Last year I was a little concerned with what my doctor told me.  He said, “Danny you are fat and you have high blood pressure.”  I was like, “no you didn’t!”  I was 30lbs overweight and it really did scare me.  When you tell Danny that he has high blood pressure basically he hears “Danny you are going to die of a heart attack on that roller coaster in Orlando and you are going to look like a fatty on beach this summer”  Mean, I know, but that IS what I heard. 

I already belonged to a gym however I thought my 3 times a week doing a 16 minute work out was enough.  I actually spent more time getting changed and showering than I did on a treadmill.  HA!  I showed up 3 times a week but it didn’t matter.  It also didn’t help that my diet was just all wrong.  I mean COME ON, I was eating a lot of fast food and saying to myself, “Danny WTF you have been going to the gym doing these intense 16 minute workouts and you are not losing anything!?” (After weekends of White Castle & solo breakfasts made for 3)

Ricardo got me a free book from his job, the title is “Are you READY” by Bob Harper.  I’m sure the local library has it or you can borrow from me if you want.  OR, I can just briefly tell you what I learned from the book.  I lost 30 lbs and I do feel great however (Thank you! I’m hearing applause??? THANKS.  Stop please – Thanks. sit down!)  it wasn’t easy and it’s not easy keeping it off.  GURRRRL I am craving food all the time!  I learned that going to the gym means NOTHING if you are not changing your eating/drinking habits.  You need to count calories at first if you want to lose weight.  YOU HAVE TO.  It’s a fact that if you are burning more calories than you are taking in you WILL lose weight.  SOOOOOO – why not try it?  Change up your habits, eat more veggies, drop all fast food, less sugar, smaller portions, no candy bars, go for a walk 3 times a week – get active!  One thing I can GUARANTEE is that after a good workout you will feel GREAT!  it’s just the truth.  The book states that you need to count your calories, and put in some good excercise and then you will lose it!  It worked for me.  Simple.  (and you can cheat every so often – I do!)

In the beginning I used this great tool www.myfitnesspal.com.  It helps you determine how many calories are in a particular food.  It was great and after about 2-3 weeks you will be able to calculate this in your head.  If you have an iPhone there is an app for this too. 

I still have slightly high blood pressure but I still ride the roller coasters and my doc says I am fine.  I WILL always have a belly – it will NEVER go away.  Thanks mom and dad for that.     

I just wanted to share this because it worked for me - both the book as motivation and the link above to help me keep track of calorie intake.  As always consult your doctor about EVERYTHING and in the end we should all just be happy and healthy even with a few extra pounds.  :)

This is my first and LAST entry about weight and excercise – too depressing.  Now let me share the video of how to make my favorite summer dish.  enjoy!  (I was a little buzzed during this)

Italian Basil, Tomato, and Pasta Salad:  Prep- 45 minutes  Chill- 4- 24 hours (recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon  salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 5 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup slivered fresh basil sniff sniff
• fresh green beans
• pasta (maybe wheat?)
• yummy cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese YUM

These pickles from Costco are $4.99 and have ZERO calories!  YES ZERO!

Do you have a favorite summer salad or pasta dish?  Post the recipe!  I’d love to try it out.  Also, follow me!