What weight loss really looks like!

WHAT WEIGHT LOSS REALLY LOOKS LIKE!

Weight and loss will look different for each individual!

Everyone carries the bulk of their excess weight in a different way!

Each person loses weight differently and at different rates!

In this picture, to the left I am at my heaviest ever - 280 lbs. I weighed that much for several reasons: depression, over eating, over eating carbs, and no exercise. I wasn't watching, tracking or being mindful of what I was consuming. If it tasted good, looked good, I indulged.

At the point I was ready to get back to a healthy lifestyle, I knew what to do. I knew it would be a very long journey. I knew that taking off 110 lbs was not going to be easy. 

I knew I would have both success and failure.

Weight Watchers had worked before - I'm a 3 time champion so that's where I started. However, with so much to lose, I knew I would need more accountability and did not do just the online program, I now needed the meetings. And I HATE MEETINGS of any kind. I hate to sit, hate to listen, hate to be still. But you can't hear unless you sit and be still - and I needed to listen.

After about 2 months of steady weight loss I new it was time to start exercising.

I started by walking. I started SLOW and SHORT. I'm very blessed to have some great parks and walking routes in my neighborhood so I took advantage. 

I started by walking up to the park and back home - no fast, not racing just walking.

Each time I went out, I went a bit faster and a bit further and sometimes it was only 1 block.

Can you lose weight without exercising- yes- but I don't recommend it- see my blog post on that!

After losing about 60 lbs. a friend who had his own fitness gym was contacting me about trying his boo tcamp workout. Yeah, I said it to - "I can't do that" and each time he would say "yes you can, come try it". It took Chris about 2 months but I gave in. What's the worst that could happen? I go - I hate it- I don't go again- no big deal.

Here's the problem - I went, I COULD DO IT and I LIKED IT!

Yes. ANYONE can do the workouts I do.

I MEAN ANYONE

But you have to want to - you have to be willing to try.

So after a year I had lost the 60 lbs and an incredible 30 INCHES off my body!

And then it happened.......

I stalled and even started gaining!

For about 3 months.

It was agonizing.

I new that I needed to change something, but I didn't know what.

The change:

I started Carb Cycling (see my blog post or go to www.chrispowell.com)

I added more workouts

My body was adapting to my routine - I had to change my routine.

Sure enough after 2 weeks I was back on track and losing steadily again! I still have 60 lbs to go!

Take a closer look at this chart, notice the peaks, notice the valleys, notice the plateaus!

This is my actual Weight Watchers weigh in chart. I weigh in once each week.

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

The scale is pounds

The tape measure is inches

YOU NEED TO DO BOTH

to get and accurate picture of your loss.

Sometimes you will lose inches and gain pounds.

THIS IS NORMAL as fat turns into muscle!

DRINK WATER - DRINK at least 1 gallon each day!

JUST KEEP GOING!

Blessings on your journey!

3.1runmom

Recipe- Chicken Salad

CHICKEN SALAD

This is something that I always overlook! I prep so much chicken on my meal prep day that I forget what yummy things I can make out of it! This recipe is easy and very versatile so dress it up anyway you want! Again, I'm eating it for lunch today as I type- dripping everywhere!

Today is a low/no carb day so I'm eating mine on large romaine lettuce leaves. On a high carb day enjoy it on your favorite whole grain bread or in a tortilla wrap!

Ingredients: (quantities are for this two leaf serving, you can make more and stores well)

3-4 oz cooked chopped chicken breast (I used a rotisserie chicken from prep day)

2 - 3 tablespoons sliced or diced pimento

2-3 finely diced celery stalks

2-3 tablespoons miracle whip or mayo

Salt & pepper to taste

Putting it together:

I prefer my chicken salad finely chopped so everything gets a really good going over with my knife. Add all ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and mix together! Done! How easy was that?

Put on top of 2 large romaine lettuce leaves and enjoy, eat with crackers or toast, put on your favorite whole grain bread, sourdough bread, atop your favorite salad mix or in a tortilla for a wrap!

**Salad can be mixed ahead of time; however, only stays fresh and crisp for about 2 days.Make it easier to put together by keeping chopped chicken and finely chopped celery pre bagged in your fridge or freezer!

Blessings,

3.1runmom

Breakfast Recipe - Wraps!

BREAKFAST WRAPS

(this is my breakfast this morning, in fact, I'm eating it as I type!)

I really like "burrito style wraps". They are versatile, travel well, freeze well and you can stuff them with just about anything you want! I was dreaming about this particular one this morning during my workout! Ha! And I was telling Chris all the details about what was going into it, the prep, etc! My workout was all about the food this morning!

Ingredients:

1 Tortilla of your choice ( I use Ole brand and I have more about those at the end of this post)

1 egg or 1 cup of egg substitute (I usually use egg beaters single serve cups)

1 cup diced vegetable of your choice (today I used zucchini)

1 cup diced potato (I make 4 baked potatoes on prep day and keep them in my fridge then dice and heat and saute with my veg)

3 - 4 strips of Turkey bacon or meat of your choice (chicken or ground meats work well too)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, pepper and other seasoning to taste

Salsa to taste on the side

Putting it together:

I use only one 10" fry pan for this meal. Start by cooking your turkey bacon. I cut my strips in half before cooking so they are ready to go. Next saute your vegetable and pre cooked potato dices with 1/2 the olive oil and seasoning. Last cook your egg to taste. I usually scramble mine but you could easily to fried or over easy, however you like it.

(I only used about 1/2 of what I made so I'll probably have this for dinner as well!)

Next assemble your wrap. Lay tortilla on plate. Layer ingredients then wrap. Start by folding outside edges in, then fold away from you in a tight wrap. I have cut mine in half for convenience but you can leave whole. Serve with salsa on the side.

It's a wrap! Easy peasy!

** you can fill this wrap with whatever you want, whatever your favorites are.

** you can make more than one and they do freeze well or keep in the fridge for later

MORE ON THE TORTILLAS:

**These tortillas are 1 WW point each! They are FULL SIZE and really delicious! They have the texture of a flour tortilla but are made with whole wheat.

**They come in three flavors: tomato basil (my fav), spinach (my daughter's fav) and whole wheat. I find that all WalMarts carry all three flavors regularly. They are located by the tortillas that are near the hot dog/hamburger buns. DON'T go looking for them by the tortillas in the deli area!

**Nutritional Info: 

90 cals each

0 fat

0 cholesterol

350 mg sodium

14 g carbs

9 g fiber

0 sugar

5 g protein

*They do unfortunately contain wheat gluten

Enjoy!

3.1runmom

Shiratake Noodles - Product & Recipes

SHIRATAKE NOODLES

I first discovered these noodles about 2 years ago and they are a staple in my pantry!

Shiratake noodles are made from Konjac which is a Japanese yam. The yam is dried and then ground into flour and then the noodles are made. YUP- NO WHEAT - NO GLUTEN!

They are also ZERO CALORIES, ZERO FAT, ZERO SUGAR, only 4 carbs, 1 g of fiber, 2 g of protein!

Shiratke noodles are a great substitute for ANY PASTA!

Brands: there are several different bands available: NoOodles, Nasoya, Miracle Noodle, etc.

DON'T BUY: don't buy the brands that say "tofu" unless you want some added calories, fat, etc.

While you can get the shiratake noodles at most Asian Markets (they are refrigerated), Vons, Winco and other groceries in Bakersfield by the tofu products/produce, I usually just order mine off amazon.com for convenience.

My Favorites: the NoOodle brand.

Preparation: all shiratake noodles (unless dried) come packed in liquid. This is because they are a vegetable! And like all canned or packaged vegetable products they need liquid; however, they DO NOT need to be refrigerated! Even the one's that are sold in the refrigerated section, do what you're comfortable with.

Preparing them is simple! 

 (be careful- this one has calories because they have added chickpea flour and potato starch, but there is one by this brand that doesn't contain those)

If you get the packaged one's at the market you will have to empty the contents into a strainer and then RINSE them. They will have a fishy smell- don't worry it washes off and is just a byproduct of the yam sitting in the water. This is why I buy the NoOodle brand.

If you buy the NoOodle brand they are packaged in a broth (either chicken or tomato) and do not have to be rinsed. You can choose to use the broth or not. NO fishy smell. They DO NOT have to be refrigerated.

If you are making a ramen type soup then just heat them up in a soup pot, add your veggies or whatever and you're done.

If you are making stir fry you will want to pan fry the noodles first to remove the liquid, this does take sometime depending on how dry you want your noodles. Keep in mind that these noodles DO NOT HAVE STARCH and will not dry out and be the same consistency as traditional pasta, but the texture is pleasing, even for a pastaholic like me!

So....here are a few simple recipes to get you started:

RAMEN

1. Drain and rinse noodles if needed. Pour into soup pot, add pre made broth if not using boxed noodles.

2. Add mushrooms, bok choy, cabbage, carrots or other vegetables to taste.

3. Bring soup to a boil for about 3 minutes.

4. Cool a bit and enjoy!

SPAGHETTI OR LINGUINE

1. Drain and rinse noodles if needed. Box noodles only need to be drained not rinsed.

2. Place noodles in hot frying pan and cook for about 5-8 minutes to removed liquid or until done to taste.

3. Remove noodles from pan and set aside. Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms and bell pepper in pan with a small amount of olive oil.

4. Add noodles back to pan and add marinara or tomato sauce of your choice and heat through.

5. Serve with cheese or not as desired and enjoy!

STIR FRY

1. Drain and rinse noodles if needed. Box noodles only need to be drained not rinsed.

2. Place noodles in hot frying pan and cook for about 5-8 minutes to removed liquid or until done to taste.
3. Remove noodles from pan and set aside. Saute choice of meat (chicken or beef), onion, garlic, mushrooms, mini corn, cabbage or other vegetables of choice in pan with a small amount of sesame oil.
4. Add noodles back to pan and add a small amount of soy sauce or other Asian seasonings if desired.
5. Enjoy!

**The great thing about these noodles is they come in just about every shape and size! I even order one that is shaped like rice and it is really good.

**I personally don't care for the wider noodles. I have found that they tend to be more "rubbery" in texture and not worth the effort. I usually will just hold off until carb day to have the real thing.

**Unlike regular pasta, these noodles soak up every flavor so go easy on onions, garlic and soy sauce but that is also what makes them so amazing!

Blessings,

3.1runmom

Recipe - Asparagus Stuffed Flank Steak

ASPARAGUS STUFFED FLANK STEAK

I made this for my family tonight and they really loved it. I had to wait until after working out to try it but it was worth it! The recipe is a bit labor intensive but not too difficult for a week night if you plan ahead! The roasted vegetable recipe is in another post from tonight.

Ingredients:

Flank steak (about 3-5 oz per person- what you see here is about 6 oz because I went to Costco!)

Whole fresh asparagus

Olive oil

Seasonings to taste

Poultry twine or tooth picks

Putting it together:

Prepare asparagus and any other vegetables first. You want to rinse and trim the asparagus so that it barely just peeks out of the rolled meat. My stalks were 3-4 inches long. I also used some yellow squash that I spiraled.

Next prepare your meat. If it isn't already cut into desired size strips, do that now. The pieces I got from Costco, honestly, were hard to work with and I left them larger than I normally would. Ideally, 3-4 oz strips are fine so do the best you can. Once cut you'll want to use a meat tenderizer to pound them out. Hint: the flat part of tenderizer is for chicken, the spiky is for beef. No need to cover the beef just pound away until it is more uniform and flat. 

Next layer on your veggies as in the picture above, and roll. The rolls will need to be secured with either poultry twine or tooth picks. I actually forgot I needed these so I used some bamboo skewers broken in half. Twine works the best.

Before adding your rolls to your pan, make sure that it is already quite hot with olive oil. The goal is to get a good sear on each side and then reduce heat to cook more slowly. Once the sear is complete you can lightly cover with a lid to keep the heat in. Cook time is approximately 20-30 minutes depending on how you like your meat and how large your rolls are. Meat temp should be at least 160 degrees.

I served these whole to my family, but its also easy to cut them into smaller slices and they look like pinwheels and really colorful with the asparagus!

Bon a petite!

3.1runmom

Recipe- Roasted Cabbage & Carrots

This is some really YUMMY stuff, even if you don't like cabbage boiled you will probably love it roasted!

Initially I got this recipe on Pinterest (yay pinterest!) and have tweaked it with my personal favorites of spices and other stuff.

My husband, who loathes all things green, even says "when are you going to make that cabbage again"!

Easy to shop for and easy to prepare!

ROASTED CABBAGE & CARROTS

Ingredients:

1 large head of cabbage
4-5 large whole carrots
Olive oil (total about 1/4 cup)
Salt & pepper to taste
Garlic or other fresh or dried seasonings as desired (I like McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Putting it together:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Peel carrots, slice the long way then in half the short way. Put carrots in a bowl and toss with about 1/2 the olive oil and seasonings. Let sit while you prepare the cabbage. Remove outer leaves from head of cabbage and rinse. Slice cabbage into 1/2 inch rounds and place on baking sheet. Brush each round with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings. Add carrots to this sheet or on a baking sheet of their own depending on how much room you have. Place in oven on middle to low rack for about 20-25 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on your oven and thickness of slices. What you're looking for is the cabbage to be browned and roasted on top. Remove, let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

Other vegetable that roast well: potatoes, zucchini, fennel, celery, artichokes, mushrooms.

Blessings,

3.1runmom

Traveling and Eating

TRAVELING AND EATING

I probably don't travel as much as most people in Bakersfield, but I do leave town for at least the day or weekend once per month for running events. Now you know that from Bakersfield, EVERYTHING is at least 2 hours away. We are somewhat "close" to everything. But the beach, the snow, the mountains, LA, Fresno, etc are a minimum of 2 hours. 

When you're needing to eat every 3 hours maximum this requires that food be PACKED and taken in the car. That also means that my choices will be limited and for me, that is what I don't like!

This weekend my husband and I will travel to Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, Ca. The drive, like I said, is about 2 hours long, we will stay in a hotel that we have stayed in before and know the area. The hotel has a decent cafe and there are 6 sushi restaurants and a Chili's within 1 block. So there are plenty of healthy and "plan friendly" places to eat. That......is not the problem.

THE PROBLEM------ the hotel also stocks ice cream in the lobby, has room service and a great cheese platter!

Now, you might be saying "but Michelle, you're going to be running more than 3 miles" or "Michelle you deserve a treat now and then" or "Come on Michelle its not that bad".

And I would agree with each statement; HOWEVER, I run 3 miles ALOT, I deserve way more than ice cream or a cheese platter and IT IS THAT BAD!

I have 60 more lbs to lose and one day makes all the difference. How do I know? Because the last time I stayed here and ran a race I ate the ice cream AND the cheese platter and both my weight and my race paid the ultimate price.

Mind, Body, Soul. Which one will be in control? So far we just talked about the mind, tried to JUSTIFY all the reasons I should eat the taboo stuff but none of the reasons why I shouldn't.

THIS IS WHY I AM OVERWEIGHT. (not you, but definitely me)

My body knows how it will react. My mind doesn't care. My soul does.

Remember the Tom & Jerry cartoons that would pose an angel on one shoulder and devil on the other and each would try to convince Tom or Jerry of their position? I don't know about you but this happens to me when I travel.

I take all the right foods with me, plan it out and then it all goes to  you-know-where in a hand basket! I really need accountability and my family usually doesn't provide it so I have to call on other resources!

Little tricks I use:

Eat my foods even if I don't want to

Eat before we stop for every one else's fast food fix

Keep the food in front of me instead of in the trunk

Only drink water, water, water

Tell the family the plan (even though they won't stick to it)

Wear tighter clothes especially around the waist

Try to sleep on the drive

Eat higher fiber foods then normal

Avoid even a bit of sugar (its a trigger for me)

Crochet or do something to keep my hands busy

Don't order room service

Walk to the meal

Take the "bad" off the plate and throw it away IMMEDIATELY

The happy ending to this story is.......I started writing this blog post very early on Saturday morning hoping that it would help me with my accountability over the weekend and help me to stay on course to meet my goals.

My husband and I finished our race on Sunday. My time was decent but my knee was screaming the whole way because I haven't been training. The race was really fun and exciting. More than 6000 runners and through Knott's Berry Farm. I hadn't been there in 30 years and it has really changed. And my eating over the 2 days gone was not stellar but not the worst damage I have ever done.

I hope your travels are equally enjoyable, and that your mind, body and soul are cohesive!

3.1runmom