This is Me... Now

At just over 1/2 way past my weight loss goal, this is me. My good friend Matt was nice enough to take a few pictures of me at my weight loss buddy, Mandi's store opening last night. She's decided to open her own business, the first and only plus-size resale shop in Chicago. Great for her because she's realizing her dream of being a business owner and great for me because now I have a place to sell all the clothes that don't fit me anymore!

Looking Like a Fool with my Pants on the Ground

Poor Rob. Not only is he subjected to my constant self doubt, bitching about the diet and complaining that I can’t do any more reps during our workouts, but he had the unfortunate situation happen where he had to see my undies at the gym. No, I’m not making it a habit to flash my trainer, guys. The panty flash occurred simply because my “fat” yoga pants are too big and were actually falling down when we started our workout on Monday.

Alright, so they weren’t technically on the ground, but they came dangerously close. Since I’m fairly certain Rob wants to see my underwear less than I wanted to show them to him, I borrowed his hair tie and actually had to bunch the waistband of my pants together in the front and tie em up to prevent a total depantsing. Not my best look ever, but hey, you have to do what you have to do, right?

Needless to say, those yoga pants have been retired to the “too big” pile that is now taking over an entire corner of my bedroom. I’m at the point now where almost every article of clothing is either new, came from a friend or was given to me by a family member. The rest is stuff that’s really far too big, but I’m hanging on for dear life so I have SOMETHING to wear. Never before has a frumpy, tiny wardrobe made me feel so fabulous.

I’m well past the 50 lbs lost mark and I’m entering into the 2nd half of my weight loss phase. Wish me luck!

Bloated Belly Blues

Uuuuuuugh. I just ate a total ‘fat kid’ lunch at the Palace Grill down on Madison by United Center. You know the one… Obama likes it and Oprah raves about their hashbrowns.

Well, I’ve found my tummy can no longer handle a tuna melt and fries, my friends. It’s been 2 hours since the greasiest meal to cross my lips in months has settled in my belly and the belly is NOT HAPPY.

Salads and lean proteins for life!

Cook It Up!

I’m becoming a cooking machine!

I picked up this great turkey chili recipe from my friend Anne, who made it at a chili cook-off. It placed second, behind a gal who made some crazy chili that had pork cooked in bacon fat, tomatillos and was topped with avocado cream and bacon. Fatty, eh? Good to know that healthy chili can be delicious, too! Here’s the recipe. It serves 6 people, so I’m making sure I portion it out to keep the calories in check. Also important to note is that I threw in some granulated garlic just for fun.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 pound lean ground turkey breast
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 10-1/2 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 10-1/2 oz can black beans, drained
1 10-1/2 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 10-1/2 oz can low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne

PREPARATION
In a large pot, heat the oil on medium-low. Add the onion and saute until soft (about 3 to 5 minutes). Add the turkey and brown it (about 5 minutes). Add the remaining ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Calories: 292 calories
Carbs: 32 g
Sodium: 787 mg
Fat: 5 g
Protein: 30 g
Fiber: 11 mg

The other recipe I’ve really enjoyed is something my friend Adam made for me last week, bruschetta chicken. It couldn’t be easier! The best part is that if I want to make plain baked chicken breasts, this is an excellent way to cook them… just eliminate the bruscetta topping and use a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper.
Foil-Pack Bruschetta Chicken Bake

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.)
1 tsp. dried basil leaves
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

COMBINE tomatoes, stuffing mix and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.

PLACE 1 chicken breast on center of each of 6 large sheets of heavy-duty foil sprayed with cooking spray; top with basil, stuffing mixture and cheese. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place in 15x10x1-inch pan.

BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF). Cool 5 min. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening packets.

Sounds yummy, right? Cook on, everyone!

The Health and Emotional Benefits of Slimming Down

Truth? I’ve NEVER felt better.

Remember all of those back problems? Gone.
Low energy levels? Not any more.
Stomach problems? No longer.
Stress levels? Seriously diminished.

I guess there’s something to be said for a healthy diet and exercise program.

Before I started this weight loss journey I was NOT feeling well. Because I’d been eating so poorly and rarely, if ever, working out and not to mention carrying around a lot of extra weight I was suffering from a bevy of health problems. In my completely unprofessional capacity, I can only imagine that what I was experiencing was strictly because I’m overweight.

It’s kind of like a chain reaction. If you’re fat, of course your diet isn’t great. Definitely the case with me. Not to release too much information here, but because of all the greasy eats I was taking in, my stomach would act up all the time. So much so, it would wake me up in the middle of the night. This, of course, lead to some messed up sleep patterns leaving me tired almost every day. Being tired every day obviously leaves you with no energy.

Oh wait, there’s more! Because I was carrying around so much extra weight, my back was all out of wack. When you’re in pain, you’re crabby all the time, making you far less than pleasant to be around. This causes stress because you know you’re not at your personal best.

Seriously. Being fat is just a big old mess.

Now that I’ve dropped some serious poundage, I feel 150% better. My super-healthy diet of proteins, veggies, fruits and a few carbs has regulated my stomach so I’m sleeping soundly through the night. The diet also provides me with far more vitamins, minerals and all the healthy stuff I need to live an active lifestyle. I have so much energy now compared to the old Ang.

The back? SO much better. I still have a few random days where I’m a little sore, but I’m equating it to PMS more than anything. And because I’m not in constant pain anymore, my mood has improved. I’m so much more happy and fun to be around. I’ve shelved my crabby pants for good.

I’m looking forward to continuing on with this weight loss journey so I can see how I feel when I get down to my goal weight!