Gotta Strategize for my Fatty Thighs...

Happy Tuesday!!!
Jeez....the days are really ticking by rapidly now, aren't they?  I feel like summer is going to be kissing me goodbye long before I'm ready to let it go. It tried having the "break-up talk" with me last night as I was gathering and organizing a few things I'll need for the upcoming semester, but I wasn't having any of it.....I'm just not ready to quit summer and start my affair with fall just yet. Thankfully, one big last hurrah at the beach is in order from 8/11 through 8/21, but then a week later, come hell or high water, I will be back in class, deeply submerged in academia hell. Oy friggin' vey....

My in-laws have a place at the beach and we are very fortunate to be able to spend as much time as we like there over the summer. Last year while the wedding planning was in full swing, we spent countless weekends and a couple of weeks there getting things in order, DIYing damn near EVERYTHING until the cows came home (see this old post to really get the sense of just how bat shit crazy I was), meeting vendors and finalizing details. To me, all the insanity was well worth it in the end (just don't ask my husband or any of my bridesmaids if they feel the same). We had a beautiful beach wedding on October 9.....aaahhhh - I can't believe Josh and I have had almost a whole year of wedded bliss already! Seriously - where does the time go?

This year, we haven't spent quite as much time at the beach, simply because of the house projects we have had going on. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE me some sun, sand and surf and could spend the rest of my living days there, leathering myself up in the blazing sun like an old suitcase; but beyond wrinkles and melanoma, the beach has been known to have other adverse effects, too. Especially when it comes to my waistline. And for that reason alone, it is probably a good thing I have had minimal time there this year. I have done enough damage to myself without it. Obviously...

So, knowing the temptations that lurk around every vacation corner, I need to devise my plan of action for our pending trip, so that there are no more gains anytime soon. This evening I need to sit and dedicate some serious time to devouring my cookbooks and Skinnytaste.com to ensure we have an arsenal of healthy meals we can prepare while there.....none of this eating out every night and subjecting ourselves to all that orgasmic beach food. I'm not saying we won't go out but when we do, I know exactly where we'll go  - Mariachi, which is where we had our rehearsal dinner - they have the BEST ceviche ever! (If you're ever in Rehoboth Beach, DE, please don't miss eating there!) And possibly a seafood restaurant or two where I know healthier fish (versus juicy burger) options will be served.

I also have a plan of action for my exercise. Generally speaking, I usually am relatively active at the beach, but this time I want to be a work out supa-stah! They have a great fitness center there that I have access to, as well as multiple pools, and we are of course bringing our bikes, which we normally ride every day, barring any rain. Then of course there is the beach - and jumping waves which actually provides a decent calorie burn! Not sure if we are planning on hauling the kayaks there or not - but that's always a good work out too. I'll be blogging from the beach to keep you updated on how I'm doing. Stay tuned!

Before I sign off today, I just want to say a big thank you to those that commented yesterday and made me realize that the gain I had this past week wasn't just cause for sticking my head in the oven and calling it quits. Sometimes, I so totally need that reminder that this isn't a quick or easy process, and that a gain CAN BE reversed with patience and diligence, and that lessons are learned with each loss OR gain for that matter....No matter how old I get, I clearly see that this is a lifetime learning process. And that's OK. I will persevere!!!

And so I leave you with a little bit 'o' food porn today....it's actually my dinner from last night.....I was so happy to finally make sugar snap peas that weren't a mushy mess! See? You can teach an old dog new tricks!

Grilled salmon rubbed with grated fresh garlic & ginger, and a drizzle of Thai chili sauce, with baked sweet potato and sugar snap peas sprinkled with a little sea salt. YUM.

I Like Being a Loser

It's Friday again - and you know what that means - It's Weigh Day, y'all!!!!!
I'm happy to announce I lost another 1.75 lbs this week - and while that is hardly setting the world on fire, I will take it and be disgustingly happy with it! For so long I have watched the scale either creep up and up and up, or hover around around the same hideous number. Now it is (finally) starting to reverse itself and I couldn't be more pleased. Can I get an A-men?

While I am keeping the morning walking routine consistent (2.8 miles today), I know I could be doing more in the realm of exercise. But at least I am still seeing some positive signs on the scale, so you'll get no (major) complaints here. I'm not going to dispute the fact that my food intake and food choices have more to do with the losses this month than any sort of physical exertion - but yesterday I talked about really wanting to master that issue anyway - and so far, it is working. But I do want to eventually release the exercise whore that I think lives inside of me. She knows that it will take firing up the old metabolism to get all of this lard ass melted off. She wants to show me how it's done - but I haven't let her emerge just yet...

When I started this new blog, I told myself I had 100 weeks to lose 100 pounds - and I did this because that is not only a reasonable amount of time to take off the weight, but completely DOABLE.  Granted, 100 weeks is about as slow as I'd ever care to go, but if I can go faster, then great! Reaching that goal of "100 pounds lost" speedier than 100 weeks is definitely going to require me upping my game considerably. My inner exercise whore has been whispering to me that when I am tired of the slow pace of losing through food manipulation, she will be ready to really git 'er done. I feel her lacing up her sneakers as I write this.

My husband, on the other hand, actually likes this slow and steady approach I have adopted and tells me that I need to stay focused, keep doing what I am doing, and not get so hung up on trying to drop more than a pound a week. Maybe he's right. I don't know. One thing is for sure, I don't feel food or taste deprived and THAT has not been the case during my diets of yore. Come on - just look at some of the dinners I have had this week:

Flank Steak Stir-fry with Pinepapple, Red pepper & Onion

Bunless Turkey Burger with Grilled Corn on the Cob and Broccoli

Notice there are no pictures of the offensive pizza! Just healthy, colorful and satisfying meals. In NORMAL-SIZED portions. Frankly I don't even feel like I am dieting - but maybe that's the missing link I have been looking for! So many "diets" make you feel like you are missing out on good food. They either promote pre-packaged, portion controlled convenience (hello, Jenny Craig!) without ever really teaching you how to make these portion controlled meals on your own. I am a self-proclaimed foodie that LOVES to cook. I love, love, love stretching my culinary muscle, and this "diet" or "lifestyle" or whatever term you want to give it, is still allowing me to do it - and I'm HAPPY!

I guess in the end, you can't argue with success. And for me, success is all about the scale going down at this point, no matter how slow. I'll know when I need to switch things up. More and more I am becoming in tune with my body, my hunger, my cravings and my emotions surrounding when I eat, why I eat, and even how I eat (inhaling my food isn't quite uncommon, let's say). As Rachellabelle @ My Hips Don't Lie said in one of her comments - this is about a life long journey - and she's right. This is not something I am going to drop the second I reach goal. It's for life....

So, with that said, I'll be here, plugging along and enjoying the company I have of the people that are doing this with me, and those that might not be in the "losing game", but are here for support. Hope everyone has a great Friday and keep a watch out for some page updates on the blog over the weekend!

Ta ta, my friends!

Unprocessed Food for Thought

We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons.  ~ Alfred E. Newman

Sad, but true isn't it?

When I think about all of the processed/artificially flavored foods I have eaten over the course of my 39 years on Earth, I wonder just how many days/weeks/months I've shaved off my life...I would imagine all of that crap must have done at least some kind of internal damage. Oy vey! (I should probably mention I'm sitting here sipping a Crystal Light lemonade as I type this - sorry, Alfred!)

This new weight loss journey has me focused on what I'm eating more than ever before. Having been on a multitude of diets throughout my life, of course food has been in the forefront of my thoughts a great deal. However, this time, I find myself really concentrating on processed versus whole or natural foods, much more so than in the past. 

During the MANY times I was on Weight Watchers, all pre-Points Plus days) I remember eating tons of processed foods, which I think is the opposite of what they probably had in mind for people following the program. The fact is - I found it so damn easy to just look at the labels of all of the processed stuff (soup, crackers, bread, pre-packaged lunch meat and even candy and cookies) to calculate my points versus having to look up things that didn't come with a label  (ie: lean meats or any healthy recipe I'd be inclined to make). In my mind, knowing right off the bat that a pepperoni pizza Lean Pocket was "X" amount of points made it the better choice for me. It meant I didn't have to dig out my food scale, weigh my chicken, cook it and figure out the calories, fat, etc. It's horrible, I know, and it's a good indicator of why I probably didn't stick with WW. I knew I was eating too much sodium, for starters. I found myself cooking less. Technically, I was doing the program "right" by counting points, logging my activity, etc, but I was not eating optimally - and that was my fault entirely. I was lazy, which I fully admit. Had I put in the work that many WW devotees do, and calculated points for healthier items that didn't come from a package, I may have succeeded. I guess in hindsight, I was looking for the easiest way possible to eat and lose weight - but it backfired. That is not what WW is all about, but I tried to pretend it was. I was lured in by the idea that I could "eat what I want, just make sure you count the points." It made me think candy bars, cookies, crackers and pretzels and ice cream were still OK to have while dieting - on a regular basis - as long as I held myself accountable for them. Guess what? They're not. At least not in my world.

I don't think I'm alone in the sea of Weight Watchers dieters that did this - in fact, I think it may have become such an issue that that is why they switched to the Points Plus system where now, as I understand it, most fruits and veggies are "0" points, encouraging more consumption of those healthier things over the boxed/bottled/canned stuff many of us ate while on the program.

In no way do I blame Weight Watchers for my dieting failures. As a matter of fact, I credit them with helping me at least THINK about the food I put in my mouth, because once upon a time, I can tell you that I didn't give a rat's ass about what I shoveled in (a-hem, chicken wings and beer in mass quantities, for example - and that's just the tip of the fat-laden iceberg). WW got me into the habit of label reading, which I still do faithfully. That practice alone has caused me to take off, and then promptly put back, food on the shelf at the store time and time again. I have calorie and fat guilt often before I even think about eating things now. Hey, it's not the worst thing to have come out of being on Weight Watchers.


This time around, I'm not on any given program, per se. It's more of a Rochelle-developed plan that I hope will allow me to lose weight in a way that promotes healthier and more conscious or mindful eating. So far, it seems to be working, meaning I am removing many processed staples in my diet and replacing them with more fruits, veggies and homemade items. I also am listening to my body and it's signs of hunger - and I have come to realize that much of my mindless eating was due to boredom or stress. I am trying to recognize symptoms of these things and make sure that if they do arise that I don't just dive head first into the Nutella. I also want to make sure I don't pop open a "healthy snack" (ie: almonds) and polish off the whole can. Ultimately, the goal is to eat when I am hungry, and maintain portion control. Don't let myself get so ravenous that I can't stop myself from overeating. Don't let myself be unprepared without healthy options in the house. Make sure I get my water in. These will be my weapons of defense.


And so, in the spirit of healthier eating, and diminishing processed foods, I am going to try this black bean burger recipe this week as one of my vegetarian meals (with this side of roasted acorn squash) and also this fantastic sounding mexican shrimp cobb salad as a healthy dinner salad option. Summer is such a great time to try these new light recipes. I'm excited to be back in the kitchen again, and feeling good about what I'm making.


I'll be sure to share my opinions on these recipes after I have tried them. In the meantime, happy eating and exercising, everyone!