Eclipsed

Changes Are Coming

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Fri, 25 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I’ve got some big changes on the way and I hope you’ll follow along. I’m getting a big blog make-over and making the move to Word Press.

Part of that big make-over includes merging Eclipsed with my homeschool blog. Why the merge? Well, when I first started my weight-loss journey it was such a deeply personal thing that I felt like it needed its own space.

Now, though, fitness is just a part of who I am, so it seems silly (not to mention time-consuming) to maintain two blogs when they’re both such a part of me.

What’s going to change for you? Well, Eclipsed is going to get a new name, a new look, and a bit of its own personal space on my homeschool blog. I plan to post on weight-loss and fitness-related topics at least once a week.

I still want to continue to encourage each of you in your own journeys. I know that many of you are homeschooling moms like me, so taking charge of your health also means figuring out how that fits into your life as a homeschooling mom and what it looks like for your family.

So, I hope you’ll continue to follow along. If you’re a subscriber – or if you become one – you’ve got a chance to win!

See, for the most part, the move should be pretty seamless for you. Eclipsed should redirect to my new home on the web, but one thing that will be changing is Google Friend Connect. It’s going away for Word Press users. If this is how you follow Eclipsed:

…you won’t be able to continue to follow me when I move to Word Press.

And, I don’t want to lose you. So, I’m hoping, if you’re currently following through Google Friend Connect, that you’ll sign up to follow Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers through email or RSS feed.

As a thank you, I’ll be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one subscriber. This includes existing subscribers, too. So, if you already read WUHS in a reader or through email, you can enter, too.

Once you’ve subscribed, the next email or RSS feed post will contain a giveaway code at the bottom of the post, under my signature. (If you’re already a subscriber, it should be there now.) You’ll need this code to enter the giveaway. Just enter the info requested and the giveaway code. That it’s!

If everything goes as planned, the move should take place late next Friday night, June 1. I’ll draw a winner then and notify the winner via email. Head on over to WUSH to enter!

I look forward to seeing you at my new digs soon!

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: I Survived

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

This has been an interesting week. On Monday, I had my first opportunity to speak for a group about my weight-loss.

One of our local Chick-Fil-A restaurants partners with the YMCA every so often to offer a Battle of the Bulge class.

Participants get free access to the Y for the duration of the 13-week program and they come to weekly meetings at Chick-Fil-A. The meetings cover a variety of health and fitness topics designed to educate attendees on healthier lifestyle options.

I participated in the program 2 years ago and got the know the Chick-Fil-A manager who organizes the program. Since my family is in CFA on a very regular basis, the manager and I have maintained contact. A few weeks ago, she asked me to speak about my weight-loss and staying motivated for their final meeting.

Although I was very nervous about speaking before a group, I was also very excited to share my experience. I told my story – and got to have my “Biggest Loser” moment when I showed the group the jeans I was wearing when I started my journey – and offered the tips that I shared here last week.

It was a lot of fun. People applauded for me when I told them how much I’d lost and when I showed them my jeans. I wasn’t expecting that, but, I confess, it was really cool.

I even had someone ask me for my autograph. I think she was just trying to find a nice way to ask me to write down a couple of websites I mentioned (Skinny Taste and My Fitness Pal), but it was still kind of cool in a slightly awkward kind of way.

I had a couple of people tell me that they were really inspired, so that’s exciting.

I was going to post some pictures of the event, but Brian took them with my camera phone and they really weren’t very good – all were either blurry or he managed to get me with some crazed expression on my face that I’m not even posting on the Internet.

In other news, we went mountain bike riding again this weekend. We tried the intermediate trail this time. I was a little scared at times, but it was fun – kind of an amusement park ride scared/fun deal. I told Brian that I might not be very good at this, but it does require some degree of skill to stay upright and not run into trees, which I managed to do, so I felt pretty good about the whole thing.

My weight is slightly up this week – about 2 pounds over where I’d like to be on the high end, so I’m working on being consistent with my workouts and watching what I’m eating. I’m hoping that I can buckle down and knock off those last “less-than-ten” pounds this summer. Last summer I managed to get 15 off, so maybe…

What have you been doing to stay fit and active?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

It’s hard to believe that it’s Wednesday already. This week is flying by.

I’m excited about next week. On Monday, I’ll be speaking at our local Chick-Fil-A’s Battle of the Bulge meeting. I’ve been asked to come speak about staying motivated to lose weight.

While I’ve been stagnant in my weight-loss for awhile, I have maintained my loss for nearly a year, so I think I can address that topic. Even this week, I stayed about the same, which is pretty exciting to me since my workouts were practically non-existent last week.

Brian took off work and we had so much going on that it was hard to get consistent workouts in. Maintaining on that kind of week is always exciting. It’s also exciting to get back to a routine, which I’ve been doing this week.

In my speech, I’ll be covering my tips for staying motivated, which include:

Stay focused on your reasons. One of the best pieces of advice I learned while losing weight is to stay focused on your reason. The Beck Diet Solution suggests writing all the reasons you want to lose weight on an index card – from the big stuff (to feel more self-confident, to get healthier) to the little stuff (to be able to wear cute lounge pants).

Anytime you’re feeling tempted to give up or give in, you can refer to that list of reasons to remind yourself why you’re working so hard to change your life.

No turning back. As I would lose down into a new clothing size, I would donate all my “fat” clothes, so that I wasn’t able to move back up to that size without making a conscious decision to do so. Gaining weight meant buying new “fat” clothes and who wants to do that?

Find an activity that you enjoy. This was huge for me. If I didn’t thoroughly enjoy running and biking, it would be much harder to make myself do them on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter if it’s spin class, kickboxing, cardio-dance or anything else – just find something that you enjoy doing, so you’ll be happy to stick with it.

Find food that you enjoy. I don’t know that I would have been as successful as I’ve been if it weren’t for finding good, healthy foods that my whole family enjoys. The recipes at Skinny Taste have been a huge part of that, along with learning to try new things and prepare foods in healthier ways.

Hardly a week goes by that I don’t marvel at the way my family has completely changed our eating habits. Some of our favorite meals are foods that we never would have considered trying a couple of years ago.

Maintain accountability. Find a friend of family member who will hold you accountable without becoming your diet police (unless you need someone to police your diet, but that usually bugs me). I have told my husband, “Never let me go back.”

After years of watching me struggle with obesity, he takes this task very seriously. He’s good about recognizing when an occasional indulgence is starting to slide down that slippery slope toward bad habit and he’ll call me on it. I appreciate that more than he can know.

Track your food. I am so bad about letting this one slide, but it’s such a good habit because it helps you to maintain a realistic view of how many calories you’re consuming. My Fitness Pal is perfect for this. Now that I’ve got a smartphone and have installed the app, I’m hoping that I’ll be more consistent about tracking my food.

Don’t quit. Even when it gets frustrating, if you just keep doing what you know you should be doing – eating right and staying active – you’ll get past the slumps. The only failure is quitting. Do or do not, there is no try.

Those are my tips. Any suggestions that I might should add?

This post contains affiliate links.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: Um, Okay Then

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome to another Weekly Fit Check! I hope you’ve been having a great week.

It’s been pretty chaotic around here for me for the last week or so. Last Friday, I headed out of town to Sterling, Virginia for the 2:1 Conference.

Before I left, I ran another 5K. It was my second running of th race that was my second 5K last year – the one in which, by some crazy fluke, I placed 3rd in my age group.

(last year)

Although I ran it a little over 2 minutes faster this year, I came in 7th in my age/gender group. I’m okay with that, though, because I really felt like I ran a good race. It was tough. It was a very challenging, hilly course and I started off too fast, but overall it was a good race.

Then, I got up before the sun on Friday and headed to the airport. I took my workout clothes, but was too busy to workout the entire time I was out of town. The food, overall, was pretty healthy, though I did indulge in some desserts. (Not all of them, though. I only ate three or four bites of cheesecake before pushing it aside. Yay, me!)

Then, there was the nasty pizza that I ate in the Atlanta airport on the way home. I saw the pizza place and that sounded like a quick, easy meal, which was a serious consideration since I had less than an hour layover. I got the veggie pizza, thinking it was probably a healthier option.

It was so not good.

The disappointment that I was wasting a lot of calories on a nasty pizza was compounded by the fact that I discovered a Chili’s on the concourse where I had to wait on my plane. {sigh}

I got in late Sunday night and had a doctor’s appointment Monday afternoon, so I opted to sleep in and try to catch up on some rest instead of working out Monday. I almost didn’t get on the scale Tuesday morning, considering opting for giving myself a week to get back into the swing of things.

Out of morbid curiosity, though, I got on the scale.

I had to pick my jaw up off the ground when I saw that I’d lost three pounds from last week! I so do not understand my body sometimes. I’ll take it, though.

Now, it’s back to more controlled, healthy eating and regular workouts. What are you doing to get fit this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: Active Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Can you believe it’s Wednesday already? This week is flying by – probably because I’ll be heading out of town for The 2:1 Conference on Friday. I’m so excited! I’ve even lined up a couple of people willing it hit the treadmills in the gym with me.

This past weekend was a busy, active one for me. First, I had another 5K on Saturday morning. This annual race was my third (ever) 5K last year. A lot has changed since then.

Last year (when I thought 50-something degrees was weather that required a long-sleeved shirt under a short-sleeved shirt):

This year (when I knew that 50-something degrees on race morning is tank top weather – and I think I’m kind of working the cute hat, too):

I beat last year’s time by nearly two-and-a-half minutes. Although I still haven’t broken the 30 minute mark, I felt good about this race. I don’t think I could have run it any faster (32:06 – chip time). I felt like I set a good, challenging pace the whole way and I finished much stronger than last year.

After the race, I came home and took a short nap because I didn’t sleep at. all. the night before. Then, we went to breakfast with my oldest, who was the only one home, before dropping her off at home and heading out with this:

Yep, I finally got to take my new mountain bike for my first-ever off-road ride. It was so much fun! It was also a little freaky at times when I felt like I was going to topple off the edge of the ~~hill~~ mountain. By the time we took our second loop around the beginner’s trail, I was feeling a bit more confident and rode a bit faster.

We wound up doing the beginner’s trail twice for a total of a little over 6 miles, then, we rode on the paved path for another 4 or 5 miles.

Can you believe with all that activity, plus my regular workouts that my weight was still up just a teeny bit this week? Ugh! It had to have been my food choices. I splurged a bit Friday night on Brian’s and my date night. Hey, it was the first one we’ve had in ages and the food was so good.

I also splurged a bit for breakfast with my mom and sister Friday morning, but again, yum! It was really worth it as long as I get myself back in check soon. I say “soon” because I’ll be traveling this weekend, so I know I won’t have as much control over my food choices as I normally do.

Like I said earlier, though, I do have a couple of ladies who’ve said they’ll hit the treadmills with me, so maybe the activity will off-set the food choices. And, I won’t be going to my Life Group on Sunday night – the incredible cooks there are killing me with their hard-to-resist meals.

How has your weight-loss effort been going? What choices are you making to enjoy a healthier, fitter lifestyle?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: Buckling Down!

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday! Are you ready for another Weekly Fit Check?

If you follow Eclipsed on Facebook, you may already know that I’ve decided that I’m tired of fooling around. I’m tired of acting like I’m trying to get my last 10 pounds off, but not really doing anything about it.

Over the course of my weight-loss journey, I’ve battled complacency a few times. It gets hard when you get so close to your goal weight, because the fact of the matter is, I could be very happy here.

I’ve been within 2 pounds of my current weight since last August. Maintaining has been fairly easy. Because my eating habits have changed so drastically, I can basically eat what I want (the new eating habits way) with some treats and daily exercise thrown in and stay where I am. That’s a good thing.

Except, I feel like I’m not finished.

I set a goal for myself – a reasonable, attainable goal – and I feel like I’m in limbo. And, while I know everyone has problem areas and I should love my body as it is (I do! Especially when I consider where I was a little over two years ago), I can’t help but wonder if my problem areas would be less problematic if I were at my goal weight.

So, I’m ready to buckle down again. The last time I felt such a strong urge to buckle down was at the beginning of last summer. I lost 15 pounds that time, so I’m hopeful about getting rid of the last 10 or so this time.

Hold me accountable!

In my last Fit Check, I told you that I was hoping I’d be able to report on my first off-road mountain bike experience. I did get a new mountain bike last week, but the weather and my older daughter’s work schedule have conspired against me. She’s my babysitter for things like bike rides and she’s been working.

We did take the bikes and the younger kids out to the park – where there are paved roads – last Saturday, so I did get to at least ride my new bike. I love it! It shifts like a dream and it took a couple of hilly roads like they were nothing. I haven’t gotten to take it off-road yet, though.

Brian and I were going to try to go last night, but it rained. I’m hoping we can go Saturday, but guess what? It’s supposed to rain. *sigh*

I’ll be up early, though, for a 5K, so maybe we can hit the trails before it rains, since it’s not supposed to start until the afternoon. Hopefully I’ll have some photos and tales to tell next week.

So, what about you? What have you been doing to improve your health and fitness this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the mid-week fit check! How are you keeping fit this week?

I’m still maintaining my weight-loss, which is good, I suppose, though I really wouldn’t mind getting those last ten or so pounds off.

I’m happy with my fitness level lately, though. I’ve been very consistent with my strength training and I’ve been getting back to a good consistency with my running. The running is much easier now that the weather is so nice.

My biggest thing right now is biking. For the last few weeks, I’ve really been looking into road biking (racing). However, this weekend, I decided that I’d probably really prefer to get a good mountain bike. That would be something Brian and I could enjoy together, but I could still enjoy the bike on shorter, slower family rides with the kids.

I hope, by my next fit check, I can tell you about my first mountain biking – as in, really off-road on a trail – experience.

I’ve told so many people this, but I really think a big key to successful weight-loss and maintenance is finding physical activity that you truly enjoy. For me, that’s definitely running and biking.

What’s your favorite form of physical activity? What have you been doing for a healthy lifestyle this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: Whew!

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday! Is it me or is this week going by really quickly. It’s hard to believe it’s Wednesday already.

I’ve been missing a lot of you lately. I hope you’re still out there, reading. I know this weight-loss thing can get hard and it’s easy to just let it fall by the wayside or just quit commenting when things aren’t going well.

Please know, though, that it is so worth persevering and that you are missed. If you’re out there and you’ve become frustrated or discouraged or ashamed, you’re not alone. It happens.

You can be a success story, though, if you just don’t quit.

So, take a moment and leave me a comment. Let me know where you are on your journey. Let me cheer you on or encourage you or give you a good kick in the pants, if that’s what you need. I miss you!

It was another week of maintaining for me and I couldn’t be happier! (Well, okay, I could be happier, if I had miraculously lost 3 or 4 pounds, but you know what I mean). With two early morning play performances last week for my youngest and a busy weekend, my workouts took a serious hit, so it felt great to see that I wasn’t showing some crazy gain when I got on the scale yesterday.

It also felt great to get back to my normal workout routine this week. My arms were a little sore yesterday from my strength-training workout, but that felt good, too – it meant that I’d worked some muscles that hadn’t been worked in awhile.

What have you been doing for your health lately?

Do or do not. There is no try.

My 10 Favorite Staple Meals

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I feel like my meals are falling into a predictable rut. However, an article in the April 2012 special weight-loss issue of Runner’s World, 50 Weight-Loss Tips, made “staple meals” sound more practical than boring.

Having a rotating menu of staple meals makes meal-planning and calorie-budgeting simple. Here are 10 of my favorites – those meals that tend to show up on our table on a regular basis.

Breakfast

1. Oatmeal with fruit – My top fruit choices are apples, blueberries, and strawberries. Raisins are other tasty choice, but not quite as healthy. Whatever fruit I got with, I always toss in a tablespoon of walnuts, too. Yum!

2. Cereal with granola – I like Flax Plus. It’s a simple, healthy, low-calorie, high-fiber flake cereal. Tossing my own granola (and usually fruit) gives me a healthy, balanced breakfast without all the added sugars often found in breakfast cereal.

3. Peanut butter toast with fruit – A little protein, a little whole-grains, a little fruit. Peanut butter (I use Smucker’s natural) toast with a side of fruit makes a quick and easy breakfast.

Lunch

4. Pasta bowl – My pasta bowl is a favorite for lunch at least once or twice a week.

5. Grilled chicken salad – No, not the mayonnaise-based chicken salad. Grilled chicken on lettuce with lots of fruits and veggies = grilled chicken salad. Yum!

6. Turkey burger – I’m kind of missing my turkey burger since I’ve had left-over a lot lately, but usually, a grilled turkey patty, topped with grilled onion and red pepper and sliced avocado on a whole wheat bun can be found on my lunch rotation each week.

Supper

7. Grilled chicken – The entire family loves grilled chicken. I marinate it in my light Italian dressing and Brian grills it. I usually make extra for my lunch salad. The supper chicken is accompanied by pasta (homemade Alfredo sauce or marinara sauce) and pasta or spaghetti squash.

8. Salmon – I’m trying to get in the habit of having fish at least once a week. I love wild salmon, while Brian prefers tilapia.

9. Roasted broccoli – I’ve discovered that roasting nearly any veggie makes it taste much better than nearly any other method of preparation. We have roasted broccoli just about every week. Other popular choices are: cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini (with onions and mushrooms) and carrots.

It’s so simple, too. Just drizzle with a little olive oil (not too much because it’s high in fat!), sprinkle with salt, and add a little minced garlic. Bake at 425 degrees until tender.

10. Steamed green beans – I use Gina’s green bean recipe. My oldest (and pickiest) is the only one who doesn’t like this. It got rave reviews at my extended family’s Thanksgiving dinner this year, too.

Those are some of my favorite staple meals. What are some of yours?

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: The One with No PRs

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday! I hope this week is going well for you.

I am still maintaining. I honestly don’t think my weight moved at all from last week. While I would love to be making serious strides to reach my goal-weight, maintaining is definitely better than gaining.

So, no PR (personal record) on the weight-loss front and, unfortunately, no PR in my last 5K. Actually, there was something of a PR. My overall time was slower – 30:55 vs. 30:51 – but my pace time was faster according to my Garmin. I think that’s probably because of a more accurate course distance this time.

Either way, I felt like I made a good effort on my run, so I’m pleased with my time. I’m still hoping to break 30 minutes this season, though.

I missed going on a bike ride this weekend. There was a high chance of rain and it looked very much like rain was eminent, so we didn’t go – and it never did rain!

I’ve been looking at bikes. I didn’t know until just few weeks ago that there was such a thing as a duathlon – running and cycling, but no swimming. I could handle that! There’s one coming up in September that is a 5K run, 18K bike ride, and 5K run. I’d love to do that, but I’d have to get a decent road bikes.

Decent road bikes are not cheap.

I’m keeping my eyes open, though, hoping for a good deal.

What have you been doing to keep yourself healthy? If you’re stuck for ideas, check out these ten simple changes you can make to improve your health.

Do or do not. There is no try.

10 Easy Changes to Improve Your Health

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

When people hear how much weight I’ve lost, they invariably ask me what I’ve done. Most people are hoping to hear that I started some specific diet or took some new pill. They want a magic pill.

There is no magic pill for weight-loss. It takes commitment and a willingness to change deeply ingrained habits. That doesn’t mean the changes are hard, however. Taken a few at a time, the changes can be relatively easy.

photo credit

1. Eat more fruit. That sounds simple enough, but it’s not enough to just decide to eat more fruit. Old habits die hard and new ones are hard to instill. Instead of just thinking generically about adding more fruit to your diet, think strategically – determine to eat a fruit with breakfast each day.

Adding blueberries, strawberries, or apples to your oatmeal or cereal is easy enough. Having a banana or orange with your toast doesn’t require a lot of thought or effort.

Once you’ve successfully added fruit to your breakfast – consistently – try adding fruit to your lunch. Fruit in a salad is delicious! I love apples, strawberries, grapes, and even blueberries.

2. Eat more veggies. A lot of people are much like their kids – they don’t like many vegetables. Our vegetables used to consist of white potatoes with the occasional steamed broccoli, salad, or canned green beans. I used to buy potatoes by the 10-pound bag. I rarely buy them anymore.

We’ve discovered that just about any vegetable is better roasted. Drizzle with a little olive oil, add garlic and salt, then, bake at 425 degrees until tender. We do this with with cauliflower, asparagus, squash, zucchini, carrots – most any vegetable. We prefer our green beans steamed, though.

Oh, and I almost never buy canned vegetables. Fresh tastes so much better.

3. Move more. When I first started losing weight, in addition to my regular exercise of 30-45 minutes walking on the treadmill, I made it a point to consciously move more. I would walk around the table to check my kids’ spelling words instead of asking them to hold their papers up to show me.

I would go up or down the stairs to get stuff myself instead of asking one of the kids to do it for me. If I felt like I’d been sitting still too long, I’d walk up and down the stairs in our home a few times.

Making a conscious effort to simply move more can add up to big results. An easy way to accomplish this is to purchase a pedometer, then, aim for at least 10,000 steps a day. Often just being more aware of movement results in a fairly effortless increase.

4. Drink more water. I keep three water bottles in my fridge at all times – well, two at all times. The third is with me wherever I am. I sip on water all day long. It keeps me hydrated (dehydration often mimics hunger) and, as crazy as it may sound, gives my mouth something to do – you know, as opposed to sipping sugary drinks or snacking.

5. Try new foods. I try to make it a point to try new foods on a regular basis. Maybe not every week, but at least every few weeks. We’ve learned to love things such as jicama, spaghetti squash, and avocado. The jury is still out on parsnips – the more thinly sliced the better, though.

6. Find new ways to prepare old favorites. Gina’s Skinny Taste site was a huge factor in my weight-loss success. She makes over normal foods that most people eat, making them healthier and lower in fat and calories. My whole family – including the kids – love her recipes! The kids used to always look skeptically at new foods and ask, “Is this healthy?”

They still often ask if something is healthy, but not with nearly as much trepidation because they’ve learned that healthy can taste good. Mostly now they’re just curious.

7. Find some physical activities that you truly enjoy. I have learned to love running and biking. I never, ever dreamed I would enjoy running. I’m so glad that a friend encouraged me to stick with it once I decided to try, though, because now I love it!

It doesn’t really matter if it’s running, biking, swimming, Zumba, dancing, volleyball, softball – it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you enjoy it. You’ll stick with what you enjoy. If you’re just suffering through something in hopes of losing weight, you’re probably not going to do it long-term, then, you’ll be right back where you started.

8. Remember the 80/20 rule. So many people think changing your eating habits has to be all or nothing. I prefer to know that I can enjoy everything – in moderation. The 80/20 rule says that you make healthy food choices 80%, with reasonable indulgences 20% of the time.

9. Make simple swaps with healthier foods. I used to be a chip and dip junkie. That was my favorite snack – and lots of it. I read about jicama in a Biggest Loser book and decided to give it a try.

I love it!

These days, I would chose jicama (and/or red pepper) and hummus over chips and dips, even if the fat and calories were equal. Consider what among your favorites could be swapped for a healthier choice.

10. Log your food! I am so bad about falling off the food-logging wagon, but I always do so much better when I log what I’m eating. First of all, I’m more conscious of exactly how much I’m eating.

Second, there’s just a mental game that comes into play with logging food – if I know I’m going to have to write something down, I find myself wanting to make better food choices.

There you have it – ten relatively simple tips that can add up to big changes in your weight-loss efforts. Do you have any tips that you’d add?

This post is linked to Top 10 Tuesday.

This post contains affiliate links.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: The One with the PR

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday! I hope you’re having a great, healthy, active week!

I’ve had a good week. My weight still isn’t quite where I’d like it to be, but I know I’m making good, healthy choices with my eating habits and activity level, so I’ll get there.

I read an interesting quote in the April edition of Runner’s World magazine a couple of days ago. It said, “Trying to stay at your lowest weight is like trying to stay at your peak fitness year round.”

I don’t feel like I’m reached my lowest weight yet, but I’m much closer than I’ve been in a long, long time…and I think I’m at a good weight for me (well, close – I think 130-132 is a good range for me and I’m currently sitting at just over 133), so I’m not going to beat myself up. That doesn’t mean, however, that I’m not going to keep working to get down to my goal weight.

On the fitness front, I feel like I had a really good week last week. In addition to my regular workouts, I ran my first 5K of the season last week. While I didn’t quite make my goal of breaking 30 minutes for a 5K, I did PR (set a personal record) and I came in 3rd in my age/gender group!

I was very pleased with my results and I wasn’t ridiculously far from breaking 30 minutes. I finished with a gun time of 30:57. Not bad,not bad at all. I wish I had some photos to share, but my ~~personal photographer~~ husband couldn’t go to the race this time.

After running my 5K, Brian and I went on a 15 mile bike ride. It was a gorgeous, incredible day for riding. I would have loved to have ridden farther. Maybe next time.

I’ve added strength training back into my workout schedule. I’d tried to pick it back up before my last half-marathon, but that didn’t go so well. Now, though, I don’t plan on running anything longer than a 10 or 15K until the fall, so strength training is back in.

Additionally, I’m making a concerted effort to diligently track my food again, starting this week. I feel really good about my eating habits, so far. I almost always eat better when I’m writing down what I eat. There’s a certain level of accountability.

This week I’ve had:

Monday

Breakfast: 1T natural peanut butter on whole wheat toast, banana

Lunch: Salad with artisan lettuce, grapes, strawberries, apples (I love fruit on a salad!), avocado, walnuts, pepperoncini, sunflower kernels, and my light Italian dressing. Sweet tea.

Dinner: Broiled salmon, mashed sweet potatoes, and roasted broccoli and red pepper. Sweet tea.

Dessert: Pudding cake (Not at all healthy…my one treat for the day.)

Tuesday

Breakfast: 1/2 c cottage cheese, orange

Lunch: Pasta bowl, sweet tea

Dinner: Grilled chicken, grilled corn-on-the-cob, macaroni salad, steamed green beans, and sweet tea.

Dessert: Pudding cake (Somebody – besides me – really needs to finish that stuff off!)

I’m excited about my strength training the rest of the week. We got some new-to-us weight equipment at a great deal from a friend of Brian’s. It will make it much easier to do squats with a bar and to work on quads and glutes.

Even Josh is excited about it – which excites me! He asked me on Monday night to wake him up when I got up to workout. When I told him it was a running day, he asked me to wake him up anyway and he’d workout by himself.

He didn’t like my reply that I’m not crazy about him working out with free weights if there isn’t someone in the room…so he worked out when Brian got home. I love it!

What about you? What are you doing to be fit and active this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

10 Ways to Get Active with Your Family

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

As I’ve lost weight and gotten healthier I’ve gotten much more energetic. My husband has always been pretty active and we’ve enjoyed adopting a more active lifestyle together, but sometimes it’s still difficult to convince my couch-potato kids. Do you have that problem at your house, too?

With the lure of video games, TV, and the Internet, it can be hard to convince kids to get moving. Here are some suggestions to help:

1. Family bike rides. I love that all of my kids are finally big enough and stable enough on their bikes to make family bike rides fun. Everyone can keep up and it’s something that most of us enjoy doing. I’ve still got a couple of hold-outs, but they can usually be convinced with the promise of a treat at the end.

photo credit

Yeah, a Frosty or an ice cream bribe may not fall completely inline with a healthy lifestyle, but they make a fun occasional treat – even for the two big kids.

If you’ve got younger kids who have trouble keeping up or still need training wheels, you’ve got to check out this bike trainer trailer. We saw a few of them at a local park with lots of bike trails last year and I thought they were the smartest thing ever.

2. Toss a baseball. It’s the American pastime, right? Everybody can get involved and, unless you’ve got some great catchers, there’s going to be lots of movement involved as missed balls are chased. If you’ve got younger kids, ground balls are still fun to catch and throw.

3. Throw Frisbee. Frisbee is another fun, inexpensive way to have some family fun – as long as nobody gets whacked in the head. Ask me how I know that.

photo credit

4. Family walks. Hiking, nature trails, or just a walk around the block are great ways to get out and enjoy the warmer weather, but are still doable in all but the most inclement weather. If your kids are younger, turning it into a scavenger hunt can make it more enticing.

5. Play basketball. Whether it’s one-on-one, two-on-two, larger teams with neighborhood friends or family, or a game of “horse,” basketball is a fun, inexpensive sport that is fairly universally enjoyed (to play, not to watch!).

6. Walk or play with the dog. The kids will enjoy it and so will the dog.

7. Play the Wii. I love the Wii because most of the games involve natural movements and actions, rather than pressing a series of buttons in a way that I can never figure out. To get the most of the physically active aspect of playing the Wii, though, be sure to pick the active games, such as Just Dance, Wii Fit or Wii Sports (I love tennis and bowling!).

photo credit

8. Have a hula hoop or jump rope contest. Hula hoops and jump ropes are inexpensive and something that most people, kids and adults, alike, can do – and they provide a great calorie burn!

9. Play tag. No equipment and lots of movement makes tag a perfect game for everyone, as long as you’ve got a bit of space for chasing.

10. Active kid games. Have you got preschoolers? If so, you probably remember how fun – and active – games like Ring Around the Rosie and Duck, Duck Goose are. Plus, you’ll get the benefit of being the coolest parent around because you’re willing to play fun games with the kids.

What are some of your family’s favorite ways of being active together?

This post contains affiliate links.

This post is linked to Top 10 Tuesday.

Weekly Fit Check

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday! I hope you’re taking steps to improve your health this week!

It’s been a pretty good week here. I’m up a bit, according to the scale, but I’m not even worrying about it this week. I have one word for you: bloating.

Yikes! How a body can retain so much water is a 24 hour time period is beyond me. I went through three pairs of jeans trying to find a pair that I could button on Sunday…and the two rejected pair fit fine just a day or two before.

Stupid hormones!

So, that’s why I’m not even concerning myself with the fickle scale this week.

I enjoyed biking with Brian and Megan this past weekend – though Megan did do more than her fair share of complaining, which really surprised me since she had so much fun the last time we went. It was a new bike, though, so I think it took a little getting used to.

I had a great run on Monday! The weather was gorgeous and I got to run in compression shorts (as opposed to Capris) and a short sleeved shirt – no base layer, no gloves, no hat to keep my head warm. It was wonderful.

I was going to run a slower 5 miles, but the weather was so great, that I wanted to run, so I opted for a fast 3.5 miles. It felt to good to run. The weather is supposed to be just as nice this weekend for my first 5K race of the season. I can’t wait!

What have you been doing to keep fit this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: Moving Along

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Well, for those of you reading, we’ve made it another week in our ongoing fitness journey. That excites me!

I’ll tell you what else excites me: despite my efforts to kick the scale out of the limelight, I can’t help getting excited about it sometimes and this is one of those times. I’ve shown a loss for the second week in a row!

In the last two weeks, I’ve lost 2.8 pounds. That puts me right back in range of where I was before I had several weeks in a row of little gains. Even with my indulgence at the Japanese restaurant last week, where the fortune in my cookie gave me a great laugh:

I said I should have read it before I ate. The fortune now resides on my fridge as a daily reminder.

And, honestly? I haven’t been making a special effort to lose. Maintaining has been my goal, so I’m very happy with my weight right now.

I was just telling Brian last night that I’m in a very happy place right now. I’m eating in a way that I can see myself easily maintaining for the rest of my life and I’m relatively happy with my weight. I never thought I’d be in the place of having 5-10 pounds to lose, like the majority of American women. I like that.

Also, on the fit-front, a big change in my diet was brought front and center this weekend. On Friday, our homeschool group went on a field trip to a local grocery store. The produce looked so much better than it does at the store where I normally shop.

So, I went there for my produce on Saturday before going to the other store where the overall prices are better. I gave myself a $40 budget for produce.

Forty dollars. For produce.

A couple of years ago, I never even went to the produce department for anything other than white potatoes (which I bought by the 10 lb. sack…if I buy them at all anymore, which is rare, I just buy three or four potatoes), onions, and, occasionally, lettuce for a salad. Now, the produce department is where I spend at least one-fourth of my grocery-shopping budget.

Produce that has become a staple at my house includes:

red pepper
jicama
avocado
spinach
green beans
broccoli
cauliflower
zucchini
mushrooms
tomatoes
sweet potatoes
artisan lettuce
garlic (minced in a jar…I’m lazy)
fruit of some sort (blueberries, strawberries, grapes, oranges, apples, pineapple)

Another great indicator of the changes in my nutrition is the fact that, just yesterday, the thought crossed my mind to take a picture of my plate. I didn’t because I have terrible light in my dining room and I didn’t feel like taking the time to find a good light source, but it really struck me that my plate looked so healthy and colorful and pretty.

For lunch, I had a tuna sandwich with avocado sides of jicama, red pepper, and baby carrots with hummus for dipping. There were also a few strawberries and grapes and a handful of walnuts. Delicious, nutritious, and appetizing to look at.

Dinner was honey-mustard chicken with roasted cauliflower and red peppers, steamed green beans, and cranberry-walnut quinoa. Yum!

What about you? How are you keeping fit this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: Second Half-Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Leap Day! I hope you’re doing something to thoroughly enjoy this day that happens only once every four years.

We are. My husband took the first half of the week off work and we took off school. Today we’ll be going to enjoy our annual trip to our favorite Japanese steakhouse – one of those places where the chef prepares the meal in front of you. Tasty and fun!

After that, we’re going to a matinee to enjoy a movie together. The whole family is looking forward to our day together.

On the weight-loss front, I’m still maintaining. I did show a small loss again this week – not enough to say that I’m breaking out of maintenance mode and into losing-the-last-ten-pounds mode, but it’s still fun to see a loss on the scale.

The highlight of my week was running my second half-marathon last Saturday. I knew, going in, that I wasn’t as prepared for this one as I was my first one. It’s hard to train in the winter when cold and rain often join forces to derail my training plan.

I was really hoping that I’d pull out a miracle and still beat my last time. I actually was on track for that to happen until Mile 8, when I got really tired. I got a bit of a second wind for Miles 9 – 11 weren’t too bad, but Miles 12 and 13 kicked my butt.

I finished with a gun time of 2:31:22 and a chip time of 2:30:59. That’s only three minutes slower than my last time, so I’m not too disappointed with it.

I wore the great shirt that I bought from One More Mile awhile back. The back says, “Dear God, please let there be someone behind me to read this.” I got tons of compliments on it. People loved it, just like I did when I saw it on someone at my first half-marathon.

The irony was not lost on me that all the compliments came from people passing me. {grin}

I even got passed by two guys who ran the half in military pants, combat boots and 40-pound packs. Brian said they started out walking. I saw them several times. They would walk a bit, then, run a bit. They must have been moving on when they ran, though, because they passed me from way back and finished way ahead of me.

Brian went running with me on my recovery run on Monday. It was one of those times when I had to go run to work the soreness out. He didn’t run the whole time, but I appreciated that he made an effort to give it a try.

Yesterday, we took the younger two kids out to ride bikes in a local park (our oldest didn’t want to go). It was a gorgeous day – perfect for riding and unbelievable for February.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Megan has finally gotten good enough in her riding skills to keep up. We didn’t set a hard, fast pace, but it was enough that I felt like I burned a decent amount of calories. That excites me because she really enjoyed it, which means more family bike rides in the future. I love physical activities that we can all enjoy…if we can drag the oldest along next time.

So, what about you? How are you keeping fit this week? Are you losing, maintaining, or it is time to get back on track?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Fit Check: Resisting Temptation

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the second Weekly Fit Check, as opposed to a weekly weigh-in. As I mentioned last week, I want to start focusing on more than a number on the scale.

Will I still be looking at the scale? Absolutely! I think it’s an important indicator of where I am, physically, but at this point in my journey (at any point in it, really), I don’t want it to be the only indicator.

So, what symptoms did I see of changes in my overall health this week?

Last Saturday, Brianna had to be at play practice at 10:00. Considering practice is nearly half an hour away, that’s the crack o’dawn for us late-sleeping folks, so we had decided to treat everyone to donut holes – both as a quick, on-the-go breakfast and something to make us not feel so grumbly about having to get up so early on a Saturday.

Donut holes are a huge weakness for me, but I ate the number that I had planned to allow myself and I quit. Then, even though there were quite a few donut holes left, I stayed out of them despite several strong urges to snack. I did have a couple more later that night as my dessert, but I didn’t snack on them all day like I wanted to or like I would have in the past.

I was really not feeling it when it came to running last week, but I had some mileage that I had to do to stay on track for my training for my second half-marathon coming up this weekend. I made myself finish, even when I didn’t feel like it.

It’s an amazing feeling to finish something that you really don’t want to do or feel that you can’t finish. It makes you feel like you can do anything, if you just don’t quit.

My motto:

It’s not a matter of can or can’t. It’s a matter of will or won’t.

I will.

I’m still more or less maintaining my weight. I did see a tiny loss this week, but I know it’s really maintenance. While I do still want to reach my goal, I’m not upset about maintaining, at this point.

So, what about you? How are you staying fit this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

A New (Out)Look for the Weekly Weigh-In

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

After over two years of weighing in once a week here on Eclipsed and inviting you to join me, I think it’s time for a change.

As you know, the last few weeks have been a bit frustrating for me and the last few months have sounded a bit like a broken record, as I’ve reported, for the most part, small gains and small losses the really amount, more than anything, to maintaining my weight-loss.

After deciding that I am going to recommit myself to really working to reach my goal of 125 pounds, there is still a little bit of that “refocusing” mentality floating around in my head – which isn’t a bad thing.

I’ll just tell you, I had a little bit of a gain again this week. That’s five weeks straight of small gains that keep me hovering right around where I was last August. If I chose to focus on that, I could easily get frustrated and give up.

However, yesterday when I was setting up my new fitness log, I noticed some changes that I found very exciting. From the first time that I started my fitbook (about a year ago), I have lost more than 20 pounds. I’ve also lost 3” in my bust, 2” in my arms, 4” in my waist, 4” in my hips, 2” in my thighs. That’s exciting!

Those aren’t the only changes I noticed, though. My big workout goal, at that time, was to build up to running for 20 minutes at a time. Now, I’m getting ready to run my second half-marathon a week from Saturday! I never, ever – back when I couldn’t run for 20 minutes at a time – would have thought I could do that.

So, while the number on the scale is a good indicator of where we all stand, as far as our overall health goes, it isn’t – and shouldn’t be – the only indicator. So, from here on out – especially as I approach maintenance – I want to shift the focus from only the number on the scale to other indicators of fitness progress.

What can you do that you couldn’t do a month ago? What progress have you made this week over last week? What positive changes have you made that have really begun to stick? What does your measuring tape say? How are your clothes fitting? What does your food log say about your overall health?

There’s more to fitness than a scale. Let’s celebrate the positive changes rather than being tempted to define our success by a number on a scale, knowing that some degree of fluctuation is normal.

How fit are you this week?

I have logged my food for two days.
I have done my strength training for two days.
I have ignored the mini-Heath bars in my fridge since sometime last week.
I have eaten a healthy breakfast every day this week.
I have done cardio every day this week.
I have consumed healthy amounts of water every day this week.
I did not ask my husband to go out and get me a Frosty last night, even though I really wanted one.
I have made a conscious effort to eat well-balanced meals, including lots of fruits and veggies this week.

Your turn!

Do or do not. There is no try.

Refocusing

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

So, last week, I was all ready to post this great post about shifting my focus. I even talked to my mom and sister about it when we went to breakfast on Friday. I was going to say something about how I was going to refocus and how I was tired of feeling like I'm in limbo because I've been losing weight for over 2 years.

It was going to talk about how I'm ready to get about the business of maintaining and being happy about my weight. I was going to say that I was shifting my focus to maintaining and toning what I've got – that I was going to keep weighing in, but losing wasn't going to be my goal for awhile, but that I was, instead, going to shift my focus to toning and maintaining and quit feeling stressed and aggravated about my plateau.

Then, Jill posted this.

I read it and I realized that she was right! I do want to do this! I want to lose that last 10 or so pounds. I want to reach my goal because I think it is a reasonable goal that was not set arbitrarily or with unrealistic expectations.

I'm not stuck because my body is resisting losing any more weight. I'm stuck because I haven't had any sort of real intensity with my workouts since August. Yeah, I've still been running, but studies have shown that distance running isn't the most effective way to lose weight because if your body does what you're training it to do – become more efficient – then it burns less calories for the same amount of work.

(That definitely doesn’t mean that I have any plans to give up the one physical activity that I’ve come to love. I just need to balance it with other activities.)

I'm stuck because I've been pushing the envelope with my eating choices. Yes, I can enjoy some treats in moderation, but the lines of moderation have begun to blur a bit and I'm sure my portion sizes have probably grown since, for the most part, I haven't been measuring. And, I haven't been tracking.

So, as of yesterday, changes are afoot. As of yesterday, I have started:

Measuring and tracking my food again. I’m using a paper journal instead of My Fitness Pal, for now, but I may wind up using both since MFP will figure out the calories for me. I've got a composition book that I'm going to model after my fitbook, since the fitbook was the best workout/food journal I've ever found, but I don't want to plunk down another $25 on a new one.
Start strength training again. Last week I bought a personalized workout plan from Tina Reale – Best Body Fitness. She worked with me to figure out the best workout for me. I started it yesterday. It was a lot more challenging than it looked on paper…but a good kind of challenging.

I’m also probably join our local Chick-Fil-A's Battle of the Bulge, which starts next Monday. I did the Battle of the Bulge a couple of years ago. The biggest benefit of signing up is that participants get free use of the YMCA for the duration of the program. I’m thinking that adding in the intensity of the classes and equipment at the Y could give me just the boost I need.

My plan is to really work this for the next 12 weeks and see where I'm at by that point. If I’m at my goal weight, great! If I’m still hovering around the same weight I’m at now, but have toned up just in time for summer, great!

No matter what happens, though, I want to know that I really, truly gave reaching my goal weight my best shot.

As an exciting side note, I was really excited to see the changes that have taken place in my body since I last used my fitbook (about a year ago). I started it at 153 pounds. In addition to losing weight, I’ve lost several inches since then, too. That made me smile.

What about you? Are you still plugging along or is it time for you to get back to a former level of commitment?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Just in Case You Wondered

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday! It’s time for another Weekly Weigh-In. Are you ready?

Me? I’m still pretty much holding steady at where I was back in August. I don’t know whether to consider it a plateau or maintaining.

On the one hand, I guess it’s plateau-like since I really would like to get to my goal weight, if for no other reason than to say that I officially did it.

On the other hand, as I’ve said before, I’m really happy where I am now and could be content here for a lifetime, so maybe it’s maintaining.

I’ve really been debating whether or not I want to continue to push for that last 7 pounds or so, or just consider this my “happy weight” and commence being happy about it.

I guess I need to decide. I’m kind of tired of feeling like I’m in limbo…but I really do want to be able to say that I met my goals.

What about you? How did the scale treat you this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

I Ate a Doughnut

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Last Monday, the kids started begging Brian to go get doughnuts. Not just any doughnuts, mind you. Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

If you’ve never had a hot, fresh Krispy Kreme doughnut, you’ve never had a doughnut. And, no, I’m not talking about a box that you bought from the grocery store and came home and heated up in the microwave. I’m talking about going to the Krispy Kreme store when this sign is on:

photo credit

They didn’t wear him down until Wednesday. I was going out with some friends for dinner. I didn’t tell them to save me one. They knew better than to eat them all.

Why am I telling you this on a fitness blog?

Well, we used to get Krispy Kreme doughnuts pretty regularly. Since the Monday before Thanksgiving 2009, I’ve had them once. Well, twice now. Yes, I was eating a doughnut and I wasn’t going to feel the slightest bit guilty about it.

photo credit

I got home late that night, so I waited until the next morning to eat my doughnut. I was headed out for my long run, so I figured that would be the perfect time – enjoy it, then, go run it off.

I usually read my Bible while I eat my breakfast. I couldn’t do it. I tried, but I actually had to close my eyes and just totally and completely savor each bite of that doughnut. It may have been because it was early that my eyes were watering – they do that – or those may have been actual tears of joy. I’m not quite sure.

All I know is, back in the day when I used to inhale two or three hot, glazed doughnuts, one after the other, I never enjoyed them like I enjoyed that one doughnut that I savored.

I thought of The Biggest Loser episode either earlier this season or last season when they cited a study that showed that an obese person had to eat three times as much to get the same amount of pleasure that a thin person did from a food. I honestly think that’s true.

I can truthfully say that I really think it was more satisfying to fully enjoy that one doughnut than it would have been to scarf down three of them. That’s truly what moderation without depravation is about.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I did eat one more doughnut at lunch later that day. I almost didn’t, but then I decided that, if it was going to be another year and a half or more until I could have another one, I could enjoy one more, guilt-free.

I won’t even tell you how many I would have eaten in the past. Let’s just say that Brian would have needed to have brought home more than the one dozen he brought home last week.

Have you had any moments lately when you’ve truly savored and enjoyed something and realized that truly enjoying a reasonable serving was much better than scarfing down a guilt-inducing, unreasonable amount?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Review and Giveaway: Healthy Treasures Cookbook

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

As y’all know, I’ve been working on fine-tuning my diet, so I was excited to have the chance to review the Healthy Treasures Cookbook from Designed Healthy Living.

Healthy Treasures Cookbook features dozens of healthy recipes from appetizers to desserts, soups to dressings, and main dishes to side dishes, all with the foundational eating plan of including 3-4 servings of whole grains (much more reasonable than current government guidelines) and 9 servings of fruits and vegetables, along with yogurt, water, herbs, and a small amount of meat protein.

Now, whether or not you follow the food guidelines, you’ll still enjoy finding some healthy new favorites in this cookbook that, for the most part, includes normal, every day ingredients that you would find in most supermarkets.

Some exceptions to the every day ingredients include sucanat, a sweetener available at many healthy foods grocery stores, such as Whole Foods or Earth Fare, and Bragg’s liquid aminos, a liquid protein concentrate. I didn’t check to see if that was readily available.

There were a couple of things I really liked about the cookbook. First of all, we really enjoyed the recipes that we tried. The honey mustard baked chicken was really good and one that I will definitely make again.

And, although I already liked quinoa, one of the recipes for it gave me new insight on how to prepare it, making my former method much easier. Basically, now I cook the quinoa separately while sautéing whatever veggies I want to add to it. Then, I mix the two together. This is a lot simpler to me than what I was doing.

Another thing I really liked was all the general information that was included in the book, such as:

The best types of utensils and cookware to use
A detailed guide to healthy ingredients (This information led me to change the type of baking powder we use.)
Information on flour, including the history of white flour
Tips on getting the most from your fruits and vegetables
A chart showing the foods with the most and least amount of pesticides, to help you know which should be purchased organic only
Information on the types of and uses for beans and lentils, as well as tips for cooking them
A guide to the different types of spices
Tips for adding healthy proteins
A guide to the variety of sweeteners available

Finally, I liked the fact that the Healthy Treasures Cookbook explained foods likely to be unfamiliar and gave tips for how to prepare them.

This cookbook can also be used as a component in the Treasures of Healthy Living Bible study and optional homeschool curriculum, which I’m reviewing today on my homeschool blog.

For the most part, the recipes were straightforward and simple to prepare and were things that my family would enjoy. The main thing that I didn’t like about the cookbook is that it doesn’t include nutritional information for each meal.

While all of the meals are created to be healthy, that doesn’t always mean they’re low in fat and calories. And, even if they are, I like having the nutritional information available because it makes it easier to track my calorie intake for the day.

The Healthy Treasures Cookbook is available from the Designed Healthy Living website for $18.99, though it’s currently on sale for $16.14.

Be sure to visit my homeschool blog to read my review of the related Bible study and homeschool curriculum.

I’m giving away a copy of both the cookbook and the Bible study – one cookbook here on Eclipsed and one Bible study on my homeschool blog, so be sure to enter both!

**This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to commenter #4.**

How to enter:

Visit Designed for Healthy Living’s recipe page, them come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which recipe you’d most like to try. (Mandatory entry)

For a bonus entries (optional):

Share about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter. (Please include @Kris_RunnerMom in your tweet to make sure I see it.)

Rules: Leave a comment for each entry (up to two separate entries). This giveaway is open to United States residents, ages 18 years and older only. Giveaway ends on Monday, February 6. The winner will be selected at random using Random.org.

The winner will notified via email and given 72 hours to respond. In the event that the winner cannot be contacted by email or does not respond within 72 hours, the prize will be forfeited and and alternate winner selected.

Click to read the complete rules. By entering this giveaway, you indicate that you have read and agreed to abide by these rules.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I also received monetary compensation for the time invested in writing the review. The opinions expressed are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Taking a Pass

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Wednesday! It’s time for another Weekly Weigh-In. Um, yay. (Yes, that’s me being less-than-enthusiastic.)

If you’ve ever done Weight Watchers, you know that they give you a pass that you can use every so often when you want to skip a weigh-in.

Well, I’m taking a pass today. {sigh}

I did actually weigh yesterday and, as you have probably guessed, it was a gain.

Again. Yes, that would be the third week in a row. I think that’s a first.

It wasn’t that much of a gain, but still. Yes, I know what’s caused it. Yes, I’m aggravated, but with myself. It’s not the quitting kind of aggravated. It’s the “it’s time to quit goofing off and get back to the basics” kind of aggravated.

It all boils down to two things: I’ve let myself get lazy with my workouts and I’ve been pushing the envelop with my eating.

Lack of motivation. It happens to all of us. The last time it happened to me, when I finally rediscovered my motivation, I got busy and lost 15 or so pounds fairly quickly. So, if I’d just do that again, I could be at my goal weight in no time.

That’s all I have to say about that. Enough excuses. Enough laziness. It’s time to rein this thing in and get back to business.

What about you? How are you doing on your weight loss?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Spinning My Wheels

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Is it Wednesday again already? Where did the week go? It’s time to weigh in. Remember, if you weigh in on a different day, I’d still love for you to stop by and post your results whenever you’ve got them.

As for me…{sigh}. I thought I’d maintained, but I actually gained 0.2 pound. That isn’t much and I actually thought, until I double-checked, that I’d lost 0.2 of a pound and I was still going to say that I’d maintained because that’s really just normal fluctuation.

It’s different when it’s a gain, though. Two weeks in a row. When you’d said that wasn’t going to happen anymore.

I don’t know if I’ve gotten lazy with my eating habit or my workouts or if my body just seems to like 132 as a set point. I can’t say that I’m terribly upset by that, though I would like to reach my goal weight.

The same thing happened to me around 162, though. I stayed there for months before I finally started losing again.

While it’s frustrating to have to keep reporting tiny little gains and tiny little loses and while it’s frustrating not to be at my goal weight, it’s really hard to be upset with 132 pounds when I started out at 220. I never thought I’d see 132 again.

So, I’ll just keep plugging away. I’m actually thinking, though, that today is going to mark the beginning of a serious effort in Operation Kick Jill’s Butt, so watch out, Jill! {grin}

Do or do not. There is no try.

Tag! I’m It!

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I’ve been tagged by Jill at Just Jill. Since I am completely out of witty or inspiring things to write about right now, I thought I’d play along. Here are the rules:

1. Post 11 random things about yourself.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post.
3. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. Go to their blog and tell them that you’ve tagged them.

You can call me a rebel or just lazy – you choose – but I’m not doing #4. If you want to play along, consider yourself tagged. Leave me a link to your tag post in the comments, so I can see what you said.

11 Random Things About Me

1. I don’t think I could make it through the day without my two glasses of sweet tea.

2. I love to read. My favorite genre, as a whole, is historical romance, but I am also a huge fan of both the Twilight and The Hunger Games series.

3. I have always claimed to be a night owl, but when my husband and I went on our 20th anniversary trip, we went to bed around 10:30 every night and got up by 8:30 or 9:00 every day, so I think, if I weren’t influenced by the kids’ sleep and wake times, I might not be as much a night owl as I claim to be.

4. I’m addicted to Words with Friends on Facebook.

5. Although I claim to not have a sweet tooth, my biggest food temptations are sweet – Dunkin’ Donut holes and peanut butter fudge are two foods that I don’t need to have in my house.

6. My two favorite foods that I never ate before I changed my eating habits are avocado and jicama. I would be hard pressed to go a week without them.

7. I am much more competitive than I care to admit.

8. I love sunflowers.

9. My favorite board game is Clue. I rarely lose when I play it.

10. My current favorite magazines are Runner’s World and Fitness.

11. My first concert ever was Rick Springfield in July 1983.

Jill wants to know:

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Butter pecan…on a sugar cone, please.

2. What would your dream job be? A writer.

3. If you could have one do-over, what would it be? I would have broken up with my first boyfriend within the first six months like I almost did.

4. Would you rather live at the beach or in the mountains? Why? The mountains because the seasons would be more varied, the fall colors would be beautiful, and the trails would make a great running workout.

5. What is your favorite TV show that you don’t really want to admit? I don’t have an secret favorite TV shows because I don’t watch much TV. My favorite TV show, hands-down, is Friends. I watch it on DVD nearly every day.

6. What is your favorite form of exercise? Running.

7. Share your favorite recipe. I have lots of favorites. The one that we’re currently eating the most of at my house is Gina’s oil and garlic green beans. Oh, and I eat my pasta bowl at least once a week.

8. If you have siblings, do you get along? If you are an only child do you wish you had siblings? Yes, I have siblings and, yes, we get along…now.

9. What is an annoying habit someone in your household has? I’m going to choose to skip this one since I’ve been trying to focus on the positive, lately, instead of the negative…and I don’t want to pick on anyone.

10. Since I LOVE to laugh… tell me something about yourself that will make me laugh! (selfish question) Um…I don’t know if this will make you laugh, but I hoard Chick-Fil-A mints. I keep a stash in my car and in my purse. They make me smile.

11. Do you have a hidden talent? If you don’t, what talent would you like to have? I would love to be fluent in sign language. I used to want to be an interpreter for the deaf.

11 Questions for the People Who Choose to be Tagged:

1. What’s one thing you’ve accomplished in your life that you never thought you could?

2. Do you have a mantra that keeps you going when you’d like to quit?

3. What is one piece of advice you’d like to pass along to someone who is trying to lose weight, but doesn’t think they can do it?

4. I’m trying to complete one random act of kindness each day and haven’t been succeeding very well lately. Give me a suggestion of an act of kindness that you would like to do for someone else or would love for someone to do for you.

5. What’s the best book you’ve read lately?

6. What’s your favorite healthy meal/recipe?

7. What’s your favorite date night activity with your spouse or significant other?

8. Is there a food that you eat the cashiers at the grocery store ask you about? (My personal examples are jicama and spaghetti squash.)

9. What’s your favorite game show?

10. If money were no object, where would you like to travel?

11. If you have or are making changes toward a healthier lifestyle, what was the tipping point that finally made you decide to do so?

Let me know if you decide to play along. If you do, leave the link to your post in the comments so I can come by and read your answers.

Do or do not. There is no try.