Back in August I decided that it was time I lost some weight. Did I have a life changing event that spurred me on this weight loss kick? No. Did the Doctor tell me that I needed to drop a few? No and truthfully I have not been to a Doctor in quite some time. Not because I am avoiding them, but I have been relatively healthy and just go for my annual physical each year and that is about it.
The extra weight that I gained did not happen over the span of several years as is the case with many people. Although, I did notice that as I got older there was some weight gain but nothing really significant. The truth is it actually occurred within the last 5-6 years. Typically there are stress-ers that cause people to turn to food. For me the stress-er happened / started when Hubs got a job offer in Charlotte, NC and I was going to college and was only a couple of classes from graduating. The job offer wasn't something he could pass up so we sold our house, I dropped out of college, and we moved to an apartment in Charlotte. I was leaving everything behind to start over in a new location without my family and my friends and not knowing if or when I would be able to finish my education.
Yeah, so there was plenty for me to stress about. Especially since we moved from a huge house with a fenced in yard to a small cramped apartment. Anyway, one of the questions I am asked most often is how much weight do I want to lose? Good question! But it is one that I have not really made a decision about yet. Fortunately for me, when I was younger I was never overweight and I never had a weight problem. Why is this good? Well, according to my Nutritionist (to much to post here - so more about that in another post), if you do not have a history of weight problems then you are more likely to be able to keep the pounds off! Sounds promising and I hope this is true. Now keep in mind, you no longer have the metabolism of a teenager because the older you get it starts to really slow down and to keep the pounds off will be hard work but the end result will be worth it. Again, here is hoping that holds true.
So, how have I been doing so far? Well, as of today I have lost a total of 25 lbs. Now I know some of you are doing the math in your head so I will tell you that it averages roughly to about 2 lbs per week for the past 14 weeks. It hasn't been easy but I am proud of myself. To some that may not seem to be a huge weight loss but I want to lose the weight slowly so that I can avoid the yo-yo dieting that is so common among many dieters. I want to eat healthier foods and meals and I want to build an attainable exercise program that I will stick with even though I have such a crazy work schedule.
As I mentioned above I am incorporating healthier foods and meals into my diet. However, I have had a hard time trying to find recipes that were healthy but yet still taste just as good as the original fatter versions. After many weeks of scouring bookstores, websites, and such I compiled several notebooks full of recipes of meals that I could try each week to help me on my weight loss journey. Well, it was after having tried several of these recipes I decided to post some of them for you, my readers, in the hopes that you could enjoy them as much as I have. Each week under the Healthy Living tab I will try to post weekly updates of foods or recipes that I am eating or incorporating into my diet and have proven beneficial to me. Today I am starting off this series with the following recipe - Black Bean Lasagna rolls.
* Please note: I will post the recipe as a blog entry as well for those that only want the recipe.
This dish is so easy to make and it is extremely healthy for you as well. I usually double the recipe so that once I have finished baking the dish I freeze some of the lasagna rolls for later. As long as they are kept in an airtight container you can freeze them for up to 1-2 months.
