"Where attention goes, energy flows and results show." -T. Harv Eker

So...not to toot my own horn or anything, but....I'm so proud of myself this week and weekend! First of all, I have kept my eating under crazy control all weekend (weekends are usually an issue). Friday is usually our 'out to dinner' night of the week, so I always prepare my day around that event. I ate very minimally all day in preparation, and it paid off because I was able to enjoy a wonderful yet healthy dinner without any guilt or regret. I even had some of the appetizer. Right?! I rarely do that. The appetizer was spinach-artichoke dip with tortilla chips, then I had honey lime grilled chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled veggies. It was absolutely delicious and so satisfying. After adding up the calories, I was right on target. I also, of course, jogged earlier that day. As long as I know I'm going to be eating a big meal, I will ALWAYS exercise in preparation..

Yesterday, I stuck to my food plan for the day and then I jogged the best jog of my life, almost 5 miles! Approximately 4.8! I'm so happy that my body is finally agreeing with me again. All week long my body was just angry with all of the work I had been forcing on it. Not to the point of shutting down, but it was mad enough to make my jogs absolutely miserable...like, seriously terrible. However, by pushing past this, giving my body a small break (I jogged Friday morning and then waited until Saturday night to jog again), I was able to accomplish something great. Not only did I push to a new distance, it was surprisingly pleasant. I wasn't in pain, I wasn't ridiculously out of breath, I was completely drenched in sweat (which honestly feels great to me :)), and upon finishing this jog, I smiled. I was so happy with what I had done and with the fact that I had pushed past this week of crappy exercise, mediocre eating control, and bad moods.

Alright, I ate a lot of really delicious things (some of which I had never tried before this weekend), so I'm going to share with you all of the yummy recipes :)
 
Here's what I ate on Saturday:
Breakfast: Slept late, so I got up and made myself an Apple Pie Latte:
-1 tbsp apple butter (the kind we buy is from Whole Foods and is 20 calories per tbsp)
-1tsp cinnamon
-1tsp ground cloves
-sugar substitute to taste (I usually use about 3 tbsp of the sugar sub in the big bags)
-1 c unsweetened original almond milk
-1 tbsp vanilla extract
-1/2 c strongly brewed coffee

In a small pot, combine apple butter, sugar sub, and milk over medium heat. Stir continuously until well combined and steamed. Brew the coffee while doing this. Once the mixture is steamed, take off heat and add vanilla, cinnamon, and clove. Transfer to blender and blend for a few seconds until foamy. Pour into mug and add coffee, stir, and enjoy!
Serves: 1
Calories: 50

For lunch, I had Pumpkin Oatmeal: (and it was absolutely amazing and so very filling..)
-3/4 c (dry) instant oats
-1/4 c Libby's canned pumpkin puree
-1/2 c Silk original unsweetened almond milk
-3/4 c water
-3 tbsp "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!"
-2 tsp brown sugar
-2 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-1 tbsp chopped walnuts
-sugar substitute to taste


In a bowl, combine oats and water. Microwave until water is absorbed. Add in milk and 2 tbsp of "Butter!", microwave a few more second to absorb. Remove, add in pumpkin and stir well. In a smaller bowl, combine walnuts, brown sugar, sugar sub, cinnamon, pie spice, and remaining tbsp of "Butter!". Pour mixture into oatmeal and stir. Enjoy!
Serves: 1
Calories: 350

For my snack, I had Chocolate "Ice Cream":
-3/4 c Stoneyfield Farms organic plain non-fat yogurt
-3/4 c Silk unsweetened original almond milk
-1 tbsp Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
-1 scoop EAS Lean Protein Powder- Chocolate

Blend in blender, pour into bowl and freeze 3-4 hours. I freeze over night and defrost in microwave for a few minutes until some of it has liquified a little. Then I kinda chop into it and stir it up until it has more of an ice cream-ish texture.
Serves: 1
Calories: 165

For dinner, mom cooked us some steak and sweet potatoes. There was nothing especially amazing to share as far as recipes, but it was absolutely delicious :) I'm always up for steak and potatoes! As long as you mind the serving sizes, of course. It was about 4oz of steak and a small sweet potato, probably around 5-6 inches long. Thanks Mom! It really was delicious and something I didn't have to cook myself!

Today (Sunday), I've done absolutely nothing...and it has been amazing. I almost always use Sunday as a re-fuel day, a day to let my body truly rest and relax. You should always do this at least one day a week. I slept through breakfast time, so after my morning coffee, for lunch I cooked me and my parents pumpkin pancakes that are absolutely amazing. They're approximately 320 calories per batch...yeah, about 5 in a batch...no lie. With Smucker's Sugar-Free Breakfast syrup and "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!", they come out to be around 345 calories. You can find the recipe HERE

For my snack I had pumpkin ice cream (I really, really love pumpkin...)
-1/2 c Silk original unsweetened Almond Milk
-1/2 c Stoneyfield Farms organic plain non-fat yogurt
-1/2 c Libby's canned pumpkin puree
-1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
-sugar substitute

Blend it all in blender, pour in to bowl and freeze at least 3-4 hours. I do the same for this as I did with the chocolate.
Serves: 1
Calories:120
 
Then for dinner I had loaded hash brown casserole. This one I made up myself:

-1 1/2 c Publix Country style frozen shredded hash browns
-1/2 c Kraft Shredded Fat-free Cheddar cheese
-2 tbsp Great Value Fat-free sour cream
-2 tbsp Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits
-1 tbsp "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!"
-Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Place in small baking dish and bake approximately 30 minutes.
Serves: 1
Calories: 335

So there's my weekend :) Proof that you don't necessarily have to sacrifice yummy food to be healthy. Doing this well all weekend makes me want to keep going, keep sticking to my plans, keeping myself motivated! Improvement is my motivation! Just 2 weeks ago I was only jogging between one and one and a half miles non-stop. I'm now up to almost 5 non-stop. Seeing myself accomplishing these things makes me want to keep going and continue getting better in this quest to be healthy. But, what I'm realizing as I'm going is that being healthy really isn't my destination, being healthy is the process. I've already achieved being healthy just by changing the way I live. I'm still in the process of becoming fit and in shape, but as for healthy, I'm there. I've lost 63 pounds, I jog almost everyday, and I'm no longer in the double digit jean sizes. I'd say that could qualify me as healthy. I may still not be at my goal weight or size, but the first time I moved down a size was the moment I truly believed that I could do this. Getting past those first few weeks of eating right and exercise is the true test in my opinion. Once you start feeling the results, whether it be feeling your clothes fitting more loosely, feeling less winded walking up some stairs, or even some numbers on a scale, seeing and feeling results is the most positive way to motivate yourself. If you can just get past those first days of fighting yourself to eat the right thing or kicking your butt off of a couch, you'll be just fine. Push yourself into results. Ignore the urge to quit, KEEP GOING!