a moment to refocusonlife ~ flashback

258 pounds of burning hot love...

Every year, for a while now, Mark and I have participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters annual fundraiser dubbed Bowling for Kid's Sake. Thankfully, for me, we've gotten into the habit of taking a photo each year and it just so happens, that in February 2012, I was at my heaviest weight ever. Even though I am not proud of the weight that I reached, I am very happy that I had this picture taken. It serves as a constant reminder of where I was and where I could still be without having made significant life changes. I've shared this picture before, but I think it deserves a repeat. 

Flashback------------------------------------> 

The date: February 25th, 2012

The Place: Mimosa Lanes Bowling Alley

The Event: Bowling for Kid's Sake

The Details: Weighing in at 258 pounds, Leslie W. Cothren (along with my cute BlackBerry on my hip).

175 pounds of Sass... 

<---------------------------------------Current
The date: February 22nd, 2014

The Place: Mimosa Lanes Bowling Alley

The Event: Bowling for Kid's Sake

The Details: Weighing in at 175 pounds, Leslie W. Cothren. 

While 175 is 5 pounds over my goal weight, I'm super pleased with the progress I've made. But I can guarantee that EVERY single year, I'll be repeating this photograph and next year, I will be at my goal. Then every year after that, I will continue the journey because when I made that lifestyle change on July 8th, 2012, I knew that the journey ahead was going to be hard and that it WAS going to be forever. 

And, every step of the way, I've kept reminding myself to refocusonlife even if just for a second each day. 

Enjoy the week y'all! 

Team refocusonlife 2/22/2014

Meal Plan - Week of 2/23/2014

Lovely

Sunday: Pork Stuffed w/ Apples & Cranberries, Brussels Sprouts & Strawberry Napoleon (Pictured)

Monday: It's Pizza night. $6 at Papa John's. I'll be tied up in the evening, so Mark is handling dinner and the girl has requested pizza. I'll pickup a salad somewhere.

Tuesday: Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Salads

Wednesday: Chicken Pot Pie (the crust will be made of whole wheat flour). I'm using a recipe from Bobby Deen's Cookbook. We'll see how it turns out! I made it once before and made some notes about changes that I needed to make. Can't wait to try it again.

Thursday: Steaks. When the snow came, Food Lion was closing early one day and had a ton of fresh meat they wanted to get rid of cheap. We are lucky enough to have steaks from that day! Can't wait to cook them up. We'll pair it with some Green Beans.

Friday: Out to Dinner. We are going to see a concert at LRU...the Navy Band. Can't wait. The 4 of us will grab something quick.

Saturday: Who knows? We're going to LegoFest today. I know we'll be going to the Pit with Maggie, John, and their children. I'm sure I'll overeat!

Have a great week everyone!

a moment to refocusonlife ~ small changes

A little over a year ago I wrote the first inspirational "moment to refocusonlife" at the request of Donna Rauschenberg. That first entry was about small things making big impacts. I stand by that. Small things can bring about HUGE changes.

Let's review...
Over the past year, have you made any small changes? I have. I continue to use the mantra "just for today". For instance, "just for today, I'll make sure I walk at lunch."

But, I know that even those small changes can feel insurmountable. One thing I want to do, as I've noted before, is work on my abs. I had Chris Powell to respond to a post on Facebook where I asked him what I could do about my abs. He (or most likely one of his staff) sent me a link to a 5 minute ab workout. 5 minutes! I was gung ho! Of course I could work 5 minutes into my day.

That was a week ago and I have yet to implement that program. In the course of that week, I've been too lazy to even consider doing 5 more minutes of exercise.

Melt baby melt! Blowing Rock, 2/15/2014

One thing I did change was that I was eating a bowl of ice cream every single evening. I've noted that before as well. It was Edy's no-sugar-added fudge tracks ice cream, but it was having a huge impact on my blood sugar numbers...I think mostly because of the time of day I chose to eat my ice cream (late in the evenings). I decided one evening, just for this evening, I will eat a small bowl of sugar free Jello instead. Then the next day, I did the same. And the next...
Now, I've replaced my Ice Cream habit with a much lower calorie Jello habit. My blood sugar numbers have corrected themselves. The Jello has a much lower impact on my blood sugar.

My point here is...it works. If you can repeat the mantra, "just for today........." followed by whatever it is that you want to do, you can create change in your life. Our mind is a powerful weapon in our arsenal of change.

I wish each of you the best week ever! I'm SO looking forward to warmer weather!

See y'all on the other side!

Meal Plan - Week of 2/16/2014

Here's this week's plan! As always, let me know if you would like to have any recipes or if you'd like to offer us some suggestions! I ALWAYS love fresh ideas for food!

Sunday: My sweet Momma cooked us a fantastic dinner. It consisted of London Broil, Broccoli Casserole, Deviled Eggs, Asparagus, and a wonderful low-carb strawberry/cream cheese dessert. Suffice to say, I always eat too much when I'm at Mom's! But, it was delicious!

Monday: I have meetings all evening. Mark is cooking BBQ Pork Chops using bottled Paula Deen Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce. He'll most likely pair it with a salad for the two of us.

Tuesday: Chicken Parmesan with homemade tomato sauce. Sautéed green beans. Roasted Parmesan Asparagus.

Wednesday: Turkey Piccata. This is a new favorite of mine! Very low calorie, very low fat, and amazingly tasty. It's hard to find "turkey cutlets", so I buy a turkey breast tenderloin, cut it and pound it into cutlets myself. We'll add baked sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts.

Thursday: I have a cooking class this evening. I'm SO excited! Can't wait for 6pm, but have to squeeze in dinner for the family first, so we are having hamburgers because everyone loves them and they are quick. I will eat mine sans bun with some gourmet cheese and probably some sautéed mushrooms. We'll add sautéed or roasted veggies as well. Perhaps some sweet potato fries.

Friday: We take the kids to their Mom's house most Friday evenings. This will be a dinner out most likely.

Saturday: Roast Pork Loin with Apples & Cranberries. I'm excited to try this new recipe! I expect it to take a little time, so I decided to try it out on a Saturday. We also have our "Bowl for Kids' Sake" fundraiser today. Hopefully, I'll get a couple strikes. I'd also like to hit the greenway for some exercise.

Also, during the week, I've decided to try to make a cauliflower soup as an appetizer one evening. It's a new recipe as well. Hopefully, it'll be great!

Enjoy your week, y'all!

a moment to refocusonlife ~ old

You all ready for #snowpocalypse 2014? Believe it or not, I actually am. No, I don't rush to the store to buy bread and milk...but I did do my normal shopping this past weekend.

During my shopping trip at Ingles, I encountered yet another teenage-ish employee. Remember the other one I mentioned before? This one wasn't quite as cute as the one before, or maybe that's just my opinion of him after he said what he said...

Me and Bear On Saturday with my Male
Pattern Baldness and Failed Attempt at a beard

The ringtone on my phone for Mark is always a song with woman, girl, or something relating to women in the title. For instance, it's been Dancing Queen, Redneck Woman, Girl on Fire, and the list goes on and on and on...much to Mark's chagrin. Right now, the ringtone happens to be Only Girl (In The World). Over the weekend, when I got to the checkout line at Ingles, my phone started ringing...it was Mark. Because I think it's insanely rude to talk on the phone while in front of the cashier, I told Mark that I would give him a call back when I was done.

Dudely that was bagging my groceries looked at me and said, "Nice ringtone man. I like that. I wouldn't have imagined you would have that as a ringtone on your phone."
I said, "Yeah, thanks, I think. Wait, why wouldn't you think I would have that ringtone?"
Silence.
Me: "Oh...because I'm OLD, right?"
Silence.
Me: "Funny story about the ringtone man...I'm actually married to a man and his ringtone on my phone ALWAYS has to be a song with girl, woman, etc in the title or lyrics."
Extended silence.
Cashier: "I have a friend that likes guys."
Me/Internal Monologue: "Oh dear god. I have to get away from the 12 year olds."

Olympic Gold (and some snow)

Well, that's enough of that. Point of the story here is that I think I do look old. In fact, in a Facebook "discussion" with a stranger on a completely unrelated post, I was actually told that I had "male-pattern baldness and a failed attempt at a beard." Ok. I can hang. I am getting older...but I'm only 39! I still have another year before my life is completely over.

But, I digress, and I will live, however; yesterday I was looking at a news story about The Biggest Loser. I flipped thru before and after photographs of all the winners of all the seasons past. Without fail, I noticed that EVERY single man that had won the show looked many years older at the end of the show than he did when he started. The women did not seem to have the same issue.

What is that? What's that about? Did I age myself with weight loss? Well, what I gained in wrinkles, I won in health benefits, so I guess bring it on!

And, speaking of bringing it on...BRING ON THE SNOW.

Later peeps <----me trying to at least sound young.

Meal Plan - Week of 2/9/2014

Here's this week's plan! As always, let me know if you want any recipes or need any motivation! I love to help!

Sunday 2/9/2014: White Chicken Chili

Monday 2/10/2014: Pizza/Salad: We'll buy pizza at Papa John's because everyone in my house loves it and it's just $6 on Monday evenings. I'll eat the toppings off of 2 slices and pair that with a huge salad.

Tuesday 2/11/2014: Tacos/Enchiladas/Salads: I make my own taco seasoning. None of that mystery powder for us! And, everyone loves it! I'm making White Chicken Enchiladas for myself (no one else in my house will eat them) while they all have beef tacos. Leftover enchiladas are one of my favorites! I'll use the Whole Wheat Carb Smart Tortillas. I cooked the chicken today (Sunday) in preparation for this while I had extra time).

Wednesday 2/12/2014: Meatloaf/Green Beans. One of my favorites. YUMMMMMM! I'm also going to take a stab at making some baked, breaded okra (using whole wheat flour).

Thursday 2/13/2014: Peach Pork Tenderloin/Brussels Sprouts/Sugar Snap Peas

Friday: Some quick and easy for Mark and I as the kids will go to their Mom's house.

Saturday: Dinner Out

Have a great week everyone! Remember to take a few minutes to refocusonlife and join me on Tuesday (or Wednesday) for a new ROL blog!

a moment to refocusonlife ~ confessions of a foodie

This past weekend was my birthday. I know, happy birthday to me! Trust me, it was a full weekend celebration. I have the best children, husband, family, and friends a young whipper-snapper could ask for! A big shout out to all of those that helped make my birthday special.

But, I digress. It was my birthday weekend. I celebrated. With food. Ugh. On Friday night, we ate at Louisiana Purchase in Banner Elk. Wow. Probably one of the top 10 meals I've had in my life. I cannot say enough good things about the food, but the after dinner bitterness came in the form of a check that knocked my socks off.

My Dessert on Friday night! (Cheese, Fruit, Nuts)
1/31/2014

I believe I've made this confession before on this blog, but it warrants repeating, I'm a hopeless foodie. Last week, I read an article in Prevention Magazine. Prevention is a fabulous little source of information and inspiration. There was an article by Dr. Pam Peeke, a healthy living coach, in the "Answers" section of the magazine. The question at hand was, "My friends socialize over trendy but fattening meals. How can I stay slim?" It's a great article in the December 2013 issue of the magazine. (Check it out by clicking here.) 

I wanted to offer my two cents on staying slim in light of socializing over food because it is a fact of life. People want to gather over food and/or drinks. To me, there's nothing better than gathering with friends and family over a nice meal. The fact that I'm a foodie heightens the experience for me. But, I'm here to tell you, even the most trendy, stylish, and snotty restaurants want to make their diners happy. They are, after all, in the service business. Trust me, from a guy with an MBA with a marketing emphasis, negative word of mouth advertising can destroy even the best of businesses. Restaurants face a tough marketplace climate in light of sites like Yelp, Tripadvisor, Urbanspoon, and others.

Asking a restaurant to modify a dish is no longer a question of "if" for me, but a question of "how". They will modify the dishes on the menu. In fact, I find that the nicer the restaurants, the more focused on fresher, healthier ingredients they have become. It's more difficult for me to have a chain establishment to modify a dish to include more veggies and less starch than it is for a restaurant like Root & Vine in Morganton. I always modify my dishes. You should too! Ask for fewer french fries and potatoes and more fresh veggies and fruit! It'll make a world of difference in your overall health.

Salmon with Veggies
1/31/2014

If you had told me 4 years ago that I would choose Salmon in a beurre blanc sauce with zucchini and white asparagus over a New York strip with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, I would have called you crazy. What's even more impressive is that I would gladly choose the Salmon with veggies over deep-fried chicken strips and fries from Zaxby's (<--My Favorite pre-weightloss meal.)

My point here is this--just because your friends socialize over food doesn't mean that you have to indulge. Make smart choices at dinner, stay away from the buffet and the alcohol, and focus on the socialization more and the food less.

Enjoy the rest of your week! Until next time, remember to take a moment to refocusonlife!