T-80 Days to Mrs.

Days til the wedding: 80 Days

Current Pounds Lost Since December 25th: 11lbs

Lately many of my friends and family have been commenting on how good I've been on my diet before our wedding in 80 Days. I've decided I'm going to start a blog about my journey to being healthier and happier. Though there are only 80 days left until the wedding, I understand that this has to be a lifestyle change for us (Me and Tony) if we want to be happier and healthier people.

I plan on sharing recipes, complaining about my current cravings, my attempts at exercise and maybe a little banter about my day to day life.

I'm just going to post a photo now from Christmas Eve, and call it my starting point:




I may or may not have been at 220lbs here but I know I was at least 217. Prior to the holidays I was sick with the flu and bronchitis and should probably attribute a couple of pounds of weight loss to lack of appetite and medication that made me dizzy and nauseous. No Bueno.

I knew that after Christmas I had no excuse. So that was ground zero and I was ready to be motivated from there. I told myself I would be dedicated to logging on my food (On MyFitnessPal), and make a greater effort to add exercise into my life.

Lets just jump right in.

Day at a glance: 1/19/14

Breakfast: Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats - 256 Calories

This is the first time I tried this recipe and I (And Tony) loved it. I prepped 4 jars the night before and it was ready to eat the next morning. I found this recipe through a Youtube channel I recently subscribed to called The Domestic Geek. She has tons of great ideas and recipes! The best thing about this oatmeal is that it kept me full and energetic all morning!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup milk (almond, soy, hemp, rice or dairy)
• ¼ cup pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a jar.
2. Shake well.
3. Leave in the refrigerator overnight.
4. Eat cold or heat in the microwave.
5. Enjoy!

Lunch: Salad Jar - 255 Calories

I've really been loving bringing these salad jars for lunch. I make them all on Sunday Night and I don't have to worry about what to bring in the morning or be tempted to just go out to lunch and make bad choices. I looked a lot on Pinterest on the best way to assemble these salads and it's always dressing on the bottom and working up from wettest to driest ingredients, and I always put the greenery on top. I shake mine up and eat them right out of the mason jar, but Tony found it easier to eat by dumping it out on a plate.

This week's salad, layer by layer, includes:

Balsamic vinegarette, chopped pecans, Parmesan cheese, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, green pepper, shredded carrots, diced leftover pork chop and spring mix.

Chobani - Dulce de Leche Caramel and Dark Chocolate - 140 Calories

I cannot praise this yogurt enough! Like some of my friends may have seen on Facebook....it is satisfying enough that it makes me miss ice cream less. I told tony I wanted to try freezing it and seeing how it tastes...it might satisfy my ice cream craving after all!

Dinner:

Asian inspired Chicken, Eggplant and Green Bean Stir Fry - 195 Calories

I just threw this together and tried to come up with my own recipe. It didn't turn out half bad! The Chicken breasts I used were pretty huge, which is why I think this makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:
2 b/s chicken breast - diced
3 clove(s) Garlic - minced
1 tsp Ginger root - minced
1 medium eggplant (with skin) cubed
2 Cups fresh Green Beans - cut 

1 C chicken broth (Light & Fat Free)

1/4 cup - Sesame Oil
1/8 cup - Sugar White
1/2 cup Soy sauce
1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)

1 Chopped Scallion (for garnish)
Salt
Pepper

Cornstarch

Instructions:

1. In a bowl season your raw diced chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Then I added a little corn starch and tossed until coated.

2. In a large sautee pan (My brand new pan is HUGE) heat a couple tablespoons of oil and add your chicken in a single even layer. I sauteed the chicken until it was lightly browned and cooked all the way through. Then I removed it from the pan.

3. Next, I sauteed the garlic and ginger til fragrant. But be careful not to burn it.

4. I added the eggplant and green beans a sauteed for a bit then added the chicken broth and covered for about 5 min to let the eggplant soften.

5. Return the chicken to pan with the vegetables.

6. I combined the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and red pepper flakes in a bowl and stirred well to dissolved the sugar. I added it to the stir fry mixture until well coated.

Garnish with the scallions, and that's it!

Exercise: I didn't get any extra exercise in on Tuesday.  I do own a fitbit flex and have been trying to make an effort to reach my goal every day.  I got in about half of the steps I had myself goaled at... and not to make excuses but I think I over did it with my steps yesterday.  I was ambitious at work yesterday and during lunch I walked up and down the stairs from the 1st to 6th floor twice.  Then, at the end of the night, I did laps around the house just to get to my goal.  My calves were killing me!!! I needed a rest.  I should have done some arm exercises, but alas I didn't.

The beauty of this journey is there is always tomorrow to do better!...Or in this case, Today! 

I think the best thing that I've done so far is finding people to support and encourage me.  My aunt and I exchange daily screen shots of our MyFitnessPal results from the previous day.  We talk about what foods work and don't work for us.  I also like the encouragement I see from other friends on MyFitnessPal.  I've also invited friends to challenges on the FitBit app.  Even if I'm not in the lead, I think seeing everyone's steps helps encourages me to do a little better for myself!  

I'll leave you with some memes... Please comment on what else you'd like me to share...This is just the beginning....

Mandie