Tag Archives: Vegetable

Diet Diary

Day 81: Insecurity and Opportunity

May 17, 2010 – 11:22 AM

I wanted to write today about insecurity and opportunity because I think a lot of us go through periods where we beat ourselves up over the way we look, don’t look, walk, talk, work, don’t work . . . you get the idea. Anyway, we’re so focused on these negative thoughts that we can end up blowing right past terrific opportunities as a result…This requires our attention!!!  :)

I really got behind the “body type philosophy” because it is really about making a “better you” – not changing your shape or trying to make you follow something that is not natural; but rather, re-focusing your efforts to uncover the true you that has ALWAYS been there.  This is the “you” that is healthy, confident and can do anything, and I mean that…

I don’t really talk much about the “pre-kids” me.  I actually was one of “those people” – you know the type – size 4 pant suit, totally focused on her job, her clients & what was happening within the company. I was running so hard and so fast up the corporate ladder I couldn’t even hear my biological clock ticking. I was so totally focused on my work that I never really even saw myself having kids, getting married or (perish the thought) settling down. I thought I had it all under control when in fact, I was struggling with so many insecurities & so much chaos in my life that it seemed like food and exercise were really the only things I could control. So I did what most of us do – I channeled all of that stress and insecurity into food. For some people that means gaining 100 pounds in 6 months. For me it meant I struggled through diets 365 days a year. Food was my “out” – I couldn’t control what the market did with my business, but I could control how well I stayed on this or that fad diet. However, one thing that nobody really knew about me was that despite my size 4 pant suit and ambiance of “success”, the reality was that I nearly let the best opportunity of my life (my husband) pass right by, because I was so totally focused on “controlling” my own insecurities.

Tags , , , , , , , , | Permalink | Comment (0)
Diet Diary

Day 80: Food: Quantitiy vs. Quality

May 12, 2010 – 12:45 PM

I have always believed that in order to lose weight, I HAD to eat less…SOOOO NOT TRUE.

After being on my body type diet, I feel like I am eating more, not less. I decided to tweak my food journal to include the serving sizes instead of just the calories (this isn’t a part of the program, but something I did because I noticed that writing down stuff really makes a huge difference!). Results: Amazing!

On one hand, I look like I am a cow (great – now instead of feeling like I do nothing but dispense milk to my constantly thirsty daughter, I also eat like one). Yesterday, for example, I only ate about 1500 calories – but I ate 8 cups of salad, a crystal light shake (try it: mix ice cubes with some strawberries and crystal light and a dollop of milk to make it a tiny bit creamy), 2 chicken breasts, one apple, a cup of spinach, 8 celery stalks (dipped in salsa) and an entire artichoke, plus 3 cups of sugar free hot chocolate! THAT IS A LOT OF FOOD for one person to eat! The best part is that I could have eaten a lot more if I was hungry because for the Adrenal Body Type, there are over 30 unlimited foods.

So the verdict is: when it comes to quantity vs. quality (for food) – I am definitely into quantity!

Tags , , , , , , , , , | Permalink | Comment (0)
Diet Diary

Day 72: Triathletes are just like us…

May 1, 2010 – 12:53 PM

We went to dinner with a beautiful couple the other night…they were both in their thirties, in great shape, and had just finished triathlons – impressive!  I couldn’t resist asking, when I noticed they didn’t each order chicken breasts, vegetables and a salad; “Do you always eat healthy?”

To my surprise, an honest answer!  He said he only drinks “Diet Cokes” now and recently cut out “Regular Coke” – but he still gets cravings for chips at night and loves junk food.  She started laughing and said that the only thing that kept her going was thinking of what she was going to order at Dennys, as soon as she finished the Marathon!…the “order” was pancakes, sausage, bacon, biscuits and coffee J

Needless to say, I just fell in love with these two immediately.  Staying healthy is a something that has to be part of your constant though, right there with striving to be a better person each year.  It doesn’t come easy to anyone and I was glad to hear a real answer, as opposed to the “I eat chicken and vegetables and just stay looking like this naturally.”

Tags , , , , , , , , , | Permalink | Comment (0)
Diet Diary

Day 41: My jeans almost fit!

February 10, 2010 – 4:22 PM

Wow!  What a difference!  I increased my dose of Liquiboost to 4 pills at night, instead of 3 and I feel amazing.  I am eating low carb vegetables with low sugar content.  I am eating NO Dairy (something I just found out could also be hindering my success) and I am making sure I get a walk in as well as a short work out…every day starting now!  I have about ten days left till my trip and can’t wait!

…I tried on some old jeans that didn’t fit three days ago and I actually zipped them up!  In fact, I was tempted to wear them all day, just as a reminder of my success…if only I could have moved with them on!

Tags , , , , , , , , | Permalink | Comments (18)
Diet Diary

Day 38: Ketosis

February 7, 2010 – 4:17 PM

I bought some ketone test strips at the local pharmacy to see if I was at least engaging “Ketosis” (fat burning).  You hold the strips in your urine stream and wait for them to turn dark purple and then be happy that you are showing signs of ketosis.

My strip is light purple, so I guess my fat burning isn’t too bad (the darker the better though).

I realized (painfully) that I have had no fiber in my diet and so I began taking a supplement…  again.  It is called Liquiboost.  It is a concentrated food-based supplement that is supposed to detox your body and then replenish deficient nutrients your body needs.  From what I can research, this is something I really need right now.   I am pretty much on no diet right now and frankly scared to eat anything.  I know it can’t be healthy for me to eat all of that salt and fat, but I just can’t seem to control my cravings for carbs at this point – especially once I recognize that means virtually no vegetables or fruit!

I hope this supplement helps.  My husband took it a while back and got great results – but he has a totally different body than I have (obviously) – he does nothing and looks phenomenal.  I seriously have to work at it…Hard!

Tags , , , , , , , | Permalink | Comments (6)
Diet Diary Recipes

Day 26: Vegetable Stew

January 27, 2010 – 5:12 PM

The only good news about having a sore throat is that eating doesn’t feel good…

I had a successful day despite not feeling 100%.

I drug myself to the gym for an hour this morning and managed to drink about 12 cups of hot chocolate (I am counting that as “water” at this point – fyi).  I only ate 1347 calories which included two big salads, and I even got a 15 minute nap in!

Oh, the best part…I invented a great, super-healthy recipe that tastes good.  In fact (this is rare) – my whole family loved it!  Plus, it is ideal for days when you don’t have time or (in my case today) just don’t feel good.  The idea came to me when I looked in the fridge for something to cook for dinner at about 4:00PM (I did NOT want to have to go to the grocery store).  What I had was a lot of random vegetables…so I decided to make a “different” sort of vegetable stew.  So, here’s the recipe:

(I used a crock pot and set it up to cook on high for 2.5 hours)

Monica’s Vegetable Stew

1 C. (about 3)Thickly diced parsnips (these look like white carrots and taste sort of spicy)

1 C. (about 3)Thickly diced carrots

½ C. Onions (cut sauté style, don’t chop very fine)

½ C. Chopped celery (coarsely cut – not fine)

2 C. Water (may need to add more if boiling over stove because it will reduce more quickly)

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 medium size red potatoes cut up (about 1 ½ cups)

½ Can of Kidney Beans

Put the water, carrots, parsnips, onion, celery, potatoes and salt and pepper in the Crockpot and set to high to cook for about 2.5 hours – or if you use a regular stove top, just bring to a boil and boil until you can stick a fork into the carrots (not too soft though).  Then simmer for about an hour so the flavors meld.  Drain the can of Kidney Beans and add about half of the can to the stew.  Add more salt to taste and serve! (use from ½ to 1 can of kidney beans – I put in extra beans in my husband’s bowel:)  The liquid you started with should cook down substantially so it really isn’t like a soup broth…more of a filling stew.  The parsnips add a great flavor and surprisingly the kidney beans make it seem “meaty”.  My husband is not a fan of vegetables, but he LOVED this and I did too.  But the best part is, it is totally healthy, filling and from what I can figure, about 70 calories per 1 ½ cup serving!  Wa-lah!

Tags , , , , , | Permalink | Comments (7)