{Food For Thought Tuesdays: Raiding My Fridge}

On this journey that I've decided to take to a healthy body and lifestyle, I've learned so much about my body and the food that I decide to put into it. I am still following the Weight Watchers points+ program by counting my daily points, drinking 6+ glasses of water, and getting in lots of exercise, but in my quest to become more educated about this healthy lifestyle, I've decided to change things up a little. I have eliminated processed food from my diet, and have decreased my sugar and carb intake - I now fill up on fish, chicken, fruits, veggies, and what they call super foods. 

Over the weekend I went grocery shopping and my refrigerator {below} is looking quite colorful and…. really full. 6 months ago, it looked nothing like this and my pantry and freezer were chugged full of processed meals. While processed meals can be made in minutes and usually are light on the wallet {ie. 5 frozen 'lean' meals for $10} - they are notorious for being absent of fiber. I mean, there is little to no fiber in processed foods at all. What is fiber? It’s a substance in our food that your system is unable to digest, but it serves a very important purpose. Because the digestive system is unable to do anything with it, it basically serves the purpose of cleaning out your digestive tract and pushing the food out of your intestines into your colon… eventually leaving your system. Yes, that means it helps you poop. {click here for a list of foods that are high in fiber}

Think about it – all the food you take in, how much actually comes out? How much of it is still sitting in your intestines? Yuck. Take a look at where your digestive system sits - right in that area that us women obsess about - the stomach.

In my refrigerator I've decided to stick with those types of foods that will give me the appropriate amount of fiber and nutrients needed and are foods that are going to keep me full and satisfied longer throughout the day. My ultimate goal is to mainly intake foods with only one ingredient - think about it...

1. Shrimp | 2. Salmon | 3. Bacon {we'll talk about bacon vs. turkey bacon in the coming weeks} | 4. Blueberries | 5. Onion | 6. Strawberries | 7. Red pepper | 8. Avocado | 9. Garlic | 10. Cabbage | 11. Eggs | 12. Greek yogurt | 13. Pears | 14. Kiwi | 15. Babybel light cheese | 16. Goat cheese crumbles | 17. Hummus | 18. Shredded cheddar cheese | 19. Mushrooms | 20. Blood oranges | 21. Ephemere beer {we all have to splurge every once in a while, and this is my fave} | 22. Mich Ultra {I said we have to splurge every once in a while, lol} | 23. Brussel sprouts | 24. Sweet potatoes | 25. Kale | 26. Broccoli | 27. Apples | 28. Lentils | 29. Arugula | 30. Asparagus

Once you have plenty of fresh foods at home, set a time to cook and prepare your meals. This day for me is usually on Sundays where I prepare 2 - 3 meals at a time, utilizing my freezer to separate appropriate portions and store the overages. By planning your meals and making time to purchase the right types of foods, you too can eat healthier and lose weight. 

{Weekend At A Glance}

Morning Peeps! I thought I would share with you a few pics of my weekend:

1. Playing around with my glasses and sporting the nerdy-chic vibe.

2. I have experienced a weight loss plateau for about 5 weeks now, and last week I was almost in tears that I gained again - but short of quitting, I decided to switch things up by changing what I ate (tried the WW Simply Filling Program, instead of tracking points) and this week - I LOST 3.4lbs for a total of 31.6 lbs down! BOOM!

3. I rewarded myself by purchasing this dress at J.Crew - it will definitely help me through my transition. Thanks Andrea for the 20% discount coupon!!!

4. On Saturday, me and the girls went to see The Artist - and let me tell you, I haven't seen all of the Oscar-nominated films yet, but I want this movie to win. I was a little hestitant on going to see it because it's a silent film, but it was one of the most entertaining, lovely, and brilliant movies I've seen in a long time. Go see it!!! Another Oscar nominated movie you should see is Midnight in Paris (it's available via redbox now) - if you love the 20s, ah-mazing flapper dresses and vintage hats, Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Woody Allen films - then you'll LOVE this movie.

5. After dinner we went to Calavera to chow down on some empanadas - and if you're in the Raleigh area (or plan to visit in the near future) I beg you to go! I had the black bean and sweet potato, and the Mexican picadillo with ground beef, tomatoes, potatoes, onion, and green chili. Delicioso!

6. Sunday I did a little bit of work and then spent the whole day making your Valentine gifts, and then of course watched the Super Bowl: here are my favorite commercials : this (duh) and this (you didn't see nuthin)! If you didn't sign up for my Valentine giveaway....well there's always next year, lol! For those that did, I think you'll love everything (I do!) - I'll be Instagraming hints of the gifts this week.

PS. The most important thing that happened this weekend is my sister Kendra GOT ENGAGED while at the Taj Mahal in India. I'm sure she'll be blogging about it soon - but in the interim you can check out her travels, thus far, by clicking here! Sooo exciting!!!

Enjoy your day loves!

{Weight Loss Journey: Transitioning Your Wardrobe}

I received an email from a reader earlier this week that is also trying to shed some lbs. She asked if I could do a post that would help her as her body is transitioning to her goal weight. As you know, I'm also going through this problem and I've found the solution to this issue: skirts and dresses. Unfortunately (well fortunately because that means the scale and the measuring tape are going in the right direction) none of my pants fit. While I would love to buy all new ones, I'm no where near my goal weight and I would have to end up buying all new clothes all over again. So I put together several pieces (and tips) that can help during this transition period:

[To shop these items - click here]

Tips:

Get a great belt, you may find that belting over the top of your shirts/dresses to define your newly emerging waist will get you a few extra months from some of your shirts and tops that are now too big for you. Additionally, belts can keep up your pants and skirts as they get loser around the waist. Plus moving your belt to the next hole is always a boost!

Focus on accessories, wearing a scarf or great necklace or earrings to draw attention up to your face and to dress up your basic clothes and create lots of different looks.

Check the sales racks first, look for stretch fabrics which will accommodate you more as you become slimmer. Buy only basics that are easy to mix and match so that nobody notices you’re wearing the same clothes over and over.

Get some alterations on your existing wardrobe. Taking in a waistband can make a garment wearable for another few months and is a much cheaper alternative than buying new all the time.

Check out thrift shops, consignment stores and ebay for well priced clothing items to get you through your transition.

Resell your larger clothes on ebay. If they’re not in your closet then you won’t be tempted to ever put back on the weight!

{A Personal Reflection: My Healthy Life Journey}

If you follow me on Facebook, you know this past weekend I gained 1.4 pounds and was devastated (and even shed a tear - which took my leader by surprise). I have really made a commitment to eating healthy, drinking 8+ glasses of water daily, minimizing carbs, increasing fruits/veggies/protein, exercising 5 times a week - and to do all of that, not cheat once, and gain weight - it was almost like a slap in the face of all of my hard work. 

The first thing that I wanted to do right after my WW* meeting was to go and eat something really good - which meant something that was awful and full of carbs, fat, and cheese. THAT (eating) was exactly how I used to deal with stress, disappointment, loneliness, happiness, to be honest - all emotions. After some thought (while sitting in the WW parking lot) and weighing the pros and cons of me having a pig-out fest, I opted to go home and take an extremely long power walk with Addison. The walk did me a lot of good, and allowed my mind to get back "in the game". Once we returned home from the walk, I cooked a healthy meal - TBLETC (turkey bacon, lettuce, fried egg white, tomato, low fat cheese sandwhich) with a fruit salad that equaled 6 WW points+ (vs. the 30+ points the Five Guys burger and fries would have cost me) and I felt good....and strong...and in control. 

As much as I wanted to quit after my meeting on Saturday, I know I have grown because I didn't allow this small setback to keep me from moving forward. This week, I will continue to do everything that I've been doing and hopefully this Saturday I will see a loss on the scale. Moving forward, while the scale number is important to me - I will focus on inches lost, and my continued strength in my workouts...eventually, I'll see results - at least that is way they say (and in my heart I know this is true)...

Thanks for listening and THANK YOU for all of the encouragement - it truly keeps me going. While I don't plan to turn this blog into a weight loss blog, by keeping you up to date on my journey helps keep me accountable (I hope you don't mind) - next up: my before pic (yikes)!

*ww = Weight Watchers

*If you haven't already, don't forget to sign up for the GIVEAWAY - it ends today at 3PM ET.