It's been one month since I posted under the official Move More Eat Less platform, and if you recall, last month, Mama was in the midst of a great, big, fat pity fest.
I disguised it as a thoughtful, I'm-not-going-to-beat-myself-up type of message, but the reality was this: I was in a major sugar and carb binge overload, and I wasn't quite sure how I was going to climb up and out of it.
And after I posted and let myself wallow around in my words for a bit, I shrugged off the Cloak of Diet and Fitness Malaise and got back to the business of learning how to take care of myself in a way that is both realistic and sustainable.
So here I am, the 1st of June, feeling more inspired and ready to Move More and Eat Better. I realize this campaign of mine started with the idea of eating less, and I do believe that when you're starting out on this journey, you really do have to cut back the amount of food that's going down the old gullet if you want to get the numbers moving in a downward direction.
However right now, I really am focused on eating better. And by better, I don't just mean the kind of better where you only eat one donut instead of 4. I mean the kind of better where you are looking for the most balanced nutrition you can get out of each meal and snack.
I just finished reading "The Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism" as recommended to me by my friend Lisa. I am planning to go back and read more on what the author explains about supplements (not quite ready to jump into that one just yet) but a few things have really hit home, namely these.
1. You will never ever get full on straight carbs. You know how you sit and have that bowl of Goldfish, and then you want another, and another? And what the hell…another? The author explains what happens to carbs in your system and how it's like an endless cycle of Feed Me coming from your body. This really helped me to understand why once I'm in a carb (and sugar) binge space, the hits just keep a comin'.
2. You need to choose real food and not those 100-calorie food stuff snacks. I've been guilty from time to time of buying those little packs of stuff. I think, "Hey! I've got 6 more points to eat today... BRING ON THOSE FAT FREE POTATO CHIPS!" But what I am learning now is that I've got to make every food choice count, and I've got to be keepin' it real, y'all. Meaning, real, whole, unadulterated foods.
So guess what I cut out last week? My daily, beloved afternoon cup of Oregon Chai. (SHUT the front door! She so did NOT do that!) Yes, she did.
Why? The sugar. Every afternoon cup served to spike those insulin levels and blammo!—it set me up for an afternoon of more cravings beyond a simple cup of sugary chai tea.
In its place, a cup of Tazo Green Tea. Simple. Plain. Warm. Done.
I only had one day of headaches after kicking the chai to the curb. Not bad at all.
But with everything you kick out of the rotation, I believe you need to bring some new ones in. In my efforts to get a better balance of protein, carbs and fats together, my friend told me how to make my new most favorite smoothie in the world.
I'm a huge smoothie fan, but I used to make mine with Yoplait yogurt (hello, high fructose corn syrup that I no longer want in my body) and orange juice (hello, crazy amounts of sugar, why don't you just eat an orange if you're going that route?). It was so sweet and delicious and yes, I suppose good for me on some level, but I wanted to make it healthier and tasty too. This new one does just that.
My God, just look at it. I'm drooling. All. Over. The. Keyboard.
The good part? Whey protein and flax seed and kefir and coconut water. Sounds wacky but tastes so amazingly fresh and delicious. I want you to try this so I made a 6 x 4 recipe card for your downloading pleasure. Please, for to enjoy…
(Hold down your mouse and right-click on the image. You can choose to download the JPEG, print, trim and make that smoothie!)
I use vanilla whey protein powder from my local co-op (Mississippi Market) and sometimes I add a little extra coconut water if it's too thick. Mmmm. Everything in it is good for you people. My kind of smoothie makeover indeed!
And now, onto this month's layout. I am down from a high of 159 in the start of May. I'm changing things up a bit both nutrionally (having eggs and sprouted grain toast with butter instead of bran flakes for breakfast) and on the fitness front (hello BodyPump and Zumba!).
JOURNALING READS: Aaaaand she’s back! After skipping the documentation of Month 17 due to a bad case of Feeling Sorry for Myself-itus as well as a bit of an out of control sugar and carb binge that went unchecked for three weeks, I’m back on the horse of fitness and healthy and riding tall. Key changes for this installment? I’m reading and learning a bit more about balanced nutrition. While yes, I am still tracking what I eat each week via Weight Watchers, I am employing what I’ve been learning in “Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism.” Mostly, I’m trying to balance out my protein, fat and carbs in a way that keeps me feeling more satiated and even, and I’m trying to cut out as many white flour and straight up sugar items as possible. So far, so good. I’m hoping to get a handle of those cravings that all revolve around sugar and carbs. It’s small steps to start: organic eggs, sprouted grain bread and real butter for breakfast; whey protein smoothies in the afternoon instead of my beloved Oregon Chai. Little changes that I’m hoping will make more sense for how I want to live my life. I also went to my first BodyPump class and I intend to make this a weekly thing. I know that weight training needs to be a part of this whole thing, and even though I really don’t have the love for it, I’m going to try to work it back into the mix. There is still the reality that a) I will never be able to eat anything I want without consequences, and b) I still need to work towards a more positive body image and self-acceptance. But at least I’m back on track, and working to workshop every changing approaches to find the best fit for me.
So there it is. Right now I feel like I'm in an exploration mode, trying to learn more about concrete nutrition and not simply the calories in/calories out old standby model. Yes, I believe in diets, but I also need to keep reminding myself this is also about lifestyle and sustainability.
So for now, I continue to Move More and Eat Better. I am not going to be the thinnest girl on the block, but I might be one of the healthiest some day, and maybe even one of the smartest.
How is everyone doing on their lifestyle changes this month?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to learn more about Move More Eat Less 2011? Click here to learn more about the concept.
I've also started a flickr group for Move More Eat Less. Feel free to start sharing your pages. You will find the group by clicking here.
