As you can see from the pic of my fridge on the right, my food at home is fairly healthy. So I pledge to eat meals from home and workout at least 5 out of 7 days this week. Wish me luck

For motivation I often follow Beth’s Journey and refer to my Natural Weight Loss Show Resource page. Be sure and check out these inspirational websites.

Please make sure to check out Your Weight Your Life and have Roberta Borchardt show you how to get started on your own weight loss journey.

I’m very happy about the weight loss this week, but my weight loss was not due to my workouts and healthy eating habits. I literally snacked all week. The reason I snacked is because my department at work had a Summit, where everyone in my department traveled to San Jose for all day meetings. I was in the office by 8am and out about 6pm every day. My department brought in lunches and I had dinner plans every night, so I didn’t have much of a healthy variety of foods and had no choice but to snack. Although I did bring snacks like almonds, string cheese, yogurt and dried fruit. I had no time for workouts, but plan to start working out more this week. I also had a personal issue arise and was too busy and a little stressed to eat, but everything worked out in the end This week I’m back on schedule, so check back next week for more good news… Thanks for your support!

Please make sure to check out Your Weight Your Life and have Roberta Borchardt show you how to get started on your own weight loss journey. Check out Your Weight Your Life’s promo video below (I helped with the editing):

Lost another pound this week Making my total weight loss at (drum roll please) 11 lbs. in 2 1/2 months. To be honest, every week since I’ve been on my weight loss journey, I’ve overeaten at least one meal. So this week I’ll work to beat my record and see where that gets me. I’m a little worried about the 49er game on Sunday, but I’m limiting myself to 2 low-cal adult beverages and healthy snacks. I’m watching the game at home, so I know I can do it. Like they say in my Project Management class…it’s all in the Planning phase!

This week my workouts consisted of 3 treadmills workouts for about an hour, a hike up a very steep Harwood Hill and a Yoga class. It’s been a few years since I’ve joined a Yoga class and I realized how much I missed it about 1/2 way through class.

So as a reward to myself this evening I got a haircut. Don’t think my hair has been this short since I was a kid, but I like it. Feel free to tell me what you think…but please tread lightly. I appreciate constructive criticism, not insults.

Thanks for following me on my journey!

Please make sure to check out Your Weight Your Life and have Roberta Borchardt show you how to get started on your own weight loss journey.

This week started off well. I went for a long hike with friends on Sunday and joined a Zumba Fitness class on Monday. It’s been a few years since I tried Zumba. Back when I went to Zumba for the first time, I recall leaving class early, because I wasn’t able to keep up with the class and I’d often just give up. This time I loved Zumba! Not so happy about the mild soreness I felt the next day, but so worth the pain! I also utilized the treadmill on Wednesday and Friday and found it to be very stress relieving. I watched the new show Revenge from my iPhone that I plugged into the treadmill and was so mesmerized by the show that I barely noticed I was exercising. So my workouts were nearly perfect this week.

Food wise, on Sunday night I made Vegetable Frittata, a simple solution to a quick breakfast for the week and oh so tasty too. I brought my lunch to work everyday and snacked throughout the day, so I was never hungry. Toward the end of the week, I slacked a little and ate dinner a little late in the evening on Wednesday and Thursday, but I made progress and that’s what’s important. I’m improving my eating habits each and every day of this journey and I’m learning about myself along the way. Some minor changes to make this week, i.e. eating earlier and smaller portions for dinner, but I’m ready!

Have a great week and please feel free to try out some of my delicious Recipes or LIKE Natural Weight Loss Show’s Facebook Page.

As a Technical Writer for a high-tech company, I discovered I’m sitting at my desk quite a bit. So I signed up for gym membership today through my company. I worked out on the treadmill tonight, then added a few ab exercises to my routine. The gym also has a variety of workout classes, like Zumba and Yoga that I’m looking forward to participating in next week. So I’m very excited about my change in workout routines!

As an avid Dr. Phil watcher, I tuned into an episode this week, titled “Weight Wars“, which was about family members facing off in the battle of the bulge. I found this episode to be insightful and motivational in my health efforts to kicking off the new year. At the end of the show, Dr. Phil listed important points to help us lose weight. I found these important points to be helpful and thought I’d post them on my blog to refer to when I feel like I’m going off track and here they are:

• There is no way to quickly lose weight or keep it off.
• Even with a program of healthy diet and exercise, you get out of it what you put into it.
• There is no magic pill, cream, wrap, patch, fat/calorie “blocker”, device, gimmick or short cut…don’t be a sucker.
• Set a reasonable goal for your current age, circumstance and lifestyle.
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.
• You cannot “pig out”, lay on the couch and lose weight.
• Cut your intake 500 calories per day and lose one to two pounds per week. It adds up! Much more per week could be unsafe.
• Your weight loss is as permanent as your efforts, so find or create a good program of healthy diet and exercise and make it your lifestyle long-term.

I’ll have a new video up by Sunday night, so please keep coming back.

In my opinion, there is nothing better than a tasty hot bowl of Lentil Soup during the cold winter months.Adding a couple low-cal sausages to this hearty soup gives it the perfect flavor. This healthy slow-cooker recipe makes a big batch of soup for a big family or party, or freeze a batch for later. There is no need to soak the lentils.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lentils (rinsed and drained)
• 1 diced celery stalk
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 low-cal sausages (turkey or chicken)
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 2 cups chopped fresh chard
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp.)
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp. fresh or dried parsley
• Salt, to taste

Directions

1. Cut sausages into bite size pieces.
2. Combine all ingredients, except salt, in a 5 to 7 quart slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, until lentils are tender.

Here are five tips I’ll definitely be implementing in 2012:

1.  Focus on Foods with Fuel
I’ll eat lean protein, fruits, veggies, whole grains and non-fat dairy. Because my body will work harder to process protein and fiber than it would with fat and carbs. Plus, protein and fiber help me feel full.

2.  Add a First Course
I’ll start my lunch or dinner with a salad with low-fat dressing; or a broth-based soup. This will fill me up so I can stay true to my portion sizes.

3.  Renovate my Favorite Recipes
I’ll simply swap out full-fat ingredients with lighter and fiber-filled alternatives to give my recipes a healthy makeover without sacrificing flavor.

4.  Include Indulgences
Deprivation will only serve as a roadblock to reaching my goal. Instead of overindulging I’ll have smaller portions of foods I enjoy.

5.  Increase Activity
Setting a weekly goal to increase my activity.

Now I’m off to go for a hike to enjoy the the sunshine and increase my activity in 2012!

Over the last 2 weeks of enjoying an abundance of food and wine I was a little worried about my weight loss, but I not only maintained my weight I lost another pound! So I’m about a quarter of the way into my weight loss life style change and I’ve lost a total 9 lbs. to date.

I’ve added a few recipes to my collection, check them out at: Natural Weight Loss Show Recipes

Oven: 375˚

Ingredients: