Water Water Everywhere

So last weeks goal went less than stellar. I only brought my lunch twice last week and I ate out on a night that I didn't have a meeting. Not only did I eat out but I had dinner at Red Hawk Casino Buffet. I tried to make good choices, but at a buffet good choices are hard to find. But it's a new day, a new dawn and this week's goal will be to be stay fully hydrated. When I had my last assessment with my trainer he expressed some concern over my hydration because my body fat percentage was not consistent with my weight loss, which could be explained by dehydration. I knew that this had to be the explanation, because I seldom drink plain water, except when working out. So I've heard the general rule of 8,8oz glasses of water a day, but I took to the internet just to find some more general guidelines. What I found was a bunch of contradictory information from creditable sources. Some said the 8x8 rule was too much water and can over tax your kidneys; some suggested more that 8 glasses; some counted other beverages including soda; and others said that soda didn't count because caffeine is a diuretic.So after being totally confused I decided to just to increase my daily consumption of plain water so my goal this week is to drink 5 8oz glasses of water a day combined with my food and other beverages should keep me better hydrated.         

Healthy eating all day

So today's post was going to be on the delicious and healthy cupcakes I made, from a NPR recipe. Only problem is that the cupcakes were a complete disaster and I'm going to take another stab at them tonight. So for today I have an article with tips on how to eat healthy all day and when life throws it's curveballs.

Healthy Eating All Day 
By: Rosa Cordero

When you're trying to lose weight, you know it's important to eat healthy meals at regular times -- but sometimes things just don't work out. Early lunches, late parties and midday hunger pangs can wreak havoc on your diet.

Fortunately, there are ways to eat healthy even at odd hours. Registered dietician Heidi Reichenberger McIndoo, author of the upcoming book When to Eat What: Eat the Right Foods at the Right Time for Maximum Weight Loss, says a little planning can help you make good choices any time of day. Check out her easy tips for some common situations:

The Early Bird
You like to get to the office early -- maybe even hit the gym beforehand -- so you don't eat much before you leave the house. By the time you get to your desk, you're starving.

Solution: "Break up breakfast into two parts," suggests McIndoo. "First, have some fruit or a piece of whole-grain toast, which will be easy on your stomach. Then in a couple of hours when you're hungry again, you can have some yogurt or nuts. Those two meals together give you one hearty breakfast."

Pre-Lunch Muncher
Your boss calls a last-minute meeting right before noon, so you hit the vending machine. You know it'll be a couple of hours before you can get a real lunch.

Solution: To tide you over, reach for something with protein and fiber, which take time to digest and keep you feeling fuller longer, says McIndoo. Keep packets of instant oatmeal at your desk or bring in some cheese with whole-grain crackers.

The Party Girl
Whether it's a Mother's Day brunch or a fancy evening wedding, you can't resist all that scrumptious food!

Solution: "Many people feel they should save up their calories for a party, but in doing so, you set yourself up for eating a bunch of high-fat, high-calorie foods," says McIndoo. Instead, have a snack before going out, like a small salad with a sliced hard-boiled egg on top, or half a sandwich and fruit.

The 9 p.m. Diner
Your can't-wait errands keep you out so late that it just seems easiest to stop at the nearest pizza place afterward.

Solution: Late meals mean you may be tempted to indulge in easy, fatty foods. But your body knows you only need a certain amount of food each day, says McIndoo. "Once you go over that amount, you start to store it as fat." To prepare for days you know you'll be eating late, buy skinless chicken breasts or fish fillets that you can pop into the oven when you get home. Avoid spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol late at night.

The Midnight Muncher
You find yourself craving something sweet right before bed -- or maybe you even wake up hungry.

Solution: You don't have to deprive yourself, but do keep it light so you won't have trouble falling asleep. Try a cup of Greek yogurt with some fresh fruit mixed in, or a small bowl of whole-grain cereal with skim milk.

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Eating at Home

So I passed last week goal of food journaling and no cheating with flying colors. This week I've gone back and forth for my goal and I've decided on bringing my lunch all week and eating dinner at home on the night's I don't have meetings. Now some people swear that eating at home saves money and I would bet that holds true for a family of four and more. However for just one person I can spend 20 easily for each meal I make at home. Now granted I have leftovers but now that my human garbage disposal, I mean boyfriend, has relocated to LA the leftovers usually go to waste before I get a chance to eat them. My main reason I'm setting this goal is because cooking your own food this the best way to control your calories. With the wonderful power of the internet you can get the nutrition information for most prepared food but it's always an estimate you can never be sure exactly how it was prepared in the restaurant. At home though you have complete control you can weigh and measure your ingredients so you have a much better idea of how many calories you're actually eating. I'm hoping that this goal will help me to have a calories deficit every day, meaning I've ate less calories than I've burned.

New Weigh In

Boot camp was intense today lots of lunges and ab work and just for fun we pushed my trainer Val's SUV around the parking lot up a slight incline. It's kind of amazing how he finds new and challenging things for us to do, although I kinda of felt like I was suddenly in an episode of Biggest Loser. Speaking of the Biggest Loser.........


As most people know, when you're on a weight loss regime, the first ten pounds is always the easiest to lose. As your body get used to the program you're on and you stop being as religious about what you're eating the weight loss starts to slow a bit. Which is why I'm very proud that I've lost another 9 pounds! Making that a grand total of 19 pounds lost! Lately people who don't know that I'm trying to lose weight have started to notice that I've lost weight. Which to me is a little better than others, who know about my goals, because they weren't looking for it which to me means it the loss is really showing. My clothes have started to fit better and in the little shopping I've done usually I'm between a size 16 and 14 and so far I've been fitting into size 14 just fine. So I want to keep this momentum going and be under 200 lbs mark next month! And if I can keep this pace up I will reach my goal in only 7 months, which would be awesome!
 

Taking Back Control

I just got back from the eye doctor and I had my eyes dilated so I can't really focus on my computer screen right now, so today's post will short and sweet. One of the most positive changes I've seen in my self since taking control of my weight I've noticed That I've started to take more control of other parts of my life as well. The main one being my physical health, I would say that for the past 6 years or so I've been ignoring my physical health. Part of this was because after college I was uninsured, but even before that when I was insured I never went to the doctor. In fact until my first doctor's appointment in September my last physician had been my pediatrician. In January when I switched jobs I started receiving full benefits and it wasn't until last month that I went to the Doctor, my first Dentist appointment was last week, and I saw my Eye doctor today.


For ignoring my health for so long I've actually been really lucky my eyes are still perfect, my blood pressure and cholesterol are good, and I only have two cavities after not seeing my dentist for the past four years, although I do have to have deep cleanings which totally blows. The first half of which was yesterday and all I can say is that nitrous oxide is a wonderful thing and I never want to have to do that again. So here's to taking control again three cheers for me!

P.S. The protein shake before boot camp was a total success!