Did I tell you I was going camping over the weekend? I did and other than drinking copious amounts of those cold Starbucks coffee drinks (I had 3 in 24 hours) and eating about 10 fire roasted marshmallows...I did fairly good with my eating. I feel okay about it because I think I got in a good amount of activity...just carrying my stuff to and from the car/campsite was a workout in itself.
This is going to be a long week. Both of my bosses are in town (not that I have short weeks when they aren't!). We have a lot of meetings and lots of stuff to cram into the week before they leave. On Wednesday, the three of us are going to dinner. I've picked out one of my favorite restaurants, Nicola's. It's upscale Italian. So I am thinking fish and red sauce should give me the most bang for my caloric buck.
Last night I made a spicy vegetarian curry that made me feel almost virtuous in the eating of it. It was delicious. I will change up the recipe a little bit next time...I'd like to add a bit more spice and try it with red lentils.
I am feeling the need for an activity goal today...so when I get home tonight I'm either going to practice the yoga sequence Yoga Tiffany gave me during our last yoga class or I'm going to get on the treadmill for 45 mins.
It looks like it's going to be beautiful in my neck of the woods over the next few days...hoping the weather holds out through the weekend as I'd like to get in some golf!
Next weigh in is Friday. I'm trying not to be emotionally invested in that goal...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Week 2: 191.8 - 46.8 pounds to go
I was surprised to see the number on the scale...3.2 pound loss? I barely tried. But, try, I did, at least a little bit and now I am happily on my way.
The newest yoga magazine arrived in my mailbox a week or so ago and I've only just now gotten around to flipping through the pages...saw a wonderful article about equanimity. I want to share a bit of the article here...it's on page 58 of the August 2010 Yoga Journal, in the article, "Calm Within" by Frank Jude Boccio.
"Equanimity gives you the energy to persist, regardless of the outcome, because you are connected to the integrity of the effort itself. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that this attitude of focusing on the action without attachment to the outcome is yoga: "Self-possessed, resolute, act without any thought of results, open to success or failure. This equanimity is yoga." Similarly, Patanjali tells us in chapeter 1 of the Yoga Sutra, verses 12 through 16, that abhyasa, continuous applied effort, coupled with vairagya, the willingness to observe experience without getting caught in reactivity to it, will lead to freedom from suffering."
Haha. How funny is it that I would post this along with the results of my weigh in?
But here's the thing...I do get so caught up in the results...getting on that scale every week and, now, writing the results here is how I am going to keep myself accountable.
But in thinking about cultivating equanimity...it seems that I am going to have to also concentrate on some non-scale outcomes. I think I should try to add in a new practice each week...something that can't be measured by stepping on the scale.
I'll try to remember that and will write about it here.
The newest yoga magazine arrived in my mailbox a week or so ago and I've only just now gotten around to flipping through the pages...saw a wonderful article about equanimity. I want to share a bit of the article here...it's on page 58 of the August 2010 Yoga Journal, in the article, "Calm Within" by Frank Jude Boccio.
"Equanimity gives you the energy to persist, regardless of the outcome, because you are connected to the integrity of the effort itself. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna that this attitude of focusing on the action without attachment to the outcome is yoga: "Self-possessed, resolute, act without any thought of results, open to success or failure. This equanimity is yoga." Similarly, Patanjali tells us in chapeter 1 of the Yoga Sutra, verses 12 through 16, that abhyasa, continuous applied effort, coupled with vairagya, the willingness to observe experience without getting caught in reactivity to it, will lead to freedom from suffering."
Haha. How funny is it that I would post this along with the results of my weigh in?
But here's the thing...I do get so caught up in the results...getting on that scale every week and, now, writing the results here is how I am going to keep myself accountable.
But in thinking about cultivating equanimity...it seems that I am going to have to also concentrate on some non-scale outcomes. I think I should try to add in a new practice each week...something that can't be measured by stepping on the scale.
I'll try to remember that and will write about it here.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Week 1 - Next Weigh-in Is Friday
Spinach and Red Onion Quiche
by Jillian Michaels
1 frozen whole-wheat piecrust, set at room temp for 20 mins
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
4 ounces shitake mushrooms, stems trimmed and discarded, caps thinly sliced
1 pound fresh spinach, trimmed and coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Use a fork to prick the piecrust in several places to prevent bubbles. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 mins. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach to the skillet and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer the spinach mixture to a colander. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer the spinach mixture to the crust and spread to cover. Place the crust pan on a rimmed baking sheet, if desired, to make it easier to transfer the quiche to the oven.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, parmesan, nutmeg, and remaining 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper. Pur the egg mixture over the spinach. Bake until the quiche is just set when the pan is gently nudged, 40-45 mins. Let stand for 15 mins. before serving.
by Jillian Michaels
1 frozen whole-wheat piecrust, set at room temp for 20 mins
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
4 ounces shitake mushrooms, stems trimmed and discarded, caps thinly sliced
1 pound fresh spinach, trimmed and coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Use a fork to prick the piecrust in several places to prevent bubbles. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 mins. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and cook stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach to the skillet and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer the spinach mixture to a colander. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer the spinach mixture to the crust and spread to cover. Place the crust pan on a rimmed baking sheet, if desired, to make it easier to transfer the quiche to the oven.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, almond milk, parmesan, nutmeg, and remaining 1/8 tsp each salt and pepper. Pur the egg mixture over the spinach. Bake until the quiche is just set when the pan is gently nudged, 40-45 mins. Let stand for 15 mins. before serving.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Week 1: 195lbs - 50 to go
My new title convention is an homage to the Diet Girl.
Starting over again...not sure what else to add at this point. If you are a reader of my blog or a friend, then you've heard it all before from me.
What has changed? Nothing. I don't know that I've had one of those life changing moments that will put me on track and keep me there for the rest of my life. I only know that I just have to keep trying. Have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
How many times did I try to give up smoking before it finally took? And when it did...that last time, there was really no lightbulb moment. I just quit. Same with quitting diet coke.
My plan is the same as it always is...stick with fresh whole real foods. Cut calories. Reduce alcohol intake. Exercise. Meditate. Journal.
Today is the first day of the first week. This is where I am starting. I have a lot of work to do today. I am working from home, so I will refrain from eating up the contents of the fridge.
Starting over again...not sure what else to add at this point. If you are a reader of my blog or a friend, then you've heard it all before from me.
What has changed? Nothing. I don't know that I've had one of those life changing moments that will put me on track and keep me there for the rest of my life. I only know that I just have to keep trying. Have to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
How many times did I try to give up smoking before it finally took? And when it did...that last time, there was really no lightbulb moment. I just quit. Same with quitting diet coke.
My plan is the same as it always is...stick with fresh whole real foods. Cut calories. Reduce alcohol intake. Exercise. Meditate. Journal.
Today is the first day of the first week. This is where I am starting. I have a lot of work to do today. I am working from home, so I will refrain from eating up the contents of the fridge.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
"Why Are You Fat?"
That's what Jillian asked the first female Biggest Loser, Ali Vincent.
Is that question so hard to answer? I was thinking about this the other day and thought about a woman I know who has been struggling with her weight for years. The other day I thought about her and suddenly I completely understood what her issues are. It was crystal clear...I know exactly why she is fat. And yet, I still can't figure out my own issues. I think this is a 'can't see the forest for the trees' scenario.
I have talked about this before...the WHY of weight loss. And at some point, had decided that the why just doesn't matter. All these years I've been trying to figure out the why and yet I'm still fat.
So, once and for all, here's why I am fat:
- I don't deserve to be skinny
- I give so much of myself to others that I have nothing left to give to me
- I am too tired to workout
- I crave cake and cheese and bread
- I am stuck in the loop of an unhealthy lifestyle
In that woman I was talking about above...I see a pattern...when people get close, push them away. Do I do that as well? What is my pattern? What happens time and again in my life?
- I lose weight and feel good about myself
- I gain weight and feel like crap about myself
- I work in jobs where I constantly doubt myself
- I surround myself with people who are hyper-critical
- I surround myself with people who feed the feeling that I'm not good enough
- I constantly volunteer my time and energy so that I have a never ending list of "to-do" items that have nothing to do with nurturing myself or taking care of myself
- I do my best so that I won't disappoint people
- I use food to distract myself from anxiety and depression
- There's something there about having to be perfect
Are there more patterns that I don't see?
Actually, I just read that list to my partner to see if she could tell me some patterns that I don't see. I gotta tell you, reading that list out loud was really hard. It's one thing to type it but by the time I was reading the 3rd item on the list, I cried. That's actually a big list.
Is that question so hard to answer? I was thinking about this the other day and thought about a woman I know who has been struggling with her weight for years. The other day I thought about her and suddenly I completely understood what her issues are. It was crystal clear...I know exactly why she is fat. And yet, I still can't figure out my own issues. I think this is a 'can't see the forest for the trees' scenario.
I have talked about this before...the WHY of weight loss. And at some point, had decided that the why just doesn't matter. All these years I've been trying to figure out the why and yet I'm still fat.
So, once and for all, here's why I am fat:
- I don't deserve to be skinny
- I give so much of myself to others that I have nothing left to give to me
- I am too tired to workout
- I crave cake and cheese and bread
- I am stuck in the loop of an unhealthy lifestyle
In that woman I was talking about above...I see a pattern...when people get close, push them away. Do I do that as well? What is my pattern? What happens time and again in my life?
- I lose weight and feel good about myself
- I gain weight and feel like crap about myself
- I work in jobs where I constantly doubt myself
- I surround myself with people who are hyper-critical
- I surround myself with people who feed the feeling that I'm not good enough
- I constantly volunteer my time and energy so that I have a never ending list of "to-do" items that have nothing to do with nurturing myself or taking care of myself
- I do my best so that I won't disappoint people
- I use food to distract myself from anxiety and depression
- There's something there about having to be perfect
Are there more patterns that I don't see?
Actually, I just read that list to my partner to see if she could tell me some patterns that I don't see. I gotta tell you, reading that list out loud was really hard. It's one thing to type it but by the time I was reading the 3rd item on the list, I cried. That's actually a big list.
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