Personal Update

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, I posted back in May that my hairdresser had found a round bald spot on the underside of my hair during my appointment, and it was causing me a great deal of stress at the time. Ironically, stress is probably what caused the spot, but I'll get to that! haha. Thankfully, it wasn't and isn't much of a cosmetic issue since it is on the underside  of my hair! I thought and prayed about it a LOT, and eventually I got a better attitude. I went to my family doctor, who drew some blood work to see if it was my thyroid causing the problem. Luckily, it wasn't, but that still didn't help me get answers. He referred me to a dermatologist, but, unfortunately, they weren't able to see me until today, about 3 months AFTER I discovered the bald spot. Long story short, I've done a lot of googling between then and now, so I kind of knew what was coming. The dermatologist looked at it and immediately said that it was alopecia areata. Basically, it's a condition that causes a person to lose hair in mostly circular patches. More often than not, it appears for the first time in people younger than me, but it can happen to anyone. It can also be triggered by STRESS, which I think was the cause in my case. The dermatologist was wonderful and comforting. She said that it may never happen again, but I could certainly find other similar spots down the road. She gave me some steroid injections in my scalp (OUCH!!!), and she prescribed me something topical to put on the spot to help the hair grow back. Besides the fact that I felt like someone punched me in the back of the head for a couple hours after my appointment, I'm ok with all of this. I'm happy to have an answer and a treatment!

Anyway, I figured I would give everyone the update. I go back in about 2 months for a check up to see if the treatments have worked. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

I'm back...again.

Sooooo.....I guess it's been a while. I'm going to start off just being completely honest. The reason that I haven't been blogging much lately is because I haven't been GOOD lately. (Yes, I realize that part of the reason I started this blog was for accountability...no need to remind me!) Since my family vacation in June, I've been a human yo-yo. Actually, I'm stuck at the weight I was at at the END OF MAY. *insert horrified facial expressions* I think it goes without saying that I never really got "back on track" after vacation. Summer has been way harder than I could've ever imagined. Lots of trips, holidays, spontaneous dinners with friends, grabbing drinks with coworkers, etc. Usually summer is good for my workout regimen, too, because I love to go walking or running outside, but this summer has been SO HOT and HUMID that I haven't even been motivated! I'm pretty good at making excuses, if you couldn't figure that out for yourself.

Well, this week, all that yo-yo crap ENDS. Hopefully! I have been feeling LESS energetic, LESS motivated, MORE bloated, MORE sluggish, and I know it's all because of what I've been doing to my body this summer.

First, let's look at the bright side. I'm still over 10 pounds less than I was when I started Achieve back in April! :)

I'm just gonna come right out and say that I don't have a step-by-step plan to help get myself over this "hump". Most of my problem this summer has been self control. I stopped saying "no" to my diet demons. Another thing is that I've quit physically writing down my food intake. It's really a struggle for me to do a hand-written food journal, but I think that is part of what helped me during my first month. It's sort of painful to have to actually write down that you caved and had that cookie in the break room at work! (By the way, I RESISTED those delicious looking cookies today!) Since I need a little extra motivation and accountability in this hot weather to get my workouts completed, I've enlisted my boyfriend to be my 2-3 day/week workout partner. Mondays and Wednesdays for 30 minutes we'll do some sort of activity, then we'll pick one day out of the weekend, depending on our plans. So, it's not an exact science, but it's a start.

Even though I haven't been COMPLETELY on track this summer, I have tried several tasty recipes that I'll share with you! I'm not going to list all of my substitutions for every recipe, but I'll give you a list of common substitutions that I use.

• Pasta --> Fiber Gourmet Pasta
• Shredded Cheese --> Kraft Fat-Free Shredded Cheddar and/or Mozzarella
• Sliced Cheese --> Sargent Ultra-Thin Cheese Slices
• Bread --> Aunt Millie's Whole Grain 35-Calorie Bread
• Buns --> Healthy Life 80-Calorie Wheat Buns
• Ground Beef --> 96/4 Lean Ground Beef, 99% Fat-Free Ground Turkey, Ground White Meat Chicken
• Condiments --> Low-Fat, Fat-Free, Reduced Sugar, or Sugar-Free Versions
• Olive Oil --> MCT Oil

If you have ANY questions about how I cooked something or how it turned out, please don't hesitate to comment!

***DISCLAIMER FOR ACHIEVE MEMBERS: Even with substitutions, I know not ALL of these are Achieve-Approved! However, most of them should be, and I would say they're pretty much all "healthy" with the right substitutions! :)

Skinnytaste Weeknight Skillet Sazon Chicken Tenders
Skinnytaste Turkey Stuffed Peppers
Fajita Stuffed Chicken
One-Pot Chicken Fajita Pasta
Chipotle Ranch Dressing
Sheet Pan Chili Lime Salmon
Fajita Burgers
Skinnytaste Baked Chicken Parmesan
Skinnytaste Skinny Buffalo Chicken Strips
Cheesy Baked Pork Chops
Skinnytaste Cheesburger Casserole
Skinnytaste Tomato Tuna Melts
Skinnytaste Loaded "Nacho" Chicken Tostada
Skinnytaste Steak Kebabs with Chimicurri

Crush this week, everyone! 

I'm BAAAAACK!

Hey y'all! It's good to be back. :) You may or may not have noticed that I haven't written a blog in a couple of weeks! I went on vacation with my family last week, and so far this week, I've just been trying to get back into my old routine.

First, let's talk about vacation!!!

We went to Oak Island, North Carolina and stayed in a house on the beach. It. Was. Beautiful. Seriously. The beach was literally right outside our back porch! AND if you didn't want to go to the beach, you could relax in the hot tub in the evening and just enjoy the view. The beach wasn't crowded, everything was clean, and the weather was great. Although I probably could've stayed on the beach all week, we did a few other neat things. We visited two light houses, one in Oak Island and one on Bald Head Island, and the men took a deep sea fishing trip. A few of us also did an evening paddle boarding tour! I'd never done it before, but it was actually a lot easier than I had imagined, and it ended up being a blast! We had a beautiful sunset view, too. On our second to last day, we took some family pictures that turned out to be adorable! We didn't quite have the WHOLE family there, unfortunately. Maybe next time!

One of my very best friends lives near Raleigh, which is only a couple of hours away from where we were, and she was able to come visit for a couple of days. We had our own little photo shoot before she had to leave. It was a blast having her there!

In Achieve, they sometimes describe the lifestyle change as a relationship. If you're doing it right, you're MARRIED to Achieve. You do your best to pair your food correctly, you try to only have two junk days, you drink 64+ ounces of water every day, etc. Well, when I was on vacation (We can probably throw the week before vacation into this category too! Whoops...), I was just FLIRTING with Achieve. I took a lot of my Achieve approved snacks, I got a side salad instead of fries when we stopped at fast food restaurants on the drive, I drank water any time I thought of it, and I tried to keep my portion sizes under control throughout the week(s). I expected to gain some weight, of course, but I only gained 3 pounds between May 23-June 13! (We didn't have a meeting on Memorial Day!) That may not sound so great to some of you, but I am TOTALLY ok with that. I figure some of it is probably water weight anyway, since I hadn't been drinking my normal 20 glasses a day! Now that I'm back home and getting back into my old routines, I'd say I'm DATING Achieve. I've been doing better, but I haven't been quite as diligent as I should be. When you've essentially had 1-2 weeks of junk days, it's hard to gain back your motivation to eat healthy...am I right?!

This week, I discovered a couple of Achieve approved frozen products that I'm gonna be adding to my grocery staples. First, I got some of the frozen Jimmy Dean Frittatas so I could have a grab and go breakfast other than a protein bar. I took those this morning with me to work, and they were delicious! Two of them are 280 calories and have 14 grams of protein. I'm not sure if this was an Achieve approved combination (We're just DATING this week, remember? :P), but I also had a Kroger Carbmaster yogurt with my frittatas, and I was totally satisfied until lunch time came around. Second, I picked up some Sandwich Bros. frozen sandwiches. They come in chicken melt and angus cheeseburger varieties. I had a chicken melt today with a side salad. One tiny sandwich (and I mean TINY) has 160 calories and 11 grams of protein. They may be little, but they sure do keep you full!

As far as workouts go, I've totally been failing. However, yesterday, I got to participate in the BUBBLE RUN! It was a blast. Fun runs are one of the best ways to get me motivated to work out! I'm definitely going to do another one in the near future so I have a reason to get out and run more often. :)

For my next meeting tomorrow, I'm only hoping to lose SOMETHING. I don't care if I lose half a pound or 5 pounds!! Really, as long as I don't gain I'll be happy! I'm going to make a trip to the grocery today, so I can get a few more food staples and stock up on some veggies. I'm also planning on doing some extra FOOD PREP, so I can more easily get back on track. Maybe I'll be ENGAGED to Achieve next week...we'll see! ;)

Hope everyone's had a wonderful weekend! :)

Vacation: Diet friend or foe? You decide!

Happy Tuesday! :) Today is my day off, so it is definitely a happy day for me! In about a week and a half, I'll be heading out on a week-long vacation with my family. There are about 10-12 of us that go every year, depending on who brings friends or boyfriends. I absolutely love this tradition. Sometimes they drive me a little crazy by the end of it, but I wouldn't have it any other way. ;) It's always a great time to be off work and just spend some quality time together. However, it can sure put a damper on your diet. I typically gain weight on vacation, and I think a lot of it is because I think, "It's vacation! I'm going to eat and drink whatever I want, and I'm DEFINITELY not going to exercise." I will say that I have gone into many vacations with the intention of eating healthier than normal or exercising a few times during the week, but, usually, my intentions get de-railed by my own mentality. So, without further ado, let's talk about some strategies to staying healthy on vacation! In case you feel like skipping ahead, I've divided my tips into a few categories: Driving, Flying, Destination, and Cruise. Enjoy!

Driving
Driving an entire day can cause you to burn hundreds of calories less in a day than you normally would burn. Sticking to a few easy rules can help curb weight gain if you're driving to your vacation destination!

1. Prepare ahead of time: Pack a cooler full of water and healthy snacks like veggies, fruit, and protein bars to curb hunger between meals.
2. Hydrate: All the re-circulating air during your drive time can really de-hydrate you, which can make you feel hungry. Try drinking 8 ounces of water before you decide if you really need that next snack!
3. Make the most of your rest stops: Take a 10 minute break to walk around and stretch. Exercising your body when you can will re-energize you and burn a few extra calories to boot!
4. Make healthy choices: This seems like a no-brainer, but choosing healthier options at fast-food joints and restaurants along the way will make you feel less sluggish and help you cut back on calories. Even if no "healthy" or "low-cal" options are on the menu (or if none of them look appetizing), just asking for a lower calorie, low fat, or reduced-sugar condiments can make a world of difference.
5. Take your time: When you do stop to eat, don't take it on the road with you! Sitting down and enjoying your meal will give your body time to realize when it's full, so you'll eat less.

Flying
Spending hours in an airport isn't the most fun, but you can make the most of your experience if you plan ahead!

1. Eat before you fly: Eat a healthy meal at home before you get to the airport, or pack one to bring with you! You can get through security with a variety of food, just not liquids like water bottles or sodas. This way, you'll be less likely to indulge in the unhealthy or fast food options that are readily available.
2. Choose wisely: If you can't eat before you go or pack your food, most airports do have some healthy options. Try to grab a salad with light dressing on the side, or find some pre-packaged fruits and veggies for a snack.
3. Hydrate: Like driving, flying can also de-hydrate you! Make sure to grab a water bottle before you board to hydrate your body and curb hunger.
4. Get moving: Instead of sitting in those uncomfortable chairs next to your gate, spend the time before you board walking around the airport. Carry your own luggage, take the stairs, and avoid those people movers!

Destination
Ok, so I realize that not EVERYONE travels like my family, but here are a few tips and strategies that I found around the web that could be helpful! My family cooks a lot, so, technically, it should be at least easier to stick to healthy eating...right???

1. Cook: If you're able, plan to prepare your own meals. My family typically goes out for lunch or dinner a few times a week, but we generally eat at least 2 meals at our rental house every day. We generally pack coolers full of food before we leave, but don't be afraid to scout out the local grocery store as soon as you arrive!
2. Offer to be in charge of a meal: If you do have the option to cook, maybe offer to be in charge of a meal or two during the trip. That way you can at least be in control for a couple meals! I will be honest, I didn't offer to do this for my vacation, but two other people are on Achieve as well, so I'm pretty confident that we'll have plenty of healthy choices during our trip! :)
3. Try the one-a day rule: Allow yourself one indulgence per day, whether it be a few pina coladas by the beach or that cheeseburger at dinner. Don't deny yourself a treat, just try to keep it to one a day! (one of the links)
4. Snack smart: Bring healthy grab-and-go snacks that you can take on sightseeing adventures or excursions to curb hunger between meals. Pre-portioned veggies, fruit, nuts, and protein bars are all good options!
5. Plan ahead: When you know you'll be going out to eat, try checking online for restaurant menus and/or nutrition information before you go so you don't make impulsive decisions when you get there.
6. Plan for exercise: Look up hiking trails near you, go for a walk/jog/run on the beach, bring or rent a bike, swim in the ocean or pool, hit up the hotel fitness center, or just bring your favorite exercise DVD with you on your trip! You can even get your family involved for some fun group fitness. My family loves to go for walks on the beach together!
7. Be active: Choose sightseeing adventures or excursions that force you to stay active! You probably won't even realize you're burning calories because you'll be having so much fun.
8. Cut back on the booze: Ok, I'm not a crazy person. This is vacation, after all. I'm not saying don't drink, period, but maybe don't go for those Margaritas or Bloody Marys all day! Have just one of those drinks, if that's your thing, then stick to light beer or vodka and seltzer the rest of the day...something a little lower calorie than you'd normally have. You don't want to drink away your calories when there is so much delicious food out there to be enjoyed!
9. Ask for a doggie bag: If you're going out to eat, you can ask the waiter to box up half of your meal when you place your order, so you're not tempted to over-eat. If you're like me, I struggle to leave food on my plate if it's sitting in front of me!

Cruise
I should be a pro at this section, but, I will be honest. I went on a cruise in February, and I'm sure I gained at least 5 lbs in those short 5 days. However, after experiencing that, I know more things that can help me next time!

1. Make use of your fitness resources: Most cruise ships have a fitness center and a running track around the top deck. Some even offer group fitness classes at various times throughout the day!
2. Don't abuse the buffet: If you're eating at the buffet for any meal, only fill your plate once! Fill up on veggies first (about half of your plate), then go for some protein. Believe it or not, they do offer some healthy options, even on vacation!
3. Use the one-a-day rule: Again, try to stick to one indulgence per day. Maybe stick to healthy options at breakfast and lunch, and indulge at dinner.
4. Share dessert: On the cruise ship that we were on, you could essentially have as much food as you wanted, and every dinner included at least 1 appetizer, 1 entrée, and 1 dessert. However, you CAN skip an appetizer or dessert if you'd like. Another option would be to share those two extras with someone, especially dessert. You can still indulge, just in moderation.
5. Sip wisely: As I said before, it's fine to have a cocktail or two, but some can be loaded in calories. If you plan to drink during your trip, try to find lower-calorie options for most of your day.
6. Get involved: Instead of laying around the pool all day, get involved in a corn hole competition, play shuffleboard, dance the night away, or go for a walk around the decks. There are so many activities that cruise ships provide besides just sitting around and relaxing. You don't want to miss out, I promise you!
7. Take the stairs: If you're able, take the stairs to different locations!
8. Plan an active excursion: Most cruise ships stop at one or more destinations. If you plan on going on an excursion at one of your stops, try something a little more active, like snorkeling or an ATV tour.

Most of all, don't deprive yourself. It is vacation, after all. You know what they say...everything in moderation, right? If you gain a little weight, it's ok! Honestly, I still expect to gain a LITTLE weight. I just want to at least minimize that gain. We all over-indulge, even with the best intentions. The most important thing is that you get back on track as soon as you get home!

Recipe of the week:
Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole
I modified it for Achieve by using Fiber Gourmet Spaghetti, 96% lean beef, fat free cream cheese, fat free cottage cheese, and homemade bread crumbs. The only other change I would make is that I'd change the creamy to tomato ratio. I'd use a little more tomato sauce and a little less cream cheese mixture.

Have a healthy week, everyone! :)

Back to Normal

Alright, everybody! I'm a day late with my post. I know you were all on the edges of your seats waiting for me. ;) I've been juuuuust a little busy lately! Last week I veered a little bit from normal to get up-close and personal. This week, let's just get back to normal, why don't we?! I've put my worries from last week on my back burner for now. I'm giving those to God and dealing with things as they come. God is great, all the time.

Monday at the meeting, I gained 0.8 lbs. Bummer. My short-term goal is to lose 15 pounds before my family vacation on June 3rd. I only have 5.2 lbs to go until then, so it's definitely still possible! I won't be too disappointed in myself if I don't reach that goal. I'm sure I'll get close, and, mostly, I just can't wait for a week off! The last time I gained, I was really upset, and I kind of got down on myself. This week, I wasn't even worried about it. I had such a wonderful weekend eating, drinking, and relaxing with friends and family, so a small gain was totally worth it to me. Sometimes, you just have to take the hit for your own sanity. In my opinion, at least! Ha! I was also pretty proud of myself, because while I did indulge and eat larger portions, I did a fairly good job at choosing my foods. On Sunday, we celebrated 2 birthdays in my family. If you know anything about my family, you know that we NEVER have a shortage of food or dessert, and on Sunday, there were THREE desserts. Four, if you count ice cream as a dessert in itself. One of those happened to be one of my absolute favorites - coconut cream pie. Do you want to know what I had for my dessert? Somehow, I stuck to fruit and a small scoop of no sugar added vanilla ice cream. It was hard, but I felt so good about myself afterward. I think one of the biggest reasons I've been able to stick with this "diet" is the fact that it gives you a lot of wiggle room. I haven't felt deprived of too much of anything, because I get two junk days to indulge, and there are even plenty of healthy options that I've found to help satisfy my cravings in-between junk days.

Here are some of my other successes from last week:
 -Avoiding candy at work
-Not eating a dessert that my boyfriend cooked in the apartment (even though I was subjected to the delicious smell ALL NIGHT)
-Being mostly healthy when we got free Moe's for lunch at work, even though it was technically a junk day
-Mostly minimizing cheat days by making good food choices
-Not eating homemade cookies that someone brought to work
-Getting better at figuring out how to easily modify most recipes with low-fat/fat-free/sugar-free options
-Meal planning/prepping is becoming easier and more of a habit

Do you notice that most of my "successes" are avoiding temptations at work?! My coworkers/workplace are/is definitely my diet demon(s)!!!!

So, even though I had a lot of successes, that doesn't by ANY MEANS mean that I haven't struggled. Do you even KNOW how hard it is to avoid homemade coconut cream pie when it's right in front of you all evening? I felt like it was speaking to me. EAT ME! Besides just struggling to use my will power, I've definitely struggled with working out. I think I need to just get into a good routine, but for some reason (*cough*laziness*cough*), I just haven't gotten there yet. I think part if it is just getting a little too comfortable and making excuses for myself. It seems like about every 3 weeks I need to re-focus and kick my butt into gear again! The past week was just crazy busy, so I didn't even work out once. There I go making excuses again. It will NOT happen this week. I have a solid workout plan this time, and I'm hoping I can stick to it. Today and tomorrow, I plan to jog outside, and Friday I plan to do a pound workout. 

Recipe of the week (recipe link below):

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole over Fiber Gourmet Pasta - I can't take any credit whatsoever for this (except maybe the name!). I got the idea from my amazing aunt, who is also doing Achieve and has lost around 25 lbs! 

Tonight, I'm going to modify a spaghetti cream cheese casserole recipe! Hopefully I can update you with good results next week. :)

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta: Get the Recipe!

Random thought of the day:
This week, I discovered MEMORY FOAM shoes. It's like walking on clouds. I'm thinking I need to invest in many more pairs!

I feel like I'm starting to get a little repetitive, so if there's anything that you'd like me to discuss in a blog, please feel free to comment. I could use ideas and inspiration sometimes! Don't get me wrong, I love sharing my successes/failures/recipes with you all, but I don't want to bore you TOO MUCH. ;)

Have a healthy week, everyone!

TEN

I am officially 10 pounds down as of this week! Actually, it was 10.6 if you want to get specific. ;) Woo hoo! I feel like I'm really getting the hang of this Achieve thing. Shopping is getting easier, cooking is getting easier, and I'm having way less cravings. I feel more confident in myself, because, even though I'm not where I want to be, I'm making progress! On my menu tonight was a taco salad that I made with 99% fat free ground turkey, taco seasoning, peppers, onions, fat free shredded cheese, fat free sour cream, green leaf lettuce, and salsa. It. Was. Delicious. I love having a meeting every week, because everyone shares their recipes and ideas for meals! Someone mentioned taco salad earlier this week, and today in the cafeteria at work it was taco Tuesday, so I saved my appetite for my healthier version! Yum.

Earlier this week was Mother's Day! I had to work in the evening that day, but I got to spend the morning at church with my mom and a few of the other most important women in my life. My mom has been one of my most important cheerleaders on this journey! Really, she's the whole reason I even started Achieve. She has lost TWENTY-FOUR pounds so far. If she loses too much more, she might get blown away! ;) Ok, maybe not. But really, I am so proud of her! Happy belated Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mothers out there!

In our class yesterday, we talked about cookout foods, since Memorial Day is quickly approaching. Turns out, it shouldn't be too hard to eat at least mostly healthy! There are lots of options. Low-fat hot dogs, fat-free turkey franks, lean ground beef, low-calorie buns, salad with light dressing, fruit, veggies, reduced-sugar/sugar-free/low-fat/fat-free condiments...I could go on! I don't know that I necessarily have a favorite cookout food, but I do love grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and fresh fruits. The biggest challenge for me will be controlling my portions!

This week, I have a personal request. I've been debating upon whether or not to share this, but, ultimately, I decided I could use all the prayers I can get! I got my hair done yesterday, and my wonderful hair stylist found a fairly sizable bald patch in the back of my head. It's on the underside of my hair, so you wouldn't notice it unless you moved my hair aside just the right way. It seems to be growing back, but it makes me nervous. It might just be extremely dry scalp that caused it, or it could be something called "alopecia areata" (don't google it...mine isn't as bad as the google images! :P), which is just where you lose hair in patches now and then...it will probably suck, but in the scheme of things, it's no big deal. It's treatable. Alopecia (hair loss) can also be a symptom of other things, like thyroid disorders. I shouldn't be worried, and I know this is so small compared to what so many other strong women have dealt with, but I'm freaking out just a tiny bit! I can't get into my family physician until next weekend, so any prayers between now and then would be very much appreciated. God is great, ALL the time! :)

Success!

As of yesterday, I've officially completed my first month of Achieve. Yesterday was my first day of Lifestyle classes, in which we talk about different topics each week, rather than just learning the basics of the Achieve lifestyle. The good news is...I LOST FOUR POUNDS LAST WEEK! The bad news is...I think at least one of those pounds is a false loss, because now, my meetings are earlier (5:45pm instead of 7:30pm), and I don't eat dinner beforehand. I'll take it, though! ;) That means I lost 8.4 pounds in 4 weeks! It was a little surprising, because on Saturday, I had a total hog trough day. In other words, I ate a TON. I went to 100 Men Who Cook, which is a charity where, well, 100 men cook. They all bring a special dish, and you can try as many as you'd like. I probably barely even tried 20, but they were all delicious.

Since I've completed my first month, I want to go back and review! This past week, I didn't quite meet all the goals that I set in my last blog. I did have 6 healthy days, and I did start trying to drink apple cider vinegar! My favorite recipe from my 6 healthy days was a lasagna that I modified from a couple different recipes to make it work for Achieve. I did not work out 3 times. I had a great run/jog/walk one day (2.9 miles in 34 minutes), and I did a Pound workout another day. I got lazy over the weekend and I didn't get to number three. I've decided to keep my goal of working out 3 times weekly until I can do it for 3 weeks in a row. Then, I want to move up to four!

Can you believe this is HEALTHY lasagna?!

Now, here's a little review of a few things from all of the past 4 weeks.

My Successes:
-Gaining energy
-Losing 8.4 lbs in 4 weeks
-Making food prep a habit
-Drinking around 20 glasses of water per day

My Failures: 
-Gaining weight on week 3
-Typically indulging a little too much on junk days
-Not working out enough

Favorite Recipes and/or Products:
-Pasta with fiber gourmet pastas and carba-nada pastas
-Turkey Chili Dog Casserole
-Beef Burritos (made with lean beef and low carb tortillas)
-Wraps with chicken breast strips, veggies, fat-free cheese, and Olive Garden Light Dressing
-Healthy Chicken Mozzarella with home made bread crumbs
-Modified Lasagna (Get the RECIPE!)

One of the best things that I've learned about myself through this process is that I actually DO have self-control. I've been spending all this time making excuses and saying that I'm giving in because I just don't have enough self-control. NOT TRUE. Not once in the whole month have I given into temptations at work or otherwise on a healthy day. Not even ONE leftover Reese cup from Easter...and those are my absolute favorite. ;) Another thing I've learned is that I kinda sorta actually LIKE salads. I don't usually crave salads, but I've learned that they're really satisfying. This is new. In the past, I've always felt unsatisfied after eating a salad. Maybe it was a mental thing, but I never used to feel full. Now that I've been eating so many vegetables on a regular basis, my tastes have begun to change!

Seriously, if I can lose over 8 lbs in 4 weeks, I think anyone can. Anyone out there that's struggling, just know that you're not alone. I gained weight in week 3 of my first month, and I'm sure I'll gain weight again a few times in the coming weeks and months. I am even giving in and having 2 junk days (instead of my usual 1) this week, because, well, I have a life. :P The best thing I've learned is that it IS possible to have fun, have a life, indulge in your cravings, AND STILL lose weight.

Here's to a healthy week!