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

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

What I miss...

What I miss from 114lbs ago...

I miss eating without questioning what I was eating and wondering what the nutritional content of my meal was.

I miss devouring a whole pizza and washing it down with an ice cold drink.

I miss having almost a whole thing of oreos and glass of milk to myself.

I miss the feeling that food used to give me, a feeling of euphoria.

I miss how food had no boundaries, how the sky was the limit and I could indulge in anything I pleased.

I miss how serving sizes didn't matter, they were just a number on the label.

But here is what I don't miss.

Cowering behind food, using it as a mask.

Pretending the stares and comments didn't hurt. Trying to be the funny one to fit in and ignore the hurt I felt inside.

My legs chaffing as I walked, and never being able to wear shorts due to them always riding up.

Feeling winded after walking up a flight of stairs, not being able to run without feeling as though I was suffocating.

Gorging myself to the point of physical pain. 

My clothes being tight and leaving marks in my skin.

The embarrassment of having to shop in a specialty store.

I can pretty much say what I don't miss out weighs what I do miss.  I know the things I miss are things that only the unhealthy me needed.  The new me doesn't need those things to be happy.  Food can no longer be my mask, my comfort, my friend.  It is now just there to nourish me. On the occasion it is still there to soothe a stressful day, only this time I use it as the label states. One serving is all I need.

Corn on the cob made in an oven!

It is corn season and I couldn't be more excited about it.  Whenever I go to the store there is always a sale on corn. Last week was 5 ears of corn for $1. We got 5 because it's just me and my fiance in the house.  Once we got home I contemplated the best way to cook them.  Should I grill them, boil them, microwave them or was there another way.

Well all I can say is THANK YOU GOOGLE! I searched how too cook corn in the oven. My oh my it couldn't have been easier.  I was told you could cook it without soaking it, husks still on for 30 minutes at 350°. No Soaking required, well at first I was skeptical and thought I would end up catching the oven on fire but figured I would try it out anyway.  

So, I put the corn in the oven left it for 30 minutes and viola! The corn was done, and it was amazingly delicious.  No butter needed.  I did put a little cajun seasoning on top for 0 extra calories.  The corn was really sweet on it's own, and completely tender from being steamed in its own husk!

**One ear of corn has around 100 calories.

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.

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.

New tattoo!

Today I went and got a new tattoo! It was semi spontaneous and impulsive.  I say that because I have been thinking about getting a new tattoo for a long time.  However, deciding what I wanted was near impossible.  Their are plenty that I would like to get.  One being a huge rib piece, but that is going to be expensive and I am sure I won't get it done for quite sometime.  Then I was thinking about smaller tattoos I would like. 

Last night I happened across a saying, 'I refuse to sink' and I thought wow this is so me. This quote is perfect for my life.  I refuse to quit, I refuse to lose, I refuse to go back to where I was.  I will not fail, I refuse to sink.  All night I was thinking about this and decided I was going to get it as a tattoo.  Then I kept thinking about it and decided I couldn't wait so I got it today.  Anyway here is the finished product:

I love the nautical feel to the saying so I thought an anchor would go nicely.  Plus, anchors symbolize hope and I am completely hopeful for my future. :]  Not only does this tattoo symbolize not going back as far as my weight loss it also reminds me that I can do anything I put my mind too.  I refuse to sink, EVER.  I will always have my head above water.  Whether I am barley treading water or doing laps I will always succeed.  I am in love with my new tattoo and am so thankful that Micah (the tattoo artist) captured what I wanted perfectly.

Happy Memorial Day weekend all. I hope you all refuse to sink and kick ass with everything you are doing.

Confessions from my inner self

It is one of those days, well I often have these days.  The days where no matter what anyone says me I still see myself as the old me.  I look in the mirror and often see the less fit, unhappy me.  The scale tells me one thing but when I look in the mirror my mind tells me another thing.  It is absolutely exasperating.  I have come so far and I know I look and feel a million times better than I did 3 years ago.  I am finally healthy, however I think my brain is still trying to play catch up with my physical transformation.

I know it takes a while to finally feel comfortable in your own skin after losing so much weight.  Even after almost a year of maintaining my weight I am still a little uncomfortable.  Perhaps I just haven't found a way to love myself completely yet.  I have always had a hard time with that, assuming it would become easier as I lost the weight.  Figuring that would solve everything. It solved some things, it has made me healthier and a little happier.  However, I am still struggling with loving myself completely. It is hard, but it will come.  I am lovable, completely worth love and have found love with my fiance.  Just need to find that love within myself.

Accepting the fact that I have transformed should be easy but it's not.  Everyone always says how great I look, but then I get some comments such as 'you are wasting away' or 'I hope you aren't trying to lose anymore weight'.  These are the comments where I want to scream I have been 235lbs before, I am at a comfortable 121ish and pretty damn happy.  I am not wasting away.  I am not too skinny, if anything my mind still plays those tricks on me, making me see myself as fat. BUT I am not fat anymore.  I AM HEALTHY.  No I am not wasting away, no I am not trying to lose more weight.  I am trying to gain muscle, I am trying to stay fit.  I will never go back to the old me.  Those kind of comments do not help me, they make me second guess myself.  I do not like that.

This whole inner struggle with my brain is tiring.  My struggle with peoples comments sometimes is tiring. I cannot wait for the day where my brain is FINALLY in line with my physical transformation.  I cannot wait to see the new happy, healthy, beautiful me completely.  Slowly but surely I will get there.  As of now I just have to look back at old pictures and remind myself that the old me is long gone.  The new healthy me is here to stay and I am never, ever going back.

I just want to be at peace someday.  Not focused so much on my appearance, but rather focused on my happiness.  Hopefully, someday I will fully realize how far I have come.  Someday I will.  I just know it. Someday I will finally love myself completely, then I will be at peace.

Magic Bullet

Ahhh I finally got a magic bullet! I have been wanting one for a while now but just couldn't get myself to spend the money.  In the end I didn't have to spend it anyway because I was given a brand new one for free! It was my lucky day.

I can't wait to start looking up new recipes and using it.  So far I have only made smoothies in it.  It has already proven to be easier to use than our big blender.  It makes less dishes since you drink out of the cup you made the smoothie in and it is super fast.  Hopefully in the near future I will use it for more than just smoothies.

Do any of you have a magic bullet? If so what do you make with it?!

Low-Calorie egg salad

This recipe is easy and delicious! With minimal ingredients you can be on your way to an amazing egg salad sandwich in no time at all!

Not Your Average Egg Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled
• 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp chives, chopped
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp reduced fat Hellmann's mayonnaise with olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Separate the yolks from the whites and throw away one egg yolk.  
2. Chop the 2 egg whites and one yolk up and place in a bowl.
3. Add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, chives, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
4. Stir to combine.

*Yields 1 serving. ~9g protein and 115 calories.  

I usually serve it on one slice of multi-grain bread (80 calories) with lettuce, sprouts and tomato on top!  To amp up the protein I typically also eat this with a side of yogurt or cottage cheese.  Feel free to experiment with adding different spices and let me know how yours turns out!

Happy eating!

Get an accountability partner!

Having trouble staying on track? Find yourself an accountability partner!   Someone who you can call, text, email, etc. and tell them what you did to work out and how your eating went.  Do this daily.  This person can then in turn tell you about their day and you work together to motivate each other!

At the moment, my fiance is my accountability partner.  We keep tabs on each other daily.  Inquiring about what we did to work out and how we ate.  It really helps to have him around, it keeps me on track.  When I think about eating something bad for me I also think about how I would have to tell him I ate it.  This usually stops me from making bad decisions. It is also nice that I use him because we work out with each other on the weekends.  Motivating each other to go outside for a run/hike instead of just lounging around inside all day.  As much as I love having lazy time on the weekend, it is also nice to be active.

I also have a my fitness pal account and have added many friends on there.  MFP is a great place, with lots of motivated people willing to support you.  On MFP you can log your weight, food and workouts daily.  Others can see all of this and comment on things.  Supporting you throughout your weight loss journey! I have yet to find someone who is judgmental on there and just love the site.  Check it out!

Changing your lifestyle is hard, losing weight is hard but it is all totally worth it! Find yourself an accountability partner and get started on the right track today! You can do this, we all can do this.

My number one most asked question after losing over 110lbs.

My number one most asked question: Do you have any extra loose skin from all of your weight loss?

Answer: Yes I do, however I am working hard to get rid of it.  Right now I am doing some weight training and it has helped tone my arms and I hardly have any extra skin left on them.  However, my abdomen is a different story.  It isn't to the point where I can't feel confident in a bikini but it just isn't tight.  When I bend over I can see all the skin move to my center of gravity.  Not really what I want, but it is what it is.  I am working hard to try and get rid of it.  My advice to you is to start weight training NOW, it helps a lot in getting rid of the excess skin.  I really wish I had started weight training earlier in my weight loss journey.  May have helped my abdomen be less loose.

Don't starve yourself

IMPORTANT: Temporary diets, yield temporary results. You don't have to starve yourself to lose weight.

If you want to lose weight and keep it off for good you need to change your whole lifestyle. You need to put in your full effort.  There is no quick fix, so stop restricting your calories so much and instead eat a healthy amount through out the day for your bodies needs.  That way your metabolism stays running high all day and can readily convert what you eat and drink into the energy your body needs. 

When you restrict your caloric intake for the day to something really low your body begins to use your muscle for energy.  So instead of losing that pesky fat you want to get rid of, you are losing your muscle.  Less muscle means a slower metabolism and a slower metabolism burns less calories throughout the day.  So now not only is your body getting rid of muscle, but it is burning less calories and you are losing less weight.  Does this sound like a good way to lose weight? NO! We want to keep our metabolism going strong all day and we want to lose fat not muscle!

If you want to lose more weight work on building more muscle. Our metabolic rate is partially due to the amount of muscle we have.  As said earlier less muscle means a slower metabolism, so if you have more muscle you will have a higher metabolism!  This is why younger people and men tend to have higher metabolisms. I know some women are afraid of weight training because they think they are going to look like a body builder but this is not the case (unless you are training to be a body builder, which takes years of dedication). So women, start doing weights it will do you a world of good in helping boost your metabolism!

In the end, eating too few calories can end up being just as bad for your body as eating too many calories is. It is important to remember that the less you consume, the less fat your body burns. So, eat healthy and skip the dieting.  Your body needs energy, let the food you put in it be that energy.

Low Calorie Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna

I love lasagna but HATE the calories that come along with it.  My fix for this: a noodle-less lasagna recipe that I found in the magazine Clean Eating (one of my favorite magazines!).  It turned out absolutely delicious.  Next time I may add some fresh or canned diced tomatoes to make it even more Lasagna like!   Nothing beats cooking a fresh and healthy meal.

Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 1lb eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 2 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1.5 cups cottage cheese
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Lightly spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place eggplant, zucchini and squash out in a singe layer on the baking sheet.  Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven and set aside.
3. In a large non-stick pan heat oil for a minute.  Add onions to the pan and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the cottage cheese and oregano.
4. Lightly spray a 11 x 7 inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Line the bottom of the dish with zucchini and squash.  Use all of the rounds, overlapping them to cover the whole bottom of the dish. Top with the cottage cheese mixture.  Place eggplant on top of the cottage cheese layer in overlapping rows, then top with mozzarella.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbling.

*Makes 4 servings, 23g protein, 250 calories per serving.  Add 80 calories if having a Quorn Chik'n Cutlet with the lasagna.

Happy eating!

Eating out

I absolutely love to eat out. There is just something about going out for a meal and not having to do a darn thing.  Don't get me wrong, as you can see from my blog I love to cook but once in awhile it is nice to have someone else do the cooking.  That way I even get out of doing the dishes!

What we all fail to remember is that it is okay to eat out! Now, am I saying that we should all eat out every day? No.  More than once a week? Probably not the best idea.  However, what I am saying is that as long as you plan it out ahead of time eating out can be less of a bad thing and more of a fun thing.

Now, it's time to get planning so you can go out!

Step 1: Find nutritional values for the place you want to go.  Most restaurants now readily provide nutritional information for there food.  If you cannot find any nutritional information online for where you want to go you can always call them and ask if they have it available at the restaurant.

Step 2: Plan it out! Figure out what you want to eat before you leave the house.  Are you going to have a dessert? If so which one? How is that going to affect what you choose as your main course?

Step 3: Plan out what you are going to eat through out the day before you go out to eat.  This way you are sure to stay around your caloric goal for the day!  If you plan on using a lot of your calories allotted when you are out to eat, try eating a bit lighter earlier in the day.

Step 4: Don't just think you have to get a salad.  A lot of the times you will be surprised to see that the 'healthy' salad you thought you were getting ends up having more calories than the food you were really craving.

Step 5: Enjoy your food, just because you are living a healthy lifestyle it doesn't mean that you can't enjoy your food.  If you want the high calorie eggplant parm that comes with spaghetti and sauce, get it!  Just remember to use portion control.  Ask for a box right away and put half of your meal in it.  That way you aren't tempted to eat more than you allotted your calories for!

Once you have a plan eating out will become less stressful.  It will become fun again and you will be able to enjoy yourself instead of constantly worrying about how this meal is going to affect your day.

Written on my body.

I love how someone said my dedication is now written on my body.  What a perfect way to sum up all of my hard work, sweat, set backs, high points, challenges, ass kicking work outs, and lifestyle changes I have encountered over the past 3 years.

My dedication is written on my body.  Every time I look in the mirror I see a new me.  A healthier, happier and all together more amazing me.   I am not only healthier physically but mentally as well.  I can finally say I am proud of who I have become.  Now, I just want to live my life to the fullest and I want to inspire others to do the same.

Love your body and treat it with respect.  Then others will start to see your dedication written all over your own body.