First Goal Attained!

I have reached my first weight loss goal of 10 lbs! I'm really excited and can't wait to lose more. This whole paleo thing is kind of getting hard to stick with. Not that I don't like it, it just gets frustrating on days where I come home exhausted from a long day of work and don't feel like cooking anything. I'm going to try to start making some meals in advance, but I can rarely find the time to even clean my house! 

I haven't been working out like I should have. The weather has been pretty bi-polar lately, making it hard to get to the gym as well as making it hard on my joints and back. I'm going to try to get to the gym tomorrow (and maybe do a little shopping workout since I have NO Christmas presents yet). 

I will post a picture of my progress soon!

Clean Eating=Results!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Clean eating DOES equal results! Not only am I .3 lbs away from my 10 lbs weight loss mark, I FEEL so much better health wise. I have a little more energy, my stomach doesn't feel bloated and I literally feel lighter! 

Controlling my sweet-tooth has been the hardest part of my diet thus far (and I thought it would be pasta). I try to grab fruit to curb the cravings, but honestly it hasn't been working for me. My cheat day can't come soon enough! 

Here is a recipe for sweet potatoes to (somewhat) satisfy my sweet tooth

Honey Glazed Spiced Sweet Potatoes

• 2-3 sweet potatoes sliced
• coconut oil
• cinnamon to taste
• honey to taste

Melt enough coconut oil to grease the bottom of the skillet

Cook sliced sweet potatoes on medium high (add water if needed)

Drizzle honey over sweet potatoes and sprinkle with cinnamon

ENJOY!

Cravings!

Conquering Thanksgiving was easier than I thought. I actually wasn't even too hungry! This weekend though, has been a different story. It all started yesterday when I began to crave chocolate. If you know me, I'm not even a fan of chocolate! To fight my craving, I sliced up some apples and bananas for dessert-which didn't help at all! I was even MORE hungry for sweets!! That craving carried over today, and I unfortunately had to deal with it the only way I knew how-leftover pie. Yes, I had a piece of pie. I cheated. It was a very small piece, but I feel dirty about it. I just couldn't resist. I'm craving EVERYTHING I can't have. I found some really delicious looking paleo dessert recipes, BUT there are no stores close by that carry ANY of the ingredients I need! I'm in a dilemma! I can go at least 2 weeks without sweets, but by the 3rd week, the cravings overwhelm me. Does anyone else have this issue? How do you deal with it?

I have decided this week will be the start of my everyday workouts! If not at the gym, I will workout at home! 

I have decided to do this tomorrow! 

http://www.fitfabcities.com/2013/02/20/printable-workout-indoor-cardio-crusher-the-workout/

...And I'm Feeeelin' Good!

Ah, cold weather! It makes me want to snuggle up, watch movies and stuff my face all day. I have done myself proud this week and have stayed away from the whole stuffing my face part...I will however, make an exception tomorrow, since you know it IS Thanksgiving. I don't plan on eating the average 4,500 calories I usually do, but I will help myself to a slice of pie WITH whipped cream!

I did weigh myself this morning and I have lost another 2 lbs! For a total of 7.3 lbs lost! I couldn't be more happy with myself right now. Dedication and determination is really paying off thus far. 

Next week, look forward to some recipes and easy at home workouts I've been trying! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Week One Results

So, the end of week one is here. My results aren't what I was anticipated but I did get somewhere! As of yesterday, I am down 5.2 lbs! Not the 8-10 lbs I had expected to lose, but I did slack on working out last week, which will also be the case this week due to the holiday.

Since winter seems to have hit us a little sooner than usual, I have made soup to last until Wednesday. Chicken, carrots, onions and peas (without the noodles for me.) Can't wait for the warm soupy-ness to hit my belly! Now to make it through Thanksgiving without gaining 20 lbs!

Cheat Day!

Saturday is here, which means I get a break from the paleo diet! Not that the diet is bad by any means, I just really miss my carbs. We decided to head to a lovely little restaurant downtown, Cowan's. (A must try if you are in the WashMo area!) What did I indulge in? A plate of chicken tenders, french fries, fried okra and cottage cheese. The sad thing is, I was full after 2 chicken tenders and a few fries. We decided to order a couple slices of their famous pie. I ordered coconut custard and my boyfriend ordered chocolate peanut butter. Needless to say, the coconut custard was nothing I expected. It tasted like scrambled eggs and coconut flakes. *pukes* I had a couple bites of the chocolate peanut butter pie and the coconut custard pie was taken off our bill! I am pretty proud that I didn't over indulge. Tomorrow is my first week weigh in and I am hoping for some good results! 

What's For Lunch?

Lunch is usually where I mess up on eating healthy. I work next to a Jimmy John's! The fresh baked bread aroma flows into our office and I just can't help myself. Oh how I miss you  #12! For lunch today, I've prepared a spinach salad topped with crab meat and avocado, and spritzed with some lemon juice. Simple, yet delicious! 

Recipe

1 Cup spinach 
1 Half avocado diced
Crab meat to your liking ( I used the fake stuff, but its still tasty!)
Pepper
Spritz with some lemon juice
Drizzle with olive oil if desired

Blogging and weight loss and results, Oh MY!!

Weight loss, who hasn't struggled with it? You workout, take supplements, count calories the list goes on and on! Where do the results come in? It's so hard keeping the motivation up when you don't see results right away or even in a few weeks. So you go back to your old ways, get tired of how you feel and try something new. I don't know about you, but this vicious dieting cycle gets pretty old after some time. 

Being overweight most of my entire life, weight loss has been my resolution every year! I'm tired of not feeling healthy or comfortable in my own skin. I'm ready to change for good! Two years ago, I became very depressed, so much so that food was not an option. I would work, drink a bottle of wine or two and sleep. This went on for about 2 months. I was 230 lbs or so and lost about 70 lbs in those couple of months. Needless to say, I was pretty thin. When I came out of my depression and started eating again, I packed on the pounds rather quickly. I am now up to 190 lbs and feel gross. I'm lethargic, my back and joints ache AND I can't fit into half of my clothes anymore! Definitely not a good feeling to know that I'm closer to my heaviest weight than I've been in two years. 

Gym memberships are so expensive, but I ended up joining a gym anyway. A friend of mine talked me into it and I feel that it's one of the best decisions I've made in awhile, well, besides buying a new pair of boots for this fall! I've been going for the past two months for at least 3 days a week. I can already see the difference in my legs and feel how much stronger I've become. Having a friend to push me and work with me is such a blessing! I've been using exercise as an excuse to eat whatever I want, but I don't workout enough to do that, so I have decided to try the Paleo Diet. It's not as bad as I thought. I mean, I can't eat pasta, mashed potatoes, sweets or dairy but hey, so far so good. I started Monday and I'm down 3 lbs already. My goal is to lose 40 lbs. As of today, 37 lbs to go!

-Ashley

This was taken Nov. 16th 2013 at my current weight, and yes those are my new boots!