Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Advocare 10 day Cleanse - Ready to Go!!


The fridge is stocked, instructions have been memorized, and the Becknell Team is ready to start our second 10 Day Advocare Cleanse!

After Wurstfest, we really need to get back to normal and on track with healthy eating and living.  I gained about 6.5 pounds on our vacation - NOT GOOD!  We ate mostly beer, red meat and deep fried things.

So we are starting today (11/16/15) to fix the food issue at least.  We plan to re-join a gym starting in December (when they have good deals!) to get our muscles & cardio back in shape too.

Kris Starting Weight = 162
Kris Goal Weight = 155
Mark Starting Weight = 233.5
Mark Goal Weight = 210

We can do it!!!  We have the tools!

Friday, October 9, 2015

SCONIES!!!!



A cross between Scones and a brownie - retaining all of the biscuit-y goodness of a scone but with a slightly softer texture like a brownie - SCONIES!!!

Below is the original recipe for the actual scones – slightly dryer & more biscuit like in texture.  Also delicious as written.

To make the sconies – I added a little more sour cream (about ¾ cup total) and did not include the Cream of Tartar (because I didn’t have any.)  I baked them for about 16 minutes for the lower end of the time also – so they were doughier.  I also obviously cut them into squares instead of 8 wedges like traditional scone shape.

Enjoy!


Snickerdoodle Scones

For the Scones:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter

For the Cinnamon/Sugar Topping:
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Spiced Glaze:
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and egg; refrigerate until needed.
In a separate small bowl, make the cinnamon/sugar topping be stirring together the sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and toss with a fork to cover in flour mixture. Pulse until mixture looks like coarse cornmeal flecked with pea-sized bits of butter, about 10 to 12 pulses. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together. Shape into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle with cinnamon topping. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 wedges.
Place wedges on prepared baking sheet and bake 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
While the scones are cooling, make the spiced glaze. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until you achieve a thick icing. Drizzle over scones and serve.


Saturday, May 9, 2015

ONE YEAR WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE:

Mark & I started on our weight loss journey on May 9th, 2014.

Our Starting weight was 
Mark: 228.3 
Kris: 180.6

We weighed in yesterday morning May 8th, 2015 at -
Mark:  215 - total 1 year loss of 13.3 lbs!!!  YEAH!
Kris;  159.3 - total 1 year loss of 21.3 lbs!! YEAH!!

We both win...but really I won :)  Go me!!


Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Weight Loss Update - April 1st, 2015



So it is April Fool's Day, but I am not joking - I am a size 8!!  I don't remember being a size 8 even in college.  I have been a size 10 since I got out of diapers, I think!

BUT look - I went shopping, bought SKINNY jeans and they are a size 8!!  Look how happy I am!!


Current weight is 157 lbs and counting.  My new goal is 155 (why not?) and to stay in these Skinny Jeans.

We are also "training" for a week long backpacking trip on the Art Loeb Trail in the Carolinas.  It is a 38 mile hike in fairly rough terrain, so my legs and heart need to be up to the task.

Gotta have motivation...besides being skinny!

Happy April folks!

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Losing it!!

After being snowed in for a week, eating almost everything in the house and not working out ONCE since Friday 2/13 - I decided to weigh in.  I thought for SURE that I would have gained a bunch of weight.

The truth - I lost 3.1 lbs!!  WHAT??  It apparently had been 14 days since I weighed in last, but I lost 3.1 lbs!  I am now 157.8 - WHAT??  (my goal weight was 160 and I was just looking to maintain while helping Mark to keep losing.)

I am going to go with the theory that freezing your butt off helps you to lose weight - shivering is an exercise, right?

Today's Measurements as well:
Leg - 22.5" still
Hips - 36.5" - WOW!!!!  1.5 inches!!!  That is super cool
Waist - 29" - Another whole 1 inch!!!!  Yipee!
Boobs - 34" still
Arm - 12.25" - I am going to chalk that up to more muscles :)

Last Measurements:
Leg - 22.5" 
Hips - 38" 
Waist - 30" 
Boobs - 34" 
Arm - 12" 

WOW!

Sunday, January 4, 2015

My eyes are like Lipid Pools...

So the numbers are back from my annual physical exam on my blood work - some good, some not so great...

Total Cholesterol = 234 (normal is under 200)
Triglycerides = 61 (normal is under 150 - so that is good)
HDL (good) = 79 (normal is 40-60, but higher is better so good)
LDL (bad) = 143 (normal is under 100, so not good)
VLDL (badder) = 12 (normal is 5-40, so good)

Kidney, Electrolytes, Blood Sugar, Thyroid, Red & White Blood Cells, Platelets = all normal!

All in all - pretty good...higher than 2013 numbers by just a smidgen (220 total cholesterol), but still not bad.


Saturday, December 13, 2014

Sisterhood of the Green Pants!


If you all have been with us since the beginning (May 9th, 2014) - you will remember that our goals were to be 200/160, look skinny in our first ever formal photographs, and for me to fit into the green pants that I wore the night I re-met Mark in Lakewood in 2005.

SOOOOooo....I am at 162.5 per the doctor this week (second opinion from a reliable scale - which is nice) 

AND I tried on the famous Size 10T Green Pants that I have loved and lost over the last 10 years...


Today - 12/13/14 - THEY FIT!!!


 And not just fit, but have a little room in the bucket to spare!!  Check out that bucket!


Today's Measurements as well:
Leg - 22.5" - THAT IS ONE WHOLE INCH - no wonder the pants fit!
Hips - 38" still
Waist - 30" still
Boobs - 34" - lost an inch - not exactly where I want to lose, but okay...
Arm - 12" still

Yipee!  Now just have to keep it going to get to 160 and to not blow the whole thing over the holidays...even though I love all the fudge & cookies!!!

On a weirder note - at my annual physical, my pulse was 42 (normal is 60-100) and my blood pressure was 90/58 (normal is below 120/80).  My doctor didn't seem too concerned because I didn't have any other side effects of low pulse (fainting, chest pains, etc.) but she still did an EKG at the office - the second time, my pulse was 51...still low, but all the peaks & valleys looked normal.  She said it is possible that all the healthy living and working out has made my heart super effecient - she said that is common in healthy young adults (I am old though) and MARATHON RUNNERS (absolutely not me!!!) to have low pulses.

I will post my Cholesterol & blood work stuff when I get it back to compare to my Dec 2013 numbers - to see if our lifestyle change has improved that stuff too.

HEALTH!  It is something else!