Welcome to the low carb life!

For the second year in a row my office has started the year with a "Biggest Loser" competition. I managed to start off 2011 by losing 20 lbs. And then the competition ended, and I promptly gained it right back... and then another 10 lbs on top of that. I managed to top out too close to 300 lbs to be proud of.

Thankfully this year is different. Last year was about the external competition. This year it's about actually making a change in myself. My weight has fluctuated in and out of an unhealthy range for too many years, and this time, I'm not just planning to lose the weight, I'm flat out getting rid of it.

Many different "diets" have worked for me over the years, but none so much as no/low carb. It can seem rather restrictive in the beginning, but in the end I hope to relearn how to just make healthy choices, hopefully without even having to think about it. Truly, it's not as restrictive as it may seem, you just have to be creative.

So, how has 2012 treated me so far? Well, I began my renewed low carb lifestyle on January 2. It's now February 22, and I'm down a total of 26.5 lbs. That's just about 7 weeks, so yeah, 2012 rocks.

My goal is to lose a total of 100 lbs. No time line, just get it off and keep it off. So that means I have 73.5 lbs to go.

Amazingly enough (to me at least), someone else lost a higher percentage of body weight during the first 6 weeks of the competition. But do I really care? Absolutely not. Fixing myself doesn't mean winning against others, it means winning against myself.

I'm looking forward to documenting my journey, however long it takes. I'll be sharing my successes, my setbacks, and the yummy recipes I discover along the way.

So let's get started... Here's my recipe for mini crust-less quiche that I often eat for breakfast:

1 package frozen spinach (10 oz)
3 extra large eggs
1 cup mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
4 oz low fat/fat free cheese of your choice (I like shredded cheddar or feta, yum)
Black pepper to taste

Supplies:
Cupcake pan (12 slots)
Foil cupcake liners
Cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place foil liners in pan and lightly spray with cooking spray. Defrost and drain as much water from the spinach as possible. Mix in the eggs, mushrooms, onion, cheese and pepper. Evenly divide mixture into cupcake pan (each cup will be approximately half full). Bake for approximately 20 minutes (the quiche will be firm to the touch). Remove liners for cooling. May eat immediately or refrigerate, they reheat well!

I eat three for breakfast in the morning, along with a couple slices of turkey bacon and some coffee. That equates to a rather large breakfast for under 200 calories.