So...It's Been a While...

Food
Breakfast: 1 bowl Sweet Potato and Bacon soup (recipe below)
Snack: 1 piece of jerky with 4 macadamia nuts
Lunch: 6 oz shredded pork with 1 chopped green apple and 15 sliced red grapes mixed with homemade mayo
Snack: the rest of the pork salad
Dinner: the last of my Sweet Potato and Bacon soup
Water
2 liters
Workout
"The Spartan 300 Challenge"
Complete for time:

• 25 Pull-ups
• 50 Deadlifts at 95 lbs
• 50 Push-ups
• 50 Box jumps at 16"
• 50 Floor wipers with 95 lbs
• 50 Kettlebell Clean & Press at 20 lbs
• 25 Pull-ups

I know that I've been slacking a little bit in writing.  It's not really an excuse, but I've been staying up way too late for the past couple of nights, and I just didn't have the energy to write.  Remember, we have a total-honesty policy on this blog.  So yeah, I was really tired.  But, one of the best parts of this week was finding the following soup recipe!  I also forgot to take pictures of this gorgeous soup before I slurped it up, so I'm going to steal the picture from the original blog, The Clothes Make The Girl.

Ingredients

• 6-10 slices bacon (I like bacon a lot more than The Clothes Make The Girl Does, so I added more slices, and I also added it right into the soup rather than using it as a garnish.  It's up to you, though)
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp Ras el Hanout (this is literally one of the best, most aromatic blend of spices that I've ever encountered.  It will now become a staple in my spice rack)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• dash cayenne pepper
• 5 gloves minced garlic
• 2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced thin
• 4 C chicken broth
• 1 C water

Directions

1. Cut bacon into 1/4-inch slices and place in a cold soup pot. Heat the pot over medium-high heat and cook the bacon until it’s crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate covered with paper towels and set aside to drain and crisp.  Chop bacon into  small pieces.

2. Keep 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan and discard the rest. Re-heat the fat over medium-high heat, then add the onions, Ras el Hanout, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes. Toss in the garlic and stir, cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the sweet potatoes, broth, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

4. Working in batches and being careful (please be careful, friends!), purée the soup in a food processor or blender until it’s smooth. Return to the pot, add the chopped bacon back into the soup, taste, warm up and adjust seasonings as needed. Ladle into bowls, then sprinkle with a little bacon and chives. Both the bacon and soup hold up well in the fridge for a few days.

This recipe is amazingly delicious, and it smells so, so good!  It's one of my new favorites.

A New Snack

Food
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs mashed with 1/2 avocado
Lunch: 4 oz deli-sliced turkey with 2 cups mini carrots
Snack: Sweet & Salty Sugarless Snack Mix (recipe below)
Dinner: 4 oz steak with Asian Seasoning from Thai Kitchen and 4 macadamia nuts
Water
2.5 liters
Workout
Skill practice: L-sit hold
*Using 2 boxes, lock out your arms and left your feet into an "L" shape.  If you can't make an "L" shape, just get your knees to your chest.  Try 3 times, and hold each time as long as you can.
Then
5 rounds for time:
100 single-unders + 5 attempts at double-unders (I managed to do 3 double-unders!  Not in a row, but that's the first time I've ever been able to do even 1 double-under)
20 burpees--worst movement in the history of working out ever
15 knees-to-elbows

As you guys can probably tell, I really like to have small snacks between my main meals.  That way I don't get crazy hungry, and then go ahead and eat crazy meals.  As you can also probably tell, nuts are the easiest snack for me to have.  They have a lot of really good fats, but you really have to go easy on nuts because they can really add on the pounds.  Today I was reaching for some nuts when I thought, "Hold up, is there something else I can eat?  Because I've been eating a ton of nuts lately."

I remembered a recipe I had found on Paleo Parents that looked delicious.  The main recipe was for a Frozen Custard made of butternut squash (which I am just DYING to try), but the topping for the custard was the Sweet & Slightly Salty Sugarless Snack Mix.  I was intrigued.  I made it, and I was surprised by how much I liked it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 C coconut chips (unsweetened)
• 1/2 C almond slivers
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine coconut chips and almonds in a pan, stirring often, until the fragrance of the nuts and coconut come out and a light brown color develops.  Toss in a bowl with remaining ingredients.

To be honest, I was worried about the amount of cinnamon that was in this mix.  I was pouring it in, and I kept thinking, "How much cinnamon is in this thing?!"  I think I was freaked out because of Glozell's Cinnamon Challenge.  I mixed everything in anyways, and let me tell you, this mix smells AMAZING!  If the smell was any indicator of how good the mix was, I was in for a treat.  Let the record show, it was really good.  The more I ate it, the more I liked it.

Now I know what you all are thinking.  "Ashley, the mix has nuts in it.  Duh!"  Yes, I realize that there are nuts in the mix.  But at least I'm not just eating straight nuts, right?  That's better, right?  Right?

Eating Out Part 2

Food
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 5 strawberries, and 3 oz deli-style turkey
Lunch: Summer Chicken Salad from Zuppas--no dressing.  Instead I used my Absolutely Fabulous Greek Dressing
Dinner: 4 macadamia nuts and 6 oz pork carnitas (it was more than I usually eat, but I was really hungry after a long day of shopping)
Water
2 liters
Workout
Tabata snatches with a 25 lb kettlebell
Rest 60 seconds
Tabata kettlebell swings with a 30 lb kettlebell
Rest 60 seconds
Tabata snatches with a 25 lb kettlebell
*Remember, tabata means 20 seconds of doing the movement, followed by 10 seconds rest, for 8 rounds
*On the tabata snatches, alternate arms for each round.  Left arm for the first 20 seconds, right arm for the next 20 seconds, etc.

I share with my birthday with my Aunt Kris, and we decided to celebrate together by going out to lunch together.  Conscious of my restricted diet, I chose Zuppas because at least they have salads, right?  I chose the Summer Chicken Salad.  It was made with mixed greens, sliced strawberries, dried craisins, grapes, sliced chicken breast, and chopped cashews.  The thing that worried me was of course the most delicious-sounding part of the salad--the strawberry vinaigrette.  I asked the first server what was in the dressing, and he had no idea.  As he was floundering on how to answer my question, the second server piped in.  "It's full of sugar." And that was that--no dressing for me.  Luckily, I brought my Absolutely Fabulous Greek Dressing as a back-up.

The lunch was fine, but to be honest I could have made a better one at home.  It really wasn't worth the $7 we paid for it.

Moral of the Story: Eating out is fun, but it's definitely not necessary, and half the time it's not even worth it.  You are a better cook than you think you are, and you can always make your meal to your own personal tastes, which is sometimes more than a restaurant would be willing to do.

It Fits!

Food
Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs
Lunch: Left-overs from the Sweet Potato Hash
Dinner: 4 macadamia nuts, 2 hard boiled eggs and a whole bunch of roasted veggies
Water
2 liters
Workout
None

There are 3 outfits hanging on the back of my closet--2 dresses and 1 skirt and shirt--that I absolutely love.  Sadly, they don't fit me quite right.  The skirt and shirt outfit was the closest to fitting when we bought them, but it's been 3 months since I tried them on.

This morning I was really tired of wearing one of the 3 Sunday outfits that I've been wearing for the past couple of months.  I happened to glance at the back of my closet, and my skirt and shirt combo caught my eye.  I thought, "What the hey, I'll give it a whirl."  I'll slipped on the skirt...and, miracle of miracles, the skirt zipped up!  Excited, I grabbed the shirt.  It slipped on like the silk it was made from!

For me, this milestone is far more important than any number that scale spits out at me.  Honestly, this was the highlight of my week.

Moral of the story:  The scale ISN'T the only thing that matters when you are trying to get healthy.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash

From 01/19/13
Food
Breakfast: Protein shake (they are not exactly discouraged during Whole30, but they are not encouraged either.  One shake is probably going to be my limit.  Maybe two)
Lunch: Real Tuna Salad
Snack: 1 small handful of macadamia nuts and 3 oz of turkey deli meat
Dinner: Sweet Potato and Sausage Hash (recipe below)
Water
2 liters
Workout
In teams of two, you and your partner will move through 5 stations for 3 rounds trying to score as many reps as possible in the following movements:
60 seconds Wall balls
60 seconds rest
60 seconds Push-ups
60 seconds rest
60 seconds Box Jumps
60 seconds rest
60 Stationary Lunges with Dumbbells
60 seconds rest
60 seconds Anchored Sit-ups

I love sweet potatoes.  They are one of those vegetables that I thought were so weird for the longest time, but then I tried one...let me tell you, my life was changed.  Ha ha, that sounds so dramatic, but it's kind of true.  I am a whole-hearted sweet potato fan! Here is the delicious sweet potato and sausage hash that I had for dinner.

Ingredients

• Chicken or pork sausages
• Cooking fat of your choice
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1 red apple (Braeburns work well), diced
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• Basil, thyme, and garlic

Heat cooking fat in a large skillet.  Add diced sweet potato, cook for around 10 minutes, or until you can just barely pierce them with a fork.  Add apple, onion and pepper, cook until tender.  At the same time, in a different pan, cook sausage until browned, then chop into chunks.  Combine sausage and veggie mixture and top with spices.  Serve hot.

If you haven't tried sweet potatoes, do it!  I promise, they are delicious.  As a matter of fact, think of the number one vegetable/fruit/food that you swore you would never try.  Maybe it was because it looks funny, or maybe it was because you tried it at one point and it was cooked weird.  Regardless, pick that one thing, and resolve to try it again!  If you need a way to find a recipe that has the food you're wanting to cook with, go to Allrecipes.com and click "Ingredients."  You can use this option to pick which ingredients you want in a recipe and which ingredients you don't want.  After you tried your previously hated food item, let me know!  I want to hear how much you love that food now.

Birthday Treats!

Food
Breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg with 2 strips bacon and 3 macadamia nuts
Snack: 15 red grapes
Lunch: 4 oz seared tuna on top of fajita left-overs (I grilled up a lot a tuna the other day, so I'll be eating a lot of tuna in the next days)
Snack: 1 very small handful of cashews and 2 more strips of bacon! I know, I probably shouldn't have...
Dinner: Chicken salad (Mix 1 can chicken chunks with about 4 chopped celery sticks and a bunch of grapes cut in half)
Water
2 liters
Workout
Complete 5 rounds for REPS (not time!):
30 second handstand hold
Max handstand push-ups (just go until you can't possibly do anymore)
30 second pull-up hold at the top
Max strict pull-ups
30 second ring dip hold at the top
Max ring dips

Today was my birthday!  I turned 22 today.  I got to spend time with my family, which was awesome, and I even enjoyed my workout today, which was surprising.  But my proudest moments of the day were honestly my food choices.  One of my favorite treat places is Red Mango.  I love the frozen yogurt options that they have--they are so tasty!  All month long I have been saying that I would eat healthy, but on my birthday I was going to go have some Red Mango.  This morning, I decided to have 2 slices of bacon with my egg.  Bacon is ok on Whole 30, but they say you should only have it OCCASIONALLY.  Because it was my birthday, I decided to indulge a little and have 2 more bacon strips later this evening.

At about 8, Mom came to me and asked if I wanted to quickly go down to Red Mango and have a birthday treat.  I was tempted--oh boy, was I tempted--but I said thank you, but no.  I had already had my birthday treat with my bacon strips.  That may not seem like a big deal, but for me it was huge!  I used to jump at the chance to go get a frozen yogurt or a milkshake; now I know I don't need sugar to satisfy my urge for a treat.

Moral of the Story:  Just because it's a special occasion doesn't mean that you need to celebrate with sugar.  It is possible to find a yummy healthier option that you don't get to eat very often.  And you'll feel just as satisfied--even more so, sometimes.

Short and Sweet

Food
Breakfast: 3 oz seared tuna with about 3 cups of spinach, 1 Roma tomato, and 2 carrots with my Absolutely Fabulous Greek Dressing (it's a REAL tuna salad)
Snack: 6 macadamia nuts
Lunch: The last of the Curry leftovers!
Snack: 10 red grapes and 2 oz of prosciutto
Dinner: 4 oz seared tuna on top of the veggies from yesterday's fajitas
Water
2 liters
Workout
Back squats: 10 reps at 55 lbs, 2 reps at 65 lbs, 10 reps at 55 lbs, 2 reps at 85 lbs, 10 reps at 55 lbs, 2 reps at 105 lbs
THEN
"The Ab Workout"

• 15 GHD sit-ups
• 20 knees-to-elbows on the floor
• 25 Ab-Mat sit-ups
• 30 V-ups
• 25 Ab-Mat sit-ups
• 20 knees-to-elbows on the floor
• 15 GHD sit-ups

THEN

Tabata rowing (row 20 second then rest 10 seconds for 8 rounds)

Whew, just writing out that workout reminds me how tiring it was.  Plus, it's late, and I talked your ears off in the last two posts, so I'm just going to leave it at that.  Stay healthy, everyone!

Whole 30

Food
Breakfast: 3 eggs (remember, no milk when you mix those eggs!) scrambled with 2 Roma tomatoes and about 1 cup of sliced mushrooms.
Snack: 1 small handful of macadamia nuts and 2 oz of prosciutto (prosciutto is one of my all time favorite sliced meats from Italy, but I wanted to be careful with it, since it is made from pork.  It was my treat today, but I probably won't have it again for a while)
Lunch: Curry leftovers
Snack: 1 small handful of macadamia nuts, 2 oz of prosciutto, and about 15 red grapes
Dinner: Whole 30 Chicken Fajitas (recipe below)
Water
2 liters
Workout
Skill Practice: Rope Climb (I have a really, REALLY long way to go before I can do a rope climb, but it was good to try today)
Then for time:
50 Kettlebell swings with 20 lb kettle bell
100 Single-unders (jump-rope where the rope only passes under you 1 time)
40 Kettlebell swings
80 Single-unders
30 Kettlebell swings
60 Single-unders
20 Kettlebell swings
40 Single-unders
10 Kettlebell swings
20 Single-unders

Whole 30 Chicken Fajitas
1 pound chicken strips
2 ripe mango (peeled and chopped)
2 ripe avocado (chopped)
3 bell peppers (preferably 1 of each color) roughly chopped
1 large sweet onion (sliced into chunks)
Equal parts cumin and ground black pepper (liberal amounts, please!)
Chili pepper to taste (I really like the Chipotle Chili Pepper)
Cooking fat of your choice (I used coconut oil...again)

• Heat 1-2 TBSP of cooking fat in a pan (medium-high heat).  Once it's hot, mix spices together and sprinkle half directly into the pan.  Throw in chicken strips on top of spices, and then throw the rest of the spices on top of the chicken.  Allow chicken to cook thoroughly (until the inside is no longer pink) and remove from pan.
• Immediately add veggies to pan with leftover cooking fat and spices.  Let veggies get tender, stirring occasionally, then add mango and avocado.  When the fruit is warm, remove from heat.
• Layer the bottom of your plate with a heaping ladle full of the veggie-fruit mixture.  Then lay your chicken on top of the fruit and veggies.  Eat and marvel at your delicious creation!

Ok, you should have read about Whole 30 by now, since I've mentioned it a couple of times.  If you need a reminder click here to get the details of the program.  Basically, though, it's a period of detoxing my body and really getting back to food basics.  I'm not eating: grains, dairy, legumes, sugars (artificial or natural), and corn and white potatoes.  That sounds like a lot, but there's still a variety of foods that I can eat.  I've been doing this for almost a week now, and, honestly, I don't really miss the foods that I've cut out of my diet.  Of course, I get a really strong craving for the mint-chocolate-chip cookies that my dad made on Sunday, but I can easily resist it.  And it's only for 30 days, not the rest of my life.  I've looked over the program again and again, and I cannot find anything wrong with it.  I'm really excited to do this program, and already I recommend it to anyone who wants to kick-start a healthier way of eating.  This article from another blogger who has done Whole 30 multiple times explains it far better than I could.  I encourage you to read it, so you get a better idea of why I'm doing Whole 30.

Eating Out

From 01/14/13
Food
Breakfast: Hard-boiled eggs with carrots
Lunch: Spicy Shrimp Vesuvio with a side of Roasted Butternut Squash from Olive Garden
Dinner: Curry leftovers
Water
2.5 liters
Workout
1 Clean & Jerk at 55 lbs
1 round of Cindy (5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 air squats)
2 Clean & Jerks
1 round of Cindy
3 Clean & Jerks
1 round of Cindy
4 Clean & Jerks
1 round of Cindy
5 Clean & Jerks
1 round of Cindy
6 Clean & Jerks
1 round of Cindy
7 Clean & Jerks
1 round of Cindy
8 Clean & Jerks
1 round of Cindy
(Such a long and brutal workout!  You're supposed to go up to 10 Clean & Jerks, but I just couldn't do it.  This one messed with my head so bad, and my knee started to hurt after that many jerks and air squats)

Today was a little rough for maintaining healthy eating because I had the opportunity to go out to eat with my mom, my sister, Heather, her husband, and her two beautiful children.  The rough part was not going out to lunch with my sister and her family.  It was so awesome to be able to spend time with them.  No the rough part was trying to find something that was gluten, dairy, and sugar free!  I was really nervous about "investigating" the food, but I didn't want to just eat salad without dressing or, worse, just sit there and drink water.

I was looking over the menu, desperately looking for a "healthy" option that I didn't have to worry about, when a new menu item caught my eye--Roasted Butternut Squash.  I screwed up my courage and asked our waitress how the squash was cooked.  She happily told me that they were roasted in olive oil and spices.  Encouraged by her helpful attitude, I asked about the Spicy Shrimp Vesuvio, trying to figure out if there was sugar in the arrabiatta sauce.  Our waitress, Rita, hesitated, but then she readily went back to the kitchen, yelling at Javier, the cook, about what was in the sauce.  When she came back, explaining that the sauce didn't have sugar (as far as the cook knew--I have a sneaking suspicion that they used a base of canned spaghetti sauce, which would almost certainly have sugar in it), we explained to her that I am on a restricted diet.  All of a sudden, everything clicked into place, and Rita gushed out her story.

In December of 2011, Rita decided that she wanted to lose weight.  She was a size 17/18 at that time, and her husband told her she didn't need to lose weight (isn't that so cute?!), but Rita was tired of such a slim selection for clothes.  On January of 2012, Rita started.  She lost 89 pounds from January 2012 to December 2012!  On top of that, she wanted to start running.  When she started, she said she couldn't get very far because she was a smoker, and that hampered her breathing.  So, on top of losing 89 pounds she stopped smoking too!  Her story of becoming a healthier person--even when she didn't really need to, according to her husband--was an amazing example to me.

Moral of the story: You don't want to be eating out every night.  Make it a rare treat.  But when you do go out, DO NOT BE AFRAID to ask how food is prepared.  Who knows, you may find a new friend in the process--just like I found Rita.

Curry

Food
Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled with 3 cups frozen broccoli (I used Pam to stop the eggs from sticking to the pan, and I didn't mix any milk into my eggs before cooking them.
Snack: 6 macadamia nuts.
Lunch: I didn't finish my breakfast, so I just had the leftovers for lunch.
Snack: 1 hard-boiled egg (I like to bake my eggs.  It sounds weird, but it's actually really easy, and they come out just like real boiled eggs do.  This method is really easy), 1 clementine, and 1 small handful of cashews.  By "small handful" I mean I was able to close my hand over the nuts.
Dinner: Whole30 Curry-A-Go-Go (recipe below)
Water
3 liters
Workout
None

This curry from Whole30 (you can read about Whole30 here, but I will also be talking about it tomorrow or the next day) is so incredibly easy!  Usually, Asian foods are a little intimidating, but I literally whipped this dish up in 15 minutes.  It looks so beautiful, too!

To make the actual curry:

• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1/2-1 small jar curry paste (I used green curry paste)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 TBSP fish sauce

Mix everything to together, and let sit while you put together your veggies and meat.

Now for the good stuff:

• Grab your favorite protein
• I used about 9 oz rotisserie chicken (because the actual curry gives 4-8 servings), but you can used whatever you like.  Chicken, beef, scallops, shrimp, or even just hard-boiled eggs will work perfectly.
• Grab a whole bunch of your favorite veggies 
• I used about 10 stalks of celery, 4 carrots, and 1 green bell pepper--all chopped into big pieces.  

Heat a big pan with 1 TBSP of coconut oil (olive oil will work too) and saute your vegetables.  My meat was already cooked, so I added my meat last, but if yours is raw then add your protein now.  When  the vegetables are nice and tender, pour in the curry mixture.  Let everything get nice and toasty.  Serve it up and watch the plates get licked clean!

WARNING: Curry pastes can get pretty spicy, so if you have any touchy palates this might not be the best dish to serve.  I love spicy food, and I may not be the most reliable source of what is really hot and what is not.  If this is your first time using curry pastes, please err on the side of smaller amounts of paste.

I forgot!

Guys, I forgot to tell you!  I weighed this morning, and I'm down to 253.5!

This is very exciting news, and I definitely wanted to share with you.  However, as I said here, this blog is not simply about losing weight, so don't expect a weight update every post.  I'll check in on the scales every once in a while, but remember that weight loss is not the primary goal--it's an awesome benefit of a new relationship with food and exercise.  And I promise I will let you guys know, good news or bad, every time I get on those scales.

I just had to let you know that we really can start counting down the pounds!

Greek Dressing

Food
Breakfast:  Umm...I skipped breakfast this morning!  You shouldn't do that, though.  I'm not typically a breakfast kind of girl, but I'm trying to remedy that.
Lunch: 3 oz. oven roasted turkey deli meat (Costco's Kirkland brand) tossed with 3 cups fresh spinach leaves.  I added my favorite Greek dressing (recipe below) to complete the salad.
Snack: 2 hard-boiled eggs, 8 macadamia nuts (I think I kind of overdid it with the nuts.  You should probably only have half that amount), and 2 clementines.
Dinner: 3 oz rotisserie chicken (skin removed) sauteed with 3 cups frozen broccoli and 1 avocado (cubed) in 1TBSP of coconut oil.
Water
3 liters!
Workout
AMRAP in 5 minutes of:
15 Lunges
15 Push-ups on knees
REST 2 MINUTES
AMRAP in 5 minutes of:
15 Medicine Ball Cleans with 14 lb ball
15 Kettlebell Swings with 25 lb kettlebell
REST 2 MINUTES
AMRAP in 5 minutes of:
15 Pull-ups with a black band
15 Burpees

I'll keep this real post nice and somewhat short for you.  Here's my favorite Greek dressing recipe.  I use this dressing on EVERYTHING! I mean, seriously.  I put it on salads, or mix it in with vegetables, or use it to dress up some chicken.  It's delicious.  The original recipe from Allrecipes.com was from a waitress at a pizzeria, and because of that, the original recipe makes 120 servings, which is about 1 gallon.  I scaled it down to about 20 servings.

Absolutely Fabulous Greek Dressing
1 cup olive oil
2 3/4 teaspoons garlic powder
2 3/4 teaspoons dried oregano
2 3/4 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1 1/3 cups red wine vinegar

Mix together all ingredients in a container (I prefer a squeeze bottle or two) and shake vigorously until all ingredients are combined.

It's that easy! That's my squeeze bottle with the tiny bit of dressing left in it; I guess I need to make some more pretty quickly.

Remember, if you have any questions or thoughts, please leave a comment below!

How it Works

Here's how this whole thing is going to work.  I'm planning on updating this blog everyday (although, I warn you, I'm not perfect so I may forgot to update here and there), and it will act as a "journal' to document my thoughts and ideas in this whole getting-healthy process.  I'll write down all my meals, including some of my favorite recipes that I use, and I'll also lay out my workouts for each day.  I'll try to post as many pictures as possible, so it doesn't get too boring.  I'll also share some of my thoughts, and again I warn you I can get a little chatty at times, but I hope you'll stick with me.

I'm always open to new ideas, new recipes or workouts, so please, please, please leave your comments!  I'd love to hear from you.

The Story

So here's my story:  I'm a 22-year-old recent college graduate who loves to read, write, watch movies, and--above all else--EAT!  Yes, I am a self-proclaimed foodie.  My favorite kinds of food to eat and make are Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and Indian, but I'm a baker at heart.  I'm almost always the first to volunteer to bring a cake or platter of homemade toffee to a get-together.  Unfortunately, as much as I love food, food does not love me back, as is the case with so many people.

I have tried every diet and exercise method in the book.  I'm not kidding. I've done Atkins, South Beach, Suzanne Somers, Weight Watchers, HCG Drops, etc.  I'll admit, every time I try a diet, I have lost weight, but I always gained everything back, plus some.  I've tried just running on a treadmill for at least an hour and a half every day.  I've tried eating right, but not exercising.  I've tried exercising, but not eating right.  So please believe me when I say I've been around the weight-loss block more than a few times.

I'm not saying that I have all the right answers, or that what I'm doing is the only right way to do things.  But I know that there must be more people out there who are sick and tired of riding that stupid weight elevator.  I've been on that stupid ride for too long, and to be honest with you my goal isn't just to lose weight anymore.  My goal is to find a healthy relationship with food and exercise TOGETHER, and I'm hoping to lose some weight along the way.

My name is Ashley, I currently weigh 257 pounds, and I can't wait to count down those pounds.