It’s so nice waking up to this in the morning…

I took another 7 mile bike ride along the shore road.  It was so invigorating!  On the quiet ride, I reflected on my past vacations here. 

In my pre-Loser days, my mornings were quite different.  I would wake up, sit around having a leisurely breakfast of a New York style bagel with eggs. bacon and lots of cheese.  There would be more sitting around until it was time to make lunches for the beach.  Lunches would consist of sandwiches on long bakery rolls with Italian lunchmeats and more cheese.  Potato chips were the side with the occasional piece of fruit.  There would only be a short walk to the beach before more sitting and sitting for hours on end.  The sitting continued through much of the evening, too.

I used to call it “relaxing”, but looking back, I realize it was just an excuse to be inactive.  I didn’t want to be active.  At 234 pounds, being active was exhausting.  My whole body would hurt and I would feel lethargic.  And the unhealthy way I would eat would only contribute more to the lethargy.  It was a bad cycle.

Now, an early morning 7 mile ride or a run or even just a walk, is the norm for me.  Sometimes, I get bonus exercise on the beach or in the evening with more riding or walking.

And breakfast is a lot healthier, too…

• 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• 3 drops NuNaturals Liquid Vanilla Stevia
• 1/2 diced peach
• 4 large strawberries
• 1 tbsp. chopped walnuts

Lunch has changed for the better.  Sandwiches are still the go- to choice for ease of packing, but the components are more nutritious.

• Turkey, lite cheese, organic tomatoes and horseradish sauce on Pepperidge Farm German Dark Wheat…

A different kind of chip…

And instead of fruit being optional, it is usual…

Dinner would often be at restaurants with large portions and multiple courses.  Now, I just save one night for an indulgent meal.  Tonight was the night!

THE basket always gets placed right in front of me.  How do they know????

A small dish of caesar salad…

And a satisfying plate of Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe…

Instead of ending with big bowls of ice cream and plopping into bed, the night ends with a long walk…

Then, plopping into bed!

It takes time, but change can happen.  Baby steps to living a healthy life … for a lifetime.

Have a great day, everyone!

Do you try to eat healthy and stay active while on vacation?

We went on our annual excursion to Ocean City this morning.  We love to rent a surrey and peruse the boardwalk…

The husband really was happy about it, although he doesn’t look it! LOL!

Despite some of the crowded areas, we navigated the boardwalk like pros…

And had fun oogling the crazy variety of foods!  This one, I couldn’t believe…

What will they think of next ?!

After our ride, we stopped for lunch at the famous Mack & Manco Pizza…

People LOVE this place.  The line began forming before the shop even opened!  The husband and daughters were excited to try it out.  Obviously, they hated it…

I knew pizza was the plan, but I decided to brown bag it…

Good old turkey, cheese and lettuce on Pepperidge Farm German Dark Wheat…

and some clementines…

We did a little window shopping and I reluctantly stomped my foot in refusal but got outvoted agreed to get the daughters another one of these…

Okay, I know it’s mean, but I hate hermit crabs.  There.  I said it.

We headed back home after our fun(minus the hermie purchase) excursion  and decided to swim at the pool.  I fixed up a snack before splashing… apple, Triscuits and lite string cheese…

and worked it off with an hour of noodle racing in the pool! 

Before getting ready for dinner, I took Rocky for a 1.5 mile walk to tire him out!  He needed his own little excursion

For dinner, we headed to The Pier at Caesars in Atlantic City.  Although, I’m not much for gambling, I love the glitz of the casinos…

We went to The Continental – one of the daughters’ favorites…

So many exciting choices.  I was really in the mood for a noodle-type dish, so I opted for the Pad Thai – vermicelli noodles with shrimp, egg and tofu…

and a side of steamed broccoli…

The husband got the Lamb Flatbread which was lamb meatballs and chickpeas on a flatbread with cheese.  You know I had to try some of that (sorry about the bad pic)…

Aaah, full bellies…

We got finished dinner just in time for the Water Show – lights and fountain set to music…

Cool!

Back out to take Rocky on another excursion!  See ya!

Have a great day, everyone! 

Where is your favorite place to vacation?

I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to bike or run this morning, so I decided to do both!  I’ve heard about brick workouts, but never even thought about it since they are mainly for triathaloners!  Of which I am not.

This morning, I pretended to be though!  I set off on the bike and completed 6.8 miles, then parked the bike, popped in the tunes and took off for a 2 mile run.  My legs felt wobbly and tight when I started to run, but after a mile they were back to normal. 

I stuck to 3:1 intervals…

and saw another runner pass by me with the same hot pink GYMBOSS!  I yelled out to her, “Yay for the GYMBOSS!!!” 

She ran away really fast.

I was a sweaty mess after this and so proud of my mini brick workout…

Believe and achieve, friends. Believe and achieve

I worked up an appetite for a hearty breakfast of oats!

• 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup nonfat milk
• dash salt
• banana
• 2 tbsp. PB2
• 1 tbsp. chopped walnuts

Then, it was time to hit the beach for lots of sitting and reading.  Started my new book…

Yes, I am 12.  And just as mesmerized as every other 12 year old on the planet.

So mesmerized, in fact, that I forgot about lunch! <—–WHAT???  I had to take care of that right away. 

A simple turkey, cheese and lettuce on Pepperidge Farm German Dark Wheat with a side of watermelon and cherries…

and a few of these guys, too…

How do they make puffed air taste so good??

We headed to the pool for a quick swim in the late afternoon, then got ready for dinner.  We went out to a local restaurant …

I started with a small house salad…

And ordered the Sea Scallops served over a bed of Asian slaw with a thai chili soy glaze from the Tapas menu…

Everything was tasty, although not especially filling.  I did end up munching on a few of the daughters’ fries toward the end of the meal!

We planned on mini-golf after dinner, but we’re all too sleepy!  Such party animals

Have a great day, everyone!  It’s AUGUST!!! <—-What????

Are you a Twilight Saga fan?