Diet/Weight Loss

I overdid it. Now what?

| cheriarmour

I celebrated Elon University’s Homecoming this past weekend.  Elon is many things.  It’s beautiful, stunningly beautiful.  The student body is smart, attractive, and critical thinkers.  And…we know how to throw a party.  I’m not really going to get into what all I ate/drank yesterday, but suffice it to say, it was off my normal nutritional path.

Homecoming

So, with the holidays approaching, it may happen.  To me, to you, we may overindulge in drinks, food, and feel terrible about ourselves for the rest of the day.  So what do we do when we overindulge?  With the help of our friend, hot mom, Maria Kang, I’ve compiled a few tips to help you beat after-overdoing it despair.  Not that I’d know…

  • If you can, make a plan so that you don’t actually overdo it.  Two Thanksgivings ago, my sister made an amazing pumpkin pie.  I ate SO much pie, that I felt sick for like two days after.  If I’d approached that meal a little more reasonably (like only had a teeny bit of everything), I probably would have saved myself a ton of grief.  Plan.  Plan.  Plan.

So you’ve actually overdone it, and you feel like you need to be rolled to you car…

  • Don’t do this. “Well the day’s already gone to hell, might as well eat everything in sight.” Don’t starve yourself either, though.  Take it one meal at a time.  And your next meal?  It might not be a bad idea to eat something nice and light, so at the very least, you don’t feel like crap the next day.  A salad, some veggies, just something that won’t make you feel like you’ve compounded your issues.
  • Drink water.  For me, it feels like the water flushes out some of the nasty you’ve had.  If you’ve had a meal high in sodium or fat in particular, this tip works wonders.
  • Work out!  This probably isn’t the time for your 20-miler.  And it SHOULD NOT, should not, be viewed as a punishment for yourself.  Just go for a brisk walk to kind of get the gross moving.
  • Do better.  Just move on.  You had a good time, and got a little rowdy with libations.  Next time, plan for better, and try to recommit to healthy foods for the rest of the week.

Do you guys have any tips you like to follow to get back on track after a particularly gnarly meal?

La Boulange blows (at Starbucks)

| cheriarmour

So you guys know, I’m like super serious about my coffee right?  Ever since I’ve started to experience some GI issues, I’ve had to switch to decaf, which was sort of hard, but the fact is, if I’m consuming something that could potentially burn holes into the lining of my stomach, it’s time to make some changes.

I love my Starbucks. To date, one of the best gifts that I’ve ever gotten came from Debbie last year.  It was a Kindle gift certificate + a Starbucks gift card.  Incredible, and awesome on the budget, cause my budgeting software didn’t have to know that I was still visiting Starbucks at least once a week.

So, the food at Starbucks has always sucked.  That’s just a given, you don’t go the Starbucks to enjoy their scones and rice krispies treats right?

So I was delighted when I heard that Starbucks had worked out a huge deal with La Boulange, a popular bakery in San Francisco, and that they’d be bringing those treats to their stores.  I’d heard great things about La Boulange, so why wouldn’t it be great?  Well leave it to a huge corporation to screw it up.

Boulange

Finally, La Boulange made it to a store near me, here in Raleigh.  I figured, if for nothing else, let me try this food to try to report to my sweet blog followers what I’d found.  Okay.  I ordered one of those croissant things with the like treat cooked into the middle.  I went with a tomato-y and cheese one.  It was prior to nutrition facts being posted, and I couldn’t find them online, so I took my best educated guess as to what my best option was.

It was so gross.  Not a little gross, it was super nasty.  It was soggy in the middle, and smelled like cafeteria food.  So of course, I ate it.

It was soggy.  And that’s all I need to say.  The minute I get something soggy, I’m out folks.

I’ve researched the choices Starbucks had made, as well, by checking up on the nutrition facts that they’ve posted (thank you, thank you Jesus for folks now being required to post those), and it’s awful.  Barely anything under 300 calories, and the one “healthy” item?  The reduced fat pumpkin cream cheese loaf which weighs in with 10g of fat and 34g of sugar?  Uhhh, no thanks, I’m totally good.

Long story short, I’m sure La Boulange is awesome.  I love boulangeries, and I actually worked in a bakery for some time after grad school.  I have nothing against delicious treats.  But when someone comes in and perverts them?  Oh yes, we’ve got big problems.

Vegan?

| cheriarmour

I’m desperately trying to figure this out.

So we all know by now, unfortunately, that I’ve been having some GI issues, issues that culminated in me vomiting mid 26.2 last weekend.  Hey, it happens.  But it makes working out difficult.

So I’ve since scheduled a gastroenterology appointment, and in the meantime, I’ve been slamming Tums and Prilosec like my life depends on it.  An ulcer is the suspected culprit of my troubles, though.

I’ve been doing a little research, and I’m trying to eat foods that are gentle on my belly – so less booze, NO caffeine, and limited amounts of dairy.  I’ve made the switch from more pescatarian, to a full-on vegetarian diet, and the combination of all those things has proven only mildly helpful.  But as I do more research, signs are pointing to a gentle, possibly vegan diet, even temporarily, until we can get this all healed up.

So I’m thinking of trying it out, at least for a month, with extra emphasis on the dairy elimination part, as the dairy is the party that really makes things unbearable.

What do you guys think? Can any vegans out there help a brotha out?

(This means no eggnog lattes 😦 )

Remember our friend, Maria Kang? Maria, on #tbt

| cheriarmour

Maria was our hot mama who posted the photo on the web that created a viral firestorm.  If you missed my post on the action, click here.  I wasn’t sure that I loved her tagline, but I still am pretty impressed that she looks so great after 3 kids.  After working so hard at fitness before kids, I imagine it must be difficult to get back there after you have not one, or two, but three critters to chase around after.  It definitely makes me think twice before making an excuse to skip the sweat session.

Maria KangWell #tbt came around, and Maria posted this old photo of herself.  And I have to say it now, I’m now 100% jealous, and motivated to work a little harder.  Her “before” photo is really nothing to be ashamed of, she looks fabulous.

From her original photo, I’m still not sure I loved her tag, but kudos, our hot mom quite obviously made some steps to get where she is.  So Maria, kudos.  You were obviously a very pretty girl before, and obviously very hardworking after.  (She seems intelligent and well-spoken too, so she rocks.)

I broke my scale.

| cheriarmour

[Insert joke here]

But no really.  I was rushing around yesterday, and I knocked my Weight Watchers glass scale over.  It was leaning up against a wall so it wouldn’t sit in the middle of the floor, and when I was rushing out the door, I knocked it over, and it made a horrid noise.  I quickly put it back in its home, and didn’t think anything of it before I rushed off to teach another class.

Fast-forward to this morning, after I snuck in a really quick run.  I decided to step on the scale, pre-breakfast, when I noticed that the digital numbers weren’t computing.  In fact, the little window was blank.  So I kicked it.  I turned it over and scrambled with the batteries.  Nothing.

I think, if you’ve ever lost any amount of weight, or if you’re watching your weight, or if you work in a gym with insanely beautiful and fit chicks like I do, you tend to get sucked into the scale.  It’s especially annoying when you read one of those articles in like People’s Bodywatch section that give an actor’s height and weight.  You start to compare.  Well, I’m 5’8″ too, but nowhere near 110 lbs.  Am I missing something?  No, I’m not missing anything, that could be a lie, or it could be true, but I’m in phenomenal shape, and my body looks good.  Who cares about her number?

Paris

It’s not a problem for most of us, but you have to tell yourself that no, stepping on it every day or multiple times a day isn’t good for you.

So in short, I broke my scale.  But for now, I don’t think that’s a bad thing – in fact, I think I’ll take a little while to replace it, and give my mind a break from obsessing over those numbers.

Was this Obnoxious? What do you think?

| cheriarmour

I heard about her on the radio, and I was intrigued. A mother of three, a fitness enthusiast had posted the following photo on her Facebook page. I think at the time, the youngest was 8 months, and she’s raising a total of 3 boys.

Hot

And with the photo, came the uproar.

Some of the comments were supportive.  Some of them were nasty.  She was called everything from obnoxious to inspiring.

Here’s my thought.  I don’t know if it’s obnoxious.  I’m not a mom, and I’m not sure if I’ll be one.  But I know, even in my current place in life, that something like this makes me maybe a little, teeny bit envious, but mostly inspired.  I work hard on what I have, which makes me feel pretty confident.  Could it be better?  Probably not, I’m sexy as hell.  But I digress.

I’m trying to put myself in the shoes of some of the women who called her obnoxious.  Was it the tagline at the top?  The fact that she’s perceived as being genetically gifted?

Here’s what I think.  Maybe the tagline at the top was a little much.  But, but, big ol but, I can tell she works hard, and she’s proud off what she’s got.  And that’s okay, I think.  From what she’s said, she struggled at a time with bulimia, and now has eliminated television and gets up super early (heck, I’m not a mom and I could use some help in that department) to get her workouts in, for an hour at a time.   It sounds reasonable.

You guys know, usually I have a ton of opinions on things, but I’m really just not sure here.  What do you think? 

You ever have a workout that just sticks with you?

| cheriarmour

I had one of those a few years ago.  The Tone it Up girls, Karena and Katrina, were a pair of beautifully fit trainers that were featured in Shape magazine.  They have a whole website/blog thing happening, and I find myself often looking to their beautiful photos on IG and stuff to get a little inspiration from time to time.  Anyhoo, they posted in workout in 2011 that’s stuck with me, and I share it with you, almost 3 years later.

TIU Workout

I love this workout for a couple of reasons. 1, it’s super easy to do anywhere. You can do it in a gym, but if you don’t have access, you can do it in the yard, or anywhere. 2, you can change it up to make it yours, or make it a little more challenging. Instead of doing a 5-minute jog, why not a 5-minute sprint to work on some hills or to work on some speed? Add some weights to the lunges – whatever you need to do to make it more challenging. And 3, it’s pretty quick! You can get through these in the span of an hour, maximize time, and still have time to go to work, job search, or whatever it us you’re doing.  This is the perfect workout for someone on a time crunch, (and who isn’t,) so check it out, and check out the Tone it Up girls for a little bit of inspiration.

Recipe

| cheriarmour

So, twice this “fall” (it’s been warm as a mother frick, so that’s accounts for the “) I’ve had this incredible soup from Panera, their squash soup.  Squash is happy.  Squash is a really pretty color.  And it screams fall.  However, not for no $7.00 like I was paying for it.  I’m a social worker who’s getting married in less than a year, I really don’t need to be spending that kind of money on a bowl of soup, how delish it is.

Panera's Version
Panera’s Version

So I grabbed 4 small bags of frozen squash from the Super Target, and got started on a Crock Pot Creation that would mimic the soup I’d paid nearly ten bucks a few days earlier. Here’s how it turned out.

My Version!
My Version!

So here’s the recipe, especially if you’re in one of those places that actually gets a fall.

If you don’t have anything in your kitchen but Lean Cuisines (tsk, tsk, sodium watch!) head to the store and grab a few things.

  • Curry Powder
  • Rosemary
  • Some decent black pepper.  Cracked is cool.
  • Some salt.  I like big fat kosher salt.  Thank you, summer camp. 
  • Veggie Stock (low sodium!) Like two of those cartons should be good. 
  • A few bags of frozen squash OR if you have some extra chop time, some butternut squashes (can you make squash plural like that?)
  • Heavy Cream (it’s next to the milk)
  • A medium onion.

Now, you’re ready to crock.

  • Chop, then sauté a medium onion in an oil.  I used butter, but you can make it a little lighter with some olive oil, or a light butter, if you’re watching the saturated fat.
  • Throw a few bags of frozen squash into your crock pot.  If you have fresh, chop it, then throw it in.
  • Throw those onions with oil into the crock pot.
  • Thow in a tsp of rosemary
  • For a little warmth, throw in a spoonful of curry powder
  • Throw in a cup and a half of heavy cream.  Cut it with some water if the cream seems a little fatty to you.
  • Pour your veggie stock over the mixture, til your crock is pretty full, but leave a little room for it to simmer toward the end.  There’s nothing worse than cleaning burnt mixture out of your crock pot.
  • Add a tad bit of pepper, and only a teeny bit of salt.  You can add more to taste, but you don’t want to oversalt, especially in the crock pot.  It’s really annoying to fix.
  • Crock it for 10 hours.
  • This is the only weird part of the recipe.  When you get ready, spoon however much you want into a bowl.  Pour the entire mixture into the blender, and purée it so all the chunky squash is like, creamy and stuff. 
  • Most important part.  Eat it.  Make sure to casually bring up in conversation how you made this in the crock pot and you’re so domestical and stuff.  Very key.

Random and disturbing observation.

I think Panera must put food coloring in their version of this soup, because it’s always been slightly more orange than what I’m comfortable with.  Also, mine was not so orange.  For the love of God, why color a SOUP?!

Anyhoo,

Let me know how yours turns out, folks!

Be kind to yourself.

| cheriarmour

Hey, I need to follow my own advice.  I’m sometimes horrible to myself, and I’m on the more confident end of the confidence spectrum.  I’d be lying if I said I don’t stand in front of the mirror and kinda turn, and assess what’s going on.  More often than not though, I wink at myself, do a little dance, and conclude that I’m pretty boss.

But at yoga last week, the sweet, kind little teacher reminded us to “be kind to yourself. Be kind to everyone you meet.”  And I was so glad she’d reminded me of that, because I can use a little help in this department.

Zumba

One evening, earlier in the week, I taught an evening Zumba class.  Two of my regulars, loyal faithfuls who keep me on track, were present, and totally ready to go.  When the blonder of the two started.

“What’s wrong with these mirrors?”

“Girl I know!”

And the whole while, I’m standing there, completely puzzled. What were these two even talking about?

“The mirrors over here! They make you look bigger.”

“I know!”

They turned to me. Shit.  What did I do?

“Except for her.  They don’t ever make her look bigger.  I been coming for over a year and I ain’t never seen her look any bigger.”

I was stunned.  Let’s do the math.  So, according to these women, the mirrors in the studio are selectively choosing folks to make look bigger?  I don’t think so.

So ladies.  And gents, really, I don’t discriminate.  Be kind to yourself.  Spend the next week choosing your words wisely.  And the very second you’re tempted to poke at your tummy, frown at your skin, or pinch your butt, say something nice instead.