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Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning how to dance in the rain!

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Instead of focusing on the bad, be thankful for all the good. Each day you have is a blessing!

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Strength does not come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn't. 

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"You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible." - Deepak Chopra.

Sad day....

Today is a sad day... A good friend of mine passed away. He was such a sweet man. We worked together for a few years. I left that job a couple of years ago. We mainly stayed in touch on Face Book. I loved seeing the postings of his wife, kids and grand kids. He just lit up in the photo's of his grand kids. He was so proud. 
It was beautiful to see how much he loved his wife. This was his second wife. They married a year of so ago... FINALLY..lol They had been together about 10 years. I'm so happy they did... it made him so happy. 
He really embraced life. The expression lived out loud really applies to him. He lived with no apologies and always a smile. We always sent messages regarding getting together soon... you know the ones...Hey, lets have dinner next week sometime... Sure..Let me know when! And that week would go by... and so the cycle would repeat. But guess what? There are no more weeks. 

R.I.P. Pops.... You were loved by many and you will be sorely missed. God has another angel today! 

Follow through....

OK...I'll be the first to admit it, sometimes my follow through isn't the best. Yes I have great intentions... but I get in my head. I have a cheat day. Not because I necessarily plan the cheat day, but maybe I have a bad day at work. Or I get bad news about a friend or family member. I then do what all (or most) emotional eaters do... I eat. I find my go to comfort food. I'll get some fried chicken for dinner. Or maybe some fresh bread. Something like that... or I eat dinner at 8 or 9 o'clock. 

I'll tell myself...I'll start my workouts tomorrow. And guess what??? Tomorrow ends up being a tough day...and then I'll tell myself..well maybe the next day...after all, I have all these groceries now. I can't work out and have all this bad food. I'll just eat this first. Yup..and before you know it, another week has passed. And while all that is happening, my body is getting old and larger... my health is being affected by these bad decisions and excuses. 

So I am telling myself this...actually promising myself. I AM STARTING MY T25 WORKOUT ON MARCH 11, 2014. My plan is to complete 2 rounds and 1 round of The 21 Day Fix before my 48th birthday. I will be finishing the fix just before it. There is no reason I can't get this done... it's just 25 minutes a day. And what kind of coach would I be if I can't get myself in shape and honor my commitments. I want to be an inspiration to someone else... 

I will be posting videos of my workouts...and my weekly meal plans. I will be checking in here every day or so about my work outs, food and shakeology. 

Putting some veggies in the diet!

16 oz. package of frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained of liquid 
1 1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
3 eggs
salt & pepper
1 cup of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

With your hands, form small patties and lay on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake at 375F for 25 minutes, turning the patties after the first 15 minutes.

This is such a great Low Carb/ Clean Eating recipe. I really enjoy them. I made them last night (the pics are from last year). These things are easy  to transport and make a great snack. 

I originally found these on a Pintrest post. Love that site for finding great recipes. 

Try them and let me know what you think. And it's a great way to get non broccoli eaters to try something different. 

A Bad Day....

Today was a bad day... It's hard when you get beat up at work to come home and just be healthy. My first instinct is to hit the kitchen pantry or refrigerator. I am an emotional eater just like so many others. We all have some type of addiction. For some it is alcohol. Others drugs and in my case it is food. I am trying to work on changing the impulse to eat when I am upset, but it is just plain hard. The funny thing is, it really isn't all that comforting. It is just what I do. 

I think we are all taught emotional eating when we are children. It's really not the fault of our parents or grandparents. They didn't know this would happen. You fall down and skin your knee...mom gives you a cookie to feel better and stop crying. Your brother knocks you down... another cookie to stop crying and feel better. In my case I remember my grandma giving me a doughnut to quit crying when Frosty melted. I'm sure there were more times before that...that is just the earliest I can actually remember. 

But today was a bad day a work. The first thing I did (after walking the dog of course) was to look for something to eat. Then veg in front of the TV. I KNOW BETTER! I just couldn't help myself from having a pity party for myself. 

I recently made a few big changes in my life. And today some serious self doubt crept in. Why did I make this choice? I don't know what I'm doing! What did I get myself into? Why is McDonald's so far away? I really need some french fry's! The good thing is I didn't stop there on the way home. 

My dinner indulgence could have been worse. But luckily I did not stop at the store or drive thru on the way home. I did eat a little larger piece of frozen lasagna than I should have...but I'll forgive myself. I know I should have just made a shakeology shake for dinner. It would have been filling and satisfying. But I did not. I'm not going to beat myself up... but I can't let myself off the hook so easily. I will do better tomorrow. 

Enjoying my Strawberry Shakeology

So I always drink some type of protein shake. But I recently found Shakeology... I love it! It really has the best flavor. 

I had my Shakeo for breakfast... Had a salad at lunch... but lost it a bit at dinner. No worries.... I'll do better tomorrow. 

Time to relax a little and then hitting bed early. Exhausted after first day at new job. 

Getting started.... it's easier said then done...

OK... so I admit it... I'm basically lazy when it comes to exercise. It is so much EASIER to just come home and sit on the couch and veg. I wish I could say that is what I enjoy doing...but I'm not really sure it is. I really am like so many other women out there. We just get into ourselves and hide. I know I hide behind the weight and the food. Then I don't have to date... I can use that as an excuse.... I don't have to get out there and meet knew friends. And well frankly I don't have to participate in life. 

But I'm 47 years old... I'm too young to quit life! I have a long life ahead of me, well not if I keep going like this... but generally speaking... a long life. So it is really time for me to get with it. 

Sooooo with that being said, tomorrow is the day! Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my life and my new adventure!

Tomorrow I start my new job... I am managing my own Condominium Association. Tomorrow I renew my eating plan. I really should have done my meal plan tonight. If I don't get it done tonight and post it, I definitely will tomorrow. AND tomorrow I restart my fitness program. DAY 1 of T25. Yikes!!!! I will do the best I can possibly do and modify if I need to modify. Hey... it's only 25 minutes...how bad can it be??? LOL

So tomorrow I will update everyone on the day. Plus I found a great recipe for Chia Seed Chocolate Pudding. I'm going to make it and post pics. Lets find out if it's any good. 

So I guess I should share my story. It really isn't any different from thousand…or millions of other women out there. I don’t believe my struggle is any harder or easier than others. It’s just mine. I think our biggest obstacle is our own heads. 

My name is Leslie Carlucci and I am considered morbidly obese.  Wow….just to say that out loud. Or in this case write it down. Kind of smacks you in the face. My weight that I am starting this journey with is 239. I really believe this is the last time I will be at this weight. Well frankly it has to be. I have to take this journey… I really have no options. The health issues in my family run the gambit of diabetes to heart problems, hyper tension and several others that just don’t come to mind at this very moment. But I’m sure many of you can relate. I have relatives that there is no earthly reason they should still be with us. Only by god’s grace and modern medicine. \

As I sit down and think of my life, I realize it is half over and what do I have to show for it? I have just been existing. I am tired of just existing…. I get up, go to work and come home to TV. No more, no less…. And like millions of others I emotionally eat. I eat when I’m happy to celebrate and I eat when I’m sad because it’s comfortable. I eat when I’m lonely. When I go out with friends or family, we eat. I want to change that eating out thing all the time. I want to find other places or activities to meet family and friends. 

So, back to the story. I’m 47 and single. I have never been married and I have no children. It’s weird, you think “I have plenty of time”. “I don’t have to get married right away”. But time disappears. I honestly don’t regret my choices in that department. The right person hasn't come along and I didn't want to get married to say I've been married. I do miss the fact that I don’t have any children… but I have a great fur baby that I just adore! 
I’ve had the same struggle as many women out there. My parents did the best they knew how when I was growing up. I don’t hold anything against them and I am not angry at them for anything they did. They loved us and tried their best. We all make mistakes and wish we could do things differently at times. We didn't have much money and I never really learned to eat properly. I grew up with processed foods, meats and potatoes. 

I actually didn't really start to gain weight until I was in high school. And really bad in my senior year. That is when we moved and I had to switch schools. It was a really tough time for me for several personal reasons. Then of course after high school I didn't really know what I wanted to do and kind of skipped around to some low paying jobs. 
Then one of my “best” friends was that “friend” that did the backhanded compliment/insult. She would tell me all the time….”you would be so pretty if you were thin”. Well that really knocks the self-esteem out of a 19 year old girl. If I only knew then what I know now. I wasn't fat…. I wasn't fat at all! I look at pictures from then and think to myself… LESLIE…WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???????? I was beautiful! I was cute and friendly and outgoing…. But I was lost in my own head and believed what I was told by my “friend”. Why I believed her over everyone else? I wish I could answer that. 

As the years went on, my weight would fluctuate up and down. I've never been the skinny girl at all. I have a curvy figure and most likely always will. Honestly I am happy with that… I don’t know how this will all turn out, but I just want to get to a healthy, fit weight. I want all my blood levels to be good and I don’t want to live on medication for the rest of my life. Although I may have to take some. 

I have Hashimoto's disease it is an autoimmune disease of the Thyroid. Basically hypo-thyroidism. I know a lot of people out there use that as an excuse for not losing weight, but I am not. I know when I REALLY apply myself, I do lose it. I don’t think it helps, but it won’t stop me. And if it did, the exercise is still good for my heart and will help no matter what. 

So, long and drawn out as that is, that is my story. Please feel free to follow me. I would love to have a friend that is following the same path and journey.