Tuesday night is a crazy night for me. It's the night I lead my Weight Watchers meeting. This means that I rush from the office to my meeting, then home. I don't get home until at least 7pm.
Getting home late is a disaster for many reasons, mainly because I don't eat for a very long time before running into the house. And when I run into the house, I just want to eat ANYTHING. Disaster. Couple this with the fact that I'm taking a cake decorating course on Wednesday. This means that I bake either a cake or cupcakes on Sunday, and have to make fresh buttercream icing on Tuesday night when I get home from my meeting. All of this just leads to disaster.
But tonight, tonight was different. I was driving home and I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Steve and I just do what we want on our own for dinner on Tuesdays, which makes it easier, allows him to eat earlier, and also allows him to eat what he wants, which is usually hamburger helper or kraft dinner (tonight's choice was KD with lots of veggies in it - YAY Steve!).
Back to what I was saying... I was driving home trying to figure out what I would eat for dinner. I needed a protein, a starch, some veggies, and an oil. My first thought was pasta, since you can easily get all of those things in a pasta dish of some sort. But I just didn't feel like getting into a big mess in the kitchen. Then I thought... edamame!
I came home, counted out half a serving of baked tostitos, covered them in yves veggie ground chicken, some leftover sweet potato burrito filling, some BBQ sauce a la BBQ chicken nachos, some edamame, and a teaspoon of chili olive oil. Under the broiler. Served with tofu sour cream. Sooo delicious! And filling.
Luckily I only ate about a tablespoon of buttercream. That stuff's just hard to resist. Thank goodness there's only one more week of the course after tomorrow night.
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutrition. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Health Report
I'm not sure if you've all been following my boring health issues, but for anyone who has been following, I wanted to send you the latest report.
I think I mentioned that my allergy tests came back and they indicated that I have a severe allergy to dairy. This is extremely sad news. I can live without milk and yogurt, but having to limit cheese and ice cream will be a serious challenge.
But there's a bit of a silver lining. I've decided to make compromises. This means that I will be splurging on coconut milk and soy ice cream, as well as really REALLY great cheese. The stinkiest I can find. I figure there's no more excuse to eat less-than-stellar cheese. Eating cheese won't kill me, it may just cause me acne, or it might not once the majority of the dairy is out of my system for a while. I figure a pimple now and again is a small price to pay for delicious cheese.
I've also gotten my hormone test results back. It turns out they're a bit wonky too, but not too too bad. I have a low level of progesterone and a slightly higher than normal level of testosterone. This means that I was heading down the road to PCOS. Thank goodness we caught it early! This means that what I have going on right now is completely reversible! Whew! I really consider myself lucky with this one, since PCOS means it may be difficult to conceive and carry a child to term, along with all kinds of other side effects like insulin-resistance, and the inability to lose weight.
The slightly higher than normal level of testosterone hasn't had many ill effects on my body yet, although it almost definitely played some part in my skin issues as well. And luckily again, it's not a high level, only very slightly above the normal range. I am now taking saw palmetto (an herb usually given to men to control prostate issues) to level out my testosterone production. My naturopath seems to think that taking the saw palmetto, along with zinc daily will get me back to normal in no time, probably by spring.
Thank goodness I decided to see a naturopath! I couldn't thank her enough at my last appointment. She really has changed my life. She did more for me in 3 months than my family doctor has done for me in 10 years. Phenomenal.
I think I mentioned that my allergy tests came back and they indicated that I have a severe allergy to dairy. This is extremely sad news. I can live without milk and yogurt, but having to limit cheese and ice cream will be a serious challenge.
But there's a bit of a silver lining. I've decided to make compromises. This means that I will be splurging on coconut milk and soy ice cream, as well as really REALLY great cheese. The stinkiest I can find. I figure there's no more excuse to eat less-than-stellar cheese. Eating cheese won't kill me, it may just cause me acne, or it might not once the majority of the dairy is out of my system for a while. I figure a pimple now and again is a small price to pay for delicious cheese.
I've also gotten my hormone test results back. It turns out they're a bit wonky too, but not too too bad. I have a low level of progesterone and a slightly higher than normal level of testosterone. This means that I was heading down the road to PCOS. Thank goodness we caught it early! This means that what I have going on right now is completely reversible! Whew! I really consider myself lucky with this one, since PCOS means it may be difficult to conceive and carry a child to term, along with all kinds of other side effects like insulin-resistance, and the inability to lose weight.
The slightly higher than normal level of testosterone hasn't had many ill effects on my body yet, although it almost definitely played some part in my skin issues as well. And luckily again, it's not a high level, only very slightly above the normal range. I am now taking saw palmetto (an herb usually given to men to control prostate issues) to level out my testosterone production. My naturopath seems to think that taking the saw palmetto, along with zinc daily will get me back to normal in no time, probably by spring.
Thank goodness I decided to see a naturopath! I couldn't thank her enough at my last appointment. She really has changed my life. She did more for me in 3 months than my family doctor has done for me in 10 years. Phenomenal.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Confessions of a Splenda Junkie
After long last, I've finally made it back to goal. FINALLY. And I did it after reading a great book, and taking the advice I always give to my WW members. When my members reach a plateau, they usually grab me after a meeting and hit me up about what to do. The conversation usually goes like this:
Member: "I need to ask you something. I'm staying OP all week, and it seems like no matter what I do I just can't lose any weight - can you help me?"
*Please note: this member always looks like they've either been hit by a truck and didn't mind it, or they look like they would rip a chocolate bunny out of the hands of a six year old, then proceed to bite Mr. Krispy's ear off right in front of this child. Sometimes I let out a little giggle when they look me in the eye, to hide my fear.
Me: "Are you getting in your fruits and veggies, and the rest of your healthy food servings?"
The member ALWAYS says yes.
Me: "Then you have to take a good look at the foods you're eating other than your healthy choices. Are you eating enough? Are you eating your Flex and activity points?"
The answers vary, but this is often where the ugly truth comes out. Usually people are filling their days with 100-calorie packs, or they aren't eating enough. I stress to them that it's really important to take a look at the quality of the calories they're taking in, not just the amount.
Every time I struggle with a plateau I learn something. This time I had to take my own advice and look at what I was eating. This, in combination with Jillian's new book, are what finally got me back to losing the extra 10 lbs I've been carrying around since fall. I was eating a lot of chemical crap - diet pop, artificially sweetened EVERYTHING.
So I went back to basics, eating whole foods. No artificial anything. And it actually WORKED. And it's for good, forever. I'm not going back to being a Splenda junkie.
Since I'm a huge foodie, you wouldn't think that I'd try to scrimp and scrape by on low calorie alternatives for real food, would you? Well I did. And it didn't pay off. My food tasted worse and ended up stockpiling chemicals in my body. NOT GOOD.
Now that I've rid myself of the Splenda, the extra weight seems to be falling off, without a whole lot of effort on my part - a big change from a month ago where everyday was a struggle and I wasn't losing an ounce. In fact, I was gaining.
Eating Chemicals + Exercising = Gaining Weight Anyway -> BAD
Eating Real Food + Moderate Exercise = Losing Weight Without Thinking About It-> GOOD
And, to top it off, I haven't had a pimple since I made the change! That is huge for me.
So sing it with me girls, "Don't you put it in your mouth..."
Member: "I need to ask you something. I'm staying OP all week, and it seems like no matter what I do I just can't lose any weight - can you help me?"
*Please note: this member always looks like they've either been hit by a truck and didn't mind it, or they look like they would rip a chocolate bunny out of the hands of a six year old, then proceed to bite Mr. Krispy's ear off right in front of this child. Sometimes I let out a little giggle when they look me in the eye, to hide my fear.
Me: "Are you getting in your fruits and veggies, and the rest of your healthy food servings?"
The member ALWAYS says yes.
Me: "Then you have to take a good look at the foods you're eating other than your healthy choices. Are you eating enough? Are you eating your Flex and activity points?"
The answers vary, but this is often where the ugly truth comes out. Usually people are filling their days with 100-calorie packs, or they aren't eating enough. I stress to them that it's really important to take a look at the quality of the calories they're taking in, not just the amount.
Every time I struggle with a plateau I learn something. This time I had to take my own advice and look at what I was eating. This, in combination with Jillian's new book, are what finally got me back to losing the extra 10 lbs I've been carrying around since fall. I was eating a lot of chemical crap - diet pop, artificially sweetened EVERYTHING.
So I went back to basics, eating whole foods. No artificial anything. And it actually WORKED. And it's for good, forever. I'm not going back to being a Splenda junkie.
Since I'm a huge foodie, you wouldn't think that I'd try to scrimp and scrape by on low calorie alternatives for real food, would you? Well I did. And it didn't pay off. My food tasted worse and ended up stockpiling chemicals in my body. NOT GOOD.
Now that I've rid myself of the Splenda, the extra weight seems to be falling off, without a whole lot of effort on my part - a big change from a month ago where everyday was a struggle and I wasn't losing an ounce. In fact, I was gaining.
Eating Chemicals + Exercising = Gaining Weight Anyway -> BAD
Eating Real Food + Moderate Exercise = Losing Weight Without Thinking About It-> GOOD
And, to top it off, I haven't had a pimple since I made the change! That is huge for me.
So sing it with me girls, "Don't you put it in your mouth..."
Friday, January 18, 2008
Meat & Alternatives: Poultry
Higher in protein and lower in saturated fat than red meats, poultry is an excellent source of high-quality protein, with all the essential amino acids, as well as calcium, copper, iron, phosphorous, potassium, and zinc.
All poultry has a similar range of nutrients, with the biggest difference being in the fat content. A 3-oz portion of roasted, skinless light turkey is the lowest in calories and fat, with 135 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 25 grams of protein, compared to 170 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 20 grams of protein in a comparable portion of skinless roasted duck. A 3-oz portion of roasted chicken breast without skin has 26 grams of protein, 142 calories, and 3 grams of fat compared to the same serving with skin at 195 calories and 8 grams of fat.
Most poultry fat is under the skin; removing the skin before eating the meat greatly reduces fat content.
Because most poultry is sold with it's skin intact, it is susceptible to spoilage from bacteria that remain on the skin and in the cavity after processing. Kept at the average refrigerator temperature, chicken skin will become slimy in about 6 days, indicating a 10000-fold increase in bacteria. You should wash your hands, and scrub knives and cutting boards in hot soapy water during preparation.
Recipe: Buffalo Chicken "Wings"
Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
Egg whites, for dipping chicken pieces in
Fresh bread crumbs, made from high-fibre bread
BBQ chicken seasoning, Thyme, Parmesan cheese, Garlic powder - all to taste
Frank's HOT Buffalo Wing Sauce
Light peppercorn ranch salad dressing, or blue cheese dressing, for dipping
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Season bread crumbs with bbq chicken seasoning, thyme, parmesan, and garlic, to taste. Cut chicken breasts (or thighs) into wing sized pieces. Dip chicken pieces in egg whites, then coat in bread crumb mixture. Bake chicken in oven until cooked through, 20-25 minutes. Once chicken is cooked, place in a plastic container with a cover. Add desired amount of sauce to coat chicken. Serve with dressing for dipping.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Water - Vital for Life
Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, water is the most abundant substance in the human body, accounting for up to 60% of our body weight. Even though water has no calories or other nutrients, we can go for only a few days without it. In contrast, a healthy person can survive for 6 to 8 weeks without food. A loss of only 5 to 10% of body water results in serious dehydration, while a 15 to 20% loss is usually fatal.Vital Functions
Water is essential to virtually every body function, including digestion, absorption, and transport of nutrients, elimination of body waste, and regulation of body temperature, as well as many other chemical processes. Water is needed to build all body tissues and is the base of all blood and fluid secretions such as tears, saliva, and gastric juices, as well as the fluids that lubricate our organs and joints. It also keeps our skin soft and smooth. As our body ages, it becomes dryer. An infant's body is 75 to 80% water, compared to 50% after age 65 or 70.
How Much Do We Need?
The human body needs enough water to ensure the urine is pale, not dark or bright yellow. For the average adult this translates to 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. Most of this comes from drinks, but surprisingly there is a substantial amount in foods as well. Fruits and vegetables are 70 to 95% water, compared to 75% of an egg, 40 to 60% of meat, poultry, and fish, and 35% of bread.
While trying to lose weight, it is said that you should consume half of your body weight in ounces of water. In my case, at 135 lbs, I should be consuming approximately 68 oz. (2 litres) of water daily.
It is also important to remember that you should consume as much water as you excrete during any given day. So on days where the weather is hotter or you sweat due to a hard workout, you should consume more water.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
I'm Back!
Sorry I haven't posted lately, but things are just SO busy. As I'm sure some of you know, I spent a week in Mississauga recently for work, and had been spending a lot of time at the hospital with my grandma. I'm happy to say that grandma is back home and doing very well.
I am no longer counting points. I am trying now to maintain my weight on my own, by making healthy choices. Things have been going very well with it. I've also been trying to eliminate any foods from my diet that contain any bad chemicals, so I've been eating lots of good fresh foods, and a lot of homemade goods. I'm loving all of the healthy baking I'm doing, and all of the foods I've incorporated back into my diet in order to eliminate aspartame and preservatives.
I've also become a squash and sweet potato addict... is there a program out there for that?
I'm trying to limit my caloric intake to roughly the recommended daily intake of 2000 calories. It's actually not hard at all, even with my use of natural sweeteners now instead of using products containing aspartame. I think the natural foods are doing a great job of keeping me full, and I find myself eating lots of small snacks now instead of my three square meals. With me eating so much throughout the day, I definitely don't feel deprived, and it keeps my metabolism going!
I am no longer counting points. I am trying now to maintain my weight on my own, by making healthy choices. Things have been going very well with it. I've also been trying to eliminate any foods from my diet that contain any bad chemicals, so I've been eating lots of good fresh foods, and a lot of homemade goods. I'm loving all of the healthy baking I'm doing, and all of the foods I've incorporated back into my diet in order to eliminate aspartame and preservatives.
I've also become a squash and sweet potato addict... is there a program out there for that?
I'm trying to limit my caloric intake to roughly the recommended daily intake of 2000 calories. It's actually not hard at all, even with my use of natural sweeteners now instead of using products containing aspartame. I think the natural foods are doing a great job of keeping me full, and I find myself eating lots of small snacks now instead of my three square meals. With me eating so much throughout the day, I definitely don't feel deprived, and it keeps my metabolism going!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Just when I thought I had this eating thing all figured out...
I had a really harsh realization this past week. After working this WW program for a couple of years now, I thought I had mastered this whole weight management thing. I sure was wrong...
I started Weight Watchers in October of 2005. I had no trouble getting my weight off, and lost consistently until I reached goal in June of 2006. I started maintenance just as I was going on vacation for a week. I gained throughout my 6 weeks of maintenance, but did manage to keep my weight under the two-pound threshold so that I would become a lifetime member. I blamed my gains on vacation, meeting my boyfriend, camping, my B-12 deficiency that had sidelined my running, moving back to the city, etc. - anything I could find as an excuse for not maintaining my loss.
Over the course of my first 6 months of being a lifetime WW member, I continued to weigh in monthly to keep my lifetime status, but I continued to gain in small increments until I had regained a little more than 20 lbs. by last Christmas. That's when I decided to get back on the WW program full-time and get myself back down to my goal weight before I gained any more weight and was back to where I had started. I was tired of weighing in monthly and paying for it - I mean, what had I worked for anyway? I definitely hadn't worked so hard to lose the weight just to gain it all back! I knew the WW program worked, and I knew I could do it again, so I got back on the weight loss train.
I knew how to get the weight back off, so I started running again and watching what I was eating. And once again, the weight came off pretty easily. It has continued to come off until now. I am now the smallest I ever remember being, and until now I was still trying to lose a few extra pounds. I'm well below my WW goal weight.
This past week has really opened my eyes. I decided I'd go off plan for a couple of days while we were on vacation and that I'd eat what I wanted. What an eye opener! I was so sad to have to go back on plan when we returned that I had some kind of breakdown or something. I am allotted 19 points a day if I want to continue losing, which really isn't much anymore. It's been very difficult to keep it up week after week, as I'm constantly watching every single point. I haven't been enjoying myself, and I've been feeling quite deprived to be honest. It's summer time, my favourite thing to eat is ice cream, and although I know I can eat it if I use my flex or earn the APs for it, I find myself in a strict eating mode, depriving myself of a treat to save the points. It's crazy and needless and I know it, but that's what I've been doing.
So I'm going to switch my focus and concentrate more on improving my fitness and my body composition while switching my program to maintenance for a while. This is where the new realization comes in. I've been a lifetime member for over a year now, and I've never maintained! Not even for a little while! I'm scared to death of maintenance because I think I'll gain some of my weight back again! What if it doesn't work?!? I know it's supposed to work, but I'm just so scared of it! When it comes to losing weight, I feel like an old pro - I know all the tricks and everything you need to do to lose, but I'm not so sure of myself when it comes to maintaining a loss. I'm just so scared of gaining... but I'm going to bite the bullet and risk gaining a little bit until I can figure out this maintenance thing. I'm going to add the 4 points to my daily amount, giving me 23 points, and I'm going to eat half of my APs earned, and as many flex points as I want throughout the week. Just the extra 4 points a day will allow me to treat myself without feeling so bad about it. I know I shouldn't feel bad, but I'll admit that I sometimes do feel guilty for indulging in a treat. I'm working on that...
It was a rough week mentally finally figuring this out, but I'm gonna conquer this new issue too! I'm going to learn to maintain and finally learn how to live healthily without gaining or losing for a while. I'm going to learn that success isn't always measured with a loss - the hardest part of this whole thing is maintaining the loss. It's going to be harder to put the work in to living a healthy lifestyle without feeling the success of a weekly weight loss. I'll have to learn to love maintaining the loss as much as I have loved losing the weight to begin with - it's going to be tough, but I'll have to revel in the new victories I'll experience.
Glad I got that off my chest...
I started Weight Watchers in October of 2005. I had no trouble getting my weight off, and lost consistently until I reached goal in June of 2006. I started maintenance just as I was going on vacation for a week. I gained throughout my 6 weeks of maintenance, but did manage to keep my weight under the two-pound threshold so that I would become a lifetime member. I blamed my gains on vacation, meeting my boyfriend, camping, my B-12 deficiency that had sidelined my running, moving back to the city, etc. - anything I could find as an excuse for not maintaining my loss.
Over the course of my first 6 months of being a lifetime WW member, I continued to weigh in monthly to keep my lifetime status, but I continued to gain in small increments until I had regained a little more than 20 lbs. by last Christmas. That's when I decided to get back on the WW program full-time and get myself back down to my goal weight before I gained any more weight and was back to where I had started. I was tired of weighing in monthly and paying for it - I mean, what had I worked for anyway? I definitely hadn't worked so hard to lose the weight just to gain it all back! I knew the WW program worked, and I knew I could do it again, so I got back on the weight loss train.
I knew how to get the weight back off, so I started running again and watching what I was eating. And once again, the weight came off pretty easily. It has continued to come off until now. I am now the smallest I ever remember being, and until now I was still trying to lose a few extra pounds. I'm well below my WW goal weight.
This past week has really opened my eyes. I decided I'd go off plan for a couple of days while we were on vacation and that I'd eat what I wanted. What an eye opener! I was so sad to have to go back on plan when we returned that I had some kind of breakdown or something. I am allotted 19 points a day if I want to continue losing, which really isn't much anymore. It's been very difficult to keep it up week after week, as I'm constantly watching every single point. I haven't been enjoying myself, and I've been feeling quite deprived to be honest. It's summer time, my favourite thing to eat is ice cream, and although I know I can eat it if I use my flex or earn the APs for it, I find myself in a strict eating mode, depriving myself of a treat to save the points. It's crazy and needless and I know it, but that's what I've been doing.
So I'm going to switch my focus and concentrate more on improving my fitness and my body composition while switching my program to maintenance for a while. This is where the new realization comes in. I've been a lifetime member for over a year now, and I've never maintained! Not even for a little while! I'm scared to death of maintenance because I think I'll gain some of my weight back again! What if it doesn't work?!? I know it's supposed to work, but I'm just so scared of it! When it comes to losing weight, I feel like an old pro - I know all the tricks and everything you need to do to lose, but I'm not so sure of myself when it comes to maintaining a loss. I'm just so scared of gaining... but I'm going to bite the bullet and risk gaining a little bit until I can figure out this maintenance thing. I'm going to add the 4 points to my daily amount, giving me 23 points, and I'm going to eat half of my APs earned, and as many flex points as I want throughout the week. Just the extra 4 points a day will allow me to treat myself without feeling so bad about it. I know I shouldn't feel bad, but I'll admit that I sometimes do feel guilty for indulging in a treat. I'm working on that...
It was a rough week mentally finally figuring this out, but I'm gonna conquer this new issue too! I'm going to learn to maintain and finally learn how to live healthily without gaining or losing for a while. I'm going to learn that success isn't always measured with a loss - the hardest part of this whole thing is maintaining the loss. It's going to be harder to put the work in to living a healthy lifestyle without feeling the success of a weekly weight loss. I'll have to learn to love maintaining the loss as much as I have loved losing the weight to begin with - it's going to be tough, but I'll have to revel in the new victories I'll experience.
Glad I got that off my chest...
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