Love affair with broccoli

I use to be in love with broccoli. I was especially fond of it when it dressed up in an asian sauce. One day, I fell out of love with broccoli. It didn't matter how it dressed, I had just lost my interest...our relationship had run its course so to say. A couple of days ago at a Vietnamese restaurant I had a date with my old friend broccoli, who was hanging with some chicken in a nice sauce. I realized half way thru my meal that I had to get back together with my long lost lover! Dressed in this new sauce it was a whole new broccoli. I went to the store to find the sauce so I could give it to my broccoli. I bought a fat free chicken gravy (the kind you would use for mashed potatoes). I spiced it up with some garlic and pepper and "Voi`la".... it looked great on my broccoli! I am in love again!

Gluten free by default

     I like to eat. I like to go out to dinner with my boyfriend. In the last couple of years I have put on 10-15 pounds. It seems like no matter what I do, I struggle with these 10 pounds.  I work out, I try to keep a clean diet; but still- the weight wont go. To be honest, my diet is not as clean as it use to be. Having been very overweight, I am unable to return to what most people think of as a normal calorie amount for a day. Studies have shown that an obese person who reduces their calorie count for weight reduction, will always need to be reduced in calories to maintain their weight loss. Example: calorie allowances for a person who has not been overweight might be 2000 calories a day. This person eats 4000 calories a day and becomes obese. To lose weight this person eats 1500 calories a day. In order to maintain their results- they need to stay at 1500-1700 calories a day. If this person returns to a 2000 calorie diet, they will gain weight. Their body thinks that being heavier is "normal" and that it is starving at a reduced weight. When I heard this in a nutrition class my first question was; how long does this last? The research suggest a very long timeline for the body to readjust- years. How boring is this? Am I doomed to a diet of chicken and broccoli?
     I started a carb free program recently in an effort to rid myself of these 10-15 pounds that I struggle with. It allows me to still go out to eat, as long as I stay carb free. I have noticed some changes with my digestive system. I read that some people become constipated while on this kind of diet, and I am surprised to find the exact opposite. It occurred to me that it could be the absence of grains/wheat products. Is it possible that being gluten free is a blessing in disguise? All of the women in my family have complained of constipation... its almost the family secret. "Transit time" for me is sometimes 2 to 3 days, regardless of how much fiber I eat. Not so healthy.  I actually gave up pasta and white bread years ago and at this point if I do eat it, I get sick to my stomach. It feels like they break down to a concrete paste in my gut. Yuck!  I am happy to say that my transit time is a lot healthier right now.... not eating any grain products works for my system.
Looks like I will be doing more research on gluten free diets.....stay tuned.....

Unhappy Coach :(

    Today I went to school having not had very much sleep. Life can be a stressful little bugger from time to time; I went to bed late and was sorry for it when the alarm went off at 6:30a. Apparently many of my classmates were in the same boat. The coach had us running on the track and in the bleachers.  He started showing his displeasure right away. There were people walking the track and quitting early without finishing what he had asked us to do. One girl says to me "What does he want from us? Doesn't he know we have other classes and a life?" I had to bite my tongue. She is- in fact- enrolled in a P.E. class called "Fitness and Conditioning"......What did you think you were gonna be doing during this class?
     Poor coach. He spent 10 minutes at the end of class to give the group a pep talk. He remind us of our goals, and what would be necessary to reach them. No pain; no gain- or loss - whatever your goal is. I really like the coach. I think he's a nice guy and has a butt load of experience to bring to the table. I am considering taking his class again in the fall (would have loved to take it this summer but all P.E. classes have been cut this summer because of lack of funds from the government).
    Having a good coach or support system is vital in my opinion when trying to achieve new things. I think that is part of the reason that programs like Weight Watchers are so effective. They offer a lot of support.  They understand that your willpower will be tested. Life is not easy or fair and everyone "falls off the wagon" so to speak.  Being accountable to your goal is a big deal. You can say that you want change, but if there is no action to go with it, you simply wont get what you want.  
    Winners make commitments- losers make excuses
  

Thankful

It is important to reflect on the kindness of others. Every aspect of our present well-being is due to others' hard work. The buildings we live and work in, the roads we travel, the clothes we wear, and the food we eat, are all provided by others. None of them would exist but for the kindness of so many people unknown to us.--

Dalai Lama

Eggs @ 6:30am

    Once upon a time... a long time ago... I never ate breakfast. Even when I was in high school I would roll out of bed with only enough time to get ready and get there, and yes, I was usually late (in fact I am the only person I know who got a speeding ticket in the student parking lot!).
    "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" blah,blah,blah.  I never understood until I started working out 4-6 days a week. Now that I have increased my volume of training to 10-12 hrs a week I would be stupid to not eat breakfast. I still find that if I eat a heavy or large meal for dinner that I don't have much of an appetite in the mornings; but really its not that hard to get down a few eggs.
    There are hundreds of studies about the metabolism and breakfast. Even the name break- fast suggests that your body needs more food first thing in the morning. Have you ever fasted? I personally have never done it on purpose. I don't know any health professional who would say that going without food is a good idea or "healthy".  Just thinking about it, I wonder about the origins of fasting. Is it mostly a religious thing? A show of faith? Whatever the case may be; fasting is bad for the body. Your body is the most adaptable machine you have ever known. You go without food and it will adapt. It will begin to shut down on all your fat stores because it is preparing for starvation mode. Your body's first priority is survival; not weight loss.
    Keeping the machine running efficiently means giving it consistent fuel. Controlling how much fuel and what kind of fuel you have in the engine is the real key.  Taking the time in the morning to fuel up your machine is one of the best way to ensure your success in the weight loss journey.

Whats for dinner?

     My boyfriend is having a stressful day so I decided to make one of his favorite meals; Turkey Empanadas.  He has always been a "health nut" and at times has paid for uber healthy prepared and delivered meals for his cycling training.  When we first started dating he was getting 2 meals a day delivered and he went absolutely nuts for these empanadas. He eventually asked for the recipe; which sat in the kitchen for over a year before we "attempted" to make these little pockets of goodness.  I had never worked with fillo dough before so I was kinda clueless....after watching several youtube videos on proper wrapping we finally got the hang of it.  I suggest if you are going to make these you watch a video or two because there is definitely a technique to it. Once you see you will be like "oh.... ok!" The meal people didn't include a calorie count so I will figure it out and post it along with a picture of the finished product later tonight. I cant imagine that its very high in calories because it has very simple ingredients. So, here's the recipe:

    Turkey Empanadas
1 lb ground turkey
4 hard boiled eggs- optional
green olives- optional
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 tblsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Heat small amount of oil in pan, cook onions and garlic
Add turkey and brown
Mix in all dry ingredients
Slice hard boiled eggs
Put 2 tblsp of filling on fillo dough and add 1 olive and 1 slice of egg
Wrap, brush outside with egg whites and bake @ 400 for 15-20 min
Serve with a generous portion of veggies.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

"Your expectations have been violated"

     Its Sunday. My only day off. I tried to take the kids with me to workout this morning; not such a good idea. It wasn't a bad idea, but it needed some practicing. I really wanted to do the bleachers at school, but the gate was locked. I didn't think that having the kids jump the fence with me was setting a good example for them. So we walked around a little bit while I tried to figure a new plan. I had brought some toys for them; I set them up in the shady end of a baseball field and I start running the perimeter. I make it around twice when I hear "I GOTTA GO POO POO!" Of course all of the bathrooms are locked....... so we pack it up and go home.  I was disappointed. I was ready to get my sweat on. Maybe I can try again this evening? Being flexible can be a challenge. I guess it really doesn't matter when I exercise- as long as I get it done- but having one plan fail; it takes twice the motivation to get out the door again.
      I heard this the other day: "Your expectations have been violated" We all come up with ideas about what we want and we set out to make that a reality... when it doesn't happen exactly as we planned...trauma.  I sometimes wish I wasn't so attached to the outcome. Disappointment sucks! I had expectations for this morning and I didn't get what I wanted. I know some people who would be happy that their workout was cancelled, but thats not me.
      Be flexible! Go with the flow! Maybe someday I will learn.....

Free Workouts

     Seems like everyone is trying to save money these days, the cost of everything is on the rise. My gym membership went up $52 this year. It has been $98 for the year for the last 3 years...and now is $150 for the same membership at the same gym.
    There are many things that you can do for workouts that are free. For example I know many high schools allow the public to use their track and bleachers. This week at school we have been running the track and doing the bleachers in the stadium outside. Man oh man am I sore. The bleachers outside are much more difficult than the ones in the gymnasium that we have been doing since the start of the semester. I almost took a picture today so that I could post it, I'm telling you....there are a lot of steps!
    The best part about being outside is that it is track and field season. I love watching the athletes prepare for their races. Today there were 3 runners doing sprints with their coach. Fine, fit, fast young men......ok, twist my arm....you want me to workout right here.....and I get to watch them?.......Oh, it so hard to be me!

Arm Exercises

    Ladies in the salon are always asking me what they can do for flabby arms. In my experience it is one of the easiest parts of the body to tone up. Check out these arm exercises from Women's Health Magazine. As with everything else: consistency is key!

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/arm-workout-0

Happy Easter!

     Easter is here already. Bring on the candy. I remember when I was a little girl, the first place I looked on Easter morning was in the refrigerator. My mom always put my Easter basket in the fridge because it was full of chocolate. Of course she hid eggs for me too... but who cares about eggs? In fact we had a game about the eggs. She always hid the eggs in the house, and she kept track of exactly how many eggs she hid so we didn't leave any behind the couch to rot. It was fun playing "hot/cold" with her looking for the eggs. My mom is a choc-aholic, once the eggs were all accounted for we dove into that basket!

    These days I like to mix it up with the Easter basket. I like to put art supplies in them. I try to get things they don't already have. Last year I bought cardboard cut outs of robots and dinosaurs for them to color.  I will put candy in them, but not too much. I don't like having a big bag of candy in the house. It's just not safe, not for me and not for them. The candy acts like a drug, the more you get the more you want.
Other alternatives include: bubbles, squirt guns, ballons, crayons, markers, coloring books...have fun with it! Happy Easter :)