Pinterest!

Hi everyone!

Okay so have you guys been on Pinterest?  If not you really need to be a part of it.  What a genius idea!  I spend a pretty good chunk of my day checking out new recipes, fashions, DIY projects and whatever else pops up along the way.

There are some really great recipes that people post on here and these recipes are tailored to everyone's wants and needs.  If you want to eat healthy, not so healthy, gluten free, vegetarian or vegan you will definitely be able to find ideas on here.  I have tried quite a few recipes on here and they have been so good!

While I am going to miss my boyfriend very much when he is out west working, I am really looking forward to getting back into my healthy cooking.  I haven't had spaghetti squash in months and it's one of my favourite dishes!  It really is tricky to cater to everyone's needs and sometimes you end up giving in to what your spouse wants or what your kids want...of course this usually means very unhealthy things!!

This is one of the first thing on my list!  Spaghetti squash is amazing!  You can do anything with it, I treat it like pasta, whatever I can cook with pasta I can use spaghetti squash instead!  If you are on weightwatchers and use only real tomatoes for sauce, spices and a variety of fresh cooked veggies you are looking at a 0 point meal!  And I promise you will be so satisfied!  I have lots of recipes for this squash, but I am learning about so many new ones from being on Pinterest!  Check it out!

This is another recipe that I am going to try after my spaghetti squash fix is cured!  Quinoa and black bean stuffed peppers yum!!

My point for today is that there are tons of really delicious things to check out on Pinterest!!  Take some time and check it out!

Have a good one!!

6 Months Later

Hey guys!

HOLY CRUMBS it's been forever since I have posted on this thing!  I apologize to everyone who was following me on my weight loss journey as I completely fell off the radar.  January was a whirl wind of crazyness and then in February I came down with this horrid chest/throat/sinus infection that still to do this day is plaguing me just a little bit.  I don't wish that on anyone!

My weight has fluctuated up and down like a toilet seat, but sadly I am pretty much still where I had started months ago.  However with the nice weather I have certainly been moving more which has me toning up!  The pants are fitting better which is amazing!!

My boyfriend and I purchased a house in the Wasaga Beach area in Ontario and have been here for a really great three months so far!  We got a new little puppy who is certainly keeping us busy and have been doing lots of walking, hiking, golfing and bike riding since being up here.  There have been a few swims at the beach, but we haven't really had too many nice hot days to be at the beach.  Hoping for some more to come soon!!

My boyfriend just landed an incredible opportunity to work out West and he is leaving in a few short weeks to begin his new career.  It will be a tough year, but I know it will benefit both of us in the long run so we can both do this!  I am hoping that while he is gone there will be less bad food for me to consume in the house and I can concentrate on making all of the healthy and delicious recipes that I love that he very much dislikes lol  I am also going to join the local goodlife fitness here to exercise more and meet some new people!  I need some friends up here to show me around town!

Anyway I just wanted to let you all know that I am back and that I am going to be more motivated to keep up with this blog.  I will get started on sharing more recipes, exercise tips and fun things to do in life!

Chat with you all soon!!

Happy Hump Day

Good morning all!

How are we today?  I am pretty fantastic actually!  Last night was my first weigh in after being on Weight Watchers for one week and I am happy to announce that I am down 3lbs!  Amazing!  I made a few small changes to my lifestyle this week and clearly they are working! 

As I mentioned just before the holidays, Weight Watchers works on a points system based on your height, weight, age and activity level during the day.  So you get X amount of points to consume during the day.  They give you a 'food bible', as I call it which lists a huge variety of foods with their points values beside them.  They also track your activity points, so lets say you went for a 40 minute brisk walk with your dog, you have just added 3 points to your day.  Obviously you are trying to stay at your daily limit, but if you are exercising you have the right to eat more to re-fuel your body.  I definitely ate those points last week, but I wasn't only walking the dog, I was doing Zumba and hot yoga.  Both of those exercises earned me 8 points each.  So I was earning anywhere from 8-10 extra points a day.  I don't think I could have done it with out those activity points.  It sure gets you moving!

The biggest changes I made this past week was tracking everything I consumed.  Even if I went over by a point or two, I could be accountable for that.  I also got to planning my meals.  Calculating the points before hand so that I could make any modifications before I started cooking. 

The one change I did not make which Weight Watchers encourages you to do, is to eat diet, low fat/non-fat items.  Since I watched that documentary before the holidays I have refused to purchase anything diet, low fat or non-fat.  It's not good for you so why would I put it into my body.  Weight Watchers works just fine with the regular stuff, I just have to eat a bit less.  I am okay with that!

At every meeting we have to leave with the idea of making one new change for each week, so this week I am going to make sure to carry a snack with me if I travel through out the day.  This way I won't be tempted to grab something at a fast food place or come home and scarf down a whole pile of junk just to satisfy me. This snack could be anything! A piece of fruit, granola bar, etc...points will be calculated before hand of course.

The best part of weight watchers is that all fruits and veggies are zero points!  While they encourage you to eat low fat items which is not so good, they do encourage you to put those healthy green things into your body! I have been doing a lot of that!  Not just with the juicing, but snacking on them as well.  I already feel much better!

I think that my new years resolution to get healthy and get fit is really happening!! I hope that all of you are having success like me and that you are happy doing it! 

Have a wonderful day and I will chat with you all very soon!

P.S.  Have you watched the Hungry for Change documentary?

HAPIFork....What??

OH my goodness.  Have you guys seen this?  This is hilarious, but totally genius at the same time.  The article around it is quite funny as well.

Enjoy!!

HAPIFork: The Fork That Tells You To Stop Stuffing Your Face (And Nothing About Healthy Eating)

• 24 hours ago by Briana Rognlin
• 0 Comments and 14 Reactions
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I’m about one Apple product short of being a gadget junkie, and when it comes to fitness and food, I’m pretty hooked on all the apps and trackers out there. But ‘HapiFork’–a new innovation unveiled at CES 2013–is where I draw the line: The electronic fork measures your eating habits–including how fast you’re eating–and blinks or vibrates to let you know if you’re eating too fast. In theory, they’re trying to help you eat a little more mindfully, which I like…but in practice, it’s not nearly as effective as just thinking about what you put in your mouth.
On the HAPILABS website, the fork looks kind of like a plastic kiddies’ fork; on blogs where tech writers have taken their own pictures of it at CES, it looks comically large. Compare:
In ads:


IRL (courtesy of Pocket-Lint.com):

But aside from how awkward it would be to eat with a massive electronic device (this is how not to impress your date), it’s also bound to disappoint as the personal diet coach it claims to be.
According to HAPILABS, the fork won’t just notify you when you’re stuffing your face too quickly; it will also track your eating habits and help you change them over time. It measures how long it took to eat your meal, the amount of “fork servings” taken per minute, and the intervals between “fork servings.” Then you can upload the info to their website or app to use their coaching program to “help you eat better and change your eating behavior.”
Aside from the fact that a lot of us eat (and drink) plenty of things that don’t require a fork, the premise that you should just eat smaller quantities of everything ignores some of the most important diet advice: That getting lots of whole, plant-based foods is a lot healthier than trying to get small amounts of processed foods.
I love my Nike FuelBand, even though I couldn’t really tell you what Fuel points mean, exactly, and I use my running apps even though I’m absolutely certain that they’re wrong about the length of my runs. The point is: They make me feel better about moving more, which is always a good thing. But eating less isn’t always a good thing, and it isn’t a diet rule everyone should go by. To figure out what your body needs and how much of it you should consume, you’ll need more than a giant electronic fork.
Photos: Hapilabs, Pocket-Lint.com,

You can reach this post's author, Briana Rognlin, on twitter or via e-mail at briana@blisstree.com.

Read more: http://www.blisstree.com/2013/01/09/food/hapifork-stops-eating-fast/#ixzz2HbBlXuh8

1 step closer

Hey guys!

Well it's official, I have signed up for Weight Watchers.  I just felt that I need a little extra guidance.  While I am definitely making some healthier choices I was still finding myself snacking and eating too much at meal time.  Plus this new program seemed really enticing! Now I am one step closer to my weight loss goal and a step closer to being Jessica Simpson right?

 

My first meeting was last night and I can't tell you how positive it was! I know I am not the only one in this battle to get healthy and stay healthy, but it was nice to be able to talk with some other people and here their ideas.  My first goal is to lose 5% of my total weight.  I am still not okay with telling you the number on the scale, but according to my height, body mass, activity level and my weight, in order to lose 5% then I must lose 7lbs.  I know I can do this!  And now I have to because once a week I will attend a meeting and a weigh in.  I have done this program before and it's so rewarding when that number decreases!

Along with weight watchers I am still doing a lot of physical activities.  So far this week besides walking the dog, I have done a hot yoga class, gone skiing, and tonight I start zumba and have signed up for another hot yoga class tomorrow night!  I would say i'm doing pretty well.  I am also looking at joining a badminton league which will be once a week, but I may put that on hold because I don't think my bank account would appreciate another hit lol

I am really looking forward to seeing the results of all of these programs combined and I am really looking forward to feeling amazing!! Remember it's not the number on the scale, but it's your pant size that matters! With all of the activities I am doing I am hoping to build some muscle and tone up which means I may have a higher number on the scale, but it will be muscle and not wobbly bits!  That is the goal for me! Less giggling down the street :)

My recommendation to all of you this week is to try to incorporate more fruits and veggies!  Add some colour and get that sexy glow back to your skin naturally!