Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The Mystery of the scale
So, after one week, I hadn't lost much more than 1 and 1/2 pounds. Then, overnight, after doing the FIght Gone Bad WOD, I went down 3 pounds! Some of you may be thinking, "cool!", others are thinking, "Why does she want to loose weight?", still others are thinking, "Don't worry about the weight so much!". Well, I shouldn't worry, but truth is, I do want to drop 10 lbs. as a personal goal, yet I know I have to be open minded when it comes to body composition (muscle, bone density, water retention) verses what the scale says. It is the girl in me, I guess. But what happens is that I make a goal, and whether it is 2 weeks or 1 year later, once I reach that goal, I make a new one. Everytime I get to where I thought I wanted to be, I realize there is room for another goal. I am not dissatisfied with myself, but I see room for improvement and right now I am in a great frame of mind to do something about it! The frame of mind is so important when it comes to feeling good about yourself no matter where you are and when it comes to going for your goals. I want to be as fit as I can be, and I figure I 've got my 30's to perfect it! I'm positive at some point I will backslide, but it's like I was telling Evan this morning: I hope that after this strict 10 weeks, I will have developed some new and healthier eating habits overall, even when I am not weighing and measuring. Hopefully I will reach for the broccoli and chicken at lunch and not always the sandwich. :)
9-7-09 Labor Day Kids' Breakfast
A healthy twist on a not-so-healthy favorite...
Here's your protein, carbs, and fats all in one. Plus some sweetness!
French Toast: Take a piece of Ezekial bread, coat it well in egg mixture (4 eggs, 2 tablespoons H&Half, cinnamon). Fry in up on the stove, well, just cook it in a skillet on medium heat with a little butter or pan spray. Cook on both sides a couple of minutes and top with favorite option: maple syrup (the real thing), honey, jelly, eat it plain like SamSam- the cinnamon makes it tasty, or try my new favorite find, maple syrup/agave nectar blend from Trader Joe's. The kids were satisfied with 2 pieces each. Add oranges on the side and a glass of milk and they've got a pretty healthy spread! If you're going to give sugar at all...
*Note: I could have had 1 piece with no syrup, with extra eggs, and 1/2 an orange for a 3 block meal. Instead I had my yummy scrambled eggs.
Here's your protein, carbs, and fats all in one. Plus some sweetness!
French Toast: Take a piece of Ezekial bread, coat it well in egg mixture (4 eggs, 2 tablespoons H&Half, cinnamon). Fry in up on the stove, well, just cook it in a skillet on medium heat with a little butter or pan spray. Cook on both sides a couple of minutes and top with favorite option: maple syrup (the real thing), honey, jelly, eat it plain like SamSam- the cinnamon makes it tasty, or try my new favorite find, maple syrup/agave nectar blend from Trader Joe's. The kids were satisfied with 2 pieces each. Add oranges on the side and a glass of milk and they've got a pretty healthy spread! If you're going to give sugar at all...
*Note: I could have had 1 piece with no syrup, with extra eggs, and 1/2 an orange for a 3 block meal. Instead I had my yummy scrambled eggs.
Anyone a Vegan? Check this out.
I highly recommend reading Robb Wolf's blog. Click on the link under Favorite Food Websites in the right column of my blog and read his latest testimony from a fellow Crossfitter concerning her past Vegan diet: scroll down to "Laura DeMarco: The Whole Enchilada" on August 22nd.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Great Scrambled Eggs
My mom always made great scrambled eggs growing up- so fluffy and buttery. I am just now able to replicate them somewhats after all these years of trying to figure it out! They are super yummy if you add lots of butter! But here are some tips to making them so yummy the Zone way!
1. Add cream or H&H as part of your fats to make them more fluffy.
2. Cook on Medium heat
3. Turn off right before they are done so as to avoid overcooking (this is Evan's firehall tip).
Post your favorite way to cook eggs!
1. Add cream or H&H as part of your fats to make them more fluffy.
2. Cook on Medium heat
3. Turn off right before they are done so as to avoid overcooking (this is Evan's firehall tip).
Post your favorite way to cook eggs!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
9-6-09 Day 7: Sunday afternoon
Four things to note about this day 7 on a Sunday:
1. Afternoon baking was a craving once Sophie mentioned it, so I cleaned house as long as I could stand and then left the house and went shopping at the Avenue. I also let the kids play in their Kids' Camp area for a long time.
2. I tried to invent a comfort food the Zone way and it didn't go too well, but I ate it anyway. So FYI, don't get excited about oatmeal and chocolate protein powder- it's not very good. I mixed oatmeal, protein powder, greek yogurt, and butter and salt- all portioned for a 3 block dinner. It was not as tasty as I had hoped.... :)
3. I was wanting to comfort eat this afternoon, so at lunch, I ate 5 blocks and at dinner had 3 blocks and basically eliminated my two snacks today. I am hungry (not starving) now, but I will go get in bed and read.
4. Also to note, I think I ate grains one time this week and today I ate some at every meal. That is probably why I feel hungry tonight. I am not quit satisfied.
Breakfast: Yummy and in bed while watching the Sunday Morning show (my favorite): 2 boiled eggs with 1 block melted cheese, salt and pepper, half of an orange, sliced, and 1 piece of Ezekial raisin toast with 2 blocks butter. Coffee w/ 1 block H&H. Cozy!
Kids' Breakfast: Banana and Peanut Butter Smootie (using Greek yogurt, milk and adding agave nectar)- they love it!
Lunch: Ham and Cheese rollup with mayo- a complete 3 blocker. The same for the kids.
Then, a piece of string cheese with prosciutto wrapped around it and 3 almonds= 2 blocks if I add the coffee with H&H I had at church.
Dinner: Yucky oatmeal (see #2 above), and I admit, a small handful of popcorn w/ butter on it. The kids had butter popcorn (that I finally got right on the stove!- I have burned it too many times), chedder cheese and a cup of milk. I don't feed Evan. :) j/k, he's at the fire hall.
Week 2 starts...NOW!
1. Afternoon baking was a craving once Sophie mentioned it, so I cleaned house as long as I could stand and then left the house and went shopping at the Avenue. I also let the kids play in their Kids' Camp area for a long time.
2. I tried to invent a comfort food the Zone way and it didn't go too well, but I ate it anyway. So FYI, don't get excited about oatmeal and chocolate protein powder- it's not very good. I mixed oatmeal, protein powder, greek yogurt, and butter and salt- all portioned for a 3 block dinner. It was not as tasty as I had hoped.... :)
3. I was wanting to comfort eat this afternoon, so at lunch, I ate 5 blocks and at dinner had 3 blocks and basically eliminated my two snacks today. I am hungry (not starving) now, but I will go get in bed and read.
4. Also to note, I think I ate grains one time this week and today I ate some at every meal. That is probably why I feel hungry tonight. I am not quit satisfied.
Breakfast: Yummy and in bed while watching the Sunday Morning show (my favorite): 2 boiled eggs with 1 block melted cheese, salt and pepper, half of an orange, sliced, and 1 piece of Ezekial raisin toast with 2 blocks butter. Coffee w/ 1 block H&H. Cozy!
Kids' Breakfast: Banana and Peanut Butter Smootie (using Greek yogurt, milk and adding agave nectar)- they love it!
Lunch: Ham and Cheese rollup with mayo- a complete 3 blocker. The same for the kids.
Then, a piece of string cheese with prosciutto wrapped around it and 3 almonds= 2 blocks if I add the coffee with H&H I had at church.
Dinner: Yucky oatmeal (see #2 above), and I admit, a small handful of popcorn w/ butter on it. The kids had butter popcorn (that I finally got right on the stove!- I have burned it too many times), chedder cheese and a cup of milk. I don't feed Evan. :) j/k, he's at the fire hall.
Week 2 starts...NOW!
Week 1 Overview
If you have been following my blogs, you've probably been wodering, what about the weight? Have you lost any weight? I have intentionally left that off so that it would not become the focus. I have been keeping track here at home. Honestly, I am discouraged that I have practically not lost any weight. The number is miniscule. In the past, I have lost a pound a day, the first four or five days. This time, I lost a pound the first day and then .4 pounds per day after that, and then I actually went back up .4-.8 pounds! So, while I don't know what to make of it, I will keep on going because I said I would. This is where committement and determination kick in. It would be easy to give up after a week of no results. BUT, let's review the results that I have had: great energy and mental clarity, which transfered into good energy for WODs, and I even wore my belt one notch lower because of less inflammation in my body. I also should note that I have been taking fish oil all week, at every meal, even though I have not posted it with every meal.
Any cheating? Silly to confess this, I'm sure you will think, but I have really been strict, so to lick the peanut butter and jelly off of the spoon after fixing sandwiches for my kids, and drinking a fourth of a Diet Rite that was left on the counter and sounded so good on a hot day, seemed worthy of telling. It is true! If it is there, you will eat it! So get it out of your house if you have any stash of goodies! It will be hard to resist. But if you are alone on this Zone thing amongst other people in your house, then you have no choice but to put on blinders and stick to it! Or else win over your family to try it with you....
Any cheating? Silly to confess this, I'm sure you will think, but I have really been strict, so to lick the peanut butter and jelly off of the spoon after fixing sandwiches for my kids, and drinking a fourth of a Diet Rite that was left on the counter and sounded so good on a hot day, seemed worthy of telling. It is true! If it is there, you will eat it! So get it out of your house if you have any stash of goodies! It will be hard to resist. But if you are alone on this Zone thing amongst other people in your house, then you have no choice but to put on blinders and stick to it! Or else win over your family to try it with you....
Why Weigh and Measure?
Precision does two things:
1. It keeps me from eating more out of boredom.
2. It teaches me what amount I actually need verses what amount I think I want.
If it seems over-the-top, it is. Cavemen didn't do this, our ancestors didn't do this. But, if we are to truly teach or reteach ourselves what we need, in an environment that tells us to take and reward ourselves constantly and provides the many options, then we need to weigh and measure, according to the scientific research of Dr. Sears (because it works).
I won't always be this detailed. So, remember, if you are experimenting with this Zone stuff, that you are teaching yourself and it will pay off in the longterm. You are changing your eating habits and this requires practicing until it becomes habit. I have done this enough off and on over the past year and 1/2 to have an idea of what is a good portion, but I am interested in becoming better at it to get better results.
Again, I suggest picking a start date. If you have your favorite foods that will really be hard to give up, then really enjoy them right before you begin! Make a decision as to how long you will be extremely strict and then DO IT! Stick to it! By making a decision beforehand, you eliminate any decision making once you are tempted- it is simply not an option to cheat. You have your list of foods and you only eat those! If you don't have that list, then see Evan or David. Anything good in life takes hard work and effort, right? You will be glad when you start doing this, even if it is way down inside! And, I have seen that if I complain that I cannot have want I really want, then I end up becoming less satisfied early on, rather than appreciating the positive factors of eating well, such as feeling good. That is worth more than we often realize.
1. It keeps me from eating more out of boredom.
2. It teaches me what amount I actually need verses what amount I think I want.
If it seems over-the-top, it is. Cavemen didn't do this, our ancestors didn't do this. But, if we are to truly teach or reteach ourselves what we need, in an environment that tells us to take and reward ourselves constantly and provides the many options, then we need to weigh and measure, according to the scientific research of Dr. Sears (because it works).
I won't always be this detailed. So, remember, if you are experimenting with this Zone stuff, that you are teaching yourself and it will pay off in the longterm. You are changing your eating habits and this requires practicing until it becomes habit. I have done this enough off and on over the past year and 1/2 to have an idea of what is a good portion, but I am interested in becoming better at it to get better results.
Again, I suggest picking a start date. If you have your favorite foods that will really be hard to give up, then really enjoy them right before you begin! Make a decision as to how long you will be extremely strict and then DO IT! Stick to it! By making a decision beforehand, you eliminate any decision making once you are tempted- it is simply not an option to cheat. You have your list of foods and you only eat those! If you don't have that list, then see Evan or David. Anything good in life takes hard work and effort, right? You will be glad when you start doing this, even if it is way down inside! And, I have seen that if I complain that I cannot have want I really want, then I end up becoming less satisfied early on, rather than appreciating the positive factors of eating well, such as feeling good. That is worth more than we often realize.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)