Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is my favorite pasta substitute.  It is a great low carb alternative.  If you ask my mom, she fed it to me when I was little with cinnamon and sugar, but I don't really remember this.  I was reintroduced to it as a dietary alternative when I started watching what I ate in order to lose weight.  If you're like me when I first started cooking with my health in mind, you have no idea how to cook or season certain vegetables, and spaghetti squash was one of them.  I did some research when I first made it, and like most of my other recipes, I found the answer on Instagram!  Instagram has basically become my go-to for food ideas.  Anyway, I thought I'd share with my small blog following how I prepare my spaghetti squash.

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Take a spaghetti squash (pictured above) and cut in half lengthwise.  This is extremely difficult if it isn't fairly ripe.  I used a fairly large knife for this giant squash.  Be very careful so as not to cut yourself and if necessary, cut one side and then the other.

3. De-seed the center of the squash.  It looks a little stringy with pumpkin-type seeds.  Pull all of that out and toss.

4. Place the two halves facing up in a pan with an inch or two of water.

5. Bake for about 30-35 minutes depending on the size of your squash.  This big one took about 45 minutes.  When it is done a fork should be able to easily be inserted and pull away strings of the squash that look like spaghetti noodles, hence the name.

Scrape all of that yummy goodness from the squash shell.  A serving of this deliciousness is one cup!!!

Once the squash is baked and forked out, you can prepare it exactly like pasta.  I have used it instead of noodles with marinara sauce or Alfredo sauce.

Experiment and make it your own.  Sweet or savory.  Whatever you want!!

End of Live Fit Trainer

I have been dreading writing this post, because it means I have to admit I failed.  I quit the trainer after 10 weeks.  I can say that the reason was because I was gaining too much weight and the trainer wasn't working.  However the real reason is that I let my mind get the better of me.  I let negative thoughts over power the positive, and I lost control.  I did learn a lot about myself through this process though in that I learned where I need to improve.  Over the last four years, I have continuously gone through cycles of crash dieting and binge eating.  When I thought I failed and gave up on the trainer, another cycle of binge eating began, like eating an entire box of cookies for dinner.

All in all, I was just mentally and physically drained.  I wish I would've completed the last two weeks of the trainer; however, I don't regret giving myself a break either.  My focus has shifted from losing weight to improving my relationship with food and myself.  My focus is now on my health.

I have started a new program that will help me learn how to intuitively eat and also increase my metabolism.  Throughout all of those cycles of crashing and binge eating, I believe that I have messed up my metabolism, so I will be working to build it up slowly as well.  I am trying IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros).  For more information, you can check out www.iifym.com.  Basically what I am doing is reverse dieting.  I am starting at crash diet level and slowly building up my metabolic tolerance, so to speak, increasing carbohydrate, fat, calorie and fiber intake.  My protein intake will be the same throughout the whole 22 week process.  I am able to eat whatever I want with no restrictions as long as it fits into the day's macros in grams of fat, protein, carbohydrates and fiber.  I also must stay within my calorie intake.  My intake has been personally calculated based on my size and needs.

It will definitely be a process, but I truly believe that this will help me get out of my cycle.

If you have been keeping up with my posts about the trainer, I am not saying that it doesn't work at all.  All diets and workouts work differently for every individual person.  I loved the workouts and will continue to use them throughout my reverse diet.  Also, my cousin chose to do the trainer with me; however, she chose to intuitively eat healthy.  It worked for her, so I would definitely suggest trying the trainer, especially if you are new to weight training and want to learn more about working out.

Thank you all for reading and being so patient with me.  I won't be doing daily posts anymore, but I will be posting again soon with spaghetti squash cooking instructions and hopefully progress and more recipes!