Eating Healthy Desserts

It’s time for Friday’s Fit and Healthy Lifestyle Tip

Today’s Tip: Eating Healthy Desserts

It’s important to be eating healthy desserts if you want to meet your weight loss and fitness goals.  When most people think of dessert they don’t think it’s possible to do it in a healthy way because dessert is usually looked at as being cookies, ice cream, brownies, etc.  Not so healthy choices!

You don’t have to give up eating dessert and CAN keep your healthy eating style by making smart dessert choices.  Here are some smart dessert choices that come to my mind.

  • 1/2-1 cup juice on ice (my favorite is Cranberry)
  • fruit and yogurt
  • cup of tea
  • popcorn
  • sorbet
  • jello

To be honest, dessert is MY biggest downfall and has always been.  I would really like to stop and be able to focus on changing that especially by making better dessert choices or none at all.  It’s so ingrained in me that I need to have a dessert every night.  I have tried to be mindful of that lately and within the last week I skipped THREE nights of dessert.  That was a great achievement!

How many nights a week do you have dessert and what do you eat?  AND What is your top tip for eating healthy desserts?

I found a yummy sounding recipe on Juliet’s blog (she has another link in that post to another dessert recipe that sounds good) and I’m happy to know I am not the only fan of dessert.  I’m thinking this cookbook with healthy dessert recipes is right up my alley because I need all the help I can get *wink*

 

Weekly Weigh In: February 18

Still haven’t really gotten a final weight but I’m not going to worry too much about it.  I really want to focus more on inch loss, working out and eating right because it’s been driving me crazy that it seems my numbers keep going up.  So, I’m going to say everything stayed the same this week and we’ll see what next week brings.

Current Weight: 217
Goal Weight: 135-140
Pounds left to go: 70+

I wonder if I should add my starting weight and how many pounds I have lost to this weekly weigh in.  Those numbers are pretty incredible to me although I think I have been hard on myself and holding myself back since I gained back 30+ lbs.  I was at one time at an all time low of 187 and I want to get back there.  Just gotta make some more lifestyle changes to help me get there.

Thanks for ‘listening’ to me talk to myself LOL

How did you do this week?  Check in!  Stay accountable.

 

Menu Plan Monday: February 16

Menu Plan Monday is here with a giveaway at Org Junkie

Monday-
Turkey Chili (pre-cooked Sunday)

Tuesday-
Potato Gnocchi w/Ratatuille (we have never had this before but hubs saw it at Trader Joe’s and wanted to try it)

Wednesday-
Breakfast for Dinner (eggs, toast, etc.)

Thursday-
Spaghetti, homemade sauce w/ground turkey and biscuits

Friday-
Pork Chops, veggie, baked beans

What is on your meal plan this week? Oh and don’t forget to enter to win some yummy looking Fiber Gourmet pasta on my friend Gina’s blog

Meal Planning 2.0

 

Daily exercise log for the week

Had a pretty good week except I could not pull myself out of bed today for spin class.  Terrible headache and I’m still trying to catch up on the sleep I lost Wednesday night.  I was up pretty much all night wide awake and it was horrible.  So today hubs also has a headache and we just decided to stay home and get as much sleep as possible.  So here you have my workouts for the week.

Stats for the Week of February 9-15 2009

Monday-

*Strength Training
12 lb body bar, 3 sets of 12

*Spin class (Endurance)
Time: 57:46
Calories burned: 1019

Tuesday-

*Walk Outside
Time: 30 minutes

Wednesday-

*Elliptical
Time: 10:32
Miles: 1.01
Calories burned: 226

*Spin class (Interval)
Time: 59 minutes
Calories burned: 1112

Thursday- Day Off

Friday-

*Walk outside
Time: 30 minutes

Saturday-Happy Valentine’s Day

*Spin class (Interval, pretty much a class of all jumps WOW)
Time: 1 hr. 11 minutes
Calories burned: 1223

Sunday- Day Off

How did your week go?

 

Bloggy Love: Kath Eats Real Food (KERF)

It’s time for me to announce the very first Bloggy Love award

Bloggy Love

The recipient of my first Bloggy Love award is Kath from Kath Eats Real Food (KERF).  I can’t tell you exactly how I came across Kath’s blog but I’m so glad I did.  Kath and her blog have been an inspiration to me in many ways.  Since starting to read her blog back in 2008, I have been more adventurous with food.  She inspired me to make some yummy salads, try Larabar Fruit & Nut Food Bars, Almond Butter, Chobani greek yogurt and the list goes on.  Look at one thing she inspired me to make.  A large salad with grilled veggies.

Kath has me intrigued at the notion of food blogging so maybe one day!

Oh and I should probably tell you that I had the GREAT pleasure of meeting Kath in Chicago last November when she and other bloggers were in town for a Quaker Oats sponsored event (here are some pictures that Kev took of meet-up).  Kath is just as real in person as she is on her wonderful blog.  Here is a picture of us together.

Kath and another blogger (next month’s Bloggy Love recipient) have been instrumental in showing me that it can be fun to eat while being healthy at the same time.  I don’t think I have ever eaten so much oatmeal in my life but the variety of oatmeal toppings that is shared on their blogs is amazing.  I especially enjoy adding Almond/Peanut butter to my oatmeal now.  Yum!

I really enjoy how Kath and her hubby Matt enjoy their time together.  Their relationship stands out to me as one that is so loving and adventurous much like Kev and myself.  I would love to be able to hop on bikes like they do to get around town!

There are so many great things to find at Kath’s blog, you really need to check it out.  There are ton of awesome recipes and you don’t want to miss her famous “chandelier” coffee.  It’s the talk of the Internet on other food blogs.  And Kath even has her own KERF blog logo store. Sometime I want to get the bowl, apron and of course a magnet.  How fun!

Get on over to Kath’s blog, Kath Eats Real Food and you’ll see why she got the Bloggy Love award from me.  I’m sure she will inspire you as much as she has inspired me.

Don’t forget to feel the bloggy love and share the award with some of your favorite bloggers and be sure to come back here to share the link.

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

My Top Ten Reasons to Exercise

Ready for Friday’s Fit and Healthy Lifestyle Tip?

Today’s Tip: Top Ten Reasons to Exercise

Exercise is very important!  Before 2005, I never really used to exercise and never thought in my wildest dreams that I would crave it like I do today.  I always feel so good after I exercise and wanted to share with you my top ten reasons to exercise.

  1. More energy and focus
  2. Weight Loss
  3. Inch Loss
  4. Variety
  5. Sleep Better
  6. Reduce Stress
  7. Self Confidence
  8. Improve Posture
  9. Boost Immune System
  10. Muscle Strength/Bone Strength

Feel free to read the full article on my Top Ten Reasons to Exercise where I go more in depth into my reasons for exercising.

What are some of the reasons why you exercise?