Tug's dad has battled cancer for about three and a half years now. During that time, I have been in a bit of denial. He's a young enough man. The doctors will figure this out. But with each set-back followed by a come-back, his come-back left him just a bit worse than before. He never really gained any ground. About two weeks ago, Tug's brother called to give us some worrisome news. Dad's not doing well. We have never gotten this kind of call from my brother in law. Tug went out to Virginia to be with family. To be with his dad. And I thank God he went. Tug's dad died on February 17th. Cancer claims another. But OH it was a hard fought fight!
Death. It's so hard for our culture. Maybe it's hard for humanity in general. But for us, it seems a taboo. I work in a world painted with death. We meet and support grieving families all the time. Words are hard to come by as you companion someone through grief. I don't want it to be like that for my kids. I have talked openly about death with them. Perhaps too much. My daughter thinks it will be a happy day when she gets to join her dog in heaven with Jesus and Papa Chippy. Maybe I got a little off track talking to the kids about death.
I read a very neat article about death the other day. Long before I knew we would be grieving for my father in law. It talked about energy, and the famous scientific discovery that told us that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It just changes form. I believe this. I don't know what to think about reincarnation but I do believe our energy fills hearts, makes flowers bloom, makes babies smile and makes the world go around. Dust to dust.
Over the past week full of tears, laughter, loving words, loving jesters, and manifestations of the lessons we have learned from Chippy, I have come to remember (because we always KNOW this but sometimes lose track) what really matters. We are all part of something bigger than ourselves. These connections we make with others, the choices we make despite of ourselves, it's about love. I know. How cliche. But it's true. We are not on this world to see who can collect the most toys. We are not on this world to see whose people will be the most powerful. We are not on this world to simply enjoy taking from the earth and pilfering from the loss of others. We are here to teach and to learn. To better our souls and shape the souls of others through love.
And if you have any connection with a younger generation, you had better take it to heart. We have major control over the future of this world by how we teach and learn from these little people. Empathy, integrity and generosity. That about sums it up. We need to put these three ways of life in the forefront. I am afraid we are loosing ground. These should be bedtime lessons on a daily basis for our children. These should be dinner time topics across the table (which we all should be sitting at with our kids NO exceptions). These should be ideas adults talk about and demonstrate. Ah...another part of a fitness quest. Making our hearts fit. Making our lives matter. Things seems a bit less complicated when you have your priorities in place. Interesting how a death can energize those of us still alive. Did I mention energy cannot be destroyed? It just changes form.
I am sorry? Did you think you were going to read this post to see how my weight loss is coming along? Have you ever been in the midst of the death of a family member? In southern Virginia? When we can't find the words, what's the next best thing? Yes. Sugar, butter, pork and beer (or wine). Food plays a big part in grief and death. When I do my job, I often have to remind people to care for themselves and don't forget to eat. I have never had the problem of forgetting to eat. I ate plenty. I think I gained two pounds. I don't give a hoot. Sharing a plate of snicker doodles with those you love does a fine thing for the heart.
However, I am back home. I go back to work Monday. Tug is already back today. As we teach lessons of high moral character, we also must remember to take care of the temple that carries our soul for now. I want to be able to turn cartwheels, play soccer with my kids, and hear them laugh as we fall on the grass this Spring! It's right around the corner! Baseball, camping, green grass. Ah! Get me out of this house and the company of those I love while I bask in the sun! There is a place for creating healthy bodies in "what really matters" so that we can teach and learn longer, and have some fun while doing it.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
A New Addiction
Am I addicted to food? I have thought so more than once. I love food. Not all food is created equal and I do not love all food BUT I do love good food. The best job in the world would seem to be a restaurant critic. How cool but to eat, get paid and just go to new places! The TV shows I watch the most...Food Network shows! A great place for me to relax and veg out is strolling the isles of the grocery store (without kids and without a time limit) checking out all the new products just wondering what they taste like. Okay. So it appears I may be addicted to food.
Lookout food! I have a new addition! It's an addiction that feeds into my control freakiness. It's called "My Fitness Pal." This is an application to my phone. It was free, which was a big "selling point." I downloaded it a few months ago but did not get past a half day of food tracking before I got bored. Last week a co-worker told me she was using it and I decided to give it another shot. I played around with the various things it could do and I quickly found this was a very easy way to track what I eat, how much I exercise, when I reach my calorie limit for my weight loss goal, and it even tells me how I measure up to eating the right amount of vitamins, carbs, fat, cholesterol and sugars as recommended for my size and gender. It has changed me.
My Fitness Pal allows my complete control of how what I eat will impact my weight. And health. It's nice to know that I have gone over on my protein but need a little more calcium and I only have 58 calories until I reach my daily limit and I have plenty of sodium to work with and I only had a quarter of my fat for the day. I can even add my exercise for the day and it recalculates my calorie limit to provide for the physical activity. I could go on and on. And when I am done for the day, I "complete" the day on the program and it tells me what I would weigh if I ate like that for the next 5 weeks. So cool. I am excited to weigh myself come Monday morning and enter my new weight into the program. Then I can see a decline on a graph the program has. Now here's the best part...after I reach my goal weight, I can fix my profile to "maintain" weight and follow the program that way! I am very excited about this because maintaining weight has been my problem. And now I have a plan for post diet fitness.
My Fitness Pal had added a lot of ease to this process. Another helpful tool I am considering is a weight loss challenge at work. There are about 20 female coworkers of mine who plan to play this challenge. We all put in $25 and weigh in every week to another co-worker NOT partaking in the challenge who is sworn to weight secrecy. The three people who lose the most percent of weight split the pot of money accordingly. This is an eight week challenge. I am already very invested into fitness and weight loss, I don't think I need the motivation like some others. I have also already lost 11 pounds (yes eleven! Read it again, 11) and I do fear a big plateau coming up. So I am not 100% committed. On the other hand, I am committed. I know I will be losing more weight. I already got my metabolism working well. The first weigh in (and money due date) is next Wednesday. I need to decide by then.
One other thought on the issue of sustainability. Even though I have this new plan with the My Fitness Pal to maintain weight, I still need to remind myself that's it's okay to let go now and then and not be slave to the calorie counter. Yesterday I was invited to lunch with some friends. I have not been out to lunch for WEEKS. Probably since the first week in January when I went to Red Robin for that birthday lunch I mentioned a few posts ago. Yesterdays invitation was to a Thai restaurant. Oh yum. I have not had Thai food in forever and I love it. I accepted thinking I could just have some low calorie salad for dinner and forgo the after dinner snack. I slightly indulged on a Thai soup, a spring roll (which I was disappointed to see it came fried, not steamed), some steamed rice and half an order of KAPOW! You should know that KAPOW is pretty spicy. I should have taken a clue in the name or in the three chilies on the menu that followed the name. But it was the only option not stir fried and without coconut oil. It was a spurge that left me with a whopping 120 calories left for the day (even considering I worked out in the morning).
By the time I got home, I was pretty hungry. I considered the salad with some chicken. But not for long. I really wanted something warm and tasty. And as I was digging through the pantry for some light soup and the freezer for a small diet frozen meal, I felt crummy. It really felt like I was on a strict diet and I could not have what I wanted. So I said "fudge it." Sorta. And I went for my lunch left overs. And it was good. I was satisfied. Well nearly. I also had two of those WhoNu chocolate chip cookies and a valentine chocolate. And at that point, it did not feel like a diet. (Duh. Chocolate does that.)
Eating well all week and having a couple hours of controlled off track eating is sustainable. Much more sustainable than depriving myself. And even though My Fitness Pal has me in the red for my caloric intake for the day, I also lost 2.8 pounds this week. So put that in your pipe My Fitness Pal!
Onto another week! And a good one! Tug and I have a special three day trip planned. I am anxious to see if I can find a way of enjoying food and drink with my man while indulging in the beauty of Estes Park and the fun of SNOW SHOEING (and not gain weight).
Lookout food! I have a new addition! It's an addiction that feeds into my control freakiness. It's called "My Fitness Pal." This is an application to my phone. It was free, which was a big "selling point." I downloaded it a few months ago but did not get past a half day of food tracking before I got bored. Last week a co-worker told me she was using it and I decided to give it another shot. I played around with the various things it could do and I quickly found this was a very easy way to track what I eat, how much I exercise, when I reach my calorie limit for my weight loss goal, and it even tells me how I measure up to eating the right amount of vitamins, carbs, fat, cholesterol and sugars as recommended for my size and gender. It has changed me.
My Fitness Pal allows my complete control of how what I eat will impact my weight. And health. It's nice to know that I have gone over on my protein but need a little more calcium and I only have 58 calories until I reach my daily limit and I have plenty of sodium to work with and I only had a quarter of my fat for the day. I can even add my exercise for the day and it recalculates my calorie limit to provide for the physical activity. I could go on and on. And when I am done for the day, I "complete" the day on the program and it tells me what I would weigh if I ate like that for the next 5 weeks. So cool. I am excited to weigh myself come Monday morning and enter my new weight into the program. Then I can see a decline on a graph the program has. Now here's the best part...after I reach my goal weight, I can fix my profile to "maintain" weight and follow the program that way! I am very excited about this because maintaining weight has been my problem. And now I have a plan for post diet fitness.
My Fitness Pal had added a lot of ease to this process. Another helpful tool I am considering is a weight loss challenge at work. There are about 20 female coworkers of mine who plan to play this challenge. We all put in $25 and weigh in every week to another co-worker NOT partaking in the challenge who is sworn to weight secrecy. The three people who lose the most percent of weight split the pot of money accordingly. This is an eight week challenge. I am already very invested into fitness and weight loss, I don't think I need the motivation like some others. I have also already lost 11 pounds (yes eleven! Read it again, 11) and I do fear a big plateau coming up. So I am not 100% committed. On the other hand, I am committed. I know I will be losing more weight. I already got my metabolism working well. The first weigh in (and money due date) is next Wednesday. I need to decide by then.
One other thought on the issue of sustainability. Even though I have this new plan with the My Fitness Pal to maintain weight, I still need to remind myself that's it's okay to let go now and then and not be slave to the calorie counter. Yesterday I was invited to lunch with some friends. I have not been out to lunch for WEEKS. Probably since the first week in January when I went to Red Robin for that birthday lunch I mentioned a few posts ago. Yesterdays invitation was to a Thai restaurant. Oh yum. I have not had Thai food in forever and I love it. I accepted thinking I could just have some low calorie salad for dinner and forgo the after dinner snack. I slightly indulged on a Thai soup, a spring roll (which I was disappointed to see it came fried, not steamed), some steamed rice and half an order of KAPOW! You should know that KAPOW is pretty spicy. I should have taken a clue in the name or in the three chilies on the menu that followed the name. But it was the only option not stir fried and without coconut oil. It was a spurge that left me with a whopping 120 calories left for the day (even considering I worked out in the morning).
By the time I got home, I was pretty hungry. I considered the salad with some chicken. But not for long. I really wanted something warm and tasty. And as I was digging through the pantry for some light soup and the freezer for a small diet frozen meal, I felt crummy. It really felt like I was on a strict diet and I could not have what I wanted. So I said "fudge it." Sorta. And I went for my lunch left overs. And it was good. I was satisfied. Well nearly. I also had two of those WhoNu chocolate chip cookies and a valentine chocolate. And at that point, it did not feel like a diet. (Duh. Chocolate does that.)
Eating well all week and having a couple hours of controlled off track eating is sustainable. Much more sustainable than depriving myself. And even though My Fitness Pal has me in the red for my caloric intake for the day, I also lost 2.8 pounds this week. So put that in your pipe My Fitness Pal!
Onto another week! And a good one! Tug and I have a special three day trip planned. I am anxious to see if I can find a way of enjoying food and drink with my man while indulging in the beauty of Estes Park and the fun of SNOW SHOEING (and not gain weight).
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Self-check. A Bit Behind Schedule... (by Tug)
Forgive me Blogger.com... it has been about a week and a half since my last post.
February is here and Andi and I are one month in to our fitness journey for the year. An honest assessment finds me a bit behind of where I want to be. In terms of eating healthier and exercising more, I'm definitely on the right track and I'd categorize that challenge as a success thus far. However, looking at the goals i set for myself, I'm lagging in just about every other department.
I have yet to find a bike "race" to enter. I looked into Elephant Rock, but I'm a bit put off by the steep fees. What's more imposing to me though is the amount climbing in the route. I can easily ride the 50-60 miles, but there's a lot of hills in the route. I hate climbing. There're moderate and short climbs on my normal ride route to downtown Denver, and I've hit the big climbs at Chatfield Dam a few times. I can do those. But sustained uphill climbs of over a mile at 6% plus, and I get nervous. It's not that I don't think I can do it. It's just that I'm afraid of the challenge and the pain it brings my legs. I have to find a way to conquer this fear, because just about every charity ride event in Colorado has some sort of climbing on the longer (40+ miles) routes. As soon as the weather gets a little warmer and we get some snow melt, I am planning on hitting the C-470 trail that goes from Littleton to Golden. For those of you not familiar with it, it is basically all uphill for about 8 miles or so. I great reward for making that ride would be a lunch date with Andi. If she can stand the look of me in my spandex shorts.
I also haven't found a running race to enter. I haven't even looked. This may be a goal that i set that i don't meet. I absolutely loathe running. The cardio doesn't bother me, but the pain in my knees can get pretty bad after about 1.5 miles. I can deal with muscle fatigue, but sharp pains in the knees are not fun. Tendinitis is not fun. My cycling can cause mild flare-ups, but running really brings it out. This is something that I'm just gonna have to get out and do. I have a feeling that once i start the training, it will get easier. That's usually how it works, right?
I also haven't found a Tough Mudder or Muddy Buddy to enter yet. I've gotten some offers from some friends to run it with me, but haven't found any yet. It's only February, not really the season yet, and so I'm not overly worried about this one.
I have a goal to climb a couple of 14er's too. That shouldn't be too difficult to do either. One of Andi's friends has a cabin near Fairplay that is pretty close to half a dozen 14k ft peaks. We stayed there a couple summers ago and I was able to bag two in one afternoon. I envision a similar trip this summer with two other peaks on the radar.
Since my fitness quest for this year also includes bettering my family life and having more quality time with Andi and the kids, I've started planning on a week long camping trip, likely in July, to visit a couple of the National Parks that are within 8hrs of home. There must be about a dozen of those that would meet that criteria between Colorado, NM, Utah, Wyoming, and South Dakota. On the radar this summer are Arches and Canyonlands in Utah, and Mesa Verde in SW Colorado. This may turn in to a SWestern Colorado trip that focuses on the areas around Durango. This is an area of the state I've never visited but have heard fantastic things about.
For Andi, she's kicking butt. I couldn't be prouder of her. How she continues to get up at 4am, workout, do a full day of work, get home with the kids and still find time for mom and wife stuff is beyond me. Women, and particularly working moms, are simply amazing beings. She's lost 9 pounds so far and you can tell. Hopefully she'll get to where she would feel comfortable in a bikini for the next time we go on a cruise (which we're aiming for fall of 2013... which would be celebrate my 40th birthday and our 15th wedding anniversary). I haven't seen her in a bikini in about 10 years. I've always seen her as beautiful. I'm hoping she can get to where she sees herself as beautiful. I suspect this is a challenge for women in general.
For this week, i am going to continue to do what I've done over the last 4. Early rise for exercise. Bike rides at night and/or days off, when time allows. Cutting out fast food and eating more fruits and veggies. In two weeks, we'll be heading to Estes Park for a little snowshoeing vacation. I'm really looking forward to getting out in the mountains and having an active vacation.
Thanks for reading. I hope that time finds you all doing well...
February is here and Andi and I are one month in to our fitness journey for the year. An honest assessment finds me a bit behind of where I want to be. In terms of eating healthier and exercising more, I'm definitely on the right track and I'd categorize that challenge as a success thus far. However, looking at the goals i set for myself, I'm lagging in just about every other department.
I have yet to find a bike "race" to enter. I looked into Elephant Rock, but I'm a bit put off by the steep fees. What's more imposing to me though is the amount climbing in the route. I can easily ride the 50-60 miles, but there's a lot of hills in the route. I hate climbing. There're moderate and short climbs on my normal ride route to downtown Denver, and I've hit the big climbs at Chatfield Dam a few times. I can do those. But sustained uphill climbs of over a mile at 6% plus, and I get nervous. It's not that I don't think I can do it. It's just that I'm afraid of the challenge and the pain it brings my legs. I have to find a way to conquer this fear, because just about every charity ride event in Colorado has some sort of climbing on the longer (40+ miles) routes. As soon as the weather gets a little warmer and we get some snow melt, I am planning on hitting the C-470 trail that goes from Littleton to Golden. For those of you not familiar with it, it is basically all uphill for about 8 miles or so. I great reward for making that ride would be a lunch date with Andi. If she can stand the look of me in my spandex shorts.
I also haven't found a running race to enter. I haven't even looked. This may be a goal that i set that i don't meet. I absolutely loathe running. The cardio doesn't bother me, but the pain in my knees can get pretty bad after about 1.5 miles. I can deal with muscle fatigue, but sharp pains in the knees are not fun. Tendinitis is not fun. My cycling can cause mild flare-ups, but running really brings it out. This is something that I'm just gonna have to get out and do. I have a feeling that once i start the training, it will get easier. That's usually how it works, right?
I also haven't found a Tough Mudder or Muddy Buddy to enter yet. I've gotten some offers from some friends to run it with me, but haven't found any yet. It's only February, not really the season yet, and so I'm not overly worried about this one.
I have a goal to climb a couple of 14er's too. That shouldn't be too difficult to do either. One of Andi's friends has a cabin near Fairplay that is pretty close to half a dozen 14k ft peaks. We stayed there a couple summers ago and I was able to bag two in one afternoon. I envision a similar trip this summer with two other peaks on the radar.
Since my fitness quest for this year also includes bettering my family life and having more quality time with Andi and the kids, I've started planning on a week long camping trip, likely in July, to visit a couple of the National Parks that are within 8hrs of home. There must be about a dozen of those that would meet that criteria between Colorado, NM, Utah, Wyoming, and South Dakota. On the radar this summer are Arches and Canyonlands in Utah, and Mesa Verde in SW Colorado. This may turn in to a SWestern Colorado trip that focuses on the areas around Durango. This is an area of the state I've never visited but have heard fantastic things about.
For Andi, she's kicking butt. I couldn't be prouder of her. How she continues to get up at 4am, workout, do a full day of work, get home with the kids and still find time for mom and wife stuff is beyond me. Women, and particularly working moms, are simply amazing beings. She's lost 9 pounds so far and you can tell. Hopefully she'll get to where she would feel comfortable in a bikini for the next time we go on a cruise (which we're aiming for fall of 2013... which would be celebrate my 40th birthday and our 15th wedding anniversary). I haven't seen her in a bikini in about 10 years. I've always seen her as beautiful. I'm hoping she can get to where she sees herself as beautiful. I suspect this is a challenge for women in general.
For this week, i am going to continue to do what I've done over the last 4. Early rise for exercise. Bike rides at night and/or days off, when time allows. Cutting out fast food and eating more fruits and veggies. In two weeks, we'll be heading to Estes Park for a little snowshoeing vacation. I'm really looking forward to getting out in the mountains and having an active vacation.
Thanks for reading. I hope that time finds you all doing well...
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
What a Difference a Month Brings (by Andi)
Tug and I started our fitness quest one month ago. I have heard that it takes about 30 days to make a resolution stick and to really incorporate new habits. I made it 30 days! I am feeling really good about how far I have come in one month and how good I feel. What I have done, I can continue to do. And that is huge for me.
In one month I have lost 9 pounds. My clothes feel a ton better. I can see the difference in how I look but more importantly, I can tell a difference in how I feel. Those little back rolls of fat, gone. And I can run (okay, jog) for like 15 minutes at a time. I sleep better and I have more energy. I retired the slacks I bought at Kohl's at the beginning of this journey. Only wore them twice. BUT I don't regret the purchase. They really pushed me over the edge to change my life and get healthy.
Don't get me wrong. This is not all ponies and flowers. I have not "arrived." This past week, I only lost one pound. It's to be expected. It's going to be harder to lose the pounds as this journey continues. Today I went a little crazy with the goldfish crackers when we got home. I waited too long to eat and instead of waiting just a few more minutes after getting home late to find me something decent, I went for the cheesy little fish crackers. I'm also OUT of healthy food for lunch tomorrow. I plan to make some turkey stir fry dish tonight as soon as I can get the ground turkey to thaw. That, on top of baths for the kids and getting them to bed, you can bet it will be another late night. Drat. And no mommy TV time.
Oh! New trick! This week I decide while leaving my office to purposefully leave my make-up and shower stuff at my office instead of toting it home. This way, I HAVE to get to work in order to get ready for my day! Tricky me. I have certainly cursed myself over this stupid yet effective joke on myself.
I am trying to stay away from the scale just a little bit. Twice a day is a little obsessive. I have come up with some more clues to verify my weight loss and fitter physique. First some of my older clothes. I have a pair of jeans I just could not zip up a month ago. Now they are just slightly embarrassingly tight. Second, the shower towels at the work gym seemed like a cruel joke seeing how they would barely fit around my hips. Now I can wrap and secure! Lastly, and possibly the best indicator, some friends have told me that they can see a difference! So cool.
Weight loss aside, I am also very excited about the change I have seen in Tug and the way he supports me and takes care of himself. I can see the change in his body and I enjoy sharing healthy food dishes with him. He likes my chicken salad and tuna salad. He even agreed to try tofu at some point, which is great because my mom gave me a new recipe that calls for tofu! Lucky him. I also like it that he takes time for himself to work out which makes me feel like I can take time for me. I feel less guilty about it. I am sure it was a guilt I never needed to carry, but I did. And now I don't! (Too much)
So that's the month! Not to shabby! Now on to month #2. Wish me luck (and a dash of discipline).
In one month I have lost 9 pounds. My clothes feel a ton better. I can see the difference in how I look but more importantly, I can tell a difference in how I feel. Those little back rolls of fat, gone. And I can run (okay, jog) for like 15 minutes at a time. I sleep better and I have more energy. I retired the slacks I bought at Kohl's at the beginning of this journey. Only wore them twice. BUT I don't regret the purchase. They really pushed me over the edge to change my life and get healthy.
Don't get me wrong. This is not all ponies and flowers. I have not "arrived." This past week, I only lost one pound. It's to be expected. It's going to be harder to lose the pounds as this journey continues. Today I went a little crazy with the goldfish crackers when we got home. I waited too long to eat and instead of waiting just a few more minutes after getting home late to find me something decent, I went for the cheesy little fish crackers. I'm also OUT of healthy food for lunch tomorrow. I plan to make some turkey stir fry dish tonight as soon as I can get the ground turkey to thaw. That, on top of baths for the kids and getting them to bed, you can bet it will be another late night. Drat. And no mommy TV time.
Oh! New trick! This week I decide while leaving my office to purposefully leave my make-up and shower stuff at my office instead of toting it home. This way, I HAVE to get to work in order to get ready for my day! Tricky me. I have certainly cursed myself over this stupid yet effective joke on myself.
I am trying to stay away from the scale just a little bit. Twice a day is a little obsessive. I have come up with some more clues to verify my weight loss and fitter physique. First some of my older clothes. I have a pair of jeans I just could not zip up a month ago. Now they are just slightly embarrassingly tight. Second, the shower towels at the work gym seemed like a cruel joke seeing how they would barely fit around my hips. Now I can wrap and secure! Lastly, and possibly the best indicator, some friends have told me that they can see a difference! So cool.
Weight loss aside, I am also very excited about the change I have seen in Tug and the way he supports me and takes care of himself. I can see the change in his body and I enjoy sharing healthy food dishes with him. He likes my chicken salad and tuna salad. He even agreed to try tofu at some point, which is great because my mom gave me a new recipe that calls for tofu! Lucky him. I also like it that he takes time for himself to work out which makes me feel like I can take time for me. I feel less guilty about it. I am sure it was a guilt I never needed to carry, but I did. And now I don't! (Too much)
So that's the month! Not to shabby! Now on to month #2. Wish me luck (and a dash of discipline).
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Finding a Place for Margaritas by Andi
Here I am, in the middle of week 4. I have lost 8 pounds. I know this new way of life is more than just doing what it takes to lose weight. The bottom line is; it's still January! This is not a race, but I have been treating it like a race. I have been weighing myself every day. Sometimes twice a day. Celebrating the scale going down and kicking it into gear when the scale went up or seemed stagnant for more than a day. Honestly, I cannot go on like this. 365 days of judgment. I need to refocus on sustainability.
So today, instead of running on the treadmill, I went back to the speed walk on a steep incline. This allowed me to play Tug in some Scrabble and Words with Friends on my phone. It was definitely more enjoyable than trying to discern the lyrics on the angry music the gym guys play. And also more enjoyable than squinting to read the bad news on the ticker on the bottom of 9 News. Maybe tomorrow I will kick it back up a notch at the gym but I need to remember this is not about just losing weight. It's about doing it in a way that is sustainable. And running every morning is not sustainable. My knees told me so. Ouch! My knees! What the heck!? They creek, they are sore and sometimes I grimace just to sit down or stand up. Is this a sign of aging or a sign that I am still overweight (a fact Wii Fit seems to take joy in reminding me)?
Food! Eating has been good. Eating is always good! I had some Mexican food with a giant margarita swirled with frozen sangria on Friday. Oh my. That was so good. I don't even have the words to describe it. Yesterday I had a piece of my moms birthday cake and it was amazing! Otherwise, I have been eating healthy and plenty. I am really glad the scale can go down with bumps in the road like margaritas and birthday cake. I am rarely hungry and I have made sure to keep certain quality treats in my diet so that I truly enjoy what I am eating (like fancy cheese and snazzy salsa). I cooked up about 10 chicken breasts this weekend and made a whole bunch of lunch dishes, including diced chicken for salads. One of my favorite dishes is this apple/grape chicken salad from the Eating for Life cookbook. Amazing! I also made more protein pancakes and cooked up some ground turkey and ground beef for stuffed peppers and chili. I added some of that fancy cheese to the stuffed peppers which added a fabulous taste. I also made some protein shakes from the Eating for Life cookbook on some of my workout days. The base of the shakes are EAS Lite shakes and then I add certain ingredients like frozen fruit or my favorite-a vanilla shake with pineapple bits and coconut extract for a frothy pina colada! YUM!
So I am liking the food but the kids are not. How long must I make two dinners (one for me and Tug and one for this little food critics)? I know what you are thinking and you are probably right. Give them the food and if they don't eat it, they'll be hungry. That's their problem and their choice. The thing is, they won't eat it. It's good food. It's time, energy and money that goes in the trash when I serve them my food. So I cook them up something else. Something I think they will like better. Nope. They usually don't like anything I make. (No wonder they are slim!) These kids need veggies! So I bribe them. Yes, I do. I tell them that they must eat their veggies to get dessert and I proceed to load up their plates with veggies. I say "forget the pizza and apple sauce, just eat the veggies." Sometimes it works. With my four year old, I leave her plate on the table after she declares she is no longer hungry and when she sees her brother eating dessert, she will usually go back to the table and eat cold, cooked broccoli. Yuck! I wouldn't touch that! Anyhow, I am getting tired of cooking two dinners each night. And it really bursts my bubble when Tug ops for fast food over a meal I made. And it bursts my bubble even more when one day a week, I leave dinner up to Tug to make and he decides it's a good night for eating out. Not fair! Come on, Tug! Make me a healthy dinner! I dare you. (I also defrosted the salmon which would cook up nice with the ancho chili powder and a drizzle of syrup and served over a bed of greens or sauteed spinach with garlic and squirted with lime. Just sayin.)
In a couple past posts, I listed some helpful tools or tricks I had up my sleeve to assist my in this venture: dessert flavored gum, Eating for Life cookbook, the oh-so-judgmental scale and of course getting a root canal resulting in a sore mouth. Over the past few weeks I have come to depend on these other helpful tools.
1) Food staples like Mio water and protein pancakes from the Eating for Life cookbook. Here's the recipe: 1 cup oats non instant, 1 cup fat free cottage cheese, 6 egg whites, 2 packets of sugar substitute, dash of cinnamon. Blend it into a batter and cook up about 8 pancakes. This is enough for 2 servings. Add fresh fruit and sugar free syrup. Very good stuff. It tastes great and keeps me full for about 4 hours. The protein is a great way to follow-up a work-out in the morning. These can be made on the weekend and wrapped in foil to grab and go at 4:30 in the morning.
2) Sleeping in my work-out clothes. It's hard enough getting up at 4 am. Why not get mostly dressed before going to bed? And I have got to pack my work clothes the night before. I do not need to be packing a bag that early in the morning. I would be sure to miss a key garment.
3) My Keurig coffee maker. (Thanks Tug!) No more Starbucks! Saves me some money and calories I would normally consume after ordering a salted caramel mocha.
4) This blog. Not only does this serve as a way to be accountable, writing out my thoughts during this process is helpful. Not to get all mushy psychological on you all but the benefits of journaling are real and this is like a journal for me.
5) Lastly, supportive friends, coworkers and family. I have learned that I am not alone in my struggle with weight. There are people at the gym who will call me out if I miss a day. And my biggest support (Tug) is making changes to keep the bad food away. The man finished our ice cream just for me!
Let me know if you have some tricks of your own to incorporate healthy eating or more activity. I could use some particular tricks on mitigating the negative effects of a desk job. I have been thinking about getting some kind of addition to my desk so that I stand and type but I worry about my feet. Anyone have this?
A final note about the kids: I have used them as an excuse for not buckling down and losing this weight. I said I could not find the time to exercise without taking time away from them. And yet, I found the time. I have said food prep takes too much time away from my kids. I have learned that 2 hours on the weekend can save me over 2 hours during the week. I knew it would not be easy but it is doable. I have limits. I won't be like those crazy people running in a snowstorm, but I can start my day an hour earlier and I can take "me time" on the weekend to plan and prep meals. It's about using time smarter and demanding a little more discipline. And as a result, the margaritas will taste better and the birthday cake will be totally worth it.
So today, instead of running on the treadmill, I went back to the speed walk on a steep incline. This allowed me to play Tug in some Scrabble and Words with Friends on my phone. It was definitely more enjoyable than trying to discern the lyrics on the angry music the gym guys play. And also more enjoyable than squinting to read the bad news on the ticker on the bottom of 9 News. Maybe tomorrow I will kick it back up a notch at the gym but I need to remember this is not about just losing weight. It's about doing it in a way that is sustainable. And running every morning is not sustainable. My knees told me so. Ouch! My knees! What the heck!? They creek, they are sore and sometimes I grimace just to sit down or stand up. Is this a sign of aging or a sign that I am still overweight (a fact Wii Fit seems to take joy in reminding me)?
Food! Eating has been good. Eating is always good! I had some Mexican food with a giant margarita swirled with frozen sangria on Friday. Oh my. That was so good. I don't even have the words to describe it. Yesterday I had a piece of my moms birthday cake and it was amazing! Otherwise, I have been eating healthy and plenty. I am really glad the scale can go down with bumps in the road like margaritas and birthday cake. I am rarely hungry and I have made sure to keep certain quality treats in my diet so that I truly enjoy what I am eating (like fancy cheese and snazzy salsa). I cooked up about 10 chicken breasts this weekend and made a whole bunch of lunch dishes, including diced chicken for salads. One of my favorite dishes is this apple/grape chicken salad from the Eating for Life cookbook. Amazing! I also made more protein pancakes and cooked up some ground turkey and ground beef for stuffed peppers and chili. I added some of that fancy cheese to the stuffed peppers which added a fabulous taste. I also made some protein shakes from the Eating for Life cookbook on some of my workout days. The base of the shakes are EAS Lite shakes and then I add certain ingredients like frozen fruit or my favorite-a vanilla shake with pineapple bits and coconut extract for a frothy pina colada! YUM!
So I am liking the food but the kids are not. How long must I make two dinners (one for me and Tug and one for this little food critics)? I know what you are thinking and you are probably right. Give them the food and if they don't eat it, they'll be hungry. That's their problem and their choice. The thing is, they won't eat it. It's good food. It's time, energy and money that goes in the trash when I serve them my food. So I cook them up something else. Something I think they will like better. Nope. They usually don't like anything I make. (No wonder they are slim!) These kids need veggies! So I bribe them. Yes, I do. I tell them that they must eat their veggies to get dessert and I proceed to load up their plates with veggies. I say "forget the pizza and apple sauce, just eat the veggies." Sometimes it works. With my four year old, I leave her plate on the table after she declares she is no longer hungry and when she sees her brother eating dessert, she will usually go back to the table and eat cold, cooked broccoli. Yuck! I wouldn't touch that! Anyhow, I am getting tired of cooking two dinners each night. And it really bursts my bubble when Tug ops for fast food over a meal I made. And it bursts my bubble even more when one day a week, I leave dinner up to Tug to make and he decides it's a good night for eating out. Not fair! Come on, Tug! Make me a healthy dinner! I dare you. (I also defrosted the salmon which would cook up nice with the ancho chili powder and a drizzle of syrup and served over a bed of greens or sauteed spinach with garlic and squirted with lime. Just sayin.)
In a couple past posts, I listed some helpful tools or tricks I had up my sleeve to assist my in this venture: dessert flavored gum, Eating for Life cookbook, the oh-so-judgmental scale and of course getting a root canal resulting in a sore mouth. Over the past few weeks I have come to depend on these other helpful tools.
1) Food staples like Mio water and protein pancakes from the Eating for Life cookbook. Here's the recipe: 1 cup oats non instant, 1 cup fat free cottage cheese, 6 egg whites, 2 packets of sugar substitute, dash of cinnamon. Blend it into a batter and cook up about 8 pancakes. This is enough for 2 servings. Add fresh fruit and sugar free syrup. Very good stuff. It tastes great and keeps me full for about 4 hours. The protein is a great way to follow-up a work-out in the morning. These can be made on the weekend and wrapped in foil to grab and go at 4:30 in the morning.
2) Sleeping in my work-out clothes. It's hard enough getting up at 4 am. Why not get mostly dressed before going to bed? And I have got to pack my work clothes the night before. I do not need to be packing a bag that early in the morning. I would be sure to miss a key garment.
3) My Keurig coffee maker. (Thanks Tug!) No more Starbucks! Saves me some money and calories I would normally consume after ordering a salted caramel mocha.
4) This blog. Not only does this serve as a way to be accountable, writing out my thoughts during this process is helpful. Not to get all mushy psychological on you all but the benefits of journaling are real and this is like a journal for me.
5) Lastly, supportive friends, coworkers and family. I have learned that I am not alone in my struggle with weight. There are people at the gym who will call me out if I miss a day. And my biggest support (Tug) is making changes to keep the bad food away. The man finished our ice cream just for me!
Let me know if you have some tricks of your own to incorporate healthy eating or more activity. I could use some particular tricks on mitigating the negative effects of a desk job. I have been thinking about getting some kind of addition to my desk so that I stand and type but I worry about my feet. Anyone have this?
A final note about the kids: I have used them as an excuse for not buckling down and losing this weight. I said I could not find the time to exercise without taking time away from them. And yet, I found the time. I have said food prep takes too much time away from my kids. I have learned that 2 hours on the weekend can save me over 2 hours during the week. I knew it would not be easy but it is doable. I have limits. I won't be like those crazy people running in a snowstorm, but I can start my day an hour earlier and I can take "me time" on the weekend to plan and prep meals. It's about using time smarter and demanding a little more discipline. And as a result, the margaritas will taste better and the birthday cake will be totally worth it.
Monday, January 23, 2012
The Key is Healthy Habits, Duh!
So it's been a while since my last post. In terms of exercise, I'm still on the wagon. I've been getting up an hour earlier 3 times a week to lift weights before work. I've only ridden my bike on the trainer once in the last week. Food-wise, i haven't been as successful. Last week, I did fast food three times. More than I'd like. Not that this is an excuse, but last week was fairly hectic at work with a lot of hours and two early start days. The second one, I didn't take my lunch because I didn't get up in time to make it that morning. I also had a dinner from Wendy's one night. Not the healthiest option, but their burgers are so dang good. I also had two huge helpings of the peanut butter cup ice cream in an effort to finally finish it off and get it out of the freezer. Not all was lost on the food front though. I didn't have a single potato chip or cookie last week. I had a few salads with dinner. I ate apples and bananas with lunches and as snacks. With the ice cream out of the house, I am turning a corner to more consistent healthy eating.
I mentioned in my last post reading some health-oriented magazines. Mainly Andi's copies of "Weight Watchers" and "Cooking Light". I usually don't get much useful information from WW as it tends to be more geared towards women. The "Cooking Light" was somewhat informative, in a "duh" kind of way. Apparently last year the magazine began a feature called Healthy Habits for a new year. Each month they'd introduce a new habit to undertake to become healthier. This months copy had a rehash of the first two challenges from last year. Healthy Habit number one was to introduce more vegetables into your diet. At least 3 daily servings is recommended as a starting point (with the goal being 7 daily servings). I always knew from our old friend the Food Pyramid that veggies were important... but 7 servings a day!?!?!? Wow! I'm lucky to have 7 servings a week. I really don't care much for vegetables. Tomatoes and carrots, yes. Anything else... not so much. So with that in mind, I'm going to make a concerted effort to have more veggies. Simple? Yes. How much better can I be at this? Time will tell. I'll keep you posted.
The second Healthy Habit in the magazine was..... (wait for it....)..... Be More Active. This is where the "duh" factor really kicked in for me. Do we really need to be reminded of this? If I get off my ass and get my body moving and the heart pumping a little bit harder and its easier to lose weight and be healthy? Really? I had no idea. This is Health 101 stuff, isn't it? Yes, it is. But also, more importantly, it is important. And we all need reminders every now and then of why it's better to take the stairs instead of the elevator.
One of my biggest reminders of this very simple staple of improving and maintaining healthy lifestyles was delivered when Andi and went on our cruise last January. Our cabin was located on the 10th deck. Four decks below the main pool deck and 4 decks above the promenade deck (with shops and indoor restaurants, etc). When we first stepped aboard, we were pointed to the elevators to get to our deck. I believe on the second day, we were sitting on the pool deck people-watching, as we both like to do, when after a particularly large group of people walked by, I said to her "If I ever get that big and out of shape, you can divorce me." Then I looked around some more. All around us were people that would probably be classified as "obese". Age didn't matter. There were kids, young adults, middle-agers, seniors... all with apparent weight problems. Then it dawned on me. Our society pushes over-indulgence. This cruise was an over-indulgence, with it's endless buffet's and over-attentive staff. This became even more apparent at the buffet's and on the pool deck where overweight shirtless men and bikini clad women lounged about, puffing cig's, drinking copious amounts of booze, and wolfing down plate afer plate of free food. To that point, I had not used the elevators on board since the first time. I resolved to go the rest of the trip without using them and would only use the stairs to go from deck to deck. I also decided to only eat when I was hungry and not to go back for seconds on the buffet "just because I could." Wouldn't you know, I actually lost weight on this cruise. I didn't pig out, had healthy breakfasts, ate lots of fresh fruit, and I was active every day (either walking a ton of stairs or snorkelling excursions or both) and came home healthier than when I left. That cruise was kind of the impetus behind this blog as I realized I didn't want to become the 60 year old pot bellied man with bad knees and hips that couldn't physically do the things I wanted to do.
All of this reminds me of a couple of other topics that I want to discuss on this blog. One is the idea of portion control and how that idea has gotten lost in our Super-Size world. The other is how different eating habits among couples can learn to coexist to foster healthy habits for both participants. The latter is a work in progress but something that needs to be discussed in order for us to both maximize our goals.
As always, thanks for reading.
I mentioned in my last post reading some health-oriented magazines. Mainly Andi's copies of "Weight Watchers" and "Cooking Light". I usually don't get much useful information from WW as it tends to be more geared towards women. The "Cooking Light" was somewhat informative, in a "duh" kind of way. Apparently last year the magazine began a feature called Healthy Habits for a new year. Each month they'd introduce a new habit to undertake to become healthier. This months copy had a rehash of the first two challenges from last year. Healthy Habit number one was to introduce more vegetables into your diet. At least 3 daily servings is recommended as a starting point (with the goal being 7 daily servings). I always knew from our old friend the Food Pyramid that veggies were important... but 7 servings a day!?!?!? Wow! I'm lucky to have 7 servings a week. I really don't care much for vegetables. Tomatoes and carrots, yes. Anything else... not so much. So with that in mind, I'm going to make a concerted effort to have more veggies. Simple? Yes. How much better can I be at this? Time will tell. I'll keep you posted.
The second Healthy Habit in the magazine was..... (wait for it....)..... Be More Active. This is where the "duh" factor really kicked in for me. Do we really need to be reminded of this? If I get off my ass and get my body moving and the heart pumping a little bit harder and its easier to lose weight and be healthy? Really? I had no idea. This is Health 101 stuff, isn't it? Yes, it is. But also, more importantly, it is important. And we all need reminders every now and then of why it's better to take the stairs instead of the elevator.
One of my biggest reminders of this very simple staple of improving and maintaining healthy lifestyles was delivered when Andi and went on our cruise last January. Our cabin was located on the 10th deck. Four decks below the main pool deck and 4 decks above the promenade deck (with shops and indoor restaurants, etc). When we first stepped aboard, we were pointed to the elevators to get to our deck. I believe on the second day, we were sitting on the pool deck people-watching, as we both like to do, when after a particularly large group of people walked by, I said to her "If I ever get that big and out of shape, you can divorce me." Then I looked around some more. All around us were people that would probably be classified as "obese". Age didn't matter. There were kids, young adults, middle-agers, seniors... all with apparent weight problems. Then it dawned on me. Our society pushes over-indulgence. This cruise was an over-indulgence, with it's endless buffet's and over-attentive staff. This became even more apparent at the buffet's and on the pool deck where overweight shirtless men and bikini clad women lounged about, puffing cig's, drinking copious amounts of booze, and wolfing down plate afer plate of free food. To that point, I had not used the elevators on board since the first time. I resolved to go the rest of the trip without using them and would only use the stairs to go from deck to deck. I also decided to only eat when I was hungry and not to go back for seconds on the buffet "just because I could." Wouldn't you know, I actually lost weight on this cruise. I didn't pig out, had healthy breakfasts, ate lots of fresh fruit, and I was active every day (either walking a ton of stairs or snorkelling excursions or both) and came home healthier than when I left. That cruise was kind of the impetus behind this blog as I realized I didn't want to become the 60 year old pot bellied man with bad knees and hips that couldn't physically do the things I wanted to do.
All of this reminds me of a couple of other topics that I want to discuss on this blog. One is the idea of portion control and how that idea has gotten lost in our Super-Size world. The other is how different eating habits among couples can learn to coexist to foster healthy habits for both participants. The latter is a work in progress but something that needs to be discussed in order for us to both maximize our goals.
As always, thanks for reading.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Emotional Eating (by Andi)
The first two weeks were great. Really great. This week has been good but the weight is coming off a bit slower. I am down 7 pounds. I continue to get up in the middle of the night (okay 4 am) to workout before work. I still enjoy the feeling during and afterward. I even added something new to my workouts...running! Well, some would call it jogging. I have started running for 2-3 minutes and walking fast for 1-2 minutes. I keep it up for a total of 30 minutes. I do arm weights after that. I'll try adding time to the running part little by little and maybe, one day, I'll be like those "old salts" I mentioned before! I am very excited to report that my bigger clothes are starting to feel better. Not tight anymore. Most are plain comfortable! So great! I remember reading "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." Gag. There are days when I could argue that! But having clothes that do NOT feel tight is a wondrous thing!
I have continued to cheat now and then on the diet part. I had a lunch meeting (lunch provided) the other day and it was really yummy. They had small gourmet sandwiches from Udi's and chocolate chip cookies by the ton! The same day, turned out to be a generally rotten day and I ended up getting home feeling pretty glum. It was one of those days that would have normally called for a glass (or three) of wine, had we any. We did not. So what did I do? I ate crummy food. Yes, I stood in front of the pantry and ate nilla wafers, trail mix (mostly the m&ms and nuts) and an oreo cookie. And as I ate the crud, I could FEEL my anxiety go down. Weird! A bona fide emotional eating episode. OH! And I made BBQ pizza for the kids and they decided they did not like BBQ pizza "anymore" and so I ate a whole lot of it. Bad night for eating. But I got up the next day and worked-out again. And then I was back to healthier eating. It did not derail me. Another small victory!
That night, as Tug and I compared our day, I told him of my emotional eating episode and he had no idea what I was talking about. He understood how having a glass of wine might decrease ones anxiety but he could not equate that with food. I could not explain it. I just know that I felt better. I have read that one should replace food with something else enjoyable like exercise (riiiiight) or a bubble bath (suuuure). Sorry but although exercise feels good during and afterwards, I would not chose two workouts in one day for just about anything. Sounds like a fast trip to an eating disorder to me. And bubble bath? No thanks. Like I need to soak in the tub with my kids running around the house. Now shopping...that's an idea. Another feel good activity! Especially shopping and finding a great deal! Anyhow, the breakthrough is this: I never considered myself an emotional eater until then. And now that I know what that feels like, I am prepared to confront it next time with some other activity. Maybe a shot of rum. Kidding! Well...
Being fairly new at this daily workout routine, I had a funny thing happen to me today. I worked out at a satellite office this morning. It's a workout room I am completely unfamiliar with. I was wondering the building at 5 am looking for the room. I finally found it (thanks to the help of one of the grave shift co-workers of mine). About halfway through the workout, I realized there were probably no towels here. I was right. And I did not bring any. I am thankful there was a generous supply of paper towels! Too bad the paper towel was in one of those wave-your-hand-in-front-of-it-and-get-a-few-inches dispensers. Lesson learned! Eight minutes late to work! Nothing like making yourself feel like a dummy before the sun comes up! Okay, it's pretty funny.
I have continued to cheat now and then on the diet part. I had a lunch meeting (lunch provided) the other day and it was really yummy. They had small gourmet sandwiches from Udi's and chocolate chip cookies by the ton! The same day, turned out to be a generally rotten day and I ended up getting home feeling pretty glum. It was one of those days that would have normally called for a glass (or three) of wine, had we any. We did not. So what did I do? I ate crummy food. Yes, I stood in front of the pantry and ate nilla wafers, trail mix (mostly the m&ms and nuts) and an oreo cookie. And as I ate the crud, I could FEEL my anxiety go down. Weird! A bona fide emotional eating episode. OH! And I made BBQ pizza for the kids and they decided they did not like BBQ pizza "anymore" and so I ate a whole lot of it. Bad night for eating. But I got up the next day and worked-out again. And then I was back to healthier eating. It did not derail me. Another small victory!
That night, as Tug and I compared our day, I told him of my emotional eating episode and he had no idea what I was talking about. He understood how having a glass of wine might decrease ones anxiety but he could not equate that with food. I could not explain it. I just know that I felt better. I have read that one should replace food with something else enjoyable like exercise (riiiiight) or a bubble bath (suuuure). Sorry but although exercise feels good during and afterwards, I would not chose two workouts in one day for just about anything. Sounds like a fast trip to an eating disorder to me. And bubble bath? No thanks. Like I need to soak in the tub with my kids running around the house. Now shopping...that's an idea. Another feel good activity! Especially shopping and finding a great deal! Anyhow, the breakthrough is this: I never considered myself an emotional eater until then. And now that I know what that feels like, I am prepared to confront it next time with some other activity. Maybe a shot of rum. Kidding! Well...
Being fairly new at this daily workout routine, I had a funny thing happen to me today. I worked out at a satellite office this morning. It's a workout room I am completely unfamiliar with. I was wondering the building at 5 am looking for the room. I finally found it (thanks to the help of one of the grave shift co-workers of mine). About halfway through the workout, I realized there were probably no towels here. I was right. And I did not bring any. I am thankful there was a generous supply of paper towels! Too bad the paper towel was in one of those wave-your-hand-in-front-of-it-and-get-a-few-inches dispensers. Lesson learned! Eight minutes late to work! Nothing like making yourself feel like a dummy before the sun comes up! Okay, it's pretty funny.
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