Gourmet

Monday was one of those days I was able to enjoy one of the few...er, only perk of my job. Our new ad agency came in from out of town and we all went to a super fancy 5 star restaurant for dinner. It was gourmet and it was delicious! LOL I think I ate so much less because I was savoring the food that I know I wouldn't event attempt to cook. I had a lot of left overs! I'd like to do that on a daily basis with every single meal. Now, I certainly won't dine regularly at a gourmet restaurant to do so, but I know that when I take the time to cook a meal, I savor it more than something that can just be "thrown" together. When I lost my initial 47lbs, I cooked for myself every single night. I became a master at cooking for one. I shouldn't say cook, because I treated it like my creation. Every spice was heavily considered before adding and every element of the meal was measured for caloric accuracy. It's something I really miss. So, tonight I will go back to "meal creating." :-)

Speaking of which, I'd like to introduce you to the one HUGE discovery that helped me tremendously in cooking delicious, yet healthy and low-cal meals: Miracle Noodles!

These are 0 calories, 0 fat and 1 carbs. Yes, you read correctly! It is made of a Japanese root and water. Super simple to make and takes on the flavor of what it is cooked with...kind of like tofu. I like using it in virtually all pasta recipes...like my all time favorite, Fettuccine Alfredo. Actually, I like the Alfredo sauce more than the fettuccine. It goes on any pasta I can get my hands on...and it is GREAT with Miracle Noodles. Which leads me to my next point, Hungry Girl. This is a website that is full of awesome ways to cut calories on everyone's favorite dishes...such as Alfredo sauce! Now, Hungry Girl uses Tofu Shirataki noodles for this recipe, but I just couldn't bring myself to enjoy the texture of those noodles...so that's why I heart Miracle Noodles more! :-)

Based on my ramble here, it's pretty evident what I'm going to make tonight: Miracle Noodle Alfredo...with some chicken and veggies of course, can't forget that! :-) I haven't made this in a while, it will come up to around 300 or so calories for the whole dish and it is a very generous dish at that!

Thanks for stopping by again! I pray your day is beautiful and filled with the peace Christ has granted us.

<3
Melissa

Planning for the "Q4 Burn"

**So, I started writing this blog on Sep 25--horrible I know, so much time has passed! But I still wanted to share what my thoughts were at that particular moment and later show what my thoughts are currently**

First, I want to thank my wonderful friend and fellow blogger, Mrs K for giving me a wonderful blog award. 

I will treat it more as a great person award, because let's face it...I'm not as talented as I'd like to be on blogging, LOL!! Either way, a wonderful person gave this to me, so I am quite honored!

So I had an idea to make the last quarter of this year a serious one regarding weight loss. I know I will have some challenges especially with the holidays coming up, but I want to experience going through everyday with God and fitness on the brain, lol. I want to see how my body, mind and attitude will change if I apply myself to this process every step of the way.

**That was the end of my draft--short, huh? Anyway, here are my thoughts now (Oct 24)**

So, clearly, I didn't kick off the "Q4 Burn." But it is not too late! I just celebrated my 28th birthday (Oct 20) and I decided to really lengthen it to the the "Before 30 Burn." I know it is quite reasonable to lose over 150lbs 110 lbs in 2 years and I'm going to do it. Now is the time, as I know my fertility is in jeopardy being this overweight. And even though I don't have a husband, I'm hearing "the clock" ticking as of late. Will I do anything about it? Not really, I know my husband and children will come on God's time, not mine....but I'm definitely thinking more about it lately. So, I'd like to have developed all the healthy habits I will need to raise a healthy children and stop the cycle of obesity in my family.

My brother and sister-in-law purchased a great scale that measures weight, body fat, bone mass and water for my birthday. My scale refused to weigh me since last month (only giving 0.0), so it was a perfect gift. :-) I decided to use it today with all its body analyzing awesomeness, here were my results:

312 lb
57.6% body fat
24.9% muscle
39.5% water
3% bone

Now, I know it's not completely accurate, but it's what I have and I'll work with it! :-)

My weight is not too bad considering I haven't really been trying the last month.

Body Fat is bittersweet because no one wants to see that over half of their body weight is attributed to fat, however it also means if I maintain the same proportion of muscle mass and lose the body fat, I really only have about 100lbs to lose, not 160 or so. I figure this because 57.6% of my current weight is about 179lbs. If I want to be about 25% body fat by my 30th b-day, then I would have 32.6% of body fat to lose...which is 102 lbs of my current weight. My math is probably flawed somehow, but I'm in a good mood because of this and I won't mess it up by trying to fix it. :-D

Muscle--I build it so easily, it's not even funny. I've determined my brothers and I have a mesomorph body type. We gain weight and muscle easily, but we can lose it easily too! It's just a matter of staying active. I know this because both of my brothers are athletes and not obese. I was pretty athletic in high school--you know, when I was doing athletic things, LOL...not so much now, but I'm changing that! I'm pretty certain that if I'm diligent every single day, that I can lose this weight by my 29th birthday, but I'm not by any means an arrogant person...I will humble myself and know mistakes will be made, so that's why I have my end goal of my 30th b-day.


Water--I've read the importance of your body being a certain water percentage, but I'm not sure why and what percentage. I will have to read more about it.

Bone--I guess this will always be the same right? I think I've stopped growing. I mean, I grew 2 inches in college and just recently learned I grew another inch since then...so I'm officially 5'9. I think I'm done. LOL

I know this has been a super long post, but that's what has been on my mind lately. :-) I'll make it a point to blog on my off workout days (like today).

*In my bible study this morning, I came across the verse that inspired this blog and my weight loss (and made me start up again after a month-long hiatus!):

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. --Psalm 139:14 NIV

xOxxOOXXooOOXX,
Melissa