My 30 days stats

I mentioned before that I am doing a 12 week program weight lifting.  I have always wanted more muscular arms.  I am excited as to how much muscle I have built in only a month.  Here are my stats-

 In 30 days, I have gained 2 pounds (sounds bad right?.... just wait)  I lost 1.3 lbs of fat and gained 3.3 pounds of lean muscle mass.  My body fat % went down 1.3%.  I may not be losing weight the way I want but the picture and stats don't lie- it's all good.

When I say weight lifting do you think- 

or maybe that I will look like 

The truth is it's more like this...<<Jamie Eason (isn't she adorable?!)

That my friends are the arms I want...or close to it.  I want to have muscle definition even when NOT flexing!!   My goal is to be able to do a unassisted pull up in one year.  

My back pain has been so up and down.  I feel good for four days then really bad for three days.....It's getting to the point that I am feeling very depressed and really down on myself.  I enjoy the weight lifting and it makes me feel good in the moment, but Jazzercise gives me that endorphin rush that lasts ALL day!  I miss that SO much.  I feel like I'm losing my "happy gene".  I want so badly to feel "normal" again, whatever that really is.  Chronic back pain has just taken over my life and I don't like it one bit.  I have to tell you though, today is one of the first days that I am starting to think that I may be heading uphill on this fight with pain.  My muscles are not sore but my spine feels sore.  Doc says it is because the muscles no longer need to stabilize the spine.  Good news.  Please keep praying for me to heal so I can return to my "positive" self!  

Peace out,

j

Finally feeling more like myself

I will plan my daily meals the day before!
I will weigh myself on Sunday mornings and post the results.
I will drink 3 Liters of water daily! 
I will start working out again!!  I have more goals for the workout but will get into that later.
I will eat clean and cut the nasty addictive sugar from my diet.
I will use myfitnesspal to record my daily eats.
I will love myself every day.  

Those were my plans to do daily.  It's been three weeks since I originally posted.  It took me about a week to get myself together....having things I shouldn't here and there.  I have been eating clean regularly now and the benefits are finally showing.  Let me tell you, that first week, I'm pretty sure I could have fallen asleep standing up.  Or on the deck.

I think I might have once or twice.  Thankfully not while driving.  Seriously, I felt like crap. 

 Need we be reminded....

I'm not sure why it I can't seem to remember that but apparently crappy processed food makes you lose your memory too.  

Yesterday, I noticed my skin was brighter, my mood was better (just ask Tommy)...I have more energy and I'm not so tired.  Getting out of bed in the morning is easier even though it still feels like 2am cause it's so DARK!!  I lost that bloated feeling....ooooh that bloated feeling. (did you just sing that sentence too?)

So back to my list...

I will plan my daily meals the day before!  YES!

I will weigh myself on Sunday mornings and post the results.  YES  here are my stats.

152.6 10/13/13

150.4  10/20/13

149.9  10/27/13

148.8  11/3/13

3.8 pounds is progress...  

It would be better if I was able to jazzercise but I'm down with my back injury :( I started seeing a chiropractor and had my first adjustment today.   I have a disc in my lower back that is causing my issues.  He is more concerned with my neck though than my low back, even though my back is causing me more pain.  Seems my neck is straight and starting to curve back.  I saw the xray....doesn't look good.  This could explain my lifetime of migraines and headaches so bad that I want to shove something into the back of my head to release the pressure...yeah that bad.  I am excited that we are getting my back and headaches taken care of.  I wouldn't wish this back pain on anyone.    

I will drink 3 Liters of water daily!   YES I've been doing SO much better!

I will start working out again!!  Well....I did start jazzercise again but I had to stop due to my back pain.  Doc says I should be able to go back in two weeks so keeping my fingers crossed.  I have started weight lifting though.  I have started This 12 week program  and am hoping to build more muscle.  My body fat is at 27% right now and I am hoping to bring that down.  I want more muscular arms, legs and more muscle on my back to help prevent these back issues.  I have a couple of my friends doing this with me and am excited to see the results.  I just started week 2.  Last week I was So sore!!!  I want everyone to understand that Jazzercise will always be my true LOVE.  Jazzercise makes me Love working out.  It's a blast!  I think it is good to have different goals and challenges.  I also believe that it's important to cross train to make me a better instructor.  

I will eat clean and cut the nasty addictive sugar from my diet.  YES!

I will use My Fitness Pal to record my daily eats.  I started doing really good with this then stopped.  I will do better.  As this 12 week program continues, I need to keep track of my calories.

I will love myself every day.  I have found in the last week, I am feeling better about my body.  It's not where I want it to be but that's ok.  

I bought myself a Fit Bit.  This will track my steps, calories, active minutes and sleep.  I can also log my food on that site but I think My fitness pal is easier.  I'll have to play around with it.    I found out I am not making my 10,000 steps.  I found out that an entire day of housework only gave me two active minutes.  What?!  I do love that I can SEE that I need to move more.  The fitbit doesn't lie.  I can't make excuses.

I have decided to do a November challenge after requests from several friends.  Thanks girls for making me push us all!!  You can follow me on fb as I show daily tips and modifications.  

I made a recipe tonight that you can find Here. Chocolate Protein Peanut Butter Crisp.  If you want a healthy treat.  This is it friends!!  It's a healthy version of Rice crispy treats.  

I had to force myself not to gorge on it!

Peace and Love,

j

Berta...

Today is my bestie's birthday.  Today, I dedicate my blog to Berta.  Happy Birthday Berta!

I am so proud of her.  Back in 2007 or 2008 (we have bad memories) we ran our first 5K together.  It was the local Sunflower Fest in September.  I had run races before and I was able to talk Berta into running with me.  We used to walk very early in the morning; then one day we decided to run.  She threw her back out. We didn't run for a long time.  

For some odd reason, we decided to try again.  We trained and trained...ran and ran some more.  We ran when the rest of the world was asleep.  We ran hills and through the wind.  She struggled with her breathing and kept telling me she couldn't do it.  I told her she could.  We struggled as we ran from one mailbox to the next mailbox.  I begged her not to stop; I knew she could do it.  Each day she could run just a little bit farther and a little bit faster.  I stayed by her side until I realized she didn't need me anymore.  I knew she could do it.  I usually was not far in front of her and she could focus on my red pony tail blowing in the wind.  I distinctly remember the day, she passed me and finished before I did.  The girl who couldn't run.  I knew she could do it.

We started running a 5K every month.  We started the year with the YMCA run in March. We graduated to 10K's and 12K's.  We did street runs, beach runs, trail runs and color runs.  We did bridge runs and tower runs.  We ended our year with the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.  One year we did a 10K on Thanksgiving and it was by far the worst race we have ever run.  It was cold, raining AND snowing.  Then the next year on Thanksgiving, we accidentally ran the 5K instead of the 10K.  We were disappointed for about 10 seconds as we made our way to get our annual Starbucks after the race. 

We have gone through more running shoes than we care to count.  Nike outlet became our favorite store.  We used the latest running gadgets to keep track of our miles and the goo to keep on track with our energy.  We have had spills, blisters and lost toenails.  We have run in freezing cold and horrific wind.  We have run from dogs and raccoons.  We would wake, hoping that if we checked our phone that the other would cancel, only to climb out of bed, lace up those running shoes and meet our partner.  We loved to hate it and we hated that we loved it.  

Last year, I had a bright idea that we should run the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Ohio.  I talked Berta and Belinda into running it with me.  We started training in January.  By the end of January, I had to drop out because of a hip injury.  I never was able to run that race.  She and Belinda trained and trained and ran and ran some more.  It's not the half marathon that kills you, it's all the training!!  I watched her cross the finish line.  I knew she could do it.   The girl that couldn't run.  

I have to give a huge shout out to Belinda too because she has been running with Berta since I have been unable.  Berta and Belinda are running another half marathon in Indy this weekend.  They have been training since the beginning of summer.

The girl that couldn't run.  I knew you could do it.  The truth is, I couldn't have done it without YOU!

 

The Color Run

Happy Birthday Berta!

I'm so torn

Hello!  My clean eating for the last two weeks have been good with some treats here and there.  My weight went from 152.6 to 150.4 then to 149.9 yesterday.  Sunday are my weigh in days.  So I've lost 2.7 pounds so far.  I'm good with that.  I need to work on drinking more water.  I do good one day then not the next.  Not sure what my problem is but step it up j.....step it up.....

So, lately I have really been having an internal struggle on going vegan.  Whenever I mention it, people around me FREAK OUT, gently try to talk me out of it.  I still think it is funny the amount of people that think I should eat a big ole steak and it will fix everything.  I don't judge anyone for what they eat, well except for the guy on tv about to eat pig tails.  Really?!   I guess waste not want not.  To each their own.

I have to tell you about this horrific nightmare I had.  But first, I have to share some background on why I think I had this dream.  This is going to be long so grab a cup of tea and relax.

First of all, my husband loves to hunt.  I am not fond of his habit at all and he knows he is not allowed to talk about any killing he does.  I don't want to hear it and I don't want to hear him talking about it to other people.  The other day, my dad was over and Tommy was telling him about the two deer that he killed.  I was getting ready to leave for work and I had a massage scheduled that afternoon because I have been having problems with my back.  Don't you know during that entire hour, all I could think about were those sweet deer walking through the woods and he kills them.  - just a side note, I do not want to hear from ANYONE on why we should kill the deer!  This is my blog and I don't want to hear any of it because trust me, I've heard it all-

We also have deer that walk through our yard and Tommy buys feed for them.  Feed one animal and kill another.......

About a month ago, we adopted a doberman.

This is Maggie.  

We obviously can't afford bigger beds so she sleeps in Gabbie's bed.   I couldn't believe she curled herself up on that bed and I was able to get a picture before she moved.  So cute!!

We had to put down our Chocolate lab, Levi, several months ago and our Doberman, Meeka needed a new friend.  

This is Meeka peeking through the cat door.  

Maggie seemed like a perfect fit.  After having Maggie for four days, we found out she is heartworm positive.  She has been for a year and a half.  My husband and I were in shock and really weren't sure what we were going to do at first.  Then, we came to our senses and decided that she came to us for a reason and we were going to fix her.  Our neighbor is a vet and after talking to him about it decided to start treatment.  Treatment at a sum of $1400 and she has a 70% chance of survival.  Sooooo, in my mind, I have a hard time understanding how you can spend $1400 on one animal yet go in the woods and kill other animals.  They are all lovely creatures that deserve to live.  

See what I"m saying here?!

Back to my dream.....one more thing I have to share first.....

This is Gabbie (the black one) and Beanie (the red one)

I had a dream that I was eating Gabbie.  I HAD A DREAM I WAS EATING GABBIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was eating her like you would an apple.  I was tearing into her flesh and ripping it from her body while she looked at me with those adorable buggy eyes and all I was thinking in my dream was, "don't worry it won't hurt for long."

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON???????  I TORE HALF OF THE SKIN OFF HER HEAD!!

WHY???!!!

This dream is so disturbing in so many levels.  I told my husband about the dream and without hesitation he says, "Sounds like you should start eating meat."  WHAT?!?!?!?!  Did you just really say that to me!  Sounds like you should fall out of a tree while hunting.   No I'm just kidding honey!!!!!!!

All creatures deserve to live and to me eating salmon or cheese isn't any different than eating our pets.  That's what I took out of the horrific nightmare.

I am a vegetarian and I eat dairy, cheese and sea food. I am a pescetarian (eat sea food) and an lacto-ovo vegetarian (eat dairy,eggs)  The fact that I eat sea food and call myself vegetarian makes some vegetarians freak out.  If it has eyes, we shouldn't eat it.  When I first became vegetarian I did not eat sea food.  Then after a year or so, I began to crave it.  I do believe our bodies crave foods for a reason and so I decided to add that to my diet.  Oh I will have to share my story on salmon fishing sometime (this blog is already getting long enough)

It has been almost 10 years since I have gone vegetarian and lately, I am feeling more and more guilty about eating fish and dairy.  Did you know in most cheese there is something called Rennet.  It is used to aid in coagulation of cheese.  It comes from the stomach lining of young calves, but they are not killed specifically to get it; veal is the main reason.  You can get cheese without rennet.  It is called rennin and comes from vegetable sources.  Your cheese must say vegetarian for it to not have the rennet in it.  

When I did my 42 day challenge, it was vegan and I have to say I felt the best I have felt in a long time. I used to think cheese was the biggest obstacle but quite honestly, it's the half and half I put in my coffee every morning.  I probably only use a tablespoon and I've tried non dairy substitutes and it's just not the same.  

Oreos are vegan.  I could just put those in my coffee.  

Peace and Love,

j

Be kind to the creatures around you friends.  

The truth hurts sometimes.

Yep, that says 152.6.  Today's starting weight.  If you follow my blog then you may remember that my body LOVES to stay at or around 147 lbs.  However, for me and my body frame, that is too much weight too carry.  I do not feel comfortable at that weight.  I feel sluggish and tired and not motivated to do much.  Now let me say this- I do not judge anyone for the number on the scale.  I think we are all different in the aspect that we know when we have hit our number that makes us uncomfortable.  This is it for me.  I've taken about 9 months out of the last year, allowing my body to rest and heal from hip surgery and two foot surgeries.  I know this has a lot to do with my weight gain.  I also know I have utilized my fork and spoon way too much.  It seems to be an easy trap to fall into.  First, you can't work out so you miss those endorphins.  Then, you turn to food to help ease your depression.  Once you start to eat the garbage, it becomes easier and easier to do.  It is hard to eat healthy and easy to eat pre-made processed crap!  The saying is definitely true for me.  "If you eat crap, you will feel like crap!"

I went to the farmers market and Meijers yesterday to stock up on healthy goodies.  Here is some of what I bought!

Ok, so this Cherry pie isn't healthy but I had to have it.  Ate it all up yesterday!  It is a personal size pie not a regular size!  Cherry pie is one of my weaknesses!

Found these juicing carrots at Meijer.  15 lb bag for $14.99. 

I bought a bunch of other healthy goodies too.  I have decided to do a 3 day juice fast for the next 3 days to detox my system.  I can't wait to get rid of this bloated feeling!  It usually takes about 3 days to get that sugar craving our of our heads!

Juicing Veggies!

This was my breakfast!  

Oh and look what my Daddy brought me yesterday.  Oh yes, shouldn't everyone have a chocolate fountain?!  He called me last night to see if I used it yet.  I told him he forgot to leave me the chocolate!!!  

That's it for today friends.  Thanks for following me!  Here's to a better future!

love j

Welcome back j

It's been so long since I have blogged that I forgot my blog address.  Not cool j, not cool.  Looks like I last blogged in June.  I started trying to blog at least twice a week.  However, I became lazy because I didn't feel like bringing my computer home all the time to do my blog.  Then one week turned into two and summer turned to fall.  Wait, what?!  Yes, my how does time fly.  

I am back because I need accountability.  I need you to help me.  I obviously having problems helping myself.  Why is it that we can so easily let ourselves down but when it comes to letting others down, we stand strong?!

I have had a rough year.  It seems one injury, read surgery, after another kept me from exercise.  I've been unable to jazzercise since July due to having a second foot surgery.  I am able to start jazzercise on Monday.  I'm scared.  I hope my body remembers how!!   

This morning my scale read 151 pounds.  I have not weighed that since I was pregnant with my daughter!!!!!  How did this happen?  I've gained 20 pounds in the last 7 months.  

It happened one bite at a time.  Yep!  I'd like to blame it on my inactivity but, I have to keep reminding myself....just because my husband is eating ice cream doesn't mean I should!

I have always had a sweet tooth but it seems lately, I crave salty.  Hormones?  I don't know but if it said caramel with sea salt, it was MINE!

So here is the plan, tomorrow I am going to the grocery store to get prepared! 

I will plan my daily meals the day before!
I will weigh myself on Sunday mornings and post the results.
I will drink 3 Liters of water daily! (I've been soooo bad at this lately)
I will start working out again!!  I have more goals for the workout but will get into that later.
I will eat clean and cut the nasty addictive sugar from my diet.
I will use myfitnesspal to record my daily eats.
I will love myself every day.  


I will keep you posted.  Thanks for listening friends!

Peace,
j

Stuffed Mexican Shells

Mexican Stuffed Shells

30 pasta shells

1 bag Morning star crumbles

2c salsa

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup frozen corn

1 cup black beans

1 cup mexican cheese 

toppings

sour cream (or greek yogurt)

salsa

olives

green onions

Cook the pasta shells per package.  Warm up the crumbles either in microwave or on stove then add all ingredients.  Rinse shells with cool water.  Stuff with ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Top with your favorite toppings!

Find this in the freezer section.

Try to find "no salt added diced tomatoes"  You'll save a lot of unnecessary sodium.  

Before cooking...looks like a mess but oh so yummy! 

You can do so much to this recipe to suite your taste buds.  I didn't add taco seasoning but you could do that or cut up onions etc.  It's a quick easy recipe when you are trying to go meatless!

Did you go meatless today?

Follow my day in pictures

I read a blog the other day and she showed her day in pictures.  She took a photo every hour. I thought that was a neat thing to do so I did that yesterday.  Here was my day....

4:00am

5:00am 

6:00am

7:00am

8:00am

9:00am

10:00am

11:00am

12:00pm

1:00pm

2:00pm

3:00pm

4:00pm

5:00pm

6:00pm

7:00pm

8:00pm

Thankful Thursday

Sometimes we get so caught up in our lives that we forget to stop and take a moment to be thankful for what we have.  Today's blog is dedicated to what I am thankful for this week...

1.  Cari, my daughter.  Cari will be going off to college this August.  I'm pretty sure I will curl up in the fetal position on my bed and cry my eyes out.  Not sure how I will be able to go through every day without her around me.  Thank God for cell phones!
 I am so proud of her for taking this next step in her life.  She is going for photography and she is darn good at it.  I'm excited to see where this next chapter will take her.
 She is getting her wisdom teeth out tomorrow and did I mention she has a very LOW tolerance for pain?!  Stocking up on lots of mashed potatoes, baja blasts from taco bell and Popsicles!

I'm so thankful for you Cari!!

2.  Nancy Ainsworth-  Nancy stepped up to the plate to help me out twice last week.  I came into work on Thursday with a bad headache and knew teaching Yoga class was going to be rough...she walked in to take my class and offered to teach.  What a blessing!!!  (Yes she is also a certified Yoga inst)  Also, turned out my son needed a bartender at his wedding and she stepped up without much notice to do that as well.
Nancy is always willing to help out.  I think she would give the shirt off her back if I needed it.  Thank you Nancy!!!

3.  Moe Jablonksi and my herb garden.  I am so thankful to have this herb garden that Moe gives me every year.  I love being able to go outside in the morning and pick some fresh herbs to throw in my smoothie.  Thank you Moe for helping me stay healthy!!!

4.  Mary Lou Reed.  I met Mary Lou when I was 14 at the Candy Emporium on Lincolnway.  I began working for her until she moved to Florida when I was 17.  Mary Lou became the mother roll that I was missing in my life.  She is currently in the hospital in Florida being treated for Leukemia.  She has such a great sense of humor and a wonder love for the Lord.  She has taught me a lot and for that, I'm thankful!

5.  Self acceptance.  "I'm not beautiful like you, I'm beautiful like me."   I am thankful that I am able to Love myself for exactly who I am.  It's taken me a long time in this life to stop trying to be like other people.  I love me as all my flaws make me perfectly imperfect!  For that, I am thankful!

What are you thankful for this week?

Cauliflower Crust Pizza- Meatless Monday

I've made cauliflower crust pizza before but I found this recipe that swears the crust will hold together.  I found this recipe here at The Lucky Penny.  She has some really goods pics too.  I forgot to take pics of the crust as I went along.  Usually, cauliflower pizza must be eaten with a fork because it falls apart.  I found that I should have used more cauliflower because the pizza was just too small and I had way too many toppings on it for it to hold up. 

Grain-Free Cauliflower Crust Pizza (taken from The Lucky Penny Blog)

makes one approx. 10-12 inch pizza

1 small to medium sized head of cauliflower - should yield 2 to 3 cups once processed (I had 3 cups of cauliflower but it still didn't seem like enough)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
optional a few shakes of crushed red pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg
optional 1 tablespoon almond meal  (I didn't use this but I think I should have) 

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don't have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.

 

Wash and thoroughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Cut off the florets, you don't need much stem. Just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. (I used this instead of a food processor)

 

You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower "snow" - Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Microwave for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool.

 

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and ring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess. I got a 1/3 cup water out of this cauliflower.

 

Dump ringed out cauliflower into a bowl.  Now add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil , 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt),and a dash of red pepper if you want.  If you do not have enough cauliflower, you can add some almond meal....this is optional.  Now add your egg  and mix away. Hands tend to work best.

 

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down thoroughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don't make it too thick or thin either.

Now, using a cutting board slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 8 - 11 minutes. After baking the crust, you can add any toppings you like.  I used basil pesto sauce instead of traditional pizza sauce.  This is my picture before cooking.......then cook 5-7 minutes Enjoy!!

I used Morning Star meatless sausage patties on this as well as lots of veggies.  What would you put on your pizza to keep it meatless??

 

Love j