Lifestyle Decisions

Lifestyle, it has to support any pursuit of health. Dictionary.com defines lifestyle as "the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc.,that together constitute the mode of living of an individual or group." You must change each of those things if you want to successfully change from a pursuit of dis-ease, to a pursuit of health.

Let me break this down. Habits and attitudes often walk hand in hand. I have a very dear friend who has a habit of dis-ease. He doesn't see it as that, but it is none the less. He likes to go to convenience stores. He has done it for so long that I don't think he can imagine not going to them. My family on the other hand, very rarely goes to one. In this habit, he buys a diet soda. Would he buy that diet soda if he went to a regular grocery? Perhaps, but his trips to the convenience store often cause him to buy 2 for 1, or a bigger size because of the "special". This is not a condemnation of convenience stores, sometimes they are necessary, road trips for example. However this friend doesn't even have a car, so why go there? The decision to walk in the door in the first place comes from a attitude of thinking that convenience stores are, as the name implies, inherently more convenient. When you don't have a car, are they really? If you do have a car, the only time they are really "convenient" is when you have to stop to fuel up. This has become a habit for my friend, and as such it partly defines his lifestyle. Again, this is not a condemnation of convenience stores, but besides a very few items like water, nuts, or fruit, there isn't very much in them that supports a pursuit of health.

For this discussion, I believe I am going to skip over moral standards for today. Morals do play into a pursuit of health, but I do not think they are as key a factor as economic level. I may get some flack for this, because there are many who do not think they can pursue health if they are low income. I myself have at times been a victim of this kind of thinking. Let me tell you though, we are by all standards low income, yet my needs are always met. My family has spent many years on food stamps, and with thoughtful budgeting there is no reason that food stamps are not sufficient to pursue healthy eating goals. There are of course some challenges, but nothing determination and planning cannot overcome. 

Exploring that thought further, for years I told myself I couldn't support going to the gym. It is challenging, even now, but there are many things I can go without so that I can go to the gym. The bottom line is priorities. Are you willing to prioritize your health? Or do you really need the big screen tv? Many times over the years my husband and I have made choices that sacrifice something else so we can pursue our health. When you have your health, you have time to figure out those other things. As for me, I choose to chase after my health with everything I have, while I still have time.

I am blessed. God protected me for so long, until I got the wake up call last year. All these changes I make, they are lifestyle decisions. My husband said that when I joined Orange Theory Fitness he knew that it was just going to become part of our lives. Part of the new norm. What attitudes do you need to rework? What habits need changed? How do you know? Stop, and ask yourself does this support my long term health? If they answer is no, just stop. It is empowering to know that you can stop. If you can't stop, think that through, and decide how you can align it to your long term goals. Now go, run your race!

Comfort Food Conversations

As an American, I believe I was raised to comfort myself with food. I've sadly done the same with my daughter's. Some examples are obvious, "You had a bad day? Let's get ice cream." More insidious, are the comfort food cravings that crop up as you are losing weight, and watching what you eat. The voice inside your head (usually this is the deceiver) saying "I've stayed on plan all week, a couple of cookies won't hurt." Half a box of cookies later... We've all been there.

What am I doing about this today? Well, for one thing I'm aware of the types of food I crave. I don't bring them into the house. In fact I've told my husband before that if he wants to buy X, he can keep it in the car and eat it while he is working. More and more he is wanting to stay on plan with me, so he isn't doing that.

Another thing, I try to find ways to feed my craving for comfort, but stay on plan. This morning, I didn't even realize I was in the mood for a comfort food, but as I started to think about my usual breakfast of veggies and egg whites, it just wasn't what I was in the mood for. I was in the mood for a "fried" egg sandwich. Something that a week ago, would have been tricky.

As part of this plan, I have gone gluten free. It wasn't deliberate at first. I was just avoiding carbs, particularly processed carbs, which limited my exposure to wheat. Then I had some pizza on an off day. The next day I was foggy, and tired all day. I realized the gluten was effecting me, and previously I had eaten so much of it that I had never noticed. You may be asking yourself why I went on this bunny trail, my answer is this week I bought myself a loaf of gluten free bread.

So, with my gluten free bread in mind, I decided I could swing a fried egg sandwich, with my usual morning coffee. I planned it all out on Sparkpeople first. It did come out as about 100 more calories than I would usually do for breakfast, but I can work that out throughout the day. Meanwhile it was great to satisfy the craving. What did I do differently than previously? I used to use oversized (standard now) slices of wheat bread, spread with a fair amount of mayo, tons of mustard (this to me is the key to a good fried egg sandwich), two eggs fried in butter or coconut oil. I just ran the numbers, and it would have been about 575 calories. Today's whole breakfast, including coffee came in at 305. Just about half.

I like to find ways to eat the things I want to eat, but stay within my goals. Most days my cravings are not so intense, and when I find something is really too high in calories I just avoid it. Otherwise, I try to plan a way to have it. Most things can adhere to a plan, and I think it is good to eat a variety of foods.  I also think knowledge is power. I think it is powerful to start to figure out how many calories are in the foods you normally eat. Then, you are truly making an informed choice when you eat them. This journey, is all about the small daily choices that add up, in other words it is just like when I gained the weight. I choose to no longer keep my head in the sand, but to be aware of all that I eat, eat a bounty of the good food the Lord has provided, and praise Him as he changes me from the inside out.

if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you Col. 3:8put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and (Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:10)be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you (Rom. 6:4; 7:6; 12:2; 2 Cor. 5:17; Col. 3:10)put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:21-24

Eating Out!

I'm sure this has been said before, but the key to successful eating out is planning. I usually know when I'm going to be eating out, since it is typically something like a meeting with friends. When meeting with friends I generally let them know that I am watching what I eat, and most are understanding. This allows me to set the stage to go eat somewhere that is friendly to my plan. I am very particular about the places I can choose.

Here are the things I look for:
A menu with nutrition information I can look at before going (This does limit me to chains for the most part.)
A place that offers whole/fresh food options
Finally, a place I will enjoy eating at.

Some places I eat here locally are Laughing Planet, Chipotle, & Burgerville. So, now if I know I'm going out, the next step to my plan is to survey the menu. I'm looking for a meal between 200-300 calories, or 400-500 if I plan to split it. Keep in mind that I eat 5-6 small meals a day, each equal to about 200 calories more or less. I look at the carbs, I would not say I'm low carbing, but I'm cautious about my numbers on carbs and making sure that some of the carbs are fiber, not bunches of sugars. Next, I look at protein, and make sure there is sufficient protein for the meal to be satisfying. Finally, and something I'm finding increasingly important is sodium.

Sodium, especially when eating out, has become a pet topic of mine lately. I had hypertension when I started this plan just over 2 months ago, and I'm happy to report I no longer have high blood pressure. I'm quite sure that part of the high blood pressure was caused by all the eating out we were doing when I had the shop. I've been researching this after I discovered the high amount of sodium in some of the foods at restaurants.

To start off with, just how much sodium should we be taking in on a daily basis? According to the American Heart Association no more than 2400 mg a day, but recommended no more than 1500 mg a day. ("How Much Sodium Should I Eat Per Day?", 2017) Multiple sources say most of that comes from processed food. In fact "the watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest found that 85 out of 102 meals at popular restaurant chains contained more than a full day's worth of sodium. Some of the meals had four days’ worth of sodium."("Low-Sodium Diet: How to Eat Less Sodium at Restaurants", 2017). 

What does it all mean? It means eating out, and keeping sodium low is challenging. I will give you an example, I like Chipotle, and I know they try to offer healthy options. The great thing about their website is you can enter your choices and then see how it effects your meal. If I were to have 3 crispy chicken tacos with black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, and romaine lettuce the sodium is 1440 mg. Well, that is pretty close to the day's recommendation for sodium in one meal. (Actually, I wouldn't eat this particular meal, because it is too high in calories, but I thought it was a decent example.) There aren't really many choices that don't exceed the daily recommended maximum. Last time I went I had a salad, with chicken, black beans, fajita veggies, and salsa, no dressing. The calories were a bit high at 365, but I adjusted through the day for that. The sodium was 1225 mg. More than I like to do for a meal, but workable.

Long story short, make your choices carefully, and thoughtfully. Keep eating out to a minimum since you cannot control the amount of sodium in the foods you are consuming. If you are eating in a mom & pop type of establishment that can be great, depending upon what it is. I guarantee that if one of their suppliers is Sysco or similar national restaurant suppliers, you are at risk of eating high levels of sodium. Just making you aware, as I have become aware.

Citations:

"How Much Sodium Should I Eat per Day?" Sodium Breakup. American Heart Association, n.d. Web. 21 May 2017.

"Nutrition Calculator." Chipotle. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2017

.Zelman, Kathleen M. "Low-Sodium Diet: How to Eat Less Sodium at Restaurants." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 21 May 2017.

Wow! Victorious Breakthrough

I was stressing about a number, and my past experiences with that number. The number was 330, a place I've plateaued several time. I really believe drinking 64 oz. of water before eating, and within the first half hour after waking up, have helped me break through this typical plateau. Today, I weighed in at 329, that puts me at 34lbs lost, only 3 lbs away from having lost 10% of my body weight. I'm really excited about how things are going.

Further great news, everyone in my family has lost weight. My hubby has lost about 20lbs, I'm not sure what my oldest daughter has lost, but her prom dress was too big, and she had to go with a different one because she had lost weight, and the youngest wouldn't weigh herself when we began, but since she has noticed a real change she is weighing herself now. We had been keeping our bathroom scale under the sink, none of us really wanted to know what it said, but now it is out in the bathroom and we all weigh in frequently.

Okay, so I'm excited about scale breakthroughs, but I have to tell you, I try not to obsess with the number on the scale. I'm being honest, if I step on the scale, and I don't like the number, I don't track it. In other words my weigh ins look far between when I'm plateauing. It is a mind set that the number I don't like is not permanent, and tracking it would make it permanent. 

So, non-scale victories: yesterday I walked quite a bit around downtown and it wasn't terribly strenuous like it used to be, and I stayed on plan yesterday, even with eating out and having a busy day of meetings. Perhaps tomorrow I will talk about eating out strategies that work for me.  Also, yesterday I got to wear this great dress that I had bought a few months back at the thrift store. I really like it, and it makes me feel sassy. Finally, a huge non scale victory yesterday, I have a denim jacket that I bought quite a while ago, but it never completely buttoned, yesterday I was able to button it, easily. Now how is that for sassy! (Below is the sassy dress, not on the same day, but....)

Mother's Day Blessings

Everyday I'm learning, little by little, that the little steps matter. Today, my husband got me a great Mother's Day gift, that really helps me pursue health. He bought me a kite. It is important to find things you enjoy, and I enjoy kite flying. I haven't done it in years, but I can't wait to go to the park around the corner from us and fly my kite. Yesterday was a bit cold for such things, but as spring is finally springing here in Oregon, I'm looking forward to outdoors pursuits.

There was still food at our Mother's Day celebration, but I decided I wanted spring rolls. It is a meal I adore, but don't really love making because it is a lot of prep. The family got together and did the prep, and I just helped direct. It was an awesome time sitting around the table making spring rolls and talking. A small thing that blesses a mom's heart.

Today, I finally remembered I wanted to start drinking the 2 quarts of water before I eat anything. Since I try to eat within an hour of getting up, and I want to drink the water in basically one sitting, it was a challenge. The thing is now, I feel great. Drinking that much water helps get things moving, plus I know that all the rest the water I drink throughout the day is kind of bonus water.

Finally, the best mother's day I got was when I stepped on the scale yesterday I finally dropped that pound that had been stubbornly hanging on. Right here, where I am now, has always been a place that my body wants to plateau. I'm going to have to work to shake things up so I can continue to lose about 15 lbs a month. My plan is to incorporate more exercise, and of course adding the water in the morning. I hope it is enough to shake it up, because I'm done fooling around. This weight is going to go.

Facing Challenges

Lately it seems like I'm facing challenge after challenge. Food challenges have been easier to overcome. I feel like I've hit an epiphany I've been waiting a lifetime to hit. Suddenly I'm looking at foods as fuel, and calories. I've always understood this concept, but recently it is becoming a thing that helps me change the way I interact with food. I find myself weighing out how much an item will "cost" me if I indulge in it. Most the time finding I would rather go home and eat something else, that will better fuel my body. I'm feeding myself for my health more than I ever have before.

Today, could be a classic day to overindulge, it is my birthday. I'm finding myself more focused on the goal of staying healthy than classic birthday foods. I'm not going to decide that I am not having cake, but if I do have an indulgence it will be very carefully chosen. Any indulgence will have to be something I know I want enough to make it worth it.

Finally, my biggest challenge today is still my knees. I am going to the doctor today about my knees. I'm afraid I won't get immediate answers, but I'm ready to face whatever answers I get.

Challenge Update plus Sweet Chili Chicken Salad Recipe

So, yesterday I had intense knee pain, and I won't lie, it still hurts. Today is not as bad as yesterday. I watched part of the legs workout on the SparkPeople 28 Day Home workout challenge, and decided that I was unable to do it. I substituted the sitting workout instead. So small victory, I did workout.

As for dining challenges at our friend's house. It turned out great. I took the sweet chili chicken salad, and avocado black bean brownies. They were delicious, and I stayed totally on plan. Today, I am going to include the recipe for the sweet chili chicken salad.

Sweet Chili Chicken Salad

Cabbage, shredded 3/4 cup

Carrot 1 small, shredded

Radish, 1-2 small, chopped

Zucchini, shredded 1/2 cup

Fresh mint and/or Cilantro about a total of 2 Tbsp. chopped

Red bell pepper, chopped 1/4 cup

2-3 ounces of shredded cooked chicken breast*

1 Tablespoon of Sweet Chili Sauce (I like Mae Ploy, or Grama's)

Zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 Tablespoon sliced dry roasted almonds (I like Trader Joe's)

Mix the chicken and chili sauce, and set aside. Layer the rest of the veggies, zest the half lemon over veggies, and squeeze the juice over the salad. Top with the chicken and toasted almonds. The macros below are with 3 ounces of chicken.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 1
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 264.6

• Total Fat: 6.8 g
• Cholesterol: 52.7 mg
• Sodium: 442.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 26.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.7 g
• Protein: 23.1 g

There are of course lots of possible variations. The veggies can vary depending upon what you have on hand. Instead of almonds you could used toasted sesame seeds, or cashews. Let me know if you try this salad, and what you think of it. Let me know if you want more salad ideas. Please subscribe.

*I get large packages of chicken and cook a big batch of breasts at one time with salt and pepper on it, then I shred and store for later use.

Knee Pain and other challenges from Sparkpeople Blog 5/1/17

I'm having a hard time focusing today due to knee pain. I believe I need to make a doctor's appointment. I'm trying to do the 28 day Home Workout Challenge, but I'm not sure if I can do it today. I am going to attempt since it is only 10 minutes today, but my concern, without having watched the video, is that today is a leg workout. I'm not going to let it discourage me. 

Also challenging today, spring allergies. My hubby is mowing the lawn and cut grass kills me. My daughter is making me doTERRA tri-blend shots with lavender, peppermint, and lemon. It helps. Also running doTERRA Breathe in the diffuser. On top of all that it is that time of month. Wowser! I'm going to make it through this day victorious. 

The final challenge of the day is family fellowship at a friend's house tonight. It is always potluck. Last week I took frittata and salad, and the host had barbeque chicken legs and stuffing, both things I cannot eat. This week she plans on doing roast and peach cobbler. Thankfully, she doesn't make things overly sweet, so the cobbler won't be a huge problem. I'm not sure what I'm taking. I think black bean brownies, salad, and some sort of casserole. I need to assess what I have in the fridge. I know I have some shredded chicken I should use up. Maybe I'll just make the brownies and a sweet chili chicken salad. That sounds good, and filling. (Plus easy since I have most of it made already.) Challenge accepted!