Monday, May 30, 2011

Don't worry, still here exercising, eating healthfully and dealing....

Sorry for the little vacation from the blog, but know that nothing changed for me in regards to my eating healthfully and exercising, just life's @#$% got the way for a bit, but I'm back. Had to head to Crossfit OC Saturday morning, since work and life and lack of exercise partners got in the way of getting my 3-5 workouts in during the week, and I was forced to workout on my weekend, which I'm not a fan of. Workout was awesome though and really feeling the benefits of eating healthfully during my workouts, as I have lots of energy no matter how challenging the workouts.

I also have to share how good I feel all the time. I have spent several days with my brother this weekend, and my sister yesterday, and can see how much pain they are in all the time. They both have considerable weight issues, and I do believe this is the catalyst for many of their health issues, including all of their aches and pains. I can’t imagine just not welling “well” on a daily basis. And one thing we know for sure, is the one thing we have control over, how we exercise and what we eat, can make a huge issue in the quality of our lives. There are many tragedies we can’t avoid, but fortunately there are many we can.

Want to comment on two posts, and then share some email from Lynn who is struggling with her eating and exercising.
Mary C said...
Great gazpacho recipe.....tons of veggies!! Almost entirely "free"!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/gazpacho/

Mary is a big fan of PW, so you will probably see her share her recipes often. One thing I want you all to do before you share a recipe is to cook and eat it. We need you to experiment for us and pass on the healthful recipes you have made so we don't waste our time, energy and calories on something not worth eating.

suga30 said...
Hey! Love the blog and love reading bout the new ideas. I have 2 kids 5 and 3 years old, I am always looking for new kid friendly meals and snacks that everyone will love! Do u have any on mind?

The key is to “hide” the good stuff in the food so the kids aren’t even aware of them, and then to keep modeling good eating habits. I know that I did every thing I could to give me kids the right start, with breastfeeding, to pureeing all their baby food, and always putting a variety of foods in front of them. Didn’t make a difference once they could say “NO”, and push it away though. Evan still never made the right choices, and his staples were things I totally didn’t approve of, Habenero chips, thanks to Rinske, so when I he liked something that was healthful, he got it, even those that were pricey like “Izzies”, fruit sweetened soda water, Naked Juice, and Rubio’s chips and boiled beans.

Mary and Derek have acclimated as the years have gone on and now are great eaters, but Alaina Baby is my project. She hates breakfast, so I have allowed her to have her stupid pop tarts to have something in her stomach, at least vitamin fortified, but has recently discovered Fuji apples, peeled, and I am happy to find the peels left in the sink, annoying, but at least I know she ate it that morning. Try to make veggies she likes, push the fruit, and hope and pray in time she will jump on the bandwagon with the rest of the family.

I have a book called “Stealth Health” which I really like, that allows you to sneak good stuff in normal kid friendly food, so check that out. I did get Mary a copy of Jerry Seinfield’s wifes book where she shoves lots of good stuff in her recipes, but not sure that they are that kid friendly, I think that her kids eat more like healthy adults do. For those of you with little ones, share what works for you.

And now the email from Lynn….

Hi Gina,

You may remember me...I'm a constant reader on caringbridge...have read and reread your story many many times. I just learned this morning about your new blog, and I think its great. I am going to tell you my horror story, in hopes that you can help me figure out a solution. I'm turning 33 in two days.. I stand 5'10...I weigh around 220. I carry it all in my stomach. My legs and arms need a little work, but nothing like my stomach does. I have struggled with weight all my life, was born an 11 pound baby, and I get my genes from my mom who was once 5'3 and 300 pounds. She had the gastric bypass for her fix. I choose to do it myself. I am a type 2 diabetic and I have a compression fracture to the T-12 vertebrea(slip and fall on ice). Now that is a healed fracture, but I have to "baby" my back for the rest of my life. So the intense wieght lifting and such isn't a good idea for me. I too, joined a gym...and your very right when you say, that most don't step foot in that place..I never used it. Luckily for me, the gym closed a few months after I joined and I got out of the contract. I recently bought a bike, I have a 7 year old daughter who is just learning to ride...we are about to take the training wheels off. So her and I get out almost daily and ride. I am a single mother, so I do not have my daughter all the time. On the days I don't have her, I still try to get out on the bike and go for a decent ride. Her and I ride probably 2-3 miles, when I'm alone, I gear for 7-8 miles right now(not sure how long it really is, but that would be my guess). Taking that one step at a time, hoping to get it closer to 10-15 miles in a single ride sooner rather then later. I've learned that the bike gets my heart going, it makes my legs burn, I enjoy the ride, and I seem to feel better afterward even though I'm warn out.

My weakness in life...is convenience. I can't tell you how many times I am driving home and knowing that I'm hungry (I don't eat lunch at work, as I work 4am to noon)...and I see a mcdonalds...or a burger king...I give into it and grab a sandwich. I work 60 miles from home, so it does occur way too often. I know that stuff is going to kill me and its not helping anything, only making it worse. I vowed to myself to not eat in my car anymore(help keep it clean)...and believe it or not, that has helped tremendously. I don't stop nearly as much because I don't want to go in, and usually I'm too far away from home to want to wait it out. Hopefully those thoughts don't change on me.

Now I read each of your posts in this new blog...I am going to do the diary...writing down everything I eat...not sure of the calorie intake..but will buy a book or something. My question for you...is whats an ideal amount of calories for a person of my size and still loose weight? I'm not a small framed girl, the doctors tell me like 170 would be good. I think 150 would be better. I'll be honest with you, its not how much I eat, its what I eat. During the week, I typically start my day with a whole wheat bagel..downfall if that wasn't enough...strawberry cream cheese...two very small packs of it1/2 oz packs). I drink diet pepsi like its water. Yet something else I need to work on. Diet pepsi is like an addiction for me. When I get home...it will vary for what I eat. But usually I try to hold out till 2ish...and then I don't eat dinner because I go to bed at 8pm and don't want to go to sleep on a full stomach.

I'm not a snacker...I don't have anything I sit and munch on a lot. But I am a sucker for cheetos, for peanut butter, and for nutrigrain bars. I'm not sure what kind of combination that is... Ha! I do eat bread and butter pickles a lot..but I get the "no sugar added" ones. You'd think I was pregnant as much as I eat pickles! I am picky to a point, I don't eat tomatoes, onions, peppers...but I love broccolli and most other vegies. Steamed brocolli is my favorite..and am known to eat an entire bag of it in one serving! Not sure if that's real good for me...but I figure its better then a lot of other choices!

I would appreciate any and all help. We don't have a trader joes out here...but any suggestions will help. I thank you for taking a moment to read this book of an email.
- - - - - -
Lynn, I appreciate, number one, your honesty, that is where the change begins in acknowledging how difficult life is and not knowing where to start. I have had this conversation a few times this week with friends and really can’t imagine being a this situation of wanting to make of commitment to wellness and just not knowing where to start.

Step 1: Food Diary I want you to write you food down for one week, approx. amounts, times eaten, exercise done, etc. and then we will start on what baby steps we will make to move toward more healthful eating. Secondly, figuring out what exercise/activity you are willing to do and finding the time to commit to it. Even 20 minutes a day will suffice for the moment.

I will share on the blog what suggestions I give to Lynn once I see the diary. I think I mentioned day one that I don’t work with anyone if they can’t commit to the diary, so challenge number one Lynn, are you willing to commit.
- - - - - -
Last thoughts for the day as I sit in the shade on a pool deck at Cal State Long Beach for the final hour of try outs for the national development water polo team Alaina is part of. My friend Kaitlin shared these thoughts….
Was going through some stuff from my good friend, Kelly Starrett's, seminar and its also something he and I have talked about different times on different benefits of CrossFit and how it can hit so many different areas at the same time.
-Teaching competition, not necessarily against someone else, but against the clock. You learn about/get better at competition
-Forces a mindlessness at times-- in that you are practicing competition and it can be so difficult & intensive that it forces a no mind state. You are thinking about where that next breath is going to come from and you can't be worried about things like did I turn the oven off, will my kids get in the right school for kindergarten, what does the guy at work think of me. Suddenly, you have a short intensive focus, which requires a deep focus.

I can’t do yoga. I know this would be something good to add into my routine, but it allows too much time for thought. I go to sleep watching TV so I don’t have to think about the reality of my life. I HATE waking up I the morning too early, or have insomnia, as it allows time to remember what I have to endure for the remainder of my days on this earth. I need constant stimulation, reading is difficult as it allows zone out time which I don’t want. So, that is why CrossFit is something I love to hate, you don’t have time to think about anything else but how gross you feel, how much time you have left, and how great it will be when you are done.

Thinking about our veterans in the past, present and future. Thank you for putting your lives on the line for our freedom.
Stay tuned, g

Friday, May 20, 2011

If I didn't work out, I might harm someone!!

Ever encounter a "rent-a-cop" who just needs to throw around their authority. Just had an episode at our regional park and I know I could have taken this women down and hog tied her in a moment. Which makes me think about the security people at Cal State University Fullerton, where they are all parking nazis. Every time I go to get a permit fo a drive we are doing, there is a line of people there wanted to complain about unfair ticketing. I have received two very unethical tickets myself there. Which is where my title of this blog came in, I am positive if I didn't work out that I might harm some dumb ass that steps into my path at the wrong time. Hmmmmmm, guess I need to keep going to therapy. Oh, and meanwhile, since I refuse to pay the one day fee to get into the park, I am in the center next door's parking lot, where it is posted all over "shopping center parking only". Just let them try....

Lets address our comments from the last blog....
Deb said...
Great blog Gina! Love the info! For me it's a challenge between severe breathing issues making regular exercise basically impossible and food issues making healthy eating challenging. Argh. I do as much exercise as I can but often it's more core, crunches, light weights, vs. the cardio I'd really like to be doing. I just can't breath well enough to do that on a regular basis... very spotty. The healthy food choices can be very frustrating too and BORING... food allergies and intolerances are like that. I am thrilled to see Scott running 1/2 and full marathons and out on his road bike like crazy but I wish I could join him!
May 19, 2011 2:41 AM

Deb, do me a favor and start a food diary for a week, and email to me. I want to see what you can eat and if we can't make your options more exciting. As for exercise, a little can go a long way. So now that Spring has sprung, perhaps putting the baby in the stroller with Casey in tow, even for short stretches, can be good for you. Little bits in a day, that can add up to 30 plus minutes, will benefit you. March in place, stationary bike, little bits at a time.

Caitlin said...
Hey Gina! Love the blog. I have a question for you. I live by myself,work full time, and it seems that the vast majority of my weekends are spent out of town or at all day commitments as well. I work all day and then I go to my taekwondo class 3-4 days a week (which is a very hard workout), and often don't get home until after 9. I try to eat healthy and want to eat better and strive to live by the "if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it" rule. My main problem is that living by myself I find it difficult to keep up with cooking and not letting stuff go to waste. Like, recently I went to Costco and bought a bunch of great veggies, had a great few days of eating, I can only eat so much and I get sick of eating the same thing every day and now I have a bunch of food in my fridge on the verge of spoiling. I hate wasting the money and food. On top of that, by the time I get home I often find I don't have the energy to cook up a whole dinner just for me and I will end up just having a bowl of cereal or something. This morning I woke up and looked for something to bring for lunch and don't have anything packable, so in the end up taking sliced avocado and mango - which means it will probably be supplemented with buying something. Thanks for any advice!
Caitlin
May 19, 2011 4:56 AM

Caitlin, I actually used your "if you can't pronounce it, don't eat it" rule this week and taught it to Derek as well. This advice Kelly can use as well, since I realize I didn't really address her as I needed to the other day. Frozen veggies/fruit actually better than fresh, as they are frozen right after picking. So buying the frozen organic broccoli, brown rice and bunches of other options in the freezer section at Costco not a bad idea. Then you just pull out the individual bag of broccoli, fish, rice and you nuke and are eating in 5 minutes. Food prep when are are home is critical, so that things are ready to just be warmed up, and no reason you can't freeze things in portion sizes for you. Does take a bit of effort, but well worth it in the long run. You just have to get in the habit just like everything else we have to do in life.

Lissa said...
Love Love Love the blog Gina!!!!! Question for everyone else out there....I am not getting email updates when you post Gina. :( Is everyone else getting them? I went through the process of typing in the crazy code, etc. Any suggestions?
May 19, 2011 9:31 AM
Susan said...
Lissa-It took awhile for me to finally start getting the email updates. They sometimes come the day after Gina posts her blog, but they are coming.
I'd like to suggest to all of those that like brown rice, but don't always have the time to make it, to do a search for Alton Brown's baked brown rice recipe. I usually make it on the weekend and eat off of it all week. It's turned out perfect every time.
I just came from Costco. They now carry a snack mix with soy nuts, cranberries and pumpkin kernels. It looks good. Reading all labels now Gina! Off to eat some salmon that is broiling and some Wii after the hockey game. Your dinner looked awesome Gina!
May 19, 2011 7:23 PM

To all of you who are having issues, I know Mary said she gets notification at 1am the day after I blog. Just probably a good idea to bookmark our page and just try to look every morning or evening for it. No big deal if you are a day behind me, right?!

So, my nephew called to tell me he would be blowing his eating plan this weekend, laughing the entire time. Told me he is headed on a boys trip, hanging with 25 year olds to go ATVing. He is over 40. He said he was going to have to have a burger, which I said fine too. But he needed to try to stick to the plan, write everything down and curtail the alcohol as way easy to drink more than your allotted calories alone. He then tattled on this family, after getting severe pressure to try the "cake pops"his daughter made, and they all told him what Aunt Gina doesn't know won't hurt him. Well, due to our high degree of Catholic guilt, he confessed he ate half of one and that it was awesome. He also confessed he stepped on the scale before his Sunday weigh in. Thankfully he liked what he saw, but I reprimanded him once again, as I don't want his move and motivation to be drive by the damn scale. We all know how the number on the scale can dictate our mood for the day/week/month!!

I also have to share that Derek continues to take his eating program very seriously. He writes everything down, that is the OCD part of them that makes it easy, and went shopping with me to the grocery store and Costco. We read labels and assessed best choices, and he opted out of Top Ramen soup, Evan's staple by the way, and Cup of Soup, since there were far too many things we could not pronounce. Thanks Caitlin.

Yesterday I was out and starving after an amazing workout at Cross Fit. I told the owner we needed to name the workout "Better than Childbirth" because while the entire 25 minutes I was suffering greatly, once the workout was over, the pain was over. Unlike childbirth which lasts waaayyyy longer. Best of all, I felt really successful with my workout, doing things I never thought I could do. Tomorrow I hope to write a little more on this topic. But now I want to talk about my food. My go to place is Flame Broiler. In So Cal they are all over and I wish I took a picture of my outside every one, as I could definitely be their spokesperson.
I always get a mini bowl with brown rice topped with green onions, and since my iron has not been great, I have been opting for the beef over the chicken of late. 384 calories topped with lots of jalapenos, free. Along with a side of steamed veggies, no calories in Gina's camp, topped with sirachi sauce, is that a Cali thing, also calorie free?


While my go to used to be Subway, I find that after a 6 inch Subway, same basic calories, I don't feel full, and with Flame Broiler, I do.

Dinner, another three piece meal, remembering 60% carbs, 15% protein and 25% fat, Mark bbq'd wild salmon with some herbs, I made a rice from TJs, that had multiple types in it cooked in chicken broth. I always keep a jar of "Better than Boullion" in my refrig, but only the chicken flavor, as the beef has MSG! And then since I knew I didn't have enough asparagus for us all, I know Alaina and Derek won't eat broccoli, I steamed a bunch of it for me and topped with sirachi again, which I roasted the asparagus in 450 degree convention oven for about 10 minutes, tossed with a tad of EVOO, s and P, and shredded parmesan cheese. The mistake I made was not cooking it on my silicone pads on baking sheet or using non stick foil, as my kids love the crunchy cheese that falls off as well.


And fyi, I not only did stairs/run workout for an hour today with Kim at 7am, yuck, but I hiked with a new friend, Lori, lost her perfect 19 year old girl a few weeks ago, for 2 hours. Guess what, I do have time to eat it today!!
Stay tuned, g

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Yes, I am enjoying 1 cup of red wine and watching Idol....

There are places for the things we enjoy in life, and for me, having a glass of red wine a few evenings a week is my treat. The other thing that I enjoy is my frozen yogurt, which I will indulge in on the weekends.

We are now ramping up OUR blog and I want to address the comments we received yesterday before I move on....
kelly said...
"I still strive for balance with 4- 13 hour work shifts. although I know that a substitute to clean eating is not ideal- are the protein shakes out there some thing you would ever consider when sitting down and eating is not an option at work.

Great question Kel, and you are right, not what I want you to be eating if we can avoid it. One thing we have not touched upon is the proportions of what your body desires for homeostasis, and that is around 60-65% carbohydrates,12-15% protein, and 20-30% fat. These are ranges because it would be impossible to be really rigid as we want moderation and variety in our food choices. These ranges are something to try to achieve. The one thing that we all get too much of in this nation is protein. Not only will it tax that one kidney of yours, but it will make you tired and sluggish. That being said, I have heard this message over and over from my nurse friends, I happen to have a lot of them, and I need you to try to plan ahead with your food options. That does mean cooking and freezing and heating up at work, but more importantly taking your breaks so you can fuel your body. Legally you are supposed to take those breaks, but I know you dedicated nurses put yourselves last in your work day. So, let me just say this, eating you allotted calories every day is critical!! I don't want to see any of you ladies eating less than 1500 calories a day, period!! This is what I want you to eat if you are wanting to lose body fat. Most of you if you are exercising and wanting to lose weight will lose a pound a week this way. Sorry, no biggest loser number here!! For me, wanting my body in homeostasis, means I am working out 3-5 hours a week and eating 2000 calories a day. You will figure out what is right for your body, but no fewer than 1500 calories please with exercise.

Susan said...
My exercise of choice is my Wii. I am a bit of a homebody who is presently working lots of OT. I don't seem to have tons of energy when I get home and once I get home I don't want to leave. So after the hockey game I'm going to go Just Dance. Thank you so much for your encouragement and great ideas! Oh I always wondered if gyms had punch cards as I thought that was a great idea. I'm going to look into that as I think I might enjoy some water aerobics.

Love that you are determined to find exercise that you like and are scheduling it into your day. We must schedule it in, otherwise it will not get done. Most gyms/fitness centers who offer classes should offer a punch card, and if they don't, ask them if they will.

Lissa said...
Question about the almond butter flax seed sandwich-are the flaxseeds whole or ground? I've heard that our body can't absorb the omega 3's as well if they're whole-do you know is that the case?

Great question, our bodies cannot process whole flaxseed, so I pulverize my almond butter in a food processor and put it right back into the container it came in. Lasts several weeks before I have to think about it again.

Had to show off my yummy dinner. Made my own sauce with a bit of olive oil where iI sauteed fresh garlic, then added a small can of tomato paste and cooked for a bit. Finished off with two large cans of crushed tomatoes with basil, dried basil, oregano and s/p. Let cook on low while Derek and I headed to store. Defrosted frozen chicken tenders from Costco which have been in my freezer forever. I am not a big fan of breasts, as they have little value other than protein, and prefer dark meat chicken which is high in iron, and as a regular blood donor, always looking for ways to keep my iron high enough. I know my kids love chicken fingers, so I used equal parts seasoned bread crumbs and powdered parmesan cheese, with lots of chopped up garlic. I dipped the pieces in egg beaters and then in the bread crumb mixture and put on cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil spray. Then sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese, the real stuff. Baked at 400 degrees on convection mode, for about 15 minutes. I also baked sliced eggplant, sprayed with olive oil spray and sprinkled with s and p until browned. I boiled water to cook my whole wheat gnocchi that I bought at World Market, and also steamed my baby broccoli purchased at Trader Joes, and then sprinkled with a tad bit of olive oil, lots of balsamic vinegar, s/p and crushed red pepper flakes. Yumm-o as Rachel Ray says.

Last night I cooked Turkey Picadillo Sloppy Joes which I made on Super Bowl Sunday and found on Food Network show called Mexican Food Made Easy. I doubled the recipe, and added several jalapenos to half and none to the others for my whimpy kids. Evan would have loved the spice, my habenero chip guy!! I served this for the rest of the family on whole wheat buns, and I had it open face on my "thins", topped with lots of jarred jalapenos. I know, I'm crazy. It's a veggie by the way, so it's free!! Have I mentioned that to you, all the veggies you eat are FREEEE, except for the caloric stuff you cook them with or top them with.

Derek is totally on board with his clean eating program. For lunch we added in roasted veggies that I pureed for him to use a dip for his whole wheat pita chips and he loved it. He cubed up an eggplant, red onion, several roma tomatoes and zucchini and two bell peppers, they were out of red at TJs. Sprinkled with a tad bit of olive oil, s and p, and roasted on convection setting at 400 degrees, turning a few times in process to prevent burning until carmelized and soft. Our other new addition was purple beet and carrot juice I purchased at TJs. We have committed to drinking a cup a day, and let me tell you, it as actually pretty good. Lots of health benefits from these veggies antioxidants, so we will keep it up indefinitely.

Off to get our multivitamin out, his Men's One-A-Day, and my chewable from TJs. I also am taking an iron supplement every other day to see if I can increase my borderline low iron for my next blood donation, and my last blood test came back low on Vit. D, so supplementing there too.

Did P90X plyo video yesterday, and Cross Fit today, as well as tomorrow, doing stairs/running combo on Friday.
Stay tuned, g

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Clean living, clean eating....

From the dictionary;
clean |klēn|
1 free from pollutants or unpleasant substances : we will create a cleaner, safer environment.
2 morally uncontaminated; pure; innocent : clean living.

If you choose to eat "clean", there is no doubt you will feel good and you will allow your body to reach homeostasis. Being balanced always feels good, whether you are sitting, standing, or the like.

Susan said...
I'm reading and listening and processing all of your helpful suggestions. I've made much better food choices this week, now I need to work on exercising. Thanks Gina!

Susan, one step at a time. This is not an all or none proposition. You are beginning to make changes and that is a good thing. I want you to start to think about what will fit into your life as far as movement goes. If you are a home body, then perhaps an exercise video or exercise bike in front of the TV will be the right thing for you. If you are more social, I recommend enlisting a friend who also has the desire to make changes and now your motivate each other. I love being outside to workout and I HATE being alone. I have managed for almost 25 years to have one or more exercise partners. The names have changed over the years, but the one constant is me refusing to have a sedentary lifestyle. Finances do not need to hold back anyone from exercising. As someone who worked the majority of her career in a gym, I am the first one to tell you don't join it. I would prefer you to buy a punch card and take a few of these classes or a few of those classes. The health club industry banks on the majority of members to NEVER step foot in their door.

Now on to my thoughts on clean eating. My 16 year old son can eat anything he desires, though it doesn't always make him feel good. After a weekend of yucky eating for him, he decided to enlist my help (weird, we have a theme going here)as he has had enough. He has just finished AP testing and can now sit back a bit through the end of the school year. He has a few papers to write and a blood drive to run, and with high school swim season over, he can now turn his focus to water polo. He has asked with an appointment with our physical therapist, she is awesome, to evaluate his aches and pains so that she can give him some exercises to help get his body in balance. And now he wants to focus on clean eating. Derek is willing to try most anything, hates broccoli though, and so he is open to suggestions. This morning he took off with a sandwich thin with almond butter and flaxseeds, with all fruit blueberry jelly, and a banana. In his lunch is a natural PB and all fruit jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread. Two cuties, an apple, trail mix with only almonds, cashews and dried cranberries, and blue corn tortilla chips. NO crap in this foods, as we stay away from nitrates and monosodium glutamate, which is hidden on labels with the name autolyed yeast extract and yeast extract, which you can find in most savory foods, even when it says "organic".

One thing I am going to recommend immediately is that you READ THE LABELS on everything you buy. The more things you can't pronounce, the more you should stay away from them. The cleaner the food, hence the closer it comes to its natural packaging, the better it will be for you. A whole banana as opposed to a banana muffin, an egg as opposed to a premade egg concoction, you get the picture.

My plan today was being outside to do stairs with a friend. Rain has curtailed the plans. While I am totally unmotivated to workout especially since I am alone and have plenty to keep me occupied, I am going to drop Alaina baby off at school and come home to do a p90x workout, with volume turned off and HGTV or Food channel on. Then off to do presentation at high school on Donate Life, and when Alaina returns from early out day, we will finally organize her closet and bathroom after little redecorating project we did for her 13th day.

Stay tuned, g

PS My breakfast, my normal 1 cup water, 1 cup vanilla soy milked warmed up with Vanilla Chai tea decaf tea bag and a mango, blueberry, raspberry bran muffin from Trader Joes.

Monday, May 16, 2011

One week down, a lifetime to go….

My nephew recently approached me for the first time ever for help with his food. An avid martial arts guy, regular cardio guy doer, and unfortunately long time smoker, being 40 has finally caught up with him and he is starting to lay down some unwanted fat and getting it off isn’t as easy as it used to be. (Yes, he is my nephew, I was 7 when he was born.) I told him what I tell everyone, it will require counting calories and recording your food intake every day, as well as only weighting himself one a week (he stepped on the scale daily), period. And he must have been desperate, as he agreed, though his motivation is not what I like for my clients, as he is making a trip to Vegas in 2 months and wants to lose 10 pounds for the trip. While 10 pounds and two months a totally acceptable and attainable goal, the for Vegas mentality I abhor, but I took him on only because he told me “how tired” he always is and I knew that changing the quality of what he puts in his mouth would not only allow him to lose weight, but allow him to have energy once again. So, we made a trip to Trader Joes together, and I made suggestions on what to buy at the grocery store and Costco, my only shopping stops. I have checked in on him several times over the last week, and today he reported a 6 pound weigh loss. Men, they are so annoying. We won’t see that amount again, as the first week is when you body sheds that excess water weight from the crappy food he was taking in and cleansing out the intestines of the same (sorry, TMI I know). Hopefully the good feeling he gets from the fat loss and extra energy will be the catalyst for him to continue to eat healthfully once he reaches homeostasis. He doesn’t have a lot of time working full time and taking care of the house and kids, so we have kept his food choices limited for now. He will start to know what meals contain what calories and in time it will be come second nature. Today he told me of what he was going to eat for lunch, asparagus, grilled chicken, with an apple and cashews for a snack, but he made no mention of what I consider the most important part of the meal, that being complex carbs. He knew he had a bag of whole wheat pita chips in his truck could include those. I preferred he carried his scale with him, but since I know he doesn’t, he will have to count out the amount of chips considered a serving based on what calories he still needs. I would have preferred him measure out serving bags of the chips and had those in his truck, like we do with the cashews. Little tricks of the trade we learn along the way.

As for me, for plane ride home, as trip to Subway for Turkey/Avocado with all the veggies and no condiments, on 9 grain honey oat, they don’t have omega three bread in most part of country I have learned, and ww pita chips given out on Southwest, to go with the roasted veggies I brought along. FYI, yogurt easily passes through security check if you wondered.

At this point, I have tried to blog each day. I am not sure if you are getting notifications of my blogging, other than if you happened to run across it on the FB newsfeed, as I have not had any responses/comments all weekend. I don’t know how to notify you in any other way, so let me know if you do get notification. It is feeling good to write now, and not a burden, so I will continue to write about this as long as I enjoy it and I start to see you all getting something out of it.

Stay tuned, g

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Traveling is no excuse to sway from the course....

I think that most of us view a change in our schedule be it a vacation, a holiday, the weekend, etc as an excuse for swaying from their "healthy" eating program. Again, I am going to refuse to use the word "diet" which is a temporary phenomenon across our screwed up nation. We need to keep our balance, homeostasis remember, most days, as a matter of fact, I like to think more than 80% of the time you are doing what you need to do so you feel balanced. In other words, eating healthfully.

healthy |ˈhelθē|
adjective ( healthier , healthiest )
in good health: : feeling fit and healthy.
• ( of a part of the body) not diseased : healthy cells.
• indicative of, conducive to, or promoting good health : a healthy appetite | a healthy balanced diet.
• (of a person's attitude) sensible and well balanced : a healthy contempt for authority.
• figurative in a good condition : the family is the basis of any healthy society.
• desirable; beneficial : healthy competition.
• of a satisfactory size or amount : making a healthy profit.

Every description of the word "healthy" above feels good, so imagine your body partaking of "healthy eating" on a regular basis, then you will feel good. I have had so many clients, friends and family over the years complain about stomach issues. Now, I am not going to tell you there is not an overlying disease behind your issues, so in all cases I am going to tell you to see a doctor and make sure there isn't "something" causing it. When there is no definitive diagnosis or you get a diagnosis like irritable bowel syndrome or the like, then I am going to tell you it is time to take responsibility for what you are putting in your mouth. So many foods we eat can cause issues for us, so that is where are fun food diary comes in.

Just like raising kids, and dogs, and husbands, consistency is the key. The minute you slack off of your discipline tactics, the behavior you weren't so crazy about returns. Can you relate? I can tell you this has happened to me countless times. And even though I know better, I allow it to happen over and over again. Unfortunately this does no good for anyone. Same thing for your eating habits, and that is why the weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, because most of us have issues with their weights or have poor body image, and want a quick fix. If there was a quick fix, there would not be a new product or potion available to us every other day from people wanting to make a buck off us. As I told you from day one, homeostasis, balancing the calories taken in with the energy expended by your body. Done.
Stay tuned, g

Friday, May 13, 2011

Q and A begins....

As I mentioned yesterday, I am not going to just spew out info to you all, this needs to be a give and take kind of blog, so I need to hear from you.
So for those that listened, here are your responses, and Margie H., So Cal, I hope this gives blog starts to give you some ideas for ‘what to eat”. Bottom line for me, I only eat things I enjoy, and I like quantity!!

From Lisa L. , So. Cal
What did you eat for dinner last night?”

Well Lisa, I will start with this info. I went to pick up my son from school and my husband’s windows were all down. I asked him why and he said he always drives with the windows down. Then he soon confessed that he had eaten a cheeseburger and fries and wanted to get the smell out of his car. (By the way, he can’t hide anything from me.) I asked him, hmmm, “did you read my blog today, Did you have time to eat that?”. And then I told him not to bother reading my blog, I am banning him!! HA I had burgers planned for dinner. But my version is a healthy, yummy version, as I NEVER ever have time to eat a burger out, except when at Fudruckers for a team dinner and choose the turkey burger on the wheat bun by default.

My version, lean ground beef, 7% fat by weight, the new whole wheat/whole grain “thins” that are 100 calories for my bun, no cheese as not a fan, but avocado which is a much better fat choice, grilled onions, grilled Ortega chili, raw onions, jalapeno peppers, romaine lettuce, ripe tomato slices, mustard and ketchup, and one big mouth to bite it with. Since a burger is never enough and French fries are not an option for me, purchased a bag of broccoli slaw and added a tad bit of Chinese chicken salad dressing from Costco, half the fat of regular dressings, topped with lots of green onions, a few toasted almonds and either mandarin oranges from a can or a few bits of dried mango. YUM-O as Rachel Ray likes to say. For those of you that watch her, have you noticed she only cooks with whole-wheat pasta in her new episodes. She alone will convert the masses to make this switch. As she says when you read the label, you are hard pressed to use the semolina pasta which has no nutritional value compared to the ww version. And talk about FIBER!!

From Dr. Brooke, Minnesota
What is the difference between P90X which I love and CrossFit?
Brooke, I can definitely answer that as I am a P90Xer. The issue I have with P90X is that if you try to do what is recommended, meaning 6 days a week for 90 days straight, most everyone that I know who has done this was totally fatigued by the time they were done and stop exercising completely after this. This is not the mentality we want you to have. Moderation in all aspects of life, so do I believe anyone needs to exercise six days a week, absolutely not. Secondly, I HATE Tony Horton’s voice, face and body language, he is annoying. So when I workout with it, I turn the volume off and put my computer next to my TV where I can watch the Food Network or HGTV! I love P90X for an occasional workout in my week. While I prefer to workout outside, when I don’t want to go anywhere or I am pressed for time or I am in a hotel on vacation, I pull out my computer. Easy, effective, no equipment needed or bands and tubing I can take with me anywhere, and in about 45 minutes I now have time to eat the things I want to that day.

As far as comparing to CF, the comaraderie at the facility is unmatched. I worked out/worked in a gym for 15 years. No one cares about your workout or motivates you during and after like the people at CF, unless you are paying a trainer to do that at a gym. This really is for people who are weekend warriors, as I can’t see the meek and mild being interested in this type of workout/competition. I love the fact that every single workout is different, and since I don’t look at the website before I go it, it is always a surprise. I think if I knew what I was walking into I might never get there. Plus, for me, I can do my cardio anywhere, anytime. I needed to incorporate more intense weight training, critically important for us women especially as we get older to increase our muscle mass so we have time to eat more, and/or prevent the pounds that creep up as we get older from that lack of muscle, plus help us to not lose and hopefully lay down more bone mass. Not something you can just walk into by the way. They prefer you to go to a “ramp up” week or two to learn the exercises so you don’t take away from the regulars. Check it out. My goal is to go two days a week, and I work it around my work schedule. The other 1-3 days, I like to workout minimum 3 days and max 5 days, are my outside cardio days with hiking, biking or stairs/running combo.

Since I am leaving on a plane in about 3 hours, I need to cut this short today. I plan what I will do with my food everyday, but especially days like today. Breakfast at home which will be a “thin” with almond butter with flaxseeds from Trader Joes, all fruit Blueberry jelly, 1 cup soy milk with 1 cup water with a vanilla roobis tea bag. I will bring a Tupperware with roasted veggies and ww pita chips, a small bag of cashews, and Derek and I will hopefully stop at Subway on the way to airport to get a sandwich for the plane. For me, omega 3 bread with turkey, dry, with spinach, jalapenos, tomatoes, cucumbers, and avocado since I need to get some fat in this meal.

Signing off and hoping for more questions/comments tomorrow. g
And tell a friend!!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Today is the start of the rest of our lives....

I am so pleased so many of you are as excited as I am to start to make changes to help ourselves. As I have said along this entire journey with Evan, if we don't advocate for our loved ones in need, who will?? And the fact is, no one will advocate for you but you, oh and yes me! So together we will begin this journey. As I mentioned yesterday, this is all a matter of homeostasis. You must make a decision that you are ready to make the change to find balance in your body, and by the way, it may not be today. You may simply follow along, read and listen, follow others journeys on this site, and one day, you might be ready. But this does involve a commitment for the rest of your life. Notice I have never said diet, which I consider temporary. I have never mentioned losing a particular amount of weight,or trying to fit into a certain outfit. This is about finding balance in your body so you feel good every day you wake, so you can do the things you want to do, be it climb Mt. Whitney or simply to be able to put your shoes on yourself. I am shocked at how many of my friends are disappointed in their aging bodies. Unhappy with not only their weight, but more importantly the way their body feels, hearing complaints of them being so tired all the time, or in pain. This is not acceptable. Unless you have an diagnosis that is causing these symptoms, which in most cases finding homeostasis will alleviate these complaints, then just finding that balance will make you feel like a whole new person. Together we can save your life, but you will have to rescue yourself, no one else can motivate you to do what needs to be done but you.

So we begin. And perhaps you may want to start a journal, either on the computer for your personal use, starting your own blog for yourself or to share, or on paper, to document the journey. I have found that journaling our journey with Evan saved my life, because not only did I have support along the entire way, but it allowed me to simply get all my thoughts out of my head, period. This will also be a good way for you to keep track of tips and recipes and other things that might help to motivate you along the way. But more importantly, I would like you to find a human being who also wants to find balance to be your partner in crime. Whether it is someone you meet on our blog, or a friend down the street, to have support of someone who knows you, who has been with you from day one, and even better, someone who has committed to the process with you, especially someone who can exercise with you, would be critical part to this puzzle.

I have exercised for 25 years with friends. It started with my friend Jan, a neighbor around the corner who was pregnant when I was, who introduced herself over my barking dog, and we have been great friends since. We would walk most every day for several miles with our dogs, and then our babies, together sharing life and moving our bodies. While pregnant I also joined a prenatal/postpartum exercise class which I participate in until they closed their doors when Mary was a few months old, and because I knew how important it had been for me not only physically, but mentally, another mom and I opened our own facility called "Kicks 4 Two". I am still friends with the gals I met way back when. We were able to survive until the economy took a downturn in 1993, and that is when my friend Sandra saved my life after losing my sister and struggling through my infertility, became my workout partner and fitness mentor. This is when I finally was able to take control of my body and find my homeostasis which I have maintained since. Exercise allowed me to control things in my life that I had no control over in the past. I finally felt comfortable in my skin, and knew that it was all me, that no one else could control this. I then felt ready to empower others and became a certified fitness professional teaching classes and working one on one with clients. This is when Sandra moved to Minnesota, and for you who have followed our journey, you know that Sandra saved our lives once again as we fought for Evan right in her backyard.

Up until Sandra came into my life, I really didn't have handle for what I put in my mouth either. So tomorrow we will delve into that.

My goal for this blog is not only for me to share, but for you to share. This is where you can ask the questions, make the statements, and we can begin to help one another. Don't just let me do all the talking, I need and want to hear from you. Share your recipes, your thoughts, and lets begin to find balance in all of our lives. You can email me directly if you want to send me a recipe to tweak, or have specific questions you want me to address on the blog. ginacinsc@aol.com
Take care of your body today, g

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Debuting our new blog to health....

Today I am debuting my new blog, “Do you have TIME to eat that?”, and it is very appropriate given the majority of us struggling to be “healthy”, whatever that means for you. I am posting this to our Caringbridge, to my first blog ”Through the Eyes of a Grieving Mother”, and now to my new blog, as it fits in all areas.

I am in a bad place. I am going to assume that May will forever be a yucky place for me since this is the month our lives were turned upside down with Evan’s diagnosis and the struggles that would ensue. What I do know is this, and I have told you this before as it is how I begin every single one of my presentations….Every single one of us will experience tragedy in our lives, some more than others. The question is what will you do with it? And I start this way so that people are open to whatever I am sharing on that day. The last thing I want is a barrier between myself and my audience. And as someone who “takes offense” on a daily basis to things that cross my path, I want these people to know that this is not about my struggle, but it is about what I have done with my struggle and that my goal above all else is to open their eyes to something they probably had no knowledge of, demystify the myths, allow them to form an opinion based on facts, and then provide them the opportunity to get involved should they feel a connection to the cause.

Today I struggled to get out of bed. Thankfully I had nothing pushing me out, and I could simply close my eyes, pray, and delay the reality of my new life by keeping the pillow over my head. Eventually my 55-pound puppy jumped up and cuddled next to me, and immediately I felt a little better. The only thing I committed myself to today was to go to CrossFit. As mentioned before, not a workout for the wimpy at heart, as you compete not only against yourself, but the others doing the workout with you. There really is no slacking off, other than you need to slow down if you feel the desire to puke, which I feel every single workout. Yet, I continue to go back. And the only reason I am there is because the owners are big supporters of helping our community and we happened to partner on running a marrow registry for a local young lady in need. The next week I was a member.

When I walked in I had no idea what the workout was going to be. I only looked up at the board long enough to see the warm up which was a 1000m row. I could do that. As I chatted with the gal next to me, I mentioned how much I hated last week’s workout, which had a 800m run at the start and end. She then had to inform me of today’s workout which was ALL running. My mood plummeted even more, if that was even possible. I wanted to RUN out the door and to my car, but knew that was not going to happen. I struggled through the warm up and then it was time. 4 minutes of deep squats, with the rest periods in the deep squat position, which is not restful at all but seriously painful. Following that was an 800m run, followed by a backward 400m run, yes I said backwards, then another 800m run followed by that darn backward run. By the time the squats were done your legs were dead as you began the run. I have NEVER run backwards for any period of time, and let me tell you how difficult it is on all levels. By the time that was over you could not wait to turn round and run forward, knowing full well what was coming next. I have never been so glad to be done with anything, and so proud of the fact I completed it, and then oh yeah, I still had to do the apple core, which is ab work and core strength. 20 walking lunges later with a 15 foot tube full of water held over your head to try to knock you off balance, 20 good mornings to do your already dead hamstrings in, and then 20 back extensions. High 5s and good jobs by everyone in the group and I actually was able to smile as I said thanks and see you tomorrow.

As I was running, thinking about The Biggest Loser and how much emotional baggage those contestants have and how the workout brings out the tears, I struggled to hold back my tears and was thankful that I didn’t have to talk to anyone and that the others were well ahead of me or well behind me. Did I mention how it is a competition and how I HAD to beat someone in my group as well as those in the group before us. They post up times and you can see where you fit in. Tears squeeked from my eyes, as I tried to contain them with all my mite, knowing full well I would be spewing out all my thoughts to you now.

Life is one big struggle. And even those who we think lead charmed lives will struggle, it just isn’t apparent to those of us looking in from the sidelines.

Had dinner with long time friends last night. My friend spoke of the recent loss of her brother in law to cancer, and how the wife and kids who had little or no faith before, now have a totally different perspective on life. Our struggles will either bring us to God or push us away. Thankfully for most of us, God becomes our refuge. And for those of us who have experienced extreme suffering, we know we had NO idea how important our faith was before and are so extremely grateful we know now. My perspective on life is forever changed, something that cannot happen unless you have suffered at an extreme level. We can never forget what we have endured and will continue to endure. And I am actually thankful for this perspective. It is a gift I will forever be grateful for.

As a kid, I grew up with two Italian parents with a dad who grew our vegetables and a mom who was extremely frugal. Pasta was part of every dinner, so I have never had a “carb” issue, as it was always cooked with veggies of some sort. That was always the starter. I had parents that were physically active, my dad went to the YMCA every single day, and my mom was a regular “substitute” bowler, remember I told you she was frugal and this way she didn’t have to pay to bowl. My parents weight always remained stable, but I do remember very clearly my dad deciding to do the “Scarsdale” Diet when I was a junior in high school. While I wasn’t skinny, I certainly wasn’t overweight, but do remember going to New York for two weeks to visit relatives and coming home having to squeeze into my pants after eating all the Italian goodies put in front of me. This was the first time that I felt uncomfortable with my weight. As a competitive swimmer, I attempted to diet but soon realized I was starving and eventually I think the weight was shed from the trip. As a senior, I fell in lust with a young man, and lost weight by default, as food no longer mattered. I then realized how nice it was to control my weight, so the scale became my best friend and regulating my calories became my mantra, and soon I was sitting at 98 pounds soaking wet, a good 10 pounds below where I should have been. By the way during Evan’s fight I dipped down to 103, not a pretty sight. At this point, I was a borderline anorexic before the disease because popular. This was 1980. The summer before I left for college, I was just 17 years of age, and was working at Swenson’s Ice Cream Parlor. By the end of summer, we had tasted every ice cream flavor, made every concoction possible, and once again I had to squeeze into my pants.

And when my parents dropped me off an hour south at UC San Diego in the fall, I was already carrying the freshman 15 from my summer of ice cream love. And for anyone who has gone away to college, you know all routine goes out the door and everything I knew about healthy eating and exercise was gone. When my weight got to a point that I could not stand it, I fasted for 10 days straight, drinking only water. And when I came off the fast, the weight came on at a speed I did not think was possible. Add mono to the mix, followed by several more illnesses due to a compromised immune system, and I weighed 148 by Christmas, a weight that I have never seen again, even when 9 months pregnant with Mary.

I struggled with the diet rollercoaster for the next 10 years, even while earning my BS in Dietetics, until my struggles with the loss of my sister to breast cancer and my infertility and my good friend Sandra showed me the way. While it started with going to her exercise classes and becoming weight training partners, I learned how I could actually change my screwed up metabolism by increasing my muscle mass, and for the last 20 plus years, I have not swayed.

I have always told my clients, if I was to write a book it would be one page long and it would be titled, “MODERATION”. I also am a huge believer in practicing what I preach, and preaching what I practice, ‘cause if I can’t do what I am asking you to do, I will lose all credibility, and that is just not acceptable to me.

So here is my book, the big secret….moderation in all aspects of your life. The calories you expend must be matched by the calories you ingest for homeostasis.
homeostasis |ˌhōmēəˈstāsis|
noun ( pl. -ses |-sēz|)
the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, esp. as maintained by physiological processes.

Unfortunately, most of us are not in homeostasis. Therefore, we must increase the calories we expend and/or decrease the calories we ingest. That is it. Not brain surgery. Unfortunately there is no magic pill, no magic exercise, nor magic piece of equipment, to fix this imbalance. It comes down to what you put in your mouth and what you choose to ask your body to do to find that balance, which by the way requires effort!! People don’t want to hear this, but it is the God honest truth.

The only way I will work with a new client is if they will commit to a food diary. I will tell you that the majority of people who ask to work with me never do because they are unwilling to make this commitment to themselves and to me. It is interesting that over the last few months, I have had a few family members ask for my help, finally. The thing is, they know if they ask, and I commit to them, then they have a hell of a lot of work to do. It’s a scary proposition. You will be able to follow this blog and together we can make adjustments so that you can learn to find that balance in your life. We have enough @#$%^ in our lives to deal with, so perhaps controlling the one part of our lives that we can, what we do to our bodies, will allow you to better tolerate the other struggles we will endure that we cannot control.

This blog is for you. For those of you who struggle and want to find control. We will share recipes and exercises and thoughts and try to figure out what will work for you, so that you have control of your health. For without health, we have nothing in life.

This summer I will blog daily as my sister joins Camp Cousineau. She will live with me for the summer, school nurse, and we will share the process as we allow her to regain control of her health. Might be the perfect time for you to mimic what we do with Chris, tweaked to accommodate your lifestyle, and see how you can take charge. My brother might join us as well. But the question is, who will kill who? I love Jillian on Biggest Loser by the way, so it won’t be pretty to start, but will be beautiful by the time we are done.
Stay tuned….g