Day 6 - Nutrition Challenge Report

Daily Food Journal:

Alright, so all week long I've been recording my food intake and I highly recommend this to anyone who is trying to lose weight, needs a good look at how healthy they are eating or just wants to know how much they consume normally. It was interesting because I knew I would be writing it down so I was a little more careful about my food choices. I felt like I wanted to make better choices because I had to take ownership for those food choices I made. So I found myself reaching for a high fat or sugary food and literally thought, no, I need to make a better choice. I recommend making a goal and telling everyone about it even if it's just out in cyberspace. By telling others, you really feel accountable to someone which drives you to be consistent and keep going. It's so easy to just tucker out and say alright that goal was a good idea but I just can't do it in reality. I'm done. No one knows, no one cares. But in sharing the goal, you really do feel a responsibility to keep at it.

This week, I ate pretty much a normal diet but I was more careful about portion sizes and didn't take 2nds or 3rds at meals. I snacked very little but tended to have dessert almost every night which I could do better on. I have such a weakness when it comes to sugary things. We had ice cream in the fridge for most of the week so it was tough to ignore. This week I didn't buy any. Problem solved! I did buy lots of yogurt and fruit so I'll be replacing it with those foods. Having the healthy foods stocked in your fridge and pantry is essential. You will reach for the things readily available. But overall, I ate a good diet of for ex. cereal for breakfast, a sandwich, fruit, carrots and milk at lunch or leftovers w/a veggie, and a balanced dinner low in fat with veggies always included. I tended to eat a ton of oranges because we still have ton on our tree. So I'm getting my Vit C! Water is still a tough one for me. I really don't drink enough and this week I'm going to carry that water bottle around better.

Gym experience:

wt: 122 lbs (I'm not sure this scale is 100% accurate, that seems like a big change.) (Typically, when weighing you want to use the same scale and at the same time of day with the same routine, so water weight and clothes, etc. don't play a role.)

Mon- 30 min cardio including 1/2 mile run in over 5.5 min, weight trained-legs and glutes, abs
Tues - 20 min cardio including 1 mile run - 10 min 55 sec, arms, abs
Fri - 30 min cardio including 1 mile run - 10 min 15 sec, chest, shoulders, back, abs
Sat - 30 min cardio including 1 mile run - 9 min 50 sec, abs

I was pretty sore after the 1st 2 days so I took a little break (also had some scheduling problems) then went back to the gym and am still pretty sore. It feels good though to be working out again. I feel more positive about myself and my life. Endorphins kickin' in! I don't feel like I have tons of energy, actually, I feel pretty beat but I know it will improve as I get used to working out and get in better shape. I also need to stop thinking about houses at 10:30 at night, it tends to keep me up into the wee hours. So overall, a great week!

A Colorful Diet

While studying dietetics, I received some experience in catering. In catering, presentation is everything! Part of the eating experience happens before the food ever reaches your mouth. If it doesn't look appetizing, it won't be as enjoyable. Something really important when considering a meal is the color scheme. For example, you never want to serve Swiss Chicken, mashed potatoes and cauliflower! This would be an all white meal and very bland and unappetizing to the eye. It's so important to have a colorful meal. A great way to do this is to have a very colorful vegetable. In general, you want to color your daily diet with fruits and vegetables.

Here are some examples of nutrient rich foods in each color category:

Green
Veggies
ex. Kale, Spinach, Leafy Greens (Turnip, Collard, Mustard), Romaine, Lettuce, Broccoli, Green Peas, Cabbage, Brussels, Sprouts, Bok Choy, Arugala, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Rutabaga, Watercress, Kale

Fruit
ex. Kiwifruit, Honeydew Melon

Orange
Veggies
ex. Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin, Butternut Squash, Yellow Pepper

Fruit
ex. Cantaloupe, Mangoes, Apricots, Peaches, Oranges, Grapefruit, Lemons, Tangerines, Clementines,Papaya, Apricots, Nectarines, Pears, Pineapple

Red
Veggies
ex. Tomato-based products, Fresh Tomato, Beets, Red Cabbage, Red Onion

Fruit
ex. Watermelon,Pink Grapefruit,Guava, Raspberries, Cherries, Strawberries, Cranberries, Red Apples

Blue/Purple
Veggies
ex. Eggplant

Fruit
ex. Blueberries, Blackberries, Purple Grapes, Prunes, Raisins, Plums

White
Veggies
ex. Garlic, Onions, Leeks, Scallions, Chives

Continuing Nutrition Challenge

I am continuing to keep a daily food log on my personal calendar and I'm going to the gym and noting my experiences there as well. Each Saturday, I'll blog about my experiences from the week.

Healthy Snacks

Ideas for healthy snacks for Everyone
-Yogurt w/cereal (cheerios, Honey bunches, grape nuts, etc), raisins, fruit, etc
-Baby carrots and celery (cut up celery and put them w/carrots in a tupperware w/a little water and store for the week) and serve w/fat free or light dip (use fat free sour cream or yogurt)
-Hummus on a roll, bread, cracker or w/veggies
-Popcorn (popped yourself or low fat microwave)
-Mixed nuts and dried fruit (substitute favorite stuff)
* 1/2 ounce whole shelled (unpeeled) almonds
* 1/4 ounce unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
* 1/4 ounce dried cranberries
* 1 tablespoon chopped pitted dates
* 1 1/2 teaspoon chocolate chips
-Cottage cheese w/fruit(bananas, strawberries, peaches, pears, etc) and honey
-mini sandwich- whole grain roll w/slice turkey and low fat cheese, little mustard
-salad snack- 2 cups mixed greens with ½ cup mandarin oranges, 1 tablespoon sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons reduced-fat dressing
-Fruit smoothie:
*Blend 1 cup fat-free milk,
*½ cup frozen strawberries
*½ banana
-Pudding snack - One 4-ounce fat-free, ready-to-eat vanilla pudding with ½ cup fresh fruit and 5 vanilla wafers
-Cinnamon-raisin mini-bagel spread with one tablespoon peanut butter


For kids:
-snack kabob -low fat cheese cubes and grapes on pretzel stick
-Celery, pb and raisins (classic "Ants on a Log")
-Cereal mix (mix up a bunch of favorite cereals (cheerios, kix, chex, captain crunch, coco puffs, peanut butter puffs, etc) and add nuts and/or pretzels, chow mein crunchy noodles, raisins, etc)
-Tortilla roll-up
*mix cream cheese and salsa together and spread in a small flour tortilla,
then sprinkle with cheese and roll up. Bake on 400 until crisp and golden
brown
-Strawberry Banana Ice Pops -
* 1 (3 1/4-ounce) package instant banana cream pudding mix
* 1 3/4 cups milk
* 2 cups sliced strawberries
* 1 tablespoon sugar
(Blend it all up until smooth and pour into ice pop molds. Freeze 4 hrs)
-Yogurt Parfait - layer vanilla yogurt or other favorite, crumble crunchy granola bar or granola cereal over one layer, add fruit (such as strawberries, berries, grapefruit slices, orange or mandarin slices, apple, raisins, etc.)and keep layering!
-Muffins or bread-banana, zucchini, carrot and pineapple, etc.
-Pizza- 2 flour tortillas, thin layer mozarella cheese melted in between, layer tomato sauce on top, more mozzarella sprinkled, and then toppings you desire
-Whole grain wheat crackers or multi-grain (check fiber levels and ingred. list to make sure really whole grain) w/low fat cheese slices or light or fat free cream cheese
-Instant Oatmeal Cereal (variety pack)

Obesity in Children

I just read an article about childhood obesity which stated that the current rate in our country is 16% of children. Holy Cow! That is a statistic for obesity, mind you, not just overweight children. The percentage of overweight children must be much higher. When I was a kid, there was that one kid in the class that was a bit chunky and everyone was relentlessly calling them names and labeling them as the "fat kid". Now, probably close to 1/4 of the kids are in the "chubby" category. In most cases, the children reflect their parents weight problem and bad food choices. You see more and more very heavy families. So now we see the numbers of gastric bypass surgeries in children increasing drastically. Just from 2000-2003, the rate tripled! The rate in 2003 was 800 kids. I know the surgery has saved lives in individuals that battled with weight for years and years so I don't want to knock the surgery, but it's just unfathomable for me that a pre-teen or teenager would need this kind of surgery. It seems very irresponsible to make this surgery a way out of weight problems. We have seen with all the "Reality Fit" shows that it's as simple as eating right and exercising. Parents need to be educated along with their children in nutrition and be committed to an exercise regimen instead of receiving the easy out. After gastric bypass, patients must make huge changes in their diets in order not to undo surgery. In the beginning, they eat extremely small portions and are restricted in the kinds of food they can eat. It's a very hard reality. Why not make some changes before this drastic measure? Try a few changes and then try a few more. This problem is just going to grow and grow with the trends of our society. Over 64% of our population is overweight so it's bound to increase in our children along with mom and dad.

What can we do? We can start with our own families. Make sure we are eating right and exercising and we are passing good habits to our kids. Provide healthy food options for your kids. They'll want to eat what you're eating! Share your secrets to your success with others. We all want to know what's working for other people. Educate yourself and then educate others.

Day 1 of Nutrition Challenge

Ok, so I made it back to the gym, hallelujah.

My current measurements:

weight: 126 lb (ideal wt for me is 120-125 lbs)
waistline: 29 in. (at the thickest point)
1/2 mile time: 5 min 38 sec (5.5 speed on treadmill)
1/2 mile experience: kind of winded, no pain could move to 1 mile
Workout: 30 min cardio, Legs, Glutes, Abs
Energy Level: Poor (due to lack of sleep), more energy after the gym but in exchange for muscle pain.

Diet:
Brk:
raisin bran (w/2 pecan halves) w/skim milk
water

Lunch:
leftover crock-pot chicken and pasta (small portion on a 6 in. plate)
slice of whole wheat bread
Corn
glass of skim milk

Snack:
Orange
water

Dinner:
Sloppy Joes on whole wheat bun (1/2 bun)
Corn
Green salad w/Light Catalina
1/2 bun w/jam
water

Dessert:
ice cream cone
square of dump cake (leftover from last night)
water

Water intake: 40 oz of my 64+ goal (not so good)

Nutrition Goals

Sorry, I took a little hiatus the past couple of days. We are looking for a house right now and that is consuming all my thoughts and time at the moment. I feel like I'm eating and sleeping houses. It's not a fun process!

I realize I really need a plan before I just abstractly take on this nutrition challenge. First, what do I want to accomplish and how will I measure the results? Next, how will I go about reaching these goals? What will be the time period? And how will I reward myself for my success?

Goals:
1. Lose 2-3 lbs and maintain wt
2. Lose belly fat, tighten abs and back, lose an inch at least
3. Tone arms, legs, booty
4. Run a 1/2 mile without feeling like death, eventually 1 mile and then 1 & 1/2
5. Have more energy

How I'll measure:
1. Take current weight and weigh-in weekly (Saturdays)
2. Measure current waistline and take measurements bi-weekly(Saturday)
3. Measuring goal of rest of the body will be more subjective
4. Time a first half-mile run and record time on calendar along with discomfort levels and record again in 2 weeks (Saturday), once 1/2 mile is mastered, move to 1 mile
5. Record daily food intake on calendar and corresponding energy levels

How will I meet the goals:
1. Make dinner menus, finding recipes low in calories, fat and sugar and adjust and substitute healthy choices wherever possible. (Try to find items low in cost from ads and that correspond to foods in the pantry.)
2. Make a grocery list for healthy food choices for breakfast, lunch, snacks and recipe items for dinner.
3. Eat 3 normal meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also 2-3 small snacks daily such as fruit, cereal, veggies, yogurt, crackers, etc and perhaps light ice cream or small dessert 2-3 times a week included in the snacks.
4. Drink from a water bottle all day long, trying to get 64 + ounces daily.
5. Work out at the gym at least 3x's a week including 30 min of cardio and weight training 1-2 muscle groups each time, changing the muscle group each day and not resting a lot in between reps and machine or free weight changes. Do ab workout every gym visit and change the exercises each time, duration about 10 min.
6. Go to bed by 10 PM and get up at 7 AM in order to get enough rest.

Start Date: Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. I'll take my weight and measurements Monday morning. Go to the gym and time my 1/2 mile and record feelings. I'll start logging my food intake and energy levels on this day. Today, I will make a menu for the week and go shopping for groceries.

The great part of this diet is that I can make this a permanent change. But for measurement sake I will make my goal to attain these goals by the last Saturday in April. Of course, for others trying to do weight loss 2 months is not a goal I recommend as a standard time line. I only have a few pounds to lose and some tightening to do so a time line is very individual. After I had my last baby, it took me about a year to lose the 40 lbs that I gained.

Lastly, just for fun, a reward I will give myself, for meeting my goals, is a spa treatment of my choosing and a new pair of jeans!

Commitment to Nutrition

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day and President's weekend! Yeah, I love the holidays!

I know I ate a lot of chocolate over the weekend and my waistline is starting to show all the holiday indulgences. I am not gaining weight (maybe a pound or 2) but becoming a little flabby around the middle. This morning, while I was eating my loaded Raisin bran and reading the label of the yogurt I was about to eat, it hit me, an idea. An aside,the yogurt label had 37g of sugar in 1 cup and was 200 calories! Wow! I mentioned in another posting to not be tricked by the fat free label and this is a great example of that warning.

Ok, back to my idea, I want to commit myself here to cutting back on the junk food and exercising more regularly (at least 3x's a week). I plan to keep a daily food log and blog about the experience here. I don't plan to use any special diets, just to make good everyday choices and I'll tell you about what I eat and any great recipes along the way. If any of you want to make a similar commitment whether it's to lose weight, feel better or for health reasons, share your commitment and experiences here.

My husband is an attorney and works in a large office with lots of women. In such an environment, he hears about all the dieting plans of many of the women there. So many of these diet plans are just so far-fetched fad diets that will only serve to frustrate them more than ever. They all require major calorie restrictions, cutting out major food groups and adding weird food rituals to daily habits. I'm predicting none of these women will stick to any of these diets. They may see some minor results especially at the beginning but they won't last and they may do more harm than good. I would like to show with my commitment that you can eat a balanced diet with all the food groups including some fats and sugar (sparingly) and still see results. Of course, the addition of exercise along with a good diet will increase the results.

Chicken Florentine

• 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 cup butter (light margarine (try less than 1/4)
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup half-and-half ( can sub skim or 1% or combine with half and half)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1-16 oz bag frozen spinach
• 4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Optional: 2-3 crisp bacon slices, crumbled or bacon bits to top
(salt and pepper to taste)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Defrost chicken breast halves in microwave with a little water. Slightly cook them so they cook faster in the oven.
2. Put spinach in a skillet and thaw on med heat. Add small amount of light margarine or spray and add sliced mushrooms to the spinach. Cook until veggies are soft. Layer bottom of 13x9 (or 9x9 if you use less chicken) pan with spinach mixture.
3. Melt the butter or margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, mix in the garlic, lemon juice, cream of mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, half-and-half, and Parmesan cheese.
4. Pour half the mixture from the saucepan over the mushrooms. Arrange chicken breasts in the dish, and cover with the remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes in oven, until bubbly and lightly browned. Serve with pasta.

(My husband thought it would be good with sun-dried tomatoes. I make another pasta dish with a sun-dried tomato sauce but you could try it with this one.)

Fondue from Appetizer to Dessert

Cheese Fondue
3 Tbsp butter (or 3 Tbsp light margarine)
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Dash of nutmeg
3 c. milk (skim or 1% is fine)
2 (8 oz each) pkgs. Swiss cheese
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 loaves of crusty French or Italian bread, cut into cubes

In a fondue pot over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in next 5 ingredients. Add milk gradually and cook until sauce is smooth and thickened. Lower heat and add cheese by handfuls, stirring until cheese is melted after each addition. Stir in Worcestershire sauce. Eat!


Fondue Broth
For Beef
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced (4-5 if you love garlic)
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 cans nonfat beef broth
3 cups water
1 pkg. French onion soup mix
1/2 bottle Heinz seafood sauce

Mix all ingredients in fondue pot and simmer for 15 min-1 hour (depends on time constraints and how much you want the flavors to really blend together).


Chocolate Fondue
sauce:
1-2 large Hershey chocolate bars (use plain or almond if you want nuts)
Heavy cream (I usually pour slowly and see thickness I desire, can add more as it heats up and thickens more)
optional: orange flavoring, ground almonds or other nuts
fruit to dip: strawberries, bananas, etc. (ritz crackers or biscotti are also fun)

Portion Control

Ok, so the recipe I just wrote has butter and whipping cream in it which of course have fat. But the French people who eat these kinds of recipes on a regular basis are quite thin. How is that? Well, I'll tell you. They enjoy their food, eating slowly while savoring every bite. They do not need huge quantities of food to be satisfied. The key is portion control. We can enjoy foods that have some fat in them and not fret the weight gain by limiting the amount we ingest.

1. Eat off a plate. (See how much you are eating! Grazing adds up!)
2. Use a lunch size plate instead of an enormous plate that you feel you must fill.
3. Fill half plate with vegetable, quarter with grain/starch and quarter with meat.
4. Read food labels to see how the company measures a serving size and then see how many calories are in the serving size and fat, etc.
5. Drink water or a glass of fat-free milk with meal. Have fruit for dessert! (This is very French. I often had fruit for dessert in Paris. Or small portions of sweet desserts.)
6. Some everyday comparisons to help you figure out your serving sizes:
-A teaspoon of margarine is the size of one dice.
-Three ounces of meat is the size of a deck of cards.
-One cup of pasta is the size of a baseball (not a softball!).
-An ounce of cheese is one string cheese stick.
-One-half cup of fresh fruit is also the size of a baseball.
7. In restaurants, split a meal with someone or get a take-out box and bring part home for another meal. Share a dessert with all at the table.
8. Eat slowly. Put your fork down!!!
9. Enjoy your food!

Cotes de Porc Sauce Nenette (Pork Chops with Tomato Sauce)

Since Valentine's Day is around the corner, I thought I would share a few French recipes in the next couple days that are wonderful!

This recipe serves 4

1 Tbsp butter (can sub light marg)
1 Tbsp veg oil (can sub canola or just use spray)
4 large pork chops
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp white cooking wine or chicken stock (broth)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp tomato puree (paste)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chervil or parsley
fresh tarragon or other herbs to garnish

Heat butter and oil in large frying pan over high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper and add to pan. Reduce heat to med-high. Cook for 2-3 min on each side until browned, transfer to a plate and pour off liquid. Add wine or stock and thyme to the pan and bring to boil. Cook 2-3 min until wine evaporated. Add the cream and tomato puree and simmer for 2 min, stirring frequently, then return pork chops to sauce and cook for 4-5 min over a med-low heat. Don't overcook. Add the mustard, chopped tomato and herbs, stirring and shaking the pan to distribute them, and cook for 1 min to heat through. Serve with garlic, whipped potatoes and green beans or peas or spring mix salad with a vinaigrette.

Quick Pizza with Fresh Ingredients

1 Large Boboli Pizza Crust
3 or 4 Roma Tomatoes, small diced pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed (more if you love garlic)
Olive oil, drizzles
Fresh Basil Leaves, ripped (to taste)
Fresh mozzarella cheese, (packed in liquid) slices to cover pizza

Set oven at temp from Boboli instructions. Probably 400 degrees F. Cover crust with diced tomatoes. Sprinkle garlic over the tomatoes. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Rip up basil leaves and spread over everything. Top with mozzarella slices. Put in oven according to Boboli crust instructions. Probably about 15-20 min. until cheese melts and crust browning a little.

Serve with a great garden salad and low-fat dressing or spinach leaves, mandarin oranges, craisins, and almonds salad with small amount of poppy seed dressing and you have a meal.

This pizza is so good and even my kids love it! My sister-in-law, Fernanda, taught me this recipe. Thanks again.