My Obsession Monday: Coconut Bake

Warning: I’m about to brag a little about my husband. 😉

My man is pretty hot and he’s been working his butt off weight training all summer. He definitely motivates me to keep going. Gains, yo! Because he’s working on building muscle, he eats a lot of protein and because he loves me, he gets up most mornings and makes us breakfast. I am sooooo lucky! However, there are days when he wants to sleep in or I have extra bananas I need to use so I have an easy breakfast alternative to our usual eggs and bacon (at least for me – he’s allergic to coconut – yes, his life is a little bit darker because of it). Drumroll please.

*drumroll*

Coconut Flour Breakfast Bake!

Photo credit: Evan at thewannabechef.net

I found this recipe on Pinterest, of course. It is super easy to make, very quick, nutritious (low carb, gluten free, AND dairy free), and tastes a little like banana cake. FOR BREAKFAST!

Seriously, it takes about 5 minutes to whip this baby up and then yell “Get in mah belly!” (Am I the only one who still does that?) Ingredient list is minimal: eggs, coconut flour, banana, and a few other things for flavor. I’ve even added nutmeg and ground clove to it. You can top it with peanut butter like the original, or maybe some whipped cream and fruit? Boy, that sounds good.

Check out the recipe at thewannabechef.net (the photo is also linked), try it out, make your own version, and let me know what you think.

Finding the Motivation to Keep Going

I admit it. This month has been terrible. I lost my motivation to push myself at my workouts, to be consistent, and to eat healthy. For the month of July I didn’t lose much weight, especially in comparison to the month of June. It was discouraging and this month was worse. I did gain strength through my weight training so I’ve seen some progress but I want to see the pounds coming off. I want to be as close to 200 as possible by my birthday. I know I can do it. I just need to be consistent!

Last night I started working on planning meals for the week. This included trying to plan around any activities I might be doing so that I don’t end up eating bad when I’m out. I used Pinterest to search for Whole 30 and Paleo meal ideas. I like the whole 30 program because it focuses on real food and Paleo because it helps avoid gluten and dairy. I can definitely notice a difference in how I feel when I avoid both versus when I don’t. The symptoms range from digestional issues to having a constantly stuffy nose, which is really annoying. 

This month I was also told I was pretty anemic. I had to go to a hematologist and received an IV infusion of iron just to try to bring my levels up to normal. Usually this is done for people with severe kidney disease! I’m also having to double up on my supplements, and if I can tolerate it I was told to triple it. My body is having problems absorbing the iron. Dietary changes would probably help so I really need to do this for my ultimate health. I’ll have to go back in December to see if my levels go up and if they don’t I’ll have to do another infusion. That’s something I’d really prefer to avoid. Due to my anemia and the fact that my blood cells are smaller than normal, my veins are super thin. I was poked four times. Four extremely painful times. My veins kept moving or just simply collapsed/disappeared. It was not a good experience.

As for exercise, my plan for September is to be consistent and step it back up. Coincidentally, Camp Gladiator had a sale this past week for their 7th birthday. I was able to scoop up a 4-week camp session that starts next Monday for a great price. I signed up because there’s one right across the street from our apartment and you can go to as many sessions a week as you want! I’m really looking forward to meeting new people and pushing myself.

To keep myself accountable, I’m going to try and post often on one social media platform or another what I’m eating and/or what my exercise plan for the day is. I can’t give up. I may not have the motivation I would like but you gotta fake it till you make it! 

Have you ever lost your motivation and how did you get past it?

Recovering From Overindulgence

Alrighty then. After a few weeks of not eating fast food, the hubster and I got Whataburger last night. *GASP* Then I didn’t have lunch planned for today so I ordered Jimmy John’s. *DOUBLE GASP* I know, right!? When it rains, it pours. Well I am owning up to my mistakes and paying for it. My body feels inflamed and bloated. My sinuses are all stuffy too and there may be a mild headache lurking around the corner. Curse you delicious dairy, gluten, and fried carbs! Today I need to be in recovery mode as much as possible. What does that mean?

1. Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! There’s currently a bottle full of “spa water” sitting in front of me to finish. It’s got cucumber, lemon and lime slices, and mint. Delicious and practically no calories. I’ve also got a few different teas for additional help. Spearmint, lemon ginger, and green tea are all good for digestive health and to reduce inflammation. Not to mention they’re good ways to add flavor to water.
2. Eat well. After overeating or eating the wrong foods, it’s a good idea to restart your healthy eating as soon as possible. Restricting your calories and whatnot to “offset” the previous meal is not a great idea because you will just end up hungry and that can lead to another bad meal choice. It’s a bad cycle to end up in. Today is also not a day to forget to take any vitamin supplements.
3. Forgive yourself and start over. One bad meal isn’t the end of the world. You just need to know you had a weak moment, everyone does at some point, and you can get past it. Beating yourself up for it is no bueno and might set you back on your goals. It’s time to move on and not let a stumble stop you.

Now I just have to make sure to get my booty moving tonight. I need to get some running/cardio in. I think it’s actually under 100 degrees out today so that’s good, right? It’s practically a cold front for us Texans haha.

How do you recover after a bad meal choice? Let me know below. 🙂

August 2015 Goals

Well there goes another month. “Summer” is almost over and we’re already one week into August! Where does the time go?? Although without school, Summer is just another season of the same – gotta work, work, work. Anyway, this past month somehow I have been so busy at work and at home. I feel like I haven’t had much time to sit alone and read a book or blog much. I’m not sure where my time went. Weird.

I did notice I was more social than usual in July. We went swimming almost every weekend and then hung out with friends. A friend/sorority sister invited me to a fun event one night as well and I was completely free and said yes! Best decision ever. I get to catch up with her, have fun, and we meet new people. Every week there’s been some interesting story to tell. I think it’s becoming a weekly tradition so I’m adding it to my August goals. Be more social.

Speaking of goals, here’s how an update for July.

July 2015 Goals

• Continue with C25K running program – Success! I didn’t do it every other day as I thought I would, but I did keep going. I am now on week 4!
• No more fast food. I said realistically I’d try to cut back and do no more than once a week but that didn’t happen. However, I did eat less fast food than the month before, by a lot. I had also wanted to cut back on carbs this month but I didn’t do a great job at that either. There was a lot of ice cream outings after going swimming…it’s summer…and I couldn’t say no to toasted coconut ice cream. It’s da bomb dot com, yo.
• Seriously start house shopping. This was the biggest disappointment of the month, possibly the year. We got our pre-approval and were trying to get info on some houses but everything was getting snatched up quick. Even a small 2 bedroom house was out of our reach!! So once again we’ve decided to hold off on this goal. We’re looking into moving to an apartment with a small fenced in area or leasing a house with a friend. This is probably the best move financially and hopefully the real estate market cools down some by next year. I was really sad because I was looking forward to home improvement projects and having our own real place.
• Mid-year Spring cleaning. We did not even get close to tackling the living room closet. That thing is overwhelming. I don’t even know where to start. I did go out and buy a mop and finally gave our floors a real good scrubbing as well as the baseboards. Small steps…right?
• Yoga date, rock climbing date, movie date, any kind of date. We did it!! On the last day of the month, but still. We tried a neighborhood burger place and had a nice time just chatting. Earlier in the month we also went to the library and spent time finding books together. Nerdy, but fun.

On to my goals for this month. We’re already a week in so I’m kind of late on this, but there’s no better day to start than today.

August 2015 Goals

• Fitness/Health: Continue working the Couch to 5K program (3 days a week) & continue improving on weight training; Walk the dogs more (I stopped going on longer walks with them because it’s hot outside but that’s no excuse to deny them of exercise as well. I will just need to do the longer walks once the sun starts setting. I also finally had my follow up visit with my doctor and she confirmed that I have PCOS. In the two months before my follow up, I managed to lose over 10 lbs and lower my blood pressure. However, without the longer walks in July and eating more carbs, I ended up only losing about two pounds last month. I kept fluctuating between the same two or three pounds most of the month.
• Diet: Stay under 100 g of carbs a day and stay away from dairy/gluten (inflammatory). When I go over in carbs or eat dairy or something containing gluten my PCOS symptoms flare up and it can get pretty bad. I haven’t stopped biting my nails all this past month and as I mentioned before, my weight loss kind of stalled. The hubster and I also want to do a fast food-free month. This requires advanced planning, including meal prep and having quick grab-and-go foods.
• Home: Now that we’re putting our home purchase off we need to find a new place to live. I’ve already contacted a few places about renting a house and we’ve also checked out a few apartments. We also need to declutter and start packing. I do not want to wait until the last few days like we’ve done in the past.
• Relationships: This month I want to continue seeing friends and not be anti-social. Hubster and I need to plan another date night and plan our anniversary vacation/honeymoon. He wants to go to Hawaii!
• Emotional/Mental Health: I want to actually post on this blog at least twice a week. It’s nice having some time to just think and write but I don’t do it often enough. I also want to stop biting my nails and get my anxiety back under control.

This month already sounds busy if I actually manage to schedule my time efficiently. I should really get started on planning everything out while I have some free time.

What are some of your August goals?

Mid-July Goal Check-In

We’re basically halfway through the month already. Why won’t time just stop? Earlier this month I posted my goals for July. I figured I should check in and keep myself accountable and on track.

July 2015 Goals

• Continue with C25K running program
• No more fast food.
• Seriously start house shopping.
• Mid-year Spring cleaning.
• Yoga date, rock climbing date, movie date, any kind of date.

I am still on the C25K program, but I did fall behind by a few days. My body needed rest after I started trying more heavy lifting during my workouts last week. I’m very impressed by the leg muscles I’m feeling and my goal is to get awesome quads! Have you SEEN Carrie Underwood’s legs?? They’re pretty awesome.

I also got fast food over the weekend. Surprisingly enough I didn’t have bad stomach/digestive issues like I had expected. However, my weight loss has stalled. I’m sorry I caved to the cheesy buttery bun goodness that is Whataburger…and it’s fries. Eating a higher amount of carbs than I’m used to now really made me crave more! It’s a terrible cycle to be in. Back to eating home-cooked meals it is! Later this week I think I’ll share a typical day of my meals. One friend has asked for meal ideas as she’s trying to make healthier choices.

Earlier in the month, I said my goal was to pick up on the house shopping by now. I’m happy to say we got back in touch with a lender and are working on getting an updated pre-approval letter. We’ve been keeping an eye on the supply of homes in DFW and it’s not looking great for us. We did decide that if we are not able to find a home for purchase by the end of our lease we will try renting a home so that our puppies can at least have a yard. More than likely we will be renting with one of our closest friends, our best man. The guys are already talking about making one of the rooms a home gym. Men…amirite??

Summer cleaning and date night have not even come up yet. The past few weekends we decided to go swimming instead. I have to build up my tan. Winter is coming. Forget this whole “summer body” thing. I’m working on my winter body. Can’t be lookin’ pale all winter long. Gotta get ready to hibernate! 😀 Unfortunately, hubby has become a lobster because of this. Wear your sunscreen, people!

So that’s my goal update for now. How are you doing on your monthly goals?

July 2015 Goals

Where did June go?? I can’t believe half of the year is now officially over! That means it’s time to check up on my June goals and come up with my July goals already.

First thing’s first (I’m the realest – had to do it). Here’s how I did on achieving my June goals (spoiler alert: not great).

Mmmm, Soup!

It’s finally Wednesday! It really feels like this week is going by slowly.

I’ve managed to do at least an hour of walking the past two days and kept moving by doing chores around the house. I managed to lose 1.1 lbs since Sunday!! It’s so exciting. Planning my meals ahead of time, making sure I have healthy snacks with me at work, and that I’m drinking lots of water helps. I forgot to defrost beef for my soup yesterday (ok, maybe I just didn’t feel like it) so I decided to make lentil soup instead. I didn’t take measurements of the spices because I just go by taste but it turned out delicious! I paired it with some avocado, some lime juice, and a little bit of cheese (quitting cheese cold turkey is hard…).

This is probably not the most appetizing photo, but believe me when I say it’s darn good soup!

“I forgot to defrost meat” Lentil Soup:

1-2 Tbsp oil
1/2 onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
5 carrots, sliced
2 zucchinis, sliced
1 lb lentils (I used red and green because that’s what I had)
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
6 c of chicken broth
ground cumin
salt and pepper
ground coriander
cayenne
parsley

Heat your cooking oil of choice and sautée the onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Add the carrots and cook about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and spices and let them all mingle for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes (with the juice) and the chicken broth. Let it come to a boil then add the lentils. Lower the temperature, cover, and cook until your lentils are cooked (depending on the type it can take about 20-35 mins). Enjoy!! 😀

This made about 14 cups of soup. It’s yummy and very filling. Let me know if you try it out and how you like it.

June 2015 Goals

Today is the first of the month AND of the week which means it’s a great day to start fresh. We’re basically halfway through the year already so gotta get on it!!

This past week and a half my focus shifted from simply trying to lose weight to look better to losing weight for my health and my future. I know I couldn’t make a complete overhaul because that would have overwhelmed me, so I started by working on cutting back on carbs. My limit is 100 g a day per my doctor’s orders. While it’s been difficult it hasn’t been impossible. By cutting back on my carbs and taking some new supplements, along with a small dose of Metformin, I’m already seeing results. The annoying chacne (chin acne –  thank you Tina Fey) I’ve been suffering with lately is finally clearing up! I’ve also lost about 3 lbs and hubby said my face even looked thinner. 🙂

So I will now try to keep the momentum going into this month. Below are just a few of the things I’ll be working on.

June 2015 Goals

• Cardio/exercise at least 30 minutes 5X a week – Doc’s orders
• Continue to stay under 100 g of carbs daily – It’s definitely a lifestyle change
• Cut back significantly on dairy and gluten – both are bad for PCOS symptoms
• Establish a morning & nighttime routine – I currently don’t really have one and it makes my sleeping problems worse
• Go on a date night with my hubby – we haven’t really gone out in a while
• Change my legal name – Yea, I still haven’t done that either (my bad)
• Try a yoga class

What are some of your goals for the month?

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Last night was a bit of a rough night for me as I almost caved and gave up on my diet for the night. I had all sorts of anxious energy building up and I couldn’t stop picking at my nails or eating sunflower seeds. Eating them with shells on takes a longer time so I don’t consume as many. The more I realized what I was doing with my nails, the more I did it! I was also hungry but it was late and knew I shouldn’t eat anything else but since I was in need of something to do I wanted to eat. It’s part of why I’m at 255 lbs. It’s a struggle I’ve dealt with since I was little. I have to find ways to expend my energy and express my emotions in a healthy way instead of eating them away. Eventually I realized that I needed to relax my mind and made a cup of chamomile tea instead. I have a goal of getting healthy and I can’t give up yet again.

Some things that can be helpful, that aren’t eating a bunch of calories, are:

• Drinking herbal tea
• Art therapy (I’ve found getting out a coloring book helps keep my mind unwind and my hands busy)
• Doing housework (There’s always something to clean)
• Doing some light exercise to expend energy
• Taking a hot bath with epsom salts and essential oils like white jasmine or lavender
• Writing/journaling (I kept a diary/Xanga/Myspace blog from middle school through high school just to think things through on paper and in writing – I forgot how much it helped)
• Talking to someone
• Yoga – I really want to try a class to get the basics down

I have to take this one day at a time…

What are some other relaxation techniques y’all use?

PCOS? Say what??

After my last post I got a few messages from concerned friends. I guess I should have expected that since I have some of the greatest friends ever. 😉 I guess I can try to give y’all and anyone else who’s curious some more information on what PCOS is and what I might be dealing with for my future. [Side note: We won’t know for sure until we do a hormone test or more blood work next month at my follow up appointment.]

PCOS is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and is characterized by ovarian cysts, irregular menstrual cycles, and/or an excess of male hormones. A woman does not have to have all three of those to have PCOS. The hormone imbalance seems to be what causes a lot of the annoying symptoms women with PCOS have to deal with. These can include male pattern balding or thinning hair, acne, abnormal hair growth (such as sideburns, chin, chest, stomach, etc. – basically “unladylike” hair growth), weight issues, etc. It also causes insulin-resistance which is what I’m just learning more about.

While my husband and I aren’t planning on having children just yet, much to my mom’s disappointment, a big concern for many women with PCOS is the possibility of infertility. I know when I hear that word it almost makes it sound like getting pregnant is impossible. Luckily, infertility does not equal impossible. I’ve read many women’s stories online and via social media about their journey with PCOS, for weight loss mostly, and with dietary and lifestyle changes they’ve managed to lose significant amounts of weight, get healthier, and get pregnant. My husband and I want me to be at a healthy weight before having kids anyway so understanding what we could be dealing with early on really helps. I have a better idea of what I need to do for my body to work at its best.

The crazy hormones can really mess with a person. I know for me I’ve dealt with anxiety, depression, and mood swings for a while now. I always just thought it was normal, especially around that time of the month. That’s why I can’t wait to confirm with my doctor if this is my diagnosis. It’s not ideal of course. I’d much rather have nothing wrong with me, but if I do have PCOS I’ll be a hell of a lot relieved. It gives me hope knowing that my emotional problems can get better or even go away completely, I can conceive in the future, and that having trouble losing weight and easily gaining weight hasn’t all been my fault. Insulin-resistance makes it much easier to gain weight (darn you delicious carbs!!) and much harder to lose it without cutting back on carbs.

Hopefully the above helps y’all understand a little bit more about PCOS. Apparently it’s not something a lot of doctors are looking out for, so many women suffer from it and don’t know it. After my last post, I seeked out other blogs and information about PCOS. One that really helped and had tons of great info is PCOS Diet Support. So if you want to know more check that website out too.