My body isn't perfect, but it is mine and I am finally healthy [Exra skin after weight loss]

perfect: adjective ˈpərfikt/ 1. having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be.

You know, when I started this journey almost 5 years ago I thought I would lose the weight and things would simply be better.  I would finally be able to wear bikini's, midriff shirts and somehow losing weight would solve all my confidence issues. At first I believed losing weight would be a cure all, somehow in achieving the perfect body I would finally be happy. Man was I wrong, nothing is instantaneous and I have learned that everything is a process.

With that being said I may not have the perfect body, but what is perfect anyway? Society has engrained it into our brains that perfect means thin, no stretch marks, not a hair out of place.  Yet this shouldn't be how it is, perfect shouldn't be some standard that we have to meet. Hell, the definition of the word perfect is pretty vague, sure it says that to be perfect we have all the desirable traits needed to be as good as it is possible to be but these "traits" we are supposed to have based on societies views are bullshit.  For a long time I fed into society's views and even sometimes still find myself falling for their tricks. Comparing myself to this person or that.  Even though I still end up comparing myself I will say that I am finally happy and that it is okay in my opinion to be perfectly imperfect.

So now I am finally ready to share something I am deeply self conscious about with all of you because I know there are so many people out there who can relate to me.  For so long I have hidden my body after weight loss because I was embarrassed of it.  Only posting pictures where my extra skin is nice and concealed. Which seems crazy right, you would think after losing 130+ pounds that I would be so eager to get into a bikini correct? WRONG! What no one tells you is that after losing weight you WILL HAVE extra skin, you will have stretch marks and your body will not be perfect.  You will not have the tight, perfectly toned body [even though you do have muscle somewhere under the loose skin].  At first I loathed my new body, ignoring the fact that even though my body was not perfect it was finally healthy.  It has taken me 5 years to realize that my body is more than just something to look at. It is something amazing and my extra skin and stretch marks are reminders of the hard work I have put in to become healthy.  So even though I may never look like society says I should it is okay because my body is mine, it is healthy and it is perfectly imperfect just like it should be.  So I will wear my bikini, my midriff shirts and whatever else I please because this is my body and I am proud of how far it's come.

Regardless of all of my loose and extra skin, I am proud of my body because it is healthy and it is mine.

What were my underlying reasons to start getting healthy?

Recently I was asked the question: "What started you on your journey?"  After hearing the question I had to sit and think for a minute causing the person to ask another question, "Was it so you could find a significant other?"  Well the second question produced an immediate response. No I did not start my journey in order to obtain a boyfriend, for I already had a boyfriend (now my husband) who has always loved me for who I am.  He was not scared away by my size, and when asked how he could love me back then he typically shrugs and says easily.  So no, becoming more attractive to impress the opposite sex was not my main reason.  Perhaps the vain part of me did want to become more attractive for him, but I did not do it solely for the purpose of vanity.

I think the most underlying reason for why I began my journey is because I wanted to live.  I no longer wanted to be the girl who was slowly killing herself with food and piling on the weight.  I want to live to be old enough to have great grand children.  I want to live long enough so I can enjoy the world and travel.  I want to spend my whole life with my husband, without worrying if my obesity was eventually going to kill me.  I was tired of being tired.  Walking up stairs winded me, sometimes even walking from my car winded me.  I worked with children and I could not play duck duck goose with them without sweating and needing a break.  It was mortifying, and I realized I could no longer lead a life where living was not my priority.  Food had become my comfort, but this comfort was slowly killing me.  I had to change my ways so I could truly live.

So there you have it, the reason I started was because I wanted to live.  Simple as that.  Before this I was on the road to death.  Slowly dying with every bad thing I ate and every elevator instead of the stairs that I took. If you think about it living is a pretty big motivator.  Especially when you realize how much you actually have to live for.

Low Calorie Spinach Lasagna

One of my favorite meals is Lasagna but finding a recipe that is low calorie and delicious is nearly impossible.  With that being said I decided that today was the day to change this.  I was going to revamp one of my favorite vegetarian recipes into an even healthier one!  By substituting most of the ricotta cheese with low fat cottage cheese, and using skim ricotta instead of whole milk I was able to cut a lot of the calories out.  Here is my finished product. Please let me know how you like it if you try this recipe out!

Low Calorie Spinach Lasagna

(This is not a picture of the lasagna I made, however mine looked just like this! I forgot to take a picture of mine when I took it out of the oven.)

Ingredients:
   Tomato Sauce:

    2 (28oz) cans diced tomatos
    2 tbs tomato paste
    1 small onion diced
    3 cloves garlic chopped
    1 tsp sugar
    1 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
    1/2 tsp black pepper
    1 tbs dried oregano
    1 tbs dried basil

    Filling:

    1 1/2 cups low fat cottage cheese
    1 cup skim milk ricotta cheese
    2 (12oz) bags frozen spinach
    1 egg
    1 (10.5 oz) bag shredded carrots
     1 box Barilla no boil lasagna noodles
     2 cups skim mozzarella cheese
     1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 375°C
-In a pan saute onion and garlic with a spritz of nonstick cooking spray.
-When onions are translucent add tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, oregano and basil.  Let sauce simmer for 30 minutes.
-Spray lasagna pan with non stick cooking spray.  Add 1/3 sauce into the bottom of the pan.  Layer 1: 5 noodles, 1/2 filling mixture, 1 cup mozzerella cheese and 1/2 remaining sauce.  Layer 2: 5 noodles, remaining filling mixture, remaining mozzerella cheese. Layer 3: 5 noodles, remaining sauce and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.
-Cook for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

*Makes 12 servings. Calories per serving: 293 Protein: 21g

How to get more Veggies into your diet!

We all need 5 servings of vegetables a day, that's right I said it 5. In all honesty, hardly any of us are actually eating all five of those servings.  I read that teenager's typically only eat 2 servings a day and one of those servings is french fries.  As adults we do about the same, maybe a serving better. What do we tend to eat instead of vegetables? Processed foods, aka junk foods.  

These foods are high in fat and sugars but low in protein, vitamins and minerals.  The high fat/sugar count makes it HIGH in calories and hardly fills us up.  So why don't we eat more vegetables?  There seems to be a stigma against healthy foods, either they are too hard to cook or too expensive.  Both couldn't be farther from the truth.  When shopping I tend to spend less when I am buy fresh produce vs. buying processed foods.  There are also plenty of quick recipes you can make involving fresh vegetables.

To get more veggies in your breakfast try making an omelet and stuffing it with tons peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes.  Want to spice it up a little? Add some salsa and red pepper flakes to the top! For lunch have a salad sandwich.  Instead of making your sandwich on bread, place all your toppings on top of a bed of lettuce or spinach.  For dinner you could make a fresh vegetable stir fry, or try having squash as your side starch instead of pasta. Carrots, celery, peppers and cucumbers are great for snacking on raw through out the day.

If you really want to get more vegetables in your diet you just need to try!  This week add more vegetables to your grocery list.  Look up a few new recipes and maybe even try a few new vegetables out!  Once you start adding more to your diet you will feel fuller and healthier! An added bonus is that you will spend less on your groceries per month!

 

Simple Vegetarian 'Tuna' Salad

When I first became a vegetarian I had to make the decision of whether or not I would still eat fish.  The only fish I ever enjoyed was Tuna, so I figured I would just cut out ALL meat all together.  Some days I still miss being able to make a quick tuna salad, so I came up with this quick and simple recipe substituting garbanzo beans for the protein source! I am not a low-carb person, but I do tend to cut out most bread and like to eat this salad on top of a bed of lettuce instead! Happy eating!

Simple Vegetarian 'Tuna' Salad

Ingredients:
    1 16oz can garbanzo beans, drained
    1/4 cup diced red onion
    1/4 cup diced celery
    2 tbs light mayonnaise
    1 tbs yellow mustard
    1 tsp lemon pepper
    1/4 tsp minced garlic

Directions:
-Drain garbanzo beans and place in a bowl.  Mash the garbanzo beans with a potato masher until mostly smooth.
-Dice onion and celery and add to bowl.  Mix.
-Add mayonnaise, mustard, lemon pepper and garlic to bowl.  Mix and taste.  Add other spices to your liking.

*Makes 2 servings. Calories per serving: 232 Protein: 12g