Food, Food, What to Eat??

Since I'm all about honesty, I'm going to give it to you straight...80% of how you look is what you eat.  Surprised by that fact?  I was at first too.  I always thought that if I exercised enough I would lose weight and look the way I wanted to.  WRONG!!  I finally realized that I could exercise 8 hours a day, but if I wasn't eating healthy foods it wouldn't matter.  One of the questions I get asked the most from the ladies in my Boot Camp class is "How do I get toned?"  And I ask a question right back...what are you eating?  If you want your abs to show, you have to get rid of the layer of fat on top of them first.  You can do crunches until the cows come home, but if you don't eat right, they will never pop.

So for the next week I'm going to be completely honest with you on what I eat every day, including portion sizes.  I'm a fanatic for "How To's" and I always want to know how others have done it.  So here is my contribution to that arena...let's see how it goes!

Today (Sept 30, 2010)

4:45am - 8oz of organic, no sugar added apple juice (If I don't get some calories in my body before I work out that early I'm like the Energizer Bunny being beat upside the head by The Rock...I start out going, and going, and going, then SMACK and I'm done!)

7:00am - Breakfast shake made with 1/2 banana, 1-2 Tbsp ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp brown rice protein powder, 1 cup mixed blackberries/blueberries/strawberries, and 10-12 oz. unsweetened rice milk.

10:00am - 1/2 large pear and small handful of raw, unsalted walnuts

12:30pm - Salad of 4oz. chicken breast, 1/4 cup chick peas, 1/2 of an avocado, 1 small tomato, 3/4 broccoli, and dressing of 1 Tbsp. Veganaise and 1 1/2 Tbsp. spicy mustard

3:30pm - 5 egg whites chopped up and mixed with 2 Tbsp. spicy mustard and 4 large stalks of celery

7:00pm - 4 oz. salmon patty, 3/4 potatoes with salt, pepper, and a little Earth Balance, 1 1/2 cups steamed green beans

Throughout the day I drank over 80 oz. of water and took my vitamins in the morning and evening with meals.  The key to keeping your metabolism burning is to keep feeding your body.  Your body is just like a fireplace, if you don't put wood on the fire (aka, food) your fire will slowly die down and go out (your metabolism).

Is my diet perfect, absolutely not!  But I'm taking steps to make it healthier and watching my portion sizes, since I know that eating an entire chicken (with the skin on) is nothing for me.  But I also know that will eventually kill me so I'm choosing not to do that anymore...even though some days death by french fries seems appealing!

Join me and take one small step today and Choose Your Health!!

I'm Done...WOOHOO!!!

This is me at 6:15am in the car on the way home after a killer leg workout (I'm still sitting in the parking lot at the gym, so don't worry I'm not one of those crazy people that texts/talks and drives!). I must say, it feels pretty good!! What are you going to do to make yourself feel good today and to Choose Your Health Today?
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Not My Prettiest!

This is me at 5am in my car waiting for it to defrost before I go to the gym. And it is my day off. Something doesn't seem right about that...
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It's Soapbox Time!

One of the things that I LOVE about The Healthy Edge is that the program gives you tools to figure out WHY you are overweight, because let's face it, we all like food so that isn't an excuse.  They do an exercise on taking responsibility for your actions and not being a "victim" around why you are overweight. 

If I hear one more person complain about being overweight but then see a post or hear them say "Can't wait to head to McDonald's for my morning frappe" (which by the way a SMALL contains 480 calories and 20 grams of fat and has NO nutritional value) I'm going to ask them if they would just like me to inject it directly into their thighs, because that's eventually what is going to happen anyway. Come on people, get a clue! 

I know I weight what I do because I chose to make bad food choices and eat portion sizes that could rival a sumo wrestler.  But I can't and won't blame that on anyone but myself.  Nobody forced me to eat a pint of Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch in one sitting, but I did it anyway.  And not one person held a gun to my head and said "Eat that steak that is the size of your head along with the baked potato with sour cream and butter or I will blow your brains out."

Could we please all just get honest with ourselves and admit that if we are overweight it is because of what WE chose to put in our mouths, and not anyone else's fault!

I'm getting honest and choosing to take responsibility for myself.  What are you going to do to Choose Your Health Today?

To Weigh or Not To Weigh?

Getting on the scale first thing on Monday morning is not really the most appealing thing to me, but I know that the scale doesn't lie...and it only took me 33 years to admit that!  I know that I am not morbidly obese, but I do weigh more than I should for my height and build (5' tall and pretty petite hidden under the jiggly layer of fat).  I don't want to end up as one of the "hide the face, show my butt from behind" examples on 20/20 in a "How Fat is America" episode so I'm going to weigh myself once a week to keep a gauge on my progress. 

I started over 5 weeks ago at 150.5 and this morning I weighed 146.5, so I've lost 4 pounds.  (Please ignore the un-pedicured feet).  I know, I know, it's progress and at least I'm not gaining.  Blah, Blah, BLAH!  And I know that I've been doing A LOT of strength training and muscle weighs more than fat and in the end it will be more beneficial, but what I REALLY want to say to the scale at 6:30am on Monday morning is BITE ME!

But I don't, because I am going to trust the annoyingly chirpy inner voices and actually believe that I did lose weight, I am making progress and I am doing this for a good reason.  Keeping cancer, diabetes, and heart disease away are reason enough for the moment (although I'm sure the reason will change a million times over the next six months, but who cares as long as I continue on the path to my goal!)

So I am going to be nice to myself today and not get all depressed and b*tchy because I only lost a pound since last week, because guess what, I lost a pound!!  So being nice to myself is how I'm going to Choose My Health Today!

Join the Boyscouts...Be Prepared!

Okay, so I'm not actually joining the Boy Scouts, but I AM getting prepared. I spent most of the afternoon today cooking to get ready for the upcoming week.  I made dinners for 3 nights and snacks for the busy days ahead.  It doesn't have to be hard, but it does have to be done.  I know that I can't go to work and not have anything to take with me.  If I don't have any food with me during the day I am subject to the catastrophe of so-called "food" that is in our kitchen every day...that can be anything from pizza to donuts to ice cream sandwiches.  Those are not things I choose to eat anymore, but if I'm hungry and don't have food with me they sound better and better all the time, especially if I'm having a whacked-out day.

So in the oven are stuffed peppers (made with lean ground beef, brown rice, and tomatoes), squash, and mini-meatloafs made with the same stuff as what's in the peppers (which I am going to freeze and use later).  On the stovetop in the small pan are hard-boiled eggs and in the big pot is homemade chicken noodle soup.

It might take some time to get ready for the week, but it always makes the week A LOT easier!

Put Away The Sledge Hammer!

Okay, it's really not that bad, or that's what I keep telling myself.  I spent last evening with some family that I had not seen in a few years, and it was so much fun!  We had a great time and the kids had a blast.  My Mom and my aunt spent the whole day making food for everyone to enjoy, and I must say they did a wonderful job!  We had mexican, but it was actually pretty healthy.  I brought my own brown rice tortillas and filled it with a tasty mixture of chicken, peppers, onions, lettuce and salsa.  (By the way, if you are going somewhere and you're not sure what the menu entails, DO NOT be afraid to bring some of your own food!) I didn't have any alcoholic beverages and drank plenty of water.  So far so good!

Let's get back to the sledge hammer.  My Mom always makes apple dumplings (using my Grandma Wilson's recipe) this time of year and they can just about put you into dessert heaven.  With all of my food allergies (gluten, dairy, egg, soy, etc.) that I just found out about over the summer, apples dumplings were not something I thought I would enjoy again anytime soon.  But my Mom, being the super-fantastic person that she is, found a way to make the dough with gluten-free flour!  So my son and I got to enjoy the fall delicacy along with everyone else!  But right after I got done savoring the apple-cinnamon sweetness, I got out my personal sledge hammer and did a pretty good number on myself.  But why do I do this?  I know that I haven't had a splurge like that in about 4 weeks so it's honestly not a big deal...but that's not what my head tells the rest of my body.  My head says encouraging things like "You dumb ass, what were you thinking" and "Moron, you just ruined everything you've been doing for the past month and a half."  Let me make this clear, I know that I'm not a dumb ass or a moron, but I still have old habits around food and beating myself up is one of them.

So hear is what I've done different...I chose not to go back down the same path of splurge, and then keep on splurging.  When I used to eat something bad I would think to myself "Well you did it once and ruined everything, so why not just keep going?"  This time instead of following in my old footsteps, I decided to tell myself that I enjoyed a treat for one evening and today I'm going to go back to my healthy habits that I'm forming.  I got up this morning, had my daily fruit and protein smoothie, and taught a killer leg boot camp at 8:30am. 

I chose to take that 100lb. sledge hammer and put it back on the shelf for now, without too many bruises to show for it.  I can't say that I won't get it out again but I'm hoping that if I do decide to enjoy a sweet treat that I will look at the sledge hammer, give it the middle finger, and get right back on the healthy habit wagon. 

Are you going to put away your sledge hammer and Choose Your Health Today?

Mmmm...Breakfast!!

My mornings for the past few weeks have consisted of a breakfast smoothie that I can make about half-way the night before, which is AWESOME because then that means I get more sleep!!!  It's really easy to do and I think it is pretty tasty.

Here is how I make it:
1/2 banana
1/2 cup blueberries (frozen if not in season)
3-4 strawberries (frozen if not in season)
2 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp. brown rice protein powder
Put all of that in a blender (or I use my handy Magic Bullet) and fill the rest of the way with Rice Milk (or use whatever type of milk suits you)

I try to use as many organic ingredients as possible...my theory is that the less chemicals I have coursing through my veins, the better!  If you find that it's not sweet enough for you, try adding some agave nectar...it's an all-natural sweetener that won't spike your blood sugar like refined sugar does.

I have found that if I start off my days with a decent breakfast (good combo of carbs, proteins, and healthy fats, yes fat can be good for you) then I'm much better off the rest of the day.  I don't get to the afternoon and feel like I need to chew off my arm up to my elbow as a snack.

If you don't normally eat breakfast, I suggest you start!  That's one way you can Choose Your Health Today!

Emotional Eater...Yep, Right Here!

I am sitting in a meeting that I am not running and have no control over when it will end (other than if I storm out in the middle of someone talking).  I am frustrated with what is happening and being discussed and the only thing that is going through my head is "Oooo, greasy cheeseburger and fries!"  My mind was going in a million different bad food directions, and it finally ended up on something smothered in dark chocolate.  But that was just during the meeting.  After the meeting finally came to it's chaotic end I walked out to my car and plotted the best route to get to some ice cream smothered in hot fudge.

How can I go from craving cheeseburgers to chocolate to ice cream in the span of about 20 minutes (with a million other things delightfully stuffed in between)?  I don't quite know how I ended up this way, but food to me is like a baby seal to a great white.  If I've got it in my head that I want to eat it, you better get out of the way quick or you will be part of the take down too. 

The difference, however, is that I can make a choice to not eat it.  I didn't know that until not too long ago.  I thought that because I was an emotional wreck and I was craving food I 100% had to have it NOW!  But, as I now know, that's not the case at all.  The challenge is finding something non-food related to calm my nerves, or risk going back up to 189 pounds of overweight unhappiness.  Right now, that happens to be music.  I got in my car today after the wonderfully stressful meeting, turned on the radio, and just sat there for a little while listening. 

Don't get me wrong, there are still days that I give in and go for the entire pint of coconut milk ice cream (my food allergies will have to be covered at another time).  But I promise you that if I go down the path of chocolaty goodness I will take pictures and post for all to see.  Because that is part of this process...being honest and sharing what life as an overweight, emotional eater is really like. 

Join me as I Choose My Health Today!

So What's The Plan?

How in the heck am I going to do this?  How am I going to get my body into the chiseled health machine that I want and need it to be?  Well, I have steps that I'm going to follow and hope and pray that it produces the results that my mind is picturing (alright, alright...I know it will if I actually stick to it).  So here's what I'm going to follow:  THE HEALTHY EDGE and THE EAT CLEAN DIET (both of which are very similar...The Healthy Edge is the mental and knowledge part, The Eat Clean Diet is more of the "how to"). Those of you that know me know this isn't a big surprise, considering I'm a facilitator for the freakin' Healthy Edge program!  Which is one of the many reasons why I'm doing this blog...I've been a facilitator for the program for the past year and a half and I feel like a complete fraud!  I haven't been living the principals, and it completely shows (although I hide it with some well fitting clothes and Spanx!).  But no more!  I'm sick of living under a pair of "suck your thighs in" shorts beneath all of my clothes.  Here are the basics:

1.  Drink 80oz. or more of water every day
2.  Take a high quality multivitamin twice a day
3.  Eat "green and clean foods" every day
4.  Exercise 45 or more minutes every day
5.  Eat every 2-3 hours

Surprised that there is no magic pill I'm taking?  I don't believe in magic pills.  I know that the only way I'm going to reach my goal is through hard work and dedication.  I'm sick of the "have to have it now" mentality and I'm not going to hold myself to those standards anymore.  Very few quality things are built in a day, and my health is one of them!

So here's how I did on the five goals today:
1.  Yep!
2.  Of course!
3.  Yummy!
4.  An hour and a half...leg day is always a killer!
4.  I never feel hungry!

So far so good...feeling up to it?  What are you going to do to CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH TODAY?

It Is Time To Make A Change!

So why in the heck would I start a blog to post pictures (see my beginning pictures at the bottom) and progress of my health journey?  Because like many other people out there I need accountability and honesty, two things I was not giving myself!  If I have to post pictures and comments about how my days of exercise and eating are progressing, chances are I will stick to it MUCH better!  (Keep a food log for a week and tell me that's not true...if you have to write it down and tell others you are much more likely to stick to the plan!)

I actually started my trek about 5 years ago, when I weighed in at 189 pounds.  I'm 5 feet tall, so needless to say I was not at a healthy weight.  I felt like crap all the time, I hated myself, and I was sick of always being sick.  I had no clue where to start or what to do, other than I knew that I needed to start exercising (let's not get into the whole food issue yet).  I joined a local gym and started to let other people kick my butt by taking fitness classes. For some reason I tend to work harder when other people are telling me what to do (please keep your psycho-analysis comments and questions until the end). 

During that first year I lost about 40 pounds and actually started to like exercising...shocker, I know!  I liked it enough that I began teaching a few classes at the gym.  (I think it reminded me of my overweight cheer leading days in high school...I got to dance around in front of people and yell at the top of my lungs.)  I also changed some of the foods I was consuming.  I didn't know a lot about nutrition so I just guessed what I should ingest every day.  I was making progress, but I also hit a plateau.

Little did I know about how much nutrition plays a role in how you look...about 80%...although I never really admitted that to myself until about 4 weeks ago.  In the past 5 years I have lost about 40 pounds (and gained some of it back), ran a marathon, completed a triathlon and had a beautiful baby boy!  All four are definitely big accomplishments but I still have not reached my goal of being as healthy as I can be. 

For me it's not so much about how I look (but let's be honest, looking hot in a pair of killer jeans feels awesome too) but it's more about how I feel every day and being there for my family.  So if you want to follow me on my journey, I would love your support and accountability...and tips and tricks if you have them! I will be completely honest with you about my journey, good or bad.  (As I have shortness of breath and heart palpitations from posting the pictures below.)  Are you going to join me and CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH TODAY?