Small Slice

When Kristen of The Mom Trap asked for some low-impact exercise suggestions, preferably things that can be done with/near a toddler, I got all excited.  I love making suggestions! 

Besides, Kristen is one tall mama, and she could totally take me if I refused.  Not that I would. 

Kristen is currently pregnant, and the mother of an active toddler.  She's also parenting solo right now, making her "me" time into "we" time.  This can make even the most serene, organized mother crazy. 

Luckily, exercise can solve some of the dilemma - blow off some steam, have a few giggles, get those endorphins rushing and wear your toddler out - these are all good things, no?

There is quite a large selection of prenatal yoga videos out there - all of which could feasibly be performed at home during nap-time or in the evenings after the kids go to bed.  This solution never worked for me.  As soon as I clicked on the DVD player, my kids would pop awake, and treated any floor poses as an excellent opportunity to ride mommy's back like a fat pony.  Urgh.  The other challenge for me was my various aches and pains during pregnancy.  My hips were always aching, and my knees were loose.  I found that staying in motion was much easier than holding a pose - which lead me to search out other activities.

Once it dawned on me that I would never get an uninterrupted 30 minutes (or heck, 20 minutes) to exercise, I began to embrace the little opportunities that presented themselves throughout my day:

Getting down with Children's Television - I'm not ashamed to admit I got some really fun aerobic exercise dancing along with children's television.  My kids and I would try to follow the routines on The Wiggles, Hi-5, Jo-Jo's Circus and more.  The songs are usually short, and the routines uncomplicated.  Best of all, it keeps the kids happy.  Okay, actually...the best part is that the kids on the videos keep screwing up the dances, and they can't sing in tune, and it is all good.  No one says anything about squeezing your glutes or being strong or feeling the burn. 

Dance Party - We did a lot of disco dancing in the living room in the evenings.  I'd turn on some upbeat tunes, and we'd just go with it. 

Strength training - Okay - let me be honest here - just doing the laundry and carrying in the groceries wore me out.  But hey - before you put those gallons of milk and juice in the fridge, do a few bicep curls and shoulder shrugs.  Do some calf raises while you are folding towels.  I'll refer you to Krista's fantastic information on weight training during pregnancy.

Short-Workout DVDs - I love the 10-Minute Solutions series, which offers a lot of low-impact workout styles and options, all on the same DVD.  You know you aren't going to get 30 minutes, but 10 minutes might be doable.  I particularly enjoyed the ballet barre exercises, which allowed me to  1) hold onto something sturdy, like a chair and 2) pretend I was still graceful for 10 minutes. 

Squeeze walking into your everyday life - sometimes walking to the park was more than I could manage.  The getting ready, the packing of the diaper bag and snacks and finding the right toys and getting the kid into the stroller was more than I could handle.  So, instead of making it about the destination, find a way to get those extra steps in.  All the usual cliched advice applies here.  Park further away.  Do an extra lap around the mall before you begin your shopping.  Check out what lies within a mile of your front door in every direction, and see if you can't knock out an errand or two on foot.   

Let your child lead - this actually has resulted in some of my favorite workouts.  Toss folded socks into the laundry basket.  Step on every square of linoleum in your kitchen while counting.  Play copycat with your kid.  Let them decide how to walk, choose the path, make silly faces. You'll find yourself walking like a monster, prancing like a pony, crawling like a kitty, flying like a butterfly and you'll be exhausted at the end of it all, but you'll earn major points towards your Mother of the Year award.

Use what you have - play oversized soccer with your yoga ball.  Create an obstacle course in your hallway.  Use a favorite DVD to distract your child while you squeeze out a series of wall-pushups and leg-lifts. 

Everyone, go give Kristen a big virtual hug, and your best suggestions for kid-friendly exercise.  And be sure to visit her other sites: Motherhood Uncensored and Cool Mom Picks.

Posted by Jenny at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Gah!  Sorry for being such a flaky blogger last week.  I'm much peppier this week, and looking forward to getting back to the business of losing weight at a snail's pace.  Because that, my friends, is what I am apparently all about.

I've got some questions for you all...

Since last year, but really dramatically this summer to right this minute, my hair has been thinning.  Now, granted, I've got a massive head of hair, and I've always been a shedder, but it is getting ridiculous.  We're talking a brush full of hair every time I brush, and a clogged drain every time I shower.  I've got an appointment with a doctor next week to see what he thinks might be the problem, and I'm staying away from WebMD because I will just freak myself out over all the possible things that might be causing this...

Has anyone else gone through this?  It's like that post-partum hair loss, except for six straight months. 

Then!  The scale has not moved.  In a month.  Except for the bloating that shot me up four pounds overnight.  What is up with that?  Is dramatic bloating something to worry about? 

Okay, enough of the hypochondriac questions.  Let me tell you about my progress!

*silence*

Ha!  I kid!  After a solid month of good arm workouts (with a few more days off that I was originally planning) I can totally feel my shoulder and bicep muscles when I flex, and my triceps are there, if hiding.  I'll attempt photos this afternoon.  And then there's the whole calorie awareness thing... I've been pretty successful in keeping my portions small, and my choices healthy.  I'm actually growing pleasantly hungry as mealtime nears, which is a good thing.  It feels like my body is letting me know that I'm not over-eating at meals, and I'm not tempted to skip a meal because of overeating at the last meal.

Wow, how many times did I use the word "meal?"

Onward, my friends.  I'll post my arm photos and dinner menu for the week tonight. 

Posted by Jenny at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

This has been one of those weeks. 

I think I'm fighting a virus of some sort - I feel very run-down and lethargic, and even mild exercise causes me to become winded.  The kids, of course, are feeling their oats, and have been bucking and kicking all over the place, all week long.  Add in a business trip for my husband, and assorted household chores that just couldn't wait, and you get a very quiet BigSlice.

I stepped on the scale (moments ago! This is all very LIVE ACTION!) and I'm back at 168.  I can't work up any excitement over the scale at the moment.  I will tell you that my arms, while still about the same size, actually have a little bit of muscle definition.  I think for a truly big difference, I'm simply going to have to get rid of these pounds.

Oh, by the way... dancing to ABBA while doing dishes is awesome.  Thanks, Julie!

Posted by Jenny at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week, when I posted some suggestions for getting your weekly menu put together, I neglected to mention another option:  the make-it-yourself dinner prep places.

I don't know if they are nationwide yet, but I know there are several chains who specialize in offering a monthly menu that you can make an appointment to prepare and then take home and throw in your freezer.

My local chain is called "Dinner My Way" - the way it worked is that I went online, chose the items from their menu, and then booked a time (the same time as several of my girlfriends).  We met up at the appointed time, and within an hour, we had each assembled six menu items.  Each item serves six, and the place enables you to split your entrees in two, so I came home with 12 dinners to put in my freezer.  Love it!

The cost wasn't prohibitive either - my bill for six menu items came to 129 dollars - an average of 10 dollars per dinner, since I came away with 12 future dinners. 

My main complaint is that almost all the menu items included some form of meat - we're not big meat eaters around here, so the thought of eating pork chops one night, chicken the next, prawns the next, beef the next - it will probably take us a while to get through all the items I prepared, since I"ll be staggering these dinners into our normal menus. 

I'll post this week's menu later today - I'm just now swilling a cup of decaf and trying to make a plan for the day. 

To read my adventures when I went horseback riding this weekend, check over at Three Kid Circus.  Good workout, that.  My arms and stomach muscles, as well as my inner legs are still sore.

Posted by Jenny at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, I've been journaling my food today:

Breakfast - 1 tall pumpkin spice latte on the run to the pumpkin patch with the preschool.  360 calories
Lunch - Chopped pecan chicken leftover from dinner over a bed of lettuce, with 1 cup cubed sweet potatoes.  460 calories

So far, so good, right?

But then I picked the kids up from school and they were starving, so we dropped by KFC for some popcorn chicken before gymnastics.  I ate a handful of the stuff.  I estimate 200 calories worth.

I also ate four strawberries (25 calories), a 6 oz glass of orange juice (113 calories) and three bottles of water. 

This is why I loathe counting calories.  And also, likely why I'm not losing weight.  I'm at 1200 calories before I even add in dinner.  I'm having a cup of soup and small salad.  And water. 

Damn snacks.  I didn't need the KFC - I was full from lunch.  The Pumpkin Spice Latte?  Total waste of calories. 

I hate journaling.  I hate paying attention.  But apparently, I'm not "as good" as I think I am.  So I'll continue to jot down every bite that crosses my lips for the next week.

According to Mistress Krista - in order to reduce my over-all weight, I am going to have to consume around 1500 calories a day, max.  That means I really really really need to eliminate the crap, and focus on eating the foods that make the most sense for my goals.

Real foods.  Natural foods.  In moderation.

Posted by Jenny at 6:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm still sticking to my arm exercise routine, and while I'm not exactly buffed, I'm starting to see the outlines of muscles if I look really hard!  Wooo!

I also can report that I am feeling stronger, and am able to complete my three sets of each exercise with energy to spare... so I'm going to up the amount of weight I am lifting, and really pay attention to slowing down and getting the most out of each rep.

My weight loss has stalled out, again.  I'm hovering at 172 pounds.  Could this be a lingering result of my chocolate spree?  I can't say for sure. 

Here's the plan - More water.  More aerobic exercise (personal goal: 1 hr, 15 min) and more awareness.  I haven't been journaling my daily food, but I suspect that I'm indulging above and beyond what I'm aware of eating.  I am also planning a follow up doctor's visit, to rule out any physical impediment from losing weight.

And above all, I'm going to get back to having fun.  There has been a lack of hilarity in this house the last few weeks.  So, I could use some suggestions for activities that will get my heart-rate up, and put a smile on my face.

Posted by Jenny at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

First of all, I wish you all could come to dinner, since my children are rarely as excited as you guys over my menu ;)

I get a lot of comments from people who can't seem to get a weekly menu going.  There are a couple of ways to approach this, all of which I have tried.  These ideas have all been borrowed from friends and experts, and since my brain is pretty much mush these days, I can't remember who told me what.  Speak up if I'm using one of your ideas, so I can give you appropriate credit!

1) Write your dinner down on a calendar, every day for a month (or six weeks) - at the end of the month, you will have a weekly plan already created.  You can just go back to the first week and repeat the sequence of dinners.  This is great if your family likes to have the same foods over and over, and you don't have a lot of time.

2) Have a general plan for your week, and then fill in the blanks.  For example: Monday, pasta.  Tuesday, chicken.  Wednesday, breakfast for dinner.  Thursday, crockpot.  Friday, ethnic night.  Saturday, pizza.  Sunday, casserole.  Use this same format every week, just changing out the dishes.  This works really well, because you can plan your shopping pretty easily.  It also works because you can plan around your schedule.  My Wednesdays and Fridays are hectic, so those days I try to keep dinner simple (or use the crockpot). 

3) Invest in a service like Leanne Ely's SavingDinner.com, and let someone else do the planning.  I enjoyed Leanne's recipes, but her menus didn't really meet my needs - I understand that she's added all sorts of new menus... worth a look-see.

4) Spend an hour and make a spreadsheet of all the foods you typically buy.  Put all the dairy together, all the frozen stuff, all the dry stuff, the produce, etc.  Okay, then you print it out, and put it in a sleeve protector and put it on your fridge.  As you are making up your menu, you use a highlighter pen on the sleeve, and mark off ingredients you will need.  Write in any special purchases, and off you go.  When you are done shopping, wipe the highlighter off with a damp cloth, and you can reuse your list again and again. 

5) Keep your budget in mind when planning - a large roast can be turned into sandwiches later in the week - barbecued chicken makes great chicken salad.  Steamed rice from one dinner can become fried rice the next day.  If you don't know what you're making from one night to the next, it can be hard to make your ingredients stretch, and get the most out of every purchase. 

By the way, I'm totally guilty of buying food and leaving it to rot, because it was an impulse purchase.  I would love to have all those dollars back, and it makes me angry every time I clean out my crisper and see wilted lettuce, soggy tomatoes, limp squash... if only I had planned better, there wouldn't be this waste.

Finally, it is only a good deal if you are going to actually eat it.  Those bargins on the end aisle of the store are often a great deal, price wise.  If you are anything like me, you will toss those cans of cranberry sauce and canned pumpkin into the cart on principle.  And then sometime in June, you will find those same cans in the pantry, because you never got around to using them.  Plan ahead, buy what you need, and you'll never be stuck holding a giant can of mushed pumpkin.

Posted by Jenny at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Guess where I am?  Go on...

Okay, I'll tell.  I'm sitting on my bedroom floor, foot wedged against the door to prevent my three-year-old from barging in.  She's throwing her body against the door and screeching, which sounds rather aerobic. 

I know, it sounds like I'm being a neglectful mother, but truth be told, I've given every last waking hour of the last three days to keeping her from tantruming, and frankly, she can just work it out.  I've got working out of my own to do.  Perhaps I'll try screaming and throwing myself around the house, too. 

I'm typing in rhythm with her thudding body.  When she collides with the door, she makes a little rising-pitch "huh!" noise.  Hah!

She's just heard the theme music from Handy Manny down the hall, and she's retreated.  I think this means I won this round. 

Anyway, despite my best intentions, I was never able to get to the computer to post yesterday.  The school has a holiday, and I had all three kids at home.  We played outside, read stories, and made each other crazy.  By the time they went to bed last night, I was sore and tired, and dull-witted.  I couldn't imagine trying to write a single thing.

Today, however, the two older kids are off at school, and I am feeling ambitious.  Or, actually, I'm feeling like I should take advantage of the lull while Handy Manny is entertaining my preschooler.

It's shopping day, so I'll be off to the market to fill my basket with healthy foods.  Here's the menu for this week:

Tuesday: Homemade chicken fingers, green beans, oven fries
Wednesday: Spaghetti with marinara sauce, green salad
Thursday: Mild cheese enchiladas with beans and rice
Friday: Crazy Sandwiches - I put out three different types of "bread" - crackers, tortillas, whatever and then put out a bunch of sliced cheeses, meat, spreads and things like pickles, cucumbers, sprouts, cream cheese, etc.  I let them assemble whatever combination they want.
Saturday: Bacon and swiss quiche, fruit salad
Sunday: grilled sausages with sweet potatoes and grilled peppers.

Posted by Jenny at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (0)

So, I was in a funk, eating poorly, not really getting any aerobic exercise last week, and I felt gross.

Then it dawned on me that I was feeling gross because I was eating poorly and not exercising, not the other way around. 

Every day this week, I've taken my vitamins, done my workout, eaten moderately, and gone to bed by 10 pm, and I feel really happy and not even a little gross.

Now, this is one of those times where I want to beat myself on the head - I know, without a doubt, that when I fill my body with empty calories and don't get my heart rate up, I get blue.  There is a difference between mindful indulgence (having a nice dessert after a good meal) and mindless grazing (walking around with a bag of halloween candy dangling from your elastic waistband just so it is handy.)

Nothing I want to eat is off-limits.  I just have to plan for it, and have a small portion. 

I forgot that, and the last week of binge eating was spurred on by mild seasonal blahs and the panic that sets in when you realize that there are special halloween candies on the shelves, and when halloween is over, they won't be there any more. Never mind that they will be there, just in different wrappers.  And, um, HELLO!  CHRISTMAS!  RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!  I have this primal urge to buy buy buy buy buy and eat eat eat eat. 

It is really a sickness.  I felt horrible after over-indulging.  My body has gotten used to small portions, and not a lot of sugary foods.  I am grateful that I became ill, because it helped me realize that I can't do that to myself any longer. 

Posted by Jenny at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Since my candy bender, and subsequent sour stomach, I've been really off my eating plan.  Really, really off.  I've been craving all sorts of sweet foods, and find myself shoving handfuls of random snacks in my mouth every time I pass through the kitchen. 

I have to regain control.  My scale reported 172 this morning.  That's up three pounds from Monday.

Maybe I need a new scale.  (Kidding.  Sort of.)

I've been true to my workout schedule (although I'm not doing power yoga today.  I'm taking a long walk with my dog, because my arms are so sore that plank position might kill me) and I feel great about that. 

However, the eating thing is really ticking me off.  I've been skipping breakfast, since I'm not really hungry.  The problem has been lunchtime.  I've been really great with salads all this time, but I'm sick of making them.  I'm sick of eating them.  I'm sick sick sick of lettuce.  Instead of substituting smart, I've been loading up on bread and cheese, which leaves me hungrier at dinner time.  I'm not eating more than my one plate of food, but I'm concentrating on the carbs, and neglecting fruits and veggies and it is showing - in my cravings for sugar, in my sluggishness, on the scale.

Crap.

So, we begin again.  Back to the basics. 

Breakfast - even if I'm not all that hungry.  Eggs and veggies.
Lunch - salad, or soup.  Or both.  Include either olive oil, or cheese.
Dinner - I really need to up the quantity of veggies/fruits here, and take the focus off of the pastas and rice and bread.  Treat myself to a small, rich dessert or cheese to finish the meal.

Aaargh.

Posted by Jenny at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

My arms would like to say one thing: OUCH. 

Shuddup arms.  Flabby, weak, girlie arms.  You will soon be strong.  Or you may fall off.  We will have to see.  Mwahahahahahaha

So, let's see.  I'm on my own with the monsters this week, so dinners will be super simple this week.  Part of the reason is no husband to impress with my culinary feats.  The other part is I'm so weak that I can barely lift a lemon from all the "working out" I'm doing.

So! 

Monday night: French toast with sliced apples
Tuesday night: Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Wednesday night: Steamed rice with stir fried veggies and tofu
Thursday night: Chili and corn bread with watermelon
Friday night: Savory puff pastry thingies, baked squash and salad.  I'll post the recipe.
Saturday night: Whole roasted chicken with roasted red potatoes and green beans
Sunday night: Leftovers

Posted by Jenny at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I spent the better part of Friday eating handfuls of "fun-size" candies.  Mostly of the chocolate variety.  And I was sick almost all day yesterday - stomach cramps, headache, reflux...

LEARN FROM ME!  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO EAT YOUR BODY WEIGHT IN CHEAP CANDY. 

Even if it is your birthday.  My recommendation is to stick with high quality candy.  And go easy it.

So, this morning, I'm also up two pounds - 169.  Still.  Again.  Gah.

I'm not going to dwell on that - I'm going to reveal my superfantastic arm exercise plans so that you all can follow along!

Friday, I did no exercise, unless you count lifting jumbo sized bags of halloween candy into my cart at Target. 

Saturday, I also DID NO EXERCISE, except laundry.  I can hear all the boos and catcalls from you guys.  I can also hear you saying "Wow, no exercise... this sounds like the kind of workout plan I can get behind!"

No!  That is NOT THE PLAN!  I was just testing out my theory that no exercise plus a metric crap-load of candy is a bad idea for weight loss.  AND I WAS RIGHT!  HA!

So!  On to the actual plan for sculpting my arms and er, losing some weight:

Today, I'm going to take on Mistress Krista's upper body routine from her All Dumbells, All The Time plan.  That means -

1. one-arm row
   3 sets of 10-15 reps
2. lying dumbbell press OR pushups
   3 x 10-15 (or as many pushups as you can do per set)
3. standing overhead dumbbell press
   3 x 10-15
4. lower back exercise of choice
   3 x 10-15

I'm also going to add some front raises and side raises, 3 x 10-15 reps, and a set of stomach crunches 3 x 10-15.

I'm going to do this set of weight exercises on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. 

Now, to avoid muscle fatigue from the same exercises day in and out, I'm going to use some of my workout videos/other equipment for the rest of the days of the week. 

Monday - Bellydance video (makes my poor flabby arms ache - a good thing)
Wednesday - Power Yoga video
Friday - Trampoline Jogging with hand weights or jumping rope and hula hoop.
Saturday - DAY OFF from targeted exercise

I would really like to make each Saturday a family exercise day, where we go out and have an adventure.  But regardless, I'm taking Saturday off from the arm-exercises.

I've got a good collection of weights and other equipment... but if you don't, you really don't need to run out and buy a bunch of stuff.  Krista has a great page with ideas for making your own 'heavy things' and exercises you can do to build your strength with stuff you can find around the house.

Come on now.  This should take you less than 30 minutes a day.  We can totally do this.  Right?

Posted by Jenny at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Okay.  I have discovered that it is astoundingly hard to take a photo of your own arm.  These things I do for you!

Behold the flab that is my bare arm:

I know, it could be worse.  Believe me, it has been worse.  But I really want to see if I can't make a visible difference in one month.  I know that to really reshape my arm, I'm going to need to lose some more pounds - but for now, I'm going to focus on the possibilites.
Look!  I made a little muscle move, and *nothing* changed.  That is just wrong.

Today is my 34th birthday... a perfect day to start something new.  Well, new-ish, since I've been exercising.

Posted by Jenny at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Let's see, where was I...

Ah yes.  Rambling about my diet and lifestyle changes over the last few months.  I've completely lost my train of thought on that, because I got Lost.

Season premieres make me forget what I was going to write about.

Which is fine anyway, because I wanted to address something else.  My upper arms.  I've got flabby wings that just won't quit, and while it is socially acceptable to hide them under sweaters and long sleeves, I want to see some progress on my body - since the scale isn't going down as quickly as I'd like.

So.  I'm going to post a photo of my arm (gasp) tonight.  I'm going to commit to a series of targeted weight lifting to see if I can make a visible difference in one month.  I'll post photos as I go - maybe once a week?  Maybe by focusing on one area at a time, while still maintaining my overall diet and exercise routine, I'll have some results to brag about.

Posted by Jenny at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

I've noticed that I've got quite a few new readers (Hello!) and I'm getting quite a few questions about my diet and exercise efforts - I thought I would take this week to talk a bit about what is working for me.

Oh yeah, and I'll post my menu for the week, too.  Heh.

I read a book by Dr. Will Clower called "The Fat Fallacy."  He explains why the French aren't an obese population, even though they eat rich, fatty foods.  It was a quick read, and made a lot of sense.  I've been trying to apply the principles to my diet ever since.

Basically, it boils down to eating natural foods, in small portions, while sitting at a table.

I'm the first to admit that our family dinner time is anything but peaceful and serene.  With a three-year-old, a six-year-old and a seven-year-old, I am struggling to keep their behinds in chairs for an entire dinner.  The idea of enjoying a leisurely family meal is something I'm still working towards.

But the transition to eating healthy, natural foods has been surprisingly easy.  The kids have never been big eaters, so I'm taking any complaints from them with a grain of salt.  They eat enough to keep them active, so I must be doing something right.

So, what do I mean when I say "healthy" and "natural" foods?  The food industry makes a lot of "healthy" foods that are full of artificial ingredients and mystery chemicals.  We've been taught to fear fats and sugars in all their forms.  Carbs are bad.  Eggs are bad.  We think nothing of eating chemically-laden foods, without even being able to identify what exactly we are eating. 

I'm trying to stay away from packaged foods, in general.  I am trying to eat food that I can look at and easily see that it grew on a tree, in the dirt, or had a mama.  Apples.  Chicken.  Potatoes. 

If I do use packaged products, I look at the ingredients, and find brands that I can identify every single ingredient on the label.  If I can't, I put it back. 

I purchase whole-fat dairy products for my family, and enjoy them gleefully.  I buy real cheeses, natural yogurts without dyes and synthetic flavorings.  I use real butter and heavy cream, and olive oils.  I don't buy anything that says "food" on the label.

We've been told for years and years that the way to a healthy diet and weight loss is to replace natural foods with chemically-altered versions.  It doesn't make any sense to me.

The problem is that people like me want to have our cake, and eat it too.  We want to eat all of our favorite snackies, and not have to pay for it.  We tell ourselves that it is practically virtuous to eat foods with Splenda instead of sugar, or to have a Diet Coke instead of a milkshake.  Aside from the fact that many of these foods are contributing nothing in the way of nutrition, they are keeping our cravings for junk food alive and well.  We may be saving a few calories by eating a low-whatever version of Doritos, but the whole problem is that we shouldn't be eating Doritos at all.

I'll admit, the hardest part for me was eliminating snacks from my diet.  Those mid-afternoon hours were my weakest point, and I would often find myself armpit deep in a box of cereal, or grabbing a handful of crackers on my way through the kitchen.  I would mindlessly eat until I cooked dinner, and then eat a full dinner.  It was never a planned snack.  It was always just a handful of this, a few of that.  And you know what?  That stuff adds up.

So, how can I call eating full-fat foods and carbs a healthy way to eat?  How could I possibly lose any weight eating like that?

It is all about the portion control, and the speed at which you eat.  The adult stomach is the size of your two fists.  Put your two fists together on top of your favorite dinner plate.  It is horrifying to contemplate how much food we can put away if we allow ourselves. 

The first thing I did was to pack away all my full sized dinner plates, and begin to serve dinner only on salad-sized plates.  I filled half the plate with fruits and veggies - and then put a smaller-than-I-thought portion of whatever main entree I was serving.  I have been lazy about documenting my dinners recently, but if you go to the left side of the blog, I have a photo album of some of my dinners. 

By including a rich sauce, cheeses, cream, olive oil, whatever... my dinners were surprisingly satisfying and I rarely felt the need to have more than the food on my plate.  I will allow myself to have seconds if I am still truly hungry 20 minutes after my last bite.  This is rare. 

As someone who loves to sample while I cook, I've had to really work hard to keep my food only at meals.  It is something I struggle with, nightly.  But those extra mouthfuls make a difference.

By sitting down at the table, and enjoying a balanced meal, I'm appreciative of the flavor of the food, aware of how much I am eating, and I'm in control.  When I try to cram a meal into my mouth out of a paper bag from a drive-thru, I'm not even tasting the food I'm eating.  I'm just inhaling it, and I'm not in control. 

This is all about having a healthy, balanced relationship with my food.  If I want fried chicken, I have some.  If I want ice cream, I have some.  The key for me is sitting down and tasting it, enjoying it.  Not wolfing it in front of the TV or in the car.  By paying attention to what I'm eating, I eat less, and I'm satisfied.

I'll continue this tomorrow...

Posted by Jenny at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

I didn't lift a finger to cook this weekend... I had planned to have the kids cook, but we ended up eating out the entire weekend, and it was divine!

My wedding anniversary is on 9-11, and we didn't feel like celebrating until this weekend.  We took the kids to my parents' house and ran off for a lovely dinner of Thai food.  I ordered all my favorites, and we giggled our way through eight years of memories.  We had a blast.

Then, last night, we celebrated my dad's birthday and my upcoming birthday at a Mexican restaurant, with Pomegranate Margaritas and great food.  It was a wonderful weekend, full of lots of wonderful treats.

This morning, I stepped on the scale and saw a big 167 flashing at me, and while I'm disappointed that I've only lost a pound, a weekend full of restaurant food would have normally pushed me up by a pound or two.  I didn't overeat, I didn't feel guilty about leaving food on my plate, and I felt like I had a balanced meal each time. 

Woo hoooooo!

This week, I'm going to focus on eating well, of course, but I'm also going to review what I'm doing, and why.  I'm also going to really step up the exercise.  I want to get this scale moving!

I'm working on this week's menu right now... I'll post it this evening after I make up my shopping list.

Posted by Jenny at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)