Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday Weigh In #3
I'm down 1/2 a pound to 146. Not thrilled but it's a step in the right direction. I have revamped my diet and am now tracking everything I eat. Wow, what an eye opener. I was eating about 1/2 the amount of protein that I should and was eating about twice as many carbs as I should. I am trying to follow a 40/40/20 Protein/Carb/Fat ratio. I'll post my daily diet when I'm not totally exhausted and don't have to get up to teach Boot Camp at 4:30!!! Good night all!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Your Magic Number
Do you know your magic number? You know the one...the number of calories you can eat in one day and still lose weight. I suppose if we did we would all be thin and fit, at least the ones willing to take the time to count those pesky calories.
We recently had a great speaker come into my workplace to share some dieting and fitness tips. The main topic of Dieting 101 was knowing your number. He asked if we all knew what our number was. Um, no. If we all did, most of us would not have been there and most of us would not be signed up for The Biggest Loser. Turns out you need to see a Personal Trainer to find out your number. I'm thinking this is great news for me because I hope to some day get my certification as a Personal Trainer. I'm secretly wondering if you get a magic code that detects this number. As we were sitting in this session one of my co-workers mentioned what he thought was his number. The speaker immediately points to him and says, "No, that number is too low. You should be at..." And then gave him a number that he thought would work better for him. Ugh, why couldn't he have pointed at me and gave me my magic number?
So, here I am trying to figure it out. Am I not losing weight because I am eating too little and I'm starving myself? Are my fat cells hanging on for dear life? Or, am I in denial about how much I really can eat in one day. I have a heart rate monitor that gives me my calorie burn so I am going to wear it for a few days (24 hours straight) and see what that tells me. I'll start there and will just have to take it one week at a time. I will be following at 40/40/20 Protein/carb/fat ratio, which I normally don't track. I think that's where I'm off...I love me some carbs!!!!
I'll be the first to let you know when I find that magic number.
We recently had a great speaker come into my workplace to share some dieting and fitness tips. The main topic of Dieting 101 was knowing your number. He asked if we all knew what our number was. Um, no. If we all did, most of us would not have been there and most of us would not be signed up for The Biggest Loser. Turns out you need to see a Personal Trainer to find out your number. I'm thinking this is great news for me because I hope to some day get my certification as a Personal Trainer. I'm secretly wondering if you get a magic code that detects this number. As we were sitting in this session one of my co-workers mentioned what he thought was his number. The speaker immediately points to him and says, "No, that number is too low. You should be at..." And then gave him a number that he thought would work better for him. Ugh, why couldn't he have pointed at me and gave me my magic number?
So, here I am trying to figure it out. Am I not losing weight because I am eating too little and I'm starving myself? Are my fat cells hanging on for dear life? Or, am I in denial about how much I really can eat in one day. I have a heart rate monitor that gives me my calorie burn so I am going to wear it for a few days (24 hours straight) and see what that tells me. I'll start there and will just have to take it one week at a time. I will be following at 40/40/20 Protein/carb/fat ratio, which I normally don't track. I think that's where I'm off...I love me some carbs!!!!
I'll be the first to let you know when I find that magic number.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Weekends are Tough! Monday weigh in #2
Well, I wish I could report another fabulous week like week #1 but I am holding steady at 146.5. I'm very thankful for 4 lbs in the first week because that means I'm still on track for a 2 lb. loss per week.
A few things that I need to change are adding back in regulary work outs. I am teaching 4 days a week of Boot Camp right now and I don't get much exercise in because I'm teaching and not doing. I also need to work on my fruit intake. I've used it as my sugar substitute for the past fews weeks. I allowed myself as much fresh fruit as I wanted because I didn't want to cave and bake something or head to the vending machine. It really worked and now that I won't be having as many sugar cravings I will not have as much fruit. I will admit that I have a slight peanut butter addiction. I love it so much. I actually found myself standing in front of my pantry this weekend, spoon in one hand, PB jar in the other. I stopped after one spoonful...thankfully! I eat all natural peanut butter and almond butter. Another amazing nut butter is sunflower seed butter. Sounds weird but it is absolutely delicious. But nut butters should be eaten in moderation. And my least favorite thing to limit is carbs. I am going to try and limit them to after a high-intensity workout as a recovery food. I actually feel so much better and have an even supply of energy when I consume only small amounts of carbs in a day.
As the title says, weekends are tough for me. Especially when I have no desire to head outside in the freezing cold. I tend to want to eat all day. I have never before completely cleaned out my fridge, pantry and cupboards before starting a better eating plan. This time I did that and it's working. When there is no junk food in the house, you can't slip up and eat any...neither can my kids!
Hopefully with my added exercise and a few tweaks to my diet, I'll have a good loss to report next week!
A few things that I need to change are adding back in regulary work outs. I am teaching 4 days a week of Boot Camp right now and I don't get much exercise in because I'm teaching and not doing. I also need to work on my fruit intake. I've used it as my sugar substitute for the past fews weeks. I allowed myself as much fresh fruit as I wanted because I didn't want to cave and bake something or head to the vending machine. It really worked and now that I won't be having as many sugar cravings I will not have as much fruit. I will admit that I have a slight peanut butter addiction. I love it so much. I actually found myself standing in front of my pantry this weekend, spoon in one hand, PB jar in the other. I stopped after one spoonful...thankfully! I eat all natural peanut butter and almond butter. Another amazing nut butter is sunflower seed butter. Sounds weird but it is absolutely delicious. But nut butters should be eaten in moderation. And my least favorite thing to limit is carbs. I am going to try and limit them to after a high-intensity workout as a recovery food. I actually feel so much better and have an even supply of energy when I consume only small amounts of carbs in a day.
As the title says, weekends are tough for me. Especially when I have no desire to head outside in the freezing cold. I tend to want to eat all day. I have never before completely cleaned out my fridge, pantry and cupboards before starting a better eating plan. This time I did that and it's working. When there is no junk food in the house, you can't slip up and eat any...neither can my kids!
Hopefully with my added exercise and a few tweaks to my diet, I'll have a good loss to report next week!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Food Combining and Sequencing
Digestive health is a topic very near and dear to most people. I think in today's society it's very hard to find anyone who doesn't suffer from gas, bloating, constipation or heart burn. Even our children are facing these issues on a daily basis. Instead of reaching for that bottle on antacids or the over the counter fiber laxative, look to how you are combining your foods and the sequence you eat them in.
Food groups are digested in our body at different rates, some even require different digestive juices. Starches require alkaline while protein requires digestive juices that are acidic. Point being that when we combine some food groups our bodies are put into overdrive trying to digest multiple foods at multiple speeds. This is the reason we get tired after Thanksgiving dinner. It is also why we suffer from gas pains, constipation, acid reflux and indigestion.
Our digestive tract is one lane. The first thing you eat goes into your intestines first. The second thing you eat can't pass by the first and so on. Fruits are water-rich and are digested the fastest at around 30 minutes. Animal proteins can take up to 4 hours to digest. If you eat the protein first, it's going to sit in your stomach for hours while it's digesting. When you add fruit on top of that it will sit in your stomach and ferment from the sugar. This leads to a sort of traffic jam in your gut and results in gas and bloating. Here are some basic principles to follow when combining foods:
1) Eat Raw Fruit alone
2) Do not combine Starchy Carbohydrates with Animal Protein
3) Water rich Vegetables can be eaten with anything
4) Healthy Fats go with everything
5) Do not combine High Sugar Foods with other foods
Here are a few BAD combinations:
Steak/Baked potato
Burger on a bun/Fries
Chicken/Rice
Meat toppings/pizza crust
I know this goes against our meat and potatoes mentality but I have been following this for about a week and a half and I have seen a tremendous improvement in my digestive system. Here are a few tips for Food Sequencing:
1) Eat Raw Foods (rich in enzymes) such as salads and vegetables first. Their enzymes will help digest the next foods that you will consume.
2) Eat Complex Carbohydrates and Fiber-rich Foods next. Things like sweet potatoes. They digest faster than protein and fat so we want them to hit the digestive system first.
3) Eat Protein and Fats last. These take the longest to digest and we don't want them at the front of the line holding up all the other food.
Something so simple as eating foods in the right order can save you so much discomfort. Everyone has BM's and passes gas...it's normal. But when it controls your life on a daily basis it's time to do something about it.
Please post your questions or comments.
Food groups are digested in our body at different rates, some even require different digestive juices. Starches require alkaline while protein requires digestive juices that are acidic. Point being that when we combine some food groups our bodies are put into overdrive trying to digest multiple foods at multiple speeds. This is the reason we get tired after Thanksgiving dinner. It is also why we suffer from gas pains, constipation, acid reflux and indigestion.
Our digestive tract is one lane. The first thing you eat goes into your intestines first. The second thing you eat can't pass by the first and so on. Fruits are water-rich and are digested the fastest at around 30 minutes. Animal proteins can take up to 4 hours to digest. If you eat the protein first, it's going to sit in your stomach for hours while it's digesting. When you add fruit on top of that it will sit in your stomach and ferment from the sugar. This leads to a sort of traffic jam in your gut and results in gas and bloating. Here are some basic principles to follow when combining foods:
1) Eat Raw Fruit alone
2) Do not combine Starchy Carbohydrates with Animal Protein
3) Water rich Vegetables can be eaten with anything
4) Healthy Fats go with everything
5) Do not combine High Sugar Foods with other foods
Here are a few BAD combinations:
Steak/Baked potato
Burger on a bun/Fries
Chicken/Rice
Meat toppings/pizza crust
I know this goes against our meat and potatoes mentality but I have been following this for about a week and a half and I have seen a tremendous improvement in my digestive system. Here are a few tips for Food Sequencing:
1) Eat Raw Foods (rich in enzymes) such as salads and vegetables first. Their enzymes will help digest the next foods that you will consume.
2) Eat Complex Carbohydrates and Fiber-rich Foods next. Things like sweet potatoes. They digest faster than protein and fat so we want them to hit the digestive system first.
3) Eat Protein and Fats last. These take the longest to digest and we don't want them at the front of the line holding up all the other food.
Something so simple as eating foods in the right order can save you so much discomfort. Everyone has BM's and passes gas...it's normal. But when it controls your life on a daily basis it's time to do something about it.
Please post your questions or comments.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Monday Weigh In
Today was my first weigh-in (at home) for the Biggest Loser. I'm at 146.5!!!! 4 lbs. down. It's a great start and I'm happy with that number. I do better if I only weigh myself once a week. I seem to get bogged down by the numbers on a daily basis. Here's hoping next Monday is a success too!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Budgeting your time and money
I will admit that I am a sucker for a good deal. Just go shopping with me and you'll see how quickly I dive into the clearance racks. The same holds true for grocery shopping. Being prepared before you head to the store can save you a ton of time and money. The internet is a great tool to use if you don't get weekly ads via the newspaper. I am signed up to recieve the weekly Walgreens ad through email. You can also visit your local grocery store's website to see what is on sale. Take those items on sale and build your weekly meals around them.
Last week I was thrilled when I went to Aldi's and they had 4 lb. bags of oranges on sale for $1.49. I bought 3 bags with the intent of juicing them. I juiced 1 1/2 bags and poured the juice into ice cube trays. I then freeze them and use the cubes in fruit smoothies. My kids love oranges so they are happily scarfing down the rest. To my surprise, while shopping at Aldi's yesterday, the oranges were being sold for $.99 for a 4 lbs. bag. I bought 3 more bags. One thing to watch is that more than likely these oranges are getting close to their prime and won't stay fresh on my counter for more than a few days. Which is why I only bought them knowing that I have a juicer and they will get used.
Tonight I got a call from my sister that large bags of frozen chicken breast were on sale at a local grocery store for $2.69/bag. We got 3 bags. We have a large freezer and I'm stocked up for about a month. I may stop for more tomorrow! My kids love chicken prepared in just about any way imaginable. It's a very healthy, high protein alternative to red meat.
Budgeting your time is almost more important than budgeting your money. It seems that we are pulled in eight different directions at one time. I like to use Sunday as my food prep for the week. I cut up and wash all my lettuce for salads, cut up fresh veggies so I can quickly grab them and I try and make one or two main meals that I can reheat and eat throughout the week. Last week was crock pot chicken and a pan of meatloaf. I didn't have to cook all week!!! I had dinner on the table in a matter of a few minutes, which made my starving children very happy, and it left me more time for clean up and doing other things. I also have a dehydrator and I made fruit roll ups for the kids, which they love! I use homemade applesauce that I canned this summer from apples that I got for free. You add a bag of frozen berries and you have a lot of roll ups for around $1.00. The only baking I did was a pan of Pumpkin Protein Bars...yum!!! I put them in the freezer and we are still eating them this week.
Making a few minor changes on your grocery list can save some major time and money.
Happy Shopping!
Last week I was thrilled when I went to Aldi's and they had 4 lb. bags of oranges on sale for $1.49. I bought 3 bags with the intent of juicing them. I juiced 1 1/2 bags and poured the juice into ice cube trays. I then freeze them and use the cubes in fruit smoothies. My kids love oranges so they are happily scarfing down the rest. To my surprise, while shopping at Aldi's yesterday, the oranges were being sold for $.99 for a 4 lbs. bag. I bought 3 more bags. One thing to watch is that more than likely these oranges are getting close to their prime and won't stay fresh on my counter for more than a few days. Which is why I only bought them knowing that I have a juicer and they will get used.
Tonight I got a call from my sister that large bags of frozen chicken breast were on sale at a local grocery store for $2.69/bag. We got 3 bags. We have a large freezer and I'm stocked up for about a month. I may stop for more tomorrow! My kids love chicken prepared in just about any way imaginable. It's a very healthy, high protein alternative to red meat.
Budgeting your time is almost more important than budgeting your money. It seems that we are pulled in eight different directions at one time. I like to use Sunday as my food prep for the week. I cut up and wash all my lettuce for salads, cut up fresh veggies so I can quickly grab them and I try and make one or two main meals that I can reheat and eat throughout the week. Last week was crock pot chicken and a pan of meatloaf. I didn't have to cook all week!!! I had dinner on the table in a matter of a few minutes, which made my starving children very happy, and it left me more time for clean up and doing other things. I also have a dehydrator and I made fruit roll ups for the kids, which they love! I use homemade applesauce that I canned this summer from apples that I got for free. You add a bag of frozen berries and you have a lot of roll ups for around $1.00. The only baking I did was a pan of Pumpkin Protein Bars...yum!!! I put them in the freezer and we are still eating them this week.
Making a few minor changes on your grocery list can save some major time and money.
Happy Shopping!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
We're Going Green
Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it-I give every green plant for food." Genesis 1:29-30
The major change that I am implementing into my diet and my family's diet is the addition of more greens. My goal is to have some form of greens in every meal. Here's a sample of my daily diet:
Pre and Post Workout:
Green Smoothie
Breakfast:
Pumpkin Protein Bar
1/2 pear
Green Tea
Snack
Grapefruit
Celery w/ Almond butter
Green Tea
Lunch:
Romaine lettuce w/ chicken, orange, almonds, balsamic vinagrette
Snack:
Pumpkin protein bar
Dinner:
Tilapia & Sun-dried Tomatoes w/ sauteed spinach and tomato
Snack:
Protein shake
I am limiting my intake of dairy to only whey protein in my post workout shake and casein protein shakes before bed. I am also limiting my intake of grains. I have added in the following Super Foods: Chlorella, Spirulina and Wheat Grass. I am taking these in capsule form and also have powdered Spirulina for my green smoothies but I am not very fond of the taste. You can learn more about them at http://www.chlorellafactor.com/.
Try adding at least one green thing to your diet at each meal. A diet rich in greens can help you lose weight, stay energized and help prevent many diseases.
Go Green!
The major change that I am implementing into my diet and my family's diet is the addition of more greens. My goal is to have some form of greens in every meal. Here's a sample of my daily diet:
Pre and Post Workout:
Green Smoothie
Breakfast:
Pumpkin Protein Bar
1/2 pear
Green Tea
Snack
Grapefruit
Celery w/ Almond butter
Green Tea
Lunch:
Romaine lettuce w/ chicken, orange, almonds, balsamic vinagrette
Snack:
Pumpkin protein bar
Dinner:
Tilapia & Sun-dried Tomatoes w/ sauteed spinach and tomato
Snack:
Protein shake
I am limiting my intake of dairy to only whey protein in my post workout shake and casein protein shakes before bed. I am also limiting my intake of grains. I have added in the following Super Foods: Chlorella, Spirulina and Wheat Grass. I am taking these in capsule form and also have powdered Spirulina for my green smoothies but I am not very fond of the taste. You can learn more about them at http://www.chlorellafactor.com/.
Try adding at least one green thing to your diet at each meal. A diet rich in greens can help you lose weight, stay energized and help prevent many diseases.
Go Green!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Start Today!
"A young man will sacrifice his health to gain wealth, an old man will spend all his wealth to regain his health."
To all the 20 and 30 something's out there: Do you think you don't have enough time to eat healthy and exercise? Do other things like your career, your family and social time seem to get in the way? Sacrificing your health now can have damaging effects to your body and mind years down the road.
The majority of people that have taken my exercise classes over the past 4 years are in their 40's and 50's. Maybe they have more time to invest in fitness classes or they can more easily afford gym memberships. I'm going to assume that most of them have realized the amazing effects that exercise has on your energy levels, your mental clarity and an all over sense of wellness.
Start today. Prevention is the best medicine!
To all the 20 and 30 something's out there: Do you think you don't have enough time to eat healthy and exercise? Do other things like your career, your family and social time seem to get in the way? Sacrificing your health now can have damaging effects to your body and mind years down the road.
The majority of people that have taken my exercise classes over the past 4 years are in their 40's and 50's. Maybe they have more time to invest in fitness classes or they can more easily afford gym memberships. I'm going to assume that most of them have realized the amazing effects that exercise has on your energy levels, your mental clarity and an all over sense of wellness.
Start today. Prevention is the best medicine!
Monday, January 9, 2012
A New Beginning
Today is the start of a new 2012 (one week late). I have several goals for this year but would really like to focus this blog on healthy eating for myself and my family while maintaining a conservative budget. I started a weight loss competiton at work today and here is my before picture:
I weighed in at 150.3. This is not a very proud moment for me because I have gained 18 pounds in the last year, 7 of which I put on in the last month. It started with allowing myself a few treats in the breakroom and led to eating endless amounts of sugar, double portions meals, and overconsumption of alcohol. I intend to get rid of the CRAP in my diet. Caffeine, Refined sugar, Alcohol and Processed foods.
I have always tried very hard to get my kids to eat healthy, balanced meals. But I am also a very busy mom and find myself cooking noodles and tossing them on a plate with some butter. It really hit me when I was busy making dinner for my extended family that was staying with me for a few days, and realized that my 2 year old had only ate 1 piece of white french bread and 4 glasses of milk. I have gotten rid of all the processed "snacky" type foods that the kids think they need everyday. They fill up on them and then don't eat dinner, only to be starving a short while later. Both of my children also suffer from very sensitive skin. Neither one has been diagnosed with eczema but I think that's what it is. I will be researching possible food allergies to see if we can find a natural healing approach to their skin condition instead of a steroid cream.
We all know it's hard to stick to a budget and I think a lot of people have the misconception that eating healthy is very expensive. This past weekend I went shopping for the week at two different stores and successfully purchased enough food for the week at my budget. I only shopped the outside aisles of the store (produce, meat and frozen) and did not purchase any boxed food. The only canned item was a can of diced tomatoes. I will be posting about my Sunday food prep and will share a recipe or two later in the week.
Thanks for reading!
I have always tried very hard to get my kids to eat healthy, balanced meals. But I am also a very busy mom and find myself cooking noodles and tossing them on a plate with some butter. It really hit me when I was busy making dinner for my extended family that was staying with me for a few days, and realized that my 2 year old had only ate 1 piece of white french bread and 4 glasses of milk. I have gotten rid of all the processed "snacky" type foods that the kids think they need everyday. They fill up on them and then don't eat dinner, only to be starving a short while later. Both of my children also suffer from very sensitive skin. Neither one has been diagnosed with eczema but I think that's what it is. I will be researching possible food allergies to see if we can find a natural healing approach to their skin condition instead of a steroid cream.
We all know it's hard to stick to a budget and I think a lot of people have the misconception that eating healthy is very expensive. This past weekend I went shopping for the week at two different stores and successfully purchased enough food for the week at my budget. I only shopped the outside aisles of the store (produce, meat and frozen) and did not purchase any boxed food. The only canned item was a can of diced tomatoes. I will be posting about my Sunday food prep and will share a recipe or two later in the week.
Thanks for reading!
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