why don't you put it on the blog?

January was a lucky month for me. I won THREE blog giveaways! (Sorry for hogging. I stopped entering once I got on a roll.) I should do another one of my own soon to pay it forward. By the way, have you entered my Cuties giveaway yet? It ends tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5 pm; get a move on!


My first prize was the book How It All Vegan! by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer. I used to read Becki’s old blog, but when she decided to transition into veganism, she started a fresh new blog — new VEGANnings. When Becki sent me the book, she also sent me some vegan bath soaps as a congrats for hitting my WW goal. What a sweetie! Although I haven’t tried any of the recipes from the book yet, I’m totally pumped to do so. I’ve just been too busy lately for new kitchen adventures. Soon soon.

My second prize was a HUGE box of Salba Smart products that I won from Christy at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. Haven’t heard of Salba Smart products before? I hadn’t either! But I am SO glad that I did. The stats on Salba seeds are astounding.

(Kinda blurry, but I think you get it.)

So far I’ve tried both the organic yellow and blue corn tortilla chips and the medium salsa. EVERYTHING ROCKS! Just as I love chips with flax seeds, I love these products with Salba seeds. There’s just more depth of flavor. Nutty. That’s the word I was looking for. So good. If these products are sold in stores near you, BUY THEM. You won’t regret it.

The third prize I won last month was a SuperSampler Pack of Vitalicious wonderfulness — 20 VitaTops and 4 VitaBrownies. Jealous?!?!? I know I’m jealous of myself for winning them. Thank you, Heather from Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, for hosting such a fab contest! I LOVE VitaTops. Banana Nut is my favorite flavor, but I also really like CranBran. Oh, who am I kidding? I love all the breakfast flavors! The chocolate ones are good (especially warmed up), but I’m definitely partial to the breakfasty ones. I just found out tonight that Banana Nut is sold at my Super Target. HOODIE HOO!

I can’t forget something else huge. I adopted my Norman one year ago! Not only did he become Edwyn’s BFF, but he made me an official cat lady. Seriously, I had two cats at 24 years old. I’m not ashamed of it anymore because I make crazy cat ladyness look gooooood :)

Here’s my little loverpie:

Speaking of cats, I got the CUTEST email the other day from The Black Kitteh. If you don’t follow Tail of Two Kittehs, you should. These Kittehs’ posts make me smile every day. But anyway — the email. (I hope she doesn’t mind that I’m sharing this with y’all, but it made my day!!!)

Thanks so much! Love love love the kittehs.

Before I go, here are some clicktastic links you MUST check out:

• My Cuties giveaway ends soon! (5pm Tuesday) Click HERE to enter.
• The spots for the PriorFatGirl and Future PriorFatGirl Get-together are almost filled, but not quite! If you wanna join the fun, check the deets HERE.
• I was featured last week on ThatsFit.com!!! Click HERE and enjoy :)
  
  I’ll announce the five Cuties winners on Wednesday. Until then, be love.
  
  PS This post’s title comes from Imma Be by the Black Eyed Peas. It’s my jam this week.
  

Orange you gonna enter my giveaway?

BURR BURR BURRRRRRRRR!!! No, that’s not what I scream every time the cold winter air surprises me. It’s the trumpets resounding!

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT TIME.
Three of them, to be exact.

UNO. After six weeks on Maintenance, I am officially a WW Lifetime Member! No more paying monthly fees for this lady! Nuh uh. Never again. Of course not having to pay anymore is a big deal, but there are many more things about this accomplishment that I should be celebrating.

1. I lost 70 pounds and they’re stayin’ off!
2. I knew what I wanted, stuck with it, and met a huge goal. It wasn’t easy sustaining motivation for more than 18 months, but since it had to do with my health and my LIFE, I made ME a priority. I’m happy to be a priority for the rest of my long, healthy life :)
3. I’ve acquired habits that are now part of my lifestyle, not just quick fixes for the time being. For instance, more often than not, I choose lower-cal, nutrient-rich options at restaurants and the grocery store because they just sound tastier, and I actually want to be active several times per week.
4. I feel fantastic. I can just feel my body working more efficiently. My mind is clearer. When I come upon a flight of stairs, I run up them because I can. I can’t help myself!
5. When I look in the mirror, I’m happy with what I see. Can’t ask for more than that, kids.

DOS. Since I’m not paying for WW anymore (maybe I already mentioned that …), I decided to use that money for something else rad and self-improving. I’m continuing with kickboxing class! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Can’t stop thinking about it, actually. I hope my friends don’t get sick of hearing about it because I tend to bring it up a lot.

This hasn’t happened yet, but it’s only a matter of time:

Friend: Hey, Amanda! Haven’t seen you in a while. Let’s meet up and grab a drink or something.
Me: Yeah yeah, sounds good. Speaking of kickboxing … my class rocks!

For you Twin Citians (Mpls/St Paulies? Twin Citiites?) looking to throw a new activity in your mix, you should swing by American Kung-Fu Studio in New Brighton or clicky around on its website … and then decide that it’s awesome and you want to hang chill kick it (literally) with me and my peeps.

This weekend, I think I’m gonna purchase some new shoes (should I have said kicks? too much) strictly dedicated for class.

Thinkin’ about scooping something like these:PUMA Etoile Cat

Or these:

PUMA Etoile

I think I'm more likely to find the first ones (or something similar) in a store, which is what I'd prefer. But I am reeeeaaaalllly diggin' the second ones. A lot. I'd probably need to order those online, though, and I don't know about that. But what do I know anyway?

TRES. GIVEAWAY TIME! I’d like to celebrate my WW Lifetime Membershipness and awesome feelings about life by offering you some Cuties! That’s right, those insanely awesome clementines I boasted about a few weeks ago. After I wrote that post, Cuties contacted me and suggested I offer you — my stellar readers — a great deal. As of today, there are nearly 86 days left of Cuties California mandarin season, so let’s get to it!

Already love Cuties? Been dying to try them but haven’t yet? Wanna score a 3-lb bag of Cuties FO’ FREE?? Of course you do! I’m choosing FIVE lucky winners, so enter your little heart out.


Orange you gonna enter my giveaway?*
Earn one entry per item. (Please leave a separate comment for each.)

1. Visit the Cuties site, learn some fun facts, and come back to tell me why you want your very own bag o’ Cuties.
2. Link to this contest on your blog and/or Facebook. And tell all your friends.
3. Add me to your blogroll!
4. Follow me on Google Reader. If you don’t have that, just promise you’ll add me to your Favorites or Bookmarks list :)

*Cuties are only sold in the United States, the majority of them being available west of the Mississippi River; please only enter if you can find them in stores near you. I will accept entries until 5:00pm on Tuesday, February 9, and I will announce five winners on Wednesday, February 10. Each winner will have 72 hours to email me his or her mailing address.

Wahoo! Great day. Love, Amandarin

Fresh Princess

Update on the GS cookie situ: I purchased four boxes that will be donated to the troops overseas. I was a Brownie back in the dizzle, so I wanted to support the program. I’m sure the troops will appreciate a little taste of home, too :)

No. That’s not my freezer. Thankfully.

When I began Weight Watchers, I relied pretty heavily on prepackaged foods. I usually made a packet of instant oatmeal for breakfast. I ate a frozen meal for lunch every day. I would often microwave a can of soup or another frozen meal for dinner. It was quick. It was easy. It was SAFE.

The nutrition information (and oftentimes the points value) is listed right on the package! How could I go wrong?

Well, it wasn’t really "wrong." But it wasn’t very right either.

Exactly one year ago tomorrow, I eliminated meat from my diet. I also decided around that time that I would focus more on fresh foods and assembling my own meals. I had no idea what my former eating habits were doing to my body. I didn't think about the effects of processed foods at all, actually. I didn’t realize how I USED to feel until my body started responding positively to my new way of life. Examples? Here ya go!

Fresh Food Favors
• Less sodium. Less bloating. Nuf said.
• Fruits and veggies are low-cal and very filling. I make a huge salad for lunch at work and am completely satisfied (and sometimes stuffed) until dinnertime. And all for 4-5 points!
• Multicolored produce = well-rounded nutrition. Along with lots of fiber, each color provides different vitamins and minerals. I try to get in four or five different colors of fruit and veggies per day. (Yesterday: banana, clementine, lettuce, tomato, peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, grapes. Nice work, me!)
• No acid reflux! I used to have acidy throat ALL THE TIME. No joke, I would swig from the Mylanta bottle morning, noon and night. It was complete agony 24/7. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep because I thought my throat was gonna burn off. NOT ANY MORE! It simply vanished when I changed my diet.

Meatless Miracles
• I #2 every day. Sometimes twice. It’s awesome.
• I don't feel lethargic after meals. A lot of people feel like taking a nap after lunch or couch potatoing it after dinner. Not me. I feel tip top.
• I rarely get sick or have headaches, which is a huge benefit in itself, but it also means that I rarely take medicine either.
• My meals are cheaper. Steak or lobster dinners can get pricey. Veg meals are generally more pocket friendly.
• I’m lowering my risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.
• I JUST FEEL HEALTHIER!

If you don’t want to give up meat entirely, how about just one day a week? Lots of people do Meatless Mondays and find health benefits in that, as well.

Speaking of eating fresh foods, I recently picked up a tiny quick-read called Food Rules by Michael Pollan. I already owned In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by him, and he’s also the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I am a firm believer in that we need to be knowledgeable about what we put in our mouths and how we treat our bodies. His books definitely help with this. (Don't be scurred, non-veggies; these books are helpful for all!)

I don’t usually watch Oprah, but I have my DVR set for tomorrow’s (Wednesday’s) episode called “Before You Grocery Shop Again: Food 101 with Michael Pollan.” Alicia
Silverstone will also be on the show, and I’m looking forward to hearing what she says. I really want to pick up her book, The Kind Diet, because I appreciate her three-level approach to a plant-based diet and I’m interested in learning more. The founder of Chipotle (yuuuummm) will be on the show, too. They’ll all be discussing the documentary Food, Inc., which I’d advise everyone to see if they haven’t already.

I know this post is getting longish, but I realized that I haven’t put any real-life pics on here in awhile. Here are some January highlights!

NYE at Jen’s house.
I wore pink tights with this dress and was feelin’ fab!

Jenna, Me and Jacob out for pizza in Onalaska.
I’m standing next to two skinnies … and I felt skinny, too! Yay!

Morgan, Me, Jacob, Jenna and Phyllis at my former high school’s show choir competition to support our friend Brianna who directs one of the best show choirs EVER.

Me, Emily and Jen at the Pat McCurdy concert.
If you live in the Midwest, you need to catch a show. SO FUN!

Jenna, BJ, Me and Alia at BJ’s Moving-to-NY party.

We’ll miss you!

And one more …

Happy Veggiversary
to Me and Morgan!!!!

Love.

Are they made from real Girl Scouts?

Oh, Girl Scout cookie time. It comes every year, and some people purchase a couple of boxes or maybe a boatload that they stockpile for the year. However, this year I said no — for my own well-being. It felt great. Empowering, really.

My coworker sent me an email stating that her daughter is selling the cookies. I responded with this:

I LOVE SAMOAS!!!!!!!!!! However, last year when I ordered from [your daughter], I proceeded to eat nearly an entire box in one sitting. Haha! Oops! It's probably best if I just don't order them :) Let me know if your kids ever do a nonfood fundraiser and I'm in!

It’s that easy! I was beaming after I hit send. Yay me!

Last year I ordered a couple of boxes and had intentions of only eating a cookie or two when I needed a sweet after dinner every once in awhile. I even put them in the freezer so that I’d need to let the Samoa thaw before devouring. Yeah, that technique didn’t last. I almost broke a tooth eating a frozen cookie because I JUST COULDN’T WAIT.

Then the madness ensued. I brought the entire box with me to the couch and mindlessly ate cookie after cookie until two of three rows had vanished. Did I even enjoy them?? Maybe the first cookie, but really, two rows? Probably not. So not worth it.

http://www.nataliedee.com/

Lesson learned: Just don’t have them in the house.

I won’t ban them from my life because I don’t believe in banning foods or entire food groups. If I happen upon a Samoa at work or something, perhaps I’ll treat myself to one, but it’s really not important to me.

I’m approaching this Girl Scout cookie situation similar to my practice of not keeping chips or salty snacks in my home. If they’re in my cupboard, I’ll eat ’em like crazy; if they’re not, I won’t! I eat fruit or a minibag of popcorn and don’t feel like crap about it later. Call me a genius :) Ha.

I saw that picture on failblog.org and immediately thought of the scene from The Addams Family movie when Wednesday and Pugsley are selling lemonade.

Girl Scout: Is this made from real lemons?
Wednesday: Yes.
Girl Scout: I only like all-natural foods and beverages, organically grown, with no preservatives. Are you sure they're real lemons?
Pugsley: Yes.
Girl Scout: Well, I'll tell you what. I'll buy a cup if you buy a box of my delicious Girl Scout cookies. Do we have a deal?
Wednesday: Are they made from real Girl Scouts?

Hahaha love it! Probably my favorite part of the flick.

This post sure did run away from me, huh? Well, at least I stuck to a theme and got to reminisce a little :)

I wish you luck on your Girl Scout cookie endeavors! What’s your gameplan?

chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug

First off, I can’t thank y’all enough for the superduperwonderfulbunderful comments many of you left me after my last post. I motivate myself in a million ways, but you all give me that extra boost of momentum. Thank you. Really. From the bottom of my heart.

Secondly, I have a thing! Lemme explain. I hung out with a bunch of friends last Saturday, and we ended up at Liz and Cody’s. I brought over some Mission chips that I had at home (and NEEDED to get out otherwise I’d finish the entire bag myself). I also brought some salsa, so I thought we were set. Then my friend Jeff looked at me with kinda sad eyes and said, “What? No guac, Amanda?” I even thought about making it, too, but we went to dinner beforehand, so I didn’t think many people would be hungry enough to want it. AND SOMEONE DID!

I’ve never had a “thing” before. I’d be more than happy if my homemade guacamole is my thing! Well, and taco dip, but that’s another show …

Lastly, and my main point for today:

Please use a reusable water bottle.

Refill it often.

Carry it with you everywhere.

There are myriad benefits of hitting your daily H2O quota, but please don’t purchase packages of bottled water to do it. If you don’t like your water straight out of the tap, get yourself a Brita or something. I personally drink tap water and love it. And it’s freeeeeeeeeee!

More than 90 percent of the
environmental impacts
from a disposable plastic water bottle
happen before the consumer opens it.

Having your own reusable water bottle is not only earth-friendly, but it also keeps you mindful of drinking your daily wah-wah. Drinking at least 2 liters of water a day has been instrumental in my weight loss. It also makes my body work and feel fab!

It’s crazy how you can actually notice your body’s signals when you’re ingesting healthy food and beverages (most of the time). When I need more vegetables, my body tells me. When I need more water, my body tells me. It’s nuts.

The Mayo Clinic has some good info on why drinking water is important for our bods. This article also explains how much we should consume and why.


You know who else thinks water and reusable water bottles (and avocados) are muy importante? Jason Mraz, my fav musician and one of my fav bloggers. He often writes Wet Wednesday posts, which focus on water conservation, drinking from eco-friendly vessels, and the importance of water for our health. You can check out his most recent one here. And this one is especially pertinent and puts a lot of things in perspective.

Well, there it is, folks. If you don’t have a reusable bottle yet, what are you waiting for? If you do, I raise my Sigg bottle to you! Please share with us what bottle you use and love so that those on the lookout for a new one can be well-informed.

Cheers!

I can't believe it.

When I attended my very first Weight Watchers meeting on May 12, 2008, I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin. I stepped on that dreaded scale and weighed 219.2 pounds. How could I let this happen? How did I let things spin so out of control? I knew I needed a huge change in my life or else I was going to keep getting fatter and increasingly unhappy with myself.

I only started feeling pretty about midway through high school, and even as I gained weight in college, I thought my sparkling personality and pretty face were enough to keep me feeling beautiful.

Then I stepped on the scale and I weighed more than 200 pounds at age 23. I didn't feel pretty anymore. I hated getting dressed for work or for weekend nights out because nothing fit right. I felt so fat and unhappy with myself.

When I jumped head first into my new healthy lifestyle, my WW meetings kept me motivated. I enjoyed the control I had with tracking my points. I LOVED getting Bravo and 5-pound milestone stickers that I excitedly stuck on my bookmark. Seeing the results on the scale and on my body were incredibly rewarding.

But, even still, I would look around at the other people in my meeting and think that I was so much bigger than the rest of them. Especially at the beginning. I would think, "Oooo she's here to lose what? Like 10 pounds tops? Big whoop."

As I continued attending meetings, it began to make sense. Some of these people started out just like me. They needed to lose a buttload of weight, too. And they did it! And they're still coming here because they're on Maintenance or are Lifetime Members.

Fast forward to tonight's meeting. I'm on my fourth week of Maintenance and goin' strong. I weighed in tonight at 147.8 and I feel fabulous! Two more weeks of Maintenance and I'll be a LIFETIME MEMBER. I can't even believe it. I looked at the computer screen as my leader entered my current weight, and I caught a glimpse of my starting weight. It REALLY hit me. I've lost more than 70 pounds. Wow. Just wow.

As I was leaving, the manager of my WW site said, "You're at goal right? Down 70 pounds!" And I smiled proudly and told her that I'd hit goal a month ago.

Here's the neat thing: Two women who started last week overheard and one exclaimed, "WHAT?! You've lost 70 pounds?? I totally noticed you last week and tonight thought, 'What's she doing here? She's already skinny.'"

I never thought I'd be one of those people. I was so overwhelmed at that comment that I couldn't wipe a silly smile off my face. I said thank you (about 10 times) and walked out the door with an extra hop in my step. I'm getting emotional even typing it now. I just can't believe the huge change I've made in my life.

I feel pretty again.

It's amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it. The world is your oyster. Don't settle for anything less than you deserve ... and you deserve the best.

I’M 50! 50 YEARS OLD!

OK, I’m 25. But I do like to kick! And streeeeetch! And kick! Google Sally O’Malley if you don’t know what I’m talkin’ about. Ahloveit.

I’m going to my third kickboxing class tonight and I’m superpumped! It’s really fun and a lot of hard work — the perfect combo!

The first two-thirds of the 45-minute class is more cardio-focused and has all the kicking, and, well, boxing. I’m not using the weighted boxing gloves yet, but you KNOW it’ll be crazy when I do. I’ll look like a real toughie (as my mom would say).

I know I’ve used this picture before, but I love it and I’m the boss.

www.nataliedee.com

The last third of the class focuses more on strengthening our cores with planks, pushups and ab exercises with and without medicine balls. THIS is the part that kicks my butt. On Monday night we had to do all of our pushups with our arms in close to our bodies. NOT easy. I’m not great at pushups as it is, and then to throw that at me! So worth it, though, because I can really feel it in my arms today :)

I can also feel Monday night’s workout in my abs. I was never a plank fan before, but I like them now. I feel so strong when I’m sticking to the position and not giving up!

I’m really REALLY enjoying kickboxing as an alternative to the treadmill during the winter. I’ll have a tough decision to make at the end of the month. You see, I only paid half price for this month’s session. I don’t know if I’ll be up for paying $50/month for this class that’s ONLY offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings. I like to have more of a choice. And, since I’m going to begin WW receptionist training next Tuesday (holla!), I don’t know if I want to automatically decrease my availability by three evenings a week. Sooooo much to figure out in the next couple of weeks.

INSPIRATION: I was talking to a man in my class who’s been going there for about five years. He quit smoking years ago and gained 30-35 pounds. He lost 50 pounds after he started attending this kickboxing class. Nice! Maybe I should stick with it after all!

Two things before I go:

• Priorfatgirl Jen is organizing a get-together for healthy-living bloggers in the Mpls/StPaul area. We’re meeting for dinner on Thursday, January 21. Wanna come? Find the deets here.
  
• One of the things my calendar reminded me to be happy about yesterday was “having pizzazz.” I just liked that one :)

That is all.

Oh, My Darlin’

So I have this “3,650 Things to Be Happy About” desk calendar that gives me 10 things to smile about each day. This calendar OBVIOUSLY already knows me because yesterday one of the items was “peeling citrus fruit.” You don’t even KNOW what joy this brings me … but more about that later.You might already know that I'm bananas for bananas, but I LOVE when clementine season rolls around. Keep in mind, clementines are not just small versions of regular old oranges; they differ from regular oranges in many ways are actually a type of mandarin. (Funny thing, my dad used to call me his little Amandarin when I was young.) According to the Cuties site, there are 114 days remaining in their clementine season — PLENTY of time to sustain my current addiction.

I begin each day with two or three of these little babies, and I’m good to go! According to today’s Hungry Girl email, Vitamin C helps your body burn fat more efficiently. I can’t think of a better way to kick start the day! I usually have a packet of oatmeal or a VitaTop a bit later in the morning, which keeps me goin’ strong until lunch.

I’m a pretty competitive gal, and I often make up games just for myself. My current challenge is to peel every clementine in ONE piece. I’m a winner so far this year! I’ve gone through a few boxes and haven’t messed up yet. Try it. It's neat.

Here’s some of my work:

Yes I’m a total dork, but what can you do? I view each little clementine as a challenge, and I won’t accept defeat. NEVAAAAAH!

The most readily available clementines around here are the Cuties brand, but I know there are others. I really like the stickers on the Cuties, though :)

In case you can’t see it, this one reads, “Root for the Cute.”
How precious.

Top 5 Reasons I Love Clementines
(and why you should, too)

1. They are super sweet — taste and cool-factor wise.
2. They are FUN and easy to peel.
3. They are seedless. Seedy things gross me out.
4. They are snacktastic.
5. Their small size makes them convenient to take anywhere.

Now go get yourself some clementines and have a superduper weekend!

Peace and Love, Amandarin

fat people feeding hungry people

I know a lot of you out there watch The Biggest Loser. Many of my favorite shows fall into the reality TV category, yet, oddly enough, I’ve never caught an episode. Should I be watching??


More importantly, though, is the Pound for Pound Challenge they’ve got goin’ on. Do you have even ONE measly pound you’d like to kick to the curb? I know you do :)

Go to this site and pledge how many pounds you’re going to lose before June 30. For every pound pledged, they’ll donate 14 cents — the cost of one pound of food — to your local food bank. SO SIMPLE! And you’ll be doing yourself and someone else a WORLD of good. Not to mention, it’s the cool thing to do. Sarah, Michelle, Jen and I all pledged. Do it. Do it.

I FINALLY attended my first kickboxing class! I mentioned a long time ago that I was gonna start, but I didn’t set my mind to going until today. I’M SO GLAD I DID!!!

It was really fun to be punching and kicking to the music and grooving my body in a completely different way than I’m used to. It beats pounding the faux pavement on my treadmill, that’s for sure. It was a small class of seven really nice and fun people, which made it completely unintimidating. It also helped that I’m semicoordinated when doing “choreographed” moves to music. (Chalk that up to eight years of show choir!)

My kickboxing classes are Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, and I’m signed up for a month. I’ll keep you posted on my progress! I can already tell I’ll be feelin’ it a bit tomorrow in my abs and arms. Gotta love planks and pushups with a group of people! That way you can’t talk yourself out of quitting early :)

www.toothpastefordinner.com

Have you done something good for yourself today? How about for someone else? I pledged to lose 10 pounds by June 30, and that means 10 pounds of food will be donated to St Paul’s Second Harvest Heartland. What are you waiting for?? Take the Pound for Pound Challenge! Help me help you help others :)

Can't think of a title. So there.

First things first, the original Prior Fat Girl’s site is currently on the fritz, but it should be up this afternoon. Gosh darn interwebs these days. BUT, obviously, my site is A-OK and so is Prior Fat Girl Lindsay’s! That’s right — another Prior Fat Girl has joined the empire :) She’s a cool cat. Check her out!

******************************************************

Back to business. Hi, all! Remember me? I haven’t posted aaaaaall year. Haha. But really, I haven’t posted in a long long time. I’ve had good intentions … then nothing. But here I am now!

www.nataliedee.com

As my last post showed, I hit my WW goal, which means I’m now in the Maintenance phase of the program!!! (50 jillion thank yous for all your encouragement and fabulousness!) For the six weeks following my goal week, I need to weigh within 2 pounds of my goal weight. After I do that, I become a Lifetime Member and I don’t need to pay anymore. Yeehaw!

Last Monday was Week 1 of Maintenance. I weighed 149.6. I had gained 1.4 pounds over the extended holiday weekend, which means I had a lot of fun, enjoyed some good food and drinkies, but didn’t go too wild and crazy. All and all, still within 2 pounds of goal, so I was safe.

Today kicks off Week 2 of Maintenance. I’m thinking I’ll weigh in this evening at around the same as last week. It was another extended holiday weekend after all, and I kinda went hog wild on all the nummy New Year’s Eve food … and drinks. I should still be within my goal range, so all is well.

Now that Christmas and NYE have passed, I need to get back into the swing of things. I need to go grocery shopping so I can make healthy meals at home. I need to hit the gym that’s RIGHT DOWN THE HALL for crying out loud. Although it’s crazy cold outside, I need to resist the urge to eat bad-for-me comfort foods.

Seriously, though, do you know how cold it is here in the Sin Cities (aka Minneapolis/St Paul)? According to trusty ol’ weather.com, it’s currently –4°F but feels like –18°F. Barf.

http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Totally short post today, but I’ll be back in full force soon enough. Promise. This week. Super promise.

Be love.

And the winner is .... ME!

This is what I saw when I entered my weight into the WW site this morning:

HOLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I hit my WW goal AND THEN SOME! I’m currently sitting at –71 pounds and feeling fabuloso. Six weeks in the maintenance phase and then LIFETIME MEMBER (aka noooo moooore paaaayiiiinngg). Halleluia!

www.nataliedee.com

OH! And I didn’t want to mention anything until I knew for sure, but ...

I’m gonna be a WW leader!!!

I applied, had some interviews and then got the offer. Paperwork came in the mail yesterday. YAY! I figured I should give back to the program that really jumpstarted my healthiness journey. It’ll be a while before I begin actually leading meetings, but I’m excited to embark on this new gig!

It’s funny that I hit my WW goal and received my WW job paperwork the day the meeting topic was Celebrating Successes. Mark down two huge successes for me yesterday!

But really, it’s important to celebrate even the smallest successes. Like how I passed up the goodies in the cookie-share at work the other day or how I turned down grabbing an adult bevy a couple of nights ago and opted for tea instead. Each little success adds up to HUGE accomplishment. (Not to toot my own horn or anything, but 71 pounds beep beep!)

Oddly enough, I still don’t give myself enough credit. When someone says, “Wow! You look great!” or “You’re an inspiration,” I often respond with an insincere “Thanks, but ….” I really need to work on taking in those genuine compliments and leaving it at “Thanks!” Exclamation point, dammit. I’ve worked my tail off for this!

www.nataliedee.com

I’m TOTALLY pumped about all I’ve accomplished …. but it’s not over. It’ll never be over. That’s not such a bad thing, though. I really do get a kick out of incorporating new healthy elements into my life. In the last year, I’ve taken up running, decreased my intake of processed, already-made meals, increased my ability to prepare healthy meals from fresh ingredients, and eliminated meat from my diet. I can only imagine what 2010 has in store for me.

That’s all, folks. I’m so jazzed about my progress I can’t even come up with more words. Wow. Who knew?

OK OK a couple more :)

Focus on the positive. Celebrate success. Cherish every moment.

Hi, I'm Earth. Have we met?

Well, folks, I have some good news and some not-so-good news.

The good news is that I’m officially in the 140s!!!

The not-so-good news is that, as of last night’s weigh-in, I’m still 0.6 pounds from my next milestone and 0.8 pounds from my WW goal.

I was mildly disappointed, but whatever. I’ve lost more than 69 pounds for cryin’ out loud! I weighed this much when I was at my fittest in high school. I didn’t really weigh myself back then, so I don’t even remember the last time I was in the 140s. I’m loving it so far!!!!!!!!! I’m soooooo skinny! Haha OK not really, but I feel great :)

I do know that I weighed between 150 and 155 when I entered college a little more than six years ago … and I weigh less than that now. Gotta say, that’s pretty darn cool.

Here’s a picture of me the summer
after freshman year of college
(about 5½ years ago).

And here’s a picture of me from earlier this month.

Aside from the differences in hair color and crazy tan, I don’t think my face looks too different. And that’s a good thing! As I got chunkier and chunkier, I definitely noticed my increasingly plumper face. I’m finally back to normal Amanda face! YYYYAAAYYYY!!!!

I really should have been able to reach my goal last night, though. SHOULD have been able to. But I wasn’t working as hard as I should have been. I didn’t eat that well or work out at all during the week. Did I really think that tracking what I ate and working out ONLY on Saturday and Sunday would undo my lackadaisical week?? Please. I was obviously living in Fantasyland.

I’m back in the real world now and I’m ready for a superb week. The goals I made for myself yesterday are not difficult, and I’m actually looking forward to a regular workout schedule, a nighttime routine and daily food/drink tracking. Holllaaaaaaaaaaaa. Let’s do this.

Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I haven’t posted my Spicy Sweet Potato Chips recipe yet. I made them for Thanksgiving … and now it’s time for sharing.

Spicy Sweet Potato Chips

2 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
½ tsp salt

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the sweet potatoes into rounds as thin as you can get them. Place the sweet potatoes in a bowl and add oil, pepper flakes and salt. Toss until the potatoes are well coated. Spread the rounds on a baking sheet (no overlapping) and bake until they are browned, crispy chips, about 20 minutes.

I used beige sweet potatoes when I made these for Thanksgiving, and, unlike my Brussels sprouts, they were a hit with everyone! Next time I make them, however, I’m going to change a lot of things.

First, I’ll use FOUR large sweet potatoes because there were just not enough noms to go around. Maybe I’ll try orange sweet potatoes next time, just for funsies.

Second, although I’ll have twice as many potatoes, I’ll still use ¼ cup of oil. There was just too much oil on these babies last time, which makes getting crispy chips very difficult. I’ll also try drying the potato slices thoroughly with paper towel before tossing with the other stuff.

Third, I’ll add more red pepper flakes and probably more salt. The sweet, spicy, and salty make a major party on your tongue.

Last, I’ll bake the chips for 20 minutes on one side, flip them all, and bake for another 20 minutes. I’ve found that it’s pretty difficult to bake sweet potatoes and get them crispy. And you should take my experienced word for it, considering I’ve made sweet potato fries once and sweet potato chips once ;)

Peace to you all, my lovelies!

PS This is my 50th post. Neat :)

I’ve got a feeling.

Greetings, Earthlings! Tonight’s the night. I’m supernervous for my weigh-in. And excited, of course. But more nervous. I’m sooooo close to hitting another milestone and reaching my WW goal.

If I don’t gain any weight during the day (water/food that doesn’t leave before 5:30 ...), I’ll hit both of these targets. If I only gain a little, I should at least be able to hit my next five-pound milestone. (That’s 70 pounds lost, if you’ve been keeping track!)

What am I even talking about? My next milestone weight (149.2) and my WW goal weight (149) are basically the same number.

I REALLY WANT THIS!

I clocked 65ish treadmill minutes on Saturday and 42 minutes yesterday. Both days I walked uphill most of the time and threw a couple of 10-minute runs in the mix. I even did abs and some pushups on Saturday. I mean business, people!

Weekends tend to be my downfall when it comes to food and drink, but I was very mindful of my meals Saturday and Sunday. I tracked everything that went in my mouth and stayed within my daily POINTS and everything! I admit, I rarely track anymore, but I really need to get serious about it again if I want to ditch these final 10 pounds and reach my personal goal weight.

As I’m writing this I’ve discovered some things:

1. I shouldn’t be THAT jazzed about working out Saturday and Sunday. That should be automatic by now. It hasn’t been, but I’m gonna work on it now. GOAL: I will hit the gym at least three or four days a week.


2. Big whoop that I did abs and pushups ONE day. I used to do that every night when I was a senior in high school. It takes, what, like 10 minutes? I’ll just look up the trusty ol’ 8-Minute Abs video on YouTube (LOVE the cheesy music and even cheesier enthusiasm. Come on, gang!) and do some pushups after those glorious eight minutes. (Still girly pushups for now. Baby steps.) GOAL: I will do abs and pushups before bed every night.


3. Yay me for tracking two days in a row. Let’s turn this into every day, shall we? I NEED TO TRACK WHAT I’M EATING. Every day. Starting now. GOAL: I will track every day, dangit!

Alright. Goals set. Nervousness out there for the world and less on my shoulders. Wish me luck, friends!

Think thin!

smile today.

Happy Monday, kiddos :) Whether you like it or not:
I had a fun and FULL weekend — two birthday get-togethers! You know what that means? Drinkies. And you know what THAT means?? Empty cals and extra poundage. Boo that. BUT total funtimes, nonetheless, and staying up later than usual equals more cals burned, right?? I’m going with yes.


I tried to be extra good during the week so that the weekend’s events wouldn’t have too bad of an effect on my waistline … and I think it worked.

I even spent more than an hour on the treadmill yesterday! (I burned about 550 calories, a-thank you very much.) My workouts have been so sporadic lately, and it felt good to sweat and move my bod. I was only planning on being on the treadmill (alternating walking at a high incline and running at 3.0 incline) for an hour, but The Holiday was on TV, so I just kept walking for awhile until it got to my favorite part. Haha you wouldn’t think that movie would be a go-get-’em workout flick, but evidently it was yesterday.


As usual, I’ll weigh in tonight at my meeting, so we’ll see if last week’s smart eating and last night’s workout paid off. I know for sure I’ve lost weight since last week, but that’s because last week was a gain week. I’m thisclose to hitting my WW goal — I’m talking like 2 pounds away — and I REALLY thought I could hit it this week. Prob not gonna happen. Next week, I tell you!

Like I said, I’m about 2 pounds from my WW goal, which is 10 pounds more than my real-life goal of 139. Now that I’m getting closer and closer to these SUPERCOOL milestones, I’m so excited! However, the weight just does not come off like it used to. Not at all, actually.

I need to buckle down and actually put in some hard work. Maybe another 5K in the nearish future? (Liz: If you’re reading this, how ’bout it??) I know FOR SURE that I need to get back to working out at least 3 days a week. And I’ve already gotten in one day this week! Off to a great start!!

And now for the Lemon-Marinated Brussels Sprouts recipe I’ve promised since Thanksgiving :) (I forgot to take pictures (for shame), but my finished product looked similar to this picture of Brussels Sprouts with Lemon-Mustard Sauce from FatFree Vegan Kitchen.)

Lemon-Marinated Brussels Sprouts

1 ½ pounds Brussels sprouts

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp minced garlic

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp grated lemon zest

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Trim Brussels sprouts; cut larger ones in half. Cook in boiling water until barely tender (5-6 minutes). Plunge into ice water then drain well. Combine remaining ingredients — except lemon juice and apple cider vinegar — in a medium bowl. Toss in the Brussels sprouts and let them marinate in this mixture 1-2 hours at room temperature (or longer in the refrigerator), tossing occasionally. Just before serving, mix in the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Adjust any of the seasonings to taste.

I served mine as a side dish, but you could also eat them with toothpicks as more of an appetizer or throw some in a salad.

They turned out really well! And they taste so fresh and lemony! I thought they’d be a hit on Thanksgiving, and I was really pumped to contribute something to the meal; however, I misjudged my audience. Most of the eaters were not looking to fill valuable plate space with vegetables, and, if they were, it would be the familiar stuff like corn or raw carrots. A couple of people said they really liked them, another couple thought they were gross, but most didn’t even try them.


I’ll admit my feelings were a bit hurt. I couldn’t care less if someone doesn’t like a particular food. Everyone’s tastes are different, after all. But to not even try something? Not even one measly sprout? But, like I said, I misjudged my audience. Better luck next time!

On a happy note, my Spicy Sweet Potato Chips were a hit that day, and I’ll share that supersimple recipe later this week :)

Focus on the positive. Peace.

Songs and Subs

Hello, friends! I hope y’all had a fab holiday weekend. That is unless you don’t live in the United States … then I hope you had a fab normal weekend! I spent some QT with fam and friends, but the time breezed by and I didn’t even get to do all the stuff and see all the peeps I intended. Christmas vacay isn’t too far away, so I’m hoping to make up for what I missed then.

Something that DID happen was that I found out that a bunch of my hometown friends (Holla, Onalaskans!!!) read my blog! Many a convo downtown began like this: “I know this is kinda weird ... but I totally read your blog!” Some of these folks are better friends than others. Some I might see once a year or less. No matter the relation, I’m glad that I can amuse/inspire/interest you :) You make me smile, too.

Pictures and recipes from Thanksgiving weekend will come later this week. Stay tuned!

I bought Adam Lambert’s CD last week and you know what I thought right after I popped it in? These will be great workout songs! That was new concept for me. Usually I would think something more like, “Hey, this is great happy-fun music!” Which it very much is.

This event surprised me, but it makes sense that my brain’s way of relating things have changed along with my healthier lifestyle. I don’t think about food just as stuff to shove in my mouth, but as fuel and nutrition. I don’t think about exercise as a nuisance, but as something that makes me feel good during and after. And apparently I think of upbeat songs as potential workout jams!

But anyway, back to Adam. You should really check out this album. This guy can sing!!!! I’ve loved him from the time I watched his American Idol audition aaaaaall the way through the season.

My absolute favorite song on the album is Music Again. My second favorite: For Your Entertainment. Third fav: Whataya Want From Me. (I could do without the stupid spelling of the third one, however.) But who am I kidding? I love the whole thing. You NEED to check him out if you want some superb workout or funtimes songs.

(Ummm, I didn’t even realize what’s happening right now. I’m watching this morning’s episode of the Ellen DeGeneres Show … and watching Adam Lambert’s performance. I was totally writing about his wonderfulness before he came on. Weird.)

Now onto something else I love: SANDWICHES! More precisely, subs. I’ve written before about how I get a footlong Subway sandy after pretty much every Monday evening WW meeting. Today, I’m gonna compare Jimmy John’s sub options based on the Nutritional Information on their website. The lessons learned should work across the board, though, as far as sandwich ingredients go.

I order the Vegetarian. #6, baby.

Here are the facts for the Veg sub as it’s prepared per the menu:

And after you subtract the cheese and mayo:

The Jimmy John’s Vegetarian sub just went from 14 POINTS to 5 POINTS in a hurry! Wanna keep the cheese? 8 POINTS. I prefer mine sans cheese and mayo, but I add onions and extra alfalfa sprouts.

When I used to eat meat, I ordered the Turkey Tom.

Here are the facts if you order it straight up:

Minus the mayo:

Soooo you can have your 14-POINT Turkey Tom for 6 POINTS just by taking off the mayo! Worth it.

The only other thing I ordered at JJ’s back in the day was the Totally Tuna. The mayo’s already in the tuna mix, and cheese isn’t included with this sub, so I couldn’t take it off.

Here’s the bad news:

That’s 15 POINTS! I only get 22 (aaaalmost 21) POINTS per day, so using 15 all at once — when I probably would get a high-POINTS bag of chips on the side — is just not gonna happen.

Moral of the story: Ditch the mayo. If you really want the cheese, keep it, but I suggest nixing that, too. It doesn’t really add THAT much flavor. If it’s flavor you’re looking for, add onions (like I do) or any of your favorite veggies. Yay veggies!!! Also, opt for a yummy huge pickle (a mere 22 cals) rather than the BBQ chips (320 cals/bag — yikes!) or cookie (420 cals — double yikes!).

Hope some of my tips helped! Peace and love, lovelies :)

(My apologies for the abrupt signoff; True Lies is on and I forgot how great it is!)