Downsizing- a brief tale of a brief weight loss

I love food.  I mean, I really LOVE it.  All sorts, ethnicities, preparations, styles, you name it.  I also love lots of food, and unfortunately over time, and having two kids, my waistline has expanded.  And expanded.  So I find myself facing the fact that if I want to be the kind of active and involved mom for my kids that I always envisioned, it’s time to make some changes.  My hubby and I are in a holding pattern for 3 months waiting for some tests, so I figured why not do a 3 month personal weight loss push?

In reality, I have about 100 pounds to lose to be where I want.  But why not see what I can do in 3 months?

So I started by just clearing junk from my diet.  My husband is supportive, but he’s gone much of the time traveling for business, so I’m kind of on my own.  Once I focused on lean proteins, fruits, veggies and “real food” I hit my first stumbling block.  What now?  What am I supposed to eat?  How much? When? And how much exercise am I supposed to get? I’m pretty deconditioned, so I wanted to start slow.

I began tracking my daily food intake on My Fitness Pal, a pretty handy app that calculates your calories, fat, sugar, protein, sodium and carbs for you.  It also has a fitness tracker.  Pretty handy, and FREE!

A friend challenged me to a 3 day diet which I kind of thought was ridiculous, but figured what the heck when she threw in the incentive of free hair cut and color service for me.  I rocked the 3 days and once it was over I discovered that my stomach had become quite a bit smaller.  But not being on a strict “eat this, this and that ONLY” diet meant that I have to figure out what to eat on my own.

My new goal is to eat 1200-1500 calories a day and exercise 3 times a week.  So far, I’ve met that goal. I can’t wait for my scale to arrive so I can see if it’s making a difference.

In light of the fact that I’m trying to shed pounds, I needed to find some new recipes and basically learn a new way of cooking so that I can meet my goals for each day and eat a nutritious diet.  And since a lot of people want to eat healthier, less processed foods, I figured I’d share my recipes with you.

I hope you enjoy them!  Please feel free to share your weight journey with me as well!
photo credit: The best weight loss tips for you ! via photopin (license)

photo credit: Barrel of Pickles via photopin (license)