Last night I hit the gym and it was interesting to work out without excess carbs. In the past my body had a reserve of "bad" carbs built up to help energize me. Last night I started learning to run withy "natural" "good" carbs. I was able to run for 30 minutes, which is a decreas compared to my normal runs, however in that 30 minutes I pushed it hard and completed about 3 1/2 miles. I ended the night with a good sweat and feeling like I had a good work out. My goal is to begin this week with some strength training as well.
An interesting conversation took place at work today. We have a sponsored desert competition next week. Basically staff prepare a desert in one of four categories. The deserts are judged by staff and four winners are determined. I think the idea of bringing together people for community is great and I have no problem with it being a desert competition. I was however, told I could not vote unless I tasted the items. I argue that realistically I could visualize and smell the winning desert. Appearance and smell can go a long way. I suppose ultimately I understand, but it somehow feels unfair. My suggestion is that next time we do a healthy food's cookoff and people make dishes that are healthy. Trying to make that taste good can be a challenge. I am so excited about my lunch. I am having spaghetti squash, and marinara turkey meat sauce. YUMMO! I can not wait.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
15 Pounds Lighter
The big weigh in was yesterday and I have to say I was beyond happy. In four weeks of eating healthy I have lost 15 pounds. It has been an awesome adventure, that I plan on continuing on for a long time. My hope is that I will continue to lose weight until I reach my body's defined goal. By this I mean the weight that my body defines as a good balance and stops at. This week I get back into a more defined exercise routine. I know that exercising and adding muscle is important.
I never dreamed that four weeks of eating healthy would be so easy and manageable. Sure I have days where I struggle and think to myself, perhaps I will just slip up and eat something bad, but the difference on this plan is that I make an informed decision not to. I feel like the fourth week was the turning point for me as I started seeing visible results as did other people.
I am anxious to see what my body will look and feel like in May. It is crazy to think that I could potentially be in the best shape of my life. We shall see. I will visit my doctor at the end of March/beginning of April. This will be the true test to see if my A1C levels are balanced and down from the 7 that they had been. If this takes place I will be extremely elated. I am not currently taking the medicine prescribed for my diabetes, because I wanted to give my body the true chance to salvage itself without the help of pills. If I do not see a change in this number, then I will know what I need to do.
This weekend was an exciting weekend for food...Spaghetti Squash with homemade marinara sauce and salad on friday night, homemade chili for lunch on Saturday, Sea Scallops, peas, green beans, and salad for dinner, and for dinner on Sunday, stuffed green pepper (with ground turkey, brown rice, tomatoe, garlic), salad, and green beans. All of these were great healthy ways to satisfy my pallet.
I never dreamed that four weeks of eating healthy would be so easy and manageable. Sure I have days where I struggle and think to myself, perhaps I will just slip up and eat something bad, but the difference on this plan is that I make an informed decision not to. I feel like the fourth week was the turning point for me as I started seeing visible results as did other people.
I am anxious to see what my body will look and feel like in May. It is crazy to think that I could potentially be in the best shape of my life. We shall see. I will visit my doctor at the end of March/beginning of April. This will be the true test to see if my A1C levels are balanced and down from the 7 that they had been. If this takes place I will be extremely elated. I am not currently taking the medicine prescribed for my diabetes, because I wanted to give my body the true chance to salvage itself without the help of pills. If I do not see a change in this number, then I will know what I need to do.
This weekend was an exciting weekend for food...Spaghetti Squash with homemade marinara sauce and salad on friday night, homemade chili for lunch on Saturday, Sea Scallops, peas, green beans, and salad for dinner, and for dinner on Sunday, stuffed green pepper (with ground turkey, brown rice, tomatoe, garlic), salad, and green beans. All of these were great healthy ways to satisfy my pallet.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Better Than Being Sick
Since last Wednesday I have been battling some kind of bug. I ran a fever for two days, felt achy, had lots of sinus issues and now almost a week later, I am close to losing my voice.
Through it all I have maintained my meal plan and eating. The only area where I have been a bit more lax in, is the planning for a whole week, what I will eat. I have been flying a bit solo on that.
This is the fourth week of eating healthy and I must say I am feeling great. I am not noticing much difference in my blood sugar, which concerns me. I am not sure what it is going to take. I get to weigh in on Monday morning, which will officially be one month free from sugar, gluten, and refined/processed carbs. I was chatting with my sister and she mentioned, "Can you believe we have almost been a month without eating fast food." This is indeed a bit shocking for me, as I ate fastfood daily, and often two sandwhich's in addition to the value combo I had ordered.
I have also started taking a daily vitamin, to provide a bit of extra nourishment. I am hoping this will help ward off winter germs and keep me healthy once I overcome this bug.
Through it all I have maintained my meal plan and eating. The only area where I have been a bit more lax in, is the planning for a whole week, what I will eat. I have been flying a bit solo on that.
This is the fourth week of eating healthy and I must say I am feeling great. I am not noticing much difference in my blood sugar, which concerns me. I am not sure what it is going to take. I get to weigh in on Monday morning, which will officially be one month free from sugar, gluten, and refined/processed carbs. I was chatting with my sister and she mentioned, "Can you believe we have almost been a month without eating fast food." This is indeed a bit shocking for me, as I ate fastfood daily, and often two sandwhich's in addition to the value combo I had ordered.
I have also started taking a daily vitamin, to provide a bit of extra nourishment. I am hoping this will help ward off winter germs and keep me healthy once I overcome this bug.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hidden Truth's
In the past two 1/2 weeks I have learned alot about eating healthy. First and foremost, our bodies want to be treated like a temple. Meaning we should put "good" things in our bodies, not all of the bad. Unfortunately, food manufacturers make it very difficult to determine what is "good" for us.
Each year after the stroke of midnight, the television is flooded with commercials for ways to get healthy in the new year. I noticed in each of these commercials time after time the product was promoted as a healthy choice. Yet, in two of the cases (V-8 Splash and Cambell's soup) the product was far from what really should be considered healthy. Both products contain added sodium, sugar, and other chemicals. Perhaps the definition of good is being better than other processed foods.
I am learning to trust only what I can see and know. By this statement I mean, I can look at a fruit or vegetable and see what is in it. I am working on trying to buy more organic, with hopes that by the end of the year I will be eating completely organic. I used to pick up a can off of the grocery store shelf and scan the nifty box which details calories, carbs, etc. Unfortunately, that little box is tricky. Many products in the supermarket, and by many, I mean a good majority are able to use creative marketing to disguise what is really in the product. Now as an informed consumer my eyes quickly browse the nifty box as a starting point and zone in on the ingrediant list to really understand what I am eating.
Before cooking dinner tonight, look in your cabinet and see how many sugars are hidden in the ingrediant lists of your foods, yet on the nifty box it says 0 sugars.
In most cases I am avoiding canned vegetables as they have too much additives, preservatives, and sugars. Frozen vegetables in most cases are flash frozen at their freshest points for us to enjoy chemical free.
I suppose I am erring on the side of if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. For example, while shopping on the strip in gatlinburg, I found gluten free, sugar free, and even CALORIE free salad dressing in classic flavors such as ranch, blue cheese, italian, etc. At first glance I salavated and got excited. After I looked at the ingrediant list I discovered everything was chemical based and I barely recognized the words. I put the bottle back down and thought to myself, I know what is in Olive oil and vinegar. Why would I want to put a bunch of chemicals I know very little about into my body.
On another subject I have gotten back into testing more regularly my blood sugar. This week the magic number seems to be 120-124, which is lower than last weeks 130-140. I am hoping that I am losing weight and that is making a significant difference. I would be amiss if I did not admit that I am holding out hope that this lifestyle change will make a positive impact on my diabetes. If I do not see results within six months I am committing to taking my medication. At this time I am not taking the metformin, as I would like to see if I can repare my body via healthy eating and exercise. I vowed I would do this last year, but was on a down hill spiral. 2 1/2 weeks in I am confident that 2010 will be different. I can do this and will make it happen.
Each year after the stroke of midnight, the television is flooded with commercials for ways to get healthy in the new year. I noticed in each of these commercials time after time the product was promoted as a healthy choice. Yet, in two of the cases (V-8 Splash and Cambell's soup) the product was far from what really should be considered healthy. Both products contain added sodium, sugar, and other chemicals. Perhaps the definition of good is being better than other processed foods.
I am learning to trust only what I can see and know. By this statement I mean, I can look at a fruit or vegetable and see what is in it. I am working on trying to buy more organic, with hopes that by the end of the year I will be eating completely organic. I used to pick up a can off of the grocery store shelf and scan the nifty box which details calories, carbs, etc. Unfortunately, that little box is tricky. Many products in the supermarket, and by many, I mean a good majority are able to use creative marketing to disguise what is really in the product. Now as an informed consumer my eyes quickly browse the nifty box as a starting point and zone in on the ingrediant list to really understand what I am eating.
Before cooking dinner tonight, look in your cabinet and see how many sugars are hidden in the ingrediant lists of your foods, yet on the nifty box it says 0 sugars.
In most cases I am avoiding canned vegetables as they have too much additives, preservatives, and sugars. Frozen vegetables in most cases are flash frozen at their freshest points for us to enjoy chemical free.
I suppose I am erring on the side of if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is. For example, while shopping on the strip in gatlinburg, I found gluten free, sugar free, and even CALORIE free salad dressing in classic flavors such as ranch, blue cheese, italian, etc. At first glance I salavated and got excited. After I looked at the ingrediant list I discovered everything was chemical based and I barely recognized the words. I put the bottle back down and thought to myself, I know what is in Olive oil and vinegar. Why would I want to put a bunch of chemicals I know very little about into my body.
On another subject I have gotten back into testing more regularly my blood sugar. This week the magic number seems to be 120-124, which is lower than last weeks 130-140. I am hoping that I am losing weight and that is making a significant difference. I would be amiss if I did not admit that I am holding out hope that this lifestyle change will make a positive impact on my diabetes. If I do not see results within six months I am committing to taking my medication. At this time I am not taking the metformin, as I would like to see if I can repare my body via healthy eating and exercise. I vowed I would do this last year, but was on a down hill spiral. 2 1/2 weeks in I am confident that 2010 will be different. I can do this and will make it happen.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
2010-Finally conquering the problem
2010 is the year...the year, things change for me. I have been yo-yoing for almost 15 years now on various diet, exercise plan known to man. Before Christmas I began reading "Food Addiction" by Kay Sheppard. The book looked at my problem through the eyes of an addict. Suddenly it all became very clear why I have had such a difficult time losing weight, keeping it off, and ultimately, being healthy. Using the lessons learned from Kay Sheppard's wisdom I am now beginning week three of a sober life from destructive eating. I have been relatively craving free, and suddenly have self control and choice over what I eat. I live not for food, but for living healthy now. My hope it that this lifestyle will wash away and help restore the damage I have done to my body in the last 28 years. I am 6'2 and weigh 215 pounds at the start of this adventure. I will not weigh in again until February 5, 2010. Weight is a symptom of my addiction and therefore, I will not be concentrating on my weight all the time, rather making healthy decisions and controlled choices. I still have nagging voices that gode me into thinking I should obsess about my weight or the number of calories I have eaten, however I am able to focus on my health.
Starting tomorrow I will begin testing my blood sugar on a fairly regular basis to see if my glucose levels are improving or not. I wanted to give myself a solid two week introduction without getting to bogged down in that relm of my existance.
I am diabetic. I was diagnosed last year, as with all good intentions, I spent a year eating myself through the anger, fear, and anxiety of having the same disease my mom passed away from.
I eat three meals a day and one before bed snack. The meals I am eating are void of the following:
1. Gluten
2. Sugar
3. Refined/Processed foods
Despite my initial thoughts this leaves me with a plethora of food options and has re-defined how I look at foods. A typical grocery store visit is comprised of the outside perimeter of the store (produce, meat, dairy). I do make a detour to the frozen veggie section and rice/grains. The end result is a rainbow of color and options for me to eat each week. Suddenly, I find myself in the kitchen more and eating things I always thought I disliked. CABBAGE!
I can not begin to tell you how much of an impact these initial changes have made upon me. It is like a carb fog has lifted, I feel less bloated, more energetic, my moods continue to stabilize, I am noticing weight loss through clothes fitting better. Overall I feel AWESOME!
I realized I have been poisoning my body for far too long.
I am beginning week three, and look forward to the coming year and seeing the difference eating healthy and taking care of myself will make. I know I will continue to learn and develop.
Starting tomorrow I will begin testing my blood sugar on a fairly regular basis to see if my glucose levels are improving or not. I wanted to give myself a solid two week introduction without getting to bogged down in that relm of my existance.
I am diabetic. I was diagnosed last year, as with all good intentions, I spent a year eating myself through the anger, fear, and anxiety of having the same disease my mom passed away from.
I eat three meals a day and one before bed snack. The meals I am eating are void of the following:
1. Gluten
2. Sugar
3. Refined/Processed foods
Despite my initial thoughts this leaves me with a plethora of food options and has re-defined how I look at foods. A typical grocery store visit is comprised of the outside perimeter of the store (produce, meat, dairy). I do make a detour to the frozen veggie section and rice/grains. The end result is a rainbow of color and options for me to eat each week. Suddenly, I find myself in the kitchen more and eating things I always thought I disliked. CABBAGE!
I can not begin to tell you how much of an impact these initial changes have made upon me. It is like a carb fog has lifted, I feel less bloated, more energetic, my moods continue to stabilize, I am noticing weight loss through clothes fitting better. Overall I feel AWESOME!
I realized I have been poisoning my body for far too long.
I am beginning week three, and look forward to the coming year and seeing the difference eating healthy and taking care of myself will make. I know I will continue to learn and develop.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Lunch ='s HAPPY TIME
I have definitely started anticipating and looking forward to lunch. It is the time where I get to eat my meal, which has been different everyday, but delicious all the same and do some intentional reflection.
Today I am having my favorite Lean Cuisine Meal:
CHICKEN WITH BASIL CREAM SAUCE
Chicken breast with rib meat and angel hair pasta
7 grams of fat and 240 calories
My goal is to run at leat 3 miles tonight and try to accomplish more, but also keeping a realistic prospective that 3 miles is an awesome triumph for someone that has been dormant for several months.
15 Minutes from now I have to attend a presentation by the Metro United Way. I am torn, because they work with the Salvation Army which is a good program as well as some other really awesome inititives, however I do not like their stance on many items as well as the huge overhead that comes off donations.
So that was a quick lunch...I am finished and ready to go to this meeting. Something I have noticed this week is that I have had to urinate a lot less this week. I relate this to not consuming all the caffeine that is in soda. I am actually able to sleep through the night and not get up 20 times.
Today I am having my favorite Lean Cuisine Meal:
CHICKEN WITH BASIL CREAM SAUCE
Chicken breast with rib meat and angel hair pasta
7 grams of fat and 240 calories
My goal is to run at leat 3 miles tonight and try to accomplish more, but also keeping a realistic prospective that 3 miles is an awesome triumph for someone that has been dormant for several months.
15 Minutes from now I have to attend a presentation by the Metro United Way. I am torn, because they work with the Salvation Army which is a good program as well as some other really awesome inititives, however I do not like their stance on many items as well as the huge overhead that comes off donations.
So that was a quick lunch...I am finished and ready to go to this meeting. Something I have noticed this week is that I have had to urinate a lot less this week. I relate this to not consuming all the caffeine that is in soda. I am actually able to sleep through the night and not get up 20 times.
Day 5: Staying on Track
Weigh-in: 213.5
I was a bit disappointed when I got on the scale this morning and saw that my weight had fluctuated back to only a .5 weight loss. However, it could be a number of things. I ate a package of steamed vegetables before bed last night as a snack and it was high in fiber. This morning I am sure it was still sitting on my stomach. On the bright side of things I ran three whole miles last night. It was as if all the stars were in line. As I ran I reflected on the fact that for four days I had not eaten fast food, drank water instead of sodas, and have ran 3 days in a row. I am extremely proud and I know it seems like such a small achievment, but it is so much more. Today is Day 5 and by the end of the weekend I will have made it through 7 days of this diet. Meaning I am one major step closer to being a healthier person. My plan is to run tonight and Saturday and leaving myself Sunday to rest and recoop, unless I decide to run.
I can not emphasize enough the power this blog is having in helping me stay on track. It motivates me to know I have to put my weight and progress out there each day.
The real success for me is not eating fast food for this many days. Sad to say, but for the last two years I can not really think of a week where I went more than two days without consuming some form of fast food. I suppose in years from now I may see the actual havoc it has reaked on my body. However my plan is to avoid it for awhile and hopefully clean my system of all the toxins.
I am loving all of the vegetables I eat at night. They are delicious and have such a good taste and tend to fill me up. Last night I was picking up some items from Wal-Mart and so I grabbed a 12 inch veggie sub with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, and light mayo. Great and feeling for the first hour, but does not last in the long run, hence why I ate steamed vegetables after my run. I was still well under my calorie count.
Only 4 more days after today until I head to South Carolina! YAY! I am so ready to be there I can not even tell you. It will be awesome to get away from Louisville for a couple of days and test my ability to stay on the diet. I am excited to run in their neighborhood...LOTS OF HILLS!
I was a bit disappointed when I got on the scale this morning and saw that my weight had fluctuated back to only a .5 weight loss. However, it could be a number of things. I ate a package of steamed vegetables before bed last night as a snack and it was high in fiber. This morning I am sure it was still sitting on my stomach. On the bright side of things I ran three whole miles last night. It was as if all the stars were in line. As I ran I reflected on the fact that for four days I had not eaten fast food, drank water instead of sodas, and have ran 3 days in a row. I am extremely proud and I know it seems like such a small achievment, but it is so much more. Today is Day 5 and by the end of the weekend I will have made it through 7 days of this diet. Meaning I am one major step closer to being a healthier person. My plan is to run tonight and Saturday and leaving myself Sunday to rest and recoop, unless I decide to run.
I can not emphasize enough the power this blog is having in helping me stay on track. It motivates me to know I have to put my weight and progress out there each day.
The real success for me is not eating fast food for this many days. Sad to say, but for the last two years I can not really think of a week where I went more than two days without consuming some form of fast food. I suppose in years from now I may see the actual havoc it has reaked on my body. However my plan is to avoid it for awhile and hopefully clean my system of all the toxins.
I am loving all of the vegetables I eat at night. They are delicious and have such a good taste and tend to fill me up. Last night I was picking up some items from Wal-Mart and so I grabbed a 12 inch veggie sub with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, and light mayo. Great and feeling for the first hour, but does not last in the long run, hence why I ate steamed vegetables after my run. I was still well under my calorie count.
Only 4 more days after today until I head to South Carolina! YAY! I am so ready to be there I can not even tell you. It will be awesome to get away from Louisville for a couple of days and test my ability to stay on the diet. I am excited to run in their neighborhood...LOTS OF HILLS!
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