Author Archives: Celeste

Avatar of Celeste

About Celeste

Some of my passions are writing, food, running and trying to inspire people. So, it only seemed natural for me to start a blog! I freely admit I don't hold a degree in nutrition and I am not a fitness guru, but I will explain what it takes to lose weight and change your lifestyle in an honest, tell-it-like-is style. I talk about the struggles, the challenges and the rewards, the satisfaction, if you will, of what it takes to start and maintain a healthy living lifestyle. Dozens of my blog followers, and more every week, have thanked me for providing the down-to-earth motivation and tips that have helped them lead healthier lives. I cringe at the word "diet" - really, I despise it - because I believe it's only a temporary solution doomed to fail once the diet ends. Instead, I believe in a permanent approach to food and fitness that naturally guides people into making healthier choices the rest of their lives. I am the mom of a 18-year-old, Brandon, and I live in Alexandria, Minnesota with my son and my husband, Al. I am a leader with Weight Watchers. I enjoy running, walking, biking, shopping, playing on the computer, Facebooking and spending time with my family and friends. Most Saturday nights, you can find me and my husband at home for our "date night" trying new healthy recipes and learning and enjoying red wines.

Disgusted and appalled!

Posted on by
11

This week in my Weight Watchers meetings our topic was portions and portion control. One of my members recently returned from Las Vegas and shared a story with our group. I think the entire time she spoke, my jaw – along with everyone else’s jaws – were hanging on the floor.

Heart Attack Grill.

Have you ever heard of it? I wish I never had. In a world where obesity is now an epidemic and continues to spiral out of control, restaurants such as this should not be able to open. Plain and simple, they should not exist. It is utterly disgusting and repulsive. They celebrate obesity like it’s a good thing.

I mean, seriously, HEART ATTACK GRILL??????? What kind of name is that anyway? You want your customers to HAVE a heart attack? Like this is something good? Obviously, you don’t value peoples’ lives. I am angered by this restaurant. Seriously angered. How can the owner celebrate obesity? How can the owner celebrate an unhealthy lifestyle? Why does the owner wish ill health upon customers?

So, what is this restaurant all about? Well, for starters, if you weigh over 350 pounds, you get to eat for free. Really? You’ve got to be kidding me. There is a scale to weigh the customers and it’s not in private. Oh no, it’s in-your-face in front of everyone so people can cheer you on, hoping and wishing you tip the scale over that 350-pound mark so you can eat for free. And by the way, cheering heavy people on? What? What the hell is this world coming to? Utter disgust.

The waitresses, apparently, are dressed in nurses outfits. Really? Like if someone had a heart attack they would know what to do. Don’t think so. And speaking of that, apparently some guy had a heart attack in the restaurant recently and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. Really? It was publicized like it was cool. O.M.G!!!!!!!! Give me a break. Luckily, the guy didn’t die.

Shouldn’t this be a wake-up call? Come on people…QUIT patronizing the restaurant!!!!!!! Quit celebrating obesity!!!!! Quick celebrating an unhealthy lifestyle!!!!!!

I found some pictures, via the restaurants website, that I thought I would share with you all. Really, I can’t even find the right words anymore to explain how disgusted I am. It truly is repulsive. Plain and simple.

Check ‘em out:

The outside of the building

Yep, here are the waitresses (I'll keep my comments to myself on this one!)

Apparently, this is called the quadruple burger. For real? I wonder how many Points Plus Values this has?

The outside of the menu

The inside of the menu

Can you feel my blood pressure rising? This is so utterly ridiculous. But I guess it fits in Vegas, doesn’t it?

Like P.F. Chang’s lettuce wraps? Try these!

Posted on by
6

Last week, one of my Weight Watchers members gave me a recipe for lettuce wraps. The recipe was supposed to be similar to P.F. Chang’s signature lettuce wraps. Well, I am here to tell you…they were DELICIOUS! And yes, very close to the ones at the wonderful Chinese restaurant.

My guess, however, is that these are just a wee-bit healthier!

My awesomely, wonderful chef-of-a-husband made them for us today. Because I enjoyed them so much, I thought I would share the recipe with all of you. So, here you go…ENJOY!

Turkey mixture

1 lb extra lean ground turkey

8 scallions, white & green part chopped

1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained, rinsed & chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp ginger (either from a jar or freshly grated)

1 tbsp water

2 tsp sesame oil

1 large head butter lettuce, washed, dried & leaves separated

Sauce

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tbsp ginger (either from a jar or freshly grated)

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp garlic

1. In a large pan, brown the turkey, breaking up the pieces. Pour into a colander in the sink and drain the fat. Return chicken to pan. When cool enough to handle, break the turkey into pieces until minced.

2. Add the scallions, water chestnuts, red pepper, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, water and sesame oil. Cook for a few minutes until the scallions and red pepper are soft. Keep warm.

3. In a small bowl, add all the dipping sauce ingredients together and mix well.

4. To assemble each wrap, spoon about 2/3 cup mixture onto one lettuce leaf, top with about one teaspoon of sauce and then roll it up and enjoy!

Makes: 8 lettuce wraps – Use about 2/3 cup mixture, one lettuce leaf & 1 tsp of dipping sauce per wrap

PointsPlus Value per serving: 2

Lettuce wraps

Where have I been?

Posted on by
Reply

Wow, it has been a long time since I last blogged. Time just kind of got away from me. So, I suppose you would like to know how things have been going. I don’t even know where to start!

How about I start with a photo comparison of me? I just posted these pictures to my Confessions of a [former] Fat Girl Facebook site, which you can find here. Check this out:

Yep, this is me.

Okay, so now I got that out of the way. Well, kind of. Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I see the person on the left. It’s when I look at pictures – side by side – like this that I can actually see a difference.

I am proud of myself, I won’t lie. And I won’t lie and say that it’s been easy. It hasn’t. I have good days and then, I have bad days – well, weeks. Sometimes, I need reminders, like the picture above to prove to me how far I’ve actually come.

So, I suppose you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in such a long time. I guess it’s because things haven’t been the best. I have been on this downward spiral since probably Christmas. One of my Weight Watchers members made me realize this week as to why I have probably been in this slump. Two words: My sister.

As many of you know, my oldest sister, Donna, died last year – January 31, 2011. I went through a really rough time after her death – I thought eating my way through the pain was going to help. It didn’t. It made it worse. Well, this past Christmas was our first Christmas without her and it has been since then that things started going down hill. Then, when the one-year anniversary of her death came, I didn’t realize it, but it really hit hard. Again, I tried to mask the pain with food. And again, it didn’t help. It only made it worse.

I reached my highest weight in a long, long, long time…I hit 149.2. So. Not. Cool.

I realized I hit rock bottom when, while traveling back from St. Cloud, I stopped at a grocery store and bought this:

 

Yep, this is what I bought.

I ate half of it before I even realized what I did. When I got home, I wrapped the box – the evidence – in  some plastic bags and then threw it in the garbage – the outside garbage – so no one would know. Well, now all of you know. I think that has been my problem lately, is that I haven’t been honest – with myself – or with others. I have been “closet eating” again, which is why I haven’t felt like blogging.

In the last few months, I have had good days, but I have had some really bad days. One of the things that I think has saved me from gaining even more weight is that my husband and I have been going to the YMCA. So, at least I haven’t lost that part…I am still exercising. Thank goodness.

But, I am back on track. FOR REAL! I have lost about five pounds and am working on five more. I would like to stay right around 138-140. That is where I feel the best. And I know I can do it.

Thanks for all of your support. And I apologize for being MIA for so long. I will try not to do it again. Thanks for reading my blog and remember, you can keep up-to-date with me on my Facebook page, which you can find here.

Take care and remember, even when you feel like you can’t continue, you can. You can do anything you put your mind to. Baby steps. One foot in front of another. YOU CAN DO IT!

Is it time for a new start?

Posted on by
2

The new year is almost here, which is always a great time to jump on board the healthy living train. But nothing says you have to wait until the new year. Why not start now?

If you have ever thought about joining Weight Watchers, why not come to a meeting to check us out. Everyone is always invited to attend one meeting for free. So, what are you waiting for. Come visit me and my staff to find out about the program – which by the way was rated as the number one weight loss diet (Yes, I despise this word, but whatever) by U.S. News and World Report.

Below, I have listed all the meetings that I do each week. You can also go to the Weight Watchers website and click on the “meeting finder” to find one if your area. Click here for more information.

Okay, so here is where you can find me each week:

Monday

CentraCare Clinic, Melrose – weigh-in starts at noon and the meeting starts at 12:30 p.m.

Senior Center, Sauk Centre – weigh-in starts at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Tuesday

PrimeWest Health, Alexandria – weigh-in starts at 6:45 a.m. and the meeting starts at 7:15 a.m.

University of Minnesota-Morris – weigh-in starts at 11:45 a.m. and the meeting starts at 12:15 p.m.

Morris Community Library, Morris – weigh-in starts at 4:30 p.m. and the meeting starts at 5 p.m.

Wednesday

Senior Center, Alexandria – weigh-ins start at 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and the meetings start at 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.

Ambulance Garage, Wheaton – weigh-in starts at 3:30 p.m. and the meeting start at 4 p.m.

Thursday

Encore Capital Credit, St. Cloud – weigh-in starts at 10 a.m. and the meeting starts at 10:30 a.m.

Wolters Kluwer, St. Cloud – weigh-in starts at 12 p.m. and the meeting starts at 12:30 p.m.

Glacial Ridge Hospital, Glenwood – weigh-in starts at 5 p.m. and the meeting starts at 5:30 p.m.

Friday

Weight Watchers Center, Waite Park – weigh-in starts at 11:45 a.m. and the meeting starts at 12:15 p.m.

If you have any questions about Weight Watchers or the meetings, PLEASE send me an email and I will do my best to answer! You can send an email to celbeam@gmail.com. I would LOVE to hear from you!!!!!

Here’s this week’s recipe!

Posted on by
3

Yes, I know it is after Thanksgiving, but I am going to share with you the recipe I used for a crustless pumpkin pie that my family enjoyed on Thanksgiving. It was quite tasty; even my mom and dad liked it.

I know I will definitely make it again.

Oh, and on a little side note, if you by chance don’t have any vanilla extract in your cupboards, feel free to use vanilla-flavored vodka. It works.

See, the thing is, I don’t bake. Ever. So that means, I don’t have the necessary baking ingredients on hand. Ever. I even had to borrow a pie plate from my mom because I don’t own one. This was my first time EVER making a pie in my whole life. Anyway, back to the vodka.

When we realized we didn’t have any vanilla extract, my husband suggested I Google substitutes for the flavoring, so I did. People had suggestions for rum, brandy and other alcohol, so I thought what the heck. I remembered that we had a little sample bottle of UV Cake vodka and cake basically tastes like vanilla, so I used it. And….it worked just fine. OK, granted it was just a teaspoon of it!

So, here is the recipe (made with vanilla extract) and a picture for you to enjoy:

15 oz can pumpkin

3/4 cup egg substitute (like Egg Beaters)

12 oz can fat-free evaporated milk

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup Splenda

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.

2. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Mix until smooth.

3. Pour into a 9-inch pie plate.

4. Bake at 400ºF for 15 minutes and then bake for another 45 minutes at 325ºF.

5. Pie is done when knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes: One 9-inch pie

Serving size: 1/8 of the pie

PointsPlus values per serving: 2

Weight Watchers Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Being thankful

Posted on by
Reply

It’s Thanksgiving Day morning and my husband is busy getting the turkey in the oven before we head out the door to run our first-ever Thanksgiving 5K Turkey Trot. I think it should be fun!

As promised, I am going to fill you in on what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving – November 24, 2011.

Here goes:

1. Most people don’t think I am a very religious person because I don’t go to church, but I am thankful for/to God. I am thankful for everything he has provided me with – the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, the flowers, the birds, the wonderful world we live in. So, I may be a little irritated at him for taking some very important people away from me (apparently he needed them more than me), I still thank him each and every day I am alive on this beautiful Earth.

2. My son. Yes, moms and teenage sons have their “moments,” but we also have “our moments,” and those are the ones I will treasure most. Brandon truly is one-of-a-kind and I love him for all that he is. He’s outgoing, bright, funny, helpful, responsible, a hard worker, strong, caring and yes, I do believe he is loving, although he may disagree with some of what I said!

3. My husband. What more can I say except I love him with every ounce of my being. He is not only the best husband in the world, he is my best friend. He makes me laugh, he makes me smile, he makes me melt and feel all giddy inside. He cooks. He cleans. He grocery shops. He loves football and reading and hanging out. But best of all, he loves me and I know it and feel it…each and every day.

4. My family. Plain and simple, they are the best. My parents. My siblings. My nieces and nephews. My cousins. My aunts and uncles. Everyone single person in my family – whether related by blood or not, I love them all.

5. My job. Not much else to say about it. I am doing something I am passionate about and that I truly love. Sometimes, I wish I could do more. I wish I could make the healthy living journey easier for my Weight Watcher members; sometimes, I wish I could do the work for them. But I love at least trying to make their lives a little better. And, I love the people I work with…my team members that make my job oh-so-much better. I couldn’t do it without them.

6. My members. They are my inspiration. They are what I get up in the morning for. They are the ones that keep me going on my own healthy living journey. They not only inspire me, but they give me hope. I am thankful for each and every one of them. And I am thankful that I can call many of them my friends.

7. My health. Period. Nothing more to say about it.

8. Even though I may not like it sometimes and there are times I want to give up because I don’t feel like I am any good at, I AM THANKFUL that I am now a runner. Yes, I am a runner. There, I said it. I am very thankful that I have two legs that keep me moving – no matter how fast or how slow.

9. My friends. Even though there are some I don’t get to see very often, I know they are there for me and I hope they know I am there for them. I love my friends – the ones I have know for years and the ones I am just getting to know. They are all important to me and have a very special place in my heart.

10. Facebook. Yep, I said it. I am thankful for Facebook. It is such an awesome way to stay connected and in touch with each other when our lives are ever-so-busy.

So, there you have it. That is my Top Ten list of what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. Oh, I did forget one…YOU, my readers. Thanks for taking this journey with me. Without you, I would be nothing more than words on a computer screen!!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful and happy Thanksgiving. And remember, you can always find Confessions of a [former] Fat Girl on Facebook. Click here!

A couple of recipes for you to enjoy!

Posted on by
2

Hello everyone. I guess last week kind of got away from me. I had promised to post the recipe for Kale Chips and never did. Sorry about that. Well, I am posting it now, along with a  recipe for Cranberry-Orange Relish that is excellent and would make a great side dish to Thursday’s Thanksgiving meal.

Enjoy the recipes!

KALE CHIPS

2 cups fresh kale leaves

Non-stick cooking spray, preferably butter flavor

Salt, to taste

1. Preheat over to 425º.

2. Place kale leaves on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Spritz leaves with the cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.

3. Bake in the oven until crispy, about 5-8 minutes.

Makes: 1 serving.

PointsPlus values per serving: 0

This is what the kale looks like before you bake it.

This is what the kale looks like after you bake it. So delicious!

CRANBERRY-ORANGE RELISH

12 oz fresh cranberries

1 medium orange, cut into chunks (save half of the peeling)

1 cup Splenda

1 piece fresh ginger root (about 1 inch)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Put cranberries, orange, orange peel, Splenda, ginger and cinnamon in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped.

2. Scrape into a serving bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. You can make this relish up to 5 days ahead of time.

Makes: About 3-4 cups

Serving size: 1/4 cup

PointsPlus values per serving: 1

Cranberry-Orange Relish (photo courtesy of realmomkitchen.com)

 

Have to share…sorry!

Posted on by
1

Okay, so awhile back I posted about an award I received. Well, even though I used to work at the newspaper, I didn’t even think about putting something in about it. However, because my husband still works there – he’s the editor of the Echo Press in case you didn’t know – he thought we should put something in the business section.

Well, duh, of course! So, I just have to share me in the newspaper…here is the article:

Yep, here I am, in my local newspaper, the Echo Press...www.echopress.com!

Weekly recipe and MORE!

Posted on by
Reply

Before I get to the recipe this week, I thought I would share how things have been going.

Well, good and not so good. As most of you know, I have lost 50 pounds. When I was in the losing mode, everything seemed easier. Weird, isn’t it. This whole “maintaining” thing is harder than I thought. Yes, I have been maintaining my weight now for nearly two years, but I liked when I was in the losing mode a lot better.

So why is that, you ask? Not entirely sure, but my guess is because I actually had a goal, something to strive for. I know what you’re thinking, I do have a goal now…to maintain and keep it up, but it’s just not the same. It’s hard to explain. For the most part, I am maintaining…I am keeping my weight between 140 and 142 pounds, although sometimes, it creeps up to that 144-145 mark. I have tried to keep it between 136-138 pounds, but for some reason, that is just too difficult. So, I have relaxed a little and am okay with keeping it between 140-142.

I know I should be happy with that considering my actual goal weight is 155! And I am happy, don’t get me wrong. It’s just sometimes, I really wish it was easier. For the most part, I have wonderful, GREAT days, but there are times, like in the past couple of days, where things have gotten a little out of control; a little ugly, if you will.

Here’s a little example of some items I have consumed in the last couple of days…a medium-sized peanut cup blizzard from the Dairy Queen, a rather large rice crispy bar, several piece of candy, a small-ish bag of cheddar cheese puffcorn, a small-ish bag of Fliptz pretzels (white chocolate covered pretzels!) AND…a four-piece chicken strip basket from Dairy Queen. Yes, there was more, but I didn’t track (yes, shame on me) so I really don’t even know what else there was.

See, that’s the thing, this happens every so often. I have this kind of “binge” eating and then I stop and everything goes back to normal and I am “good” again. That’s the part that frustrates me and I wish I could explain WHY it happens. I guess I should just be happy that it doesn’t spiral downward into something more and that it DOES only last a couple of days.

Well, anyway, those were my thoughts this morning so I thought I would share. I am back on track again starting today and so far it feels pretty darn good – oh wait, I guess it is only 5:30 in the morning!!!!

Here is my recipe this week…homemade hummus. Yes, I made this myself, without a recipe. Yep, I just threw this stuff together and I have to say it turned out pretty darn good. You can eat the hummus with pita chips or some other cracker-type item, but I find it is best with crudités – or even simpler terms, cut up raw veggies! My favorites are fresh zucchini and celery, although bell peppers are also very good with the hummus dip.

Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

HOMEMADE HUMMUS

15 oz can of garbanzo beans (chick peas)

1 bell pepper, red or green, chopped

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp water

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until desired consistency.

2. Use spatula to scrap down sides to make sure all ingredients are well-blended.

3. Serve with crudités (raw veggies), such as zucchini, summer squash, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, etc.

Total servings: about 8

Serving size: about 1/4 cup

PointsPlus value per serving: 2

Homemade hummus

Check out this week’s recipe!

Posted on by
Reply

Hello all! I am actually remembering to post my recipe this week.

My husband and I are in love with couscous. It is such a versatile grain and can have just about anything added to it. We think it is more versatile than brown rice or even quinoa. At any rate, we found a new couscous – Israeli couscous, which is bigger than normal couscous and has a slightly different taste.

We found ours at Trader Joe’s in Maple Grove, but I am pretty sure you can find it in other stores as well. Although, it maybe harder to find in smaller towns. The first time we made it, we followed the recipe that was on the back of the box. The next time, we changed it up a bit and added our own twist on it. The recipe I am including is the one from the box with bell peppers added to it. I am including two pictures – one from the first time we made it and one from the second time.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Here’s the recipe:

3 tbs margarine

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup shallots, diced

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

1/2 cinnamon stick

1 3/4 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Zest from half a lemon

1 bay leaf

1. Melt 1 tbs of margarine in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pine nuts and stir until golden brown. Transfer to small bowl.

2. Melt remaining 2 tbs of margarine in the same pan over medium heat. Add shallots and bell peppers and sauté until softened or shallots are golden in color. Add dry couscous, cinnamon stick and bay leaf; stirring often until couscous slightly browns.

3. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and pine nuts. Remove bay leaf and cinnamon stick before serving.

Serves: 6

PointsPlus value per serving: 6

Here are the pictures:

The first couscous

The second couscous