justalittlesnarky

Anti-Niche= good at many things, not an expert at any of them but having a great time all the same.

justalittlesnarky - Anti-Niche= good at many things, not an expert at any of them but having a great time all the same.

Category Archives: General

Day 7 there was rest

Today is my rest day from the Hip Hop Abs month long challenge. I have never been one that is really big on organized… well much of anything to be honest about it. But I can say whole hartedly that today I'm missing not having a scheduled workout.

That is something that I would have never said in a million years. So what is different this time? What is it that drives me? I'm not sure that I know how to answer those questions but something that Joe Cross said on a segment of Dr. Oz made me stop and think.

“We spend the first 40 years trying to kill ourselves and the next 40 to to save ourselves.” At least that was the general gist of it. I turned 40 last year so this hit close to home for me. I guess this is me trying to make up for the first 40 where I didn't really care about my body or my health for that matter.

Sure I would go on a diet here and there but none of them ever made any sort of long term changes. Finding out that I have issues with gluten made some of this easy, not that being gluten free has been easy it has been anything but. It cuts out a bunch of my favorite comfort foods, bread being the big one.

It is even deeper then just not being able to have the stuff. I have made so many changes in the last few moths that are healthy I don't know if I could go back to eating the way I did just 2 short months ago. I don't like the way processed food tasted if it not all natural it has a weird taste to it. That is not to say that I don't sometimes still eat stuff in excess but it is a completely different type of food. No I will od on organic strawberries and not cookies.

I know that I may never get to be a size 2 but I am very proud of the fact that I have made all the changes that are leading me to see that I can make positive changes that I can see in the size of clothing that I wear. I was able to buy a few things from Old Navy this weekend that were in the ladies section. I have only ever gotten stuff from the men's things, hoodies and what not.

It really brought it home that my body was changing. I hope that was enough so that I don't pull my normal self sabotage. The few times that I did try proved more difficult, due to the fact that I feel so much better without the gluten, and most of my go to foods are all gluten based.

 

Spa Water- Mint Cucumber

Sometimes the simplest things are the best. This is a simple combo that I would not have thought of. It was at work that one o the other departments was having some sort of event and they had a bunch of different waters on a table. What I would call spa water, because I think you would find these fancy water at a spa. I have never been to one so this is all just speculation on my part.

water station

 

After their event it was leftover so I tried it. I was surprised at how good it was. So of course I had to come home and make my own.

Ingredients for the water
It is super easy you just cut up a cucumber and wash a bunch of mint and put it the water. Letting it sit overnight is best to that the mint and cucumber can infuse into the water. I have such a small container that I am going to add fresh water as I use it for a few days that way I get the most bang for my buck.

Have you tried other infused waters? Do they have the fancy water at a spa I would love to known.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie

 

I picked up some fresh cherries yesterday at the farmers market. I really had no plan for then, mostly they where pretty in the clear cups. Turns out that I really don’t like cherries by them selves.

I like to have a smoothie most days and I’m always looking for new ones to try. As I was getting dressed I remembered that I had the cherries. I love a good chocolate covered cherry. I decide much to my happiness to make a smoothie using them and some coco powder. It was very good.

Print
Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie
Author: 
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: Smoothie
Prep time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 1
 

A nice way to enjoy fresh cherries but could also be made with frozen.
Ingredients
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 6-8 pitted cherries or frozen
  • 1 Tb spoon coco powder
  • Honey to taste
  • Ice
  • Milk (can be plant-based) add as much as needed to blend

Instructions
  1. Add everything to your blender. Blend till smooth. Enjoy

 

 

My Merry May Challenge

You hear people talk about how they want to get back to what they weighed before:

  • College
  • Having kids
  • Turning 40
  • Just to name a few, there are as many before stories as there are people.

I don’t have a before story, partially because I have been overweight my whole life, yes even as a kid. Having grown up know this fact made me steer clear of scales for most of my adult life. So I truly have no idea what I was at my “thinnest”. I know that I have gained weight over the years but exactly how much there is no way to know that. I just know that my clothes got bigger as I moved towards 40.

While I guess I should not worry about this lack of before story it cause a very strange thing to happen for me. Because I have no frame of reference for not being fat the simple thought that I’m making progress towards not being fat anymore cause what can only be described as fear. This fear leads me to start to sabotage the efforts that are producing results. I settle back in to my familiar fat pants and say shucks next time maybe I will make it.

It was not until recent events have lead me to where I am now that I really saw what was going on with this horrible cycle that I exist in. So far due to radical changes in what I can eat I have lost more than 20lbs. It is the most I have ever lost at one time, if I had to guess I would say that all the times I have tried to lose weight over my 40 years I probably have lost 500lbs or so sadly it always comes back with friends. The last time I lost double digits was when I was on weight watchers years ago. I hit 16lbs and promptly quit going to meeting or tracking anything. Shucks maybe next time.

This time I tried really hard to go back to my old habits but not being able to eat anything with gluten in it has really put a crimp in my plan to gain it back. This is a good thing you are thinking to yourself:

  • What are you bitching about?
  • I would be totally stoked it I had lost 20lbs.
  • What is wrong with you?

Not to worry. I had the very similar thoughts cross my mind when this pattern started to become clear. How can losing weight scare the crap out of me so badly? I really don’t have an answer to this question, but I do have some thoughts about it. I have always been the fat person in the group. Even with my friends who were overweight I was the heaviest. So my personality and persona where formed around that fact. I don’t know how to be a thinner person. I don’t have any experience at that and I really don’t do with not having at least base line first hand experience with things in my life. Pretty sure that there is now handy how to books on this subject, if I’m wrong let me know in the comments below I would love to read them.

At this time my fat clothes are too big on me so that makes me look a little bit like a homeless person. The problem being that if I get rid of them and I manage to find a way to sabotage this then I will have to buy new fat clothes and I really hate shopping in the 3’ x 3’ section at nation chain stores (yes Target I pointing fingers at you) or “specialty” shops where everything is crazy expensive. So not only am I still fat but now I’m broke too replacing stuff that I got rid of.

This time I did get rid of a lot of the stuff that is too big on me. My closet space is the size of a phone booth and there is just not room to hang on to ill-fitting items. It was a scary moment to drop them in to the donation box and drive away.

700 words later we finally get to what this post is really about. I am going to be doing the Hip Hop Abs 30 day challenge. I am fairly certain that I will not be taking any of these moves to a club near me, well ever. I dance like a white person, a really white person and I don’t think that Shaun T is a wizard and will be able to fix that. I do home to strengthen my core and have fun with it. I am also not sure I will see abs anytime soon, they have been safely hidden way for 40 years it’s going to take a lot more than just a fun dance fitness video find them.

I was talking with some people on twitter today about what age things start being inappropriate. Here is the link to it. I fall on the side of this debate that do what makes you happy no matter what age you are. Once I hit my goal weight and can stay there for a year I am getting my belly button pierced and new boobs and I don’t care if I’m 60 at the time. Side note I also have my nose pierced, too many holes in my ears and tattoos just for a point of reference in case you needed it.

I may do some videos for update but I’m not really sure yet, tonight is my first workout. I can say that I’m a bit scared but excited to give it a go. Oh I need before photos too. Eck there will be skin showing. Great now I have “Call me maybe” running through my head. And so do you now sorry about that.

Do you have a challenge for the merry month of May? Find me on twitter I’m really good at cheerleading others success.

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