10 Steps towards a healthy life!

1. Get prepared for your new life! Get excited about changing your life and get prepared to make the change for good. Realize that this isn't another fad diet you are going to start, this time you are going to change your whole lifestyle.  This time it is forever.

2. Evaluate the people in your life. So you want a fresh start? Then you need to take a closer look at the people you surround yourself with.  Are they good influences on you or do they tempt you with every step you take. If they are  the latter as hard as it is you may have to try to let them go, or at least keep your distance until you are strong enough to stand up for yourself and tell them no!

3. Clear out your pantry. Check your pantry for things that may tempt you later on. If you feel like you aren't strong enough to have it in your house yet get rid of it.  It is easier to stay on track without temptation at arms reach.

4. Write down your feelings. When you feel bad and want to binge eat, write down how you are feeling.  Finding what triggers you to make unhealthy decisions may help you in the future.  Also, write about why you are making this change, why it is so important to you to live a healthy and productive life.  You can look back on this for support and encouragement when you are having a bad day.

5. START! You can only do so much preparation and think about it so much before you start. Make small changes first, this small changes with grow exponentially into bigger changes.  Once you start making the bigger changes you will be amazed at your momentum.

6. Make sure the good out weighs the bad. We are all human and as humans we slip up.  Just make sure that you don't let one slip up turn into a roller coaster of bad decisions.  One cupcake will make you gain a pound.  As long as you stick to your work out schedule and continue to eat healthy you will be fine.

7. Count your calories. That means logging them daily. Log everything, because the more you log the better idea you will have on your daily calorie intake. The better idea on you caloric intake the easier it is for you to see what you need to change in your eating habits to lead a healthier life.

8. Write down your goals. Write them down and hang them up! I hang mine up in my bathroom, that way I can see them every day. They serve as my daily reminder of why I never want to go back to where I was and why I intend on living a healthy life for the rest of my life.

9. Get an accountability partner. Find someone who is willing to support you no matter what.  Someone to lean on that you can talk to about your daily activities.  This person should be there to support you and be there to listen to you.  You in return can do the same for them.

10. Celebrate your victories no matter how small. Celebrate your change in weight. Celebrate your non-scale victories as well.  Can you walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath? Can you finally tie your own shes? Can you fit into a pair of jeans you wore in high school? Are people noticing your life change? Celebrate everything you can.  For all our victories no matter how big or small are all proof of our strength.  Proof of our courage and proof that we can do this.

Vegetarian "Meatballs"

This is one of my favorite meals.  Nothing says comfort food like spaghetti and meatballs! I found this recipe a few years ago and it is still one of my favorites for vegetarian meatballs.  I tend to make the "meatballs" a little smaller so they can crisp up a little more. I've tried making them bigger and they end up being a little too soggy for my liking. These "meatballs" are delicious served over any kind of pasta and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese! (I originally found this recipe from cookin canucks blog.)

Vegetarian "Meatballs"

(photo from cookin canuks blog, I forgot to take my own when I made it.)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cans (15 oz. each) Bush’s Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 roasted red bell pepper (2 halves), roughly chopped
• ½ medium yellow onion, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
• 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 egg
• ½ cup dried breadcrumbs
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 3 cups marinara sauce (canned or you can make your own!)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine beans and roasted red peppers. Pulse until chopped, but not smoothly pureed.
3. Transfer the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and stir in grated onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper until well combined.
4. Using a rounded 1 1/2 tablespoon portion of the bean mixture, form “meatballs” by rolling between the palms of your hands. Place the “meatballs” on the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
5. Bake until the meatballs are firm to the touch and have developed a light golden brown coating, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. In a large saucepan, heat you favorite marinara sauce over medium heat until simmering. Add “meatballs” and stir to coat. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes.

Healthy treats for your dog!

As human's we strive to eat healthy foods.  Ones with no preservatives and extra fillers. So why shouldn't we strive to feed our animals the same way? Not only do I want to be healthy so I can live a happy healthy life but I want the same thing for my dog. :]  Here is a recipe that my dog Koda just loves and is happy to scarf down.  They end up costing less than the less healthy treats you can buy at the store.  I found this recipe originally on the whole foods market website.

Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats

Ingredients:

• 1 banana, peeled and mashed
• 1 cup oat flour
• 2/3 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup dried parsley
• 3 tablespoons all natural no sugar added creamy peanut butter
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Mash the banana in a medium bowl using a fork.
3. Add oat flour, oats, parsley and peanut butter.  Stir well and set aside for 5 minutes.
4. Roll the dough into 24 balls, using about 1 tablespoon of dough for each. 
5. Transfer the dough balls to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Use a spoon to press each ball into a circular shape.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool completely before feeding them to your dog.

**The parsley in these treats acts as a breath freshener.  You can substitute mint for the parsley if you would like. It is best to store these treats in the fridge.  I usually freeze half of the batch to make them last longer.

This is Koda my adorable taste tester.

Remember to go to the dentist

Not only is being at a healthy weight important to your overall health but so is going to the dentist.  So many problems stem from having bad teeth.  For one some studies have linked heart disease with having bad teeth and gums. Don't believe me? Check out this site.   Additionally, if you let bad teeth go for too long, you can get septicemia (blood poison), high blood pressure and mouth cancer. Now that doesn't sound like fun.  It's strange to realize that not taking care of your teeth can actually end up poisoning your whole body. Bad teeth can also cause typical problems such as mouth pain and bad breath.

After not going to the dentist for 4 years, I finally went a week ago at the urging of my fiance.  It was all bad news many cavities, a few crowns needed and I needed to get all 4 of my wisdom teeth pulled.  Since that first cleaning I have gotten the right side of my mouths cavities filled and crown drilled.  I also just got my wisdom teeth out today. NEVER again will I not go to the dentist.  Even if you don't have insurance (which I do not) it is still important to go.  Groupon often has some great deals on dental cleanings and xrays, take advantage of these.  Your mouth and wallet with thank you!  Dental work only gets more expensive the longer you wait.

This is what I have learned from forgoing the dentist for as long as I did: If you can not make it to the dentist every six months like recommended, then strive for going once a year. Remember to floss daily also, this is super important.  It helps to break up the bacteria party that is trying to start between your teeth and on your gums.  If you don't break this party up they can lead to cavities.  Lets be honest, nobody wants a decaying tooth in their mouth, yuck! So floss daily, use mouth wash and brush at least 2 times a day.

We strive to keep ourselves healthy by staying fit, now we need to strive to stay healthy by taking care of our teeth!

Maintenance is a choice!

I have already written how it all started, and how I finally got my life under control. What I haven't talked about is how maintaining my weight has been just as hard for me as losing all the weight in the first place. When I first reached my goal weight I was ecstatic, thinking everything was going to be so easy and perfect now. Boy was I wrong! Within six months of reaching my goal I was up 7lbs. I realized I needed another wake up call.  Just because I reached my goal weight it didn't mean I could stop working hard. Here are a few things I have learned in the last year of attempting to maintain:

Just because you are at your goal does not mean you can stop counting calories. I realized this after I  gained the weight back.  Just because I am finally at a healthy weight it doesn't give me the excuse to binge eat.  Calories in are calories in, and 3500 calories worth of unneeded food still equals one pound of fat.  It is easier to see how many unneeded calories I eat when I am logging my food daily.  It helps me stay focused and on track.

Never stop exercising. Once you stop exercising it is hard to get back on track.  I have found that doing things I love makes exercising more enjoyable.  Lately I have been going on more hikes, walking the dog for longer periods of time and running.  These are all things I love so I never dread doing them. I am thinking about mixing in some weight training but need to find a fun way to do it.

Always set new goals for yourself! This doesn't mean you need to set new weight loss goals.  You can set any kind of goal you want.  I am thinking about setting some exercise goals.  Making sure I run at least 20 miles a week and walk the dog 6 days a week.  I also have a goal of only stepping on the scale once a week, this goal is to keep myself sane.  Weighing myself everyday just makes me crazy.  I know weight fluctuates daily, no need to stress myself out over it.

Always keep moving forward. Just because you are at your goal weight does not mean that all of your problems are solved.  I still have many hard days where I am having self doubt.  I am still self conscious but the only thing I can do is to keep moving forward.  Keep looking at the positives and continue my path to a healthy life.  It will never be easy but it really is worth it.

Maintenance is not just handed to you, it is a choice.  I have to choose to keep working out, I have to choose to eat healthy, I have to choose to stay fit.  I can not go back to my old habits ever.  I have to realize they are just as unhealthy to me now as they were when I was classified as morbidly obese. So now I choose to maintain my weight. I choose to stay fit and healthy.  I will maintain my weight for the rest of my life because I want to live a long and happy life.