My Weakness...

is the Lemon Cooler Cake from Costco. I just threw the leftovers in the trash after enjoying my last piece. Just to name a few others----namely dark chocolate, Jelly Bellies, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and blueberry muffins. Oh. And black licorice. I've had WAAAAY too much of this stuff lately and, as a result, haven't lost any more weight. What is your weakness? Do you have a soft side for the sweet and tart lemon cake too? I mean, how DO they make it taste so good?

Give Beef a Chance

We were at Sprouts the other day and found grass fed beef rib-eye steaks on sale for $4.99 a pound, down from 14.99 a pound, so we decided to give it another change. I marinated it in the fridge for hours and put a dry rub on one steak and let that sit for hours, then we BBQed them to Medium Rare and Medium. They were delicious and tender. So, that is the way we are going to eat the grass-fed from now on. I'm glad we gave beef a chance.

WOW---WATER!

I just discovered a "hydration calculator" where you can calculate how much water you should consume. I've heard all different numbers...8-10 cups a day being the most common. However, what if I exercise, I breastfeed, it's a hot day, etc? I used the calculator to figure out how many glasses I should be gulping and here is what I found:

A person who is 145 pounds
and is exercising for 30 minutes ,
is not pregnant,
is breastfeeding,
does not live at a high altitude,
lives in a dry climate,
drinks 0 alcoholic drink(s),
when the weather is very hot or very cold,
and is not sick with fever or diarrhea should have:

123.5 ounces of water today, or 3.7 liters.

If you eat a healthy diet, about 20 percent of your water may come from the foods you eat. If you eat a healthy diet you can drink 98.8 ounces of water today, or 3 liters.

GASP!!! I should be drinking nearly 100 ounces of water daily! Of course, this is calculated for the hot, dry summer weather we have. No wonder I always seem thirsty! I will definitely make an effort to gradually add a glass of water or two to my daily intake until I get to 98 ounces. Sadly, there are some days that I don't even drink 50 ounces.

To find out how much water you should be consuming, CLICK HERE!

Great Article!

My awesome husband just sent me a wonderful article that breaks down what produce you need to buy organic and what produce is "clean" enough to not worry about. Here is the link:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/01/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide/index.html?hpt=C2

40 lbs LOST!

Before (185-ish) and Right Now (145lbs)
~40 lbs lost~

I remember the first time I weighed myself after Jackson was born. I waited several weeks to weigh myself after giving birth out of the fear of the number on the scale. When I finally got the guts to weigh myself, I discovered I was 185 lbs. I was devastated. The last time I weighed in before giving birth to Jackson---the day before he was born---I weighed in at 206 lbs. I gained 63 lbs during the pregnancy. From that first number on the scale several weeks after the birth of my fist child, and after another pregnancy and the birth of my second child, I have now lost a total of 40 pounds! I suppose I'll keep on going... :)

Mastering My Metabolism: Day 14

Technically Sunday was day 14, the last day of the "trial" eating plan, so I will sum it up today. I weighed in at 145.6, so that is nearly 3 lbs lost in two weeks. I would say that is decent. As I said, I also am getting better sleep each night. Troy has lost 4 lbs as well. So, WHY NOT keep eating this way? I love all the cooking it involves because I love cooking with fresh ingredients. I can't stand the dishes, though. I'll have to work on that! So, at 145 lbs, this leaves me only 2 lbs from the weight I was before I got pregnant with Jackson, and only 10-12 lbs from where I was when I got married, hence when I fit into my wedding dress. I really hope to fit into it by this time next month, but I do realize there is a possibility that I will only loose a pound a week. The dress may be a bit tight. Never the less, I would say I've come a far way! I won't be too dissapointed if the dress is a bit snug or doesn't fit. I know I can still keep loosing weight after our 5th anniversary. Anyways, here's to almost 5 years of marriage! :)