Just as a forewarning, I'm going to be talking about bowels, my bowels, and things of the gastrointestinal nature. If you're poop-shy, this entry is not for you.
Vegetable over-kill is alive and well. For example, if you eat too much spinach on a daily basis (I don't have an exact amount) your body will actually struggle to absorb calcium. If you eat too many orange vegetables (carrots, squash, etc.) your eyes and skin may begin to have an orange hue. I learned that the hard way. My hands have been orange since around October of last year.
Perhaps the most common side effect of eating too much of Nature's candy: fiber-overload. Bowel movements, farting, bloating, abdominal discomfort (extreme) are all symptoms of indulging in vegetables. Each day I eat about ten servings of vegetables. Keep in mind, that like fruit, one vegetable isn't one serving; it's two or three.
Recently I've felt like my stomach is massive. I couldn't imagine what I was doing wrong. I mean, I've been working on toning my core and eating right, watching my portions...except those vegetables. I totally let them slide under my radar. I couldn't help but think, "Weight Watchers lets there members have unlimited vegetables." Wrong, so wrong. I come from a history of binge eating. I can binge on anything, M&Ms or cauliflower (thought I'm really thankful it's been the latter). From now on, I'm going to begin practicing my six servings of vegetables a day and see how my body (internally, mostly) reacts.
I also met with my dietician for the first time Monday morning. I'd like to post a little about that, but I have to had into work. Extra shift! :)
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Peach-Mango Trident
Weight loss is as much mental as it is physical. These past few weeks have proven this to be incredibly true. I'm currently holding out at 179 pounds, although my bathroom scale has informed me that my body fat percentage has gone down by about .8%; small victories. I feel like my body is taking on another shape. Like, maybe about seven and a half months, it's taking sometime to figure out where 81 pounds has gone to and what to do with the remaining self. I just need it to stop rearranging primarily near my butt.
Last night I received a phone call from a friend who recently moved to Florida for a few months. She's struggled with body image in her own way, so it was wonderful to confide with someone who understands the mental tug-of-wars that weight causes. I fight with myself almost constantly. Keeping myself distracted is such a task. I'm constantly checking my "Calorie Counter" account. My food journal is never far from reach. Walking past a mirror or window used to be exciting; these past two weeks have turned that experience into something a little more anxiety inducing.
You know, this weekend is the Superbowl. I'm looking forward to it since Sam and I will be heading to Augusta to watch it with his family's friend, Ray (I hear he makes a killer best mai tai). Here again I'm thinking about food. We're leaving Saturday night or Sunday morning for Winthrop, going to Augusta and staying over in Winthrop Sunday night. Should I pack my food with me? I've been packing my meals since June of 2011. Whenever I go on an overnight somewhere, I write down my food before hand so there are no surprises. Honestly, it's peace of mind. But at the same time it's tiring. I just want to get in the car and go somewhere without having to think about what am I going to eat, how much and when? Also, the thought of eating something without measuring it before hand freaks me right out! How do you "normal" people do it without weighing 600 pounds? Teach me.
My biggest struggle? Snacks.
Last night I received a phone call from a friend who recently moved to Florida for a few months. She's struggled with body image in her own way, so it was wonderful to confide with someone who understands the mental tug-of-wars that weight causes. I fight with myself almost constantly. Keeping myself distracted is such a task. I'm constantly checking my "Calorie Counter" account. My food journal is never far from reach. Walking past a mirror or window used to be exciting; these past two weeks have turned that experience into something a little more anxiety inducing.
You know, this weekend is the Superbowl. I'm looking forward to it since Sam and I will be heading to Augusta to watch it with his family's friend, Ray (I hear he makes a killer best mai tai). Here again I'm thinking about food. We're leaving Saturday night or Sunday morning for Winthrop, going to Augusta and staying over in Winthrop Sunday night. Should I pack my food with me? I've been packing my meals since June of 2011. Whenever I go on an overnight somewhere, I write down my food before hand so there are no surprises. Honestly, it's peace of mind. But at the same time it's tiring. I just want to get in the car and go somewhere without having to think about what am I going to eat, how much and when? Also, the thought of eating something without measuring it before hand freaks me right out! How do you "normal" people do it without weighing 600 pounds? Teach me.
My biggest struggle? Snacks.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Pumpkin Want-To-Be Pancakes
Weight update: I weighed in this morning (it being the first of the month); I'm back to 179 pounds. Fingers crossed - let's hope the weight gain part of this new lifestyle is over!
Some of you probably already realize this, but I'm an avid user of Pinterest, an online bulletin board of sorts. I've been discovering a lot of fantastically healthy recipes. I've decided to post about my most recent one. I found a blog that belongs to a health-nut. She creates a lot of her own recipes (which, I have to say, I think is impressive). This morning, after my cycling class, I came home to my apartment ready to try her "Perfect Protein Pumpkin Pancakes." Here's her original recipe. I had to change the recipe because I didn't actually have flax seed in my pantry. The batter was probably soupier than intended. This led to pumpkin "crepes" instead of pancakes. So delicious and a totally welcomed accident.
In addition to my "pancakes", I measured six ounces of non-fat, plain Greek yogurt (some to spread on my crepes and some to enjoy by itself) and sliced six ounces of fresh strawberries. I put some of the sliced strawberries on my crepes, just atop of the yogurt. I didn't roll them up like a tradition crepe. This is mainly because I'm trying to teach myself to eat slower, using a fork and a knife. Doing this allows my body time to register that's it's feeling full.
Did I mention these pancakes/crepes are sugar and flour free? And the whole batch is just one serving! It's a generous serving, ranging between 170 to 211 calories depending on which version of the recipe you choose to use.
Cassey Ho, the creator of the "Blogilates" (I embedded the link above), offers some suggestions for toppings. We all love peanut butter, but she found that it over powered the pumpkin flavor. Of course you can use syrup, but why add unnecessary sugar to an already delicious breakfast? Her favorite was cottage cheese. I thought the Greek yogurt was perfect. I know very few people actually each plain yogurt, so I would recommend a vanilla since the protein powder used in this recipe is also vanilla.
Speaking of protein powder, I was nervous to buy a can. Protein powder is such a workout cliche it seems. I thought, "I don't want a can of this sitting in my pantry. I'm only going to ever use this once." Wrong! I'm already starting my search for my recipes that include it. The one downside of this product is that it tends to be expensive. The cheapest I found it was at Hannaford's in Augusta, Maine for $14.99. It should last a while though.
 | ||
| The ingredients! |
Some of you probably already realize this, but I'm an avid user of Pinterest, an online bulletin board of sorts. I've been discovering a lot of fantastically healthy recipes. I've decided to post about my most recent one. I found a blog that belongs to a health-nut. She creates a lot of her own recipes (which, I have to say, I think is impressive). This morning, after my cycling class, I came home to my apartment ready to try her "Perfect Protein Pumpkin Pancakes." Here's her original recipe. I had to change the recipe because I didn't actually have flax seed in my pantry. The batter was probably soupier than intended. This led to pumpkin "crepes" instead of pancakes. So delicious and a totally welcomed accident.
In addition to my "pancakes", I measured six ounces of non-fat, plain Greek yogurt (some to spread on my crepes and some to enjoy by itself) and sliced six ounces of fresh strawberries. I put some of the sliced strawberries on my crepes, just atop of the yogurt. I didn't roll them up like a tradition crepe. This is mainly because I'm trying to teach myself to eat slower, using a fork and a knife. Doing this allows my body time to register that's it's feeling full.
 |
| The final product: 2 sugar and flour-free pumpkin "pancakes". |
Cassey Ho, the creator of the "Blogilates" (I embedded the link above), offers some suggestions for toppings. We all love peanut butter, but she found that it over powered the pumpkin flavor. Of course you can use syrup, but why add unnecessary sugar to an already delicious breakfast? Her favorite was cottage cheese. I thought the Greek yogurt was perfect. I know very few people actually each plain yogurt, so I would recommend a vanilla since the protein powder used in this recipe is also vanilla.
Speaking of protein powder, I was nervous to buy a can. Protein powder is such a workout cliche it seems. I thought, "I don't want a can of this sitting in my pantry. I'm only going to ever use this once." Wrong! I'm already starting my search for my recipes that include it. The one downside of this product is that it tends to be expensive. The cheapest I found it was at Hannaford's in Augusta, Maine for $14.99. It should last a while though.
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