Motivational Monday VI

Since I started my weight loss / fitness journey, I have scoured the internet for women who have lost weight and got fit, for inspiration. My surfing lead me to Instagram which lead me to my next featured blogger, who happens to be a man! A man who has lost 115 lbs, and this man can COOK!

You have to visit his blog, “Rehabilitated Fat Boy”! His recipes are absolutely wonderful! Easy to make and delicious. He shares his recipes, a video of how to make the recipe and even the kitchen tools he uses. UserName_DopeAF is keeping his weight off by weight lifting and a clean, low carb diet. He also shares his philosophy and “real-talk” about weight loss. Rehabilitated Fat Boyhas fast become one of my favorite “go-to sites” for new eats and motivation.

Seriously, check “Rehabilitated Fat Boy” out! You won’t be disappointed! ~QC

Fast Food Can Take a Hike!

Anyone who has decided to embark on a healthier lifestyle knows that fast food is not your friend! Yes, it is convenient, but it wrecks havoc on your health. A few hours, once or twice a week, in the kitchen, saves you time, money, and excuses for not eating right, throughout the week.

On the my menu this week: Zesty Grilled Chicken, Savory, Southwestern Sweet Potatoes, and steamed vegetables.

Here is my recipe for Savory Southwestern Sweet Potato’s:
Pre-heat oven to 350. Slice 2-3 sweet potato’s in 1/2 inch rounds.
Lay them on a cookie sheet, brush with olive oil, sprinkle Mrs. Dash Southwestern Chipotle Seasoning over them. Turn the rounds over, repeat, coating both sides with the olive oil and seasoning. (Caution: the seasoning is a bit spicy! I went a little overboard with it the first time I used it!) Put in oven, bake for 30 minutes, turning once. Turn heat to 400, and bake an additional 10-15 min., until crispy and brown on the outside.

Let me know what you think if you try them! Enjoy~QC

What works for me?

As I continue to lose weight, I get asked a lot , “how are you doing it?” Believe me, I have not found the magic formula! What I have learned that does work for me is:
* Meal prep: If I keep healthy meals on hand at all times, I have no excuse to eat crap!
* IIFYM: Tracking my macro’s. I am no expert on macros and I had mine calculated by a trainer. There is tons of information on-line about tracking macro’s. I highly recommend talking to someone who does this for a living to get your own macros calculated correctly.
* Tracking calories burned: This holds my workouts accountable!
* Gym 3-4x per week: I spend most of my time primarily weightlifting. I mix about 30 minutes of cardio into each sweat session.
* Setting monthly goals: Attainable monthly goals are key!
* Social accountability: This blog, Instagram and Facebook! My failures, setbacks and accomplishments for the whole world to see!
* Do it anyway! Even when I am tired or don’t feel like it, I remind myself to “do it anyway”!
* Last but not least- I remind myself how good it feels to be smaller and stronger! I love being able to wear fashionable clothes and boots that actually zip up to my knees!

What works for you? I would love to hear! ~ QC

Check in!

Crazy busy! Studying for a mid-term, general shenanigans at work, and chauffeuring the teenager to band functions! Still got to make time for workouts!

Make it happen! ~QC

Motivational Monday: V

For today’s edition of Motivational Monday, I would like to share with you the He & She Eat Clean website! When these two couples started their blog, they were each newlyweds, and just getting started on eating clean and getting healthy! Now, Whitney one of the “She’s”, is a full time certified trainer and the other, Tiffany, is a new mommy! Be sure to check out their “before & afters”!

Their website is full of clean eating recipes, workout tips and monthly challenges.

Check out He and She Eat Clean, you won’t be disappointed! ~QC

November Goals

The holiday season is fast approaching, along with colder weather and the dreaded snow! We saw our first snow flakes yesterday, here in Central Ohio! Brrr, too early for me!

Knowing the holidays bring “busy times”, both personally and professionally, I kept my November goals simple!
1) Stick to my Macro’s. (This is what works for me. If I track what I eat and stay within my Macro’s, I lose the weight! This is flexible enough to get me through the holidays as long as I track what I eat.)
2) Continue to lift progressively, heavier, weights in the gym. It’s simple, to get stronger, lift heavier!
3) Lose 5 lbs. What? Lose 5 lbs during the holidays? Yes! If I do #1 & #2, #3 is a given!
4) Remember to take “time out” for me! As a social worker, clients stress rubs off on me and I tend to carry it around along with my own personal stress. To keep myself “sane”, I need to take “time out” for myself, to decompress and hit the re-set button!

Have you made November goals? I would love to hear what they are! ~QC

October Goals Met!

My October goals were fairly simple. Overall, I am pleased with my results! While I met 2 out of 4 goals, I am down 6lbs. I did not meal prep twice a week, but I did prep at least once a week. I am getting better at gauging how much to “prep” to make it through a whole week. I also did not track every meal, however, I did track more often then not! I finished October strong and I am looking forward to November goals! ~QC

Motivational Monday IV

I began my “QC gets fit” campaign by joining the “Eat Clean” revolution. I fell in love with the gorgeous Tosca Reno! She is the “founder” of the Eat Clean phenomenon and author of several Eat Clean cookbooks. At the age of 52, she is till rockin’ a hot body! Check out her blog for great recipes and tips to staying fit!

What or who motivates you? ~QC

Don’t be Afraid…

Don’t be afraid of the gym! If you are like me, you have joined a gym, more times than you would like to admit, only to see your money go to waste. I would go in, get on the treadmill for 20 min or so, look around, maybe try another piece of cardio equipment, get nervous cause I didn’t “know” how to use any of the other equipment, and simply, go home. I would not cancel the membership “in case” I would want to go back. Giant waste of money and heaps of guilt “because I failed again”.

To conquer your fear of the gym, do some research! There are a number of fitness magazines on the market that show the proper way to do a number of different moves and even complete workouts. Some of my favorite’s are;
Muscle and Fitness, Hers
STRONG Fitness Magazine
Fitness RX
Oxygen Magazine
All of these magazines, also have great information on their websites as well.

I track everything! I keep a little notebook that, yes, I take into the gym with me. I pre-plan my workout. I already have it written down before I walk in the door. Currently I am following Jamie Eason, Live Fit Trainer, on Bodybuilding.com. I have made it all the way up to Day 26! While I feel more confident then ever in the gym, I !m still unsure of what exercises work on what days, type thing. Following a training plan that has the exercises for each day already planned, leaves me with no excuse, but to follow it! This website also gives videos for each exercise so you will be able to perform it correctly.

Don’t let your fear of looking “dumb”, keep you out of the gym! Do your research, make a plan, and stick to it! If you can find a workout partner, that is even better! If you don’t have a workout partner, be your own best motivation. Do your research, make a plan, stick to the plan and you will soon see results! ~QC

Consistency is Key!

Studies show consistency is key! Clearly I was not consistent in posting to my blog this week! I was however, consistent with my workouts and my macro’s! I am happy to report that despite having a REALLY stressful, bad week at work, I did not turn to food for “comfort”! Trying to break the habit of drowning my stress in a giant Whit’s Frozen Custard “Buckeye Sundae”, (Vanilla custard, Reese’s Cups, peanut butter and chocolate syrup. Who doesn’t love that?), has been hard! Chocolate + peanut butter has been/ is my downfall! I am really proud of myself for using the gym as my “therapy”, and not food! I am even more proud of myself for sticking to my macro’s this week! With Halloween, one of the biggest candy season’s, right around the corner, I keep looking for alternatives to the sugary morsels, I so love!

I have posted my “ice cream replacement before”. Here is my favorite “protein potion” from this week:

1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder mixed with a little bit of water to make a “pudding”. Then add 2 tablespoons of Sugar Free Whip Cream, stir till mixed, pop in the freezer for about 20 min = Protein “Ice Cream”! I had enough Macro’s left that I added a few Vanilla Cupcake Goldfish. Sweet tooth satisfied and still stayed on my diet! Score!

Research also shows it takes 21 days to make a habit. I have been consistent in tracking my food intake for the past 7 days and I am down 3 lbs for the week! I just keep saying to myself, “Consistency is key! You got this! Keep going!”

What habit are you trying to make or break? Now, I will say to you, “Consistency is key! You got this! Keep going!” ~ QC