Tomorrow I eat cake. Ok, well, I actually chose to go with giant cupcakes instead of cake this year. So... mini-cakes. Tomorrow I eat cake and pizza and non-diet soda. That was my splurge, right?
Oh the crap that I have eaten in the last few days. I haven't even bothered to get on the scale because the result would surely scare the crap out of me.
On my birthday, a Wednesday, we went out for Mexican food. Then we went to the grocery store. I wanted dessert and figured maybe I'd get something sweet there while I picked up some salad and stuff for the week. I got fresh baked cookies from the bakery. I was actually craving that EXACT cookie all day, so when I saw them there, I had to get them. Chewy chocolate cookies with pecans. I don't even like freaking nuts and yet I had been fantisizing about these dang cookies. I got two containers. I call them Birthday Cookies now. I say hello to them every time I pass them in the kitchen. "Hi Birthday Cookies!" "Good Morning Birthday Cookies!" "Well hello Birhtday Cookies - you're looking lovely and smelling great today!" Over the next 2 days I ate about 3 a day. Still have about 3 left from container #1 as of Saturday night. Not as bad as I could have been - sure, but not really healthy either.
The next day we go to Costco to order the cake and pick up some healthy cereal for me as I'm out. We eat Costco Pizza and I give in to non-diet soda. I'm a bad, bad girl. Lucky for me they weren't offering samples that day...
Friday we go out to eat at a new Cajun spot. Honestly, while it waasn't exactly great, the gumbo wasn't TOO bad. Chicken and sausage, but there wasn't much sausage. Mostly rice and fresh veggies. But the potato salad, mac & chees and those lovely hushpuppies weren't exactly diet food.
Saturday breakfast started good, as it always does, but it was pretty much down hill from there. Fast food fried chicken sandwich, fries and a non-diet coke for lunch. M&M's in the movie. Starbucks at the store. Soft pretzel at the mall. Around 9pm I realize I haven't had any water yet today. And the closest thing to a vegetable were the pieces of soggy tomato I bit into before I pulled them off my sandwich at lunch. Wow. I suck.
Do I want to try to say that I needed this time? It would be a lie. But it certainly would be a convenient one. Really, it's just a matter of allowing travel to let me fall back into old habits. I need to MAKE myself work harder both when I'm at home and when I travel. Looking at the food in the aisles at the store today just made me angry. It was all SO bad for you. But it was easy. It was convenient. It was my reminder. Easy and convenient is what got me to 235. I am never, never, never going to be there again. I can't keep sliding. An off day - heck an off week can't derail me the way it has recently. Time to pick myself up by the bootstraps. [Since I don't wear boots should that be bra straps? Not sure...]
I will allow 1 more bad day because it's already planned and I know that even if I was being healthy the rest of the time I'd let myself splurge for my birthday. But as of Monday it's back to the scale. By the end of the week I want to have measurments too. Scares the crap out of me, but it has to happen. Because the results of doing nothing, staying in this cycle of crap, scares me even more.
Showing posts with label Drinks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drinks. Show all posts
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The other white drink
When I was about 6 years old, I had a book called "All about me". It's a 1/2 written book with blanks and open spaces for you to tell all about who you are at the time. You trace your hand. You draw an imaginary city. You say things you've learned about the world. And of course the basics - favorite color, favorite food, favorite songs. My favorite food? Cheese.
That's never really changed. As a snack? Sure - string or slice? As an appetizer? Bring it on - fancy in wedges or fried up in a basket while watching the game. Breakfast? Cottage cheese with fruit. Lunch - the reason for eating most sandwiches, or in the simple purity of an insanely grilled cheese sandwich. Dinner? Roll cheese in corn tortillas, add cheese to the top and I'm good to go. Dessert? How about paired with pears and wine? [And yes, these were all just off the top of my head in less than 30 seconds. Imagine what I could do if given time...]
I've always felt that way about the whole darn dairy section. But as the healthier-me cut back on fat and calories, I saw less and less of my friend cheese. I miss it, but I appreciate those few moments when a bit of feta takes a salad to a new level. Or that one slice of real Swiss helps me forget that I'm eating diet bread and counting the calories of every piece of shredded carrot on the sandwich. I don't think I'll ever completely let it go.
But, healthier-world me has been getting a bit concerned. How many of our natural resources go into creating a gallon of milk? And while I may be keeping mine organic and non-fat, is there something else I could do to make an even better choice? To put less pressure on our farmers to make cow food and encourage them to make more people food?
It was a hard decision, but I decided to buy Soy Milk. I'm not saying it's the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship or anything. I will be trying a few brands to decide which one is the right one for me. I may slide back a bit but I really think I might make this one stick. Some reasons why?
- A cow needs to drink 2 gallons of water for every gallon of milk she'll make that day. Add to that the water used to raise the crops just so she could eat them and you have a TON of water going into dairy production. Sure, soy has to be grown, just like the cow's food, but that still means I can save 2 gallons of water for every gallon of soy milk produced.
- A dairy cow creates 120 pounds of "waste" each day. Ick. Now sure, some of this will get turned around into good things. I watch dirty jobs. I know. BUT - according to a Senate report on animal waste, a small farm of just 200 cows will create as much nitrogen in the sewage as a community of 5,000 to 10,000 people.
- Finally, let's look at the numbers:
- Organic Skim Milk, 1 Cup - 90 Calories, 0 Fat, 130g Sodium, 13g Carbs (0 Fiber, 12g Sugar), 9g Protien, 10% Vit A, 2% Vit C, 30% Calcium. (From my common brand)
- 8th Continent Light Soy Milk, 1 Cup - 50 Calories, 2g Fat, 115g Sodium, 2g Carbs (0 Fiber, 2g Sugar), 6g Protein, 10% Vit A, 30% Calcium, 6% Iron, 25% Vit D, 25% B2, 15% B12
- So, less calories, less sodium and less sugar in Soy milk. Skim milk has less fat and more protein.
Is there a trade off? Sure. But for now, I'm going to give it a shot. I'm hoping that both healthier-me and healthier-earth are better for it.
That's never really changed. As a snack? Sure - string or slice? As an appetizer? Bring it on - fancy in wedges or fried up in a basket while watching the game. Breakfast? Cottage cheese with fruit. Lunch - the reason for eating most sandwiches, or in the simple purity of an insanely grilled cheese sandwich. Dinner? Roll cheese in corn tortillas, add cheese to the top and I'm good to go. Dessert? How about paired with pears and wine? [And yes, these were all just off the top of my head in less than 30 seconds. Imagine what I could do if given time...]
I've always felt that way about the whole darn dairy section. But as the healthier-me cut back on fat and calories, I saw less and less of my friend cheese. I miss it, but I appreciate those few moments when a bit of feta takes a salad to a new level. Or that one slice of real Swiss helps me forget that I'm eating diet bread and counting the calories of every piece of shredded carrot on the sandwich. I don't think I'll ever completely let it go.
But, healthier-world me has been getting a bit concerned. How many of our natural resources go into creating a gallon of milk? And while I may be keeping mine organic and non-fat, is there something else I could do to make an even better choice? To put less pressure on our farmers to make cow food and encourage them to make more people food?
It was a hard decision, but I decided to buy Soy Milk. I'm not saying it's the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship or anything. I will be trying a few brands to decide which one is the right one for me. I may slide back a bit but I really think I might make this one stick. Some reasons why?
- A cow needs to drink 2 gallons of water for every gallon of milk she'll make that day. Add to that the water used to raise the crops just so she could eat them and you have a TON of water going into dairy production. Sure, soy has to be grown, just like the cow's food, but that still means I can save 2 gallons of water for every gallon of soy milk produced.
- A dairy cow creates 120 pounds of "waste" each day. Ick. Now sure, some of this will get turned around into good things. I watch dirty jobs. I know. BUT - according to a Senate report on animal waste, a small farm of just 200 cows will create as much nitrogen in the sewage as a community of 5,000 to 10,000 people.
- Finally, let's look at the numbers:
- Organic Skim Milk, 1 Cup - 90 Calories, 0 Fat, 130g Sodium, 13g Carbs (0 Fiber, 12g Sugar), 9g Protien, 10% Vit A, 2% Vit C, 30% Calcium. (From my common brand)
- 8th Continent Light Soy Milk, 1 Cup - 50 Calories, 2g Fat, 115g Sodium, 2g Carbs (0 Fiber, 2g Sugar), 6g Protein, 10% Vit A, 30% Calcium, 6% Iron, 25% Vit D, 25% B2, 15% B12
- So, less calories, less sodium and less sugar in Soy milk. Skim milk has less fat and more protein.
Is there a trade off? Sure. But for now, I'm going to give it a shot. I'm hoping that both healthier-me and healthier-earth are better for it.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
My "Daily Plate" of online addiction
I've found a new website obsession. It's been 2 days of web-bliss.
So - as you know I've been all about being healthy with a renewed passion recently. (Yea, I know, I know, it was about dang time) I didn't want to go on a diet though. I kept thinking about it. Was tempted by Weight Watcher's Point system online - but I held back. First of all - why should I have to pay them each month for a concept they are really only giving me once. Next, why should I pay that much for the idea of "eat healthy, watch portion control" which is really what it is. I decided I was going to do it alone. I cut back. I ate better. I saw some results.
Then - the headaches started. Bad, bad headaches. For no good reason. The Girlfriend suggests it could be because of my eating. Turns out one of the symptoms of a too-low calorie diet is headaches. Hmph. So I'm starting to think that maybe there is some trick for this thing. Maybe I do need to pay for professional help.
And then, like a heavenly bolt of lightening, I find The Daily Plate while looking for the calorie content of a grilled chicken breast. I forget all about the chicken breast and I'm taken over by The Daily Plate.
This amazing site has a free service where you can create a profile based on age, height, weight, natural activity level - and then it will tell you how many calories you should be eating. As if that wasn't enough - look up the foods on their site and just click "I ate this" for it to be added to your daily total. It tells you through the day how many calories you "have left" before you've reached your goal.
All that sounds good - but wait - there's more! There is a daily diary to talk about how you felt each day so you can remember what was working - and what wasn't. It also tracks your activity to show how many calories were burned through your day. And why? Because if you are using more fuel, you'll need to re-fuel faster. It also tracks your weight, your measurements and a bunch of other things for your easy access from any computer!
Sound intriguing? Don't get out that check book just yet! They also have a forum section where folks can talk about what they are doing, what has or hasn't worked, interact with other users, and just generally find common ground. There are also groups set up around the site so you can quickly join a group with similar backgrounds or issues. Prior eating disorder? A group to feel your pain. Over 100 lbs to lose? Meet folks who are on the same path - and others who've done it. Doing Atkins? They've got your bread alternative!
How much would you pay for that? Let me tell you. NOTHING! Yes, that's right - Nothing! This is a completely free web site! Sure, sure - they have another option to pay just $45/year to unlock yet additional features. So far, I'm thinking the freebie is all I need. Maybe in a few months I'll need to up my motivation. But when I do - it will cost less for a whole year of this than for 4 months of online Weight Watchers!
Ok, that's all for now. I have to go reply to a forum that's calling my name. Homemade Pumpkin Lattes at just 65 calories? Yum!
So - as you know I've been all about being healthy with a renewed passion recently. (Yea, I know, I know, it was about dang time) I didn't want to go on a diet though. I kept thinking about it. Was tempted by Weight Watcher's Point system online - but I held back. First of all - why should I have to pay them each month for a concept they are really only giving me once. Next, why should I pay that much for the idea of "eat healthy, watch portion control" which is really what it is. I decided I was going to do it alone. I cut back. I ate better. I saw some results.
Then - the headaches started. Bad, bad headaches. For no good reason. The Girlfriend suggests it could be because of my eating. Turns out one of the symptoms of a too-low calorie diet is headaches. Hmph. So I'm starting to think that maybe there is some trick for this thing. Maybe I do need to pay for professional help.
And then, like a heavenly bolt of lightening, I find The Daily Plate while looking for the calorie content of a grilled chicken breast. I forget all about the chicken breast and I'm taken over by The Daily Plate.
This amazing site has a free service where you can create a profile based on age, height, weight, natural activity level - and then it will tell you how many calories you should be eating. As if that wasn't enough - look up the foods on their site and just click "I ate this" for it to be added to your daily total. It tells you through the day how many calories you "have left" before you've reached your goal.
All that sounds good - but wait - there's more! There is a daily diary to talk about how you felt each day so you can remember what was working - and what wasn't. It also tracks your activity to show how many calories were burned through your day. And why? Because if you are using more fuel, you'll need to re-fuel faster. It also tracks your weight, your measurements and a bunch of other things for your easy access from any computer!
Sound intriguing? Don't get out that check book just yet! They also have a forum section where folks can talk about what they are doing, what has or hasn't worked, interact with other users, and just generally find common ground. There are also groups set up around the site so you can quickly join a group with similar backgrounds or issues. Prior eating disorder? A group to feel your pain. Over 100 lbs to lose? Meet folks who are on the same path - and others who've done it. Doing Atkins? They've got your bread alternative!
How much would you pay for that? Let me tell you. NOTHING! Yes, that's right - Nothing! This is a completely free web site! Sure, sure - they have another option to pay just $45/year to unlock yet additional features. So far, I'm thinking the freebie is all I need. Maybe in a few months I'll need to up my motivation. But when I do - it will cost less for a whole year of this than for 4 months of online Weight Watchers!
Ok, that's all for now. I have to go reply to a forum that's calling my name. Homemade Pumpkin Lattes at just 65 calories? Yum!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Tea for two... or three reasons
I love drinks. All kinds. Generally I lean more toward the non-alchoholic type. Tea, soda, chocolate milk, punch, juice, coffee, fizz, milkshakes (they kinda count, right?) - if you can put in a straw, I'm a happy girl. I especially enjoy those things that cross genres. Tea w/ fruit juice. Fruity italian sodas. Chai Latte (Milk + Tea).
While I enjoy these things, I was realizing that I was buying quite a few of these single serving items in glass containers. Not tons of course, but at least several each month. I started doing my mental eco-math and realized that something needed to stop or at least slow down.
I pulled out my often "just used for parties" iced tea maker. I love this so much, I'm shocked I don't use it more. I'm starting to play with different combinations of tea - something that (shockingly) I'd never really thought about doing before. My current fav combo is 1 family sized Luzianne Tea bag and 1 mint tea bag. Yummy minty tea!!! Perfect for summer and I'm never even encouraged to pull out the sweetener. Mind you - I LOVE good sweet tea. But I'm hoping that not only can I save a few bottles by making it en masse, but I'll also save a few calories.
Less waste. Less calories. Less money. Totally healthy.
While I enjoy these things, I was realizing that I was buying quite a few of these single serving items in glass containers. Not tons of course, but at least several each month. I started doing my mental eco-math and realized that something needed to stop or at least slow down.
I pulled out my often "just used for parties" iced tea maker. I love this so much, I'm shocked I don't use it more. I'm starting to play with different combinations of tea - something that (shockingly) I'd never really thought about doing before. My current fav combo is 1 family sized Luzianne Tea bag and 1 mint tea bag. Yummy minty tea!!! Perfect for summer and I'm never even encouraged to pull out the sweetener. Mind you - I LOVE good sweet tea. But I'm hoping that not only can I save a few bottles by making it en masse, but I'll also save a few calories.
Less waste. Less calories. Less money. Totally healthy.
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