A Diet is Forever

I tried to read Skinny Bitch. Many trusted friends swore by it. “It will change your life!” “You will never look at meat the same way!” The title was appealing. Skinny Bitch. Isn’t that what every woman says to herself when passing a supermodel on the sidewalk? Or whispers as a tiny waist-ed co-worker saunters past in impossibly tall heels?

I made an earnest effort, even bought the book because I thought it would be a keeper. I get it – the conversational prose, the ‘no-bull’ tactics to nutrition, the fear mongering to turn omnivores to a vegans … but do you have to talk down to me to get your point across?

In record time the book found its way back to a Borders (RIP) the same day it came home. Mistake number one: Buying a book without ever opening the cover. Mistake number two: thinking a diet book would magically make me skinny. An apology should be issued here for my lovers of this book: I’m sorry. It’s just not for me.

If you’re looking for a book about food and diet that is honest and aware, pick up Michael Pollan’s Omivores Dillema. I’m working through it right now. Also, watch the documentary Food, Inc. As a consumer of food you should increase your knowledge about the food industry and understand how what you consume is not what it appears to be.

My last two rants from my soapbox: 

(1) I hate hate HATE when people say to me, “I am on a diet!” Images of cabbage soup and slim fast shakes fill my head. The first definition of the word “diet”: a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed – fourth on the list d : a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight.

I could expound on this all day. Everyone is on a diet. You may be on a gluten-free diet, a vegan diet… as long as you are putting food in your mouth, you are on a diet. If you want to use definition four, see to it that you are modifying your diet to be nutritious and sustainable. Make meaningful decisions to eat fresher and purer foods and develop healthy habits for life.

(2) Just because you are trying to maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle does not mean you must end your love affair with food. I listened to this interview with author Jane McClaren. Pick up a copy of her book Honest Eating. I’m going to do it, you should too.

Fall off this planet

My last entry splashed at the end of January, 6 months ago. Between then, I'd wrestled down weight that I gained in conjunction with stress and anxiety. I hiked 50+ miles in Yosemite National Park. I began biking regularly on the Katy Trail. I placed third in a workplace walk-a-thon (81.3 miles in 8 weeks to be exact).

Not much has changed, but one thing does stand out - it's a lot harder to stay focused on exercise when I don't have a goal.

A goal? That's right. A goal. When I started this blog, my goal was to lose weight for my wedding (in the months after our engagement I ballooned up to the most I had ever weighed in my life... who knew Chipotle, Buffalo Wild Wings and beer weren't part of a healthy diet? I kid.) And the weight loss came easy - four days at the gym, two days of outdoor activities. It was a simple challenge and I enjoyed it, I was convinced I'd keep it going for good.

But as life tends to do, I was thrown a curve ball. Stress and anxiety began piling on. What was once a healthy routine became a chore. Depression set in. I didn't like the idea of admitting this, but I went to see my doctor anyway and the numbers were confirmed - I had put on nearly 10 lbs in 6 weeks and it wasn't my thyroid. Though it didn't look like it, I felt it all over - the slugishness, the bloating the tiredness.

Why would I want to blog about my un-fitness? Isn't that a little, well, antithetical? I fell off the face of the blogosphere with as much notice as a dribbling drop. I haven't made a big enough splash to leave any audiences pining.

After reading an inspring story from a co-worker on how she overcame her fear of running, I decided to sign up for my first 5k. My husband runs a 5k as his workout, so for me to run a race would invovle some serious training (note: my preferred method of pedestrian transport is walking). So I've hooked up with a running coach and I've got a workout plan in place. Here's to picking up my feet and keeping the blog up to date... I'm 62 days away from running a race!

(holy crap)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  I hope that you finished off 2010 as strong as I did!  It is the 28th of January and that means there's been 28 days to start a new habit. 

We're coming down from the holidays and the wicked winter weather has packed the gym! I picked up a new weekly planner to keep track of my progress.  We're going on an active vacation this year, involving backpacking, hiking up and down rough terrain and camping in a National Forest.  I've never done any of these things consecutively and to keep myself motivated, I want to train properly. Like my marathoner friends, I plan to log my training efforts and highlight any major accomplishments in fitness schedule.

In my journal, for each day I do something active I write down the activity with some notes (ex. Hike - 5.5 miles various terrain; Cardio 35min/Circuit 25 minutes; Power Yoga 90 min) and that helps me see if I've been active enough for that week.  I also started using each day's space to journal my food so I can be aware of what I'm eating... and that's much harder than working out!

As for a big change in our household, we got rid of our microwave to make way for a rice cooker/steamer.  We're hoping that elimnating our microwave will keep many prepared foods out of our kitchen.  I've taken to baking things like cookies and empanadas and then freezing them so they're not so easily accessible but still around for company or if you just need one sweet bite.  And to keep an eye on our budget, we're trying to up our veggie and fruit intake - even in the winter, eating produce seems to be easier on the budget than anything else.

So my three big things that I imagine lots of other people are trying to do in 2011:
1) Exercise even more - and have a goal in mind
2) Keep track and be aware of what I'm eating
3) Eat more colorful foods!

Last thought of the day... I found this article on CNN and thought it best to include it here... I love strength training and you should too (it yields much faster results than just standing on the elliptical)
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/28/exercise.reboot/index.html?hpt=P1&iref=NS1

Workout Rhythms during Chaos

The wedding, as successful as it was, took a physical toll on both Hubby and myself.  We spent the week leading up to the wedding frantically running around the city for last minute meetings and gathering items and buying last minute stuff.  I barely had time to breathe.  Evan made time to relax by going out with his friends and family for walks, but panic would strike him soon.

Even more bizzare, my mind even did a number on my body.  I found myself awake before my alarm every morning.  I was barely focused but I was wide eyed, navigating many back roads and pot holes with a trunk full of cookies or wedding bags... 

Relaxation did not kick in until after the rehearsal dinner... up until then it seemed like we were running on adrenaline.  For any other brides out there who feel the last minute panic, make sure to take those yogic breaths.  They keep you calm.  And for those moments where you aren't calm, there's red wine.

Now that it's all over, we're finally starting to get back into a routine.  I've been to the gym several times this week and I've been watching what I eat.  Now it's about getting myself on an even more regular workout as we travel back home for my best friend's wedding and leave the country for our honeymoon... and with being a regular on the fitness wheel comes being a regular back at the blog... I'm back.

Where are we?

At two and a half weeks to go, I'm losing steam on keeping up with the blog... however, I have not lost any of my presistance with the weight loss and working out...  I've most recently tried the shake product by Shakeology courtesy of my friend who's a Beachbody trainer in Pittsburgh.  I'll review the shakes and the upcoming cleanse in a seperate entry, but it is a product I really enjoy and think I will continue to use in the future.

Yesterday was a big day; I'd finally tracked down my trainer and had him re-measure me.  I've been sitting at my own personal plateau of about 138 - give or take a decimal.  And I've been eating pretty normally, though I'd like to lose a little more.  I'm in maintenace mode mostly because of the wedding and having to modify what and how I eat, but also because we'll be travelling quite a bit.  I'd like to be back in weightloss mode, and though seeing these numbers makes me happy, I wouldn't mind working for more...

Lost Pounds:  9.2

Lost Inches Total: 10.25 inches

Where I want to be:  an additional 4 pounds and an additional 3 inches... preferrably around the waist and hips.

No word on the body fat percentage, but I vaguely remember it being 29.9% originally and now being 27% so only about a 3 % body fat loss.... I could go for another 2% and be healthy...

Next up, health screenings are offered at work and I can't wait to have one done.

Combo Fried Rice

Every now and then I get an insatiable craving for fried rice. Growing up, it was a comfort food. On one occasion, I was so rushed to make it backstage before a performance, my go-to fast food was an order of pork fried rice. Now that I’m watching my calories, my carbs, and my sodium I thought it’d be important to give a healthy version of fried rice a try.

Hubby still hates whole grains, so I thought this would be a great way to disguise the much loathed brown rice with a little bit of soy sauce flavor but still all the look of a heavily soyed fast food rice.  It even surprised my coworkers when I brought this in as my lunch - they couldn't tell the brown color was from the rice and not the soy sauce! 

Note:  The ham I used was really salty so I didn't need much soy in addition to this - if you manage to find an unsalted or lower sodium ham, I recommend adjusting to taste.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked and cooled brown/white rice mix (1 ½ c brown, ½ c white)
¼ lb chicken or turkey breast, cut into strips and sautéed in olive oil until cooked
½ lb raw shrimp, deveined and unshelled and sautéed in olive oil until just opaque
¼ lb cured ham slice, cubed
2 – 3 green onions, chopped
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 ½ cup frozen peas and carrots
2 whole eggs, scrambled
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce mixed with 1 tbsp cold water



Prepare the chicken and shrimp and cook in olive oil. Set aside with cubed ham.

In a separate skillet, sauté the onion until translucent. Add the frozen peas and carrots and heat until warm. Set aside

Using the same pan, cook the scrambled eggs until firm. Dice on a cutting board and set aside with green onions.

Heat a wok with peanut oil on medium high.  Add the cooked meats and reheat. Set aside.

Add the cooked rice to the wok, adding more peanut oil if necessary. Add the low sodium soy sauce and water mixture to the rice and work quickly to toss the rice with the soy.

Add the cooked meat and mix.

Add the peas and carrots and onions and mix.

Lastly add the scrambled egg and green onions. Mix lightly and remove from heat.

Serve with sriracha or hot chili pepper oil.

Enjoy!

Teen begins ascent of Everest

For my fellow outdoors fans - something I'd never even dreamed of that a 13-year-old is attempting!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/26/teen.everest.climber/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Check it out!  This young man is incredibly driven and skilled.  It does help that his parents are endurance sport competators.  He's got the right mindset and you can tell having active parents is part of the support system that allows him to do such technical climbs.  I'm much more of a bouldering climber and Hubby prefers to top-rope, but neither of us are to the level that the climbers featured in the story are.  Props to a whole family of outdoor enthusiasts who have made the commitment to a lifestyle of nature, travel, and climbing!!