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Don't be an April Fool!

Not being an April Fool...That is my goal for the new month! To keep making the wiser, better and maybe even tougher choices daily so that I don't mess up and end up being an April Fool.
I am very happy with how my journey is going. I am doing pretty well, I have stuck at this longer than I ever have to any 'diet' throughout my life. I believe to things are key:
1. I dont consider it a diet. I don't have an end date or end goal weight. I have deemed this a necessary life change. I am doing it because I owe it to myself and my health. The looks benefit are an added bonus but not my driving force. I am happy with my food template and truly think I could eat this way for the rest of my life.
2. I am doing it for myself. Not because I want to make someone happy or because someone is pressuring me to. This is how my 'diets' had always been, pushed by someone elses wishes and/or pressure on me.
As part of my employers incentives to get healthy, we have access to a health station. I find it hilarious that they decided to locate it right outside the main cafeteria doors. Maybe the point of it was youd see it and maybe consider better choices going in? who knows!
I have been tracking my progress there twice a month. Sometimes weekly, it just depends on how busy my days get. The Health Station measures your weight, BMI, Body Fat and Blood Pressure. I enjoy making the walk to it whenever I can. Its one mile from my spot to there and back. It is so nice to see the logbook and continue to see the downward trend. On everything. Slow but steady.
I wish it were faster, but I keep telling myself it is ok to go slow. At this point, I think only extra exercise could push it faster, I have cut my calories as much as I can. It took me my whole life to get as big as I did. Why should I expect it to all come off in a short period of time? There is a lot to lose.
I keep reminding myself that although fast sounds nice it may not necessarily mean off forever. I want the weight off forever. I want to have energy and be active and healthy as long as I can. I have to get it through my thick head that as long as I continue being honest with myself, following my path and being proactive to learn and tweak. I will succeed. So what if the darn scale does not move fast. It is not a race.
Last weekend,I had a great 30% off coupon at the store and decided to go look for a black cardigan. I have discovered I have a whole 'new' wardrobe now that all my clothes fit. Some of them fit loosely. I have had to hem some of my slacks because as they get bigger they get longer. That is a great problem to have. Anyway, I was so happy to see that the 1x is starting to be a tad big for me. I have most of my clothes from this brand so its great seeing how the 3xs are now out of my closet. I think I may have a few XL tops in a bag somewhere. Hopefully soon, I will be trying those on. Looks are not my driving force but hey I am a girl, I like pretty clothes!
Let me wrap up this post by challenging myself this month. I have been so bad about posting because life gets in the way. But whenever I do write, I am reminded of how therapeutic and enjoyable it is for me. It was the whole reason I even started this. To have a place to write out my thoughts, ideas, worries. So for April, I will make it a priority to write more often. I can't say I will write daily but I will definitely will be writing more often than I have been. Do you have any special goals this upcoming month?
Posted by Alati at 10:00 AM 7 comments: Links to this post 

Brussel Sprouts, Edamame and a Few other things Posted by Alati at 9:28 AM 4 comments: Links to this post 

My way or the Highway? Hey everyone! Its time for what seems to be my weekly post. I have been doing pretty good and staying on path.
Although not very active here, I do follow along with everyones blogs as much as I can. If there is one thing that I find the most appealing about the blogging world is its diversity. There are some many different bloggers out there even within each specific category.
Weightloss/fitness/nutrition blogs are no different. I remember when I first found them, I was overwhelmed by the huge amount of information, the way it conflicted with what others were writing and the difference in results people obtained.
I have since understood that everyones journey is different. What works for one person may not work for another. Heck, what works for me right now may need to be changed in the future. Nothing is ever completely static. In order to learn, progress and achieve we must constantly tweak, learn, research and even experiment in our own different ways.
My way is my way, your way is yours.I may not always agree with you. You may not always agree with me. Concern and disagreement is only natural and a result of our 'virtual cammaderie'. Being negative and condescending shouldn't be. I admire the intelligent mature back and forth between opposite views. Respect and support is something we should always give each other. Until next time! Play nice ;)
Posted by Alati at 3:13 PM 5 comments: Links to this post 

No News Is Good News and A Few Other Things No news is good news. That is what my mom always said. Good news never travel as fast as bad news do. So I guess what I am trying to say is that luckily, no news (or posts) from me in a few days means no news. That is good news. Life continues to be extremely kind to me.

When I compare how my life was a year ago, it is insane to consider. The amount of stress and unknown that surrounded me was a constant stressor. The more stressed I got, the tighter my clothes got. The financial issues I was dealing gave me an excuse ( in my mind) to eat cheap processed crap and lots of it under the idea that it was at least super cheap. That way of thinking ( or not thinking?), paired with a sedentary life and constant binging was leading me to a path of self destruction. I used the crappy situation I was in as a perfect excuse to continue making the bad choices I had started years and years ago. I cannot say that last year triggered my food issues. It would not be fair considering my issues have existed most of my life. However, I have tended to see how sometimes we take one situation and blame EVERYTHING on it. Bad times should be lessons not excuses. Must always think and remember that. I am glad that I have stopped going down that path. I must always remember it so that I never head that way-I am so happy things are so different now.

I have continued on path with my eating but I have really not done much with increasing my water intake. I also need to get better at drinking less coffee and/or coke zero. I know why I need to do it, I just don't. On the days I cut down on the coke zero, I find myself reaching for that 5th cup of joe. Strong and with no sugar or cream is how I take it. However, I know its too much! It has to be! I do drink water and hot tea. I just need more of the water less of the rest. Will work on it this upcoming week.

Remember when I got hooked on the stupid rice cakes? I had switched my bread/rolls/biscuits/bagels for plain rice cakes. I would wager my calories to include more of them until I realized that I had changed one bad habit for another. I stopped that cold when I realized it, and it was "easy" because it was around the time that I decided to tweak my food template to fall somewhere in between the paleo/primal/low carb ish templates and attempt at no sugar and no grains. Foodwise, I think there is always room  to improve but I feel like it is one of my strongest areas for now. By the way, I think cauliflower is becoming one of my top 3 veggies...how had I completely ignored it all this time??

I am working this weekend again which sucks a little bit because its supposed to be gorgeous outside. I have made a huge gardening shopping list for my roomie because I  cannot wait to start my garden. I have been doing some prep work and plan to finish it after work this weekend. This year I am going big and trying to grow lots of goodies. However, the weather man keeps saying that the last frost hasn't arrived yet. We will see. So far I am planning on summer squash, zucchini, multicolored bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, lettuce and lots of herbs. SO EXCITED! I cannot wait to share some pictures with y'all. Hope you enjoy your weekend. Until next time, Stay Strong! Posted by Alati at 9:59 AM 3 comments: Links to this post 

Is 43 minutes worth it?

43 minutes. That's how long it took me tonight to get my meal prep done for the week. 43 minutes, from the moment I started until I started the dishwasher and cleaned up. It is so worth it!
Those minutes invested in fixing my lunches give me the peace of mind as well as the consistency I need to keep mysef on track. I know we are all busy and there are hectic days when grabbing something premade or stopping at a restaurant seems like an easy choice.
My workplace has two cafeterias, 2 little markets and a food court. Within walking distance there's a huge array of fast food and sit down restaurants. Heck, on Wednesdays we even have a food truck park right outside!
I have mentioned several times before that eating out ( regardless of what it is) triggers my overeating and/or binges so I have to  protect myself from it by having a good plan to tackle meal time. So today, after getting myself together I decided to do my weekly prep.
I started off by trying to make mashed cauliflower. Unfortunately I couldn't find my food processor so I ended up making what I'm naming cauliflower rice.  Real easy just used a masher on steamed cauliflower, added a tablespoon of butter and 1/4c of grated cheese. Divided it out to one cup servings and voila!! While I was steaming my cauliflower, I was Also cooking some hard boiled eggs and a couple of chicken portions. Those will be my proteins for the week. I usually pair them with a quick salad using some spring mix and grape tomatoes. My snacks for the week will be mini cukes and tomatoes. I totally messed up and forgot to buy my beloved radishes! Once all is cooked and prepped I divy it out into containers for easy grab and go during the week. I also make my lemon juice/olive oil dressing in my tiny container and refill each day. I have some cute halos I might add to my lunch bag for dessert :)
Once I'm all done, I fill my fridge shelves with the containers in order so that every day I know to grab the ones in the front. Quick cleanup and loading of the dishwasher and lunch is all done. Hooray!!!
Hope Yall had a great Sunday.How are you prepping for the upcoming week? Take care, until next time!!
Posted by Alati at 8:33 PM 4 comments: Links to this post 

Pi Day and the Last Few Days

Posted by Alati at 3:25 PM 1 comment: Links to this post 

Avocado Fiesta and Some Rambling Posted by Alati at 11:13 AM 8 comments: Links to this post 

Eat the Rainbow/Taste the Rainbow Posted by Alati at 7:40 PM 7 comments: Links to this post 

Sushi No Go 

The Importance of NSVs Posted by Alati at 9:21 AM 6 comments: Links to this post Get you some inspiration here Keep up with me