This has been a favourite of mine, since before I started with my new program. I've ressurected it because it's just so good. It works well especially when I'm hungry for more than an apple, but don't want to overeat.
This makes a great as a breakfast too. I'd do 1 cup of yogurt if I was going to have this for breakfast. Usually as a snack, I only have a 1/2 cup.
It does help me get some more dairy in, which I have a hard time with. It's about 300 calories, so it's a bit substantial, but still worth it if you have the tendency to munch on snackies.
Power Snack:
1/2 to 1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt (I don't do artificial sweeteners, but you could cut the calories with that if you wanted to.).
1 cup mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries,blackberries... whatever works)
1/3 cup Allbran Bran buds (gotta get that fiber in)
1 tbs chopped nuts (I like walnuts)
It's yummy, crunchy, tangy and a bit sweet. Very satisfying and loaded with good stuff too. I usually have a bit of a smaller lunch and then have this around 2-3 pm to hold me over until dinner time.
Enjoy!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Day 1 and Day 2
Day 1
140.
That’s the weight I’m at now. There it is, for all to see. It’s not a “bad” weight and I’m not “obese”. But I’m just over the max I should be for my height. And I know it. And I feel it.
So, yesterday was supposed to be my first day. Despite not getting up early to walk after a night of horrible allergies that kept me up for 3 hours, I did walk before breakfast at a good pace for 30 minutes.
And then it all went downhill from there. We had a birthday party to go to, and though I didn’t overindulge, I certainly didn’t feel good about having that temptation in front of me on my first day. I was exhausted, didn’t have enough groceries in the house and though I had a meal plan laid out and we did go grocery shopping, we still ended up eating crap for dinner.
Yesterday was a write off.
Today, day 2, was better. I walked this morning and ate pretty well all day. I measured my food when I needed to, and took less than I thought I would eat. I felt I had plenty as was glad at each meal that I didn’t eat more than I did. I put my information into the tracker today and got almost all “smiley faces”, which means I met my recommended intakes for everything. I did exceed the amount of sodium I took into today and I didn’t eat enough dairy (which is going to be a problem for me). I was right around 1500 cals, which is about what my doctor recommended for me a few months ago, and that was with a little dessert tonight. I feel satisfied, definitely have more energy already and didn’t have to think TOO hard about what I was going to eat today.
I have to say that I think the tracker is pretty neat. I like that it breaks all the nutrients down so I can see what I've been eating. It would be nice to have a better selection in the food list, and have sugar and fiber totals included in the dietary breakdown. It's still not a "smooth" site to use, but it's ok so far.
Day 3, bring it on.
140.
That’s the weight I’m at now. There it is, for all to see. It’s not a “bad” weight and I’m not “obese”. But I’m just over the max I should be for my height. And I know it. And I feel it.
So, yesterday was supposed to be my first day. Despite not getting up early to walk after a night of horrible allergies that kept me up for 3 hours, I did walk before breakfast at a good pace for 30 minutes.
And then it all went downhill from there. We had a birthday party to go to, and though I didn’t overindulge, I certainly didn’t feel good about having that temptation in front of me on my first day. I was exhausted, didn’t have enough groceries in the house and though I had a meal plan laid out and we did go grocery shopping, we still ended up eating crap for dinner.
Yesterday was a write off.
Today, day 2, was better. I walked this morning and ate pretty well all day. I measured my food when I needed to, and took less than I thought I would eat. I felt I had plenty as was glad at each meal that I didn’t eat more than I did. I put my information into the tracker today and got almost all “smiley faces”, which means I met my recommended intakes for everything. I did exceed the amount of sodium I took into today and I didn’t eat enough dairy (which is going to be a problem for me). I was right around 1500 cals, which is about what my doctor recommended for me a few months ago, and that was with a little dessert tonight. I feel satisfied, definitely have more energy already and didn’t have to think TOO hard about what I was going to eat today.
I have to say that I think the tracker is pretty neat. I like that it breaks all the nutrients down so I can see what I've been eating. It would be nice to have a better selection in the food list, and have sugar and fiber totals included in the dietary breakdown. It's still not a "smooth" site to use, but it's ok so far.
Day 3, bring it on.
The Plan
So what’s my plan?
Well, I’m still working on that. This has been my downfall in the past. None of the plans out there really FIT me.
This time, it's going to be different. I started by checking out the US Food Pyramid. I figure, there’s a place that’s done a lot of research and should be the "well of information" I'm looking for. What could be simpler than a pretty triangle, right? Well, initially, I found the website information poorly laid out and confusing, so I dismissed it. Then I checked out the Canadian food guide, which had good information, but it didn’t seem to be customizable.
While I was at library the other day and I happened upon a whole series of “books for dummies” (basically) explaining the food pyramid, which is kind of crazy as, as I understood it, the food pyramid was a tool that was supposed to make nutrition easier to understand. However, in reality, it’s as I assumed. Finding the right balance for each individual is not a simple task and certainly not as simple as a colored coded triangle.
My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that while the premise of the food pyramid is good, they don’t make it very clear that there’s more, way more, to it than that. Everyone PUSHES it as a simple tool, but it’s not. It’s a decent start, but in reality, there are just too many variables to consider. And we all know this and but we want it to be simple anyway.
But, I read the book I picked up at the library and have gotten some useful information from it. I have also been puttering around on the US food pyramid web site. It’s not an easy website to use, but I’ve decided to try out their (USDA Food pyramid) food tracker for a few days to see what kind of information it gives me. I like the fact that the website will modify the amount of food recommended if you are trying to either maintain or lose weight and considers weight/height/age/gender into the equation. It all matters. And well, it’s all about me, Me, ME right now, so this is what I was interested in. (ha)
It makes sense to me that not everyone SHOULD be eating 7 portions of vegetables, 3 of protein, etc. I’d certainly GAIN weight if I ate all of that; good for me or not. However, the way that the pyramid defines portions is not clearly written in an easy to find manner. You have to dig wayyy down in the website to find that. Generally, it just tells you in “ounces” how much of certain things to eat. From a math perspective, it makes sense, from a person trying to figure out how much to eat, it’s confusing. I did find measurements that make it simple to define a portion (using measuring cups/spoons). It may not be 100% accurate, but at least it’s easier.
I’m going to give this a shot and see how it goes. I’m still working through the details of getting things loaded in, but I’ll report back later on with my experience.
So I guess my general plan for now, is to watch what I’m eating for the next week or 2. I’m going to walk 30 minutes every day and do strengthening exercises twice a week (likely on the Wii). I’ll be teaching Pilates again starting this week as well (I hope!) and I’ll count that as a bonus.
As I said before, this will be an evolving process, but I do need a place to start and this is where I’ll start.
Drop me a line or leave a comment if you’d like to share your journey. I’d love to hear from you!
Well, I’m still working on that. This has been my downfall in the past. None of the plans out there really FIT me.
This time, it's going to be different. I started by checking out the US Food Pyramid. I figure, there’s a place that’s done a lot of research and should be the "well of information" I'm looking for. What could be simpler than a pretty triangle, right? Well, initially, I found the website information poorly laid out and confusing, so I dismissed it. Then I checked out the Canadian food guide, which had good information, but it didn’t seem to be customizable.
While I was at library the other day and I happened upon a whole series of “books for dummies” (basically) explaining the food pyramid, which is kind of crazy as, as I understood it, the food pyramid was a tool that was supposed to make nutrition easier to understand. However, in reality, it’s as I assumed. Finding the right balance for each individual is not a simple task and certainly not as simple as a colored coded triangle.
My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that while the premise of the food pyramid is good, they don’t make it very clear that there’s more, way more, to it than that. Everyone PUSHES it as a simple tool, but it’s not. It’s a decent start, but in reality, there are just too many variables to consider. And we all know this and but we want it to be simple anyway.
But, I read the book I picked up at the library and have gotten some useful information from it. I have also been puttering around on the US food pyramid web site. It’s not an easy website to use, but I’ve decided to try out their (USDA Food pyramid) food tracker for a few days to see what kind of information it gives me. I like the fact that the website will modify the amount of food recommended if you are trying to either maintain or lose weight and considers weight/height/age/gender into the equation. It all matters. And well, it’s all about me, Me, ME right now, so this is what I was interested in. (ha)
It makes sense to me that not everyone SHOULD be eating 7 portions of vegetables, 3 of protein, etc. I’d certainly GAIN weight if I ate all of that; good for me or not. However, the way that the pyramid defines portions is not clearly written in an easy to find manner. You have to dig wayyy down in the website to find that. Generally, it just tells you in “ounces” how much of certain things to eat. From a math perspective, it makes sense, from a person trying to figure out how much to eat, it’s confusing. I did find measurements that make it simple to define a portion (using measuring cups/spoons). It may not be 100% accurate, but at least it’s easier.
I’m going to give this a shot and see how it goes. I’m still working through the details of getting things loaded in, but I’ll report back later on with my experience.
So I guess my general plan for now, is to watch what I’m eating for the next week or 2. I’m going to walk 30 minutes every day and do strengthening exercises twice a week (likely on the Wii). I’ll be teaching Pilates again starting this week as well (I hope!) and I’ll count that as a bonus.
As I said before, this will be an evolving process, but I do need a place to start and this is where I’ll start.
Drop me a line or leave a comment if you’d like to share your journey. I’d love to hear from you!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
My Story
This July I turned 35. For some reason, while I don’t feel OLD, I feel more… mature. I looked in the mirror and wasn’t really happy with what I saw or how I felt. I decided it’s time to do something about it. I feel a responsibility to myself and an urgency to get it together. Though I’m not at my worst health, I’m certainly not at my best. I decided that this would be the year for me to really get this figured out.
Last year, I lost 30 lbs following the Weight Watchers program and felt great. However, last summer we: moved to a new state; were trying to sell a house long distance in a sinking real estate market with a moronic and corrupt real estate agent; were stuck in a stinking, nasty rental where we got to experience gunfire at our front door and were struggling financially. It was a horrible, stressful time. I ate my way through it and then when the dust settled and all turned out peachy (and it really did), I’d gained back 15 lbs and still needed therapy to deal with what had happened.
At my last check up earlier this year, my doctor told me that my bad cholesterol was a bit high and that I should be able to lower it by losing a few pounds.
I took that advice to heart, but since February, I’ve been gaining and losing those same “few” pounds.
I’ve tried getting back into Weight Watchers but, frankly, I just don’t have the same drive that I did last time. I feel as though it worked to help me lose the weight, but that when push came to shove, it didn’t work for me long term, especially when the going got rough. And it seemed to take so much time.
I’ve also tried a few online tools that allow me to count my calories. Again, it worked for a while. It wasn’t rocket science, but it still took time and there wasn’t enough accountability to make me stick to it.
At the same time, a group of my good friends, who were also trying to get healthier; got together and started a support email group. It only lasted about a month before we all wandered off in our own directions.
After my first daughter was born, I used to get up every day and walk/jog. I maintained a good weight with very little effort for years. I was great with exercise last summer when I lost all that weight. But, then it lost its’ priority, and *I* lost my priority when a crazy schedule and a toddler who frequently still wakes a night eroded my ability to get up early enough to do squeeze in a workout and still function as a productive human being for the rest of the day.
And I know they’re all excuses. All laziness. All cop-outs.
I’m not stupid. I know nutrition. I’m a certified Pilates instructor. I know exercise. I KNOW how to be healthy. So why am I not doing it?
I don’t believe in fad diets. I believe that there is a proper balance for each person, but that that balance is different because we’re all different. Yes, there are some general truths to nutrition that apply to most, but I don’t believe that EVERYONE should eat low-carb, saturate their diet with whatever the hip new vitamin/supplement or miraculous mystery “extract” or whatever the current trend is.
While going for a rare walk while on vacation a few weeks ago, right after my birthday, I was feeling a bit down on myself for not being able to just GET IT GOING, ALREADY. I started to think. (I do my best thinking when I’m walking.) I felt like I’d been over-thinking this weight-loss thing. Did it have to be so complicated and require hours of my time and energy? I’m a strong believer in moderation, and often say “everything in moderation” but as I thought some more about it, I realized that I’ve never figured out what moderation means. What DOES it mean? And more importantly, what is MY moderation?
So, I decided that I would look it up and try to figure out what moderation was. I decided that I would see how long it took me to lose 10 lbs using “moderation”, once I figured out what it was. And then further to that, I challenged myself to keep it the weight off for at least a year. Then I had the thought to blog about it to increase my accountability and to share my experience. And then “Operation-Moderation” was born.
The thing is; I’m trying to think long term. Yes, my brother is getting married next year and I’d like to look nice for his wedding, but it’s not about LOOKING nice. It’s a perk for sure, but I want to be healthy and strong and have energy. I’m not going to be a “supermodel” or have the body I had when I was 20, and I don’t want to. But I do want to be the better than I am now.
I can do any intense program for a while. Most people can, but it’s not realistic in the long run. I know this as a truth. I want something that doesn’t require me to count every calorie or carbs or calculate points or whatever. I want this to be my life. Something I just “do” and don’t have to think so hard about.
Yes, I get the contradiction. I’m going to be researching and documenting my progress etc. That’s all going to take time and work. And I’m ok with that. It’s like studying for a test, but it’s not just about passing the test, it’s going to be about KNOWING the information. That’s where I want to be.
So this will be my journey. I’ll put myself on the line for better or worse. I hate failure, especially public failure so this is huge for me. I hope I don’t fail, but I don’t expect that it’ll be all sunshine and low numbers on the scale every day. I don’t expect this to be a “smooth” process. It’s going to be about trial and error and learning. It’ll be about finding what’s right for me. And maybe it will help you too.
Last year, I lost 30 lbs following the Weight Watchers program and felt great. However, last summer we: moved to a new state; were trying to sell a house long distance in a sinking real estate market with a moronic and corrupt real estate agent; were stuck in a stinking, nasty rental where we got to experience gunfire at our front door and were struggling financially. It was a horrible, stressful time. I ate my way through it and then when the dust settled and all turned out peachy (and it really did), I’d gained back 15 lbs and still needed therapy to deal with what had happened.
At my last check up earlier this year, my doctor told me that my bad cholesterol was a bit high and that I should be able to lower it by losing a few pounds.
I took that advice to heart, but since February, I’ve been gaining and losing those same “few” pounds.
I’ve tried getting back into Weight Watchers but, frankly, I just don’t have the same drive that I did last time. I feel as though it worked to help me lose the weight, but that when push came to shove, it didn’t work for me long term, especially when the going got rough. And it seemed to take so much time.
I’ve also tried a few online tools that allow me to count my calories. Again, it worked for a while. It wasn’t rocket science, but it still took time and there wasn’t enough accountability to make me stick to it.
At the same time, a group of my good friends, who were also trying to get healthier; got together and started a support email group. It only lasted about a month before we all wandered off in our own directions.
After my first daughter was born, I used to get up every day and walk/jog. I maintained a good weight with very little effort for years. I was great with exercise last summer when I lost all that weight. But, then it lost its’ priority, and *I* lost my priority when a crazy schedule and a toddler who frequently still wakes a night eroded my ability to get up early enough to do squeeze in a workout and still function as a productive human being for the rest of the day.
And I know they’re all excuses. All laziness. All cop-outs.
I’m not stupid. I know nutrition. I’m a certified Pilates instructor. I know exercise. I KNOW how to be healthy. So why am I not doing it?
I don’t believe in fad diets. I believe that there is a proper balance for each person, but that that balance is different because we’re all different. Yes, there are some general truths to nutrition that apply to most, but I don’t believe that EVERYONE should eat low-carb, saturate their diet with whatever the hip new vitamin/supplement or miraculous mystery “extract” or whatever the current trend is.
While going for a rare walk while on vacation a few weeks ago, right after my birthday, I was feeling a bit down on myself for not being able to just GET IT GOING, ALREADY. I started to think. (I do my best thinking when I’m walking.) I felt like I’d been over-thinking this weight-loss thing. Did it have to be so complicated and require hours of my time and energy? I’m a strong believer in moderation, and often say “everything in moderation” but as I thought some more about it, I realized that I’ve never figured out what moderation means. What DOES it mean? And more importantly, what is MY moderation?
So, I decided that I would look it up and try to figure out what moderation was. I decided that I would see how long it took me to lose 10 lbs using “moderation”, once I figured out what it was. And then further to that, I challenged myself to keep it the weight off for at least a year. Then I had the thought to blog about it to increase my accountability and to share my experience. And then “Operation-Moderation” was born.
The thing is; I’m trying to think long term. Yes, my brother is getting married next year and I’d like to look nice for his wedding, but it’s not about LOOKING nice. It’s a perk for sure, but I want to be healthy and strong and have energy. I’m not going to be a “supermodel” or have the body I had when I was 20, and I don’t want to. But I do want to be the better than I am now.
I can do any intense program for a while. Most people can, but it’s not realistic in the long run. I know this as a truth. I want something that doesn’t require me to count every calorie or carbs or calculate points or whatever. I want this to be my life. Something I just “do” and don’t have to think so hard about.
Yes, I get the contradiction. I’m going to be researching and documenting my progress etc. That’s all going to take time and work. And I’m ok with that. It’s like studying for a test, but it’s not just about passing the test, it’s going to be about KNOWING the information. That’s where I want to be.
So this will be my journey. I’ll put myself on the line for better or worse. I hate failure, especially public failure so this is huge for me. I hope I don’t fail, but I don’t expect that it’ll be all sunshine and low numbers on the scale every day. I don’t expect this to be a “smooth” process. It’s going to be about trial and error and learning. It’ll be about finding what’s right for me. And maybe it will help you too.
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