1 Year

Tomorrow is the big day!! One year ago I had my baby girl and weighed 252 pounds. How the year has flown by. How life has changed so much for me. I am already 76 pounds lighter, I left my job and became a stay at home mom, I started working out regularly with a trainer, and I've met several new friends, etc. Having two kids is definitely different from one.

I truly can not believe that my wee one is 1 year old. She is my little princess and has been such a joy to have in our lives. Her big blue sparkling eyes, sweet blonde curls, and 8 little teeth creating her precious smile melt my heart. She has been such an easy baby. She is learning how to talk and yells out words like ma-ma, da-da, ya-ya, jack, ba-ba, hi, na-na, uh-oh, la-la. Reese loves to blow raspberries and spit bubbles. She isn't quite brave enough to walk yet even though she started crawling at 7 months. She is wildly independent and definitely head strong. She already squaks when she doesn't get her way! Her and her brother are the best of friends and they spend hours playing with each other; Hudson has even convinced her to be passionate about cars. It has been so fun dressing her up and putting bows in her hair. I have definitely spent a little more money on accessories with this kid...hair bows, tights, shoes, leg warmers, head bands, sunglasses, tutus, bloomers, etc.

I sure do love my kids. They both bring so much joy to my life. Part of me can't believe that she is already a year old and another part of me can't remember my life with out her. Happy Birthday tomorrow sweet Sissy....We love you.

Kind of makes me sad that she is turning one. I mean, I don't know exactly what our future holds but for several reasons we think that Reese will be our last baby. I think that is why it is hard to see her grow up because deep down I know that I won't be having more babies. However, we are looking forward to the new experiences that we will get to have with older kids such as traveling, camping, boating, etc. Also after working this hard for a new body, I am not sure I want to risk losing it again by being pregnant. I have also been advised by my doctor that it may not be safe for me to have more since I have had two c-sections and my uterus is very thin in spots.

I am not sure if I will quite make my goal of losing 100 pounds in a year. It will be close. I started this journey in May 2010 and it is already mid-march. I wanted to start immediately after she was born but since I had a c-section it took me about 6 weeks before I was really ready to exercise a lot and it took that long just to feel like myself. I swear those first 6 weeks are like a big fog. So only about 6-8 more weeks to see if I can make the goal. It is lofty but I am just proud of how far I have came and that I am getting my health and confidence back. I know that this summer I will be the lightest I've been in a long time...and I can't wait to hit the lake!

Creamy Skillet Chicken

Tonight I made the yummiest dinner and it was super easy. You can modify this to be a low carb dinner or a low fat dinner. If wanting to watch fat just substitute light or fat free milk & cream cheese.

Creamy Skillet Chicken

1 TBSP Olive oil

4 boneless skinless breast halves (about 1.25 Lbs)

1 Envelope Lipton Vegetable Soup mix

1 C Milk

1 C Water

4 oz cream cheese

Directions:

In 12 inch skillet, heat oil over medium high heat and brown chicken turning once, remove chicken. In the same skillet bring soup mix blended with milk and water to a boil, reduce heat and summer uncovered 4 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted and simmer 3 minutes. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

I served this with green beans and a baked potato (for Travis); I just had an extra serving of green beans. You could also serve with biscuits, rice or noodles. It was very good and the extra sauce would be great over potato or rice.

Blog Award

This month's blog award goes to one of my besties, Amanda Rayburn! I have been wanting to give it to her for sometime just because I love her so much but she wasn't following the blog as well as others so I had to put her off. However, as of recently she has became a good reader and she is also joining me on my diet for lent. It has been fun to talk to her about her workouts, eating ideas, etc. We are getting to our goals together.

Last time Amanda saw me, I weighed 231 pounds. I can't wait till I can see her again (hopefully in June) and show her the new me! I don't even know where to start in telling you about Mandy. Out of all of my friends and family she has came to Tennessee to visit more than anyone and she loves me so much that she even attempted to move to TN to be closer. She was here for about 4 months and got home sick. :(

When I think of Amanda here are some of the words that come to mind (you may not understand them all...but I do):

Cupcake, Smart, Music, Hoodies, Sex in the City, Pigtails, Camel's Back Park, Vault, Macbook, Pharmacy, Beautiful, Poetic, "I thought I got 100", New York City, Quiznos, muffcakes, Alto, St. Luke's, Radiohead, Creative, Old Chicago, Williams-Sonoma, Devoted, Sunglasses, Vue, Funny, Boise State Bronco, Friend, wisdom teeth, Talented, Happy Camper, Sucrose, I-Pod, Weeds, Eclectic, Knitting, Epidemiology, Tatoos, "Who Cares", Oranges in Tube Socks and Moonshine.

Amanda is a great friend. We have laughed many laughs. She is the kind that you can call for no reason or the type that would come over just to help you clean the house and hang out. She knows all my flaws but still loves me. We have been on tons of adventures together and I can't wait for even more. Love you friend. You mean the world to me. Miss you tons and wish you were still here. Good luck with Pharmacy school....I'll know you'll be great!

Isn't this picture of me disgusting? It was the last time she was here, right after Reese was born and we headed to Dollywood with my 3 week old baby. hee hee. Look at my shirt curling up over my belly. Gross!!

Easy Baked Ravioli

I got this recipe from my friend Rachel. While it isn't the lowest in calories, I still make it for my family and make myself a big salad and practice portion control.

Easy Baked Ravioli

2 tsp. Italian dressing
1 medium red pepper
1 small onion (finely chopped)
15 oz. spaghetti sauce-Recipe to follow or you can use bottled or your own recipe
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1 pkg. (9 oz) Ravioli cooked and drained
1/2 C Shredded mozzerella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat dressing in a large skillet on medium heat. Add peppers and onions. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in sauce and crushed red pepper. Combine all ingredients. (the original recipe calls for layering of sauce and ravioli but I find this unnecessary. Bake 25 minutes or until heated through. Makes 3-4 servings.

Spaghetti Sauce

Let me start by saying that this recipe is famous in my family. My grandpa being adopted by Italians; this came from his ancestors and is a true "DeLuca" authentic Italian Recipe. My family won't eat anything but this. Hudson loves anything made with this sauce! I use it for spaghetti, lasagna, pretty much anything that calls for a marinara sauce. I will warn you that this tastes nothing like Prego or Ragu or your traditional american sauce made with hamburger and bell peppers. It may take some getting used to but everyone that tries it usually loves it. I have actually never shared it as it is kind of a family secret but thought that I would anyway. So for those of you reading, feel very fortunate. This will make quite a lot, so freeze half and pull it out next time you need some.

DeLuca Sauce

1/3 C Olive Oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 small-med onion

1 regular can tomato paste (they also make a really small can, make sure to use the one similar to a soup can)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP italian seasoning

1/3 C red wine vinegar

1 Lg can tomato puree (I think it's around 27 oz)

1 C water (may add a little more if it seems to thick)

optional: add Italian sausage, diced tomatoes (fresh or canned) & mushrooms

**I prefer Hunt's brand for the paste and puree

Heat oil in large pan, add garlic and onions till translucent. If using sausage and mushrooms add now. Add tomato paste and stir allowing to simmer for 5 minutes. Add spices and vinegar, let simmer another couple minutes. Add rest of the ingredients. This recipe is best if it simmers a minimum of an hour and up to 3 hours to really let the spices give it maximum flavor. Do not use hamburger in this recipe. It would be an insult to it's heritage. :)

My Reward

So this may come as a shock to some of you but I think I have finally decided what my reward will be if I ever achieve my weight loss goal and lose 110 pounds.....a new set of grapefruits. This may seem vain or like an extravagant reward however after all of my hard work it is something I definitely want to take care of. I am going to start saving for them soon. I mean, your breasts are supposed to look like grapefruits....not oranges that have been dropped in a pair of tube socks.

Yes, I am doing this weight loss journey for my physical and mental health but I am also doing it because I want to be smokin hot! I let my 20s go and I was over 200 pounds for that entire decade in my life. Well my thirties and forties are going to be different.....and I can't wait. I am posting this pic on my fridge as inspiration to stay on track.

Compound Movements

A lot of people I know workout. They go to the gym and do the machines or they focus one day on legs, one day on arms, one day on shoulders and so on. One thing that I have learned through my reading, the Jillian Michael's videos and my trainer, Tammye is the importance of compound movements. These are so crucial for weight loss.

Basically, Weight lifting exercises can be separated into two broad categories: compound movements and isolation movements. Isolation exercises are those which move a single joint through its range of motion. Examples include the bicep concentration curl or the tricep kickback which both involve the elbow, the leg extension involving the knee, or calf raises which involve the ankle. They’re called “isolation” exercises because they put major stress on a single, isolated muscles. Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that rely on the coordinated actions of several muscle groups to move two or more joints through a range of motion. The squat, for instance, involves both ankles, knees and hips and puts major stress on the quads, hamstrings, glutes, back and core, and a host of small, stabilizing muscles.

Lets think about it. What are your big muscles in your body? Your biceps? Nope! Your back, chest, abs, legs and butt! If you only have a minimum amount of time then this is where you need to focus. Building these muscles will also build some of the smaller muscles by default from the exercises and it will help turn your body into a fat burning machine. You got to get the most bang for your buck. If you can work out your larger muscles while adding some small muscle exercises at the same time you can get more in your workout for a lot less time. For example as you do lunges also do bicep curls, as you do squats also do shoulder press, as you do bench press lift up your butt and squeeze those glutes and legs. Do you get the idea?

Give it a try! Here is a really great article that gives you lots more details.

80s Party Power Hour

Today was a power hour class at the gym. It was an 80s theme and we were encouraged to dress up. It was pretty fun and pretty hard. I am really loving my ladies and my trainer. I am totally addicted. When Travis used to get mad at me he would make comments about me needing to "get up and go do something" now when he gets mad at me he is like "hope you enjoyed your four sessions at the gym this week". Hee hee. I know he is supportive but sometimes I think it is hard for him to work and watch the kids frequently. Here is a picture of my outfit today. Don't I look like I just stepped off the cover of a Richard Simmons Video? I was really sad I didn't have any tube socks. I almost went to Walmart this morning to get some but decided I better not go inside looking like that. haha.

Right now though I have to just finish this goal. In the long run it is not only better for me but it is better for our whole family as I know I am also getting healthier and stronger through this journey. In todays class we did 1 minute of weights and then 1 minute of cardio drills and then 1 minute of rest, repeat. It is tough but I can totally tell that I am getting stronger and have more endurance. I still need to work on my running. I still kind of suck at that. I just don't love to run.

I rewarded myself for getting to 179 with the digital display that accompanies the bodybugg. I LOVE IT. It can be worn like a watch and gives you up to the second accuracy regarding the calories you've burned, steps you taken, minutes of activity, etc. Before, I had to plug it into the computer to see my results. Now I have them right then. Nothing like the satisfaction of NOW. It really helps to push me harder too. If I look down at the end of the day and I haven't met my burn then I go for walk or do an extra workout, etc. Hopefully it will continue to aid in the loss.