I've been wanting to post to this thread when I had more than a few minutes to spare, but that never seems to happen! So I'm going to give you all a quick intro into my weight struggles and share a favorite recipe.
I've always been overweight, as long as I can remember. Even in my pictures as a toddler I have thunder thighs, LOL! I can count on my fingers the number of years I have been happy with, not really weight, but how I fit into the clothes the way I wanted to. My goals have never been unreasonable. I do not want to be thinner than where my body can comfortably settle in even with a few pounds up or down.
4 years ago I found myself out of a bad relationship and wanted to do something different with my life, get out of the rut I was in. Next thing I know, I was training for the Marine Corps Marathon with a very supportive and athletic group of people. During the 4-5 months of training, I lost 2 dress sizes. Not more than 4-5 lbs of weight. But I was working muscles I had never worked and I started looking sleeker, toner and generally more compact. I did not change how I was eating, in fact I was eating more than usual. Then again, I have always been good about what I eat. An year later I met my husband who is a BIG foodie. For the longest time I resisted his eating habits but slowly started assimilating them over time. In about 2 years I found myself 10 lbs heavier. On a shorty like me (5'1") that is a lot.
Then, just before the wedding I worked out diligently for 4 months, watched my calorie count, went easy on carbs, lost the 10 lbs and looked and felt great. Now 2 years, very little exercise and slackened eating habits later, the 10 lbs have crept back. I want to make a change for good this time. I am tired of the weight swings. I want to eat absolutely clean, workout everyday and make a lifestyle out of it. We're talking about having kids sooner rather than later and I want to be fit when that happens. Before and after.
I have started going to the gym every morning so I will not have an excuse not to go after work (had to work late, am exhausted etc). I've started menu planning and timing my meals, drinking my 8 cups of water and keeping track of calories (I try to keep at around 1300 and sometimes try calorie zig-zagging during the week with the highest calories consumed on the weekends). And I am absolutely thrilled we are all here to support ourselves. Oh, BTW I never did mention: I am 140 lbs at a size 10.
You are all so very inspiring, especially to manage everything while juggling work and family. Congratulations on all that you have achieved so far and more power to you for where you want to go from here!
My favorite recipes:
Creamy Italian White Bean Soup:
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (16 ounce) cans white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups water
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
In a large saucepan, heat oil. Cook onion and celery in oil for 5 to 8 minutes, or until tender. Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds, continually stirring. Stir in beans, chicken broth, pepper, thyme and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer for 15 minutes.
With slotted spoon, remove 2 cups of the bean and vegetable mixture from soup and set aside.
In blender at low speed, blend remaining soup in small batches until smooth, (it helps to remove the center piece of the blender lid to allow steam to escape.) Once blended pour soup back into stock pot and stir in reserved beans.
Bring to a boil, occasionally stirring. Stir in spinach and cook 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat and serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Nutritional Information
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 248
Total Fat: 5.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 957mg
Total Carbs: 37.8g
Dietary Fiber: 11.7g
Protein: 12.3g
Lentil Pancake(s) (or Adai as it is called in India)
Ingredients:
1 cup Brown lentil sprouts
1 cup mung bean sprouts (I don't think the Chinese bean sprouts would work for this recipe)
1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped
3 serrano chilies or 3 dried red chilies
1/2 cup scallions, chopped (even shallots or onions will do)
1/2 cup spinach or other greens, finely minced (optional- add if you want more nutrition)
2 Tbsp cilantro, finely minced (optional)
1 tsp salt or more to taste
Directions:
Grind sprouts with ginger and chilies into a coarse, thick batter.
Spread a ladleful of batter, thickly on a medium hot griddle. Add a tsp of oil around the pancake.
Cook for about a minute on each side. The adai should be a rich, reddish brown.
The mung beans pack a good punch of protein. I like to eat chicken curry with these pancakes. They taste good all by themselves too.
A favorite snack of mine that is both healthy and satisfying (esp when you are craving something crispy and savory)
Roasted Chickpeas
Ingredients:
1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained;
2 tbsp olive oil;
salt to taste.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450.
Mix ingredients together in shallow baking pan.
Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
When finished, remove from oven and allow to cool.
Eat at room temperature.
I like my roasted chickpeas with ground red pepper, garlic & onion powder. Really gives them a kick! I tend to make these in small batches as they tend get a little chewy in a few days.
Thats it for now!
