Food – Page 2 – Yoga Pants Diary

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015

Diet Rules that Don’t Bite

This January, I ordered several different fitness magazines. Now that I have a new lifestyle, even my reading and TV time is spent differently. While hanging at Starbucks last weekend, I read this article. It’s s great read!

Diet Resolution That Don’t Bite

Original Source: Fitness Magazine, January 2015 Issue

Just in the past two weeks, I’ve talked to two different people on juice fasts and someone trying Atkins. I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THESE DIETS. I understand that they work. I understand that people lose weight following these plans, however, they aren’t real life. All three of the people I’ve talked to on these crazy diets have expressed anxiety about ‘transitioning’ back to real eating. How about just trying real eating to begin with?

I feel like a lot of people are stuck in the old way of dieting. Most people think if you’re not hungry, angry and giving up everything you love, you’ll never lose weight. WHAT?! I did it eating almost all of the foods I love and never had to worry about transitioning back to real food. I ate real food the whole time; I just made much much different choices.

So give it a read. There are a lot of ‘diet rules’ that have been around forever that are simply just not true anymore. Science has advanced. Fitness has advanced. Medicine has advanced. It’s time for diets to advance.

February 1, 2015March 29, 2015

Fit Football

Just as you think the eating temptations and binges are over, Superbowl Sunday rears it’s ugly face. I don’t really care about football and probably won’t even be watching the game. Our house is a hockey house! However, since I know a lot of you WILL be watching the game, here’s some tips to make it through the day without regretting all the choices you made the next day.

Bring Your Own Food – I suggest this for any get together. I always bring a fruit or veggie/hummus tray when I go to parties. That way I know for sure that there will be things I can eat and not worry about. Look for a healthy dip or quick snacks you can bring for everyone to enjoy. People might not think of putting these options out today but you’d be surprised how many people will gravitate to what you brought. It’s also easier to say no to the fried food tray when the fruit tray is sitting right next to it.

Stand up! – Force yourself to stand while you eat. You will burn more calories standing while you eat, but that’s not the full point behind this tip. If you force yourself to stand while you eat, you’ll do less ‘robotic shoveling’ into your mouth while watching the game. Also, when you get sick of standing, you’ll have to stop eating to sit down. This is an easy trick that I find myself naturally doing at parties now.

Don’t bring the bag – When you’re eating, portion everything out! DO NOT BRING THE BAG TO THE COUCH. You’ll find yourself ‘robotically shoveling’ into your mouth and the next thing you know, the whole bag is gone. Don’t even sit next to someone who has done this. Just don’t do it.

Eat Once – DO NOT GRAZE. Load up one plate and only eat that. Grazing adds up. As soon as you walk in the door or your party, the food will probably already be out. Then there will be a meal in the middle of the game. Then deserts. If you eat a full plate at each one of these times, you’ll be WAY over your calories. Eat once. If you get hungry again (Because I hear this whole superbowl thing takes the whole day) then eat another meal, but don’t graze!

If you’re still feeling like today might kick you off your course, check out this superbowl exercise routine. It would be great fun to get the whole family involved and even teach a few people the actual rules and calls in football!

January 26, 2015March 29, 2015

Nikki

This post is to one of my closest friends, cheerleader, support person and overall badass: Nikki. Happy Birthday Girl!

In May of 2013, I told Nikki I was going to try to start eating healthier and that I wanted to lose maybe 50 pounds. When you’re morbidly obese, everyone knows you talking about dieting every now and then and tell those around you you’re going to try. The response from most is just a passing “ok” with the added feeling of “yeah right” behind it. But Nikki didn’t make me feel this way. Right away she offered advice as she was naturally a better eater than I was. She would comment that my pants were getting loose even when I didn’t believe her myself.

That’s the number one thing I love about Nikki: No Judgement. Ever. I never feel judged by her or looked down upon. She is one of the best people I’ve ever met.

Over that summer I lost 30 – 40 pounds and returned to work in the fall. Nikki and I didn’t see each other much that summer since we both travel, work and enjoy every last second of our summers. When we got back to work, she jumped on the band wagon. We started having ‘pot luck style’ lunches where we and a few friends would bring different things for lunches that week. She would force me to try new things that I didn’t even know I liked. Where would I be without her encouraging me to eat hummus or black bean burgers? My life would be so sad! We would check in and talk about our weight and what sucked that week. Since we were under the same stress it was really easy to counsel each other.

That January I joined my gym. She joined too! They were running a groupon so she bought one and would come workout with me in the beginning. She quickly found that my gym wasn’t her style, but since we had started together, I could always talk to her about what was going on at the gym. She started running, biking and 5k training while I worked on strength and cardio. That spring, we both got new jobs.

We still make it a point to get together and we still check in about our weight and how things are going. We love to go to a local vegetarian restaurant where she turned me on to THE BEST bean and quinoa burger EVER. We’ve ran a 5K together and are running a 7K together in March. She constantly reminds me how much of an inspiration I am for her, but she’s just as big for me.

Nikki is an amazing Mom. When I’m at her house, I hope to be the kind of parent that she is. Not only is she finding time for herself and her health, but she models those healthy choices for her son Will and her hubby. She’s also an amazing teacher and advocate for her students. She’s involved with galleries all over town and is often looking for charities and causes to support. So while Nikki thinks I’m the support for her, it’s really the other way around! I think you’re amazing in everything you do. So the HAPPIEST of birthdays to my kick-ass friend. You go girl!

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015

I don’t vs. I can’t

Ah….the end of January. We are finally getting through what I think is one of the most obnoxious months of the year. Everywhere you go and everywhere you look right now there are motivational signs. “The New You!” “Meet your Goals!” “Miracle Pill”……blah blah blah. I do think this is an awesome time to start new things and set new goals, I just don’t want it crammed down my throat everywhere I go. Also….the lists……… Every facebook post, article, and recommended ad link is a list. 10 ways to use coconut oil, 15 diets to try, 27.3 breakfast recipes, The top ten pairs of underwear from 2014……….yuck.

A few weeks back, my aunt posted one of these lists on Facebook and I’m so glad she did. After reading it, one of the points has stuck with me and I keep returning to it. Here’s the full article, yes it’s another list: 15 Phrases that Will Change Your Life in 2015. I have to admit, when I read the title I threw up in my mouth a little. Change my life? Really. I clicked anyway and so should you. After reading the first one, I kept reading and ended up loving this list. While I found the whole list to be helpful and inspiring, #8 has stuck with me for weeks now. Here’s a blurb:

After reading this article, I found that this is something I naturally did throughout my weight loss. “I don’t” feels so much better than “I can’t.”

“I can’t” implies, I should be able to but I’m too fat and gross. I’m not normal like you…….

“I don’t” implies, I’m choosing not to for my health, and gross, you shouldn’t either!

Start paying attention to the language you use around food. Saying “I don’t” can be really empowering especially for your brain. Studies show the more you say “I don’t” vs “I can’t” the easier it is to say no and stay on track. I say “I don’t eat that” a lot, especially around my students. I even think there’s a tad of judgement when saying “I don’t”. When a student offers me hot cheetos I say, “I don’t eat those because…….” and I think it makes them think twice about eating them too. If I say, “I can’t eat those” then it implies that I want to eat them, I just can’t and I can honestly say, I never want to eat hot cheetos!

My I Don’t List

Here’s a list of foods that I just don’t eat. Some are hard and others are easy.

I don’t eat doughnuts. They are too sugary and I threw up the last time I had one which was over a year ago. My body rejects them they are so awful.

I don’t eat regular chips. I do eat baked chips when craving salty snacks but I avoid regular chips at all costs. Especially hot cheetos.

I don’t drink regular soda. I’m hoping to get to a point where I don’t drink ANY soda at all but for now, this is my mantra.

I don’t eat sides of bread or a whole bun. Whenever I get a roll or biscuit, I just don’t eat it. If I’m having a full sandwich, I cut out half the bread. It’s just habit now.

I don’t drink beer. I don’t really enjoy beer and it has soooo many calories so I have a low cal cocktail instead.

I don’t skip the gym. In the past year I have ‘skipped’ less than 5 times. I’m not talking about missing a day for a meeting. I’m talking about days I need to spend more time at home or I’m feeling overwhelmed by deadlines. When I tell myself I’m going, I’m going.

Even if you’re not saying “I don’t” yet, create a list of what you’d like to be able to say “I don’t” to. Maybe it’s a goal list but at least it’s something to work for. Try to cut out “I can’t” as much as possible in all areas of life.

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015

Off Track……

Ever since the holidays, starting a few weeks before Christmas until now, I feel like I just can’t quite get it back.

In September, I hit my goal weight. Ever since then even…..I feel like I’m just not quite figuring it out. September, October and even most of November I was struggling. Once I hit my goal weight, I had trouble not losing more weight for about 6 weeks. Then, I finally figured out how to eat based on my amount of exercise and maintain the same number on the scale. This lasted for about a month and then the holidays hit………

While I don’t feel like I ‘fell off the wagon’ these past two months, I just can’t quite get back to my eating schedule. Between having time off and sweets galore every other day, things have gotten mucky. I felt like I had to loosen my purse strings after hitting my goal weight and then maintain. It was fine to have a sweet treat or big meal now and then but now things are getting hard.

After the holidays, I went on a two week candy and sweets detox. I ate so much that I had avoided that I’m starting to crave it again. I find my thoughts wandering to chocolate and fried things…….. not good. I’ve also been missing my snacks between meals. At first, my metabolism kept up no problem. (NAUGHTY METABOLISM!) This is both a blessing and a curse. When your metabolism ‘forgives’ a sweet treat now and then, it’s easy to get out of control. Suddenly I thought I could drink alcohol, eat fried appetizers and have dessert every weekend. Which then creeps in to weekdays…….

Needless to say, I finally saw the scale going up. I’m still under goal weight but I’m not at the magical number I like to see. I could just put it to the back of my mind and think, “So what? At least I’m still under goal weight.” But for me it needs to be a red flag. I know I could easily fall back into my old habits. I don’t fear gaining all my weight back, but I want to keep up the healthy choices that have gotten me to this weight. It’s always been about being healthy for me, not getting skinny. So I need to make sure that I keep that at the front of my mind.

So today, I ate perfect. I counted my calories and watched my sugar. I’m hoping to drop the two pounds that added up over the last two months but then maintain healthily! I thought I had it but I’m still figuring it out. Also, this last two months have been a great reminder that no matter how I look on the outside, I’ll always be a fat girl on the inside. I’ll always want to eat more than I should. I’ll always want to eat the whole chocolate cake. Maybe I always will but I’m recognizing it and trying my best to make peace with those demons and keep trucking on!

January 14, 2015

Half Their Size

This year, I could NOT WAIT for the “Half Their Size” issue of People to come out. I see it every year. This is the first year I actually read it!

Every year I see the magazine. Two years ago here’s what would run through my head:

“HALF my weight? Yeah right! That’s like…….150 pounds. I could NEVER lose 150 pounds. Those people must have started at like 400 pounds! There’s NO way that could ever be me. Who does that? No one.”

This year:

“Bah! She only lost 115 pounds. I lost more than that! She wasn’t even that heavy to begin with! He lost under a 100? Why is he in the magazine?”

So two years ago I could not even imagine what it would be like to lose even 50 pounds. This year, I’m laughing at the people in the magazine and wishing I’d applied!

There were several stories within the magazine that I enjoyed or hit a note with me. I found myself agreeing or finding common ground with almost everyone of them. If you are on your journey now, I would greatly recommend picking up a copy. It’s always good to hear about other people’s journeys.

There was a lot of buzz when the edition came out around the language they use. There’s actually a petition you can sign to ask People to stop using the terms “No Surgery, No Gimmicks”. Supporters of this petition suggest that weight loss surgery should not be considered a gimmick or that those who have it should be ashamed or considered ‘less than’ those that don’t. So, what do you think? Is weight loss surgery a ‘quick fix’? Is it a cop out? I’ll let you ponder on that for a few days before giving you my thoughts……..Comments!!!!!!

January 11, 2015

The Black Sea of Diet Books

Yesterday I was at Barnes and Nobel and I was overwhelmed by the New Years Resolution theme they have going on right now. Every single table is covered in cook books, diet books, self help books and ‘new you’ books. Everywhere you look there are phrases like “The New You” and “The Tools You Need” and “Your Best Year Yet”. Here’s an example of one side of one of the tables:

I was looking for a particular health book, and found it completely overwhelming to find it. So even when I knew what book I wanted, I couldn’t find what I needed. I started to think of some of you or someone wanting to start a journey, I would have been so overwhelmed by the choices that I probably would have walked out empty handed. I ended up not finding the book I was there for but instead found a hilarious book on running.

Anyway, I wanted to offer some advice when trying to find a new book about dieting or fitness.

You Don’t Need More Than One – Don’t buy five different books about five different diets that are just going to confuse you. If you want to check out a bunch, check your library first and narrow down your options. I ended up buying ZERO books for my journey. After checking some out from the library, I realized I knew what I needed to do and wanted to set my own rules. It helped me realize I didn’t want to follow a plan.
Set Your Goal First – Even before starting to choose a diet plan (if you need one) you need to consider your goals first. Some diets are not appropriate for long distance runners. Others are not for anyone not ready for fitness. Some diets help with lean muscle others help with cardio conditioning. If you know where you want to go, it’s easier to narrow down the diet plans that can get you there.
Stay Positive! – While you are scanning books, if you are thinking to yourself, “I could never do this”, then DON’T BUY IT! Find one that you’re excited about or a set of recipes that looks delicious. If you start your journey thinking about how hard it’s going to be, you’ll probably give up. There are different plans for everyone based on how fast you want to lose your weight, how much fitness you’ll be doing and how much time you’re going to dedicate to it. Find one that fits you because there are hundreds and there’s a good fit for whatever you’re looking for.

When I look at that picture above, here’s what I see: A lot of books claiming to all have the secret. (Other than the super hot Chris Powell!) The real truth behind diet books is……………THEY ALL WORK. Each one claims to give you the results you need because each one can. There is no one true diet plan. Every single one of these plans will give you some sort of results. However, it’s your choice and within your power to decide which is best FOR YOU.

There is one book that I would highly recommend and my original reason for going to B & N. I never shop there because I try to shop local but I knew Tattered Cover didn’t have a copy. This is the only diet book that I will probably ever recommend to all who are on a weightloss journey:

Diet Cults is written by Fitness and Nutrition Writer, Matt Fitzgerald. He takes you through several diets that we’ve all heard of: Weight Watchers, Paleo, Atkins…..and so on and explains why each isn’t any better than the other. Matt is an extreme endurance runner and suggests a much simpler way of eating that doesn’t require so many rules. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even if you are following a plan because that’s what works for you, I still think it’s worth reading!

Wow. I feel like I’ve rambled in this post so let’s recap:

DO NOT walk into a bookstore to get a health related book without knowing what you are generally going to get right now. They are really overwhelming.
IF you think you need a diet plan with rules, choose one not fifty. If you’re unsure, go to the library instead.
All diet plans work. If you put in the work, you’ll get results.
Not everyone needs a diet plan. Don’t be afraid to create your own!

January 7, 2015March 29, 2015

Delightful? Maybe

This morning I tried a new breakfast. People have been telling my about the Jimmy Dean Delightful breakfast sandwiches for some time now. I finally tried my first one this morning.

I decided to go for it when they were on sale during the weekend grocery trip. I figured it couldn’t hurt. Also, I am looking at more ways to get protein so I thought this might be a great alternative to my usual half a bagel and banana breakfast! They meet my requirements: low in calorie, (280 calories) Low-fat, (13 g) and decent protein (16g).

My rating: eh.

Pros:

They are very fast! I put mine in the fridge overnight. Someone recommended this to me so that the bread doesn’t get as hard. So after 1 minute, breakfast was ready!
You can get them everywhere.
Wrap a paper towel around it and you’ve got a great out the door breakfast.
Pretty tasty

Cons:

Lots of sodium. Not TONS but still a lot. 740 mg
It’s a heavily processed food. While Jimmy Dean is on the less artificial side, they are still full of junk. I don’t understand all the ingredients.
Have to remember to defrost it
Not filling. I got hungry again really quickly! I had to have my mid-morning snack early.

Overall, they are fine. I’m sure lots of people like them and eat them regularly but I think I’ll pass in the future. Maybe I’ll keep an emergency box in the bottom of the freezer. For now I’m going to stick to my bagel and banana. I found it’s almost the same about of protein, fat, calories and carbs. Also, the preservatives and processed ‘stuff’ make me nervous. So my vote is to pass but this might be a good option for some of you!

January 4, 2015March 29, 2015

Green Monster

This week I’m back to work! I am greatly looking forward to getting back on my regular eating and fitness schedule! I love being on vacation but I feel like I’ve only been eating crap for two weeks straight. It isn’t true of course but it definitely feels true!

Today I thought I would share a go-to breakfast from the beginning of my weight loss. I still will do this occasionally when feeling off balance or needing a good reset.

The Green Monster

I love smoothies because they feel like a treat. Also, it’s a much easier way to get whole fruits and vegetables. Below is a recipe that I make all the time: The Green Monster. It’s great in the morning! It gives me lots of energy and keeps me full all morning. It is packed with spinach which keeps you fuller longer. Also, since it’s thick, it is easy to drink slowly on your way to work or even in the first hour at work. My hubby even loves this recipe because it tastes like a peanut butter and banana milkshake.

Really Spinach?!?

Spinach is fat free, cholesterol free, low in calories, and very low in sodium
Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, C, K, iron, fiber, folate, and lutein
Leutin is an antioxidant that promotes good eye health, and may help prevent cancer of the liver, ovaries, colon and prostate, and even dementia.
Dole lab tests found spinach juice has twice the chlorophyl, eight times the calcium, six times the magnesium, 10 times the potassium, 15 times the vitamin C and 43 times the vitamin A of wheatgrass juice!

Original Source: Pinterest!

Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 frozen sliced banana
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Greek yogurt
1 cup light Soy Milk
4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutritional stats:

350 calories, 10g fiber, 21g protein

TIPS:

I have a cheap cheap blender and it works just fine!
The bananas really should be frozen. I do mine at the beginning of the week. If you don’t freeze them, your smoothie will be warm.
Use disposable straws or soak and sanitize reusable straws. I love reusable cups and straws but you really can’t clean the smoothie out properly unless you really work at it.

Hope you enjoy!!!!

December 26, 2014

Post Christmas Yuck!

Hey All! I hope you made it through the holidays with healthy choices and lots of laughter! I managed to make it through another holiday with no weight gain! I definitely loosened the straps this holiday. Over Thanksgiving, I was so worried that I probably focused on it more than necessary. So for Christmas, I wanted to let loose and just see what happened.

Granted, my stomach can NEVER eat the kinds of portions that I used to. So even if I wanted to stuff myself, I really can’t anymore! On Christmas Eve I ate two very luscious and rich meals. I kept my portions in control but I could still feel the ‘food hangover’ the next day. So what did I do? I ate more! On Christmas Day I made all sorts of bad choices: candy, Christmas Dinner, movie popcorn, alcohol and even POP. I was very nervous about getting on the scale this morning but my metabolism has been keeping up better than I thought it would.

The weigh in went fine but when I woke up I felt GROSS. All morning I kept feeling the sugar, carbs and yuck floating around in my body. (TMI WARNING!) And I kept having to make trips to the bathroom over and over. I knew I had to get to the gym.

So I went and did The Christmas Eve Workout again this morning and now I feel SOOO much better. I keep forgetting that just because I CAN eat things like candy now and then, my body still doesn’t want them. I’ve re-calibrated what my body craves and needs so much that now when I have a crappy eating day, it’s not worth it. The feeling I had this morning was NOT WORTH eating everything I did! Needless to say I had a giant salad for lunch and will be cooking a healthy meal tonight as well and already feel much better.

I think it’s fine to gorge for the holidays as long as you keep it reasonable. What I have to remember next year, is the morning after Christmas YUCK. For me it was not worth it!