My Life: A Work in Progress

Fitness Friday: The Game On! Diet

16 January, 2015 7 Comments

Several of my co-workers invited me to participate in a weight loss challenge called the Game On! Diet. Since going back to work, I’ve struggled with eating as healthy as I’d like to and finding the time to exercise. This challenge seemed like a great way to get me back into a good diet and exercise groove! And on top of that, since I’m working in a new environment with new co-workers…it also seemed like a great way to foster teamwork and friendship.

I haven’t actually read this book, so it’s possible that I’m not understanding all the aspects of it. My co-worker has this book, and has given instructions to those of us participating. I’ve also flipped through her copy a few times.

It seems pretty simple. I eat five small meals a day, about two-four hours apart. At each meal, I have a palm-sized portion of lean protein, a fist-sized portion of carbs (think complex and whole grain) a thumb-size portion of a healthy fat. We each have a print out of what would be considered acceptable choices for each category. At least two meals a day should have two fist-fulls of veggies. Cucumber and celery can be eaten at any time throughout the day. Artificial sweeteners and processed sugars should be avoided. I get daily points for the five meal that I eat, following the competition guidelines (you don’t get points for eating more or eating less). I get one cheat day a week and cheat meal a week. I also can eat 100 calories every day of almost whatever I want (I choose flavored coffee creamer).

But it’s not just about what I eat. I also get 20 points a day just for exercising 20 minutes (I’ve been doing yoga). At least seven hours of sleep scores me 15 points, and drinking three liters of water gets me 10 points.

But wait! I also get points for dropping an old habit and beginning a new one (a good habit). At the beginning of the competition, we each listed out bad habits that we wanted to get rid of and new habits that we want to adopt. You get 10 points a day for each bad habit that you don’t do, and 10 points a day for each good habit that you do. One of my bad habits is hitting the snooze button every morning. Although now I stopped doing that, and I just wake up and reset my alarm for 15 minutes later. That’s kind of the same thing, right? Hmmmm….clearly need to keep working on that.

For good habits, I added things like daily push-ups and squats. I also added spending more time with Little J. When I get home from work, I tend to incorporate him in what I’m doing (helping Mommy made dinner, etc.), but I’m making a point of just focusing attention on him -no distractions- every day.

At the end of the week, each person adds their points up. Points can be lost for snacking (other than celery and cucumber) and drinking alcohol, and a couple of other things as well. Each team then averages the individuals’ points, and then the teams compare their overall scores. Last week, my team lost. 🙁 But it’s okay. We have time! We’re doing this for three weeks, then one week off, and then we’ll repeat the process. At the end, the winning team gets a trophy and bragging rights.

I’m almost at the end of week two. This week was definitely harder than the first week, as far as getting things done at night in time for seven hours of sleep. I’m not quite as hangry this week, as I was last week, so that’s good. I’ve been doing great at sticking to this diet, although I’m not very happy about it. I’m currently munching from a bowl of a mixed lettuce blend…no dressing, sauce, nothing. It’s rabbit food. Sometimes I boil my veggies (usually collard greens or kale) in chicken stock with onions and garlic. That definitely gives it more flavor. I probably could put vinegar on my lettuce. I should try that.

My body fat has gone down, woot! I chose to use a tape measure instead of weighing-in on a scale. Some of my pants are still really tight (hellooo, muffin top), so I definitely need to drop more fat. Diet plays a huge role in that; I just need to keep plugging away at the lean meats and veggies.

Below you can see some examples of food that I typically eat for one of my meals:

This is a typical breakfast- low fat plain Greek yogurt with plain raw oats and a half teaspoon of raw honey. Sometimes I use pure maple syrup instead of honey. For my healthy fat, I usually eat a spoonful of peanut butter (the kind that’s just peanuts…no added sugar or junk).

Now that I’m looking at the photo above, that might actually be a whole teaspoon of honey not a half. I should probably wean myself off the sweets!

My lunch today- raw mixed greens (no dressing), quinoa cooked in homemade chicken broth, grilled chicken (just a teeny bit of olive oil on it), and water to drink. For seasonings on the chicken and quinoa I skipped the salt and used garlic powder and cumin. I also had 5 cashews.

I’m not going to lie. It’s hard for me to eat like this. I think once I can use sauces and dressings again it won’t be so bad, but right now I’m trying to avoid the fats and sugar, so it is what it is.

Sometimes I want to quit, but the competition with my co-workers keeps me motivated. It’s not even so much about my team losing as it is that I don’t want them to lose because of me. I don’t want to let them down.

Tomorrow morning I’m having a breakfast “date” with Little J, and I’m going to thoroughly enjoy my cheat meal! I may even have an iced coffee with sugar and cream. Ohhhhh boy!

How was your week? Have you ever tried a diet and/or weight loss competition with your co-workers or friends? What delicious things have you eaten lately? (I’m trying to live vicariously through you.)

cooking, life

Changing my diet

12 January, 2015 3 Comments

I think when a lot of people use or hear the word “diet,” they think of a short-term calorie or food restriction plan to lose weight. In this case I’m talking about changing my diet -permanently- for health reasons. I’ve mentioned before that my parents were health “nuts,” before it was trendy. I grew up without sugar or salt in the household. If I remember right, I was 9 years old when I had my first chocolate bar (soooo rich that I had a stomach ache!). When I grew up and moved out of the house, I still had the knowledge that my parents had given me on how to cook and eat healthy, but because of a busy work schedule and the single life, I started to eat poorly.

When I got married and had my son, my husband and I made the decision for me to stay home. So for 2 years I spent a considerable amount of time in the kitchen, cooking healthy meals from scratch for my family. Then I went back to work, and the processed foods entered our lives again. It’s been a struggle the last few months. For the most part, we have still eaten healthy meals, but we’re not doing as well as I’d like. I’d say we’re eating about 60% healthy meals and 40% not (that would be processed foods, fast foods, etc.). Well, maybe it’s better than that…but I want it to be 80% healthy (at least) and 20% not, and I know we’re not at that point.

On top of that, my best friend was diagnosed with lupus and started an autoimmune protocol (AIP) diet, which is similar to Paleo, and that got me thinking. I don’t have an autoimmune illness, but I am genetically predisposed towards them. Environmental factors (like diet) along with genetic predisposition can trigger an autoimmune condition. Talking to my friend and reading articles online (albeit, many of them are anecdotal…so there’s that to consider), I’ve decided to avoid certain foods, specifically, refined sugar, corn, soy, and wheat. Instead, we will eat a mostly plant-based diet with lean meats. If I actually had an autoimmune condition, I would avoid legumes and nightshade plants, but since I don’t…I’m just starting with the foods I listed above. I’m also continuing to eat dairy products and eggs.

One challenge I face is cooking vegetables in a way that both Hubby and Little J will actually want to eat! Below is a photo of curly kale boiled in half water/half chicken stock, chopped onions, chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. I thought it was tasty, but they were not impressed. 🙁 Well, one day at a time.

And now I’m off to work on my shopping list!

Do you have any dietary restrictions, because of choice or necessity? What are your go-to healthy food choices? Or maybe some foods you try to avoid?

Note: The opinions reflected above are mine and may differ from yours. Before making dietary changes, please always consult your physician first!

Review

Review: Avishi Organics Intensive Baby Balm for eczema

7 January, 2015 25 Comments

Well, Winter Storm Gorgon has passed through our area. We only got a few inches of snow, but oh boy! did it shut this area down. Hubby and I both still worked, and Little J still went to day care, but it was treacherous getting there.

To give you an idea, in a 7 hour period yesterday morning, our local police responded to nearly 150 accidents. The roads were very icy, and people were still driving fast. The snow has stopped, but the temperature will continue to fall over the next couple of days. There’s one thing that the cold, dry weather always brings to our home- eczema.

Growing up in Canada, I often had terribly dry skin on my hands in the winter to the point that they’d crack and peel, but I never had eczema. It took me a while to recognize it on my son. Actually, I think my MIL first pointed it out, when I mentioned he had a really dry patch of skin that wouldn’t go away. This was last winter. It’s one spot in particular above his knee, and has reappeared this year. It goes away in the spring and reappears in the fall once the cold weather returns.

Little J’s eczema doesn’t disappear during the winter, but if I treat it consistently, the skin will at least stay only a little dry. It’s not bad enough then to bother Little J. One time last winter it did get out of control, and his skin cracked and peeled and almost seemed to blister?? It was the first time I’d dealt with something like that, and I was a little horrified.

The last few weeks I’ve been using an Intensive Baby Balm that Avishi Organics sent me to review. When it first arrived, I thought it was just for diaper rash, but then I read a testimonial on their website where a mother said she used it with success on her child’s eczema. So I started to use the balm for that instead, and it works! As I’ve mentioned, the balm (like every product I’ve tried) doesn’t completely get rid of his dry skin, but with regular use, the Intensive Baby Balm helps it get better (the dry patch is soooo close to being completely gone) and the balm definitely keeps the skin from getting worse. The balm does so without chemicals, fragrances, colors, parabens, and sulfates.

You can see the red patchy spot on his leg. This is when I started to use the Avishi Organics Intensive Baby Balm.

I also like that it’s a stick, because I do get tired of having to wash my hands after applying lotions and creams. Yes, frequent hand washing is good when it’s flu season, but it also dries my skin out! Because it’s a stick, I also let Little J apply it himself while I supervise. As a busy 2 1/2 year old, he loves to do things himself.
Avishi Organics has all the ingredients of their balm listed on their website. Ingredients include coconut oil, neem oil, plantain, organic beeswax, and vitamin E.

Overall, I’m pleased with this product. In fact, this reminds me to go put some on my son’s leg… Okay, I’m back and just took a photo, so you can see what his eczema spot looks like tonight (that’s the “after” photo that I stuck up above). A little goes a long way with this product, so I’m pretty sure this balm will last us all winter…probably two winters.

If you or your little one suffers from dry skin, I recommend you give this a try. And, of course, you can always use this as a diaper rash cream! Visit Avishi Organics to learn more.

Note: I received a free tube of Intensive Baby Balm from Avishi Organics. The opinions reflected above are my own and may differ from others.