today, i am going to address the idea of "cheat days." i cant tell you how many people i have known who somehow convince themselves that cheat days are a good idea. they justify it by saying that the only way they can stick to a diet during the week, is by promising themselves all of their cravings on their cheat day. here is why cheat days are bad. first of all, lets all remember that you have to burn an additional 3500 calories in order to lose one lb of fat. now lets say that you do really good monday through saturday and burn an extra 583 calories a day in order to lose your one lb that week. then on sunday you "reward" yourself by eating all the things you craved through the week. pizza, ice cream, starbucks... the list goes on and on. with this kind of mindset, it is only too easy to ingest those 3500 calories you just burned through the week. and then lo and behold, you have hit a plateau! imagine that...
if there is something that you are craving that you know is less than great for yourself, here's a new idea: let yourself have a little. watch your portion sizes, but go ahead and allow yourself some. this is much better than going through the vicious cycle i outlined above. or even better, find a healthy alternative that will satisfy your craving while still keeping you on track. for example, if what you crave is a donut with chocolate icing, try a toasted whole wheat bagel with nutella. this is somethiing you could enjoy as an every day snack if you wanted to. i have come to believe that with a little creativity, any recipe can be made healthy. or at least a healthy alternative can be found. go ahead and challenge me if you dont believe me. tell me your favorite unhealthy dish. the one you always crave that has sabotaged your efforts and i will try my best to come up with a recipe for a healthy version/ alternative. here's some simple substitutions: applesauce for butter in baked goods, honey or agave for sugar, and plain greek yogurt for mayo and sour cream. greek yogurt is also good frozen in place of ice cream.
i hate the word "diet." this word implies that you are making a temporary change to your eating habits in order to reach a certain goal you have set for yourself. it's easy when you have set aside 6 weeks to be on a "diet." but when those 6 weeks are over what will you do? go off your diet and back to the habits that made you unhealthy in the first place. this is why it's so important to make this a lifestyle change, to learn how to be healthy. it takes time, practice, research, and support. next time your friend offers you a cookie, instead of reminding her that you cant eat it because you are on a "diet," tell her, "no thank you, i have chosen to live a healthier lifestyle. would you like to try a bit of my peanut butter sticky roll?" not only will this make you feel great about yourself, but you may also inspire your friend to crack down and lose those 15 lbs she has been struggling with for the last 2 years.
why do we allow food to have such a strong hold over us? why do our lives revolve around food? and over-processed, sugar-saturated, disease-causing food at that. take a minute to think about what you are putting into your body. where has it been? what has it gone through from the moment it was picked or butchered or whatever to the moment it hits your table? how many people have touched it? did those people wash their hands after they went to the bathroom? (yuck i'm grossing myself out here)... of course i know that we dont all have the ability to grow our own food and raise our own meat, but find a farmers market near you, find your local butcher, your local bakery. you wouldnt believe how much better fresh tastes when you have only known the stuff you get from walmart. we have the power to control what is sold in our country. if there wasnt such a demand for crap, there wouldnt be such a market for it. even in germany where the three food groups are beer, sausage, and bread, one might come to wonder why you never see a fat german. it's because quality means something to germans. even in the smallest german village (and trust me, they can get pretty small) you will always find a bakery, a butcher, and fresh fruits and veggies. what i'm getting at here is preservatives are the devil, and our country is full of them.
ok, this is starting to sound like i'm rambling, so until next week...
recipe of the week: peanut butter sticky bar (since i mentioned it)
1/2 banana
1/4 C peanut butter (feel free to mix and match with nutella or almond butter)
1/4 C flax seeds, whole or ground
1 C granola
lg ziplock bag
mix and mash all ingredients together. spoon into bag and spread out into a log at bottom. roll bag to keep mixture in log shape and place in freezer until solid.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
week 4
i didnt write last week, i didnt have much to report. i still dont really, but i dont want to miss 2 weeks in a row... i had another weigh in yesterday. i lost 1.2 lbs. i'm happy that it's a loss, but that's 1.2 in 2 weeks. so it's not that great. this last weekend was not good on the diet side of things. it was a 4 day so we went to bamberg and we didnt make very healthy food choices during our trip. i wont go into too much detail, but there were brownies and bacon involved. bad christi... so i wonder what the scale would have said to me if i had behaved myself. going into the weigh in, part of me was hoping for a crappy number because that more than anything will get me back on track. so to me, the number was perfect. it was still a loss, but it did not reflect what i am capable of. monday we are going back to bamberg for the whole week. jake has some work to do down there and i'm just going to get the f*** outta baumholder for a while. and this time, i am taking over the menu. no more crap. i'm gonna cook there just like i would here. i <3 our friends that we always stay with very much, but they are skinny people and have a lot of junk in their kitchen. ugh, if only i was better at saying "no" to sweets!! i often wish that i didnt have any taste buds. jake thinks i'm crazy, but how easy would it be to eat healthy if it all tasted the same?
so, 2 new developments since my last entry. one, zumba started on tuesday! yay! my knees are still giving me a little attitude, but they're not cussing me out yet, so i'm taking that as a good sign. i believe a little strain on them will only make them stronger, as long as i dont push too hard. i am getting so sick of them holding me back. i want so bad to jump into this and push myself to my limits, but i have to be smart about this. a serious injury is not going to help me in any way. two, i signed up to be a beachbody coach. i'm a little nervous, as i always am when i start something new, but i think once i learn the ins and outs of the business, it's going to be right up my alley.
i ordered Les Mills Combat, another trusty beachbody program. i'm super excited for this one cause it's a martial arts inspired workout. any workout that involves punching and kicking keeps me pumped and coming back for more. what can i say, i'm a violent person :).
recipe of the week: Stuffed Peppers
3 bell peppers, cut in half length wise
1/2 lb ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 T beef seasoning, i use Weber Gourmet Burger seasoning
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 clove garlic
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 C quinoa
1 C water
2 T cooking wine
1/4 C shredded cheese (optional)
preheat oven to 400. bring 1 C water to boil. add quinoa and cook until water is absorbed, about 10 mins. combine meat, seasoning, garlic, and onion into large skillet and cook until meat is almost browned. add black beans and continue cooking until meat is done. add cooked quinoa to meat mixture and mix well. spoon into pepper halves. place pepper halves into 13 x 9 baking dish and pour cooking wine into bottom of baking dish. bake for 30 minutes. sprinkle cheese onto tops for last 5 mins of baking if desired.
so, 2 new developments since my last entry. one, zumba started on tuesday! yay! my knees are still giving me a little attitude, but they're not cussing me out yet, so i'm taking that as a good sign. i believe a little strain on them will only make them stronger, as long as i dont push too hard. i am getting so sick of them holding me back. i want so bad to jump into this and push myself to my limits, but i have to be smart about this. a serious injury is not going to help me in any way. two, i signed up to be a beachbody coach. i'm a little nervous, as i always am when i start something new, but i think once i learn the ins and outs of the business, it's going to be right up my alley.
i ordered Les Mills Combat, another trusty beachbody program. i'm super excited for this one cause it's a martial arts inspired workout. any workout that involves punching and kicking keeps me pumped and coming back for more. what can i say, i'm a violent person :).
recipe of the week: Stuffed Peppers
3 bell peppers, cut in half length wise
1/2 lb ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 T beef seasoning, i use Weber Gourmet Burger seasoning
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 clove garlic
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 C quinoa
1 C water
2 T cooking wine
1/4 C shredded cheese (optional)
preheat oven to 400. bring 1 C water to boil. add quinoa and cook until water is absorbed, about 10 mins. combine meat, seasoning, garlic, and onion into large skillet and cook until meat is almost browned. add black beans and continue cooking until meat is done. add cooked quinoa to meat mixture and mix well. spoon into pepper halves. place pepper halves into 13 x 9 baking dish and pour cooking wine into bottom of baking dish. bake for 30 minutes. sprinkle cheese onto tops for last 5 mins of baking if desired.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
week two
this week has been a struggle for me to find a work out that works. i started insanity and that was going pretty well. i (hated hated HATED!!) liked it, and i loved that jake was doing it with me. it was a (torturous) fun way for husband and wife to bond. but then my damn knees started acting up. mostly my right one. in the midst of one workout, we were squatting and i happened to glance at my knee and saw a huge lump on the side. my knees had been bothering me for a few weeks but i just figured i would tough it out and they would get stronger as i went. but that lump was not normal. so i decided to stop that for now, until my body gets stronger. insanity is not exactly a workout program that you should just jump into while in horrible shape. so my new plan is to get back into running and supplement with some p90x. i'm pretty excited, i have missed my time with tony horton. i like him so much more than shaun t :).
the diet part has been easy. that part is always easy for me. i have my portion sizes under control and i'm working on including more veggies. for example, one of my snacks yesterday was half a bell pepper and a handful of walnuts. i must be doing something right because at my weigh in today i have already lost 1.8 lbs and .3 % in just 5 days. so i'm feeling pretty good.
this is not just about vanity for me. yes, it is going to feel GREAT to rock the short shorts this summer, to go swimming without that annoying voice in the back of my head saying, "omg i wish i was more covered up, everyone is looking at me!" to go clothes shopping and come home feeling accomplished instead of depressed... but all of these things are just by products for what i really want. i have shit to do in my life. i have goals and dreams. i am an athlete at heart and my weight has always held me back from what i really want to do. i want to be a rock climber, to raft some III and IV rapids and know that i can trust the strength of my body to keep me in the raft (i'm not too interested in V cause, you know, i have kids to live for lol), i want to learn to box, i want to hike the Appalachian trail, i want to play soccer, i want to get scuba certified (which doesnt have as much to do with getting strong as with not wanting to be that fat chick in the wet suit in front of a bunch of random people. no thank you.) and so many other things that, yes, fat people can do, but they just plain wont enjoy it like someone who is in great shape. i'm doing this to get strong because i dont want to just "get through" these things, i want to rock that shit. i look back at myself 10 years ago, and i was so self conscience. i wore hoodies in 100 degree weather because i didnt want anyone to see my body. ugh, and i am still struggling with this. ten years from now, i do not want to still be doing this. this is no way to live my life. i am so ready to move on to the real stuff.
i developed this crazy idea last night at 1230 when i was trying to force my brain to shut off so i could go to sleep. i think i might enjoy being a personal trainer. i love fitness. i love working out (once i get on track) and i LOVE helping other people stay motivated and reach their goals. i do it all the time. if you are around me while i have my mind right, you are going to get preached to about health and fitness, there's just no way around it. a wise person once told me (lily, you'll like this) figure out what you love to do in your spare time, and then find a way to turn that into a paycheck (see, i listen when you talk). and as far as i'm concerned, the best trainers are the one who have done the journey themselves. if this idea sticks, it's going to be a great motivator to get into better shape than i ever thought i could be.
oh and, since i cant seem to get though a blog without mentioning zumba, i will probably get my zumba certification at some point too. ahh, if zumba were a man...
i'm going to tell a story that's going to sound like i'm going way off track but i promise i will tie it up in the end. let me tell you a little about florence, italy. it is so dirty. it smells like sewer and exhaust. the number of people/ square foot ratio is like 5/1. it's suffocating, hectic, and if you breathe the dirty air there for longer than an hour you're gonna have a headache. it is one of my least favorite places we've been so far. now let me tell you about my favorite place! lauterbrucken, switzerland... omg, heaven on earth. there are no roads to this village, you have to take the train. it is nestled into the side of a mountain right smack dab in the middle of the swiss alps. it is so quiet and peaceful, the people are so nice (there is simply no way to be unhappy when you are surrounded by this much beauty), the air... wow, i never knew air could smell that way. it is like an ice cold glass of cucumber water on a hot summer day. crisp, clean, it smells like mud and freshly cut grass. the mountains are commanding and majestic. there is no noise but the sound of sheep and the occasional avalanche (on the other side of the ridge, thank goodness). if i could stay there forever, i would want for nothing else in the world.
now, having spent most of my life unhealthy, and just parts here and there healthy, i compare the way i feel when i am unhealthy to florence. my body feels sick, slow, clogged up. but when i put my effort into making myself healthy with clean foods and the right activity level, i feel like lauterbrucken inside. clean, crisp, ready to take on the world. if you have spent your life being unhealthy, put in the time to learn how to be healthy. it is a wonderful feeling.
recipe of the week: Bruschetta chicken
1/4 C sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 C low moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 C chopped fresh basil
preheat oven to 350. combine chicken and 2 T dressing in ziploc. turn over several times to coat and refrigerate for 10 mins. remove chicken from marinade and cook in baking pan for 15 mins. meanwhile, combine remaining 2 T dressing, tomato, basil, and cheese, mix well. turn chicken over and cover with tomato mixture. bake another 15 mins.
the diet part has been easy. that part is always easy for me. i have my portion sizes under control and i'm working on including more veggies. for example, one of my snacks yesterday was half a bell pepper and a handful of walnuts. i must be doing something right because at my weigh in today i have already lost 1.8 lbs and .3 % in just 5 days. so i'm feeling pretty good.
this is not just about vanity for me. yes, it is going to feel GREAT to rock the short shorts this summer, to go swimming without that annoying voice in the back of my head saying, "omg i wish i was more covered up, everyone is looking at me!" to go clothes shopping and come home feeling accomplished instead of depressed... but all of these things are just by products for what i really want. i have shit to do in my life. i have goals and dreams. i am an athlete at heart and my weight has always held me back from what i really want to do. i want to be a rock climber, to raft some III and IV rapids and know that i can trust the strength of my body to keep me in the raft (i'm not too interested in V cause, you know, i have kids to live for lol), i want to learn to box, i want to hike the Appalachian trail, i want to play soccer, i want to get scuba certified (which doesnt have as much to do with getting strong as with not wanting to be that fat chick in the wet suit in front of a bunch of random people. no thank you.) and so many other things that, yes, fat people can do, but they just plain wont enjoy it like someone who is in great shape. i'm doing this to get strong because i dont want to just "get through" these things, i want to rock that shit. i look back at myself 10 years ago, and i was so self conscience. i wore hoodies in 100 degree weather because i didnt want anyone to see my body. ugh, and i am still struggling with this. ten years from now, i do not want to still be doing this. this is no way to live my life. i am so ready to move on to the real stuff.
i developed this crazy idea last night at 1230 when i was trying to force my brain to shut off so i could go to sleep. i think i might enjoy being a personal trainer. i love fitness. i love working out (once i get on track) and i LOVE helping other people stay motivated and reach their goals. i do it all the time. if you are around me while i have my mind right, you are going to get preached to about health and fitness, there's just no way around it. a wise person once told me (lily, you'll like this) figure out what you love to do in your spare time, and then find a way to turn that into a paycheck (see, i listen when you talk). and as far as i'm concerned, the best trainers are the one who have done the journey themselves. if this idea sticks, it's going to be a great motivator to get into better shape than i ever thought i could be.
oh and, since i cant seem to get though a blog without mentioning zumba, i will probably get my zumba certification at some point too. ahh, if zumba were a man...
i'm going to tell a story that's going to sound like i'm going way off track but i promise i will tie it up in the end. let me tell you a little about florence, italy. it is so dirty. it smells like sewer and exhaust. the number of people/ square foot ratio is like 5/1. it's suffocating, hectic, and if you breathe the dirty air there for longer than an hour you're gonna have a headache. it is one of my least favorite places we've been so far. now let me tell you about my favorite place! lauterbrucken, switzerland... omg, heaven on earth. there are no roads to this village, you have to take the train. it is nestled into the side of a mountain right smack dab in the middle of the swiss alps. it is so quiet and peaceful, the people are so nice (there is simply no way to be unhappy when you are surrounded by this much beauty), the air... wow, i never knew air could smell that way. it is like an ice cold glass of cucumber water on a hot summer day. crisp, clean, it smells like mud and freshly cut grass. the mountains are commanding and majestic. there is no noise but the sound of sheep and the occasional avalanche (on the other side of the ridge, thank goodness). if i could stay there forever, i would want for nothing else in the world.
now, having spent most of my life unhealthy, and just parts here and there healthy, i compare the way i feel when i am unhealthy to florence. my body feels sick, slow, clogged up. but when i put my effort into making myself healthy with clean foods and the right activity level, i feel like lauterbrucken inside. clean, crisp, ready to take on the world. if you have spent your life being unhealthy, put in the time to learn how to be healthy. it is a wonderful feeling.
recipe of the week: Bruschetta chicken
1/4 C sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 C low moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 C chopped fresh basil
preheat oven to 350. combine chicken and 2 T dressing in ziploc. turn over several times to coat and refrigerate for 10 mins. remove chicken from marinade and cook in baking pan for 15 mins. meanwhile, combine remaining 2 T dressing, tomato, basil, and cheese, mix well. turn chicken over and cover with tomato mixture. bake another 15 mins.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
week one
it's a brand new year. so many new possibilities, so many new opportunities. for as long as i can remember, my new years resolution has always been to lose weight. to make that my resolution again almost seems like guaranteeing i will fail. so instead my resolution is to become a person i am proud to be. this encompasses the weight loss thing, but it also includes so much more. like making good on my promises to myself...
this past week has not been good as far as eating healthy and working out. this week has pretty much been my farewell to food. fortunately i didnt gain anything. now i feel ready to say goodbye to all the stuff i think i want. something that helped me so much last time i did this was telling myself that i only have to give up the junk for 12 weeks. but the trick is that by the end of the 12 weeks you dont want that crap anymore. your body gets used to running off the right kind of fuel and you no longer crave the bad stuff. it's a process to flush all that stuff out of your system. expect to mess up. quitting things cold turkey is not easy, nor recommended. my goals for this week are to get my portion sizes to where they should be. portion sizes are so important. in a culture that supersizes everything, it's easy to lose sight of how much we really should be eating. imagine a campfire. if you throw a huge log on the fire it will take forever to burn that log. but if you throw a few sticks in, they will be gone in no time. that pretty much sums up your metabolism. instead of throwing a huge load on, eating several small meals a day will keep your metabolism burning at a steady rate, prevent you from eating too much, and prevent you from eating when you're not really hungry. learn what it feels like to really be hungry. and learn what it feels like to be full. this week, i will focus on tuning into my body so that i can start working with my metabolism the right way, instead of just trying to manipulate it to do what i want.
also this week i will be doing a push-up challenge. my upper body strength is pitiful. i could not do a push-up to save my life. so my challenge is, for this week i will do 50 push-ups on my knees per day. i can spread the 50 out throughout the day, but no less than 10 at a time. each interval has to be challenging, or else nothing will get accomplished. next week i will move up to 20 real push-ups a day, no less than 5 in an interval. each week the challenge will get harder until i can keep up with shaun t.
the gym is organizing a weight loss competition. weigh-ins are on the 4th. i've got some good friends doing it with me. just one more way to keep myself on track. no one wants to be the guy who didnt lose any weight that week. or god forbid, gains weight. there should be a zumba class starting soon i hope, because zumba does something for me that nothing else does. i actually look forward to working out. i actually wish that i could do it every day. that is the key to success. finding a workout that you truly enjoy. for some, that may be lifting weights at the gym. for some it may be running, or swimming, or hiking, or insanity in the living room. for me it is zumba all the way baby.
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i found this picture the other day. this was when we first got to germany, 30 lbs ago. i still had a ways to go from that point, but i was happy like that. by april 1 i want to be back there. 30 lbs in 3 months is definitely doable. also, biggest loser starts on the 6th! that show is such a huge inspiration. if those 400 lb people can do this, then what excuse could i possibly come up with? watching that really keeps me pumped up and motivated.
recipe of the week: 20- minute applesauce cookies
this past week has not been good as far as eating healthy and working out. this week has pretty much been my farewell to food. fortunately i didnt gain anything. now i feel ready to say goodbye to all the stuff i think i want. something that helped me so much last time i did this was telling myself that i only have to give up the junk for 12 weeks. but the trick is that by the end of the 12 weeks you dont want that crap anymore. your body gets used to running off the right kind of fuel and you no longer crave the bad stuff. it's a process to flush all that stuff out of your system. expect to mess up. quitting things cold turkey is not easy, nor recommended. my goals for this week are to get my portion sizes to where they should be. portion sizes are so important. in a culture that supersizes everything, it's easy to lose sight of how much we really should be eating. imagine a campfire. if you throw a huge log on the fire it will take forever to burn that log. but if you throw a few sticks in, they will be gone in no time. that pretty much sums up your metabolism. instead of throwing a huge load on, eating several small meals a day will keep your metabolism burning at a steady rate, prevent you from eating too much, and prevent you from eating when you're not really hungry. learn what it feels like to really be hungry. and learn what it feels like to be full. this week, i will focus on tuning into my body so that i can start working with my metabolism the right way, instead of just trying to manipulate it to do what i want.
also this week i will be doing a push-up challenge. my upper body strength is pitiful. i could not do a push-up to save my life. so my challenge is, for this week i will do 50 push-ups on my knees per day. i can spread the 50 out throughout the day, but no less than 10 at a time. each interval has to be challenging, or else nothing will get accomplished. next week i will move up to 20 real push-ups a day, no less than 5 in an interval. each week the challenge will get harder until i can keep up with shaun t.
the gym is organizing a weight loss competition. weigh-ins are on the 4th. i've got some good friends doing it with me. just one more way to keep myself on track. no one wants to be the guy who didnt lose any weight that week. or god forbid, gains weight. there should be a zumba class starting soon i hope, because zumba does something for me that nothing else does. i actually look forward to working out. i actually wish that i could do it every day. that is the key to success. finding a workout that you truly enjoy. for some, that may be lifting weights at the gym. for some it may be running, or swimming, or hiking, or insanity in the living room. for me it is zumba all the way baby.
recipe of the week: 20- minute applesauce cookies
Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
2 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. ground flax
1/2 c. dried cherries
3 ripe bananas
2 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. ground flax
1/2 c. dried cherries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a fork, mash the bananas in a bowl. Stir in oats, applesauce, dried cherries, flax and vanilla extract. Mix batter well. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a fork, mash the bananas in a bowl. Stir in oats, applesauce, dried cherries, flax and vanilla extract. Mix batter well. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
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