{Obstacles}

Hey everyone!

I am having such a hard time getting into working out right now. It seems like as soon as I start getting into it something gets in my way. I am trying to coordinate workouts between work, school, boyfriend, and seeing family, not to mention homework and sleep that I have to to fit in somewhere. Well, I had finally started getting a routine down, and was actually on my treadmill several times! Then I hurt my foot. I am not sure what is wrong with it yet, but I have a guess. I was diagnosed with something called Friebergs disease when I was about 13. Basically it's where the bone in my second toe starts to deteriorate and creates spurs that poke my muscles. Yes it is very painful, but only when pressure is put on it, so as long as I am sitting I am not in pain. I am still trying to do some ab and arm workouts, but without the cardio I won't burn the fat. I can't get in the pool and swim for too much longer (and it's hard to do that late at night in the dark too). Hope you all are doing well and beating your obstacles!

<3 

Karen

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{ School! }

Hey friends!

AHHHH!! I (Karen) have started school again for the first time in years! I am still working full time and it's very hard to keep up with the diet, but I am doing decently well so far. The only thing I am struggling with is snacks during school hours. I don't have a place to keep things cool, and I can't take food or drinks into my classes, so anything I bring has to be able to sit in the car until I get a break, or I buy it from the vending machine which I am trying super hard not to do! I am in class for 6 hours with just a few minutes of a break! Any ideas on some healthy filling snacks I can bring that do not require refrigeration are more than welcome! Please keep positive thoughts for me starting this very exciting venture in my life!


And a little late, but here is our official weigh-in photo from September 1st, 2013.

<3,
Karen

{be the leader}

I have been trying to help a friend of mine lose weight, and She gets all pumped for about a week or two, then just gives up. I always get so frustrated with her for not keeping up with it all. This time was no different, she lost 10 pounds in the first three weeks then said its too hard to keep track of her food, that she is too tired to work out at the end of the day, that she has other stuff to do. I was so mad! I took all this time out of my life to show her how to track all her food, get apps on her phone, and even give her work out plans.. I was very encouraging and helpful, and what does she do, just give up?? It really hurt my feelings... 
     Then I got to thinking.. I haven't been doing what I should be doing either.. I had been eating like crap, not working out and just not caring. Sure I had "good" reasons for not working out as I had an injury, but I could have found some way to work out! I hadnt been eating right, because I started my new job and didnt have the time.. I could have made better choices! So I have realized, I am just like her, I just dont have anyone that is helping me that I am frustrating for making bad choices... So what shall I do now? I shall make the right choices, the smart choices, the HEALTHY choices!
 what are you going to do?
                                                                               
         <3 Karen

{thunder storms}

We live every day, doing our normal {{routine}} getting up, eating breakfast, going to work or school, come home eat dinner, try to get a work out in, and go to bed. Today as I sit at home watching out my window, the thunderstorm that is passing thru, drinking some tea and watching a movie, I am thinking about the daily routine we go thru.

We have to be the {{change}} we want! We have to do the things we want, when we want! Go out and do something, go dance in the rain! Go ride your bike in on the beach, sing on the porch, do anything as long as its for your self! We are too often caught up in just surviving our day to day lives. 

What will happen when you do this? It will make you feel better, make you want to be healthier! Make you a much happier person in general! and happy people lose weight faster then sad and depressed people! 

So let what ever storm happening in your life be the reminder you may need to get up and make your life the way you want it to be.

<3 Karen 

{how bad do you want it?}

I have been struggling with losing the last 15 pounds, but I know why, its because I haven't been making the right choices! I haven't been drinking enough water, I have been eating food that is high in carbs, and yes, I have been within my calories, but I haven't been pushing for the gold! I know we all {{struggle}} with making the right choices, and that is because we have been in the "bad habit" of eating what we want whenever we want for years now. We need to change our habits to "good habits." 

A friend of mine had asked me a few weeks ago to help her lose 30 lbs, and I agreed, and so I have been helping her track, helping her keep motivated, and helping her pick out some good work outs. Well last night we went to a BBQ for a baby reveal party.
They had the normal hamburgers, hot dogs, smoked hog. Plus chips and dip, cake and cookies!! Can you guess what she did? She went straight for the chips and cake!! I tried stopping her, I said, Hey, your not going to lose weight by {{eating}} all that now! Do you know what she said back?? I don't care I had a bad day today! Now, don't get me wrong I know we all have bad days, but we still need to be mindful of our choices we make! and it is ok to have some "bad habit" food once in a while if you do it right. I had 9 chips, but I also left off the top bun on my hamburger so I didn't go over my calories. 

What I am trying to say, is if you want to lose weight, you have to keep in the habit no matter what, your you'll just keep going to the unhealthy side. It is a lifestyle change, and not an easy one! It takes daily practice, trial and errors, and support from family and friends! 

{{So glad for my wonderful sisters}} But most of all it takes "wanting it." if you don't want it, you wont stay at it! 

<3 Karen

{body image}

     The world today is all about "skinny this" and "thin that" but the true {{beauty}} is all about how you see your self! I am sick and tired of the world saying what is pretty or not. The reason I want to lose this weight is to be healthy not "skinny." 

     I wish we could all realize that our weight is just a number.  The important thing is to love the way you look and be healthy. I want to work out, and be able to do the activities that my nephew wants me to do with him. I want to be able to go walk on the {{beach}} or ride a bike around an island, or even play on a softball team. 

     As you all know I just started a new job. I have been talking to my co-workers, and I had heard a rumor about the insurance we have at work requires us to submit our weight to them or we will be charged more. Most people are absolutely furious about it. I think it is a great way to get people to actually start taking care of themsleves. I don't think they should necessarily be charged more because they are over weight. But the insurance also offers to pay for {{gym memberships}} and other alternatives to becoming healthy! It is time to make a change in the world, not because we need to be pretty, but because we need to be healthy!! All three of us sisters used to be smokers, but have all quit, not because of any other reason except to be healthy! And now we are losing this weight to be healthy, to love ourselves, to be able to be active in our lives, and to be confident in ourselves no matter what the scale says! I am going to start loving my self! Will you start loving yourself?


<3 Karen

P.S. Here's some inspirational messages I found on pinterest and google for you all! <3

{Easter inspiration}

     Have you seen the commercial that say's "Save the chocolate bunnies?" It is a toy company telling us to put more toys in our kids {{Easter baskets}}. Well I have been doing something even better then that for a few years now. Last year I got Megan a cute Easter basket with a bunch of different health stuff, some vitamins and {{marshmallow tea.}} I did it because we were both trying to lose weight, and candy was just a bad idea! Megan was still having some health issues, and I wanted to help. I went to the local health store and was able to find every thing I wanted (most of which you can get at Walmart as well.) 

     This year, I have decided to do it again! I did more fun baskets for us, with things we can use daily, or are inspirational. I included in Megan's this year a salad tupperware! (its like the new one I just got, but its made especially for salads!) and you all know how much she loves her salads! Also, an inspirational book, "Happy thoughts for you," some nail polish, chap stick (our very favorite kind "soft lips" which is not easy to find any more" and some hand lotion" I did put in two pieces of candy, but only 2, and its ok to have a little {{chocolate}} now and then! I also did a basket for a friend Jessi, who is trying to lose weight as well, and in hers she got a cute plant growing kit, and some shampoo and conditioner, instead of the book and tupperware. 

     Please remember the holiday's we celebrate have been commercialized so bad that it is all about the buying of things, giving presents and making money. But that is not what they should be! They should be about family, loving, kindness, and sharing.  <3 Karen

*** 

Hey All! Meg here! Happy Easter! I just wanted to share with you the adorable basket Karen sent me for doing Easter the healthy way! First of all, it has the most amazing salad lunch kit which will be perfect for me to take to school on those long day to keep my veggies cold and ensure that I'm eating healthy! It also had little goodies like an inspirational book, yummy smelling hand lotion, lip gloss, nail-polish, and my favorite deodorant [yep, haha!] for using while I run, but still feeling fresh [that stuff is pricey!!] Oh, and I also got a couple small pieces of chocolate! Because if you don't know this about me already, I LOVE chocolate. It's my achilles heel for sure. Hope you enjoy and are inspired to put together healthy fun baskets for your friends, family, or lovely sisters next year! <3 Meg

Megan's basket from Karen <3

 

{potato leek soup}

As a {{single person}} I have always found it hard to cook for just me. Shopping is not made for just the single person, and when you freeze the extra it just ends up getting freezer burn. Left overs never last long, and lets face it, we dont like eating left overs anyway. So I found a Healthy cook book that is just for me. I am looking forward to being able to try some new recipes that are not only healthy but wont leave me with any left overs. 

     Ingredients                         For 2 servings          For 4 servings

      

      Leeks                                1 Large                      2 Large 

      Butter                                1 1/2 tsp                     1 Tbsp

      Peeled and sliced potato            1 1/2 cup                    3 cups 

      Water or chicken broth              3 cups                        6 cups 

       Salt and pepper                 to taste                       to taste 

Remove the tough outer leaves of the leeks. cut the remaining white and tender lighter-green part of the leeks in half lenghwise and hold the halves under cold running water to make sure that any dirt hidden between the layers is removed. Trim off the root end and chop the leep coarsely. set aside. 

In a heavy 2-quart (or 3 quart) saucepan over low heat melt butter. stir in the leeks. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the leeks are wilted but not brown. 

Add the potatoes, water or broth, salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Serve the soup hot or let cool to room tempature, puree it and serve chilled. 

Per serving- 185 calories, 0.8 g total fat, 0.1 g sat fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 323 mg sodium, 4.4 g protein, 43.2 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber 

     My notes on the soup---- It was very {{easy.}} I also learned that leeks are not the same thing as green onions even tho they look like a jumbo sized green onion. (and yes I had to ask my local produce department manager) I added some extra seasonings, as it was kinda bland, I added garlic powder.I used 2 cans of chicken broth (bout 4 cups)  and the rest water (bout 2 cups water)  I made the 4 servings because I had a friend over, and she thought it was good too... there was some left over and I ate it for lunch the next day and was even better! 

                     ***** A Leek is not the same as a green onion ***** 



<3 Karen 

{Berry-Cheese Braid}

Hey guys, I am so {{sorry}} it has been so long since I have done a recipe for you! You know about me just starting a new job and it has been crazy with training! No excuses I know! Here is the recipe for a very yummy Berry-cheese braid! It was very easy, and {{inexpensive}}.  (And got approval from a friend.) 

Ingredients

1 tub (8 oz) strawberry cream cheese at room temp

1 Large egg seperated 

3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar

1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed (found in the frozen section of any             grocery store) 

1. Heat over to 400*

2. Stir cream cheese, egg yolk, and 1/4 cup sugar until blended. Slightly beat egg white in small bowl. 

3. Place puff pastry lengthwise in center of baking sheet and unfold. With a rolling pin roll out to 12 inch long rectangle. (the one I bought was already perfectly rolled out and folded in to 3 sections which was just how it needed to be!)  spoon cheese filling into 2 1/2 inch wide strip down center. 

4. On both sides of filling cut 1 in wide strips from the filling to edge. (I used a pair of scissors and went from out to in.) Fold across filling overlapping and alternating from side to side. Brush with egg white then sprinkle with tbsn sugar. 

5. Bake for 25 min until puffed and golden. Cool slightly on sheet on wire rack. 

Veriations- use brown sugar and cinnamon spice cream cheese

     {{add chocolate chips}}   (Hello who doesn't <3 chocolate!) 

     {{ add almonds on top }}

                     ***** Just don't forget this will change the nutrition values by a little!

Nutrition:
Serving Size = 1 slice 
Total Servings: 8 per recipe

Per Servings: 
300 cal

4 g pro

27 g carb 

1 g fiber

20 g gat (6 sat) 

55 mg chol

  194 mg sod 

<3 Karen

{Lunch at work}

      Hey {{everyone!}} I wanted to share with you some struggles I have had this last 2 weeks with starting my new job. I first had been off for almost a month so I had gotten used to being able to eat healthy at home all the time, and cook when I was hungry. Well that changed fast! I started training in the next town over (the towns where I live are very small and have a limited choice of places to eat!) So during my training I tried to make the healthy choice, and get the chicken sandwich at mcdonalds (gross I know! I hate mcdonalds too! but when you only get 30 min and you dont know where anything else is... )

 so then I had had that for 3 days... getting old! then I finally started working in my store! and I was so excited they were giving me hours! lots of lots of hours! and no breaks... I worked one day almost 8 hours before I finally told the manager that I needed to get something to eat! so she told me to get something.. what did I get? Mcdonalds right next door! well after that I had had enough. 

      So I {{brought}} my lunch the next day! I was good, I brought a string cheese, a peach, a yoghurt, and some of my favorite honey pringle crackers! totalling 285 calories.. I was supposed to be off at 6 that evening so I was gonna come home and make me a nice healthy dinner... well I didnt get off until after 9, and when I got home I ended up just making me a TV dinner, it was a lean cuisine sesame stir fry for 280 calories and I had an orange. but because of my long hours I was way under my calories. 

I am trying to learn the balance of my hours and planning meals all over again! and its not always fun, and its not always easy, but its something I HAVE to do! I need to get my weight down! I have been very good about doing my ab work outs every night no matter how tired I am! but I have not been able to do any of my running since I started work again.. my schedule will even out in 2 weeks and I wont be working all the over time I am now, and it will be more normal! until then I have to just keep on trying to do what I can to make the HEALTHY choices every day! 

Above is my {{333 calorie lunch!}} I bought a new tupperware that has a cold pack that you place between the bottom and top sections!! I had half a tomato, bell pepper and cucumber, with an ounce of cheese, and some italian dressing, a peach, and a pack of the best crackers in the world! pringles stix!

<3 Karen

{seventh weigh-in}

(February 23, 2013)

It's officially our week 7 weigh-in! Next week we will have our monthly measurements again, so stay tuned! Here's the breakdown:

{Megan} completed her first week of Weight Watchers and lost 2.4 lbs, weight in at 246.4.
   "FINALLY! Ha, I felt like that was never going to happen and I hope this is the change I needed."

{Yvonne} weighed in with a slight gain at 207.7
    "I expected the scale to look like this today since I kind of pigged out last night on a caramel apple w/pizza, haha. Next week!"

{Karen} weighed in with a slight gain at 151.6.
    "I've hit a plateau, but hopefully will see progress soon."

Our over all progress is going well! We've all had to make some slight {adjustments} to figure out what is working for us right now, but things are starting to fall into place and will only get better. {Everyone} will have a gain week, a plateau week, or even month sometimes! When you're on this journey it's not always going to go down consistently, but it will go down if you're patient with yourself and don't give up. You're worth it! <3 Happy weekend everyone!

<3,
Yvonne, Meg, & Karen

  T.F.S.

   {the fitness sisters}

p.s. we'd love to hear from you. You can email us at thefitnesssisters@gmail.com or leave a comment below! Connect with us on facebook at www.facebook.com/thefitnesssisters or on twitter at www.twitter.com/thefitnesssis

{cinnamon pecan streusel cake}

(February 17, 2013)

I love to {bake} and have been trying new things for years, but I have always made high sugar, fat and calorie desserts. As I have been losing weight these last 2 years, I have been very careful not to eat anything that I bake and ruin my diet. If I did eat anything, I would only allow myself to eat 2-3 small bites. So, I went on a quest to find low calorie desserts! I found some awesome recipes and will now be cooking them for you and posting the recipes right here! (and on the recipe page) <3 

This first week I made a cinnamon pecan streusel cake. It was a really easy recipe and turned out {so} good! I would recommend it with a nice hot cup of coffee! All the ingredients were easy to find and it wasn't very time consuming. My overall rating for this is 4.5 stars (and only because I am not a huge fan of nuts in my desserts.)  Enjoy!

This recipe comes from the cookbook "Guilt Free Sweet Treats (Woman's Day)" and was tested out by Karen!

What you need:

STREUSEL:

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp light stick butter, softened

1 tsp water

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

CAKE:

1 3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) light butter, softened

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt 

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cup each, all purpose flour and whole wheat flour

1 container (8 oz) reduced fat sour cream

Directions: 

1) Begin with Streusel- Mix brown sugar, oats, flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add butter and water; rub between fingers until evenly moistened. Stir in pecans; press together to form small clumps.

2) Cake- Heat oven to 350*F. Line a 13x9x2 in. baking pan with nonstick foil, letting ends of foil extend about 2 in. above pan on short ends.

3) Beat sugar, butter, spices, vanilla, baking soda and salt in large bowl with mixer 3 minutes until blended. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Alternately beat in flours with sour cream on low speed until just blended.

4) Spread batter evenly in pan, sprinkle with streusel and bake 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Lift cake by foil ends onto cutting board. Cut into 24 squares.

{Karen's notes} I found that this took 45 minutes to cook, not the 35 suggested by the cookbook. I would set the timer for 35 minutes to check it, but not be concerned if it needs to stay in for an extra 10 minutes! I thought it was really good and I personally would serve it as a breakfast cake with coffee rather than a dessert!

{sixth weigh-in}

It's Saturday again and we all know what that means! Yes, it's time to jump on the scale and see how we've done this week. Here is the breakdown:

{Yvonne} is doing amazing on Weight Watchers and lost another 1.5 pounds this week! Karen and Megan were just saying how proud we are of her for sticking to the plan and already losing nearly 15 pounds since we started this blog 6 weeks ago!
       "I'm just happy that I'm continuing to make progress!"

{Karen} lost about half a pound this week! Progress is progress- no matter what! No loss is small.
        "I'm really happy with my half pound loss this week, especially since I allowed myself to indulge on Valentine's day."

{Megan} gained this week, but will not be giving up or getting discouraged!
        "I have been trying really hard and gaining weight still. I'm going to try a new approach! My sister, Yvonne, is doing so well on Weight Watchers {WW} that I just signed up for 3 months. Hopefully we will see a difference next week!"


We {all} just want to {encourage} everyone to stick through the hard times. Weight loss doesn't always go as planned no matter how hard you try! Sometimes you just have to re-evaluate what is going on in our lives. The three of us are giving it our best shot and regardless of the results we are making the lifestyle {changes} that are healthy for our bodies! We are so proud of each of our sisters- no matter how much we've lost (or haven't). The point is, we're trying and eventually we will figure things out!

We're {so happy} to have you all along for our journey. Don't give up on yours! Don't get discouraged if things aren't going as planned. We will all get there eventually! <3 Please leave us a comment with your feedback, thoughts, encouragement, or if you'd like to share your own story!

<3
T.F.S
   {the fitness sisters}

{fifth weigh-in}

(February 9, 2012)

We've made it just over a month and although it's been a bumpy start, we are all starting to settle into our new routine of living healthy.

So let's get straight to it!

{Karen} is down 2.8 lbs this week!

"This shows that just getting up and moving will get you results, can you imagine what I could have done if I had eaten right too?"

{Yvonne} lost 1.8 lbs this week!

"I'm actually shocked at my loss this week because I have not been on my best behavior with food last week. I'm going to count my blessings and refocus this week!"

{Megan} is down 1 lb this week!

"I'm really struggling with losing as much as I'd like since the beginning of this process, but I'm confident that I will find my way, just like I did in 2011."


All of us are focusing on {healthier} food choices this week! Karen and Megan are kicking it into high gear with the Couch to 5k (and 10k) programs! We will be doing a post on {running} soon. In the meantime, stay tuned for part two and three of our "looking back" blog to see what Yvonne and Megan have to say about motivation and progress. Find part one where Karen shares her story by clicking here.

You can also follow our daily progress on our twitter account: www.twitter.com/thefitnesssis or on facebook: www.facebook.com/thefitnesssisters <3 And as {always} feel free to leave us a message below or send us an email: thefitnesssisters@gmail.com

<3,
T.F.S
   {the fitness sisters}

{looking back: part one - karen}

 
 (February 8, 2013)

What happened to the motivation I had in 2011? I started that year out with so much motivation that I was able to lose 40 pounds in one year. Then 2012 came, and all was lost. So what happened? When I started my weight loss journey in 2011, I was at the heaviest weight I had ever been at: 187 pounds! I was ready to just be healthy again! I stuck to my plan and came really close to achieving my goal that year. However, in 2012 things changed when I started having some health (gi-tract) issues, then the holidays came around, and I didn't have the same drive anymore because I was at my lowest weight of 147 and I had become comfortable with my weight. Throughout 2012 I fluctuated between 147 and 157, unable to lose any more weight than I already had from the year before. My goal weight is 135 pounds, which is healthy for my height of 5'4. I'm not going to let another year pass in 2013 without progress! It's time to get my motivation back! This year I need to work on losing my last 15-20 pounds and toning my arms and tummy. Another thing I realized is that it's really important to make yourself look good in order to feel like getting out and doing things. I'm going to make an effort to do my hair and makeup, and get out more and feel more inspired to look my best!

Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

<3,

Karen

{big bites on a budget}

(January 28, 2013)

Today I decided to keep track of exactly how much I spend on {healthy} food for the day. I want to show you that you can also eat healthy on a budget! I had a {delicious} breakfast that consisted of blackberries, a banana, and pineapple! This fresh fruit was 247 calories and only cost $2.14!

For lunch I bought a Stouffer's brand stuffed pepper and an orange for a total of 295 calories and a $3.08 cost. I added some {snacks} to my day consisting of Pringles Honey Butter Crackers (I ate half a serving which is 1/6 of the bag for a cost of $0.33 per serving) and a string cheese. My snacks were {only} 145 calories for the day!

For dinner I bought a footlong "Spicy Italian" sandwich from Subway but saved half of it for the next day, making my serving only $3.11 for a 6 inch sandwich and 410 calories!
My entire day only cost me $9.00 and was 1167 calories, putting me right in that 1200 calorie range I need to be in!

I hope this helps you make {healthy} choices too!

<3,
 Karen