New Rules

For the past month or so I've been in a private group on facebook and we would make a comment of what we ate for the day and the workouts for the day. Weekly we would post measurements and weights. I was on full board and then something happened. I let vacation get in the way. After vacation it was really really hard to get back in the game to eating well. I got addicted to sugar and I'm more of a carbs girl usually. Working at Kwik Trip is awesome but not for my sugar cravings, lol.

Last night I thought of something new, something I never thought of before. I was in the mindset to get in the habit of writing down what you eat because that keeps you accountable. I don't like writing, even if that's so easy, so I noticed myself not always writing down the food I ate. Then, of course I didn't always eat well. What I thought of doing is writing down the bad foods I eat for the day. I don't have to worry about keeping a list if I don't eat anything bad! Loved that idea.

Today I did my new strategy and it worked wonders! I was at school for most of the day and we didn't have much of anything I could bring to school to have for lunch without it spoiling. I had a cake shake in the morning and then I went to the cafeteria to find my lunch. I had lots of thoughts in my head. Before lunch I even thought to myself, I can always start my new strategy tomorrow. I looked at everything I could have; mashed potatoes, corn dogs, ice cream, pizza, mac and cheese, and then I saw where you choose your veggies, meat, and it's all reheated on the grill. I went to that line and felt damn good. :) After being in line I saw you could add pasta and white goodness fattening sauce. It was my turn to tell what I wanted: double veggies and chicken. My sauce you ask? A stir fry sauce. The pasta I choose? I did not get pasta. :) No white carbs for me! I felt awesome!

After I ate I put my tray away which was by the ice cream. I went to the ice cream and asked the worker if he knew how much an ounce of ice was (as you could pay by the ounce). I had a great lunch, I deserved ice cream right? The guy didn't know. I looked more at the ice cream and the stuff you could put on it and then walked away slowly but then felt great. Knowing that my lunch did cost a bit much helped not getting the ice cream, I'll admit, but I also knew I didn't need it.

After lunch I went to my lab and then went to workout (which I talked about in a previous post today).

Group workout in front of mirrors

Today I had my first ever group cardio workout at the university I attend. It was a doosey and great! We all faced a wall full of mirrors. Great right? I wasn't to thrilled. Yet, it was a great time and glade I went.

Working out as a group pushed me harder. It made me not stop and walk out of the doors, the instructor pushed me more even though she was talking to all of us. There were times where it got really intense and I wanted a longer break or even make the workout shorter but that option wasn't there. I could have left but that was not an option for me when everybody was there.

Going back to working out in front of a mirror... When I saw myself in the mirror, I saw the person I had become and was hiding from. I didn't like what I saw and felt discussed (sp) but seeing that while working out pushed me to dig deeper. I not only saw how I was today but I also saw myself in other people; what my body used to look like. This also crushed me inside but at the same time also made me push harder. Typing this is even affecting me.

Belly size reality check

I'm watching Dr. Oz on my DVR. The show is about belly fat.
The goal belly inches he wants(healthy) is 32inches. I thought oh I'm probably fine. Reality check: I'm not. I'm more than just a couple inches too big.
This reminds of when everybody tells me that I'm fine and thin and shouldn't worry. I think all of the times people have told me this kinda made me the way I am today. I'm not placing blame because well I'm the one in control of the food I put in me. Yet, it's something to think about. Granted yes I was 20 pounds thinner in the past but I also was told those things recently.

First day/week of school

I love the start of a new school year; gives such promise. You feel like you can concur it all. Driving to school on Wednesday (my first day) I was excited and worry/stress free. I'm taking a chemistry class and a class about the career I can get w/ my degree; dietetics. I'm worried about chem but so far I'm not stressing about it and I'm eager for my other class. I may do some reading before the class starts. :) You know you are going back to school for the right reasons when you want to do that.

I couldn't be happier to be at a different job than I was just a little more than a month ago. I would be at all time high stress level. If work is something I hate, I can't stop thinking about it when I'm not working; it's hard to separate work and non work life for me. I beg of everybody out there, if you are not happy at your work leave or make a change!

I'm also excited to workout at the gym at the university. The great workout center and the classes are free for students. I don't work on Monday or Tuesdays. Those days I will go to a class the fitness puts. Super pumped up for that. I'll be on campus studying and then hit up the workout and then head home.

No More Lying to Myself

Reality it me this morning when our engagement photos were posted online. The photos were great! My body wasn't though. I had been lying to myself that having a donut at work was okay and I'll be fine. I also wasn't eating the best, I stopped drinking my shakes at times because I knew I wasn't eating well and didn't want to waist such a great shake. I also wasn't working out anymore. You can see the extra weight not only in my stomach area but also in my face. I was crushed. However, I do have more than one favorite for the photos! All of them are great but I have issues with looking at myself and my body isn't great.

You can eat junk food in private but it shows up other places later. :) I have till June 2nd if not sooner because my mom will need to make the dress before then. I have a fire lit under me and I can do this. I feel as if I have let everybody down who has read this blog and is on my fan page.

To view the great photos that Great Scott Images did go here: http://greatscottimages.zenfolio.com/p431974320

Banana Cream

I keep finding new favorites! This is called banana cream but it’s more like banana dream!Never thought I could enjoy something like this and lose weight. :) This has been my favorite 90 day challenge to date.

Easy Dinner

Need a simple dinner idea? Who doesn’t these days. I love making a good stir fry. All you need are veggies, meat if you want, soy sauce or a sauce you like, and some olive oil a pan and a stove. :) . For veggies you can use fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, or both.

Tonight we cut up some onion and put in the pan with olive oil and let it sit on low to caramelize them. I then tossed in other veggies and heated everything up together i the pan. Tossed in some soy sauce and olive oil to my liking. Other days I have cut up chicken and cooked it w/ soy sauce and then tossed it in the veggie mixture.

What is cooking on my stove right now. :)

Cake shakes paid by Blue Cross Blue Shield? Yes it’s true

WOWIE a challenger on the 90 shake challenge in MN has Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance. They are now paying for her kit! They are saying it is a wellness product and put it under a weight loss program. She gets up to $300.00 a month for this from the plan she is on!That covers our most expensive kit!! Check w/ your insurance provider and join the challenge today!

This has been confirmed!! BCBS said ” The Visalus solution is a powerful preventative tool for medical conditions exacerbated by obesity and malnutrition” 90 day challenge has been approved for insurance reimbursement if you have a “group wellness plan” Call your Insurance agent or BCBS Company to make sure because every GROUP Wellness PLAN is different! Some will say No and others YES. It’s worth a try!
call BCBS 800 627-8797

Love your workouts

Make sure you like the workouts that you are doing. If you don’t like doing them then working out will be a pain and you may not stick to it. I was never a fan of doing cardio and I have a workout program that is cardio based. The reason why I got it though was for the HIIT workouts, high intense interval training. What you do is workout really hard for say 30 seconds and rest for the same amount of time, and these workouts were less than 30min. This I could do. But I’m not a fan of long cardio workouts. I love weight lifting. If you are a female please don’t be afraid to lift weight you wont get ‘big’ like guys. Lifting is important for us and more muscle burns fat when you are at rest.

So, do what you love and try to get a good mix in there.

Fake it Till You Make It

A downfall that I am still over coming is the fact that somewhere in my head I don’t think I can get to my goal. I am so close to my goal and my goal day (my wedding June 2) is nearly a year away. I tend to think I can slack off since I’m so close to my goal weight. After doing this for more than 2 years it clearly is not working. :) I then came up with the phrase fake it till you make it. Just eat the healthy foods, workout, and do the things that will get you to your goal even if you think it’s a loss cause. I drifted away from that thought but I’m back to it starting today! Eating these cake shakes have also defiantly helped me because I am seeing results. Because we all know that you are pushed even more when you are seeing results and when there are no results your hopes are taken away.

What have been your struggles along the way in losing weight? What has helped you along the way?

Almond Joy

Need some chocolate and coconut and still lose wight for your wedding? No problem. Enjoying myself an almond joy tonight.

Motivation for your wedding weight loss

Finding yourself short of motivation to stick to eating good and working out? I know I do at times especially when I see no results. If I didn’t live with my fiance I would post photos up of my dress on the refrigerator or pantry doors. That way you will take a moment to think if you are really hungry or board and if you are hungry, you will more often grab the healthy choice.

If you live with your guy like I do and like this idea then post up other wedding photos that you have gathered like you like such as the flowers or center piece ideas; anything to remind you of your wedding weight loss that you want.

Banana Coconut Breeze

was feeling summer and tropical today and made myself a Banana Coconut Breeze shake for lunch. OMG I found a 2nd love (#1 is Kris :) )

Losing Weight for the Wedding Meal Helper

Trying to lose weight and plan a wedding at the same time can be stressful especially when you have a job or are in school; heck I’m doing all of the above. To top it off stress does not help with weight loss. I have found the perfect solution though to be able to lose weight with a busy lifestyle.

I’m drinking these glorious shakes for 1 or two of my meals a day. They taste like cake and you can create all kinds of different meals. It’s quick and easy and yummy! It’s part of a 90 day challenge and I’m getting great results so far. Last night I enjoyed a strawberry shortcake.

Is it a dip or a meal?

This is another recipe you can make at the beginning of the week and have it for meals and as a salsa for the week. This makes for a college healthy recipe and an easy healthy supper. It’s normally used to eat chips with but I also see other uses for it. You can make it into a wrap be it a lettuce or a tortilla wrap and add some chicken to it if you wish. Or even add it to your eggs on the stove. What are some other uses you can think of?
What you need:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

1 can of corn

1 can of black beans

1 green pepper chooped

1 red pepper chooped

1/2 red onion sliced thin.

Mix all together and chill in the refrigerator.

In the picture you see that I made today I forgot the red pepper but you get the idea. :) Tomorrow I will be cooking chicken breast and had pieces of it to the mix and make a lettuce wrap. I can’t wait.

Summer Fruit Drink

Summer is here and the restaurants are show casing their fruity laided sugar drinks and you want them, but know they are full of sugar. What to do? You make your own! All you need is 2 ingredients. Diet white soda, such as zup or sprit and frozen fruit of your choosing.

I use 1 cup diet white soda and 1/2 cup frozen fruit and blender together to your liking. Add more or less of one ingredient to make it to your liking. Today I made one raspberry and peach and another just peach one for my fiance.

Fast Food Meal Idea: Prepare Ahead

Need a fast food meal idea? You have come to the right place. When you get home from getting your food prepackage or sort it out. If you bought a lot of meat put each serving size in separate bags or containers.

For fruit make a fruit salad to have on hand where you can dish out a serving when you are staring at your refrigerator wide open. :) Or you can make the fruit salad and then put each serving in a small container and it’s ready to go for whenever you want it. The same idea goes for veggies. Prepackage them in ready to go containers.

A little preparation goes a long way.

Warm Potato and Edamame Salad

One way to save time is to make meals ahead of time and make enough for more than one meal. This will make for some fast food meals. The other day I made an easy recipe full of vegetables. This recipe allowed me to have 4 servings. I had it with lettuce and also by itself.

What you will need.

1-12oz packaged frozen shelled edamame

1 cup head of fresh green cabbage finely shredded

16 small red purple, fingerling or new potato halved about 1 pound

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinagar

4 cups baby greens

salt and pepper to taste



The Creation

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Blanch edamame 3 minutes in boiling water, then transfer to medium bowl with strainer or slotted spoon. Blanch cabbage in same pot of boiling water 1 minute, then place in same bowl.

Drop potatoes into boiling water, reduce heat to medium, and cook 10minutes or until tender. Drain and add edamame mixture. Cool 5minutes. Stir in tomatoes, toss with oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Who is Abby Caldie

For my first post I wanted to share information about myself. Leave me a comment with anything else you would like to know about me. I would be happy to share. :)

A little bit about who I am:

Who I am: I graduated from college in Dec 2008 with a psychology degree and found myself living back at home till my lease was up in school. I searched for a job until I got a job of working for an inbound call center. Not what I was looking for but hey it’s money right? There I found the love of my life and am truly blessed and as of Dec 30th I am engaged to my guy, Kris. I am now going back to school to be a dietitian/nutritionist;to which I’m very excited about.

Getting engaged in December has motivated me even more to get to my goal weight by my wedding if not before. It’s very attainable but never had this kind of motivation before and a wedding date of June 2nd is going to get me there!

This page is here for everybody along the way through their journey. Welcome for stopping by, hope you enjoy and stick around. :)

I thank you for checking out my blog and hope you enjoy your stay.