I am crazier than you I promise.

Endorphin rush!!  I feel like a million bucks!  I have worked out three times this week and I am already hooked on the rush I get after working out, particularly Body Pump.  I intend to go to Body Pump three times a week.  It combines weights with cardio and you work out every major muscle group in one hour.  I have taken it on and off for the last 7 years and I love it.  I have no idea why if missing a couple of classes in a row it is so hard to go back but I have a real problem with going really well for two months and then disappearing for a few weeks.  I build muscle really fast and I swear I can feel results after only two classes, not major changes but changes all the same. 

Tuesday's, Thursday's and Saturday's are my cardio days and so this week I decided to try a Turbo Kick class.  Turbo Kick is not for me due to all of the dancey dance moves it has.  Katie was teaching and I have had her before as an aerobic instructor and I just don't click very well with her style of teaching.  True, I could stick with it but I do not like the "stumble around like a moron"  part of it besides there are a lot of squats throughout the class and my knees get enough squats in Body Pump.  It is back to the elliptical for me. 

Last week I went to Kohl's in a tank top and shorts I felt awful and chunky.  Every time I would catch my reflection I would re-adjust something.  I could not even relax for feeling sorry for myself and how I look. I want to change this.  I want to be strong confident and comfortable in my own skin.  This week on my weekly trip to wander around Kohl's I was wearing my workout pants, exercise bra and a tank top and I felt way better about myself from just a few days of exercise and eating well.

I hate back fat.   I remember as a little girl in my little summer dress obsessing over whether or not my back looked fat.  My mission when I shop is to find anything that will make my back look nice and smooth.  There is a certain kind of fabric that makes me cringe.  I adjust my bra all the time careful to keep it in the most flattering place on my back as if makes all that huge of a difference.  My back is not my only issue I have many but my back is by far the worst.

I gain weight everywhere and I mean everywhere, my feet, my toes, my hands and especially my face.  I envy "skinny faced" people who no matter how much weight they gain their faces look the same.  If I gain one pound it seems like one ounce goes to my face.  My favorite pictures are ones that I look more angular.  I my favorite thing about looking at pictures of myself when I am fit is how thin my face looks.  Am I am mess or what?

I have been eating super healthy this week.  I have been trying to look at food more as fuel.  Before eating I look at the impact it will have on me and how long it will satisfy me.  I try to avoid things that do nothing positive for me, such as diet coke.  I love diet coke, not for the diet properties of it but I love the taste.  I love to go to McDonalds and get a large diet coke every other day or so.  I am trying to give it up and it is hard from time to time.  I had lunch with a friend of mine today and I had a really hard time getting iced tea rather than Diet Coke.  There are articles out there that say Diet drinks actually hinder weight loss.  We will see how long this lasts...I have had to give up every other damn vise I have, why can't I keep just the one vice? 

When I was working in Boulder, where people (for the most part) are uber healthy I met a couple in their 70's and they were going bicycling through Italy for 6 weeks.  That is the kind of person I want to be and that is what I am striving for...that and looking hot in a bikini.  

Just the one excuse

O.K.  So it has never been this hard for me to lose weight.   I have lost 63 pounds over the last one and a half to two years.  I have gained 38 over the last two years.  I got an Mirena IUD almost exactly a year ago and that is when the trouble started.  I don't know about you but the one or two days before my period I get super tired and ravenously hungry for junk particularly salty crunchy stuff.  PMS time is a time I usually prepare for indulgences and let myself eat some fries or buffolo wings.  I make a rich meal I buy some good ice cream and then it is done. I am like a vampire, I feed then I can relax.  Also I lay on the couch and watch movies then once I start my period I go back to my routine.  I have felt like I have had PMS for the last year. I don't know whether or not the Mirena  is to blame but  I want this thing out.  My husband just got a vasectomy so I am making an appointment to get it out once the coast is clear, so to speak.  Until then I will just have to fight it.

I do not like diets.  Not to sound like that "diets don't work" lady but they don't. I would not go on any diet that you could not deal with for the rest of your life.  Getting used to eating healthy and doing it 95% of the time.  Also portion control is vital I had no idea how much over my daily allotment of calories I was really eating until I did Weight Watchers.  I started tracking and it helps you realize that everything you put in your mouth counts.  I like it because they teach you how you should eat for life.  They don't exclude any thing and you don't have to buy any of the food.


I have been thinking a lot about moms who work outside of the home and how hard it is to cook a healthy meal when you are working.  This struck me on the way home when in the window of Black Jack Pizza they had a sign that says " carry out special large pepperoni pizza 5.99."  How cheap is that!  I have actually done that and I may do it again on occasion.  How much healthier would you eat if everything was at your finger tips and easy and fast?  Here are some things I do that help us out when we are having a busy weekend or a week night that I feel like being lazy. 

Brown Rice cooked ahead and in a quart sized container.  You only think you like white rice better because it is what you are used to eating.  Do your kids a favor and feed them whole grains and get them aquired to the taste instead of white starchy food like the us.  When you start eating Brown you will notice that it has a rich nutty flavor and cooked correctly it is delicious.  I suck at cooking rice but this recipe never fails and it is handy made ahead.  If you notice most stir fry recipes prefer you to use cold rice anyway.  Here is my brown rice recipe I make it and store it in my fridge. 

Baked Brown Rice

perfect every time

1 1/2 cups brown rice

2 1/2 cups of water 

1 T of unsalted butter

1 t Kosher salt

 

 

Preheat the oven to 375

 

Place rice, butter and salt into a 8 inch square glass baking dish. 

 

Bring the water to boil in microwave or in a kettle.  Once the water boils pour it over the rice stir to combine and cover the dish tightly with heavy duty or a double layer of regular aluminum foil.  Bake on the middle rack of the oven for one hour.  

 

After the hour, remove cover and fluff rice with a fork.  Serve immediately.   

 

Bag of skinless boneless chicken breasts thawed marinated and Grilled.  Buy one of those big bags of boneless skinless chicken breasts and grill the whole thing.  Slice it or leave it whole and freeze it for later use.  Use frozen vegetables and make a stir fry with the brown rice and you have a fifteen minute meal.  Take it to work with you and have a salad.  There are so many things you can do with chicken. 

 

Here is an easy marinade that I love and it makes a delish chicken taco:

Honey Lime Chicken marinate

Warning do not leave chicken in marinade for more that 30 minutes.  It is very acidic and will make the chicken mushy. 

 

1/2 cup of lime juice

1/3 cup of honey

1/4 cup of garlic/ minced

1/2 tsp of cayenne 

This is enough marinade for 1.5 pounds of chicken. 


Fast Tortilla soup 

This is a fast soup "recipe" it is exactly how Carlos O Kelly's (a Mexican restaurant)  used to make their tortilla soup.  I know because I used to work there. 

Chicken breast diced

Salsa
Chicken broth

It is not an exact science I would say maybe 2 parts salsa to one part chicken broth.  I would add some canned black beans if you want to add some fiber and extra protein, I "doctor" mine quite a bit.   My favorite thing to add is Masa is instant corn flour (corn meal is not the same) if you cant find Masa crunch up a few tortilla chips into teeny tiny pieces and throw it in it while it cooks. 

 These are great make ahead side dishes that I love and keep well in the refrigerator. I try to find recipes that have lots of protein, fiber and whole grains.  

 Mediterranean Barley with Chickpeas and Arugula

  I have just this week started cooking with pearl barley and oh my gosh, is it filling.  Shawn has been taking my pearl barley concoctions in his lunch and he really likes them.  He didn't even eat his sandwich one day. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked pearl barley
• 1 cup packed arugula leaves ( you could use European blend salad mix)  
• 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Preparation

• 1. Cook barley according to package directions, omitting salt. Combine barley, arugula, bell pepper, tomatoes, and chickpeas in a large bowl.
• 2. Combine lemon juice, oil, salt, and crushed red pepper, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over barley mixture, and toss. Sprinkle with pistachios.

Cracked Wheat Salad with Nectarines, Parsley, and Pistachios

Great with grilled chicken, lamb, or salmon, this side-dish salad also packs well for a picnic. Almost any fruit would work well in place of nectarines--try apricots, peaches or plums.  

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked Bulgar
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced nectarines (about 3)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (I used regular Balsamic vinegar it was fine)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped pistachios

Preparation

• 1. Combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Stir in nectarines and remaining ingredients except nuts; toss well. Sprinkle with nuts.

Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light
JUNE 2010

I have to go for now but I am hanging in there and I hope you are too. 

Excuses

I am not doing well.  I am not going to the gym but I am eating lots of fruits and vegetables.  I haven't been doing so well on the portion control or snacking.  I have lots of fresh veggies in my fridge and I will try even harder to leave fattening stuff alone.   I am ready for the boys to go to school so I can focus more on my plan and less on the stress of having both of them at home.  Even though I have free childcare at the rec center where I work out it still hardly seems worth the work it takes out of the house and in the car across the parking lot sign in and drop the boys off for an hour and a half.  A couple of times I gave up because we were running late and I would have missed the first part of my class I was trying attend.  When I get there I am exhausted, frustrated and stressed.  When Logan was in school last year it was easy to get just Brody out and to my Body Pump class in time but they get each other all worked up into a frenzy and it just seems better and easier to take them swimming and other fun outings.  I am all set to start working out when they are both in school when I just have to get myself there and I can stay as long as I want.   In the eight years I have been a member of the Paul Derda Recreation center I have almost always been lugging two kids in and out.  I can finally be one of the gym rats that are always working out carefree not worrying about picking up kids.  I will have no excuses left then. 




I have been been avoiding writing in my blog.  I have so much I want to write that I am having trouble sorting out my thoughts.  I don't want to write to much because I am afraid nobody will read it.  I am going to make an effort to write more often and make them short enough to be read quickly.  I do feel embarrassed that I have not been exercising and I really haven't lost any weight.  But I have been so happy.  I am excited at the prospect of having a goal and just thinking of all the things I want to do.   I really enjoy reading and getting information about diet and exercise.    I like knowing about foods that will help my children in school and foods that contain harmful ingredients.  My son has ADHD and I like to know ways I can change his diet for the better.  I am anxious to know if it will help him concentrate in school better. 

Here are some websites I have found interesting:
http://www.healingwithnutrition.com/cdisease/cardiovascular/cardiovascular.html
http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_4519673_eat-like-diabetic-youre-dieting.html

http://www.foodmatters.tv/ This is a site for a documentary that I absolutely love.  I think everyone should see it.  I wanted my dad to watch it because he has a history of high blood pressure and is going through Chemo therapy right now.  He really liked it and is using some of the information to change the way he eats.