Countdown to Christmas Challenge – Week 7

At this point in the challenge, there is no way I’m going to make it to my original goal.  But I’m not really disheartened by that.  I’ve decided to refocus my efforts in a way that I think will be much more productive for me.

My main focus now is not to gain any weight, even with the holiday festivities.  They say that, on average, people gain 7-10 pounds between Halloween and New Year’s, so I figure that if I maintain my weight (or hopefully lose a bit), I’m ahead of the game for January.

Here’s an idea I got from Fat 2 Fit Radio:

We always talk about setting goals and writing them down, but many people get caught up in always looking forward.  The homework this week is to start writing down all of your successes.  Do it just like you do your goals, but do it in the reverse.  What are some things that you have accomplished in the last year that you are proud of with your fitness and weight loss goals?  The last 3 months, last week and even today.  Keeping track of your successes can be another way to keep yourself motivated and help with the momentum.

When I heard this idea, I loved it and knew I wanted to share it with all of you.  I am really guilty of always looking ahead and not focusing enough on the here and now, or the celebrating past successes. 

Here are my successes for the past six months, since June 18, 2009 when I started to get really serious about my weight loss efforts:

• I am now living an entirely new lifestyle than I was 6 months or a year ago.  That new lifestyle includes eating healthy food, tracking my points for every meal, and working out.  By living this healthy lifestyle I am setting myself up for major success in 2010. 
• I spent my off time this summer working out in my own little “Bella Boot Camp.” I made a Stay Active Plan and not only stuck with it, but actually really enjoyed it.  I’m going to do a mini version of this during the Christmas vacation in a few weeks.  (Although there won’t be any swimming in the outdoor pool – it’s too cold for that, even here in California). 
• I hired Jimmy as my personal trainer and met with him twice a week for 2 1/2 months.  This was absolutely life changing!  Jimmy pushed me enough that I was able to gain new confidence in my physical capabilities.  Although I had to put the personal training on hold because of my bought with bronchitis, I’m looking forward to returning to the sessions at the start of the new year.
• I participated in several 5Ks, which was a major accomplishment for me because I had to give up my Team in Training program due to injury.  Taking things a bit slower and being able to walk a 5K was great for my confidence.  I’m looking forward to taking this to the next level in 2010 (more on this on Jan. 1). 
• I’ve found some amazing new blogging buddies in the past year.  Women whom I consider true friends and whom I hope to someday meet face to face.  This is truly priceless.
• I’ve written 248 blog posts this year.  Weight loss and leading a healthy lifestyle have been the focus of my life, aside from work, and I love it.  I hope that I have informed and  inspired a few people along the way.

I’d love for you to comment with a few of your own successes.  You choose the time period (last year, last 6 months, 3 months, month…).  Or, if you want, write a whole blog post about it. 

The point is, in this journey, knowing and celebrating where you’ve been is as important as looking forward to where you’re heading. 

New Podcast Find – Fat 2 Fit Radio

 Before I left for my Thanksgiving trip, I wanted to make sure that my iPhone was filled with lots of good music and podcasts to listen to on the plane and in the car.  I was searching “weight loss” in the iTunes podcast section and it came up with Fat 2 Fit Radio. 

The podcast is hosted by Russ Turley and Jeff Ainslie, who have each gone on their own weight loss journey.  Jeff lost 50 pounds several years ago, and is now a personal trainer, PE teacher, and expert in the field; Russ is still in the process of losing weight, but has lost over 70 pounds in the past 2 years.  The main premise of the podcast is to promote  the idea that in order to successfully lose weight and keep it off, you have to make a lifestyle change, rather than going on some sort of short-term, fad diet program.  The dynamic of the show is that Jeff serves as the expert and Russ is going through the process of losing weight.  Russ checks in with his weight loss goals each week, and I like that they focus on a three-pronged approach: food, exercise, and motivation.  Each week, Jeff assigns Russ some sort of “homework” that he should work on for the upcoming week. (One of the recent assignments was so interesting that I’m planning an upcoming post around it).

The format of the show is really organized and interesting.  They begin with view emails, which they answer in depth.  Then they go to a “web” feature.  (On a recent show Jeff highlighted a website called Supercook, which offers lots of suggestions of recipes you can make based on the ingredients you have on hand at home.  It sounds like a great site, and from what I saw when I checked it out, it looked like a really simple user interface).  After that, they spend most of the 30-minute podcast on a topic of the week.  Recent weekly topics include: Travelers of Size, Your Ideal Weight, How to Stay Motivated, and Eat to Save Your Life. 

I have been listening to the podcast for about a week now, and find it a great way to get some interesting information, find out about new websites and products, and stay motivated.  I listen to it on the commute home each day, and it’s a great way to transition from work to home.  It’s nice to get the male perspective on weight loss, since so many of the weight loss experts seem to be women.  I also really like that one of hosts is actually trying to lose weight, so he shares many of the same experiences that we do. 

I really recommend checking it out.  If you do, please let me know what you think of it.

Bella Cooks: Easy Winter Dinner

The other day when I went to Trader Joe’s, I found a great new item that I’ve been looking forward to trying:

I LOVE lamb, and once I saw that 4 oz of this had only 140 calories and 6g of fat (3 points), I knew I was going to buy it for sure.

So, I cooked it up in a skillet, using just a bit of olive oil and paired it with roasted sweet potatoes and a spinach salad with 1 tbsp of chopped walnuts, 1 tbsp of goat cheese, and some poppy seed dressing.

It was a perfect, quick & easy winter dinner. Plus, the best part is that the entire meal was 11.5 points and very filling.

What winter foods have you been enjoying lately?

Weigh-In Wednesday – 4 weeks left!

Can you believe that we’re in the first week of December already?  I can’t.  This year has flown by, especially since September!  But enough of me trying to avoid talking about the weigh in.  Without further ado…

 Yep, that’s right, I gained. 4.3 pounds to be exact.  I didn’t weigh in last week, so this is technically the weight gain for  the past two weeks, but regardless, it’s a big gain, which sucks. 

I wasn’t sure what the scale would bring, because it’s TOM time again, and I didn’t track at all while I was away for Thanksgiving.  It felt freeing, in a way.  I ate when I was hungry, tried to make the best choices possible, and didn’t put too much pressure on myself.  I didn’t eat as many meals as I usually do, but my portions were bigger than normal on the meals that I did eat, so I was thinking that thing would work out in the end.  I also got a lot of walking in once we got to Chicago, which felt good.

So, moving forward into these last 3 weeks of 2009, I’m going to slowly get back in to working out.  I haven’t worked out at all since I’ve had bronchitis, but I’m finally feeling better now. The plan for this week is all about the Wii – Fit Plus, Sports Active, and Biggest Loser game.  Between those three Wii games, I should get in a decent workout each day, and slowly get my body back into working out mode.  Next week, I’m going to incorporate going to the gym on my own, along with the Wii.  The final two weeks I’ll be home on Winter Break, so I can really kick up my workouts and take some group exercise classes at the gym to get back on track to start seeing Jimmy when the new year comes. I’m really looking forward to moving my body again.  I’ve missed the sense of accomplishment that comes with it.

One thing I’ve noticed this week is that even though it’s hard to stay on a weight loss plan when away from home, it was easier not to overindulge because I wasn’t by myself at night.  My parents have always been huge supporters of mine, in life and in weight loss.  My mom is naturally slim now, although she was a bit overweight as a child.  But she sees herself as much heavier than she really is.  Growing up, she was very concerned about my sister’s and my weight, and I think we were always a bit more conscious of our eating when she was around.  I noticed that on this trip, because my parents and I were together every waking moment, I was much more conscientious about my eating.  I didn’t give in and eat more than I should just because something looked good or I had the “need” to eat.  Being in the company of other people at meal times definitely made it more of a social thing, and less about just the food itself.

Living alone, I have a lot of advantages because I only have to worry about cooking for myself and I can make anything that tickles my fancy.  The down side of living alone is that I’m not accountable to anyone.  If someone were here with me I know I wouldn’t overindulge as much as I do at night sometimes.  Even if they weren’t paying any attention to what I was doing, I know I’d never binge eat.  I care too much about appearances.  As it is now, I sometimes give in to the urges, and it’s easy for me to rationalize it to myself.

What I am going to do in these last four weeks is stop this roller coaster of gaining some, losing some, and regaining it again.  It has to end.  The way it ends is for me to stop giving in to every food whim that pops into my mind.  Especially at night.  This isn’t a holiday food and parties thing.  This is a getting a handle on my eating thing.  I need to stop fooling around and start to take this seriously, otherwise I’m going to keep doing this roller coaster dance and I’ll never get to my goal.  I need to start now so that I can begin 2010 with a renewed sense of purpose and focus on my goal.

I feel like much of this year was spent getting myself into the proper mindset.  Finding the time in my busy schedule for working out, cooking healthy meals, and preparing for the day.  I’ve got that down.  I’ve made lifestyle changes that will stick with me.  Now I need to go into 2010 with the drive and determination to take this weight off.  I need to stop playing games with myself and rationalizing when I eat more than I should.

It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t.  It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.” – James Gordon.

I’m ready to change! I am ready to take control! I am ready to get to goal!

HYC Update: Post-Thanksgiving Wrapup

I hope everyone had a fantastic, long weekend.  As you know, I was away for Thanksgiving visiting my uncle in Niles, MI and then off to a quick jaunt to Chicago.  I wrote a bit about my trip here, if you’d like more details.  I took over 200 photos, many of which turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself:

Thanksgiving 2009 – Michigan & Chicago

My eating & exercise while I was away?  Not too bad, but not great, either.  Some highlights:

• We didn’t eat 3 meals a day, but when we did eat, we had heavier meals.  I’m hoping that the net calories work out to about the same that I would’ve normally consumed, but we’ll see for sure on the scale tomorrow.
• I didn’t track any points, but I  tried to make wise choices whenever we ate.
• We got tons of exercise, especially in Chicago.  On Saturday alone we walked over 2 miles, which was great.

So, that’s about it, as far as the Thanksgiving report.  I’m so glad we went away, and I’ll definitely go back again as many times as I can.

Getting back on track for the week:

1. I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s on Sunday and got tons of great, healthy food.
2. Sunday I made the quick soup that I posted about, along with the HG crock pot chili that I love (I don’t think I’ve ever posted that recipe, so I’ll do that soon).  I felt so organized by making two dinners like this that I can have for lunch and dinner all week.
3. I’m going to ease back in to working out this week.  I still have some congestion in the mornings and at night, but during the day I’m feeling back to normal.  Baby steps on working out is the best plan, I think.  So this week, it’s all about the Wii – Fit Plus and EA Sports Active.  I contacted Jimmy and told him I was going to slowly work my way back to the gym, and would probably put off our training sessions until the first of the year.  I don’t want to go too fast with working out and wear myself out, so I think this is a good plan.
4. Track everything.  Scale Warfare and I are still emailing our food journals daily, which is such an awesome way for both of us to stay accountable to someone besides ourselves with our food intake.
5. Catch up on all of your blogs!  I really missed reading them while I was away, but I really didn’t have computer access on the trip (other than my iPhone), so I’m going through some withdrawal. 

I hope everyone is doing well and embracing the holiday spirit that’s swirling in the air!

Bella “Cooks”: Michigan Rainstorm Inspired Soup

As the title suggests, this soup was inspired by a terrible rainstorm that we got caught in on our way to Michigan.  I’m going to write a whole post about my Thanksgiving vacation, but I’ll just mention this one thing.  When we got to the airport in Chicago, we rented a car and were prepared to drive 2 hours to my uncle’s house in Niles, Michigan.  We didn’t expect the bad weather and terrible holiday traffic.  These factors caused our drive time to increase to 4 hours!  We were in the car as long as we had been in the plane from California!!!  We were so tired, cranky, and hungry by the time we arrived at my uncle’s house that we were willing to eat anything.  My uncle had a great spread for us, which included a soup just like this one.  I enjoyed it so much that I decided to try to replicate it, using lower calorie ingredients.

I actually think I like my version better!

Michigan Rainstorm Inspired Soup

1 container (32 oz) Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Soup
12 oz smoked turkey kielbasa
1 cup (dry) wild rice

(Optional)
garlic powder
salt
hot sauce (I used a fire roasted chili pepper sauce from Trader Joe’s)

This recipe makes 4 huge servings at 7 points each.

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions.  The brand I used cooks quickly, and was done in 12 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, heat the kielbasa.  I used my George Foreman grill, but you could quickly heat it in a skillet, or even in the mircowave.

Pour butternut squash soup into a medium saucepan and heat on low.  Add cooked rice and heated kielbasa.  Heat through.  Serve.

When I first tasted the warm soup, I felt it was very blah, so I started adding seasonings to it.  Feel free to add whichever flavors you enjoy. I added garlic powder, a bit of  salt, and a large amount of fire-roasted chili sauce.  It really helped to give the soup some kick, which is the way I like it.

I paired the soup with a salad of mixed greens, Persian cucumbers, and crumbled goat cheese, with a poppy seed dressing.

The rice makes the soup thick and hearty, while the kielbasa gives it smokiness (as well as some protein).  I will definitely “cook” this again.  It was super-simple and quick!  I was done in less than 15 minutes!!

Gobble Gobble

No, this isn’t a post about how much I’ve been eating. It’s just a quick post to let you guys know that I’m going to be super busy this week, and then I leave on Wednesday at 7:30am for Chicago/Michigan, so I’m taking a brief vacation from the blog. (But not from making good choices, tracking my food, getting steps in, etc).

I’ll see you back here on Sunday, November 29th.

Until then, I hope everyone has a great week. I hope your scales are friendly, and that you get some exercise in. Check out the amazing bloggers in my blogroll if you need something to read in the mean time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

DietTribe: Inspiration for a Sprint Tri!

I love this show!

When I first watched DietTribe last season, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it.  Something about the contestants’ lack of drive made me feel like the show wasn’t going to be for me.  Still, I watched it, and kept it in my DVR’d shows list.

Am I ever glad I did!  This season the show is really, really good.  Not only are the ladies really motivated (most of the time), but they’re seeing success.  One of the things I like about the premise of this show is that the women who participate still live their normal lives – work, family, etc., all while working out with hottie trainer Jessie 5 times a week.  It’s so much more realistic.  The show also works on the psychology/therapy that’s needed for the contestants to get the most out of their weight loss journey; they meet for weekly therapy sessions with psychologist Stacy Kaiser.

The ladies also have a weight loss goal each time they weigh in, which is every two weeks.  If they make their team goal, they get a fabulous prize, like a day at the spa.  I love that the show is promoting weight loss rewards, because I really do feel that it’s important for us to reward ourselves for our efforts.

This season, in addition to their weight loss goal of losing 50 pounds in 120 days, the ladies have also been challenged to compete in a sprint Triathlon*.  How cool is that?  I’ve actually thought that I would love to train for a sprint Tri at some point in the near future.  It has been really inspirational for me to see these ladies (one of whom is bigger than me and two of whom started out around my weight), show huge progress with each week that passes.  They’re training with the TriDivas, and seeing the cool gear and the fun they have at practices really makes me want to join; unfortunately, they don’t have any groups in my area.  Still, I am very seriously considering OK, I am going to participate in a sprint Tri before my 40th birthday (1 1/2 years left).

*”A sprint tri” refers to the shorter distance: 750m swim, 20km bike,  and 5km run.

If you get a chance, check out the website for the show – there are some interesting meal plans and recipes, the training schedule used on the show, as well as some other great tips and information.  The season finale is this Friday, but I think you can catch up on past episodes online.  I highly recommend this show for inspiration.

What t.v. shows do you like watching for inspiration and motivation?

Weigh-In Wednesday – 6 weeks left!

I wasn’t sure exactly what I was going to see on the scale this morning because I’ve been sick and haven’t worked out AT ALL.  I did track every single bite I took, and I stayed within my points.  I did have some high-points days this weekend, but I had them to use.

So…drumroll, please……………….

This week, I lost 2.6 pounds!!! (My feet are in socks because I never made it to that pedicure). I am thrilled with this result!  It’s a really large amount of weight for me.  In fact, I think it’s one of the largest that I’ve seen in a long, long time.  I’m truly hoping that by next week my cough has subsided and I can start working out again after Thanksgiving. Speaking of which, I’m getting really excited.  For the first time ever, I’m going out of town for Thanksgiving.  My uncle recently moved to Michigan, so my parents and I are going to visit him for Thanksgiving!  (LC and her family are going to spend the holiday with her husband’s side).  I’ve never been to Michigan, so I’m looking forward to seeing a new place.  My uncle lives about an hour and half from Chicago, so we’re also going to be able to see Chi-town for a day or so.  So fun!!!  I’m not worried about overeating at Thanksgiving, mostly because I am not a huge fan of traditional Thanksgiving food.  I’m not even sure exactly where we’re eating; all I know is that my uncle made reservations at a local restaurant.  The one thing I do know about next week is that I’m going to get plenty of walking in!  Can’t wait.

Last night I had planned on cooking Scale Warefare’s “Healthified Ham & Cheese Casserole, but I got home too late to make it. (I did pick up all the ingredients I needed, so I’m planning on making the casserole for dinner tonight). Plus, I’m really trying to use the food I have in the fridge and freezer in an effort to waste less food.  Since I had some spicy Italian chicken sausages thawing in the fridge, I decided to make “Italian Stir Fry.”

I used very little olive oil and then sauteed onion, garlic, red & green bell peppers, Portabello mushrooms, and the spicy Italian chicken sausages.  So many yummy veggies and very low cal.  I paired it with some brown rice that I had made last night, and it was a really filling, healthy dinner. Plus, it was super quick!

HYC Update – No More Food Waste!

This week has been pretty good, considering how ill I’ve been. I’ve tracked every single day and stayed within my points. This weekend I used a lot of flex points when I celebrated with CTLB and her husband, who were visiting from Boston, but that’s what they’re for. Plus, we had so much fun seeing each other.

Still no exercise because of the bronchitis. I’m feeling better, but going in for a full day of work on Monday was tough. Still only at 50% or so of normal. I’m anticipating the weigh in tomorrow. Not sure how my body will handle such lack of activity. We’ll see.

My main goal for the coming week is to go through (eat!) the food in my freezer in my attempt to waste less food. I read in the newspaper this weekend that on average, Americans throw out 15-40% of the food they buy. (If you have a few minutes, I highly recommend clicking the link to read the article; there are a lot of great tips on how to eat more healthily on a budget). Literally, money in the garbage! My journalism students and I are volunteering at a local food bank on Thursday evening as a way to give back and bond as a class. I am really hoping to help them (as well as the entire student body) take on Obama’s call for every American to become more active and volunteer, so volunteerism has been a focus of many of our articles this year. I’m happy we’ll be able to help out at the food bank, but when I think of all those hungry people who would love to have the food that I throw out, it makes me feel so guilty. I’m definitely inspired to do better. I’m challenging you to do the same.

A huge thank you to everyone for the well wishes of a speedy recovery. I am really going to do my best to get healthy!

I hope you all have a glorious week!!