Tosca Reno's Ever Ready Bran Muffins
*As I said before, I don't find these tasty without something sweet to put on top, but that is how pretty much all bran muffins are for me. If you've had plenty of non-sweet bran muffins in your day, then you should enjoy these just fine! What's great about them is they're very customize-able (you can add dried fruit, nuts, shredded coconut, shredded carrot, or perhaps some spices) and they keep for up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator!*
Ingredients:
Dry: 4 cups whole wheat flour; 4 cups natural bran; 4 tsp baking soda; 4 Tbsp coarsely ground flaxseed; 2 tsp sea salt; 1 cup Sucanat or rapadura sugar
Wet: 4 cups buttermilk or milk soured with lemon juice; 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce; 3 egg whites + 1 whole egg, well beaten
Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 2. Prepare muffin tin by lining with paper liners or spraying cooking spray on it. 3. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. 4. Combine all wet ingredients in a medium bowl. 5. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined. Do not overmix or muffins will turn out rubbery! Add dried fruits and/or nuts if desired- mix to combine. 6. Spoon batter into muffin cups until 3/4 full. 7. Place in hot oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. 8. Remove from oven and let cool on wire cooling rack.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Week 2 and My First Weigh-In
This post is coming late- sorry! I wasn't super-excited to write about this past week since it wasn't too successful. The kids were not too impressed with the new foods, and let's face it- it is hard enough getting yourself to commit to a healthier lifestyle when you don't feel like everyone else is on board. Between that and having not worked out at all last week, I was feeling pretty discouraged. When it came time for my first weigh-in on Sunday morning, I wasn't expecting much to see much progress, if any at all. Then I opened my eyes and peeked at the tiny digital screen above my toes. It told me this: 169.6 pounds and 39.8 % body fat.
As I stood there in the buff staring at those numbers, I knew I could respond to this one of two ways. I could either be completely discouraged by how little things had changed (Just a pound in two weeks? That's only half a pound a week! Why am I even bothering? If this is how badly I do at the beginning, then how on earth am I actually going to do better?) or I could celebrate what change there was to be had (Well, a pound in two weeks would still be 26 pounds gone a year from now, and that would be nice. Besides, I'd done a lot of cheating this past weekend, so this is pretty good. Not only that, but I lost some body fat, so I know that the pound wasn't just water weight.) I'm doing what I can to look at it the latter way. Let's face it- finding the positive side is necessary for success in weight loss, and in life. So I stepped away to get dressed, and I told myself over and over "Better it be one pound of lasting change than five pounds of temporary change."
Even though I wasn't going to let the slow start to my weight loss get me down, I still had to sit down and adjust my goals for the upcoming week. The changes don't seem to be sticking as well as I'd like, so I've decided not to add any new ones this week: I'll still work on doing healthy breakfasts and dinners, give up soda and prepare for healthier snacks. I will also have a big focus on the dinners this week, but more on that below.
I tried a total of four new recipes this week, with little success. The first recipe was some breaded fish sticks. It's not a huge surprise the kids hated that though- they don't really like fish to begin with. Rhett recommends keeping tartar sauce on hand if we do it again. The second recipe was the one breakfast recipe I tried last week- a bran muffin that can keep up to six weeks in the fridge. I'm the only one eating them, and I don't think they taste good without honey or jam, but they are filling and it's nice to have a breakfast you can grab and go with (I'll be posting this recipe). The third recipe was a chicken curry soup. The kids weren't fans, and I thought it was okay but too watery. I'm used to curry being a sauce that goes over rice or potatoes, not as a soup. A possible one to try in the future if it were just me and Rhett eating, I suppose. The last one was a healthy macaroni and cheese recipe. Even though I cheated and added two extra kinds of cheese in there for flavor, it still required enticing the kids with dessert to get them to eat some. Not exactly the best overall response when you're trying to get your family to eat healthier.
I think I need to approach how I make dinners differently: this week I'd really focused on finding meals that were more kid-friendly, and the fact that the kids still didn't like them discouraged me a lot more than I thought it would. After all, if you're making meals that are specifically aimed to please kids and still getting a thumbs down for dinner, then it's time to try something different. So, I'm going to stop using Tosca Reno cookbooks for this week and go with something more tried-and-true: Better Homes and Gardens. I've made dozens of meals from my trusty cookbook and I've only ended up with one or two that the family didn't like. Maybe if I approach our dinners by taking recipes the kids love and making the necessary changes to turn them into Clean Eating dinners, it will be easier on the kids. After all, the meal will be something more familiar, so it might be an easier adjustment. I can't tell whether or not the bad dinner reviews come from the style of the cookbook author or if we'll run into this problem in any Clean Eating venture, but maybe the dinners I make this week will answer that question for me.
I sincerely hope that things start changing more for the positive. I've found my self-control to be incredibly lacking, and I wonder if I need more structure: maybe having one area of my life better organized and in hand will affect the other areas. Something that I'm still contemplating over, but I might be able to apply it in the future. One week at a time though, and one set of goals at a time. I have enough on my plate already! (so to speak). So, to summarize: not a lot of progress in weight loss, but I'll take what I can get. We're sticking with the goals we already have, and we're trying a new approach to making dinners. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be able to hit my first "mile-marker" (lose 5 pounds) by my birthday- that's just a month away! Anyway, until next week!
As I stood there in the buff staring at those numbers, I knew I could respond to this one of two ways. I could either be completely discouraged by how little things had changed (Just a pound in two weeks? That's only half a pound a week! Why am I even bothering? If this is how badly I do at the beginning, then how on earth am I actually going to do better?) or I could celebrate what change there was to be had (Well, a pound in two weeks would still be 26 pounds gone a year from now, and that would be nice. Besides, I'd done a lot of cheating this past weekend, so this is pretty good. Not only that, but I lost some body fat, so I know that the pound wasn't just water weight.) I'm doing what I can to look at it the latter way. Let's face it- finding the positive side is necessary for success in weight loss, and in life. So I stepped away to get dressed, and I told myself over and over "Better it be one pound of lasting change than five pounds of temporary change."
Even though I wasn't going to let the slow start to my weight loss get me down, I still had to sit down and adjust my goals for the upcoming week. The changes don't seem to be sticking as well as I'd like, so I've decided not to add any new ones this week: I'll still work on doing healthy breakfasts and dinners, give up soda and prepare for healthier snacks. I will also have a big focus on the dinners this week, but more on that below.
I think I need to approach how I make dinners differently: this week I'd really focused on finding meals that were more kid-friendly, and the fact that the kids still didn't like them discouraged me a lot more than I thought it would. After all, if you're making meals that are specifically aimed to please kids and still getting a thumbs down for dinner, then it's time to try something different. So, I'm going to stop using Tosca Reno cookbooks for this week and go with something more tried-and-true: Better Homes and Gardens. I've made dozens of meals from my trusty cookbook and I've only ended up with one or two that the family didn't like. Maybe if I approach our dinners by taking recipes the kids love and making the necessary changes to turn them into Clean Eating dinners, it will be easier on the kids. After all, the meal will be something more familiar, so it might be an easier adjustment. I can't tell whether or not the bad dinner reviews come from the style of the cookbook author or if we'll run into this problem in any Clean Eating venture, but maybe the dinners I make this week will answer that question for me.
I sincerely hope that things start changing more for the positive. I've found my self-control to be incredibly lacking, and I wonder if I need more structure: maybe having one area of my life better organized and in hand will affect the other areas. Something that I'm still contemplating over, but I might be able to apply it in the future. One week at a time though, and one set of goals at a time. I have enough on my plate already! (so to speak). So, to summarize: not a lot of progress in weight loss, but I'll take what I can get. We're sticking with the goals we already have, and we're trying a new approach to making dinners. I've got my fingers crossed that I'll be able to hit my first "mile-marker" (lose 5 pounds) by my birthday- that's just a month away! Anyway, until next week!
Monday, August 11, 2014
Our Recipes from Week One!
*These recipes are all from books by Tosca Reno- I don't claim any ownership over them! If you'd like to know which book, I'd be happy to give you further information.*
Spring Fresh Chicken Soup
Ingredients: 2 cups cooked brown rice; 8 cups low sodium chicken stock; 2 low-sodium bouillon cubes; 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts; 2 leeks (white and light green parts only), washed and chopped coarsely; 3 inner stalks celery (leaves included) chopped coarsely; 1 1/2-2 cups bean sprouts; 1 tsp sea salt
Directions: 1. Place stock in soup pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts and bouillon cubes and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and let simmer while you prepare the vegetables. (Make sure leeks are well washed and rinsed before using)
2. Add chopped leeks and celery to the soup pot. Cook ten minutes.
3. Remove cooked chicken breasts from the pot and let cool while soup simmers. Cut chicken into thin ribbons and return to pot along with cooked rice. Add bean sprouts and cook 3 minutes more.
4. Add sea salt. Stir and serve hot.
Review: This might possibly be my favorite recipe so far! It's much quicker to make than most soups, it's so tasty, and it probably had the biggest thumbs up from my family- I loved it, my husband loved it, the baby loved it, and Lilly really liked it. Even Tommy was willing to eat some of it! The soup also kept fairly well- we had it for leftovers a few days later and it tasted just fine. We are definitely going to have this again in the future.
Eat Clean Fajitas
Ingredients: 2 lbs lean lamb or beef tenderloin or chicken breast; juice of 2 limes; juice of 1 lemon; juice of 1 orange; 4 tbsp pineapple juice; 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 large garlic cloves, passed through press; 1 tsp sea salt; 1 tsp chili powder; dash tabasco; 2 purple onions, peeled and chopped; 1 each red and green bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and sliced thinly; pinch of black pepper; 12 large whole grain, corn, or Ezekiel tortillas
Directions: 1. Combine all juices in a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, chili powder, and tabasco. Mix well.
2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven while you prepare the meat and vegetables.
3. Prepare meat by placing it between two layers of parchment paper and beating until meat is 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips about the length of your little finger.
4. Place meat in half the marinade and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Reserve remaining marinade in separate bowl for vegetables. Add vegetables when they're chopped.
5. Place 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Saute the meat in batches and transfer to serving platter when done. When the meat is done, add the rest of the olive oil and saute the vegetables in batches.
6. Arrange the meat and vegetables with tortillas. Serve with guacamole and pico de gallo.
Review: These were pretty good! I especially liked the taste of the marinade. We did these fajitas with chicken breast but I'd love to try them again sometime with beef tenderloin. Tommy and Lilly weren't quite as excited about them, but Rhett and I enjoyed them a lot.
Persian Beef with Herb Khoresh and Rice
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, peeled and chopped; 1 lb lean beef or bison, cubed; 1 tbsp exotic spice mix; 2 1/2 cups beef stock; 2 tbsp fresh parsley; 2 tbsp chopped scallions; 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 1 tsp turmeric; juice of one lemon; 1 tsp sea salt; black pepper to taste
Directions: 1. In large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over med-high heat.
2. Add onion and cook until soft. Add beef or bison and cook until browned on all sides. Add exotic spice mix and cook for another minute or so, until you can smell the spices. Add 2 cups of beef stock and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer, lid off, for 45 minutes. Watch that the stew doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet add remaining olive oil. Heat over medium heat. Add parsley and scallions. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
5. After meat is finished cooking add remaining stock, kidney beans, turmeric and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Add contents of small skillet.
6. Serve hot over couscous or brown rice.
Review: This is also one of my favorites! It tasted so great over brown rice and it probably would taste even better with couscous. Tommy wasn't a fan, and Lilly tolerated it, but the rest of us liked it a lot.
Eat Clean Sloppy Joes
Ingredients: 1/2 cup chili sauce (substitute ketchup to make less spicy); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tsp each cumin, sea salt, black pepper, chili powder; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 tbsp oregano; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion; 1/4 cup finely chopped celery; 1 clove minced garlic; 1 lb lean ground turkey or bison; 3/4 cooked brown rice; handful chopped scallions; whole wheat hamburger buns; 1/4 cup hummus
Directions: 1. In a small bowl combine chili sauce (or ketchup), tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, spices, vinegar, and oregano. Mix well and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Saute onion, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add meat, let brown for five minutes, then drain oil.
3. Combine browned meat with spice mixture, cooked brown rice and scallions and mix gently.
4. Spread each side of the bun with hummus. Spoon about 1 cup meat mixture onto one side of the bun. Top with the other side. Cut in half.
Review: This was the first recipe geared more toward children so I had high hopes that my kids would like them. Lilly thought they were okay and Joey went nuts over them, but Tommy didn't like them. At all. We think the kids might have liked them better if we reduced the spice amount and added a bit more ketchup than they asked for. Still, we thought they were tasty. Here's a picture of Joey going to town on the meat:
Spring Fresh Chicken Soup
Ingredients: 2 cups cooked brown rice; 8 cups low sodium chicken stock; 2 low-sodium bouillon cubes; 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts; 2 leeks (white and light green parts only), washed and chopped coarsely; 3 inner stalks celery (leaves included) chopped coarsely; 1 1/2-2 cups bean sprouts; 1 tsp sea salt
Directions: 1. Place stock in soup pot and bring to a boil. Add chicken breasts and bouillon cubes and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and let simmer while you prepare the vegetables. (Make sure leeks are well washed and rinsed before using)
2. Add chopped leeks and celery to the soup pot. Cook ten minutes.
3. Remove cooked chicken breasts from the pot and let cool while soup simmers. Cut chicken into thin ribbons and return to pot along with cooked rice. Add bean sprouts and cook 3 minutes more.
4. Add sea salt. Stir and serve hot.
Review: This might possibly be my favorite recipe so far! It's much quicker to make than most soups, it's so tasty, and it probably had the biggest thumbs up from my family- I loved it, my husband loved it, the baby loved it, and Lilly really liked it. Even Tommy was willing to eat some of it! The soup also kept fairly well- we had it for leftovers a few days later and it tasted just fine. We are definitely going to have this again in the future.
Eat Clean Fajitas
Ingredients: 2 lbs lean lamb or beef tenderloin or chicken breast; juice of 2 limes; juice of 1 lemon; juice of 1 orange; 4 tbsp pineapple juice; 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 large garlic cloves, passed through press; 1 tsp sea salt; 1 tsp chili powder; dash tabasco; 2 purple onions, peeled and chopped; 1 each red and green bell pepper, seeded, deveined, and sliced thinly; pinch of black pepper; 12 large whole grain, corn, or Ezekiel tortillas
Directions: 1. Combine all juices in a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, chili powder, and tabasco. Mix well.
2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven while you prepare the meat and vegetables.
3. Prepare meat by placing it between two layers of parchment paper and beating until meat is 1/2 inch thick. Cut into strips about the length of your little finger.
4. Place meat in half the marinade and let stand for at least 30 minutes. Reserve remaining marinade in separate bowl for vegetables. Add vegetables when they're chopped.
5. Place 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Saute the meat in batches and transfer to serving platter when done. When the meat is done, add the rest of the olive oil and saute the vegetables in batches.
6. Arrange the meat and vegetables with tortillas. Serve with guacamole and pico de gallo.
Review: These were pretty good! I especially liked the taste of the marinade. We did these fajitas with chicken breast but I'd love to try them again sometime with beef tenderloin. Tommy and Lilly weren't quite as excited about them, but Rhett and I enjoyed them a lot.
Persian Beef with Herb Khoresh and Rice
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, peeled and chopped; 1 lb lean beef or bison, cubed; 1 tbsp exotic spice mix; 2 1/2 cups beef stock; 2 tbsp fresh parsley; 2 tbsp chopped scallions; 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 1 tsp turmeric; juice of one lemon; 1 tsp sea salt; black pepper to taste
Directions: 1. In large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over med-high heat.
2. Add onion and cook until soft. Add beef or bison and cook until browned on all sides. Add exotic spice mix and cook for another minute or so, until you can smell the spices. Add 2 cups of beef stock and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer, lid off, for 45 minutes. Watch that the stew doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet add remaining olive oil. Heat over medium heat. Add parsley and scallions. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
5. After meat is finished cooking add remaining stock, kidney beans, turmeric and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Add contents of small skillet.
6. Serve hot over couscous or brown rice.
Review: This is also one of my favorites! It tasted so great over brown rice and it probably would taste even better with couscous. Tommy wasn't a fan, and Lilly tolerated it, but the rest of us liked it a lot.
Eat Clean Sloppy Joes
Ingredients: 1/2 cup chili sauce (substitute ketchup to make less spicy); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tsp each cumin, sea salt, black pepper, chili powder; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 tbsp oregano; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion; 1/4 cup finely chopped celery; 1 clove minced garlic; 1 lb lean ground turkey or bison; 3/4 cooked brown rice; handful chopped scallions; whole wheat hamburger buns; 1/4 cup hummus
Directions: 1. In a small bowl combine chili sauce (or ketchup), tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, spices, vinegar, and oregano. Mix well and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Saute onion, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add meat, let brown for five minutes, then drain oil.
3. Combine browned meat with spice mixture, cooked brown rice and scallions and mix gently.
4. Spread each side of the bun with hummus. Spoon about 1 cup meat mixture onto one side of the bun. Top with the other side. Cut in half.
Review: This was the first recipe geared more toward children so I had high hopes that my kids would like them. Lilly thought they were okay and Joey went nuts over them, but Tommy didn't like them. At all. We think the kids might have liked them better if we reduced the spice amount and added a bit more ketchup than they asked for. Still, we thought they were tasty. Here's a picture of Joey going to town on the meat:
That's all there is to report on recipes from last week! It's quite the adventure so far and we're looking forward to trying new foods next week. I'm thinking that I'll try to pick foods that the kids will enjoy better, since they are the hardest to please. Until next time!
How Our First Week Went
If you want the short version, here it is: not that great.
Here's the long version: We set out this week with two goals. The first was to have Eat Clean dinners and the second was to give up soda. I only managed to go two days without soda of any sort and I didn't make any Eat Clean dinners over the weekend. That said, it was still an improvement overall. We tried a lot of new meals- with mixed results- and we went without soda until Lilly got a stomach bug and we bought some ginger ale to settle her tummy.
In case it wasn't clear before, I am intending on this process being a long one. After all, I plan on this being more than just a diet- it's a lifestyle change, and it's one we're making as a family. So we don't want the crash course version, we want something that has staying power for the whole family. That's why we're not making all of these changes at once, but rather we're doing a few at a time and seeing how those changes sit with us. Granted, this week could have gone better, but if we continue to have improvement (however slow it takes), then that is what matters.
We're going to try two new goals this week and see if we can see progress with both these goals and the previous week's; if having two new goals prevents us from improving on the previous two, then we'll spread out how much change we're going through as a family. Which means that we're attempting four goals this week: continuing to stay away from soda and having Eat Clean dinners, but now we're also having Eat Clean breakfasts and we're preparing containers in the pantry and the fridge for where to put Eat Clean snacks. I figure that we'll check our progress at the end of this week and if we've plateaued because there's too much change, then we'll go back to just the first two goals until we have those better in hand.
Now would also be the time I'd talk about how the numbers on the scale have changed (if they have at all), but I'm checking that every two weeks. However, I do feel like there is an improvement on how I feel- that may only be since I know that I'm at least making an effort to eat healthier, but I'll take what I can get. I intend on weighing myself every two weeks, checking body measurements at each five-pound weight loss, and pictures at every ten-pound weight loss. There probably won't be much to report for a while, though.
Finally, the recipes! Here's where I felt we had the greatest progress- we tried a lot of different recipes this week, and even though not all of them were successes, now we know which ones we'll want to keep in the future. I will post these recipes in my next blog, along with a cute picture of Joey as soon as I can find the iPod.
This first week wasn't easy, and that is a little discouraging. After all, if I'm already running into trouble, then how on earth is it going to get better when it's only supposed to get harder from here? I am trying to not see it that way, though. To quote Samuel Beckett:
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
Here's the long version: We set out this week with two goals. The first was to have Eat Clean dinners and the second was to give up soda. I only managed to go two days without soda of any sort and I didn't make any Eat Clean dinners over the weekend. That said, it was still an improvement overall. We tried a lot of new meals- with mixed results- and we went without soda until Lilly got a stomach bug and we bought some ginger ale to settle her tummy.
In case it wasn't clear before, I am intending on this process being a long one. After all, I plan on this being more than just a diet- it's a lifestyle change, and it's one we're making as a family. So we don't want the crash course version, we want something that has staying power for the whole family. That's why we're not making all of these changes at once, but rather we're doing a few at a time and seeing how those changes sit with us. Granted, this week could have gone better, but if we continue to have improvement (however slow it takes), then that is what matters.
We're going to try two new goals this week and see if we can see progress with both these goals and the previous week's; if having two new goals prevents us from improving on the previous two, then we'll spread out how much change we're going through as a family. Which means that we're attempting four goals this week: continuing to stay away from soda and having Eat Clean dinners, but now we're also having Eat Clean breakfasts and we're preparing containers in the pantry and the fridge for where to put Eat Clean snacks. I figure that we'll check our progress at the end of this week and if we've plateaued because there's too much change, then we'll go back to just the first two goals until we have those better in hand.
Now would also be the time I'd talk about how the numbers on the scale have changed (if they have at all), but I'm checking that every two weeks. However, I do feel like there is an improvement on how I feel- that may only be since I know that I'm at least making an effort to eat healthier, but I'll take what I can get. I intend on weighing myself every two weeks, checking body measurements at each five-pound weight loss, and pictures at every ten-pound weight loss. There probably won't be much to report for a while, though.
Finally, the recipes! Here's where I felt we had the greatest progress- we tried a lot of different recipes this week, and even though not all of them were successes, now we know which ones we'll want to keep in the future. I will post these recipes in my next blog, along with a cute picture of Joey as soon as I can find the iPod.
This first week wasn't easy, and that is a little discouraging. After all, if I'm already running into trouble, then how on earth is it going to get better when it's only supposed to get harder from here? I am trying to not see it that way, though. To quote Samuel Beckett:
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
Thursday, August 7, 2014
It Begins....Week One
So we've started our clean eating this week. Since we want this to be a family affair, and since we want to make lasting changes, we're starting slow. This week, our efforts are to have Clean dinners and to give up soda, and even then we're not perfect. Still, I already feel like we're improving, which is good, because I could use whatever encouragement I can find. That's because I did what many other women do at the start of eating healthier- measure their starting point. Most people do that by weighing themselves- this time around, I'm doing as many starting points as I can. While that means I get to prolong the embarrassment on my first day, but it also means that if I don't see improvement in one area, I might find it in another. And, to add to my embarrassment, I'm making it public. O_O
If you don't want to see some scary numbers and pictures, then stop reading now!!!
Don't say you weren't warned. Anyway, let's start with the most obvious: my weight. My husband and I have a nifty little scale that measures weight, body fat % and water %. I've heard that scales that measure body fat % are notoriously inaccurate, but mine seems to work well enough. As of Sunday August 3rd, I weigh 169.6 pounds and have 40% body fat. This is quite possibly my worst set of numbers when I haven't been able to blame pregnancy. I'm trying not to be discouraged though- just trying to see it as more room for improvement. Moving on, I also did another common starting point: measurements. Measuring certain points of your body is often a more preferable alternative to measuring weight, since building muscle may cause your weight to stay the same or even increase while you're body is losing fat and mass. So here come another set of scary numbers! (Note: in case you're planning on doing this yourself, it's best to do in the buff and either in front of a mirror or with someone to help make sure the measuring tape is even. I find that measuring tape for sewing or quilting works great and molds wonderfully to the bod. Also, I only bothered with measuring my right thigh, calf, and upper arm- I didn't want to have to do two of each.)
Bust: 41"
Waist: 35"
Hips: 42"
Booty: 43 1/2"
Thigh: 27"
Upper Arm: 14"
Calf: 15 1/2"
Next starting point (also common) is pictures. Who hasn't seen the before and after pictures of various weight loss infomercials? If you're like me, then you've often wished that you could have your own set. With enough determination, this will be the start of mine. Now, I've taken two set of before pictures. One set is personal, which shows a lot of skin! I will not be subjecting viewers to these. The set of before pictures that I'll be showing combines a more specific starting point, which is to take pictures in a common outfit and see how it changes with the weight loss. I chose a pair of yoga pants that I adore and a comfy black shirt. To quote pinterest: "I wear all black when I work out; it's like a funeral for my fat."
If you don't want to see some scary numbers and pictures, then stop reading now!!!
Don't say you weren't warned. Anyway, let's start with the most obvious: my weight. My husband and I have a nifty little scale that measures weight, body fat % and water %. I've heard that scales that measure body fat % are notoriously inaccurate, but mine seems to work well enough. As of Sunday August 3rd, I weigh 169.6 pounds and have 40% body fat. This is quite possibly my worst set of numbers when I haven't been able to blame pregnancy. I'm trying not to be discouraged though- just trying to see it as more room for improvement. Moving on, I also did another common starting point: measurements. Measuring certain points of your body is often a more preferable alternative to measuring weight, since building muscle may cause your weight to stay the same or even increase while you're body is losing fat and mass. So here come another set of scary numbers! (Note: in case you're planning on doing this yourself, it's best to do in the buff and either in front of a mirror or with someone to help make sure the measuring tape is even. I find that measuring tape for sewing or quilting works great and molds wonderfully to the bod. Also, I only bothered with measuring my right thigh, calf, and upper arm- I didn't want to have to do two of each.)
Bust: 41"
Waist: 35"
Hips: 42"
Booty: 43 1/2"
Thigh: 27"
Upper Arm: 14"
Calf: 15 1/2"
Next starting point (also common) is pictures. Who hasn't seen the before and after pictures of various weight loss infomercials? If you're like me, then you've often wished that you could have your own set. With enough determination, this will be the start of mine. Now, I've taken two set of before pictures. One set is personal, which shows a lot of skin! I will not be subjecting viewers to these. The set of before pictures that I'll be showing combines a more specific starting point, which is to take pictures in a common outfit and see how it changes with the weight loss. I chose a pair of yoga pants that I adore and a comfy black shirt. To quote pinterest: "I wear all black when I work out; it's like a funeral for my fat."
Kinda scary! Moving on....the last starting point, which is sadly underrated- how I feel. After all, weight loss shouldn't be centered on looking thin and attractive (though there's nothing wrong with those being a contributing factor, in my opinion). It should be about FEELING healthy and FEELING attractive. As of right now, I don't feel as attractive as I'd like, but I'm sure that this is common for many women. More importantly, I'd like to focus on feeling healthier, which for me is having more energy, not needing as much sleep, having enough endurance to run races and having enough strength to start new sports. Other health benefits would be nice, like healthier hair and nails, clearer skin, whiter teeth, etc. While a girl needs to be realistic, a girl can dream too, and I'll be keeping a lookout for whatever health improvements may be on my way.
So here is where I'm starting out. I hope that this is the beginning of lasting change and improvement. I won't be putting measurements for any other family members on here- there's no need for the kids to do that and I won't force my adorable hubs to do that- but I'll make sure to report any positive changes for them on here. And pictures too- not of starting points but of a family being healthy and happy.
Finally, a report of the week so far: Monday went fairly well, though I ate donuts for breakfast (you can't possibly start a diet until you get rid of the junk food, right?). Tuesday was a rough day, and I got depressed about that- after all, I wasn't making that many changes and it was only the second day. My mood improved by the evening and I was able to feel encouraged again. Wednesday and today have been great- while I cheated on the no-soda rule on Tuesday and today, we've had healthy dinners each night and most of them have been successes, at least with the adults. I'll post the recipes on the next update.
We're over halfway done on our first week! From here on out, I will try to post weekly, with reviews on how things have gone- what worked, what didn't- as well as the recipes we tried- again, with what worked and what didn't. I will also mention if there are any improvements to report: I intend on weighing myself every two weeks and I'll post pics with every five-pound or ten-pound weight loss (haven't decided which yet).
I know this was a long post, but seeing as I won't be reporting these numbers and pictures with every post, it shouldn't be as long every time. If you have any comments or advice to give, I'd love to hear it. Until Sunday, folks!
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Day One. Our Declaration.
Our Eating Clean Journey
Hello everyone! We've started a blog about our Eating Clean journey. Why? Because it is time for a change. We as a family want to eat healthier, weigh less, and have a higher quality of life. It's been a long time coming: Rhett has been struggling with weight issues for years, and so have I, along with issues of my self-image. We want to finally achieve our goals and we want to set a healthier example for our children. So we are going to make a change for the better in the way we eat.
I have always felt if I were to pursue a diet, that it should be as close to the Word of Wisdom as possible. It is, after all, the only diet that holds temporal and spiritual promises from God Himself. That said, I have spent a number of hours amassing dieting information- anyone with eyes and ears knows what a huge industry the diet and exercise market is. I have looked into the food pyramid, Atkins diet, the Sugar-Busters diet, other general low-carb diets, Jenny Craig, Weight-Watchers, vegetarianism, and even the Kevin Trudeau HCG diet. Some of them worked for a little bit, but most of them didn't, and few of them seemed to match up to what the Word of Wisdom says. So desperate times call for desperate measures: two summers ago, my husband and I tried an extreme high-protein, low calorie diet. So extreme that it didn't recommend exercise during the initial phase. It helped me lose 35 pounds and get to my lowest weight ever, but when the diet was over the weight came right back-- and believe me, it was NOT going to be a diet we could maintain the rest of our lives!
So here we are. Rhett has graduated college and started work as a technician in the Salt Lake area, I'm a stay at home mom (for the time being) with three rugrats under the age of five, and we are back at square one with our dieting. In addition, I had also been drinking a lot of caffeinated soda (begun while I had worked as a waitress, but it unfortunately has continued). In my research on ideas for giving up soda, I came across some sugar detox diets. They sounded more like what I wanted in a diet- they encourage more natural foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, occasional lean meat, and no processed foods). I decided to go to the bookstore and pick out a dieting book on sugar detox. However, all of those books were out of my price range, so I expanded my search and found one I could afford. It turned out to be exactly what I was looking for: The Eat-Clean Diet by Tosca Reno.
**Note: I am NOT promising that this diet works or has anything to do with the LDS church. I haven't even really tried it yet, but I am going to, along with my family. Also, I have NOT been paid by any health or fitness representative; I am merely writing our story.**
And thus begins our journey to better health and (hopefully) our goal weights. Let's be honest though: it's not like our track record on dieting has been all that great. However, I really feel like we're ready to make a lasting positive change, and we're starting by making this public announcement. I don't know how many people will read it, but I've heard that the more people you tell about your intentions to lose weight, the more you'll feel pressure (in a good way) to hold to your determination. Don't want to let everybody down, after all (including yourself). Also, even though my weight loss two years ago wasn't permanent, it did do one good thing: it showed me that I can actually do it. I can actually hold on and see results! And if we could do it then, we can surely do it now. So here we go. Follow us, if you will, as we start our first leg of the trip. Let us know what you think! I'll leave you all with a quote that I find inspirational:
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.
~Earl Nightingale
I have always felt if I were to pursue a diet, that it should be as close to the Word of Wisdom as possible. It is, after all, the only diet that holds temporal and spiritual promises from God Himself. That said, I have spent a number of hours amassing dieting information- anyone with eyes and ears knows what a huge industry the diet and exercise market is. I have looked into the food pyramid, Atkins diet, the Sugar-Busters diet, other general low-carb diets, Jenny Craig, Weight-Watchers, vegetarianism, and even the Kevin Trudeau HCG diet. Some of them worked for a little bit, but most of them didn't, and few of them seemed to match up to what the Word of Wisdom says. So desperate times call for desperate measures: two summers ago, my husband and I tried an extreme high-protein, low calorie diet. So extreme that it didn't recommend exercise during the initial phase. It helped me lose 35 pounds and get to my lowest weight ever, but when the diet was over the weight came right back-- and believe me, it was NOT going to be a diet we could maintain the rest of our lives!
So here we are. Rhett has graduated college and started work as a technician in the Salt Lake area, I'm a stay at home mom (for the time being) with three rugrats under the age of five, and we are back at square one with our dieting. In addition, I had also been drinking a lot of caffeinated soda (begun while I had worked as a waitress, but it unfortunately has continued). In my research on ideas for giving up soda, I came across some sugar detox diets. They sounded more like what I wanted in a diet- they encourage more natural foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, occasional lean meat, and no processed foods). I decided to go to the bookstore and pick out a dieting book on sugar detox. However, all of those books were out of my price range, so I expanded my search and found one I could afford. It turned out to be exactly what I was looking for: The Eat-Clean Diet by Tosca Reno.
**Note: I am NOT promising that this diet works or has anything to do with the LDS church. I haven't even really tried it yet, but I am going to, along with my family. Also, I have NOT been paid by any health or fitness representative; I am merely writing our story.**
And thus begins our journey to better health and (hopefully) our goal weights. Let's be honest though: it's not like our track record on dieting has been all that great. However, I really feel like we're ready to make a lasting positive change, and we're starting by making this public announcement. I don't know how many people will read it, but I've heard that the more people you tell about your intentions to lose weight, the more you'll feel pressure (in a good way) to hold to your determination. Don't want to let everybody down, after all (including yourself). Also, even though my weight loss two years ago wasn't permanent, it did do one good thing: it showed me that I can actually do it. I can actually hold on and see results! And if we could do it then, we can surely do it now. So here we go. Follow us, if you will, as we start our first leg of the trip. Let us know what you think! I'll leave you all with a quote that I find inspirational:
Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.
~Earl Nightingale
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)