8/26/10

8:30am: 10 almonds, 10 cashews, 15 raisins (200 calories)

9:00am: Zip Fizz with 1 liter water (10 calories)

11:30am: Strawberry Protein Shake (90 calories)...e-mail me for recipe

Noon: 1 1/2 cup steamed green beans (I buy the organic frozen beans from Costco), 1/2 ounce extra sharp Tillamook white cheddar (grated on top of the beans), sea salt to taste (125 calories)

2pm: A plate full of chopped romaine hearts topped with 6 ounces of chicken breast and 1 tbsp low-fat balsamic vinaigrette (400 calories)

3pm: 2 homemade spelt pancakes (e-mail me for the recipe) and 1 cup of 1% milk (500 cal)

7:30pm: 2 servings of canned beans (not super yummy...but I'm out of fresh/frozen veggies and in need of a fix) topped with 2 ounces of chicken breast (180 cal)

8:30pm: 25 almonds, 17 cashews, 35 raisins, 1 1/2 cup corn Chex, 1 1/2 cup cheerios (I mix these all together for my own trail mix...it's salty, sweet and crunchy!!) (660 cal)

9:00pm: 40 grapes (140 calories)

Total for the day: 2,205

For an easy calorie check on your food, go to www.calorieking.com

A different kind of post

No food and exercise journal for today or yesterday. I was involved in putting on a wicked disco party and did not take the time to journal during the day. I will start back tomorrow.

For today, here are the top five ways to lean down and feel better

1. Stay away from high-fructose corn syrup.

It doesn't taste good and it messes with your ability to feel full. Also, there is some evidence that it is addicting. You will have to read labels because it is everywhere...including in Rice Crispies! The last time I went searching for barbecue sauce I found about 20-30 different brands...only two contained real sugar!!

2. Eat 5-10 servings of non-starchy (corn and potatoes are starchy) vegetables each day.

I know it sounds like a lot, but it will keep you full, provide you with vital nutrients for your body, and you will lean down without being hungry. Aim for about 1-3 servings at each meal. You can round out the meal with a serving of meat the size of a deck of cards and a small serving of starch (potatoes, bread, etc).

3. Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night.

You can google sleep diet for more information. A lack of sleep will make you more hungry...and you will crave carbs and sweets which are a quick source of energy for a sleep-deprived body.

4. Exercise for 30-60 minutes 5-6 days of the week.

Not only is exercise a great stress-reliever, it is also good for your skin. New studies have found people who exercise regularly have fewer wrinkles and healthier skin.

5. Don't sweat the small stuff!

Cortisol is realeased in our bodies when we are stressed out. Too much will lead to fat deposits in the belly...even in otherwise thin people.

8/26/10

Welcome to my blog! Below, you will find my food and exercise journal for the day. As you will see, my diet is not perfect. This is real life...crazy mom schedule, hormonal eating and all. In spite of this, I manage to eat in a way that keeps me lean and full of energy for my vigorous daily exercise.

I do not believe that everyone can/should eat exactly like I do. However, you are welcome to take from this blog whatever helps you on your quest to eat better and get in shape. Of course, if you have questions, comments or need clarity, please contact me via e-mail or on my cell phone. 503-709-5811. tetfitness@yahoo.com

Have a happy, healthy day!!!!

7:30am: Zip Fizz (from Costco) with 1 liter of water (10 calories)

8:45: Stretch for 10 minutes.

As for cardio, I have a caloric goal each time I work out. The goal is always the same number, but because some cardio machines read high (elliptical machines) and some read lower (treadmill, stair climber, most high-quality exercise bikes), the amount of time it takes to meet this goal varies from day-to-day. I've been trying to hit my caloric goal on a particular bike in under and hour and today I did it in 58:17...so I'm happy.

For weight training, I did the chest press machine, the rear fly machine, dumbbell bicep curls and dumbbell tricep press-backs for 4 minutes each exercise. (16 minutes of lifting). I stayed with the same exercise for the entire 4 minutes but took very short breaks when absolutely necessary. Fun, fun fun!!!

11:30: Cobb salad at Oswego Grill (my girlfriend's birthday). Dressing on the side (but I didn't use it). I also traded the bacon out for avocado. It had black olives (which I detest, but decided not to pick out), blue cheese and diced turkey. 1/2 salad had about 200 calories without dressing. Plus 1/2 piece of bread with about 1/4 tbsp butter...about another 100 calories (300 total)

I also had 3 glasses of diet Coke. Not healthy at all, but I do love it! I have it when I go out or at parties, but I try not to have it in my house. I can feel the effects of it for days afterward...yuk.

3:30: The other half of the salad.

I also eat 3 (rather large) homemade spelt pancakes (you can request the recipe, if you are interested). These are one of my favorite things and my kids love them. I don't top them with syrup, but I sprinkle a little bit of sugar in them. I've done the math with the ingredients (again, I can e-mail you the details if you are interested) and the total calorie count for my sering is about 930 calories (including the 1/2 cup of 1% milk I use to wash it down).

I really haven't eaten much all day, and I don't feel full when I'm done (but surely not hungry either), and they are full of great fiber and protein...so no worries.

I will have a protein shake (at about 100 calories) before I go to bed...probably around 10pm for another 100 calories.

Today weighs in at about 1740 calories. I haven't been hungry at all (except while I was making the pancakes...which is why I made them...better to eat something healthy and filling and homemade!) I also won't get 10 servings of veggies in today...a goal I try to reach more often than not. The salad had about 3-4 cups of greens and there is a serving of strawberries in the shake, so 4-5 servings is just all right. I'll shoot for more tomorrow!

8/24/10

I have been posting on the wrong blog for the last few days. I'll figure it out and cut and paste to fill in the blanks. For those of you who have been following the blog, I apologize. I really have been posting every day!

5:15am: Zip Fizz with 1 liter of water (10 calories)

8:30: 1 hour on the elliptical machine at home (Machine says I burn 1000 calories, but it reads 20-30% high, so I estimate I burn 700)

9:30am: 5 egg whites (100 calories)

I had clients this morning and a busy day...I'm not hungry and I'm on the move, so food is not on my mind. I am thirsty, and a bit tired, so I choose liquid and a bit more caffeine.

Noon: Zip Fizz with 1 liter of water (10 calories)

I'm finally back home and I'm starving. I decide to fill up first with some vegetables, protein and healthy fat. I wash it all down with diet ginger ale.

3:30pm: 5 servings of steamed broccoli, 5 egg whites and 1/2 avocado, 1 servings baked chips from Trader Joe's (420 calories)

After my 3:30 meal I feel great and I start on a project. I'm hungry a few hours later. I've had a bunch of veggies and I'm craving some carbs. I get some protein in the yogurt and the milk I have on my cereal, but this is really a pleasure meal and not highly nutritious.

6:30pm: 1 serving Trader Joe's baked salt and vinegar chips, 1 cup vanilla yogurt from Trader Joe's (310 calories)
2 bowls chex cereal, 2 cups of milk, 2 tbsp natural peanut butter, 2 tbsp flaxseed (900 calories)
By now I'm in a calorie deficit for the day, so a 900 calorie meal doesn't make me feel groggy, but replenishes me at this point in the day. It will be my last meal of the day. I'll put a little protein and a few carbs in me right before bed with a low-calorie, high protein shake.

10pm: Protein shake (5 strawberries, 1 scoop Trader Joe's Aria protein, pinch of salt, dash of vanilla, handful of ice, 1/8 cup milk, 1/2 cup water) Total of about 100 calories

Total for the day: 1850 calories

Commentary for 8/20/10

Please note, that I've stated approximate calorie counts next to the food, and a meal tally at the end of each meal. I hope this extra piece of information helps. It's amazing how even the healthiest meals can add up, that's why I like to use my calories for protein and vegetables (some fruits) first, and then pad a little bit with some empty carbs for my taste buds! My body needs the nutrients from the vegetables, fruits and protein...if it doesn't get them, it will continue to ask for more food, even though I already have enough calories. Then, the extra calories get stored as fat. Also, I avoid anything with high-fructose corn syrup like the plague, as this will mess with your hunger signals so you never feel satisfied or full.

8:30am: Zipp Fizz (10 calories) with 1 liter of water (I slept in! Catching up on sleep is the best thing I do for myself every week. Your muscles rebuild during rest periods; both downtime from exercise as well as actual REM sleep. Also, your appetite will vastly increase if you are low on sleep, because your body is in need of energy, and food is an energy source. Unfortunately, your body will use the energy and then store the excess calories as fat. (You can google sleep diets to read more on that).

9:30: 1 hour of elliptical at home. My baby sis is coming over, so I need to get done with exercise and get showered and ready for the day. Today, exercise is a means to an end...instead of an end unto itself like it usually is for me. Elliptical machines tend to read calories at least 20 and sometimes 40 percent high. My home machine reads really high. It tells me I burned 1,000 calories...no way!!! I estimate somewhere around 600 is accurate. Treadmills are probably the closest to accurate...maybe 10-15% high. Hey, people like machines that tell them they burn a ton of calories...just like we like clothing brands that err on the side of small instead of big sizes. So, manufacturers set the machines to read high. If you want to read more about that, you can google the brand of machine and ask for how accurate the calorie count on that particular machine is.

Noon: 5 egg whites (20 calories each and), 2 cups of chopped fresh veggies (40-50 calories?), 1/2 ounce extra sharp vintage white cheddar (40 calories), salt to taste (I throw all of these into a bowl, cover the bowl and microwave for 2 minutes, stir and microwave for another minute)

2 servings of Chex cereal (250 cal), 2 tbsp peanut butter(200 cal), 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (30 cal), 1 1/2 cups 1 % milk (I usually buy from Trader Joe's because all of their milk/dairy is hormone-free. I don't put out the cash for organic, but I do not buy meat or dairy with hormones. You can google meat/dairy with hormones for more info)...these I eat all together. I put the peanut butter to the side of a bowl in a little glob and take bits of it with each bite of cereal. I haven't eaten all day, so the egg white / veggie mix won't cut it, and my cupboards are bare, so I search for the healthiest and still yummy way to fill my gut. The Chex is really just empty calories, but the flaxseed has healthy omega-threes and fiber, the milk has calcium and protein, the peanut butter has healthy fat, some protein and some fiber.

The tally for this meal is around 600 calories.

4:15pm: That last meal really stayed with me. As usual, bigger meals don't make me feel great, and lunch was big for me. However, I didn't eat breakfast and I was pretty hungry. I'm hungry again now, but I know we're going out for dinner. I eat just enough to fill my gut and get more protein and vegetables in me. 2 servings of steamed broccoli (50 calories), 1/4 avocado (70 cal), 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese (50 calories), 1 TBSP low-sugar strawberry jam from Trader Joe's (30 calories). 200 calories...much better size of meal for me.

6:30pm: 2 cups watermelon (I'm guessing about 150 calories...you can look it up on calorieking.com if you want a more precise count), 1 serving low-fat Cheetos-style chips (from Trader Joe's) 130 calories, 1/2 cup cottage cheese (50 cal), 1 TBSP low-fat jam (30 calories).

(360 calories for this meal)

8:30pm: Dinner at a VVietnamese restaurant: 1/3 bowl of chicken noodle soup, 1/5 plate of chicken peanut curry over the top of a side of steamed broccoli (no rice).

I could look this up for a more accurate count, but I would guess 200 calories for the soup (the noodles are where the calories are there..plus some sugar in the broth), 300 calories for the chicken curry...even though I ate very little, the coconut milk in the sauce is extremely calorie dense! 50 calories for two servings of plain steamed broccoli. 550 calories for this meal. Can you imagine if I had added rice to that tally? Ouch!!

10:30pm: 1 banana (100 cal), 1 cup of fat-free plain Greek yogurt(120 cal...I did add a packet of no-cal sweetner...Stevia is natural and the best choice) from Trader Joe's, 1 TBSP low-fat strawberry jam from Trader Joe's (I added that to the yogurt as well. 30 calories) , 1/2 bag of Wild Harvest Organic microwave popcorn from Albertson's (225 calories), 1 liter of diet Sprite.

475 calories.

2,185 for the day

Keep in mind, that this is a maintenance day for me. I'm down to about 1,500-1,700 calories if I want to drop weight. I also exercise very intensely, so my calorie count will be about 800-1,000 higher than if I did not burn those calories during a workout. I refuse to starve my muscles or myself. As I've said before, though, I don't let myself stay hungry, but I don't eat until I'm full, just until I'm not hungry anymore.

8/20/10

Sorry this was not up last night! I'm trying out a different format for this post. Please find following the skeletal version of my food and exercise. If you would like more information, please check the commentary version/

8:30am: Zip Fizz with 1 liter of water

9:30: 1 hour of elliptical at home

Noon: 5 egg whites, 2 cups of chopped fresh veggies, 1/2 ounce extra sharp vintage white cheddar

2 servings of Chex cereal, 2 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, 1 1/2 cups 1 % milk

4:15pm: 2 servings of steamed broccoli, 1/4 avocado, 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1 TBSP low-sugar strawberry jam from Trader Joe's.

6:30pm: 2 cups watermelon, 1 serving low-fat Cheetos-style chips (from Trader Joe's), 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 TBSP low-fat jam.

8:30pm: Dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant: 1/3 bowl of chicken noodle soup, 1/5 plate of chicken peanut curry over the top of a side of steamed broccoli (no rice).

10:30pm: 1 banana, 1 cup of fat-free plain Greek yogurt from Trader Joe's, 1 TBSP low-fat strawberry jam from Trader Joe's, 1/2 bag of Wild Harvest Organic microwave popcorn from Albertsons, 1 liter of diet Sprite.

8/19/10

5:15am: Zip Fizz

I'm not hungry for breakfast, so I skip it. I'm a big believer in listening to my body. Some days it needs fuel right away, and sometimes it doesn't.

9am: I mix another Zip Fizz and sip it until 9:45 when I begin my workout. I can tell I have a lot of energy and I'm going to do some tough intervals today, so the extra Fizz will come in handy right now. I get on the Treadmill and do 50 minutes of backward, sideways and forward intervals. I finish with some intense intervals on the elliptical machine and then 20 minutes of abs. You can contact me if you would like more detailed information on my workout.

Noon: 1 bottle of water on the way home from the gym. I sweat a ton and I need to replenish.

12:30: Diet Coke at Subway. My kids are eating lunch, but I don't like their food...I'm really picky. I'm hungry, but I'll eat when I get home. The Coke is not healthy...actually, it's really bad for me, but it will tide me over for a bit.

1:45: I finally eat. 6 oz leftover chicken breast from last night, a big bowl of microwaved green beans (I cook them for 6 minutes...they are the organic beans from Costco). I add 1 tsp of butter and some sea salt to the beans. I drink a Zero Vitamin Water with the meal.

3:30pm: I'm hungry, so I have a bowl of Chex with 1 cup of milk, 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter and 1 tbsp ground flaxseed. (The Chex is all simple carbs...I get some protein with the milk, some monounsaturated fat from the p.b. and some great omega 3 fatty acid and fiber from the flaxseed). This meal is a yummy treat!

4:30: I'm thirsty and I chug a Zero Vitamin Water

6pm: I eat a green salad with the rest of the chicken (about 4 ounces) from dinner last night. I dress the salad with 2 tbsp of the low-fat lime dressing I cooked the chicken with last night. I also eat a bowl of dry Chex cereal with 1 1/2 cups of milk (I drink in a cup), 1 tbsp flaxseed mixed with 2 tbsp peanut butter and 1/2 serving of raisins. (I dip the cereal in the p.b/flaxseed mixture and pop a raisin in with the mix. It's an awesome treat...crunchy, salty and sweet!

I also have two more of the organic sandwich cookies. If it's worth it, it's worth it!

8:30: 1 cup of rooibois tea with milk and stevia.

10:30: 20 cherries and diet 7-up.