Archive for April, 2012|Monthly archive page
accountability, baby, diet, fabulous life, food, food choices, good decisions, health, healthy-living, inspiration, pregnancy weight, self esteem, weight-loss, will power
In Sunday Inspirations on April 30, 2012 at 3:01 am
I have averaged four hours of sleep for the past three night due to the baby and frankly, I am not feeling too inspired. About the only thing that can inspire me right now is that (finally) sleeping little baby. Looking down on her right now I know that she doesn’t have issues with food. She asks for food when she is hungry. She stops eating when she is full. I lost that natural on and off switch long ago but I am inspired to work towards finding it again for her – I know kids learn most not by what you say but what you do. I don’t want her to grow up watching her Momma constantly being defeated by a battle with her weight and self-esteem.
What inspires you to live a healthy lifestyle? What inspires you on your weight loss journey?
diet, food, health, healthy-living, lifestyle, meal, menu, pregnancy weight, weight-loss
In Daily Menu on April 30, 2012 at 2:53 am
Here’s tomorrow’s menu:
Breakfast:
Yogurt with blueberries; oatmeal with cinnamon
Lunch:
Turkey burger on whole grain bread, carrots, fruit salad
Teatime (optional):
Oatmeal with raisins and milk
Dinner:
Salmon, Spinach, Salad
iesWhat are you eating tomorrow? Are you setting yourself up tonight for success tomorrow? When we’re overly hungry and unprepared, will power breaks down!
Thanks for reading this and I wish you much luck on your own healthy journey!
diet, food, health, healthy-living, lifestyle, meal, menu, pregnancy weight, resisting temptation, weight-loss
In Daily Wrap-Up on April 30, 2012 at 2:49 am
It has been a long weekend with lots of fun activities but also a lot of time spent up with a baby who doesn’t want to sleep! Thus, I am recapping three days at once.
Here’s how I think I did today on the traditional grading scale of A-F:
Sleep: A: I have prioritized sleep, but haven’t gotten any! I canceled plans with a friend this afternoon even, in hopes of napping, but the baby wasn’t into it…
Water: B: I have been drinking the total water eventually but need to work on drinking it earlier in the day.
Food: C: On Friday night I ate reasonable portions of the non-diet dinner. I think I get an A for that. But yesterday for our 10 year anniversary I think I was eating way too much, almost for fun since it was a planned “cheat” meal, and that is not healthy. The irony is that I got really, really sick during the dessert (I think the eggplant parm made my stomach upset because I am not used to fried foods). I think that meal was a real F for the goals of enjoying non-diet food in a rational, reasonable way. Today I get a B for eating on-plan with one tiny piece (one inch by one inch literally) of coffee bread at a coffee hour after church. The reason it is a B and not an A is that it is nearly 8pm and I haven’t had dinner yet. Yes, the teething baby has pushed me to the edge and that is why, but still, allowing too much time between meals is a recipe for disaster (I won’t cook and will reach for something easy and non-diet friendly if I get too hungry.) The A, B and an F average out to a C for me for the three days.
Exercise: A: Walked the dogs several times and went for a walk around the lake yesterday with the hubby
Vitamins: A: Took them
Final Thought of the Day: I missed blogging the last few days! Interestingly I had a whole lot more shame about the last few days than was warranted. When I typed it out into the blog I saw that really I didn’t do too badly! Just another example of how I tend to be harder on myself than need be…
How did you do today with your healthy living? I hope you are kind to yourself, no matter what. Life is too precious to spend it living in regret and self-loathing.
Thanks for reading this and I wish you much luck on your own healthy journey!
calories, cooking, cuisine, diet, food, foodie, fresh, healthy-living, ingredients, recipe, simple, tofu
In Friday Foodie on April 27, 2012 at 6:20 am
I am a great lover of food. But I am not a “foodie.” Foodies are those who love talking and thinking about intricate ingredients, who savor nights at celebrated restaurants serving haute cuisine, who love gourmet cooking shows.
I just love to eat. And, I hate to cook. There is so much healthy-living wisdom out there about the importance of cooking your own food to accelerate weight-loss. If you aren’t controlling the ingredients and portion sizes, who will? Each Friday I will search out a new SIMPLE recipe or offer a food tip that is also easy on the wallet (I hate it when a new recipe has so many ingredients that you spend a fortune just trying it out.) Feel free to post your favorite quick, simple and healthy recipe and/or cooking tips!
Here’s to a new kind of foodie – one who appreciates homemade, healthy, tasty, fresh food.
This week’s tip is how to make baked tofu. I have played around (unusual for me since I really don’t normally enjoy playing around with a food, I’ll just give it up) on how to make tofu. I love it when you get tofu that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside from Chinese restaurants. I’ve tried different frying methods and baking methods and haven’t gotten good results until tonight’s discovery: use the broiler!
I sprayed non-stick olive oil spray on the baking sheet and laid out my chopped up squares of organic extra firm tofu. With the broiler on high I browned each side for about ten minutes. It worked! I got the consistency I was looking for.
I then stirred the finished tofu product into the veggies which I had already marinated with some bottled curry sauce. A very yummy dinner! I am glad I stuck with trying to figure out how to make an acceptable baked tofu because I am keenly aware of the fact that I eat a lot of meat (maybe too much). Do you have any tofu tips? I’d love to hear them!
diet, food, health, healthy-living, lifestyle, meal, menu, pregnancy weight, weight-loss
In Daily Menu on April 27, 2012 at 6:05 am
Here’s tomorrow’s menu:
Breakfast:
Yogurt with blueberries; oatmeal with cinnamon
Lunch:
Hamburger, broccoli, salad, fruit salad
Teatime (optional – probably will skip since having dessert at dinner):
Oatmeal with raisins and milk
Dinner:
Chicken, green beans, mac n cheese, strawberry shortcake (having people over for dinner)
What are you eating tomorrow? Are you setting yourself up tonight for success tomorrow? When we’re overly hungry and unprepared, will power breaks down!
Thanks for reading this and I wish you much luck on your own healthy journey!
diet, food, health, healthy-living, lifestyle, meal, menu, pregnancy weight, resisting temptation, weight-loss
In Daily Wrap-Up on April 27, 2012 at 6:02 am
Here’s how I think I did today on the traditional grading scale of A-F:
Sleep: A: Slept in with baby
Water: A: Drank at least 8 cups today
Food: A: Added a cheese stick to dinner because tofu didn’t fill me up
Exercise: A: Walked dogs
Vitamins: A: Took them
Final Thought of the Day: It was a good day without any food cravings or resistance to the menu.
How did you do today with your healthy living? I hope you are kind to yourself, no matter what. Life is too precious to spend it living in regret and self-loathing.
Thanks for reading this and I wish you much luck on your own healthy journey!
diet, food, health, healthy-living, lifestyle, meal, menu, pregnancy weight, weight-loss
In Daily Menu on April 26, 2012 at 5:27 am
Here’s tomorrow’s menu:
Breakfast:
Yogurt with blueberries; oatmeal with cinnamon
Lunch:
Turkey burger on whole grain bread, carrots, fruit salad
Teatime (optional):
Oatmeal with raisins and milk
Dinner:
Curry tofu, Mixed Veggies, Salad
What are you eating tomorrow? Are you setting yourself up tonight for success tomorrow? When we’re overly hungry and unprepared, will power breaks down!
Thanks for reading this and I wish you much luck on your own healthy journey!
diet, food, health, healthy-living, lifestyle, meal, menu, pregnancy weight, resisting temptation, weight-loss
In Daily Wrap-Up on April 26, 2012 at 5:23 am
Here’s how I think I did today on the traditional grading scale of A-F:
Sleep: A: Am headed to bed asap
Water: A: Drank at least 8 cups today
Food: C: Lunch was a turkey burger on whole grain bread with carrots. Didn’t have the fruit. Dinner was an unexpected night out with the hubby at a Mexican restaurant that we love. I didn’t pick a meal diet-worthy (split a burrito and tostada with the hubby) but I also didn’t over-indulge. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening out and the food was fresh and delicious. I know the extra calories will slow down the weight loss but I also know that I didn’t eat for the wrong reasons (emotional eating because I was sad, mad, depressed, lonely etc, and it was not binge eating.)
Exercise: A: Walked dogs
Vitamins: A: Took them
Final Thought of the Day: Ideally the Mexican dinner is the kind of meal I would enjoy AFTER losing the weight, but I am starting to see that being really strict until I lose all of the weight and waiting to have treats like this actually isn’t a realistic plan this time. When I lost the 100lbs before I was incredibly strict for about five months until the majority of the weight was lost and then I added back in treats and special dinners. This time my life looks very different. I do not have all the leisure time to focus only on weight loss (in fact I really don’t have much leisure time at all). I also need to keep my energy up to take care of the baby and nurse so I can’t cut my caloric intake down to what it was when I was losing all the weight the first time. I guess I am coming around to the idea that The Program is going to have to be about gradual but steady weight loss and that means maybe a pound a week, not two to four like I saw in 2010. In the end it probably is healthier (physically and mentally) to enjoy all these treats along the way and still be focused on the end goal.
How did you do today with your healthy living? I hope you are kind to yourself, no matter what. Life is too precious to spend it living in regret and self-loathing.
Thanks for reading this and I wish you much luck on your own healthy journey!
diet, food, health, healthy-living, lifestyle, meal, menu, pregnancy weight, weight-loss
In Daily Menu on April 25, 2012 at 5:23 am
Here’s tomorrow’s menu:
Breakfast:
Yogurt with blueberries; oatmeal with cinnamon
Lunch:
Turkey, Broccoli, Rice or Quinoa, fruit salad
Teatime:
Latte (meeting a friend for coffee)
Dinner:
Chicken hot dog, zucchini, salad
What are you eating tomorrow? Are you setting yourself up tonight for success tomorrow? When we’re overly hungry and unprepared, will power breaks down!
Thanks for reading this and I wish you much luck on your own healthy journey!
active, diet, exercise, food, health, healthy-living, lifestyle, meal, memory, menu, Mongolia, overindulge, pregnancy weight, resisting temptation, weight-loss
In Daily Wrap-Up on April 25, 2012 at 5:20 am
Last night the baby was upset – she has begun teething! So, I didn’t get a chance to report in on how the day went. Normally I would just move on to today but it needs to be discussed. My friend’s mother is visiting from Mongolia. I haven’t seen her in nearly six years since I was in Mongolia for my friend’s wedding. Yesterday I went to see my friend and her mother for lunch. It was sooooo good! We had hosherie (I am so sorry that I forgot to take a picture of it) which is essentially Mongolian-style meat and potato dumplings. Unbelievably delicious. I brought cupcakes for dessert. The lunch was so rich that I wasn’t even hungry for dinner and since the last thing she prepared for us was a Mongolia pancake around 4pm, I think skipping dinner was fine for my metabolism, not to mention my calorie intake. So… did I overindulge? I don’t know. I am sure a stricter person would have only had one or two dumplings and skipped the dessert. Frankly, I think I was right to thoroughly enjoy the Mongolian food prepared specially for me (and it is quite labor intensive). I am not going to feel TOO bad. But I really probably should have skipped the dessert since I can always enjoy a cupcake stateside.
What was particularly interesting is remembering how I felt when I went to Mongolia. Seeing my friend’s mother brought back a flood of memories of the trip. At that point I was probably about 20lbs heavier than I am now. I remember being extremely self-conscious of how big I was compared to everyone else. I remember HATING the pictures of myself taken there. I remember feeling like I took up too much space in the SUVs we rode in. I remember wishing I could wear the cute summer sundresses the women were wearing. It is these sort of painful memories of not fully enjoying an amazing experience like a three week trip to Mongolia because of my weight that is spurring me on to continue figuring out how to lose weight and create this Program.
Moving on to today, here’s how I think I did on the traditional grading scale of A-F:
Sleep: A: Am headed to bed asap. Baby is asleep already!
Water: A: Drank at least 8 cups today
Food: A: Ate 100% on target for The Program. Tonight I felt hungry, but not stomach-rumbling hunger. Because I am breast feeding I am committed to having a healthy snack if I am overwhelmingly hungry. Since it isn’t extreme hunger I am just pushing through it. Here is a picture of dinner:
Exercise: A: Walked dogs twice and broke a sweat cleaning
Vitamins: A: Took them
Final Thought of the Day: I noticed that I enjoyed being extra active today. I think my body may have finally healed up enough at three months out from the birth to consider exercising. I am not sure how to fit in exercise with caring for the baby full-time but I am committed to thinking about it. A friend called tonight and we made plans to do some urban hiking on Friday which I am looking forward to.
How did you do today with your healthy living? I hope you are kind to yourself, no matter what. Life is too precious to spend it living in regret and self-loathing.
Thanks for reading this and I wish you much luck on your own healthy journey!
Losing That Pregnancy Weight (and then some) 