That great holiday that comes once a year, one we all celebrate and are thankful for.....MY BIRTHDAY!!!!! and of course, Thanksgiving as well.
I am a Thanksgiving baby. I was born on Thanksgiving and my birthday falls on Thanksgiving every so many years. If I had to be born on a holiday, Thanksgiving is definitely a good one. Not only do I LOVE turkey, it is generally a positive day for most people. So many people reflect on how grateful they are about things and plan for the rest of the year and start thinking about new beginnings for the first of next year.
I am having a good day so far. It did not start out great as one of the dogs woke me to go out at 3:30 or so. I let her out and noticed my birthday gift from Tim on the couch. I snuck a peek at the wrapping...he had written spontaneous poetry for me and covered the package with it. How sweet! At that point, it certainly did not even matter what was in the package. I loved the poetry. (For those that have not seen the movie Waitress, do see it. You will understand the connection to spontaneous poetry. He loves that part of the movie.)
In the morning, I actually postponed opening presents to go to the gym this morning...crazy, huh? But I did open my gift from hubby as soon as I got back. He got me a great little Acer Aspire to take with me when I travel and to generally carry around. I of course protested that I did not need it and it was money that did not need to be spent...but he thinks birthday presents should be surprises and things that are unnecessary...plus he earned the money and it did not come out of the savings...so I am accepting it! I love it!
Watching the Pack right now...they do not look great but they are winning...later it is turkey with some friends in the neighborhood...yep...a good day....
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Some thoughts...
I was listening to an interview with the woman who lost 339 pounds and was on the cover of Off the Couch (a special edition of the fitness magazine Oxygen). Amy Barnes really went through an amazing transformation. I think her story is motivational for everyone, no matter what you are trying to accomplish. I mean, it is amazing to think that someone can go from nearly 500 pounds to competing in body building competitions.
However, I was struck by something she said in one of the interviews. What she said was that she never hired a personal trainer because she did not want someone to say that "they helped her lose the weight." I thought about that earlier today as I was driving home. While I am not trying to take anything away from her and I am awestruck that she could do it all on her own, I know that I am finally at the point that I can ask for help. Working out with Shelby (although it has only been three sessions) has definitely been helpful.
In fact, with her encouragement, I am back to using my bodybugg so we can track things together. (Note that I had grown tired of the multiple tracking I was doing. Now I am just tracking the the bodybugg program for the next month and see how it goes.) I am over thinking that since I am smart, I should be able to figure this out on my own. I know that looking over the statistics of both outgoing calories and intake of calories with someone will be helpful. I know this because doing it on my own has not been that successful.
It seems like this year I have floundered, trying to figure out will help. I still know I am healthier than I was over a year ago. I still make generally make good choices and read labels. Right now, however, I weigh three pounds more than I did at the beginning of the year! At least it isn't more, but I am not satisfied with this. So, I need help. Saturday's session with Shelby helped me understand that she is there to help me with more than figure out an appropriate exercise program. She will help me with the full picture. For that, I will be grateful. AND when I lose the weight, she can take all the credit she wants....the important thing to me will be that I lost the weight!
So, I am AGAIN reassessing and trying to figure things out....time with Shelby will definitely help in that regard.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Work on the Hot 100
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
Again, this is out. I m going to stop reporting on this.
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Still zumba and swimming....and twice a week with Shelby when I am in town.
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
Trip to San Francisco went pretty well. We had fruit and veggies for snacks in the hotel room and made pretty good food choices. We did a lot of walking. I am back for a bit over a week then off to NYC.
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
Trip to San Francisco put this on hold again. When we are busy, it is difficult to make this a priority.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Trip put this in hold a bit as well but we will be picking it back up soon.
However, I was struck by something she said in one of the interviews. What she said was that she never hired a personal trainer because she did not want someone to say that "they helped her lose the weight." I thought about that earlier today as I was driving home. While I am not trying to take anything away from her and I am awestruck that she could do it all on her own, I know that I am finally at the point that I can ask for help. Working out with Shelby (although it has only been three sessions) has definitely been helpful.
In fact, with her encouragement, I am back to using my bodybugg so we can track things together. (Note that I had grown tired of the multiple tracking I was doing. Now I am just tracking the the bodybugg program for the next month and see how it goes.) I am over thinking that since I am smart, I should be able to figure this out on my own. I know that looking over the statistics of both outgoing calories and intake of calories with someone will be helpful. I know this because doing it on my own has not been that successful.
It seems like this year I have floundered, trying to figure out will help. I still know I am healthier than I was over a year ago. I still make generally make good choices and read labels. Right now, however, I weigh three pounds more than I did at the beginning of the year! At least it isn't more, but I am not satisfied with this. So, I need help. Saturday's session with Shelby helped me understand that she is there to help me with more than figure out an appropriate exercise program. She will help me with the full picture. For that, I will be grateful. AND when I lose the weight, she can take all the credit she wants....the important thing to me will be that I lost the weight!
So, I am AGAIN reassessing and trying to figure things out....time with Shelby will definitely help in that regard.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Work on the Hot 100
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
Again, this is out. I m going to stop reporting on this.
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Still zumba and swimming....and twice a week with Shelby when I am in town.
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
Trip to San Francisco went pretty well. We had fruit and veggies for snacks in the hotel room and made pretty good food choices. We did a lot of walking. I am back for a bit over a week then off to NYC.
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
Trip to San Francisco put this on hold again. When we are busy, it is difficult to make this a priority.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Trip put this in hold a bit as well but we will be picking it back up soon.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Second session with Shelby
Shelby is my personal trainer. Last night was my second session. I sweated like a PIG. It was a hard work out but also fun. It is crazy because I know two things to be true:
1. I would not work out as hard if it was not for her keeping me going, especially when it comes to squats.
2. I would have HORRIBLE form (which is half the battle) if it were not for her! I hope I am learning but it is hard to know if your shoulders are to scrunchy, etc. I am glad that she is correcting me.
Last night we worked out with the stability ball. I will tell you that it is not my favorite thing. BUT I did it...everything she asked me to do and only one thing did I have to take an unplanned break. Not too bad...especially since I am terrified of falling flat on my face at times!
I signed up and scheduled sessions through the end of the year. At the beginning of the year, I am sure I will sign up for more but let's get these under my belt first!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Work on the Hot 100
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
OK. This is not going to happen. I know I need to strengthen my core and build some endurance. I am going to talk to Shelby about this for next year. Oh, well, it is a learning process.
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Still zumba and swimming....
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
This went well but I fear an upcoming trip to San Francisco and then another one to NYC....but I will get through it all.
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
This has happened a couple of times. We need to be more consistent.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Still cooking lots at home...old and new recipes...I hope we can keep it up because I need the money we are saving for personal training sessions! :)
More later!~
1. I would not work out as hard if it was not for her keeping me going, especially when it comes to squats.
2. I would have HORRIBLE form (which is half the battle) if it were not for her! I hope I am learning but it is hard to know if your shoulders are to scrunchy, etc. I am glad that she is correcting me.
Last night we worked out with the stability ball. I will tell you that it is not my favorite thing. BUT I did it...everything she asked me to do and only one thing did I have to take an unplanned break. Not too bad...especially since I am terrified of falling flat on my face at times!
I signed up and scheduled sessions through the end of the year. At the beginning of the year, I am sure I will sign up for more but let's get these under my belt first!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Work on the Hot 100
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
OK. This is not going to happen. I know I need to strengthen my core and build some endurance. I am going to talk to Shelby about this for next year. Oh, well, it is a learning process.
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Still zumba and swimming....
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
This went well but I fear an upcoming trip to San Francisco and then another one to NYC....but I will get through it all.
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
This has happened a couple of times. We need to be more consistent.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Still cooking lots at home...old and new recipes...I hope we can keep it up because I need the money we are saving for personal training sessions! :)
More later!~
Sunday, November 8, 2009
WOW! I can't believe I did it!
BUT I am so GLAD I did! I am now working out with a personal trainer. I had my first session Saturday. I enjoyed it. It was hard. Today it is even harder, especially when I try to get up off the floor!
We actually did not do that much but I can feel the muscles we did work out! I have another session this coming Wednesday. The sessions are 50 minutes. It is really nice because she is focused on ME during that time! No group session. No cookie cutter program. It is all about ME.
It is a good thing! A very good thing!
We actually did not do that much but I can feel the muscles we did work out! I have another session this coming Wednesday. The sessions are 50 minutes. It is really nice because she is focused on ME during that time! No group session. No cookie cutter program. It is all about ME.
It is a good thing! A very good thing!
Monday, November 2, 2009
It's a matter of perspective
So, my friend Heather ran the NY marathon this past weekend. Amazing, right? I think it is AWESOME that she trained for it and completed it!
She, however, was not so happy about her time. Of course, it is only the day after the race so it is understandable that it has not sunk in yet. I hope when it does she understands what an accomplishment it was and how inspiring it is to those of us who read, talked, and watched from the side lines.
I cannot imagine even going through the training that she did. She was dedicated...running even when she didn't want to do so. She finished the race, even though she was ready to give up after 23 miles. She inspired many of her friends to consider training for something.
Heather, you did GREAT!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Work on the hot 100:
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
OK. This was supposed to start yesterday. But it didn't. Of course, we spent 3 hours at the emergency room...but all is okay with Tim...so that came out of no where and ruined a lot of my plans for the day. I need to do this. I need to think of Heather and the awesome work she did on the training.
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Ok. Although snow did not keep me from gym the week before, TWO FEET of snow did keep me away from the gym. In fact, it TOTALLY threw a monkey wrench into my plans on a lot of fronts. BUT I did go to zumba tonight and it was good!
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
Again, I will blame the snow...spent a night away from home unexpectedly in order to get to an appointment by 8:00 in the morning...during a blizzard...got to the appointment so it was worth it....but threw me off schedule. I am getting back on track though!
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
This has happened a couple of times. We need to be more consistent.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Made Tim some banana bread using a different recipe. It was not very good. I am going to go back to my old recipe. We have a couple more curry recipes to work on this week.
More later!
She, however, was not so happy about her time. Of course, it is only the day after the race so it is understandable that it has not sunk in yet. I hope when it does she understands what an accomplishment it was and how inspiring it is to those of us who read, talked, and watched from the side lines.
I cannot imagine even going through the training that she did. She was dedicated...running even when she didn't want to do so. She finished the race, even though she was ready to give up after 23 miles. She inspired many of her friends to consider training for something.
Heather, you did GREAT!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Work on the hot 100:
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
OK. This was supposed to start yesterday. But it didn't. Of course, we spent 3 hours at the emergency room...but all is okay with Tim...so that came out of no where and ruined a lot of my plans for the day. I need to do this. I need to think of Heather and the awesome work she did on the training.
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Ok. Although snow did not keep me from gym the week before, TWO FEET of snow did keep me away from the gym. In fact, it TOTALLY threw a monkey wrench into my plans on a lot of fronts. BUT I did go to zumba tonight and it was good!
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
Again, I will blame the snow...spent a night away from home unexpectedly in order to get to an appointment by 8:00 in the morning...during a blizzard...got to the appointment so it was worth it....but threw me off schedule. I am getting back on track though!
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
This has happened a couple of times. We need to be more consistent.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Made Tim some banana bread using a different recipe. It was not very good. I am going to go back to my old recipe. We have a couple more curry recipes to work on this week.
More later!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
International groceries
What fun it is to go to international grocers! We went to three different ones this week -- an Indian one, a middle eastern one and a Korean/Asian market. While it is great fun to look at the different items available, it is even more fun to bring things home to try them. We got some great spices, some freshly made hummus and pitas, and some other odds and ends.
Tonight I am making Chicken Tikka Masala. While it does have some heavy cream in it, I am cutting it back a bit. The rest of the ingredients are spices, chicken and non fat yogurt. It will go great with the whole wheat pitas we bought!
When I put the chicken together to marinate, I thought back to my childhood. Growing up where I did, the most exotic foods we had were Finnish stews and breads. While good, they definitely did not have the depth of flavor that I have discovered in my adulthood. I remember this rice/hamburger hotdish that my mom would make and it was what we understood to be Chinese food. Mexican food was limited to hard shell tacos. We never even knew that there were other ethnic foods available. Honestly, I do not think that my home was any different than others in the same area that I grew up. Of course, there were some people that had more adventurous palates but access to spices and such just wasn't there.
Even with my first husband, who introduced me to a myriad of new flavors from the Caribbean and Latin America, most of my experiences involved restaurants and food at my in-laws. Of course, especially when I was dieting, I would avoid most food.
Now that I realize that I need more than lettuce/celery and carrots, even if I am dieting, I am having so much fun experimenting and learning about new and flavorful dishes. So, tonight we will have Chicken Tikka Masala.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Work on the hot 100:
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
I have shoes to start this. I have been reading a lot of motivational stories about runners and such. My favorite story right now is about Team Hoyt (a father/son marathon/triathalon team). Whenever I think I can't, I need to remember this father and how he could!
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Swimming and zumba continue to go well. I have tried the stationary bike and need to ride it more often. Today, even the snow did not keep me from my hour in the pool!
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
Doing well and I lost FIVE pounds this last weigh in...by eating more! So the advice worked. Let's see if we can keep it up.
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
This starts TONIGHT.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Chicken Tikka Masala tonight. We also made some kung pao shrimp the other day from a WW cookbook. Very good!
More later!
Tonight I am making Chicken Tikka Masala. While it does have some heavy cream in it, I am cutting it back a bit. The rest of the ingredients are spices, chicken and non fat yogurt. It will go great with the whole wheat pitas we bought!
When I put the chicken together to marinate, I thought back to my childhood. Growing up where I did, the most exotic foods we had were Finnish stews and breads. While good, they definitely did not have the depth of flavor that I have discovered in my adulthood. I remember this rice/hamburger hotdish that my mom would make and it was what we understood to be Chinese food. Mexican food was limited to hard shell tacos. We never even knew that there were other ethnic foods available. Honestly, I do not think that my home was any different than others in the same area that I grew up. Of course, there were some people that had more adventurous palates but access to spices and such just wasn't there.
Even with my first husband, who introduced me to a myriad of new flavors from the Caribbean and Latin America, most of my experiences involved restaurants and food at my in-laws. Of course, especially when I was dieting, I would avoid most food.
Now that I realize that I need more than lettuce/celery and carrots, even if I am dieting, I am having so much fun experimenting and learning about new and flavorful dishes. So, tonight we will have Chicken Tikka Masala.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Work on the hot 100:
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
I have shoes to start this. I have been reading a lot of motivational stories about runners and such. My favorite story right now is about Team Hoyt (a father/son marathon/triathalon team). Whenever I think I can't, I need to remember this father and how he could!
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Swimming and zumba continue to go well. I have tried the stationary bike and need to ride it more often. Today, even the snow did not keep me from my hour in the pool!
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
Doing well and I lost FIVE pounds this last weigh in...by eating more! So the advice worked. Let's see if we can keep it up.
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
This starts TONIGHT.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Chicken Tikka Masala tonight. We also made some kung pao shrimp the other day from a WW cookbook. Very good!
More later!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Curry....oh, curry....where have you been most of my life?
Over the past two years, I have discovered curry. The complexity of the flavors is amazing. I love it in some many ways. Tim and I have started to cook a lot of different curries and have not found one that we do not like.
Previously, my only exposure to curry was a goat dish that my ex had me try. It was awful. Because of this, I assumed I hated curry. Guess what? I was WRONG!
Thai food, Indian food...all excellent...but so much better for you when you make them at home! Today, I made a yellow Indian curry with skinless, boneless chicken thighs, onions and some light coconut milk. Ok..the coconut milk does make it something that we try to have more than once a week but it is so simple to cook with and make very tasteful dishes. I'll even eat eggplant in curry.
Yes....I do like curry. I have also discovered how important it is to make your food flavorful while you are making it healthier. I have wasted to much of my life trying to be healthy with carrot sticks, celery and leaf lettuce!
Curry...curry....I know you will be in my life from now on!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
I have shoes to start this. I need to get some more walking in before the end of the month so I can start November right!
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Three days in a row where I swam for at least an hour!!!! And this is continuous without breaks....back and forth across the pool. Today, I may take a break from the pool and ride the bike. Tim bought a stationary trainer to convert his outdoor bike to an indoor bike. I am thinking of trying it out later today. If not, I will be going to the pool!
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
Doing well. I received some advice about not eating enough to compensate for how much I am working out. Those that know the current WW program (which I am again following, using South Beach principles for food choices) include both weekly points and points based on your exercise. I have been trying to avoid both. Someone at the WW center told me that I should try to eat some of the activity points on the day I earn them. This means that I must track well. I do hope my efforts show on the scale this week.
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
Still not happening but Tim promises that the table will be cleaned tonight.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Curry oh curry...need I say more? Made a new Indian curry recipe and also some whole wheat blueberry muffins. Personally, I loved both. Tim gagged on the muffins....oh well!
More later!
Previously, my only exposure to curry was a goat dish that my ex had me try. It was awful. Because of this, I assumed I hated curry. Guess what? I was WRONG!
Thai food, Indian food...all excellent...but so much better for you when you make them at home! Today, I made a yellow Indian curry with skinless, boneless chicken thighs, onions and some light coconut milk. Ok..the coconut milk does make it something that we try to have more than once a week but it is so simple to cook with and make very tasteful dishes. I'll even eat eggplant in curry.
Yes....I do like curry. I have also discovered how important it is to make your food flavorful while you are making it healthier. I have wasted to much of my life trying to be healthy with carrot sticks, celery and leaf lettuce!
Curry...curry....I know you will be in my life from now on!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
1. To stop talking and start doing! I have been trying to get myself motivated to start a Couch To 5K program and just cannot seem to get moving on it. Well, enough talk. Time to do it! Start the program by the end of October. Keep walking through October in prep for the run/walk portions. Find a race for late spring next year and SIGN up for it by the end of the year.
I have shoes to start this. I need to get some more walking in before the end of the month so I can start November right!
2. To work out each day, even if it is a long walk with the pups. At least 30 minutes of working out. This is a bare minimum. Ideally, I will continue my zumba class on Mondays (60 minutes), swimming (typically 45 minutes each time I go), and walking the dogs, even if it means multiple walks in a single day (the hazards of owning more than one dog). This ideally results in early morning walks at least 3 days and evening walks or swims the remaining days.
Three days in a row where I swam for at least an hour!!!! And this is continuous without breaks....back and forth across the pool. Today, I may take a break from the pool and ride the bike. Tim bought a stationary trainer to convert his outdoor bike to an indoor bike. I am thinking of trying it out later today. If not, I will be going to the pool!
3. To consistently journal and track my food. This includes MEASURING things! DAILY!
Doing well. I received some advice about not eating enough to compensate for how much I am working out. Those that know the current WW program (which I am again following, using South Beach principles for food choices) include both weekly points and points based on your exercise. I have been trying to avoid both. Someone at the WW center told me that I should try to eat some of the activity points on the day I earn them. This means that I must track well. I do hope my efforts show on the scale this week.
4. To eat dinner in the dining room and NOT in front of the TV every night! Believe it or not, this is the hardest one for me. Tim and I rarely eat dinner together during the week and it hard to think of the yogurt I grab to eat as dinner. BUT I need to start doing this or I continue to snack throughout the evening. So, I will start out with this being a 100% on weekends with Tim and probably 3 of the 5 weekly nights, slowly building it up.
Still not happening but Tim promises that the table will be cleaned tonight.
5. To try one new recipe a week. Ok. This one is measurable as it is.
Curry oh curry...need I say more? Made a new Indian curry recipe and also some whole wheat blueberry muffins. Personally, I loved both. Tim gagged on the muffins....oh well!
More later!
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