Nothing tastes as good as skinny

So a friend told me about this expression the other day, and I'm trying to put it to good use:

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny."

It's so true, right? When you're fit and sliding into those tiny jeans, you just glide around like you own the world. Such a confidence booster. Of course, it's hard to remember that adage when staring down a double ***late **ip ****kie with PMS-fogged eyes.

I'm sticking to it, though, and the past couple of days, I've really been avoiding extra food. Just sticking to the basics like fruit, protein, and tons of veggies and liquids. Honestly I've felt a lot lighter and even had less stomach problems. There was, however, an incident of loud stomach growling during a meeting with a CEO. He was too polite to point it out, though, and I was too hungry to really care what he thought.

Wedding cake

I went to a wedding this weekend, which, of course, is always an opportunity for eating too much. Then again, sometimes the food sucks and then you starve. It tends to go either way. This wedding was actually pretty healthy. A nice gazpacho to start, then grouper with asparagus, and for dessert - no, it wasn't the ass-padding wedding cake - a chocolate fruit fondue. OK, so all that was pretty healthy, but the amount of drinking was not. Nor were the snacks that were packed for the road trip: chex mix, candy, ice tea.....too much sugar and salt! Those times make me seriously miss Cali where everyone packs fruits and water. Still, it's my fault...so, back on the wagon I go.

Haven't gotten anywhere with my goals, so that's discouraging but for some reason I remain optimistic. I guess because I have definitely been cutting back on snacks and portions. Eventually these pounds are going to come off.

Cholesterol tally

So at that doctor's visit where they weighed and prodded me, they also drew up several vials of blood, checked out white blood cells, cholesterol levels and all that other fancy lab stuff they do. I got a post card with the results from my doc., and guess what? As far as my blood, I'm looking pretty healthy. It had me feeling skinny all day.

HDL (good) cholesterol - 66.....Ideal is greater than 40

LDL (bad) cholesterol - 111.....Ideal is less than 130

Triglycerides (fats) - 70.....Ideal is less than 150

And then just for kicks, she scrawled this in the upper left-hand corner with some recommendations for a GYN that I asked for: "HIV negative." Thanks doc.

The American Heart Association's Web site also offers guidance on those cholest. levels, though they're a little different than the ones my physician wrote down. I guess it varies.

slacker

I have to admit, as far as exercise and diet, this has been an absolute slacker week. Work has been crazy, plus the weather is insane in NYC these days. That's the end of my excuses but basically I've been working 9am-8pm with a 1hr commute tacked on either way. Tonight, got home at 11pm after meeting with a source and drinking all night. Yep, no running in a.m. Hey, we all have off times, right?

I'm not going to post weight loss until I lose 5lbs (i.e. reach 130), and that has yet to happen. Still looking for some good tips.

Quinoa aka Keen-wah

Do you all know about this amazing grain, Quinoa? Rice-like but lighter and full of nutrients, it's become my go-to grain. Gluten and wheat-free, it's easy on the tummy, and get this, it has 5 grams of protein per serving, plus fiber, iron, folate, magnesium, and other good stuff.

I admit I'm still working on how to sex it up. It can be a bit dull. Usually I just put a stir-fry over it, preferably a spicy one. I'd like to come up with some ways to eat it plain, though. Maybe just broccoli and a little garlic salt? hmm....here are some other recipe ideas.

Savvy Vegetarian

Quinoa Recipes

Allrecipes

The Doctor's scale doesn't lie

Sometimes I try to avoid the scale. Particularly if I'm bloated, just stuffed my face with pizza or dessert, or have otherwise been lazing about. Of course the waistband of my pants tells me the truth, but still there is something about seeing those numbers blinking at you from between your feet on your digital scale that just tells you in no uncertain terms - you're fat. Luckily, I can bypass my scale in the morning.

Unfortunately for me, I recently paid a visit to the doctor's office, which, no matter what you're there for - strep throat, a bum knee, itchy eyes .... they want to weigh you! And of course the doctor doesn't let you take your shoes off all the time. They'll often weigh you before you've even stripped down to that wonderfully comfortable paper gown. To further add insult to the whole process, they'll call the number out loud just in case you're not sure what it is, and if you're half a pound over, those fuckers round it up.

So when I stepped onto that scale this week, I just kind of shut my eyes. And good lord, she told me I was a pound lighter than I thought.

day off

Everyone needs a day off....From the exercise/diet machine. Of course it's supposed to be a lifestyle change, decision, blah, blah, blah, but hey, you need a day to eat those waffle fries or to space out with Project Runway.

Wednesday is hell day at work: mad deadlines, eat lunch over my keyboard, eyes sting at end of day kind of pace. This day, I usually don't exercise. Still, I've come up with a quickie morning routine that helps at least with some toning.

After shower, I do some ab work (bicycle crunches, regular ones, lower abs); some minor leg work (circles, maybe squats), and then some push-ups, maybe some bicep curls. The point is, I do some quick strength training in the morning that maybe takes 10 minutes. It's a hodge-podge of stuff I've lifted from those endless women's magazines, various fitness DVDs, classes, and friends.

The fat trail

So I was talking with a friend of mine the other day, and she mentioned how she can stay in her size 6s even as the pounds creep up. The thing is, her weight goes to her hips, butt, face, and arms. Mine, on the other hand, heads straight for the stomach. Then the boobs. When I see it in my face, I KNOW I'm in trouble. By the time it hits my hips and thighs, I'm in big trouble.

My friend's weight loss plan then includes taking her measurements while I'll wait to see what size Levi's I can fit in come falltime. Right now, forget it. Squeezing into any pair of jeans in this 90-degree New York weather is a nightmare even if you're of the toothpick variety.

I've been eating really well lately, by the way. Lots of fresh fruit, salads, etc. Today, though.....I caved. It was the All Stars' game, and I went to a pub. Turkey burger with waffle fries followed. Only 1 beer, though. Phew.

Gym tally

Ok, so the weekend was pretty good as far as diet and exercise.

Exercise tally, though was the tops.

Saturday - gym session with 40 minutes cardio (stepper and xtrainer), plus ab work and weights in all major muscle groups

Sunday - 3.25 run in AM and then yoga at night

Add in the New Yorker's daily walking, and that's a lot of calories burned!

Also, I went all day Saturday without any bread. I even ate the turkey out of a deli sandwich a friend shared with me!! Ok, so one day without bread isn't going to do anything, but the willpower success was what mattered to me. Sunday I avoided carbs all day until dinner when I gaved to tortilla chips at a mexican joint, where I also had the most amazing grilled shrimp with coconut rice. Any tips for avoiding that ubiquitous bowl of chips and salsa?

Diet secrets: share one, pass one

Ok, so if you haven't heard of this drink, you're missing out: Kombucha. It's a fermented tea that tastes something like a gingerale. There's no caffeine, though. It's also a probiotic, which makes it a good beverage for those of us with sensitive tummies, IBS, and all that other annoying GI stuff. Even better, it has only 70 calories in the full bottle of 16oz. Drink it on an empty stomach, and it kills your appetite a bit, too. I like the Grape, Trinity, and Gingerade flavors but there are a bunch more, mango, greens...One downside: it cost almost $5 at some health food stores/delis. Whole Foods, though, occasionally puts it on sale, selling two for $5.

helicopter squat

Ok, this is a great one - tummy and ass! I never thought I had to worry about my butt. Unfortunately, those days are over and I think I see the cellulite creeping in.


Helicopter

Stats

How the hell did I go up a pound?? I mean WTF? The scale said 136 this morning, but I'm counting it as a fluke given my healthy day yesterday. So here's where I'm at:

HW: 140
CW: 135
GW: 120

Those not familiar with these...high weight, current weight, goal weight. Often a "LW" for low weight is also listed, but I just don't know what that would be. What's the cut off? 20yo? 21? teenage years count?

I should add: 5'4".

Oh, and I know 135 isn't horrible, but I want size 4 back....heck even size 6 again.

Today was a good day

Hey, today I did pretty OK. Here's the rundown of my healthy day.

Breakfast
PB on kamut bread
green tea

Snack
banana

Lunch
mixed greens, grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, beets, black olives with oil and vinegar

Went to gym...did more weights than cardio today. I recently brushed a friend off that said I needed more weight training, but I think she's right. I used to lift weights at least 2x a week, but when the pounds started piling on, I switched over to long cardio sessions since they tend to burn off fat faster. Still, long-term, I know I need the benefit of weight lifting and the extra burn muscles provide!

Snack on train after gym
trail mix with peanuts, m&m's, raisins....Probably had too much of this, but that train sucks! Plus I had all these yummy groceries sitting at my feet after a trip to Whole Foods post-workout.

Dinner
steamed kale, cocktail shrimp, 1 slice of bread with non-dairy margarine

The ups and downs

Everyone fighting the pudge fights the urges, too: can't I skip exercising today? it won't kill me to have french fries today, right? Check out this post from One Healthy Blogger.

There are up days, down days, and then the really down days. Holiday weekends usually fall into that latter category. I think I fared OK this July 4th. Here's the breakdown...

Good
Lots of seafood! lobster, steamers, baked fish....
Lots of veggies! raw carrots, lots of salad, asparagus with eggs, etc. Everywhere I can sneak them in I try to.
Lots of fruit! Ok, this means sugar but it fills me up instead of chips, etc. (blueberries, watermelon, strawberries)

Bad
Too much beer (I couldn't resist the local brews when visiting my New England hometown this holiday)
Too much sugar (homemade choc. chip cookies, flag cake - aka pound cake with cool whip, salt water taffy)

Sigh. Well it's back to the grind. Breakfast tomorrow I think will be a banana and coffee. Maybe a touch of peanut butter. Oh, and more running. Even if my rolls are bouncing all over the place, at least I know I'm fit (somewhere under it all).

Onesie?

Ok, so with this big ol'stomach, I'm thinking it's time to trade in the two-piece for a one-piece. Keep in mind I haven't worn one of these since I was 12. Serious blow to self-esteem. I bought a couple of pricey suits from J. Crew. Very nicely done, well-constructed but I just can't do it. Plus they seem to make my paunch all the more visible. It's going back.

I'm sticking to the two-piece and humiliation. Maybe it will motivate me looking down at that solid roll and jiggling all the way to the water.

On the good side: Went for a 4-mile run this morning and had salad, fish, sm bit of rice for dinner last night (plus 1 1/2 glasses red wine ;).

Drink 'em up

So after that last post, I'm thinking a LOT of my calories come in the liquid form. Last night:

1 glass of red wine with boss

2 margaritas on the rocks over dinner

1 Amstel light for after dinner drinks with a friend