Don't have to eat like a bird to look like one!

So, as most of you know, I am trying to lose weight. And I am! So far this month, I have lost 6lbs. I have my final weigh-in this Saturday...we'll see what the verdict is. My goal is to lose at least 5lbs a month, so I'm doing good! I might need to set a more realistic goal for myself if I find that I can reach that goal mid-month. Wouldn't that be awesome!? To lost 10lbs/month?! I'd be a skinny minnie in no time! Keep dreaming...

Anways, so I'm losing weight and I've had to figure out foods to eat that don't mess with my progress. Also, foods that my whole family will eat but that are still healthy choices. I don't want our pantry to have to be split into two sections: Karie's side and everyone else's side. Plus, I don't want to always be longing for foods that I know I shouldn't have but hmm I'll just eat one cookie and then I'll be done and before you know it, I've eaten the entire box.

So here are my alternatives:

These are great for when you're on the go and you really shouldn't stop at McDonald's for breakfast or lunch. They're pretty satisfying and come in a variety of flavors. Strawberry is my favorite. 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber.

These guys are in the refrigerated section at your grocery store by the cookie dough and such. They're 60 calories per brownie so you can only eat one or two but you aren't sacrificing flavor. Great for an after-dinner treat. Sometimes after I work out I get that little voice in my head that says "hey, you just worked out! Why don't you treat yourself to a big ol bowl of ice cream or cupcake! You've worked hard and you deserve it!" And I have to tell myself, no no, I really shouldn't. These Sweet Moments brownies are good to get the voices in your head to shut up.

I am a cereal fanatic. I could eat cereal everyday for every meal. It doesn't even have to be cocoa puffs or fruity pebbles or some really sugary cereal. I love healthy cereals, too. I love these oatmeal squares because they're just lightly cinnamon-ed and help to reduce cholesterol! Just like Cheerios! But you don't have to add a tablespoon of sugar to them, like you do Cheerios (didn't I just say that I like all cereal, even if it's not sugary??). They stay crunchy and 1 serving fills you up and gives you enough energy to last until lunch time.

I really like these little guys. Green Giant Weight Watchers frozen vegetables. My favorite ones are the broccoli and cheese and also the broccoli, rice and cheese. Each box has 2 1/2 servings in them and each serving is 60 calories. Even if you eat the whole box for lunch, that's still only 150 calories. What's nice about these are that if you want to make a whole box, you can grill some chicken to put in it. That's a great dinner! It will feed two easily and it's tasty.

And now, for my favorite. I just love Cheetos. They're probably my favorite chips. That's not saying much, though, because I'm really not a chip person. Aside from tortilla chips and salsa. These are all-natural, no artificial colors or flavors, no preservatives and 150 calories for an ounce (1 serving). These are a good snack to get you through until dinner. Soooo yummy.

I hope you have enjoyed my recommendations and try a few!

Yummy food= HappyMama

Turbo!

On Saturday mornings at 11am I take the bebe and we go to the gym so that I can take a Turbo Kick class. I drop Avery off at the Kids Club and I take my fat butt upstairs to the class room. Turbo Kick is really intense and sometimes I can hardly keep up. Here is the description of the class from the gym website:

Are you ready to sweat?Learn kickboxing skills choreographed to energizing music. Using no equipment, this kickboxing workout incorporates a number of upper body punches and lower body kicks. Most suitable to participants of medium to high fitness levels, but newcomers are always welcome – just let your kickboxing class instructor know. Mix up your routine with the balance, coordination and strength building moves of boxing or kick boxing while burning 300-600* calories. These high-intensity classes are a great full body workout, incorporating a broad range of punches and athletic drills. No matter which group boxing class you choose, training like this will physically prepare you for whatever punches life throws your way.

Yes, it is true. I do sweat. Quite a bit. Not always ready for it though, the gallons of sweat dripping down my face. Stings the eyes. And did you read that part about it being "most suitable to participants of medium to high fitness levels?" Heh heh heh, I am totally not at the level. I'd say I'm more of a beginner. BUT I always finish the entire hour! I don't stop! I keep going, no matter how much a fool I look! I'm sure everyone else in the class with their tight gluts and toned arms think I look really stupid. Who cares.

And would you like to know why it is called "Turbo" Kick? Oh goodness. Intermittently throughout the torture hour the instructor- who is the most sculpted, toned, lean piece of woman I have ever seen- speeds up the music and says "It's TURBO TIME!" And she says it like some sort of drill sergeant and we are all scared little bunnies about to face our doom. I shake in my boots, err, tennis shoes at this point. Turbo time is when we do high-intensity cardio that lasts for 2 or 3 minutes. 2 or 3 minutes? That's not that bad, you say. Oh no, it is painful. The whole time you're just like make it stop make it stop!! Where is my mother!? The instructor makes you run all over the place with your arms going up and down, punching high and low, with the jumping jack and the squat and the combo jumping jack squat and add in the five lunges across the room and then the jump! jump! jump! higher! jump! All the while with your hands in ready position like you're about to deck someone in the nose. Jab, jab, hook! Jab, jab, hook! Jab, jab, hook! Lunge! Lunge! Kick, kick kick! Jumping jack, kick! And don't stop! Let's do this whole thing five more times!! Five more times, she says! Yes, do it! BAAHHH!

And then you get a small water break.

Okay, really. I feel so good after that class, y'all. Like, so good. I feel like I have just conquered the world. Like I could do anything. And I burn so many calories. Like 800 y'all. I feel really bad for anyone that happens to look at me between the time I bolt out of the classroom door, down the stairs [pant, pant], across the gym, into the Kids Club, and out the doors of the gym. I look just awful. Face: bright red. Pitts: drenched. Hair: hot mess. Glasses: fogged.

But it is worth it. They always say beauty is pain. Unless you're just coming from TurboKick. Then you have no beauty and all of the pain.

TurboKick makes me a Happy[sweaty]Mama.

Let's make a SPARK

My New Years resolution this year is to lose weight (just like everyone else's, i know i know). But not just to lose weight, I really want to be healthier. And, really, I mostly want to lose inches...who cares what my actual weight is. When I worked at 24hour fitness I encountered people all the time who would come and work out for an hour a few times a week. Hooray! But you know what? They never lost any weight. Why? Because they weren't changing their lifestyles. They still ate an enormous amount of calories and didn't do any other physical activities outside of going to the gym. And I would always think to myself: "why spend all this money on a gym membership and never see any results?"

Losing weight really has to be a small part of a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. It can't be all about the number on the scale, because there will always be a number on the scale and you might find that you are never satisfied with that number, no matter how big or small that number is. SO. To fix this problem and be a happier you, you really gotta mix it up. Go to the gym, eat better, go walk around the park or go for a jog. Set healthy goals, turn the t.v. off and get out and do something.

I have found something that has really helped me to change my lifestyle. It's called SparkPeople. SparkPeople is a free, online tool that will help you in your weight loss. It might be similar to WeightWatchers, but I hear that costs $$. SparkPeople offers meal plans, calorie counters, exercise options, etc, etc. I have found it to be very helpful. You can enter your weight loss goal, and it will tell you how many calories you need to lose each day to attain that goal. You can enter in what you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it will tell you how many calories each of those are, how much protein you have eaten so far, how much fat, and carbs. You can input how much water you have drank. You can also put in what types of exercises you've done that day and for how long. It will help you plan a grocery list. It will educate you on how depression, insomnia, menopause, IBS, high cholesterol, and allergies all play into your overall health, fitness, and weight. SparkPeople is a holistic approach to better health.

You have to be diligent with it. If not, then what's the point? So many people make New Years resolutions to lose weight and then by March, they're back to their old eating habits and have stopped exercising. You have to make this website a part of your daily routine, just like you check your email and Facebook a million times a day. Not by a computer? That's okay, you can download the app to your Blackberry/iPhone.

So go check it out. Maybe you like it, maybe you hate it. Either way, make today count.

Here is an article from SparkPeople that I found very interesting:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1260

HealthyMama is a HappyMama

Put a little Boogie in it

Yes, it certainly is that time of the year for sick kids. Everywhere I look, I see runny noses, cough cough cough, and drippy droopy eyes. Being a teacher, this is no good for me because I am constantly surrounded by all of these germs. I'm really glad I have a good immune system. I would never make it as a teacher if I didn't. Just yuck.

Well, Avery is no stranger to this kid sickness. For close to two weeks now, she's had this runny nose. It's like someone turned on a faucet in her head and it's been running constantly.

There is nothing I can do about this HOWEVER, y'all I have found a product that is magic. It's like I struck gold.

Boogie Wipes.

Aside from feeling a little silly when I say "hey, pass me the boogie wipes," these things are wondrous. All it is is a wipe with saline added. So when you have to wipe your child's nose ten of hundreds of thousands of times their little noses don't dry out, turn red, and crack open. There are assorted scents- my personal favorite is the fresh scent- and they feel so wonderful on your nose.

NOW, I would not replace these with my regular household Kleenex because they're much too expensive for that, but these are really good if you or your child get sick and are in need of a heavy duty wipe that won't hurt your little button nose. And yes, I am aware that they do make Kleenex with lotion, "Puffs Plus," or whatever. Those do not even compare to the awesomeness that is a boogie wipe.

Boogie Wipe= HappyMama

Howdy

Thanks for visiting my blog!

I want to use this space to share what I'm doing to self-improve, motivate, and make a happier me. I hope that you find my posts on here helpful and useful.

Okay, so to keep your attention, I knew I had to start with something awesome. And yummy. Now, since I am trying to lose weight, most food posts will be low-fat. Boo Hiss. HOWEVER, I think you might like this recipe. It's not as low fat as it could be, you shouldn't eat a dozen of these and not think twice because they're "low-fat." But, it is a good alternative to you're regular, 1000 calorie Betty Crocker brownie.

Low-Fat Brownie Recipe

(yum-o)

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2-oz bittersweet (or semisweet) chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp low fat sour cream or yogurt
1 large egg
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In a small bowl, melt together bittersweet chocolate and butter. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk chocolate mixture with sugars and sour cream. Whisk in egg, egg white and vanilla extract. Gently mix in the flour mixture, mixing until no streaks of flour remain. Batter will be thick.
Spread batter into prepared pan.
Bake for about 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
Cool brownies completely in the pan. Store in an airtight container.

(courtesy of bakingbites.com)

Now, I did make a few adjustments. Not to the recipe, just to how I baked them. I didn't use a round pan, I poured dollops of batter into mini muffin cups. So they looked like brownie bites. And I didn't use a special mini muffin pan either. I just used a regular muffin pan and put one mini muffin cup into each of the 12 muffin spots. I was worried at first that this might not work, but lo and behold, it did. So there ya go.

I also wanted to jazz up the brownies a bit. So I whipped up some raspberry glaze to go on top. Ohhh fancy, you say. Well, yes, I think so, too. I had some seedless raspberry jam on hand and I mixed 2 tbsp raspberry jam with 1 tbsp of water and drizzled it on top. The tartness of the raspberry mixed with the sweetness of the brownie is heaven, for realz y'all. You'll feel like you're indulging in a decadent dessert. But really, you're eating a low-fat brownie. Tip: Add the raspberry glaze on top right before you eat the brownie. If you let the raspberry glaze sit on the brownie for a while, the brownie will soak up the glaze and not be as pretty. It will look like your brownie is, um, wet. Brownies with watermarks are not cool.

That's all for today! Stay tuned for more things that make me HappyMama.

p.s. I would like to thank Mickey and the gang for entertaining my little one while I made these.