My PB + J

goals, check!

I realize it’s been an entire month since my last post. I know I promised before & after pictures a few short days after my last post and I never got around to sharing. Bad Melissa! After having, Amy, a friend and TDM instructor snap my picture right after class I could see a difference despite my horrid just woke-up face. I had been searching for a before picture that properly depicted my large, tub-a-wubba state pre-The Dailey Method and it was actually pretty difficult. Most pictures were cropped,  I hid the chub well with clothing, a baby on my hip, or a group of friends were in front of me. While I was going back on my external hard drive I found a few pictures and one stuck out to me. I was at my heaviest. I was six-months post partum with Payton and at my lowest of all lows mentally. A few months after that picture was taken I probably only lost ten pounds and then I got preggo with Mr. Bradykins. When I began my true weight loss journey last January I weighed 170, in the picture I was ten pounds heavier. Last month I celebrated my one-year anniversary with TDM, it’s simply crazy that I have been apart of that supportive community for that long now. I am a stronger person and I am so proud of where I am today. When I stared down at my phone looking at the before & after shots I sat there as tears quietly ran down my cheek. I did it. I set a simple goal of getting back to the “old” me, a healthier me and I freaking did it. I am stronger for my babies, I am a happier person and I can say I stuck to a goal for myself.

There are hard days, I am not going to lie. Unlike most who sigh and moan when the instructor says, “it’s a ball day” I let out a sigh or relief, there’s just something joyful about that little green ball. I dread low c-curve and as I make my way up to the barre for thigh work always leaves me guessing. If thigh work wasn’t already hard enough hearing the prompts to sink lower and lift your heels a little higher while having a broken toe and the neighboring effed up toe recovering from surgery always makes me sweat and shake like I have turrets. I always ask myself why the hell I got out of bed and then while doing back dancing listening to Gangnam Style I remember why I love it so much. It pushes you, the instructors motivate you and after 60-minutes you made it through another workout alive with or without making an ass out of yourself.

We have two weeks left on our 60-day challenge and I have been doing mediocre. I promised myself I would attend 3-4 times a week and with each class I attend I give myself a little pat on my back because I still found the time in my hectic schedule to make it there. Lord knows it isn’t easy to balance everything that our day-to-day schedules brings but by taking 60-minutes out of the day for me just brings it all in and for that I am grateful.

Since beginning my weight loss journey with The Dailey Method I have lost 40 pounds, I have gone from a size 12 to a size 6 and I can finally say that since having kids I finally feel like the “old” me pre-kids. Plus or minus the saggy boobs. 😉

What motivates you? Have you checked off a goal lately?

the journey of finding me.


“What you get by achieving your goals in not as important as what you become by achieving your goals” –Zig Ziglar 

When the year began all I knew was that I wanted to lose the weight from having two children. I knew it wouldn’t be easy because I hadn’t completely succeeded with the weight loss after having Payton. I suffered from severe post partum depression, I was unhappy with my job and I closed myself off from everyone including myself. I got pregnant again and was immediately worried about how I would regain a comfortable weight after giving birth to another child. I was more conscience during my second pregnancy, I walked more and had overcome my PPD. I wasn’t working due to pre-term labor and I began finding myself. We welcomed our baby boy to the world last October and I enjoyed the holidays. When the calender turned to 2012 I knew it was my year, my year to find the person I lost in early 2009. I began doing things that I enjoyed doing, I had people in my life that made me happy and reintroduced old friends back into my life because I finally left that old me behind. I’ve done a lot of soul searching this year and I am right where I want to be.

Back in January I started my journey here with the 17-Day Diet. I stuck to the diet and watched the pounds slip away. I was walking 5-10 miles a week and reintroduced spin into my routine logging over 60-hours within the first five months of the year. In May, I was introduced to The Dailey Method. I cut back on the spin classes and concentrated time in the studio. I had finally found an exercise that worked for me and that honestly made me feel whole. Now, let me tell you that if I felt like eating a cheeseburger, I did. If I had a craving for a Snickers I ate it. I have limited myself to one, yes, one iced latte or Starbucks double shot a week. Some weeks I might not have one but I have given myself a limit. I now drink iced unsweetened black or green tea. I have cut out 99.5% of soda or anything with carbonation. We do eat out but when I cook it’s usually minimally processed and whole. The Dailey Method and it’s values has taught me a lot. The last two months is where I really found myself. For the month of October I managed to tow both kids with me to the studio for twenty classes, while this was short of my goal I am still damn proud of myself. I have completed four 5k’s, I began doing these with girlfriends and honestly I had to sit back and reconsider why I was doing them. I have had a lot of support throughout my journey and doing activities for fun was my motivation. If you’re on a weight loss journey make sure that you have honest support from those around you, weight loss is not a competition, it’s about balance and finding what works best for you. Not all of my days have been easy and I hope that you understand that I mean this. I get burned out just like anyone else but as long as you stick to your goals, focus on your life and find something that works for you; you will get to your goal in no time!

In January, I had set two weight loss goals. The first was to weigh 140 by Brayden’s birthday, I am happy to report that with the help of The Dailey Method I lost ten pounds in two months bringing me one pound under my goal! It has never felt so good to see that number on the scale.

My second goal, which does not have a date, is to weigh 130. I am giving myself a few months into 2013 to achieve this as I am having foot surgery and will be out of commission for six weeks. This comes just in time to sit back and enjoy the holidays with my family. The celebration of finding the old me.

I have to thank everyone for the nice e-mails, texts and high fives as I have reached my goal of losing thirty pounds a healthy way!

a whine sesh & curried egg salad {recipe}

i am honestly having a shitty day. it’s the fourth day in a row where i feel like doing absolutely nothing. i don’t feel well, i just feel outta whack. i think it’s the hormones speaking and i realize that i did not even do my weigh-in wednesday post. this clearly shows that i am just having an “off” week. brayden had his four-month shots on tuesday and has been whiny since. i never experienced this with payton, she would just sleep for a day or two and bounce back. jim won’t be home until about midnight since he is crossing the border to see his co-workers dentist. don’t ask, just accept that you read that and move on. so, basically on top of this super magical day i get to do the nighttime routine solo. i am so not in the mood. i guess i better get used to this. he will be gone monday through friday next week. and, since cooking for a toddler and this measly adult isn’t the most exciting thing i decided to finally post my egg salad recipe that i told so many friends about. so i leave you with something egg-citing. i know, corny. 
curry egg salad 
recipe from my brain. 

what you’ll need:
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped 
1 rib celery, diced 
1 stalk green onion, chopped 
1/4 cup mayo (use more or less depending on how you prefer your salad)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard 
1/2 teaspoon curry 
salt & pepper to taste
tomato 
bread of choice 
here’s how:
in a bowl mix together all of the ingredients. taste for salt & pepper. if you like more curry, add more. it’s easy peasy. 
i toasted a slice of rye bread since it is allowed on the 17-day diet, starting cycle three. i placed tomato slices on top with some cracked pepper and sat happily eating as the kids slept. it’s the simple things in life that keep us going!
and now leave to press post since the damn dog barked and woke the baby up after only being down for twenty minutes. does anyone want our corgi/dachshund mix dog? i swear…

mediterranean pasta {recipe}

during the three years i worked as the general manager for a local brewery i fell in love with the mediterranean wheat pasta we offered. since leaving the company nearly two years ago i still crave this simply light and healthy pasta dish. i have made it once before but i revisited it over the weekend knowing it fit into cycle three of the 17-day diet guidelines. suz here is another vegetarian recipe i am happy to share! oh! and did i mention that i skipped using wheat pasta and replaced it with brown rice spaghetti. delish! pair it with a glass of white wine, a simple salad and sorbet and you’ve got one amazing guiltless meal. 
here’s what you need:
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup grape tomatoes cut in half. 
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup artichokes, i used frozen (defrosted) but any variety works 
1 garlic clove, minced 
1/4 cup feta (17dd use fat-free)
juice of a lemon (mine was really juicy so i only used half)
1 TB butter 
1/4 cup white wine (i used budget friendly pinot grigio)
brown rice spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
here’s how:
in a skillet melt butter. add in onions and sauté until soft, 5-8 minutes. add in garlic and cook for a minute, do not brown the garlic. squeeze the lemon juice into skillet and then wine. let the sauce simmer for a few minutes deglazing the pan. add in tomatoes, spinach, artichokes and cook until spinach is wilted. add the spaghetti to the skillet and toss to coat. plate the pasta and top with feta cheese. enjoy! 
have you cooked with brown rice pasta? what are your thoughts about it? i thought it was very starchy, especially while cooking but once it was mixed with everything i thought it tasted just like wheat pasta minus the chewy-ness. 

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

now that i am about to start cycle four of the 17-day diet i have begun to incorporate meals that we used to eat back into our lives but with a healthy twist. take these stuffed peppers for instance, the old school recipe our grandma’s used to make had ground beef and other non-figure flattering ingredients. mine on the other hand skips the meat and adds in the super food, quinoa which packs in the protein along with the black beans.  this meal was so filling and made for great leftovers. 

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
recipe adapted from good life eats

the ingredients:

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery,  finely chopped1/2 of a poblano pepper, diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 8.5 oz. can corn, drained 
1 – 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 – 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 1/2 cups grated Pepper jack cheese, divided
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Directions:

Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and poblano pepper and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.
Stir in quinoa, carrots, and 1 3/4 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Combine quinoa and carrots with black beans, corn, 1 cup of cheese, and the onion mixture from the first step, . Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.
Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 40 minutes. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 tablespoon of remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving

the 17-day diet version without the jack cheese or you could substitute fat-free.