Small size me

Many times we go out to eat we never get to request a portion size. Unless we are at Starbucks and have to give our order in odd sizes.

How does tall=small? Beats me.

I love Chipotle. It is just so freaking amazing, I have to admit I can chow down this bad boy[ Source]

We won’t get into calories- but we all know it’s not pretty. The other day I was having some serious Chipotle hankering. I did not want to eat that monstrosity. I could- but it’s not something I like to make a habit of.

So I decided to get a mini! I asked for 1 soft taco with all the fixings I would normally get!

Yes, this was a fraction of the cost and size. But most importantly it did the trick! I was full- and I did not over eat. Which I would have done had I eaten an entire burrito.

Lesson of the day: Create your own size, don’t be afraid to ask for less. you will thank yourself.

So I have been on a serious Tabouli kick. Aka I have been adding it to everything in sight.

Case and point:

I am just going to have to hit up Costco for some more 🙂

I have also been giving myself a few treats every night. I love sweets but when I allow myself to have some everyday I don’t over eat.

I had my first Cliff bar- and it was delish! The prefect pre-workout snack! I was worried that it would be too sweet but that was not the case at all.

Other treats include magic bars aka evil bars

They are sooo good- I just can’t get enough. Pure evil.

Sana’s Skim delight

1/2 a packet of hot chocolate

1 cup skim milk

It’s the perfect way to end a day!

Ab tip of the day:

-Many people complain that doing a basic crunch on the floor hurts their neck.

To deal with this I recommend doing the crunch on a ball.

Or you could be me and have fun bouncing on it.

But don’t fall off, or hurt yourself in this process.

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

I have no shame…

I drove to Costco for the sole purpose of having free samples for lunch.

Ravioli ( drenched in olive oil) X2

Raspberry pastry

Veggie Chili

Almond Butter

Sun chips!

I also bought some Chobani 12 pack for 11.49!

I also bought some Tabouli which I had for lunch part 2 with some rice and roasted potatoes

I have a happy belly 🙂

Yesterday while I was sitting in the chair of boredom aka the Dentist

I was really craving a Panera sammie

Enter the love of my life.

All 610 delish calories.  They mainly come from the bread- which I will have switched the next time I get this

Have a look-see:

I really want to make my own healthy version but can anyone help me find zesty peppadew piquant peppers?

On to some school  stuff I am totally in a bummed out mood. I spend so much time and energy studying and I always end up with terrible grades. I try not to let my grades define me but it does make me sad. There are only 44 credits standing in the way of me and a B.S in Biochemistry.

I had a really hard semester- lots of tears. I dropped a classes.  But some good points I got a few really high grades-but in the end they did not help.

I know I can make it these next 3 semester- I will continue to work hard regardless of how crappy my grades are.

I do have some exciting things coming up:

• I am blogging for UMBCeats as a healthy living blogger.

• 
  

  I am in touch with the FDA with a possible job/ internship

• 
  

  I am going to continue to teach ab crunch at UMBC

• 
  

  I will continue my internship with the UMBC Shriver Center at a local homeless shelter.  We are planning to grow a garden- so that they can add FRESH veggies and herbs to their meals. We are going to use these seeds to keep up around biodiversity. I also plan on getting free composted soil from the county.

• 
  

  I am also talking to a few professors on campus to do some Public Health Research in the Spring.

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  Co-writing Public Health Roll we are planning on re-launching in Feb

I listed out all these things mainly for myself, even when things are looking bad. I do have a lot going for myself. I pride myself in taking the initiative in whatever project/ job I am doing. I hope this carries me through to my future.

Most importantly I will try my best to maintain a healthy lifestyle- with that I am going to head to the gym.

Hopefully I will feel better about myself. If not, there is always tomorrow.

Life is all about choices.

You can choose to be

[Source]

glass half empty or glass half full. Speaking of which I need to remember to drink more water…

You can also choose to eat the same thing for breakfast every day of the week

because it is so freakin’ yum.

You can choose to eat dahl( lentils) and hummus together

because they are basically cousins.

You can chose to put your plate away at a dinner party

to stop yourself from getting a 2nd helping.

But you can instead choose get dessert

and take sketchy pictures of it in the dark.

You can also choose to skip working out for the day because you don’t feel like showering again.

Life is all about the choices that we make.

What will you choose to do today?

And the winner is….

You are just going to have to scroll to the bottom to find out!

I had a headache last night so I took my time getting up and missed the D.C blogger meet up. I was super bummed.

I cheered myself up with Strawberry Chobani!

w/ granola. I could eat this every single day! Maybe.

Today I was not in the mood to workout. I just wanted to curl up and get back into bed. But I decided to just go for 30 mins. And if I hated it I would come back.

I kept with Elliptical Challenge 2010 and cranked out a fast 15 mins!

Today Ms. Matchy-matchy was no where to be found. Maybe she was off shopping for another outfit?

So I was left with Mr. Under Armour.

And we had at it.

Pedaling away on the seated bike. I won. Of course!

I finished my 30 mins and booked it home for some un pictured pita chips and hummus. Basically the best thing on Earth.

My mom and I hit up the mall. She had some gifts to buy so I tagged along. I am not big on shopping these days. I don’t want to try fitting into some new clothes- I have plenty at home to do so.

I did have some important business to take care of. I am a member of the Godiva Rewards Club and I wanted to go in and get my FREE chocolate of the month. Boy was I excited!

I of course wanted everything!

But I settled for the Milk Chocolate Truffle

I split it in half with my mom.  And it was worth every bite. We already know what we want next month 🙂

Shopping has to be a workout! Between dodging all the pushy kiosk sellers and sprinting past all the slow people that stop to look at e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. I was pooped when I made it home.

I came home and made a TJ special

Spinach and Chive pasta with a slightly healthier version of Tj’s Alfredo sauce.

I am a happy girl 🙂

For the rest of the night I will have some tea and grapes w/ Chobani if I feel snacky.

And now to the moment you have all been waiting for!

The winner is: lowandbhold

“Oh I loooove Chobani! Yay for your first giveaway!

Safety and good to me is family.”

-Please e-mail me at supersana786 [at] gmail [dot] com with your full name and mailing address!

Thank you all for entering my giveaway it was nice to read all of your symbols of good and safety

They had me at free towels…

* Don’t forget to enter my Chobani Giveaway*

I hope everyone is having a lovely first day of the year- I know am!

Last night I went out to dinner with my family to my favorite Afghan Kabob place.

Usually I can kill two beef kabob’s but this time I opted to bring some TJ’s Risotto that I had made earlier.

It was pretty easy to make- I will be for sure bringing it to school with me for an easy lunch.

The risotto was front and center, I only ate 3 pieces of chicken along with some of the salad and rice. I always get my food in a take out container, that way if I don’t want to eat everything I can box it up and take it home. And that is exactly what I did.

To round up my New Year’s Eve I toasted with some delish and much needed hot chocolate as my family and I huddled by the heater- waiting for a certain ball to drop.

I only used 1/2 the packet w/ skim milk. I plan on using the rest tonight 🙂

I started 2010 off with a BANG!

Or as you all might see it as the most boring breakfast ever….

Organic granola with Fat free milk

Judge me all you want. It was super yum!

Truthfully I am not awake enough to come up with some bright, fruity and creative combination. I just try to get something in.

I hit up the gym for the first workout 2010! I felt fabulouss! Lady Gaga also joined in a few times….

Other than working up a sweat there are a few reasons why I loveee going to the gym.

1) Fluffy white towels and cups of ice water!

I am obsessed with ice. I love it. But the towels are key- I love being able to wipe my face- because I sweat buckets. I also take some home by accident… Although today I saw someone sneeze into their towel. Then I started to wonder if someone had sneezed into the towel I was rubbing my face with. I wish I had not see that.

2) Getting to read my gym-only-book.

My rule with this book is that I can only read this while at the gym- it makes my workout fly by! In fact I don’t even bring the book inside my house form the car- this way I am not tempted to cheat.

3) Ms. Matchy-Matchy in her pink Nike gear. You know who I am talking about. The one person at the gym who makes all of us look like lazy bums in our sloppy workout gear.

(No pic, it would be far too creepy)

Basically when I get to the gym I scope out the field for the best dressed person. And then I beat them. Motivation. Gotta get it from somewhere.

I was starving so I raced home for some whole wheat pita with spinach and squash.

Clearly that was not enough food because I was starving an hour later.

Dinner was brown basmati rice and bbq glazed Tilapia. My mom outdid herself tonight!

So yummiee! I ate about 1/2 of that!

I am off to go drink some green tea and have hot chocolate for dessert!

What motivates you at the gym?

Getting back on the wagon!

HAPPY DECEMBERRR!

This week has been something else. I avoid drama in my life but for some reason it seems to find me. But I have found that as the older I get- there is less and less of it in my life.

So I decided to get a head start on the New Years Resolutioners- because my holidays are over for the year 🙂

What exactly is my plan? I am not aiming to lose XYZ amount of pounds. I just want to stop the mindless eating that I have been doing.

What is mindless?
Eating for the sake of eating and NOT because I am hungry.

My general plan of action is green tea or freshly squeezed OJ for my first food intake of the day. I don’t say breakfast b/c this is usually between the hours of (8am-12) on any given day.

I usually toss in a Special K bar in as well.

For lunch I bring leftovers from dinner with me to campus.

• Basmati Rice
• Broccoli
• Spinach and cheese
• Chicken with tomato

Yummie in my bellyyyy!

And then for Dinner I grab something from school. Usually I grab an burrito or a quesadilla. But I decided to try out the salad bar:

Ceaser Salad

• Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Mushrooms
• Spicy olives? the were gross I did not eat them
• Cheesee!
• TOO MUCH DRESSING

So this place made the salad for me like mixing it all up, and I did not like that. I don’t want it soaked- blah:(

Along with a bottle of water this is the perfect amount of food to fill me up for a day.

I always forget this little tit bit. I don’t NEED a lot of food to be full.

On a side note- I started to ride a seated stationary bike ( with my back brace) THIS IS TOUGH!!!!

But I am determined to find a workout plan that works for m<e while being injured- because I took full advantage of the holidays and my efforts are showing!!!

Off to watch an enjoyable TV night- Grey’s ❤

Eating Machine!!!

…….OH BOY! What hit me this weekend?

I was one busy bee this weekend, eating away- I don’t even have pics b/c it all went into my food wayyy too fast! Mindless weekend eating is something else! Between my mom’s homemade meals and birthday desserts I sure did enjoy myself 🙂

Except for the part where I ate MOLDY guacamole for two days!!! BLAH! For being so paranoid about expired food I can’t believe I missed the GIANT white/blue patch of mold 😦 Thankfully I feel fine- you live and learn.

But like every fun weekend there is always a mindful eating week to follow!

I woke up this morning with a slightly scratchy throat and nasal congestion, this is NORMAL for me with the change of the seasons coming up here is Maryland. So, I am not worried about swine flu 😦 I have been CHUGGING green tea in hopes of feeling better ASAP!

It’s hard to get out of school and work while being sick, but as long as I am not running a temperature I am ok, even if I do feel crappy all day.

So far so good with bringing food from home! My main problem was not being able to keep it cool all day while I was in class or at work. But I have been using ice packs and its good to go!

The eats:

• Grapes
• strawberries
• Pasta w/ low fat caesar salad dressing
• Salmon burger!!! (12.99 for 12 at costco)

The HIGHLIGHT of my weekend was a trip to COSTCO!!! OMG the weekend is an amazing time to go, soooo many free samples 🙂

I am only at the 1/2 way point in my day, I still have to teach my abs class. I teach twice a week for 25 minutes a day. It is great to still teach even with an injury 🙂

I have a basic set ab routine, but I am always trying to add new moves. My biggest problem with doing crunches is the neck strain- so I try to do  a lot of moves that don’t hurt that area. Planks, seated twists ect. Personally I like doing my ab workout on the BIG ball, however there are not enough for the 40+ people that come to class.

Does anyone else feel pain while doing a basic crunch?

I also have trouble planning for the rest of the day eating wise.

I ate my lunch at 12:30.

Currently its 2:52, I have 4.5 hours left to my day. I would like to have some kind of a snack with me, I forgot my soy chips 😦 I am skipping yogurt while being sick, cold dairy is not the best when you are congested.

I may buy a vegan cookie to take with me while I am in class or a Nature Valley Honey and Oats Bar :)- Love those things, even if the tend to crumble all over me. I HAVE to have something to eat during my 2 hour biochem lecture. I can’t focus if my tummy is going * grumble grumble*!

Its’s funny, sometimes in life there is nothing that is going too wrong, or nothing super exciting- it is nice to be at an even pace in life. Its like the calm before the storm and you know that something is coming. My semester is off to a start, I know what I need to do to study and do well in my classes- it honestly is a matter of it all coming together.

_______________________________________________________________

I went out to dinner with a group of friends after my late night class, its just say I LOVE this place- I STUFFED my face!!!! Mainwand Kabob is an Afgani Kabob place.

( picture from website) I ate too fast to photograph 🙂

Loving Life!

What does it truly mean to love life?

It’s embracing all that is living around us.

And that starts with us. Self love. And loving those around us.

As humans we constantly look at everyone else and compare. To us, having what someone else has will make our lives 10000000x better. It is said that you are your own worst critic and in most cases that is true. Why can’t we see ourselves from an outsiders prespective? When will we finally be able to love ourselves and what our bodies do for us?

I know I have said it time and time again and I know others have too, ” I will be so happy when I lose  just 20, 30 or 40 more pounds.” Yes, you might be happy but your body will thank you . Taking care of yourself and being healthy is a life long mission that does lead to happiness however the journey should not be a painful one.

The general view of overweight/ obese people is that they are unhealthy and don’t care about themselves. Just how many Americans would that be? 97.1 million Americans. Or 35.70% of the world population.  These individuals are  our mothers, fathers, siblings, husbands, wives and family members. People that we love.

Yes, there are days where I look at myself and complain about XYZ body part. But I LOVE my body. It is 100% mine and everyday for 20 years it has taken me on a journey unlike any other.

 I love my legs for the help carry me through the hardships of life.

I love my arms that allow me to embrace my loved ones.

I love my mind for helping me stay strong when my heart wants to stop trying.

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I am NOT a healthy eater- I am learning about what I enjoy eating and what is available. I don’t eat all organic or vegan, but I am trying sooo many differnt things. I am a work in progress.

The eatsss:

So, my friends and I went out to lunch for sushi ( this was my first meal of the day) I was not feeling it.

I did not try anything with fish and I just ate the veggie rolls.

Homemade alfredo! Everything was low fat or fat free :)!

I added a bit of white ground beef on top 🙂 With some delish apple cider 🙂

I am doing well with my meals- as far as waiting to go back for more. My eyes are NOT bigger than my stomach!

Its the in between/ mindless munching I need to work on. When I am bored I eat. I need to be more MINDFUL of what I am putting in my body.

QUESTION: How do you control the mindless munching?

“Let’s go baby!”

Maybe, it comes from being a tennis player and having to depend on myself to get pumped up. But I love having the ability to be my own mental support. Healthy living is not only about putting the best food into our bodies, it encompasses our mind, body and soul. What good is eating healthy food if you feel awful?

 

There is a lot of negativity in our day to day lives and many of us- including myself use food to soften the blow. Food is a source of comfort and enjoyment. The taste, the smell, the flavor. Its an all around enjoyment. It is important to be mentally strong when starting off on a new food journey when you don’t see results right away.

 

I am a results oriented person, if things are going well for me in class, I feel happy and confident with my performance. With my friends I respond well to affection and interest in my life, I give back to what I get, and continue on a healthy relationship. The problems occur when there is a shift in the pattern. When I get low scores on exams or negative feed back from an instructor I am at a loss as to what I should change. Am I not smart enough? Do I have poor study habits? All of these thoughts are overwhelming and I tend to go back to the root of what worked for me in the past. I stick to what I know. Even with friends- when I don’t feel the response that I get back is in a positive or encouraging tone I do revert back to myself and see what kind of a friend I am being. If I am understanding, supportive or playing the right role of a friend?

 

I would like to keep the same relationship with food as I do with all the other things in life. With positive energy there are positive feelings which breed powerful and strong human beings.

Lunchy eats :

 

SLAP CHOP! I used this to chop up the cucumbers and onion for the yogurt dip.

 

• Basmati rice with white beef
• okra with tomato
• yogurt dip

Diet green tea 🙂

QUESTION: How do you make sure you are staying mentally strong and positive?

Weekend musings!

The BIG Apple!!!

 

 

M&M STOREE!!! YUMM!

The daycation to NYC was a blasty 🙂 We could not stay for more that a day because we had things to do on Sunday.

We woke up at 5am and got started on the 3hr and 45 min drive.( I decided not to bring my camera because I wanted to carry all my shopping instead)

 

Siblings ❤

I LOVE times square! Its soooo ALIVE. With all different types of people and various shapes and sizes 🙂 Even if you feel like you don’t fit in you just do because you are different. There is something about New York that embraces everyone and their various cultures. Living in a suburb for more than 20 years I am not used to the hustle and bustle of a big city, however I found myself dreaming about living in a city. There is something charming about New York that attracts millions of people. The one thing that I noticed was how well dressed everyone was. I CHOOSE to wear clothes that cover my body and because I am not comfortable in the body that I am due to the weight that I have gained. So I tend to wear baggy and other items without putting much thought in them. Plus most of my cute clothes are in a smaller size and they are too tight to sit in comfortably.

 

I know that most people would love to have the curves that I do;however , I have an ideal body that I want to have. I don’t feel hopeless because I know right now I have to work on my injury as well as my eating habits. And I am hopeful knowing that at one point not too long ago I was at my ideal weight. I was unable to to maintain it due to getting injured, school, stress and not planning out my meals.

 

Theses are all situations I need to get better at dealing with because that is a part of life. I will not always have the most perfectly healthy meal handed to me. Nor will the stresses of college life vanish once I graduate. As well as when I get older I won’t always be able to run and take kickboxing classes every single day. Looking back I worked too hard to get myself down to that weight, it was not a lifestyle that I could handle once school started.

 

Life is a learning process, through the multiple blogs I read, I have been able to pick and choose food items, that I enjoy and are healthy for me. Lets face it, it is impossible to do a 180 on eating habits otherwise it is too easy to revert back to your own ways when they are presented to you in a desperate time. By desperate I mean when you are out shopping and you are starving you will grab the nearest food item, regardless of how healthy it is. And sometimes those options are not there.

 

I am learned to think for myself when it comes to my eating habits. I can’t allow the food industry to do that for me, otherwise I will end up like the 97.1 million Americans that are currently overweight. My main goal in life is to help others, I can’t do that unless I am helping myself first.

 

I refuse to feel like a failure because that I am not at the weight that I want to be and because I am not going to medical school right after college. My future is in my hands, and I have to make the choices and the changes that will allow me to get there. I get frustrated when I am unable to find the friends that share the same ideas and values as I do. In my social circle and and at school I do know plenty of people that I am with and they are great people. However, I am not able to find someone that shares the same passions as I do. I try not to spend my life searching for the perfect person, because there is no such thing, every  individual has their own ideas and goals. These will not mesh well with your own. I feel that sometimes I try to “make” my friends just like how I live mine. But I know they are their own person and it is “wrong” of me to do so.

 

I want to be able to inspire others to live a HEALTHY and FULFILLING  life style with out waiting for it to land in their laps. Sometimes I do feel like I am waiting for my life to start, for it to start going the way hat I want to. But that is in MY control. What I eat, what I wear, what I look like, who I become- thats all me. Our fears are what hold us back, my fear of being alone, and trying something different do hold me back in some aspects. And in due time I will get there. I know myself and I know my potential.

 

The food that we eat reflect that lifestyle that we lead as individuals. It is not just an act that we do 3 times a day just to get it out of the way. It encompasses our every waking moment. Food gives us the energy to do our daily activities. It gives us a reason to love/hate our bodies, it teaches us the value of sharing and giving, as well as being thankful for all that we have.

 

We are currently on our way to a festival/ concert at George Mason University!

 I can’t get over how AMAZING these are, I think I ate an entire batch in 2 days!

Things I bought:

Everyone loves a good knock-off deal 🙂

I love jewelry!

Question: Do you feel like you have full filled all of your dreams?