Thoughts: 6.13.09

I’ve been struggling with what my ultimate goal is for weight, forgetting that I had found that Athletic BMI Calculator a while back and even posted on this blog on the left under ‘helpful tools’… I just checked it out and was pleased to see that after losing 30lbs I’ve dropped 4 points in BMI. I’m no longer considered ‘obese’ – I’m just ‘hefty.’ lol… Oddly, this week I feel like I’ve dropped more body fat, but the scale hasn’t budged. I haven’t been so great with eating and drinking enough water the past week due to catching a nasty cold and just being exhausted and lazy. So I’m hoping that after a week or two of eating better and getting more H2O, the scale will budge a bit. 

We just booked a trip to Bermuda for the 3rd week of September to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary – 14 weeks from today. I decided it’s time to lose ‘the next 30′ by then. I’ve had enough of a break and maintained my 30 lb loss for the past month, which is great. I’ve kept up my training [minus this week due to being sick], and I’m ready to commit to making my goal by our trip. My reward, I decided is taking an intro to Scuba dive – I’ve always wanted to go scuba diving, so that’s what I’m working toward. I can’t wait! My husband will have to watch from the shore [or boat] since he gets freaked out by water in general… something to do with one of his brothers almost drowning him as a kid… Ironically, he married a fish. I can swim all day long, as far out as I can get, for as long as possible and I’m in heaven. [I'm a Pisces... he's a Virgo...]. 

I really am amazed at how different I feel just in the last 3 months between losing some weight and boosting my exercise sessions. I’m so much stronger. Last year this time I was still struggling with my balance to even attempt a lunge – now I love them and love how strong I feel when I do them. 

Anyway… getting back to the point of this post… I had ot remind myself that I DO have a goal weight – or at least a decent range that I can, in fact, focus on. My goal weight range is: 163-168 lbs. That gets me in the ‘desireable’ 20-22 BMI range. Getting to 25 and being within the ‘healthy acceptable’ range will be a great next goal, though: 192 lbs. That’s where I want to get to before we leave for Bermuda. It’s good to have goals. 

My plan is to make a short list of  healthy meals and snacks and just staying within that list for the next 3 months, barring exceptions here and there when we go out. I’ve gotten a lot better at making healthier choices, though, and we don’t go out nearly as often anymore, so not a problem. I’ll keep updating as I go along. Time to wash up and get into the city to see the Boston Pops perform for the Apollo 11 Anniversary. Should be pretty cool.  =)

Mini-Meals… Day 2

Well, I slept really well last night for the first time in a while. I went to bed when I was tired – at 10:15, instead of staying up all hours watching TV. My hubby came home really late from work last night and was coming down with a cold. I could tell he was bummed I was going to bed 15 minutes after he got home, but no sense in both of us getting sick. If I had stayed up with him until our usual midnight to 1am, I probably would catch whatever he’s got. I woke up at 5:15 on my own, thinking it was 6:15 and feeling refreshed… that was weird. I stayed in bed until 6am and then did my normal routine of drinking 16 oz of water, prepping some food for the day [fruit salad for both of us for snacking, marinating some boneless, skinless chicken breasts for grilling for lunch], had 1/2 of my morning smoothie, did my hour long workout of cardio drills and abs, showered and was ready to start working at 9am [I'm working from home today - work is 75 miles away so I work from home 2 days a week to cut my costs and car mileage]. Normally I just sleep in on my home days to make up for my lack of sleep, I don’t eat enough, don’t bother showering because I don’t have time to workout after sleeping too long… and the day is a waste. No more of that!

I swear after just one day of eating more frequently and consistently I woke up feeling thinner. lol… of course, the scale didn’t reflect those sentiments, but I don’t care. I was able to fit into a really cute skirt I bought months ago that I had no hope of getting over my hips. It’s slightly snug on my waist, but no ‘muffin-top’ and it was loose on my hips. Woo-hoo! Now I need an occasion to wear it. ;) 

It feels really good knowing I’ve found my formula for health in eating clean. It really is a lifestyle and not a diet and the food is amazing so there’s no deprivation feelings. We went out for dinner last Friday and I ordered calamari and found I couldn’t eat much of it. I stopped automatically when I’d had enough and I couldn’t fathom over-eating on fried food. I just don’t eat fried food much anymore… it wasn’t nearly as appealing to me as it used to be and I found myself wishing I had just ordered a salad. This is coming from the gal that used to order the extra alfredo sauce at Olive garden to dip the endless breadsticks in! [ewww] LOL

I also noticed my endurance was better in my workout this morning. There are a lot of football-type drills in it that I couldn’t finish the full minute or two of, I’d have to stop before it was time to catch my breath. I finished almost all of them this time and it felt amazing. I’m actually starting to think of myself as an athlete again. I was always very active as a kid and teen until life got in the way. I’m looking forward to taking back all my favorite sports one at a time as I get more and more fit. I think it’s time to set a tennis date with a friend of mine and see what I’m made of. I used to play all the time when I was younger, and was pretty good… my friend’s been playing for 15+ years and still plays once a week so it could be great or it could be incredibly frustrating for him. lol… 

Other sports to take back: Biking, running, downhill and xcountry skiing, ice skating… even going sledding in the winter. This past winter would have been amazing for sledding with all the snow we got, but I wasn’t quite there yet… I actually wouldn’t know where to go around here – where I live, everything is FLAT. I do go hiking and occasionally I go swimming. I used to do 100 laps a day at the gym I belonged to – it had a great, olympic sized pool. I’d do my 100 laps freestyle and back stroke, then go do cardio… I always took my fitness for granted until it was completely gone and I found my knees giving out just walking down the stairs. I assumed it was just the price of getting old [yes, I thought this in my mid to late TWENTIES! Duh! lol]. Now I feel as good as, or better than I did when I was 18!

Mini Meals… Day 1

I actually stuck to an eating schedule today and ended up eating 7 mini meals… It was nice not getting ravenous or light-headed. And I actually drank more fluids, too. I just made a great broccoli cole slaw with a hint of asian flavor in the dressing [miracle whip, agave nectar, mirin, miso, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar and grapeseed oil], and tossed it with some freshly dry roasted walnuts and some naturally-sweetened dried cranberries. Delicious and very satisfying. I had assumed that I’d eat one more time before going to bed, but now I’m not so sure… It’s almost 9:00 and I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near approaching hunger again. If I had known I would have thrown in some form of protein, too. I got protein today by way of my morning smoothie, which I broke up into 2 mini meals… my chicken stirfry for lunch, yogurt with my fruit salad [I make a dip with some vanilla, agave and cinnamon], and I had some yogurt on a brown rice cake with a little olive tapenade mixed in to hide the flavor of my protein powder. So, now that I’m thinking about it, I guess I got enough protein today. lol… 

I started a food journal today, as well, to track what I’m eating, when and to see how it affects my weightloss efforts. I’ve tried keeping a food journal before and failed miserably, mostly because I wasn’t ready to eat healthy – so wasn’t ready to face the reality of just how unhealthy I was eating in black and white. lol… I can laugh about that now. I’ll say this, I never stopped trying – I failed a LOT, but at least I never gave up. I just had to bite the bullet and realize that no magic ‘diet’ or pill was going to lose the weight for me. I used food for emotional reasons my whole life. Now that my emotional health is great [and has been for 2-3 years steadily], it’s just a matter of ditching the old, unnecessary, DESTRUCTIVE eating habits. 

They say building your ideal body is 10% genes, 10% exercise and 80% nutrition. No wonder I haven’t had success until now… If I had read that stat a few years ago I would have scoffed at it or rationalized my eating habits and blamed my genes or something childish. Progress is a great feeling.  =)

Attitude Shift

I realized today that my attitude toward food has changed dramatically over the past few months. I no longer think about what I can and can’t have. It’s not about that anymore. It’s about what I want and don’t want in my body. I’ve been training harder the past few months using the ‘ChaLEAN Extreme’ program from Chalene Johnson [via beachbody.com], which emphasizes heavy weight strength training and intense interval cardio drills and resistance intervals, and I’ve noticed such a dramatic difference in how I feel, physically… so the thought of putting garbage into my new found ‘Lamborghini’ is almost unthinkable. I say ‘almost’ because here and there I let myself indulge – but I’ve gotten much better at having a taste of something vs. a whole slice of whatever. And it’s fewer and farther between than it used to be. I focus on what I love to eat, that’s healthy, clean and delicious. I’m having fun with making up new recipes that are fast and easy. I find myself ordering salads in restaurants far more often. 

My magazine subscriptions have changed, too. I used to subscribe to ‘girlie’ fashion staples like Cosmo, InStyle, Glamour, etc… but now I get mags like Oxygen, EatingWell, Clean-Eating, and Bon Appetit. They’re full of ideas and inspiration for eating and living well. Seeing the gorgeous physiques of the women in Oxygen is very motivational, too. I used to see bodies like that and think,’I'll never look like that.” Well… now I know I will. I’m well on my way. To date, I’ve lost 30 lbs. and I’m starting to see muscles in my arms I haven’t seen in a long time. I still have a ways to go, but I’ve put 1/3 of it behind me now. I relaxed for a few weeks once I hit the 30 lb-gone mark, but used the holiday last week to refocus and recommit. I’m onto ‘the next 30′ now. 

I still don’t know where my weight will end up. I have nothing to go on. My weight ranged from 150 to 170 in highschool, and I was never bigger than a size 10 [I'm 5'7"]. I know I already look great at 180, but maybe I’ll trim down to 150 – who knows. The best part is – I don’t care. The scale has no power over me anymore. It’s just a unit of measurement – as well as my waist – which is down 8″ since the start of my journey last year.

I have friends who are overweight – a few of them obese. I used to eat the way they did and tell myself the things they do – the whole, “I’ll start dieting on Monday… today I’m going to eat whatever I want.” [and then never starting or stopping a few days after]… or “I just look at a piece of cake and I gain 10 lbs – life isn’t fair” while munching on a huge piece of cake after a fattening 3 course-meal. I know they’re in denial, but it’s not up to me to point it out. I’m here if they decide they’ve had enough and want to make a change. I’m more than happy to share what I’ve learned so far, but I’m on my own journey. It’s definitely an eye-opener when I see them eating and hear them rationalizing it or making excuses. I used to do that same. It makes me sad for them and for how I was myself for 20+ years, but it’s also motivational to know that I’m not like that anymore.

I’ve also learned that setting date-oriented weightloss goals is pointless and now that I”m not in a hurry it just seems that much easier. My husband and I have our 7th wedding anniversary coming up in September and we’re thinking of going back to Bermuda. Old me would have thought, “Okay… I have 16 weeks until we leave, so if I can lose 3lbs per week, that’s 48lbs… but I can probalby do 50 lbs, and then I’ll be a size ‘x’ and… then I’ll finally enjoy a vacation and not feel self-conscious in my bathing suit.” I think about that now and think how stupid that sounds. Even though I have a long way to go, I already feel so much better about myself and so much more confident – and have so much more respect and love for what my body can do – that I can’t imagine feeling ashamed anymore. I can squat 70lbs for crying out loud – that is AWESOME! lol… so what if I’m not a 90 lb weakling with knobby knees and a prematurely wrinkled face from lack of nutrition and calories and a premature hunch from having no muscle for proper posture. It still baffles me that people find that attractive.

I don’t have any regrets – because of my ongoing struggle with my weight since the age of 10 I’ve learned so much about the human body – that I feel like I’m well prepared to do what I can to have the healthiest, happiest life possible… but that being said, sometimes I wish I could have figured it all out sooner. Better late than never, right? If I had better role models growing up I wouldn’t be writing this right now. All I can do is make sure I’m the better role model when WE have kids so they never have to go through all that emotional turmoil and self-hatred.

Breaking the cycle… one day at a time.

Thoughts: 5.12.09

I’ve been home for about a month now since dropping my life to go take care of my mother and grandmother in Florida. It was a scary time, but now that it’s behind me, I can say there were things that I gained from the experience. I realized that I’m capable of jumping into a situation like that and doing what I need to do, despite how scared, tired, stressed I am. I learned that my grandmother and I have a lot more in common than I ever thought and now we’re closer than we’ve every been at any other time in my life. Such a great bonus. And it also just reaffirmed what I already knew – that we all need to take care of ourselves if we want to stay strong and healthy – and not rely on family or strangers to care for us when we suddenly fall ill… In the 2 or so weeks I was there, I ate really well – and I lost 8 lbs. I lost 2 more when I got home and then I’ve kind of held  - which I suppose is called a ‘plateau’ but I know it isn’t a true plateau. I’ve relaxed my eating a little bit and I started weight training again after not doing it for 3 weeks, so my body is just adjusting. I’ve since lost another inch of my waist, so I know I’m still burning fat despite the lack of movement on the scale. To date I’ve lost 28 lbs. I’m shooting to lose another 48 lbs or so and then taking it from there. It’s really not about the weight so much anymore – it’s about how I feel. 

One thing I’ve not done well since coming back is sleeping – we just adopted a friend’s 4 year old cat and in the last 2 weeks, he’s woken me up repeatedly at night. It’s getting better – he’s starting to understand that we’re not pleasant when we’re woken up by him walking all over us… but the lack of sleep is finally catching up to me now. I need to get more sleep or else all this hard work and eating clean wont’ show. 

I’ve been so behind on all my various projects and hobbies… I have a movie review blog that I’ve neglected and have 4 reviews to catch up on – including one for Star Trek. Which was incredible, BTW – if you haven’t seen it and are thinking about it – GO SEE IT. It’s worth it. It’ll be tough to beat this season as the best summer blockbuster. The only other movie I’m just as excited for is Terminator: Salvation. [I love action flicks, in case you couldn't tell!]. 

Anyway… just wanted to check in. I need to get back into a routine so I post more frequently. In the meantime, that little furry bugger is our new cat, Norm. The cause for my crappy sleep, but he’s also melted my heart, he’s so dang cute and funny. I’ve always believed that cats are literally hours of free entertainment. lol… 

Cheers!

Mom Update: 4-4-09

My Mom and Grandmother are napping so I have a little time to myself and thought I’d post about how I’m doing while down in Florida, taking care of my mom after she had a stroke a few weeks ago… She’s doing much better. She’s on insulin, glucose-blockers, a blood thinner and a cholesterol med daily. Her sugar has gone down from averaging around 280 while in the hospital, to being in the high 100’s. Yesterday it was 174, this morning 190. I’m going to check again before lunch and dinner now that we have the glucose meter working. So much has been a learning curve, but it’s getting easier. 

Since I’ve been here I’ve lost almost 4lbs so I’m up to 22 lbs lost so far, which is nice. I’ve been eating great, not missing junk and since I’m in control of the meals, it’s been easy to eat what I want – which is healthy food. I’m still relying on my huband or friends online when I need to talk, releasing all the emotions as I feel them and not turning to food to help me stuff it all back inside. This is the first tough time in my life that I’m not relying on food to ‘get me through it’ – only proving to myself once and for all that I don’t need for for anything but fuel. Instead of craving candy or sweets, I crave berries. Instead of wanting chips or something crunchy and junky like that, I have an apple or a carrot and get the same chomping satisfaction. I think my new-found eating habits have stuck and I’m lucky I had a few weeks under my belt before I had to stop my life and come down here to help out. 

I’m hoping my eating habits will rub off on my mom while I’m here. She has me for another 5 days or so before I have to head back home… I’m teaching her how to journal so she always has info at her fingertips – to track everything from amount of sleep to when she takes her meds, what she’s eating and how it makes her feel, notes to herself so she doesn’t worry she’s forgetting something – her short term memory is still shaky and she still has a lot of trouble with numbers… everything else seems fine, though, so that’s great. 

This has definitely been an learning experience – and by that I mean, I’m learning what I’m made of. I didn’t think I could hack it but I’ve done pretty well. I’ve been really emotional, but also productive and supportive and I’ve learned a new level of patience, too, so overall, I think this is going to be one of those great experiences you look back on and even though it sucked at the time, you’re glad it happened.  =)

I’ve also kept up with exercise, but not to the level I was doing at home. It’s just not possible with everything I have to do to take care of 2 picky adults set in their ways. lol… but I’m doing pushups, squats, situps, yoga, etc. while watching TV at night after everyone is asleep. Even 15 minutes a day has helped me stay strong and kept my energy up. And now that my mom is out of the woods, I’m sleeping better and my digestive system is back to normal. I had diarrhea the first week and a half from stress… but all is better now.  =)

Ironically, I just took one of those dumb quizzes on facebook that was ‘what is your real age?’ and it has a lot of very specific medical and lifestyle questions. With everything I’m doing [or not doing] it says my true age is 16! I laughed because I’m 35, but then I thought about it and I feel just as strong and have just as much energy as I did back then, so I suppose it’s not far off. I also tested my own blood sugar yesterday once I figured out the meter. I was hungry and hadn’t eaten in a while and it came up 95, which was great. Normal is 100 on an empty stomach and 140 2 hours after eating. Mine was a little low but I was hungry and was about to eat, so I was really happy to see it.  =)

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Weightloss to Date: 22 lbs.

Reality Check

I’m in Florida right now because my Mom had a stroke last Friday and has been in the hospital ever since. Luckily it was a ‘mini-stroke’ , but after doing a bunch of testing to find the cause, my mom had a bunch of other health issues come to light. My mom is very overweight and very inactive, and she’s almost 65 years old. She’s been overweight since I remember. Actually, I hate saying it because it almost feels disrespectful, but she’s technically morbidly obese. Turns out she has a lot of blood clots that have already travelled through her heart and are now in her lungs – I guess one of them got to her brain and there are many more that could have if she didn’t go to the hospital. She’s going to be okay, but unless she changes her lifestyle and starts moving, she could end up right back in the same place – or worse. 

This week has been horrifically stressful, but I’m proud to say I haven’t used food for comfort. I’ve let myself cry when needed and I’ve been exercising when I can – usually late at night before bed right next to the bed on my yoga mat for a few minutes… and I’ve been talking to friends and family online and on the phone. I feel like this was a huge test for me, to see if I was really committed to living healthy, and I’m passing with flying colors. I wish I had a scale with me [my mom has one, but the battery is dead]. In the last month and a half or so, I’ve lost 13 lbs rather effortlessly. Being here in Florida now is great because all my summer clothes that were tight on me last summer either fit me perfectly now, or are a little loose. I look better in my bathing suit, too. 

I have a long way to go. I have another 72-77 lbs to go [not sure where I'll end up for an ideal weight - it's been too long and I'm way more active now that I ever was when I was 'thin'... so who knoww?], but I really don’t anything but success at this point. I’ll have ups and downs, but there’s no turning back. I feel too good to go back to eating crappy. And before I had to suddenly fly down here, I really enjoyed lifting heavier weights and doing fewer reps. That has made a huge difference, along with more intense cardio interval workouts in between strength training sessions. I really want to hit my target before we decide to start a family – so I don’t have all the hangups and bad habits to deal with on top of being a new mom and being exhausted. I figure if I can survive what I’m dealing with now, I’m good no matter what life throws at me.  =) 

So, I’m planning on staying here for a little while to get my mom home and settled and also to give her some tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way to make eating healthy EASY – like steaming fish, shrimp, scallops, etc. in the microwave with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, etc. – or whatever flavors I’m in the mood for… making big pots of whole grains like brown short grain rice [instead of barley, which I can't eat... gluten issues], millet, quinoa or black venus rice and using it in so many ways – as breakfast with some almond milk and agave, cranberries and walnuts… as a salad with beans, parsley or any green herb, garlic and spices… in soups to add texture and flavor… or as a side dish to whatever I’m making. I also love making a bean salad to use as is, to mix with rice, or add to soups, or have as part of a salad… snacking on really great fruits, or veggies with hommus – which can be made with so many flavor combinations and with so many different kinds of beans- the possibilities are endless! And almond milk – adding it to protein shakes, or having it in coffee or tea instead of milk. I love the texture and flavor – it does wonders and makes having some hot tea after dinner instead of ‘free-munching’ in front of the TV actually satisfying. And then making batches of soup with chicken stock, seaweed and whatever else I’m in the mood for – vegetarian as a snack or appetizer… or I’ll add lean protein, chunky veggies or lentils if I want to make it a meal. I love all the food I’m eating and don’t feel like my diet is lacking – thanks to the whole grains. I don’t eat wheat anymore unless I’m out and feel like some good bread with my meal, but I don’t buy it and keep it in the house anymore. I also don’t buy dairy anymore, except for good parmasan because a little goes a long way for adding flavor. But if I feel like having a starbucks’ latté now and then, I go for it.  =) It’s all about balance… and I’m finally finding it!

Anyway, hopefully my mom can learn from my experience and get her own health back on track. I’m going to try to help motivate her by telling her that for every 25lbs she loses, I’ll come down for a long weekend and help her with something – like decluttering her room, or buying some updated kitchen basics and clearing out her cupboards. She’s a pack rat and it’s kind of crazy. She needs to simplify her life and she’ll feel a lot more calm and happy. I also told her she needs to get a dog when she’s ready – when she can walk at least 20 minutes at a time without pain… that way she’ll have to get out and walk her dog a few times a day. She’ll get exercise, the dog will love her for it and she’ll meet new friends along the way – it’s win-win!  =) 

Time to do some crunches, pushups, squats and lunges… it’s 12:10am… then time for bed!

Food & Inflammation

I’ve been reading for years in various diet books, health magazines, etc. that inflammation is at the root of many ailments, causing everything to minor discomfort to autoimmune issues. So I was excited to come across an great nutrition site, sort of by accident while searching for information on mung beans. lol… 

NutritionData.com

It has many fresh foods already listed with an option to add your own, but what’s great is, if it has the info, it tells you how inflammatory or anti-inflammatory your food choice is. I’m not 100% sure what the range is of their scale, but I’ve found a few foods that are superstars in the anti-inflammatory category. Most I already knew about, or knew they were “superfoods” already for their nutritional content. A score of ‘0′ means a food is neutral, and a negative score means it has inflammatory properties:

Garlic: 4863 [raw]
Cayenne Pepper: 1481
Atlantic Herring: 1340
Hazelnut Oil: 1357
Olive Oil: 1137
Salmon: 895
White Tuna, packed in water: 698
Almond Butter: 636
Macadamia Nuts, dry roasted: 636
Broccoli Raab: 608, cooked [vs. broccoli: 79 cooked]
Sweet Potato: 505, steamed, no skin
Onions: 466, cooked 
Parsley: 301
Ginger: 129

I put ginger on there as references because we’ve all heard about ginger’s amazing anti-inflammatory properties, so it goes to show just how amazing those other foods are for the same benefit. Most greens like collards, swiss chard, kale, etc. actually are more anti-inflammatory after they’ve been cooked, between the 200 and 400 mark. 

A few other trends I’ve noticed in looking up all the foods I eat regularly are:

- Fruits are pretty close to neutral for the most part, maybe slightly inflammatory, but their nutritional benefits make them a no-brainer for health.

- Most veggies are either neutral or mildly anti-inflammatory, with exceptions listed above which are high on the anti-inflammatory scale. The one exception I found was corn with a score of mild inflammatory at -58 – but corn is technically a grain…

- Most grains and legumes are moderately inflammatory, the highest being wheat, the lowest being lentils with a score of -11. 

- Hot peppers score pretty high on the anti-inflammatory scale  at 300-400.

- All seafood have anti-inflammatory properties, none are inflammatory [that I checked - everything from tilapia, to mussels to king crab]

- Eggs are anti-inflammatory raw, but get more and more inflammatory the more they’re cooked, but even cooked they’re only mildly inflammatory.

- Most meats are inflammatory, but only mildly. In the case of beef, the better the cut, the less inflammatory it is [assuming you don't eat any fat left on the steak after cooking]. Sirloin is actually mildly anti-inflammatory with a score of 58.

- Dairy, including plain yogurt seems to be mostly mildly inflammatory, with no real difference between a low-fat option vs. whole milk option [in cheese, yogurt, etc.]. It seems the creamier the product, the higher it is on the inflammatory scale. Sour cream scores close to -300. 

Anyway… I just found this pretty interesting and thought I’d share.  =)

Eating Plan… It’s Working.

I mentioned in my last, rambling post that I’ve been watching a lot of that British show, “You Are What You Eat” and I’ve gotten a lot of great ideas from it. I also discovered Almond Milk as a replacement for milk and cream in coffee, tea and smoothies, even porridge [vs. oatmeal since I make it with anything but wheat products!]. I’ve also upped the fish and greens, I’m eating fruit by itself as snacks between meals, and at night, when I have the munchies I go for tea with almond milk in it, sweetened with a little Agave Nectar, or I’ll crunch on veggies and some kind of bean dip… or a bean and rice salad. Something along those lines – filling and flavorful. And so far, it’s working! This past week I’ve lost 3 lbs. My total so far from my heaviest is 15.8 lbs. I’d like to lose another 70 lbs or so to reach my goal range, and I’m finally on my way! 

The keys for me are making a pot of whole grain something: quinoa, black venus rice, short grain brown rice, millet – and having it handy to make breakfast as a porridge with almond milk, agave, dried cranberries and some walnuts or pecans… on it’s own mixed with beans and oil/vinegar and fresh herbs and spices as  salad – using that on a green salad or in soups… And then baking off some fish in a little lemon juice, olive oil and whatever spices I’m in the mood for. I make extra so I have it ready to go for meals for a few days. Finally, prepping and washing all my vegge on Sundays makes it so easy to grab and go – for salads, sides, or raw with dip, added to soups, etc. I also use my pantry for white tuna packed in water, clams packed in clam juice, smoked trout [my fav!], and any variety of beans if I don’t have time to soak and cook them fresh [or dry, really...]. So far, this is working for me – adding in the almond milk and the whole grains gives me enough options and variety. So far, so good – no cravings for my usual junkfood – but I’ve also noticed that even when I do indulge in a dessert or I have some dairy with a restaurant meal, it doesn’t have that big an effect. I’m eating healthy 90% of the time. I’ll keep you posted on how this goes… it’ll be interesting to see if my rate of weightloss continues or if it slows after a few weeks. We’ll see – but I feel great and I’m loving the food, so I’m quite happy.  =)

Thoughts: 2.27.09

Technically it’s the 28th now, but I haven’t gone to bed yet. So until I do, it’s still my birthday. lol… I turned 35 today. It feels strange. Last year, when I turned 34 I felt older than 34. I convinced myself it was because I was ‘wise beyond my years.’ Now I realize it was because I felt older physically. I was tired, stressed, and my diet was atrocious. I started working out around this time last year and I’m still keeping it up. I can’t imagine life without exercise. I’ve upped my workouts by adding heavier weight-lifting 2-3 days a week, and amped up my cardio workouts by doing drills and intervals, along with kickboxing. So, turning 35 this year is weird, because I realized that I feel more like 28…

I still have a lot of work to do. I’m working on my diet – an on-going struggle as I am a world-class ‘foodie.’ I LOVE cooking, and love EATING. lol… I don’t eat nearly as badly as I used to, but I still have my vices. I, like many, am a chocoholic. I’ve switched to dark chocolate, which has helped – it’s less sweet, so I don’t need as much. But I’m coming close to giving it up entirely… sugar is sugar and once I have some I just want MORE.

I’ve swapped out drinking cow’s milk for Almond Milk, and surprisingly, I don’t miss milk. I use almond milk to make chai-style teas [sugar free] and hot cocoa sweetened with a little agave nectar instead of sugar. I also use it in my morning protein smoothies, that are a variation of my ‘infamous mud’ – it actually looks like mud now… it’s usually a greenish-reddish-grey color. It looks disgusting. Luckily it tastes really good. I’ve figured out the perfect balance of liquid nutrients, fruit, almond milk, cranberry juice, flax meal and protein powder. It’s delicious, satisfying and it only takes a couple of minutes to whip up. I’m also snacking more on just plain fruit. Not fruit with cheese or nut butters.

Lately, I’ve realized that when I have a snack and I’m still not satisfied, tea usually does the trick – or chewing some minty gum. I’m finally realizing that when I stress eat, I’m not hungry and I don’t necessarily need food. I just need to chew on something… I do plan on stocking back up on seeds – I love pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds – both high in zinc and fibre, so very healthy. And I’m having fun coming up with different hommus-style bean dips using different kinds of beans and flavorings – always filling and delicious with some raw veggies. I’m also going to attempt to make crackers from scratch without using any wheat… I’ll try it with millet, my new favorite grain, and whole flax seeds, along with plenty of flavors from garlic and spices, sesame seeds, etc. 

I’m happy to say, that after trying to like greens over and over – and failing miserably, I’ve finally figured out how to prepare them so that I do like them – kale, collards, chard… Lemon and garlic, steamed in the micro for kale and chard, julienned and tossed into salads or soups for collards. I eat them almost every day now. Mission accomplished! lol…

Now I’m trying to figure out what to do with nori – how to turn it into some kind of crunchy snack… I use kombu in soup several times a week now, and I’m just starting to incorporate wakame into stirfrys. I have to say, I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration lately between Clean-Eating Magazine and You Are What You Eat – a British reality show on BBC America about Gillian McKeith – a holistic nutritionist who overhauls people’s diets putting them on a strict, natural detox plan full of fruits, veggies, fish, pulses, seeds, nuts, eggs, and ‘white meats’… she’s pretty creative with her menus – and she’s absolutely BRUTAL on the people in the show. She’s about ‘tough love’ and the guy that narrates it is hilarious. I don’t know if the show would fly as-is in America if they were to do a US version… it’s so NOT PC… but it’s refreshing to hear her tell people like it is. My husband hates the show for one reason – McKeith alway examines peoples “poo” to assess how their insides are doing. I have no problem with this – I used to scoop poop for a living [mucking stalls on a horse farm]… It’s just another layer of “shock treament’ for these people who are so overweight and unhealthy and need a drastic change before they end up in a box.

Anyway… today was a great day. I slept in… got an 80 minute massage [which hurt like hell, but I felt like a million bucks afterward], relaxed at home and then my hubby took me out to dinner at our favorite restaurant – a little French Bistro, where the food is so fresh and cooked to perfection. Plenty of fresh veggies with the main course. And I did get a dessert [it is, afterall, my birthday!], but only had a couple of bites before boxing it up. Such a great day… I dont’ want it to end, but I really should get to bed!

=D