Workout drought

Today is 4 days without a workout :( I have been tired lately and unmotivated.  I think my stress from work is also messing up my energy level.  Going to take today as a rest day since I worked 16 hours yesterday and tomorrow I'm going to do a Turbo fire workout and recommit to my previous workout schedule of 4-5x a week!  What do you do to stay motivated with your workouts?  What challenges do you face when it comes to finding time to workout?

Counting calories...

I have been using myfitnesspal.com and their phone app since January 2013.  It is a free resource and I would definitely recommend it to anyone trying to lose weight.  However I feel like I have been stuck at 190-188 for the past couple of weeks and need to try something different! So for the next 2 weeks I will not be counting calories! I will eat clean, drink my water and workout 4 times a week. I will keep you guys posted on here with my progress! Have you ever taken a break from tracking food? Dud you still lose weight?

 

Hey Oscar get your own salad!

Made a salad so delicious even my dog Oscar wanted some! Mixed greens, feta, tomato, cucumber, walnuts, and homemade honey mustard dressing. I really enjoy salads because you can have a huge salad and it's guilt free ( as long as you don't load it up with sugary dressing).

Quick simple pasta!

I don't eat a lot of pasta ( anymore) so when I have a really strong craving for it I take it as a sign that my body needs some carbs. Today I made my favorite pasta meal!

 Simple quick pasta recipe:

1/2 cup dry elbow macaroni cooked for 7-8 mins (I like my pasta on the softer side)

1/4 cup marinara heat in microwave 3o secs at a time until desired temp reached

1 link chicken sausage cut up and  cooked in microwave 1 minute

1/8 cup part skim shredded mozzarella!

BAM! Sorry I couldn't help myself :)

Run Kristen Run

Had a Forrest Gump moment today... I was feeling like crap, restless and down.  So instead of bingeing on junk food. I laced up my running shoes and headed out to do my 4 mile walk/jog.  I walked for 10 minutes and then started to jog, and I just kept jogging! 2 months ago I could barely walk and today I jogged for 50 minutes and approx 3.5 miles without stopping :) Push yourself you never know what you are capable of until you try! 

I'm the Bubba Gump of zucchini

Zucchini chips, baked zucchini fries, zucchini taco boats, zucchini minestrone, zucchini spaghetti, zucchini pizza...

Hi my name is Kristen, and I'm addicted to zucchini.  I have been on a roll recently with zucchini recipes!  I find most of my recipes on Pintrest or www.skinnytaste.com .  This beauty pictured above is a crust less zucchini pie (from skinny taste) that I cut into 1/8 slices, the calories are right around 96 for one slice! If you are looking for a low calorie filling meal I recommend you give zucchini a chance, and then when you become an addict you can join my zucchini support group and I won't feel so alone!

Ch- ch- changes!

It's happening....I'm changing.  The person I used to be is disappearing.  Let me tell you about the old me.  She was morbidly obese.  She ate her feelings.  She was depressed and felt hopeless a lot.  She didn't think she deserved to be healthy and fit.  She wanted to change but didn't know where to start. I get emotional just thinking about what a difference the past 6 months have made.  Did I have set backs? YES!  Did I fail? Hell yes!  Did I keep getting up and pushing harder? Yes.  Here I am today a new me, a better version of myself.  I am happy, I have more energy, and I'm proud of the person I am becoming.  I'm posting this to reach out to you.  If you can relate to this I'm telling you it doesn't have to be this way.  You can change, you can be happy, you can get healthy.  I want to help!  If you want to change your life but don't know where to start add me on Facebook. I will add you to our women's only accountability and support group.    www.facebook.com/kristencarparellirobertson

Progress not perfection!

If you are on a weight loss journey or fitness journey, do yourself a favor and take before pictures!  I can't tell you how many times I have weighed in and thought " really just a pound?" Or " I gained weight!?" That's when I bust out the before photo and take a couple new shots and compare them side by side.  I will notice small changes or some bigger changes, is that a waist I see?! :). If you are eating right and working out you will lose weight and gain muscle.  So it's not always about the number on the scale. Measurements are also great to have and compare where you started to where you are.  I still have about 40 lbs I would like to lose but I'm definitely on my way.  What are you waiting for? Start snapping those before or current pics!

Healthier indulgence :)

I'm not going to lie and tell you I don't crave the garbage I used to eat before committing to get healthy.  I have noticed a significant decrease in the number of cravings, but when I get one I make sure to bust out my secret weapon!  People of the interwebs I give you cookie dough superfood protein shake!  What you need: Vanilla Shakeology 1 scoop -you can substitute a different vanilla protein powder but I'm not sure it will taste as good or have the superfoods ShakeO has, 1/4 cup chai tea concentrate, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 cup cold water,1 frozen banana, 2 tbsp whipped cream (I like Cabot because it doesn't have corn syrup in it and I'm a Vermonter).  Add all ingredients except whipped cream into a blender, blend until smooth, add whipped cream and a colorful straw, ENJOY!  Now this is not an everyday shake because there is more sugar than I normally like to have in a meal, but to squash a craving for sweets it's a much better choice than the pint of Cherry Garcia I used to inhale!

Walk it off

I have added long walks to my arsenal against fat!  Vivie one of my dogs pictured above is also a fan of this new addition.  I love to get outside in the fresh air of Vermont down by the waterfront and just go.  I can think about things going on in my life, things that I'm grateful for, stressful things, happy things... its all very therapeutic to me!  Today was a 4 mile walk with my best friend Jessica, we are both on our weight loss/ best shape ever journey.  It's nice to have people around you who are dedicated to their goals.  So find a friend dog or human :) and go for a walk.  It doesn't have to be 4 miles, just start with walking 15 minutes and then turn around and head home.  Add on from there as you build up your endurance. Go get some fresh air!