DIETS

Diets... they are no fun. Over the past few months I have lost a total of 30 pounds. How? Eat less, move more... hmmm... who knew?
I have lost it very slowly, and mind you, I still have about 40 pounds to go... but it's coming off. No crazy fads, no crazy restrictions. I just try to eat as healthy as possible most of the time, and allow for slip ups.
Now, the last month has been a constant slip up, but I'm all good now. And you know what? I didn't gain one ounce back - not one. I was terrified to step back on the scale - I was exactly where I left off. Now, normally, I would want to come down on myself because I should have lost 10 pounds in that month - but I stopped myself. I have been doing really well - and I didn't gain - so that's something - and I'm back on track now. You know why? Because as yummy as ice cream with chocolate sauce is - so is a strawberry and banana smoothie - plus - I can run up 3 flights of stairs without running out of breath - in the long run - which is better?
I still have ice cream with chocolate sauce mind you - just a smaller serving, and less often. It also probably doesn't hurt that I walk my dog for 2 - 3 hours / day - every day.
Who knew all those crazy doctors knew what they were talking about when they said calories in vs. calories out. Low carb/low fat/high carb/veg... doesn't matter. Calories in vs. calories out. Plus, this is a plan I can stay on for a lifetime. I don't limit anything - just watch my portions and exercise.
A girl I know if on a low carb / low meat / low fat / no diary diet. Basically, she eats nuts, beans, fruit (limit 2/day) and veggies. No dressing, no oils... nothing. She lost 10 pounds in 10 days which is great, she feels good, and she has the will power of a saint. I'm just not sure if that is a plan you can stick to life long - if you can, its great for her. I could not do that. I'm pretty sure I would die (not really), I would WANT to die.

Spin Spin Spin

So... I did my first spinning class today - and I was TERRIFIED!!!

Let me start off by saying that yesterday morning I did a "Body Shop" class. This is a 5 minute warm up, and 50 MINUTE WEIGHT WORKOUT, and 5 minute stretch, so I was feeling pretty rough as it was - and then I went to spinning the next morning.

So, it started and she was showing us the different moves, and this one move you stand. I was having a hard time and kept bouncing around. She kept telling me to stop bouncing and adjust my tension - I did - still bouncing. She kept telling me to stop bouncing, use my core. I was all shut up you skinny b*tch. Gain 50 pounds and try to balance on this freakin bike. Of course I THOUGHT that... I didn't say that. She soon found out it was my bike and not me. I changed bikes and things went much more smoothly.

I have to admit it was kind of fun. We split up the class and had races and visualized going up mountains and through tunnels and such. the 40 minutes went pretty fast. I got off the bike and thought - whoo I made it... Then she made us to 10 minutes of abs 10 minutes of yoga. Then, I was done. I wanted to curl up and go to bed. But, I had to dress up and go to work... for EIGHT HOURS.

Then I had to walk for 30 minutes to meet my husband to get a ride home. By minute 20 my legs were like, um yah, you go ahead. We are just gonna lay down. You come get us later. But, I made it.

Now, I'm gonna curl up on the couch with my pvr - gossip girl 90210 and melrose and knit my best friends baby a hat.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Weightloss Wednesday

Wait... is it Wednesday? Yes.. ok...
So, I joined a gym... Yes, yes I have. Yesterday I had a meeting with a personal trainer to find out my "body age" (40 by the way - I was thinking 90). Anyway - So she TOTALLY contradicted EVERYTHING the dietitian said - she said no carbs, no fruit, no sugar - nothing.. just meat and veggies. Really, how long is that sustainable? Really?
So I emailed my dietitian and told her. She said no no no... your brain needs carbs to work. Your brain can ONLY absorb carbs - sheesh... I knew that personal trainer was a little ... you know... not all there.
So anyway - she would ask me how many servings of vegetables I eat a day - I say 6 (I really do - I like veggies) - she would look me up and down and say REALLY? I would say Yeeeees... And she would say OKAAAAAAY in that condescending tone.
You know, at least I'm trying... I went to a dietitian - got some good meal plans - joined a gym... what else does she expect? Really?
So anyway, the girl at the front desk was very nice and overheard the conversation and apologized for everything. Said she eats more carbs then meat and she looks great. We agreed to take a beginner spinning class together on Friday mornings... I've never spun? Have you spun? Will I drop dead of exhaustion if I spin?

Weightloss Wednesday

Sorry for the late post guys. Welcome to Weight loss Wednesday.

So I find Jillian Michaels to be the ultimate role model for weight loss and being buff. She is an advocate for working out hard and eating well. No pain, no gain.

I do find her a little intense at time - I don't need someone screaming in my face - but she's no frill, no gimmicks ...

...

Until now...

Now she is selling diet pills - $100.00 / bottle. Take a magic pill and lose weight. The side effects of these diet pills you ask? They include nausea, dizziness, erratic heart rate, and vomiting.

Um... do you think erratic heart rate is healthy for an obese individual?

What do you think of this? Do you think she's selling out, or do you think it's a good idea?

Weightloss Wednesday

Aspartame. Everyone has an opinion on it. I notice a lot of diet books, diet sites, etc. say to drink diet coke, not coke. Eat low calories foods, drinks usually containing aspartame. A friend of mine will not drink a regular pop to save her life. It HAS to be diet diet diet. She also uses Splenda which she claims is better, as well as Stevia.


I for one eat sugar. Unbleached raw sugar. I will not eat Aspartame, Splenda or Stevia. Yes, I am overweight, but I don't think its worth it. About 20 minutes after I have my first mouthful of Diet Pop I have the Worst. Headache. Ever. And I KNOW it's the Aspartame.

On the more extreme side of things: My sister used to drink 4 Litres of diet coke every single day. That's extreme. I don't think many people drink that much in one day. Over about 3 years, she was very sick. The doctors were positive she had MS. She had tingling in her hands, she couldn't think straight, she was in a lot of pain, and some days she could not get out of bed. She literally could not walk. She did not have the strength the stand - even for a moment. She had an MRI and thank Goodness it was not MS. She lived like this for a while when I suggested she go to a Naturopath. Conventional medicine was not working, she was willing to try anything. The first thing the Naturopath said is "do you drink diet pop" she said yes. He said stop. She did... and within about 6 months, she was fine. She is a whole new person. It's amazing. That is the main reason I refuse Aspartame.

Weightloss Wednesday

There are so many diets out there.

So many diets.

It is so confusing.

According to my dietitian, the best, healthiest diet is following the food guide. If you follow a lot of diet's that celebrities claim to follow - or popular diets, the food guide has WAY too many carbs.

8-11 servings of whole grains/day - keeping in mind that 2 pieces of bread is 3 grains, 1/2 a cup of rice is another. However, with a low carb diet - even a cracker is too much?

I have tried a few diets in my time. The low carb ones do take the weight off quickly, but can you really live your entire life without another piece of bread?

Really?


Two things I know about myself?

1. If you tell me I can't have something - that is all I want...

2. Once I have said bad thing - then I'm off the wagon - I've already ruined the day - might as well eat this and this oh, and some of that.

Diets with restrictions do not work for me.

What has worked for you?

Weightloss Wednesday

And now for a super yummy recipe:

Turkey Taco Bowls
1 Serving
Adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe

Ingredients
120 g turkey, ground (raw weight)
2 small tortilla wrap, whole wheat
1 dash spices, cumin
1 dash chili powder
1/2 clove garlic, raw
1/4 medium onion, raw, chopped
1/2 cup shredded
or chopped
lettuce, iceberg, raw
1 /2 medium tomato, chopped
15 g cheese, cheddar, shredded
1 tbsp sour cream, light
2 tbsp sauce, salsa, ready-to-serve
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil, olive
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Wrap the tortillas in a damp towel and microwave for 10-15 seconds. Baste tortilla on both sides with canola oil and
gently push them into a jumbo muffin tin, forming a cup shape.
3. Bake tortillas for about 10-12 minutes or until they are golden brown and hold their shape.
4. While the tortillas are cooking, place a medium-size, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/2 tablespoon of
olive oil. Add the ground turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook, breaking up the pieces with the back of a wooden
spoon, about 6-7 minutes until brown all over.
5. Add onion and grate the garlic right over the skillet with the fine side of a grater.
6. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, then add the chili powder and cumin, and cook for another couple minutes. If the mixture
seems dry, add a couple tablespoons of water to loosen it up. Turn the heat off and set aside to keep warm.
7. Chop up the lettuce.
8. Place the tortilla bowls into deep cereal bowls and scoop a couple of big spoonfuls of the turkey mixture into each tortilla.
Top the turkey with a sprinkle of cheese, some chopped tomatoes and shredded lettuce on top. Spoon salsa and sour
cream over the top and serve.

Weightloss Wednesday

Is this a healthy standard? Is this something we should be teaching young girls?
Tori Spelling - look at her bones sticking out.. LOOK AT HER LEG?!?!!? What is going on with her LEG!!?!?

Here we have Allegra Versace - wow... she has a known eating disorder - but noone seems to be overly concerned with helping her

Up next we have Nicole Richie before and after - which picture is she healthier?

And finally - why are these people called "chunky" or "thick" or "heavy"?

I understand the importance of having a healthy body weight. I understand that excess fat is a cause of major health problem... but these two are hardly obese or even overweight.

Weightloss Wednesday

During my weight loss journey I will be posting fitness and diet tips on Wednesday's, as well as progress, and stuff that I have learned.

Welcome to Weightloss Wednesday!!
Check out these links:
FitSugar - Nine yoga poses that will tone your entire body.
Diet.com - 10 Feelings that Sabotage Your Diet
Great tip:

When baking, use applesauce instead of butter to save 90 calories

And THIS is the BEST DRESSING I HAVE EVER HAD!!! It's caesar dressing, and it's made with yogurt - even my future husband loves it... SO GOOD!! YOU NEED TO TRY IT!!!

I love Gwyneth Paltrow. I don't know why people have a problem with her. I like her and her GOOP newsletter.

I love this video. That meal looks so yummy and healthy - and how cute and charming is she?

Weightloss Wednesday

During my weight loss journey I will be posting fitness and diet tips on Wednesday's, as well as progress, and stuff that I have learned.
Welcome to Weightloss Wednesday!!


I will start off with a tip today, but, I have a feeling, today is going to mostly be a rant...
Tip:

Removing the skin from chicken saves you 5 grams of fat every time.
Eating fish instead of red meat saves you 90 calories per serving.

So.. here we go with the rant. Some new pictures have come out of Jennifer Love Hewitt playing tennis. Why she is playing tennis in a bikini and wedges is beyond me, but regardless, pictures of her have come out.

I first saw them on this one website that I actually look at quite regularly because its funny and kind of knocks celebrities down from their high horse. Sometimes he is a little vulgar and crude, and sometimes fully offensive, but for the most part just funny.

So over the long weekend he put up these pictures of Jennifer Love Hewitt making fun of her because she thinks she's a size two when she clearly isn't. I am not saying she is not a size two HE is. I have zero idea what a size two looks like. And really, how can anyone say, oh, I'm a size such and such. When I go to different stores - in one I'm a size 10, the next one a size 12, and then this one over here, I'm a size 8... So how can anyone be a definite size 2?

I can go to the Gap and try on pants, I pick up 2 of the EXACT SAME STYLE OF PANTS. One pair in black, one pair in brown. The brown pair fit like a glove - the black pair - same size, same style... too tight? Whats up with that? But I digress...

These pictures come out of JLH - oh she's fat she's fat.. WHERE?!?!? WHERE IS SHE FAT? She is wearing a BIKINI!! She is CLEARLY not hiding anything. She looks awesome! She looks thin, fit, not bobble head waif thin, but healthy! So to prove my point that she looks awesome, I show the pictures to my future husband. His response? "She's a little wide in the hip". WIDE IN THE HIP!?!?!? WHERE?!?!?!

To be fair, in my future husbands defence - he still thinks she's hot.

Please.. please tell me where she is wide in the hip! She looks great. Nicole Richie is too thin (not now obviously) but JLH - who looks awesome is too fat? Where is this fine line that has been drawn?

So on this same blog - this guy (not in the same post, but earlier) was talking about how all women should look and dress like Kendra:

How adorable is she?

Now, I am a huge Kendra fan, and I think she looks awesome - and if she wants to dress like that, then by all means do so. Kendra however defended women everywhere and came out with THIS great response. I love her!

That is the end of my rant.. comments? Questions? Queries?

Have a great day - see you tomorrow!