So, it's that time again. I got a new meal plan. It's a pretty drastic plan, but I'm only following this one for 6 weeks. Ok, it's not that drastic, but it is less calories. I'm gonna be kinda rumbly in the tummy for a few days while I adjust.
So, here it is....
Breakfast 350 calories and I need 20 grams of protein
Pre-Workout or Run 380 calories and 20 grams of protein
Post-Workout 420 calories and 30 grams of protein
Snack 228 calories and 15 grams of protein
Dinner 228 calories and 15 grams of protein
For the day that totals 1606 calories and 100 grams of protein. Also, I usually get more protein. I just have to get at least the amount of protein listed for each meal.
My protein has switched around a little, but not much. My calories have decreased on my snack and dinner. Other than that, it's pretty much the same. I also still watch my saturated fat. I try not to have more than about 2 grams of saturated fat per meal. I still get a gallon of water a day.
I workout 6 days a week, so on the 1 day I don't work out I have a slightly different plan to follow.
Like I said, this is only for 6 weeks. I'm not sure what Zach has in mind, because he wouldn't tell me. He actually said, "I have a secret plan that only I know. Just me and myself. I'm not going to tell you yet." After that he did this really sneaky laugh. God only knows what is still to come.
I would also just like to point out that my breakfast is one of my larger meals and my dinner the smallest. Even if you don't follow a meal plan of your own, you should still have a bigger breakfast and smaller dinner. It's just a good habit.
You can find all of my other meal plans under the MEAL PLAN tab on the home page of my blog.
I would also like to point out that my meal plans are made me for me. They are tailored to my lean mass and what I should weigh at a healthy weight. I do not follow the traditional BMI suggestions, because they are only based on height alone. I get my body fat done every three months so that Zach can help me make another plan that is perfectly tailored to me.
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Random thoughts while eating....
I was sitting at my table today, eating a ton of fresh fruit, and thinking about how delicious fresh fruit tastes. I was eating fruit that I would not ordinarily eat. I was eating blueberries and raspberries. I like things flavored with blueberry and raspberry, but I just don't typically eat them alone. Anyway, it got me to thinking.
A few years ago, you would have never caught me sitting at my table eating fresh fruit as part of my meal. I've always loved fruit, but I used to never think to eat it as part of a meal. I started thinking about my changes I've made because of meal plans, food choices I've made over the past few years, and how those choices have changed to more healthy options.
My meal plans were and are designed so that I can eat what I want. I just have to make sure my food follows guidelines; such as calorie content, protein, and fat. As long as I'm in those bounds I can eat what I want. I've never been told that I have to eat certain foods for certain meals. If so, I would have quit this before it even started.
When I started these meal plans almost two and half years ago I still ate some high fat foods; I just ate them in moderation. I ate certain proportions and I ate at certain times. As my plans have changed and different things have been added into my meal plans, I've made different choices. Basically, I've cut out some of the bad foods on my own and I have made better choices. No one told me that I had to eat fruit and vegetables to lose weight. I followed a calorie limit and I did the rest on my own.
For example: I used to eat a lot of Lean Cuisine frozen pizzas because they were in my calorie, protein, and fat limits, but that was all I could have for an entire meal. Now, I like to eat meals, so I don't eat the frozen pizza. I make low cal, high protein options for my food. That way I can eat fruit, veggies, and maybe another side with all my meals. I love it so much better this way.
I've met and spoken with people who try to lose weight and they cut out everything they love. They try to eat all fruit, veggies, low fat everything, and then they end up unhappy and quit. They go right back to their old ways.
I try to let them know that in the beginning it's not so much what you eat, but how much you eat. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose you can just cut back on the serving size or how many servings you eat at one time. Don't eat the whole pizza! Eat 2 slices and save the rest for another 3 meals! That one pizza can go a long way!
As you lose more and more weight you will naturally want to try different things and make better food choices. I believe that to be true, because it happened to me. I never thought I would enjoy eating grilled chicken, hummus, and fresh veggies more than I enjoy eating a big greasy, deep fried meal, but one day I realized it had happened. No one told me to even make the change.
So, really my random thought led me to this overall thought: Make small changes. Don't make a huge, sweeping change at one time. Start small. Once you are comfortable with one change and you know you can handle and maintain it, make another change. Before you know it, you've lost 125+ pounds and you're craving fruit instead of greasy food.
These days I blow off anyone who tells me that counting calories doesn't work. Those people are stupid in my book, because I've counted and counted calories. I've lost a ton of weight. I try to tell people that I'm proof that calorie counting works. I'm proof that working out works. I'm proof that people can make a change and stick to it.
A few years ago, you would have never caught me sitting at my table eating fresh fruit as part of my meal. I've always loved fruit, but I used to never think to eat it as part of a meal. I started thinking about my changes I've made because of meal plans, food choices I've made over the past few years, and how those choices have changed to more healthy options.
My meal plans were and are designed so that I can eat what I want. I just have to make sure my food follows guidelines; such as calorie content, protein, and fat. As long as I'm in those bounds I can eat what I want. I've never been told that I have to eat certain foods for certain meals. If so, I would have quit this before it even started.
When I started these meal plans almost two and half years ago I still ate some high fat foods; I just ate them in moderation. I ate certain proportions and I ate at certain times. As my plans have changed and different things have been added into my meal plans, I've made different choices. Basically, I've cut out some of the bad foods on my own and I have made better choices. No one told me that I had to eat fruit and vegetables to lose weight. I followed a calorie limit and I did the rest on my own.
For example: I used to eat a lot of Lean Cuisine frozen pizzas because they were in my calorie, protein, and fat limits, but that was all I could have for an entire meal. Now, I like to eat meals, so I don't eat the frozen pizza. I make low cal, high protein options for my food. That way I can eat fruit, veggies, and maybe another side with all my meals. I love it so much better this way.
I've met and spoken with people who try to lose weight and they cut out everything they love. They try to eat all fruit, veggies, low fat everything, and then they end up unhappy and quit. They go right back to their old ways.
I try to let them know that in the beginning it's not so much what you eat, but how much you eat. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose you can just cut back on the serving size or how many servings you eat at one time. Don't eat the whole pizza! Eat 2 slices and save the rest for another 3 meals! That one pizza can go a long way!
As you lose more and more weight you will naturally want to try different things and make better food choices. I believe that to be true, because it happened to me. I never thought I would enjoy eating grilled chicken, hummus, and fresh veggies more than I enjoy eating a big greasy, deep fried meal, but one day I realized it had happened. No one told me to even make the change.
So, really my random thought led me to this overall thought: Make small changes. Don't make a huge, sweeping change at one time. Start small. Once you are comfortable with one change and you know you can handle and maintain it, make another change. Before you know it, you've lost 125+ pounds and you're craving fruit instead of greasy food.
These days I blow off anyone who tells me that counting calories doesn't work. Those people are stupid in my book, because I've counted and counted calories. I've lost a ton of weight. I try to tell people that I'm proof that calorie counting works. I'm proof that working out works. I'm proof that people can make a change and stick to it.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Thinking
Lately I've been not obsessed with losing weight. I am still doing my own thing with the meal plans and workouts and Zach and Janelle, and all that, but I had a strange thought the other day....
That thought was: I think I'm happy. I think I'm happy with my weight. I think I'm happy with how I look. I think I'm just happy.
Now, that might be strange for some of you. I'm sure you're happy people. I've just spent so much of my life being unhappy with my appearance. I was never really vocal about it. I was more just in my head about it. I would have very negative thoughts about how I looked and how I felt, but I never had a damn clue how to fix it.
I am very happy these days. I still want to get to my goal, but I think I've hit a level where I'm OK with where I'm at right now. If everything stopped right here, right now I would be ok and happy.
I said the other week that I have 29 pounds till my goal and I still want to get there. It is important to me to meet a goal and I will meet that goal. I also want to have some skin removed, eventually. I used to obsess over that too, but in the past few weeks it has seemed less important.
So, with all this happy talk aside, here's what makes me nervous: Now that I am "happy" will I lose my motivation? Am I going to start slacking off? I've been really busy the past few weeks and it has been a really big task to get my 5 or 6 workouts in each week. I've still managed to make it happen, but I've been having thoughts like, "Oh, I'll just go tomorrow or I'll get there later." I've pushed those thoughts aside and still done what needs to be done but what happens on the day that I believe my sabotage thoughts?
I'm also worried that all this happiness will lead to bad food decisions! I've had a few beers and drinks here and there over the past few weeks. I've been responsible about it and counted my calories and what-not, but I'm worried that I'm going to relax too much!
So, I know everyone strives to be happy, but I feel like I need to stay in state of panic and paranoia so I can stay focused!
That thought was: I think I'm happy. I think I'm happy with my weight. I think I'm happy with how I look. I think I'm just happy.
Now, that might be strange for some of you. I'm sure you're happy people. I've just spent so much of my life being unhappy with my appearance. I was never really vocal about it. I was more just in my head about it. I would have very negative thoughts about how I looked and how I felt, but I never had a damn clue how to fix it.
I am very happy these days. I still want to get to my goal, but I think I've hit a level where I'm OK with where I'm at right now. If everything stopped right here, right now I would be ok and happy.
I said the other week that I have 29 pounds till my goal and I still want to get there. It is important to me to meet a goal and I will meet that goal. I also want to have some skin removed, eventually. I used to obsess over that too, but in the past few weeks it has seemed less important.
So, with all this happy talk aside, here's what makes me nervous: Now that I am "happy" will I lose my motivation? Am I going to start slacking off? I've been really busy the past few weeks and it has been a really big task to get my 5 or 6 workouts in each week. I've still managed to make it happen, but I've been having thoughts like, "Oh, I'll just go tomorrow or I'll get there later." I've pushed those thoughts aside and still done what needs to be done but what happens on the day that I believe my sabotage thoughts?
I'm also worried that all this happiness will lead to bad food decisions! I've had a few beers and drinks here and there over the past few weeks. I've been responsible about it and counted my calories and what-not, but I'm worried that I'm going to relax too much!
So, I know everyone strives to be happy, but I feel like I need to stay in state of panic and paranoia so I can stay focused!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
An AWESOME weekend!
I think my weekend was fan-freakin-tastic. I didn't really do much, but I've been having a great time lately. I am still following meal plans and whatnot, but you can really tell that I'm getting Spring Fever.
Anyway, as you all know, Sunday was Easter. I spent time with my family and we searched for Easter Eggs and what-not. Although, on a complete side note, I'm upset with the Easter Bunny these days (AKA, my mom). The Easter Bunny is giving out cash these days. I NEVER got cash from the Easter Bunny. These kids opening eggs and cash is falling out! Outrageous! I want to go back in time and get money for Easter!
Ok, back to my real purpose for writing this.....food. There was so much food. My mom even said that she was not going to make a ton of food. I should know what she means when she says that. She means that she is going to make half portions of a ton of food!
I can't complain though, Momma doesn't go all out like she used to. She used to make elaborate meals and foods almost every weekend. She's slowed down on it over the past few years. Now she only goes all out about 3 or 4 times a year.
The food situation wasn't bad. I was able to control myself. I also went with Janelle and did a killer hill workout before I had to go to family stuff. So by the time I got to Mom's house it was time for me to eat a big post workout meal.
I know the day was not a total food success day, but it was damn close.
Overall, the day was great. After family time I had a few other obligations. I went and saw some other people and managed not to gorge myself or drink myself stupid.
So far this week has gone well. I have done a few really tough workouts and my whole body is super sore. I love that super sore feeling though!
Anyway, as you all know, Sunday was Easter. I spent time with my family and we searched for Easter Eggs and what-not. Although, on a complete side note, I'm upset with the Easter Bunny these days (AKA, my mom). The Easter Bunny is giving out cash these days. I NEVER got cash from the Easter Bunny. These kids opening eggs and cash is falling out! Outrageous! I want to go back in time and get money for Easter!
Ok, back to my real purpose for writing this.....food. There was so much food. My mom even said that she was not going to make a ton of food. I should know what she means when she says that. She means that she is going to make half portions of a ton of food!
I can't complain though, Momma doesn't go all out like she used to. She used to make elaborate meals and foods almost every weekend. She's slowed down on it over the past few years. Now she only goes all out about 3 or 4 times a year.
The food situation wasn't bad. I was able to control myself. I also went with Janelle and did a killer hill workout before I had to go to family stuff. So by the time I got to Mom's house it was time for me to eat a big post workout meal.
I know the day was not a total food success day, but it was damn close.
Overall, the day was great. After family time I had a few other obligations. I went and saw some other people and managed not to gorge myself or drink myself stupid.
So far this week has gone well. I have done a few really tough workouts and my whole body is super sore. I love that super sore feeling though!
Friday, January 6, 2012
New Year, old weightloss shows
I don't watch the Biggest Loser, sometimes I think I should, but I just can't get into it.
I do like to watch the shows about the morbidly obese people who have to be cut out of their homes though. They usually show them on TLC or Discovery and I can't get enough of them.
Typically at the first of the year they break out all the good shows. You know, the ones where the people aren't just morbidly obese, but they are super morbidly obese? This year they are showing the same ones from years past! I've seen all of those. Don't get me wrong, I keep watching them over and over, but I would like a new one to air.
I just watch and watch and watch. I just want to know what they are thinking and how they got to a weight where they are immobile. How do you feel when you have to be CUT out of your house? How do you get to that point and keep justifying eating? I know that I've justified some crazy things about food, but not being able to move on my own and to keep eating? I'm not sure if I could have done that. Could I? I think that's why I watch. I wonder what I would have done in their situation.
It's kinda like a train wreck, in a way. I don't really want to keep watching but I can't turn away. I have to know more about these people. I need them to do follow up shows about them!
Basically, I need to see more of these shows! I need new documentaries and I need updates on the old ones!
I do like to watch the shows about the morbidly obese people who have to be cut out of their homes though. They usually show them on TLC or Discovery and I can't get enough of them.
Typically at the first of the year they break out all the good shows. You know, the ones where the people aren't just morbidly obese, but they are super morbidly obese? This year they are showing the same ones from years past! I've seen all of those. Don't get me wrong, I keep watching them over and over, but I would like a new one to air.
I just watch and watch and watch. I just want to know what they are thinking and how they got to a weight where they are immobile. How do you feel when you have to be CUT out of your house? How do you get to that point and keep justifying eating? I know that I've justified some crazy things about food, but not being able to move on my own and to keep eating? I'm not sure if I could have done that. Could I? I think that's why I watch. I wonder what I would have done in their situation.
It's kinda like a train wreck, in a way. I don't really want to keep watching but I can't turn away. I have to know more about these people. I need them to do follow up shows about them!
Basically, I need to see more of these shows! I need new documentaries and I need updates on the old ones!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Update time!
We're gonna pretend like I wrote this yesterday!
In December I did manage to lose weight. Not as much as I should have, but I still lost. As I said in a previous post Christmas was really tough; worse than Thanksgiving.
Anyway, let's get down to business. I lost 3 pounds. That makes a total weight loss of 113 pounds. Now, as far as inches go, I lost 5.25 inches. That is a big inches loss for the month. I do have to come clean though, I did gain about an inch in my leg, but I know that is just muscle, but I lost from everywhere else. Ok, I also didn't lose from my arm, but that hasn't changed in like 6 months. So, now I've lost a total of 85.75 inches.
Overall, I'm pretty impressed that I was able to lose 3 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had a lot of temptation around me. I fought the temptations as much as possible, but I can't be perfect all the time.
However, I did accomplish a few things that I thought were impossible. I did not eat the cookie dough when I was baking. I didn't lick the bowl, I didn't lick the beaters, and I didn't sample the cookies as they were coming out of the oven. When I realized I could handle baking without snacking my way through the process I realized that I could do just about anything, because cookie dough is freaking tasty.
Now it's a new month and a new year. There are no big holidays coming up and I don't have any big events to attend. I will be able to stay focused and not have any temptation in my way.
I've been killing the workouts lately. I do need to back off a smidge though because my left shoulder has been hurting and so has my left hip.....not sure what that means, but it makes me think I'm getting old!
In December I did manage to lose weight. Not as much as I should have, but I still lost. As I said in a previous post Christmas was really tough; worse than Thanksgiving.
Anyway, let's get down to business. I lost 3 pounds. That makes a total weight loss of 113 pounds. Now, as far as inches go, I lost 5.25 inches. That is a big inches loss for the month. I do have to come clean though, I did gain about an inch in my leg, but I know that is just muscle, but I lost from everywhere else. Ok, I also didn't lose from my arm, but that hasn't changed in like 6 months. So, now I've lost a total of 85.75 inches.
Overall, I'm pretty impressed that I was able to lose 3 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had a lot of temptation around me. I fought the temptations as much as possible, but I can't be perfect all the time.
However, I did accomplish a few things that I thought were impossible. I did not eat the cookie dough when I was baking. I didn't lick the bowl, I didn't lick the beaters, and I didn't sample the cookies as they were coming out of the oven. When I realized I could handle baking without snacking my way through the process I realized that I could do just about anything, because cookie dough is freaking tasty.
Now it's a new month and a new year. There are no big holidays coming up and I don't have any big events to attend. I will be able to stay focused and not have any temptation in my way.
I've been killing the workouts lately. I do need to back off a smidge though because my left shoulder has been hurting and so has my left hip.....not sure what that means, but it makes me think I'm getting old!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Christmas eating
Ok, I'm cutting right to the chase.....I think I ate more on Christmas than I did on Thanksgiving.
I know, I know, Thanksgiving is the eating holiday; not Christmas!
I started the day off really well. I had breakfast and waited until I was supposed to eat my snack to get to my mom's house. I think that's where I made my mistake. I underestimated the deliciousness of the cookies I made.
It's not as bad as I make it sound, but it's something I haven't done in a long, long time. I grazed throughout the day. I never really sat down and at plate after plate of food. Hell, my family didn't even make that much food! We really cut back. I didn't make all the varieties of cookies I usually make. We didn't have all the desserts or foods that we would usually make.
I was just snacking here and there all day long. I don't even think I realized what was going on. After a while I just felt so full and uncomfortable! I know it was a bad thing. Hey, at least I didn't have alcohol on top of all those sweets!
I think the difference between Thanksgiving and Christmas is all the cookies. There are cookies that my family only makes one time a year. There are a lot of things we only make one time a year for Christmas or Thanksgiving. This has been true my whole life. That's why so many of those cookies are a real treat. I know that no one will make them for a year.
I eat sweets throughout the year. I don't deprive myself. If I crave something I work it into my meals. Apparently I tasted those delicious, once a year cookies and lost my head!
Ok, I even think I'm making it sound worse than it probably is. I know that I didn't binge or anything, but I have to remember that I can't graze all day! I just keep adding food on top of food....it sounds gross to even think about.
I have to weigh myself this weekend. I hope the damage is more mental than physical!
I know, I know, Thanksgiving is the eating holiday; not Christmas!
I started the day off really well. I had breakfast and waited until I was supposed to eat my snack to get to my mom's house. I think that's where I made my mistake. I underestimated the deliciousness of the cookies I made.
It's not as bad as I make it sound, but it's something I haven't done in a long, long time. I grazed throughout the day. I never really sat down and at plate after plate of food. Hell, my family didn't even make that much food! We really cut back. I didn't make all the varieties of cookies I usually make. We didn't have all the desserts or foods that we would usually make.
I was just snacking here and there all day long. I don't even think I realized what was going on. After a while I just felt so full and uncomfortable! I know it was a bad thing. Hey, at least I didn't have alcohol on top of all those sweets!
I think the difference between Thanksgiving and Christmas is all the cookies. There are cookies that my family only makes one time a year. There are a lot of things we only make one time a year for Christmas or Thanksgiving. This has been true my whole life. That's why so many of those cookies are a real treat. I know that no one will make them for a year.
I eat sweets throughout the year. I don't deprive myself. If I crave something I work it into my meals. Apparently I tasted those delicious, once a year cookies and lost my head!
Ok, I even think I'm making it sound worse than it probably is. I know that I didn't binge or anything, but I have to remember that I can't graze all day! I just keep adding food on top of food....it sounds gross to even think about.
I have to weigh myself this weekend. I hope the damage is more mental than physical!
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| My family usually does ugly Christmas sweaters. We were doing that even before it was popular. This year we decided to mix it up and wear Forever Lazy's. They are not as awesome as the commercial makes them sound! |
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Binging?
I've been reading a few posts lately about people binging. I don't really have this problem. I have planned days that I knew there were going to be rough days with a lot of food and temptations. I have tried to plan for these days to avoid binging. Typically those days involve a lot of booze more than anything.
I think there is one big reason that I don't binge after a bad day or stressful day; my true laziness. I am very focused and scheduled in my days, but I don't really do a whole lot outside of that.
Every now and then I will have a really bad day and think about stuffing my face with all my favorite foods. I will then think about how I have none of that food at my house. Then I realize I will have to make an extra trip to the store (which I hate) or go through a drive-thru (which I also hate). Then I realize I would just rather go home and not hassle with it. It seems like too much work for me to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm still thinking about stuffing my face, but I'm literally too lazy to make an extra trip after a long day.
Sometimes I'll be watching tv and food commercials come on and I realize how delicious the food looks, even if it's food I wouldn't ordinarily eat. I will really, really want that food. Then I realize I'll have to make a phone call to order the food or drive to the store to get it, and then my laziness kicks in. I realize I'm going to have to put in extra effort that I hadn't planned on for the day.
Just the other day, while watching football, I was wanting everything I saw on tv; pizza, Arby's, ice cream, and I even think there was a Long John Silver's commercial and I would never eat that, but it just looked soooooo good. Then I realized that I would have to drive to get all of these things and my laziness took over. I just sat back and watched the rest of the game.
I've never been super proud of my excessive laziness, but it's really working for me in the binging catagory. I'm going to have to spread the word to everyone around me. I'll tell them all to tap into their inner laziness to help them get over their issues with binging.
I think there is one big reason that I don't binge after a bad day or stressful day; my true laziness. I am very focused and scheduled in my days, but I don't really do a whole lot outside of that.
Every now and then I will have a really bad day and think about stuffing my face with all my favorite foods. I will then think about how I have none of that food at my house. Then I realize I will have to make an extra trip to the store (which I hate) or go through a drive-thru (which I also hate). Then I realize I would just rather go home and not hassle with it. It seems like too much work for me to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm still thinking about stuffing my face, but I'm literally too lazy to make an extra trip after a long day.
Sometimes I'll be watching tv and food commercials come on and I realize how delicious the food looks, even if it's food I wouldn't ordinarily eat. I will really, really want that food. Then I realize I'll have to make a phone call to order the food or drive to the store to get it, and then my laziness kicks in. I realize I'm going to have to put in extra effort that I hadn't planned on for the day.
Just the other day, while watching football, I was wanting everything I saw on tv; pizza, Arby's, ice cream, and I even think there was a Long John Silver's commercial and I would never eat that, but it just looked soooooo good. Then I realized that I would have to drive to get all of these things and my laziness took over. I just sat back and watched the rest of the game.
I've never been super proud of my excessive laziness, but it's really working for me in the binging catagory. I'm going to have to spread the word to everyone around me. I'll tell them all to tap into their inner laziness to help them get over their issues with binging.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Well, I survived
I managed to stay sane on Thanksgiving. I used all the self control in the world and managed to not stuff my face and make myself sick from eating. Whew....it was a tough task.
I'm not sure if you know this or not, but my mom is the best cook this side of the Mississippi and on the other side of the Mississippi, the rest of her family are the best cooks. We've got the country on lock down for the best cooking. All of this fantastic cooking makes a person want to stuff their face.
Anyway, I did not snack all morning before dinner time. I ate every three hours like I'm supposed to. I know I didn't get the right amount of protein, but there were a lot of things I wanted to try so I ate tiny portions when it was my time to eat. I planned the day so I would have to eat when the whole family was sitting down to eat. I only had a small spoonful of the foods I wanted to try, and I totally passed up seconds.
I did have to walk away from the table before everyone else because I was done eating and I did not want seconds, but I could not stop thinking about the delicious food all around me. I think it also helped that we did everything buffet style this year and all the food was on the counter and buffet behind us. There was no food on the table. That really helped.
After I was done I spent some time playing with my niece and nephews. I was hoping to burn off some calories. I was trying really hard to not just sit on my butt for the rest of the day.
I did have dessert though. My mom makes apple pie twice a year. There is no way I could pass up apple pie. I cut my own piece and it really was a little baby piece of pie.
Overall, I think I managed pretty well, but I know that November has been a rough month for me. I've had 4 different family birthdays, a graduation, and Thanksgiving. I've also done a ton of baking, but for some reason that didn't even make me flinch. I was totally in control and able to bake without sampling.
Yesterday I did my regular workout and took a walk at the Reserve for an hour. It was pretty nice out. I figured I needed to take advantage of the nice weather. I also had a Bod Pod yesterday. I think I was trying to torture myself by getting a Bod Pod the day after a holiday full of eating, but that wasn't even that bad. Janelle did have to talk me down a little afterward. I was hoping for better.
I'm not sure if you know this or not, but my mom is the best cook this side of the Mississippi and on the other side of the Mississippi, the rest of her family are the best cooks. We've got the country on lock down for the best cooking. All of this fantastic cooking makes a person want to stuff their face.
Anyway, I did not snack all morning before dinner time. I ate every three hours like I'm supposed to. I know I didn't get the right amount of protein, but there were a lot of things I wanted to try so I ate tiny portions when it was my time to eat. I planned the day so I would have to eat when the whole family was sitting down to eat. I only had a small spoonful of the foods I wanted to try, and I totally passed up seconds.
I did have to walk away from the table before everyone else because I was done eating and I did not want seconds, but I could not stop thinking about the delicious food all around me. I think it also helped that we did everything buffet style this year and all the food was on the counter and buffet behind us. There was no food on the table. That really helped.
After I was done I spent some time playing with my niece and nephews. I was hoping to burn off some calories. I was trying really hard to not just sit on my butt for the rest of the day.
I did have dessert though. My mom makes apple pie twice a year. There is no way I could pass up apple pie. I cut my own piece and it really was a little baby piece of pie.
Overall, I think I managed pretty well, but I know that November has been a rough month for me. I've had 4 different family birthdays, a graduation, and Thanksgiving. I've also done a ton of baking, but for some reason that didn't even make me flinch. I was totally in control and able to bake without sampling.
Yesterday I did my regular workout and took a walk at the Reserve for an hour. It was pretty nice out. I figured I needed to take advantage of the nice weather. I also had a Bod Pod yesterday. I think I was trying to torture myself by getting a Bod Pod the day after a holiday full of eating, but that wasn't even that bad. Janelle did have to talk me down a little afterward. I was hoping for better.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Turkey Day!
Happy Thanksgiving! I'm pretty excited, but I'm not gonna lie; since I woke up at 6:30 A.M. I've been repeating to myself, "I think I can, I think I can". While I was making my cheesy, broccoli, rice casserole I was telling myself that I won't pig out today. While I was in the shower I was telling myself that I will only have one serving of the foods I want to try.
I'm assuming you get my gist today. I've been mentally pumping mysef up for the past hour and a half.
Really, I just keep reminding myself that it's one day and my family makes foods that we only make on Thanksgiving. We've also cut our recipes in half. We are making the foods that we always make, but we are making less. We're hoping to cut down on overeating and leftovers. My mom also made 2 pies and that's it. We really cut down on desserts and the foods that we snack on while we're waiting for dinner.
My mom also planned for us to eat earlier in the day so we would have more time to get up and be active in the late afternoon. The fam has been pretty proactive this year in having a reasonable Thanksgiving.
Overall, I'm feeling pretty good about today. It's nice weather, so I'll probably go for a walk after we eat. Hopefully, I can convince the fam that they also want to take a walk. I would feel bad if I just ate and took off for a walk by myself.
Oh....and....I'm gettting a Bod Pod tomorrow! What kind of crazy person schedules to have their body fat measured the day after Thanksgiving? Me, I guess.
I'm assuming you get my gist today. I've been mentally pumping mysef up for the past hour and a half.
Really, I just keep reminding myself that it's one day and my family makes foods that we only make on Thanksgiving. We've also cut our recipes in half. We are making the foods that we always make, but we are making less. We're hoping to cut down on overeating and leftovers. My mom also made 2 pies and that's it. We really cut down on desserts and the foods that we snack on while we're waiting for dinner.
My mom also planned for us to eat earlier in the day so we would have more time to get up and be active in the late afternoon. The fam has been pretty proactive this year in having a reasonable Thanksgiving.
Overall, I'm feeling pretty good about today. It's nice weather, so I'll probably go for a walk after we eat. Hopefully, I can convince the fam that they also want to take a walk. I would feel bad if I just ate and took off for a walk by myself.
Oh....and....I'm gettting a Bod Pod tomorrow! What kind of crazy person schedules to have their body fat measured the day after Thanksgiving? Me, I guess.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Trying to stay positive.
Basically, I'm a little irritated with myself.
I said the other week that November is a rough month because of birthday's and Thanksgiving. My sister had a November birthday and my neice and nephews were all born in November. Busy, busy, busy. This year my sister also graduated from college. All of these events mean going out to eat, celebrating, eating, blah, blah, blah.
So, I've probably gone out to eat more this month than I have in the past year and a half. I've researched menus to find food that will fit into my meal plan, calories, protein, saturated fats, and I planned my whole eating schedule around what time we were going out to dinner. I even ordered food that I would never have ordered or eaten a year and half ago.
I ate freakin' salmon! I hate fish, but knew it was a good choice and it was really all that would fit into my meal plan. It wasn't even that bad either. I'm not sure if I will ever eat it again, but I tried it once! I didn't eat dessert, I didn't drink booze, and I didn't pick off other people's plates.
I also didn't lose any weight in the last two weeks. I'm pretty disappointed.
So, I'm trying to find the positive in the past two weeks. I didn't lose, but I didn't gain. I maintained. I also know that I made better food choices and I didn't pig out. I know that a year and a half ago I would have stuffed my face and ordered delicious deep fried foods. I know I would have ordered drinks and I know I would have ordered dessert.
I'm trying to remind myself just how far I really have come and how much my food choices and self control have changed. I guess I'm learning how to maintain my weight, but I'm not in a maintaining weight mode, I'm still in a losing weight mode.
I still have to make it through Thanksgiving this week. I know I'm not going to be perfect on Thursday. My family Thanksgiving is made up of foods that we only make once a year. We have decided to cut back on the desserts and we are cutting a lot of recipes in half as well. Everyone in my family wants to make better food choices that day. We all want to be able to taste and sample everything, but we don't want to pig out. I know that my family as a whole wants to eat less and we all are making the effort to cook less!
Really, I keep telling myself that I've made it this far and I'm going to keep going. I don't like to be disappointed with myself, but there is nothing I can do at certain times of the year. I feel like I would be rude to skip family things because of food or going out to eat. I also think it is rude to just sit at a restaurant and not eat anything. I have done that in the past and my family has dealt with it. I have to make some choices that I'm not always happy with, but that's just life. Birthdays and holidays come up from time to time, but 4 birthdays, a graduation, and Thanksgiving all in one month is way to much for me.
I said the other week that November is a rough month because of birthday's and Thanksgiving. My sister had a November birthday and my neice and nephews were all born in November. Busy, busy, busy. This year my sister also graduated from college. All of these events mean going out to eat, celebrating, eating, blah, blah, blah.
So, I've probably gone out to eat more this month than I have in the past year and a half. I've researched menus to find food that will fit into my meal plan, calories, protein, saturated fats, and I planned my whole eating schedule around what time we were going out to dinner. I even ordered food that I would never have ordered or eaten a year and half ago.
I ate freakin' salmon! I hate fish, but knew it was a good choice and it was really all that would fit into my meal plan. It wasn't even that bad either. I'm not sure if I will ever eat it again, but I tried it once! I didn't eat dessert, I didn't drink booze, and I didn't pick off other people's plates.
I also didn't lose any weight in the last two weeks. I'm pretty disappointed.
So, I'm trying to find the positive in the past two weeks. I didn't lose, but I didn't gain. I maintained. I also know that I made better food choices and I didn't pig out. I know that a year and a half ago I would have stuffed my face and ordered delicious deep fried foods. I know I would have ordered drinks and I know I would have ordered dessert.
I'm trying to remind myself just how far I really have come and how much my food choices and self control have changed. I guess I'm learning how to maintain my weight, but I'm not in a maintaining weight mode, I'm still in a losing weight mode.
I still have to make it through Thanksgiving this week. I know I'm not going to be perfect on Thursday. My family Thanksgiving is made up of foods that we only make once a year. We have decided to cut back on the desserts and we are cutting a lot of recipes in half as well. Everyone in my family wants to make better food choices that day. We all want to be able to taste and sample everything, but we don't want to pig out. I know that my family as a whole wants to eat less and we all are making the effort to cook less!
Really, I keep telling myself that I've made it this far and I'm going to keep going. I don't like to be disappointed with myself, but there is nothing I can do at certain times of the year. I feel like I would be rude to skip family things because of food or going out to eat. I also think it is rude to just sit at a restaurant and not eat anything. I have done that in the past and my family has dealt with it. I have to make some choices that I'm not always happy with, but that's just life. Birthdays and holidays come up from time to time, but 4 birthdays, a graduation, and Thanksgiving all in one month is way to much for me.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Baking
I love, love, love to bake. I love to make sweets. I like to cook too, but baking is my favorite. I don't bake year round though. I usually only bake during the holidays. Guess what? It's totally baking season and I'm not prepared.
Last year I didn't bake too much. I didn't know how to handle making things that I wasn't going to eat. It didn't turn out to be that bad though. I was able to make what I needed to and not stuff my face with cookies and whatnot.
This year, I really, really want to do a ton of baking. Last week I had to make a few things for a carry-in at work, and I think that spurred my desire for all of this baking. I made pumpkin cookies for the carry-in and they were awesome, or so I've been told. I didn't get to eat any.
I'm not sure if any of you like to bake, but it is really friggin' hard to make something that you AREN'T going to eat. It's also really hard to make things and not take little samples as I'm baking to make sure it's tasting right. I usually have people taste and sample for me as I go to make sure everything is going ok.
This week I have a lot of free time and I plan on baking, a lot. I have an entire list of things I need to make and will make. I just hope that I don't fall off the wagon and start "sampling" everything I'm making!
Last year I didn't bake too much. I didn't know how to handle making things that I wasn't going to eat. It didn't turn out to be that bad though. I was able to make what I needed to and not stuff my face with cookies and whatnot.
This year, I really, really want to do a ton of baking. Last week I had to make a few things for a carry-in at work, and I think that spurred my desire for all of this baking. I made pumpkin cookies for the carry-in and they were awesome, or so I've been told. I didn't get to eat any.
I'm not sure if any of you like to bake, but it is really friggin' hard to make something that you AREN'T going to eat. It's also really hard to make things and not take little samples as I'm baking to make sure it's tasting right. I usually have people taste and sample for me as I go to make sure everything is going ok.
This week I have a lot of free time and I plan on baking, a lot. I have an entire list of things I need to make and will make. I just hope that I don't fall off the wagon and start "sampling" everything I'm making!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Noticing the changes.
I've been panicking about Thanksgiving. You know...all that delicious food. My family always has an over the top Thanksgiving. It's just what we do. We make tons of food and everyone goes home with tons of leftovers.
As we've been planning this year I've noticed that no one seems interested in having tons and tons of food. Really, over the past year I've noticed that my family has been making a lot of different food choices.
My mom, sisters, and brothers-in-law have been making their own changes. Everyone has their own reasons for making different food choices, and they are all for good reasons.
I'm not that worried now about there being too much food next Thursday. Everyone has kinda said that they don't want all the sweets and desserts that we usually make. Everyone has also said that they don't want to make as much food.
We want to make all the usual food items that we make year after year, but we just want to make smaller servings. I'm all for it.
If given the opportunity, I will stuff my face! I just can't be around all that food! I think this year will be different and be much better. I know Thanksgiving is all about food, delicious, delicious food, but I can still stay in moderation....right? Ok, I know I can.
As we've been planning this year I've noticed that no one seems interested in having tons and tons of food. Really, over the past year I've noticed that my family has been making a lot of different food choices.
My mom, sisters, and brothers-in-law have been making their own changes. Everyone has their own reasons for making different food choices, and they are all for good reasons.
I'm not that worried now about there being too much food next Thursday. Everyone has kinda said that they don't want all the sweets and desserts that we usually make. Everyone has also said that they don't want to make as much food.
We want to make all the usual food items that we make year after year, but we just want to make smaller servings. I'm all for it.
If given the opportunity, I will stuff my face! I just can't be around all that food! I think this year will be different and be much better. I know Thanksgiving is all about food, delicious, delicious food, but I can still stay in moderation....right? Ok, I know I can.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Crazy November
November is my busiest month of the year. My neice and nephews were all born in November, one of my sisters was born in November, Thanksgiving is in November.....and a whole bunch of other things go on this month.
Birthdays and Thanksgiving are fun, but they all have one thing in common...food. Damn food.
Last night we went out to eat at a new restaurant downtown that is all local and organic, so that's cool. I ordered a tuna burger and didn't eat the whole thing. I was pretty proud of myself. Then one of my sisters suggested dessert. I'm sure she was totally right about how good the ice cream is and how delicious everything else is.
Ice cream is my weakness. Total weakenss. I can't even tell you the last time I had ice cream. The server started rambling off the flavors of ice cream and I just put my head down and put my hands over my ears. I'm sure it was quite a site and I probably looked like an asshole, but I was in hell at that exact moment.
To make matters worse there was no way I could just get up and go outside while everyone had dessert. The restaruant is very small and we were all packed in at our table. I would have had to make 2 people get up to let me out.
So, I sat there. I sat there and I watched everyone eat cake and ice cream. I was so freakin' happy when everyone was done.
Today I have to go to my nephew's birthday party. There will be a lot of food there. A lot of food made by my mom, who is the best cook in the world. I'm trying to figure out what the hell I need to do. I'll figure it out. I'm getting ready to go to the gym and I usually have some of my best thoughts when I'm at the gym.
Birthdays and Thanksgiving are fun, but they all have one thing in common...food. Damn food.
Last night we went out to eat at a new restaurant downtown that is all local and organic, so that's cool. I ordered a tuna burger and didn't eat the whole thing. I was pretty proud of myself. Then one of my sisters suggested dessert. I'm sure she was totally right about how good the ice cream is and how delicious everything else is.
Ice cream is my weakness. Total weakenss. I can't even tell you the last time I had ice cream. The server started rambling off the flavors of ice cream and I just put my head down and put my hands over my ears. I'm sure it was quite a site and I probably looked like an asshole, but I was in hell at that exact moment.
To make matters worse there was no way I could just get up and go outside while everyone had dessert. The restaruant is very small and we were all packed in at our table. I would have had to make 2 people get up to let me out.
So, I sat there. I sat there and I watched everyone eat cake and ice cream. I was so freakin' happy when everyone was done.
Today I have to go to my nephew's birthday party. There will be a lot of food there. A lot of food made by my mom, who is the best cook in the world. I'm trying to figure out what the hell I need to do. I'll figure it out. I'm getting ready to go to the gym and I usually have some of my best thoughts when I'm at the gym.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Everything is running together, and a funny story.
My blog posts have been all over the place lately. I have been really busy and I think of things I want to write about, but then I just smash a bunch of nonsense into one blog and I'm sure I confuse everyone.
Anyway, today is Janelle's show. I talk about how Janelle competes in figure. I never really know how to describe it, but it's not body building. Anyway, here is the picture from last year.
Today and tonight I know I will take a ton of pictures so I will have a bunch of stuff to post.
I have been taking a bunch of pictures lately. I do need to post them. I will find time to do that soon...I promise. I don't even have time to be doing this now. I have to get ready for work!
FUNNY STORY!
I went out the other night and I realized that I had to eat.....you know the whole eating every 3 hours thing. I was like 9:45 PM and I was at a bar, I knew I was going to be out for at least another 3 hours, so I decided to have a beer. It really doesn't happen very often.
So, I look at the bartender after he asks if I need anything and I say, "Yea Ryan, just a Miller Lite."
He looked at me and then my friends and said, "I thought you were in AA or something because I haven't seen you drink in soooo long."
"No Ryan, remember the whole losing weight thing? What did you think I was doing?"
"I don't know, Sarah! I just know you haven't come in here and ordered a drink a long ass time."
I really couldn't stop laughing. Then another guy comes over to talk. I didn't meet this guy until after I started meal plans and losing weight. He is forever trying to get me to have a drink. I decline every offer. Anyway, he comes over and is chatting with us and I finally look at him and say, "Hey, Rob, you notice anything?"
He looks at me for a second and I reach for my beer. When he sees that I'm picking the beer up he freaks out. He starts saying, "No way. No way. This isn't happening. I need a picture. No, really. A picture."
Then he made my friend take pictures of him and I holding beers. Actually he was telling me to point to my beer so everyone would know that it was mine. He told me he would probably never see it happen again and now he had photo evidence.
I was hoping he would post the pic on FB so I could steal it and post it here, but no such luck yet....and I look really cute in my pic too!
Anyway, today is Janelle's show. I talk about how Janelle competes in figure. I never really know how to describe it, but it's not body building. Anyway, here is the picture from last year.
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| Monster Mash 2010. By the way, the only part of my outfit that still fits are the shoes....awesome. |
I have been taking a bunch of pictures lately. I do need to post them. I will find time to do that soon...I promise. I don't even have time to be doing this now. I have to get ready for work!
FUNNY STORY!
I went out the other night and I realized that I had to eat.....you know the whole eating every 3 hours thing. I was like 9:45 PM and I was at a bar, I knew I was going to be out for at least another 3 hours, so I decided to have a beer. It really doesn't happen very often.
So, I look at the bartender after he asks if I need anything and I say, "Yea Ryan, just a Miller Lite."
He looked at me and then my friends and said, "I thought you were in AA or something because I haven't seen you drink in soooo long."
"No Ryan, remember the whole losing weight thing? What did you think I was doing?"
"I don't know, Sarah! I just know you haven't come in here and ordered a drink a long ass time."
I really couldn't stop laughing. Then another guy comes over to talk. I didn't meet this guy until after I started meal plans and losing weight. He is forever trying to get me to have a drink. I decline every offer. Anyway, he comes over and is chatting with us and I finally look at him and say, "Hey, Rob, you notice anything?"
He looks at me for a second and I reach for my beer. When he sees that I'm picking the beer up he freaks out. He starts saying, "No way. No way. This isn't happening. I need a picture. No, really. A picture."
Then he made my friend take pictures of him and I holding beers. Actually he was telling me to point to my beer so everyone would know that it was mine. He told me he would probably never see it happen again and now he had photo evidence.
I was hoping he would post the pic on FB so I could steal it and post it here, but no such luck yet....and I look really cute in my pic too!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
My very own non-scientific study.....for the day.
Today was a mess of a day. Very long story short, I ended up sitting in a teacher's lounge for 2.5 hours doing work and trying to keep myself busy.
In this lounge there is a pop machine and a vending machine. Staff and teachers wandered in and out the whole time grabbing snacks from the machines. At first I thought nothing of it, but after a few women came in and stopped to talk to me I started paying more attention to what they were saying. None of the women really wanted to talk to me about anything I was doing, they just wanted to justify why they were getting snacks.
I started paying attention to what they were saying. Here's a few examples of what I heard:
"It's not like I really need a snack. I'm just stressed today."
"I don't always do this. It's just a nasty day outside."
"I know I was just in here to get a cookie, but that just didn't do the trick....ohhh Mr. Goodbar! That should do the trick."
A few of the women asked if I wanted them to buy something that I could eat. I told them all thanks, but no thanks. Of course they kept asking. I told them I eat on a schedule. They would ask why I would do that. I told them that it helps me stay accountable.
I did notice that guys were totally different. When they came in they just said hey and got what they needed and left. They also only got sodas. They didn't even go to the vending machine. There was no justification for wanting a soda. They just got what they needed and rolled out.
The women were at the pop machine and the vending machine. They were working really hard to convince me and themselves that it was ok for them to be eating animal crackers, Hersey bars, brownies, Honey Buns (the frosted kind!), and other random junk.
I just thought it was interesting that there was so much justification going on in there. I bet they were all thinking they were going to sneak in and get some junky goodness from the vending machine and no one was ever going to know....but then they saw me working in there and they needed an excuse for being there.
I should have yelled, "I caught you and I'm telling everyone that you eat brownies out of vending machines! You will never convince anyone that you are healthy!" That would have been awesome. I bet a lot of women would have been super pissed off at me.
In this lounge there is a pop machine and a vending machine. Staff and teachers wandered in and out the whole time grabbing snacks from the machines. At first I thought nothing of it, but after a few women came in and stopped to talk to me I started paying more attention to what they were saying. None of the women really wanted to talk to me about anything I was doing, they just wanted to justify why they were getting snacks.
I started paying attention to what they were saying. Here's a few examples of what I heard:
"It's not like I really need a snack. I'm just stressed today."
"I don't always do this. It's just a nasty day outside."
"I know I was just in here to get a cookie, but that just didn't do the trick....ohhh Mr. Goodbar! That should do the trick."
A few of the women asked if I wanted them to buy something that I could eat. I told them all thanks, but no thanks. Of course they kept asking. I told them I eat on a schedule. They would ask why I would do that. I told them that it helps me stay accountable.
I did notice that guys were totally different. When they came in they just said hey and got what they needed and left. They also only got sodas. They didn't even go to the vending machine. There was no justification for wanting a soda. They just got what they needed and rolled out.
The women were at the pop machine and the vending machine. They were working really hard to convince me and themselves that it was ok for them to be eating animal crackers, Hersey bars, brownies, Honey Buns (the frosted kind!), and other random junk.
I just thought it was interesting that there was so much justification going on in there. I bet they were all thinking they were going to sneak in and get some junky goodness from the vending machine and no one was ever going to know....but then they saw me working in there and they needed an excuse for being there.
I should have yelled, "I caught you and I'm telling everyone that you eat brownies out of vending machines! You will never convince anyone that you are healthy!" That would have been awesome. I bet a lot of women would have been super pissed off at me.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Back to reality
I made it back from Nebraska
So, the eating was a little difficult. I did the best that I could. There is not fast food close to where I was staying, so that was easy to avoid, but my family is full of amazing cooks! Even taking a small scoop of all the different foods was way over my calorie limit! I was still able to refuse seconds, pass on deserts, and drink a lot of water!
I’ve been following meal plans for over a year now and I’m really good at following my plans. My trip to Nebraska
I had one aunt who was trying to sabotage me! It was kind of funny and she was joking more than anything. I pretty much told her she was the devil and everyone agreed. Anyway, I didn’t give into her temptations. I refused the fried chicken, I refused the sweets, but I didn’t refuse her pad thai. She makes the best pad thai ever. It was full of tofu, shrimp, chicken, and veggies. I know I ate too much of that, but there is no way I can ever refuse her pad thai.
The working out was difficult too. I really wanted to take more walks, but there were so many people to visit with and I also wanted to see my grandma as much as possible. She’s not super mobile these days, so taking walks with her was out of the question.
Overall, I had an awesome trip. I think I may have set myself back just a little, but I had to see my family. I will get back on track this week. Today starts my regular eating every three hours and following the calorie amounts for each meal. If I have to work double time in the gym this week, I will.
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| Me and Grandma July, 2009 |
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| Me and Grandma March, 2011 |
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| I totally packed my own snacks! |
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| More snacks! |
Friday, March 11, 2011
I don't understand "all you can eat"
I used to love restaurants with the “all you can eat…unlimited refills…buffet…unlimited trips to the salad bar” advertisements. I’m not going to lie, I used to love those restaurants, but now I’ve moved into a new realm of thinking.
I know it’s a marketing ploy to get people into the restaurants, but with all the emphasis on being healthy why would the restaurant do this? I know that every answer leads back to profits and sales, but I would like a different response. Every day on the news you hear more and more about obesity and health related problems due to weight. Then you see commercials for restaurants offering healthy options, low cal menu items, and then they throw it in there that they have all you can eat deals! It just drives me crazy!
I don’t eat at restaurants very often these days so I shouldn’t really care, but I do. That’s just me. I think I get a little jealous of people that can go out for big, huge, giant, calorie full dinners and they don’t gain a like 3 pounds immediately after! I would gain 3 pounds after eating a huge dinner! My dinner is always my smallest meal so going out to dinner is nearly impossible.
This has really just been a rant and has no real purpose. I just saw a commercial for Denny’s about their $4 unlimited pancakes and they are 24 hours, so you can get them all times of day and night! My first thought was, “Damn, I want pancakes,” then it switched to, “Who could eat that many pancakes?”
| That kid is clearly shorter than the sneeze guard. |
Monday, March 7, 2011
Yummy food.
A few weeks ago I checked out a new cookbook. I was really excited to try it out. I even told everyone some of the recipes that I was going to make. Well, I haven’t made any of the ones I mentioned, but I did make a few different ones and I have not been disappointed!
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| Amazing Cookbook |
I’m not sure if I can or should repost the recipe, but I will tell you that you can find them online on the Taste of Home website. Maybe I’ll post links to them and they all have pictures too. That can’t be bad can it?
The first recipe I made for me, my mom, sister, and brother-in-law. It was onion-apricot pork chops. I figured since pork chops and apples are so good that pork chops and other fruits must be good too. It was fantastic. A serving was one pork chop with the onions and apricots on top. It was 296 calories per serving and there were only 4 grams of saturated fat per serving.
The next recipe I tried was actually a desert. I made it to serve to my sisters, brothers in law, nieces, nephews, and mom. It was caramel toffee ice cream pie. This was also amazing and it didn’t take a lot of time to make. It said it served 10. Honestly, that would have been 10 big pieces. We made it serve 12. I did take my own picture of this one because I was so proud of how nice it turned out! For 10 servings it would be 244 calories per slice and 3 grams of saturated fat.
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| This was amazing. Make it, eat it, love it. |
Yesterday I made southwest turkey stew. Also amazing. It didn’t take long to make. It did have to cook in the slow cooker for about 5 hours, but it was seriously easy to make. I like spicy foods, so next time I will add more chili powder and cumin. Also, it said it would make 6 servings, but it was really like 5.5. It was really good and since the weather has been so crappy lately, a nice stew really hit the spot. Anyway, a serving is 1 and ¼ cup and has 238 calories and 1 gram saturated fat.
There is one more recipe I came across in the cookbook that I have made in the past. It is chicken pesto pizza. I have made this recipe a million times. It is wonderful! The recipe says that it makes one pizza, but the chicken, peppers, and onion could really be spread onto 2 or 3 pizzas, depending on high you like your toppings piled on your pizza. If you follow the recipe and cut the pizza into 8 slices each slice will be 293 calories and have 3 grams of saturated fat.
I will continue to make recipes from the book. It’s nice to find some new things to eat. I will continue to let you all know if they are any good. So far I’ve been pretty good at picking recipes that have been awesome. http://www.tasteofhome.com/
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Body image...from the perspective of a 7th grader.
Ok, the kids around have me been cracking me up lately. On Friday the students had a tiny bit of free time. Some of them were doing homework and some were just relaxing for a few minutes. A girl sitting in front of me was talking to the boy beside her. She was being goofy and trying to make him laugh. This girl is your typical 7th grader. She’s a cheerleader, kinda goofy, kinda ditzy, and really nice. She grabbed either side of her thigh and started shaking it back and forth and making sounds that she thought resembled fat jiggling. This girl had no fat on her legs at all, so it was really funny to watch her do this and the boy next to her was cracking up.
She saw me watching her and she said (as you read her comments please do them in a high pitched stereotypical cheerleader sounding voice as fast as you can read, because that’s how she really sounds) “This is what we do at cheerleading practice when we’re bored. We shake out thigh fat back and forth.”
My response, “You have hardly any fat on your thighs. I think everyone has a little leg fat, especially when they are sitting.”
She get’s a quizzical look on her face and says (don’t forget to do the voice) “That’s true, except for anorexic people. They have no fat and it’s gross.” Then she just kept going. This is one of those times when a kid is thinking out loud and they are thinking just as fast as they are talking. “I would rather be fat than anorexic. Anorexic people are really, really gross. I mean you can always have lipo to take the fat out, but you can’t have fat pumped in…oh my god, can you have fat put in?!”
My response, “I just don’t think so.”
“Wow that would be crazy. I know when people don’t eat and are afraid of food they call it anorexic, but what do they call it when you eat too much?”
“Obesity, overeating, over weight.”
“Oh. Can you be addicted to food?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, how do they treat that? Do they get all crazy like people on drugs?”
“I’m sure they can.”
“I’d still rather be fat than anorexic.”
“That’s fantastic. How about you don’t be either of those?”
“Yea, I don’t really want to be either. Seems like too much work.”
“It is.”
After that she just went back to jiggling her leg fat and making the boy next to her laugh. I was franticly trying to write down everything she said because I knew that conversation was turning into a blog. It was just one of those random conversations you can only have with a middle school aged kid. I’m sure some people look at that conversation and think people are crazy for wanting to teach middle school? I look back at that conversation and think who wouldn’t want to teach middle school?
Anyway, I have never thought about being anorexic vs. being obese. I don’t know what I would prefer. If I didn’t have other things to get done and that point in time I would have asked her why she felt that way. I could always ask her another day, but because I know how 7th graders can be, I already know that she probably doesn’t even remember having that conversation!
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