We naturally think, "I want to lose weight; I need to stop eating." WRONG! Many of us make this mistake in dieting in an effort to lose weight fast. You're going to sabatoge your efforts and end up feeling deprived, frustrated and HUNGRY!
Since I started "eating clean", I've also started eating more! I eat 6 small meals every day and I use food for fuel. Each meal is timed and planned to give my body what it needs when it needs it.
A typical breakfast for me at 6am is:
Whey Protein Shake
Organic Old Fashioned Oatmeal (1/2 c with 1 c skim milk)
Handful of blueberries
then I go workout.
After my workout 8am, I come back home and I immediately have:
either another Whey protein shake or an egg-white veggie omelet
1/2 grapefruit
10 am snack
large banana
2Tbsp of natural peanut butter/almond butter
slice of whole wheat toast/whole grain english muffin
12 pm lunch
whole wheat tortilla wrap
two grilled chicken tenderloins
Lettuce, tomato, onion
3 pm snack
12 almonds
cottage cheese
handful of berries
6pm dinner
grilled tilapia topped with tomatoes, bell peppers and basil
steamed veggies
sometimes before bed, I'll make myself a slow absorbing protein shake (100% Casein). That helps curb any late night cravings. The brand that I get is Optimum Nutrition, they come in such yummy flavors! I seriously feel like I'm drinking cake batter sometimes. I don't make a full shake, just half (its enough to satisfy my sweet tooth and keep me full late at night)
The first few days, it was hard to remind myself to eat. I had to pack a cooler and take it with me to work. I then had to set a timer at my desk to remind myself to eat. I never felt hungry or tired. I try and switch up my meals every single day. That way I don't get bored. Also, make sure that the food looks good! My mother used to tell me, "when food looks good, it tastes good". I make sure my meals are colorful; I put them on nice plates; and eat slowly.
Just remember when choosing foods, eat clean; don't eat foods that are processed, no additives, no added sugar, low sodium and low saturated fats. Your body will thank you!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Today's Health Tip
"Surround yourself with people and things that remind you to live a healthy lifestyle."
I added a gadget on my page that give daily health tips and I really liked today's. Its so true! When I started working out in July, I had Lisa. I was completely inspired by her. She has a great figure, she works hard and I just love her drive when it comes to setting goals and working to achieve them. It was so wonderful to have that support and to feel a connection with someone who was taking the working out and weight loss just as seriously as I am.
In November, Marty started working out really hard again too. He had just finished doing all the masonry work on a new local gym and I think seeing such a nice and fresh facility really motivated him to get a gym membership (prior to that he worked out in our personal gym). Lisa and I ended up joining the new gym as well and its been a great place for us. It really has everything we need and it feels good to work out in a place that's new and well taken care of.
I will respect my husband's privacy and not blog about too many details, but I will share that he's expressed that a major motivation for him was seeing how focused and commited I was to my own health and fitness. He's always been in good shape, but I think he wanted to push himself as he approached a "big" birthday ;o)
So at home, we share our routines, help each other plan menus, support each other with our diet plans and make sure that we both always have something healthy and good to eat readily available. He's constantly working to organize my playlists, put together workout journals, and emailing me cooking videos. I love that he's so organized; it makes everything so much easier for me!
Lisa and I have parted ways in the gym for the time being. We have different goals and we're working different things. We try and connect for cardio, but I know that for right now our schedules are a little different. Its ok, for short term. I miss her terribly, but like I said we have different goals. The good thing about being "workout buddies" is that we can still support each other even if we're not side by side. We share emails, links to fitness plans/programs, swap meal plans and recipes, etc. We talk A LOT about our goals and what we're working on.
At work, I've even noticed that some of the girls are eating better, asking me what I'm doing in my workouts, my niece even joins me at the gym some mornings, the list goes on and on! People feel supported and encouraged when they share in the desire to have a healthy lifestyle. Being healthy is pretty easy, its not always convenient, but its certainly not hard. Feeling supported and surrounding yourself with other people that remind you to be healthy helps keep you on track!
One of the first things my friends in the fitness world told me was to let my family and friends know how much I needed their support as I ventured down this path. I now understand why. It is because of all the people in my life that cheer me on, work with me and show me their own goals I feel like my goals are obtainable.
I added a gadget on my page that give daily health tips and I really liked today's. Its so true! When I started working out in July, I had Lisa. I was completely inspired by her. She has a great figure, she works hard and I just love her drive when it comes to setting goals and working to achieve them. It was so wonderful to have that support and to feel a connection with someone who was taking the working out and weight loss just as seriously as I am.
In November, Marty started working out really hard again too. He had just finished doing all the masonry work on a new local gym and I think seeing such a nice and fresh facility really motivated him to get a gym membership (prior to that he worked out in our personal gym). Lisa and I ended up joining the new gym as well and its been a great place for us. It really has everything we need and it feels good to work out in a place that's new and well taken care of.
I will respect my husband's privacy and not blog about too many details, but I will share that he's expressed that a major motivation for him was seeing how focused and commited I was to my own health and fitness. He's always been in good shape, but I think he wanted to push himself as he approached a "big" birthday ;o)
So at home, we share our routines, help each other plan menus, support each other with our diet plans and make sure that we both always have something healthy and good to eat readily available. He's constantly working to organize my playlists, put together workout journals, and emailing me cooking videos. I love that he's so organized; it makes everything so much easier for me!
Lisa and I have parted ways in the gym for the time being. We have different goals and we're working different things. We try and connect for cardio, but I know that for right now our schedules are a little different. Its ok, for short term. I miss her terribly, but like I said we have different goals. The good thing about being "workout buddies" is that we can still support each other even if we're not side by side. We share emails, links to fitness plans/programs, swap meal plans and recipes, etc. We talk A LOT about our goals and what we're working on.
At work, I've even noticed that some of the girls are eating better, asking me what I'm doing in my workouts, my niece even joins me at the gym some mornings, the list goes on and on! People feel supported and encouraged when they share in the desire to have a healthy lifestyle. Being healthy is pretty easy, its not always convenient, but its certainly not hard. Feeling supported and surrounding yourself with other people that remind you to be healthy helps keep you on track!
One of the first things my friends in the fitness world told me was to let my family and friends know how much I needed their support as I ventured down this path. I now understand why. It is because of all the people in my life that cheer me on, work with me and show me their own goals I feel like my goals are obtainable.
Low Energy Days
In the ideal world, we would wake up every morning ready to tackle the day. We would get out of bed feeling refreshed; make our super-woman breakfast; get the kids off to school; and then hit the gym for a hard, yet rewarding, workout that leaves us feeling accomplished and strong! Well, life has a funny way of throwing us some curve balls and its only natural to have some days when we just don't feel our best.
Today was a very low energy day for me. I'll back up by saying that last night when I finally got home, I was ready to drop! It had been a hard day; physically, emotionally and mentally. I went to bed early, but couldn't get into a good sleep pattern. I woke up several times, tossed and turned and by 5 AM, I had really only had about 3 hours of sleep. When it was time to get out of bed, I felt sluggish and "beat up".
I went through the motions of getting breakfast, packing lunches, getting kids dressed and ready to go and then loaded everyone up in the car to get where we needed to go. I was thinking about my workout, what muscles was I going to focus on today, etc. (Even on my worst mornings, I still very much look forward to my workout) I was at the gym by 7 AM and everything felt fine.
Today I worked Shoulders, Back and Calves. I realized that I wasn't really "into" my workout when I was surprised by what song I was listening to on my iPhone. I realized, "I'm not really listening to the music. Where am I?" That meant that I probably wasn't thinking about my sets, my weights, my muscles, etc. I was lost in thought somewhere else. My body was in the gym, but my mind wasn't.
I finished up my strength training and then headed downstairs to do my 30 minutes of high intensity training cardio. 15 mintues of interval training on the TM, and I was losing steam. I decided to change machines, sometimes that helps me refocus and keep up the momentum. 7 minutes of interval training on the bumble bee and I was done. I tried changing my music, watching some of the TV, but I just couldn't muster up enough to pull through. I ended up stopping just 2 minutes shy of a complete workout. Not a big deal, since I did do a 5 minute warm-up and I did have a hard workout. I was ticked-off at myself for not sticking to it for 2 more minutes, but I felt that my body was exhausted.
When I got home, I fixed my second breakfast, egg white veggie omelet, whole grain english muffin and cup of green tea. I could only eat about half of it, so I made half a whey protein shake. I'm not going to beat myself up too much about not having an awesome workout. I went, I did it, I pushed myself (even if I did fizzle out) and tomorrow is a new day.
This is the PERFECT example how stress can interfere with your sleep, exercise and diet.
Today was a very low energy day for me. I'll back up by saying that last night when I finally got home, I was ready to drop! It had been a hard day; physically, emotionally and mentally. I went to bed early, but couldn't get into a good sleep pattern. I woke up several times, tossed and turned and by 5 AM, I had really only had about 3 hours of sleep. When it was time to get out of bed, I felt sluggish and "beat up".
I went through the motions of getting breakfast, packing lunches, getting kids dressed and ready to go and then loaded everyone up in the car to get where we needed to go. I was thinking about my workout, what muscles was I going to focus on today, etc. (Even on my worst mornings, I still very much look forward to my workout) I was at the gym by 7 AM and everything felt fine.
Today I worked Shoulders, Back and Calves. I realized that I wasn't really "into" my workout when I was surprised by what song I was listening to on my iPhone. I realized, "I'm not really listening to the music. Where am I?" That meant that I probably wasn't thinking about my sets, my weights, my muscles, etc. I was lost in thought somewhere else. My body was in the gym, but my mind wasn't.
I finished up my strength training and then headed downstairs to do my 30 minutes of high intensity training cardio. 15 mintues of interval training on the TM, and I was losing steam. I decided to change machines, sometimes that helps me refocus and keep up the momentum. 7 minutes of interval training on the bumble bee and I was done. I tried changing my music, watching some of the TV, but I just couldn't muster up enough to pull through. I ended up stopping just 2 minutes shy of a complete workout. Not a big deal, since I did do a 5 minute warm-up and I did have a hard workout. I was ticked-off at myself for not sticking to it for 2 more minutes, but I felt that my body was exhausted.
When I got home, I fixed my second breakfast, egg white veggie omelet, whole grain english muffin and cup of green tea. I could only eat about half of it, so I made half a whey protein shake. I'm not going to beat myself up too much about not having an awesome workout. I went, I did it, I pushed myself (even if I did fizzle out) and tomorrow is a new day.
This is the PERFECT example how stress can interfere with your sleep, exercise and diet.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Changing Things Up
I started my new training and nutrition plan with my trainer, Kelly, this week. WOW! I am feeling sore all over! Its a good sore though, not pain. She's got me on a four day split now, so I strength train Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; Cardio only on Wednesdays and Saturdays and Sundays I rest. Monday I did Chest, Arms and Abs then 30 minutes on the bumble bee; Tuesday, I did legs and glutes then finished up with 15 min on the TM and 15 min on the bumble bee; Wednesday I did 30 minutes of cardio (20 on the TM and 10 on the eliptical -I got bored so I had to switch it up)and then Abs. I did some new Ab exercises that I'll have to tell you about later! I feel great, although I definitely notice that I'm working different muscles. I won't give specific details about the exercises and weights because the plan was designed specifically for my goals and it might not be wise for someone else to follow it exactly. I will, however, let you know what I work, how I feel and what exercises I love (and hate).
My nutrition plan is fantastic! I actually really love eating clean. In fact, I purchased some new books that I can't wait to share: The Eat Clean Diet, The Eat Clean Diet Recharged and The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook all by Tosca Reno. I also feel like a better wife and mother because I'm cooking healthy foods that everyone enjoys. Last night, we had turkey burgers on whole grain buns, topped with lettuce and tomato with steamed green beans on the side. My kids LOVED it! This morning after my workout, I made a yummy egg white omelet with diced onions, bell peppers and tomatoes with basil. I don't feel like I'm on a "diet" at all!
I will tell you though, that my first day, I couldn't eat all the food. I felt so full, eating every 3 hours and lots of protein. I think it will take some time for my body to adjust. I have to keep in my mind that I need food for fuel. Kelly and I did talk some last night and we know that its going to take a few days to learn what I need and when.
I'll make a separate post about nutrition in the next day or so, but I just wanted to give an update that my new program has started and I'm kickin' butt and takin' names! :o)
My nutrition plan is fantastic! I actually really love eating clean. In fact, I purchased some new books that I can't wait to share: The Eat Clean Diet, The Eat Clean Diet Recharged and The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook all by Tosca Reno. I also feel like a better wife and mother because I'm cooking healthy foods that everyone enjoys. Last night, we had turkey burgers on whole grain buns, topped with lettuce and tomato with steamed green beans on the side. My kids LOVED it! This morning after my workout, I made a yummy egg white omelet with diced onions, bell peppers and tomatoes with basil. I don't feel like I'm on a "diet" at all!
I will tell you though, that my first day, I couldn't eat all the food. I felt so full, eating every 3 hours and lots of protein. I think it will take some time for my body to adjust. I have to keep in my mind that I need food for fuel. Kelly and I did talk some last night and we know that its going to take a few days to learn what I need and when.
I'll make a separate post about nutrition in the next day or so, but I just wanted to give an update that my new program has started and I'm kickin' butt and takin' names! :o)
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Feeling Good
We all know that working out has tremendous benefits. I've been honest in that my main motivation has been to feel sexy (in and out of clothes). Its been a LOT of fun losing the weight. Its no surprise to many that I'm a "shopper". I love fashion, love hitting sales and love wearing new clothes. Getting to do all that because I've lost weight magnifies the satisfaction by 100. 
I've gone from a size 6/8 to a size 2 in six months. That might sound like a long time to most, but I really believe that anything faster than that and I wouldn't have been healthy. The key to losing the weight and keeping it off is to make steady lifestyle changes and allow your body time to adapt and adjust to your new diet and activity level.
This weekend, I got to dress up a bit since we were children-free. Friday night, before we left town, we went to a show in Baltimore. It felt so good to dress up and feel CONFIDENT! The confidence just spreads into so many parts of my life. I feel stronger, happier and better about myself on so many levels.
I'm still losing weight/inches so I'm holding off on buying anything new until I've settled at a size I know I'll be for a while. Get ready for a shopping trip in the next couple months though!
I've gone from a size 6/8 to a size 2 in six months. That might sound like a long time to most, but I really believe that anything faster than that and I wouldn't have been healthy. The key to losing the weight and keeping it off is to make steady lifestyle changes and allow your body time to adapt and adjust to your new diet and activity level.
This weekend, I got to dress up a bit since we were children-free. Friday night, before we left town, we went to a show in Baltimore. It felt so good to dress up and feel CONFIDENT! The confidence just spreads into so many parts of my life. I feel stronger, happier and better about myself on so many levels.
I'm still losing weight/inches so I'm holding off on buying anything new until I've settled at a size I know I'll be for a while. Get ready for a shopping trip in the next couple months though!
Dining Out
Let's talk about dining out. Breakfast is an easy meal to have while dining out. Most places have a healthy breakfast menu with yogurt, fruit, egg whites, etc. Lunch is pretty easy too; turkey sandwiches or burgers on whole wheat or multi grain breads, substitute fruits or a side salad instead of fries.
Dinner is what gets me. They bring bread to the table right away at most restaurants. I try and tell them not to bring it. I'm terrible at leaving the bread alone! I order a lean protein, chicken or seafood, steamed veggies and I limit my starch. Try not to order things fried, drowned in gravy or sauce or loaded with carbs. Ideally, I have very very little carbs in my last meal of the day. If you have a sweet tooth, get something small or share with someone else.
I had dinner with girlfriends on Saturday night. It was nice to know some ladies in the area and I wanted to be sure that I got to spend some time with them before heading home. Dinner was really hard! I allowed myself my "bad meal", as Kelly puts it, and I had a glass of red wine; ate a little bread; and at the end even had a small dessert! For dinner, I had woodfire salmon with steamed asparagus. I did order red baby potatoes, but they came FRIED (!?!?!?!) so that was a no go. I didn't eat all the salmon, probably because I ate more bread than I should have. For dessert, I had a very small cup of tiramisu. I didn't feel terrible after eating a big meal, but after weeks of NOT eating like that, I didn't really feel like I had an awesome meal. Does that make sense? I just felt like my body wanted something "cleaner".
Dining out is hard, but manageable. You just need to know what to order (don't be afraid to ask them to prepare something differently or substitute). Watch your portions, choose lean proteins, don't load up on carbs and be sure and allow yourself a treat every now and then.
Dinner is what gets me. They bring bread to the table right away at most restaurants. I try and tell them not to bring it. I'm terrible at leaving the bread alone! I order a lean protein, chicken or seafood, steamed veggies and I limit my starch. Try not to order things fried, drowned in gravy or sauce or loaded with carbs. Ideally, I have very very little carbs in my last meal of the day. If you have a sweet tooth, get something small or share with someone else.
I had dinner with girlfriends on Saturday night. It was nice to know some ladies in the area and I wanted to be sure that I got to spend some time with them before heading home. Dinner was really hard! I allowed myself my "bad meal", as Kelly puts it, and I had a glass of red wine; ate a little bread; and at the end even had a small dessert! For dinner, I had woodfire salmon with steamed asparagus. I did order red baby potatoes, but they came FRIED (!?!?!?!) so that was a no go. I didn't eat all the salmon, probably because I ate more bread than I should have. For dessert, I had a very small cup of tiramisu. I didn't feel terrible after eating a big meal, but after weeks of NOT eating like that, I didn't really feel like I had an awesome meal. Does that make sense? I just felt like my body wanted something "cleaner".
Dining out is hard, but manageable. You just need to know what to order (don't be afraid to ask them to prepare something differently or substitute). Watch your portions, choose lean proteins, don't load up on carbs and be sure and allow yourself a treat every now and then.
A Lesson on Road Trips
"Despair is most often the offspring of ill-preparedness"- Don Williams Jr.
This saying couldn't ring truer when it comes to trying to eat healthy while on a road trip! Something that I've been trying to do for the last several weeks is eat 6 small healthy meals throughout the day. Well, let me just tell you, when you're in the car for 7 hours, spending most of your time on the turnpike and your options are limited...make sure you PACK FOOD! Dining out is hard enough, but try dining out and depending on your exits to provide you with some sort of health conscious food; it's not happening.
We did stop at a Bob Evans in Zanesville (I'm not even sure what state we were in) but surprisingly they had a "Fit and Healthy" menu and I was able to get grilled chicken, steamed broccoli and a plain baked potato. On our car ride home today, we stopped in Hagerstown, MD at an Olive Garden. BIG MISTAKE. Everything was caked in grease. I ate about 5 bites and just knew that my stomach would be hating me if I ate any more.
Next time, I'll be sure and pack some foods to get me through the car ride. I was reading my trainer, Kelly Gonzalez's, website http://www.kellygonzalez.com/ and she gave great suggestions about packing a cooler with snacks. She calls it "Kelly's Kooler"
Some things that I'll be sure to pack in the future would be:
Fresh Fruits/Veggies
Hard Boiled Eggs
Turkey Sandwiches (on whole grain bread with lettuce and tomato)
Protein Bars
Bottled Water
I think that this will make it so much easier and I won't find myself scrambling to find something nutritious to eat. It is a shame to work so hard on cleaning up your diet and getting the right foods at the right times only to have your efforts wasted when you find yourself not prepared.
Next time, I'll be sure and pack some foods to get me through the car ride. I was reading my trainer, Kelly Gonzalez's, website http://www.kellygonzalez.com/ and she gave great suggestions about packing a cooler with snacks. She calls it "Kelly's Kooler"
Some things that I'll be sure to pack in the future would be:
Fresh Fruits/Veggies
Hard Boiled Eggs
Turkey Sandwiches (on whole grain bread with lettuce and tomato)
Protein Bars
Bottled Water
I think that this will make it so much easier and I won't find myself scrambling to find something nutritious to eat. It is a shame to work so hard on cleaning up your diet and getting the right foods at the right times only to have your efforts wasted when you find yourself not prepared.
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