I like it, Anne! Both Marky Mark shirtless (hummina hummina) and the encouragement about not worrying about calories in the food you should eat. I really struggle with this one. I've been trying for 16 years to maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen, and have read dozens of books out there that all say to do different things. I eventually took bits and pieces from each book or theory that fit into my life, and over-all things started working. (Of course, this was all before 2007, when I found out baby #2 was en-route...)
The one thing that I discovered, mostly by accident, is that I don't lose weight (can't lose weight?) when I'm not counting calories. I think it's a Kristin-specific thing, unfortunately. I attribute this to the books that told me that it's "true that you can't gain weight eating 2000 calories worth of celery or lettuce..." but it's also (possibly) true (not my quote, something from a book...), "that if you eat too many calories of healthy stuff, almonds or avocados or lean meat or Greek yogurt or whatever, you won't lose weight if you were small to begin with and trying to regain that size..." Why do the books say this? These are the books that insist that that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, or that a calorie is simply a unit of energy, and one calorie gained followed by one calorie burned equals a maintained state, yadda yadda yadda... Sounds like a bunch of BS to me, but what do I know?!
I don't know. This is so tough for me. I've been counting so long that I can't imagine a week where I'm not starting my day by writing down my cup of tea at the top of a new little sheet of paper. I would actually LOVE IT if I didn't have to do this! But when I don't...the pounds don't CREEP back on over time. The pounds seem to magically glom onto me while I sleep, over-night!!! :o(
One author/writer/actress/dancer/vegan who supports the "not counting" approach is Marilu Henner. She used to be in the show "Taxi," remember her? Red hair. More recently she's danced on Broadway. Anyway, she writes lots of books about healthy living and eating, as well as child-rearing books. My favorite title of hers: "I Refuse to Raise a Brat." Good stuff!
She has some good Labor Day tips and recipes on her website, which goes by the title "Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover." Here's the link:
Marilu Henner's Total Health Makeover
Anyway. Marilu says the same thing as your guru. One thing I've never forgotten that she wrote was something along these lines: "If you change the quality of your food for the better, the quantity that you eat doesn't matter." I have wished for 16 years that this would just work for me! The reason I have those calories scribbled on that stupid little page is that I have such a hard time resisting un-healthy food! If a snack-sized bag of Cheetos contains 320 calories (OMG), and I don't want to waste/spend that many calories on crap food and would rather save the calories for a healthy dinner, then this psych-out alone is often the thing that motivates me to walk away from the crap food. Without that stupid little list, my brain betrays me, 99% of the time. It tells me that I should be able to eat whatever I want to, and I do. This is so unfair! My own brain. Trying to derail my efforts at every turn.
Hope everyone's Labor Day weekend has gone well! I've done OK. I made a big pot of venison chili today, and we've all been snacking on that. Healthy ingredients, and I've minimized my saltine consumption. Now heading to HellMart to stock up on food for the week.
Have a great week, chickies!!!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Anne's checkin' in...
Happy Labor Day weekend! I was dreading the long weekend after two whole days of me time (well, during school hours) but things have been going well and we're all getting along for the most part.
Are we behaving?? Well, at least on our diets? I have been very good; following along with my plan and have been able to actually plan a day or two ahead. We have gone out to eat twice, but I was able to control myself and order food that I should be eating. With the exception of the frozen custard from Culvers. They are EVIL. I just had a single scoop of the the flavor of the day... then felt guilty about wanting to go back again for more. Instead of letting me sit there in agony, Brian distracted me with a Mark Wahlberg movie. 1.) Markie Mark. 2.)No shirt. 3.) Awesomeness. (The Fighter - it was better than Rocky)
Then this morning we went to the 'Bou for "breakfast". I had a regular plain ol' coffee and I swear my eyes were doing swirlies like a crazy cartoon character from Scooby Doo... wow! I had to down a 20 oz bottle of water to dilute the jolt of energy pumping thru my veins. Serious hard core stuff!
We also went raspberry picking yesterday. We picked 7 pints and I froze them all for a winter stash. I wish I could do that with cucumbers. I hate winter produce...
The guru was keeping tabs on us over the weekend, throwing out words of encouragement... I liked this one..
"Never worry about calories in the food you should eat. Worry about the calories in the foods that deviate from our plan." AMEN!
Hope you all had a great weekend... some of you reading this will be sending your kiddos off to school tomorrow. Enjoy!!
Are we behaving?? Well, at least on our diets? I have been very good; following along with my plan and have been able to actually plan a day or two ahead. We have gone out to eat twice, but I was able to control myself and order food that I should be eating. With the exception of the frozen custard from Culvers. They are EVIL. I just had a single scoop of the the flavor of the day... then felt guilty about wanting to go back again for more. Instead of letting me sit there in agony, Brian distracted me with a Mark Wahlberg movie. 1.) Markie Mark. 2.)No shirt. 3.) Awesomeness. (The Fighter - it was better than Rocky)
Then this morning we went to the 'Bou for "breakfast". I had a regular plain ol' coffee and I swear my eyes were doing swirlies like a crazy cartoon character from Scooby Doo... wow! I had to down a 20 oz bottle of water to dilute the jolt of energy pumping thru my veins. Serious hard core stuff!
We also went raspberry picking yesterday. We picked 7 pints and I froze them all for a winter stash. I wish I could do that with cucumbers. I hate winter produce...
The guru was keeping tabs on us over the weekend, throwing out words of encouragement... I liked this one..
"Never worry about calories in the food you should eat. Worry about the calories in the foods that deviate from our plan." AMEN!
Hope you all had a great weekend... some of you reading this will be sending your kiddos off to school tomorrow. Enjoy!!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Club Pants?! Bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Today I am unpacking the boxes in my office. I suppose I should mention that we moved into this "new" house 14 months ago. So that means it's really REALLY sad and pathetic that I am just now finding a (tiny) chunk of time to get started unpacking my crap. And it's all crap, too - with a box or two total of mementos mixed in. The unpacking job entails separating the mementos from the crap, and discarding the crap. Or otherwise known as, "MY LEAST @#$*^-FAVORITE TASK ON EARTH.
One might assume I'm smoothing the way with chewy, homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, or tequila. But I'm not. I had one minor dietary slip an hour ago, when I picked up the 3-year-old from my mother's house and stalked directly to her fridge, threw it open, and swallowed a can of Dr. Pepper in one gulp before I had a chance to taste it, or ask permission. I usually ask permission at least. In my opinion, it was worth all 150 caramel-colored calories on a day such as this.
I found two garbage bags full of "club clothes" while digging. (Seriously?! Did I REALLY wear these clothes in public?! And actually DANCED in them?! In FRONT of people?!) They're all size 3,4,5... I can't remember there being a size "0" when I was in high school or college, but I weighed around 120 pounds from the ages of 18-27, and I know a zero would have never fit me. Even so, I have to admit I feel a little wistful as I bag these things up for Goodwill. I mean, couldn't I make some of these items a "goal?" They're not ALL tiny - most of them are actually lycra/spandex (I TOLD YOU - "CLUB CLOTHES!") - and I know that even if my ass ends up being a size7 or 8 or 9 when I hit my goal weight of 125, I will be able to squeeze into some of these leggings pants. And NO, I don't have any intention of wearing them in public again. And NO, I don't ever have plans to dance in public again! Stop laughing! I used to be AWESOME.
It's almost 6:00 p.m., and I'm already at 1270 calories for the day. I know I should stop there and be done eating now, but there is NO WAY I'll be able to do it - I'm hungry NOW! I do plan to get on the elliptical later, though. Maybe I'll survive with a protein bar or shake and a cup of tea closer to bedtime. Wish me luck!
UPDATE:
I'm not sure where those good luck wishes were directed, but they didn't land on me! ROTFL! Here's dinner, at 6:45 p.m.:
Lean Cuisine Mushroom Pizza: 300 calories
Mike's "Lite" Hard Lemonade: 100 calories
Total for the day (so far): 1670 calories
Which means that I need to ride that 'ol elliptical for two hours now to end up where I'd like to be for the day. Hey, maybe I'll watch TWILIGHT!!!
It's all good.
One might assume I'm smoothing the way with chewy, homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, or tequila. But I'm not. I had one minor dietary slip an hour ago, when I picked up the 3-year-old from my mother's house and stalked directly to her fridge, threw it open, and swallowed a can of Dr. Pepper in one gulp before I had a chance to taste it, or ask permission. I usually ask permission at least. In my opinion, it was worth all 150 caramel-colored calories on a day such as this.
I found two garbage bags full of "club clothes" while digging. (Seriously?! Did I REALLY wear these clothes in public?! And actually DANCED in them?! In FRONT of people?!) They're all size 3,4,5... I can't remember there being a size "0" when I was in high school or college, but I weighed around 120 pounds from the ages of 18-27, and I know a zero would have never fit me. Even so, I have to admit I feel a little wistful as I bag these things up for Goodwill. I mean, couldn't I make some of these items a "goal?" They're not ALL tiny - most of them are actually lycra/spandex (I TOLD YOU - "CLUB CLOTHES!") - and I know that even if my ass ends up being a size
 |
| These are very similar to my club pants. No, I don't remember what I wore for shoes. No, I do not have Alzheimer's. |
UPDATE:
I'm not sure where those good luck wishes were directed, but they didn't land on me! ROTFL! Here's dinner, at 6:45 p.m.:
Lean Cuisine Mushroom Pizza: 300 calories
Mike's "Lite" Hard Lemonade: 100 calories
Total for the day (so far): 1670 calories
 |
| Dinner of Champions. WINNING!!! |
It's all good.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Nora Ephron must be a Dwarf
Did you guys know that Nora Ephron is only four feet and five inches tall? Actually I don't know that for sure but I am going to assume she must be comically short because in her book I Feel Bad About My Neck she writes this:
"I go off to college. I weigh 106 pounds. I come back from college three months later. I weigh 126 pounds. I was once thin and shapeless. Now I am fat and, ironically, equally shapeless. Nothing fits except for my wool plaid Pendleton pleated skirt, which makes me look even fatter. It's tragic. My father takes one look at me as I get off the plane and says to my mother, 'Well, maybe someone will marry her for her personality.'"
First of all, in what universe is 126 pounds fat on anyone of average height? I'm five feet and five inches tall and if I weighed 126 pounds I would look like I'd just gone through chemo during a famine, which leads me to assume that Nora Ephron is dwarf-short. I should explain that this paragraph wasn't part of a bigger chapter about what an asshole her dad was. Maybe her dad was an asshole. He probably was but I don't know for sure. She was telling the story as a hilarious anecdote about how good and cold the milk was in her college cafeteria and how she gained twenty pounds in three months and got "fat." Okay, I'll admit that it's not good to gain twenty pounds in three months, but to be a "famous" "successful" "woman" and say that the twenty pounds she gained in college was "tragic"? I can see why we are all so obsessed with the scale. The stupidest part of the whole story is that she is probably lying about the weights! She probably started at 126 pounds and got up to a whopping 146 (which, btw, I would LOVE to weigh) but could never allow herself to admit those numbers in writing. Women lie about what the scale says all the time because other women lie about it. It's stupid, and it's kind of sick but when someone famous like her does it, it is tragic. Thanks for setting women back a few decades, Nora Ephron!
This is part of the diet cycle that is so frustrating to me. I'm a feminist. Our culture is toxic to women. Pick up a Cosmopolitan magazine and see for yourself. It's not a magazine for women to be better women, it's a magazine that tells how you can drop unsightly pounds, and wear eyeliner to look hot, and how to please your man in bed. That's tragic. Even the milder women's magazines are ridiculous. Have you seen the plus-sized models? According to women's magazines the average woman in this country is a fat, disgusting mess. How dare we take up more than our allotted 120 pounds of space!
But on the other hand, I like to be able to breathe when I tie my shoes. So I think I need to drop a few pounds. But then I get into an internal struggle about my motivation for losing weight. Why am I dropping pounds? Is it really for health, or is it because I want to look a little more like Sofia Vergara and a little less like Ed O'Neill?
I don't know. I guess at this point I want to feel good. I'm never going to look like Sofia Vergara. I don't even really want to because getting ogled at this point in my life would just make me want to throw up. I'd like to not wake up with a stomach ache and I'd like to not have the squirts and I'd like to have lots of energy. All that can be fixed with a good diet. I suppose if I lose pounds in the process that's just gravy, right? Make tying the shoes a little easier?
If I ever see Nora Ephron in person I am going to (want to) slap her right across her windsock-like turkey neck.
"I go off to college. I weigh 106 pounds. I come back from college three months later. I weigh 126 pounds. I was once thin and shapeless. Now I am fat and, ironically, equally shapeless. Nothing fits except for my wool plaid Pendleton pleated skirt, which makes me look even fatter. It's tragic. My father takes one look at me as I get off the plane and says to my mother, 'Well, maybe someone will marry her for her personality.'"
First of all, in what universe is 126 pounds fat on anyone of average height? I'm five feet and five inches tall and if I weighed 126 pounds I would look like I'd just gone through chemo during a famine, which leads me to assume that Nora Ephron is dwarf-short. I should explain that this paragraph wasn't part of a bigger chapter about what an asshole her dad was. Maybe her dad was an asshole. He probably was but I don't know for sure. She was telling the story as a hilarious anecdote about how good and cold the milk was in her college cafeteria and how she gained twenty pounds in three months and got "fat." Okay, I'll admit that it's not good to gain twenty pounds in three months, but to be a "famous" "successful" "woman" and say that the twenty pounds she gained in college was "tragic"? I can see why we are all so obsessed with the scale. The stupidest part of the whole story is that she is probably lying about the weights! She probably started at 126 pounds and got up to a whopping 146 (which, btw, I would LOVE to weigh) but could never allow herself to admit those numbers in writing. Women lie about what the scale says all the time because other women lie about it. It's stupid, and it's kind of sick but when someone famous like her does it, it is tragic. Thanks for setting women back a few decades, Nora Ephron!
This is part of the diet cycle that is so frustrating to me. I'm a feminist. Our culture is toxic to women. Pick up a Cosmopolitan magazine and see for yourself. It's not a magazine for women to be better women, it's a magazine that tells how you can drop unsightly pounds, and wear eyeliner to look hot, and how to please your man in bed. That's tragic. Even the milder women's magazines are ridiculous. Have you seen the plus-sized models? According to women's magazines the average woman in this country is a fat, disgusting mess. How dare we take up more than our allotted 120 pounds of space!
But on the other hand, I like to be able to breathe when I tie my shoes. So I think I need to drop a few pounds. But then I get into an internal struggle about my motivation for losing weight. Why am I dropping pounds? Is it really for health, or is it because I want to look a little more like Sofia Vergara and a little less like Ed O'Neill?
 |
| I want to look less like Ed O'Neill |
If I ever see Nora Ephron in person I am going to (want to) slap her right across her windsock-like turkey neck.
Attitude Auto-Correct
MUCH better day so far today. I've eaten more calories than I like to by this point in the afternoon (1:00 p.m.), but every bite has been decent. Basically, no crap food. I know there's a debate raging (somewhere) that frozen food can't possibly be healthy or considered "real" food, but I am one of those stubborn people who completely disagrees with that, and after doing my research and freezing my @#$%* _______s off in front of many frozen food cases, I can tell you I know what's available out there that has non-bio-engineered ingredients, true organic ingredients, vegan ingredients, etc. etc, There are a handful of frozen meals that I couldn't live without, and they're DELICIOUS, and the calories are counted for me, and I know how much protein/carbs/fiber/fat I'm getting etc. Here are my ULTIMATE faves:
 |
| Still my #1 pick, after every frozen meal I've tried. |
 |
| Only 220 calories - and such a big portion that I'm stuffed for HOURS. |
 |
| So many interesting textures and flavors here (plantains!), I'm hooked. |
 |
| I don't have to avoid pizza anymore! 300 calories and I'm satisfied and HAPPY. |
So those are a few of the meals I keep on hand, ALL THE TIME. When I run out, I am in my car, driving to HellMart for more.
My day so far looks like this:
8:00 a.m. Cup of English breakfast tea with a splash of fat-free half and half and two teaspoons real sugar (unfortunately, a necessity...): 60 calories
9:15 a.m. Handful of sweet snap peas out of the bag: about 25 calories
9:45 a.m. Lean Cuisine "VeggieCuisine" (meaning MEATLESS, with tofu-based "chicken-like substance...chewy and tasty!) "Enchilada Rojo with Mexican-style rice" frozen meal: 310 calories (Weird to eat so early in the day, I know, but I'm hungriest in the morning and late evening...)
11:30 a.m. Banana: 80 calories
12:45 p.m. "Oikos" (Dannon) Key-Lime flavored Greek Yogurt: 160 calories
1:15 p.m. More tea: 60 calories
(Total calories so far: 695)
1:15 p.m. More tea: 60 calories
(Total calories so far: 695)
That's where I am so far, and I've almost finished my first 32-oz. jug of ice water and haven't craved a Coke yet today. Tonight is first dinner out with the hubby in a couple weeks, and we're thinking of trying somewhere other than our two favorite local spots, which are Guadalajara Restaurant in Superior, WI (we got married there!), and India Palace in Duluth, MN. We might take the risk, we're not sure yet! Otherwise, we'll stick to what we know we love. I will do my best to keep it light and healthy!!!
Have a great weekend, girls!
Toxic!
It ain't just about bad food.
Some places are toxic. Like convenience stores! But seriously - some places have bad memories for us so it may trigger bad habits or thoughts.
Some people are toxic. We all have those "relationships" with others that we really get nothing out of.
Had a great talk about this stuff with Lisa this morning and she pointed out that even though we know of these toxicities, we still keep going back to them. Why? We must be getting something out of it...
So she said it best by saying "I can't change those things or people. They are what they are. I can change MY behavior and MY actions."
Some "food for thought".
Smile ladies!
Anne
P.S. have you had your water today?
P.S.S. I'm on a honey craze right now. I love it!
Some places are toxic. Like convenience stores! But seriously - some places have bad memories for us so it may trigger bad habits or thoughts.
Some people are toxic. We all have those "relationships" with others that we really get nothing out of.
Had a great talk about this stuff with Lisa this morning and she pointed out that even though we know of these toxicities, we still keep going back to them. Why? We must be getting something out of it...
So she said it best by saying "I can't change those things or people. They are what they are. I can change MY behavior and MY actions."
Some "food for thought".
Smile ladies!
Anne
P.S. have you had your water today?
P.S.S. I'm on a honey craze right now. I love it!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
So Many Carbs, So Little Time
Very tired today. Slogged down by too many diet-unfriendly foods, not enough exercise, (OK, NO exercise since last week...), and my motivation has flown the coop. Even with visits here to pump me up, even with the ice water jug to sip, even with a freezer full of my favorite calorie-counted vegan meals and a fridge full of Greek yogurt and yummy fresh produce, I feel like crap. This is so strange for me. I know I can't really get my motivation from anyone but myself, but I honestly don't know why my attitude is so sucky this week.
I guess it's a combination of things. Went to the cabin last weekend, loved it there, but didn't eat well. Came home, 4 pounds heavier, and had the Monday blahs when I woke up at the start of the week. Tried to stay in the positive-attitude-groove, but failed. Ate instead. Felt like crap as a result, physically and emotionally. Repeated the above on Tuesday, Wednesday, and today. So now, what? I'm supposed to find my "eat great" motivation on a Friday morning? ROTFL!
OK, I have to snap out of this, ladies. I know so much of this is emotional - I've had an insane month and I am probably just being hard on myself, but I can't help it. Have any of you ever been to "couples therapy?" It's a blast, let me tell you. Tip: ALL YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GET OUT OF THERE IS EAT THE WORLD. And if we're sitting there being analyzed by a shrink, is it too much to ask that I actually SHRINK, rather than expand? Just sayin.'
So today was bad, food-wise. Big Apple Bagel-egg sandwich and a 20 oz. COKE (I told you; I fall off that wagon once in awhile...), and it got worse from there (pre-psych jitters). Afterwards, you're just so glad to be away from the brain-probing that you just want to reward yourself however you can for surviving. Session #2, COMPLETE! Now where is my pound of Lifesavers Gummies?!
The psycho-babble is a good thing. It will help my hubby and me learn how to communicate more effectively. We're not in critical-mass mode, by any means. We're just looking for a third-party opinion on some of our most nagging husband-wife issues. Stuff we can't seem to agree on or compromise on or get past since we met in 2006. And hey, insurance covers it, so we're going! Yay.
I truly hope to make tomorrow a great eating day. I'll stick to my plan as well as I can, and I'll stop in here throughout the day to see what's new. It helps me. A LOT!!!
Have a great night, ladies...
P.S. These meals are FABULOUS!!! I recommend all of them! Super One has them, though I'm not sure where else!
I guess it's a combination of things. Went to the cabin last weekend, loved it there, but didn't eat well. Came home, 4 pounds heavier, and had the Monday blahs when I woke up at the start of the week. Tried to stay in the positive-attitude-groove, but failed. Ate instead. Felt like crap as a result, physically and emotionally. Repeated the above on Tuesday, Wednesday, and today. So now, what? I'm supposed to find my "eat great" motivation on a Friday morning? ROTFL!
OK, I have to snap out of this, ladies. I know so much of this is emotional - I've had an insane month and I am probably just being hard on myself, but I can't help it. Have any of you ever been to "couples therapy?" It's a blast, let me tell you. Tip: ALL YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GET OUT OF THERE IS EAT THE WORLD. And if we're sitting there being analyzed by a shrink, is it too much to ask that I actually SHRINK, rather than expand? Just sayin.'
So today was bad, food-wise. Big Apple Bagel-egg sandwich and a 20 oz. COKE (I told you; I fall off that wagon once in awhile...), and it got worse from there (pre-psych jitters). Afterwards, you're just so glad to be away from the brain-probing that you just want to reward yourself however you can for surviving. Session #2, COMPLETE! Now where is my pound of Lifesavers Gummies?!
The psycho-babble is a good thing. It will help my hubby and me learn how to communicate more effectively. We're not in critical-mass mode, by any means. We're just looking for a third-party opinion on some of our most nagging husband-wife issues. Stuff we can't seem to agree on or compromise on or get past since we met in 2006. And hey, insurance covers it, so we're going! Yay.
I truly hope to make tomorrow a great eating day. I'll stick to my plan as well as I can, and I'll stop in here throughout the day to see what's new. It helps me. A LOT!!!
Have a great night, ladies...
P.S. These meals are FABULOUS!!! I recommend all of them! Super One has them, though I'm not sure where else!
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