I have to face facts, I've gained weight and I haven't been able to lose it yet. In all, I'm about 10 pounds higher than my low point, and about 5 pounds more than when I left on vacation. I kind of know how I gained it, at least the vacation part of it--scones, clotted cream, biscuits, cakes, bread and cheese played a big part there. That in spite of running almost every day and walking all day long.
But why haven't I shed at least those vacation pounds since I've been home and back eating reasonably? (That is after the birthday and graduation parties--all involving cake--the first weekend or so that I was home.) Is it the sneaky little things that I've nibbled on just now and then--a cookie here, a piece of chocolate there, tortilla chips "just this once" at a Mexican restaurant? Or that work has prevented me from working out more than once a day? (Although, for goodness sake, one workout a day should be enough.)
Whatever it is, I'm nipping it in the bud right now. Today I started a strict monitoring of my food intake, including writing down everything I eat. Just for today, I checked out the calorie counts on the internet so I could get an idea of how many calories I am consuming. I learned that I would be in great shape today if it weren't for a lunch out that was double the calories of my dinner, despite how careful I was to eat sparingly and wisely.
I had the Mediterranean Ahi Salad from Claim Jumpers, no potatoes, dressing on the side, (and I didn't eat the croutons or any bread) and a side of plain grilled asparagus. Here's where the problems occurred. 1) There was probably too much ahi (although I can't be sure of how many ounces it actually was. 2) Avocado and goat cheese add up, plus olives are high in sodium and calories. A smart salad would have only one of those three high fat add-ons. 3) Although I didn't add any dressing, the vegetables on the salad were already tossed in dressing, so I have to account for that. I figure that all brings me over 700 calories.
The good news is, my normal homemade salads are much lower in calories, with lots of lettuce and vegetables, plenty of pico de gallo and salsa, and a few ounces of chicken, salmon, or other protein. If I stick to them for lunch and dinner, I should be back on track in no time.
My temporary mantra....
No sweets.
No bread.
No cheese.
No chocolate (for a while).
No nuts (for a while).
I did create a fun treat this evening, Splenda lemonade (squeeze plenty of lemon into ice water and sweeten with Splenda). Now, despite the overly fattening lunch of earlier today, I am going to have an evening snack of 1/2 apple with cinnamon, and cottage cheese or yoghurt (haven't decided which yet, but I'm leaning toward cottage cheese tonight).
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Beautiful berries
A friend's blog asked the question, what are your favorite summer fruits? I replied:
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries (in order of season, not necessarily preference). (I love them all the best when I am eating them.) Apples, always! (Sometimes I thirst for apples!) Blackberries picked off the vines that grow on the hillside at the beach. All dark purple berries—especially the tiny wild blackberries—baked into pies and cobblers (I know it's naughty, but you've got to have berry pie or cobbler at least once in the summer or fall!). Apricots, plums, peaches & nectarines when they are tree-ripened... and perhaps my favorite when it's just right, perfectly ripe canteloupe (so hard to find)—you can just feel the antioxidants rushing through your body as you eat it! (Although perhaps I am unusually sensitive to food-related sensations. I get the same effect with ripe mangos—just like Kramer on Seinfeld. I don't eat mangos too often though, because I have a sense that they are a more high-glycemic fruit.)
And I forgot to say, but will add now—cherries, which I am joyfully eating right now, brought in from a coworker's tree, and surprisingly low on the glycemic index, despite their intense sweetness (after learning that, I grabbed another handful). Of course they are priced like rubies, except in the very height of the season or if you are lucky to have your own cherry tree, or know someone who does.
Fruit is almost a controversial food in the world of weight loss and weight maintenance. It is, of course, highly preferable to most other sweet food, such as candy and cookies. It's non-fat, mostly lower on the glycemic index, and contains important antioxidants and other nutrients. My favorite fruits, berries, canteloupe, and apples, are among the "desirable" foods on the glycemic index, while bananas, mangos, pineapple and watermelon are less desirable.
But the calories can add up. Particularly in foods that you eat by the handful, like grapes and cherries. So generally speaking, I measure and limit my fruits just like I do proteins and grains. (Only vegetables do I allow myself to eat without restraint.)
I do have one exception to this, however, and that is for berries in season. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries I eat by the handful, and handful again, as often as I want until the flat is empty. The fresh berry season is so fleeting, yet so wonderful, that I can't deny myself the opportunity to partake as much of it as I want. Happily, these berries are lower on the glycemic index and generally lower in calories than other, more high glycemic fruits.
Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries (in order of season, not necessarily preference). (I love them all the best when I am eating them.) Apples, always! (Sometimes I thirst for apples!) Blackberries picked off the vines that grow on the hillside at the beach. All dark purple berries—especially the tiny wild blackberries—baked into pies and cobblers (I know it's naughty, but you've got to have berry pie or cobbler at least once in the summer or fall!). Apricots, plums, peaches & nectarines when they are tree-ripened... and perhaps my favorite when it's just right, perfectly ripe canteloupe (so hard to find)—you can just feel the antioxidants rushing through your body as you eat it! (Although perhaps I am unusually sensitive to food-related sensations. I get the same effect with ripe mangos—just like Kramer on Seinfeld. I don't eat mangos too often though, because I have a sense that they are a more high-glycemic fruit.)
And I forgot to say, but will add now—cherries, which I am joyfully eating right now, brought in from a coworker's tree, and surprisingly low on the glycemic index, despite their intense sweetness (after learning that, I grabbed another handful). Of course they are priced like rubies, except in the very height of the season or if you are lucky to have your own cherry tree, or know someone who does.
Fruit is almost a controversial food in the world of weight loss and weight maintenance. It is, of course, highly preferable to most other sweet food, such as candy and cookies. It's non-fat, mostly lower on the glycemic index, and contains important antioxidants and other nutrients. My favorite fruits, berries, canteloupe, and apples, are among the "desirable" foods on the glycemic index, while bananas, mangos, pineapple and watermelon are less desirable.
But the calories can add up. Particularly in foods that you eat by the handful, like grapes and cherries. So generally speaking, I measure and limit my fruits just like I do proteins and grains. (Only vegetables do I allow myself to eat without restraint.)
I do have one exception to this, however, and that is for berries in season. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries I eat by the handful, and handful again, as often as I want until the flat is empty. The fresh berry season is so fleeting, yet so wonderful, that I can't deny myself the opportunity to partake as much of it as I want. Happily, these berries are lower on the glycemic index and generally lower in calories than other, more high glycemic fruits.
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