Pinterest Picks - 4/26/2012

Good morning!

As an update to my post from yesterday.  I did indeed have a cupcake and it was completely delicious.

Speaking of cupcakes - I do believe you have to treat yourself occasionally.  Aside from last night's cupcake, I've stopped rewarding myself with food related "treats" (I'm not a dog, remember?) and started shifting what I treat myself with.  I'd prefer a mani/pedi, a massage or a new piece of clothing or shoes!

For today's Pinterest Pick, I found this.  Again - simply stated.

I always thought I ate healthy and right. Starting to really believe this.

So, stop eating what you've always eaten and make the change today!

Have a great one!

~Carly

Cinch Update & My New Obsession!

Hey there!

So, it's now going on my third week of Cinch!  I sprained my ankle so I haven't been able to get as much exercise in as I had hoped - but I'm still down in my weight and plan to weigh in again and measure in a few days.

I'm still feeling really great and am truly enjoying the program.  I have started incorporating more food and snacks into my diet instead of a shake or a bar and I have gotten my appetite, portions and hunger much more under control.

I think a lot of the credit goes to Cinch for that!  I saw a friend yesterday - one of my very best and dearest friends in the world - and even she noticed I've slimmed down a bit.

However, I might be undoing what Cinch has done due to my new obsession:

Image courtesy of ME!

A KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

I have been wanting one of these for quite some time. And this one was free.  Yes - you read that right.

Free.

How, you ask?  Thanks to my wonderful mother - this beauty was laying unused and unloved in the basement at my parents house.

How did I not know she had this?  Apparently she bought this when I was in high school.  I had no clue.  And, she had no clue I wanted one.
Equally silly on all parts.

So, her nearly $300 investment years ago is my amazingly awesome gain.  Now, onto my newest obsession - aside from the mixer - baking.  As you all know, I love Pinterest.  I've been pinning recipes for quite some time.  Sadly (until now), each time I read the recipe or directions for these lovely looking breads, muffins, cupcakes, pretzels and more - they all seemed to call for a mixer.  Since I had nothing but some mixing bowls and a whisk - it just wasn't going to cut it.  So, I pinned it, sighed and moved on.

All mixed & ready to assemble - so easy!

Today is a different story!  I literally just whipped up a recipe in my new mixer for homemade vanilla cupcakes.  I actually had all the ingredients in the house.  However, I do not have the makings for any sort of topping or frosting - so today, I will cheat and go get some pre-made frosting.  (shhhh - it'll be our secret!)

So, as I mentioned I had all the ingredients and made this recipe found on Allrecipes called Simple White Cake - you can see it here. It received some fantastic reviews.

I have to admit that I was a little nervous making something from scratch and using this mixer for the first time - but it went very nicely.  The mixer is easy to use and really is so much better than my measly whisk and mixing bowl.

Oh boy, how I love the smell of vanilla!  The house smells very yummy right now - and I'm not dying to dive into these cupcakes either!  I may actually even abstain from having one - that's how awesome this Cinch Plan is :)

Cupcakes cooling & waiting
to be frosted!

Another side note - in case you counted in the picture - I have 11 cupcakes now made, that are cooling and waiting to be frosted.

Why 11 and not 12 like my baking pan allows?  It never fails - whether it's prepared mixes or now apparently recipes from scratch - I always end up with not enough batter to fill that 12th spot!  Quite frustrating, but at least I'm consistent!

Now that this initial baking adventure is done - I cannot wait to try more recipes, flavors and combinations.  As I've learned on Pinterest - the possibilities are truly endless.  My next project is to try making some homemade frosting - minus the trans fats of the Duncan Hines I bought just now.

That way, my family can enjoy the occasional tasty new treat - but they will be healthier versions with organic ingredients and no unwanted chemicals or trans fats.

Behold - the final product: 

Not too shabby for my first go around.  I had all the ingredients - minus the frosting.  I now plan to make more and more goodies in the near future!  I'm now debating whether or not to sprinkle the tops with some of those ball-shaped sprinkles.  Hmmm - watch out, I'm unstoppable now!  Hah!

Also, you can follow my boards on Pinterest if you'd like!

Have a great night!
~Carly

Pinterest Picks - 4/22/2012

Happy Earth Day!

Today I am cleaning, doing laundry, organizing and hopefully relaxing a bit.

Ate out last night and feeling a bit guilty for having some French fries with my garden burger - so I'm being strict today to keep on target with my ultimate goal.

Speaking of eating out - here's a good guide for eating out and in general (note french fries not on good side of list):

Internet Find - Losing Inches & Free Dieting Tools

Good morning!

Stumbled across this web site the other day and it has a ton of free dieting calculators and tools -

http://www.freedieting.com

Specifically, I like this daily calorie calculator for daily caloric needs.

They also have a calorie calculator for caloric intake for during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
(Not recommending to use this instead of professional advice.  I'd still consult with a doctor or lactation consultant, but it's a good tool just to see)

There's some other good resources and information on this site.

Additionally, I found this article on Pinterest from Live Strong, called Losing Inches vs. Losing Weight.  It was published last year, but it's a great read.

Off to make my shake for breakfast!

Have a happy Friday and a great weekend!
~Carly

Cinch - Day 10

Hello!

Despite a sprained ankle, I'm still feeling really good!  I haven't weighed myself in two days due to not being able to put full pressure on my ankle to actually stand on the scale.  I will likely weigh in tomorrow or Saturday when I'm hopeful I'll be all healed.

I'm sipping a Cinch shake right now as I type and I have really started to look forward to drinking these meals.  I decided out of chocolate and the vanilla flavor shake mixes that vanilla is my favorite.  Go figure since I am a sucker for anything chocolate.

When I open the shake mix canister each morning, I quickly smell the mix which smells just like cake to me.

It's soooo good.

Just this past Friday I ordered some more Cinch vanilla shake mix and the chocolate snack bars to get me through another two weeks.  It was delivered yesterday - which is really speedy delivery.

I've been really impressed with Shaklee and I'm happy to have discovered them.  I really see this fitting into my lifestyle long term and I don't think I've been able to say that about any diet before.

Have a great day!
~Carly

Pinterest Picks - 4/18/2012

Hello!

Kind of blah over here today. I sprained my ankle pretty bad yesterday. Ugh! There goes my plan to get back to the gym this week.

Figures!

I used this graphic I found on Pinterest (source unknown) to help accurately measure myself the other day and last week. As I'm learning more about weight loss and going through my own inch loss via Cinch, I'm more and more curious about it.

So, here you are and get measuring!

Cinch - Day 8 with update!

Gooood morning!

As I already shared with you, last Monday was the beginning of my Cinch Inch Loss Program.  It's now Day 8 and I still feel amazingly great.

I'm energized, still not feeling deprived or hungry and motivated.  But most importantly - I'm seeing results.  Fast.

So, after 8 days of two shakes a day, a snack bar, tea, lots of water and a healthy dinner each night -
here are the stats I'm sure you want to know:

Starting measurements:
From April 9, 2012
Bust: 40 inches
Waist: 36 inches
Hip: 44 inches

Day 8 results:
Today, April 17, 2012
Bust: 38
Waist: 34
Hip: 43

In just over a week, I've lost a total of 5 inches and I have lost a total of 5.8 pounds*!

My legs, arms and face look and feel smaller, too.  I have always had hips, but I'm a little disappointed (if I should even be allowed to use that word) that I didn't lose another inch there, but I'm so thrilled.

I'm still in awe of how well this is working and keep asking myself:
Why didn't I find this sooner?

Let me know if you're interested in learning more about the Shaklee Cinch Inch Loss Program.
~Carly

*Note: I know since I'm opening up about this experience and blogging about it, I know I should share my weight. But I'm still embarrassed about the actual number.  Even though I know it's "just a number" I'm not ready yet to share.

Pinterest Picks - 4/16/2012

Happy Monday!

Here's today's Pinterest Pick.

I came across this and it's just one of those things you find just at the right moment that speaks directly to what you're currently going through. Or one of those things that make you see something differently or more clearly.

For me, I saw this last night and spoke to because of my current (and ongoing) goal to have a healthier lifestyle and making changes to my body - inside and out.

What does this image speak to you about?  

~Carly

Cinch - Day 6 and update on progress!

Good afternoon!  I hope you're enjoying a gorgeous Sunday.  I know we are here in Connecticut - check out my super cheap/Ballard Designs inspired tag sale find over on my other blog for Newly Nested Baby Planning.

So, I'm on my 6th day of the Cinch Inch Loss Plan and since I'm impatient, I weighed in early since I felt so good and found I had already lost a few pounds!

Today, since starting only a week ago, I'm now down 5.2 pounds total in just 6 days.

I'm sad to admit this and do not condone not exercising, but today is the first day in a very long time that I actually exercised - going for a very long walk with the family around the neighborhood, pushing a double stroller with two toddlers AND some crazy hills!

So, I've lost 5.2 pounds in 6 days pretty much using the Cinch diet alone with very little added exercise.

It's completely crazy and I'm so beyond thrilled with this plan for a few reasons:

1.  I feel fantastic.  Seriously feeling very good health-wise and about myself (for the first time in a long time).
2.  I'm not hungry, nor do I feel deprived.
3.  The shake mixes, bars and tea is really very tasty.
4.  It's easy for me to incorporate into my day.
5.  It feels right to do this plan.
6.  Lastly, it's working.

Isn't that the point of making changes to your lifestyle - to make a change to see or experience a better outcome?

To keep my progress going and to keep that scale going in the right direction (FINALLY!), I'm going to hit the gym again and up my cardio and add in some weights to further promote some inch loss.

A big thank you to Melissa Moog for sharing her personal struggle with baby weight and to the fabulous Sommer Poquette for being an inspiration herself on the Cinch Inch Loss Program.   Thank you both for introducing me to Cinch!
~Carly

Pinterest Picks - 4/14/12

I love this! Having a plan is critical to achieving any goal.

I saw this and felt it was quite true - especially having posted just the other day about all my attempts in the past year to lose weight.

I figure I'm on plan J and it's finally working.

Don't give up. I refuse to!

Super Food Recipe

Good morning!

As you know, I'm a big fan of Pinterest and I found this delicious recipe that Real Simple pinned.

Source: Real Simple

Mmmmm! I cannot wait to make for dinner one night soon - possibly tonight!

It's loaded with some of my favorite foods right now - especially since I'm eating a Vegetarian style now in conjunction with my Cinch plan. (I'm sipping a Cinch Vanilla shake mix with bananas, peaches, strawberries, a splash of orange juice and ice and it's deeeee-lish!)

Quinoa, Sweet Potatoes and Kale are some serious power houses in the "super foods" categories.

Kale is packed with nutrition - possibly more so than meat - including iron, calcium, fiber and more.

Sweet Potatoes are rich in anti-oxidants and nutrients and are a fantastic "slow-burning" carb.

Quinoa is also chock full of nutrients, protein, vitamins and minerals.  The garlic is delicious and has fantastic health benefits, olive oil is a wonderful fat and - yes - even the wine give this meal is beneficial.

All these together are amazing foods individually, but even better when combined.  I also love Parmesan cheese.  (Now I'm super hungry)

The end result is a flavorful, healthy meal that is just around 360 calories - less if you use extra virgin olive oil instead of the regular as listed below.

Quinoa With Mushrooms, Kale, and Sweet Potatoes 


Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 10 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
• 
  
• Directions
• 1.  Place the quinoa and 2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.
• 2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
• 3.Add the sweet potatoes and mushrooms and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden and beginning to soften, 5 to 6 minutes.
• 4.Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
• 5. Add the kale, wine, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing often, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
• 6. Serve the vegetables over the quinoa and sprinkle with the Parmesan.
• 
  
• Nutritional Information
• Per Serving (remember it serves 4!)
• Calories 361
• Fat  12g
• Sat Fat  2g
• Cholesterol  5mg
• Sodium  560mg
• Protein  13g
• Carbohydrate  51g
• Fiber  6g

Ghosts of diets past & Day 4

Morning!

It's Day 4 of Cinch and I'm still loving it.

In doing this program and just in general, it's made me think back to my past efforts which I shall call:

Ghosts of Diets Past

Unfortunately, blogger doesn't offer any scary looking fonts. 

:sigh:

Since I've been actively dieting for well over a year now and nothing has really been working.

It's truly safe to say that hormonal weight related gain (or loss for that matter) is a completely different beast (oh yes. BEAST) to lose as opposed to me just getting regular fat.  And, by regular fat, I mean being lazy, overeating horrible foods, etc.

Pregnancy-related weight gain seems to be a huge issue for quite a lot of moms out there - look at all the chat boards like Cafe Mom, Baby Center and more who have boards dedicated to weight loss.  There's lots of sites out there geared towards losing the baby weight.  Well, at least everywhere I look anyways.

Just to re-cap for my own purposes here's what I've tried and have been unsuccessful at this past year:

1. Relying on chasing two toddlers and breast feeding to lose weight
2. Going low-carb (a few times) to see if I could drop a few pounds
3. Working out with Jillian Michaels DVDs and going to the gym 3-5 times a week
4. Tracking and closely monitoring every calorie I ate via my iPhone - first on the Lose It! application and then switching to MyFitnessPal (since July 2011)
5. Adding in a daily green smoothies (or at least every other day)
6. Eating more whole foods and less processed foods in general
7. Consciously not eating off of the kids plates, finishing their snacks or eating any of their leftovers
8. Staying away from added sugar unless it came from fruit, veggies or dairy

And, most recently, to add to this list:

9.  I've switched to eating a Vegetarian style diet for the last three weeks.  I guess I would consider it a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet meaning I am eating dairy and egg products.
10.  In conjunction, I have just started the Cinch Inch Loss Plan - four days ago now.

I'm hoping a plant based diet and Cinch is just what I need to finally lose some pounds and inches and finally lose this stubborn baby  toddler weight.

Have a great day and I'm off now to make my Cinch breakfast shake!
~Carly

Cinch - Day 3

...And going strong!

Yesterday, I had my Cinch shake for breakfast and was a bit hungrier than the previous day for lunch, so I munched on a few grapes and a piece or two of pineapple from the kid's snack at the park.

I had the Peanut butter crunch snack bar, a chocolate peanut butter shake for lunch, one cup of tea before dinner and I had an organic vegetarian burrito with some plain baby carrots.  I drank a ton of water and felt satiated and full.

Overall, I'm still loving this plan and really not feeling deprived.

Personally, I'm both shocked at how good I feel and surprised at my willpower since I'm around food all day.  My two kids eat breakfast and dinner but end up snacking most of the day with a light lunch.  I find they like it better, keeps their hunger mood swings at bay and they get more of a variety of fruits, veggies, grains and proteins that way.

Hey - whatever works, right?

And speaking of working, I feel like Cinch is working for me.

So, here's to day three as I am sitting here drinking my Orange Creamsicle version of my breakfast - which is quite tasty:

Vanilla Cinch Shake Mix
6 oz of orange juice4 oz of skim milk
1 Banana - a larger sized one 
Ice Cubes - about a handful

Have a great day and check in again with another post tomorrow!

~Carly

Cinch - Day 2

Good morning again!

It's now only day 2 of my Cinch Inch Loss Program and I have to say...

I feel good!

You know how on the first day of any "diet" you feel hungry.  Maybe you even feel deprived or you think to yourself "why am I doing this again?"

I didn't think even one of those feelings or thoughts yesterday.  Seriously.  Even preparing snacks, lunch and such for my kids, I didn't sneak a slice of apple like I usually do or a piece of cantaloupe or even a gold fish (parmesan gold fish are my favorite!).  Not even one bite.

For real.

Here's how my day went:

7:30-7:45 a.m. - I had my shake and posted
11:45 a.m. - I was not hungry again until I went out for groceries and I brought along the Energy Tea to drink.
12:30 p.m. - I ate my Lemon Cranberry Cinch Snack Bar
2:00 p.m. - I made a Cinch Chocolate shake with Skim Milk, Ice and a Teaspoon of Peanut Butter
6:15 - Started getting hunger pangs for dinner.
6:40 p.m. - Ate my dinner of whole grain pasta and a tomato basil sauce with some grated parmesan cheese on top and a piece of garlic bread.
Note: I'm not sure that's an approved dinner - need to check on that but tonight I will go "healthier" even though  I had a non-heaping size and kept to portions very, very closely.

I drank water throughout the day and truly felt full and not deprived or hungry - until dinner time which is how it should be, right?

If this is how this plan continues - I can see myself on it for quite some time!

Just looking forward to weighing and measuring in again next Monday.  I figure I'll give it a week at least.

For my breakfast, I made the same breakfast as yesterday - Cinch Vanilla with strawberries, banana, ice and milk.

So, here's to day 2 and I'll check in again tomorrow to report back on to today!
~Carly


Note: The Cinch Inch Loss Program Two Week Starter Kit was provided to me for no cost.  The choice to blog about it here and share my opinions are all of my own choice. I am not receiving any compensation of any sort for this.

Cinch - Day 1

Good morning!

I woke up excited and very much looking forward to today.
And then I realized I was still in some pain from our yard work and landscaping overhaul this weekend.

We pulled some overgrown shrubs from the front of our home and re-purposed them for our back yard and along our fence.  Then, I weeded and picked up a ton of debris from the yard.  I pulled something in my neck or back because yesterday morning I woke up in severe pain - OUCH.

Anyways, back to the point of this post!  I weighed myself and took my measurements for my bust, waist and hips.  I've now got my starting weight and stats.

Then, it came time for breakfast for my first shake.  I opened the canister of the Vanilla Cinch mix and it smelled really good!

After doing a little research on the Internet, I came across some Cinch shake recipes and decided on the Strawberry Banana recipe:

• Cinch Vanilla Shake Mix
• 8 oz. non-fat milk or low-fat soy milk
• 3 frozen, unsweetened strawberries
• 1-2 medium banana (I used one banana)
• 4-6 ice cubes
Blend until creamy.


I gotta say - it was really good.  Tasted like a milk shake.  It was smooth, creamy and really good.

It made enough to fill my glass almost twice and I am pretty full right now!

I also decided two things while making my Cinch breakfast:

1.  I really dislike my white, 1980's builder grade kitchen counter tops.
2.  I'm thinking I need to invest in a better blender.  This one has done fantastic considering I love green smoothies and it makes the kale very smooth despite not being overly powerful.

So, cheers to day one and I'll check back in soon with more!

In case you've missed my story on my weight you can catch up here.
~Carly

It's a Cinch? I sure hope so!

Hello!  I hope this post finds you well on this Passover/Easter weekend!

I'm so excited because I've been offered a wonderful opportunity to try a really great product line called Cinch Inch Loss Plan.

It's by a company called Shaklee which has been around for quite some time - more than 50 years.

I'm so excited about this for quite a few reasons:

1. The Cinch Inch Loss program delivers results based on a key ingredient - leucine - an amino acid that helps you keep lean muscle mass while burning off and losing fat.  It helps break the diet cycle so I will keep the muscle I have, burn fat I don't need (OR WANT!) and lose inches, too!
2. From what I understand this program is very easy to use and seems to be the perfect fit for a busy mom (or any busy person, really!)
3. And, as you all know simply from reading this blog, I've been looking to drop the weight for quite some time.  Even though I've been successful in lifestyle changes by eating better, generally healthier and exercising more - it's just not working enough.  

Therefore, I'm excited for this opportunity to try the program over the next two weeks.

I start tomorrow with the starter kit, which includes:

• Vanilla shake mix canister (15 servings)
• Assorted Cinch shake packets (14 packets)
• 3-in-1 boost™(42 count)
• Assortment pack snack bars (10 count)
• Energy tea mix (28 sticks)
• Daily journals (2)
• Cinch program guide
• Cinch logo shaker cup
• Cinch pedometer
• Cinch tape measure

I'll be posting about my progress in pounds and inches lost as well as how I feel and any other feedback I have!

If you're curious about the Cinch Inch Loss Program, you can read about it here.

So, I'll be back here tomorrow to share more on getting started.

If you know of anyone who has tried 

~Carly

Pinterest Picks - 4/3/2012