Photo Diary?

Photo Diary a key to success? 

Food for thought: 

Not everyone on social media want to see you brag about how many pounds you can lift, how much sweat you just released (ew) or how great your workout is. 

With that said, there is this cool button on social media called UNFOLLOW. My stance on it is if I am annoying someone with my post, they can stop following me. I think (personally) it is important to take photos of your journey. This has such a great impact in so many ways. Just stick with me for a minute as I explain:

1) It is a great way to watch yourself shrink as you stay consistent on your journey. This is one that sucks to look back on as you released you are making a transformation and it's too late because you were too embarrassed to take photos to begin with. 

2) It is a great way to portray and express the great feeling you get from releasing those endorphins after a great workout. It's a good reminder as you start to lose your drive. 

3) Strangely, seeing yourself cooking, lifting or sweaty (post workout selfie) motivates you to do it again!

4) Encouraging comments from friends and family don't hurt! Makes you want to keep pushing

5) In journaling through photos, you can also motivate others to commit to happy and healthy choices. That is a great feeling. This is one of the reasons why I tell myself I will never go back to where I was. I have put myself out there too much and held myself (publicly) to a very high standard and I don't want people who once told me that I inspired them to wonder how I regressed or fell off. 

Overall, photo journaling keeps you committed. So why not? Anything helps! 

Visual Menu for Feburary

For your Fridge :) 

Meal ingredient list for Feb meals

Each bag will have 6 servings for 2 days

Prep 2 bags per month for 12 total servings.

For us, 12 servings is about 4 pounds of meat (an overestimate since meat shrinks while cooking).

Below is a list of ingredients per recipe to help you decide what you have in your pantry, and what you need to put on your grocery list.

1) GROUND TURKEY TACO SKILLET

 4 lb ground turkey

4 onion, diced

4 (1.25 oz) packet taco seasoning mix (or homemade taco seasoning)

8 cups water

4 (16 oz) jar salsa

2 (15 oz) can corn, undrained

8 cups instant brown rice

4 (4 oz) can green chilis

4 cup shredded Mexican or taco cheese blend

8 cup(s) shredded lettuce

4 large tomato, chopped

2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

2) Man-Pleasing Chicken

4lbs Chicken Breast

Dijon mustard- 2 cup

Maple syrup- 1 cup

Rice/rice wine vinegar- 4 tablespoon

Fresh rosemary

Salt and pepper

3) SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TERIYAKI

 Serves: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 lbs chicken breasts

3 cup honey

2 cup low sodium soy sauce

8 garlic cloves, minced

4 small yellow onion, chopped

1  cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoon cornstarch

12 tablespoons water

Toasted Sesame Seeds

4) Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

 4 lbs Boneless skinless chicken breasts

(4) Onion, thinly sliced

(8) Cups sliced bell peppers

(4) 28 oz. can of Classico Crushed Tomatoes (available at Walmart)

(8) Tablespoons of minced garlic (not pictured – oops, sorry!)

(4) Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley for garnish

5) Chicken Carnitas Burrito Bowl with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Servings: 4

ingredients

lettuce

4 pound chicken carnitas

8 cups cilantro lime cauliflower rice

4 cup tomatoes, diced

2 cup black beans

2 cup onion, diced

2 cup guacamole

2 cup Greek yogurt

2 cup cilantro

salsa to taste (I like a salsa verde here)

6) Chicken Fajitas

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

SEASONING

4 Tbsp chili powder $0.15

2 Tbsp paprika $0.07

2 tsp onion powder $0.03

1 tsp garlic powder $0.02

1 tsp cumin $0.02

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper $0.02

4 tsp sugar $0.02

2 tsp salt $0.02

2 Tbsp corn starch $0.02

FAJITAS

4 lg. onion $0.64

8 medium green bell peppers $1.00

4 medium red bell pepper $1.50

4 lb. chicken breast* $1.99

8 Tbsp vegetable oil $0.04

4 medium lime $0.40

 tortillas $1.20

2 cup sour cream (optional) $0.42

1 bunch cilantro (optional) $0.22

7) One-Pot Chicken, Quinoa, Mushrooms & Spinach Recipe

Serves: Serves 6

Ingredients

4 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed

3 tsp crushed, dried rosemary

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground pepper

8 tsp olive oil, divided

2 yellow onion, chopped

4- 8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced

4 cup quinoa

8 cups low-fat chicken broth

6 cups sliced spinach leaves

Salt and pepper, to taste

Weigh yourself Daily

Hmmmm..... Weigh daily?

There is a lot of controversy behind this one. Let me start by saying I do not believe that this one is for everyone. 

Let me start with my rationale and then you can make your own decision about what is best for you from there. 

When I started my journey, I decided I was going to weigh myself everyday. There is one thing that is critical in this weight loss strategy:

This is my weight loss graph. 

Across the bottom is the dates. On the left is my weight. Starting at the top is one pound higher than my current weight (no, I don't plan on going higher than I start but sometimes reality happens. Then I go down the left in 1/2 pound increments. Everyday that I weigh, I plot a new dot. I create a "trend line" that goes down at a chosen rate. Early in my weight loss, I make my trend line aggressive, losing 2 pounds per week. I make my personal goal to stay under this line. When I go above the line, I need to evaluate my food and workout plan to make sure I am on the right track. I am not talking about one dot above the line, I am talking about a long period of time over the line. 

Notice something....

There are spikes (upward), on my graph.  Some of those spikes are due to hormonal reasons, others are after a cheat day, some are just because. This is where I say that this isn't for everyone. If you are going to freak out every time you graph spikes or goes over the line and become self destructive, this is not for you. If you understand that this happens in your body and you use it as a tool to understand your body, this is a great tool for you. 

I have done this for over a year and I feel like this tool has helped me be reflective, stay on track, learn my body. 

Benefits to this system: 

- Learn how my body reacts (overtime) to certain food plans I have for myself

-When I see cookies, pizza, etc during the day, I think to myself "where will my dot be tomorrow?" This works!

- If you are seeing a trend of weight gain (more than should be) or a plateau, it prompts you to evaluate your food plan and your exercise plan. It keeps you on your feet all the time. 

So, what do you think? Will this help you? 

Green Tea

Green tea makes a great morning drink, is great to drink when you're feeling hungry (or your mind is tricking you into thinking you are hungry) and is so good for you. You can drink it hot, cold-- they have decaf and flavored options. All around Green Tea is great.

It has a ton of health benefits, such as the following:
- Weight loss!
- Additional Antioxidants
- Helps reduce Cholesterol (LDL)
- Has a relaxing and calming effect
- Promotes healthy cell growth
- It's more hydrating than water

...and so much more!

Now- Keep Calm and Drink Green Tea!