diet

Here’s what. What three things are you obsessed with?

| cheriarmour

You guys literally get so much of me today, you probably can’t stand it right?  So last week, I did my “Here’s What,” as a tribute to the great Andrew Cohen, the executive producer of like, so much amazing stuff on Bravo.  And here we are, back again for the second round on Friday.

So, here’s what.

  • Buying these Oreos last night.

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I think I told you guys that Oreo was coming out with two limited edition flavors.  One of them is like super weird, so I really couldn’t bring myself to try them, but last night, after a friend alerted me of their arrival to the local Food Lion, I grabbed them on the way home from class, and waited until after dinner to try them.  The verdict?  They wasn’t all dat.  They wasn’t all dat at all, and they’re really too sweet for anyone to be feeding them to their children.  I’m still convinced that the best part of the Oreo is that outside cookie part.

  • Veggie Dinner. 

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I’ve talked to you guys about my love of veggie dinner, which is when you heat up a bag of vegetables, throw some protein in it (like some tofu or an egg), and then you eat it.  Low-cal, easy, and a good way to get back on track if you feel like you’ve been eating nothing but crap all day.  Veggies and Oreos.  My kinda lady.

  • And finally, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the treadmill has been a good friend for the past few weeks.  In case you’ve been out of touch with the mainland here, last week the weather in North Carolina was atrocious, especially by southern standards.  Running outside was not only really uncomfortable, but it also sorta dangerous.  We don’t have equipment to really plow a whole lot of snow and ice, so a lot of the sidewalks, trails, and driveways were totally iced over for the week.  So that said, I took to the treadmill for a few of the longer runs last week, and actually survived with the help of Netflix.  Now quite obviously, I’d rather be outside just so I don’t have to make conversation every time someone wants to use my treadmill, but I’ll take what I can.

What three things are you obsessed with this week? 

Piggybacking

| cheriarmour

PS, piggybacking was the buzzword of the century when I was in college.  Seriously.  But moving right along!

Piggbacking off of my emotions regarding Rachel Frederickson’s weight loss, I’ve noticed this really weird phenomenon regarding women and their weight.

We can’t win.

In college, I gained a pretty decent amount of weight, which I’ve been really open about here.  But I supposed a lot of people I’ve known in the recent years might not know that.  So anyhoo, at the end of my freshman year, I was at Cram Jam, which was, coincidentally, a late night brunch so you could have fuel to study.  I ran into this girl, Kea, who I’d known in high school.  Kea greeted me by grabbing my stomach, and practically yelling, “Man, you’ve put on some weight.”

The day of Elon’s graduation, I actually graduated wearing this cute slinky skater dress because I couldn’t zip up the floral strapless garden party dress that I’d been intending to wear.  Another blow.

This is what I ended up wearing at graduation when I discovered the dress I wanted to wear wouldn't zip up.
This is what I ended up wearing at graduation when I discovered the dress I wanted to wear wouldn’t zip up. Ouch!

So in my mind at that point, I’m thinking that if I lose the bit of weight that I needed to, the comments should stop, right?

Well.

After losing the weight, I got a few backhanded “compliments” from folks that would get filed in the same manila folder entitled “rude-ass comments that people need to keep to themselves.”  One was when I saw a guy who I hadn’t seen in a while at the gym who stated “I wasn’t sure that was you!  I knew you’d lost a ton of weight, but I couldn’t recognize you!”  But the amount of weight I’d lost wasn’t like hundreds of pounds, so I’m guessing he was just saying that for dramatic effect.  And most recently, a superior of mine directed my direct supervisor to grab me an extra brownie after I went for the salad in the conference room, as she was “concerned about my weight.”

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t take a whole lot of stock in what folks say about my weight, for larger or smaller, however I really feel like I can’t win between a girl physically grabbing my belly, and then the uncomfortable levels of attention I started receiving upon losing just a little bit of weight.

So how do you comment on someone’s appearance without making it about a number on the scale?

  1. Don’t mostly.  Seriously, if you’re not good with your words, just don’t say anything.
  2. Try to avoid the words skinny, fat, or anything that is indicative of a number.  One of the nicest compliments I received was from my dad, when he told me how strong I looked after a stint at the camp.  I won’t ever forget that!
  3. If you’re truly concerned about someone’s weight, for bigger or for smaller, ask if they’re okay.  “Are you okay?  I’ve just been sorta worried about you lately!”  Please avoid announcing to the room that they could lose a few or they could eat a brownie.  If someone’s truly sick, your offer of a brownie really isn’t going to help them out.  Just FYI.

So what do you think?  You ever feel like you just can’t win?

The Biggest Loser

| cheriarmour

I, like so many of you, woke up yesterday morning, and after logging into all the social media accounts, was bombarded by news of ‘The Biggest Loser’ finale.

For anyone who may have been sleeping under a rock, here’s what went down.

Rachel Frederickson was named as the winner of TBL on NBC at the finale on Tuesday night.  As of all accounts, she was looking fantastic during the finale episode, and in the months between that episode and the finale, Rachel managed to lose a decent amount of additional weight, and appeared, by many accounts “shockingly thin” at the finale on Tuesday evening.

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TBL via YouTube

Off of her previously 260-lb frame, the former athlete dropped 155-lbs, and nearly 60% of her body fat percentage.

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via NBC

The responses following the finale ranged from what seemed like genuine concern, to downright evil.

Here are a few of my thoughts on Rachel Fredrickson and her weight loss.

  1. First and foremost, I honestly feel/have felt conflicted about the situation since the finale.  Is she too thin?  Did she lose too much?  Is she healthy?  And the reason why I feel conflicted is that there’s really no way to know what’s going on in her head.
  2. Admittedly, Rachel seemed a little disconnected when she gave this interview to Reality TV World, however, it’s perfectly acceptable that she might be considered she’s been in weight-loss land for the better piece of a year.  She never directly addressed questions regarding whether she’d lost too much, but does she have to?
  3. When you lose weight, sometimes you lose sight of what you look like, or how other people may perceive you.  You see the same girl in the mirror every day, and though she’s becoming stronger, maybe smaller, and fitter, it’s hard to gauge when you’ve gone too far.  So, it’s entirely possible that as she’s been locked up in weight-loss land, and really has no sense of what’s going on.
  4. “She obviously developed an eating disorder when she was doing the show.”  That may be, but that’s kind of a terrible thing to say and speculate on, especially considered that none of us have watched her throwing up her food, overexercising, or completely starving herself.  Yes, she appears extremely thin in the photos, and there is no denying that.  However, that’s a a really, truly serious thing to speculate on, and that’s really between her and her doctor.  And finally….
  5. I think we forgot something.  Rachel Frederickson is a human being who probably isn’t a hermit and read and heard some of the things that were said about her.  At this point, she’s gone from probably being criticized for the better part of her life.  She was a fit athlete who blew up, weight-wise.  That couldn’t have felt good.  She worked down to what she felt like was a great goal weight, and is now being criticized for where she is.  Would she look beautiful perhaps at 120?  Maybe?  But again, that’s really between her and her doctor, and not necessarily for me to say.

Like I said, I feel horrible for her, and I truly hope she feels strong, happy, and healthy.  Now, tell me, what do you think of Tueday’s finale?  Have you ever felt criticized for your weight?  How you you think this will change TBL in the future?  

My week in food.

| cheriarmour

I promised last week that I’d send what a week in my diet looked like.  I don’t break promises, so here goes!

Friday

  • Breakfast: A banana, almond milk, and peanut butter smoothie.  This is one of my favorite breakfasts to make because it tastes like a total treat.
  • Lunch:  Easy!  A salad with broccoli slaw and balsamic vinaigrette.  I garnished it with some feta cheese.
  • Dinn:  I went really lazy with this one.  I had a butternut squash soup that I bought from Harris Teeter.
  • Snacks:  Fage total split cup, a rice krispies treat, and green seedless grapes.  Not all at the same time.  Duh.

Saturday

  • Breakfast: A monster trail mix bar and green seedless grapes.
  • Lunch:  A creation that I like to call a zesty rice bowl.  I make yellow saffron rice, combine it with black beans, corn, salsa, and a dollop of sour cream.  It’s delightful, and super cheap, especially for students.
  • Dinner: The samsies!  I had some left over.
  • Snacks:  The Fage total split cup, a grande latte with skim and two splenda, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Sunday

  • Brunch: French toast, and fruit.  About 1000 mimosas.  Sorry not sorry.

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Monday

  • Breakfast:  I’m a creature of habit – I went for that same banana peanut butter smoothie.
  • Lunch: I had more zesty rice bowl left over.  So I ate that!  Cheap!
  • Dinner:  This.
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This is all vegetarian. Broccoli (which I inhaled), chicken fried tofu, and vegetarian mac and cheese. There was enough for me to eat for lunch again the next day.

Tuesday

  • Breakfast: My same naner smoothie and a large latte with skim.
  • Lunch:  Half of the dinner from the night before.
  • Dinner:  I was craving breakfast for dinner, so I made an egg and cheese sandwich on wheat, and baked some new potatoes (the little baby ones) in lieu of fried hash browns.  I love making comfort food a little lighter, and breakfast is definitely my comfort.
  • Snacks:  Before my workout, I made the nastiest concoction of beans – black beans, corn, and salsa.  I called it a bean salad.  I’m gross, I know.

Wednesday

  • Breakfast:  An Amy’s breakfast burrito.  Have you had these?  So good.

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  • Lunch:  Okay, today was a bad day.  I had another Amy’s burrito.
  • Dinner:  I went for the breakfast for dinner again. Yum!
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Two fresh eggs from my future sister-in-law!

Thursday

  • Breakfast:  A large latte with skim and two Splenda, and an egg and cheese on whole wheat.
  • Lunch:  Lunch was BORING.  Just another salad, with feta, Gardein, and broccoli slaw.
  • Dinner: This
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A Whole Foods Southern meal! Some BBQ Tofu, brown rice, a teeny bit of mac & cheese, and a corn fritter.

A week in my boring meals. They may be boring and repetitive, but they keep me moving.  What is your diet like throughout the week?  Anything that you consistently eat?  Anything that you won’t consistently eat?  

On weight loss.

| cheriarmour

This is that time of year where Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, and Hydroxycut commercials are hitting hard and heavy.  And that’s certainly not to say that all of these things are bad, I personally think that Weight Watchers is one of the best programs out there.  But with everything that’s out there, I’m sure that’s it’s really tempting to try a pill or a chew or something that you sprinkle on your food to help you out to reach your weight loss goals.  But truthfully, as someone who lamented over her weight for a looooooong time, rest assured that none of those things will work.

2010
This was me in the spring of 2010, and I think I weighed approximately 160 at my heaviest.

Then here’s me again.

2011
This is me in 2011 at about 128.

So currently, I rest comfortably around 129 lbs or so, and here’s how I did it.  There were no powders, or magic fixes.

  1. I got rid of dead weight.  Literally, and figuratively.  I started hanging out with people who were like-minded.  Instead of spending time at the bar, I started spending more time in the gym and in my bed.  Did wonders for the bod.
  2. I did a stint at fat camp.  Sorta.  I worked at Camp Pocono Trails as a fitness instructor, more specifically a Zumba instructor, and instead of sneaking my own food and going off the plan, I followed the same plan that the kids were on.  As a fitness instructor, I really would never make my clients do anything that I wouldn’t do myself, and the same went for food.
  3. I stopped counting teaching a class as a workout…
  4. And put a priority on doing my own workout in addition. 
  5. I started using measuring cups to measure my food.  Which sounds insane, but if you’re on any kind of plan like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig, they’ll tell you the same.
  6. I started logging all my food in an app on my phone/iPod so I could make sure I was in a caloric deficit on most, not all days. 
  7. Annnnd, as I got more into the fitness aspect, I started adding a variety of fitness classes.  Yoga, lifting, I tried Barre, swimming.  

With all of this said, I can honestly say right now, since I’m not really trying to lose weight, I have pulled back a little bit on logging every morsel that goes into my mouth, with the idea that I simply want to nourish my body, rather than lose part of it.

But my gift to you?  If you want it, of course.

For the next week, I will log every morsel and every workout, and bring it to you this time next week.  I’ll critique it, cause I’m definitely not perfect, point out the good stuff, and add a few tips for those of you looking to shed a few pounds.  Who’s in?  

 

 

 

 

This week’s fit challenge! No alcohol!

| cheriarmour

I just wasn’t feeling it anymore last week.  I had two glasses of some cheap red wine at a social thingie, and woke up the next morning with the headache from hell.

You guys know I love my beer, so it was a tough decision.
You guys know I love my beer, so it was a tough decision.

It really shouldn’t have been enough to make me feel so sick, but the entire next day, I had the nastiest feeling, and I was just done.  And for a slightly indefinite period, I decided that I was off the sauce.

I mean, it’s truly not the worst thing in the world to happen to my diet.  Alcohol leads to drunkness, bloating, and poor life decisions, so I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on a whole lot, and I swear that my tummy is looking a little more muscular as of the last few days.

I’m no doctor, so don’t be an idiot about this, but if you’ve been toying with the idea of taking a little break from the Devil’s urine, (I kid, I kid), consider taking a little hiatus.  

I’m not sure how long I’m gonna go, but I’m feeling pretty good, more clearheaded, and I’ve been substituting beer or wine for some club soda or sparkling water with a little lime, and usually nobody asks any questions.  

Of course, two people have already asked if I’m expecting (I’m not), but other than that, it’s been relatively pain-free!

How will you challenge yourself this week? 

What was your fatty meal?

| cheriarmour

Waffle

 

We all have one.  The meal you ate way too much of hungover in college.  You ate it when you were 40 pounds heavier than you are now.  And now you only eat it once or twice a year, but when you do, it’s literally the best meal you’ve ever eaten in your life.

Mine was anything breakfast related, but in particular, an egg and cheese biscuit and plain hash browns from the Waffle House.

Well yesterday, I was meeting someone at the coffee house over by State, and I saw it.  They’re opening a Waffle House and they’re hiring.  Should I quit my full-time gig?

I kid.  (Kinda!)

But what’s your meal?  

I know, I know, I’m so late with a post!

| cheriarmour

I’m sorry.  But if it makes you feel any better, here is a picture of my cat.

photo-8You can’t be mad at me, most especially when I’m giving you photos of my dear sweet Martin, right?

But I have a good excuse.  I’ve taken a trip down to see my sister in Orlando (she works for Disney), and I will be running in actual balmy temps for once come tomorrow!  Eep!  I’m so excited.

But with all the nasty weather in the country, a trip that should have taken me only half the day, took all day.  I slept on the plane between Raleigh and Charlotte, and thank you Jesus for my running abilities, because, due to the delays, I found myself running in heels through Charlotte Douglas, and quite hungry I might add.

I hunted the airport for something edible that wasn’t Moes or Sbarros, and came up with this, which cost me $6.38.

photo-9Needless to say, Mama was still quite hungry when she finished her expensive “dinner,” and I immediately asked my sister to find me some dinner as soon as she picked me up from the behemoth of an airport that was Orlando’s airport.

So after a harrowing day of travel, Kimmy (the youngest sister) provided me with a glass to ease my travel troubles.

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And the best part?  This is the only wine glass she owns.  I’ve taught her nothing.

So don’t be mad, I promise, I will update you with all the things tomorrow.  But in the meantime, I’ve got a serious question for you. I did my 5 miles on the treadmill at the gym yesterday, January 1st, and the gym was totally dead.  Where was everyone?  When are you starting some of your New Years Resolutions? 

 

 

Veggie Dinner

| cheriarmour

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Veggie dinner is my technical term for the kind of dinners I usually go for on nights after NYE celebrations. Too much cupcakes, too much champagne, and too much of a bellyache that next day.

So the day after too much celebrating, I’ll stir fry up so veggies, throw some eggs in there, and I swear, it tastes just like Chinese food, without the greasy stomachache after. Light on the cals, and light on your tummy!

What’s your go-to post celebration meal?