What does a number matter?

I'm throwing in the towel with the whole weight tracking thing.  It has gotten me no where but to be unhealthily focused on my weight and what I put in my body.  I had this magical number in my head of where I wanted to be.  Where I needed to be to fit back into my favorite jeans.  Forget it.  I'll buy a new pair of jeans. 

A few days ago, I noticed the quote at the top of my blog....  "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin-real life.  But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be got through first, some unfinished busines, time still to be served, a debt to be paid.  Then life would begin.  At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."  This is how I viewed this current weight loss fixation--life would just get better/be better if I lost 20 pounds.  No it won't.  It's just fine now.  If anyone has a problem with what size I'm wearing-that's their problem.  I don't need to make it mine.  

As far as I know I'm healthy.  Right now I am within 20 pounds of the weight listed on my license...a weight that I don't think has changed since I was 16.  That was 21 years and 2 children ago.  I should feel good about that.  If I need to buy a new pair of jeans and toss the old favorites, so be it.  (But dang those were expensive jeans!  OK stop it Lisa.)

I know what I need to do to feel good.  What I need to eat.  How I need to move.  If I blow it one weekend, who cares? 

There are obstacles to this.  The times when I will still be down on myself and how I look and forget the bigger picture.  The guilty feelings.  Other people.  What they say and what they don't say and what they say to other people.  Forget them. 

The biggest challenge is what I say to my kids.  How I model proper health, fitness and nutritional issues. How my daughter views her body.  How my son views his.  What they say to other people.  What the other people say or don't say or say to other people about them.  That's all I need to focus on.  Keeping myself and my family healthy and feeling good about ourselves regardless of what the weight on a scale says. 

Food Friday - (and weigh in...ick)

I'm joining up with Eilyne over at Suite 100 for Food Friday again!  Make sure you check out her blog at http://www.eilynedavis.com/

I have recently discovered that the Hungry Girl lists Weight Watchers Plus points on her recipes so I've been having a lot of fun trying out some new recipes - and actually cooking to the surprise of my husband!   So far what I've made has been really good so I question the actual point values.  The best so far is the "HG's Mega-Delicious Chipotle Chicken Panini"  I have seriously had it 5 times in the last week.  She says it's only 6 points and that's what I'm hoping is true!!  Apparently it's a healthier redo of a Panera Bread sandwich, I've never had that one but this one is excellent. 

HG's Mega-Delicious Chipotle Chicken Panini

Ingredients:
Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers) or chipotle hot sauce (like the kind by Tabasco)
2 dashes onion powder
2 dashes garlic powder

Sandwich
One 100-calorie flat sandwich bun (like Arnold Select/Oroweat Sandwich Thins)
2 oz. cooked skinless lean chicken breast, shredded or pulled into pieces
1 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh basil
2 thin slices red onion
2 slices plum tomato
1 stick light string cheese, shredded or pulled into pieces

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine ingredients for the sauce and mix well. Set aside.

Split bun in half and lay the halves flat, split sides up. Evenly spread half of the sauce onto the bun halves, leaving half of the sauce in the bowl. Set aside.

To the bowl with the remaining sauce, add chicken and toss to coat. Set aside.

Evenly top one bun half with basil, onion, tomato, saucy chicken, and cheese. Place the other half on top, sauce side down.

Bring a grill pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Place sandwich in the pan. Using a spatula, press down gently but firmly to seal the sandwich. Grill until hot and lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side, flipping carefully and pressing down with the spatula to seal.

Cut in half (or not) and enjoy!

Definitely check out the Hungry Girl's website for even more tasty and healthier dishes.  If you have tried some, please let me know the results in the comments! 

_____________

And now for the dreaded Friday weigh in....

Starting weight:  172

Last week's weigh in:  168

My current weight:  167.4

My goal weight:  154

Gain/Loss this week:  -.06

Total lost so far:  -4.6

Sigh...

Starting weight:  172

Last week's weigh in:  168.9

My current weight:  168

My goal weight:  154

Gain/Loss this week: -.9

Total lost so far: 4

Not where I hoped to be 6 weeks into this Weight Watchers thing.  This past week had a variety of high ups (delicious dinners out with friends) and some downs that all tampered with my ability to eat properly.  I guess given that, at least I didn't gain.  Still.  Sigh....

The particular down caused me to have a couple of stress eating binges this last week.  To be exact I had a car accident last Friday and by the Grace of God no one was injured.  Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.  

Onto a new week.  

RIP-2005 Toyota Matrix (picture not my actual car)
So to lighten this up a little bit we are now in the market for a new car and while I mourn my previous car, to make me feel better I did some fantasy vehicle shoppping online.  Not thinking about money, practicality or anything else these are my current fantasies....

  My ideal life would involve this as my main mode of transportation.  Madsen Bicycle

For when I wanted to go a little faster I would like a turquoise Vespa.

Now I've never been that much into motorcycles but I saw this at a recent boat and RV show had an instant obsession with these things.  Spyder Roadster

For when I live in Hawaii.  Nissan Murano Cabriolet

This one day will be my life.  Darn you gas prices.

  Perfection.  Dragging the dream car out again. 

 

Food Friday!

I am so honored to be asked to participate in my friend Eilyne's "Food Friday" feature!  If you haven't checked out her blog yet, you ABSOLUTELY must.  She has an incredible way with words and inspires me each morning with her posts....please check her out here:  http://www.eilynedavis.com/

So my Food Friday entry is the oh so healthy, "Zero Point Weight Watchers Garden Vegetable Soup"....exciting, no?!  It is, it is!  This is a bit of a twist on the soup that I learned about 5 years ago.  My Mom reintroduced me to it recently and we've been tweaking it to our liking.  The best thing about this soup is that it's low-cal, low-carb, high-fiber and no-fat.  It's also quite filling and keeps me from going crazy at meal times...I have a cup before eating lunch or dinner and find I'm not as hungry and I eat much less.  It's supposedly zero points, even on the new + program, but I still count it as 1 point per cup.  Can't beat that though!

Zero Point Weight Watchers Garden Vegetable Soup

6 cups broth (we actually use water only because of the high content of sodium in broth)
Cooking spray
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 teaspoons garlic (from a jar or substitute four cloves minced garlic)
1/2 cabbage, chopped (or use a bag of slaw, the biggest chunks you can find vs the fine, don't skip the cabbage for it somehow makes the soup)
1/2 pound frozen green beans
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large zucchini, diced

Spray a Dutch oven with cooking spray and heat on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to MEDIUM and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini are tender. Serve and enjoy!

Different veggies can be added or substituted.  I love adding bell peppers and a dash of hot sauce. This is a good 'clean out the fridge' soup.  Different spices can be added to give it a different taste too.  Be creative and play around with different tastes.  My next batch I'm going to add in some curry for a twist. 

Thank you so much Eilyne for allowing me to join in on the Food Friday feature!  Make sure you check out her blog at www.EilyneDavis.com....she's sharing yummy, beautiful cake pops...you can indulge in them after eating this healthy soup and feel less guilty!

_____

Since it's Friday, I gotta get my weigh-in in too!  

Starting weight:  172

Last week's weigh in:  169.9

My current weight:  168.7

My goal weight:  154

Gain/Loss this week: -1.2

 

WW - Week 1 Weigh In

Ugh.  I didn't get the result I was hoping for.  Not a big loser this first week.  

Starting Weight:  172

My current weight:  171.5

My goal weight:  154

Gain/Loss this week: -.5  

I tracked everything ("If you bite it, write it.") and had over 30 points come the end of the week.  Upon some investigation I think the biggest culprit was salt.  Evil, evil sodium.  I was so set on tracking my points that a great deal of my food intake was Weight Watchers sponsored food and Smart Ones.  You know what that means?  Processed food.  Processed food = excessive amounts of sodium.  Oops.  Guess that's why my rings are tight.  So while I was drinking lots of water, it wasn't enough to counteract all the salt. 

Live and learn.  This next week is going to be a rough one.  It's my daughter's birthday and my birthday and there are lots of opportunities to really, really blow it.  Wish me luck!

 

Move More, Eat Healthy Update

Yeah it ain't working.  Still can't fit into my favorite jeans.  Or any of my jeans actually.  Had to buy new jeans.  I'm resorting to calling in the big guns.  Weight Watchers it is.  I'm a Weight Watchers veteran and actually have qualified for a lifetime membership so I know that it works.  Point counting is easier than calorie counting for me and so I'm now a slave to the wonderful (seriously) WW Mobile app.

This time around I'm doing Weight Watchers Online vs going to weekly meetings.  It's cheaper and this blog will serve as my weekly meeting.  My weigh in day will be each Friday.  So here we go...

My current weight:  172

My goal weight:  154

Gain/Loss this week: 0  

 

Ugh...

P90X has done me in.  I hit 6 weeks of faithfully doing the P90X program a few weeks ago.  I stopped at 6 weeks for a variety of reasons.  It was just going to be a brief stop, an adjustment of sorts.  One of those reasons has derailed my restarting the program. 

That reason culminated in a visit with an orthopedic surgeon this morning and a panel of x-rays.  Lucky me...I have chondromalacia.  In simple terms it is a misalignment of the patella (kneecap) which causes the kneecap to rub against the joint, irritating the cartilage.  (Along with causing constant pain and swelling).  I most likely have always had chondromalcia but the added intensity of P90X and the attempts I've made at becoming a regular runner-type, have exacerbated the problem.  So by the doctors orders I am not to overextend my knee in any direction, do any jumping or running.  Even though I thought I'd love to be told I can't run, I don't.  I don't like being told I can't do something.  And sure I can still do it, but is the pain worth it?  Uh, truthfully no.  Especially when surgery could come into play.  So now I rest it and wear this knee brace while it's healing and probably forever while doing any type of exercise.

So....cycling anyone? 

Oops

I have a confession to make.  I started this year with big plans and a big commitment to myself that I would live a healthy lifestyle and I would become a runner.  Uh, here I am not living up to that personal promise.   Summer hit and oh boy! All that went out the window and fast!  I make no apologies as I really and truly enjoyed my summer of excess and hedonism.  But as the kids are starting back to school this week and as we need to get back to our regular routine, I have no excuses anymore.  None.  I had a moment a couple weeks back on a glorious vacation in Santa Cruz, where I made the mistake of stepping on a scale...oops.  I'm up, big time.  Um that would explain why I no longer fit into my go to pair of jeans.  Or why the elastic in my fave swimsuit just randomly gave out.  Oops. 

I wasn't a complete slob this summer (just almost!)...I jogged a bit, we biked a lot, I swam a teeny bit (mostly just floated on a raft with a KYNM).  My big issue was eating what I wanted, when I wanted and as much as I wanted.  Maybe the 15 or so DQ Peanut buster parfaits (among other things...oops) wasn't the best idea.

Onto another new adventure and attempt at self control.  Full disclosure: This summer vacation I gained 15 pounds...Oops again. 

Jillian and Jamie will be helping me once again on this journey and we've introduced Tony to the mix too.  

And as a bonus help...I ordered a custom "Accountability Journal" from my friend and fellow Redding Handmade member, Nicole!  

Check out her site to order your own custom planner!  She allows you to choose your cover, date range, size and style so your planner will be built just for you.  Click here for her Etsy shop - ncharshaf and Click here for her Facebook Fan Page 

So my idea for my journal is that I will write down every bit of food/drink I take in and record every bit of exercise I do.  Right now.  Um, it's blank.  Final OOPS and I am off to begin! 

The Children's Reaction

Not good.  As promised I said I would do a post on how my children are taking this new way of eating healthier.  Eh, not ideal.  At least tonight's meal didn't go over too well.  We made chicken fajitas, cilantro lime rice and black beans, all from the Food Revolution book.  Aaron and I thought it was excellent, a restaurant quality meal.  Kids not so much.  Initially it started good, they each tried everything on their plate, but in the end only ate the tortillas.  The new rule is this:  Eat what's on your plate, figure out a way to make it edible if you don't eat it as served, OR make yourself a PB&J.  That's it.  No cereal, no bagel bites, no ice cream.  That's it. 

They're not going to starve however, I've resurrected a previous idea and they are excited about what they'll find in the muffin tin everyday.   

Past Post: New Approach to After School Snack 

At least there will be smiles, until dinner that is.

Healthy Living: Moving into Phase 3, it's a big one!

Last month I moved into Phase 2 with my Healthy Living 2010 plan...the food part.  The exercise part is going well, I'm doing it regularly...yes, even running.  Not to the point I have the urge to enter a race, but getting it done.  I started the food journey with what I know works, but got bored and other food started sneaking into the mix.  With the recent popularity of Jamie Oliver and his New Food Revolution, I decided to investigate what he had to offer.  I'm completely impressed.  I love that his focus right now is on the kids and getting them to eat healthy.  My ultimate, ultimate goal is not just myself feeling healthy and fit, but for my kids to grow up feeling good and not having to break themselves of the horrible processed food, trans fats, high fructose corn syrup and all the other icky stuff out there. 

On Wednesday, Aaron and I spent ALL DAY clearing out the kitchen of basically everything, making a shopping list of what basics we needed  (we used the essentials list in Jamie's Food Revolution--beautiful book BTW) and pretty much getting rid of (throwing out and donating) everything else.  We had chocolate pudding mix that expired in 2006!  If it's not good for us and we're not going to eat it, why store it? 

I forgot to take a before picture but here's a couple of afters.  We are so proud of what we accomplished!

We got the basics from Jamie's list and the ingredients for tonight's dinner and it really wasn't that expensive.  I'm excited and happy to truly learn to cook from the beginning and in a clean way.  This is what we are making for dinner tonight, along with cilantro lime basmati rice and black beans...mmmmm. 

Somehow however, this snuck into the cart and home...

Uh, AARON!!!! 

Coming up in a future post....the children's reactions to this food revolution!

Adagio Tea Article

 

Confirmation that I picked the right tea company to become infatuated with! Fresh Cup Magazine - Web Feature: Is This the Apple Store of Tea?

And come on, they picked Chicago as the place to open their first retail store? My favorite large city.  Confirmation I need to book a trip there again soon.  

My Adventures into Tea

I don't drink coffee, wine or beer.  I want to, I have just never acquired the taste for them.  I also gave up diet sodas and I refrain from drinking anything high in calories or anything that uses artificial sweeteners.  I drink water.  And I'm bored.  (Disclaimer: I do drink David Rio SF Chai every morning but I do have concerns about it-specifically the partially hydrogenated stuff in it.).  I read on Cathy Zielske's blog that she was introduced to an online tea company that she highly praised....not only for the tea but for the packaging and service of that tea.  I LOVE GOOD PACKAGING. 

Even though I've dabbled in tea before with not the best of results, I decided to get an intro package to this Adagio Tea - Gourmet Loose Leaf Tea and see what happens.  First of all my order came within 36 hours of my ordering it on a Sunday evening.  Love that.  After watching the 'how-to' video on how to brew a cup of loose leaf tea, I was on my way.  My reaction to my first cup of tea?  Uh, it tastes like weeds.  And like tea.  Aaron says, "Uh, duh."  (The chai I drink daily tastes nothing like tea to me.  It's practically more like cocoa then tea.) He then helped me make about 5 more cups with varying levels of tea vs. water vs. brew time vs. sweeteners.  None thrilled me.  After being disappointed, calling my Mom for tea tips and even typing into Google: "I want to like tea, but I just don't, what do I do?"  I decided not to give up and persevere.  I WILL LIKE TEA.  I went back to the cup that had been sitting on the counter and tasted it again.  Hey, it's actually not bad.  Turns out I don't like hot tea!  I like lukewarm tea much better....add some soy milk, and mmmm....this stuff is tasty! 

The next day I went one step further...I brewed a cup of really strong tea, added some honey and poured it into a tall glass filled with ice. I added some vanilla soy milk....I'm in heaven.  I'm back in the tea business!  Now I'm experimenting with different sweeteners...currently I'm using the amber sugar crystals that they sell. 

I'm eager to try the other flavors of tea offered at Adagio.  I can't wait until their chai sampler is back in stock.  Chai how it's supposed to taste...without partially hydrogenated crap!  (Don't get me wrong....I do love me some David Rio...I buy it 3 pounds at a time!)

If you are intrigued and want to try it too....Here is a $5 gift certificate to Adagio Teas: 3587330875!! http://www.adagio.com  It's a great deal because for $14 you get the Starter System as well as 4 sampler tins...which equals up to 40 cups of tea!  (Click here for the Starter System.)

And when I'm not drinking some freshly brewed, doctored up tea...I'll be drinking my vodka water out of my beautiful new wine glass given to me by my Dad.  Making water a little less boring!

Healthy Living-Phase 2

At the beginning of the year I committed to a new me and a new way of living...the main component of that plan was to become a runner.  I started strong, I was feeling good and it was becoming a habit and a need.  I have had a few set backs in the last month, I'm still running-though at a slower pace and intensity.  Without going into a million excuses (OK just a couple); I had sickness and a vacation that slowed my progress down.  I still ran, did my exercise, yoga, etc..but not with the consistency as I started earlier in the year.

 

2 different birthday cakes. Yes, I ate all of this today at lunch-after the leftover Mongolian BBQ. If it's here, I eat it.  Period.

It's time to commit to Phase 2 of my Healthy Living 2010 plan (the name is constantly evolving)...a new way of eating needs to be introduced.  The problem with exercising but still eating without clear boundaries is that I tend to start looking like a Jersey Shore Guido--bulked up.  Time to slim it down! 

I have had luck in the past following Jillian Michael Making the Cut plan so I am going to start with that.  The items she recommends eating are all things I should be eating anyhow.  I feel healthy on her plan and NEED that way of eating to become a way of life.  Portion control, lots of vegs, fiber balanced meals--not rocket science.  I will start with a couple breakfast choices, lunch choices and dinner choices each that I will rotate through the week.  Once I get bored, I'll switch it up.  Trying to keep it simple.  KISS (Keep-It-Simple-Stupid) works for me!

Derailed by sickness

UPDATE: It is actually strep. Yea me.

So I wasn't going to let the constant rain stop me, but I got interrupted anyhow.    This past weekend I came down with strep like illness.  The last thing on my agenda was getting out and running.  I did go into the weekend with a successful 2.66 mile run on Friday afternoon however.  

Easing back into the routine with some yoga today.  

No more excuses...run on.  

Running-End of Week 2

Unbelievably, I'm still at it.  I can honestly say I have NEVER run for 2 weeks consistently in my life.  Ever.  For me it is such a mind thing and I'm proud of myself for keeping at it for this long.  My legs can go much farther than my head will let me.  One thing and one thing only is keeping me running...my iPod Nano with Nike + iPod Sport Kit!  I want to do an ad for this thing.  I'm a gadget girl and the fact that there is a gadget like this for running, I'm in.  I won mine for free from the MommyCast Podcast but I'm buying Aaron one now.  If I could, I'd buy everyone one!  I would think it would be interesting for walkers too.  It's basically a high-tech pedometer...at the push of a button you can hear how far you've run (time and miles) and your current pace.  The best thing ever for making personal goals for yourself.  I just finished a 2 mile run and I did not stop to walk once (that is a MAJOR accomplishment for me).

 

One thing you're 'supposed' to have when using this Nike + Sport Kit is the special Nike running shoes to hold the sensor.  Eh, I'm just not a fan of Nike shoes.  I have never found a pair that fit me comfortably.  Sorry Nike.  Instead I purchased a little velcro pouch to hold the sensor and it's worked out perfect so far. 

Part 2 of my love for the iPod Nano with Nike + Sport Kit is that I HAVE to have music when I run.  And it HAS to be the right music.  I've found that I run better with fast hip/hop music.  The second it slows down, so do I.  I'm still narrowing down the best running playlist but for now here is what I have: 

Any suggestions are very much appreciated! 

Week 1

So I did it.  Ran for one week and I'm still alive!  And guess what?  I kinda like it now.  Kinda. One thing is for sure, it has gotten much easier and I also feel like I HAVE to do it.  It feels good, like Debbie wrote in a comment when I started this, something about, "clearing the cobwebs out." Perfect way to describe it.  

I managed to run over 9 miles this past week.  And I'm averaging a 12 minute mile.  Good considering my first run I was running a 14 minute mile.  Bad in that I have yet to run more than a mile and a half at once!  This week my goal is to run no less than 2 miles per day and see if I can keep my average. 

I guess I'll do my weigh-ins on Monday too....today I'm at 166.5. Down 1 pound. 

2010 - My Word

 Word Art made at Wordle

I have been thinking hard about coming up with a word for the year.  A word that would sum up what I would like this year to represent.  I wanted a word that would mean so much that I was tempted to even have it tattooed onto my body.  That way I could never forget it.  No excuse.  A permanent reminder.  Some words that crossed my mind: exercise, health, simplify, save, slow down, self.

The word that I have chosen is the word balance. I want to balance it all this year...fitness, health, family, friends, work, hobbies.  I'm self-diagnosed obsessive-compulsive with some attention deficit disorder thrown in which makes balance a definite challenge!  Ten days into the new year and I'm feeling pretty good about how I've managed to balance it all so far.  "They" say it takes 2 weeks for something to become a habit and a way of life...is balance too lofty of a goal?

Day 3 - Still running!

I still hate it but I'm happy to see improvement already!  I'm a gadget girl so being able to track my runs and really see how I'm doing is a HUGE motivator.  This time I ran around my neighborhood and I'm happy to know that if I go around all the cul-de-sacs it is exactly 1.54 miles. 

Also another huge motivator--a friend and I just made a healthy living contract/pact so that when we both make our goals we will have a day at the spa.  A full day-the whole she-bang!  It's a ways down the road, but I can't wait for that.  

My ultimate goal is to HAPPILY run a 10 minute mile.  I'm not big on making weight goals because it can be so misleading.  I'd rather be healthy and feel good at a higher weight then loose 30 pounds and feel like garbage.  With that being said I will track my weekly weight-loss and just see what happens.  Currently I weigh 167.5 pounds and I am 5'10".  According to various websites my ideal weight would be between 132 and 175.  I'm going to go for 148 and see how I feel. 

My ultimate, end all goal is to just feel good.  Physically AND mentally. 

Embarrassing

This was pathetic.  I gotta admit it felt good to get out though and it was a beautiful day. 

Scratch my last goal.  My new goal is to run a 12 minute mile.

The Challenge

In my previous post I mentioned making this blog a challenge to me.  I have decided to take a cue from a recent movie and some other blogs and do my own version.  A personal journey I will share most at least some of it here.  I vow to make myself a runner.  There I said it. 

For those that know me, I'm not a runner.  I hate it.  I can't do it.  The few times I've tried it, I constantly have, "I hate this.When can I stop?This sucks.Is it over yet?" on constant rotation in my head. Not to mention it is so freaking boring. 

So why am I doing this?  Most sane people don't have the need.  (Though first disclosure--no saying I'm sane.)  I have a multitude of reasons:

1. I want to loose weight and feel fit.


2. I've always admired those we do run.  (However, second disclosure-I have been known to call people I've seen in the rain or on a cold day running, some not very nice names.)  


3. So I can eat what I want.  (Well within reason I suppose.)


4. I won a new Ipod Nano with a Nike Sport Kit right before Christmas (from Mommycast Podcast) and I feel I need to justify it's existence in my home.  (Not to mention the $1000+ treadmill I've had for years that barely gets any action.)


5. I need a goal and a subject to write about. 

So how do I start this journey?  I don't really know.  I will start with a small goal.  Run a mile without stopping to rest.  

Wish me luck.

 

Third disclosure - This is not me.