I've been on a cooking kick! And as Day 2 of my Whole30 trial wraps up, I have to say that I'm feeling pretty good. I admit that I've haven't cut out absolutely everything completely. I'll admit to:
A teensy tiny bit of creamer and sugar in my coffee in the morning. Compared to what I usually have, this is nothing. But drinking it black all of the time would be... well, depressing.
I bought some Terra brand vegetable chips and realized afterward that they (may) contain canola oil, which is apparently not Whole30 approved, and also just because they're chips they can be dangerous. Anyway, I love them, so I'm rationing them to make the bag last longer.
I'm probably eating more fruit than I should.
To remedy the fruit situation, I went to the store on my way home from work and bought some more snacking veggies like baby carrots and avocado that aren't sweet, but man, I have a ton of oranges sitting around. Someone's gotta eat them... I'm just watching a little more, and I'll dwindle down on fruit once I get through some of it. I'm not a fan of wasting food/money either.
On the whole, though, I feel great. I felt pretty energetic all day except for a brief period in the midday when I had gone several hours without food and became irritable and sort of lightheaded. Leftover shrimp from yesterday helped me along, and when I got home I made a version of moqueca (Brazilian fish stew) from this recipe, paired with a side of prosciutto e melone. Is there anything better than that? So simple, so divine. As for the stew, I've now plenty to last for a few days.
Even with the limitations, making new and interesting things -- and shopping for different ingredients -- is actually kind of fun.
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight loss. Show all posts
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
good ol' selfie and the whole30
The photo below has little (nothing) to do with the fact that I'm starting the Whole30 today. It's a pretty terrible quality photo, isn't it? I may or may not have done that on purpose. ;)
Partly due to my mother's unwavering dedication to eating healthier since last summer, starting off with this program before going full-fledged paleo on the world, and partly due to the fact that my own healthful eating and weight loss has hit a serious and annoying road block, I've decided to give this a try.
I've always been overweight. If not by a lot, then always by a little. Only within the last few years have I really started to take the health side of this more seriously. I took up cycling a couple of years ago, and in the summers I try to shop at the farm markets and eat whole foods as much as possible. But what about in the winter? What about when those baked casseroles start to sound real good? Or when my coworkers deposit three or four trays of baked goods in the break room and all I can think about is how much I won't be satisfied until I have another chocolate peanut butter cookie? What I need is a change of pace, a new way of looking at how I eat, and a better way of taking care of myself. That's where the Whole9 team and the Whole30 program come in (and also my mom, over at knitorious, who has taught me through her actions that this is not only possible, but enjoyable).
And the Whole30 sounds great! Whole foods only. That's it. Of course there are some limitations, but they are things I mostly already follow: No dairy (I've only got to cut out the creamer from my coffee and yogurt), no bread (no more crackers, but I haven't bought bread in months), and no sugar. THIS WILL BE CHALLENGING. But I'm halfway there. In 30 days I hope to feel more energized, fit into my clothes better, feel awesome on my bike -- because it'll actually be warm enough to get out on the road! - and create some eating habits I can take with me past the 30 days.
As far as my history with weight loss goes, I'm at my "usual" right now. Last summer I weighed in at my highest, which was 196. I freaked out and knew that was just not okay, so I counted calories and successfully lost about 25 pounds, which, give or take a couple, has remained about par for the course since November.
So for posterity, and also as a benchmark, I'm going to throw out there what is totally taboo to throw out there: my weight. I've been ashamed of it my whole life, for better or worse (we could have numerous discussions about the pros and cons of this, but it will just be depressing, so let's not). The point is, I'm not going to weigh myself for 30 days. That's part of the deal: no scale. I weigh 174 lbs. There. Big sigh. Why is that so hard to admit?
I'll keep up with this for the next thirty days, and then some, and on Monday, May 6, I'll give myself a little weigh-in and see what's up (or hopefully down), and how I feel then.
Cheers!
Partly due to my mother's unwavering dedication to eating healthier since last summer, starting off with this program before going full-fledged paleo on the world, and partly due to the fact that my own healthful eating and weight loss has hit a serious and annoying road block, I've decided to give this a try.
I've always been overweight. If not by a lot, then always by a little. Only within the last few years have I really started to take the health side of this more seriously. I took up cycling a couple of years ago, and in the summers I try to shop at the farm markets and eat whole foods as much as possible. But what about in the winter? What about when those baked casseroles start to sound real good? Or when my coworkers deposit three or four trays of baked goods in the break room and all I can think about is how much I won't be satisfied until I have another chocolate peanut butter cookie? What I need is a change of pace, a new way of looking at how I eat, and a better way of taking care of myself. That's where the Whole9 team and the Whole30 program come in (and also my mom, over at knitorious, who has taught me through her actions that this is not only possible, but enjoyable).
And the Whole30 sounds great! Whole foods only. That's it. Of course there are some limitations, but they are things I mostly already follow: No dairy (I've only got to cut out the creamer from my coffee and yogurt), no bread (no more crackers, but I haven't bought bread in months), and no sugar. THIS WILL BE CHALLENGING. But I'm halfway there. In 30 days I hope to feel more energized, fit into my clothes better, feel awesome on my bike -- because it'll actually be warm enough to get out on the road! - and create some eating habits I can take with me past the 30 days.
As far as my history with weight loss goes, I'm at my "usual" right now. Last summer I weighed in at my highest, which was 196. I freaked out and knew that was just not okay, so I counted calories and successfully lost about 25 pounds, which, give or take a couple, has remained about par for the course since November.
So for posterity, and also as a benchmark, I'm going to throw out there what is totally taboo to throw out there: my weight. I've been ashamed of it my whole life, for better or worse (we could have numerous discussions about the pros and cons of this, but it will just be depressing, so let's not). The point is, I'm not going to weigh myself for 30 days. That's part of the deal: no scale. I weigh 174 lbs. There. Big sigh. Why is that so hard to admit?
I'll keep up with this for the next thirty days, and then some, and on Monday, May 6, I'll give myself a little weigh-in and see what's up (or hopefully down), and how I feel then.
Cheers!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
15 pounds
I've been trying to figure out how to write The Weight Entry. Yes, that's right. Weight.
Here's the scoop. I have been overweight since... forever. Basically, since adolescence. I've been what the BMI scale determines to be "obese," however, I dare to say that's wrong. I'm healthy. I haven't had a medical issue/condition pretty much ever, and other than a yearly-or-so cold, I don't really get sick. Knock on wood, of course, but there you have it. I enjoy riding my bike for 25-50 miles at a time in mild weather and I'm on my feet all day at work. So let's just get that overweight-but-weirdly-healthy part out of the way.
But that still leaves the overweight part. My "ideal" or "healthy" weight is somewhere a good thirty pounds less than what I am. So says those impersonal BMI scales again, so let's just take this with a grain of salt, shall we?
Back in June, two things happened, or should I say, culminated. One, I learned that I didn't win a scholarship to go to grad school this fall, so I had to wait an extra year. I had been stressed about this for months, and was depressed afresh when I learned that my plans would have to be put off. I got lazy. I ate terribly. And that leads me to the second thing, which is that I weighed myself one day and realized that I was the heaviest I had ever been in my entire life, none of my clothes were fitting, and I felt like shit.
I learned a very interesting tip from Neil Gaiman right around that time: focus on the mountain that is your goal. It may be in the distance, far off, and you haven't even reached it yet. But whatever you do, work toward your goal. If you do this one thing, will it help you get to your mountain? Will it send you back down it? His commencement speech from earlier this year rings loud and clear.
So I decided to just change the way I ate. I actually forbade myself to do exercise because I knew it would spark my appetite. So I cut my calories to somewhere between 1200-1600 per day, made sure to drink lots of water, and ate monounsaturated fat in just about every meal as a rule. I still go to restaurants and eat enriched pasta, but not every day. I still drink countless beers on nights when I go out, but not every time. I drink so much more water than I ever did before. It's been seriously challenging, but also quite fun. I've been able to experience a lot of interesting cuisine because of it -- and hardly ever feel as though I was dieting. I think the key to that is simply this: it's not a diet so much as a permanent change in how I eat. I don't intend to stop eating this way. It's awesome. I love it. I feel 100x better being healthy than working toward some goal called "skinny." Of course, it's impossible to completely rule that out. As a woman, I'm programmed to think that's the goal of all goals, right? Oh yeah, and to marry a multi-millionaire. With a yacht. Naturally.
Erm...
Well, you know. But what I really want is to look awesome in a pair of jeans, to wear a size medium instead of a large, and maybe most interestingly... see what I look like at a healthy weight that I have never, ever been before. How will I feel? How will my face shape change? What kind of new, fun clothes will I be able to try -- and feel confident in?
Today is a day for small rejoicing, because I just reached a milestone of 15lbs lost since June. This of course leaves me with quite a way to go, but fifteen pounds, in the scheme of things, is great news for me. It's the most I've ever lost on a diet, to begin, and also well past the point in any such diet that the excuse of "water weight" or "just a fluke of the scale" can be applied. It's real, healthy weight loss, and I'm happy to say that I feel great and I fit into most of my old jeans already.
One trick has worked exceptionally well for me when it comes to achieving small goals. I shop at Goodwill and other thrift shops, or the Target clearance racks, constantly. Let's throw TJMaxx in there for good measure. I think I have a fun, if a little eccentric style, and I like to try new skirts and jeans and whatnot whenever I can find them on the cheap. Over the last couple of months, I've had great success motivating myself to shed a couple more pounds by purchasing a skirt or a pair of jeans that I'm in love with, but are still just slightly too small. One size too small, let's say. Or just small enough that once they stretch out a bit, they'll be fine. But today, they don't fit. And I buy them anyway. Because I love them immensely, and I want to wear them so badly that I try them on week after week until they finally fit. Et voila! Next up is a skirt by Fei I found the other day that will fit before fall is out! I'm determined.
Hopefully I'll get up the courage to share some o' my style here. Right now, the annoyance is that none of my previously favorite clothes are fitting correctly anymore. A good problem, but a problem nonetheless, and one I'll address soon. ;)
Cheers!
Here's the scoop. I have been overweight since... forever. Basically, since adolescence. I've been what the BMI scale determines to be "obese," however, I dare to say that's wrong. I'm healthy. I haven't had a medical issue/condition pretty much ever, and other than a yearly-or-so cold, I don't really get sick. Knock on wood, of course, but there you have it. I enjoy riding my bike for 25-50 miles at a time in mild weather and I'm on my feet all day at work. So let's just get that overweight-but-weirdly-healthy part out of the way.
But that still leaves the overweight part. My "ideal" or "healthy" weight is somewhere a good thirty pounds less than what I am. So says those impersonal BMI scales again, so let's just take this with a grain of salt, shall we?
Back in June, two things happened, or should I say, culminated. One, I learned that I didn't win a scholarship to go to grad school this fall, so I had to wait an extra year. I had been stressed about this for months, and was depressed afresh when I learned that my plans would have to be put off. I got lazy. I ate terribly. And that leads me to the second thing, which is that I weighed myself one day and realized that I was the heaviest I had ever been in my entire life, none of my clothes were fitting, and I felt like shit.
I learned a very interesting tip from Neil Gaiman right around that time: focus on the mountain that is your goal. It may be in the distance, far off, and you haven't even reached it yet. But whatever you do, work toward your goal. If you do this one thing, will it help you get to your mountain? Will it send you back down it? His commencement speech from earlier this year rings loud and clear.
So I decided to just change the way I ate. I actually forbade myself to do exercise because I knew it would spark my appetite. So I cut my calories to somewhere between 1200-1600 per day, made sure to drink lots of water, and ate monounsaturated fat in just about every meal as a rule. I still go to restaurants and eat enriched pasta, but not every day. I still drink countless beers on nights when I go out, but not every time. I drink so much more water than I ever did before. It's been seriously challenging, but also quite fun. I've been able to experience a lot of interesting cuisine because of it -- and hardly ever feel as though I was dieting. I think the key to that is simply this: it's not a diet so much as a permanent change in how I eat. I don't intend to stop eating this way. It's awesome. I love it. I feel 100x better being healthy than working toward some goal called "skinny." Of course, it's impossible to completely rule that out. As a woman, I'm programmed to think that's the goal of all goals, right? Oh yeah, and to marry a multi-millionaire. With a yacht. Naturally.
Erm...
Well, you know. But what I really want is to look awesome in a pair of jeans, to wear a size medium instead of a large, and maybe most interestingly... see what I look like at a healthy weight that I have never, ever been before. How will I feel? How will my face shape change? What kind of new, fun clothes will I be able to try -- and feel confident in?
Today is a day for small rejoicing, because I just reached a milestone of 15lbs lost since June. This of course leaves me with quite a way to go, but fifteen pounds, in the scheme of things, is great news for me. It's the most I've ever lost on a diet, to begin, and also well past the point in any such diet that the excuse of "water weight" or "just a fluke of the scale" can be applied. It's real, healthy weight loss, and I'm happy to say that I feel great and I fit into most of my old jeans already.
One trick has worked exceptionally well for me when it comes to achieving small goals. I shop at Goodwill and other thrift shops, or the Target clearance racks, constantly. Let's throw TJMaxx in there for good measure. I think I have a fun, if a little eccentric style, and I like to try new skirts and jeans and whatnot whenever I can find them on the cheap. Over the last couple of months, I've had great success motivating myself to shed a couple more pounds by purchasing a skirt or a pair of jeans that I'm in love with, but are still just slightly too small. One size too small, let's say. Or just small enough that once they stretch out a bit, they'll be fine. But today, they don't fit. And I buy them anyway. Because I love them immensely, and I want to wear them so badly that I try them on week after week until they finally fit. Et voila! Next up is a skirt by Fei I found the other day that will fit before fall is out! I'm determined.
Hopefully I'll get up the courage to share some o' my style here. Right now, the annoyance is that none of my previously favorite clothes are fitting correctly anymore. A good problem, but a problem nonetheless, and one I'll address soon. ;)
Cheers!
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