Diet

As promised this entry is all about diet. I will preface this by saying that the term diet simply stands for how and what we eat. I do not go on "diets" which in that instance means, depriving oneself of the foods they love simply for the purpose of losing weight. It is a well known fact that those people who do go on "diets" do gain their weight back.

Yes, I did gain my weight back and for me it was simply giving up my healthy eating plan for the "Standard American Diet" SAD for short. I do know that the SAD is not an ideal way of eating though old habits are dying hard for me.
I have done a lot of research on different ways of eating to sustain ones self and have tried out many of these diets. I have tried Low Carb in an unhealthy Atkins way. Let me say that Atkins diet if followed properly can be very VERY healthy. I personally, (and I know many other people do the same thing I did) simply concentrated on carbohydrates. I did not concentrate on "net carbs" as discussed in the books and I didn't concentrate on nutrition. If it didn't have carbs in it then I felt it was ok to eat, if it did have carbs in it then I did not eat it. This included fruit and veggies. At the start of my weight loss journey I was not at all concerned about nutrition. I bought the Atkins book and I lost all my weight I needed to lose, and I lost it quickly!!

I of course put that weight back on and then went back onto the weight loss journey though this time I did have knowledge of nutrition. I did a lot of reading trying to find the ideal diet for optimal nutrition and weight loss. I explored the RAW diet. This diet is eating all raw fruits, veggies, and seeds. It was amazing but too difficult for me to sustain. I knew it was not the ideal diet for me. I took another look at low carb and have seen some amazing articles about how this eating style can actually reduce disease. They are on to something. I compared South Beach to Atkins and found that they both are very similar. They both do try to concentrate on the importance of vegetables in ones diet. Though both of these diet trends rely a lot on processed foods.

I currently feel that a clean eating diet is what is correct for me and my family. I am still trying to work my way away from processed foods because they are so convenient, addictive, and I don't like to cook. I definitely eat simple.
As I mentioned in my last post I'm currently eating mostly paleo which is simply meats, fruits, veggies, seeds. I do allow some dairy and some grains so I am not 100% die hard paleo.
Many vegans are also clean eaters. They simply eat fruits, veggies, seeds, grains. Both of these camps have "proof" that their eating style is the healthiest. I do not know the true answer of what is healthiest, all I know is that paleo fits mostly with my families lifestyle. My husband loves his bread and grains and would never give those up. He also loves his meat and would never give that up, so he won't fit 100% in either the paleo or the vegan camp. I have decided that even people like my husband can live a healthy life by eating clean. No I'm not making his bread for him and he is eating that processed but that is a trade off I'm willing to live with. If he insists on eating bread it is his concern but I will feed him his main meal of the day as a healthy option. We are both currently losing weight.

The importance of fruit and veggies. The color of the natural foods we eat (fruits and veggies) tells a lot about that food nutritionally. If you don't want to study nutrition in depth like me, just suffice it to say that all the different colors represent different vitamins and minerals. If you eat a lot of color then you are getting a variety of nutrients. I do have fun reading about superfoods such as blueberries, spinach, broccoli, avocodo, kale, chia seed, flax seed, grapefruit, etc. It is really fun to learn the foods that pack the most punch nutritionally. And when I get the munchies it's much better to read about nutrition and superfoods than it is to raid the refrigerator!
WATER: So many people neglect water in their diets. I suggest water to be the first part of change in ones eating lifestyle. Be sure that you drink 1/2 of your weight in pounds in ounces. I know that sentence can be confusing for some so I will break it down to simpler terms. Say you weigh 200lbs, this is an easy number to work with. You will need to drink 100 oz of water. It is best to drink it only as water or with only natural additives such as a lemon slice, lime wedges, strawberries, kiwi, mint leaves etc. I do not suggest buying any sort of additive powders. It is best to keep your water unprocessed too. I can not weigh in on the coffee and tea debates for weight loss. I can say that there are many many many sources stating you should stay away from caffeine. I think there probably is something to their research. I was never a heavy coffee or tea drinker and everyone knows soda is no good for you whether it is diet or regular. I used to drink soda in my previous lifestyle. Fruit juices are just liquid sugar, I don't suggest buying them either and if you have small children, or even older children I suggest you don't get them started on the juice track. Juice is not as good for you as public propaganda wants you to believe.

Keep it simple. If it comes in a box it's processed. When grocery shopping you do not need to go into any of the aisles for food if you are eating clean.
My typical diet for a day is as follows.
Breakfast: eggs, sausage, onion, green pepper all scrambled together
Lunch: romaine lettuce salad with raw spinach and any raw vegetable/fruit I have handy such as carrots, cuccumber, tomato, zucchini, summer squash, raisins, blueberries, apple, nuts, flax seed powder. Dressing is often olive oil and raw apple cider vinegar mixed with crushed fresh garlic.
Dinner: grilled chicken and choice of vegetable, my favorites being roasted zucchini, broccoli, sweet potatoes.

AGAIN

It's been forever.....AGAIN I'm tired of starting AGAIN. But here I am today AGAIN. Back on a healthy eating plan and starting exercise because I fell off on my previous attempt. I topped out at 144lbs this time around, I am currently at 138lbs simply by re-introducing healthy diet and exercise back into my daily routine.
I'm actively working towards paleo. Paleo is a way of eating that dates back to the paleolithic era. Remember when cavemen roamed the earth we all have that visual. Anyways it's simple clean eating. No processed foods, no dairy and no grains. It's much easier to list the no's than it is to list what's good. I'm not being real strict. I do allow butter and some cheese, I also allow some grains such as occasional oatmeal or an occasional piece of home made cake. It's not ideal but I do live in today's world and I do have room for improvement....a lot....sooooo I am picking my battles. I can't afford organic produce or meat but I am doing the next best thing at this point. Yes I'm eating normal grocery store meat and produce but it isn't already all prepared for me. Yes I do buy frozen as I do have a budget to stay in. Just because I can't do some things doesn't mean that I can't start somewhere. I can give up the poptarts and loaves of bread.

I've decided I do still want to run a 1/2 marathon. I think that would be an awesome accomplishment. I have not run in I don't remember how long. I could probably look back on my posts on this blog to figure it out. I'll say probably about 2 years at least. It is a goal I'm working towards in line with total body fitness. I also worry about the effects of running on my joints which is part of why I have topped my goal at a 1/2 marathon. I have thought of getting involved in water fitness. As Logan gets more involved in swimming I think it would be great for me to also get more involved in the water and we always hear great things about how water is a good buffer to prevent injury. I don't really care for swimming for fun but I may get into it for fitness. Not only swimming but other water fitness activities as well.

I'm still on my way for self improvement in all fronts. I did lose my way and have suffered depression and neglected relationships. I'm working my way out of this tendency. I didn't recognize it this last time around until my husband lost patience with me and kicked me back into gear. I can thank him for this wake up though it was painful. I'm putting more emphasis on my marriage, family, and friendships as they are all important to me and deserve my attention. I sometimes get engrossed in my own thought. I don't know what I'm thinking most of the time or dreaming, it's sort of a limbo of wanting to be by myself to do nothing. That is not productive and I can't allow myself to stay in that place too long. This part of my personality needs balance because once I spend too much time in my alone place I neglect everything and everyone around me.

I'm happy with my spiritual self. I love to listen to contemporary christian music especially while I'm walking on my treadmill. I can blast the music, praise, and lose myself in motion. I find it very cleansing. I go to church occasionally and have a lot of fun visiting new churches. Not sure if I want a "home" church or if I want to keep that part of my gypsy spirit alive.

I really need to find fulfilling work. I have worked at home from 2011 and have learned that I need to get back out into the world. Yes I was paid very well and I made some great online friends. This said, my last job completely derailed my computer and online addiction. I spent entirely too much time with my nose buried in my computer. I think working outside the home may provide more personal balance for me. I don't care what I do for the most part. I applied for a very part time job at the YMCA and think it would really fit great with my life goals. I really hope I get that or anything at this point that will get me out of the house, making a little extra money, and hopefully helping people in a positive way. I used to love working fast food but the biggest problem with that is not the low pay or the low public opinion of such a job but ...well it's fast food, I don't want to encourage others to put junk in their bodies when I don't want to put the junk in my own body.

These paragraphs above outline my goals for today and my future, diet, fitness, relationships, spirit, and career. I will delve deeper into these subjects over the coming posts starting with diet, how I'm doing, where my weight is, what I'm eating, what I want to try, my whole philosophy on diet.

2013

I continue on this journey that I pretty much left for the past year except when Deidre was here over the summer. I don't like myself again and now need to get back to a good place. I weigh more than I did when I first started this blog. Three days ago I started doing Leslie Sansones walk away the pounds again and eating a healthy breakfast. Plan to keep that up for at least a week before I think to add anything else. I'm also working on increasing my water consumption again. This one really isn't hard as long as I make myself stay away from sodas. My online ventures for income have taken a drastic hit in the past few months. The program I work for quit working properly THEN payroll also took a nosedive. I'm currently on strike until my payroll is current but don't think I'll be returning. They aren't paying payroll anyways so I don't have to worry about the return yet. Another program took a hit and now they only allow bank wire transfers and they are very expensive, plus I have to withdraw $200 at a time now and my account isn't that big. Another program is working very well and I'm excited over it. I start withdrawing regularly soon. My online job did allow me to get a nice wardrobe. Though now I'm gaining weight too fast to be able to wear most of it comfortably. I'm looking into another company that has a very good reputation and I love the idea of their products. I start using the products myself this month and learning how to work the program. I will be updating this as I progress. For now I'm just excited to start using the products which are green and non-toxic and supposed to be excellent. I've only heard rave reviews.

Ultimate Reset Wk 1

I have completed week 1 of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset. I don't really have a lot to say. I liked most of the foods we ate. We had only 2 meals with meat and the rest were mostly vegitarian with some organic plain yogurt and eggs. I am not a big fan of seaweed and If I'm going to eat it I need it as a dry something, NOT slimy gooey salty wetness. I lost 3 lbs this first week or there abouts. Of course weight fluctuates each day and I wasn't regularly weighing previous to the reset so I didn't get an "average weight" for what I truly weighed. I'll take the 3 lbs for now :) I've been tired a lot. Sort of achy but not in pain. I don't know if these physical changes are from the reset or from my grand daughter being here and not being able to sleep in the mornings. I just feel really foggy today and have felt this way a lot during the first week. I'm not at all hungry and have to make myself eat yesterday and today. I LOVED my fruit breakfast today but was full after eating only about 2 cups (reset called for 3 cups). I've been washing dishes and Deidre's been preparing food nonstop. So glad we have each other for doing this. The alcalanize (or however it's spelled) was horrible in the first week. We had to take it only once a day so doable. The Detox we take now is 3x's a day and I think it's OK though Deidre had problems with the grainy texture. Think old school metamucil lol. It just doesn't dissolve and at the end you are drinking pure chalky stuffs. Here's to Week 2 coming up!!!

Ultimate Reset

I will be starting the Ultimate Reset with Deidre tomorrow. What is the Ultimate Reset? It is a detox/cleanse/supercharged 21 day program by Beachbody. It consists of 3 weeks planned eating where you do not go hungry, you stay very healthy, and you reset your bodies natural mechanisms and metabolism. I'm excited. I'm so glad Deidre is here to help me with this because I know it will be easier for me to stick to the strict eating/supplements plan with her help. My goals: This is a starting point for me. I plan on KEEPING a clean eating diet after this is completed. I'm leaning towards a mostly paleo diet with some grains and beans for my family. I will be starting an exercise program shortly after this reset ends. I will walk through it and continue WATP for a week or so then start the Les Mills Pump program strong. I want to rebuild my love of fitness. I have not been able to get myself on track for over a year now and it is time. I am hoping to get my work hours stable so I can create a personal schedule that helps promote my personal wholesomeness. Spiritually: I hope to be able to continue my small group bible study course. Socially: I hope to be able to restart my meet-up walks and continue my weekly walks/activities with Kimberly. Here's to my start.... My Ultimate Reset!!

Conscious Choices

I'm back and starting to blog once again to help me stay motivated and on track.
I had gained back every single pound I lost. Yep, every last one moved back in on my waistline and I let it.

I want to eat healthy, make healthy choices which means not eat junk. We all know what junk is. I don't even have to define that. Now I need to break down this goal. It's just too big for me to focus on all at once. How to put it into baby steps for myself, I find this very challenging.

Today I decided to make it conscious choices.
I knew that pop tart this morning was a bad choice and remembered the taste really isn't all that great. Soooooo, why did I want it anyways?
I really felt empowered as I did NOT eat that pop tart but opted for the almonds in the fridge instead, just as easy to grab so I took that excuse away from myself. Taste quality is about the same since the almonds are stale (Won't buy from the bulk bin in that Harris Teeter again), yet so much healthier. I should have had fruit too but hey, at least my good choice overcame the bad on breakfast.

Lunch was my next food challenge. I wasn't even looking to eat, had to get Parker out of the pantry and there were the peanutbutter cookies. I grabbed two and thoroughly enjoyed them. I wanted more!! I wanted them ALL!!!! I realized I was hungry and went to the fridge instead and made my turkey and cheese slathered in hummus wrapped in a romaine lettuce leaf, then I made a second "sandwich" as I was still hungry. Then I still didn't feel satisfied and was a bit pouty wanting those cookies. I made myself drink water then work out. IT WORKED!! Cookie craving overcome.

Night time snacking on sugar stuff is my biggest challenge yet. Tonights plan is to make me a fruit smoothie instead and freeze Logans candy cause I don't want to eat frozen candy. It feels good to have a plan. It feels good to feel empowered by my good choices. I need to remember this feeling in moments of weakness.

FOOD

Food is my sustenance.
I don't need food to occupy me during the day.
I need a hobby, or people to talk to.
I will not eat mindlessly.
I will only eat to nourish my body and give it energy to do whatever else my day requires.
When I eat it will not be empty calories.
Every meal will consist of Protein and fiber and some complex carbs.
Complex carbs are GOOD for the body for energy.
Simple carbs are BAD for the body and convert to sugar.

EVERYONE can benefit from a healthy eating plan. It doesn't matter if you consider yourself fat, skinny, fit, perfect. Healthy eating is for YOU.

New Years

It's time to actually put my resolution in writing.
This year I vow to continue to improve my self image through spiritual growth, weight management, nutrition management, and personal pampering.
I did not do as well with my weight management last year and my nutrition management was an up and down scale, which is normal with life.
I am just human and I am living my life to it's fullest.
Spiritually:
I recently started on my own spiritual growth track. In the past I have worked on this to varying degrees but I actively decided to add God to my plan this year. This sort of scares me as my husband has very bad preconceptions about Church and people who follow God. My relationship is also something I'm working on but that's supposed to be an ongoing thing within a marriage. I do love my husband and really hope to show him more support and devotion in the future.
Nutritionally:
I am currently doing a shakeology cleanse for 3 days. Once I have completed this cleanse I am actively going to work on cutting out cheese from my diet, and drastically limiting dairy. At the same time as eating clean as much as possible. It's really hard for me to do this with the ready availability of processed foods. I know the processed stuff is junk but at the same time, I don't want to take the time to prepare my own food. It's a work in progress. I've stated on several occasions through this blog how I hate to cook. If you really want to get to know me on a personal level I suggest you read this blog from the bottom up :) It really does encompass my personality and my health growth.
Weight:
I still plan on implementing healthy diet and exercise for this. Over the last couple of months I have implemented more walking. I joined a walking group and a very close friend and I go out once a week to walk and socialize.
I will be restarting Body Gospel as well. When I'm not doing this then I do plan to do an alternate video. I get frustrated with Body Gospel because I don't know the routine yet and I get really self conscious (even around just myself) about fumbling through. I will get back into the exercise habit every day though.
Pampering:
This is a very new concept for me. I've lived my entire life taking care of everyone else. My idea of pampering was taking a bath and putting on smelly lotion. I don't like the smelly lotions anymore so if anyone who buys me Christmas or Birthday gifts reads this please take note!!!!
I plan to do a spa day fairly soon complete with massage and a facial.
I want to go for a foot massage!!! I miss having my feet massaged and my husband is anti feet lol.
I plan to go to a salon to get my hair cut.
I plan to get a couple of good outfits for going out to dinner with my husband.
This stuff will not be in the near future but it will be in 2012.

Christmas 2011

It is that time of year for reflection again but alas I'm super busy and distracted at this time.
I've started doing shakeology through beachbody and love it.
I'm sort of doing body gospel. I haven't exercised in the last two days and need to get my butt in gear.
I'm back at the weight I was when I first started this blog.
sooooo bad of me, but I'm again re-committed.
I will get back into the healthy range and living a healthy lifestyle.
This is what it is all about, living, learning, falling, and getting back up.
I don't tend to write while I am falling but I'm on my way back up again and dusting off the oopsies of the past :)
I do love myself much more than in the past so i'm making life progress hehe.

It's been FOREVER

I am back and doing beachbody/shakeology.
will write more later :)