Write down five things you don't like about being overweight, or about being a compulsive eater:
1) Don't fit in my clothes
2) Don't like the way my arms flap
3) Feel sluggish
4) Feel weak
5) Don't like that I can't stop myself.
Write down five things you would like about Living Lean naturally:
1) healthier
2) have more energy
3) control over mind and body
4) feel good
5) fit into clothes
Identify 5 addictive foods, and/or relationships with food and eating, that may contribute to you being overweight, frustrated, or unhealthy:
1) When I feel anxious or stressed I will eat anything that I see looks good at the moment until it is gone.
2) cow tails
3) pizza
4)
Five consequences of being a Muncher I am clear I no longer want are:
1) guilt
2) extra weight
3) lack of control
4)
5)
Five benefits of being an Ex-Muncher (Living Lean) I am clear I want are:
1) health
2) control over my eating habits - the anxieties, stress, etc induced eating
3) lose weight
4) fit into clothes
5)
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Monday, June 24, 2013
In my reboot for health, I am including daily scripture study for my spiritual health. It has been months since I have read my scriptures daily. I think this is the longest I have gone without that habit (it has been months) since I was challenged to read every day as a freshman in high school. I decided that today I would read for the Sunday School lesson since I don't get to attend it due to my calling in Primary. Ironically, the lesson is on the Word of Wisdom. I have been thinking about changing my diet to reflect more natural foods, so for today's reading to be about keeping the body healthy, it is fitting and another indication that the Lord knows me and hasn't given up on me yet even when I have been neglectful of him.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
On the Road Again
Now that summer is officially here, Matthew is off to his paralegal training, and we are more settled, I am ready to get back on the wagon. I have had 3 months to eat and veg and gain fat in my tummy, bum, and thighs. It is time to say goodbye to it and the anxiety that has gripped me. Starting tomorrow, the boys and I are going to begin the 5K 5 week rookie training program again. We'll see how that goes because I think Aaron may slow me down, but I think Jared will be a great motivator.
I checked out a Get Fit America video for kids from the library. It is a mix of tai chi and yoga. The moves were simple enough, but I couldn't believe how sore I was today from doing it yesterday morning. Despite all the boxes and furniture I have moved in the last month, my muscles have been on easy street. I actually dread the effort I will need to put forth in the coming days, but I look forward to feeling strong and fit.
I checked out a Get Fit America video for kids from the library. It is a mix of tai chi and yoga. The moves were simple enough, but I couldn't believe how sore I was today from doing it yesterday morning. Despite all the boxes and furniture I have moved in the last month, my muscles have been on easy street. I actually dread the effort I will need to put forth in the coming days, but I look forward to feeling strong and fit.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
See Food Diet
Yesterday I ate a candy bar, finished off a bag of gum drops, ate an ice cream sandwich, three sandwiches at lunch, and much more. Anxiety has wrapped its claws around my will power and strangling it.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Bridge
My record keeping is seriously lacking though I think of tidbits to post and share quite often. We have been busy moving into a new location and though we are far from settled, we are enjoying ourselves in the new space.
May was an important and busy month not just because of the moving, but we also hosted guests every week. Dad came for Jared's chorus concert on the 8th, Mom came for a few days starting the 13th, and Matthew's mom joined us the 21st and just barely flew home on the 6th. It was wonderful to have family with us and both moms were a really big help with the moving process.
Matthew's drill weekend fell while Mom was here and we were able to witness a change of command ceremony for a 2 star general. It was really interesting - and a blessing because it gave Matthew an extra two weeks to prepare for his PT test. The next drill weekend occurred the 1st and 2nd of June along with the PT test that would make or break our future. I headed to Maryland with Matthew's mom and the boys to attend a Bar Mitzvah celebration and prayed hard for Matthew's success. Happily, Matthew successfully completed his run and earned the right to attend paralegal school this summer. YAY! I am so proud of him and excited that he finally gets to fulfill his dreams.
May was an important and busy month not just because of the moving, but we also hosted guests every week. Dad came for Jared's chorus concert on the 8th, Mom came for a few days starting the 13th, and Matthew's mom joined us the 21st and just barely flew home on the 6th. It was wonderful to have family with us and both moms were a really big help with the moving process.
Matthew's drill weekend fell while Mom was here and we were able to witness a change of command ceremony for a 2 star general. It was really interesting - and a blessing because it gave Matthew an extra two weeks to prepare for his PT test. The next drill weekend occurred the 1st and 2nd of June along with the PT test that would make or break our future. I headed to Maryland with Matthew's mom and the boys to attend a Bar Mitzvah celebration and prayed hard for Matthew's success. Happily, Matthew successfully completed his run and earned the right to attend paralegal school this summer. YAY! I am so proud of him and excited that he finally gets to fulfill his dreams.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
First Cry
We introduced the boys to the movie Where the Red Fern Grows tonight for our family time. I thought they could identify with the main characters longing and love for his dogs. In the scene where Billy goes to hunt the ghost coon and the neighbor boys start fighting him because their dog Blue gets in a fight with Dan, Aaron said Use the ax! When the boy then gets killed by the ax as he trips, it was a wake up call that they really are dangerous and cause harm. I was surprised (and grateful) at Aaron's look of horror that the ax was a really bad idea. The best part came though at the end when Dan dies. Aaron had tears running down his face because the dog died. He told me it was a really sad movie. I was touched at the emotions it evoked in him. It is common to see him laugh or be scared, but sadness is not a feeling he expresses much. Perhaps it was the lateness of the hour, but I think the story touched him.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Answers
Over the last few weeks, my personal spiritual habits have slowly slipped much the same as my physical health habits. As one who has always made my relationship with the Savior a top priority, I miss Him and the influence of the Spirit. As I knelt in humble prayer this morning and then opened the scriptures, the Lord spoke to me in these verses - especially 31. I am grateful for His love and patience with me.
"31 And aawake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of bZion; andcstrengthen thy dstakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest eno more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
32 Yea, acome unto Christ, and be bperfected in him, and cdeny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and dlove God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may beeperfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye asanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the bblood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your csins, that ye become dholy, without spot." ~Moroni 10
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
April weigh in
180 something.
Yep. That's what happens when I don't exercise for two weeks and hormones and pain invade and self controls fades. I've been feeling flabbier, but I was a little surprised that I'd gained THAT much. My body is all out of whack right now and I am not sure what end is up. I'm not sure it does either. I guess there is a reason there is a general feeling that it is harder for a body to bounce back the older it gets.
I will probably repeat myself because the brain is a bit foggy these days too, but I was diagnosed with "eustachian tube dysfunction" last Friday when I went to the doctor after spending days in pain. She looked in my ear and said, "You have bubbles in your ear!" ?!?!?! Apparently the tube in my right ear quit opening and closing the way it was supposed to to drain the fluid and bubbles were created. I am now on a nasal steroid as well as a regiment of ibuprofen and tylenol to keep the pain at bay. I had been alternating them about every 3 hours, but today I could go longer so I assume this is progress. On the other side though, I am feeling more congested in my sinuses than I did last week. So either the fluid is draining from my ear and filling my sinuses, or the congestion is a gift from this beautiful land of cherry blossoms.
Yep. That's what happens when I don't exercise for two weeks and hormones and pain invade and self controls fades. I've been feeling flabbier, but I was a little surprised that I'd gained THAT much. My body is all out of whack right now and I am not sure what end is up. I'm not sure it does either. I guess there is a reason there is a general feeling that it is harder for a body to bounce back the older it gets.
I will probably repeat myself because the brain is a bit foggy these days too, but I was diagnosed with "eustachian tube dysfunction" last Friday when I went to the doctor after spending days in pain. She looked in my ear and said, "You have bubbles in your ear!" ?!?!?! Apparently the tube in my right ear quit opening and closing the way it was supposed to to drain the fluid and bubbles were created. I am now on a nasal steroid as well as a regiment of ibuprofen and tylenol to keep the pain at bay. I had been alternating them about every 3 hours, but today I could go longer so I assume this is progress. On the other side though, I am feeling more congested in my sinuses than I did last week. So either the fluid is draining from my ear and filling my sinuses, or the congestion is a gift from this beautiful land of cherry blossoms.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Uh.. yeah... about that.....
Well so much for my lofty plans for a routine. I did the treadmill Tues and that was it. Yesterday I did go to the park with Aaron and play ball a little bit, but really it hardly counts as exercise. On the flip side, I have been keeping my eating within my limits so that is something.
I have been dealing with an earache since Sunday afternoon and it is unpleasant to say the least. I am ready for it to be over. I think this is my personal record for popping pills. Natural childbirth has been a better experience. I can relax through a contraction but not the stabbing pain in my ear, neck, and face. The doctor labeled it as swimmer's ear and gave me ear drops with antibiotics to use for 7 days along with 400 mg of Motrin every 6 hours. The motrin gives out after about 5 hours and takes a good 30-45 minutes to kick in. This is day 4 of the drops. The evenings between 5 and 7 tend to hurt the worst, but I feel leaking in my ear then too so I am thinking it is my body really working on getting this thing licked. Maybe I am having contractions in my ear....
Last night I got a womanly surprise, and I have decided that between all the interesting things my body is doing I am just going to be a bum this week. I had lofty plans, but they will just have to be postponed to next week.
Oh, on a side note... spring has sprung. I have worn shorts twice this week because I hadn't done laundry yet to wash all my jeans and it was warm enough that I'd really have preferred the shorts anyway. I still have some room to shrink, but they weren't so tight it was embarrassing. This is good. (Shorts should have been motivating, but they just weren't quite enough).
I have been dealing with an earache since Sunday afternoon and it is unpleasant to say the least. I am ready for it to be over. I think this is my personal record for popping pills. Natural childbirth has been a better experience. I can relax through a contraction but not the stabbing pain in my ear, neck, and face. The doctor labeled it as swimmer's ear and gave me ear drops with antibiotics to use for 7 days along with 400 mg of Motrin every 6 hours. The motrin gives out after about 5 hours and takes a good 30-45 minutes to kick in. This is day 4 of the drops. The evenings between 5 and 7 tend to hurt the worst, but I feel leaking in my ear then too so I am thinking it is my body really working on getting this thing licked. Maybe I am having contractions in my ear....
Last night I got a womanly surprise, and I have decided that between all the interesting things my body is doing I am just going to be a bum this week. I had lofty plans, but they will just have to be postponed to next week.
Oh, on a side note... spring has sprung. I have worn shorts twice this week because I hadn't done laundry yet to wash all my jeans and it was warm enough that I'd really have preferred the shorts anyway. I still have some room to shrink, but they weren't so tight it was embarrassing. This is good. (Shorts should have been motivating, but they just weren't quite enough).
Friday, April 5, 2013
Reflections...
I have made a loaded (LOTS of spinach and kale along with my fruit) green smoothie every day this week and have been impressed with how filling it has ended up being. I feel like I must be forgetting to add things to my food diary because I have so many calories left at dinner time. In fact, Wed I had well over 1000 calories so we went to a really good Chinese buffet for dinner. I am sure I went over my calories, but when we got home we did danced so we worked some of them off again ;) I tried to make some really healthy choices (like salmon) and veggies (though they were loaded with butter :P). I knew I was full by the end of my first plate, but when you're paying $14 to eat, I feel obligated to go back more than once.
Yesterday I opted to hit the treadmill for a quick workout in order to make it to a 10 am appointment. I was quite sore from the CardioX of the day before. I did the 4 mph program and was proud of myself because I made it through 3 minutes at the steep incline before I had to lower it during the run part. Last time I lowered it at each 2 min interval. Once again I had 1000 calories left at dinner. We ended up having pizza but I ate a large salad before I dug into the pizza so I had one less slice than I thought I would.
Today I did not really feel like exercising.My muscles are still sore from my workouts earlier in the week and I was super tired, but I put on CardioX and did it anyway. I know that the areas that bother me the most won't change unless I do CardioX regularly. The program works and I feel good when I do it. I had to laugh at myself because the whole time I'd think, oh I'll just do this segment and then turn it off. Oh wait, I like this one. I'll do it and then I can turn it off - until there was only 10 minutes left and at that point it's to the core exercises which I really need and I might as well finish it.
I need to figure out an exercise routine so that every day I don't have to decide what I will choose for exercise. I think I may be more likely to end up quitting if I do. I am starting to think about how much time is invested in the exercise too which tends to put a damper on my motivation. I would like to do CardioX at least twice a week, but I enjoy the dancing too. Tues and Thurs I don't have as much time in the mornings so it would make sense to make them treadmill days. So I am thinking maybe this schedule:
Mon - CardioX
Tues - treadmill
Wed - Just Dance
Thurs - treadmill (or walk outside)
Fri- CardioX
Maybe I'll try that next week and see how I like it.
Yesterday I opted to hit the treadmill for a quick workout in order to make it to a 10 am appointment. I was quite sore from the CardioX of the day before. I did the 4 mph program and was proud of myself because I made it through 3 minutes at the steep incline before I had to lower it during the run part. Last time I lowered it at each 2 min interval. Once again I had 1000 calories left at dinner. We ended up having pizza but I ate a large salad before I dug into the pizza so I had one less slice than I thought I would.
Today I did not really feel like exercising.My muscles are still sore from my workouts earlier in the week and I was super tired, but I put on CardioX and did it anyway. I know that the areas that bother me the most won't change unless I do CardioX regularly. The program works and I feel good when I do it. I had to laugh at myself because the whole time I'd think, oh I'll just do this segment and then turn it off. Oh wait, I like this one. I'll do it and then I can turn it off - until there was only 10 minutes left and at that point it's to the core exercises which I really need and I might as well finish it.
I need to figure out an exercise routine so that every day I don't have to decide what I will choose for exercise. I think I may be more likely to end up quitting if I do. I am starting to think about how much time is invested in the exercise too which tends to put a damper on my motivation. I would like to do CardioX at least twice a week, but I enjoy the dancing too. Tues and Thurs I don't have as much time in the mornings so it would make sense to make them treadmill days. So I am thinking maybe this schedule:
Mon - CardioX
Tues - treadmill
Wed - Just Dance
Thurs - treadmill (or walk outside)
Fri- CardioX
Maybe I'll try that next week and see how I like it.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
April Challenge: Week 1 Weigh in
173.3
I think I need to get a real scale. And a heart rate monitor.
I am sore in my arms and calves from dancing yesterday. YAY! My core could really use some work which makes me lean toward doing CardioX today, but I am having a hard time talking myself into it....
****
Just finished CardioX. I am impressed. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be even with being sore! Apparently I have built up some muscles after all :) I even did the yoga better than usual. I can already feel it in my stomach so I know I will be paying for it later today and tomorrow! But yay for following through!
I think I need to get a real scale. And a heart rate monitor.
I am sore in my arms and calves from dancing yesterday. YAY! My core could really use some work which makes me lean toward doing CardioX today, but I am having a hard time talking myself into it....
****
Just finished CardioX. I am impressed. It wasn't as hard as I expected it to be even with being sore! Apparently I have built up some muscles after all :) I even did the yoga better than usual. I can already feel it in my stomach so I know I will be paying for it later today and tomorrow! But yay for following through!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Eating and Just Dancing
Back to the grind.
Today I debated between the treadmill, CardioX, or Just Dance. Just Dance won because I wanted to play all by myself without having to take the boys in to account. We discovered with JD4 that there are 4 different sweet modes. We played 10 minutes of almost all of them, but today I opted for the 45 min of the kickboxing version. I remembered how much I enjoy kickboxing and would really rather have done a full 45 min just of that! Unlike the previous versions of JD, 4 counts calories as opposed to sweat points. At the end of my session it registered only 117 calories burned :/ I think I need to invest in a heart monitor if I am going to continue doing JD for my exercise so I can have a more accurate count.
Despite the low calorie burn, I think I played the day well. We just finished up dinner and this is what my numbers look like:
Pretty awesome! I've hit all my goals and still have carbs and fat to go! What's the difference?
I started my day with a chocolate strawberry, banana, pineapple green smoothie. Totally loaded it up on the kale and spinach and didn't eat anything else until lunch which was yummy leftover beef stirfry. I felt like I was snacking often today, but apparently it wasn't as bad as I thought or maybe I just didn't account for it well enough :P Dinner was a baked sweet potato, green salad and tuna on crackers. I was surprised at how full I felt afterwards too. Now if only I could keep it up!
I was looking through the message board on MFP and an April weight loss challenge caught my eye. Many of the goals were to lose 5 pounds. I got to thinking about this and realized that 5 pounds is totally doable. If I lost 5 pounds every month for the next 3 months, by the end of June I'd be really close to my goal weight!! The question is if I am dedicated enough. I think I really need to pull out the CardioX and use it consistently. I loved the way it made me feel and it works. But it is hard work.
On a side note, my food processor isn't working :( I made some delicious almond butter the other day and was wanting to make more when I discovered it is broken. WAH!
Today I debated between the treadmill, CardioX, or Just Dance. Just Dance won because I wanted to play all by myself without having to take the boys in to account. We discovered with JD4 that there are 4 different sweet modes. We played 10 minutes of almost all of them, but today I opted for the 45 min of the kickboxing version. I remembered how much I enjoy kickboxing and would really rather have done a full 45 min just of that! Unlike the previous versions of JD, 4 counts calories as opposed to sweat points. At the end of my session it registered only 117 calories burned :/ I think I need to invest in a heart monitor if I am going to continue doing JD for my exercise so I can have a more accurate count.
Despite the low calorie burn, I think I played the day well. We just finished up dinner and this is what my numbers look like:
I started my day with a chocolate strawberry, banana, pineapple green smoothie. Totally loaded it up on the kale and spinach and didn't eat anything else until lunch which was yummy leftover beef stirfry. I felt like I was snacking often today, but apparently it wasn't as bad as I thought or maybe I just didn't account for it well enough :P Dinner was a baked sweet potato, green salad and tuna on crackers. I was surprised at how full I felt afterwards too. Now if only I could keep it up!
I was looking through the message board on MFP and an April weight loss challenge caught my eye. Many of the goals were to lose 5 pounds. I got to thinking about this and realized that 5 pounds is totally doable. If I lost 5 pounds every month for the next 3 months, by the end of June I'd be really close to my goal weight!! The question is if I am dedicated enough. I think I really need to pull out the CardioX and use it consistently. I loved the way it made me feel and it works. But it is hard work.
On a side note, my food processor isn't working :( I made some delicious almond butter the other day and was wanting to make more when I discovered it is broken. WAH!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Spring Break
My body says I have done a good job staying active while the boys are out for Spring Break. I didn't even feel up to dancing very much today because my muscles, especially my legs, are sore and tired. We have danced together just about every day this week for at least an hour. It makes me smile when they ask if they can dance :) I was tricky and the other day I told them they have to dance with me before they could play any other Wii game. They decided they had so much fun that they don't even ask to play the other games right now. Score! It is nice to have a game that I like to play too so we can do it together. Matthew plays Star Wars with them, and I dance :) Win-win.
So, here's a run-down of our activities this week and how it counted for exercise:
Mon, eh sick in bed
Tues - Had scripture class in the morning, went to Chickfila for lunch (boys played on playground for 2 hours), then danced for a couple of hours in the afternoon/evening
Wed - Explored a local park. We were supposed to go on one of the trails, but we basically made it from one playground to another via the lake's boathouse and back. There was a nice path around the playground, so I walked in circles for 45 minutes while the boys played. I did 8 laps with lap 4 being a run around (a good explanation for the sore muscles). It was really a great path because it had slopes and everything so I got a good variation of terrain. Planned on dancing when we got home but didn't have the opportunity.
Thurs - Explored the Planetarium and State Museum. Lots of stairs and walking, even if it was walking slowly. There was a 9/11 Memorial on one of the levels. I was surprised at how much emotion it evoked in me as I explained the displays to the boys. Came home and danced.
Fri - Cleaned out the car and spent majority of the afternoon stuck in traffic as we drove a friend to the airport. The boys danced for almost two hours, but I only jumped in the last 30 minutes or so. Like I said, I was tired.
Sat - Headed to a farm to collect eggs and grind feed!! I think there will be a lot of walking on the agenda as well ;) Very excited for this experience! I found out about another farm that has walking trails and allows interaction with their barnyard animals during their open hours. Love that it is closer and FREE! The one we are going to tomorrow is free as well, but it is further away so there is cost in gas. I think we may explore the closer farm on Monday :D
So, here's a run-down of our activities this week and how it counted for exercise:
Mon, eh sick in bed
Tues - Had scripture class in the morning, went to Chickfila for lunch (boys played on playground for 2 hours), then danced for a couple of hours in the afternoon/evening
Wed - Explored a local park. We were supposed to go on one of the trails, but we basically made it from one playground to another via the lake's boathouse and back. There was a nice path around the playground, so I walked in circles for 45 minutes while the boys played. I did 8 laps with lap 4 being a run around (a good explanation for the sore muscles). It was really a great path because it had slopes and everything so I got a good variation of terrain. Planned on dancing when we got home but didn't have the opportunity.
Thurs - Explored the Planetarium and State Museum. Lots of stairs and walking, even if it was walking slowly. There was a 9/11 Memorial on one of the levels. I was surprised at how much emotion it evoked in me as I explained the displays to the boys. Came home and danced.
Fri - Cleaned out the car and spent majority of the afternoon stuck in traffic as we drove a friend to the airport. The boys danced for almost two hours, but I only jumped in the last 30 minutes or so. Like I said, I was tired.
Sat - Headed to a farm to collect eggs and grind feed!! I think there will be a lot of walking on the agenda as well ;) Very excited for this experience! I found out about another farm that has walking trails and allows interaction with their barnyard animals during their open hours. Love that it is closer and FREE! The one we are going to tomorrow is free as well, but it is further away so there is cost in gas. I think we may explore the closer farm on Monday :D
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Week 12 Weigh in - End of Contest
Starting weight - 184
Final weight - 171.5
Can't believe it! Well, I can all things considered. I am just surprised it dropped that much between Sunday and today. I look forward to the next 5 weeks (just going to take this one month at a time in case I get any more surprises :P) I am feeling pumped now :)
*************
ETA:
I think if I can lose another 10 pounds, I could fit back into my shorts comfortably. I finally decided that I am ok with the longer winter because it gives me more time to work on fitting into my summer clothes :D
Final weight - 171.5
Can't believe it! Well, I can all things considered. I am just surprised it dropped that much between Sunday and today. I look forward to the next 5 weeks (just going to take this one month at a time in case I get any more surprises :P) I am feeling pumped now :)
*************
ETA:
I think if I can lose another 10 pounds, I could fit back into my shorts comfortably. I finally decided that I am ok with the longer winter because it gives me more time to work on fitting into my summer clothes :D
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Final Days
Tomorrow is the final weigh in for this year's Lettuce Eat Cake contest. I would say this has been quite the roller coaster year as my weight has bounced around over the last three months. I weighed myself on Sunday because I felt like I was actually getting bigger than the week before which I found odd considering some other issues I had going on. Sure enough, my weight had jumped up to 175.9.
I have been dealing with an off and on painful health issue for the last two weeks. Saturday was a good day though and we headed to New York to explore China Town and Little Italy. We spent a good four hours of walking, and I enjoyed all the calories I ate to make up for it :) Sunday was a really painful day and it spilled over on to Monday (yesterday) so I spent most of the day in bed though I did manage to get the boys to clean their rooms and dinner made (even if it was 7:30 pm when it got to the table). I was grateful that I woke up feeling pretty good this morning. I could feel my head starting to hurt but I decided to take an acetaminophen and plow through the day because I had high hopes for a fun day with the boys!! For the most part it worked out well. We had to postpone our trip to the planetarium but we came home and Just Danced together. They gave out before me because they'd played for two hours at the Chickfila playground for two hours, but I managed to dance for an hour. Chickfila ate up a lot of my calories, so the dancing was a must so I can eat something besides salad for dinner :)
While looking in the mirror at Chickfila I noticed that my legs were looking thinner. I know that weight wise there really hasn't been much improvement over the last 12 weeks, but as for overall health, I think I have made a lot of positive strides. I have debated about giving up at the end of the contest, but today, I see value in continuing the journey.
I have been dealing with an off and on painful health issue for the last two weeks. Saturday was a good day though and we headed to New York to explore China Town and Little Italy. We spent a good four hours of walking, and I enjoyed all the calories I ate to make up for it :) Sunday was a really painful day and it spilled over on to Monday (yesterday) so I spent most of the day in bed though I did manage to get the boys to clean their rooms and dinner made (even if it was 7:30 pm when it got to the table). I was grateful that I woke up feeling pretty good this morning. I could feel my head starting to hurt but I decided to take an acetaminophen and plow through the day because I had high hopes for a fun day with the boys!! For the most part it worked out well. We had to postpone our trip to the planetarium but we came home and Just Danced together. They gave out before me because they'd played for two hours at the Chickfila playground for two hours, but I managed to dance for an hour. Chickfila ate up a lot of my calories, so the dancing was a must so I can eat something besides salad for dinner :)
While looking in the mirror at Chickfila I noticed that my legs were looking thinner. I know that weight wise there really hasn't been much improvement over the last 12 weeks, but as for overall health, I think I have made a lot of positive strides. I have debated about giving up at the end of the contest, but today, I see value in continuing the journey.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Kitchen Escapades - Pizza
So after a great first day back on 1500 calories, I've managed to go over every day since :/ Tonight we had a movie night so I spent the day in the kitchen preparing for a homemade pizza party for dinner - besides baking bread for the week. Standing in the kitchen for hours and kneading dough should count as some exercise, right? I did Just Dance this morning for about 30 minutes and only burned 178 calories. Fun, but not the most bang for my buck. But I digress....
Twice now I have used this pizza dough recipe. The first time I made it, I thought I overworked the dough and stuck it in the fridge for later. I was really skeptical about it, but once I took it out of the fridge and started working with it, I discovered it was actually a really good dough and a great one to work with once it warmed back up. Pretty forgiving. I used it to make the Pioneer Woman's easy calzones which turned out really yummy (except Aaron didn't like them. He prefers regular pizza.) Though I used white sugar the first time I made the dough, this time I used honey. Calorie wise, sugar was the better way to go (for future reference).
I got 14 large calzones out of the dough. As far as actual pizza dough, it could make two large pizzas or be divided up into smaller ones. We decided to each make our own pizzas, so we ended up with 4 smaller dough balls and two medium sized (put in the freezer for another time). Aaron wanted to use the cookie cutters today, so he made a bunch of little pizzas shaped like Christmas cookies while Jared created the Millenium Falcon. I had a regular round thin crusted Hawaiian BBQ pizza with cilantro, and Matthew had a thick crusted face. It was great fun.
The best part came AFTER the pizza though - dessert. To go along with the pizza theme, I decided it would be nice to do a fruit pizza. I knew the basic concept, but googled for some recipes to nail down the concept and decided on this one for the cream cheese topping because I had all the ingredients. The cookie part seemed simple enough too but I opted to go with a ChocolateCoveredKatie grain free sugar cookie recipe instead. Per a commentor's suggestion from the allrecipes recipe, I used our frozen fruit and added some cream of tartar to thicken the juice as it thawed. Oh. My. Goodness!! It was SO delicous!!!! All 446 calories of it :P (Is it any wonder how I ended up 469 calories over tonight?!)
Here is the ingredient list for CCK's cookie:
Twice now I have used this pizza dough recipe. The first time I made it, I thought I overworked the dough and stuck it in the fridge for later. I was really skeptical about it, but once I took it out of the fridge and started working with it, I discovered it was actually a really good dough and a great one to work with once it warmed back up. Pretty forgiving. I used it to make the Pioneer Woman's easy calzones which turned out really yummy (except Aaron didn't like them. He prefers regular pizza.) Though I used white sugar the first time I made the dough, this time I used honey. Calorie wise, sugar was the better way to go (for future reference).
I got 14 large calzones out of the dough. As far as actual pizza dough, it could make two large pizzas or be divided up into smaller ones. We decided to each make our own pizzas, so we ended up with 4 smaller dough balls and two medium sized (put in the freezer for another time). Aaron wanted to use the cookie cutters today, so he made a bunch of little pizzas shaped like Christmas cookies while Jared created the Millenium Falcon. I had a regular round thin crusted Hawaiian BBQ pizza with cilantro, and Matthew had a thick crusted face. It was great fun.
The best part came AFTER the pizza though - dessert. To go along with the pizza theme, I decided it would be nice to do a fruit pizza. I knew the basic concept, but googled for some recipes to nail down the concept and decided on this one for the cream cheese topping because I had all the ingredients. The cookie part seemed simple enough too but I opted to go with a ChocolateCoveredKatie grain free sugar cookie recipe instead. Per a commentor's suggestion from the allrecipes recipe, I used our frozen fruit and added some cream of tartar to thicken the juice as it thawed. Oh. My. Goodness!! It was SO delicous!!!! All 446 calories of it :P (Is it any wonder how I ended up 469 calories over tonight?!)
Here is the ingredient list for CCK's cookie:
- 1 cup finely-ground almond meal (also known as almond flour.) (75g)
- a little over 1/8 tsp salt (1/8 plus 1/16 tsp)
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, or stevia to taste (For substitutions, see nutrition link below.) (30g)
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil (15g)
- For maple syrup version: up to 2 level teaspoons milk of choice or extra oil, as needed (5-10g). For stevia version: 1 tbsp milk of choice, added with the liquid ingredients. (15g)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- optional: pure almond extract
What I did:
- Ground up 1 cup of almonds in the food processor, then measured out 1 cup of the meal. Followed the rest of the ingredient list subbing honey for the maple syrup, added 1 tsp of almond extract, and then misread the milk part and added 2 TABLESPOONS!! oops!!! Way too wet at that point, so I added in the rest of the almond meal, about 1/4 cup of white flour, then added an extra 1/8 tsp of salt and baking soda - essentially doubling the recipe for the dry ingredients. It was still sticky, but it was much closer to what I thought the consistency should be at that point so I followed through on the rest of the instructions and it worked!! It was the best dessert I've eaten in a long time!!
Cream Cheese Frosting: (I halved the recipe)
4 oz 1/3 fat cream cheese
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Blueberry Muffin and Lemon Cake for One
Blueberry Muffin for One and Lemon Cake
courtesy of chocolatecoveredkatie.com
As I've been trolling the CCK blog, I decided to make her cupcakes/muffins for breakfast. The boys both chose the lemon flavor and I went with the blueberry. She gives directions for baking them in the oven, but I was in a hurry and used the microwave instead. I cooked them each for one minute. Because mine used frozen blueberries I ended up adding an extra 10-15 seconds (don't remember). From my previous experience with minute muffins, if you put them in too long they turn hard. Apparently the longer these set out while the boys picked at them, the harder they got.
Aaron liked his and Jared said it tasted funny. I used olive oil in theirs and it was easily recognizable by my buds so I told them that's what it was. Jared did say it tasted lemony though. Mine wasn't bad. I subbed regular butter for the oil hoping for a better flavor. It worked, but when I inputted it in MFP I was shocked to see that 1 TB was 100 calories!!! YIKES! This seemingly innocent muffin turned into a 236 calorie breakfast besides the milk to drink it down. I played around just now with some of the oil options and olive oil would have been 120 calories so I definitely got the better deal with the butter. My best bet would have subbed half of it with applesauce (which is how I made Matthew's but it didn't rise as much).
The recipe is easy enough that I will have to play around with it a bit and see what I can do to slim it down more and further 'healthify' it. In the meantime, here's the link to all of her single serving muffin/cupcakes.
**************
As a side note, today I am feeling the 4 mph program I did yesterday. My legs haven't felt this sore for weeks when I quit running as much and mostly walked for long stretches of time for my exercise. It is nice to feel like I worked out yesterday not just be tired. Today I plan to do Chicken Fat to get some calisthenics in and see if we can't begin to get this core back in shape now that I have no physical limitations.
courtesy of chocolatecoveredkatie.com
As I've been trolling the CCK blog, I decided to make her cupcakes/muffins for breakfast. The boys both chose the lemon flavor and I went with the blueberry. She gives directions for baking them in the oven, but I was in a hurry and used the microwave instead. I cooked them each for one minute. Because mine used frozen blueberries I ended up adding an extra 10-15 seconds (don't remember). From my previous experience with minute muffins, if you put them in too long they turn hard. Apparently the longer these set out while the boys picked at them, the harder they got.
Aaron liked his and Jared said it tasted funny. I used olive oil in theirs and it was easily recognizable by my buds so I told them that's what it was. Jared did say it tasted lemony though. Mine wasn't bad. I subbed regular butter for the oil hoping for a better flavor. It worked, but when I inputted it in MFP I was shocked to see that 1 TB was 100 calories!!! YIKES! This seemingly innocent muffin turned into a 236 calorie breakfast besides the milk to drink it down. I played around just now with some of the oil options and olive oil would have been 120 calories so I definitely got the better deal with the butter. My best bet would have subbed half of it with applesauce (which is how I made Matthew's but it didn't rise as much).
The recipe is easy enough that I will have to play around with it a bit and see what I can do to slim it down more and further 'healthify' it. In the meantime, here's the link to all of her single serving muffin/cupcakes.
**************
As a side note, today I am feeling the 4 mph program I did yesterday. My legs haven't felt this sore for weeks when I quit running as much and mostly walked for long stretches of time for my exercise. It is nice to feel like I worked out yesterday not just be tired. Today I plan to do Chicken Fat to get some calisthenics in and see if we can't begin to get this core back in shape now that I have no physical limitations.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Food intake update
Maybe I'll survive the calorie change after all :) We even ate out for dinner! Although you'll notice I didn't make the iron :/
Quinoa Blueberry Muffin
courtesy of Hillbillyhousewife.com
Quinoa Muffins
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cook the quinoa in a cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. You will end up with 2 cups of cooked quinoa. Set it aside to cool.
In the meantime combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the quinoa and stir until you have it worked into the flour mixture.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a cup or small bowl, then pour them into the flour / quinoa mixture. Stir it just until everything is combined.
Spray a regular sized 12 cup muffin pan with nonstick spray. Scoop the batter into the tins. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 25 minutes.
Quinoa Muffin Variations
Here are a couple of “
add-on” ideas for these rather plain quinoa muffins. Incorporate those ingredients with the quinoa into the flour mixture, then proceed as mentioned above.
- 1/2 cup of raisins
- 1/2 cup of chopped dried dates
- 1/4 cup of dried apricots and 1/4 cup of chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup of chopped apple pieces and a good dash of cinnamon
- 1/4 cup of apple finely chopped apple or raisins and 1/4 cup chopped walnut pieces
- 1/2 cup mashed banana and 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup fresh, frozen or dried blueberries
********************
LOVE these! They make such a great quick snack. I used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all purpose flour so they were pretty dense and didn't raise much. I made them twice and both times I ended up with 22 muffins. Here is the nutritional info for mine:
Calories: 107
Carbs: 16
Fat: 3
Protein: 3
Fiber: 1
Iron: 4
Cheesy Quinoa Mac N Cheese
Quinoa Mac n Cheese
courtesy of http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com
courtesy of http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com
Serving Size: 8
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
- Veggies of your choice (optional)
- good pinch of salt
- a few grinds of seasoning salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup soy milk or non-fat milk
- 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling
- Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping
- Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions
I went through a quinoa phase in February and this is one of the recipes I tried. Since most of my experience with mac n cheese is the boxed kind, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. This certainly got mixed reviews. Matthew and Aaron could leave it, but Jared really liked it as did I though as leftovers it took me a few days to be willing to eat it again. I have realized I really don't care for the texture of quinoa except in breads. It has a distinctive flavor too that I am not all too fond of. Since I added garlic to the water the quinoa was cooked in, it absorbed that flavor and really added a nice touch to the overall dish.
My variation: added 2 oz of cream cheese to enhance the creaminess as suggested by a commenter on the original blog post and bread crumbs for the topping.
Week 11 Weigh in
Weigh in - 174.6
Well, all things considering, not a bad gain. I've adjusted my goals again and only have 1490 calories compared to the 1700 I had before. This is definitely going to take some forethought and effort :P
Well, all things considering, not a bad gain. I've adjusted my goals again and only have 1490 calories compared to the 1700 I had before. This is definitely going to take some forethought and effort :P
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Back in Action
After not exercising since the 11th and then spending most of the week/end in bed, I finally got back on board yesterday. I felt pretty good and decided with only 2 weeks left of the contest and all the binge-ing I did to feed my emotions, I couldn't delay getting back on the treadmill. I am hoping that I'll be ready to start CardioX again next week. Thurs when I was being productive I tackled some sore spots in our room that will make it easier to exercise in there again.
It was probably a mistake to make all those 'healthy' desserts because they were still full of sugar. It got me back in the habit of eating sweets so now I am needing a fix but trying to abstain. I may have to let a chocolate smoothie satisfy my craving.
It was probably a mistake to make all those 'healthy' desserts because they were still full of sugar. It got me back in the habit of eating sweets so now I am needing a fix but trying to abstain. I may have to let a chocolate smoothie satisfy my craving.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Feeling it
Yesterday I felt good. Surprisingly good. I realized I was being lifted up by the prayers being offered on my behalf. Thank you. Today I feel like I have the potential to feel just as good, but going to bed so late is more of a hindrance than anything else. I feel sluggish and tired.
I decided to look at my Loose Screws posts and interestingly, the talk I gave in January was pretty close to the top of the recent posts. I reviewed what I said, and realized the irony of the timing and the topic: exercising faith in the face of obstacles and challenges. At the time I reflected on my recent experiences with the move, but as I face this new challenge, I realize this talk was a gift for now as well. The message is the same - Forget yourself and go to work. Get out and serve others. "I lift thee, and thee lift me and we both ascend together."
There was a big change up in the visiting teaching routes and with the newness, I was excited to serve my new sisters. Last week I called everyone though only one answered the phone. My companion was sick with the flu so I had made chicken soup for her, but soon discovered my new sister was also sick. She happily accepted my offer to bring some soup over. I have not checked on her since though every day this week the thought has nagged at me to call my sisters again. I have been so into myself that I have neglected my stewardship. I waste hours as I constantly check facebook and my email hoping for interaction from others when it is *ME* who needs to do the reaching out.
So, I guess it is time to just do it.
I decided to look at my Loose Screws posts and interestingly, the talk I gave in January was pretty close to the top of the recent posts. I reviewed what I said, and realized the irony of the timing and the topic: exercising faith in the face of obstacles and challenges. At the time I reflected on my recent experiences with the move, but as I face this new challenge, I realize this talk was a gift for now as well. The message is the same - Forget yourself and go to work. Get out and serve others. "I lift thee, and thee lift me and we both ascend together."
There was a big change up in the visiting teaching routes and with the newness, I was excited to serve my new sisters. Last week I called everyone though only one answered the phone. My companion was sick with the flu so I had made chicken soup for her, but soon discovered my new sister was also sick. She happily accepted my offer to bring some soup over. I have not checked on her since though every day this week the thought has nagged at me to call my sisters again. I have been so into myself that I have neglected my stewardship. I waste hours as I constantly check facebook and my email hoping for interaction from others when it is *ME* who needs to do the reaching out.
So, I guess it is time to just do it.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Dessert Mania
I stumbled upon the blog Chocolate Covered Katie recently and today in my productive mode, have set out to try her recipes. I just whipped up some Brownie Batter Dip, One Minute Chocolate Cake (for one though I shared it with Aaron), and the Deep Dish Cookie Pie is in the oven. She incorporates some surprise ingredients to fit her vegan life style so it is fun to find them so tasty!! I look forward to presenting the to the family tonight to see what they think. By the time Jared gets home I may have so many desserts I'll need a girl's night to have a place to share them and purge my house of the sweets!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Week 10 Weigh in
Weigh in - 173.7
I might have a chance at this contest after all! I am curious how far I will get down at the end of this journey.
I got some bad news yesterday and normally stress makes me want to eat, but surprisingly I actually feel a loss of appetite. We had pizza for dinner so I wouldn't have to cook and though the idea of eating the pizza was not appealing, I didn't have any problem getting the pizza down. Once I get started I can keep going. And going. But, I have no inertia for starting so maybe that's a good thing?
I had some blood work done recently and it turns out I am borderline anemic as I was afraid of. The doctor suggested venison as a really good source of iron. Interesting. I am going to start taking some B 50 supplements too. Every once in awhile I get in a kick where I take them, and they do usually help me feel better. I think I could use all the help I can get right now :)
And apparently I can eat peanut butter again because I have been hungry for pb&j sandwiches and they've not made me sick.
I might have a chance at this contest after all! I am curious how far I will get down at the end of this journey.
I got some bad news yesterday and normally stress makes me want to eat, but surprisingly I actually feel a loss of appetite. We had pizza for dinner so I wouldn't have to cook and though the idea of eating the pizza was not appealing, I didn't have any problem getting the pizza down. Once I get started I can keep going. And going. But, I have no inertia for starting so maybe that's a good thing?
I had some blood work done recently and it turns out I am borderline anemic as I was afraid of. The doctor suggested venison as a really good source of iron. Interesting. I am going to start taking some B 50 supplements too. Every once in awhile I get in a kick where I take them, and they do usually help me feel better. I think I could use all the help I can get right now :)
And apparently I can eat peanut butter again because I have been hungry for pb&j sandwiches and they've not made me sick.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Weigh in & update
Weigh in - 175.5
It was an increase but not really surprising considering I have eaten over my calories just about every day and exercised very little though it has been a productive week in my book. My cravings have been out the roof as well and admittedly I have caved quite a bit (thus the over my calorie allotment). My neighbor asked how the exercising was going and said he could tell a difference last week. By the way, I do NOT like to be complimented by any guy but my husband or other family members. I know that makes me an annomali but it really does bother me. Anyway... In our conversation I realized that there may very well be a correlation between my lack of exercise and my craving increase. huh. So, I am on the treadmill plucking off the calories this morning :)
Though I have blown my calories, my vitamin goals have been no where near the level they should - especially my iron I find worrisome. I have come to the conclusion that the best way to meet that goal is with a bowl of good cereal in the morning because it knocks about 3/4 off my requirement. The problem is that it usually requires a lot of my calorie - especially carb - rations. I have been eating a wheat crunch cereal, but yesterday I took advantage of a General Mills cereal sale and bought a box of Total. I am not convinced it is really any healthier, but they have fortified it with everything that I knocked a 100 pts off both my calcium and iron levels and it required fewer calories than the wheat cereal to do it. I am happy to have a bit higher ration today as a result. I need to get back into my smoothies too so I can have my veggie intake as well.
I have more I want to write, but I also want to do something else this morning and it is already after 10 am. At this point I have walked over 35 min, 1.80 miles, and burned 250 calories.
It was an increase but not really surprising considering I have eaten over my calories just about every day and exercised very little though it has been a productive week in my book. My cravings have been out the roof as well and admittedly I have caved quite a bit (thus the over my calorie allotment). My neighbor asked how the exercising was going and said he could tell a difference last week. By the way, I do NOT like to be complimented by any guy but my husband or other family members. I know that makes me an annomali but it really does bother me. Anyway... In our conversation I realized that there may very well be a correlation between my lack of exercise and my craving increase. huh. So, I am on the treadmill plucking off the calories this morning :)
Though I have blown my calories, my vitamin goals have been no where near the level they should - especially my iron I find worrisome. I have come to the conclusion that the best way to meet that goal is with a bowl of good cereal in the morning because it knocks about 3/4 off my requirement. The problem is that it usually requires a lot of my calorie - especially carb - rations. I have been eating a wheat crunch cereal, but yesterday I took advantage of a General Mills cereal sale and bought a box of Total. I am not convinced it is really any healthier, but they have fortified it with everything that I knocked a 100 pts off both my calcium and iron levels and it required fewer calories than the wheat cereal to do it. I am happy to have a bit higher ration today as a result. I need to get back into my smoothies too so I can have my veggie intake as well.
I have more I want to write, but I also want to do something else this morning and it is already after 10 am. At this point I have walked over 35 min, 1.80 miles, and burned 250 calories.
Friday, March 1, 2013
I Choose Faith
I had an experience this week that left me disappointed, worried, and downright depressed about a possibility. Wednesday I opened the Ensign to the First Presidency message and immediately felt the Spirit as I read the title "Peace, Be Still" and knew that those words were meant for me. Here is the final quote from the article:
"Through tears and trials, through fears and sorrows, through the heartache and loneliness of losing loved ones, there is assurance that life is everlasting. Our Lord and Savior is the living witness that such is so. His words in holy writ are sufficient: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I testify to this truth."
It was enough. I knew that the Lord has a plan and not to worry. It will be ok. From that moment, I did feel peace and light-hearted again. I felt like smiling and being happy again. I am thankful for that.
"Through tears and trials, through fears and sorrows, through the heartache and loneliness of losing loved ones, there is assurance that life is everlasting. Our Lord and Savior is the living witness that such is so. His words in holy writ are sufficient: “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I testify to this truth."
It was enough. I knew that the Lord has a plan and not to worry. It will be ok. From that moment, I did feel peace and light-hearted again. I felt like smiling and being happy again. I am thankful for that.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Week 8 Weigh in
175 - woohoo! The Wii says I am no longer obese, just overweight. Yay!!
Had a doctor's appt Tues and she said that my calorie levels were right on target and definitely approved of protein shakes, so another yay.
I am actually getting kind of tired (and lazy) about tracking my food - which means my iron, protein and calcium targets have taken a hit. I did not feel like a smoothie yesterday, but I made one anyway. It actually ended up tasting SO yummy I am glad I did it. My favorite milkshake is chocolate with pineapples and bananas so that is the kind of smoothie I made. I threw some strawberries in too and boy was it good!! I finished it off this morning for breakfast. Yum!!
Had a doctor's appt Tues and she said that my calorie levels were right on target and definitely approved of protein shakes, so another yay.
I am actually getting kind of tired (and lazy) about tracking my food - which means my iron, protein and calcium targets have taken a hit. I did not feel like a smoothie yesterday, but I made one anyway. It actually ended up tasting SO yummy I am glad I did it. My favorite milkshake is chocolate with pineapples and bananas so that is the kind of smoothie I made. I threw some strawberries in too and boy was it good!! I finished it off this morning for breakfast. Yum!!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Week 7 Weigh in and other news
My days were off last week so I ended up weighing in on Thurs. Miraculously, I was down to 176.1! This is the first weight loss I've seen in like 4 weeks. I did such a bad job of eating while I was home and there definitely wasn't any exercise so, wow! I did try to get back on the wagon as we returned to routines after the break so perhaps nothing had a chance to stick around. I also am not feeling so bloated these days so that probably helps too.
This morning is a gorgeous one. I love that the sun is starting to rise early again and the song birds greet me through the window. This weekend it was ducks and it is not fun to listen to them quack "mama" over and over again :P It is supposed to get up to the 50s today. Beautiful! This morning the boys and I raced to the bus stop, the two year old neighbor boy and I raced to his car, then I jogged to the mailbox... I was tempted to actually take the dog out for a walk but instead I went to the treadmill and did the 4 mph program. I have had it set on a good incline, but it is too much to run at that steepness, so I ended up lowering it for the second set of 4 mph and slowing down to a walk at 3.5 then bumping it back up for the last 4 mph set. I decided it was better for me to not push myself too much. I stayed on after the program was done and walked another 15 minutes or so while I researched some stuff on the computer.
We were blessed to have been sent Just Dance 1 & 2 so I spent some time with the boys the last several days dancing. Love it!! I found one song that I really enjoy and could do over and over again. I was actually a little sore yesterday morning and I think the dancing is the culprit.
This morning is a gorgeous one. I love that the sun is starting to rise early again and the song birds greet me through the window. This weekend it was ducks and it is not fun to listen to them quack "mama" over and over again :P It is supposed to get up to the 50s today. Beautiful! This morning the boys and I raced to the bus stop, the two year old neighbor boy and I raced to his car, then I jogged to the mailbox... I was tempted to actually take the dog out for a walk but instead I went to the treadmill and did the 4 mph program. I have had it set on a good incline, but it is too much to run at that steepness, so I ended up lowering it for the second set of 4 mph and slowing down to a walk at 3.5 then bumping it back up for the last 4 mph set. I decided it was better for me to not push myself too much. I stayed on after the program was done and walked another 15 minutes or so while I researched some stuff on the computer.
We were blessed to have been sent Just Dance 1 & 2 so I spent some time with the boys the last several days dancing. Love it!! I found one song that I really enjoy and could do over and over again. I was actually a little sore yesterday morning and I think the dancing is the culprit.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Biscuit Pizza
I had a hankering for pizza today but didn't want to make a big ordeal about it, so I turned to my trusty easy pizza method.
Ingredients
1 can of refrigerated biscuits (I had homestyle on hand)
marinara sauce (or tomato sauce with added pizza seasonings)
cheddar cheese
mozzerella cheese
toppings
Directions:
Place each biscuit next to each other in the middle of a greased cookie sheet. Flatten them out to enlarge the 'crust'. They should be touching. Add a spoonful of sauce to each biscuit, then top with cheese and toppings of your choosing. Cook 10- 12 minutes at 400 degrees.
This makes for a great playgroup snack because the biscuits make a great individual serving. Today's pizza was only 80 calories a serving. Unfortunately I went overboard and ate 6!!
Ingredients
1 can of refrigerated biscuits (I had homestyle on hand)
marinara sauce (or tomato sauce with added pizza seasonings)
cheddar cheese
mozzerella cheese
toppings
Directions:
Place each biscuit next to each other in the middle of a greased cookie sheet. Flatten them out to enlarge the 'crust'. They should be touching. Add a spoonful of sauce to each biscuit, then top with cheese and toppings of your choosing. Cook 10- 12 minutes at 400 degrees.
This makes for a great playgroup snack because the biscuits make a great individual serving. Today's pizza was only 80 calories a serving. Unfortunately I went overboard and ate 6!!
Peanut Butter Choco Crunch Balls
After being on vacation and eating fast food and cookies every day, I came home with a lot of cravings and no desire to return to logging my food. But, considering my body is already showing the consequences of such free eating with no exercise, back on the band wagon I go! I was hungry for something chewy and chocolate yesterday so I did a search through all the food blogs I recently discovered and decided on fitfoodiefinds.com and her array of simple 'healthy' recipes. I would have liked to try her raw brownie chews or her almond joy chews but they require dates and there are none in my cupboard. Instead I ended up making her peanut butter choco crunch balls with a slight variation.
Ingredients:
1 cup corn chex
1/4 c rolled oats
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. honey
1 TB cocoa powder
I crunched up the corn chex in a bag then mix all the remaining ingredients together. Use a TB or cookie scoop and shape into balls. Makes 10 - 12 balls.
I think the honey is a little overpowering and unfortunately now regular peanut butter is treating me the same as natural peanut butter so though they taste good, I can't handle eating them. Aaron really likes them though and is happy to finish my share! If I were to make them again, I would probably cut the honey back to 2 or 3 TB and the same for the peanut butter. Or add more oats.
Ingredients:
1 cup corn chex
1/4 c rolled oats
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. honey
1 TB cocoa powder
I think the honey is a little overpowering and unfortunately now regular peanut butter is treating me the same as natural peanut butter so though they taste good, I can't handle eating them. Aaron really likes them though and is happy to finish my share! If I were to make them again, I would probably cut the honey back to 2 or 3 TB and the same for the peanut butter. Or add more oats.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Today's Food
A big chunk of my iron came from a bowl of shredded wheat. 90 (whatevers) of iron! Wow! I wonder what kind of iron I would get from wheatberries...
My other big nutrient dense meal was an egg omelet: 2 eggs scrambled in milk, topped with spinach, cheese, ham, colored bell peppers and spiced with salt, pepper, and basil (key flavoring). I made it for breakfast and then needed a big chunk of protein and calcium at the end of the day so I made another one. I really need to explore some other options so I can have more variety in my menu.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Food Diary
Snow Ice Cream
Woke up starving and despite all the effort I put in to figuring out the best nutrient dense breakfast, the first thing I ate today was snow ice cream. I have been anticipating a snow day of this depth since moving here. 4 - 8 inches. LOVE it!! So, I took a bowl and scooped up snow to the top, added 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of milk, a tsp of vanilla and voila!! Vanilla ice cream. There is still plenty of clean snow on the ground, so I may try the other popular recipe floating around:
big bowl of snow (gallon?)
can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
The ice cream I made had a good flavor, but it was a little gritty from the sugar granules. I could probably get away with only 3/4 c. of sugar. Topped with cantalope and it was dreamy :)
Now to find something a little more nutritious........
big bowl of snow (gallon?)
can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
The ice cream I made had a good flavor, but it was a little gritty from the sugar granules. I could probably get away with only 3/4 c. of sugar. Topped with cantalope and it was dreamy :)
Now to find something a little more nutritious........
I have changed the nutrients I am tracking to really focus on calcium, protein, iron, and fiber intake. Man those are tough to meet the recommended daily allowance!! I keep going through my recipes trying to find the most bang for my buck and pretty much have decided that without my smoothies full of protein powder and greens, I won't have much luck getting my RDA. To make my life easier, I have put the breakfast/lunch recipes with the highest ratings in these categories here as a quick reference.
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| This is a really yummy smoothie but I am all out of mango at this point but I do have cantalope in the fridge so I was curious about the nutrition would be effected with using the cantalope instead of the mango. Interesting that they provide opposite vitamins: mango is calcium & iron while cantalop is protein. If I add a kale leaf to the mix it will up the calcium to 12, protein to 8, iron to 15, and fiber stays at 3. |
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| I think this is the power meal right here! Look at those numbers! I think it may be worth all those calories:) |
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| This is a recipe I came across today but haven't made. This is not the end product for nutrition but more like a scenario. I want to cut down on the calories and hadn't decided which sugar would best serve the recipe. My guess is that I can scale back on the coconut or even cut out the sugar since the coconut is already sweetened. Once I've made it I'll have a better idea of what works for flavoring but for now it creates a good picture for the other things I am tracking. |
As I look at the various nutritional data for these foods, it is interesting the reaction I get from my mind. Looking at the fact the blueberries have no offering except calories makes me want to choose another fruit. However, I have to remind myself that just because it says 0 across the board for these nutrients, they don't have value. A search on http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/10507/2 tells me that these babies are full of manganese and a good source of fiber - even if MFP doesn't show it. I am reminded that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is really the best way to go.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Ricotta Spinach & Tomato Quesadilla
Over at neverhomemaker.com she has a recipe for Lunch "Calzone" For One which is basically a quesadilla with ricotta cheese, greens, and tomatoes. It looked good the other day but I thought I was out of ricotta cheese so didn't make it. Today as I cleaned out the fridge I discovered I did have just a tiny bit left in the bottom of the container at the back of the fridge. Score!
I am a fairly picky tomato eater. As a child I would only eat a fresh tomato in a BLT. At this point in my life I can appreciate a good tasting tomato though I still won't eat the ones that come in a salad unless it is diced and hidden with lettuce and other salad goodies. I tried popping a cherry or grape tomato once just to see if I would like it. Nope. That being said, I was a little hesistant to put fresh tomato inside this 'calzone'. The tomatoes ended up a little cooked and added a great flavor. I ended up really liking this concoction. I used spinach for my greens then added basil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning as the spices. With it only being 159 calories, I decided to play with the recipe a little bit.
Remember the kale & butternut quesadilla? I have been trying to think of ways to cut down on that 600 calorie beauty and wondered how kale and butternut would taste in this 'calzone'. Turns out is delicious for only 240 calories. YES! So, here is the basic recipe for the final product.
Ingredients
1 flour tortilla
2 TB ricotta cheese
2 kale leaves
1/4 c. diced butternut squash
1/4 c. diced tomatoes
chili powder
pepper
basil
Italian seasoning
garlic powder
Directions
In a saute pan, wilt the kale leaves (Pioneer Woman did it in olive oil. I was using a nonstick pan and didn't even add cooking spray). Remove from heat.
In same pan, saute butternut squash until tender. Add a dash of chili powder for seasoning. Remove from heat when done.
In pan, heat tortilla on both sides til warm, then spread ricotta cheese on the top side. Spread the tomatoes on top of the ricotta cheese. Add pepper, then kale leaves, and finally the squash. Top with the remaining seasonings.
Use a spatula to fold the tortilla in half and create a quesadilla. I like to flip it over on the side that became the top to make sure it is nice and browned and everything is warmed through.
Enjoy!
I am a fairly picky tomato eater. As a child I would only eat a fresh tomato in a BLT. At this point in my life I can appreciate a good tasting tomato though I still won't eat the ones that come in a salad unless it is diced and hidden with lettuce and other salad goodies. I tried popping a cherry or grape tomato once just to see if I would like it. Nope. That being said, I was a little hesistant to put fresh tomato inside this 'calzone'. The tomatoes ended up a little cooked and added a great flavor. I ended up really liking this concoction. I used spinach for my greens then added basil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning as the spices. With it only being 159 calories, I decided to play with the recipe a little bit.
Remember the kale & butternut quesadilla? I have been trying to think of ways to cut down on that 600 calorie beauty and wondered how kale and butternut would taste in this 'calzone'. Turns out is delicious for only 240 calories. YES! So, here is the basic recipe for the final product.
Ingredients
1 flour tortilla
2 TB ricotta cheese
2 kale leaves
1/4 c. diced butternut squash
1/4 c. diced tomatoes
chili powder
pepper
basil
Italian seasoning
garlic powder
Directions
In a saute pan, wilt the kale leaves (Pioneer Woman did it in olive oil. I was using a nonstick pan and didn't even add cooking spray). Remove from heat.
In same pan, saute butternut squash until tender. Add a dash of chili powder for seasoning. Remove from heat when done.
In pan, heat tortilla on both sides til warm, then spread ricotta cheese on the top side. Spread the tomatoes on top of the ricotta cheese. Add pepper, then kale leaves, and finally the squash. Top with the remaining seasonings.
Use a spatula to fold the tortilla in half and create a quesadilla. I like to flip it over on the side that became the top to make sure it is nice and browned and everything is warmed through.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Week 5 Weigh in
Last Week - 176.8
This Week - 177.5
Definitely headed in the wrong direction. Glad I didn't put any $$ into the pot after all :p I really should start taking measurements today and track that as well because that is where the big changes will show themselves I think. On the flip side, I haven't been doing as much cardio over the last week either as I focused on the exercise videos that are great for strengthening muscles but not so much for calorie usage.
Yesterday I felt like being more productive around the house so I cleaned instead of exercising. I don't know if I had more energy because I didn't spend an hour on the treadmill or because I had a 'to-do' list I was working off of. Perhaps a little bit of both. Today I just want to crawl back in bed and sleep.....
*******
I was just looking through my previous posts and saw the entry from Jan 3rd. It said I would weigh 176.8 in 5 weeks if I continued to maintain that eating habit. What do you know. It was right. Kind of. I have been in that 176 range the last 3 weeks. I've been eating all my calories and here I am. I have had a few over days, but not many in the big picture. At this point the MFP says that I will be around 171-172 in 5 weeks if I continue my eating/exercise habits. So, we will see at the beginning of March what my weight looks like.
This Week - 177.5
Definitely headed in the wrong direction. Glad I didn't put any $$ into the pot after all :p I really should start taking measurements today and track that as well because that is where the big changes will show themselves I think. On the flip side, I haven't been doing as much cardio over the last week either as I focused on the exercise videos that are great for strengthening muscles but not so much for calorie usage.
Yesterday I felt like being more productive around the house so I cleaned instead of exercising. I don't know if I had more energy because I didn't spend an hour on the treadmill or because I had a 'to-do' list I was working off of. Perhaps a little bit of both. Today I just want to crawl back in bed and sleep.....
*******
I was just looking through my previous posts and saw the entry from Jan 3rd. It said I would weigh 176.8 in 5 weeks if I continued to maintain that eating habit. What do you know. It was right. Kind of. I have been in that 176 range the last 3 weeks. I've been eating all my calories and here I am. I have had a few over days, but not many in the big picture. At this point the MFP says that I will be around 171-172 in 5 weeks if I continue my eating/exercise habits. So, we will see at the beginning of March what my weight looks like.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal
Aaron's breakfast of preference is oatmeal. This kid should not have any problems with cholesterol. The family we live with every once in awhile would offer to make him oatmeal and add in chocolate chips. Aaron takes after his Gma and LOVES chocolate. The typical bowl of oatmeal I make for Aaron is this:
1/4 - 1/2 c. dry regular or quick oats
double amount of water
craisins
cinnamon
brown sugar to sweeten
milk to cool it down
Well, once he had the chocolate chips, he always wanted them. I usually put enough brown sugar in there that he did not need the extra sugar from the chips. I was playing with cocoa powder in my smoothies at the time and realized that the cocoa powder didn't have any extra sweetener in it, so if he wanted the chocolate flavor, adding the cocoa powder would be a way to do it without adding extra sugar to the mix. He was skeptical at the first introduction, but was soon converted and has requested chocolate oatmeal every day since. Whatever he doesn't finish at breakfast becomes lunch and sometimes a second bowl is requested. I think this is week 3 of this menu.
Gradually I have decreased the sugar amount because I have a hard time believing that chocolate oatmeal for breakfast is a great thing. Matthew made the point that this chocolate oatmeal was like eating a no bake cookie, but as we listed off the ingredients in the cookie, we realized it was missing the peanut butter. Yesterday I decided to make a bowl of chocolate oatmeal for myself but add in peanut butter to see how it would taste. Yep, it's like a no bake cookie for breakfast! YUM!! With 1/2 c of oatmeal it was a really filling breakfast at only 318 calories without the milk. I really didn't get hungry until the late afternoon where normally I am starving by 11 am. I can easily spend 300 calories on a smoothie and piece of toast and not feel full. This is great for my iron (16) and protein (12) levels too. The only trade-off is the high carbs (and possibly sugars) but I am not worried about that as much as I am about the iron.
So here is my Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal recipe for 318 calories:
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 c. water
2 TB craisins
Cook in microwave for 2 minutes
Add
1 TB brown sugar
1 TB unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TB peanut butter
dash of cinnamon
Mix until well combined. Add milk if desired.
I like the cranberries in it enough that I am thinking that next time I make no bake cookies I might add cranberries to them :)
1/4 - 1/2 c. dry regular or quick oats
double amount of water
craisins
cinnamon
brown sugar to sweeten
milk to cool it down
Well, once he had the chocolate chips, he always wanted them. I usually put enough brown sugar in there that he did not need the extra sugar from the chips. I was playing with cocoa powder in my smoothies at the time and realized that the cocoa powder didn't have any extra sweetener in it, so if he wanted the chocolate flavor, adding the cocoa powder would be a way to do it without adding extra sugar to the mix. He was skeptical at the first introduction, but was soon converted and has requested chocolate oatmeal every day since. Whatever he doesn't finish at breakfast becomes lunch and sometimes a second bowl is requested. I think this is week 3 of this menu.
Gradually I have decreased the sugar amount because I have a hard time believing that chocolate oatmeal for breakfast is a great thing. Matthew made the point that this chocolate oatmeal was like eating a no bake cookie, but as we listed off the ingredients in the cookie, we realized it was missing the peanut butter. Yesterday I decided to make a bowl of chocolate oatmeal for myself but add in peanut butter to see how it would taste. Yep, it's like a no bake cookie for breakfast! YUM!! With 1/2 c of oatmeal it was a really filling breakfast at only 318 calories without the milk. I really didn't get hungry until the late afternoon where normally I am starving by 11 am. I can easily spend 300 calories on a smoothie and piece of toast and not feel full. This is great for my iron (16) and protein (12) levels too. The only trade-off is the high carbs (and possibly sugars) but I am not worried about that as much as I am about the iron.
So here is my Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal recipe for 318 calories:
1/2 c. rolled oats
1 c. water
2 TB craisins
Cook in microwave for 2 minutes
Add
1 TB brown sugar
1 TB unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TB peanut butter
dash of cinnamon
Mix until well combined. Add milk if desired.
I like the cranberries in it enough that I am thinking that next time I make no bake cookies I might add cranberries to them :)
Monday, February 4, 2013
Homemade No Bake Granola Bars
Someone just posted pics of granola bars they made on Facebook. This is an idea I have toyed with for awhile but never managed to make it to a 'do' stage. Not today. This is the link to the original recipe on Penniesandpancakes.blogpost.com. I think I will probably be spending some more time on her site because this is the kind of thing that is right up my alley!
I made two different versions: Corn chex craisins, & almond granola bar and Spooner crumb craisin granola bar
Here is the ingredient list from the original recipe:
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cups Quick Oats (not rolled oats)
2 cups crispy rice cereal
3 teaspoons vanilla
My adaptations (I halved the recipe to create the two different versions):
Corn Chex Craisin & Almond Bar
1/4 c. honey
2 T + 1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 T peanut butter (creamy)
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 C Quick Oats
1 c. corn chex
3 TB craisins
3 TB whole almonds (next time would probably chop them)
Spooner Crumb Craisin Bars
1/4 c. honey
2 T + 1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 T peanut butter (creamy)
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 C Quick Oats
1 C frosted mini spooner crumbs (you know, all the crushed spooners at the bottom of the bag)
3 TB craisins
Evaluation:
Both were very good, but the spooners were way sweet!! but I liked the consistency of them. I think if I were to use the crumbs again I would probably just put in a TB of brown sugar or leave it out completely. I would like to add other things to them as well, but the calorie content is already pretty high. I cut the corn chex version into 9 bars and they were 183 calories! I made the spooner bars smaller and came out with 16, but it is still 92 calories a bar.
I made two different versions: Corn chex craisins, & almond granola bar and Spooner crumb craisin granola bar
Here is the ingredient list from the original recipe:
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cups Quick Oats (not rolled oats)
2 cups crispy rice cereal
3 teaspoons vanilla
My adaptations (I halved the recipe to create the two different versions):
Corn Chex Craisin & Almond Bar
1/4 c. honey
2 T + 1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 T peanut butter (creamy)
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 C Quick Oats
1 c. corn chex
3 TB craisins
3 TB whole almonds (next time would probably chop them)
Spooner Crumb Craisin Bars
1/4 c. honey
2 T + 1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 T peanut butter (creamy)
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 C Quick Oats
1 C frosted mini spooner crumbs (you know, all the crushed spooners at the bottom of the bag)
3 TB craisins
Evaluation:
Both were very good, but the spooners were way sweet!! but I liked the consistency of them. I think if I were to use the crumbs again I would probably just put in a TB of brown sugar or leave it out completely. I would like to add other things to them as well, but the calorie content is already pretty high. I cut the corn chex version into 9 bars and they were 183 calories! I made the spooner bars smaller and came out with 16, but it is still 92 calories a bar.
Sludge Smoothie -Mango, Banana, Blueberry & Spinach Smoothie
Sludge Smoothie. Doesn't that just sound so appetizing? But that is the kind of look a smoothie takes on when you add berries to a green mix. Thankfully I can look past the color though and just enjoy the taste. I picked up a bunch of mangoes last week and discovered a great smoothie combo to use them up.
1/2 c milk
1 TB protein powder
spinach (I used at least 1 cup's worth)
1 mango
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 - 1 c frozen blueberries
Yum.
1/2 c milk
1 TB protein powder
spinach (I used at least 1 cup's worth)
1 mango
1/2 frozen banana
1/2 - 1 c frozen blueberries
Yum.
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