A quick follow-up to my "8 week challenge"

Okay, I was looking at my last few posts and realize I really am not portraying the right picture of myself! I see that I began a couple posts about an "8 week challenge." It looks as though I gave up and never completed them because I didn't blog about it. 

Not true!

I did complete the challenge. In fact, I won the challenge! 

There was a little pot of money involved and that was fun :) 

I wound up finding myself eating sugary treats only once a week - which is huge for me. 

I also found I had a little more energy than before. The energy part took a few weeks to kick in.

I was pretty low on energy when I first began. My goal with this 8 week challenge was to go all out crazy and start a new work out routine and start eating healthier and avoid sugars. I needed to start with one newly focused habit; or I knew I would not succeed. 

My goal was to just to focus on what I ate. 

It was awesome. I lost weight and gained a new happy habit in return.

After the eight weeks I decided to incorporate working out.

This was just one new habit. After all, I had already been settled into a new eating plan that was going well. It was time to keep the upward momentum going. 

My body was happy, I was happy. I'm not sure that I was actually accomplishing much more on a day to day basis. I felt good on a day to day basis. Not sluggish, energetic. Ready for bed. 

That was/is so important to me. 

I wanted to follow-up on this, because the strides I made during that time - are notable.

8 Week Challenge! Day Two &Three-Week One

So it's day three and I am doing pretty well. I am getting all my healthy meals in and exercising is back up to an hour-yay! I had a southwestern burrito on a whole wheat tortilla for breakfast, followed by a fruit smoothie for a snack. For lunch I didn't get much in today, I mostly snacked today- I'm not sure why, but I had half a granola bar with some veggie sticks. Then a delicious slow cooked, bonless country rib pork, which I covered with onions, salt and pepper; and a homemade bbq sauce of: ketchup, mustard & honey..yum! I served it with rice and peas with carrots. I got 100oz. of water in and I am still thirsty. I worked out this morning by way of jogging for an hour outdoors-it was really cold, in fact colder than I thought it would be, but being out felt great, and I'll hit the trail again tomorrow.

I thought since I didn't recap my day two yesterday-it was a busy night; that I'd do it now.

I worked out for 45min. via the treadmill-I hate jogging indoors! If I had been outdoors I would have jogged an hour, but I wimped out-out of boredom, I know it's pitiful.  Yesterday’s menu went as follows: 

Whole wheat  toast w/ almond butter/honey

Turkey & Whole wheat Wrap w/ spinach

Smoothie

Protein shake with almond butter

Granola bar

Sorry about the ugly menu, I just copied and pasted it from my electronic food journal because I’m feeling lazy =)

Well, there’s my two days in a nut shell. I still have to fight it out with my cravings for chocolate and sweets in the late afternoon/evenings. But I am holding strong, this is the part I don’t want to mess up. I know I can do it!

Falling Off The Wagon

This is not the meal of champions! Buuut, lately it's all I'm craving. Yum,yum! Although, when one is training for their first little 5k, they should be eating better, I don't like to rock the boat too much, ha ha! Not a brownie specifically, just anything sweet and if it's chocolate it's better.  I had to add the picture of the chocolate brownie with caramel frosting I ate. It's was way to moist and fla-va-full! The caramel frosting was mmm, mmm, good! Are you wondering if I could ramble on about for another paragraph or so...well yes, quite frankly I could. But I won't.   I have a bunch of fall dessert recipes I want to try these upcoming weeks. I think the first will have to be some pumpkin butter biscuits that a friend of mine made, I tried them and they were gooood. The next one I 'm going to make is a pumpkin muffin using yellow cake mix and canned pumpkin. You don't even need to add the eggs and oil-we shall see.  I'll post those later.

It's Over Already!

Yesterday was a world wind. I can't even remember what had me so completely busy that I forgot to update my blog. I've been doing so well.

I teach a religion class at my church for young college students ages 18-30. Thursdays are my prep day. If I need to finish up any printing or make refreshments that I'll bring to class- I'll do that in the afternoon to have ready for class that night.

 I've loved teaching this class the past year. I have enjoyed the young people that I've become acquainted with. I've also loved the way the spirit has worked with me and helped my understanding of the word of God.

Today, I jogged, showered, took a friend out for a birthday lunch and some quick shopping for some tights =)

I love Fridays! Fridays is Date Night.  Yeah, Date Night. My husband and I are pretty religious about it and we both really look forward to the time together. We have no specific plans tonight so I have no idea what we're doing. We generally like to eat out, catch a movie or see a play. Occasionally we go to the Opera which we become fond of, and when weather permits we head outdoors.

Today the weather is a little wet and quite dreary. It's also looking like a double date could be in store.

Stay tuned.....

Pot Roast

Question?
Will the crock pot roast ever cook if I don't plug it in?
I think I'll have better luck with dinner if it actually cooks. ::flat hand to the forehead::

Getting Ready

Today we have guests coming for dinner. We are having my go to easy dish of lasagna with green salad and garlic bread. Dessert will be a surprise as our guests asked to bring some. Hope it's yum!

I just need to get the old lady(refer to yesterdays blog) to be quiet long enough to get the house picked up. I also need to find time this weekend to cut the boys hair, and gather all the clothes that don't fit anyone in my house and to give to goodwill. They've all been washed and mostly folded, they just aren't sorted from the everyday wear, ugh! It'll get done...sure it will, tomorrow.........yeah, tomorrow.

Summer So Far

This summer is flying by. Although, summers usually do.

It seems like each week is a flitter of activity. We have visited the local art museum, been to the fountains, seen the Clifford exhibit, gone to the park countless times, ridden the roller-coasters relentlessly,(we bought season passes,lol.)

We've been to BBQ's galore and birthday bashes. We have sat through performances, some good, some well...

We have put miles on the Sequoia and have nothing but time and an oil change to show for it.

We have dined with family and friends and laughed and cried at the movies.

Ahhh, summer-so-far has been good to us!