Mom Works It Out by Angela Gillis

Angela March 22, 2013

Thanks for your support

Talk about a crazy day! We had no idea the CNN story would cause this much buzz and definitely wasn’t something we were looking for by talking about our journey. Did you see they did a small bit on the actual news channel too? I missed it, but I heard all about it. Willie and I are not the type of people to seek attention. I originally started the blog because people were asking so many questions, I just wanted a place to put it down so I didn’t have to keep repeating myself. The only thing we ever wanted…

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Willie March 22, 2013

Foodie Friday: Ramen Chicken Noodle Soup

I’m not a chef. In a sense, I wouldn’t even consider myself a home cook. The space known as the kitchen is a foreign language to me and I’ve avoided it for as long as I can remember. I’ve cooked things in the past and they turned out ok. I would never have shared those previous experiments with other because frankly, I had no idea of what I was really doing in the kitchen. Towards the end of my weight loss journey, I started to become interested in food. Not the consumption of it but the art and science of…

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Angela March 19, 2013

Back To The Basics: So you want to …

Losing a significant amount of weight is a huge task so if you’re deciding to take on the battle, congrats to you. We woke up one day and just decided to lose the weight, but I don’t think we were very smart about the process. This is your chance to learn from our mistakes. You know the commercials always say “consult with a doctor before engaging in any physical activity or diet plan?” You should definitely do that because we did NOT and it opened up a huge can of worms for us. It took a lot for me to…

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Angela March 16, 2013

The 80/20 Rule of Eating

When we first started our weight loss journey I read a lot of magazine articles about people losing weight, hitting a plateau, and keeping the weight off. I was interested in reading what other people had to say about losing weight. Whether someone was trying to lose 10 pounds or 100 pounds, I wanted to know the challenges and victories they experienced along the way. That’s when I learned the 80/20 rule of eating: Don’t beat yourself up because you eat “bad” 20% of the time when you eat right 80% of the time. This is something I really struggle…

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Angela March 12, 2013

Reflections on The Gusher 2013

Sadly, the Gusher is over, but there are plenty of memories to last me a lifetime. Running in that race was one of the best days of my life. There were a lot of people to meet and there were a lot of inspiring stories to be heard. Days like this are a reminder of why we make southeast Texas our home. Last year, I was scared and lone, but this year was a different story. What a difference a year makes! Besides blisters on my feet and some windy weather, I have no complaints about the day and will…

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Angela March 7, 2013

Gusher 2012: My First Half Marathon

Running was never something I thought I would do much less enjoy. I started jogging because I got bored walking on the treadmill. It was a very slow run, but I started with a walk/jog combination and after a while I noticed I was running for longer periods of time than before. (In retrospect I probably should have used that Couch to 5K program.) I desperately wanted to fun in 5K and the 2011 Turkey Trot was coming up. That was supposed to be my running debut but I chickened out on turkey day and didn’t sign up. I was…

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Angela March 5, 2013

Choosing your workout time

Motivation is a huge part of working out! A couple of weeks ago, I found myself being motivated to change my workout. To be honest, I was mostly motivated due to having to teach 5am classes two days in a row which meant I wouldn’t be at the gym so much later in the evening. I always tell my 5amers they are the troopers and the hard core fitness people because it takes a lot to wake up so early in the morning and do a serious workout. I’ve spent some time talking to the early rises and the evening…

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Angela March 1, 2013

Keep healthy and fit while traveling

This time last week Willie and I were preparing for our first plane right in our new bodies. Before flying was also a hassle and little embarrassing. Do you know how good it felt to walk up to the counter and not worry about someone telling me that I would have to purchase another ticket to fly? And I didn’t even have to ask for a seat belt extender. It was a very exciting moment for both us, especially Willie because he hadn’t been on a flight in 15 years…and probably never thought he would be able to fly ever…

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Angela February 15, 2013

Foodie Friday: Black Bean Layer Dip

Foodie Friday: Black Bean Layer Dip Author: Angela Prep time: 15 mins Total time: 15 mins Serves: 6 Ingredients 1 small container Greek Yogurt (such as Yoplait) 1 can Goya Low Sodium Black Beans or 2 cups of cooked black beans 2 tsp Taco Seasoning 3 oz Mango Pico (or regular pico de gallo) 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (optional) 1/2 cup Green Onions Salt and pepper to taste Instructions Mix the Greek yogurt and taco seasoning together in a bowl. Put aside. Drain the black beans and put in a food processor or use hand blender chop attachment to…

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Angela February 11, 2013

Finding balance

Losing weight is and changing our lifestyle was the easiest and hardest thing we’ve ever done. I know you’ve heard that plenty of times here already, and you’ll probably hear it again many times. But those words are the truth and something everyone needs to know! The first thing people always say to me when talking about losing weight is they don’t have enough time to go to the gym or cook the food, but is that really true? There was definitely some self-evaluation that went on when we started our journey. I spent a lot of time doing things…

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Angela February 8, 2013

Foodie Friday: Lighter Chicken Salad

Lighter Chicken Salad Author: Angela Serves: 4-6 Love chicken salad, but don’t like all the fat from the mayo? Here’s a lighter version of Chicken Salad that is light all the way around except on flavor. FYI: I don’t cook with salt at all. Ingredients 12 oz Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloins 1 Cup of Greek Yogurt 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar 1/4 cup of Dijon Mustard 1 Cup of Celery 1 Cup of Grapes, chopped in halves 1 Tbsp Tarragon 1 tsp Red Pepper Flake Pepper to taste Instructions Place chicken tenderloins in a pot that’s just about large enough…

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