I am so Puffed up!

You are not my favorite anymore!

One of MY favorite condiments is soy sauce.  I love it on broccoli, stir fry, veggies and every time I want to trick myself into feeling like I am eating chinese food.  But I have discovered something that is not so great, water retention!  This week during weigh- in I found I had gained weight instead of lost!  I panicked and thought through my week to determine, WHAT HAPPENED?  I was quite disappointed and began to replay my lean and green choices for the week.  On Sunday I had delicious grilled chicken seasoned with wonderful spices and some soy sauce.  On monday I decided to make a delicious shrimp and veggie stir fry and one of the ingredients was soy sauce.  Tuesday was weigh in… When I got on the scale not only had I not lost any weight, I had GAINED a pound! I felt puffy.  My rings were tight, my ankles felt a little swollen.  (I am very sensitive to how my body feels.)   So Tuesday I drank tons of water, continued on plan and avoided salty condiments.  On Wednesday I was back on track!  I am 5 lbs away from the 30 pound weight loss mile stone.  STAY tuned!  perseverance pay’s off and staying focused no matter what curve ball comes your way is CRITICAL!  Oh and stay away from high sodium lean and green’s right before weigh in.  Quite a kick in the gut!!!

Instead of giving you the recipe for my delicious shrimp stir fry, I will give you a recipe for a lower sodium delicious option!

Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

5 oz Can of tuna in spring water.  Drain Water

2 tablespoons of Diced Jalapeno’s if you like spice

1/4 cup Diced tomatoes

1 tablespoons minced Onions

Mix all of the ingredients together

Take a Large Leaf of Lettuce and put some of the tuna mixture in.  Wrap them up and eat the delicious wrap.  The best part is you can eat the whole thing!!!

Delish!!!

That Dog-gone Easter Bunny!

Today I decided to get on my TSFL Habits of Health Call. If you are my client and you don’t know what the TSFL Habits of Health Call is. Call me immediately!
As I sat through the call memories of days past began to rush to my mind. And an invigorating desire to laser focus burned into my head. I am down a total of 20 lbs. in five weeks and am ready to kick it into high gear! But before I do that… I wanted to discuss how I survived Easter weekend and still lost two pounds.
On Easter my husband and I volunteered to host since we are both on plan we wanted to make sure we had FULL control of the situation. We planned to grill and our contribution was the meats and a vegetable. Our family brought their usual delectable treats. My sister in law, what looked to me like the best FREAKIN carrot cake EVER! My mother in law brought perfectly garnished deviled eggs and her to die for signature corn flake crusted potato casserole. But the most intriguing of all was the kids THREE, yes THREE Easter baskets. At first glance, they seemed harmless. Toys, swim suits, cute spring play clothes… As the piles of cute stuff continue to be thrown up in the air in excitement the girls find the true prize… Candy! 3 whole pounds of candy I CONFISCATED from those baskets. As soon as the baskets were dismantled my first action was to grab zip lock bags and a large empty bag. Each of my children got a hand full of treats in a zip lock (I can’t completely ruin their Easter) and they were able to store the prized chocolate bunnies in the fridge for the strategic bites throughout the week…. (What kind of mom would I be if I took that away from them?) The entire time I separated that candy out of the stat icky Easter grass all I could think of was shoving several of those jelly beans, malted chocolate eggs and oh yes, mini Reese’s peanut butter cups in my mouth!! But I refrained. The rest of the confiscated candy was immediately put in a bag and sent directly to my husband’s office where it could be enjoyed by others. I was so proud! During Easter I had two tuna burgers no buns a grilled vegetable and I chewed up and spit out a bite of the carrot cake… What was I thinking??? Well at least I spit it out! I lost two pounds on Easter Week and all I can think of is everything I WOULD have eaten had I not been on TSFL. Carrot cake, unknown amounts of candy, burger and hot dog buns, deviled eggs with MAYO in them, my kids chocolate bunny and who knows what else. The feeling of getting through that holiday

Knowing I WAS in control was extremely rewarding.
I feel like I am continuously learning new things that will continue to make my journey to health a long term success.
“Make every day count!”

Hilda

Week four and five rolled into one!

Feeling a little bloated?

I have been quite busy with work lately so I have had little time to write… But all in all I have lost 2 pounds week four, 2 pounds week 5 making my grand total 19 Lbs in 5 weeks. I have averaged 3.8 lbs lost each week so far and I am so happy because I have never had so much success.  I have struggled substantially with the ability to go potty.  I am not going to get into details cause that’s gross!!!  But I have figured out some things to make it better.

Extra Fiber- From low car fiber supplement.  You can find this at your local pharmacy.

More Leafy Vegetables- Eat all of your green’s.  Your stomach can use the extra roughage.

More Water- More than 64 ounces if you can do it!  Refilling a 32 ounce bottle water 3 times is the easiest way for me to keep track.

Walking- Brisk 25-30 minute walk.  Just seems to get things moving!!

I am looking forward to some incredible results next week now that I started my walking.  Stay TUNED!!!

“make everyday count!”

Hilda

Healthy Living: The Most Essential Thing In One’s Life

Today we’re taking a break from my story and focusing in on something new.  In a guest post, our friend Carter Kahlmus gives us valuable tips on healthy, specifically gaining assistance from experts to avoid injury!  Thanks Carter!

“Health is wealth” is an age-old proverb – and for good reason. When you are healthy, the longevity and quality of your life improves. There are many factors that determine if you are healthy. Health does not solely mean a life free of chronic diseases or other illnesses; it also means living a good lifestyle that encourages liveliness and wellness.

There are many sources of advice for living a healthy life. Not everyone is an expert in health and wellness, however. When you are first trying to make healthy choices in your life, look to a health expert or other trained professional who is knowledgeable about fitness, nutrition, or other health-related topics. You will be given the chance to explain your lifestyle, eating habits, family background and other important life details to the professional; he can, in turn, recommend a dietary routine and fitness regimen that will benefit you.

There are numerous ways to injure yourself while working out. You can bruise yourself from falling or just from doing exercises that may exert too much force on a part of your body. You could pull or strain a muscle while doing a simple exercise. You could, simply, develop soreness and you may not know the reason for it. All of these possibilities are reasons for why you should develop and learn your fitness program with an experienced trainer or other person who has the right expertise in exercise. A fitness expert will develop an exercise routine that is right for your body and will make sure you learn the exercises properly; this greatly reduces the risk of injury.

Your habits help determine how healthy you are. To be healthy, you must take the recommendations and advice of specialists and choose to follow them so that you develop healthy habits. This is another reason why it is good to develop better nutrition and fitness under the eye of a specialist; he can offer the support and encouragement to keep you on track.

Now is the time to get healthy! In the short term, living a healthy lifestyle will make you feel better and make you happier. As you continue to make good nutritious choices about your diet and you exercise regularly, you will notice a better quality of life that will benefit you, as you grow older. Talk to a specialist, develop a plan, and get healthier today.

Carter Kahlmus tries to exercise regularly in order to stay healthy. Part of this includes taking long hikes with a picnic basket and enjoying a healthy snack at the end.