festival of the grape

Posted in fun, life by betty

hey guys! how was your weekend? mine was jam packed with fun, food, and friends!

friday night was spent with family at my niece’s pre-school’s fall festival. they had crafts and games and ended with a parade. it was cute. but there were waaaayy too many people cramped in small areas and i had some serious anxiety going on. (i guess i need to get used to it, because babies will be coming before i know it and i’ll be taking my own kids to their fall festival!) after that, we went to outback for dinner. i had the cobb salad and was pretty disappointed, but i wasn’t expecting much to begin with.

saturday, i woke-up bright and early to straighten up the house then get ready for Powhatan County’s annual wine festival! its the go-to wine festival in this area, but this was actually my first time going, or even really trying wines for that matter! i’m more likely to try a new beer versus trying a new wine, but i’d like to branch out some and see if i like it.

the festival is only three miles from my house, so Barbara, her mom, a friend, and i headed out our door around 10:55 a.m. there were already A LOT of people there by the time we got there! we parked and headed to the front gate where you show your tickets and grab you tasting glass.

after we picked up our glasses and got our wristbands, it was time to try some wine! i am a complete newby at all of this and my memory is horrible, so i wont be able to tell you all the details, please forgive me. there were tons of vendors set up, from artwork to wine-glass-holder-necklaces, along with the obvious wine vendors.

wine2

the wine vendors had samplings of anywhere from three to eight wines. most had red, whites, sweets, and sangrias. its mostly Virginia wineries which is nice to know its all made local. some of my favorites included Cooper Vineyards, James River Cellars, and Byrd Cellars.

as you can see, the weather was not in our favor that day. all week the forecast said 70* and sunny, then, friday rolled around and the forecast changed to 65* and rainy. it was never a heavy rain, just enough to piss you off. it surely didn’t stop people from coming out and trying some wine, though!

each winey had a list of the wines you were tasting, so i made note of which wines i liked and which ones i didn’t. i noticed that the majority of the ones i really liked were a blend of vidal blanc, chardonel, and something else. they usually had other fruity notes, like peaches and pineapple, and were sweet white wines, but not too sweet. just kind of refreshing. i also enjoyed most of the sangrias.

byrd cellars had sweet apple wine that was amazing. i plan on visiting them for a tasting sometime in the near future because i only got to try a few of their wines. from their website:

“Sweet Apple – Made from Virginia cider house apples. Light, fruity, and slightly sweet. The apple juice comes from a cider house in Amhurst county. We purchase the juice as the apples are being pressed at harvest time, begin the fermentation process at the cider house and transport it back to our winery to finish the process. The apples are a wonderful blend of such great apples as pipin, fugi, yellow delicious and more.”

i really wanted a chance to try all the wines, and i’m glad i did, because i really got to see which ones i liked and which ones i didn’t care for. one winery, peaks of otter, had a light chili pepper wine, which was served with a squeeze of cheese. spicy wine, i did NOT care for. it almost reminded me of the master cleanse – lemonade drink i tried for about 3 days.

i ended up purchasing wine from cooper vineyards called rhapsody. from the website:

“Sweet: Rhapsody – Our refreshing blend of Vidal Blanc, Chardonel, and Viognier. At 3% residual sugar, with notes of peach and honeysuckle, Rhapsody pairs well with Thai food and sunny afternoons.”

its a sweet wine, but i found it more refreshing than overly sweet. i guess i’ll be able to give a better description once i drink more than a sample, but i’m excited to break open my bottle.

we stayed from 11-3 p.m. and then headed to a local restaurant for dinner. i had a blackened and bleu burger, but it was so salty, i could barely eat it. we got home and hung out a little longer with the fire going, since it was so cold and drizzly out.

scout was happy to see the fireplace back up and running. the kid loves a fire. i catch him some nights with his foot actually propped in the fireplace.

sunday, i stayed in bed until 12 p.m. sorryimnotsorry. it felt soooo good to sleep in. theres only been a few weekends, over the past few months, where i’ve been able to sleep in, so when i get the chance, i take it. it was a nice relaxing sunday which included noodles & company for lunch, the movies to see carrie (don’t waste your money), and chicken noodle soup (GO MAKE THIS SOUP) + more movies (hunger games & act of valor) later that night.

all-in-all it was a really great weekend!! did you do anything fun this weekend?

7Oct2013

iphone, lately.

Posted in fun, life by betty

hey guys! i didn’t fall off the face of the earth, promise! it’s been CRAZY busy in my world with traveling to the baby shower, work conference, catching up on work i missed, and then enjoying life this weekend, but i’m still doing great! here are some snapshots of the last couple of days since we last talked (i apologize if you follow me on instagram and have already seen these!).

(bacon filled pancakes)

(glow in the dark sparkles!)

that’s all i have for you, today! i promise i’ll be back sometime this week with an update on how everything is going!

26Sep2013

fall has arrived!

Posted in life by betty

you guys, can i please tell you HOW excited i am that fall is finally here? SO EXCITED. don’t get me wrong, i love going to the beach and all the get-togethers summer brings, but i absolutely HATE hot and humid weather and that’s what virginia is allll about may-august.

i was born during the fall (november), so growing up, that was my reasoning for fall being my favorite season, but now that i’ve grown up, i love everything that comes with it. its the ‘unofficial’ start of the holiday decorating season, there’s pumpkin patches, it’s honeycrisp season and apple picking time, the weather is cool, but not frigid. i could go on, but i wont bore you.

i’ve been pretty busy at work, after work, and on the weekends, lately, and it wont slow down for another few weeks, but i wanted to do a fun little post to kick-off my favorite season. so, i’ll share with you my new favorite decorations:

sunflowers are quickly becoming my favorite flower.

free halloween printable from pinterest

mercury glass pumpkin and owl (old) from homegoods

THE BEST smelling candle (yankee candle:apple pumpkin) and homegoods ‘poison’

vase filling from homegoods and yankee candle: autumn leaves (i’m on the fence with this scent. its not very strong)

this weekend, i’ll be visiting the eastern shore of virginia for one of my best friend’s baby shower!! shes having a christmas baby! after that, i’ll be staying in virginia beach until tuesday for a work conference. mostly work and some play (the Neptune festival)! i’ll be checking back in, and hopefully i’ll remember to take some pictures, so you can see what i’ve been up to!

Q: what’s your favorite season and what’s your favorite part about it?

24Sep2013

metabolic testing results

Posted in life, weight loss by betty

hey guys! happy tuesday! i mentioned before that i was planning on getting metabolic testing done and last night was the night!

let me rewind a bit and take the time to thank janetha for talking me through a nervous breakdown and showing me this post, from ashley. to be honest, after my 24 day challenge, i started to do some research on how many calories i should be consuming a day, there were SO many different opinions that i just panicked and didn’t know what to do. i texted janetha and she was more than happy to listen and give advice. she sent me to ashley’s page, and that’s what made decided i want to get metabolic testing done so i could know my exact numbers and be confident in how i was fueling my body.

so, last night, i had a Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) test done to determine how many calories i burn each day. during the quick, ten minute test, i was hooked up to a machine, through a breathing tube (nose plugged), which analyzed oxygen levels of air i was breathing. the results from the test can then help determine how many calories i need to gain or lose weight and reach my weight loss goal. the test also includes 45 minutes to talk with a Registered Dietitian to set up an individual meal plan.

after the test was done, the RD took my weight, height, goal weight, and also took down notes on an average 24 hour period in my life (she asked for an average gym day). here’s what i told her:

4:30 a.m. alarm goes off
5:00 a.m. eating half a VO2 bar and drinking spark + arginine extreme pre-workout
5:15 a.m. workout (weight training followed by 20 mins of cardio)
7:15 a.m. protein shake + piece of fruit (watermelon or apples)
9:30 a.m. snack – rice cake + some sunflower seed butter
12:30 p.m. lunch – leftovers – probably a lean protein, complex carb, and some veggies
3:30 p.m. snack – quest bar
5:00 p.m. by this time, i usually have about 100-120 oz of water
6:30 p.m. dinner – lean protein (fish, bison, ground turkey) + two servings of veggies
9:00 p.m. snack – protein cake (i used the recipe at the bottom of the post) or protein shake
i also explained how i am getting my daily vitamins through MNS 3 packets.

she complimented me on the fact that i balance protein with a carbs pretty well. i learned that from body-for-life (and janetha) and know that’s the best way to keep myself hungry, without feeling deprived.

my RMR results were as follows:

Weight – 287 lbs
Goal weight – 170 lbs
Height – 5 ft 7 in
Resting Energy Expenditure – 2,434 calories
Estimated exercise burn – 304 cals (in 30 mins of exercise)
Estimated lifestyle & activity burn – 729 cals (a little high, in her thoughts, since i have a desk job)
Metabolism – 14% faster, compared to a typical person of similar sex, age, height, and weight. which means i can’t use ‘i have a slow metabolism’ for weight gain.

3,467 calories – my total energy output

never would have thought my metabolism was faster than average, with all the damage i’ve done to it in the past.

the RD explained to me, that for the most part, overweight people have a higher than normal metabolism because they use more energy doing normal day-to-day activities (like walking to the car or going up the stairs). this all made a lot of sense to me.

my recent ‘plateau’ made sense, as well. i was eating/logging about 1,200-1,300 calories a day, thinking i was getting enough food to fuel my body, but not too much to where i wouldn’t lose weight. turns out, my body was in starvation mode. i was eating too few calories to properly fuel my body. everything started to fall into place and i realized i was actually hurting myself, when i thought i was doing the right thing.

we went over how many calories she thought i should consume on workout days and non-workout days. you can see from the photo above, she wants me to keep non-workout days at around 1,400-1,600 calories, and workout days to around 1,600 to 1,800 calories. these calorie amounts don’t seem extremely high to me, but i’m so used to eating 1,200-1,300, it will take some getting used to. after logging all my meals for the day, today, i realized that my day is going to be calorie heavy for dinner, which is something i don’t want to happen. i need to plan my meals better and keep them all about the same amount of calories. i’m going to try and keep my macros around 45/35/20 (protein/carbs/fat).

all-in-all, i thought this was a very successful experience. i learned a lot, and i feel confident that i will be able to fuel my body properly with these tools! i’ll continue to check in with the RD to let her know how my progress is going, whether i’m losing weight or not, and if there are any adjustments in my calories that may need to be made.

have a great day!

18Sep2013

what i USED to eat

Posted in heavy talk, life by betty

since i finished my 24 day challenge, i’ve been working on breaking a lot of bad habits i had before (i.e. only consuming diet coke all day, eating a pint of ben and jerry’s almost every night, etc). one major problem i’ve dealt with since high school is bulimia. it’s not something i did every single day, but it was definitely a big part of my life. it’s still something i struggle with, today, 10 years later. not many people are aware i’ve struggled with this, but i feel like being open about it will help me begin to heal all the years of damage i’ve done to myself, mentally.

the reason i brought that up is because, before this challenge, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for me to consider purging or purge. i knew what i was about to eat was going to make me feel guilty and i still ate it, because i thought it tasted good. then, i started to think about the foods i use to eat and it made my stomach hurt just thinking about the chemicals and CRAP i was putting in my body. of course i felt like shit all the time, i was trying to fuel my body with shit.

so.. here’s a look at what i might eat in a day. (note: this may not have happened all in one day, but all of these meals occurred at least once or twice a week. there’s no doubt in my mind, that all of this could have happened on a friday when i was feeling really down about myself.)

breakfast: mcdonald’s sausage mcgriddle (w. cheese) meal with a large diet coke. plus, two sausage burritos. yep, i’d eat all of it on my 20 minute drive into work. disgusting.

lunch: my co-workers and i got on a Chipotle kick, there for awhile. we’d go just about every friday. my go-to meal was a burrito bowl with the following: carnitas, brown rice, roasted chile-corn salsa, green chili salsa, red chili salsa, sour cream, cheese, guac, and lettuce. i’d also order a bag of chips to ‘scoop’ my bowl, instead of eating it with a fork. washed down with a large diet coke.

snack: about 2:30-3:00 p.m., i’d start to feel pretty tired and rundown (obviously because i already ate two days worth of calories), so i’d head to the vending machine and grab my favorite salty snack: sourdough pretzels snack bag with a 12 oz can of diet coke.

dinner: on the way home from work, i’d tell Barbara i really didn’t feel like cooking (i do the majority of the cooking in the house) and would ask if we can stop by the grocery store and grab a frozen pizza, since its easy. we’d get home, i’d pop in the pizza and in 20 mins, it’d be done. i’d cut the pizza in 6 slices (since a serving is one slice) and grab one serving.. then 10 mins later, grab another, then 20 mins later, grab one more piece, until i’d eaten half a pizza, myself. (i totally forgot to add calories for the ranch dressing and parmesan cheese i’d douse this pizza in)

dessert: finally, after a longgg day ~~of eating~~, and it had been a long day at work, i’d dive into some ben & jerry’s coffee health bar crunch for dessert. i could scoop it out of the pint into a bowl, but that would dirty a dish for no reason, since i planned on eating the whole pint.

here’s my daily total:

so yeah, to say i’m disgusted with the choices i was making would be an understatement. i had hit rock bottom and i felt lousy all the time. i was the biggest i had ever been and i didn’t think i’d make it out of this cycle. purging was only an option for me at home, because i was to embarrassed to do it at work. if someone would have heard me, i’d be humiliated.

i want to be open about all of this, because during this time, i felt SO ALONE. i felt like no one understood the need i felt to eat. it became my comfort and at the same time, my worst enemy. eating had become an addiction and it was wrecking my life, a pound at a time. purging felt like it was my only option. i was too tired to exercise; i was even too tire to take the dogs for walk. it was like the advocare 24 day challenge came at exactly the right time to pull me out of this and get me back on track.

every day is a struggle to find the balance that my body needs. my cravings aren’t completely gone, and sometimes, that sausage mcgriddle tries to tempt me when i’m driving to work. after a cheat meal, the urges i have to purge that meal are awful, but i know its not going to get me anywhere. bulimia is a real thing and its not as easy as just ‘not throwing up’.

wow, sorry for a heavy post, but again, i think talking about this stuff will help me reach my end goal of obtaining a healthy relationship with eating and exercise. if you have any questions or need someone to talk to about this, feel free to contact me using the contact form.

11Sep2013

never forget

Posted in life by betty

12 years ago, today, i was sitting in 8th grade civics class when, one-by-one, students were being dismissed from class because their parents were picking them up. at that point, we hadn’t heard the news of the terrible events that happened that day, but we knew sometime wasn’t quite right.

i will forever remember September 11, 2001. i got home from school and realized my my mom still couldn’t get ahold of my dad, because phone lines were tied up. i also found out that my dad was working a landscaping job near the Pentagon that day. luckily my dad was safe, but he was close enough, at the time, to see the plane hit the Pentagon.

so many lives were taken that day, i cannot being to imagine being directly affected.

i’m keeping this post short and sweet today. hold you loved ones a little tighter tonight, you never know what tomorrow will bring.

9Sep2013

my motivation, monday

Posted in life, motivation monday by betty

i think one thing that has kept me semi-sane through my years of diet and exercise ups and downs is that my goals have never been unrealistic. i knew growing up that i was built a little (or a lot) bigger than my friends. it was definitely hard going through high school and your 3 best friends are 5’2″-5’3″ and 100-115 pounds. i always kept in the back of my mind that i was never meant to be that small.

to this day, when i’m scrolling through pinterest and i see these tiny women with not much muscle definition pinned into “motivation” or “inspiration” boards, it makes me kind of sad. sad, that something like that is envied by so many people.

i wanted to share my three, main, inspiration pictures. i think these women are beautiful and i hope that i can get down to a size around them and be confident in myself. i would hope that if i can look like that, i could be happy with what i see in the mirror, which is something i haven’t been able to do in a longggg time.

(source)

3dafca221f4bbd8dba6896d4b4f74a41 (source)

(source)

as you can see, i’m not hoping for a supermodel body. i think i could be very comfortable with myself in a size 10-12 (maybe?) and around 165-170 pounds. the only reason that number sticks with me, is because when i lost a lot of weight in middle/high school (yes, that long ago), i got down to 177 pounds and i was very confident in myself. i will always be able to reassess that goal once i get around those numbers, i just hope to get there someday.

in other news, i took a break from clean eating this weekend and enjoyed myself at the bbq with friends and family, followed by hibatchi sunday night (no rice), and my body is feeling the effects today. i’m bloated, tired, and dehydrated! i’m chugging down my water and made sure my meals were simple and light today, in hopes to return to normalcy as soon as possible. i don’t regret a single piece of food i ate, because i don’t want to feel restricted, but my body is begging for clean eating, so that is what i’ll give it. i also put in a good workout saturday morning, knowing i would indulge later that day.

that’s all i have for you guys today! hope you have a great monday! i’ll leave you with a scene from the weekend.. a very lazy sunday:

Q: how was yall’s weekend? anything fun and exciting?

5Sep2013

wordless wednesday

Posted in advocare, clean eating, life, working out by betty

30Aug2013

currently.

Posted in life by betty

happy friday! anyone have an big plans for the long weekend? not me; just hanging out or working out. before this whole thing, i would have never included working out into a holiday weekend. pushing through until wednesday to finish this challenge strong!!

i wanted to keep today’s post light, so i thought i would share some of the things i’m currently doing or currently loving!

listening:

girl talk radio on Pandora.

it’s usually either that or Fun. radio. i love both and they always play songs i love.

lunches:

wasa thin and crispy crackers + hot peppered horseradish + banana peppers + no salt added turkey breast and a side of asparagus (all eaten at my very glamorous desk at work). omg. if i could eat this for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 3 snacks a day i would. if you like stuff with a kick, try out this combo. you can thank me later!

snacks:

from this –

to this –

wednesday and thursday after my morning snack, 1/4 cup of almonds, i started to have really bad stomach cramps. i became nauseous and felt terrible. the only thing i could pin point it on was i ate raw almonds right before both episodes started. i’m not sure if it’s because they’re raw or what, but i only use almond milk and have never had a reaction to that, plus I’ve been eating almonds for snacks most of this challenge. i guess its possible to form an intolerance? maybe I’ve eaten too many almonds? for now, i replaced my almonds with a small gala apple. i can’t wait for honeycrisp season to start!

protein powder:

beverly international UMP in cookies and cream. this stuff is amazing. i’ve always read that whey is better immediately after a workout and casein is good before bed, since it’s slow released protein that feeds your muscles all night. i’m not sure if that is true, but, i do know this protein has me fooled that i’m not drinking an actual cookies and cream milkshake for dessert every night. i wish i could say i’m exaggerating, because most of the time i think people are crazy or have been eating clean for way too long when they say ‘this tastes just like the real thing!!’, but i’ve had this since the beginning of week 2 and even then i thought it tasted amazing then.

the company also sells a rocky road; i wish i could try a sample, because it seems like it might be a really rich flavor and not something i would enjoy every night like i am right now with the cookies and cream. i’ll let you know if i venture out.

reading:

nothing. sad face. i have quite a few books on my kindle ready to read and i just haven’t been feeling it lately. i can’t remember that last time i read a full book!

tv shows:

orange is the new black. i heard a lot about this series from quite a few friends so i gave it shot. i wouldn’t say i’m completely enthralled, but i enjoy watching it. it’s a Netflix series, so the whole first season is available right now.

i found walking dead season 1 and 2 on Netflix awhile back and season 3 finally became available on dvd this past week. so i’m watching these episodes as fast as Netflix sends them! i was so set that i ‘wasn’t a zombie’ person and i fell in love with this show. i also really enjoyed world war z. so i guess, maybe i am a zombie person? who knows.

stressing:

debt. between buying a house last year, getting new credit cards, and other high item purchases recently, i’ve racked up quite a bit of debt. i’m on a mission to cut down my spending budget and pay off this stuff as fast as i can (except the house obviously, i’ve got years and years to pay on that). i hate the thought of debt looming over my head!

excited:

i know this sounds forever away, but two of my best friends are having a destination wedding in puerto vallarta next november and i’ve officially booked my room! it’s on the west coast of mexico.

thinking about it makes me miss costa rica, though. i traveled to puerto viejo back in february and i miss it like crazy. i wish i could live there for awhile and just soak up as much culture as possible. if you ever have a chance to travel to costa rica, do it; it will be the best decision you ever made!

workout:

i really love working out my back these days. some of my favorite exercises include hyperextensions and dead lifts. i still dread cardio every day. i hope that changes soon, because it wont be going away.

weight loss:

12 pounds. the number hasn’t moved in the last few days. i’m not sure why, but i’m still pretty happy with it. i just hope it goes down a little more before the challenge is over.

well, that’s all i have for you today, folks. sorry if i bored you. not much going on in my life other than eating clean, working out, and trying to relax when i’m not prepping meals or cleaning the house. i wish i could train my dogs to clean the house when i’m away at work. i always tell scout to vacuum up some of his hair (he sheds A LOT) while i’m out, but he never listens. oh well.

Q: what’s one of your currentlys’?

29Aug2013

listening to my body

Posted in life by betty

one of the hardest things i’ve had to deal with in the past in listening to my body. all the diets and exercise plans i’ve ever tried, i wasn’t listening to myself, i was listening to what the plan was telling me to do. i believe this had a lot to do with my constant failing. my body was asking for something and i was ignoring it, to the point where i couldn’t keep going. learning to listen to my body and realizing what it’s asking for will be a long journey, but i know if i want to be successful at this, i’m going to have to start somewhere.

yesterday i had a bad day, all around. i had a bad workout, didn’t feel well, and if there had been the least bit of temptation at work, i probably would have ‘cheated’. when i got home, i made the decision that i would take today off from the gym. my body was telling me all day that it was exhausted and needed to recover, so i listened. i upped my carb intake at dinner a little and by 8:30 p.m., i had already taken my sleepworks and nighttime recovery and was headed off to dreamland.

(source.)

i woke up this morning feeling really good. i didn’t down myself for skipping the gym. i got ready, put some effort into my looks, and headed off to work. on my way into work, i just felt better. i felt 20x better than i did the day before. i wasn’t making an excuse to skip out on the gym, because i actually enjoy lifting; my body was telling me something and i listened to it. skipping the gym this morning doesn’t mean i’m allowed to binge all day. this whole situation may not seem like a lot to someone else, but it is a real accomplishment to me.

i want my body, not my mind, to control how i live my life. if i’m hungry, i want to make sure it’s because i’m actually hungry, not just bored. if i’m bored, i need to find something for my brain to do. if i’m actually hungry, i’ll eat. if i’m craving something, figure out what my body is actually craving. instead of eating a pint of ben and jerry’s, i want to grab a handful of grapes and be satisfied. if i’m exhausted, i want to figure out if i’ve just had a long day or if my body needs a break. like i already said, this will take time, but i think i’m currently on the right track.

tomorrow i will be back in the gym bright and early to take on my final few days of the 24 day challenge. i’m ready to finish this thing strong!

Q: do you find it hard to listen to your body or are you a pro? did it take you awhile before you figured out what it was actually asking for?

Sweaty Betty

..my journey to a healthy weight & happy life.

Category Archives: life

festival of the grape

iphone, lately.

fall has arrived!

metabolic testing results

what i USED to eat

never forget

my motivation, monday

wordless wednesday

currently.

listening to my body