Yikes. I just looked at the label of the cottage cheese I've been eating. I thought it was a healthy food until I really read the label! It's jam-packed with "fillers" such as guar gum, xanthum gum carob bean gum, potassium sorbate, etc.
Guar gum and other gums are seemingly ok foods processed from plants. But when I looked them up, they really start out sounding as an ok thickener for foods, until you get deeper into the explanation. For example, guar gum was once used in weight-loss foods, but were recalled when they realized that they can cause blockages in the esophagus and they slow or reduce the absorption of calcium and other minerals into the body. They also can cause diahrrea. It also sounds like it might be bad for people with diabetic conditions. Hmmm. I want a cottage cheese that just has milk and salt.
Last night I had a whopper of a sinus headache that kept me awake for hours. I also had it this morning, and it really made me sick to my stomach. Now reading about some of these additives, which are rampant in foods like cheese and cottage cheese as well as any processed foods, makes me wonder what they had to do with it.
Here's what I ate yesterday. Cottage cheese with fresh pineapple chunks. Then an orange and a piece of cheese. About 3/4 cup of the leftover jambalaya. Some cheese and an apple. Then for supper we had stuffed baked potatoes. I had a tablespoon of that dratted cottage cheese, some broasted turkey, broccoli and a little salsa. I also had a small portion with the venison chili I made the other day. I only used 1/2 of the baked potatoe, but I was stuffed! It's good to see my portion size starting to shift. I am eating smaller meals -- I really notice it.
Unfortunately, I also made Tim's favorite cherry pie and had a small slice of it with some ice cream. I'm finding out most ice creams have all those fillers too, so I am switching to Hagen Daz, which doesn't.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Finally having fun!
Two months ago, I dreaded each day of "dieting." It seemed like a punishment and as if I was opening myself up for criticism from my skinny friends. But the truth is, I'm having a ton of fun. Finally! I've been getting really creative with my menu planning. Last night I made a protein and vegetable jumbalaya for the kids that was really healthy and a little spicy and, for the most part, they ate it all! I think at first it was weird for them, but now they like it. Colin, the 9-year-old, even asked to help make meals, which I think is a pretty big milestone.
Of course, the area that I still need to step up my game is exercise. I'm going to get going on that again today. I'm hearing a little grumbling from Tim about my lack of participation in exercising the dogs. Of course, these are crazy, circling dogs that constantly put me in danger of falling. At first, like dieting, it won't be fun. But I assume that if I get them straightened out and focused on the proper way to behave and good choices, they'll enjoy the walk and then so will I!
Yesterday, I was gone all day, yet still did pretty good on food. I had a smoothie with yogurt, whole milk and fruit for breakfast. Then cheese and pea pods for a snack. I had some chicken bits at the food store for lunch--not great, but not horrible--and then some plain chicken and pea pods for a snack. As you already read, vegetable, chicken and chicken sausage with rice for dinner. No naughty snacks, so that's good!
Cheers.
Of course, the area that I still need to step up my game is exercise. I'm going to get going on that again today. I'm hearing a little grumbling from Tim about my lack of participation in exercising the dogs. Of course, these are crazy, circling dogs that constantly put me in danger of falling. At first, like dieting, it won't be fun. But I assume that if I get them straightened out and focused on the proper way to behave and good choices, they'll enjoy the walk and then so will I!
Yesterday, I was gone all day, yet still did pretty good on food. I had a smoothie with yogurt, whole milk and fruit for breakfast. Then cheese and pea pods for a snack. I had some chicken bits at the food store for lunch--not great, but not horrible--and then some plain chicken and pea pods for a snack. As you already read, vegetable, chicken and chicken sausage with rice for dinner. No naughty snacks, so that's good!
Cheers.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Vindication via television
I was happy to watch the Today show's feature on Eat This Not That. David Zinczenko said that often marketers will lie about whether a food is healthy for you. In fact, some food's labels say they are "all natural" or "multigrain" or "reduced fat," but that doesn't necessarily mean good for you. Click here to see more.
Stonyfield Farm fat free has a lot of sugar -- equal to two scoops of Edy's double fudge brownie ice cream. Yikes. I know I look specifically at the food label and try to have no more than 10 grams of sugar in foods, especially those that get into the kids. Zinczenko recommended greek-style yogurt, which has fewer calories, but double the protein and way less sugar. Avoid meal replacement bars with high sugar, and look for those that have fewer ingredients.
Here's another surprise. Low-fat peanut butters can be bad for you! They put some really nasty filler in them to make them low fat, which reduces the important monounsaturated fats you would get from the peanuts. He recommended finding peanut butters that have only two ingredients -- peanuts and salt. He said the low fat versions may remove all healthy ingredients and replace it with this low-fat filler that only reduces calories by 10 per serving -- still equal to a Krispy Kreme donut.
I like that! They also talked about how butter is so much better for you than most replacement butters. "One comes from cows and the other comes from a lab." To make them low-fat, they have to add other oils, usually adding 2.5 grams of transfats -- again -- bad. Go with whipped butter instead, he said.
He also recommended all juice juices -- no sugar.
I'm so happy because several of these rules match what my nutritionist is telling me. Butter is ok rather than replacement oils, juice is fine as long as it's all juice. And regular fat yogurt is way better than low-fat yogurt which uses either chemical sugars or real sugars in order to replace fat. Thank you Tracie!
Stonyfield Farm fat free has a lot of sugar -- equal to two scoops of Edy's double fudge brownie ice cream. Yikes. I know I look specifically at the food label and try to have no more than 10 grams of sugar in foods, especially those that get into the kids. Zinczenko recommended greek-style yogurt, which has fewer calories, but double the protein and way less sugar. Avoid meal replacement bars with high sugar, and look for those that have fewer ingredients.
Here's another surprise. Low-fat peanut butters can be bad for you! They put some really nasty filler in them to make them low fat, which reduces the important monounsaturated fats you would get from the peanuts. He recommended finding peanut butters that have only two ingredients -- peanuts and salt. He said the low fat versions may remove all healthy ingredients and replace it with this low-fat filler that only reduces calories by 10 per serving -- still equal to a Krispy Kreme donut.
I like that! They also talked about how butter is so much better for you than most replacement butters. "One comes from cows and the other comes from a lab." To make them low-fat, they have to add other oils, usually adding 2.5 grams of transfats -- again -- bad. Go with whipped butter instead, he said.
He also recommended all juice juices -- no sugar.
I'm so happy because several of these rules match what my nutritionist is telling me. Butter is ok rather than replacement oils, juice is fine as long as it's all juice. And regular fat yogurt is way better than low-fat yogurt which uses either chemical sugars or real sugars in order to replace fat. Thank you Tracie!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Creatively lazy
Being creative has its pluses and minuses. On the positive side, I'm pretty good at changing a recipe so that it fits what I'm supposed to eat. The other night I made a lamb recipe and used goat cheese and vegetable puree as the stuffing instead of the breading called for. It was so yummy and the cheese with vegetables had a great consistency!
On the other hand, I can look at a crappy hot dog in a bun or a Fish Fry and imagine that it somehow fits into my diet just by using my amazing powers of persuasion. Sad! So, yesterday I had a hot dog -- again in a pinch -- and went out with my fiance for Fish Fry at this terrific dive restaurant in Belleville. I had hoped they'd have baked fish and baked potato, but no luck. I should have called ahead. Still, it wasn't a huge plate and I'm back in the saddle today. Cottage cheese and apple for breakfast.
My creative juices really ramp up when it comes to exercise. I can convince myself that 18 degrees and snowy means there's a good excuse for not exercising. Really, Lisa! Get on the stick. Tim is outside right now snowshoeing with the dogs on the hill behind our house.
I'd love ideas on how to be more motivated about getting outside. But I already know the answer courtesy of Nike (I think it's Nike): Just do it!
On the other hand, I can look at a crappy hot dog in a bun or a Fish Fry and imagine that it somehow fits into my diet just by using my amazing powers of persuasion. Sad! So, yesterday I had a hot dog -- again in a pinch -- and went out with my fiance for Fish Fry at this terrific dive restaurant in Belleville. I had hoped they'd have baked fish and baked potato, but no luck. I should have called ahead. Still, it wasn't a huge plate and I'm back in the saddle today. Cottage cheese and apple for breakfast.
My creative juices really ramp up when it comes to exercise. I can convince myself that 18 degrees and snowy means there's a good excuse for not exercising. Really, Lisa! Get on the stick. Tim is outside right now snowshoeing with the dogs on the hill behind our house.
I'd love ideas on how to be more motivated about getting outside. But I already know the answer courtesy of Nike (I think it's Nike): Just do it!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Planning to succeed
OK. My nutritionist, Tracie, has busted me for not planning my meals. In fact, my friend Sue has busted me, my mom, Ann, my fiance . . . pretty much everyone. So here's my plan.
I've cleaned out my little cooler and I am going to start packing a jar with juice and water mixed, some cheese, some vegetables and hummus and some lean meats -- lamb chop, chicken, pork roast. Then, when I run into a situation like I did yesterday, I'll be prepared.
I had a meeting with a client who provided food! Argh. Shrimp and fries and coleslaw. Well, I had a few pieces of the shrimp and skipped the fries but had a little of the slaw. The shrimp was breaded and deep fried. Not good. But I really didn't have that much.
Here's what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast was pineapple and cottage cheese.
Snack was a lamb chop and cheese.
Lunch at 1 p.m. was really snacky -- two cheese sticks and orange juice
midafternoon snack wa at 4 p.m. and was 4 pieces of deep fried shrimp and coleslaw.
dinner was at 8 p.m. (I waited for Tim) and it was a pork chop and Brussels sprouts and a glass of wine.
I really felt great yesterday!
As you can see, I did fine except when I wasn't prepared. Always, always, always the case. If hadn't been hungry at 4 p.m., I wouldn't have eaten. I should have had something right before the meeting since I knew I was getting hungry. Argh!
The good news is that I have a lot of energy today. I already got two bedrooms cleaned up (the kids') and have gotten a lot of work done!
I've cleaned out my little cooler and I am going to start packing a jar with juice and water mixed, some cheese, some vegetables and hummus and some lean meats -- lamb chop, chicken, pork roast. Then, when I run into a situation like I did yesterday, I'll be prepared.
I had a meeting with a client who provided food! Argh. Shrimp and fries and coleslaw. Well, I had a few pieces of the shrimp and skipped the fries but had a little of the slaw. The shrimp was breaded and deep fried. Not good. But I really didn't have that much.
Here's what I ate yesterday:
Breakfast was pineapple and cottage cheese.
Snack was a lamb chop and cheese.
Lunch at 1 p.m. was really snacky -- two cheese sticks and orange juice
midafternoon snack wa at 4 p.m. and was 4 pieces of deep fried shrimp and coleslaw.
dinner was at 8 p.m. (I waited for Tim) and it was a pork chop and Brussels sprouts and a glass of wine.
I really felt great yesterday!
As you can see, I did fine except when I wasn't prepared. Always, always, always the case. If hadn't been hungry at 4 p.m., I wouldn't have eaten. I should have had something right before the meeting since I knew I was getting hungry. Argh!
The good news is that I have a lot of energy today. I already got two bedrooms cleaned up (the kids') and have gotten a lot of work done!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Fueling with Vitamins
Well, one thing I love about my new way of eating is making sure that I am pumping enough vitamins into my system. So I get to really feel good about what I'm eating and truly thinking about it as fuel instead of nurturing myself. Sweet potatoes, beets, squash, pumpkin, collards, spinach, lamb, venison and bug-eating chicken all taste so delicious to me, especially now that they are full of nutrients. Yesterday for dinner, I had a small lamb chop, about 1 oz. of cheese and some sweet potatoe mash. Yum!
My nutritionist also suggested that I start using Gelatin since I have been having a lot of joint pain. She said that not only does it work better than glucosamine chondroitin, but it also balances out amino acids in your body. In the olden days, people often cooked with bones -- they used everything! Today people cook much less often with bones, so are missing those key nutrients. Adding Gelatin to juice or a broth can really help, she says. I'm willing to try it and will be buying some today.
One thing I have noticed while watching the Biggest Loser is that you can see who is going to lose weight and who won't just by watching their faces. You can see who is determined and who is just sitting back and phone it in. I really admire Tara. Even when she's not working as hard, she still works harder than everyone else. But my real takeaway from last night is that when she worries about her lackluster partner, Laura, she doesn't do as well. It saps her energy and demotivates her. I've also noticed that in my life. In areas where I'm already doing well, such as staying organized, writing, public relations, horses, relationships, etc., I do really, really well helping others. But in areas where I struggle (finance and weight), I get completely off-course when I try to help others. You might notice that while I try to provide some information in my blog, most of it is about me. That's also why I appreciate all the comments from Nancy and Ann on this blog, as well as the emails I get from friends and the phone and personal support from my nutritionist, Tracie Hittman. I have nothing to give others in this area, so I have to be a bit of a taker right now. But believe me, when I'm fit and have licked this issue, I'll be ready to give!
My nutritionist also suggested that I start using Gelatin since I have been having a lot of joint pain. She said that not only does it work better than glucosamine chondroitin, but it also balances out amino acids in your body. In the olden days, people often cooked with bones -- they used everything! Today people cook much less often with bones, so are missing those key nutrients. Adding Gelatin to juice or a broth can really help, she says. I'm willing to try it and will be buying some today.
One thing I have noticed while watching the Biggest Loser is that you can see who is going to lose weight and who won't just by watching their faces. You can see who is determined and who is just sitting back and phone it in. I really admire Tara. Even when she's not working as hard, she still works harder than everyone else. But my real takeaway from last night is that when she worries about her lackluster partner, Laura, she doesn't do as well. It saps her energy and demotivates her. I've also noticed that in my life. In areas where I'm already doing well, such as staying organized, writing, public relations, horses, relationships, etc., I do really, really well helping others. But in areas where I struggle (finance and weight), I get completely off-course when I try to help others. You might notice that while I try to provide some information in my blog, most of it is about me. That's also why I appreciate all the comments from Nancy and Ann on this blog, as well as the emails I get from friends and the phone and personal support from my nutritionist, Tracie Hittman. I have nothing to give others in this area, so I have to be a bit of a taker right now. But believe me, when I'm fit and have licked this issue, I'll be ready to give!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Bloating!
Well, hopped on the scale and all is fine. Also talked to my nutritionist. She explained that just prior to illness or at the start of illness, your body will retain water in an effort to stock up for all onslaughts. I was sick on Saturday night and Sunday. In addition, hormone fluctuations can cause water retention, and with my thyroid disease and perimenopausal state, it's no wonder there's some issues. Here's a little more info about bloating causes.
At any rate, the kids are gone and with a little bit of sadness is feelings of peace. Now I can eat what I want. No need to sit down for a full meal. I can have five small meals a day without the stress of constantly explaining to the children why we're eating this way. Now, I think I will be able to gradually move them into that phase. In fact, when they get home, they already have a small meal. Fruit, usually, plus a smoothie or a granola bar of some sort. What I'd like them to have is veggies and yogurt dip with some string cheese. They love edamame as well. Last week, we had vegetarian pot stickers from Trader Joe's about three times -- it's great when I'm in a rush. Five pieces are 270 calories. There are 10 fat grams (1.5 g. is saturated fat), 5 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of protein, but 600 mg. of sodium, which is a little much. We use the low-salt soy sauce that is all organic, but still, it's pushing it. The oils are soybean oil and sesame oil, which are not the oils recommended by my nutritionist that I eat for my thyroid condition. I do love Trader Joe's in that they have a spot on their Web site where you can see what's in their food. Click here to see it.
I just had lunch, and it included a piece of sourdough bread, chicken, a piece of cheese and some pea pods. For breakfast I had a few gulps of a smoothie, some cottage cheese and an orange.
Take care!
At any rate, the kids are gone and with a little bit of sadness is feelings of peace. Now I can eat what I want. No need to sit down for a full meal. I can have five small meals a day without the stress of constantly explaining to the children why we're eating this way. Now, I think I will be able to gradually move them into that phase. In fact, when they get home, they already have a small meal. Fruit, usually, plus a smoothie or a granola bar of some sort. What I'd like them to have is veggies and yogurt dip with some string cheese. They love edamame as well. Last week, we had vegetarian pot stickers from Trader Joe's about three times -- it's great when I'm in a rush. Five pieces are 270 calories. There are 10 fat grams (1.5 g. is saturated fat), 5 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of protein, but 600 mg. of sodium, which is a little much. We use the low-salt soy sauce that is all organic, but still, it's pushing it. The oils are soybean oil and sesame oil, which are not the oils recommended by my nutritionist that I eat for my thyroid condition. I do love Trader Joe's in that they have a spot on their Web site where you can see what's in their food. Click here to see it.
I just had lunch, and it included a piece of sourdough bread, chicken, a piece of cheese and some pea pods. For breakfast I had a few gulps of a smoothie, some cottage cheese and an orange.
Take care!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Back in the saddle
Well, last night I was very ill and threw up all night. So much for water weight anyway. Today I feel a little better, although still headachy (I think I had a migraine-- bad headache and nausea). Today I was too ill to eat in the morning, other than a dry piece of toast. For lunch I had risotto that had broccoli, carrot, sweetpotato puree in it (hiding vitamins from the kids). It was great! I didn't eat much because I felt illish, but felt it was at least healthy.
Tonight I am going to a family dinner. For the first time, many members of my family are losing weight or have recently lost weight, so we are all having healthy foods. I was asked to bring brownies, ice cream and chocolate sauce for the kids to eat. But I'm fooling them. I have Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious, and I'm making a brownie recipe from that (here it is). It has 133 calories per square, which is pretty good. But the kicker is that it has carrot and spinach puree in it and a dietary fiber content of 3 grams. The nutritionist associated with that book gave it a thumbs up as it means kids are getting even more vitamins than they will know (you cannot taste the purees in it, believe me), and they aren't getting loads of fat. It called for the healthy balance spread, but I used butter. I did add butterscotch morsels to one of the batches (I made two, and I'll freeze the leftovers for kids).
My sister is making a turkey breast, my sister a corn dish, another a big salad, and my mom is bringing angel food cake with strawberries and something else. I'm planning on eating the turkey and salad and a vegetable that looks healthy. For dessert I'm going to have some of the ice cream that's on my diet and strawberries. If I feel full, just strawberries.
I'll figure this out. And Ann, I did buy some of the organic diet dinners -- chicken and succotash, beef tips and sweet potatoes and broccoli, etc. -- so I am going to start having those for lunch. It will definitely be better now that the kids are leaving for the week. And I might be bloated because it's about time for that time, if you know what I mean. But I'm going to check my scale and reweigh tomorrow, which is my real weigh in date. Stay tuned!
Tonight I am going to a family dinner. For the first time, many members of my family are losing weight or have recently lost weight, so we are all having healthy foods. I was asked to bring brownies, ice cream and chocolate sauce for the kids to eat. But I'm fooling them. I have Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious, and I'm making a brownie recipe from that (here it is). It has 133 calories per square, which is pretty good. But the kicker is that it has carrot and spinach puree in it and a dietary fiber content of 3 grams. The nutritionist associated with that book gave it a thumbs up as it means kids are getting even more vitamins than they will know (you cannot taste the purees in it, believe me), and they aren't getting loads of fat. It called for the healthy balance spread, but I used butter. I did add butterscotch morsels to one of the batches (I made two, and I'll freeze the leftovers for kids).
My sister is making a turkey breast, my sister a corn dish, another a big salad, and my mom is bringing angel food cake with strawberries and something else. I'm planning on eating the turkey and salad and a vegetable that looks healthy. For dessert I'm going to have some of the ice cream that's on my diet and strawberries. If I feel full, just strawberries.
I'll figure this out. And Ann, I did buy some of the organic diet dinners -- chicken and succotash, beef tips and sweet potatoes and broccoli, etc. -- so I am going to start having those for lunch. It will definitely be better now that the kids are leaving for the week. And I might be bloated because it's about time for that time, if you know what I mean. But I'm going to check my scale and reweigh tomorrow, which is my real weigh in date. Stay tuned!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Worried
Well, I hopped on the scale this afternoon, and it reads as if I've gained back 5 pounds. I did have a couple cupcakes on Friday, but can that really change everything? I feel as if I were fairly good this week, but apparently not good enough. I still think quantity is a big deal. And the fact that I was stuck at home with a sick child this week.
At first I felt very frustrated, but I'm going to persevere and realize that this is a mind thing, and it's a journey. I read the comment by Ann on the previous blog entry and it really had a lot of good tips on how to handle being the mom (or stepmom) at home. It's really coming down to not having junk in the house until I can resist the temptation better (that might be never!).
On a good note, I resisted the temptation to stop and grab something to eat when I was hungry today after the garden show. I went home and had some cold chicken, a small piece of cheese and some cherry tomatoes. I also rode my horse for an hour this afternoon.
At first I felt very frustrated, but I'm going to persevere and realize that this is a mind thing, and it's a journey. I read the comment by Ann on the previous blog entry and it really had a lot of good tips on how to handle being the mom (or stepmom) at home. It's really coming down to not having junk in the house until I can resist the temptation better (that might be never!).
On a good note, I resisted the temptation to stop and grab something to eat when I was hungry today after the garden show. I went home and had some cold chicken, a small piece of cheese and some cherry tomatoes. I also rode my horse for an hour this afternoon.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Working from home
I'm not sure how stay-at-home mothers stay slim. It seems impossible to me. I'm working from home right now and unless I completely stay out of the kitchen, the temptation to open the refrigerator is constant. It's as if I've been trained by a mad scientist to open the door to some silent bell every time I walk by.
I know procrastination is the hallmark of a true writer—most of us get busy during the reporting phase, but when it comes to putting pen to paper, the house must be clean, laundry done, dinner prepared, couch fluffed and toenails polished before we will actually sit down to write. But still, procrastination notwithstanding, I still get lured into the kitchen, even when I'm just walking into the living room to look out the front window for a change of scenery.
I remember the good old days of my last diet. I was working at a newspaper and all I had to do was eat a good breakfast, pack 2 snacks and a good lunch, and make sure I didn't go off the rails when I first got home—that stress-eating pitfall so many fall into. Once I got into a routine, it was relatively easy. I guess I just have to find my routine at home—although that's half the reason I like working from home: spontaneity.
Yesterday, our youngest (Eden) was sick and she needed me. So I was pretty busy running for liquids, toast, and the vomit bucket. But her presence also threw me off when it came to planning time out for me. She had lots of good reasons I should be by her side, so I was. That meant I had to do the ol' drive-by eating that got me into trouble in the past. Fortunately, I could fall onto my good friends--healthy snacks. I'd have cheese and apple slices or some veggies and yogurt dip. But by the time dinner came around, I was starving. My ol' pal the slow-cooker came to the rescue. I popped in a Trader Joe's preseasoned roast, a few chopped up potatoes, sweet potatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes and carrots (add the tomatoes 1/2 hour before serving), throw in some Italian seasoning, pepper and salt and you're off! Oh yes, and some water. When done, I drizzled a little olive oil onto the vegetables before a final seasoning and everyone at the table was happy except Colin, who has been convinced that any little bit of fat unless it comes on bacon or ribs will choke him. The little muggins.
I'd love to hear what other moms do. And any moms out there who are falling off the wagon, and you know who you are, just take it with babysteps. I highly recommend starting the day with two scrambled eggs with regular (not skim) cottage cheese and strawberries. You won't have any hunger pains until snack time. Then try an apple and some cheese (2 oz.). At lunch have a piece of sourdough bread, a hunk of rotisserie chicken and some steamed vegetables (or spinach salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar). Just one meal at a time. Make sure there's a little protein, carb and fat. You can do it! (P.S., yesterday I would just eat the next time I got hungry and discovered it was about 2.5 hours after every snack. What a revelation!)
I know procrastination is the hallmark of a true writer—most of us get busy during the reporting phase, but when it comes to putting pen to paper, the house must be clean, laundry done, dinner prepared, couch fluffed and toenails polished before we will actually sit down to write. But still, procrastination notwithstanding, I still get lured into the kitchen, even when I'm just walking into the living room to look out the front window for a change of scenery.
I remember the good old days of my last diet. I was working at a newspaper and all I had to do was eat a good breakfast, pack 2 snacks and a good lunch, and make sure I didn't go off the rails when I first got home—that stress-eating pitfall so many fall into. Once I got into a routine, it was relatively easy. I guess I just have to find my routine at home—although that's half the reason I like working from home: spontaneity.
Yesterday, our youngest (Eden) was sick and she needed me. So I was pretty busy running for liquids, toast, and the vomit bucket. But her presence also threw me off when it came to planning time out for me. She had lots of good reasons I should be by her side, so I was. That meant I had to do the ol' drive-by eating that got me into trouble in the past. Fortunately, I could fall onto my good friends--healthy snacks. I'd have cheese and apple slices or some veggies and yogurt dip. But by the time dinner came around, I was starving. My ol' pal the slow-cooker came to the rescue. I popped in a Trader Joe's preseasoned roast, a few chopped up potatoes, sweet potatoes, fresh cherry tomatoes and carrots (add the tomatoes 1/2 hour before serving), throw in some Italian seasoning, pepper and salt and you're off! Oh yes, and some water. When done, I drizzled a little olive oil onto the vegetables before a final seasoning and everyone at the table was happy except Colin, who has been convinced that any little bit of fat unless it comes on bacon or ribs will choke him. The little muggins.
I'd love to hear what other moms do. And any moms out there who are falling off the wagon, and you know who you are, just take it with babysteps. I highly recommend starting the day with two scrambled eggs with regular (not skim) cottage cheese and strawberries. You won't have any hunger pains until snack time. Then try an apple and some cheese (2 oz.). At lunch have a piece of sourdough bread, a hunk of rotisserie chicken and some steamed vegetables (or spinach salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar). Just one meal at a time. Make sure there's a little protein, carb and fat. You can do it! (P.S., yesterday I would just eat the next time I got hungry and discovered it was about 2.5 hours after every snack. What a revelation!)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The food pyramid updated
I was looking about for nutrition information this morning and when I Googled "nutrition information" the first Web site that came up is that of the government, under the well-known guise of the food pyramid. It's pretty good! You can plug in your own information and it spits out what you should eat to stay the same weight and what you should eat to lose weight. It doesn't so much give you a menu as it gives you amount you should eat in a day or a week.
The good news is that it tells you to alternate the colors of vegetables on your plate and gives equal balance to root vegetables as to green vegetables (I looooove root veggies). It also has a pretty low number of carbohydrates you should have. But the bad news is that it almost completely sidelines oils and fats—they have it marked as the skinniest color on the food pyramid (which looks more like a food rainbow in a pyramid shape) and the amount of information matches the narrowness of the dietary allowances. As if you shouldn't have any. In fact, the information there is really egregiously poor and minimal. But the rest of it is good for thise just starting out learning about nutrition.
The good news is that it tells you to alternate the colors of vegetables on your plate and gives equal balance to root vegetables as to green vegetables (I looooove root veggies). It also has a pretty low number of carbohydrates you should have. But the bad news is that it almost completely sidelines oils and fats—they have it marked as the skinniest color on the food pyramid (which looks more like a food rainbow in a pyramid shape) and the amount of information matches the narrowness of the dietary allowances. As if you shouldn't have any. In fact, the information there is really egregiously poor and minimal. But the rest of it is good for thise just starting out learning about nutrition.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Big news!
Yes, that's right. I've lost another 2 pounds. And I'm really happy with my new nutritionist, who has really helped me see what's wrong with my past behavior.
Today we talked about fats. I'd say for the past 20 years, I've been trying to stay on a low-fat diet. I'm often starving and often feeling crummy. When Tracie looked at what I was eating last week, she told me that I had too little fat in my diet. Whaaaat? Then I remembered that I had a naturopath look at my cells and he said my cells didn't look that healthy or strong. It was clear, he said, that I didn't have enough fat in my diet. I thought he was a quack. I've always been confused by my medical tests. Even though I'm exceedingly pleasingly plump, my HDL and LDL levels have always been perfect, my blood pressure is low (thyroid) and my resting pulse is great.
Tracie said that when people ate 100 years ago, they didn't have corn oil, soy oil, canola oil, etc. What they had was butter, animal fat and perhaps olive oil in the Middle East. Butter is a saturated fat. Olive oil is a monunsaturated fat and the others are polyunsaturated. Basically butter helps your cells as does olive oil (if its not used in cooking -- heat breaks down what's best about olive oil as perhaps you've heard Oprah's Dr. Oz say). But the best fat is really within foods as they come off the animal or stalk: whole milk, meats, nuts, etc. So why not eat them?
Fats make you feel more full for longer as well and are a good supplemental source of energy (If I'm getting this wrong, Tracie, weigh in). And when you combine fats and carbohydrates -- bread and butter being a classic example -- the fat slows down the carb digestion process so that your blood sugar doesn't spike. Which is why, even though I've eaten more butter and olive oil this week than I ever have in my life, I lost weight. It's great.
Tonight, the fam is having stir-fry (in butter) with free range chicken. I'm making potatoe soup to have for lunches this week as well as a great soup recipe Ann shared earlier that I love. We're having eggs, oatmeal or cottage cheese -- all with fruit -- for breakfast this week. And dinners are: lamb chops and roasted beets and sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, carrots and potatoes, beef tenderloin with peppers and salad, fish, baked potatoe fries and veggie coleslaw. Saturday night we are eating at friends, and I'll just eat less of what's not the best and more of what's good. Sunday night we'll have venison chili with salad and bread.
Now, for that exercise!
Today we talked about fats. I'd say for the past 20 years, I've been trying to stay on a low-fat diet. I'm often starving and often feeling crummy. When Tracie looked at what I was eating last week, she told me that I had too little fat in my diet. Whaaaat? Then I remembered that I had a naturopath look at my cells and he said my cells didn't look that healthy or strong. It was clear, he said, that I didn't have enough fat in my diet. I thought he was a quack. I've always been confused by my medical tests. Even though I'm exceedingly pleasingly plump, my HDL and LDL levels have always been perfect, my blood pressure is low (thyroid) and my resting pulse is great.
Tracie said that when people ate 100 years ago, they didn't have corn oil, soy oil, canola oil, etc. What they had was butter, animal fat and perhaps olive oil in the Middle East. Butter is a saturated fat. Olive oil is a monunsaturated fat and the others are polyunsaturated. Basically butter helps your cells as does olive oil (if its not used in cooking -- heat breaks down what's best about olive oil as perhaps you've heard Oprah's Dr. Oz say). But the best fat is really within foods as they come off the animal or stalk: whole milk, meats, nuts, etc. So why not eat them?
Fats make you feel more full for longer as well and are a good supplemental source of energy (If I'm getting this wrong, Tracie, weigh in). And when you combine fats and carbohydrates -- bread and butter being a classic example -- the fat slows down the carb digestion process so that your blood sugar doesn't spike. Which is why, even though I've eaten more butter and olive oil this week than I ever have in my life, I lost weight. It's great.
Tonight, the fam is having stir-fry (in butter) with free range chicken. I'm making potatoe soup to have for lunches this week as well as a great soup recipe Ann shared earlier that I love. We're having eggs, oatmeal or cottage cheese -- all with fruit -- for breakfast this week. And dinners are: lamb chops and roasted beets and sweet potatoes, roasted chicken, carrots and potatoes, beef tenderloin with peppers and salad, fish, baked potatoe fries and veggie coleslaw. Saturday night we are eating at friends, and I'll just eat less of what's not the best and more of what's good. Sunday night we'll have venison chili with salad and bread.
Now, for that exercise!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Another "Doin' Good" day
I met with my nutritionist, Tracie, yesterday, and after only three days on my new way of eating, she could really tell the difference in my energy level. More important to me, I could really tell the difference. I felt energetic and healthy. Of course, I still feel too heavy to be really energetic, but the difference is amazing. The other great aspect is that I really feel as if I'm feeding myself really great foods.
Today, I had some cheese and pineapple for breakfast. A bit of a trend actually, because last night Tim and I had a picnic in bed with a glass of wine, cheese and apple slices for supper while we watched "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe." I never get sick of watching that movie. It was really light and I find I like eating light for dinner. For lunch, I had some hummus and vegetables and some cottage cheese. I'm going to make venison soup for dinner tonight or fish. Haven't yet decided.
I'm also going to ride my horse today and I vow to do a lot of cantering, something I haven't done much lately. Trotting is actually more work in the long-run, except on Titan whose canter is like riding a rollicking bull.
Today, I had some cheese and pineapple for breakfast. A bit of a trend actually, because last night Tim and I had a picnic in bed with a glass of wine, cheese and apple slices for supper while we watched "Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe." I never get sick of watching that movie. It was really light and I find I like eating light for dinner. For lunch, I had some hummus and vegetables and some cottage cheese. I'm going to make venison soup for dinner tonight or fish. Haven't yet decided.
I'm also going to ride my horse today and I vow to do a lot of cantering, something I haven't done much lately. Trotting is actually more work in the long-run, except on Titan whose canter is like riding a rollicking bull.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wahoo!
Well, this is probably the best couple days I've had on my road to being a skinny bride.
1) I have now had 48 hours of perfect eating. And I do mean perfect. For those of you who haven't read my comment after yesterday's post, I had a chicken salad sandwich for lunch made with roasted chicken and sourdough bread as my nutritionist suggested. For dinner I had beets with a little orange juice squeezed in and some grated ginger (delish!), broccoli dry-sauteed in an iron skillet, and lean, grass-fed steak and onions. This morning I had pineapple and blueberries for breakfast. I am not hungry at all and my cravings are gone! It's weird, but good.
2) I got off my butt yesterday! Tim and I went for an hour-long hike up the hills behind our house. It was beautiful. We took in the sunset and had our dogs along. It was so beautiful. Even though it was only 13 degrees, I had no problem staying warm as we hiked. I wore my heaviest boots--these tall riding boots meant for winter--and so my legs are a little sore today. But I feel so good!
3) I proactively sought to rid myself of a brief bout of blues by visiting some of my Happy Places (Penzey's spices, Whole Foods, Borders) and brought Tim along to enjoy my little world. We had a great time. I'll tell you, when you are happy, you feel better. And when you feel better, you take action that is very positive.
Here's a few of my other Happy Places. I hope everyone shares theirs! The hilltop behind my house, Williams Sonoma, the roads around Holy Hill, my mom's garden in summer, anywhere atop my horse, the rustic road on the way to Aldo Leopold's shack east of Baraboo, the Statz cottage in Manitowish Waters, the Madison School Forest southwest of Verona, the antique mall on Odana Road, in the woods near Devil's Lake, Parfrey's Glen, the Flower Factory in Stoughton, Butchart Gardens in British Columbia, anywhere with my nieces and nephews, a shady spot in summer in the Highlands reading a book, the Cookbook section of any bookstore, on a boat in any lake, in the woods on the bike path west of the Lussier Center, St. John's Cemetery in Waunakee, the windy roads north of Mount Horeb and southwest and southeast of Black Earth.
1) I have now had 48 hours of perfect eating. And I do mean perfect. For those of you who haven't read my comment after yesterday's post, I had a chicken salad sandwich for lunch made with roasted chicken and sourdough bread as my nutritionist suggested. For dinner I had beets with a little orange juice squeezed in and some grated ginger (delish!), broccoli dry-sauteed in an iron skillet, and lean, grass-fed steak and onions. This morning I had pineapple and blueberries for breakfast. I am not hungry at all and my cravings are gone! It's weird, but good.
2) I got off my butt yesterday! Tim and I went for an hour-long hike up the hills behind our house. It was beautiful. We took in the sunset and had our dogs along. It was so beautiful. Even though it was only 13 degrees, I had no problem staying warm as we hiked. I wore my heaviest boots--these tall riding boots meant for winter--and so my legs are a little sore today. But I feel so good!
3) I proactively sought to rid myself of a brief bout of blues by visiting some of my Happy Places (Penzey's spices, Whole Foods, Borders) and brought Tim along to enjoy my little world. We had a great time. I'll tell you, when you are happy, you feel better. And when you feel better, you take action that is very positive.
Here's a few of my other Happy Places. I hope everyone shares theirs! The hilltop behind my house, Williams Sonoma, the roads around Holy Hill, my mom's garden in summer, anywhere atop my horse, the rustic road on the way to Aldo Leopold's shack east of Baraboo, the Statz cottage in Manitowish Waters, the Madison School Forest southwest of Verona, the antique mall on Odana Road, in the woods near Devil's Lake, Parfrey's Glen, the Flower Factory in Stoughton, Butchart Gardens in British Columbia, anywhere with my nieces and nephews, a shady spot in summer in the Highlands reading a book, the Cookbook section of any bookstore, on a boat in any lake, in the woods on the bike path west of the Lussier Center, St. John's Cemetery in Waunakee, the windy roads north of Mount Horeb and southwest and southeast of Black Earth.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
An a-ha moment courtesy of Reality TV
Whenever I'm watching a reality television show, my fiance Tim sighs. I think he thinks I'm wasting my time (and he's not when he watches sports or fishing shows). But since I'm fairly productive the rest of the time, I feel like my frivolous tv habits are OK! My two shows of choice—The Bachelor and The Biggest Loser. And this week, I'm feeling particularly justified because I've finally figured out what's keeping me from succeeding in both my career and my diet. It's not about visualizing, being positive or finding the perfect diet, although that can help.
It's about having the perfect attitude about self.
I'll elaborate in a moment, but first: the background. On The Bachelor this week, my favorite bachelorette, Stephanie, was eliminated. Now, I like Jillian, but I was gunning for Stephanie. At 34, she seems to have it all figured out. And when she was eliminated, she didn't blubber and wonder if she was "enough" for Jason. She didn't promise that he would rue the day. She just said, "it wasn't right and I'll be fine." She knows she's enough and she acts that way every day, calmly and with dignity. Jason said everyone there was better off for knowing her, and I quite agree. She's a class act with an attitude I would hope to emulate.
Then, there's Joelle on The Biggest Loser last night. She's completely clueless and, although she can talk a good game, her behavior doesn't match her words. As I watched the show last night, she was so busy blaming everything and everyone else for her failure, she couldn't come up with one reason why she didn't lose any weight that week. She did come up with an elaborate excuse—she really upped her 'intensity' this week, but it didn't result in weight loss. Ha! All she did was frantically scramble for more words instead of matching her alleged goal with action.
That's the key to everything. Getting into action. What I've done in the past two years is contemplated having a better attitude—and succeeding in part. But I'm still failing to feel that I'm enough. I seem always to be waiting to be found out as a fraud. One person tells me they love my writing, and I'm already looking to see who will validate me next. But I haven't been busting my hump getting out there actively looking for writing or editing work. Everything kind of fell in my lap, but it wasn't really enough or what I want to do. And as for the diet? Well, I pictured myself being thin, without doing the work to get me there by being meticulous about my eating and exercise. Ann S. once told me that this is a "guerrilla war" and I agreed, but it didn't really click until last night. I saw myself in Joelle, and it didn't feel good.
Last night, I had a great meal -- sweet potatoes roasted in the oven, steamed zucchini with a pinch of low-fat mozzarella cheese and a nice piece of lean steak (before anyone says anything about the cheese, my nutritionist told me to add a little to my vegetable and I've been told before I don't get enough good fat in my diet). I didn't have too much food and tried to eat more slowly than usual. But I still didn't get up and exercise yesterday. Granted, it was freezing cold, but Tim got out there. Why don't I? Because I always have an excuse. I love being cozy, I love being pampered, and I love being warm—but not sweaty. But now I'm committed to earning those pamperings with a 1/2-hour of exercise first.
However, I'm not going to beat myself up. It was a lesson I had to learn and perhaps over the past two years, I've needed to put on a layer of defensive fat. But it's now time to remove it.
I'm pretty excited. I sent out three resumes for jobs today that I know I'd be great at and that I'd really like—one seems to be the perfect fit. I ate a very healthy breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries, juice and coffee. Once it warms up to above zero, I'm going to get outside and even ride my horse. I'm going through my paperwork this afternoon and get it straightened out (and throw out all of the bride stuff I've accumulated over the past year that I'll never use).
I'm not going to make any other promises, but I have to say, I feel great! It's like finding something you lost a long time ago and thought you'd never see again. Yay! Hmmm. This blog really is helping me!
It's about having the perfect attitude about self.
I'll elaborate in a moment, but first: the background. On The Bachelor this week, my favorite bachelorette, Stephanie, was eliminated. Now, I like Jillian, but I was gunning for Stephanie. At 34, she seems to have it all figured out. And when she was eliminated, she didn't blubber and wonder if she was "enough" for Jason. She didn't promise that he would rue the day. She just said, "it wasn't right and I'll be fine." She knows she's enough and she acts that way every day, calmly and with dignity. Jason said everyone there was better off for knowing her, and I quite agree. She's a class act with an attitude I would hope to emulate.
Then, there's Joelle on The Biggest Loser last night. She's completely clueless and, although she can talk a good game, her behavior doesn't match her words. As I watched the show last night, she was so busy blaming everything and everyone else for her failure, she couldn't come up with one reason why she didn't lose any weight that week. She did come up with an elaborate excuse—she really upped her 'intensity' this week, but it didn't result in weight loss. Ha! All she did was frantically scramble for more words instead of matching her alleged goal with action.
That's the key to everything. Getting into action. What I've done in the past two years is contemplated having a better attitude—and succeeding in part. But I'm still failing to feel that I'm enough. I seem always to be waiting to be found out as a fraud. One person tells me they love my writing, and I'm already looking to see who will validate me next. But I haven't been busting my hump getting out there actively looking for writing or editing work. Everything kind of fell in my lap, but it wasn't really enough or what I want to do. And as for the diet? Well, I pictured myself being thin, without doing the work to get me there by being meticulous about my eating and exercise. Ann S. once told me that this is a "guerrilla war" and I agreed, but it didn't really click until last night. I saw myself in Joelle, and it didn't feel good.
Last night, I had a great meal -- sweet potatoes roasted in the oven, steamed zucchini with a pinch of low-fat mozzarella cheese and a nice piece of lean steak (before anyone says anything about the cheese, my nutritionist told me to add a little to my vegetable and I've been told before I don't get enough good fat in my diet). I didn't have too much food and tried to eat more slowly than usual. But I still didn't get up and exercise yesterday. Granted, it was freezing cold, but Tim got out there. Why don't I? Because I always have an excuse. I love being cozy, I love being pampered, and I love being warm—but not sweaty. But now I'm committed to earning those pamperings with a 1/2-hour of exercise first.
However, I'm not going to beat myself up. It was a lesson I had to learn and perhaps over the past two years, I've needed to put on a layer of defensive fat. But it's now time to remove it.
I'm pretty excited. I sent out three resumes for jobs today that I know I'd be great at and that I'd really like—one seems to be the perfect fit. I ate a very healthy breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries, juice and coffee. Once it warms up to above zero, I'm going to get outside and even ride my horse. I'm going through my paperwork this afternoon and get it straightened out (and throw out all of the bride stuff I've accumulated over the past year that I'll never use).
I'm not going to make any other promises, but I have to say, I feel great! It's like finding something you lost a long time ago and thought you'd never see again. Yay! Hmmm. This blog really is helping me!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Day 1 on the 180-Degree Diet
I've been much frustrated by my lack of weight loss, apathy and depressed mood and tiredness, so yesterday I met with Tracie Hittmann, a fabulous nutritionist in Middleton. She said people with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (which is what I have -- my immune system attacks my thyroid, which is why it's giant-sized) need to really watch what they eat, as does anyone trying to lose weight. She has me on a diet that is fairly low in carbs, although I can have lots of fruit, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, oatmeal, quinoa, and occasionally sour dough bread . The meats are all grass-fed to avoid any of those hormones or enhancers. It allo ws olive oil (but not cooked), coconut oil and butter (in fact encourages them), and whole milk that doesn't have any additives.
What I am gleaning thus far is that the diet encourages your body's metabolism to work in a certain way so as to avoid any adrenal overwork, which can further stress your body. It keeps you from getting hypoglycemic, etc. and keeps your body's blood-sugar levels fairly stable. So no more carbing out. So far, so good.
I had oatmeal, blueberries and milk for breakfast with coffee. At my mother's, I had some cheese, hummus and celery, lentil soup and bean salad for lunch and for dinner tonight we are having grass-fed beef, zucchini and cheese for supper. I'm making Tim some wild rice because he loves it.
I'll let you know how the cravings are going. They are supposed to really reduce on this diet.
What I am gleaning thus far is that the diet encourages your body's metabolism to work in a certain way so as to avoid any adrenal overwork, which can further stress your body. It keeps you from getting hypoglycemic, etc. and keeps your body's blood-sugar levels fairly stable. So no more carbing out. So far, so good.
I had oatmeal, blueberries and milk for breakfast with coffee. At my mother's, I had some cheese, hummus and celery, lentil soup and bean salad for lunch and for dinner tonight we are having grass-fed beef, zucchini and cheese for supper. I'm making Tim some wild rice because he loves it.
I'll let you know how the cravings are going. They are supposed to really reduce on this diet.
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