Weight Loss Motivation IV + Italian Recipe

Meet todays guest blogger, Elizabeth, who is the author of the inspiring blog, Food-Ramblings . Elizabeth publishes healthy recipes that are part of her Weight Watchers program. Personally, I find reading about success stories and healthy eating tips important for my "mental" weight loss journey. When it comes to weight loss, I need the influence of those thinking positively about eating and exercise. Elizabeth has also included a wonderful ratatouille polenta recipe!

So, here's Elizabeth:

Weight has always been a struggle for me.  As a child and young adult, I did not enjoy sports and grew up in an Italian family where pasta was a staple in every meal.  As I gained weight, instead of thinking about how I should work to fit in existing clothes, I would just go out and buy a new size.

After college (when disposable income didn’t exist now that I actually had bills to pay L), I knew just buying a size up needed to stop.  I was traveling a ton for work, and eating out all the time did not help the waistline.

Last year, I joined Weight Watchers and was being fairly successful, but after three months with the program, I decided I could do it on my own.  Guess what?  I couldn’t, and I gained what I lost plus some additional pounds.

Despite wanting to lose weight and look and feel better, I couldn’t get the motivation.  I had recently become engaged, and I was moving in with my future husband; life was good.  It was only as I was making our wedding website that I realized something really needed to change.  I had let myself go, and I wasn’t happy about it.

Here’s a picture from November of 2008; it was the first Thanksgiving Austin (my fiancé) and I spent together.  I think we look pretty good!!

And here we are in November of 2010 right after we got engaged.  We still look nice, but our faces definitely got a little rounder…

But here is the picture that really kicked me into gear.  I thought it was a great picture by itself, but looking at it compared to the other ones, I was blown away at how fat (yes, I said it- fat) we had gotten.

Needed Structure

The light bulb had finally gone off!  In January of 2012, Austin and I decided to join Weight Watchers.  I need the structure that meetings provide.  The accountability doesn’t hurt- I know I have to weigh in each and every week!

Doing It Together

Another piece that has been so helpful was to have a buddy in the weight loss process.  Austin and I were in it together, so that meant no (well, less) junk food in the house, and we were going to cook healthy meals.

My blog (http://www.food-ramblings.com/) also was a point of inspiration and accountability.  Even though I started with a readership of only supportive family and friends, I felt obligated to post new, delicious, and healthy (mostly) meals.

We’ve been doing Weight Watchers for almost five months, and the weight loss has been slower than I initially wanted it to be.  I need to remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.  A wise member of my Weight Watchers meeting said some very enlightening to the group during our last meeting.  He talked about being frustrated with the lack of speed of his weight loss.  However, had he not been actively trying to lose weight, he would have gained instead.  What a great perspective!  Think of the big picture—it’s like losing double, right?!?

Austin and I have done well with Weight Watchers.  He has lost 35 pounds, and I have lost 25 (woo hoo!).  Of course, men lose weight faster….

Changing Eating Habits & Trying New Foods

Healthy cooking has been a big part of what has made our weight loss a success.  We are eating new and different food for us, like polenta and quinoa and couscous, and eating many more fruits and vegetables.

One our favorite recipes is Ratatouille Polenta.  We hope that you and your family enjoy it!  And stop by Food-Ramblings to share your stories and get some other delicious recipes!

Ratatouille Polenta

Ingredients

8 Sundried Tomatoes  

1 Tbsp olive oil  

1 cup chopped onion

5 garlic cloves

1 medium eggplant

1 medium zucchini  

1 medium green pepper

1 cup sweet red peppers

28 oz canned crushed tomatoes  

1 tsp sugar  

1/4 tsp black pepper  

1/2 tsp table salt  

1 Tbsp ground basil  

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

16 oz cooked polenta (polenta tube)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (not necessary for the success of the recipe, and there is a vegan friendly option; check out Parma!)  

Check out the fresh ingredients all cut up!

Directions

Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in warm water to cover until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain, discarding the liquid, then chop the tomatoes.

Meanwhile, heat a nonstick pot or large pan. Swirl in the oil, then add the onion and garlic. Sauté until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the eggplant, zucchini, green and red bell peppers, tomatoes, sugar, salt, ground pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and the chopped sun-dried tomatoes; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are softened and the ­flavors are developed, about 30 minutes. Stir in the basil, during the last 2 to 3 minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler and spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Cut the polenta into 12 slices; arrange on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with the Parma! and broil 5 inches from the heat until hot and the “cheese” is golden, about 4 minutes.

Serve the ratatouille with the broiled polenta rounds.  6 Weight Watcher Points Plus a serving.

 __________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you Elizabeth for this inspirational post and fabulous recipe.
Please remember to check out Elizabeth's blog Food-Ramblings for more wonderful recipes ( most of her recipes list the Weight Watchers point values)

So, how are you feeling about your body? Your food? Your exercise ? Your life? I like what Elizabeth said, " it’s a marathon, not a sprint" 

 I love to read your comments, so please leave a comment by scrolling down to the end of the post and clicking on the word comments and leave a comment for Elizabeth.

I've started attending yoga classes twice a week and weight lifting classes once or twice a week. The more I exercise the better I feel and want to do more ( It works conversely as well. The less I exercise , the less I want to exercise)

In addition, I'm following Weight Watchers 5 days a week and mixing it up with lo carb 2 days a week. This seems to give me a little more variety- like on my low carb days, I get to eat more fat and cheeses which I love and don't have to weigh and measure. I read about doing this in a magazine and it seems to work.
It's working for me.. I went down a size ( so far)  and feel great. I forgot how great it feels to go to the gym! I'm much more energetic. I said I'm willing to work to get my body shape back and I am!!
I'm sticking with this.  Again, I realize that it's a lifestyle change. I love feeling good and looking better!

Pin It Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by. Scroll down to the end of the post and click on comments.
This post will be linked to the following blog carnivals.

Weight Loss Motivation Monday III -Guest Blogger

This week's guest blogger ,Victoria, author of the blog Sweet Healthy Living ,shares how over the course of 1 year she lost 30 pounds following a whole food vegan diet.

 Be sure to visit Victoria's website which has a wealth of information about Vegan nutrition and weight loss and lots of recipes with step by step photos. 


This is Victoria's Story and Weight Loss Motivation

Hello everyone! Let me introduce myself, my name is Victoria and I blog over at www.sweethealthyliving.com.

 I am 20 years old and am passionate about health and fitness. I also love to cook healthy, vegan food for friends and family. I am a certified personal trainer and am studying to become a plant based nutritional advisor.


                                    Chestnut Loaf   

My passion for nutrition and fitness started at around the age of 12, when I began to struggle with my weight. I tried every new diet I came across, hoping that each one would be the magic answer to my weight problem. I did not give up though, until I found what worked. My dream is to coach others in accomplishing their weight loss and fitness goals through what I have experienced and have seen work for others.

Before Picture

                                                

 Although I was never extremely overweight, at my heaviest, I weighed 30 pounds more than I do now and had around 30% body fat. I have successfully kept that weight off for 4 years and my new goal is to gain more muscle!

In these pictures, I was not at my heaviest. I had already lost about 10 pounds, but was struggling with the additional 20 pounds. 

Struggle

Tried "every" Diet

As I mentioned before, I have tried every “diet” I could find. I went from high protein/high fat, low carb diet to a raw diet and everything in between, trying to find the “answer.”

In the end, what proved to be the most beneficial, was a mostly fruit and vegetable, plant based diet. Eating foods that were high nutrient and low calorie left me more satisfied even when eating less.

Success

Once I figured out what worked for me, it took me about a year to loose 30 pounds. For weight loss, I believe that slow and steady wins the race.
It is the direction that matters, not the speed!

I honestly believe that more than 2-4 pounds of fat loss a month is not very sustainable. Granted you can easily loose lots of pounds of water in a very short time. Each pound of fat contain approximately 3500 calories. Cutting more than 500 calories a day from your diet may be too extreme.  

Here are some tips that helped me loose the weight and keep it off!

1.     Loosing weight is as much mental as it is physical.

a.      Loosing weight takes discipline and commitment. We need to teach ourselves not to use food as a form of comfort and checking in every time we eat and asking ourselves, “am I really hungry?” or “am I just eating out of habit, boredom or the need to suppress a feeling?”

2.     Focus on adding more nutrient dense foods into your diet, rather than just focusing on subtracting calories from your diet.

a.      If you eat MORE fruits and vegetables, you will naturally eat LESS processed foods. Focus on vegetables and include a large salad with lunch and dinner. Fill up in this order: vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, nuts/seeds, meat/processed food. For instance, for breakfast, start with fruit, for lunch and dinner start with a salad or steamed vegetables.

b.     Fruit is also a good option if you want a dessert after your meal.

c.     Limit/remove processed oils in your diet (even olive oil). Nuts, seeds and avocados are a much healthier and satisfying alternative, although these foods should still be limited when trying to loose weight.

3.     Eat slowly, chew well and stop when satisfied

a.      Retrain yourself not to eat until full. It takes a bit of time, but it can be done! Remind yourself that you can eat again when you get hungry and the next meal is not too far off!

4.     Start your day with exercise.

a.      Exercising first thing in the morning gets it “out of the way.” If for some reason you can’t exercise first thing in the morning, by all means do it later, but make sure you set aside a time for exercise.

b.     Commit to at least 20 minutes of exercise a day that elevates your heart rate.

5.     Try not to snack and wait until your next meal. Sometimes all you need is some water to hold you over.

6.     Remember that it will get easier! Change can be hard. Once you get a momentum on a more healthy lifestyle, it will seem effortless.

7.     If you choose to weigh yourself, weigh yourself at the same time of day no more than once a week, with little to no clothes on.

8.     Keep tempting foods out of the house. If you know you can not say “no” to certain foods, don’t have them in the house!

9.  Patience!  
a.      Lasting weight loss takes time. There is no “quick fix.” It took me a year to loose about 30 pounds.

Tip: A book I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to loose weight and/or gain health is Eat to Live by Dr Joel Fuhrman.


I hope these pointers are helpful!

Come visit me at www.sweethealthyliving.comfor healthy, vegan recipes and exercise advice!
                                                 Two of my vegan recipes

                     
                                              www.sweethealthyliving.com
         

                                                                                       Chestnut Loaf   

__________________________________________________________________________________

Victoria, Your blog is an amazing wealth of vegan nutritional knowledge  . Thank you so much for sharing your weight loss journey and ideas with us .

I am still looking for 3 more guest bloggers for this 8 week weight loss motivation series.

If you are a reader or  blogger who would like to be a guest blogger at the end of May or in June  to share your experience and journey, please contact Judee at vegyid2@yahoo.com

Guest bloggers can share tips, recipes, their experience, other websites that are inspirational, their daily mean plan etc.  Looking forward to hearing from you.

I have linked this recipe to the following blog carnivals: 

Sunday    Monday  Tuesday   Wednesday    Thursday  Friday
Seasonal Celebration Sunday Savory Sundays; Every Day Sisters Sharing Sundays; Your Recipe, My Kitchen Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper,  Sunday Night Soup Nighthttp    Under the Table and Dreaming , DIY Showoff , Nifty Thrifty Things, Homemaker on a Dime , Embellishing Life, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, DIY Home Sweet Home, Blissful Domestic,The Sweet Talk Shop My 1929Charmer
Pin It Please leave a comment so I know you stopped by. Scroll down to the end of the post and click on comments.