We eat a lot on Thanksgiving, and if you are trying to maintain a level of a healthy lifestyle, then that eating can really take you off course. I don’t except anyone to attempt to count the calories they digest tomorrow, but maybe we can keep a good perspective on what we are eating and trim down the extra with these quick tips I have for you.
1. Have a healthy breakfast: continue to eat oatmeal with fruit, or egg whites on whole wheat toast, whatever it is you are eating for your usual breakfast keep that up. Don’t have homemade cinnamon rolls and certainly don’t go buy a dozen doughnuts, because you want to save all those calories for the wonderful meal you will eat later on.
2. Eat a balanced meal: Have smaller portions of the carb loaded side dishes, include the vegetables, the salad, and a healthy portion of turkey.
3. Choose your favorites over store bought: If you can’t wait to eat some of those homemade rolls, or pumpkin pie, don’t sit down and eat store bought brands at the first meal you have. Homemade is usually easier on your digestion, and most likely made with healthier ingredients (not always), so stick to the family recipe this year!
4. Ignore the peer pressure: Your bottomless pit brother-in-law is eating everything, has had seconds, and now is eyeing your plate. Don’t feel pressured to try each item at the table, if you miss out on the yams, gravy, or any other dish its ok and don’t make up for it by having more of another dish. There’s always something that you’d prefer not to try I’m sure.
5. Skip the seconds: I have a hard time with this one myself, so the trick is to allow your body to tell your brain you are full. Once you finished eating, wait 10-15 minutes before eyeing another plate of food. You might find that you are already stuffed and need to hold off. This way, you can make room for dessert.
6. Taste all your favorites: Taking a bite of your favorite desserts instead of a full slice can help you really feel satisfied and not pack on the weight. Same goes with appetizers and side dishes – 1 taste or just a bite.
7. Dessert as a snack: So, instead of adding on that turkey sandwich while watching the game skip on over to dessert and have a whole slice of pie.
8. Don’t graze: I’m the worst at this, especially if I’m doing the cooking, so watch what’s popping in your mouth as your sitting around watching the parades and football games. Just because it’s in front of you does not mean in needs to be in your mouth!
Have a safe holiday everyone, and if you are doing Black Friday Shopping – remember get a skinny Latte instead of a mocha and save about 300 calories! All that walking/shopping’s going to burn a lot of calories too!
Showing posts with label Cravings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cravings. Show all posts
November 24, 2010
June 07, 2010
Conquering Stress with your weight loss
So, the last 2 weeks have been an enormous amount of stress for me. Not 24/7 intense stress, but that lingering feeling of impending doom stress. That I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop before things just get worse. Every time my cell phone rang I feared the worst. I attempted to combat this stress with the normalcy of my life. Making meals, playing with Julia, have the older kids over to hang out, baking, and especially going to the gym. But even with my gym time and my battles against the stress it still seems to have won over my battle with weight loss. Is there any real ‘weight’ to this? Is the stress really causing me to not loose my weight? And how do I get past this wall?
Research does support some link between stress and weight. Stress often causes people to drop good eating and exercise habits that helped them lose weight. This is certainly true in my case. I had Dairy Queen for desert one night, and caught myself several times attempting to over snack between meals. My intensity in the gym even went down the hill. I just couldn’t get motivated!
The other problem was my fatigue that went along with this stress. I had so much going on in my head that most nights I would wrestle with bad dream, or just not fall asleep at all. When people are stressed they have trouble falling asleep. Studies show that a lack of sleep leads to lower levels of the hormone leptin, which can cause an increased appetite. Tired people often turn to food, too, to replenish their energy. I so did this! I remember thinking how eating more “healthy” foods would benefit me during the time of stress, but just ended up over eating and then taking a nap.
When we are stressed most of us who are attempting to change our habits and loss weight become emotional eaters. When we are making these changes it takes so much more than good intentions and information about nutrition and exercise to be successful. The ability to manage difficult situations and feelings effectively—without turning to food and eating—is a necessary foundation for a successful weight loss plan and healthy lifestyle.
Even when we are having challenges in our lives we are still on this journey to make a better self, and need to find ways to conquer the effects of the stress when avoiding the stress is not an option. I need to remember to have these posted on a wall or the fridge to remind me what I need to do when all I feel like doing is eating or sleeping away the stress. Here is a list of healthy stress reducers.
• Take a walk – even at a slow pace, your body will release chemicals to help build back you’re your feel-good moods.
• Stretch – turn on the radio or TV and stretch out the stress in your muscles. Basic stretches can be found here.
• Work up a sweat – when we exercise we release so much tension in our bodies and this is the best way to allow your body to loose weight and de-stress at the same time.
• Get a massage – this isn’t exactly cost affective in my world, but I have a husband who will work out those tense muscles for me too. This really can help or you to be able to ignore the emotional eating and sleeping, and bring you back to the reality of your weight loss.
• Eat something healthy and tasty after you work up a sweat – fruit smoothie, yogurt & granola, trail mix, and just some plain fruit cut up.
So, how to I move from just making healthy habits to making this my lifestyle and not struggling with these hurdles anymore? There are five most common problems that people run into when attempting to identify, work through, and overcome emotional and mental (attitude) problems that people face when they set out to change their lifestyles. These include inadequate problem-solving skills; unrealistic expectations; toxic guilt & negative self-talk; emotional eating; and lack of intrinsic motivation. We will revisit some of these problems this week with a series of motivating and helpful articles on getting past these challenges.
In the meantime, here is this week’s challenge. Weekly Challenge: Keep a journal of your daily food intake and track when you are emotionally eating (stress, bored, tired, or happy). You don’t need a fancy web site to do this, just pull out a notepad each day and write it down.
Research does support some link between stress and weight. Stress often causes people to drop good eating and exercise habits that helped them lose weight. This is certainly true in my case. I had Dairy Queen for desert one night, and caught myself several times attempting to over snack between meals. My intensity in the gym even went down the hill. I just couldn’t get motivated!
The other problem was my fatigue that went along with this stress. I had so much going on in my head that most nights I would wrestle with bad dream, or just not fall asleep at all. When people are stressed they have trouble falling asleep. Studies show that a lack of sleep leads to lower levels of the hormone leptin, which can cause an increased appetite. Tired people often turn to food, too, to replenish their energy. I so did this! I remember thinking how eating more “healthy” foods would benefit me during the time of stress, but just ended up over eating and then taking a nap.
When we are stressed most of us who are attempting to change our habits and loss weight become emotional eaters. When we are making these changes it takes so much more than good intentions and information about nutrition and exercise to be successful. The ability to manage difficult situations and feelings effectively—without turning to food and eating—is a necessary foundation for a successful weight loss plan and healthy lifestyle.
Even when we are having challenges in our lives we are still on this journey to make a better self, and need to find ways to conquer the effects of the stress when avoiding the stress is not an option. I need to remember to have these posted on a wall or the fridge to remind me what I need to do when all I feel like doing is eating or sleeping away the stress. Here is a list of healthy stress reducers.
• Take a walk – even at a slow pace, your body will release chemicals to help build back you’re your feel-good moods.
• Stretch – turn on the radio or TV and stretch out the stress in your muscles. Basic stretches can be found here.
• Work up a sweat – when we exercise we release so much tension in our bodies and this is the best way to allow your body to loose weight and de-stress at the same time.
• Get a massage – this isn’t exactly cost affective in my world, but I have a husband who will work out those tense muscles for me too. This really can help or you to be able to ignore the emotional eating and sleeping, and bring you back to the reality of your weight loss.
• Eat something healthy and tasty after you work up a sweat – fruit smoothie, yogurt & granola, trail mix, and just some plain fruit cut up.
So, how to I move from just making healthy habits to making this my lifestyle and not struggling with these hurdles anymore? There are five most common problems that people run into when attempting to identify, work through, and overcome emotional and mental (attitude) problems that people face when they set out to change their lifestyles. These include inadequate problem-solving skills; unrealistic expectations; toxic guilt & negative self-talk; emotional eating; and lack of intrinsic motivation. We will revisit some of these problems this week with a series of motivating and helpful articles on getting past these challenges.
In the meantime, here is this week’s challenge. Weekly Challenge: Keep a journal of your daily food intake and track when you are emotionally eating (stress, bored, tired, or happy). You don’t need a fancy web site to do this, just pull out a notepad each day and write it down.
May 22, 2010
Junk Day at the Yard Sale
I ate like crap today. I feel guilty about that. I am not going to do anything about it today. Those are my 3 statements I am making for today and tomorrow will be a new day. Tomorrow will be the day I do something about the food I ate today.
So, here are my confessions on the food I ate.
- 4 doughnuts
- Scrambled eggs
- Vegetable beef soup
- Granola & yogurt
- Greasy hamburger & fries
No, whole grains, no vegetables, no fruit. I feel like crap by the way because on top of all the food, I drank coffee all day and only 2 glasses of water. I have nothing more to say about all of this, and I know very much that I will make up for the junk and lack of exercises tomorrow.
So, here are my confessions on the food I ate.
- 4 doughnuts
- Scrambled eggs
- Vegetable beef soup
- Granola & yogurt
- Greasy hamburger & fries
No, whole grains, no vegetables, no fruit. I feel like crap by the way because on top of all the food, I drank coffee all day and only 2 glasses of water. I have nothing more to say about all of this, and I know very much that I will make up for the junk and lack of exercises tomorrow.
March 06, 2010
Help me De-Stress!
Ok, so apparently I didn’t get the message that I gained weight yesterday since I baked chocolate chip cookies tonight. I only had 2 cookies, but it’s just not something I should be eating. I know that this journey is not suppose to completely restrict me from enjoying life and all that it has to offer, but I feel guilty for eating them. I should be proud that I only had 2, and that I didn’t sit and eat the whole bowl of batter instead.
I’ve noticed that my stress tolerance is much lower the past few days and that usually leads me to eating and stress is a huge factor with your body holding onto fat instead of allowing you to shed it. It can cause blood pressure increases, headaches, fatigue, and digestion problems. I’ve probably had all of these issues this week, so I need to distress some how. My at home exercising doesn’t seem to be allowing for the distressing that I need at this point, and I’m not sure where I can get it from. Some people drink, I usually eat, so I need to find some better coping mechanisms. I love to scrapbook and usually it’s a great outlet for me, but I’m at a pass in that road for the time being as I wait to pick up new photos I’ve printed. So, any suggestions followers?
Other things I’ve been trying include cleaning, sleeping, longer walks, zoning out, baking and not eating all the food, and of course the useless crying jag. I might go track down my knitting and try to finish the baby hat I started in the hospital 2 years ago.
I’ve noticed that my stress tolerance is much lower the past few days and that usually leads me to eating and stress is a huge factor with your body holding onto fat instead of allowing you to shed it. It can cause blood pressure increases, headaches, fatigue, and digestion problems. I’ve probably had all of these issues this week, so I need to distress some how. My at home exercising doesn’t seem to be allowing for the distressing that I need at this point, and I’m not sure where I can get it from. Some people drink, I usually eat, so I need to find some better coping mechanisms. I love to scrapbook and usually it’s a great outlet for me, but I’m at a pass in that road for the time being as I wait to pick up new photos I’ve printed. So, any suggestions followers?
Other things I’ve been trying include cleaning, sleeping, longer walks, zoning out, baking and not eating all the food, and of course the useless crying jag. I might go track down my knitting and try to finish the baby hat I started in the hospital 2 years ago.
March 01, 2010
SHAME ON ME!
I have no excuses for how I ate today! I should know better, and should not fall back into bad habits for no good reason. Okay, now that I got that out and berated myself enough I can move on and pat myself on the back for the hard workout I did this evening to make up for the bad eating of the day.
It all started off well enough, but then I walk into a hospital cafeteria and all the feelings of being in a hospital come back to me and I go for the large cookie worth 480 calories! Then because I already feel bad enough for eating the cookie we get a take and bake pizza for dinner. But, my wonderful husband made me a salad to go with my pizza and I had half a serving of dressing on it. Way to go! Well, tomorrow is another day and I’m just going to have to work out a little harder this week to make up for all the junk that continues to find its way into my mouth.
Daily Calories: 2,220 <-- Way to much!
It all started off well enough, but then I walk into a hospital cafeteria and all the feelings of being in a hospital come back to me and I go for the large cookie worth 480 calories! Then because I already feel bad enough for eating the cookie we get a take and bake pizza for dinner. But, my wonderful husband made me a salad to go with my pizza and I had half a serving of dressing on it. Way to go! Well, tomorrow is another day and I’m just going to have to work out a little harder this week to make up for all the junk that continues to find its way into my mouth.
Daily Calories: 2,220 <-- Way to much!
February 27, 2010
Eating Out is Not conducive to Your Diet
Let me just start by saying I haven’t eaten out this much in one day for a long time, and I will be paying for it for just as long I’m sure. Let’s just begin with a look at what I had to eat for the day, and then you can be disgusted with me.
Breakfast: 3 ¼ Pancakes with light syrup: 375
Lunch: Red Robin Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, And Avocado Croissant Sandwich (no mayo): 609
4 Onion Rings: 297
½ dozen fries: 109
Dinner: Burgerville Grilled Chicken (w/ BBQ Sauce) Sandwich: 321
½ serving fries: 180
8 oz of Barg’s Rootbeer: 160
Snack: Nonfat Chai Latte @ Starbucks: 190
When I began to calculate everything up, especially the Red Robin food, I was so appalled with myself! This is not my normal behavior anymore, and to be honest it could have been avoided. But, for lunch time I was out with my mom and Julia was really enjoying her grandma time, so we went to lunch at Red Robin because it’s kid friendly and let’s face it, good food. I went onto their web site to get all my information, and looked up to see if I could have made any better choices, and it really wouldn’t have mattered if I had chosen a salad over a sandwich. The salads were so large, served with bread, and adding my favorite dressing, ranch, would have been even more calories then what I had with the sandwich. During dinner time Jon had to work late at a home and garden show, so we grabbed a quick dinner at let’s face it the healthiest fast food joint in town, Burgerville. This particular one prints out the nutritional facts with your recipe, so I had it all in hand when I sat down tonight. Very handy!
So, what’s the grand total of today’s dinning out adventure?
Total Daily Calories: 2,240
Not bad for what it all was I suppose, so I can’t fault myself for that. Plus I did a lot of walking today, once in the morning with my mom (about 2 miles) and then again at the mall for about an hour at a medium pace. Tomorrow is another day!
Breakfast: 3 ¼ Pancakes with light syrup: 375
Lunch: Red Robin Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, And Avocado Croissant Sandwich (no mayo): 609
4 Onion Rings: 297
½ dozen fries: 109
Dinner: Burgerville Grilled Chicken (w/ BBQ Sauce) Sandwich: 321
½ serving fries: 180
8 oz of Barg’s Rootbeer: 160
Snack: Nonfat Chai Latte @ Starbucks: 190
When I began to calculate everything up, especially the Red Robin food, I was so appalled with myself! This is not my normal behavior anymore, and to be honest it could have been avoided. But, for lunch time I was out with my mom and Julia was really enjoying her grandma time, so we went to lunch at Red Robin because it’s kid friendly and let’s face it, good food. I went onto their web site to get all my information, and looked up to see if I could have made any better choices, and it really wouldn’t have mattered if I had chosen a salad over a sandwich. The salads were so large, served with bread, and adding my favorite dressing, ranch, would have been even more calories then what I had with the sandwich. During dinner time Jon had to work late at a home and garden show, so we grabbed a quick dinner at let’s face it the healthiest fast food joint in town, Burgerville. This particular one prints out the nutritional facts with your recipe, so I had it all in hand when I sat down tonight. Very handy!
So, what’s the grand total of today’s dinning out adventure?
Total Daily Calories: 2,240
Not bad for what it all was I suppose, so I can’t fault myself for that. Plus I did a lot of walking today, once in the morning with my mom (about 2 miles) and then again at the mall for about an hour at a medium pace. Tomorrow is another day!
February 26, 2010
Friday Night Weigh in Suprise!
February 26 Loss: -4.9
February 19 Loss: -4.6
February 12 Loss: -2.4
February 5 Loss: -4.4
January 29 Loss: -2.1 lbs
January 22 Loss: -4.4 lbs
January 15 Loss: -6 lbs
BMI Today: 47.91
BMI Last Week: 48.74
Total Weight Loss: 28.8
Another amazing weight loss! I never feel like I have really lost much weight, and of course since I’m using my Wii fit for a scale it could easily be off some, but who cares! I am loosing weight, and I am proud of myself for it. I did a last chance workout right before my weigh in, and feel so much better now for it. I hadn’t been able to get a walk in today, so I felt really sluggish tonight.
I also had a huge fatty snack at Jack in the Box, an Oreo Milkshake that I shared with Julia and couldn’t even finish because it was just to much for me (even in a small size). Plus I made spaghetti for dinner, but made sure to only have a small serving (1 cup of pasta).
Daily Calories: 1,557
February 19 Loss: -4.6
February 12 Loss: -2.4
February 5 Loss: -4.4
January 29 Loss: -2.1 lbs
January 22 Loss: -4.4 lbs
January 15 Loss: -6 lbs
BMI Today: 47.91
BMI Last Week: 48.74
Total Weight Loss: 28.8
Another amazing weight loss! I never feel like I have really lost much weight, and of course since I’m using my Wii fit for a scale it could easily be off some, but who cares! I am loosing weight, and I am proud of myself for it. I did a last chance workout right before my weigh in, and feel so much better now for it. I hadn’t been able to get a walk in today, so I felt really sluggish tonight.
I also had a huge fatty snack at Jack in the Box, an Oreo Milkshake that I shared with Julia and couldn’t even finish because it was just to much for me (even in a small size). Plus I made spaghetti for dinner, but made sure to only have a small serving (1 cup of pasta).
Daily Calories: 1,557
February 24, 2010
No Duff, I do not want your cake!
My schedule has become so locked in that when I have to deviate from it I have a difficult time getting all I need to do into the day. I was only able to get 15 minutes of a very quick walk in this afternoon because we had to go pick up Jon from work.
So, getting my heart racing is the whole point, but it can be discouraging when I’m beginning to feel better now that I can’t get in the work outs. Since I wasn’t very active today I kept my calories way down and don’t feel to hungry at the end of the evening for it.
Not much else to report though, except for those darn cravings for cake while watching Ace of Cakes on food network. Doesn’t a big fat slice of chocolate cake sound so delightful? YUMMY!
So, getting my heart racing is the whole point, but it can be discouraging when I’m beginning to feel better now that I can’t get in the work outs. Since I wasn’t very active today I kept my calories way down and don’t feel to hungry at the end of the evening for it.
Not much else to report though, except for those darn cravings for cake while watching Ace of Cakes on food network. Doesn’t a big fat slice of chocolate cake sound so delightful? YUMMY!
February 16, 2010
Long day, let's make this short
Well, I'm still sick but I managed another walk for about 30 minutes. My cheats (yes that's plural) are a slice of garlic bread at dinner, and a tiny slice of brownie at my Financial Peace class tonight. It's time for bed, since we had to go pick up Julia tonight from her babysitting at her grandparent's house. No idea my calorie intake either, since I don't have time tonight to count up dinner. More to come at another time.
February 05, 2010
Friday Weigh In Keeps Going!
February 5 Loss: -4.4
January 29 Loss: -2.1 lbs
January 22 Loss: -4.4 lbs
January 15 Loss: -6 lbs
BMI Today: 49.95
BMI Last Week: 50. 70
Total Weight Loss: 16.9
Well, 4 and half pounds are pretty good compared to last week, and I still wish I could make those numbers larger. I’m still working on making a larger deficient with my calories burned then with my calories consumed.
So, speaking of calories consumed I had pizza and cake for dinner tonight. We went to a family member’s birthday party and it’s usually pizza, soda, and cake when that goes on. One serving a family sized pizza from Papa Murphy’s is 1/12 of the pie. So, I cut that piece into half, and tried four different types of pizzas. I also had a large salad with that, and had the tiniest piece of cake and shared it with Julia. While I was eating all this greasy food I was feeling a little guilty, but knew there wasn’t much I could do about it.
After we left the party I asked Jon if he was still hungry, and we both agreed we felt this empty feeling even though we had eaten plenty of food. This is a common occurrence with “fast food”, where we eat and eat until we feel full and consume twice as many calories as we should have. I had 700 calories with pizza and salad and still felt hungry afterwards. So, even though I feel hungry I know I do not need to eat anything else. I’m not sure the medical reason behind the hunger, but I know that it has so much to do with not being a balanced meal and home cooked.
Total Calories Today: 1,855
January 29 Loss: -2.1 lbs
January 22 Loss: -4.4 lbs
January 15 Loss: -6 lbs
BMI Today: 49.95
BMI Last Week: 50. 70
Total Weight Loss: 16.9
Well, 4 and half pounds are pretty good compared to last week, and I still wish I could make those numbers larger. I’m still working on making a larger deficient with my calories burned then with my calories consumed.
So, speaking of calories consumed I had pizza and cake for dinner tonight. We went to a family member’s birthday party and it’s usually pizza, soda, and cake when that goes on. One serving a family sized pizza from Papa Murphy’s is 1/12 of the pie. So, I cut that piece into half, and tried four different types of pizzas. I also had a large salad with that, and had the tiniest piece of cake and shared it with Julia. While I was eating all this greasy food I was feeling a little guilty, but knew there wasn’t much I could do about it.
After we left the party I asked Jon if he was still hungry, and we both agreed we felt this empty feeling even though we had eaten plenty of food. This is a common occurrence with “fast food”, where we eat and eat until we feel full and consume twice as many calories as we should have. I had 700 calories with pizza and salad and still felt hungry afterwards. So, even though I feel hungry I know I do not need to eat anything else. I’m not sure the medical reason behind the hunger, but I know that it has so much to do with not being a balanced meal and home cooked.
Total Calories Today: 1,855
February 04, 2010
Nonguilty Pleasure
So, tonight I had a Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cone, with 150 calories. I am not ashamed, and I am not guilty. I made a good choice at an unhealthy fast food chain, and I am okay with that. I am going to make this short since I am working late tonight since Julia decided to stay up late from her sugar high (ice cream). Tomorrow is my weekly weigh in, so I’m going to have a last chance workout before I get my numbers.
Total Daily Calories: 1,930
Total Daily Calories: 1,930
February 03, 2010
Making good choices
It’s remarkable when you make changes in your life how quickly those changes become so adaptable to your life. Taking a different route to work, rearranging the furniture in your house, eating healthier, or making a budget for your financial well being. I’ve found that my healthy living changes have become almost second nature to me. I find that I am becoming more capable of making the right choices, and just knowing what is good and what is bad for me.
Instead of having the sandwich at Subway I choose the salad, but I did have the cookie. I don’t want to be someone who continually says no to my cravings all the time. But, by having the salad I was able to give in to the cookie. Now, the food choices are coming much easier then the exercise routine does. I find that there are certain times in the day that I feel much more inclined to workout, and they usually are not the most convenient times. So, I latterly have to find any speck of motivation in the mornings to work out, and well if I haven’t done anything exercise by the evening I really have to make Jon kick me in the butt. (Thanks for that by the way Jon.) The times I do feel like exercising are said to be some of the best time in your day to get your heart rate pumping, the afternoon. Now, a lot of the times this is a convenient time for me because Julia is bored and wanting to get out of the house. The inconvenience of it is that at least half the time it’s raining. So, about half the time I get some of the best exercises in my day, and about the half the time I have snack and sit on the floor playing with toys.
Overall though I am pleased with my mindset and how well I am feelings these days. I have a long journey ahead of me still, and am hoping to make each day a new challenge for myself.
Instead of having the sandwich at Subway I choose the salad, but I did have the cookie. I don’t want to be someone who continually says no to my cravings all the time. But, by having the salad I was able to give in to the cookie. Now, the food choices are coming much easier then the exercise routine does. I find that there are certain times in the day that I feel much more inclined to workout, and they usually are not the most convenient times. So, I latterly have to find any speck of motivation in the mornings to work out, and well if I haven’t done anything exercise by the evening I really have to make Jon kick me in the butt. (Thanks for that by the way Jon.) The times I do feel like exercising are said to be some of the best time in your day to get your heart rate pumping, the afternoon. Now, a lot of the times this is a convenient time for me because Julia is bored and wanting to get out of the house. The inconvenience of it is that at least half the time it’s raining. So, about half the time I get some of the best exercises in my day, and about the half the time I have snack and sit on the floor playing with toys.
Overall though I am pleased with my mindset and how well I am feelings these days. I have a long journey ahead of me still, and am hoping to make each day a new challenge for myself.
February 01, 2010
It's all about the small steps
Well today was a productive day around the house. I was able to get a lot of house work done due to having one of my girlfriend’s daughters visiting for the day to play with Julia and spend some time away from her siblings, but by the end of the day though she was pretty bored. I also baked a chocolate cake, thinking another one of our friend’s was coming over for his birthday, but that didn’t work out. So, I had my girlfriend and her daughters over for dinner, but they didn’t take any cake! So, I decided Jon has to take the cake to work tomorrow and share the love with his co-workers.
Last night I worked out to my Wii Active game, and moved the settings up to high/hard. The end of each routine usually has a 2 minute run (in place), and I usually tap out around a minute and do a fast walk. Usually has something to do with the fact that the sensor isn’t reading my pace, and the game is telling me I’m going to slow. Well, something worked all together last night, and I was able to do the whole run without stopping. In fact, I could have kept going. Let me share something with you here. I HATE RUNNING. When I was much younger (and in shape) I did track, and of course it was probably my healthiest of times in life but I hated having to do the warm up run every day at practice. Once I stopped doing sports I dreaded ever having to go any faster then a fast walk. With knee injuries and lower back injuries I probably won’t ever become a die hard runner any time soon, if ever, but I am glad to see my mediocre accomplishment at this time.
Today I kept in the range of all my nutritional goals (calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein, and sodium) except my darn sodium levels. Even with eating spaghetti for dinner, I managed to only have 1,851 calories today.
Last night I worked out to my Wii Active game, and moved the settings up to high/hard. The end of each routine usually has a 2 minute run (in place), and I usually tap out around a minute and do a fast walk. Usually has something to do with the fact that the sensor isn’t reading my pace, and the game is telling me I’m going to slow. Well, something worked all together last night, and I was able to do the whole run without stopping. In fact, I could have kept going. Let me share something with you here. I HATE RUNNING. When I was much younger (and in shape) I did track, and of course it was probably my healthiest of times in life but I hated having to do the warm up run every day at practice. Once I stopped doing sports I dreaded ever having to go any faster then a fast walk. With knee injuries and lower back injuries I probably won’t ever become a die hard runner any time soon, if ever, but I am glad to see my mediocre accomplishment at this time.
Today I kept in the range of all my nutritional goals (calories, fat, carbohydrates, protein, and sodium) except my darn sodium levels. Even with eating spaghetti for dinner, I managed to only have 1,851 calories today.
January 24, 2010
We attempted another new recipe today for dinner, and it was wonderfully delicious. We pulled out the crock pot and made pot roast and roasted vegetables. The recipe comes from Sandra Lee on the food network, and was full of flavor and leftovers. We even invited people over to eat some of it and sent some home with them. Everything we used was low sodium as well, so it didn’t have a lot of salt to it. Unfortunately she does not give nutritional facts with her recipes, so I had to go hunting down a similar recipe for that.
Here’s a link to the recipe. Pot Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables
It’s way to long for me to post here, plus we used a few different vegetables. And here’s a picture of our meal, along with corn bread.
Cravings have been down today, but I did make it to the store to find some healthy chocolate ice cream for when they do hit. Overall, I’ve had a nice day even if it was stormy and cold. That’s why you pull out the crock pot, right?
Total Calories today: 1,836 Total Burned: 0 – no workout today
Here’s a link to the recipe. Pot Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables
It’s way to long for me to post here, plus we used a few different vegetables. And here’s a picture of our meal, along with corn bread.
Cravings have been down today, but I did make it to the store to find some healthy chocolate ice cream for when they do hit. Overall, I’ve had a nice day even if it was stormy and cold. That’s why you pull out the crock pot, right?
Total Calories today: 1,836 Total Burned: 0 – no workout today
January 23, 2010
I’m continuing to have a difficult time with cravings during my PMS time, and am proud to announce that I am not giving in. But, on the flip side if it was available I probably would. So, kudos to me for not having anything in the house to binge on, such as chocolate cake or doughnuts. I also turned down the option of buying garlic bread to go with tonight’s spaghetti dinner. Another pat on the back for me.
In order to curb some of my cravings I went on a very long walk with Julia this afternoon, and it really helped to pass the time and to avoid my bored emotional eating issues. I walked to the park and let Julia play, and then we walked the steep incline of Mening Park and then around town some before heading home.
Total Calories today: 1,820 Total Burned: 134
For dinner tonight we tried out a Rachael Ray recipe from her daytime talk show. It was called Bacon, Leek and Tomato Spaghetti. Jon was working on it while I ran out to run an errand, so he had Julia under foot. He missed a few steps and altered it some, so we will try the recipe again when we’re more focused. We also replaced bacon with turkey bacon, which was a nice taste. I attempted to get a nutritional value for this with the ingredients I used, but RR did not post any with her recipe. Here is the recipe…
3 leeks
2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 slices center-cut bacon, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced or chopped
Salt and pepper
1 28-ounce can Italian whole tomatoes in purée
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
A handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced or chopped
Trim tough tops and root ends of the leeks. Halve them lengthwise and thinly slice. Fill sink or large bowl with water and wash leeks, separating layers and swishing them around in water. Dry in a salad spinner or on kitchen towel and reserve.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add bacon and crisp. Add reserved leeks and garlic, cook 2-3 minutes to soften. Season liberally with black pepper.
Add tomatoes and purée to pan and mash up tomatoes. Bring up to a simmer and let thicken over low heat while you cook pasta. Stir in parsley.
Salt pasta water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain pasta and toss with sauce for a minute or so. Serve in shallow bowls with cheese and basil on top.
In order to curb some of my cravings I went on a very long walk with Julia this afternoon, and it really helped to pass the time and to avoid my bored emotional eating issues. I walked to the park and let Julia play, and then we walked the steep incline of Mening Park and then around town some before heading home.
Total Calories today: 1,820 Total Burned: 134
For dinner tonight we tried out a Rachael Ray recipe from her daytime talk show. It was called Bacon, Leek and Tomato Spaghetti. Jon was working on it while I ran out to run an errand, so he had Julia under foot. He missed a few steps and altered it some, so we will try the recipe again when we’re more focused. We also replaced bacon with turkey bacon, which was a nice taste. I attempted to get a nutritional value for this with the ingredients I used, but RR did not post any with her recipe. Here is the recipe…
3 leeks
2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 slices center-cut bacon, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced or chopped
Salt and pepper
1 28-ounce can Italian whole tomatoes in purée
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
A handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced or chopped
Trim tough tops and root ends of the leeks. Halve them lengthwise and thinly slice. Fill sink or large bowl with water and wash leeks, separating layers and swishing them around in water. Dry in a salad spinner or on kitchen towel and reserve.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat with EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add bacon and crisp. Add reserved leeks and garlic, cook 2-3 minutes to soften. Season liberally with black pepper.
Add tomatoes and purée to pan and mash up tomatoes. Bring up to a simmer and let thicken over low heat while you cook pasta. Stir in parsley.
Salt pasta water and cook pasta to al dente. Drain pasta and toss with sauce for a minute or so. Serve in shallow bowls with cheese and basil on top.
January 22, 2010
Cravings and Emotions
Today was an emotional rollercoaster for me. I am PMSing incredibly bad, and have been so tired and hungry all day that I felt like I was just going to fall apart. I had a huge bowl of popcorn with butter this afternoon, and for some reason or another it made me feel better. Once I was able to get back to my normal self I was able to make some better choices around food. Oddly enough with all my emotional eating today I was able to keep my calories under 2,000. Jon even asked me if I added everything I ate, and yes I did. I can’t continue to write here if I’m not honest.
I remember craving taco bell and burger king through this, and I was so close to just getting in the car to get whatever I was craving. I’m not even sure what I would have bought. I don’t remember the last time I had such intense hormone changes, and I think I will research it some more. But, my main thought on it is that I have made this huge changes in my diet in such a short time that my body may have just reacted to this.
Total Calories: 1,814 Total Burned: 195.9
I remember craving taco bell and burger king through this, and I was so close to just getting in the car to get whatever I was craving. I’m not even sure what I would have bought. I don’t remember the last time I had such intense hormone changes, and I think I will research it some more. But, my main thought on it is that I have made this huge changes in my diet in such a short time that my body may have just reacted to this.
Total Calories: 1,814 Total Burned: 195.9
January 09, 2010
The other White meat
Not much to report today. Diet has gone well, except I haven’t had the feeling of fullness very well today. So, I’ve been eating the recommended small meals in order to keep the cravings down.
Breakfast: Blueberry Bagel with light cream cheese.
Mid morning meal: breakfast burrito w/ tbl spoon of cheese, onions, ¼ cup of hash browns, 2 strips of turkey bacon, and hot sauce on a tortilla. The Turkey bacon wasn't so bad. I was a little skeptical.
Lunch: Special K cereal and half a banana
Mid-afternoon meal: 1 slice of toast with I Can’t Believe It’s not Butter spray
Dinner: Curry Pork Salad with Thousand Island dressing (here’s a picture of tonight’s dinner.)
Evening snack: 2 cups (shared with Julia of course) low fat ice cream
I’m about to do my workout after this post, and I’m sure it will be a killer. My muscles aren’t screaming like they usually do the day after a workout, so I must be adapting well. My stress level is low today and in turn I feel more motivated to workout. Happy Saturday!
Breakfast: Blueberry Bagel with light cream cheese.
Mid morning meal: breakfast burrito w/ tbl spoon of cheese, onions, ¼ cup of hash browns, 2 strips of turkey bacon, and hot sauce on a tortilla. The Turkey bacon wasn't so bad. I was a little skeptical.
Lunch: Special K cereal and half a banana
Mid-afternoon meal: 1 slice of toast with I Can’t Believe It’s not Butter spray
Dinner: Curry Pork Salad with Thousand Island dressing (here’s a picture of tonight’s dinner.)
Evening snack: 2 cups (shared with Julia of course) low fat ice cream
I’m about to do my workout after this post, and I’m sure it will be a killer. My muscles aren’t screaming like they usually do the day after a workout, so I must be adapting well. My stress level is low today and in turn I feel more motivated to workout. Happy Saturday!
January 06, 2010
More to come
It's to late in the evening to post everything tonight, but I wanted to say that I had major cravings today and had low fat ice cream to curb them. I also had a salad and lots of vegys today. Motivation is little though, and my success is feeling minor. Hope it is better tomorrow.
January 04, 2010
Morning workout
This morning I woke as Jon was attempting to lay Julia back down for the morning, and needed to hold her myself before she would go down. I stayed up after she was back to sleep, and did my workout. I had to skip one exercise because I just couldn’t do it after all my other muscle burning moves. Not a big deal, I’ll just have to work on getting it. Slept like a log after that for an hour while Julia was still asleep. It’s amazing how much your body does in these seemingly uncomplicated exercises.
I downed my two cups of coffee this morning and shared scrambled eggs and a bowl of oatmeal wit Julia. For lunch, all that was available was leftover French fries, so I split those with Julia while she had her lunch. At dinner time, I made some amazing spaghetti with grownd meat, and some rolls. I didn’t go for seconds! Since we eat so early in the evening I usually have a snack to help with late night cravings, and tonight is my yummy popcorn that has no sodium and a little smidge of fat and calories. I also managed my eight glasses of water!
I downed my two cups of coffee this morning and shared scrambled eggs and a bowl of oatmeal wit Julia. For lunch, all that was available was leftover French fries, so I split those with Julia while she had her lunch. At dinner time, I made some amazing spaghetti with grownd meat, and some rolls. I didn’t go for seconds! Since we eat so early in the evening I usually have a snack to help with late night cravings, and tonight is my yummy popcorn that has no sodium and a little smidge of fat and calories. I also managed my eight glasses of water!
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