Continuing to Move Forward!

 

10.5 Pounds Lost - 10/23/12

 

 

Well, friends, the journey continues! I'm happy to report that I am down 2.5 more pounds, which brings me to a weight of 316.5, and a grand total of 10.5 pounds lost in a little over three weeks! I'm very pleased with my process so far, but I am even more thankful for how God is giving me the strength to overcome temptations, one small victory at a time!

 

It's hard for me not to reflect back on my past victories in weight loss when I was living in Canada. When I was on my plan and meeting regularly with a weight-loss coach, I had lost 20 pounds by my Week 3 Weigh-in. I am fighting hard to not be discouraged when I lost less this time around. I know that conditions and surroundings have changed. I do not have that face-to-face accountability like I did before. I've been enduring the stress of transition, even after living in the US for a year now. The list goes on.

 

But even with all the changes happening around me, there are positives that come with that. I am learning, slowly, how to make healthy, lasting lifestyle changes. I have had amazing people surrounding me, loving me and cheering me on with every step of this leg of the journey. Though I have reached a point where I am ridiculously out-of-shape, I am starting back into exercising regularly, one small victory at a time.

 

So, in looking back, yes, I lost more in the past, so I need to be patient with myself this time around. I need to remind myself that I am losing this weight for good, and I am changing the way I think and feel about myself and the food I eat, so that I can be healthy and happy as the person God has created me to be, and so that I can take greater care of the "temple" that is my body.

 

I am continuously reminding myself of the words of wisdom my dear friend gave to me: "Small victories matter!" But beyond that, I am reminding myself that "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength!" (Philippians 4:12)

 

The journey continues...

 

Until Next Time,

Chels <3

Nog For The Noggin'...AND The Waistline! :-)

I've been experimenting with recipes from Hungry Girl, and it has been really helping me to educate myself on nutritional value, and things to look for in the food I eat. With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, I've begun to crave one of my favorite Holiday treats...EGG NOG! Egg Nog is always in huge supply around the Gallant household at Christmastime, and I will easily go through glasses and glasses of it in the run of a day!

But what has stopped me in my tracks is the staggering amount of calories, fat, carbs and sugar you'll find in just ONE glass of delicious nog!! I know that HG has done it's own research, but I will show you what I found on the LiveStrong website:

*GASP* "Do you see what I see??" 343 Calories, 19g of Fat, 137mg of Sodium, 34g of Carbs, and a whopping 24.4g of Sugar. That's in just 1 glass of nog!! WHOA!!

Well, Hungry Girl has some good news for "nog addicts" like me! Here is a recipe I found for "No-Nonsense Nog" from their website! 

Now, are you seeing what I'm seeing?!?! For 1 cup, 98 Calories, 2g Fat, 13g Carbs and 6g Sugar! Now there is one small downside to this recipe: the Sodium. Unfortunately, while all other nutritional values are cut down dramatically, the sodium has gone up considerably. So if you are trying to watch your sodium intake, you might want to approach with caution...and drink plenty of water! :-)

A bit skeptical about how it might taste? Let me assure you, that I have tried this recipe, and it looks, smells and tastes EXACTLY like Egg Nog! It's actually a little frightening how similar they are! I even had my friend Ashley try it, and she agreed! And she is also an Egg Nog enthusiast! :-)

So, give it a try! You just might be surprised by how tasty it is! 

Bon Apétit!

Chels <3

"Turkey-Fied" Santa Fe Chicken

Hey all! I've had a couple of requests for this recipe that Megan and I tried the other night, so here it is!! This is a recipe I found on Pinterest, and it comes from Skinnytaste, a low-fat cooking and Weight Watcher's friendly website!

Note that the nutritional value will change a little bit because of the ingredients I've added, but not by much! Try it! And let me know what you think!

Stay tuned for the next experiment!

Until Next Time,
Chels

Finding My Way Back...

My purpose for writing this blog is to document, and to watch the transformation that my body is experiencing, as I learn to make new and healthier lifestyle choices. This has been a long journey, but it took me a long time to get to where I am, and it will take time to get back to being the "Me" that I was created by God to be: healthy, happy, and confident in her Creator!

So, here's where the journey begins:

 

 

I'm baring all, friends. This is me, at my current heaviest weight, of 327 pounds. The reason I'm sharing this with you right now, is because I want you to watch with me, as I work my way down to my goal weight: 160 pounds. My original goal is to reach that weight by 2014, but quite frankly, I will work as long as I have to in order to reach that goal. I have been overweight almost all of my life, and it's time for me to stop that cycle. It ends here.

 

So, my friends, watch along with me, pray with me, rejoice with me, mourn with me, push me to be the best that I can be, so that I can find my way back to being the "Me" that God has made me to be!

 

We can start by rejoicing, because I've already lost 4 POUNDS since I began this leg of the journey last Monday! And the journey continues...

 

Until next time,

Chels <3