I've been really good about exercising this week, so I'm pleased :) One of my favourite sites is www.caloriecount.com because I can put in my information, then find the type of exercise I do, and it will tell me how many calories I've burned that day. It's really quite cool! You can also log your weight, and if you are ambitious enough, every single item that you eat, every day. I tried doing that once, but because I don't eat a lot of pre-packaged or processed foods, it was rather time-consuming to find or create the things I did eat.
I went to lunch with a friend today, and knowing ahead of time that we would be visiting an Indian buffet, I had just a yogurt for breakfast and skipped supper. I wanted to enjoy my meal at lunchtime but I didn't want to go over my calories for the day! I also made sure to drink enough water, as I always do.
My exercise of choice is walking. I think I am getting quite used to it, particularly after spending a week in Taiwan where we walked at least 10 hours a day!!! I'm very curious to see whether it is possible to get in shape by only walking, with the low-impact aerobic exercise thrown in here and there. You see so many advertisements on TV and online for all kinds of fancy exercise equipment, but are they really necessary? Each manufacturer firmly believes so! So this is also an experiment and we shall see what happens!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Recipe: Chard & Lentil Stew
I adapted this recipe from http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupssalads/r/crockpotlentil.htm and it is absolutely delicious! Here is my variation on a theme:
1 cup brown lentils, soak overnight
4 cups of water
1 bouillon cube
1/2 red swiss chard, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Ketchup
Seasonings, including oregano, black pepper, cumin
Soak lentils in enough water to cover, allowing for lentils to expand. In the morning, put them in a medium crockpot with 4 cups of water, 1 bouillon cube, swiss chard, onion, tomato, and seasonings. Cook on high for 10 hours. Add ketchup to taste and dilute with water if you like it thinner. Serve with thick slices of bread spread with Earth Balance margarine.
1 cup brown lentils, soak overnight
4 cups of water
1 bouillon cube
1/2 red swiss chard, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Ketchup
Seasonings, including oregano, black pepper, cumin
Soak lentils in enough water to cover, allowing for lentils to expand. In the morning, put them in a medium crockpot with 4 cups of water, 1 bouillon cube, swiss chard, onion, tomato, and seasonings. Cook on high for 10 hours. Add ketchup to taste and dilute with water if you like it thinner. Serve with thick slices of bread spread with Earth Balance margarine.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Addition and Subtraction
It had been a week and I eagerly stepped on the scales, expecting to see reflected there my hard work of eating right and exercising. The blank lines blinked once, twice, and then the digital display revealed the numbers. Down 0.2 of a pound. In one week.
I was disappointed for the rest of the day. What went wrong? Thinking it might have been a one-time fluke, I weighed the next day, but the scales were not much more gracious then. I didn't know what to do.
I'll admit it; I was tempted to throw in the towel, give up, and have a guilt-free calorie-laden day where I ate as much as I wanted at each meal and enjoyed a thick layer of vegenaise on my sandwiches for supper that evening. The only problem was, I had done this too many times before. I had worked really hard, for about a week or two, seen the numbers go down, gotten excited, and then slowly started to slack off. I would rationalize that I could have a "maintenance day" instead of a "weight loss" day, and then soon all my days were turning into maintenance days. I wouldn't exercise regularly because I was too tired or because it was raining.
So here I was, facing the very real possibility that I could fail to reach the as-always-too-high goal I had set for myself. I could not only fail to reach it, I could decide to give up and not pursue health like I knew I needed to.
I'm pleased to say, however, that instead of giving up, I'm going to figure out what works. Instead of exercising after I get off work in the evenings and eating supper at 7 or 8 pm, I'm going to try to get my exercise all done in the morning before work. Then I'll be able to eat sooner, around 6 pm instead, and will have my evenings free to do other things. I will try to set aside some time to prepare some healthy supper recipes this week as well.
So here's to a new week and to renewed vigor for the daunting task ahead!
I was disappointed for the rest of the day. What went wrong? Thinking it might have been a one-time fluke, I weighed the next day, but the scales were not much more gracious then. I didn't know what to do.
I'll admit it; I was tempted to throw in the towel, give up, and have a guilt-free calorie-laden day where I ate as much as I wanted at each meal and enjoyed a thick layer of vegenaise on my sandwiches for supper that evening. The only problem was, I had done this too many times before. I had worked really hard, for about a week or two, seen the numbers go down, gotten excited, and then slowly started to slack off. I would rationalize that I could have a "maintenance day" instead of a "weight loss" day, and then soon all my days were turning into maintenance days. I wouldn't exercise regularly because I was too tired or because it was raining.
So here I was, facing the very real possibility that I could fail to reach the as-always-too-high goal I had set for myself. I could not only fail to reach it, I could decide to give up and not pursue health like I knew I needed to.
I'm pleased to say, however, that instead of giving up, I'm going to figure out what works. Instead of exercising after I get off work in the evenings and eating supper at 7 or 8 pm, I'm going to try to get my exercise all done in the morning before work. Then I'll be able to eat sooner, around 6 pm instead, and will have my evenings free to do other things. I will try to set aside some time to prepare some healthy supper recipes this week as well.
So here's to a new week and to renewed vigor for the daunting task ahead!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Recipe: Sprout-stuffed Sandwich
One of my favourite things to eat is a sandwich wrap, whether it be a chapati with curry, a burrito with refried beans, a baladi with halvah and honey (yes, I really did put both of those in my sandwiches, hence the numerous crowns in my mouth!), a pita with cheddar cheese and vegenaise, or a dhohl puri (nothing extra needed, thank you very much!). This recipe is really simple and quick to make.
1 lavosh wrap (available at Trader Joes, may substitute pita bread)
Tahini
Persian cucumber (or English cucumber)
Sprouts, alfalfa or clover are my favourite
Salt to taste
Spread a generous layer of tahini down the middle of your wrap. Slice your whole cucumber lengthwise into quarters, then lay the quarters end to end, as many as needed, on top of the tahini. Pile sprouts on top, then salt to taste. Wrap lavosh tightly and enjoy.
Calories ~ 350 (depending on how much tahini you use).
1 lavosh wrap (available at Trader Joes, may substitute pita bread)
Tahini
Persian cucumber (or English cucumber)
Sprouts, alfalfa or clover are my favourite
Salt to taste
Spread a generous layer of tahini down the middle of your wrap. Slice your whole cucumber lengthwise into quarters, then lay the quarters end to end, as many as needed, on top of the tahini. Pile sprouts on top, then salt to taste. Wrap lavosh tightly and enjoy.
Calories ~ 350 (depending on how much tahini you use).
T i n y S t e p s
Well, I took a bit of a break from blogging, but I did not take a complete break from exercising and eating right! A couple of months ago I changed jobs and now work at a small clinic as a receptionist. I see a lot of sick people coming to see the doctors and it is rather sobering to see the range of illnesses that are out there. Some of the patients are quite young, even younger than me, and when I look at their lab results and their weight charts, I realize that disease is no respecter of persons. So, after much subconscious pressure, I have decided to renew my commitment to a healthier me.
Does it last, though? If you're like me, and probably 98% of all women (and a good number of men) on this planet, you get all excited about eating right and exercising more and you go out and buy a fridge full of vegetables and fruits and count calories and check ingredients and don't buy anything processed or with too much salt. You enthusiastically rise before the early bird has even dreamt of finding a worm and you begin your day with vigorous exercise and a tall glass of water. You are careful not to indulge in sugary delights, and may even skip them entirely for a whole week at a time. But in the back of your mind is this nagging little voice.
"You're going to fail. You're not going to make it. Look at how many times you've tried before and you've slipped. All it takes is one shopping trip where you buy that 48-piece tub of brownie bites at Costco, you'll eat 10 of them in one sitting, and then your diet will be over. You can't last. After the first week, you'll just go back to your old ways. Just face reality and those extra pounds on the scales and learn to live with yourself as you are. You may never learn to love yourself, but at least learn to tolerate yourself. Besides, no matter how hard you try, you will never succeed. It's a proven fact."
I'm not going to lie, that voice has been my constant companion over the past 15 years or so. This evening I heard its familiar voice again and I thought, why? Why am I trying to sabotage myself when it is very possible to succeed? Why is it so difficult to switch off those self-defeating thoughts and recognize that change can be my reality? I'm still working on the answers to those questions!
To everyone who has ever struggled to live a healthier life, I would like to affirm and encourage you. Maybe you need to take small steps, but the important thing is that you are moving. Don't stop moving.
Does it last, though? If you're like me, and probably 98% of all women (and a good number of men) on this planet, you get all excited about eating right and exercising more and you go out and buy a fridge full of vegetables and fruits and count calories and check ingredients and don't buy anything processed or with too much salt. You enthusiastically rise before the early bird has even dreamt of finding a worm and you begin your day with vigorous exercise and a tall glass of water. You are careful not to indulge in sugary delights, and may even skip them entirely for a whole week at a time. But in the back of your mind is this nagging little voice.
"You're going to fail. You're not going to make it. Look at how many times you've tried before and you've slipped. All it takes is one shopping trip where you buy that 48-piece tub of brownie bites at Costco, you'll eat 10 of them in one sitting, and then your diet will be over. You can't last. After the first week, you'll just go back to your old ways. Just face reality and those extra pounds on the scales and learn to live with yourself as you are. You may never learn to love yourself, but at least learn to tolerate yourself. Besides, no matter how hard you try, you will never succeed. It's a proven fact."
I'm not going to lie, that voice has been my constant companion over the past 15 years or so. This evening I heard its familiar voice again and I thought, why? Why am I trying to sabotage myself when it is very possible to succeed? Why is it so difficult to switch off those self-defeating thoughts and recognize that change can be my reality? I'm still working on the answers to those questions!
To everyone who has ever struggled to live a healthier life, I would like to affirm and encourage you. Maybe you need to take small steps, but the important thing is that you are moving. Don't stop moving.
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