Cayla Week 9

I apologize but due to unforeseen circumstances I will not be posting this week. I hope to get back to my regular posts next week. I hope you are all doing well.

Cayla - Week 7

Cayla Week 7
Weight Loss This Week:1 pound

Eating Plan: I am currently following the Paleo plan and discovering new healthy food every day!

Exercise Plan: A minimum of 5 times a week at 5am Monday - Friday. One of these days is with a personal trainer. 

Overall Goals: My immediate goal is 50 pounds....I have 34.4 more to go. Total Goal 125 pounds...109.4 to go.

Recipe's to Share: I made this recipe this week and it didn't turn out quite right for me. I think it might be because I did not use a salad spinner. If you try this recipe please let me know how it turns out. Mine had great flavor but was not crisp at all.

Original recipe makes 6 servings 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Thoughts for This Week:

The past two weeks have been rough. I have been traveling for work and on top of that was very sick. I'm still not 100% due to a cough that won't go away and having trouble breathing. I started back to the Gym on Monday which was the first time in two weeks. The good thing is I didn't gain any wait. However, I feel that I lost momentum. I get up at 4:30am every weekday morning to go to the gym. Before I got sick I got up without fail and did not feel tired and was geared up to get my day started. Now, I can barley drag my butt out of bed and constantly feel tired. I'm forcing myself to go anyway and hoping that things start to improve again. I will meet with my trainer again starting next Wednesday. I've really got to get my eating under control. I'm attempting to follow the Paleo plan but keep having little cheats that lead to bigger cheats. Since I have felt so tired I have not had a desire to cook or mess with the food prep. That being said, I've been eating anything that is easily accessible, which tends to not be healthy. I''m putting so much effort, time and money into going to the gym that I really need to get my eating back on track. I am going to start writing everything morsel that goes into my mouth into a journal. I'm hoping that this will help to keep me more accountable.

Cayla - Week 6

Cayla Conley Week 6
Time to regroup

This week it is time for me to regroup. I've been sick, traveling, very busy with work and I had company in town. Needless to say my diet and exercise have taken the backseat. I'm using this week to get well since I've been sick for about two weeks. I have not been eating well and actually found myself craving healthy food (which is strange to me). I'm hoping to hit the ground running Monday and I'm hoping that I haven't done too much damage this week.

Cayla Week 5

Cayla Week 5

Weight Loss This Week: 4 lbs

Inches Lost (Since 1/7/13): 12 Inches

Total Weight Loss So Far (Since 1/7/13): 16 lbs

Eating Plan: I am currently following the Paleo plan and discovering new healthy food every day!

Exercise Plan: A minimum of 5 times a week at 5am Monday - Friday. One of these days is with a personal trainer. 

Overall Goals: My immediate goal is 50 pounds....I have 35.4 more to go. Total Goal 125 pounds...110.4 to go.

Recipe's to Share: I'm sorry I do not have any recipes to share this week.

Thoughts for This Week:

This week was challenging and Odd to say the least. I didn't go to the Gym Saturday or Sunday because I had so much to do to prepare for my upcoming work trip. However I worked out 6 days leading up to that. Sunday I started to not feel well and Monday it turned into a full blown Sinus and Bronchial infection. This meant i was coughing like crazy and having trouble breathing. Needless to say my workouts came to a screeching halt....and heating healthy soon followed. I don't know about you but when I am sick I don't want to cook let alone move. I instantly went to quick and easy which was takeout and unhealthy. This is where the odd part came in...i lost 4 pounds. I'm not quite sure how or why. I don't think I was eating less.

I've been at my conference now for two days. They feed you frequently. However I am eating small portions and not stuffing myself. I was planning on working out every day while at conference, instead I'm doing good just to attend all of my sessions. I'm hoping that this illness passes sooner rather than later so that I can get back to working out.

How do you cope with working out and eating healthy when sick?

Cayla Week 4

Cayla Week 4 - Everyone has a Journey

Weight Loss This Week: .2lbs

Inches Lost (Since 1/7/13): 11 Inches

Total Weight Loss So Far (Since 1/7/13): 14.6 lbs

Eating Plan: I am currently following the Paleo plan and discovering new healthy food every day!

Exercise Plan: A minimum of 5 times a week at 5am Monday - Friday. One of these days is with a personal trainer. 

Goals This Week: I will be traveling to California for work starting Wednesday through Sunday. My goal is to use the hotel Gym and work out Wednesday - Saturday. I also plan to stick to my diet as much as possible. This will be difficult since much of my food is pre-planned and provided for me during my conference.
 

Little Victories: In Florida the State Fair is in February. My hotel is a partner of the Florida State Fairgrounds. It is expected that I go and experience the fair and new attractions. However I was struggling with the decision of whether to go or not because I knew that I wouldn't make healthy choices. My husband and I decided we were not going to go because we didn't need to eat the "junk". I did have to go for a VIP dinner at the fairgrounds but I was able to stick to somewhat healthy alternatives. Last year we went and practically ate our way through the fair! I'm so glad we did not do that this year.

Overall Goals: My immediate goal is 50 pounds....I have 35.4 more to go. Total Goal 125 pounds...110.4 to go.

Recipe's to Share:

Ingredients:

• Coconut Chicken Nuggets
  Print Recipe
  1 pound ground chicken
  1 egg yolk
  1 teaspoon onion powder
  ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  ¼ cup + ½ cup almond flour
  ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  ½ cup coconut oil
  Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a bowl combine ¼ cup almond flour, ½ cup coconut and salt & pepper. Mix to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the ground chicken, ½ cup almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder, egg yolk and salt & pepper. Mix well until everything is incorporated.
In a sauté pan, melt coconut oil on medium heat. Take about 2 tablespoons worth of the chicken mixture and roll into a ball and then coat with the coconut and almond mixture. Repeat with the remaining chicken. You should make about 15 to 18 chicken nugget/balls.
In small batches place nuggets into heated coconut oil and cook on each side for about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer balls to a parchment lined bake pan and place in oven for 4 to 5 minutes to allow the chicken to cook through. Repeat with the remaining chicken nuggets.

Thoughts for This Week:
Discouraged does not even cover how I am feeling. I have been going hard at the Gym for three weeks and have not seen any significant weight loss. This includes my workouts with my trainer. I'm working out hard and have completed 5 workouts this week and plan to work out Friday and Sunday. My eating isn't perfect but I don't feel that has been bad enough to warrant not losing any pounds.
One of the problems is that I don't stay full for long and feel hungry most of the time. I've tried natural appetite suppressants, tips and trick and nothing seems to help. I'm going to try to not eat after 7 pm on most days, and I'm going to focus on eating more for breakfast and less for dinner. I'm hoping that this is just a plateau that I am dealing with and I will soon see significant changes.

The Journey:
I find myself looking at other women at the gym and wonder what part of their journey they are on. I see many that to me look to be in perfect shape and have great bodies, yet they work out just as hard as I do. Because I have never been one of these women I wonder, are there still target areas and spots on their bodies that they are trying to change and improve, or are they working to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I feel like my journey has lasted a lifetime and will never end even if I do reach by goal weight.

Where are you in your journey?

Cayla - Week 3

Cayla - Week3

 Slow and Steady Wins the Race!

Weight Loss This Week: .4lbs

Inches Lost (Since 1/7/13): 10 Inches

Total Weight Loss So Far (Since 1/7/13): 14.4 lbs

Eating Plan: I am currently following the Paleo plan and discovering new healthy food every day!

Exercise Plan:  A minimum of 5 times a week at 5am Monday - Friday. One of these days is with a personal trainer.

New Weight Loss or Diet Knowledge to Share: 

Goals This Week: Work out 6 days a week and lose 2 pounds. I have met my workout goal by completing 6 workouts this week. I finally lost .4 pounds and I am very happy about this.

Little Victories: The scale finally moved in the right direction!

Overall Goals: My immediate goal is 50 pounds....I have 35.6 more to go. Total Goal 125 pounds...110.6 to go.

Recipe's to Share: 

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken breast tenderloins
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup almond meal
• 2 tbs chili powder
• 1 tbs Italian seasoning
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400. Line a 13×9″ baking pan with foil and grease it.
Mix all dry ingredients on a plate. Beat eggs in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg and then dredge in dry ingredients. Place coated meat into baking dish and bake for 12 minutes each side. (I found that mine got done in 12 minutes total and did not need to be flipped. I didn't want to overcook it)

Thoughts for This Week:
This week was rough. I battled emotional eating, stress and anxiety paired with a crazy work schedule and feeling under the weather. Emotional eating is something that I have battled for a very long time. I try to keep it pretty under control and then it sneaks up on me when I least expect it. 
I did some quick internet searches on emotional eating and found the following questions to ask yourself to identify if you are an emotional eater. I urge you to take a moment and read through the questions to see if you identify with emotional eating. My hope is that if you are an emotional eater you can identify it and make steps towards overcoming it.

Are you an emotional eater?

• Do you eat more when you’re feeling stressed?
• Do you eat when you’re not hungry or when you’re full?
• Do you eat to feel better (to calm and soothe yourself when you’re sad, mad, bored, anxious, etc.)?
• Do you reward yourself with food?
• Do you regularly eat until you’ve stuffed yourself?
• Does food make you feel safe? Do you feel like food is a friend?
• Do you feel powerless or out of control around food?

There is some very good information on this site about emotional eating http://www.helpguide.org/life/emotional_eating_stress_cravings.htm 

In addition to my emotional eating, I'm also concerned about my diet getting derailed over the next couple of weeks due to multiple work related events including a 4 day conference in which all of my food is planned out for me. My goal is to try to work out every day regardless as well as possibly work out longer. My workouts have been good and consistent. I completed 6 days last week but will only get to complete 5 this week. In addition to my daily work outs, I am trying to be more active in my down time and not just sit around on the couch. 

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. Please feel free to comment or ask questions. I wish you all the best for the upcoming week!

Cayla -Week 2

Cayla - Week 2

 Slow and Steady Wins the Race!

Weight Loss This Week: 0 lbs

Total Weight Loss So Far: 14 lbs

Eating Plan: I am currently following the Paleo plan and discovering new healthy food every day!

Exercise Plan:  A minimum of 5 times a week at 5am Monday - Friday. One of these days is with a personal trainer.

New Weight Loss or Diet Knowledge to Share:  It has really hit me this week... If I keep putting my health, exercise and goals off I will be in the same spot I'm in now or worse three months from now. If I persist...looking back in three months I'm bound to see a change! This is helping me to not give up!

Goals This Week: Work out 5 days a week and lose 3 pounds. I have met my workout goal and I am looking to add an additional workout on Saturday. I did not lose any weight this week...I'm still not sure why.

I have lost one inch in my waist since January 7th. I haven't had a chance to measure the rest of my body...I will update this next week.

Little Victories: I had a serious addiction to Starbucks Chai Tea Latte. I went every single day without fail for months. I have gone 25 days without my Chai Tea Latte (I feel like I'm in AA!)

Overall Goals: My immediate goal is 50 pounds....I have 36 more to go. Total Goal 125 pounds...111 to go (I'm looking forward to this number getting much smaller!).

Recipe's to Share: 5 Ingredient Breakfast Stuffed Acorn Squash  (I modified this recipe a bit.) You can go to this link for the original recipe http://paleomg.com/5-ingredient-breakfast-stuffed-acorn-squash/

Prep time:  25 min

Cook time:  15 min

Total time:  40 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Jimmy Dean's Pre cooked Turkey Sausage Crumbles
• 1 acorn squash, cut in half, seeds removed
• 4 eggs
• 1 yellow onion, diced 
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place acorn squash cut-side down into a microwave safe dish with a half cup of water.
3. Microwave for 10 minutes
4. Remove from microwave and let cool.
5. While your acorn squash is cooking, add a tablespoon of some kind of fat to a large pan over medium heat (I used bacon fat) then add your minced garlic and diced onion.
6. Stir around to keep from burning.
7. Once your onions become translucent, add your breakfast sausage to the pan.
8. Add Acorn squash and mix everything together in the pan and get it hot
9. Use a square baking dish and spray the bottom and sides with cooking spray. Place mixture in the dish and spread evenly.
10.  Take 4 eggs and a splash of coconut milk and whisk together.
11. Pour egg mixture over squash and sausage mixture in the baking sheet.
12. Place oven to cook for 10-15 minutes or until egg-cooked preference.
13. Serve!

I cook this recipe in advance divide it in two and then take to work the next day and heat up for breakfast. It is delicious and I feel like I'm eating potatoes!! :-)

                        

Thoughts for this week: 

I did not gain weight this week...so that is a victory! However, I did not lose any weight either. However, when I look in the mirror I can tell a difference in the shape of my body. I am taking a closer look at my diet and paying closer attention to portion control and eating lean meats (I have been eating a lot of pork). I am going to add an extra day of cardio for 6 days total. I have been meeting with a trainer once a week. This is really helping to keep me motivated. I love finding and trying new Paleo friendly recipes. I'm not getting discouraged yet. In fact, I'm the most motivated I've been in years. I've been getting up at 4:30am every day to go to the gym without much trouble. I find that relying on my faith and calling upon God for strength and motivation through prayer really helps to keep me on track. If I have learned nothing else in my weight struggle, I at least know that I cannot fight this battle alone. My mantra is "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". 

Cayla - Week 1

Week 1 - Everyone Has to Start Somewhere!

Weight Loss This Week:  Since January 7th I have lost 14 pounds 

Total Weight Loss So Far: 14 pounds

Eating Plan:I am currently following the Paleo plan which has been eye opening for me. I plan to dive deeper into this as the weeks unfold as well as share tips and Paleo friendly recipes. 

Exercise Plan:  I joined a gym this week and signed up for 52 sessions with a personal trainer. I am forcing myself to get up and go to the gym at 5am Monday - Friday. This week I have worked out every day so far and plan to finish strong.

New Weight Loss or Diet Knowledge to Share:  When joining a new gym if you plan to shower there and get ready for work...make sure you know if the provide towels, or be sure to take your own. I learned the hard way Monday when I was left to dry off with paper towels! :-)

 Recipe's to Share: Cauliflower Poppers (These taste almost as good as french fries and are super easy to make) My husband even liked these!

        What you will need:

• 2 heads of cauliflower
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Wash and clean the cauliflower. Cut off and discard the stem. Cut the cauliflower up into small pieces.
3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower pieces and thoroughly coat each piece.
4. Place cauliflower pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for one hour and turn 3 times during cooking until each piece has a nice brown coloring. The browner they are the better.
5. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Goals This Week: Work out 5 days a week and lose 3 pounds.

Little Victories: I had a serious addiction to Starbucks Chai Tea Latte. I went every single day with out fail for months. I have gone 18 days without my Chai Tea Latte as well as all Soda. Not to mention how much money I have saved!

Overall Goals:   I have found that it is good to have an overall goal and then break it up into smaller goals. My immediate goal is 50 pounds....I have 36 more to go.Total Goal 125 pounds...111 to go (I'm looking forward to this number getting much smaller!).

My History: My Name is Cayla Conley. I am a first time blogger. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I live in beautiful, sunny Tampa Florida. We moved from Ohio a little over a year ago because I had a new job opportunity. I am an Ohio girl at heart but had to get out of the cold. :-) I  have a loving husband who I have been married to for a little over 6 years. We do not have any children yet...but we do have a fur baby Gizmo, my 5lb ferocious Yorkie. I work as a Director of Sales for a major hotel chain. I have a bachelors degree in event planning and I have a Masters Degree in Business.

I have been very successful in my career and goals that I set for myself. One thing that I have never been able to get is control of my weight. My weight loss journey has been a long one. As a kid I was "chubby". I wasn't extremely over weight, I was just a little heavier than the rest of my friends. Looking back now...I wish I was the weight that I was in high school. My parents tried to help. They supported every weight loss fad, or kick that I was on for the moment. They tried to motivate me by offering me shopping spree's and various other things to get me to lose the weight. But to no avail.

When in college I met an amazing guy who would later be my husband. We fell in love and got fat and happy together. I remember my senior year of college stepping out of the shower and getting on the scale and it read over 200lbs. I was in shock. Unfortunately it didn't stop there. I continued to let it spiral out of control.

 I've tried programs such as "The Great American Slim Down", Visalus, Advo Care, diet pills, and i'm sure many other things that I cannot recall. At one point I asked my doctor for help with something to control my appetite. She quickly gave me information and suggested gastric bypass surgery. Not only did this make me furious, but she then became my former doctor. Like anyone else my battle with weight has effected me mentally. Anyone that has fought this battle has spent hours crying constantly, becoming anti social at times and depression. I always hoped and prayed that one day a doctor would figure out that my weight issue was strictly medical such as a thyroid problem that could be fixed with a pill. My weight struggle has taken me to some very dark places. I am hoping to put all of this behind me.

Two years ago, I reached the highest weight that I have ever been. I knew then that I needed to do something. I got on a program called Medifast and it was a very quick and effective fix. I lost 50 pounds in three months. I kept most of it off until the recent holidays and several pounds quickly came back on.

In December I celebrated my 30th birthday...which was hanging over my head. So I set goals for myself. One of which was to complete my first 5K before I turned 30. Not only did I complete my first 5K on November 10th 2012, I also completed my second 5K on Thanksgiving Day. My goal for 2013 is to be able to run the entire 5K and complete it in 30 minutes or less.

Throughout this journey I plan to be honest and real about the highs and lows about my weight loss struggle.

I hope that you will join me!

New Years Eve 12/31/1NNew

New Years Eve 12/31/2012