poor excuses!  Whatever it was, it just was not working for me.  So I have spent the last week or so not on any program.  :/ I have been very good though, eating little to no breads/pastas/rice, eating mainly lean & green, and I have added exercise! 

I have started out with going on a walk every day, and today (after I am finished with this post) I will begin doing a HIIT workout, which will be done at least 5 days a week.  I am going to use Jullian Michaels '30 Day Shred' or a video from my TIU girls!  I am super excited to see the results from working out.  Just from lifting wine cases I can already see definition in my arms!! :) Also, with my job, I am on my feet for at least 5 hours a day! Huge difference from sitting on my bum for 8+ hours a day!

Starting on Saturday I will begin the TIU plan! I am so excited to continue my journey with this community, and make it my lifestyle!  I saw a quote the other day, "I am not on a diet, I am just eating healthy".  All of the sudden, the light bulb came on! DUH!! America has this predudice against eating healthy.  Apparently, if you are eating properly, then you are on a diet.  Come on people! Wake up!!! You wouldn't fill your car with shit fuel, so why are we putting shit food into our bodies?! We have been so brainwashed into feeling guilty if we are eating healthy.  It's time to put a stop to it!! Why do we feel like we get to reward ourselves with pizza 3 nights a week?! Or again, in the morning?!  Its fine to indulge every once in a while, but every day of the week?! No one is that good!! Just by me changing my eating habits the other people in my household are also.  Maybe not entirely by choice, but they are eating more veggies, less carbs and feeling much better about themselves.  (ok, stepping off of my soap box)

So, TIU! Otherwise known as Tone It Up, Or Karena & Katrina.  They are two amazing girls who have found what works best for them, and girls in general, and have put it out there for the rest to use!!  I have purchased the whole Nutrition Guide, and I am getting ready to begin with a 7DSD (7 Day Slim Down) on Saturday.  Their whole philosophy is to eat 5 small clean, lean & green meals a day and make sure you are putting in what your bodies need at the right time.  :)  

I promise to try to blog more with this program.  As I will be making/prepping all of my meals I will have a TON to tell you all about!!! :) 

PS.  I ended Medifast 26 lbs lighter than I began.  :) I will take all new measurements on Saturday morning!! 

Have an amazing day to you all!! and maybe, think twice about what you are putting in your mouth... ;)

Changes

April has been a little crazy for me! Maybe even a lot crazy!! I've been making a few changes in my life; changing careers/jobs, deciding how to continue my weight loss journey w/out the funds I currently have, re-organizing my priorities and HITTING THE 20 LBS LOSS mark! Plus lots more is always going on in the Thompson household! :) 

First: You heard/read me right, I hit the 20 lbs lost mark!! The picture I'm putting up is from my one month date of April 9th.  But I hit 20lbs and under 170 on April 20th.  I stuck with TSFL for the most part.  I hit a few bumps here and there, and took 3 days off intentionally to enjoy some time with my friends.  It was definitely hard work at times, but the payoff makes it all well worth it!

Now don't worry, I'm not stopping there! I'm still going with TSFL.  I have 3 weeks of my MM's all separated into daily bags, pretty sure towards the end I have some days w/2 pancakes, 2 brownies and a bar! haha!!  But those 3 weeks will be the end of my TSFL journey.  Main reason being that I will no longer be able to afford it.  :/  The prices went up and my paycheck is going down.

As I briefly mentioned, I am changing my job.  For many reasons, but the big one is I am ready to be home.  If you don't know, for the last 1 1/2 I have worked 120 miles from home 3+ days a week.  Meaning: I am gone from Saturday afternoon until at least Tuesday morning every week.  On top of being gone, I work graveyard.  So unlike all of you lucky souls, I am AWAKE during night and sleeping away soundly during the day (on days that I work).  Which may work for some, (those of you I applaud), but for me I am ready to join the world of the living.  No more night owl, vampire, nocturnal hours for this girl!  Now, I am going from my awesome career with great pay and benefits, back to serving; with awesome customers, great tips and a more active lifestyle.  But mainly, I get to sleep in my own bed, with my very own handsome man, EVERY night.  

I will be changing my weight loss journey also.  Through another blog, I have discovered the Tone It Up program!  It is basically eating 5 clean, portion controlled, meals that are designed to be eaten at certain times of the day and to work out for certain times and at certain times.  If you know me, I don't work out.  I never have.  But, I do want to start and start it correctly.  After looking into the program for a week or so, I have made the plunge.  Bought the whole damn program: workouts, recipes, food plans and so on!  I must say, I am super excited!! Will fill you in more as I learn more! :) 

Unfortunately I can't stick with TSFL through the transition and maintenance,  but I think that TIU (Tone It UP) is going to be a good way to transition from MM to whole foods.  It still has the same basic set up as TSFL, but with food food.  :)  Chris is, of course, fully behind this change.  Which trust me, if you are going to make any lifestyle change, make sure you have a great support system!! It is the biggest key!!

He's so cute!!! <3

Since I am still doing TSFL, I might as well give you some recipes and pictures of what I did for this week.  :)  Yesterday evening our kitchen became ground zero!!  Chris kept walking in and directly back out shaking his head.  What?! I had to prep for 4 days! I've been sticking to pretty simple L&G's lately, and I was so sick of them! It was definitely time to shake it up a bit.

Ps, that picture is only half of my counter, all behind me was a close mirror image!! ;) 

With me this week I have Cauliflower Pizza with bell peppers.  It's the first time I've pre-made it to re-heat.  I know it won't as crunchy, but I'm hoping it's at least edible.  Any place I saw said that you should re-heat them in the oven.  Well, I do not have an oven at work.  Gotta make it work, I guess.  I also made a Chicken Enchilada Bake, and asparagus to go with.  (A co-worker of Chris' cut some fresh out of an orchard, and oh goodness!!! Delish!!!)  I made the most amazing Greek Turkey Burgers, with broccoli.  Lastly Mexican Cheesy Dish with salad.    :) I also had been dying to try a "cheesecake" recipe, it was... different.  Kind of more like a souffle ... Still not sure how I felt about...

I will post the recipes tomorrow, or maybe even tonight, but in a different post.

There, now you are all caught up! Busy, busy, busy!! :) I hope you are all having an amazing April!  Get outside, enjoy the beautiful tulips that are EVERYWHERE! :) and Thanks, to all of you who are reading this and keeping me accountable!! <3

Ps.  It was in the stars for all my changes!!

Non Scale Victories!!

This has been an exciting week! For many reasons but mainly: I finally tried on my jeans that I have been dreading putting on, and guess what?! THEY FIT! With a little room to spare!! Phew!! I was so relieved/excited.  I even did a happy dance.  If you are a girl, or guy, who has struggled with weight gain you know what it starts to feel like when your favorite jeans just keep getting tighter and tighter?! It is the worst feeling ever.  Especially if you are like me and are a "jeans and tshirt" kinda girl.  

TSFL & Medifast both have NSV's, Non Scale Victories.  This was my first big one. :) It made my whole day that much better! I was putting off trying my jeans on.  What if they were still super tight? What if I had gained weight?! Right?! Well, I knew that I was on the right track when I put them on and they fit! I've noticed that fatty weight that keeps just melting off of me if definitely coming off of places that I hadn't even thought would ever be small again.  My thighs are shrinking, my waist, my face! I'm just so surprised by the transformation that is happening! Thank you TSFL! You are giving me back my confidence, my love for life!!! <3

My other NSV of this week is, I went out to a local Pub last night and drank... WATER! Even though all I wanted was a big fat Costco size glass of wine last night. ;)  We all have those cravings; whether it be wine, cheesecake or a burger.  We all have days where that is all we want, and all we can think about! Well, that was my yesterday.  With both wine and cheesecake.  :/ (EEK!!) But I stuck to my guns.  I got dressed up as though I was going to go hit the town! (Ps, I live in Small Town USA, We currently have 1 bar open past 10pm).  I think just getting dressed pretty, makeup done, hair done, cute clothes, helped me so much.  

I have stuck to my plan completely for 10 days now.  If you've been reading along with me, that's the longest I've gone w/o cheating.  And I am in NO hurry to begin cheating! I am going to stick with this! Soon those jeans will be falling off of me, and I can not wait!!  

I am learning with my L&G to keep it simple, stupid! There is no point in making a whole separate meal just for me.  Especially when Chris & Sydney are so easy to cook for.  (Unless they want pizza, or something I really can't eat).  For example, dinner tonight is: pork chops marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, some steak seasoning and oregano.  Along with roasted asparagus (LOVE) and zucchini!! Sydney gets to have rice and a roll with hers! Super sonic easy right?! :) 

Speaking of dinner, I'd better get off the computer and get to cooking!!! Hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather!! <3 

Weigh in & TSFL Recipes

Weigh in day 3!! :) I am down to 176.8, which means since the very beginning I have lost 10 pounds! WOOHOO! Since beginning TSFL I have lost 5.8 pounds! In 3 weeks!! I am so excited! I can definitely see the difference.  Chris and I were talking late last night, and I was telling him how yesterday, for the first time, I could see my face becoming slimmer.  My yoga pants and scrubs are fitting better! I'm still a little too afraid to try on my jeans! I'll give that another few days.  LOL  Point is: I can see the difference! :) In as little as 3 weeks! 

Yesterday I promised you  TSFL friendly recipes, and here they are!! (these are not approved by NS, this is what I have estimated them to equal.)

Baked Turkey Spinach Meatballs

1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup Chopped Onion

2 Garlic Cloves (we used minced, so I did 2 tsp)

1 tsp salt (we use kosher)

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper (I have not figured out how to measure f.g.p, so I estimate)

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4-1/2 tps red pepper flake

16 oz frozed spinach (after thawing and draining, mine weighed 13 oz)

2 TBS Worcestershire

1/2 cup egg beaters

2 1/2 lbs ground Turkey (the leaner the better, I used 98% fat free)

1. Set oven to 400 degrees

2. Saute onion, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano and red pepper flakes together with olive oil over medium heat.

3. Thaw and drain your spinach, add to onion mixture until well combined.

4. Combine turkey, egg beaters, Worcestershire and onion/spinach mixture.  Mix.  (I used my hands) 

5. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.  Weigh out 1 oz portions of turkey mixture.  Roll into balls.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature is 165 degrees.

This made 55 meatballs for me, I separated them into 6 bags of nine.  With one leftover for Chris to try.  He liked it! :)

1 lean portion w/ 2/3 of 1 green.  So you will need to add 2 1/3 Green to this.  It also has all of your condiments for the day, but you should add at least 1 healthy fat, if not a little extra.  :)

Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

1 head of Cauliflower

1 cup of egg beaters

1/2 cup reduced fat mexican blend shredded cheese

1/2 cup moderate fat mozzarella

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1. Cut cauliflower into small pieces, boil until very soft.  

2. Mash cauliflower.  (I used a whisk) 

3. Add egg beaters, cheese and spices.

4.  Heat pan on medium, spray with Pam.

5.  Make patties.  (I used a measuring cup to scoop, and flattened with a spatula.)

6. Fry on both sides, about 3-4 minutes each side.

I made 9 patties total, and had 3 count per meal.  So 3 patties equals 3 Green and a little over 1/3 Lean.  

Have a great day!!! And an amazing Easter!!! <3

Back and Going Strong

Wow, this week has flown by! I can't believe it is already Friday!! That's exciting for all of you M-F workers!!! Unfortunately that means today is my Sunday and it is back to work tomorrow for me! Today is day 5 of being back OP (on plan).  I am feeling great, ready to not cheat at all and keep going strong through the end! :) I'm not weighing in until tomorrow which will be my 3rd weigh in since beginning this journey.  I'll update ya when I see the numbers tomorrow. 

With it being Friday, my prep day, I am going over and over my recipes that I keep adding to my Slimproject folder on Pinterest!! I think I have decided with a Baked Turkey Spinach Meatball recipe and a Cheesy Cauliflower Pancake.  Can you say yum?!  I'll put the links to the original recipe at the end of this post and post my "TSFL friendly" version later today.  I still need one more meal, I'm sure I'll come up with something delicious!! :) 

Yesterday, I was reading a friend of mines blog; she is also on a weight loss journey.  She said that she keeps getting discouraged due to the fact that she is an instant gratification kind of girl.  Let me tell you, when I read that I yelled "Oh man, Me TOO!!!!"  I think that has been part of my problem; I want what I want, and I want it NOW!! 

Didn't our mothers always preach "patience is a virtue" and "squeaky wheel gets the grease"?  Well, at least my mom did.  :) (She has plenty more sayings like that also).  I am so not patient, nor do I particularly care to be 'squeaky'.  Maybe this is the time when patience becomes part of our lives, I guess I am in my mid-20's it is time to learn some patience.  I'm trying, really!!  Keep with me, and I'll make it to the end.  Just you wait and see!!

For those of you who are also on TSFL, I have a few tricks that I've learned along with way w/MM.  
*Hot Cocoa: Only add 1-2 TBL of hot water, mix until all the powder is gone, then add the rest of your hot water.  This makes for a nice smooth, no lumps cocoa.
*Brownie & Soft Bake: Adding 2 1/2 TBL of water, mix well, microwave for 1 min 15 seconds.  
*Mac & Cheese: (not a big fan), but if you mix a TON of fresh ground pepper and make sure to either eat it quickly or take big drinks of water after every bite... it makes it bearable.  
*Shakes: The colder the water the better
*Soups/Stews: Add the water 12+ hours in advance and let it soak!!!!
*Pancakes: Spray mug with Pam, mix pancake and 1/4 cup of water until most of the lumps are gone.  Microwave for 1 min 20 seconds.  Makes a little pancake muffin.  :) I cut mine into 8 bit-size pieces and add a little SF syrup.  YUM!

*One avocado is 2 healthy fat servings! (learned last night) 

well, that's it for now! It is beautiful outside, I have my tennis shoes on and all ready to go on a walk then to the grocery store! I sure do love living in a small town!!! Stay tuned for my updated recipes with lots of pictures!!! 

<3

Websites Mentioned:
Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes
Baked Turkey Meatballs
Jones to Borninkhof

Oops, I did it again...

Whew, finally, in my house and on my couch with no where to go! The last month has been so busy and definitely kept me on the run.  Although, I can't complain too much.  I have a great job and a loving boyfriend & step-daughter to come home to.  :)  I am so thankful to him and my family!! They have been so supportive and accepting.  Chris even makes sure that whatever he is making for dinner is something I can eat.  We had steak and shrimp w/asparagus and zucchini! Yumm!! I love that I live w/a chef.  ;)  He made sure to make mine completely on plan and weighed out exactly right.   

I bet you are wondering how I am doing with TSFL.  It has been a while since I wrote a post, my apologies.  Well, here it is: I fell off the wagon this weekend.  :( I was doing so so great, lost another 1+ pound, meaning 5 total.  WooHoo!! But, this weekend we had a family reunion.  It was absolutely lovely to see all my family that I hadn't seen in ages.  I kept pretty on point through the buffet line with amazing pasta salads, and top raman salads, I even avoided all the rolls.  I had meatballs with my mom's homemade Orange Chili Marmalade (OMG! YUM!!), I had some BBQ shredded pork w/o the additional BBQ sauce, and a couple salads.  Pretty good, right?! 

Then I saw the dessert table.  EEK!!! Now, let me back track and make sure you know that the night before I had made 2 different kinds of cupcakes and didn't have any! But, when I saw a lemon cheese cake and my mom's banana-nilla wafer pudding! I lost control! Now, I only had a little bit, but still.  WAAAAAAYYYYYY not on my plan.

But, life happens and you just back on the horse.  Right?  I should have been back on that horse today, but I am taking to today off as well.  I will get back on plan, I promise.  Either tomorrow or when I go back to work on Wednesday.  Right now, I just want to relax.  I have just been so darn busy, and having to eat every 2-3 hours just seems like a pain today.

I know, I'm making excuses.  I do promise, to all of you and more importantly to myself, I will be back on plan by Wednesday at the latest.  

Hope you all are enjoying our beautiful weather! :) I know we have been!! Have a great day and an amazing week!!

Weigh In Day!!

So, the day I have been scared of, arrived.  Weigh in day.  I was supposed to weigh in on Saturday, which I will be doing from now on, but I did not pack my scale to go to conference.  But, good news, I lost 3.8 lbs.  :) Woohoo! I was honestly quite nervous.  :/  Only reason I was nervous is because I never feel hungry.  Oh, and because I totally cheated and had dessert when we went out to dinner on my conference.  And, it wasn't just a piece of pie or cake, we were at a buffet, I tasted quite a few different things.  Oh man, I felt so sick & guilty afterwards.  I don't think I will be cheating again for quite a while.  

Other than my one time cheating, the conference went great!! :) I ate my meals that I packed drank PLENTY of water and stayed right on course.  Minus a small detour.  Oops!  We learned quite a bit to take home and use in our sleep lab, we also sat through a lot of Dr's talking about genetics and different types of blood tests and stuff that was waaaay over my head.  But I did understand some of it, mainly that the future of Sleep Medicine is changing, drastically.

The drive home on Sunday was beautiful! It quite raining shortly after I left.  Unfortunately it was incredibly windy almost the entire drive.  But still, we live in a beautiful area.  :)

I thought this picture was quite fitting for the day.  It was St Patricks Day, my favorite holiday next to my birthday.  This picture really reminds me of being in Ireland.  Perfect! Well, minus the whole driving on the right side of the road part.  ;)  I made it home safe and sound, half an hour sooner than I expected.  :) 

I made Syndey (My Step-Daughter) and I a delicious dinner of chicken & broccoli, with salad for me and rice for her.  I butterflied the chicken to cook faster added red pepper flakes (to mine), garlic powder, rosemary and kosher salt then cooked it on the stove-top.  I added 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese and a bit of shredded cheese to my broccoli, Syd isn't a big fan of cheese.  And I had a little salad to make up the rest of my green.  Amazing how easy it is to make dinner while on TSFL, but still feeding a growing 15 year old!!

  

To start week 2! I am 179.8 and I am also back to work today.  I feel like I have been working for 2 weeks straight! I am so ready for my week off that is coming in just 2 short days! :)  Tonight I packed all my MM's, the other half of my tuna from conference and "mashed cauliflower".  It isn't exactly mashed, since I can never get the right consistency when I "mash" it, so I blended it! :) With 2 laughing cow cheese wedges, I used Swiss and Sun-Dried Tomato(?), and salt and pepper! I like it, well enough.  Chris DID NOT like it! But he is a potato lover through and through!! <3 I must give him a round of applause for always trying whatever concoction I come up with.  That's love, lemme tell ya!! 

I'm not quite sure if I will make cauliflower that way again, it wasn't my favorite way of having cauliflower.  By far, it is the pizza! YUMMO!!  This week I am definitely going to try the Mockeroni and Cheese (haha!!), how could I not?!  

I am loving finding all these amazing recipes and trying new foods!  I'm sure I will soon be making my own TSFL friendly meals, until then.  I'm good with the ones already out there!! www.Sandyskitchenadventures.com has been my life saver so far!! 

Well, time for me to go eat my tuna lettuce wraps and "mashed" cauliflower!! Have an amazing night/day!! <3