Goodbye 2011 - Hello 2012!

Everyone always sees a new year as an opportunity to have a fresh start - a chance to change things for the better. I'm a "cup half full" type of person, so let's take a moment to relish in our personal accomplishments of 2011 rather than beat ourselves up about what we need to be doing better:

• This certainly is NOT a weight-loss blog... but seriously. We lost a lot. It was work. It was emotional. It was crazy! Alek lost 80 pounds and Colleen lost 120. 

• Alek obtained a 3.2 GPA for his fall semester at UB! 
• Alek finally quit his job at CMS and took a leap of faith to an internship at Calspan where he was able to dip his toes into the world of integration and programming! Then, he was hired as a part-time employee!
• Colleen and Alek opened a "First Home Club" account at First Niagara and took another step towards a house of our own!
• Colleen began actively pursuing a plastic surgeon to perform a Brachioplasty and Mastopexy in early 2012 and (once healed) finally go out and find that dream wedding dress!   
• Colleen and (sometimes) Alek learned that going to the gym at 5:30 AM is possible and not quite as painful as previously anticipated. 
• We learned that with the help of friends you can accomplish anything - including the mudding, sanding and painting of our beloved "Club Blumpkin" 



Club Blumpkin



Our Room!

• Also with the help of wonderful friends, we finally turned our bedroom into a more adult bedroom - matching bedspread and all! 

  

  Colleen and Tim

                                   
• Colleen actually got the guts to join the Center One softball team! 
• Alek learned that the only way to tailgate is by going with your closest friends, and if you run into the middle of Milestrip road, Colleen will get angry and yell.

• Colleen and Alek learned the value of good times with good friends. There is nothing like them! 
• Colleen was reminded that parents aren't around forever, and any moment can be the last you share. Luckily, all is well. But a quick shout-out to Colleen's Dad and his quit-smoking efforts! We all know he can do it!

  

  The Boys

Colleen's Mom  & Dad

Christmas 2011 

Season Opener: Ryan, Alek, Colleen & Tim

We hope all of our friends and family have a safe and happy new year! We look forward to seeing everyone in 2012! 

Colleen's Low Carb Chocolate Chip & Walnut Cookies

Colleen's Low Carb Chocolate Chip & Walnut Cookies










I know some of these ingredients sound strange, so at the bottom I will explain where you can find them!


What you need:


2 Sticks of Butter (not margarine)
1 1/2 cups "Cup for Cup" Splenda (cup for cup is easiest, otherwise see conversion instructions)
1 cup packed Splenda Brown Sugar
1 cup Ground Flaxseed Meal
1 cup Walnuts, chopped
1 1/4 cups Soy Flour
1/2 cup Gluten Flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 package (1 1/3 cups) Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Chips


Heat your oven to 375* F.


Mix It Up!


Melt butter in the microwave for 2 minutes or until liquid. Combine butter and both sugars with a mixer. Splenda may cause the mixture to appear a little on the grainy side, but will not effect the cookies. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix very well and add baking soda.


The Dry Ingredients


Combine the ground flaxseed, soy flour, gluten flour and salt in a separate bowl. Once incorporated very well, slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Add the chocolate chips and walnuts and mix well.


Roll into 1" balls and place on baking sheet. Place in oven for approximately 10 minutes, or until cookies are slightly brown and puffy. Cookies will retain a very round shape and will not expand very much. Allow the cookies to cool for about 2 minutes before transferring off cookie sheet.


How to find the "weird stuff"


The Soy Flour, Ground Flaxseed and Gluten Flour can be found just about anywhere. I've seen them at The Christmas Tree Shops, Big Lots and Tops.
























I've only had luck at Tops as far as finding Sugar Free Chocolate Chips.






Happy Baking!!!!

Low-Carb: Tips and Pointers

Low-Carb is usually associated with the famous Atkin’s diet that was popular several years back or the newer low-carb diet – South Beach. I’m not sure what you would call my variation of the diet, but in general it’s just lower carbs than what average America is accustomed to consuming. No worries, I’m not going to tell you to avoid caffeine, gluten, or alcohol like the Atkins diet does. So long as these items fit within your carb/calorie budget, go for it.


Here are some high-level tidbits:


• Low carb is a lifestyle. NOT a diet.


• You can figure out a substitute for anything you are craving (get creative)


• www.MyFitnessPal.com is your best friend. Create an account ASAP!


• Weight loss does not come down to carb counts or fat counts – the bottom line is still to create a calorie deficit. If you create a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day (through diet, exercise, or a combination of the two), you will lose 1 pound in a week. 1 pound ~ 3,500 calories.


• While exercise isn’t needed, it will certainly get you to your results faster. And everyone knows results = motivation , and that is a powerful thing in the world of weight loss. It’s the only time in your life where the “snowball effect” can be a good thing.


• NET Carbs (I.E. Carbs that impact your blood sugar) are the carbs you want to keep low. You still need fiber in your life if you happen to like pooping. Otherwise, you’ll be backed up worse than the Kohl’s line on Black Friday.


• DRINK WATER!! TONS AND TONS OF WATER!!!! (Same reason as above – pooping is important)


• Sugar alcohols (artificial sweeteners) are great – in moderation. Not to talk about poop AGAIN but… sugar alcohols in excess can have a laxative effect. Which can actually be helpful if you didn’t listen to the fiber and the water bullets listed above.


• The reason why low carb works so well is it actually makes you to feel satisfied for longer, therefore allowing you to eat less frequently. This happens because Carbs impact your blood sugar. Your blood sugar rises after consuming a high carb meal and shortly after, (due to an over-abundance of insulin your body has released to convert the sugars into fat), you begin to feel very tired and most often, you crave more carbs – and then the cycle starts again. When you start your day by not introducing too many carbs, you can be in control of your appetite from the start.


• Do not make the mistake of limiting your Carb AND fat intake! Your body still needs fat as an energy source (and most of the time, manufacturers reduce fat by replacing the fat with carbs! Yes, really! Check it out for yourself!). So please, stock up on half and half for your coffee, 2% milk, full fat cottage cheese… you get the idea. Your bottom line is Carbs and calories. Protein is also important if you are weight training. 

•  Read ALL food labels! You should always be aware of what you are consuming, even if you aren't "dieting."


• In general, keep your carbs to 30/day and spread them out EVENLY throughout the day. If you eat all 30 in one sitting at breakfast, you’ll be face to face with a sugary pastry in 2 hours, tops.


• Once you reach your goal weight, you can slowly increase your daily carb allowance to 100 Carbs/day (this is the USDA daily recommended amount).


Foods that Make Colleen Happy In no particular order:


• Eggs
• Sausage
• Bacon
• Lavish Wraps
• Soy Flour
• Ground Flaxseed
• Cheese 

• Michelob Ultra
• Pepperoni
• Steak
• Chicken
• Fish
• Chicken Wings (be sure they are not breaded – ask!)
• Romaine Lettuce
• Butter
• Ceasar Salad (Yes, full fat dressing)
• Green Beans
• Broccoli
• Celery
• Ham

• Russell Stover Sugar Free Candies (watch the calorie count and sugar alcohols)
• Green Peppers
• Burgers (sans bun)
• Hot Dogs
• Pork
• Asparagus
• Olive Oil 

 
No-No Food Groups


• Starches (Potatoes, rice, noodles)
• Breads (Whole grain, white, whatever… no) But of course, there is an exception – Weight Watchers has a sliced bread that is 3 net carbs per slice. Read the labels and check it out
• Flour
• SUGAR
• Ketchup (I only mention this one because most people have no idea how much sugar is actually in it!)


Things You Will Notice After 2 Weeks


• You’ve lost weight! (Okay, that was an easy one)


• You have more energy


• Your critical thinking skills have improved (animal fats are still #1 recommended before a big test)


• Your 2 PM “slump” has magically disappeared (go ahead - think about it! Bet you didn’t realize it til I mentioned it!)

• If you cheat, your stomach knows it and will retaliate the next day

• Your desire to nosh on a big bowl of pasta has decreased dramatically


• Real sugar tastes bitter


• You are hungry MUCH less frequently and could go from breakfast to dinner and actually forget to eat (although you should not as this is a known metabolism killer!!) but hey, it happens.


• You’ve figured out and perfected a low-carb variation of 1 of your favorite foods. 

So... you wanna know my favorite low-carb variation of food?

Low Carb Chocolate Chip and Walnut Cookies!!! 

Recipe to follow!

Weight Loss FAQ's

Not like we could hide it if we wanted... but obviously Alek and I lost a ton of weight. Quite literally, about 200 pounds between us. Weight loss of this magnitude comes with a lot of questions, and I want to answer them! We'll call them the "Weight-Loss FAQ's" or WLFAQ for short.


WLFAQ #1: What motivated you to lose weight?


Colleen's Answer: "While being overweight, there comes a point in your life where you realize the list of things you won't do or even try is longer than the list of things you will do or want to try. When you live your life around being heavy, you are limiting yourself and your life. In addition, I've always wanted to be a mother. And I was having a hard time picturing myself being able to run after kids. Kids also have this crazy way of looking to parents for guidance and setting a good example. I need to be that example."


Alek's Answer: "To make Colleen happy. I knew she really wanted to do this, and I wanted to be that support system. In hindsight, losing weight was truly something I needed to do for myself, too. But it was absolutely a positive change in my life."


WLFAQ #2: What was the most difficult part of losing weight?


Colleen's Answer: "You're going to think the hardest part was the diet and exercise, but that's just not true. Those were the easy parts. Confronting your own self-worth and self-esteem issues was hardest for me. There is still a part of me convinced that my heavier self wasn't worth my family's love - let alone Alek's love and there is still a part of me that is afraid that if I were to become heavy again, I would be worthless again. People look at me differently, hold doors open for me, offer to help me carry things, and are generally more interested in me as a person now. These noticeable changes in how I'm treated don't help that negative mindset about my former self I'm struggling with. Yes, Tyra Banks, heavy people ARE treated differently!


Oh, and clothes. I am unbelievably tired of spending money on clothes. I can't invest in anything "nice" because it won't fit for long, and I keep thinking of all the money I could have spent on our wedding instead."


Alek's Answer: "I sound like a jerk, but buying new clothes was the worst. I had to completely start over."


WLFAQ #3: How much more weight do you plan to lose?


Colleen's Answer: "I'm probably within 15 pounds of my goal weight. I hate to give a goal in pounds, because 1 thing I learned is muscle takes up more room than fat... so the number on the scale doesn't mean much to a person who weight trains 5 days a week. Believe it or not, I still weigh 176 right now. I also (unfortunately) am carrying an estimated 10-12 pounds in excess skin. I may not lose much more from the perspective of my bathroom scale."


Alek's Answer: "I don't want to lose anymore weight. I'm working on finding what I can eat on a regular basis to maintain my current weight."


WLFAQ #4: How do you find time to go to the gym everyday?


Colleen's Answer: "I literally had to 'make' time. I decided to wake up an hour earlier, hit the gym at about 5:50 AM, shower and go to work. I used to go after work, but things such as weather, being tired, having errands to run, or plans with friends interfered more often than not. Not much can happen at 5:50 in the morning to prevent you from going - and our evenings are free!!"


Alek's Answer: "Colleen is our time manager. When she tells me to wake up, I wake up! Although I am mentally not awake until about 10 minutes before our workout is done!"


WLFAQ #5: What did you eat/how did you do it?!


I recently spent the time typing up a high-level description of what we eat and some pointers. I will put that into a separate post! :)