I am really horrible at blogging lately, mostly because I have no idea what to say. I overanalyze myself and the last thing I needed was to self blog it all out to obsess over! So instead, I decided I'd do a little "around the web in weight loss" type of post. So without further rambling, let's talk about some of the the things that have crossed my greader this week.
Firstly, it is summer, finally. Las Vegas has had a fairly relaxed summer so far (it was only 105 today!) but that still makes cooking almost unbearable. In the past I would just lay about and not eat out of protest, entirely healthy I assure you. /sarcasm. One of the ways I've been avoiding that pitfall is smoothies, and you get bonus points if you can convince your kids they are better than ice cream! I typically do a blueberry/banana combo but I ran across a cherry blend that I am dying to try!
Cherry Chocolate Protein Shake
1.5 C almond milk (I'm going to sub milk and/or greek yogurt)
1 C frozen organic cherries
1 T protein powder (I use hemp vanille protein from Trader Joes, higher fiber and omega counts!)
1 T raw cacao powder
a little honey, cinnamon, ice and one banana
(makes 2 mugs full)
In enlightening and otherwise obvious news: increased consumption of potato chips, sugar sweetened drinks, and meat will make you gain weight over time. However that does not mean you should avoid all things fatty, instead stick to the healthy fats. Weight Watchers has long said that we all need 2 servings of healthy oil a day and I've always nodded my head along with them. Fat is not inherently bad! I dislike their limitation of it being "healthy oil" such as olive, canola, sunflower, safflower, or flax but appreciate their acknowledgement that we can't life a "fat free" life and be healthy. I recently picked up some flaxseed oil to add to my salads, but mostly so I can up my Omega 3 intake. Instead, I've been trying to get my healthy fats through other sources. Hey look, here are some suggestions to help you out.
My best friend and I have been discussing our family food budgets and how we can lower them this month. I stumbled across this Cost of Food estimate by the USDA and was astonished to see the expected 'moderate' budget of a family of four, like mine, was $981 a month. I've been aiming for $125 a week and usually end up closer to $150 if I do really well. When I get some free time I want to go through the food plans used as a basis but for now, I simply found it interesting and worth pointing out. I think I find it most surprising because best friend and I always talk about how eating good healthy food simply costs more, especially once you add in organic and natural products, and yet that plan likely does not include organics or environmentally responsible products. I simply can not afford to eat 100% organic currently, but I try hard to buy local/sustainable/responsible/organic when I can. Coupons help.
I've been a Body Pump convert for what seems like forever. Or maybe it has only been a year? I don't remember exactly and while I have recently branched out to cardio heavy classes like Zumba and RPM, the Daily Burn has it right. Weight training gives me confidence. Building muscle has been one of the biggest changes I've noticed on my body, and what keeps me going every day. I look different and it is hard to deny that when I stare at myself in the mirror. I have a long ways to go but I don't want to just be skinny, I want to be healthy and strong. I want to be confident and self assured. I want to know that I can do whatever I set my mind to, and it is impossible to downplay the role strength training plays in giving that to a person.
Side note: BPA in your canned goods! Actually I'm a little surprised that this is "new" as I've known about it for quite some time. I try to buy canned tomatoes from Eden Organics in bulk from Azure Standard because I read that they have lower levels than most other can linings. You can avoid buying beans in cans by buying in bulk, dry, and then cooking in the slow cooker. Separate out into servings and freeze them until you need them.
Side note, side note: If you are a parent and are not watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. You should be. Our children deserve better. Do we really want our children struggle as we are now? This journey isn't easy, I don't wish it upon my children or anyone elses.
If you have made it all the way through this post, you get a cookie! Ok, not really because that wouldn't be very #twitloss friendly. You do however get an update on me. I've moaned and whined and cried over the last few weeks as I felt stuck. I upped my workouts (5+ hours a week, that is 28-30 activity points a week I'm earning!) in order to break a very low weight loss month of May only to have the scale finally move, but slowly. After having a breakdown last week, best friend gave me a mental slap across the face. Again, I'm not eating enough. And I'm not giving myself enough credit, I have probable thyroid issues, I'm still in the first 6 months of a new birth control, my body is adjusting to some pretty drastic lifestyle changes, and we won't even get into the stress and upheaval that is my personal life. I'm not normal and need to stop expecting my loss to be linear. I've upped my activity and lowered my intake.... my body can't possibly recover and build muscle if I don't feed it! This week I made an effort to eat more protein and to eat most of my earned activity points..... and what do you know? I lost 2.8 lbs.
One of these days the saying "it is more than just a number, you are more than just a number" will click. One of these days. I posted something about inches lost not too long ago here. Since then I have measured two more times, once of which was this morning.
| Inches Lost | May | June | ||
| Bicep | 0.25 | 0.25 | ||
| Neck | 0.75 | 0.25 | ||
| Over Nipple | 1.5 | 0 | ||
| Under Bust | 1.5 | 0 | ||
| Waist | 2.5 | 0.75 | ||
| Over Belly Button | 2.5 | 2 | ||
| Hips | 1.5 | 0 | ||
| Thigh | 0.75 | 0 | ||
| Calf | 0.5 | 0 | ||
| Totals: | 11.75 | 3.25 |
Almost 12 inches lost in May, just over 3 in June. Over that same time period I lost 13 lbs (most of which was in June), 37lbs since we first started this blog and the #twitloss hastag, 47 since the very first time I signed into Weight Watchers more than a year ago. My journey is not a quick one by any means, but that just leaves the end rewards all that much more valuable to me.
0 comments:
Post a Comment