A Victorious Week!

Wondering why I'm cheesing & sweating like the happiest girl in the world in this pic? 

Because last Friday I ran my first consecutive mile EVER. And when I say ever, I actually mean ever! In elementary school I was the kid the P.E. teacher hated because I would rally up a group of students who wouldn't mind walking the whole thing with me and clocking a time of a 21 minute mile. 

Throughout my entire adult life I had just resolved that running a mile was something I would just never be able to do. Proving that lie wrong was an AMAZING feeling. And not only did I prove it wrong but I did one better, I actually ran about 1.5 miles without stopping! Running a mile has been a fitness goal of mine ever since I began this weight loss journey 3 years ago & to finally have achieved it feels amazing. 

That being said, my celebrating time is slightly shorter-lived than I'd like it to be as that 1.5 miles needs to turn into 3.1 miles by Saturday! EEEEEeeeeeeekkkkkk! Yep, this Saturday is the big day- my very first 5K race. 

I'm trying not to sike myself up too much about it but truth be told, I by no means feel like I have this "in the bag" or that I could run it with my eyes closed. Nope, I'm gonna need God's strength for every step of this race & although I'd like a little more time to train (I only have 3 training days left), I've learned that God is pretty reliable. 

I know I should probably say that my only goal for the 5K is to finish but I'd be lying- I believe there's more in me than that. My overall goal is to finish in 37 minutes or less. My I'm-afraid-to-say-this-out-loud-cuz-I'm-not-sure-how-it-will-happen-goal is to run the whole race continuously. 

In the end, my identity or worth is not tied to this race or being a runner or anything outside of who I am in Christ. I know that even if for some reason I'm not able to even finish (which I don't see how that could happen as even if one of my legs fell off I still plan on picking it up and dragging it across that finish line) I still have reason to celebrate because of what has been accomplished even while I've been training (things I never thought possible). 

So, my plan for Saturday: GO, GIVE IT MY ALL & HAVE FUN! 

Weight Loss Progress: 

Last week was not only a huge week with me accomplishing one of my long time fitness goals but also because...

I'm officially in my goal weight range!!! 

After 3+ years of being on this journey, it feels surreal to say that. I weighed in this week at 155lbs and my goal weight range is between 150-155lbs so I've still got 5 more to go but it's just crazy to think that I'm THIS close to my goal. Ahhhhh! Wow. 

I definitely don't think the gravity of all that's happening is really hitting me. More on that another time. 

Recent EATS: 

I'm not sure what has come over me but I have been bitten by the cooking bug. I have been cooking up a storm & not because I feel like I have to now that I'm married or because of pressure from the healthy/eating blog world (which is no bueno) but because I WANT to. 

Huh. Who'da thunk that would ever happen to me!? 

Maybe it's a phase but I have truly been enjoying trying out new recipes and experimenting with new foods- some have turned out great and others not so much...for example: 

Tiff's Skinny Snickers Peanut Butter & Banana Ice Cream! 

Ingredients: 
2 servings (1 cup= 1 Serving) 

1 banana (frozen and chopped into pieces) 
1 mini snickers bar
1 cup ice 
3 tablespoons PB2 (if you haven't tried this stuff it's AMAZZZING) 
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 
*you can add a packet of Splenda or some vanilla for extra sweetness if you prefer- I did! 

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor *except for the snickers) until smooth, crumble the mini snickers on top (or any other miniature candy of choice) & put in the freezer so it can harden! We were impatient so we only left ours in for 5 minutes and it had more of a smoothie consistency but if you left it in for 30 minutes it should get much harder. 

This was DELICIOUS!!!! And while there is no mistaking that it's not ice cream it honestly was so creamy & delicious that it totally hit the spot! And the whole desert was only 150 calories! Whoo hoo! 

However, not all of my culinary creations from last week were as successful: 

I'm always trying to find a way to add more veggies in my diet which isn't the easiest thing for me as I didn't grow up eating veggies so I don't really like the taste of many of them & I can be funny about the texture of things so I would say almost all of my veggie cooking attempts have been flops. 

Edemame was no exception. 

I found a recipe for parmesan edamame and thought it looked like a pretty safe bet. Well...first of all, I didn't realize until right before hubby and I were getting ready to take a bite that we weren't supposed to eat the outside of the pod...yea. 

The overall taste was okay but the breadcrumbs really started to gross me out for some reason so I ended up letting D finish the rest of mine. 

I'm still not quite ready to give up on edemame yet though- or cooking veggies in general- anyone have any good veggie recipes to share? This girl needs all the help she can get! 

Alright, I think that's enough for one day- unless you hear from me before Saturday's race- say a little prayer for me! I will be posting a post-race update asap for sure :) 

No Turning Back Now...

5K Progress: 

Well, I guess it's finally official...

I'm running a 5K in two weeks....yikes...wow...this is going to be awesome...and scary. 

After almost giving up running altogether after my knee started popping very loudly (no pain) every time I went upstairs, I decided to bite the bullet and sign up for this 5K even if it means my legs will fall off (okay, perhaps I'm being just a bit dramatic); but honestly, I've been working too hard, come too far & want this too bad to give up  now. So, after my hubby asked for permission to run it with me and I gave it some thought, we both signed up & will be running the Pittsburgh Pirates 5K Home Run race in just 2 short Saturdays from now...yikes! 

I am currently only on Week 6 Day 2 of the program so not quite on track but I have a feeling I'll be okay; I truly can't believe that I can run for 10 minutes straight.

I know that is nothing to some people but it is A LOT to this girl who remembers feeling like my heart was going to beat out of my chest when I ran for 30 seconds once! Seriously, it has been the strength of Christ in me that has caused me to keep going and even more, truly like (I don't know that I'm at love yet) running. 

So, the next two weeks hold lots of training & preparation for the race. Some things I'm still looking into picking up pre-race: 

• A good sports bra 
• A water hydration belt
• Some energy chews/gu

Anyone have any good recommendations on products like these? 

I don't want to over complicate running with thinking I need all of these crazy gadgets because I know you really don't and I realize I'm not running a marathon or anything, but I do want to be as prepared as possible. 

Please be praying for me during these next two weeks- for COURAGE & FAITH more than anything else- I didn't let fear hold me back at 352lbs and I'm certainly not going to let it at 156lbs! 

Weekly Weigh In: 

That's right, I'm only 6lbs away from my "low goal weight" (I'd like to keep a 5lb happy weight range of 150-155lbs). So I'm down 1lb from last week! And perhaps even more exciting than losing that pound? 

I can hardly believe my eyes when I look at this picture. It really says size 8... and not a size 28 like it used to. When I stopped by Gap to pick up some new work pants as my size 12's were making me look like I crapped my pants, I was worried that even a size 10 would be too tight but eventually I settled into a freaking.fracking.size 8! What? I didn't even know my hip bones could fit into an 8!? 

You can bet your bottom dollar that I was doing an inner victory dance in that dressing room. Numbers have never really meant that much to me and I'm still not going to be tied down by them as I'm sure in many other stores I may still be a 12, but this was definitely a moment that caused me to sit back and just say..."wow." 

Cooking Adventures: 

I am really enjoying learning to cook. It's something that D and I share the responsibility of and delight in doing for one another and we are at about equal levels of skill. Since getting married almost 7 months ago (dang is time flying by), I've made some good dishes but nothing that made me want to lick the plate...until last week when I made this: 

Chicken Artichoke & Pesto Amazingness: 

Oh.my.goodness was this delicious! Essentially it's chicken with lots of yummy artichokes, a spinach pesto & cherry tomatoes- I snagged the recipe from here. You could put this atop some brown rice or ww pasta but hubby and I enjoyed it all by itself and it was filling and SO freaking yummy! I think this will be making a reappearance in the coming weeks! 

I also whipped up some greek chicken salads for lunch last week & despite a slight homemade salad dressing snafu (I don't suggest using Greek yogurt in your salad dressing unless you like to put something that looks like vomit on your salads), it was exactly what I was hoping it would be; I just used some balsamic chicken from Trader Joes, romaine, feta, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers & red onion- fresh and delicious! 

Has anyone tried any good recipes that just made you want to lick your plate lately? If so, please share! 

Easter Happenings: 

For us, it feels like Easter has been going on for a lonnnnng time since we've been helping out at community Easter Egg hunts for the last two weekends (our church & one of our "sister churches" put on egg hunts for the families in their communities every year) & it was great fun! 

Two weekends ago D & I served up over 300 hot dogs (as you can see reflected in his aviators! haha) and although it is still freeeeeeeeezing here in PA, we had a great time. 

This past weekend the weather was so much nicer & we had over 500 people from our community come out and enjoy the festitivies. This was our 4th annual "BIG HUNT" and it's pretty crazy to see my weight loss progression as I've been in pictures at each of them. 

4 Years Ago: 

3 Years Ago: 

2 Years Ago: 

Can't seem to find...Grrrr! 

This Year: 

Honestly, there's not a whole lot I can do after looking at those pictures other than give glory to God. What He has given me the freedom from in these past years has been nothing short of a miracle that has changed my life in countless ways. 

If you have what seems like a mountain of weight loss in front of you to lose, know that THROUGH Christ, all things are possible. Oh yeah, and a lot of hard work that HE gives you the strength to do. 

Have a great week everyone! 

Continual Weight Loss...195lbs Down Baby!

Greetings!

Why not start with this week's weigh in- especially when it's a great number like this!

Last Week: 160lbs
This Week: 157lbs
Weekly Loss: -3lbs!!!
Grand Total Loss: 195lbs!!!
Total Pounds to Goal: 7!!!

I've lost 195lbs. That's kind of crazy, right? That means I've lost another overweight person.

Wowzer.

I have been dropping lbs consistantly over the last month (and this mornings sneak peek weigh in had me down even more) and for a few months before that I had kind of hit a wall where not much was really happening on the scale. I'm sure most people can imagine that getting your body to continually lose weight for 3+ years after already having dropped a significant amount can be tricky but honestly...it's not.

Losing weight is pretty simple actually. Notice- I said simple. NOT easy. A few months or so ago when I wasn't seeing the pounds fly off, I began to blame it on the fact that I had hit a plateau or that it was just so much harder to lose weight as you get smaller but I'm not sure I really believe that anymore.

So what have I been doing differently in the last month to get the weight loss train rolling again & have me only 7 stinking pounds away from my final goal???

Well...I've been doing the same stuff to lose weight at 157lbs that I did at 352lbs to lose weight; I've been:

1) Practicing self-control & making sacrifices:

When I first started this weight loss journey, nothing could break me. It didn't matter if my co-workers brought in cake and fried chicken for the office, I was unstoppable and I saw the rewards of that self-control on the scale. However, in the last few months, I decided I no longer wanted to sacrifice and began eating things that I really had no business eating simply because I wanted them.

And mind you, I'm not talking about having 2 donuts or 4 slice of pizza- I'm just talking about little snacks here or there but THEY ADD UP. I had to remember my old mantra that helped me say no to sweet "treats" in the past, which was, "No one is going to make the decision to put you first for you, you've got to make it for yourself."

Those gorgeous looking donuts were brought into work last week and from what I hear they are the best donuts in the 'Burgh- so did I have reason to have one? Sure. Did I? Nope.

Why? Because it's not a decision that would get me closer to where I want & deserve to be. Plain and simple- it takes sacrifice & self- discipline to lose weight for the long haul.

2) I've worked out consistently:

Losing weight is a multi-faceted effort & one of those facets is physical activity. A few months ago I had started making excuses as to why I was too busy to workout and I had stopped challenging myself physically.

I am convinced that part of the reason for my continued weight loss (especially in the last month) is that I've been giving my all and challenging myself in the gym. As many of you know I am currently training for a 5K & it hasn't been easy (I'm currently dealing with some strange abdominal pain that has put a bit of a kink in my training) but I'm fighting.

There are VERY few days that I feel like going to the gym. There are MANY other things I could be doing with that time. But you know what, I know what works physical activity is what keeps those pounds flying off of me.

Challenge yourself. Make yourself a priority. Prove yourself wrong by doing something you never thought you could do.

3) I've been planning & preparing my food:

(BBQ Chicken Quinoa) *recipe below

The popular saying is true- "When you fail to plan, you plan to fail." A few months back I fell off the wagon of planning and preparing my meals weekly and found myself multiple times a week in a Starbucks, Subway or Chipotle eating stuff that isn't necessarily bad for you but isn't really that great for you either.

Like many of you, I am VERY busy. Most weeks, I have something that I have to be at almost every night of the week and it's easy to use a busy schedule as an excuse for not planning and preparing healthy meals. And that's fine- that excuse would be legitimate. But it's not gonna get you far on the scale.

If you have followed this blog for any period of time you know that when I first started this journey I hadn't ever made a real meal in my life! I ate chips, dip & frozen pizza for dinner. Thankfully, I've come a ways in the last 3 years but I am still very much in the beginning cook phase but I still put myself out there every week and try something new.

I prepare all my food for the week on Sundays (or as much as can be prepared ahead of time) to have one hand during the week. I love to eat out and believe it can  be done in a way that is healthy but the truth is that the more I eat out, the less I see the pounds coming off.

It's easy to blame not losing weight on a plateau but I think when we stop losing we need to start by taking an honest look at if we've really been giving 100% or if we've been slacking in an area or two. I know I had started to and now that I'm back on track I'm not only happy to see the pounds coming off but I'm even more overjoyed to feel like I am truly in control & living free over food.

Can anyone relate?

Also, here's a recipe for a dinner I whipped up last night- it was my first time cooking with Quinoa (yum!) and it turned out to be DELISH!!! Can't wait to have it again this evening!!!

BBQ Chicken Quinoa: 4 Servings, 1 1/2 Cup Serving Size

2 Cups Pulled Chicken Breast (I made mine in the crock pot the day before)

1 Cup Quinoa cooked in 2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock

1/2 Cup Corn

1/2 Cup Black Beans (drained and rinsed)

1/4 Cup Diced Red Onion

Dash of sea salt

Garnish with green onion and cilantro

Top with 2 tbls. BBQ sauce (per serving)

Top with 1/2 avocado (per serving)

Total Calories: 429 per serving

This was YUMMY!

New Blog Series: Confessions!

I like to keep it real.

I think being honest about our questions, struggles, & dreams is PARAMOUNT in life in general but particularly when it comes to weight loss.

One of the things I don't like about going to the gym is I feel like in general it's not an atmosphere where people are encouraged to keep it real. Most people at the gym have no idea what they should be doing & are insecure about themselves, their level of physical fitness or their knowledge of the gym equipment & what they should be doing but they would dare not show it because it's all about appearing fierce, strong & confident at the gym. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Anyways, I know of some blogs that have that same atmosphere. They give you that "squeaky clean" feeling of never struggling, never making a dish that tasted like crap & never admitting that sometimes eating healthy & exercising isn't their most absolute favorite thing in the world.

Well, this isn't one of those blogs. At least I don't want it to be.

Which is why I'm instituting a series on the blog called:

CONFESSIONS

In case you are like me and didn't grow up Catholic, the pic above is from a confessional booth & while I don't believe in that practice or that we have to go through any one person on this Earth for God to hear our prayers (thanks to a man named Jesus Christ), I do believe that there is power in us being honest & authentic & sharing things that we may have typically found shame in.

WHY?

Because it's important for people to know that they aren't alone in their struggles & questions and it's important to remind ourselves that we aren't perfect & to squash that little demon called pride in us.

Hence, why I will periodically be sharing some of my CONFESSIONS in regards to weight loss; no one needs to feel alone on this journey because truthfully, not to break anyone's "I'm a uniquely special individual" spirit, but there's nothing new under the sun & if I've struggled with something, there's about a 100% chance that one of you have struggled with it as well.

SO- why not get this party started?

Today's Confession: I don't think Kale is the best thing since sliced bread.

In fact, I'd take a slice of bread over Kale any day. Unless you've been hiding under a rock for the past year, you probably have heard that Kale is all the rage among foodies... and although I really want to like Kale- I just don't. Now it's not the worst thing I've ever tasted in the world because that prize would belong to:

I'm getting chills down my spine just from thinking about canned green beans....bleck!

But I'm just gonna keep it real & confess that I don't think Kale is all that great. It's a pain in the bum to wash, it's kinda coarse, I don't like to chomp down on the thick stem & it has a much stronger taste than romaine.

Last night I whipped up my first homeade Kale salad & the hubby & I agreed that it just doesn't match up to it's hype. This salad was made w/ avocado, TJ's broccoli salad, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries & lemon along with a side of Tilapia (yum!):

So there you have it. You can still be a healthy gal & not like Kale. I promise. It'll be okay.

Speaking of being okay...

This mornings "sneak peek weigh in" had me at 159lbs! Whoo hoo! Now I won't officially "count" that until that number still shows up on Sunday (my official weigh in day) but I was pretty darned stoked about a 2lb loss, making me only 9lbs away from my goal!!!

SO, what about you all? Any confessions you've just gotta make? 



Gooberness & Breakfast Cookies

I'm serving up a bunch of randomness today because that's about all I got for "yinz" (that's Pittsburghese for "ya'll", which is hick for "you all" in case you were wondering!) 

Couch 2 5K Progress: 

After tomorrow's run I will officially be at the half-way point of my 5K training. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself but I think I may have gotten my first dose of "runners high" the other day...it was nice :) In case you weren't sure what the half way point might consist of, it means I'm running for 5 minutes consistently a couple of times throughout the training which is something I never thought I would be able to do. My goodness I love proving to myself (with God's strength) that nothing is impossible! 

Gym Bathroom Goober Pics: 

After a good workout I can't help but sometimes want to snag a quick pic of my beastliness in the gym bathroom but I can't help feeling like a goober for doing so. But heck, I've been doing it for quite some time now and I've kinda stopped giving a flip: 

Me sneaking a goober pic after yesterday's workout: 

Me still goobering it up a couple years & pounds back. 

Baked Breakfast Cookies: FAIL! 

I eat oatmeal pretty much every morning for breakfast for a couple reasons: 

1) It's YUMMY. My typical combo is: Trader Joe's maple brown sugar quick oats, 1 tbls. of peanut butter & a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond breeze for a total of 295 calories. 
2) It fills me up- especially with the added protein from the peanut butter. I'm usually pretty hungry in the mornings and this does the trick. 

So anyways, I came across this recipe for Baked Breakfast Cookies the other day while browsing the blogosphere & decided to give it a try. And here's what came of it: 

They were simple enough to make and contained ingredients I generally like but unfortunately when it comes to taste, they left quite a bit to be desired. I followed the recipe exactly and while they weren't inedible, they just didn't really taste like much more than blahness. You like that word? 

In the end, I'm going to fall back onto the trusted old saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"- I've been enjoying my oatmeal just as I've been making it up to this point and until I stop liking it, I'm gonna stick with what I know. 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's "sneak peak weigh in" as I'm hoping to hit 160lbs for this week's official weigh in on Sunday...we shall see! 

Peace out girl scouts! 

I ALMOST Quit.

Last week I almost gave up running, which would mean my goal/dream of running a 5k would be over.

Why did I almost give up? Because I got scared.

In the moment I would have told you it was because my ankle was hurting or because my body just doesn't like running or because I can't seem to breathe as well as I'd like to (more on that below) but the truth is that it was because I was afraid of failing.

See I'm at the point in my C25K training now where it's not taking uping the running intervals quite as slow, almost every day they are adding a minute onto the time & it's asking me to run for periods of time that I NEVER have and never thought I could.

Yep, I was going to give up. But then, I was reminded of a scripture that I hung onto wayyyyy early in when I still weighed 300+lbs and it turned things around for me:

"ALL things are possible through Christ who strengthens me." - Phillipians 4:13

Remembering that I'm not operating out of Tiffany's strength but a strength that is much greater than I'll ever have gave me enough courage to punch my fears in the face & get back on that treadmill again yesterday where I accomplished Week 4 Day 1's run which called for me to run for 4 minutes intervals.

Now I know to most people 4 minutes is nothing but to me, it almost scared me into giving up. But guess what?

It was the best run I've ever had. I don't know what happened/clicked but yesterday I felt like a different runner- shoot, for the first time I actually felt like a runner! I had amazing energy and actually know I could have kept going.

Needless to say, I am so glad that I don't have to fear failure in this journey because my definition of success isn't to be the best at anything other than being the best me I can be & if I do that & am true to the potential that God has placed in me, I can't fail.

I hope that one of you is encouraged by that today.

I mentioned above that I've been having some breathing problems. Long story short I've always felt like my breathing passages just weren't big enough but never thought anything could actually be done about it (short of having a nose job which is definitely not an option I would ever consider) but the problem seemed to be becoming really problematic while running, so I decided to try out the BreatheRight Nasal Strips:

Aren't my bff & I cute with our nasal strips on? haha gotta love her!

Let me tell you, I wear these suckers to bed everynight & while running (until the sweat eventually makes them pop off) & they really have made a world of a difference. I actually went to an ENT doctor this week to see if there was anything going on that was hindering my breathing & he said no but to be completely honest, with my history with doctors, I don't really put a lot of stock in their diagnoses'.

Has anyone else every used these babies while working out? I hear pro football players wear them all the time!

Finally, some STATS:
Previous Weight: 164lbs
Current Weight: 161lbs
Result: -3lbs

My goal for this week's weigh in (which takes place on Sundays), is to lose 1lb, bringing me to 160lbs.

And tomorrow, I plan to demolish Week 4, Day 2's request for me to run 5 miles. Have I ever done that before? No. What do I have to say about that?

BRING. IT.

Couch to 5K Progress: Week 3

One of my favorite parts about this journey has been proving to myself that I can do things I never imagined were possible when I was 352lbs. If you have followed my blog for awhile, you'll know that running has always been one of those things that seemed impossible for me- as if it was just completely out of the question. 

To give you some background, running wasn't just something that seemed out of the question to me when I weighed 352lbs, it even seemed out of the question to me a month ago. I guess I've just always had that image of a "runner" in my mind and thought that I could never be that- it seemed pointless to even dream about it. I remember when I first started this journey, I challenged myself to run 30 seconds on the treadmill and I thought I was going to die! Well, now that I've lost about 187lbs I figured that it was high time to prove to myself yet again that NOTHING is impossible through Christ who gives me strength (Phillipians 4:13) so 3 weeks ago I began the illustrious C25k (Couch to 5K) training plan. If you're not familiar with it, it's basically a 3 times a week running program that uses intervals of walking/running to eventually take you from being able to run only 1 min to being able to run for 30 minutes straight. I use an app on my iphone and it works amazingly! There are plenty of them out there and they will sync with your music and will tell you exactly when to walk and when to run- easy peazy! Here's me getting a run in at our hotel last week (I was in DC for work): 

Well, I'm officially finished with the 3rd week of the program and I've got to say, I am quite impressed with how my endurance has improved. I started out huffing and puffing from running 1.5 minutes and yesterday ran for 3 minutes. Now, I know to some running 3 minutes straight may not seem like a big deal but for ME...it was a major moment of victory. I remember as I was getting ready to run yesterday thinking that I wasn't ready to move to the next level of running for 3 minutes but I put myself out there & took a chance and ran those 3 freaking minutes twice! 

Now, I'd be lying to you if I said that I'm totally confident I can do tomorrow's run, or the next days or the next days because honestly, I've never ran that far before and by no means have the runs I've been doing been easy but you know what, I'm willing to TRY and give it my all and each time I've done that, I've never been disappointed. 

One thing that has been a little disappointing is that my left ankle pretty much started giving me problems after just a week into the program. I went out and got some really good running shoes (thank you Brooks!), socks & an ankle brace that I believe has definitely helped although I still definitely can feel some pain. Here's my fancy shoes & not so fancy brace: 

 I've heard some mixed reviews when it comes to pain & running- some say that if you feel absolutely any pain that you should stop right away & see a doctor. Others say that pain in some form just comes along with running and as long as it's not debilitating or getting increasingly worse, to just keep keeping on. Honestly, that's the approach I'm going with. 

I want to run a 5k. Ahemmm...I'm going to run a 5k. Later this month I will be signing up for this baby: 

And although I'm still downright terrified & in disbelief at the thought that I could actually run for 30 minutes consecutively, I'm going to give everything I have to find out. I don't plan on training to run any farther distances than a 5k as I quite honestly enjoy other physical activity more than I do running but running a 5k has been a goal of mine for quite some time and this is the year and the time for me to reach it! 

Questions: 
- Are any of you working towards/training for something you once thought was impossible? 
- Anyone have any advice/thoughts on encountering pain while running?