Sneaky Reasons You are Binge Eating...

I've wanted to share this with you for some time now, but it seems to just keep getting put to the wayside.

A couple of weeks ago I read this article in the September issue of Shape magazine. I thought it was very interesting. I will sum it up first, then some thoughts...

Here are the 3 reasons you MAY be binge eating:
1. You wait too long to eat. Basically by letting your body get over-hungry, you end up putting ANYTHING in your mouth instead of taking the time to find something healthy.

Their strategy to avoid this: Make time for breakfast every morning, and commit to something every 2-3 hours after that. Mix good carbs with slow digesting protein to prevent highs and lows.

My response: I think breakfast is ABSOLUTELY the most important meal you can eat. Coming from a former non-breakfast-eater, I have come leaps and bounds. The one catch to breakfast is that you have to get it right, it was my downfall for so long, and the reason I discontinued use until my lifestyle change. You see, toast and OJ, cereal and milk, doughnuts and coffee, etc will leave you hungry and cranky within minutes, and you'll be reaching for anything. Be sure to add protein to your breakfast... turkey links, cheese, milk, peanut butter. The carbs will raise your sugar, while the proteins will keep you full.

2. You're too strict with your diet. Having foods that are completely off limits make you feel deprived.

Their strategy: Build splurges into your diet.

My response: I totally agree that built in splurges are a must, but why call it a splurge, once again it sounds so minimal. I mean if I'm going to splurge on something, I won't do it often, right? Instead, eat what you want. Within reason. The trick to getting this really right is portion control. For example, I shouldn't have to splurge to have a cookie, or to eat a slice of pizza with my family. Instead I should check serving sizes, don't eat more than that (eat less if you can!), build it into my day, and enjoy. I also recommend purchasing or making portion controlled packages. 100 calorie packs, mini candy bars, small bags of chips, find your weakness, and help control it.

3. You expect perfection. Beating yourself up over every misstep cause you to feel discouraged and depressed leaving you wanting more food.

Their strategy: Put things into perspective. Bites of this or handfuls of that won't totally derail success, but you have to see if there is a pattern to fix it.

My response: This seems to be my binge eating weakness. I daily beat myself up over the small things that I put in my mouth that were unnecessary. At bedtime I will think, "Well, this would have been a perfect day (eating wise) if only I hadn't ..." I am constantly reevaluating, and trying to discover my reasons for putting these needless calories in my mouth. My latest strategy is drinking a glass of water while I'm feeding the kiddos lunch. I am so hungry while I am feeding them that I just want to eat their food, but I am working to recognize that.

What do you think? Do you fall into any of these categories? Advice?

Baja Salad

Recently I have become addicted to Wendy's Baja Salad. So much so that I probably eat it twice or more a week. At some point in time, I decided I should save myself some money, and make it at home. So I purchased the items I needed, and Voila!

Now, I have 2 tricks for you when eating salads that you love.
1. If you are eating out, ask for an extra packet or side of the dressing that you love. DON'T PUT IT ON YOUR SALAD! Instead, take the extra packet with you, and next time you want that taste on your salad you will have a spare packet in your fridge.
2. Stock up on little things that make a salad special... guacamole, pecan pieces, tortilla strips, croutons, special dressings that you love. When it comes time to reach for something high cal, or some roughage, it's more likely you'll eat that roughage with something special on top. It's nice to just have some things to take the flavor up a notch.

So here's today's salad:
150 grams romaine lettuce, 37 calories
3 campari tomatoes, 40 calories
2 tbsp Wholly Guacamole, 60 calories
14 grams mild cheddar cheese, 55 calories
7 grams Fresh Gourmet Tortilla Strips, 35 calories
1 packet Wendy's Creamy Red Jalapeno dressing, 100 calories
1 small Wendy's Chili, 220 calories

Totals:
Calories: 547- The salad direct from Wendy's is 740 calories, so by making it at home I saved nearly 200 calories... that's a small candy bar! I tried to research and see what the calorie differences were, and all I could see was that my tortilla strips were half the calories, I am also guessing that maybe I either had a lower cal guacamole, or less of it.
Fat: 27 grams- the dressing has A LOT of fat in it. I may delete this item in the future. Also, you have to remember avocado has fat, but it is a GOOD fat, so it's forgiven.
Carbs: 47 grams
Protein: 28 grams- The chili in this salad will keep you full for hours. Promise.

All in all, the salad received an A rating from Calorie Count, so I am happy to eat it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Only 16 days until the half marathon. I am preparing (mostly mentally) for a 10 mile run this weekend. Last night I got on the treadmill and ran through the entire episode of Grey's Anatomy, now that's multitasking.

Strawberry Chicken Salad

I created a new favorite today that I needed to share with you. This salad was restaurant quality, and it did not cost me $10.00. Woo Hoo!

Here's what it is:

3 oz Rotisserie chicken (I bought one precooked from Dillon's, and I've been picking it apart for lunch this week. TAKE OFF THE SKIN TO SAVE CALORIES.) 106 calories

175 grams of Romaine Blend Lettuce, 31 calories

50 grams of Strawberries (4 medium), 16 calories

10 grams of Shredded Parmesan Cheese, 40 calories

7 grams of Fresh Gourmet Pecan Pieces (found those on the salad aisle), 45 calories

2 tbsp Brianna's Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing (this is hard to find, I usually get it at Walmart, and is higher in calories than I usually use, but WELL WORTH IT!) 120 calories

So the totals for this salad:

Calories: 358

Carbs: 29 g

Protein: 29 g

Fat: 15 g

It was really very good, and good for you. Enjoy.

What to wear?

For weeks now I've been contemplating what I was going to wear to run the Half Marathon. I can't help it. It's the little bit of DIVA left in me that all of the testosterone running through the home hasn't sucked out yet...

I didn't want just any shirt. I wanted a shirt that would speak my mind. Tell people why I was going to run 13.1 miles. I needed a shirt that didn't look like everyone else's (standard marathon tee)...

So I made one. Here it is. If the design is approved by the company, I will have this in my hands by Tuesday, and will sport it at the Half on October 10th... I like it. It's me (it should be, I designed it). What do you think?


(In case you can't read it, it says: " Every day... just do it, for my boys, because I can, because I have to, to live longer, to be happier, I will finish this journey, One step at a time, Every single day.")

Zumba in Review!

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts on getting myself motivated. I had a little chocolate today, and put things into perspective. I really have come a long way... it's OK to not always strive for perfection. That has always been an issue for me. If it's not perfect, then I failed. Not true. AnYWayS...



Last night I decided to try Zumba for the first time. There has been a ton of hype around the start of this class, and I heard that last week over 70 people tried it for the first time at the East YMCA. I had NO IDEA what Zumba was. I was just going in with an open mind.

So what is Zumba?

My best descriptor of the class would be it's Dirty Dancing (you know Baby practicing with herself in the mirror?), Salsa dancing, and Line Dancing, with this Sweatin' to the Oldies undertone. I mean you essentially dance with yourself in a mirror to get your sweat on.

The class I took was 45 minutes, and I will admit, I had some fun. Awkward, but fun. I don't think that it helped that I scored a spot on the front row off to the side where all of the people working on stationary machines could STARE at me : )

The instructor was full of life. She had facial expressions, and zest, and energy to teach the class... almost too much, but I will forgive her for that. The other thing I found interesting about the class was that she never actually spoke to teach the class. She would clap her hands, teach a move, and then we were to imitate. When she wanted us to change, she would clap her hands again.


There were some Latin songs, a country song, one song had a tribal drum sound to it. Uplifting.

All in all, it was a good time. I left happier than when I got there. It's a mid-level workout. You definitely sweat, but I wouldn't call it high impact. I would guess I burned around 300 calories in my 45 minutes there, but that is only an estimate since I did not have my heart rate monitor on me. It left me enough energy at the end of class to run 3 miles, and I felt good.

So what's the verdict? I will try it again. I'm sure it becomes more comfortable with time, and I left with my spirits lifted. You should give it a try also. Here is a link to the YMCA, where you can check out the fall schedule to find a Zumba class that might work for you!

The Blahs...

So I seem to be suffering a case of the blahs. I don't want to downplay true depression, but I don't think that's it. I'm happy. Really. I just seem to keep trying, sabotaging myself, getting down on myself, determining I will try again, REPEAT. I'm working out, but not loving anything. Eating good, but not great for the most part, then eating something that blows all the hard work for the day.

I need something... a chart, a motivator, a prize, I don't know. I'm less than 30 pounds from my goal, and I WON'T QUIT NOW. There have been so many times in this journey that I have thought, " That's it, it's over, I'll be fat forever." I kind of feel that way now, but I know it's not true. What to do????

What's keeping me going for today:
1. The 1/2 marathon is only 26 days away, and out of the 6 girls who started training for it, I am one of two left!
2. I lost 1 pound yesterday.
3. The quote from my friend Sherri: "Don't let who you've been stop you from becoming who you want to be."... I think that should be my mantra for awhile.

Let me know if you have suggestions for getting over the blahs...

Thanks Girls!

I wanted to thank Sherry and Heather for their breakfast ideas. Sherry left this recipe that I thought was worth leaving the comments section and making it's own page:

(It also left me with another question... has anyone had the Great Harvest Bread Company's Power Bars, and if so, do you have a recipe that is close to it? I LOVE eating them, but I believe that they are in the uppers of 750 calories a piece... sorry to put that in your head! I would really love to develop a power bar that is great for you and lower cal.)

BTW, exciting news! I have my hands on a baker... not literally : P Him and I are going to work together to develop some new low cal cupcakes and desserts! So excited : ) Who doesn't love dessert they don't have to feel guilty about.

OK, enough rambling... here's that great recipe:

On the Go Oatmeal Bars

2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 Tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups of milk (any kind of milk will work- rice, almond, cow, soy)
3 Tbsp agave (can substitute for Honey)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 large egg
1 Tsp vanilla
3/4 cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, blueberries, or cherries)
1/2 cup nuts (walnuts, sunflower seeds, and/or pepitas)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place first 5 ingredients in a bowl, and stir to combine.
3. Mix milk, applesauce, egg, agave, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Stir to combine, and then add in the dried fruit and nuts.
5. Pour the mixture into a greased 7x11 baking dish.
6. Bake for 30 minutes until thickened and golden.
7. Cool, cut into squares, and serve.

* Allow to cool, cut into squares, and place in a ziploc bag. Freeze up to 4 months. When ready, allow to defrost in the fridge for 24-48 hours.

* Refrigerating the bars will make them last up to 5 days.

Thanks again Sherry and Heather for your input... I would love to hear more breakfast ideas!

Let's Talk Breakfast

So we all know that breakfast is KEY to losing weight. (Not the only key, but a key :) However, a lot of us are short on time, money, and did I say time? in the mornings, so let's talk this through.

What should breakfast consist of?

I believe that all meals should be balanced. Consisting of some carbs, some proteins, and some fat. 25% fat, 25% protein, 50% carbs

Here are some breakfast ideas:

Egg beaters with cheese, whole wheat toast, and a turkey sausage
Egg beaters with Canadian bacon, and a slice of banana bread
Oatmeal with fresh fruit mixed in a turkey sausage
A fruit and yogurt parfait with whole wheat toast

That being said, my problem arises. Not that I need a TON of different things to eat, but I am feeling kind of low on ideas right now. I really don't L.O.V.E. cereal or "bars", so I need some good ideas that will get my groups in for around 300-400 calories... HELP!

It's All Coming Together

So I have to face the reality that what happened to me, and our family this summer was hard and traumatic. Sometimes taking the time to realize that makes a lot of difference. I decided that I needed to offer myself a little grace. Stop being so hard on me.

Last weeks running went great. I had a 1 mile run, a 3 mile run, and a 6 mile run. Each one went well, no body snags (summer bugs are a different story...)

Monday night I had no desire to workout. I put in a half-hearted 30 minutes only to go home and go to bed.

Tuesday should have been better right? Wrong. I convinced Brian that instead of a workout, I needed ice cream, and bed early. Who would have ever guessed that was EXACTLY what I needed. We kicked off our running shoes, slipped on flip flops, and headed out for ice cream. Everyone enjoyed their creamy creations, then we headed home for bed... at 7:15. I was in bed by 7:45, and slept the night through to 7:30 the next morning... WHAT?!?!? I have not had 12 hours of sleep in years.

So yesterday I woke up a new person. With a new outlook. I can eat healthy. It does taste good. I can workout. My muscles do remember. This WILL come together in time. If I don't beat myself into the ground doing it.

Last night I took off to the Y. I needed to run 4 miles to stay on my training schedule. I took off, and felt great. I ended up running 7 miles which is my personal longest run so far. I was tired in the end, but felt such a great sense of accomplishment because of it.

So if I could teach you something about weight loss or healthy living from this post:
Give your body rest also. Work hard to get workouts in daily, but the best athletes listen to their bodies, and know when to say when.