And I'm back! And married!

So, confession- I’ve forgotten how to eat well. I was talking to Brooke on the phone the other night, and told her I had gone to the grocery store and struggled, wandering the aisles attempting to find something healthy, tasty, and easy to make for dinner.  Her response? “umm why don’t you print one of your old blog posts and read it?” So I’m coming back to the blog to try and put the pieces together again.

Brief recap of my eating over the past 10 months I’ve gone without blogging! I’m sure you were all dying of suspense over whether or not the food-stressed bride got it together and lost 20 lbs  OR if the pressure had pushed me in the opposite direction and I ended up gaining weight before the wedding?

And the final answer is…  I felt good on my wedding day.  I wasn’t the skinniest I’ve ever been, and I never lost that magical 5 lbs everyone said would drop off the week of the wedding. But I managed to take off somewhere around 10 pounds and it was enough to let me feel pretty, but still look like myself. Ok fine, if you insist… I’ll share some pics :)

So, to get back to the reason I am so food ignorant lately- since I last blogged I’ve gone on a cooking hiatus.  First I joined Jenny Craig (don’t judge, it was desperate times).  It worked, however I didn’t feel good about the food I was eating. It may have been low-cal, but I wouldn’t call it “healthy”.  Following Jenny, Chris and I both did The Fresh Diet, which delivers fresh meals to your door daily.  Now THIS is a miracle worker.  The food is great, very healthy, and when I followed it strictly, I lost weight (meaning not drinking wine with it). Chris lost over 20lbs on the diet, which is amazing!

So, all of this leads me up to the wedding, October 8^th, a magical magical day, followed by an even more amazing honeymoon in the British Virgin Islands during which I ate, drank and relaxed to my hearts content.

Paradise in the BVI with my husband! :)

And now here I am, feeling like a beginner all over again, helplessly wandering the isles of grocery stores.   Now that the weddings over, it’s back to reality, time to just get back to living what I like to call “healthy” normal.  It’s enjoying life and food- but minding portions, planning ahead, and making good choices.  First step, re-reading old blogs!

XOXO

Chel

Big News! (and Operation Beautiful Bride...)

SO HAPPY!!

I'm ENGAGED!! I am so incredibly happy to share that Chris proposed on New Years and I said YES!  If you've read the blog for a while, you'll see mentions of Chris pop up quite a bit. There has never been a day he didn't support me, tolerate me, or motivate me along my healthy living journey and I am so lucky and excited to share the rest of my life with him.
SHORT version engagement story (for the girls): We were flying to Denver for a fun New Years Eve weekend, and final Chargers game of the season. Chris had previously planned an outdoor proposal but it was 7 DEGREES out so plans changed into him booking me a pedicure in the beautiful spa in The Brown Palace Hotel where we were staying.  I still had my toes drying on the tub when he came in with roses, champagne and the most beautiful, perfect ring I've ever seen in my entire life. (Thank you http://www.antiqueengagementrings.com/ !!! )  It was an incredible proposal and I couldn't say yes fast enough. The rest of the weekend was a blur of fun, excitement, and romance in beautiful snowy Denver. A magical, happy, happy trip that I will never forget.
So... that being said, and this STILL being a health blog (I will try not to bore you with endless wedding planning details) I am obviously on to the next step- Plan Bride. 

I don't want to just look good on my big day, I want to look ridiculously amazing.  I want to look better than I ever have in my entire life. What does that mean? Getting to my goal weight, having buff bridal arms, and definitely a full blown hair and makeup team (you can't do it all yourself!).
Our wedding date is still being worked out, but the soonest would be this fall, which gives me at least 9 months to get my butt in gear which is PLENTY of time to make a big difference in a healthy way. 

So how am I going to tackle this challenge? I'm joining Weight Watchers! They have recently revamped their program to put more of an emphasis on healthy or whole food eating, while still using a Points system.  I've seen many friends on their previous points system lose weight, keep it off, and use the skills and tools learned in WW to maintain healthy eating. My main reason for joining is the accountability and progress tracking- a weekly weigh in is huge motivation for me. My first meeting is this Saturday- I'll let you know how it goes!
As for working out- I'm continuing Bar Method.  I'm trying to get there 4x week- and I am already SO much stronger than when I started.  I also signed up for the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in June.  This is a 10k course full of mud, obstacles, and screaming army Sargents.  I'm terrified but excited and know having this goal will motivate me to get back into running.

So that's what's new with me! Once the crazy engagement celebration weekend was over, these last few week's I've been focusing on getting back to healthy eating, food journaling and counting calories. The thing that's most amazing to me (that I had somehow forgotten) is what great food you can eat while still counting calories! This morning for breakfast, I had topped a piece of Ezekial toast with a fried egg and cut up chicken sausage and Laughing Cow light cheese- for a delicious and filling breakfast that was only 235 calories! And for lunch I had a frozen Amy's brand organic cheese enchilada with beans and corn that was SO cheesy and delicious for only 370. Get ready for lots of upcoming blogs with meal ideas, recipes and product recommendations! It can be fun to eat right. :)
XOXO
Chel
PS. Sad news on my NYE little black dress.  It was still too tight so I wore a different outfit instead (which must not have been too bad, Chris proposed after all :) Maybe I'll save the dress for my rehearsal dinner- by then it should be falling off!

Blog #100! What I've learned...

It feels like such a milestone to reach my 100th blog! Now if only I could have lost a pound for every blog.... Ok fine, that's a little extreme :)

What have I learned from 100 blogs? That losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle is hard work. That there are no quick fixes and it is a lifetime journey. On the upside- it's possible! Anyone can lose weight and change their lives. All it takes is commitment to yourself and the choice to live consciously and make health a priority. The following ideas may be simple, but they have made me a much healthier, happier person than I was 100 blogs ago.

"Rules To Live By"

•  Diets don't work. Lifestyles do.
• Any food is OK if you only have it once in a while.
• Eating out basically doubles calorie count in food compared to preparing it at home.  
• Food journaling WORKS.  
• Calorie Counting is not fun, but it gets easier. 
• Use failure as a motivator, not as an excuse to give up. 
• Weigh yourself once a week. More can get obsessive, less and you can let weight gain go unnoticed. 
• Never let yourself feel "starving". 
• Reward yourself for successes with non-food incentives. 
• Surround yourselves with supportive friends and family and share your goals with them.
• Eat breakfast every day. No excuses.
• Food should make you feel good.  Pay attention to how you feel after you eat. 
• Eat whole foods.  Meaning the original form they come in. The less processing the better.
• Snacks are critical. 
• Invest in yourself. Have a good pair of running shoes. It's worth shopping around to find the right fit.
• Preparation, both mentally and physically is THE MOST important part of staying on track. 
• It's not a good workout unless you sweat a lot. 
• Be supportive of other people's weight loss goals. Don't compare yourself to others.
• Don't drink soda or juice with calories.  Artificial sweeteners aren't good either. 
• If you fall "off the wagon" - get back on.
• Do it for you. 

 Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. -Henry David Thomas
Who knows what I'll know after my next 100! Stay tuned....
XO
Chel

Back on the Bootcamp Bandwagon...

As of this morning I'm once again committed to the 12 week torture program "Fit To Wed" http://www.getfit2wed.com/ to be whipped into shape.  3x a week, two 75 minute workouts, one 90 minute workout.  Combine that with calorie counting and food journaling (they check to make sure you're doing it!) and I think I can hit my goal weight, which happens to be a New Years Resolution of mine.  No time like the present! (I'm strangely chipper for a Monday)
Waking up today and knowing that I'm on the program actually felt like more of a relief than anything.  I'm looking forward to getting back on track and feeling good.
Bootcamp was what motivated me to create this blog in the first place, and I'm sure that it's going to provide PLENTY of inspiration which I will obviously continue to share! Stay tuned...
XO
Chel

Miss Me?

Where to start? First by apologizing for how LONG it’s been since I blogged, obviously you were all dying of anticipation. Second- to tell you that unlike Brooke’s prediction for why I wasn’t blogging “Oh I thought you probably just got fat and didn’t want to talk about it” (thanks for the support B) I’ve actually just had a really busy past month and as I was struggling to find time to exercise and eat decently- well, writing about it kind of became last priority.

Or maybe I just didn’t want to confess my addiction to Easter Candy :)

But today I’ve got a topic I wanted to share- Chris and I are headed to Vegas this weekend and in preparation have decided to cut carbs and sugar for the next two days till we go. Obviously I’m not going to get a 6 pack in the next 48 hours, but sometimes even just feeling a little bit thinner or having a slightly flatter stomach can make you feel a lot better in a bathing suit (weather forecast says it’s going to be 80 degrees!). Funny though because I realized how HARD it is, without proper preparation to cut carbs from your diet! This morning I woke up and had a hard boiled egg for breakfast (thank you Easter Bunny) and tried to pack some things for lunch but the only thing I was able to grab was a string cheese. Think I’ll be heading out to find a salad today! Anyway it inspired me to find a list of foods that had I been a little more prepared would have been helped me stock my fridge for a carb free week.
I decided to go the South Beach Diet way, as compared to Adkins because my brain just refuses to accept I’d do my body any bit of good by eating bacon, eggs, and cheese for the next two days (although it kind of sounds fun to try!) South Beach Diet is more of a moderate low carb diet that isn't as high fat and more "good carb" friendly. However, their phase one which I decided to loosely replicate, is pretty strict and what they have you stick to in the beginning of the diet to jumpstart weight loss.

It recommends VEGGIES, lean proteins, light cheese & dairy products and a limited amount of nuts. No carbs, fruit, sugar. See here for a phase one shopping list:
http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/shoppinglist_p1.htm.
If you are looking to jump start your weight loss, or get back on track, put down the bread basket and take a week or two to clean up and simplify your eating habits.
I’ll let you know how it works for me- although I’m pretty sure the Vegas weekend will quickly undo any forward progress- but I’ll plan to go back on this eating plan for a few days when I get back.
Missed blogging! Fun to be back and promise to try to be better!
XO
Chel

Dinner Table Magic

I just read this blog and fell in love with it.

http://foodtruthandbeauty.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/gratitude-and-judith-jones/

People are often surprised to hear I like to cook and I've had friends shake their heads in disbelief that I'd actually enjoy spending hours on a recipe, but for me so much of the pleasure comes from the environment and experience that is created through cooking. Reading this author's post really struck a cord in me and I wanted to share it.

Highlights from her blog:

I cannot imagine not sharing my kitchen, my cooking, the experience of eating, the joy of a lazy evening, with the people that are dear to me. Not one single person could go missing without drastically altering the fabric of my life; especially my husband. To me, the table is such a sacramental place. How enormously blessed am I that I don’t have to sit at it alone?

One of the most memorable (albeit simple) moments of my life was a time when Jon and I had just finished a delightful, weeknight meal; our home smelled delicious, candles were lit, music drifted through the house and my belly was full. I specifically remember that my feet were stretched out and resting on the empty chair that sits across from me at our table, glass in hand, mind at rest. I was struck, at that moment, with the sheer joy of being exactly where I was. (A very rare moment for me and my chaotic mind!)

She says it all so much better than I ever could. But truly, food and cooking isn't only about what you eat. It's the environment you create and the ability to share and experience that with others. Many of the favorite memories of my own life have been strikingly similar, revolving around a dinner table filled with food, friends, conversation and laughter at the end of a day.

Thank you to all the friends, family and loved ones that I've ever been fortunate enough to share a table with.  Cheers to more dinners ahead!
XO

Chel

Back to Life, Back to Reality...

Much to say! I did manage to survive an AMAZING Vegas trip with the girls. Long story short- cancelled flight/crazy rain = equally crazy 6hr drive to Vegas! You can't say we're not committed to a good time!

THE weekend, as expected, was filled with excessive eating and drinking. In fact, we spent 5 hours at the Bellagio buffet drinking endless mimosas and snacking on omelets, pizza, sushi, really anything our inner fat girls desired :) Not a proud moment (blog wise) but one I wouldn't trade for anything.  I'm sure all the laughing and dancing we did over the weekend totally worked it all off. I've heard dancing on tables burns 2x the calories but that could just be a rumor... :)
The return to reality was a rough one this week, I had two days of lengthy meetings on Monday and Tuesday.  I was so proud of myself Monday because despite the meeting and a work dinner at a Mexican food restaurant I managed to stay in my calories (1320 for the day) and not eat a single chip at dinner (HUGE accomplishment).  Yesterday was a different story.  Meeting started at 8am and when I walked in and saw bowls of candy and snack bags of chips on the tables I knew I was in trouble.  But I stayed strong until afternoon, had a relatively light lunch but upon the realization around 2pm that we were going to be there for the rest of our lives, I caved and ate a ton of junk. Literally didn't finish until 9 and I went home with quite a stomachache. 
So now the week is halfway over and I'm feeling halfway back to normal.  Goal for today is to do some grocery shopping so I can be well stocked on healthy options (SUCH a key to success with eating well- I can't say it enough!!). I'm also going to try and fit in a run because my 10k is only about 6 weeks away! Yikes!
XO
Chel
PS. Linds- I know I owe you a snacking/late night eating tips blog- check back tomorrow.  Have you read this post? Snackity Snack Snacks It has some food suggestions that may tide you over.

Are You In Control of What You Eat?

There are very few things an adult person can have 100% control over in their life. Isn't it funny that food is one of them?

Because it is. And it doesn't feel always feel that way.

In a black and white world it would appear that to have control over one's weight and to eat perfectly every day the only things you'd need are knowledge, money and willpower.  Knowledge of what foods are healthy and how many calories you need each day to lose or maintain weight.  Money to spend on purchasing higher quality and/or lower calorie foods and the willpower to eat only those things that are determined good for you. It seems so simple. Yet I know plenty of people (myself included) who have all three of those things- and still struggle and often fail at controlling their eating.

I know how to eat healthy- what food to eat, when to eat it, etc but that doesn't mean I do it. And sometimes it can feel like the part of my life over which I have the least control.  But in reality- I am the only person determining exactly what goes in my mouth every single day.
These thoughts came up after last night when I was home by myself organizing the pantry. I'd had a really good day of eating and was actually thinking about today's blog and considering putting my food journal from the day on the blog.  And then in the back of the cabinet I saw an open bag of potato chips. Regular Ruffles Lays (note- these are NOT usually in my pantry! Chris... ). I don't even love potato chips but in that moment- all thoughts of blogging and calories went directly out of my head. I reached in and grabbed a big handful. My mind was blank. I ate them quickly and once they were gone, the thoughts came rushing back.
"Why did I just do that? Those weren't even good. My hands are all greasy! Guess that ruins tomorrow's blog about my day of great eating...  How many calories was that? Should I throw the rest away? Why can't I control myself?  I kind of want more- maybe just another handful.."
I was able to stop myself from a second handful- but it really got me thinking about WHY I would make the choice to eat them in the first place. There was NOTHING even enjoyable for me about cramming those chips into my mouth. It was a compulsion- almost like an automatic reflex. But at the end of the day the only person accountable for that is me. And it's my goals I'm sabotaging. And for what?   Let me tell you- my rational brain KNOWS that I'll get much more extended pleasure from having my jeans feel loose than mere seconds of potato chip crunching.
Maybe you'd think it's willpower I lacked in that situation. Maybe it was (I never said I had all the answers :) but I think stopping myself from the second handful was willpower.  The first handful felt out of my control- but it wasn't.  I think it was that crazy senseless urge that can overtake even the best intensions and is what kills many typical diets.  Doing perfectly until BAM- something trips you up and then you give up entirely. Those setbacks can make you think you're not good enough or strong enough to maintain a diet- because you don't really have any idea WHY you ate that bagel in the meeting or pulled into the drive thru at lunch. And that's when eating starts to feel completely out of your control and you figure you might as well give up.  I spent a lot of my life angry at myself for not being "strong" enough to diet and hating myself each time I failed.
Which is why I'm done dieting. This is a lifestyle change.  It's permanent.  It's not going away- even if I had eaten the whole bag of chips.  Nothing is ever ruined, I just have to keep trying, waking up each day and making as many good choices as I can. Even when you let yourself down, the ability to forgive yesterday's mistakes and move on what is going to help you maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.  I don't think there's a magic "something" that will give me 100% control and stop me from ever giving in to a craving, or mindless eating or an occasional binge. I believe the key to weight loss is perseverance. Accepting your mistakes and moving on- committed to doing better the next day.
Live in the moment and try to make each choice a good one.  Not for a week, not for a month, but for the rest of your life. I'll leave you with a quote I liked out of my bootcamp journal. "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."- Maria Robinson
Good luck! Make good choices today!
XO
Chel

The Biggest Loser & Learning to Love Yourself :)

Did anyone watch the finale last night of The Biggest Loser? Check out the picture of the winner on the right! I don't watch the show on a regular basis, but was flipping channels and got hooked. Talk about inspiring. It's almost mind blowing the amount of weight these people loose- by the end they are literally half of their former selves. Because it was a finale they show a recap of each contestant's journey, and they were consistently loosing 8-15 pounds PER WEEK. I can't even imagine that. It's amazing to watch the contestants push themselves and makes me grateful I never had to start from such a challenging weight, one girl weighed in at 400+. I thought it was pretty fascinating although I almost wanted to laugh a little as I saw Jillian (the hard core trainer who I WISH lived at my house!) screaming at these people as they are visibly struggling and crying on a treadmill yelling "It doesn't matter that your mother never loved you. Do this for you!" She is serious! It was almost like intensive therapy. What I thought was interesting (and it could be part of the screening process to even be considered for the show) but how many of these seriously overweight people had experienced some sort of major trauma in their life, like the death of a loved one or family member that was the "trigger" for the weight gain. It seemed like in those cases- it was critical for the person to get past that in order to "love themselves" enough to put their health first and start loosing weight.

Although I don't have any major issues to get past- I was thinking about how an average person could apply the same philosophy to their own weight loss. And I was trying to think if there was anything that mentally "clicked" for me when I started this weight loss journey. I think a lot of people struggle with committing time and spending money on their health. But in order to lose weight, or get fit, you HAVE to put yourself first and make taking care of your body a top priority in your life.

If you are not quite there yet- feeling like you're ready to make a life change, but not quite sure how or not convinced that "this time" will be any different than any other- I'm going to make some recommendations. Please do not think I am getting preachy- obviously I'm still a work in progress, but these are a few things I feel like really worked for me.

-Make A Drastic Change. Mine was signing up for boot camp. The financial commitment was enough to make me not want to "waste" it. And the boot camp itself wasn't easy either- it was a DRASTIC lifestyle change for me to be doing hard core workouts 3 days a week.

-Make a Commitment to someone other than yourself. This is huge. For me- my accountability partners were Chris & Julia. Chris and I had a deal that he would pay for half of my bootcamp if I made it to 3 classes a week for the entire 12 weeks. And I did it! It was such a strong motivator for me to go even on the days I dreaded it and we celebrated when I met my goal! Julia was my weekly weigh-in buddy and we would (and still do) text each other our results after our weigh-ins. Speaking of- Jules lost 3 POUNDS this week!! Congrats!

-Give Yourself the Tools You Need to be successful. Here's where the spending $$ comes in to play. Invest in yourself. Whether it's a gym membership, personal trainer, healthy wholesome food, new running shoes- if getting fit is really your #1 priority- and these tools get you working out or eating better- it's so worth it.

-Get To Know Yourself. This one may sound weird- but I think it's key. Spend some time hanging out with yourself. For me- my favorite (and I don't do enough of this) is taking a walk with Ry somewhere beautiful. No blackberry and just my thoughts to keep me company is a really good way to figure yourself out a little. Sometimes I crack myself up. Sometimes I cry. (People may stare. Let them. :) Mostly I just learn to be comfortable with myself, which I think leads to being comfortable with my body- and accepting it as it is.

-Learn To Love Yourself. You knew it was coming :) But seriously. That guy in the picture up top had to get on a scale on Day 1 in front of a TV camera. It takes dedication, hard work, and COMMITMENT to keep going day after day. If he didn't love and value himself he would have given up and would never look the way he does today. And for the rest of us- we have so much less work to do! It's not only doable- we deserve it because we are WORTH it.

Wow- we are getting DEEP today :) and what's really funny is I originally started writing about Taco Bell (or Tbell as it is known to close friends) and somehow that turned into a Biggest Loser/Motivational love yourself thing! Can we talk about how impressed you all are that I can add pictures these days? I wanted to post a photo of my egg/spinach/bell pepper scramble this morning but my camera was dead. :) All in time. Have a great rest of the week- we're half way there!

XO

Chel

My First Blog!

This is exciting... my first blogging attempt! Shoot- now what?? I promised my friends (and only loyal readers) that it would be FUNNY, but that's apparently more challenging then you'd think. I'll work on it guys :)
I'm starting the blog as a way to share my new favorite thing- creating healthy "whole food" meals and snacks. For a little background, about 3 weeks ago I started a Boot Camp Fitness program that also encourages you to eat well (no processed - ok LESS proccessed junk) and stay within a daily calorie range. For me it's about 1250-1450 a day depending on if I'm working out. I was nervous about the challenge, but I've found so many ways and combinations to still be completely satisfied, feeling great and loosing weight.
A great trainer who is running this camp who is the source of any nutrition reccomendations I may give, I'm no expert- just a girl trying to get in shape! The point of the blog is to share what I'm learing, give great product reccomendations, healthy meal menus & ideas, fitness tips, lifestyle stuff... who knows where we go from there! Stay tuned...
XO
Chel