Mono and Weight Loss: Do They Mix?

Mono and Weight Loss: Do They Mix?

Apparently, YES! As you know, I previously started a 60 day slimdown and promised to take you on my journey. Little did I know that I would contract mono in the last week of Month 1. Sad day.

And little did I know that I would STILL see results with zero exercise, lots of laying around on my bum (i.e. resting!), and continuing my healthy diet (complete with sweet cece's tart froyo ice cream in moderation of course).

I have heard that missing a week or two of an exercise program shouldn't hinder your weightloss as long as you continue to eat clean. But let's get real, that sounds BOGUS. At least, it did to me. If you've ever truly had mono, you know that it is just physically impossible to exercise. You're exhausted. Couple that with having a baby that is nowhere near sleeping through the night and I was for sure not going near a treadmill.

So, BE ENCOURAGED! YOU CAN STILL LOSE WEIGHT/INCHES IF YOU "FALL OFF THE BANDWAGON" (the exercise bandwagon that is. You still, "Gotta eat your spinach. babbbyyyyyy")

Although the results weren't monumental, numbers still were going down. In the 3 weeks that I had mono I lost 5 pounds. Here are my stats after my bout with mono:

Weight: 192
Arm: 13 in (1/2 inch lost)
Chest: 38 in ( 1. 5 inches lost)
Neck: 33.25 in (.25 in lost)
Waist: 33.25 (.25 in lost)
Hips: 44.5 (.5 in gained)
*everything else was the same

2 inches total and 5 pounds lost. YEEHAW! I'd say that's better than gaining wouldn't you?

Here's the pics...

                                                    YAY!!! NO MORE MONO!!!!

                                                             

Stay tuned for the end of my 60 day slimdown next month!

60 Day Slimdown!

You all know how I'm all about nutrition, exercise, and healthy living. Well, let's get real. I thought I'd post a part of my journey of getting my body back after pregnancy. I am determined to do it the healthy way. Many of you know I lost 90 pounds a few years back from a full on eating disorder. Now I want to prove to everyone out there that it can be done HEALTHILY. The RIGHT way.  Boy has it been a ride so far! I gained 56 pounds when I was pregnant (ok maybe more. After I hit 212 I decided not to weigh myself anymore). During my entire pregnancy I exercised with Lindsay Brinn's workouts which are specifically designed for prego's. She also has post natal workouts (which I am doing now).

Honestly, I have been quite discouraged because I thought I would get my body back sooner rather than later. I thought, "Oh I'm such a healthy eater and I exercise 45 minutes per day, etc. etc. etc.". NOPE! Hello reality! Nice to meet you. In case you didn't know already, pregnancy will do WHATEVER it decides to your body. Maybe you are lucky and only gained 10 pounds and looked back to your pre-prego self weeks after baby. (If so, count your blessings mama!)

Currently I am doing the 60 day slim-down workouts with Lindsay Brinn. I took my measurements at the beginning of the month and took pictures. Then I deleted them. (I had NO idea that I had that much back fat going on back there!) So here is a picture of me about a week before Micah was born. Looks like I have an alien in my belly! Nope...its precious baby Micah.

Here are my measurements for when I started the 60 day slim down (which was almost 4 months postpartum)

Arm: 13 in
Chest: 40 in
Waist: 34.5 in
1" below Belly button: 43
Hips: 45.5
Thigh: 27
Calf: 16
WEIGHT: 198.4

Now here are my measurements 3 weeks after the slim-down
Arm: 12.5 in
Chest: 39.5 in
Waist: 33.5 in
1" below belly button: 41.5
Hips: 44
Thigh: 26
Calf: 15
WEIGHT: 196.8

As you can see, I didn't even lose a full 2 pounds yet I lost 6 INCHES! That's progress. I don't look anywhere near where I'd like to but for not even 5 months postpartum I guess this will do. The Lord is humbling me in this process and I'm learning to give myself grace. Stay tuned for next month's results :)

Skinny Girl Blueberry Muffins

I  L-O-V-E this recipe from Bethenny Frankel's Skinny girl dish book. Its a great book with great tips and recipes. She actually gives a recipe for blueberry muffins. WAY healthier than the ones you buy at Starbucks.

* In fact I just paused to make some for myself and the hubs since he's been bad and eating gluten products (he's intolerant)

RECIPE: makes 6-8 muffins

1 1/4 cups oat flour (I don't buy oat flour. Its cheaper to just buy the oats and grind them as you go. I just buy the gluten free oats but you can buy regular if you're not gluten intolerant)
1tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup soy milk
2 Tablespoons buter (we use earth balance non-dairy its yum!)
3/4 teaspoon  real vanilla
3/4 cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients to dry. Stir in blueberries
3. Use an ice-cream scoop and scoop into greased muffin tin. Bake 20 minutes, rotating at 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

Healthier Orange Julius

Everyone loves a cold and icy orange julius right? Well, I've created a healthier spin on the snack to make it balanced with protein and ZERO sugar (Did you know that sugar is just as addictive, if not more, as cocaine and heroin? Check out this article:
 http://articles.nydailynews.com/2008-12-12/entertainment/17912875_1_sugar-dopamine-sweet-addiction

RECIPE

* Take one large handful of ice and put it in a blender

* Add Orange Juice until it is almost covering the ice

* Add one scoop of Vanilla WHEY Protein Powder (can find this practically anywhere. Buy the organic if you can)

* Add 1 Tsp of vanilla

BLEND AND VOILA! 

* You can also add a dash of milk if you'd like but in my opinion you don't really need it

Organic- Dairy Free Strawberry Pie

It took me awhile to start my first post because I wasn't sure what it should be about! Last Sunday my husband and I (along with some cool friends) went Strawberry pickin' at a farm nearby. We came home with 2 gallons of freshly-picked strawberries and I had enough to make some no sugar added Strawberry Jam.  (side note: Splenda is a sugar! Look at the ingredients and for a blog coming up about Splenda and how much I dislike it along with other "sugar-free" sugars). I used fruit juice in place of sugar and it turned out O-Mazing!

Since I'm currently 5 1/2 months pregnant and bored out of my mind at the house, I decided to go overboard and surprise my husband with a Gluten-free Dairy-free Strawberry Pie. And I'm  SOOO glad I did! It was super yummy and even my Dad gobbled it up after I told him it was a healthy version. :) And don't worry, you don't have to have a gluten-free crust. See ingredients below. And I figured since it was a healthier version, I added a scoop of Breyer's Slow Churned 1/2 the fat Vanilla ice-cream (TIP # 1: BUY THIS BRAND OF ICE-CREAM- IT'S THE MOST NATURAL OUT OF ALL THE ICE-CREAM BRANDS excluding organic brands/versions. If you have the money for that and don't need to be a frugal foodie or have a coupon...by all means buy the organic).

I think its great that my first blog about dessert because it shows that I really believe that all things are good in moderation. If you can make a few substitutions for all of your recipes, your previous unhealthy recipes can become pretty darn healthy! You still have to keep in mind the rule of moderation. It probably wouldn't be "healthy" to eat this Strawberry Pie everyday. It's amazing what delicious things can happen with substitutions. It's my one secret...

So back to the Strawberry Pie....

BEFORE PIC....

I found a recipe online that had main ingredients like white flour, white sugar, butter, store-bought pie crust. So....

INSTEAD OF:
White Flour
* I used OAT FLOUR (Red Mill is a great brand and can be found at Whole Foods. It's a splurge, but you can make your own oat flour by grinding oats until they are as fine as flour). Its a super tasty, healthier, flour and is gluten-free.
* If it's too far a stretch you could use WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR as well and its cheaper (can be found at Walmart)
White sugar
* I used ORGANIC TURBINADO RAW CANE SUGAR (found at Publix and had a coupon. Can find at Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joes).
* If you are needing a sugar-free pie please DO NOT USE SPLENDA OR ANY OTHER ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER. THEY ARE HORRIBLE FOR YOUR BODY!
* Instead, try using Stevia (also called Truvia), which is a natural, plant based sweetener that is calorie free and is not, nor does it contain sugar (like Splenda and other artificial sweeteners that lie to you and call themselves sugar free)
note: I have not used Stevia in this pie and do not what it will taste like but plan on making another with Stevia. It is VERY sweet so you might have to reduce the amount
Butter
* I used EARTH BALANCE ORGANIC BUTTERY SPREAD which is dairy and soy free. Best bought at Trader Joe's as its less expensive there. It contains an expeller-pressed natural oil blend and I love it.
Store bought Pie Crust
* I still used a store bought Pie Crust but I bought a gluten-free pie crust for Ben and it was pretty nice.
* You can buy ALL-NATURAL PIE CRUST from Trader Joes and I suggest that you do because often the pie crusts from other stores contain things that are NOT good for you (like partially hydrogenated oils and other ingredients you can't announce).

FINALLY....

HERE"S THE.....RECIPE!

ORGANIC STRAWBERRY PIE

Ingredients

• 1 pie crust
• 3/4 cup Turbinado Raw Cane sugar
• 3/4 cup Oat Flour
• 6 tablespoons dairy free butter spread (Earth Balance)
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
• 1/2 cup Turbinado Raw Cane sugar
• 1/2 cup Oat Flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place a drip pan on lowest shelf to catch pie juices.
2. To Make Topping: In a medium bowl, mix until fluffy the 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup flour, butter-spread, and nutmeg.
3. Place cleaned strawberries in a deep bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and cornstarch. Gently coat berries with this mixture; be careful not to crush berries.
4. Pour berries into prepared pie crust mounding them in the middle; mounding is necessary as the berries will sink as they bake. Cover berries with crumb topping and top crumbs with about 15 pea-sized blobs of butter. Wrap edges of pie crust with foil to prevent burning.
5. Bake pie in preheated oven for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake for an additional 40 minutes. When there are 10 minutes left of baking, sprinkle a little extra sugar over crumb topping and then finish baking.