I was following the callories but not the healthy choices.

Yesterday was a reminder that following the calories does not mean I am feeling healthy.  I consumed about 100 extra calories yesterday if you don't count my exercise and I felt lethargic and burpy into the evening.  I ate crackers and cheese which meant I wanted more crackers.  I ate almost a box of sweet rice treats and could barely stop.  Dinner was the closest to a heslthy meal because it contained a bit of swiss chard as part of the dish.  But other than that bit of swiss chard and a banana,  I ate no fruit and vegitables and always felt hungry and always felt tired and sluggish.

So yesterday ended and I decided to wake up fresh to adding the health back into my calorie intake today.  And that is what I have done, fresh arugula salad with anchovies and dressing.  Then at lunch another yummy salad with sunflower seeds and pieces of salami....I feel much better satisfied today.

I have consumed about 600 cals of food thus far and have room for another 400 to go.  I AM NOT DRIVEN TO PLACE THE CEACKERS IN MY MOUTH BECAUSE I have placed food of nutritious value and fresh taste into my mouth already....so today is not a struggle.  And all because I really did choose healthy foods to eat today.

So you see getting back on track was a simple choice I can walk with today.
So glad I didn't fill myself with a guilt trip or any such thing.9

Sometimes we think more is better.

, Look at this salad, it has fresh Roma tomatoes (3 to be exact), 10 walnut halves that I personally toasted and my husband most likely picked, 3 cups of spring mix and about 1 1/2 cups of baby arugula.  All the ingredients are healthy including the light dressing I used...BUT it does not fit in the bowl.  In fact when I jabbed my fork into the pile to obtain a mouthful of the healthy delight, a whole bunch of goodness fell to the table top.  Thank goodness I was not at a restaurant so others could mock my mess, nor was my little Margo there to watch her mother be so messy....But in that moment I had a thought.....How much stuff do I try to pack into my life all because I think it is healthy. 

Think about it...we have our lives that we try to stuff all kinds of 'goodness' into it....it could be friendships, vacations, money (yes money can be a good thing too)..my favorite TV show...or whatever the moment or item might be.  What are the things or feelings that spill out when I try to shove too much inside of my one life?  The Salad still looks pretty, but the shoved out parts left on the table top are usually left there and no longer consumable. 

 

Moderation, MommyMax you hear that, moderation to the rescue....It really is that simple, with eating healthfully and living my daily moments...moderation.  Yesterday we went out to eat some Chinese food at the local panda express, we ended with fortune cookies.  It was tasty I was fine with that...my little Margo was saving up for a piece of cheese cake...which she deserved as she had just completed an hour of swimming laps.  So we all went to the Cheese Cake Factory, and as we stood in front of the counter window looking at the giant pieces of cheese cake, I suggested that Mark and Margo share a piece of pie.  I heard the words, 'but we don't eat this that often', which is true I attested, but are we that hungry for a whole piece?  He thought a moment, and then agreed to share with his daughter....It was enough...sometimes even the words 'we hardly ever do this' catch up to us, and soon the hardly ever do's become the part of the daily routine. 

 

Bottom line, it is not just Moderation that helps me walk through these healthy choices, but in reality it is simply being aware of the moment.  This applys to eating, health and simple living.

 

By the way the salad described above contains 349 calories....

Constancy a scary word...but does it bring life?

Constancy is a scary word for me.  Why, you might ask?  I always thought that meant I would be trapped, stuck doing the same thing over and over again.  That has never been my comfort zone because I loose interest.  So perhaps I need to look at the healthy choice of consistency the same way I look at breathing. 

Breathing is part of the autonomic nervous system (if I remember correctly).  Meaning it always works without us thinking about it and when it stops we are dead.  (Gee this train of thought is looking interesting.)  In the same way, if I do not pursue health I am dead...but that is where the analogy breaks down.  The question becomes, can making healthy choices and eating less eventually become automatic?  I am guessing yes, but most likely this will take longer than the six weeks to form a habit idea.  Maybe it takes longer because I have yet to embrace the change as a true life style change?  Maybe that is why I gain the weight back over time...I do not see it as a life choice necessity.

So what do I do about it?  I choose.  I choose to embrace this as a way of life...moderation in all things...including the eating part.  Fortunately for me, I must also do the exercise and strength portion of healthy living since it spares me the aches and pains of growing old.  Heck I have a 9 year old to keep up with!

So my current choices:

1.  Use MyFitnessPal to calculate what I eat and make sure it is balanced.
2. Write on this blog 2 - 3 times a week, about my thoughts on this subject and perhaps what I am going through....(see I could have said everyday, however that is not moderation)
3. Take a before picture of myself in the mirror and look at it a few times a week to remind me why I am doing this.  ( took a front & side view of myself in the mirror, and no I have not posted this on the Internet yet.  perhaps when I feel braver and more accepting??? )
4. At the start of every month, capture a picture of myself so I can see the change happening.

I think these are enough common sense goals I can use right now and be consistent with.  So perhaps in 7 months or so I can say constancy is not a scary word for me.

Today is another day after yesterday

I am waiting for my omelet to cook in the broiler.  That is the skill I learned from my mom...I am trying out the new toaster oven for this meal too.Hmmm after 10 minutes it stll needs a little more time to embody that toasty bubbly look.  This omelet/frittata is only 213 cals.  I use 2 eggwhites and 1 egg for the base.  It includes an ounce of onions and about a cup of steamed broccoli, which were all sauteed together in a bit of extra virgin coconut oil....  I will serve with a dollop of Pace Picante sauce....yes it is brunch again, not breakfast, nor lunch and that is fine by me. 

I am cooking and writing about what I prepare to become aware of what I eat....I think this makes me responsible for my own health as much as possible..

Yesterday I tracked all of the food I ate using the myfitnesspal program and I did not take one photo of the yummy dinner I ate.  Others were around...I was a little embarrassed about this current project.  Why?  Well I have been teying to drop this extra poundage for several years.
Actually most of the past 16 years. I will have success, drop 20 or more pounds then believe I have arrived and allow the pounds to climb back.  So my goal is to make this adventure into a sustainable weightloss or actually long-term fitnesss.  Are you in?  Really, do you want to join me for the ride?

Welcome to my world: if weight is not the ball and chain you want to be free from, what is it? Freedom starts with a first step..this is my first step in a public way which is currently private since I don't know if anyone is reading this...and well that is ok too.  Mommy Max

Tonight I showed my blog to my husband...he read it and said the right words...absolutely nothing!;-)

Taking the time to make food tastey and beautiful. Brunch

January 2nd we lounged too long in bed with Little Margo so breakfast was officially skipped and turned into brunch.  Little margo enjoys a salami sandwhich on whole wheat with a fresh mango on the side.  I am enjoying a sesamil seed dressing over mixed greens, orange peppers and steamed vegitables...this is about 2/3rds of the serving and only about 120 calories. 

Also I found a new tool a step counter that works with the phone and includes the GPS connection for tracking distance outside the house....10, 000 steps here I come......

Ok I ate 2oz of salami on some ceackers along with some tastey herbed baked chicken with the other half of my salad...

Now health is also about moving our body so that is what I did....I walked over 8200 steps today....part of that was walking margo from the park to the gelato shop and back to the park.  I also started walking around the school track while Margo was at swim team practice.  She lasted longer than I for her activity.  I am thinking I could take the walk around the school each time she is at swimteam, 3-4 times each week..  I just need to sneak in my moving....so today ends with exercise and an intake of about 950 calories.  Until tomorrow.  Mommy Max

The Tools of Healthfulness:

The tools of the trade are simple. A scale and a bowl to measure all that I consume.  I know fruits are tastey s today the first meal of the year will be a fruit salad with a dash of cinnamon. 

A nice serving of fruit for 221 calories.  I learned a whole banna can easily have 200 calories. Surprise surprise good thing I measured everything by weight...saved me an extra 100 calories!  See you at lunch!

Dinner srilankan style!  Oh so good and yup I ate too much.  I counted the calories using the my fitness pal app and the grand total was 1354 calories.  I could have saved about 300-400 calories if I had chosen to skip the seconds...  so new choice No More Seconds!