Day 2 Fab Fattie Challenge

*Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily- 5 points=1 had 5 servings=5 points

*Drink 8 glasses of water a day- 8 points

*Exercise- 1 point per minute-Cleaned my house=60 points

*Do a random good deed- 5 points-helped someone at grocery store get something off shelf=5 points

*Stop drinking soda pop for a day- 1 point, I drank ginger ale today, is that pop?

*Actually read someone else’s blog post and leave a comment- 1 point-left 1 comment=1 point

* Answer our Fab Fatties random bonus questions about us- 5 points-Today's question is

What day did we start out on this Fabulous adventure?-The Fab Fatties, I believe it's 4/20/2009=5 points

* Recommend 2 fabulous friends from twitter and tell us why we should follow them- 2 points-twitter is down, so I can't

* Eat a healthy breakfast-1 point=egg white omelet=1 point

* Lose weight- 1 point per pound- I only weigh in weekly

* Keep a food journal for the day- 5 points per day=5 points

* Take a walk during you lunch break- 5 points=5 points

* Have a friend join this challenge- 25 points per friend-On my blog!

Total Points for day 2= 95 points.

Day 1 Fab Fattie Challenge

Friday was day one of the Fab Fatties Challenge Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily- 5 points

*Drink 8 glasses of water a day- 8 points- I drank 8=8 points

*Exercise- 1 point per minute- I walked a total of 30 minutes with the doggie=30 points

*Do a random good deed- 5 points- I tipped my hair dresser 20 bucks=5 points

*Stop drinking soda pop for a day- 1 point- I don't drink soda=1 point

*Actually read someone else’s blog post and leave a comment- 1 point-I read someone else's blog everyday, but I left a comment on one persons=1 point

* Answer our Fab Fatties random bonus questions about us- 5 points-this I forgot to to do yesterday so no points

* Recommend 2 fabulous friends from twitter and tell us why we should follow them- 2 points-@ jenncuisine, because she makes awesome food and @crumblycookie, she also post amazing recipes. =2 points

* Eat a healthy breakfast-1 point=special k and oj=1 point

* Lose weight- 1 point per pound-lost 1.5 pounds=1 point

* Keep a food journal for the day- 5 points per day=I record my food everyday=5 points

* Take a walk during you lunch break- 5 points-I talk walks everyday with pug=5 points

* Have a friend join this challenge- 25 points per friend-Does posting on my blog count? Haha.

Total points=54 points

Week 10 Results

We are halfway through the 20/20 program! I wasn't too worried about this week because of it being Memorial Day because I did work out two days over the weekend and two days this week, not as much as I should have. But I still managed to lose 1.5lbs this week!!




That brings my grand total to -13 pounds in 10 weeks!

I'm totally happy with this result this week!

2 Week Fun Challenge

Jenn found this really cool two week challenge over at Fab Fattie!

From their website:

This will be a 2 week challenge based on point system. You can earn points by living healthy, being kind and eating well. We are excited to kick this challenge off and hope you will join us!

*Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily- 5 points

*Drink 8 glasses of water a day- 8 points

*Exercise- 1 point per minute

*Do a random good deed- 5 points

*Stop drinking soda pop for a day- 1 point

*Actually read someone else’s blog post and leave a comment- 1 point

* Answer our Fab Fatties random bonus questions about us- 5 points

-Bonus questions will be posted daily on our blog.

* Recommend 2 fabulous friends from twitter and tell us why we should follow them- 2 points

* Eat a healthy breakfast-1 point

* Lose weight- 1 point per pound

* Keep a food journal for the day- 5 points per day

* Take a walk during you lunch break- 5 points

* Have a friend join this challenge- 25 points per friend

If it sounds like fun to you as well, join me in doing it!

Memorial Day

We spent the Memorial Day weekend up at the cottage. We got the boat in the water this year and got to take it out. The water isn't warm enough to go into yet, it's only at about 45 degrees, although I just checked it out and it is at about 55 degrees now, still way to cold to go in. Here are some pics from the weekend:

Pug's Birthday Part 2

Puggie had a great birthday! She got some special treats and a big Yappy Birthday Bone from The Spotted Dog Barkery and an ice cream cake to share with us from Dairy Queen!



Here is a video of her before she got some of her bone, she wasn't well at being an actress this time, besides turning her head, she was too worried about getting her bone:

How to Curb Mindless Eating

1. Don't eat while standing up, in the car or on the go. Don't eat when you don't have time to sit down and have a proper meal.
2. Don't skip meals, you aren't saving calories because you will be so hungry that you will extra calories to feel full.
3. Nighttime grating is often because you are bored-so find a hobby.
4. Brush your teeth, food is never as appealing when you have a toothpaste mouth.
5. Make hot tea, warm liquid in your stomach makes you feel satiated.
6. Take a fiber supplement.
7. If going to a party, take a healthy snack for everyone to munch on.
8. At a party or social event hang far away enough from the food so you are tempted to be talking and munching.
9. If able bring a healthy dish to the party.
   

Food Cravings

Food Cravings...we all get them. The question a lot of us have is should we give into them or not? The answer surprisingly is yes...and here is why.

• If you don't give into a craving, you will eat a million other things to substitute for the one thing you really want.
• Once you full fill your craving you can stop eating. When you savor food you want the flavor carries for you and you won't want more because you will have met the emotional need for that particular food.
• No matter what a calorie is what a calorie is. To lose weight you have to eat fewer calories to stay slim, you can't eat more then you need. So when you eat what you want and stop eating when done you probably have eaten less and consumed fewer calories that you would have if you substituted three different things for that one thing you wanted.
  

American Idol

As most of the world knows Kris won American Idol last night!!! Danny Gokey was my favorite all season but Kris was my second, so I am VERY happy with that outcome! I'm glad Adam didn't win, to be honest I couldn't stand Adam all season. Can he sing? Yes, he can and he is good. I just couldn't stand his screaming and sticking out his tongue. A lot of not liking him also comes from the judges because from day 1 they outed everyone else and just called Adam the winner. It was getting sick how goo goo Kara and Paula got after he sang. Simon didn't even stand up last night when Kris won, which was very rude. I guess he felt like an idiot since he told Oprah that Adam would win.

Chris and I both agreed all season that no one should count Kris out. He has an awesome voice. Here are some of my favorite moments from last night:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

So funny!



Anyways Congrats Kris!

Big Oops

So I belong to this website called Good Reads, if you read books I highly suggest using it. Well anyways....point of this post is I just did the silliest thing ever. Good Reads has this feature where you can search your email contacts to see if they are members and I did this to see if anyone was. Well...I didn't click the right boxes and it sent an email to all 653 email address I have, telling people I wanted to be there friend on Good Reads. OMG. So why do I have that many contacts you probably are saying, well one, I did just plan a wedding a year ago, two I do have my own business so I have a lot of customers I email with, third I have lots of friends and fourth I use gmail and gmail saves all of your contacts, every time you type an email address in, it just automatically saves it!! Ahhh! I'm so embarrassed for some reason! I'm not sure why, it was just an accident. Oh well, that's my funny story for the day.

Anyways....

So if you got an invite for me and like to read, then accept me!! It's a great website to share what you've read with friends! If not disregard that silly email that went out to 653 people.

Happy 7th Birthday Alexis!

I can't believe Puggie is 7 years old today! Can you? I remember when I first saw her and she peed on me, ha, what a memory! I remember when I brought her home and her Granny had fits and said "get that thing out here!" And now Granny loves her pug! You are such a charmer and a cuddler. Everyone who meets you loves you!

I know that at night time around 1-2 am, you are going to come up to my face or your daddy's face with a "snort, snort" and push your head at us to let you under the covers. Then you are gonna lick your paws until we stop you and you start to snore instantly.

I know that as soon as you wake up in the morning you expect your breakfast right after you go potty. As soon as you see us making your food you like talk to us, with a "boof" and you get so excited sometimes, you must be a hungry pug! I love right before we give you your food, all we have to say is "What does a girl do?" and you sit and bark at us, when we tell you "louder", you do it louder.

You are scared of some silly things, but that's ok. You hate Clorox for some reason, but yet when it gets used to clean the toilets you come back more and more to smell it, just to go out in the hall way and bark your face off. That's my favorite bark. The "woooo woooo wooo". You get scared sometimes of stuff sitting on the ground and back away from it.

As soon as Daddy gets home from work, he can expect that his little now 7 year old pug, will be waiting at the top of the steps for him waiting for him to get his welcome home face licks. You know that your Daddy is gonna flop you over and give you a belly rub too. You love your Daddy's belly rubs! You stretch your little legs back and forth for the belly rub.

You have more toys then any dog, I think. I'm not quite sure what happens when we have kids, I think our house will be consumed with toys, both kid and pug toys!

The amount of words you know amazes me, as soon as we say "puggie go for walk", "puggie go for a ride", "puggie go to pet smart", puggie go to petco", "puggie go to Granny's", when we say cream, you know your getting some ice cream, etc you get all crazy and run around in a circle!

You love routines! I guess doing the same thing everyday makes you that way. But I know that when you hear my laptop close and the TV make the beep noise it makes when you turn it off, that no matter how deep of a sleep you are in, you are going to hop up and jump on the ground. You know that at night time when Daddy says, "let's go outside pug dog" that you run to the back door and you know as soon as you come back in, we are going to bed and you will get your night time snack. You know at 5 pm everyday you get your afternoon snack. When we take you for walks you automatically think we are always going to the dog walk. At Granny's house as soon as we walk in, you always make sure your water dish is out and then go hop onto your Granny's lap.

You let me dress you up in silly outfits sometimes, even though you look cute, I know you can't stand them. You've put on a few pounds over the years, but you like your diet and exercise and are losing weight! If I'm ever feeling down or sick, I know that you will glady cuddle with me and start giving me lots of kisses.

You are the snuggliest, cutest pug in the world! Happy Birthday Puggie!!!

Week 8 20/20

It's Friday and that's results week! I got back to running this week, which felt awesome and I'm down 2.5lbs!!!! For a total of 10.5 pounds in 8 weeks!

Creating a Healthy Lunch

Some tips for creating a healthy lunch:

• Use whole wheat tortillas to make wraps
• Pack peanut butter and rice cakes
• Pack mini muffins
• Pack yogurt, trail mix, granola
• Use whole wheat pita pockets instead of bread
• Use air popped popcorn and not bagged
• Pack lots of fruit
• Pack healthy chips

Super foods!

Apples:

Apples contain poly phenols, fiber, vitamin C. You should have one a day! The fight against cancer, heart diseases, asthma and type 2 diabetes. You should consume a variety of apples. Different types of apples have different skin colors which means the phytonutrient content of the skins vary in concentration. They are filled with antioxidants. One apple equals 1500 mg of vitamin C. Sweet apples tend to be red or golden delicious. Fuji and Braeburn are slightly tarter. Granny Smith, Pippens are good for cooking. My personal favorite are honey crisp, they are SO juicy. A great way to eat apples is to slice them with peanut butter. Since I can eat them fresh, I core and leave the peel on, then and dash some walnuts, honey and cinnamon on them and bake for about 20-30 minutes till tender. You can also put them in salads or make applesauce.

Pumpkin:

Pumpkins are full of carotene, beta carotene, fiber, very low in calories, vitamin C and E. You should consume 1/2 cup 5 to 7 days a week. Pumpkin isn't just for fall or Halloween! Pumpkin fights cancers, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory conditions like asthma an diabetes. The primary source of carotenoids in the skin is to neutralize the free radicals produced by normal metabolism and exposure to sunlight. Pumpkin also protects from damaging effects of UV light.

Pomegranate:


Pomegranates have vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and potassium. You should consume 4 to 6 ounces multiple times a week. You can use them to make juices, vinaigrette's, marinades. Add whole seeds to salads, desserts. You can also buy pom juice at grocery stores.

Turkey:


Turkey(skinless turkey breast) is a source of low fat protein, it has vitamin B 6 and B 12, iron, selenium. You should consume 3 to 4 servings per week about 3 to 4 ounces. It has lots of GOOD saturated fats. A good idea, which I do, is to substitute ground turkey for ground beef.

Spices:

Cumin-is a nutty, peppery seed. It's high in iron and anti-cancer properties.
Turmeric-also can be known as saffron, is used as a spice, it's a healing food, it has anti-inflammatory effects.
Oregano-is a warm, aromatic herb, it has volatile oils that have potent anti-bacterial properties.
Thyme-one of the healthiest spices, heals chest and respiratory problems.

Walnuts:

Walnuts have plant derived omega 3 fatty acids. They also contain vitamin E, protein, fiber, vitamin B 6. You should consume 1 ounce per week. Walnuts help ward of Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease. You must eat these though in a limited amount. You should introduce nuts into your diet as a substitute for another food and not in addition to something you already eat regularly. Because nuts are very high in calories.
Peanuts aren't really nuts, they are legumes and closely related to beans. You can sprinkle chopped nuts on a salad.

Broccoli:


Broccoli is loaded with folate, fiber, calcium, vitamin C, beta carotene and vitamin K. You should have 1/2 to 1 cup on most days of the week. Broccoli is the most nutrient dense food known to man. It fights cancer, boost immune system and build bones. Broccoli is rich in folate which is essential to prevent birth defects. Lutein which is in broccoli promotes eye health. You can use broccoli for anything!

Onions:

Onions have selenium, vitamin E and C, potassium and fiber. You should have multiple times a week. Choose onions that are clean and soft and have no green stems coming out of them. If onions make you tear while you are cutting them, chill it for an hour before cutting!

Sleep

Sleep is SO important to over all health, maintaining weight, and weight loss.

Sleep is the most over looked factor in achieving optimum health in the 21st century. The amount of sleep one gets has a direct bearing on obesity, coronary heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes, immune function, cognitive performance and overall longevity. The main function of sleep is to refresh the brain, but also to improve metabolism hormones and immune functions. The reason sleep has dramatic effect on weight is the relationship between sleep and hormones. Lack of sleep causes blood levels of leptin(hormone produced by fat cells), helps regulate appetite and metabolism, high levels of leptin make you eat less, while low levels of leptin make you eat more.
The amount of sleep we need doesn't decrease with age but the ability to sleep does.
So how do you get a good night's sleep:

• Go to bed at the same time every night.
• Sleep in a dark, cool warm.
• Take a warm bath an hour before bedtime, why, because the boost in body temperature triggers a corresponding drop in body temperature, which induces sleep.
• If you exercise in the afternoon it should not be less then 4 hours prior to bedtime.
• Minimize alcohol consumption. It may help you fall asleep but not a deep restorative sleep.
• Avoid caffeine 8 to 12 hours before bed.
• Don't eat dinner close to bed.
• Complex carbs boost serotonin levels in your brain which in turn relaxes and helps induce sleep, so if you do have an evening snack have a slice of whole wheat toast with some peanut butter.
  
• Be careful of supplements that you use that are suppose to promote sleep.
• Try to take a melatonin supplement.
• Check any medication you may take and make sure they don't interfere with sleep.
• Have a great pillow.
• Drink warm milk before bed, milk and dairy products contain tryptophan, a natural sleep enhancer.
• If you smoke throw out those cigarettes!

Happy Sleeping!

Superfoods!

Superfood:

SalmonSalmon is such a great superfood! It's marine derived, omega 3 fatty acids, B vitamin, Vitamin D and protein. You should have 3 to 4 ounces, 2 to 4 times a week. Omega 3 promotes mental health. There are though two issues with eating fish, the first is environmental issues of how fish is caught and raised, and the second is health issues of what contaminants and nutrients are in various types of fish. The best type of salmon in pacific wild salmon or Alaska farm raised. Some other salmons may not be fed a marine diet that produce high amounts of omega 4 fatty acids.
Salmon is great to make salmon burgers or grilling it.

Garlic:

Garlic has vitamin c and potassium. You should eat garlic to taste multiple times a week. Garlic fights cancer, cardiovascular diseases and has anti inflammatory and antiviral properties. The health promoters come from non variety of sulfur containing compounds of the most important-allicin-an amino acid. Garlic in it's fresh form provides the most health benefits. Garlic cloves should be plump, without blemishes. You should store garlic in cool, dark places. It's great to add to chopped greens and stews.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil:

EVOO has vitamin E, carotenoids. You should consume 1 tablespoon daily. You can use EVOO instead of other fats. It reduces the risk for breast/colon cancer. It lowers blood pressure and improves cardiovascular health. You should remember though that 1 tablespoon has 120 calories, so don't eat too much of it or you will gain weight. You can use EVOO as a substitute for corn, sunflower and safflower oils. When you are shopping for EVOO you may see 4 different grade, depending on the processing method, they are:

1. EVOO-because of the higher poly phenol content from the first pressing of the olives it has a low acid content and has the most delicate flavor.
2. VOO-is the 2nd pressing of the olives, has a higher acid content then EVOO.
3. Fino-blend of EVOO & VOO
   
4. Refined Oil-made by using chemicals to extract the oil from olives

EVOO is the best to buy because it has the most health benefits. Use EVOO to make salad dressings: 3 parts EVOO, 1 part balsamic vinegar. Use EVOO to drizzle over veggies before serving.

4 Superfoods

4 More Superfoods:

Tea:
..Tea is full of fluorides, flavonoids and no calories. You should have 1 to 4 cups daily, hot or cold. Tea lowers blood pressure, delays aging of skin. It is antiviral, anti-inflammatory and anti allergy. Brew tea with fresh slices of ginger and lemon to enhance the flavor. Brew green tea at room temperature in water for 30 minutes and use in marinades, dressings, soups and sauces.
Try this recipe out, it was great:
1/4 cup of honey, jasmine tea leaves, 1/2 cup green tea, 1 quart of ice cubes, 1 cup of white grape juice, Sparkling water. Directions: Heat one quart of water to a boil, remove from the heat and stir in the honey. Leave the tea leaves in and allow to steep for 25 minutes, then strain into a large pitcher, add ice cubes, stir to melt ice cubes, add grape juice, pour over ice till glass is 3/4 cup full and top off with sparkling water.

Avocado:

You should consumer 1/3 to 1/2 of an avocado multiple times a week. Avocados are loaded with fiber, vitamin E, carotenoids and potassium. They are high in calories though, 48 per ounce, so don't go crazy and eat a few avocados at once, which is as much as an ounce of skinless roast chicken breast. It boost obesity because it boost satiety. You should select unblemished without any cracks and sun spots. Serve as guacamole, spread on toasted whole grain bread. Use as a garish for turkey tacos.

Blueberries:


Blueberries are full of fiber, folate, Vitamins C & E, potassium and iron. You should have 1 to 2 cups daily of blueberries. They are high in antioxidants, they contain more powerful diseases fighters in them than any other single fruit. There sidekicks are cranberries, which are great as well and are good UTI fighters.

Low Fat/No Fat Yogurt:


Yogurt has live active cultures, complete protein, B 2 and B 12. You should have 1 to 2 cups most days. Yogurt has prebiotics and probiotics, Pro- are live organisms, bacterial strains, pre is food for probiotics. When purchasing yogurt you want to make sure it says that it has live active cultures. Yogurt helps with colon and breast cancers, reduces allergies, and reduce cholesterol levels.

Importance of Fiber

Fiber is REALLY important no matter what. Men should have 45 grams daily and women should have 32 grams daily. Fiber isn't just one single substance but is made up of a lot of compounds, that have a broad effect on bodily systems. All fiber comes from plant derived foods. Meat has no fiber in it. Foods that are high in fiber fill you up while they are low in calories. There are two types of fiber one is soluble which dissolves in water, it lowers cholesterol and promotes cardiovascular health. It helps to regulate blood sugar, maintain optimum body weight. The second type of fiber is insoluble which doesn't dissolve in water. It's man purpose is to add bulk to the stool and stimulates peristalsis-which is the food moving through your digestive system.

Ways to get fiber:

• Choose whole grain cereals with at least 3 grams of fiber, and top them with wheat germ, ground flax seed, bananas or berries
• Eat whole fruits, instead of drinking fruit juices
• Avoid peeling the skin off of fruits and vegetables
• Replace white bread, pasta with brown and whole grains(We use nothing but whole-grain, whole-wheat, brown rice and whole grain pasta in our house)
• Substitute beans for meat 2 to 3 times a week(I've been doing this for me at least, while Chris prefers his meat)

Superfood honey

Honey:

Scientist are still researching all the great benefits of honey, but it's early enough in their studies that they can say honey is a super food. You should have 1 to 2 teaspoons multiple times a week of honey. it helps with respiratory diseases and skin ulcers. It has at least 181 substantial ingredients. When buying honey, you should always buy honey that is darker in color because it's higher in antioxidants.

Superfood Soy

Soy:

Soy has vitamin E, B vitamins, thiamine, riboflavin, iron, potassium and is a non meat protein alternative. You should consume 10 to 15 grams of soy protein daily. You should stick with soy in whole food form. Soy reduces cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and gives people a better management with their diabetes. When shopping for soy products it's important to look for the protein content on the label.
There are many ways to get soy into your diet; use soy milk instead of regular milk, use soy flour instead of regular unbleached flour, eat soy nuts, edamame, tofu, and miso. It's also easy to sprinkle some soy beans into your salad or sandwich. Don't miss out on this very important superfood!

Week 6 Results

So week 6 and me didn't get along. I gained .5 of a pound. I know it's only .5 of a pound, so I'm not worried. I didn't stick to what I need to be doing. The biggest thing is I didn't track my calories, every day I meant to go back and do it and I didn't. In week 7 I have to get back to doing it. I only exercised 2 days of the week as well, that's not enough. I also had Chinese for dinner one night(which isn't bad) but we went a little crazy with it and ordered so many yummy things! Chris and I also had a sponge candy fest(a chocolate candy) during American Idol on Tuesday. I also bought this yummy lemon cake at the grocery store, which was fine only 140 calories for a decent slice, but I made a coconut cake for my parents and had yummy cream cheese frosting left over and decided to put in the lemon cake!

I'm glad though I'm able to see the reasons why I wasn't successful this week, because it's makes it very easy for me to turn it around and get back on track. Again .5 of a pound I'm not gonna worry about it!

Superfood Spinach

Spinach:

Spinach is very low in calories, is full of beta carotene, it has plant derived omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins C & E and vitamins B &A. You should consumer 1 cup steamed or a 1/2 cup raw most days of the week. Spinach provides more nutrients that any other food. Spinach is good in fighting caners, cardiovascular health and visual health. Spinach is good as a hot steamed vegetable and also as a cold veg table in a salad. Spinach is easy to add in soups, casseroles and also replace your ice burg lettuce with spinach!

Eating Your Greens

• Greens at the grocery store or local produce stand should be fresh looking, fresh smelling, no yellow, brown or wilting to the leaves.
• You should refrigerate greens and keep them moist but not wet, and store greens in a lightly damped paper town and store in plastic bag with holes, or a lettuce keeper container.
• Don't wash the greens until you are about to use them.
• Make greens a part of your every day caloric intake.

Fruit Tips

Some fruit tips and how they ripen:

• Soft berries and cherries, citrus, grapes, litchis, pineapples and watermelon never riped after picking.
• Avocados only ripen after being picked.
• Apricots, blueberries, figs, melons(except watermelon), nectarines, passion fruit, peaches and persimmons are ripe in color, texture, and juiciness but not in sweetness after picking.
• Apples, cherimoyas, kiwis, mangoes, papayas and pears get sweeter after picking.
• Bananas riped only after picking.