12 July 2013

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal! and some fitness too...




I know, I know…
Least appealing picture like ever amiright?
But let me tell you what:  This is literally the BEST oatmeal I’ve ever had.  Not that I’d consider myself an oatmeal connoisseur or anything {although I do eat that stuff pretty much every day}, but I have had a bunch of it.  Maple kinds, stuff with fruit, cooked and refrigerator kind…LOTS.
This one came about kind of accidentally.  I found a blog post on pintrest about a year ago {sorry no idea where it came from at this point!!} for dark chocolate almond overnight oatmeal.  And so I started making that.  And as yummy as it was, I fell off the oatmeal wagon for awhile.
Now if you don’t know this, overnight oatmeal is supposed to be better for you than cooked oatmeal, something about how it doesn’t lose any nutrient value because nothing’s cooked out of it.  {google it cuz that’s all I know fo sho}  So as I’ve hopped back on that fitness train, I decided to start my days with oatmeal again because a small amount of it keeps me full for a long time, and well, health benefits and all {high cholesterol and blood pressure runs in my fam and this stuff is supposed to keep it in check!}  And I accidentally came up with this.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oatmeal.
{yeah, I was having my lady time when I invented it}
It is delicious and helps keep those monthly cravings in check, I promise.  I posted this on IG a few days ago, but have since improved upon the recipe.  I hope you’ll give it a try!!

You need:
½ cup old fashioned oats
½ cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk {could also use chocolate, plain…whatever you’ve got I guess!}
1 tablespoon peanut butter {I happen to currently have a large jar of chunky JIF on hand…organic stuff would be better, but use what you have!!}
Couple drops of honey {again, what I happen to have. Use agave nectar, sugar, or nothing at all…it’s all taste. If you use sweetened milk you probably won’t need to add this.}
1 chopped up dark chocolate square {or cacao nibs or whatever you happen to have!}

Basically add everything together in a container {I use a small mason jar} until it’s mixed, then throw it in the fridge overnight.  In the morning you have a lovely yummy breakfast! 

In other news, related to being up in the gym and workin’ on my fitness, I caved in and bought a tape measure so I can take my measurements to see what I lose.  I don’t want to weigh myself for lots of reasons, but a friend of mine who has recently lost a bunch of weight told me she regrets not measuring herself at the beginning, because she’s only lost 35 pounds but you can TELL she’s lost loads of inches.  So…here’s my current measurements! 

26 inches – Thighs
43 inches – Ass
42 inches – Waist (the thickest part of it)
37 inches – Underbust
45.5 inches – Bust
14 inches – Biceps

{ahem.  Hopefully this illustrates why I’m so eager to get rid of some boobies. I’m not lying when I say they’re huge}

I am incredibly proud of myself for sticking to a healthy eating plan for nearly TWO WEEKS now, and managing to get out and do some form of exercise EVERY DAY since the 4th of July {including lifting with boys and two “workouts” in one day} I have already noticed a difference in my stamina since starting and it feels amazing.  I never ever thought I’d actually WANT to get out and do this.  But here I am, every day just DOING it. 

Happy Friday Everyone!


08 July 2013

Oh, Hello Monday.

Well, the whole Fourth of July thing went by in a blur for me!  I didn't go to see fireworks, or a parade, and I didn't go to any cookouts. 

But...
My new baby nephew was born on the Fourth!!  He is the most precious thing since my other nephew was born.  Just an adorable tiny scrunchy human.  I love him. And he shares his birthday with my momma!  Now we have two firecrackers in the family :)

In other more blog-land related news, I have so far made it a week on my mostly clean-eating change!  I haven't really "cut out" too much stuff, though switching to gluten free has been interesting (dear Olive Garden - make gluten free breadsticks ASAP!!)  due to me not being able to eat like ninety percent of my favorite foods.  I've been cheating a bit on the gluten because I can't find gluten free sandwich wraps that I like, but I did find some HUGE ones that were only 80 calories so I'll take it.  I have also managed to "work out" every day for the past four days without injury, though working out might be an exaggeration.  Going from a mostly sedentary lifestyle to one filled with exercise is no joke...it's hard to even push myself to get out there and WALK at a decent pace for 20-30 minutes, but I just have to keep reminding myself that it takes baby steps and as long as I'm pushing myself to keep getting out there and doing it, it's better than sitting on my couch because it takes me too long to walk a mile.  Womp womp.  Soooo basically, go me?


AND last but certainly not least, tomorrow is the last day to sign up for the PJ Party Swap over at Chaotic Goddess Swaps!  Have you heard of these gals?  About once per month they come up with a new fantastic swap opportunity and they're so fun!  I haven't participated in a swap in a long while, so I'm particularly excited for this one!!  Make sure to go over there and sign up!!





05 July 2013

Heavy Truths.

I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with you guys.
Actually, I haven't been totally honest with myself, either.

I haven't been particularly active on my blog in awhile, and at first it was easy to blame on being "too busy" while wedding planning.  Then I was honeymooning.  And then...

Well, and then.
And then I realized most of my problem was that I was feeling mostly flat out miserable.
All. The. Time.

It is a difficult thing to admit, but I don't know where all of these feelings are coming from.  I have been experiencing migraines with an even more annoying frequency, and even on days without a migraine I just feel a general sense of blah-ness.

But then!  Miracle of miracles, I stumbled across an article someplace on the internet of a woman experiencing similar "symptoms" as myself.  And her problem?  She wasn't getting enough vitamin B12.  Jeez I felt like I'd been hit in the head with a sledgehammer.  Vitamin b12 deficiencies can cause headaches, mood swings hair loss, loss of energy...basically, my life.  And then (big DUH moment right here) I remembered going to the dr a couple of years ago and having bloodwork done, and needing to get b12 shots for six months.  And yet, following this, I wasn't taking B12 supplements!  WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?  Point of story:  Yes, I'm taking B12 now and starting to feel a bit better. Wahoo!

But the second part of this untruthfulness is this:
All of my posts about being confident in your size and body and all?  Posting about how I'd tried and failed to lose weight and who really cares anyway?

I Care.

I've been telling myself for ages about how it's not that big of a deal, and my clothes still fit so I'll eat whatever...blah blah blah.  Except now I suddenly have to buy bras from Lane Bryant and pants from Torrid...WTF is happening?  (PS - Totally nothing wrong with those stores, but having NEVER been in plus - sizes before, yeah, kind of an issue to me)  I'M GAINING WEIGHT, OBVIOUSLY.

And it's not a good thing.  Truthfully, I don't mind how I look without clothes on.  My skin is like silk, honestly.  Sooo smooth (it's my favorite feature fyi).  But when, last weekend, I suddenly had problems zipping up a dress for a friend's wedding that I picked up and tried on (and zipped with NO problem) the same day as I picked up my (size 16) wedding dress?  Holy heart attack batman.  Not to mention the dress from my engagment photos last June that suddenly doesn't begin to cover my bazoomas.  Or the sleep shorts from last year that won't even pull on anymore.  To add insult to injury, my hubby's baby mama (who I'm suddenly friends with, a wonderful thing I never expected to have happen in this lifetime!) is suddenly looking fit and slim.  I found out she's been hitting the gym and jogging.  And she has FOUR kids.  Seriously, if a mama with 4 kids can find time and motivation to go to the gym, what the eff is my problem??

I'M LAZY.  If it doesn't show results like NOW I want nothing to do with it.  So I've come to the conclusion that I need to just suck it up and do it.  I'm not going to spend $$ to replace my whole wardrobe this summer, or this fall, or even next summer.  I'm going to fit into what I own.  And if I do have to replace my clothes, it better be with SMALLER sizes, not larger.  I have two baby nephews...I'm not going to be the fat aunt who can't run around and play with them for more than two minutes without getting winded.  I'm not going to be the girl who everyone has to slow down for when walking someplace.  I'm not going to give up this time.

I WILL BE STRONG.

Oh, and I'm not friggin weighing myself this time.  Or taking measurements either.  I feel like I set myself up for disappointment when I do those things...I'll be going directly on feel...and by that I mean how I feel.  How my clothes fit, how my body feels. 

I have just made the dramatic switch to gluten free & clean eating...which is really expensive, so I hope it will be worth it!!

I love you all for sticking around even when I don't post anything.

<3