"One of my New Year's wishes was to shed some of the weight I had gained during my pregnancy with Little Monster, and so in my attempt to do so, I felt it was harder to hide late night snacking and lack of motivation if I put myself on the line and in the spotlight. Every Friday, I will be sharing my weight loss journey (including my successes and failures), as well as delicious recipes, meal ideas, and exercise suggestions. Join me if you accept the challenge to lose weight and gain a healthier life! (Don't forget to grab my button in the sidebar)"My goal for this week was to work out for two days every week, which I was able to knock out the first two days, leaving me feeling like I needed to be doing something the rest of the week. So, next week, I will make sure to put at least one day in between them until I add another day. Hopefully, the week after I will feel ready to add another day.
I made a few changes in the way I eat also. Every night, we eat a salad with our meal. I have been filling half of my plate with the salad, one-fourth of my plate with another veggie, and the other one-fourth with meat.
Many people think that by just eating a salad they are going to lose weight. Although a salad is an excellent choice, you have to watch what you are adding to your salad. A lot of cheese, croutons, and creamy salad dressings can add unwanted calories. If eating these items is a must, then I suggest adding just a little bit of grilled or baked chicken and eat it as a meal. I still recommend choosing a different dressing though. I must admit that {homemade ranch dressing} is a weakness of mine. It is oh-so-yummy! However, I recently found Light Parmesan Asiago Balsamic Vinaigrette salad dressing. It is made by Kraft and it only has 40 calories per serving and tastes great. It doesn't have that low calorie taste. You know that taste...Ugh! This is a delicious dressing I promise you. And, one thing to remember when you add dressing to your salad...TOSS! Tossing your salad after you have put on the dressing coats all the ingredients and lessens the chances that you are going to need to add more. I see a lot of people who simply add the dressing on top without tossing, eat what is on top, and then are left with "undressed" salad on the bottom.
Here is a great meal idea that you could try:
- 4 oz. broiled salmon
- 1 small sweet potato - cut into strips, brushed with a small amount of EVOO, and baked
- salad - lettuce of your choice or spinach, shredded carrot, diced tomato, sliced cucumber, chopped bell pepper ( yellow adds a perfect combination of pretty colors), topped with a low calorie dressing
Update:
Another great dressing option also made by Kraft: Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan. Only 40 calories! Go get some!
