Everyone noticed I'm skinnier!

I feel great.

I don’t have a sweet tooth anymore.  I stopped eating ice creams.   Now, You could put one of my favorite cookie  and I would not even have the urge to eat it  

My cravings for sweet things are gone.  

I am full of energy now.  I literally go non stop all day and I don’t have crashes.

People started notice that I'm losing weight. 

No workouts for few days!

I'm si sick ...
A whole week without exercise , rolls ... lying under quilt  and consuming  junk food . Moreover my friend brought me a doughnut !

From lazy to fit! I did it!

Now, I eat a healthy foods, I mean fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nonfat dairy, and lean protein like fish or tofu. Had you told me that I’d be eating like this a year ago, I would have laughed in your face.

I dreamed to be a runner, but I couldn't exercise for 60 seconds or so without  wanting to throw my body on the pavement and stop, i took part a ten mile race in a year. I ran 9.5 miles straight without stopping!

Remember about stairs!

Why not taking the stairs?! Sometimes, if you’re carrying million groceries or you are injured, that's fine. But other than that, there’s absolutely no excuse to take the elevator. , I had a  50 pound suitcase and I  used the stairs, since I was away from the gym, it was the great mini exercise.

Healthy edition of toasts

The morning meal with avocado, tomato and basil on crispy  toast with mixed of olive oil . Monounsaturated Fatty have  anti-inflammatory properties and they  release a constant level of energy . This breakfast is so tasty , that it may be your lunch too .

Weekend is the hardest!

On Saturday few friends visited me and and I  ended up parting . It was great! . Instead of drinking small amounts of wine , I was drinking beer and unfortunately I ordered pizza! . And it's hard return to healthy diet after that!

 

Going on a diet

I'm starting new diet: done with eating too much, feel emotions, don’t eat when not hungry, eat right food,calculate calories, start food diary, workout a lot, done wit candies, less flour, more protein, less butter, more vegetables, more fruit.  I would be  new,. A better version of myself. 

Not finished run

The truth is that I didn't run  over the last few weeks will will have a lot to do, but the main cause is my diet. I have been consuming fewer carbohydrates, there isn’t as much glucose stored in my muscles, and I failed to complete my exercise

If you read my blog, you’ll know I'm not a fun of low carb diets or any other kind of prescribed diet plan, I’m just eating a  healthy balanced diet.

Healthy snack. Does it always have to be carrot for dougnut?

No one can deny that a healthy diet requires  many sacrifices and it's always associated with a struggle against bad food habits often strongly established in childhood. 
 The most discouraging for me was the awareness that I must say GOODBYE FOREVER to all my favourite tasty snacks like cakes, chips and candies.  
Sometimes I thought: Why should I bother? One day I will reach for candy bar anyway and I will ruin all my efforts again. 
 My weight loss struggle seems to be never ending story....However, If you are even one step further from the beginner as I am , so you probably know that healthy lifestyle is something more. I want to share cool info graphics with You, it has funny title Does it always have to be Carrot for Doughnut? but it's uplifting for junk food lovers:) trying to lose weight:

Tasty Dinner with Rice

RICE is a perfectly digestible grain, rich in protein and carbohydrates and low in fats. There are so many different kinds of rice, that I decided to check calories in rice, actually in most popular: white rice, brown rice and wild rice on CalorieCalc.net  
Besides advantageous calorie count result,  rice is a source of potassium. It has a lot of vitamins of the B group, which has a beneficial effect on the nervous system. It is recommended for those with inflammation of the stomach and intestines, kidney diseases and urinary tract, in convalescence after surgery. Rice does not contain gluten, it can be given to infants and small children. Brown rice is recommended to people suffering from constipation and obesity.

 Casserole with rice, vegetables and cheese

• 11 oz (300 grams) of ripe tomatoes
• 11 oz (300 grams) of eggplant
• 14 oz (400 g) of zucchini
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, cut into slices
• 3.5 oz (100 g) of raw rice for risotto (or plain white rice)
• 250 ml of water or broth
• 250 ml tomato puree
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
• 7 oz (200 g) grated cheese


Peel the tomatoes,  cut into cubes and put into a bowl. Cut the eggplant and zucchini   into larger cubes. Preheat the oven to 390 degrees of F. 
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onion and fry it on a low heat stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and after a minute add the eggplant and fry it for about 3 - 4 minutes.
Add the rice and after a minute add the water or broth. Bring it to a boil, add the tomato puree, season with salt and pepper, pour the olive oil . Boil for one minute and then add the tomatoes, zucchini and parsley. After a minute put into a greased casserole dish.
Close the dish and put into the oven for 35 minutes. Open the dish, sprinkle with grated cheese, cover, and then put in the oven for 20 minutes. If you like the cheese to be golden brown, last 10 minutes  bake the casserole uncovered.

Nordic Walking- way to burn even more calories

It is so hard to lead an active lifestyle in winter.This time of the year I would jump under the blanket and stay indoors if I could:). However, due to my weight-loss and healthy living promises, I try to go for a walk every day. I recently found a video about Nordic walking, which allows you to burn even more calories and evolves  90% of muscles of your body. I need to try it, I'm sure it's going to make walking more interesting too:)

My Weight Loss Motivating Comparison

When I think chocolate cake...... It is so hard not to resist. Then I try to find a perfect "weight loss motivating comparison" for example:
Calories in chocolate cake versus calories in Strawberries :)

In addition, I realize that after so many strawberries I really lose interest in snacking for a longer while, but after eating one piece of cake, I really desire to reach for a second one :)

Mexican Dip Recipe for Super Bowl by Jeanette

I love dips and this one is so delicious. I founded it on one of my favourite healthy living blogs:) :Jeanettes Healthy Living

Healthy Sandwich even for Those on a Diet:)

Who wouldn't be tempted by a delicious sandwich?  
The only dilemma for those on a diet is a frightening amount of calories in bread.  
  
When I choose whole-grain bread it doesn't make a difference when it comes to amount of calories comparing to other types of bread, but I keep in mind the power of glycemic index, and my huge temptation for a tasty sandwich:)  
Therefore, I choose a sandwich that will keep my appetite under control :)

 2 slices of bread
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of horseradish sauce or mayonnaise
• pieces of smoked salmon
• 1 hard-boiled egg
• a few leaves of arugula
• freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

Hard Boiled Egg Curry

Brilliant, vegetarian, quick, healthy recipe with Eggs
 Yummy!!!

Eggs are a vitamin bomb:

• vitamine D (needed for healthy bones and teeth), 
• choline (essential for normal development of the brain and memory), 
• foliate (important if you are pregnant or intending to get pregnant), 
• calcium (for healthy bones and teeth), 
• iron and selenium.

I found this amazing recipe on one of the most inspirational blogs:

http://www.carascravings.com/2013/01/hard-boiled-egg-curry.html

Slimming with Swimming :)

My friend wants me to visit the pool regularly with her. I love the water and swimming,  however, I still don't  feel so comfortable wearing a swimsuit.
 
On the other hand, the number of calories burn in swimming, which I checked in the calorie burning calculator is very satisfactory :)  

and I love the comparison of the amount of calories burned in 45 minutes  swimming with the amount of calories in 18 carrots :)

Maybe I should jumped to the water as soon as I come out the locker room and stay there all the time:)

 

Healthy PIZZA on wonder crust:)

I found a healthy PIZZA alternative:) All you need is:

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

4 cups raw cauliflower rice
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup soft goat cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400F.
2. To make the cauliflower rice, pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved.
3. Fill a large pot with about an inch of water, and bring it to a boil. Add the “rice” and cover; let it cook for about 4-5 minutes. Drain into a fine-mesh strainer.
4. THIS IS THE SECRET: Once you’ve strained the rice, transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! It’s amazing how much extra liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry pizza crust.
5. In a large bowl, mix up your strained rice, beaten egg, goat cheese, and spices. (Don’t be afraid to use your hands! You want it very well mixed.) It won’t be like any pizza dough you’ve ever worked with, but don’t worry– it’ll hold together!
6. Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It’s important that it’s lined with parchment paper, or it will stick.) Keep the dough about ⅓” thick, and make the edges a little higher for a “crust” effect, if you like.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400F. The crust should be firm, and golden brown when finished.
8. Now’s the time to add all your favourites– sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you like. Return the pizza to the 400F oven, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
9. Slice and serve immediately!

I found it on very inspirational blog:  http://detoxinista.com/2012/01/the-secret-to-perfect-cauliflower-pizza-crust

Real Italian Spaghetti Feast

I love Italian food - PASTA, PASTA & PASTA:), but unfortunately the number of calories in pasta does not allow me to eat it every day. I love spaghetti, so I learned how to reduce the amount of calories in my favourite meal, and make it right for my weight loss diet. Plus I got a great and healthy recipe for Spaghetti with Tuna and Tomato sauce from my friend who cooked it in Italy :)
 
What I need:
Olive oil
Large onion 
Few cloves of garlic 
Tomato sauce or canned tomatoes in sauce (preferably Italian production) 
Can of tuna in olive oil
Salt

Freshly grounded pepper 

Hot pepper powdered
Dried oregano
Dried basil 

Pasta - choose whole wheat pasta, this way your blood sugar doesn't rise so rapidly after eating spaghetti

Preparation:
Cook pasta al dente.
In the mean time, glaze the onion in olive oil, then add crushed garlic. Wait few minutes and add tomato sauce. When the sauce starts to bubble, add the tuna and season with salt, pepper, powdered hot pepper, oregano and basil. 

Your delicious meal is ready!

Replacing meat for tuna and using whole wheat pasta your spaghetti loses only the amount of calories, keeping its taste :)

Lunchbox Snacks

Love the ideas ! It seems to be really easy to prepare those lunchboxes and have it with me when I'm on the run:) I promised myself that today I will go shopping, and I'm definitely going to buy lots of food products so I can make different lunchbox snacks for each day:)  

 Source: http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2012/08/27/over-100-healthy-delicious-easy-lunchbox-snack-ideas/

Walking or running for weight loss?

Everywhere I hear how quickly and easily you can lose weight and shape your body by running .... but running itself is not that easy exercise ... at least not for me. I get tired very quickly, I get short of breath .... even if I exercise regularly at home, I still can not handle running.
In the end, I started to walk very quickly, almost jogging ....
As I love to count calories, because it motivates me to exercise and eat healthy I checked how many calories I burn while walking in my favorite Calories Calculator - CalorieCalc.net.
While 45 minutes of walking I can burn the amount of calories that are in one doughnut or chocolate bar!!! Wow, before eating a doughnut I should remember how long do I have to work for that minute of forgetfulness:)

What to do when the fruits aren't sweet enough :)

Swapping sweets for fruits slowly stops working .... My body calls for sugar, sugar in the worst form that can be :) What to do not to give in to this huge temptation?
I have to realize what I'm really craving for: I probably would love to eat a doughnut or tasty pie :) So get to work. I'm baking a super delicious Whole Wheat Banana -Pumpkin Bread.
By the way I love bananas, it could be the only fruit I eat, but checking the number of calories in banana I should not go overboard with the number of bananas eaten everyday:)

Whole Wheat Banana -Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
• 150 g (2/3 cup) of roasted pumpkin (weighed after cooking)
• 2 cups of flour  (one glass of whole meal flour and one glass of wheat or rye flour)
• 1 and 1/2 cup of oatmeal + for baking pan sprinkling
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• 50 g (3.5 tablespoons) of malted butter
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup of liquid honey
• 2 tablespoons of jam (pineapple)
• 2 eggs
• 1 large banana
• 3 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds



Cut pumpkin into 1 inch cubes, sprinkle with sea salt, place in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil or oil and mix it. Put the pumpkin on a baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 60 minutes. (If you bake the fewer pumpkin chunks, shorten the cooking time, pumpkin can not brown on the bottom. Pumpkin bakes 1 hour when the whole sheet is densely covered with chunks of pumpkin. When the pumpkin pieces are loosely spread out on a baking tray, it may happen that in the middle of the cooking time, pumpkin will be ready).

Preheat the oven to 340 degrees. Sprinkle your baking pan with olive oil , and flour mixed with oatmeal.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon.

Melt the butter and pour into a second large bowl, add the olive oil, honey, jam, eggs and cut banana into slices. Banana and pumpkin mash with a fork and then mix together all the ingredients. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix briefly and gently with a spoon.

Put the mixture into the prepared baking pan and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Put in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes.

Bon appetit!

My breakfast needs to be OATMEAL only:)

Eaten for breakfast provide us with vitamin B6, which improves memory and concentration. Vitamin B1 and pantothenic acid prevents from feeling of tiredness and irritability.
Oatmeal is great for people on a diet and more!
Fiber contained in oat products, speeds up metabolism, but it also gives a feeling of fullness for a long time. In addition, fiber reduces levels of bad LDL cholesterol and prevents from sudden decrease in blood sugar.

If you like the taste to be more intense, you might want to add some nuts, dried or fresh fruits to your oatmeal:) I found great Strawberry & Goji Muesli recipe you can add to your perfect breakfast:)

Yoga for your weight loss?

I actually hate exercising. It is really hard for me to get up early in the morning and do jogging. Evening exercises are impossible too, because I'm so tired after usually busy and long day ....
An exercise I will possibly accept needs to be really short without driving to the gym, which makes me lose time in a traffic and other stuff you should do when you go out.
I heard Yoga is really good, but not so effective when you think particularly about weight loss. I did some research and I found out that there is a type of Yoga exercises that are typically for weight loss!  I found also a 30 minute Yoga workout for weight loss It looks a little bit hard, some exercises are actually too hard, because I'm still too heavy....but who knows  I might like it..... hopefully..... I will start and try to exercise 3 times a week and we will see what's going to happen:)

Loving PIZZA on the diet:)

I don't know anybody who doesn't love PIZZA:) That is the one of my biggest temptations to which it is really difficult for me to say goodbye. That is why I'm looking for the way I can  still enjoy pizza sometimes ....without feeling guilty....
Amount of calories in Pizza  can be really really high, but I compared calories in Pepperoni Pizza and Veggie Pizza on my favorite calorie counter - CalorieCalc.net  and it looks I found the way.....
 I checked calories in pizza, and amount of fat and carbohydrates as well, you can check the results. 
Adding some veggies and giving up pepperoni reduces significantly amount of calories, fat and carbohydrates!!!
In the beginning of my diet I decided to have 1 veggie pizza (1 mean 2 to 3 slices) without having any remorse I broke my weight loss goals!

Weight loss and my never ending struggle

I can admit now, that being skinny is a never ending struggle.... You have to eat right and exercise, but I need to enjoy it, because if I don't, I am sure that one day I'm going to disregard all my  goals and efforts.... I need to change my diet, I need to exercise, but I need to enjoy my new healthy lifestyle. That is the only way it's going to work for me.....:)