Anticipated First Week Weigh-In

So tomorrow marks my first weigh-in of the Winter Weight Loss Challenge.  I have many feelings floating through my brain.  I am excited, nervous, and anxious about the weigh-in.  I have worked very hard this first week with eating healthy, getting in my cardiovascular workouts and strength training. 

There is not much I could of done differently this past week to loss weight.  I hope that it all pays off.  If it doesn't well its off to the store for ice cream...............JUST KIDDING!!!!  But seriously, I will be disappointed if I had no weight loss but I can at least say that I tried my very best and that week #2 I will work even harder.  That's all I can ask of myself.  That's what everyone should ask of themselves. 

So, did you do everything you could?  If you didn't, week #2 is your redemption week.  Get out there and do it!

The Results of the Weigh-in in my next blog.........(drum roll please). 








 

Broccoli Slaw

This Broccoli Slaw recipe is a great, healthy alternative to regular coleslaw.  I found this recipe in Eating for Life by Bill Phillips.  I substituted coleslaw with broccoli slaw and it tastes great.   The best part--it is super easy to make!! 

Ingredients:

4 Cups        Broccoli Slaw (Found in Produce, near coleslaw mixes)
1/4              Chopped Onion
1/2 cup       Fat-free Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp        Vinegar
2 tsp            Sugar Substitute

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge.

You can eat this right away but if you let it set in the fridge for a couple hours it tastes even better.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Winter Weight Loss Program

My blog is back and better than ever.  I had stopped writing because of what I thought was a lack of interest by readers.  I recently conducted a survey and had very positive feedback so here is attempt number two.

With that being said, I encourage everyone to comment on my blogs and make suggestions on what you would like to read.  I would love for readers to be able to share their healthy recipes.  I know that I am not a good cook so any suggestions would be very much appreciated by myself and others.  You can email them to me directly at my Google account and I will post them on my blog;  sharonandaiden@gmail.com

I am going to focus my blogs mostly on the Winter Weight Loss Program that I entered at my local YMCA.  It started today and goes for the next 10 weeks.  My goal is too push harder, lose weight and score as many points for my team as possible.  I have great teammates, a great Coach, and the motivation to do it, so I think that's a winning combination.  Most importantly is when this challenge is over is to look back and know that I did everything I could to lose the weight.

So, here we go.  DAY #1.

    

Peppermint Experiment Results

The results are in on my peppermint experiment. (Drum roll please).  My conclusion is that it did not curb my appetite at all and although I did lose weight it had nothing to do with sniffing peppermint oil.  Actually, at times I felt like that peppermint made me feel hungry.  It was like it activated my senses and made my body feel the urge to eat. 

The oil is not easy to find but I did end up locating a small bottle at a local health store.  It cost me $8.99.  I would place a small dab on my wrist and occasionally sniff it.  Let me just say that people were giving me weird looks when I kept putting my wrist to my nose.....wonder what they were thinking.  More than anything I think I am officially sick of the smell of peppermint.

Overall, I think that the peppermint oil theory is a big FLOP!!!!  It was definitely fun to experiment with it.........now what to do with all that peppermint oil?

Pepperment: Helps with Weight Loss?

I found an article from my local paper about the benefits of sniffing (yes, I said sniffing) peppermint.  Psychologist Bryan Raudenbush says that peppermint, when sniffed, can reduce the urge to eat. 

When the participants in his study sniffed peppermint every 2 hours they were not as hungry as non-sniffers.  The best part was in one week they consumed 2,800 less calories then their counterparts.  (That's almost a pound)!

Raudenbush study also showed that athletes performed better.  They worked out at the gym longer, pushed themselves harder, were more motivated and less fatigued.

The participants used peppermint inhalers that can be purchased at health stores but peppermint oil can also be used.  An easy way would be putting a small amount on a wristband. 

So how well does peppermint work?  I don't know......yet.  I think that I will be a test dummy and give it a try.  I figure there are three things that could happen:

1.  I could lose weight.  (Yah)

2.  I could gain weight because the smell will make me want peppermint icecream or other peppermint desserts.  

3.  I could get sick from constantly smelling it.

There is only one way to find out, so you'll be hearing my results in a couple of weeks.  If you decide to become a test dummy too, let me know how well you did.

Homemade Tomato Soup

I, personally, do not like any kind of soup.  I don't know exactly why but maybe because I don't like my food combined together.  Maybe I am weird, who really knows?  Anyways, this is a recipe my friend emailed me and she says it great.  I'm taking her word on it so give it a try.  

Total Time: 2 hr 50 min.
Prep Time:  20 min.
Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min.
Yields:         4 servings

Ingredients

8 Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise ( I use 10)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried herbs de provence
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock ( I buy the organic low sodium and only chicken stock so far)
Sour cream or olive oil, for garnish, (This is optional, I use 1 Tsp of the low-fat sour cream.  It presents nicely and slightly thickens the soup- creamy)

Side Note

If you do not have pre-made herbs de provence you can make your owe combine the following:

            

            2 tablespoons dried savory
            2 tablespoons dried rosemary
            2 tablespoons dried thyme
            2 tablespoons dried oregano
            2 tablespoons dried basil
            2 tablespoons dried marjoram
            2 tablespoons dried fennel seed
            put in airtight container

Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

     

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the tomatoes, cut side down, on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle 1 tablespoon water over the tomatoes. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.

     

Remove from the oven. Carefully peel off the skins and discard. Flip tomatoes over, cut side up, and place back in the oven until the tomatoes are shriveled but not dry, another 30 to 60 minutes. 

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

     

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the onion in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over low heat until very soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and herbes de provence and cook until fragrant, another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and remaining 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

   
In a blender, puree the tomatoes (including any cooking liquid on the baking sheet) and the stock mixture until very smooth. You may need to work in batches. Strain through a fine sieve if a very smooth texture is desired. ( I prefer it to have tiny chunks so I blend a bit less)  Pour the soup back into the saucepan, season with salt and pepper, and heat gently.

To serve, ladle into cups or bowls and top with either a swirl of olive oil or a little sour cream, if desired.

Partner Training

As I am sitting here sore and sipping my shake made of frozen strawberries, yogurt and orange juice I was thinking about my workout tonight.  What a difference having a friend to work out with makes. 

The other day I did interval training on the treadmill for 30 minutes by myself.  Let me tell you that was the longest 30 minutes that I can remember.  It dragged on and was way beyond boring; it was just me, the treadmill and a TV on mute (with my vision there was no way I was reading the caption).  I made it but it was torture.     

Tonight made a huge difference working out with my friend.  Not only did time fly by but I pushed myself so much harder than I would alone.  I'm sure that she felt the same way too.  I even got that one more rep in that I probably would not have done by myself.  We even had a few laughs along the way. 

A friend to work out with also keeps you committed to going.  I know that I can easily talk myself out of anything but I refuse to cancel on a friend if I do not have a valid reason.  We went at 6:00pm and believe me the last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym.  If I was going alone there is no doubt I would of thrown in the towel and told myself, "forget it you are too tired."  But I knew that I was meeting someone at the gym so I put it in my mindset that I was going to do this and know that I would not regret the choice.

And..........I definitely do not regret the choice.  My body might not like it but it is well worth the sacrifice.

So, grab a partner and hit the gym.  And if you can't do it for yourself, do it for them.