Chhhhanges...

Day 118.

I can now see my ankles. Not just my feet, but beyond that to a body part I haven't seen in more than a decade (unless I lifted my legs).

I walked up 3 flights of steps without getting winded. Used to be that I was short of breath on every landing.

I took off my wedding ring. It's been 6-7 years since I've been able to get it off. We're going to get it resized. And cleaned...dear God does it desperately need cleaned.

All of this is possible because I hit one of my biggest goals. Back on March 22 when I started this lifestyle change, I decided I would lose 45 pounds by the time my niece turned 1 on July 17. Happy birthday, Maya! Happy Weight Loss Goal Day to me!

What continues to keep me motivated is the delicious recipes we keep finding. Here's something we tried this weekend.

Chinese-Style Chicken Salad

4 boneless chicken breasts

2 T soy sauce

Dash of lemon juice

1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks

1 tsp salt

2 T sesame oil

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup beansprouts

Put cucumbers in colander, sprinkle with salt, and cover. Let sit to drain for about 30 minutes. Cook chicken breasts in 1 T of soy sauce and lemon juice. Remove chicken and shred. Set aside.

Cook carrots, onions, 1 T soy sauce, and sesame oil in pan with remaining soy sauce and lemon juice until tender. Pat cucumber dry with paper towel. Put chicken, cucumbers, bean sprouts, onions, and carrots on plate. Serve warm or refrigerate for one hour.

We served our warm and it was delicious!

The beginning...

(Insert Rocky theme song here.)

We began training last week for the mini (walking) marathon. We've seen huge blisters and one child down for the count laying on the White River Greenway exhausted from the heat. (And, yes, she was drinking water.)

Last week we walked 10 miles. By the end of this week, we'll be up to 11. We walk 3xs a week and do traditional exercise twice. Thank God for the 2 rest days or I might just die.

On walking days, we try quick and easy meals to get us through. This is one of our favorites: Honey and sesame beef noodles. We thank Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution for this one.

No photo from me this time around. I suck at taking pasta photographs. Trust me. After about 20 tries and figured the link would work best. Enjoy!

Finding my Way

I just can't walk out our front door and walk.

Blah. Boring. I have to go somewhere. See something. Explore.

Thanks to some friends of mine at work, I found my way. ("My way is the only way," as the Queen of Hearts would say.)

We begin training for our mini-marathon (walking) in 8 days. Now we are exploring our own routes in Muncie and easily mapping the mileage. Try out www.livestrong.com to create your own walking paths. Click on "loops," register, and then start mapping out your way to losing weight and/or getting in shape.

In other news...we came across a new recipe that we love.

Korean-Style Flank Steak

1 (1 1/2 pound) flank steak, trimmed

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon water

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large Ziplock bag. Seal and marinate for 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Grill steak, using excess juices to marinate. When cooked, cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Challenging Me

I can hit a line drive that will knock you flat. I can ace a ball forcing you to dive out of the way. And, according to Wii Fit, I can hula hoop nearly 2,000 times with 6 hoops in 6 minutes.

But running? Never something I've been strong at.

So I am compromising. I'm going to walk. Fast. And far.

I am signing up for a half marathon. 13.1 miles. (www.walkindiana.org) It's in September. I begin training in 2 weeks. Gann and the girls are joining me. Stay tuned.

This walk is one of several goals I'm setting for myself this year.

Short term goals:

• Lose 1-2 pounds a week
• Lose 10 pounds a month
• Exercise 4xs a week for 40 minutes (this month)

Long term goals:

• Strengthen my walking endurance over the next 3 months
• Walk a 1/2 marathon
• Lose 90 pounds by the end of November (woo-hoo! down 33 pounds so far!)

Try out this new recipe we discovered!

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/4 cups long-grain rice

1 cup of red, yellow, and/or orange peppers cut

into small pieces

6 green onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

13 3/4-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil and add rice, peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook until veggies are softened. Stir in cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Cook about 1 minute to blend flavors. Add broth and salt, bringing to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into baking dish. Spread zucchini on top evenly. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.

Wipe out skillet and heat 1 teaspoon of oil. Cook chicken on one side until brown. Remove from heat.

When veggies have cooked for 25 minutes, remove from oven. Pour 1/2 cup water over rice. Place chicken with browned-side up in baking dish. Recover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is done.

(Recipe from Great Taste-Low Fat with some adaptations from the Grosh family.)

I crave pizza.

And ice cream.

And chocolate. (I actually dream of chocolate.)

Just cause we changed our eating habits doesn't mean we don't indulge. On Tuesday evenings, we treat ourselves to pizza or dessert. Each is homemade.

Why Tuesdays? We weigh ourselves each Tuesday and measure our stomachs, hips, legs, and arms. We record the measurements and weight. Each one of us trying to lose weight has a sheet with our weekly progress hanging in the bathroom adjacent to our bedroom.

Accountability. In our faces everyday.

Check out our yummy and low-fat pizza.

Pizza! Pizza!

1 (14-ounce) pizza crust We buy ours premade.

3 teaspoons olive oil or pizza sauce

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Mozzarella cheese

Any additional veggies you wish to add

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sautee veggies in saucepan with 1 teaspoon oil, salt, and pepper.

Place pizza crust on baking sheet. Brush crust with 2 teaspoons olive oil or spread pizza sauce on crust. Add veggies and garlic. Sprinkle with cheese. Cook 10 minutes.

Day 62.

Who says you have to start at Day 1?

My name is Stacey, and I'm a mother of three daughters (ages 14, 13, and 11). I am 90 pounds overweight. Wait. Check that. On Day 1, I was 90 pounds overweight. Today, I am 58 pound overweight.

I didn't want to start a blog about how our household lifestyle change can work...unless I knew it would work.

Look left. Yum. Grilled chicken with mango-pepper salsa (recipe below). We have meals like this everyday. Each week I lose weight. So do the others in my family who wish to do so.

Here is a cheat sheet of what we are doing:

* We went grocery shopping and bought fresh food. We ditched most of the process foods (which, most importantly, includes quickie frozen meals, boxed and canned meals and side dishes, and high-fat snacks).

* We cut up veggies and fruits within the first day of shopping so they're easy to grab and add to meals or have as snacks.

* Our meals are all recipe-based. We use numerous low-fat cookbooks, Cooking Light magazine, and various Web sites.

* Half our plate each meal is veges, 1/4 is starch, 1/4 is meat.

* I quit caffeine. I'm the only one in the family to do this. I endured 4 days of horrific withdraw headaches but lost 10 pounds in the first week. I have one diet caffeine-free Coke a day and the rest of the day is ice-cold water. Get past those first few days and you're body feels so much better with you drinking water.

* We exercise. We use the Wii Fit. We walk. We have a 10-minute abs CD. It started out with working out 3xs a week for 30 minutes, after about a month it jumped to 3xs a week for 40 minutes, next week, it will increase to 4xs a week for 40 minutes. In July, it will be 4xs a week for 50 minutes. In August, it will be top out at 5xs a week for 50 minutes.

What makes this work for us is accountability. My family and friends know I am doing this. I periodically post something about how it's going or how I hate to exercise on my Facebook. I want feedback from family and friends. I want people to ask me how it's going. Call me out on this.

Plus, since this is a family lifestyle change, I have the support of my hubby and girls. We eat healthy together and exercise together. We are making the change together.

Numerous people have asked me about what we are eating. Most of this blog will be recipes...along with my successes and failures.

Come along for the ride. Join us. We are always looking for people to exercise with. And give these recipes a try. Who knew food could taste so damn good?

Grilled Chicken and Mango-Pepper Salsa

Salsa

2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped mangos

1 1/3 cups chopped red bell pepper (about 1 large)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove, minced

Chicken

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 skinless chicken breasts (when cooked, should be about the size of your palm)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

1. Prepare salsa and let sit for 30 minutes in fridge.

2. Combine lemon juice, paprika, and garlic cloves in baking pan. Mix. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and let sit 15 minutes.

3. Turn grill to medium-high heat.

4. Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade). Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

5. Spray grill with cooking spray (or foil, if you choose to use it). Cook chicken until done. Serve with salsa on top.

(Recipe comes from Cooking Light, with some adaptations from our family.)