Healthy You Challenge

Our very own Healthy Honi wanted to recreate the taste of Lean Cuisine Zucchini Lasagna because its no longer available. After looking at several online recipes and a consultation with a few fellow bloggers, she came up with a tasty little creation!

I'd post the recipe here but you'd miss her step by step photos so instead I'll direct you to her blog and the recipe and photos for Honi's Zucchini Lasagna

Way to go Honi for getting creative in the kitchen!!


If you have a recipe you'd like to see featured here, email it to me along with the nutritional information and I'd be happy to share it. Be sure and let me know if its your original recipe or the source of the recipe so we can give credit where credit is due!

I was blown away by the before and after photos of Heather Davis when I recently saw an article about her astounding weight loss on CNN. She made an amazing transformation by adapting a healthy lifestyle...just like we are all doing! Her story is SO worth reading from her struggling to barely complete 15 minutes on the treadmill to training for a half marathon and running up to 6 miles!

110 pounds GONE!! What an inspiration!

You can read all about Heather Davis's Journey from size 22 to a size 4 on CNN, Health and Fitness by clicking on this headline

They listed some of her tips and it really made me smile because its the same things we are all doing and have blogged about!!


From the CNN article........

The entire article and before and after photos are a MUST READ!! So head over and check them out soon!! I hope you find her transformation as motivating and inspiring as I did!!

Hi everyone! Welcome to our fifth official check in. I hope everyone has had a fabulous week!!

I have made counting the weeks kind of confusing so I want to fix it before we go any further.

It’s our 5^th check in but it’s our 4^th week. So in an effort to stop the confusion, I’m going to just declare this to be WEEK 4, yes its check in five but to stay consistent in the future, to match the calendar and end the confusion we are just going to call it by the week and not by the check in. Does that make sense? NO? I didn’t think it would. While it has absolutely nothing to do with it being a Leap Year, if anyone asks in the future my official answer will be: It was because of Leap Year.

Now on to Week 4:

The blog roll continues to grow and I know some of you are very overwhelmed by the number of bloggers we are trying to keep up with. I don’t want any of you to neglect things in your life because checking in with the blogs has become a chore or feels like a part time job. Since this is our challenge group, does anyone have any suggestions?

I’m putting this in your hands. You can either leave your opinion in the comments or email me at healthyyouchallenge at gmail dot com and voice your opinion in private. Either way I hope to have a resolution for you next month.

YOUR FEEDBACK IS CRITICAL, this is OUR support group!!

Don’t forget to email me your nominations for

blogger of the week and any other articles you want to share with the group!

UPDATES

Life Should Be Stereo has moved her blog address; it’s been updated in the blog roll.
http://lifeshouldbestereo.wordpress.com

My Journey To Be Fit by 40 has shortened her name in the blog roll to Fit by 40 so if you are looking for her in the blog roll, don’t look under the M’s but under the F’s!

WELCOME To Our Newest Challenge Team Members!!!

Attitude Changes Everything!

Katy Nelson

Work It All Out

Gettin' My Blog On

Here today…Gone tomorrow

From The Bedside

Krystle

McQty

Please check that your name appears how you desire in the blog roll, also click on your link and make sure it takes you to your blog. I’m cutting and pasting my heart out but make mistakes.

If your name isn’t on the blog roll and you want to participate, please email me or email me again. I’m making every effort to check and double check but if I’ve left anyone off, it’s been an error on my part please don’t take it personally…just email me at healthyyouchallenge at gmail dot com

I read a blog last week and the words are still haunting me. If you’ve ever wanted to give up your workout, questioned its effectiveness, thought you weren’t coordinated enough or just thought you can’t go another step, this post is for you!

It comes from The Grumpy Chair and in case you missed it, here is a link to it.

I want to be like Iris!

Friday Blogger of the Week - Hanlie of Fertile Healthy

I’m such a fan of Hanlie’s blog and when I got several emails nominating her for blogger of the week I knew I wasn’t alone in admiring her writing. Her post titled “I Do”caught the eye of several of you and just in case you missed it, I’ve copied and pasted it below. Its one of those posts that is worth reading and rereading!! Thank you Hanlie for your beautiful analogy of life and dieting.

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A number of years ago I met a girl in a bar, who recognized me from 6th grade. She took my number and actually phoned me! Nobody does that! We became friends. We were both single and unlucky in love. Our prospects looked bleak.

Then she met the one! And went from seeing me 4-5 times a week to about 4-5 times a year. We spoke on the phone pretty regularly and I kept up to date with the goings on in her life. After about a year they got engaged. I became grateful for the infrequent visits, because this girl went into wedding overdrive! During the 10 months before the wedding, she became a professional bride! It was painful to see…

The wedding was a huge success and even I enjoyed it. A mere three months later I got a late night phone call, asking if she could come over. Trouble in paradise. They had spent so much time planning the wedding that they never thought about planning their marriage. They were on the brink of divorce. Fortunately they were mature enough to go for counselling and now, three years later, they’re fine and happy.

I was just thinking today that most obese people are professional dieters. Just like the professional bride with all her catalogues, bridal books, magazines and samples, we have shelves filled with every conceivable, book, plan, and recipe, all the “must-have” exercise equipment (from which we hang our clothes), diet “stuff” on the refrigerator door, expired diet milkshakes in dark corners of our kitchen, scales in the bathroom and on the kitchen counter. We know our stuff. We do graphs. We log our food. We read Shape magazine. We watch Oprah and The Biggest Loser. We blog and join challenges. We count calories and set goals.

There are people who do this year in and year out. Most of us have. I’ve been familiar with the plan I’m following for more than 7 years now. I’ve told people about it, I’ve written about it, but I haven’t actually permanently implemented it. I’ve spent a lot of time “getting ready to start”.

I’ve now started. Seven years down the line. But starting is just a very small part of this… Now comes the “marriage”. The ups and the downs. The adapting. The disappointments and the moments that take your breath away. The waning of passion and the growth in intimacy. The getting comfortable in your routine. The tears and the laughter.

And I say: “Bring it on!”

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” ~ George Elliot

Lets face it, portion control is the key to keeping balance in your healthy way of eating. I can go to my kitchen and find measuring spoons and cups, I know that my soup dipper holds exactly one cup of soup, when in doubt about the weight of meat, I have a food scale. But what about when I'm not home? What about the Super Bowl parties that are coming up for some people here in the states? What about the baby showers, wedding showers, office parties and buffet restaurants? Its not exactly convenient to whip out your measuring cup or spoons there now is it? Sometimes we need to rely on our eyes and if you take a few minutes to learn a few basics, you'll be able to easily identify your portion sizes no matter where you go!


I've found these handy visuals to help you keep your portion control in check!

Deck of Cards

3 ounces (75 g) cooked chicken or meat ( 4 oz raw)

Tennis Ball

1 cup (250 ml) cooked rice, pasta or ice cream

Domino
1 oz (30 g) cheese

BASEBALL
Medium piece of fruit

One Die:
1 tsp (5ml) butter or margarine

Woman’s fist
1 cup (250 ml)

Golf Ball
2 TBLS (30 ml) peanut butter, jam, salad dressing

Would you rather keep portion control in your hands? Maybe you are unsure of a domino size or have never held a baseball. Here is a great visual from Prevention

You could easily print off a copy of the chart or make a visual for yourself to keep in your hand bag, office desk drawer or car so you can learn them and make guilt free choices in your healthy eating plan.

If you search for PORTION SIZE VISUALS you'll come up with even more examples. Its important that we all find what works best for us.

In the past when I've dieted and failed, it was always because I went on a strict plan that eliminated a certain food...you know the type, no fruit, no pizza, no ice cream OH MY!!

I think thats why I found this success story on the Prevention site so motivational. If you haven't checked out the Prevention site, they are filled with great information about diet, fitness and many other topics dedicated to living a healthy lifestyle.

I was 29 when my husband left me. It was such a shock that I became depressed and stopped eating. I went from 110 pounds to 90. I was so preoccupied with the divorce and caring for my 2-year-old son, Truitt, that I didn't pay attention to what was happening to me.....

read the rest of this story on Prevention.com and check out her fabulous before and after photos too!!

There are many great tools and success stories on this site. Hopefully you'll find a success story that gives you that little extra motivation!!

Don't forget to email success stories to me so I have something to put on this page next week!!

Welcome To Our FOURTH Check In! I hope you've all had a fabulous week!!

Click on Mister Linky logo below and sign in!

Weekly updates and welcome for our newest team members!

I need your nominations for blogger of the week! Have you seen a post from one of our team members that you feel is important? Please email me at healthyyouchallenge at gmail dot com with a link to the post so I can feature the post on Friday!

I’ve had several emails about this so I wanted to address it for everyone to see:

You only have to check into the challenge once per week, just look for the current TUESDAY post and put your blog name and blog URL into Mr Linky.

The blogging schedule that I posted is what I would like to post on the healthyyou site and if you have any articles/recipes/success stories to share, please email them to me so I can post them on the appropriate days for the whole group to see. This not what you have to blog about each day. You can blog about whatever you want but on Tuesdays it would be nice if you blogged about your progress. Keep in mind progress doesn’t just mean pounds lost but you are certainly welcome to share that news with us too. You can report NSV (non scale victories) as well as exercise goals met. This isn’t just about weight it’s about finding what works for you and living the best and healthiest life you can right now!. an lend support. Sorry for any confusion.

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I need to make a correction to the blog. I had incorrectly listed The Dachshund Diet Chronicles as The Diet Chronicles. Clearly I need to stick to cutting and pasting. Does anyone know how many calories you burn cutting and pasting?

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Once again, I wanted to add that with our growing blog roll, please lend your support first to the people who’ve signed into Mr. Linky. I know it isn’t possible to visit every blog every day or even in a week but do the best you can to lend support. I’m working on a system.

Welcome to our newest members!!

Bev's Weight Loss

In Pursuit of Excellence

Losing in Memphis

Look, a fitness blog!

si josefina

Not Alone In This World

A Healthy Path

Life Blooms

Comrade GoGo

random musings

A Working Mom's Joy

This is My Year

One Pound At A Time

I was browsing the American Heart Association site and found this article full of exercise tips...oh wait a minute, isn't this what most of us are already doing? Sounds like we are on the right track!

They have an exercise section of their website, they have advice on exercise for older people and they even have a program to help you get started with exercise called START with Donny Osmond (yes that Donny Osmond of Donny and Marie fame) We all need to get started somewhere and sometimes its good to get tips along the way.

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Swimming, cycling, jogging, skiing, aerobic dancing, walking or any of dozens of other activities can help your heart. They all cause you to feel warm, perspire and breathe heavily without being out of breath and without feeling any burning sensation in your muscles. Whether it is a structured exercise program or just part of your daily routine, all exercise adds up to a healthier heart.

Here are some tips for exercise success:

• If you've been sedentary for a long time, are overweight, have a high risk of coronary heart disease or some other chronic health problem, see your doctor for a medical evaluation before beginning a physical activity program.
  
• Choose activities that are fun, not exhausting. Add variety. Develop a repertoire of several activities that you can enjoy. That way, exercise will never seem boring or routine.
  
• Wear comfortable, properly fitted footwear and comfortable, loose-fitting clothing appropriate for the weather and the activity.
  
• Find a convenient time and place to do activities. Try to make it a habit, but be flexible. If you miss an exercise opportunity, work activity into your day another way.
  
• Use music to keep you entertained.
  
• Surround yourself with supportive people. Decide what kind of support you need. Do you want them to remind you to exercise? Ask about your progress? Participate with you regularly or occasionally? Allow you time to exercise by yourself? Go with you to a special event, such as a 10K walk/run? Be understanding when you get up early to exercise? Spend time with the children while you exercise? Try not to ask you to change your exercise routine? Share your activity time with others. Make a date with a family member, friend or co-worker. Be an active role model for your children.
  
• Don't overdo it. Do low- to moderate-level activities, especially at first. You can slowly increase the duration and intensity of your activities as you become more fit. Over time, work up to exercising on most days of the week for 30-60 minutes.
  
• Keep a record of your activities. Reward yourself at special milestones. Nothing motivates like success!

I’ve been reading through blogs and I’ve read some amazing posts but this one really hit home with me. Krissie wrote that she was tired of seeing the blogs with people who put themselves down because they are; fat, lazy, can’t do anything right or will never reach their goal…well, she wrote a fabulous post about it and turned it into a meme list and just in case you missed it, I’m posting it here today for EVERYONE to see because its SO WORTH READING!!!

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You know what? I'm done.

It started with the million blogs I have been reading today. So many people are so down on themselves. I keep reading such degrading comments. "I can't do anything right." "I'm lazy." "I'm never going to meet my goal." "Why do I even try?"

And then I take a shower (after a very exhausting gym session, mind you). I put on my favorite grey lounge pants and my favorite green t-shirt, and I get pissed. I've busted my arse. And I don't see any difference in the way I look. Why do I even try?

I'm one of these self-defeating people myself.

And then I got angry.

I am who I say I am. If I say I'm fat and lazy...Guess what? I'm fat and lazy. If a friend called me the names I call myself, she would no longer be my friend. (And I'd try very hard not to call names back.) I would cut my husband off if he spoke any of the words I say to myself. No wonder I have a hard time getting past my fat. I can be mean and nasty.

If I say that I'm getting my life together and my new life is one of health, then I am a healthy person. That's it. No excuses. No justifications. No arguments. I am who I am, and I am radically different than I was several weeks ago. Screw the scale. Screw the exercise bike. Screw the voices in my head. I LOVE ME and I AM KICKING IT!

Amen.

And to further my Kicking Ass attitude, I am very strongly encouraging you to do the same. We need lists. We need positive things to remind ourselves of when we are down on ourselves. So this is my challenge to you. Complete the list on your blog, leave me a comment, and I will link you. I will be listing my answers in my blog later today with my food pictures.

Here we go!

THE ONLY RULE: No backhanded compliments. No "I like my eyes 'cause they distract from my incredibly large ass." Only positives.

The "I LOVE ME" List

1. What do you absolutely love about your body?

2. When did you surprise yourself with your physical strength?

3. When were you braver than you ever thought you could be?

4. When did your self-control blow you away?

5. What is your proudest moment ever?

6. When was the last time you felt absolutely beautiful?

7. Why do you deserve to meet your goals?

Come on, ladies. Let's get off the pity pot and be better because we deserve it!

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I've noticed that several of you have already filled out your "I love me" list and they've been wonderful to read, so now its your turn, challenge yourself to sit down and list things about yourself that you love. Take it a step beyond and list some of your other fabulous characteristics. Enough of the negative self talk....Lets start taking steps towards changing the self sabotaging talk and behavior right here, right now!

I was looking for a recipe to use an avocado and limes my neighbor gave me from his tree and I found this one on www.foodfit.com that used both. They have some recipes that looked good but the site isn't just for recipes so its not set up like a typical recipe site. The original recipe calls for cilantro but we don’t really care for cilantro so I used fresh flat leaf parsley instead. I’m certain if you like cilantro it would be delish with it. This was absolutely delicious! I made the salsa the day before and it worked beautifully. I served it with brown rice and grilled vegetables but I would definitely make this again and serve the sliced chicken on a salad bed with the salsa as a dressing.

Grilled Chicken with Tomato Avocado Salsa

This recipe serves:

4

Preparation time : 20 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the salsa
4 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped or 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño chili pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I used parsley)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 avocado

For the chicken
1/2 cup non-fat, plain yogurt
1/2 small red onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (I used parsley)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 4 to 6 ounces each
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions
For the salsa:
1. In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onion, pepper and cilantro (parsley).

2. Chop the avocado and sprinkle it with 2 tablespoons of lime juice to keep it from browning. Add the avocado and remaining lime juice to the bowl and toss to combine.
(This can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.)

For the chicken:
1. In a small food processor, puree the yogurt, red onion, lime juice and cilantro (parsley) to make a yogurt marinade.

2. Transfer the marinade to a shallow bowl or a plastic bag. Add the chicken and coat well with the marinade. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours.

3. Preheat the grill to medium-high.

4. Remove the chicken from the marinade, discard the remaining marinade and season the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken on both sides until it is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.

5. Serve the chicken with tomato-avocado salsa.

NUTRITION:
Serving size: 1 breast with salsa

Calories 283 (approx)
Protein 43 g
Total Carbohydrate 16 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g
Sugar 8g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Monosunsaturated Fat 1 g

I found a collection of stories on the Good Housekeeping magazine site of success stories What an accomplishment!! As a person who needs to lose more than half of her size, I really identified with some of these women who had lost half of their body weight.


I really related to this woman because she talks about carrying a laminated photo of herself in her purse. I keep a motivational photo of myself in my wallet so that when I pay for things it really makes me think if there is something I shouldn't buy. When I'm really feeling weak, I look at that photo before I go into a store and just knowing its in there and that I'll have to look at it when I pay keeps me from buying things I don't need to eat.

Here is one story for you to read, you can check out the others at Good Housekeeping

Stats: Karen Ebbesmeyer, 42
Heaviest Weight: 270
Current Weight: 144
Time It Took: 2 years

My Story: When I was in nursing school, I started gaining weight because I'd be up late at night studying — and snacking. Later, with four kids in the house, eating takeout became the norm. Vegetables were practically nonexistent. My husband would say, "We need some veggies on this table," and I'd say, "Go open a can!"

Worst Moment: I walked into a nice clothing store to buy my friend a gift card — but before I could say anything, the salesperson looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, but we don't carry your size here." It was so hurtful. To this day, I still can't bring myself to go into that store.

Turning Point: When I turned 40 two years ago, I decided to get a physical because I have a family history of diabetes. The tests showed that my cholesterol was dangerously high and I was borderline diabetic. My doctor put me on blood pressure medication and said, "Karen, if you don't lose weight, you'll never see your youngest graduate from high school." My little girl was 8 at the time. That was a real eye-opener.

How I Lost It: There was a Weight Watchers meeting near my home in O'Fallon, MO. The team leader made everything seem so doable that I knew I could win this battle. That first weekend, I got rid of all the junk food in our house and told my husband he'd better not bring any Valentine's Day chocolate home! I started to keep a journal of everything I ate, and that's when I realized how quickly those bites, licks, and tastes add up. At the grocery store, my family now buys only healthy, low-cal food. Our taste buds have gotten so used to the lighter versions that my daughter once thought something was wrong with the sour cream until she learned we'd accidentally bought the full-fat kind.

Favorite Tricks: When I'm dining out, I always ask the waiter for a "to go" box before I start eating. That way I can split my portion in half immediately, so I'm not tempted to overindulge. As a bonus, there are tasty leftovers the next day!

What Keeps Me Going: I carry a laminated "before" picture in my purse. Whenever I get a craving for, say, french fries, I look at that photo and think, I can't go back to that. If I just can't resist buying the food, I'll take one bite and trash the rest.

Biggest Payoff: I recently went back to the doctor — and he took me off the blood pressure medication!

Welcome to week 3, our third official check in:

Wow, what a great week!! We have 14 new people joining us this week, some are familiar faces to many of you and there are some new faces too. I know the growing blog roll presents a challenge to give support to everyone so what I’m going to suggest until we can work out the kinks is to first visit the blogs of those who sign into Mr Linky. After a few weeks, I’ll sort through the blog roll to see who isn’t signing in and contact them to see if they still want to be on the blog roll. I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed by the size of the group. We could break the group down into 2 to 3 teams and so you could focus your support efforts there and visit others as and when you find the time? Your feedback is important. This is OUR support challenge.

Don’t forget, Tuesday is check in day, if you can, use Tuesday to blog about the progress you’ve made this past week, tell us about your ups and downs and the healthy things you’ve incorporated into your lifestyle. You can talk about exercise minutes, pounds lost or tell us you are struggling and need some support. That’s what the group is all about.

Also, don’t forget to send articles on: exercise, weight loss, success stories and recipes. If you see a fantastic post by one of your fellow bloggers, please email me to nominate it for our Friday Featured Blogger. If not I’ll have to keep finding the articles and picking the bloggers…won’t that get boring!!

Please join me in welcoming our newest Healthy You Challenge team members.

Battle of the Bulge

Thinking Thin Too

Life Should Be In Stereo

On My *Weigh* Down

Mike Gibbons-Camp

Healthy Honi

Pound Liberation Front

Fat Man Skinny Wallet

The Cake Hole

Tippy Toe Diet

Five Minutes For Me

This Is My Time

Working Out the Kinks

4 Day Win

Welcome everyone! Just be sure to check your link in the blog roll to make sure it works and appears how you intended. If not, just email me and let me know!

Now its Time To Get Started! Just click on Mr Linky to officially sign in and leave your name and URL...

If you aren't on the blog roll, be sure to email me to be added to the blog roll, just signing in doesn't automatically get you on the blog roll: healthyyouchallenge at gmail dot com

don't forget to leave a comment here too!!

Thank You Chubby Chick at GottaLose200Pounds for sharing this article she found on yahoo!

New Year's Weight Loss: 6 Tips on Yahoo! Health
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/8305/new-year-s-weight-loss-6-tips/

It is a time-honored tradition to make resolutions at this time of year. If your resolution is to lose weight - and keep it off, then keep reading! Here are six simple tips that will have you losing weight in a balanced and healthy way.

1. Lose weight with water.
Water is essential for everybody - it is also the key to losing weight. If you haven't been drinking enough water, your body has developed a pattern of storing water. This water retention equals extra unwanted weight.

By drinking more water, you are not only flushing out toxins, you are also teaching your body that it no longer needs to store water. Drink at least 60 ounces of water (about 8 glasses) a day. Boil water and sliced lemons, and drink this throughout the day to help with fluid retention. If you are still not sold on the merits of water, try this on for size: water is a natural appetite suppressant.

2. Soup up your weight loss program.
A simple dietary change will have you shedding pounds: eat a bowl of soup at least once a day. Nutritious, low-salt soups will nourish you as they flush waste from your body. People who eat a serving of soup daily lose more weight than those who eat the same amount of calories but don't eat soup. Go for homemade soup whenever possible, as canned soups are loaded with salt and chemicals.

3. Eat early to keep weight off.
The human body follows a circadian rhythm, which means that the same foods eaten at breakfast and lunch are processed differently than when eaten at dinner. Studies show that when you eat your daily protein and fat at breakfast you tend to lose weight and have more energy; however, eating the same things at dinner tend to increase tendencies toward weight gain. I suggest that you eat your last meal of the day by 7 p.m.

4. Eat smaller meals, more frequently.
Follow an eating schedule with five little meals every day. Eating steadily through the day keeps you from becoming famished and overeating at your next meal. Make a low-fat trail mix from raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, dried plum, and apples and have it available at all times to avoid the tempting lure of high-calorie snacks.

5. Adopt a balanced approach to your diet.
Most of the fad diet programs out there nowadays are extreme in a few recommended foods, or else deprive the body of food altogether. This works in opposition to our metabolism and the results usually don't last, producing a yoyo effect that depresses your metabolic function - not to mention your self-esteem. We are natural beings that need a balance of nutrition from all sources.

Your diet should consist of a balance of organic sources of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Instead of white rice and pasta, opt for brown rice, bulgur, millet, or buckwheat.

Eat more green, chlorophyll-rich foods such as broccoli, kale, spinach, and asparagus. Eliminate candy, sugar, soda, and all simple sugars from your diet. Excess sugar ends up being stored as fat in your body, which results in weight gain. Also, keep dairy to a minimum because most dairy products are high in saturated fat. Avoid fatty foods, processed or fried foods.

6. Walk off the weight.
The No. 1 cause of weight gain is inactivity. Physical activity is the key to speeding up your metabolism and burning excess calories. The best way to be physically active is to use your legs! Walk as often and as long as you can. Always take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Step outside during your break at work and take a walk around your building. Consider joining a local hiking club. Try taking a walk 30 minutes in the morning or 30 minutes in the early evening.

I hope this article helps you shed some pounds and add on the years! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

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keep emailing me articles to share!!

Chubby Chick of Gotta Lose 200 Pounds fame has graciously agreed to be the first blogger featured on our Friday Blogger featured post. Remember, if you'd like to nominate a great post from one of our bloggers, make sure you email me!!!

I recently read one of her posts and while I always say how much alike we are in our weight loss journey, now it seems we have similar ideas about tracking goals but she has taken it one step further and inspired me to do the same.

Check out her recent Calendar Girls post….

So... it seemed like a lot of you liked the idea of getting a calendar and giving yourself a sticker for every day that you are "on plan." I had originally seen the idea posted on some other blogs, and I decided to jump on the wagon, too. Who hasn't wanted to be a "Calendar Girl," right? lol Well... I've never really wanted to BE one... I'd just love to one day actually LOOK good enough to be one. hehe So... go ahead... jump on the wagon and be a "Calendar Girl." It will be fun and motivating. If you do it, post a pic of your calendar at the end of the month, or let us know how many stickers you got. And if you've earned a reward... let us know what that was, too.

HOW?
1. Get a calendar and some stickers.
2. Give yourself a sticker for every "on plan" day.
3. Work out a system of rewards.
4. Post a pic of your calendar at the end of the month.
5. Copy this pic, and post it on your blog along with monthly sticker stats and earned rewards.
7. HAVE FUN!

WOW what a great idea!! When I started exercising I started marking the calendar every day I exercised. Chubby Chick marks her calendar with a sticker for every “on plan” day and worked out a reward system. Visual reminders are such a strong tool. When I look back at my exercise calendar and see the days without the blue dot, it makes me even more determined to reach my goals.

Chubby Chick has taken it a step further by implementing a reward system and starting a club.
Her outline is above!

What a great tool!! I hope everyone grabs a calendar and starts tracking their progress or implements it in a way that works for them. Visual reminders are such an excellent motivator!

So now instead of just putting dots on the calendar, I'm using her sticker and reward system. Because my goals include eating on plan, cardio and strength training, I’m going to use stickers for each of them.

Green: on plan
Red: cardio completed
Blue: strength training

At the end of the week I’m going to add up the number of stickers and pay myself 50 cents for each sticker and at the end of the year, I’m going to use the money for a fabulous spa day or something else fun for ME!!

I also want to figure out a monthly reward, but if you know me, you know thats always been the difficult part for me. I have a hard time rewarding myself. I wonder if anyone else struggles with that?

What do you want to acknowledge and be rewarded for? Don’t want to use stickers? Get different colored markers or just draw a star with a pen. It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy, just a small reminder of your goals and that you are doing a great job!

It doesn’t have to be an expensive calendar; it can be a small one you keep at your desk or even on your refrigerator. You don’t have to share the meaning of the stickers with anyone else if you don’t want to. You can keep it small and private or you can make it large and bold! I use a calendar I’ve downloaded from Microsoft Office. Right about now, 2008 calendars should be going on sale. I’ve even seen decent calendars at the dollar store. So why not use Chubby Chicks idea for a visual tool and play along? It’s fun, it’s easy and it’s a great way to stay motivated!

Thank you for sharing your idea Chubby Chick!!!

Vegetable Lovers Chicken Soup

Welcome to Tasty Thursday…yeah I know, Tasty Thursday, how original LOL. If there is one thing I love on a cold winter day or even a cool winter day, it’s a bowl of hearty soup. I made this recipe last week and even Ken, who doesn’t really care for spinach loved it. My modifications are noted in parenthesis. I like more veggies in my soup and the veggies I added only increased the calories by about 25 per serving but it made the soup very filling and satisfying. It was very easy and ready in under an hour. We topped with fresh ground black pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

The next time I made it, I may omit the chicken and/or pasta and add a can of white cannellini beans. That’s what I love about soup, there are so many ways you can mix it up!

Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup

Classic comfort food is yours, in just slightly more than half an hour. Serve with some crusty whole-grain bread or Garlic-Tomato Toasts and top with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.

Makes 2 servings, 2 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-size chunks
1 small zucchini, finely diced
1 large shallot, finely chopped (I used a small onion)
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
1/8 teaspoon salt (I left this out)
2 plum tomatoes, chopped (I used a can of low sodium petite diced tomatoes)
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup dry white wine*
2 tablespoons orzo (I used whole wheat orzo) or other tiny pasta, such as farfelline
1 ½ cups packed baby spinach

(I also added the following not in the original recipe, I think you could add whatever veggies you like)
2 stocks of celery finely chopped
1 cup of frozen green beans
1 cup of sliced frozen carrots.

Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup Ingredients Cont.

Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add zucchini, shallot(onion), (celery), Italian seasoning and salt and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, wine and orzo (or other tiny pasta), (frozen green beans and carrots); increase heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the pasta is tender, about 8 minutes, or according to package directions. Stir in spinach, the cooked chicken and any accumulated juices from the chicken; cook, stirring, until the chicken is heated through, about 2 minutes.

Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup Instructions Cont.

Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup Tips

Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup Tips Cont.

Vegetable Lover's Chicken Soup Nutrition Information

Per serving: 261 calories; 8 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 72 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 2 g fiber; 355 mg sodium; 483 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (70% daily value), Vitamin C (45% dv), Folate (22% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 3 1/2 very lean meat, 1/2 fat

Recipe and photo courtesy of Eatingwell.com

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/vegetable_chicken_soup.html

* I like to cook with wine but I don’t like to be tempted to drink my calories by having an open bottle in the refrigerator so I buy the small airplane size bottles to keep on hand. Each bottle contains between 1.5 to 2 cups of wine, perfect for recipes. They keep for several weeks and I manage to use up the two cups over the course of a few weeks in recipes. You can omit the wine if you wish.

I don’t know about you but I’m an emotional eater. I eat when I’m happy, I eat when I’m sad, I eat when I’m bored. Emotional eating can zap your motivation quickly so learning to cope with it and recognize emotional eating is a essential step for our success.

One of my favorite places to watch success stories is on the Today Show Joy Fit Club segments with Joy Bauer.

In December I found a great article on the Joy Fit Club site written by Joy Bauer and I wanted to share it with you today. Most of them are just common sense but they are worth revisiting. If you haven’t checked out the success stories over at The Joy Fit Club, you should check them out, there are some amazing people over there that have each lost over 100 pounds.

After the article I posted some motivational quotes to help inspire you. Remember if you know of a great weight loss success or weight loss motivational article; be sure to email it to me so I can share it with the group.

6 strategies to overcome emotional eating

When you eat with your head, not with your stomach, the pounds pour on

By Joy Bauer TODAYShow.com contributor

Emotional eating is when you eat in response to feelings rather than hunger, usually as a way to suppress or relieve negative emotions. Stress, anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, loneliness, relationship problems and poor self-esteem can all trigger emotional eating. When emotions determine your eating habits rather than your stomach, it can quickly lead to overeating, weight gain and guilt.

If you find yourself regularly eating in response to emotions, try to break the habit with some of my strategies below.

Learn to recognize your hunger
Before you automatically pop something into your mouth. Rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being ravenous and 5 being full. Make every effort to avoid eating when you’re a 4 or a 5.

Find alternatives to eating
Prepare a list of activities that are personally appealing and handy. Perhaps go for a walk, call a friend, listen to nostalgic music (anything that brings you back to a happy time), take a hot shower or bath, clean your house, polish your nails, surf the Internet, schedule outstanding appointments, watch something on TiVo, clean your purse, organize your closet, look through a photo album, etc.

Keep a food journal
Logging your food will help to identify your toughest timeframes. It will also make you accountable, so perhaps you’ll be less apt to reach for unnecessary food.

Three-food interference
Make the commitment to first eat three specific healthy foods before starting on comfort foods (i.e., an apple, handful of baby carrots and a nonfat yogurt). If after that, you still want to continue with your comfort foods, give yourself permission. However, most of the time, the three foods are enough to stop you from moving on.

Exercise regularly
Daily exercise relieves stress and puts you in a positive mindset, which provides greater strength to pass on the unhealthy fare.

Get enough sleep
Research shows that sleep deprivation can increase hunger by decreasing leptin levels, the appetite-regulating hormone that signals fullness. Furthermore, with adequate sleep, you’ll be less tired and have more resolve to fight off the urge to grab foods for comfort.

Motivational Quotes:

Unknown Author:
Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can.

Vince Lombardi:
It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up.

Winston Churchill:
Never, never, never, never give up.

Eleanor Roosevelt.:
No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi:
Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock.

Horace: Rule your mind or it will rule you.

Benjamin Franklin
You may delay, but time will not.

David Viscott
You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.

Eleanor Roosevelt
You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

Lee Iacocca
You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance.

Unknown Author
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.

Unknown Author
You don't realize how strong a person really is until you see them at their weakest moment.

Welcome to our first official check in for the Healthy You Challenge!! We are off to a great start and if you haven't read yesterday's post that outlines our posting schedule, now is a great time to do so.

Just make sure you see your b