It ain't trickin if ya got it.

Update time! I meant to update on the 23rd but I have been one busy lady. Between school, work, and getting it done--hardly leaves me any time to blog! But I'm making it this weeks resolution to blog more often and give you all more delicious food for your tummy--and a little food for thought. (How do ya like that?).

So in the first picture I am making a muscle--which you can not tell. But...in the second picture i am revealing my stomach. A stomach that still has plenty of work to be done, but is....4.5 pounds minus itself!! So in March I've lost 4.5 pounds and I feel great. I've been wearing jeans I haven't worn in a good, long, while. I forgot how sexy jeans can make ya feel. Next month I'm going to have Andrew take my update pictures for me because my photobooth on my Mac blows. But you get the gist of the sitch (do you?).

Taking this photo of myself, the first few times I sucked in my stomach and made like, really painful faces at trying to keep it all in. This photo, I just breathed, smiled (cropped my face out--I'm lookin a HOT mess right now) and uploaded it. This blog isn't about impressing anyone, I want to be honest with my readers! I want to be honest with myself! What kind of self empowerment would I be showing if I sucked in my stomach for all these pictures? None.

Go take a picture of yourself with your shirt up, off, on, whatever! But do it today, at a time that you feel your most beautiful. Big tummies, little tummies. Innie bellybuttons, outtie bellybuttons, they are all wonderful. I would wife them all. And you'll have that picture for yourself, to either help mark your weight loss journey as I am, or just to remind yourself of how beautiful your body is. Do you love it? Cause I sure do.

And if the haters hate...girl, let them hate!

Katie minus 4.5 lbs. of Katie.

Peanut Butter, Cause I'm not Butter

In fact I snap back like a rubber-band.

For those who don't know those were some very inspiring Method Man lyrics from the song: Method Man.

(I hope that only Method Man fans read this blog--if not--get the hell out of here). 

Anyway, last blog I promised you all a secret on weight loss, and here it is: CHEW YOUR FOOD!! I know most of you are thinking, "What the HELL Katie?? Worst advice ever", everyone chews their food!"

FALSE, BEST advice ever. Advice given to me, and advice I have taken to heart and have been practicing all week (yes, chewing takes practice). 

Now, some people say, "chew your food 20 times before swallowing". Now, for most of us this is impossible. I don't want to chew on my food until it because a gooey mess! Just chew an eat as slowly as possible, ENJOY every bite, and you will feel fuller faster and longer. This tip will not help everyone a lot of people do eat slowly and do chew their food properly. I was not one of those people. I like to inhale my food. Time to shut it down! Chew that food. It's delicious and it deserves your attention.

Now for something REALLY delicious:

Egg White Omelet 

Featuring, Broccoli, Fontina cheese, & tomato.

(can I get a what, what?)

Start with 3 egg whites, beat thoroughly (egg whites don't need much of a beating).

Grab some fresh broccoli, wash, and dry. Chop about 2 big pieces of broccoli into bite size chunks. (stem & all please).

Fontina cheese (mmm!) I bought mine already grated in the super market--you need about 1/2 an ounce.

Cherry tomatoes, I used 5, slice them in half (feel free to take out the seeds and the wetness, I personally like a wet omelet).

In a small bowl combine all ingredients (do not beat just gently combine--don't break those tomatoes!)

Heat a small frying pan (medium-low heat) spray a bit of PAM, and a bit of salt to your delicious mixture and pour onto pan.

Will cook in about 2 - 3 minutes, ingest, enjoy.

The reason I quoted Method Man is because I ate peanut butter for lunch all last week at work, that is going to change this week- I'm thinking tuna one day, and a tomato mozzarella situation another. Soup too? Who knows, I feel like cutting lose from my paper bag lunch and spicing it up a bit.

The weather brought me down this weekend, but I just have to try and snap out of it (like a rubber band, ya heard?) 

Going to the gym tomorrow morning, work til 3, and then I'm going to enjoy my Spring Break the best I can.

Happy Week to All! Will post again next Monday. Make this recipe, tell me what you think!!

All my love.  I'm rooting for you.

I've got a rocket, you're going on it.

Today I started my new job!! It was a wonderful day, I was nervous at first but after about half an hour I realized that this is the place I want to be, for now at least. I get my own desk that I can decorate as I wish (hello lots of mugs and buddha's) hope they're cool with that (they will be). 

I like having a job that runs through lunch time, it gives me motivation to pack something healthy and eat a healthy lunch. Today was filled with peanut butter, whole grains, veggie burger, and delicious fruits. Going for a run soon, the weather is just so beautiful.

The point of this post is a simple one: put the past behind you. Past fails, past jobs, past weight gain, past--anything! It doesn't matter any more, you are above and beyond it. As I mentioned in my last post I started writing a food journal, and I also started adding in it daily how I felt about my body, today I wrote: Wonderful.

I hope you are all feeling wonderful today, let the sun hit your face, and smile. 

Looking for a song to lift those spirits? Try,  Rocket-Goldfrapp.

Next post will be more recipes and a secret tip I learned about weight loss--get ready for it!!

As always: love yourself and each other.

You better work, bitch.

Ah, the lovely words of RuPaul. I remember being 10, or 11 years old, in Stephanie Tabone's basement "workin it" to that song. And that's what today's blog is all about: workin it, bitch! Yesterday I went to Marshall's, a store that is my complete guilty pleasure. Betsey Johnson for only 50 bucks?? Yes, please!! And I tried on some ridiculous clothes that I never would wear out in public, and I stood in front of those ever unforgiving "changing room mirrors" and I did NOT hate what I saw. 

I did not sashay or shante, but I did smile at myself and then quickly change. I picked out new pants and new blouses for my new job that starts on Monday! Business casual! I can finally get out of retail-- I don't think I've ever been so happy to wear slacks. And to start off my new and improved life (so far), I bought myself a food journal--the really nice kind, big enough that I can write a lot in it but small enough that it fits in my purse nicely. 

What I wrote in it so far today, and what I plan on eating for the rest of the day (without being too calculated, but I'm a woman of habit). 

Woke up at 8:30 with a neck-ache. (waahh).

Breakfast at 9:00- Granola bar, greek yogurt-no fat, an apple, & a cup of tea.

Lunch at 12:30- Veggie burger with a slice of 60 calorie cheese, no bun, side of steamed and spicy vegetables.

Dinner (not sure what time yet-hopefully before 7) Veggie heaven, something tofu-y and delicious.

Something I find helpful is writing down when I wake up, when I eat, and how much I eat. It helps put things into consideration and most of the time you'll find you should eat more!! And get to eat more!

Now for dessert, this delicious recipe from Self.Com that I altered just a bit.

Chocolate Torte

INGREDIENTS

• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder, plus 1 tsp for dusting
• 1 cup prunes, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 cup hot coffee
• 1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 egg white
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup nonfat sour cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350˚. Coat a 9" square cake pan with cooking spray--or just use parchment paper--it's easier. Dust with 1 tsp cocoa. Combine prunes and coffee in a bowl. Set aside to cool. Combine remaining cocoa, flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large resealable plastic bag; and shake!! The shaking part is like, ridiculously fun. Add sugar, apple-sauce, egg white and 1 tsp of the vanilla to coffee-prune mixture. Empty bag into bowl; mix. Pour into prepared pan.  20 to 25 minutes should be enough, but do the toothpick test in case. Cool completely before removing and slicing. 

Topping:

Mix 1 tbsp water, remaining 1 tsp vanilla and gelatin in a small pan. Set aside until gelatin becomes clear, 10 to 15 minutes. Heat over low heat until gelatin melts. Mix gelatin, sour cream and confectioners' sugar in a bowl. Refrigerate until topping is firm, 10 to 15 minutes. Beat until smooth. Add a dollop to each slice. UMM DELICIOUS.

Enjoy this, enjoy today, enjoy this weekend. E-mail me if you made this recipe!! I would love to hear how it came out. 

Peace, Love, Well Being.

"Radical Self Love"

During my winter depression, my winter slump, I thought I would never blog again. But here I am, and I'm ready to get it done, like you've never seen it "get done" before. March 1st, a new month, a new day, and the sun is shining, and I feel fine. Over this winter I discovered a lot about my eating habits--they can be super healthy, or they can take me down to rock bottom (if the bottom were chocolate covered cherries and mozzarella cheese fries). Last night, Tori sent me to this article.  I read it, at first half-heartedly, and then I cried.  I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Someone, other than my sub-conscience was telling me: LOVE YOURSELF, don't watch yourself starve. I felt (and feel) awakened, recharged and ready to take on anything! I printed out the article and taped it to my wall where I used to have pictures of young women working out--for motivation. This article was the motivation I really needed. Yes, I still want to lose some of this weight, yes I still want to live my life as healthfully as possible, and yes, there will be days when I look in the mirror and don't love what I see. But those days, I promise myself & the people who love me most, will be less often, and eventually--not ever happen. 

I want to take this journey with you, e-mail me your private questions of weight loss, and self love. Ask me to make you specific recipes (I have one for a delicious chocolate cake--using prunes and sour cream--yes!), I am willing to be your confidant, this blog is not just my journey--it is yours as well. Tell me your tales, and I will tell you mine. I am going to set more realistic goals for myself, as Tori stated in her blog "so you can feel the fruits of your labor". And she couldn't be more right. I want to feel proud of myself, of my work ethic, of my body. I will still take an update picture on the 23rd of each month. But more than just a picture I will update on how I FEEL. This isn't all about looks--I need to remind myself of that sometimes.

To quote the wonderful Gala, "ready to take a little trip down TRULY radical self love lane? I am...take my hand. Let's do it."