Today is the Day!

I anxiously (but mostly hesitantly) stepped on the scale today, a little terrified of what I might see. I haven't done super well with my calories these past few days. I caught some lame cold on Halloween & spent a whole lot of time sitting on my couch & sleeping. It's funny how a few lazy days can make you feel like you've gained 20 pounds. & honestly, felt that I had.

Miraculously enough, 219.4! Two-Nineteen, People! I have reached my goal of "the 2-teens"! & A month & a half early no less! I literally lept for joy! Clint was a witness of this :] Then Clint weighed in & he had lost 2.5 pounds. I am so proud of him & so grateful for the love & support that him & I can share.

This goal was one that I created while Clint & I were dating. I got so close! I believe that the lowest I got before my wedding was 224. & then of course...marriage. That darned thing! :] 20 pounds heavier & then 25 pounds lighter! Here I am & I'm still truckin'! & now it's time to set another short term goal!

210 by Mexico! not to be confused with 310 to Yuma... I would much rather go to Puerto Vallarta, than Yuma, Arizona & I definitely don't want to be 310 pounds...EVER! So here it goes 210 pounds by January 18th! I'm up for the challenge, but man, the more I lose the more I become dependent on my calories for energy. & the more I lose, the "less" I can eat. When I started counting calories on September 10, 2012, I was at 1360 calories, now I'm down to an even 1200. At first, it was difficult to be okay with leaving the meal still feeling hungry, but now it has completely changed. My stomach has shrunk & I have learned that it is okay to be hungry! I have also learned to enjoy my food & eat slowly. Seriously a blessing.

Now go out & share your goals! The people around you can be amazing motivators & can help you...so much! Also, feel free to ask me questions! I want to be here to help, inspire, motivate & enlighten :]

Yours Truly,

Embrace It

Come what may & love it.

Some days are may be more difficult than others.

This season will pass, & a new leaf will turn.

Commitment & Portion Control...A Valuable Lesson

Guess who has officially dropped below their Wedding Weight?! Who knew that just a few weeks of persistant calorie counting & healthy eating could kickstart weight loss? ;] I only find it fighting to post one of my favorites from my bridal session & then one of Clint & I of course! One of the most incredible days of my life...Seriously...

Now onto the good stuff! :]

If there is anything that I have learned over the past five weeks (& ever since I committed to lose weight) is that the sacrifice is always worth it. I have never gone to the gym & regretted it. I have never chosen a healthy meal over an unhealthy one & regretted it. 

The time you take out of your day to go to the gym or to exercise may seem like a large amount of time, but think about the time you spend watching TV, cyber stalking (who are we kidding...we all do it! :]) & sitting on the couch. A mere 45 minutes set aside at least 3 times a week is not a difficult thing. The hardest part about exercise is committing! The last thing I want to do after a long day at work is go to the gym. The moment I walk in the door, I make the decision to immediately put on my gym clothes. As soon as I'm dressed, that is my commitment & I'm out the door!

Clint & I love going on double dates with our family & friends. Therefore, we spend a lot of time researching healthier restaurant or meal options. Our philosophy is if you work hard, save your calories, and earn them, you can eat what you want in moderation. We both have a terrible habit of eating everything that is on the plate, so what I do is split the food into correct portions (because one portion in America could feed a whole tribe of African children!) & then I pack up half of the meal before I even eat anything. That way, I don't feel like I'm wasting half of a plate or food, or feel even the slightest bit of obligation to eat it. Everyone has their own tactic of portion control, but that is by far the easiest way for me, especially when eating out.

What helps you control your portions?

Chicken Avocado Sandwich

Well, here comes the first of many recipes! This has easily become my favorite home made chicken sandwich! I am so thrilled with how all of the ingredients just blended together. &....drum roll please....it was 423 calories! No sides necessary, because it was so filling and had amazing flavor! No mayonaise or any other condiment. Only 5 ingredients! Here they are! {minus the avocado}

Ingredients:

+ 2 Chicken Breasts {purchased @ Costco, freezer ready 2 breast packages}

+ McCormick Zesty Herb Marinade

+ 2 Small Brown Mushrooms

+ 1/2 Avocado

+ Torta Sandwich Roll {purchased @ Costco}

Directions:

First prepare the marinade {All it takes is 1/3 cup water, 3 T. Olive Oil & 3 T. White Vinegar} in a large ziplock baggy, which I find is the easiest, cleanest, most disposable way. Pour about 1/3 cup of the marinade into a separate ziplock baggy to marinate the mushrooms. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices and put into 1/3 cup separated baggy. Then prepare the chicken by thawing & rinsing. Slice the chicken horizontally & then down the middle vertically. This should make 8 relatively even pieces. Place all chicken in the larger ziplock and marinate for at least a half hour. 

I grilled on our George Foreman {which has recently become my best friend since being recently discovered in a pile of wedding gifts from a year ago...who else can resonate??} & it only took about 6-7 minutes! No turning over necessary. After the chicken was done, I threw the mushrooms on to grill for about 4 minutes {my husband likes them nice & crispy, but they're amazing either way}. 

Cut the torta rolls in half and broil in a toaster oven, or just toast them until they're a little crispy. Cut the whole avocado in half & use 1/4 of the avocado for each sandwich. Cut the avocado into small pieces and spread on the top half of the bun. Place 2 chicken pieces on the bottom half of the bread and put half of the mushrooms on top. & that's it! 

The best thing about this sandwich is that if your really low on calories, you can use a much lighter bread, but honestly, the bread made the sandwich for me! 

Here's the calorie lay out!

Chicken Breast {4 oz} -- 110 Calories 

1/4 Avocado {Medium} -- 75 Calories

1 Torta Roll -- 220 Calories

Mccormick Marinade -- About 15 Calories

1 Brown Mushroom -- 3 Calories

Total: 423 Calories

{{Quote of the Day}}

Yours Truly,

Life Lesson: One

...Never put your happiness in someone else's hands...

This is one of the most amazing life lessons that I have ever learned. As a young child & teenager, I never had much self confidence. I tried to cover my insecurities and fears of social situations with humor. After the nights were through, I would go home and worry endlessly about things I said or did that may have made others look down at me. I would blame my embarrassment on being overweight. I would blame my inability to get asked out on dates on being overweight. I would get my hopes up about a boy that might actually "like me back" and I would go through phases of "happiness." I would get my heart broken by false hopes when things didn't work out & I would be terribly unhappy. I didn't understand at that time in my life that what everyone thinks or what that one boy thinks, does not matter. I based so much of my teenage life "waiting for someone else to make [me] happy." I not once thought of it being a decision. My own decision.

I now know how important it is to be self-reliant & self-confident. Though someone else can enhance your happiness, you yourself have to make the initial decision to be happy. After I graduated high school, I was lost. All of my friends had gone away to school or had left on LDS missions & I was working & living at home. I got stuck in a routine. I would come straight home from work, watch an episode or 2 of my favorite show & then go to bed. I would wake up & the cycle would begin again. I felt stagnant, discontent & unhappy. I woke up one day & had a desire to make my life different. I woke up with hope that things could get better if I put in the effort. I jumped onto the "healthy-eating & 2 hours at the gym" train. I wasn't basing my decision off of anyone else. I wasn't losing weight for anyone else but me. I am beyond grateful for that desire. It has brought me so much joy & happiness, & so much more desire for other things.

Find that desire in yourself to become what you want to be. Find what goal or accomplishment you would like to fulfill & make it one of your top priorities. Make time for yourself to fulfill that desire & go for it. Full force. Don't wait for someone else to make you happy, because you can wait & wait & wait, & then you realize that it is you who has to decide.

One Pound at a Time.

Work, photography, dieting, school, church, & personal time. These are just a few contributors to my ridiculously busy schedule. Life sometimes gets so busy I feel like I haven't stopped for days, even for one minute. What I consider downtime is sitting at my desk editing or doing homework. Being busy is a blessing; I haven't had time to be content or bored. But it also doesn't allow me to take a breath & realize how blessed I am. It is so easy to get caught up in day to day events when you're running on a schedule with an endless cycle.

I've never felt more busy in my life than I do now. My growing photography business, 40 hour work week day, & 9 credit hours...By the end of the day, I'm lucky if I get to cross 2 things off of my "To Do" list, & then I end up adding 1 or 2 others. Some of the busy-ness I've brought upon myself by choice, & I've heard from several people, "You know, saying No is okay." To me, it isn't. How could I turn down an opportunity to do what I love & build my photography business? I would love love LOVE to get to the point where I could cut down on my day time hours & kick up my photo hours. & some day, I know I will be able to get to that point if I sacrifice some personal time now. In the meantime, I will juggle as many things as I have to to get to that point!

To add to the stress of life, I've gained weight. (No surprise there!) Clint & I have jumped onto the calorie counting bandwagon full force! Since September 10th, I've been on a 1,300 calorie diet & I've already lost 7 lbs! Clint pinky swore that I would be down 20 lbs by Christmas, which right now, looks pretty do able!

I've been thinking a lot about support lately. Not in just a weight loss/motivation standpoint, but in every aspect of life. Trials & obstacles are extremely difficult to overcome without someone to lean on or talk to. In regards to weight loss, studies have shown that people lose more weight when they have a weight loss buddy! this is so true! I just think back on all of the goals that I've made, kept to myself, & never reached. Everyone needs someone to cheer them on in school, in parenthood, at work, with hobbies, everything. I never would have gotten to where I am today with my photography business without my amazing supporters. Same with my weight loss. 2 & a half years ago, I never would have said I could do it. My parents, siblings, & friends were amazing motivators (& shortly after I began, I met my husband to be)! Because they were cheering me on, helping & motivating me to eat right & listened to my frustrations, I lost 40 lbs! I never could have never could have done this on my own. From the moment I voiced my goal, I felt that it was my responsibility to absolutely keep that promise! The people around you who truly love you & want you to succeed; they are here to remind you of your potential & greatness! So trust in them & let them help you! & who knows, maybe you'll be the inspiration for them in return.

I am extremely grateful for my amazing husband, parents, siblings, family, friends, & anyone else who has helped me on my journey. I feel so blessed to have such amazing people in my life!