A Little Inspiration

A little inspiration for your Tuesday!

       I can't quite remember where I ran across this idea - I was either on StumbleUpon or Pinterest, but I think they may have originated here. I thought they were a great idea and just had to make my own!

     You can use any sort of jar or container you like - I've seen people use fish bowls, old wine glasses, candle holders, mason jars, or just some old bowls or cups you don't mind using; the possibilities are endless! You can decorate them any way you like - I've seen painted ones with feathers and designs, some with pictures taped on the front, or just simple words written with marker, what ever makes you happy. Just use what ever you have around the house, or you can go out and get some supplies, it just depends on how much you are willing to spend. I had some old ribbons and jars, I just bought some scrap booking letter stickers that stuck right to the front of the jars. For the inside you can use marbles, pebbles, rocks, or glass stones like I've used (they are very inexpensive). In mine, I have 100 stones all together, one for each pound I need to loose. There are 80 black stones for 1 pound lost, 19 green stones for every 5 pounds lost, and for my final 100 pound stone I have a golden heart, just to make it a little special. I already have 5 stones in my lost jar!!

     I keep the jars in my living room, mostly because that is where I spend most of my time. Every time I'm craving something or think I need food, I just look at those jars and it reminds me of what my goal is - and reminds me that I don't really need that food I'm craving - I need to lose weight to add more stones to my lost jar. They have been working so far!


     Do any of you have things that keep you motivated? I'd love to hear about them!! I hope you all are doing well and continue to reach for your goals!!



♥ Lots of LOVE ♥

Laura

I'm Back!

         First off, I would like to apologize to the 4 of you that actually read this blog; I didn't realize that I had been away for so long. But I'm back now, and will be posting here much more often then I have been. I know that doing a blog isn't something a lot of people think of as important or worth the time it takes to do it (except for all of you, thankfully!) , but I really believe that this blog is going to help me through my journey to become a healthier and happier me. By making the time to do things here, it's helping me make time for other things in my day that are important to me, like my workouts! I thank you all for your support, and I know, that by posting here, your continued support will only help me in achieving my goals.

Now, lets move on to something a little more interesting! :)

A Yummy Protein Shake!

I wish I would have thought about this idea a long time ago: iced coffee with protein for a great post workout snack or meal replacement! We'll start with the healthier iced coffee recipe that one of my younger sisters, Kristy, came up with. It's a very simple recipe, tastes amazing, and has WAY less calories than an iced coffee you can get at Starbucks, or any other restaurant that may have them. Here is the recipe (it will also be posted on my recipes page under drinks):

Healthier Iced Coffee:

1 cup brewed coffee of your choice (I love Folgers vanilla biscotti flavor)
1/4 cup milk (you can use 2%, 1%, or skim, it just depends your preference and how many calories your willing to use up on a drink)
1 tsp. sweetener of choice ( I use Truvia, but you can use what ever sweetener you like)

Add all ingredients to a 16 ounce cup and stir well to combine. Add enough ice to fill the cup the rest of the way and mix well. That's it! It's simple, quick, and it really does taste good. If your using 2% milk the drink is a total of 33 calories, for 1% it's a total of 30 calories, and for skim milk it's a total of 22 calories. And yes, those numbers are correct! I also add in just a small amount of sugar free liquid vanilla creamer, for a little extra flavor, which does add a few more calories, but the creamer is optional; those that don't want to use it don't have to... it tastes just as great without it.

Now, to make it into a protein shake, all you need to do is add 1 scoop of your favorite whey protein powder, and shake well to combine with the iced coffee mixture - before adding the ice of course - then just add your ice and mix again. I use a chocolate protein powder, so it adds a hint of chocolaty flavor to the drink, witch I think is pretty dang good! The powder I use is 100 calories per scoop, so my final product is about 133 calories (I use 2% milk).

I hope some of you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I do!

I think this is a good place to end today's post. I have a few more little projects I've been working on that I'll be sharing soon!

♥ Lots of LOVE ♥

Laura

It's Been Too Long!

I can't believe how time gets away from me! I know its only been a couple of weeks, but I had planned on posting here at least once a week, so I'm a little behind. I've been a busy girl lately!

School is still stressing me out, but I feel like I'm doing a little better handling it. I've had papers galore due these last few weeks, so that has taken up all of my time, keeping me from posting here. I'm halfway done with this set of classes, and then I get a little bit of a break. I just have to stay focused and keep pushing through. And most importantly, stop telling myself that I can't do this, because it always works out, so I should know better by now!

I have made a drastic change to my diet the last 2 weeks. I have been going low carb and I have cut out all sugar. It has been VERY hard, I have never craved bread so bad in my life, but I've managed to make it through the first 2 weeks. I am happy to report that I am down 7.5 pounds! I can't believe it was that much, but I guess cutting that stuff out really works for me! who knew? :)  I'm going to stick with it and hopefully it will be what I've needed to get this weight off. I'm really happy with the results so far, and I look forward to future results!

I hope everyone out there is doing well!

♥  Lots of LOVE  ♥

Laura

P.S.  I recently tried mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes and I was surprised at how good they were! They almost taste like potatoes once you add in some seasonings. I am happy to say that it will be a regular part of my dinner plan!

The Stress is Driving Me Mad

I'm quickly getting very stressed out from school. 
I've never really been good with stress, it just makes me want to sleep all the time, and my workouts have been suffering because of it. I've really been trying to control my eating, so I haven't really gained any weight, but I've only been to the gym twice during the last 2 weeks, and that's only because I work out with my trainer every Wednesday. Every night I go to bed thinking "I am going to get up by 6:30, go work out, and then it will be done and I can move on with my day." But when 6:30 comes and the alarm clock is going off... I just can't seem to pull myself out of bed. By the time I'm done hitting the snooze and get out of bed, it's 7:30 or 8, and I don't have time to get to the gym before my class starts. I feel like I'm full of nothing but excuses the last few weeks, and I just can't seem to find a way to stop making the excuses and just do something. I always find a reason not to, and most of the reasons aren't very good.

I'm sure most of you out there have dealt with the same problem... I know I'm not the only one. I just wish this was all easier. I wish I had a better way to deal with stress... maybe I should start meditating or something. Has anyone out there ever meditated before? I'm not really sure how to go about doing it, so if anyone has any advise, on meditation or anything else that would help out with stress, please help me out!

I hope all of you are doing well, and dealing with your stress a little better then I am!

♥ Lots of LOVE ♥

Laura

I Just Want a Cookie!!

School is in full swing now, and I'm starting to freak out just a little bit. Just thinking about all the papers I have to write makes me want to cry! I know I'll make it through, but being at the beginning and looking toward the end, seeing all the work that lies ahead, is a little daunting. I know I'm not the first to deal with all of this, and I know I wont be the last, but it still sucks being in the middle of it all.

The big problem with all of this new stress, is it makes me want to eat, a lot, and all the time. I'm trying to deal with it, but it is SO hard to fight the cravings I get. I'm really trying to stay focused, and make sure I make time for all of my workouts, but it doesn't make it any easier to fight off the cravings. My biggest downfall is food, it always has been, and I'm sure it always will be. I don't mind working out... it's not my favorite thing to do, but I feel good afterwards, and that's always a feeling you want to keep having, so I can at least talk myself into making time for working out. But when it comes to food, I almost wish there was something I could take that would make all the food I love (and that are bad for me) taste terrible. That would make life so much easier, if only life worked that way!

Anyway... I just needed to get all of that out of me! I Hope none of you mind. I'm sure a lot of you out there have many of the same issues with food, otherwise none of us would be overweight, right? I'm sure I will always struggle with it, but I'm hopping that, during the next few weeks, I can deal with my cravings in a more productive way, and make it through this semester of school without gaining a single pound!

♥ Lots of LOVE ♥

Laura