Saturday, August 21, 2010
Updates
More updates to come soon! I haven't thought to update this for a while. I'll put that on my to-do list for the week!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Alkaline Diet
My husband and I decided to challenge ourselves in a way that we didn't know was possible. We decided to start an Alkaline Diet. Now, before you say, "What is an Alkaline diet?" I'll tell you. We're loosely, and I stress loosely following a book by Annie Guillet. It gives a basic outline of the premise of the alkaline theory. I was introduced to the idea and book by my very good friend Autumn. She and her fiance have been followint it for several months, made a few modifications, and are really enjoying the food. So, in the spirit of doing this thing full tilt, we cleaned out our fridge, both freezers, all the cabinets, our cars, our offices, etc. of all food that is not expressly listed in Annie's book. It took us 2 garbage days to get rid of everything. When we were done, we had baking soda, lemon and lime juice in the fridge. And even less in the cabinets. Talk about a rude awakening. Not only were we vastly overstocked, but we were stocked full of 'unhealthy' foods. The basics of the diet are no dairy (including cheese, yogurt, milk, icecream), minimal soy (only tofu and only once or twice a week), no pork, no beef, no turkey, no chicken, no eggs, lots of leafy greens, beans, almonds or brazil nuts, lots of vegetables and everything EVERYTHING must be fresh.
We've made a couple of adjustments to help this work for us. We added chicken breasts and eggs to our menu. Tony has a lapband and as part of that, he must have 24+ grams of protein at each meal, doctor's orders. We do pretty well most of the time without it, but there are times when it's necessary. We also drink pre-made juice and pasta sauce. It's just SO much easier to buy it. Of course we're very observant of what the labels say and if there is one ingredient we can't have, we don't buy it.
I naiively thought that all of the recipes would be tasty. When I went to the grocery store, I piled strange vegetables into my cart, feeling excited and looking forward to starting something new.
Little did I know, not all of the recipes were as I had anticipated. For my first breakfast I had grapefruit, spinach and radiccio salad with olives. It was AWFUL. I struggled through it. And I didn't throw up. Which took a lot of will power.
Then I tried to cook fennel. Uh, not so much. It tastes a little like licorice. Ew. Then I tried making 'muffins' with no flour. The basic ingredient in the batter was white beans. That should have tipped me off. But I plowed ahead hoping that I was wrong. I wasn't. They were awful too. At least I could pick out a few of the blueberries from the nastiness. But, that was all they were good for. Another jumbo sized FAIL was the white bean dip. It didn't matter what I did to it. It was still bad. Blech.
Some of the recipes, about 5 of them out of the whole book became something I could handle. I've added several ingredients to them all to make them more zesty and flavorful. We love garlic in our house. So I doubled it almost every recipe :)
We drink a lot of water every day. I drink almost 4 of my 32 oz. nalgene bottles full of alkaline water (filtered or reverse osmosis water with lemon).
We drink juice every morning before we eat breakfast. I eat vegetables for breakfast. Usually green beans that have a sweet curry sauce with them... YUUUUM!
We eat at specific times, except on the weekends.
And we're feeling really good.
I've started cooking fish more and have come to appreciate it a lot. I cooked my very first tuna steaks a week ago. They were REALLY good. All this time I thought tuna was NAAASty.
I also like making up my own recipes. I'm trying to write them down. I'm contemplating putting everything I've learned in a book. But, that's a LOT of work. I figured I'd write in my blog and see how that goes first:) It worked for Julie from Julie and Julia! So, you're my guinea pigs.
If you would like me to share some recipes, I'm happy to, please post it in my comments:)
Peace out!
We've made a couple of adjustments to help this work for us. We added chicken breasts and eggs to our menu. Tony has a lapband and as part of that, he must have 24+ grams of protein at each meal, doctor's orders. We do pretty well most of the time without it, but there are times when it's necessary. We also drink pre-made juice and pasta sauce. It's just SO much easier to buy it. Of course we're very observant of what the labels say and if there is one ingredient we can't have, we don't buy it.
I naiively thought that all of the recipes would be tasty. When I went to the grocery store, I piled strange vegetables into my cart, feeling excited and looking forward to starting something new.
Little did I know, not all of the recipes were as I had anticipated. For my first breakfast I had grapefruit, spinach and radiccio salad with olives. It was AWFUL. I struggled through it. And I didn't throw up. Which took a lot of will power.
Then I tried to cook fennel. Uh, not so much. It tastes a little like licorice. Ew. Then I tried making 'muffins' with no flour. The basic ingredient in the batter was white beans. That should have tipped me off. But I plowed ahead hoping that I was wrong. I wasn't. They were awful too. At least I could pick out a few of the blueberries from the nastiness. But, that was all they were good for. Another jumbo sized FAIL was the white bean dip. It didn't matter what I did to it. It was still bad. Blech.
Some of the recipes, about 5 of them out of the whole book became something I could handle. I've added several ingredients to them all to make them more zesty and flavorful. We love garlic in our house. So I doubled it almost every recipe :)
We drink a lot of water every day. I drink almost 4 of my 32 oz. nalgene bottles full of alkaline water (filtered or reverse osmosis water with lemon).
We drink juice every morning before we eat breakfast. I eat vegetables for breakfast. Usually green beans that have a sweet curry sauce with them... YUUUUM!
We eat at specific times, except on the weekends.
And we're feeling really good.
I've started cooking fish more and have come to appreciate it a lot. I cooked my very first tuna steaks a week ago. They were REALLY good. All this time I thought tuna was NAAASty.
I also like making up my own recipes. I'm trying to write them down. I'm contemplating putting everything I've learned in a book. But, that's a LOT of work. I figured I'd write in my blog and see how that goes first:) It worked for Julie from Julie and Julia! So, you're my guinea pigs.
If you would like me to share some recipes, I'm happy to, please post it in my comments:)
Peace out!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Commitment is always easier said than done.
I've been on a weightloss journey since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I've never been what could be considered "thin". I've been fit, I've been toned, I've been fat, I've been obese, but thin, nah. Never.
I've been reading all sorts of lists talking about foods you 'should' be eating. Bleh. They give some crazy stuff. kimchi. Really? Ever smelled that stuff? Ugh. I don't think so. Pickled Herring? What? Seriously. No.
Then as I was perusing the most recent list issued by Men's Health, they're talking about 'dirty foods'. Ok, listen, I'm all for warning people about potential dangers. But some people can take those warnings to extremes. I'm not going to stop buying and consuming fresh cut up chicken because some guy did a study and decided, yep, those chickens, they're dirty. One study. I'm sure that whatever anyone looks for, they'll find. I mean, isn't that how the whole "law of attraction" is supposed to work? Visualize, meditate, create a vacuum for your desires to come into focus. Same deal.
Everyone's looking for what's wrong with food. How "all americans" are deficient in so many nutrients and blah blah blah blah.
Seriously. Eat healthy. Wash the stuff before you eat it. Cook it until it's done. Buy your groceries at a store you can trust. Duh. Doesn't seem like rocket science to me.
I'm experimenting with myself and how my body digests and metabolizes my food. Please understand that this is not a scientific study. I'm not claiming to be some expert on all foods that have ever been consumed. I will say this:
- I like food.
- Food is necessary for my body.
- Green leafy veggies are good.
- Lean protein is a must.
- To lose weight, burn more than consumed.
- Take supplements and/or meds as doctor prescribed.
- Carbonation in my drinks, carbonates me, and I feel miserable.
- No one knows your body better than you.
Very simple. It's logical. It works. There is no mystery. What is the deal with everyone getting so excited about crazy fad diets or pills or miracle cures for everything? I suppose most of it is gimmicky stuff.
But, let's see, I'm 30 years old. According to many "authorities", I'm considered obese. Okay. Whatever. There are a lot of overweight people out there. It's not just americans.
Some of my close friends and family know that I've been losing weight recently. I began seeing my endocrinologist February 25, 2008. He is a great guy. I enjoy working with him a lot. He's been very patient with me. Over the last 3-ish months I've hit a stride. When I began, I weighed in at 246. I went in for my appointment 6 days ago, I weighed 207.5. I work my ass off. Literally and figuretively.
I get up, I go to work, I go to the gym, I go home. Every day.
I've altered my eating pattern significantly.
I take my meds in the morning with a protein shake and sometimes a piece of fruit.
For lunch, I eat lunch meat, a babybel cheese wheel, and a cup of protein enhanced jell-o that I make. No bread. No starch whatsoever. I also enjoy making a salad with baby greens, feta, almonds, raisins, green onion, and a raspberry vineagrette dressing. It's satisfying and tasty. I've recently gotten away from the salads, but am going to reintroduce them in the next week or so.
For a snack I'll eat almonds or something similar.
For dinner, I'll throw down a protein shake before going in to the gym and/or shortly after I'm finished. Sometimes I'll have a vitamin water or another sort of electrolyte beverage to help me recover from my workout quickly.
I do not eat after 8pm. I usually have a protein shake or something similar if I get hungry. But I do my best to NEVER eat after 8.
Suffice it to say, I'm a lean mean gym rat. And I still weigh 207.5. I go to the gym at least 4 days a week. I try to make it 5. But sometimes, that doesn't happen. I play softball once a week and I don't include that in my 4 days at the gym. 2 of those gym days, I do a double workout. I go to aqua aerobics for an hour, then I head up to the cardio room and burn another 300+ calories before I go home.
It's exhausting. I miss the long hours plopped on the couch. I miss eating fatty, starchy foods just before bed. Those were the days...
However, that was exactly what put me in the place I am right now.
My motivation originally was to lose weight so that Tony and I can have a baby. I want a baby more than just about anything right now. But, somewhere along the way, vanity has taken over. Okay, yes, I'm still focused on the crying, pooping, cooing, bundle, however I want to be one of those hot chicks that everyone loves to hate.
I want to be THE sexiest pregnant woman anyone has ever seen. Not because I need to, not because it'll be easy, but just because I can. I've made so many changes to my life so far, what're a few more? I'll never know how far I can go until I take the first step right? I've taken many steps. Now I just get to start going up the mountain.
I want to be the woman that guys stop what they're doing to watch her walk across the room. I'm already pretty. I just get to step up the smokin' hotness a little. It may take a while, but I want to let you know, this woman is done with being overlooked.
I've been reading all sorts of lists talking about foods you 'should' be eating. Bleh. They give some crazy stuff. kimchi. Really? Ever smelled that stuff? Ugh. I don't think so. Pickled Herring? What? Seriously. No.
Then as I was perusing the most recent list issued by Men's Health, they're talking about 'dirty foods'. Ok, listen, I'm all for warning people about potential dangers. But some people can take those warnings to extremes. I'm not going to stop buying and consuming fresh cut up chicken because some guy did a study and decided, yep, those chickens, they're dirty. One study. I'm sure that whatever anyone looks for, they'll find. I mean, isn't that how the whole "law of attraction" is supposed to work? Visualize, meditate, create a vacuum for your desires to come into focus. Same deal.
Everyone's looking for what's wrong with food. How "all americans" are deficient in so many nutrients and blah blah blah blah.
Seriously. Eat healthy. Wash the stuff before you eat it. Cook it until it's done. Buy your groceries at a store you can trust. Duh. Doesn't seem like rocket science to me.
I'm experimenting with myself and how my body digests and metabolizes my food. Please understand that this is not a scientific study. I'm not claiming to be some expert on all foods that have ever been consumed. I will say this:
- I like food.
- Food is necessary for my body.
- Green leafy veggies are good.
- Lean protein is a must.
- To lose weight, burn more than consumed.
- Take supplements and/or meds as doctor prescribed.
- Carbonation in my drinks, carbonates me, and I feel miserable.
- No one knows your body better than you.
Very simple. It's logical. It works. There is no mystery. What is the deal with everyone getting so excited about crazy fad diets or pills or miracle cures for everything? I suppose most of it is gimmicky stuff.
But, let's see, I'm 30 years old. According to many "authorities", I'm considered obese. Okay. Whatever. There are a lot of overweight people out there. It's not just americans.
Some of my close friends and family know that I've been losing weight recently. I began seeing my endocrinologist February 25, 2008. He is a great guy. I enjoy working with him a lot. He's been very patient with me. Over the last 3-ish months I've hit a stride. When I began, I weighed in at 246. I went in for my appointment 6 days ago, I weighed 207.5. I work my ass off. Literally and figuretively.
I get up, I go to work, I go to the gym, I go home. Every day.
I've altered my eating pattern significantly.
I take my meds in the morning with a protein shake and sometimes a piece of fruit.
For lunch, I eat lunch meat, a babybel cheese wheel, and a cup of protein enhanced jell-o that I make. No bread. No starch whatsoever. I also enjoy making a salad with baby greens, feta, almonds, raisins, green onion, and a raspberry vineagrette dressing. It's satisfying and tasty. I've recently gotten away from the salads, but am going to reintroduce them in the next week or so.
For a snack I'll eat almonds or something similar.
For dinner, I'll throw down a protein shake before going in to the gym and/or shortly after I'm finished. Sometimes I'll have a vitamin water or another sort of electrolyte beverage to help me recover from my workout quickly.
I do not eat after 8pm. I usually have a protein shake or something similar if I get hungry. But I do my best to NEVER eat after 8.
Suffice it to say, I'm a lean mean gym rat. And I still weigh 207.5. I go to the gym at least 4 days a week. I try to make it 5. But sometimes, that doesn't happen. I play softball once a week and I don't include that in my 4 days at the gym. 2 of those gym days, I do a double workout. I go to aqua aerobics for an hour, then I head up to the cardio room and burn another 300+ calories before I go home.
It's exhausting. I miss the long hours plopped on the couch. I miss eating fatty, starchy foods just before bed. Those were the days...
However, that was exactly what put me in the place I am right now.
My motivation originally was to lose weight so that Tony and I can have a baby. I want a baby more than just about anything right now. But, somewhere along the way, vanity has taken over. Okay, yes, I'm still focused on the crying, pooping, cooing, bundle, however I want to be one of those hot chicks that everyone loves to hate.
I want to be THE sexiest pregnant woman anyone has ever seen. Not because I need to, not because it'll be easy, but just because I can. I've made so many changes to my life so far, what're a few more? I'll never know how far I can go until I take the first step right? I've taken many steps. Now I just get to start going up the mountain.
I want to be the woman that guys stop what they're doing to watch her walk across the room. I'm already pretty. I just get to step up the smokin' hotness a little. It may take a while, but I want to let you know, this woman is done with being overlooked.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
A New Dawn
Good morning!
I've decided that Blogspot will be a much easier format for everyone to access. Plus, it's easier to navigate.
So, this is just a hello, you're in the right spot. Be sure to add it to you favorites! I will be updating it much more frequently than the other one at wordpress... I PROMISE! :)
I'm off to an endocrinologist appointment this morning. Here's hopin'......
I've decided that Blogspot will be a much easier format for everyone to access. Plus, it's easier to navigate.
So, this is just a hello, you're in the right spot. Be sure to add it to you favorites! I will be updating it much more frequently than the other one at wordpress... I PROMISE! :)
I'm off to an endocrinologist appointment this morning. Here's hopin'......
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