Eating Healthy and Good!... A Foodie's Journey

It's time...

2011-03-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

a few things:

1) it's been a while since I've written. life's kept me busy and distracted

2) nearly a year after I started my weight-loss endeavor, I've managed to keep the weight off

3) I've started training for ING

so, year 3 is here. three years ago I told myself that I'd run the ING marathon in 3 years and I've started training. I didn't have an intense fall or winter (from an exercise perspective) so I'm gettin' back in to the swing of it. tomorrow starts my diet overhaul and consistent exercise- fortunately for me I still LOVE running. a few weeks ago I was talking to a good friend who asked me why I enjoy running and I explained that it's the only time that I'm worrying and thinking about nothing else but the task at hand. as a result, it is liberating, encouraging, strengthening and calming. I went on to say that it simultaneously challenges my mind and body and for me that's a beautiful thing.

yes, it's time to get started... to refocus, knock off another item on the bucket list and make good on my promise.

Yes, you WILL be pissed at yourself in the morning.

2010-07-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

a little over a month ago I'd had a really tough day at work and had a good dose of personal drama sprinkled over it... you know, for good measure.

well it was about 10:30pm and I was heading home. as is often the case, I wanted something salty and messy, drenched in some rich sauce to compensate for whatever craziness I'd just dealt with. or better yet, to "reward" myself for having worked so hard.

so I bbm'ed my best friends and talked about the crappy day I'd just had and talked bout wanting BBQ buffalo wings... that was the only thing that would do my day justice. these ladies are, afterall, some of the best womanfriends that a woman can pray for so they consoled me with the virtual pat on the back and wished me a better day tomorrow. I told them about the meal that I was about to have and then, it happened! my friend Millie said "no! don't do it!! you'll be pissed at yourself tomorrow." admittedly, I didn't really want to listen to her. I *did* have a crappy day after all and I wanted some BBQ buffalo wings to make it all better, damnit!

ladies and gentleman, this IS emotional eating (almost) at its best! and yes, ladies we are the posterchildren for emotional eating!! Oprah's had innumerable shows on it, there are books on it, a few therapists pay off their summer home mortgages because of it and there is a multi-million dollar industry (*ahem* Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, NutriSystem) that thrives off of it!

here's the deal: no amount of food in the world will compensate for whatever heartache or frustration has suddenly swept over your mental well-being. NONE. yeah, yeah... I know it's easy to type it but trust me on this one... I've lived it more times than I care to count or admit to. again, with this healthy lifestyle we have to find new ways to channel that frustration or pain. if you're hungry, eat something that's good for your body and that you can appreciate. if you're hurting, cry it out and/or busy yourself with life things that need to be handled. if you're frustrated... do something to soothe yourself (read, workout, clean, shower, talk to a friend, watch silly videos on youtube, dress up) and then let it go. tomorrow, is, afterall, a new day filled with possibilities and fresh air.

and I know, you might still be thinking "it's only ONE meal... what kind of harm can it do??" well here's my perspective on that: yes, it is only ONE meal. but consider what that meal contains- more likely than not your entire caloric content for the day, more sodium that than you should consume in 2 days, and enough fat and sugar to send a diabetic in to shock. that ONE meal will likely have you feeling bloated and/or lethargic in the morning... not to mention the number it might do on your stomach. but most importantly, that ONE meal will NOT resolve whatever issue you ate it for.

we have to make significant progressive efforts to better our lives- that means wise decisions, being honest with ourselves, doing better because we know better, giving our selves good things so that our output is good. all of this has to be considered with all that life throws our way.

so the point is, yes, you WILL be pissed at yourself in the morning if you have those BBQ buffalo wings and bottle of pepsi to top it off.

(and in case you're wondering what I had that night... spinach & noodle soup with shrimp... the shrimp was my "guilty pleasure.") :-)

The Witching Hour

2010-07-22T20:25:00.000-07:00

so nearly every night that I'm wake past 11pm, which is most nights, I get serious snack cravings right around 11:30pm... I call this my Witching Hour. I've heard Dr. Ian Smith advises that we should not eat anything 2 hours before you go to sleep, in an effort to lose/keep off the weight. well, I won't disagree with Dr. Ian but I believe in being reasonable with myself. my cravings are SERIOUS. ignoring them only increases the intensity so I've learned (and continue to learn) how to work with them.

scenario #1-- sometimes we sit around watching TV/movie/the floor and suddenly want to run for the Doritos. well, for one... you should NOT have Doritos in your kitchen if you're trying to shed a few because really this is just got counter-productive written all over it (yes, I said it!).

scenario #2-- you had a sensible dinner around 8:30pm and it's now 11:30pm and you're hungry. again, you want to run for the Doritos. welp, toss them out!!

OK- so let's figure this out. what I've found to be most effective to figure out what your snack craving is about. if scenario #1 is your issue, ask yourself if there's a valid reason for your still being awake. is there work to be finished? chores to be handled? a workout to start? preparation for the next day? if you answer 'yes' to any of those, well then your resolution is to just get up and handle it! the distraction is likely to do away with your snack craving. have a glass of water and get moving. yes, it's that simple.

now, on to scenario #2... if that's your issue well then first consider what you're in the mood for, specifically. is it a savory snack craving? is it a sweet craving? is it for something warm? something cool? is it for a specific texture or consistency? there's a very important reason why you need to figure this out- doing so will help you decide what *healthy* snack you're going to have.

here are some examples and suggestions:
savory-- 1 piece of string cheese, a handful of cheddar or 1 piece of wheat bread with hummus, slice of turkey or ham
sweet-- banana, strawberries, 1 tsp of nutella
cool-- water with lemon slices or a splash of lemon juice
something creamy-- yogurt, cottage cheese
crunch-- celery sticks with hummus, apple or pear, carrots, handful of whole wheat pita chips

and yes, I know that these are not the same as doritos or ben & jerry's or or chinese food and that is absolutely the point. the junk food snacks we crave at late hours have potential to undo all of the good that was done for our bodies during the day. following a healthy lifestyle means that you're conscious of and responsible with your choices, including food. train yourself to take a few minutes to think about what it is that you really want. doing so will help you to learn your body, and your patterns. you'll thank yourself for it in the morning.

btw, it's now 11:55pm and I had some cheese when I started typing this... see... the Witching Hour!

Lipton Soup

2010-07-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

so today was a LOOOOONG day: work, personal drama, mommyhood... it was a LOOOONG day.

anyhoo, the workday came to an end and I realized a had a saturday night at home ahead of me. today, I finished another seamstress miracle (more on this later) in preparation of an upcoming social event. so, today is saturday and technically my "cheat day." however, my evening cheat day meal could result in wardrobe malfunctions, let's say. so I debated between fried shrimp (anyone that knows me knows how much I LOVE seafood) and something simple and basic like Lipton soup.

why Lipton soup, you might ask? well, for one, I like it. secondly, my former fitness buddy put me on to it as a weight loss food. I don't know all the specifics behind it's favor but I like it so I don't/haven't questioned it.

fast-forward, I'm home. it's late... time to eat. take a guess at what I went for. yeah, the Lipton soup. again, you might ask... why the Lipton soup? well, again... I like it. more importantly, I didn't feel the need to tantalize my taste buds with the likes of my homemade fried shrimp (seriously though, it's damn good!).

I mentioned my dilemma to my co-worker and friend and she said "it's your cheat day... go for it... no guilt, remember??" suddenly, I realized that even though it was my cheat day, I had no major desire to cheat. I was content with eating just to replenish/maintain. I remembered that I am still working towards a goal and while the weight is gone the real work of toning and firming continues. tomorrow, I'm sure I'll dig in plenty on the lemon bars and double-chocolate chip cookies that are in the works and I'm ok with that.

I've reached another level, in some way, I think. knowing that I have full opportunity to embrace my culinary guilty pleasures and simply letting it pass me by. I'm sure that this relates to other areas of my life but that's another blog. ;-)

I had my bowl of Lipton soup and I enjoyed it. :-)

so i reached my 20!!!

2010-07-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

...and i'm damn proud! not that cocky/arrogant/conceited/obnoxious kind of proud but the kind of proud that comes only as a result of knowing that you put your very all in to something (or close to it!) and have reached what you're hoping for. i'm talkin' about firmer thighs with "very acceptable jiggle" (c) Mikaela Joy, flatter abs, beginning definition in my biceps, toned calves, no more back fat, a firmer tushie, and as God is my witness I can run nearly 2 miles now!

now, let me give you a little history on this... I have a 4 year old daughter. pre-pregnancy I weighed 162 lbs. post-pregnancy I was 180-something. I did the whole Atkins thing and dropped to 160 and was quite proud of that; I subsequently managed to lose 6 more lbs. however, all through this I exercised only once. yes, that's right... ONCE. so while I'd lost the "baby weight" I still wasn't fit. through seasons and life drama and whatever I managed to gain some of that back and after a "love-makes-you-fat" phase I shot up to 168. skinny jeans no longer fit... even my safety jeans weren't working quite as right. the same Mikaela Joy once told me "you're good as long as your jeans still fit" welp, they didn't so something had to be done!

so, I endeavored toward some extreme thing like: no bread, no soda, no sugar, no rice, no pasta, no meat, no nothing! Zee... the Foodie?? yeah, right girlie. so, I went to plan F and just decided to eat healthier and resume my goal of running ING in 2 years so I got to it! a very amazing thing happened early on... my stomach shrunk! no, seriously... I COULD NOT consume my "normal" quantities... it was equally gratifying and frustrating. after the stomach shrinking came the junk food rejection... my body no longer seemed to love popeye's or pepsi or chinese food. while this might not seem like a catastrophic conclusion... i LOOOOOVE popeye's and pepsi and chinese food holds a very special place with me.... or at least I used to. however, I've realized that my body is just rejecting foods that aren't so great. ahh... it *could* be worse!

and now, I'm going to continue documenting what I expect to be a truly amazing process. I informed my FB friends about rounding out my 20 and got a lot more of a reaction than I expected... so many people offering their support and so many mothers/women who are in the same process. so, ladies... this is for YOU and me... to support eachother. I'll share as much as I can... food recipes... highs and lows... challenges... milestones... and accomplishments.

I truly do wish you all the absolute very best!! remember that this healthy thing is a constant ongoing journey... at 50 you should be pushing yourself as hard as you are now... you CAN do it!

these are my do's and don'ts (except on "cheat days"):
-no soda or juice
-no white rice... brown rice instead
-no friend anything
-3-4 servings of fruit/veggies per day
-68 oz of water
-on a good day60-90 sit-ups & 60 squats in the am
-run/jog/speed walk
-on the days I can't run, work out at home which includes:
-sit-ups..... 10 reps of 15
-push-ups... 4 reps of 10
-squats.... 10 reps of 20
-side leg lifts... 2 reps of 20
-lower ab/lifts... 3 reps of 10
-eat whole wheat anything...bread, pasta
-walk as much as possible (I usually walk my daughter to school instead of taking the bus/train... saves me some $$ too!)
-portion control, portion control, portion control... whatever starch is on my plate is no more than the size of my fist and I pay attention to serving size as per nutritional facts
-watch my caloric intake... any snack that's more than 120.. stays right where it is
-no late night meals. this is HUGE for me because 11:30pm seems to be my witching hour so I'm constantly battling some starch/sugar craving around that hour
-no guilt on cheat days... they are just that... my day(s) to eat whatever I want and then it's back to business

**something to keep in mind: as far as the work-outs... do what you can while being honest with yourself. we're good for self-defeat. when you feel like stopping ask yourself if your body really can't take anymore? chances are, it can. push yourself to 5 or 10 more of anything. be your own cheerleader! remember that you're not the only one doing this. for example, if you're out running/jogging... use others as encouragement... if they can do it, you can too! hell, even Jillian Michaels wasn't always Jillian Michaels!

OK that's enough for now... more on this later. ;-)

...so we made a pact

2010-04-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

One of my bff's (yes, I'm a grown woman and I used THAT term!) and I were e-chatting about weight loss and shopping for clothes and I got the brilliant idea that we should become weight loss buddies. We have different loss amounts but the challenges are the same- eating healthy, maintaining focus, and regular excercise- all in the background of motherhood-career-social life (or some semblence of it).

So we made a deal: we set a date for our weight loss goals and we'll do periodic check-ins and if we accomplish our goals (and here comes the good part!) we get presents!! She treats me and I treat her to whatever we want, within reason. So we have about 2 1/2 months to achieve our goals and I know it can happen...

And, it was also this bff who thought of blogging!! Awesome idea, no? Lately, I've been making myself eat differently- cut out fried foods , no white bread or rice, no soda, no candy, no desserts (ok, ok... I cheat once a week on my "cheat day" that even Mami knows about!)- and it's working! 4lbs. so far and still going. But here's the thing: I'm a TOTAL foodie and don't want to deprive myself of great food so I had to find a new way to eat.

So, here's my journey... to satisfy the foodie in me but also be healthy and feel great! I'll share recipes and pics and just random information that might be interesting. Enjoy!!