One small victory!

So today I gave another crack at my Biggest Loser DVD. And Guess what?!!! I made it all the way through from start to finish. I did stop 3 times to give myself short breaks when I was feeling especially winded, but I made it all the way through. I am so proud of myself. Maybe this time next week I'll be feeling strong enough to add the weights in. :)

Today was a good day. Hubby was off so we spent some time together, took a nap, cleaned house. I still haven't been able to go to sleep very early, but hopefully with exercise and eating better sleep will be one more thing I have conquered. Dinner tonight was awesome. We made taco salad, except we substituted the ground beef for ground turkey. Seriously can't tell the difference. If you want a great deal on ground turkey check out Costco. I picked up a 5 pack of 1 lb. chubs for under $10. You can't beat that. I made my salad out of spinach, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and a few olives. Instead of cheddar cheese or sour cream I used cottage cheese and it was a delicious substitution. Not to mention 1 serving of cottage cheese is 1/2c. so I didn't feel deprived at all. I topped it all off with some salsa and I was in taco salad heaven. Although I have to say when I build my salads I build them big and ended up having half left over, which is fine because now I have lunch for tomorrow. Anyway thought this could give you some dinner ideas, not to mention dinner was done quick. We had it on the table in 10 min. Chris browned the ground turkey while I chopped all the veggies and it worked out great.

I want to take just a moment and talk about food substitutions. It's so easy now a days to be pulled in by the phrase "fat free" but be very aware you may be cutting out the fat but adding some other things to your body that are just as bad or worse than the fat itself. Plus many people fall into the trap of "it's fat free so I can eat more." This is a huge mistake because before you know it you racked up a huge calorie count. I used to fall into this pit ALL the time. Not to mention our bodies need fat to function properly. Fat does more than just pads our hips, it is one of the major building blocks in our bodies that regulate our hormones and immune systems. Shocking I know. Here is a link to a great website that talks about why fat is so important. http://www.eatingdisordersonline.com/nutritional/fats.php

What I need to learn, what I think a lot of people need to learn is the difference between good fats and bad fats. For example peanut butter. It's loaded with fat, but this is the kind of fat you want to be eating. Monounsaturated. This type of fat can also be found in olive oil, canola oil, avocados, seeds, and nuts. Polyunsaturated. This type of fat can be found in plant based oils such as sunflower, and also seeds and nuts. Omega 3 fatty acids. This can be found in salmon. These are all the fats to embrace in moderation. Saturated. Which is found in all types of meat, lard, butter, and cheese. Trans fat. This is found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, commercial baked goods, fried foods, shortening, and margarine. These are the things you want to avoid or eat very little of.

So notice when I said I added cottage cheese to my salad instead of fat free or low fat cottage cheese there was a very good reason. For one I was only saving myself 10 -20 calories per serving with the lower fat versions. Also less known, is that regular cottage cheese is made from 4% milk fat. Hardly fattening at all. I ate a whopping whole 2 grams more fat, but if you check out the back of the labels I also dodged eating a bunch of additives that are added to the lower fat varieties to preserve it. So be smart. Read your labels. Don't be so obsessed with the fat and calorie side of it, be more worried about the potential harmful chemicals and additives you may be consuming. Also instead of just eating lettuce in my salad, which is basically nothing but crunchy water. A filler I call it. I had 2 cups of spinach. These dark leafy greens pack a better nutritional punch ounce for ounce. It's a great source for Vitamin A, Calcium, Vitamin C, Iron, and dietary fiber. Now keep in mind I am NOT a doctor. I am only sharing my opinion and things I have found through my own personal reading and research. I encourage each of you to do your own reading, and personal research and find the things right for you. If you have anything to add or just want to comment that would be awesome.

Thanks for reading,
Stephanie