A Recipe ~ A Yummy One!

Spicy Chicken & Lime Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 1 medium  onion
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 medium jalapeno
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 lb. chicken breast
• 6 C chicken broth
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) chopped tomatoes with chilis
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1 medium lime
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1 medium avocado

Instructions

1. Sautee chopped onions, celery, jalapeno (minus the seeds) and garlic in large pot until translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the chicken breasts, broth, canned tomatoes, oregano, and cumin. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, covered for an hour.

3. After an hour, shred the chicken, return to the pot. Squeeze the complete lime into the soup.

4. Roughly cut the cilantro, add to the pot and serve with chopped avocado. 

*my family added tortilla chips to their soup and a dollop of sour cream. 

This is the most amazing recipe. It tastes just like the one I had years ago Mexican restaurant. Not only is this the most flavorsome soup ever but it's low carb too!!! That means I can fill up on it and without guilt! 

Sadly, I can't claim the credit for this recipe and I can't remember where I go it. So just enjoy!

2014 Weigth loss progress

Well 2014 is almost over and once again I haven't made it to my goal weight. Having said that, I'm awfully close!

I started the Atkins and gluten free lifestyle back in April and here I am at the end of the year and ready to report my "success". I know, it's not ultimate success but with weight loss there's never an ultimate success because it's a constant battle and journey to keep the weight loss off. But, I'm pretty proud of how far I've come this year and I'm looking forward to making it to goal in the next 4 months.

Right before we started this whole lifestyle change my sweet hubby took me to Salzburg, Austria for my birthday. I told you we're close to everything here! I love it! Anyhow, these are my official before photos and actually they are officials for both Johnny and me. We started together so these are a good indication of how far we've come.

Not sure if it's evident of not but I was in the 220s at this time. As much as I loved the trip I felt frumpy and uncomfortable the whole time. BTW, you know what's in that bag Johnny's holding?? Cronuts!!! Only the best donut/croissant mix ever! They were even filled with Bavarian cream and covered in sprinkels. TO DIE FOR! literally! If I had known I was about to start a major food overhaul I would have eaten three more! We're standing on the actual do-re-mi steps in A Sound of Music. If you wanna see more photos from my 41st birthday trip to Salzburg you can find me blogging about it here. A must see for Sound of Music fans.

This is our OFFICIAL before photo. I weighed 222 in this photo and that wasn't my highest. I had actually started at 235 and lost some and was on my way back up in this photo. 

I've always had a weight problem. Even when I was young and in school. I wasn't fat by any means but I was always larger than everyone else. In my head I was a fat girl and that never went away. 

So we started Atkins and I started eating gluten free for health reasons the end of March right after my 41st birthday. It was hard in the beginning but it's amazing how well low carb eating works if you don't cheat. It has taken me 9 months to lose 52 lbs and I still need to lose 20 but I'm super happy with the results. 

One thing Atkins promises is that you will lose more inches than weight and it is completely true! I weight more now than I did the last time I lost weight, I actually got to 167 but I wore a larger size in clothing then. I was following a low cal diet and while I weighed less I was bigger. Atkins works differently and it takes from fat stores first which makes your body physically leaner instead of losing muscle on a low cal diet. So I'm smaller now that I have been in 20 years. I'm in a large in most things and some mediums in others. I started in an 18/20 and in 9 months I'm down to a size 10 or Large. 

I will say, and if you looked closely at my weight chart above, the last 3 months have been extremely slow. I don't know what's going on. I don't cheat, I'm always on program but my body has just decided to take it slow. I was very bothered with it, since I'm a perfectionist and I usually like to get things done quickly but I realize now, this is a lifestyle. I'm never going back to eating the way I did and for more reasons than one. I can never eat gluten again, I am intolerant to it and it does terrible things to my joints and skin. Plus, gluten-free and low carb just go hand in hand so it's easy to live this way. Another thing is that I'm happy. I'm not at goal yet but I'm at a point that people actually tell me that I've lost enough. I always wanted to be here and now that I am it makes the slow losing more bearable to know that I look like I've lost enough. 

BTW, Johnny has lost 50 lbs also! He's in the best shape of our 24 year marriage and he's healthier than ever. 

So between the two of us we've lost more than 100 lbs since April. Johnny is maintaining and stays between 158-162 and i'm 170 as of today. We're both a year older but life has never been better. It's amazing what losing 50 lbs can do, not only physically but also the whole outlook on life.

One of my biggest fears has always been my husband's ministry as a missionary being cut short because of my health. I was so fearful and aware that any minute I could become sick and it would be my fault for not doing something about my weight. I'm thankful and glad to be at least trying my best to be healthy and if we have to ever leave the place that God has called us to work in, it's won't be because I neglected the body God gave me.

So there it is, the accumulation of 9 months of faithful eating and I'm pretty proud of it!! 9 short months have changed our lives and I know you can do it too. If you struggle with weight as 90% of us do, it's time to make a change. You can do it!!!

Atkins 1st Month Results

Okay, so it's been exactly one month since I started the Atkins and gluten free diet. I honestly can't believe that I've made it a month already and it flew by. I've never experienced an easier month of dieting in my life! I'm seriously not kidding. This diet has been so easy and I'm very happy with the results. Below is a list of what to expect from the Atkins diet and how I fared. 

✔️ Changes in your energy levels - There have defiantly been changes in my energy level. The fits two weeks, I had NONE, but after that I had days of high energy and some no so much. 

✔️ Decreased hunger and carb cravings - This one was the most amazing. I've never in my entire life been able to quit sugar altogether much less sugar and gluten at the same time. The lack of appetite and cravings is amazing. I don't usually crave anything and if I do see something that looks good like this past Sunday at church when all the ladies brought yummy deserts for dinner one the ground, I look at the stuff and think, "oh, that looks nice." And the thought is over and no cravings. Also, the loss of appetite is crazy! I had to be careful and still do because it's very easy to skip meals and not even realize it till it's too late. Decreased hunger and carb cravings? ABSOLUTELY!

✔️ A few negative side effects - The only real side effect other that being pretty pooped the first two weeks was constipation. It's a problem but can easily be avoided by drinking lots of water and taking a herbal laxative each night. In biggie!

✔️ Rapid weight loss - I'd say this was a yep! They say you can lose 15 lbs in the first two weeks and some people have so it is possible. I actually lost 11 lbs the first two weeks. I lost like .6 the next week and today I was down 4.8 lbs. so for the month I'm down 15 lbs. and that's not to shabby if I do say so myself. 

So month #1 is done, finished, kaput! Now on to month #2. I'm hoping to lose 10 lbs this month and continue on till I make it to my goal weight of 145 for the first time in my adult life. I am doing it and with out much effort thanks to The New Atkins Diet.