the weight loss papers

Well, hello! Long time, no speak. I’ve had sick kids - one with allergy and sinus problems, one with a toothache, one with a stomach flu and a pre-schooler with a serious case of attitude. And I have had another sinus infection (allergy related, too).

Anyway, I wanted to briefly update my plan and talk about some things I’ve been doing lately that I’m really liking a lot. The last few times I posted, I mentioned Blended Salads and I’m still drinking those - I really like them and I can even get my husband to drink them. That’s always a bonus. I’ve found, though, that although I love avocados, I don’t really like them in the blended salad.

My favorite blended salad is a couple handfuls of 50/50 Spring Mix (lettuce variety with spinach) and a handful of extra Baby Spinach blended with 12 oz of water, 2 tablespoons of flaxseed, 2-3 cloves of garlic, and a splash of fresh lemon juice.

I like to drink the blended salad in the afternoon and I’ve been making a quart size container of it which lasts 2-3 days in the refrigerator and still tastes fresh and great.

Now, breakfast is the hardest meal for me because I’m either allergic to, or just plain don’t like a lot of traditional breakfast foods. It’s one of my biggest struggles food-wise - what to eat for breakfast. I’d just as soon not eat it at all. However, skipping meals is not a good idea especially for a person intent on losing weight and maintaining it.

So, in the mornings, I’ve been drinking a fruit-berry smoothie - once at breakfast and then again for mid-morning snack. My favorite blend is 1/2 cup of raspberries, a medium banana, 1/2 cup of mangos and about 20 oz of water. It makes a couple of 10-12 oz servings. (Make sure to cut the banana up into 1-2 inch chunks for easy blending.)

I love oranges but I’m allergic to them so I can’t eat them. But I’ve been adding some extra fiber to my meal plan (and some orange flavor) by using an orange-flavored, powdered fiber supplement (like Metamucil). Sometimes I add it to my morning smoothie and sometimes I just drink a glassful mixed as per the package directions. I also generally have a slice of a good whole grain or oat bread with the smoothie.

You know, I’m the kind of person who could pretty much eat the same things day in and day out and not get tired of them. But part of a good, healthy eating plan includes a variety of foods and combinations of foods. Lunch is one of the things I have the hardest time with in getting a good variety because I don’t really like to eat sandwiches and such. As a result, I often eat soup - lentil, black bean, split pea or tomato. Sometimes I will eat beef stew or chicken noodle or some other variety.

Sometimes I’ll have a blended salad or tuna on whole wheat pita bread with a little spinach and fresh tomatoes for lunch. That’s pretty good. I don’t put anything on my tuna other than sometimes a bit of mustard or some roasted red pepper vinaigrette. I also have some tomato basil vinaigrette that’s very good on with tuna or I’ll put my tuna in some lemon spinach couscous.

One of my favorite dinners is a plate with a couple handfuls of baby spinach, some green beans, a couple tablespoons of chickpeas, some diced tomatoes, a couple minced cloves of garlic and a splash of tomato basil vinaigrette. I briefly warm the spinach, green beans and chickpeas in the microwave (just enough to begin to wilt the spinach - 45 seconds or so and warm the beans) and then add the rest. Once in a while, I’ll crumble a bit of feta cheese on top or add some chicken breast pieces.

Other vegetables I really enjoy are broccoli, zucchini, carrots and peas. I’ll often stir fry them with some peppers and onions and put them over warmed spinach with a baked salmon filet. Very good. Salmon also tastes great with couscous.

When I follow the six small meals per day plan, I don’t get hungry and I don’t have to eat as much. I think that’s where most people have the problems - they let themselves get too hungry. And I know when I do that, I have a greater tendency to load up on things like rice or bread and stuff like that or to eat things like sweets or quick boxed meals. I think the biggest key is to eat enough to feel satisfied throughout the day. It also helps keep metabolism up and thus burns more calories.

And lastly, I continue to exercise. Now, I’ll admit I haven’t been working out in the mornings. Since I got sick back February, I just can’t get up that early. I’ve never been a morning person and I think trying to push myself to be one, really was more harmful than good and is what lead me to getting sick in the first place. So, I haven’t been working out in the morning - other than my daily walk (1.5 miles in the morning and 1.5 miles in the afternoon) - and I still need to find a good time to get that in. Once I get the kids up for school, though, everything becomes a rush and I find it’s lunch time or after school before I have a chance to even think about working out.

I might have to get the little kids settled into an activity when we get back from walking the kids to school and do it then. That might just work. The key will be finding something to the occupy them long enough to get a good workout. I like to aim for 20 minutes at the least and 30-40 at the most so if you’ve ever been around pre-school age children, you know finding something for them to do for that length of time can be quite the challenge!

Anyway, I’ve rambled on enough for now. I hope you haven’t gotten bored!

See you next time, (hopefully tomorrow)

Spring is my favorite time of year. Everything is beginning to grow, the sun starts shining a little more often and of course, days get longer. It means I can get outside more. Sometimes being stuck inside due to bad weather all winter is mighty draining. I welcome Spring with open arms!

Today it’s relatively nice here in the Pacific Northwest, albeit a little cold. At least the sun is out. Walking when the sun is out and the air is a bit chilly is refreshing. I walked twice day, as usual. Once this morning to take my kids to school and then again to pick them up this afternoon.

I still have not gotten back to the strength training, though. The last time we all got sick back in February, it really just took a lot out of me and then the time change a few weeks later didn’t help any. The time change always royally screws with my inner clock and although I can usually shake it off within a few days, I haven’t been so lucky this year. But as soon as I can get to back it without causing any adverse health effects for myself, I plan to do so. Hopefully it’s sooner than later.

Anyway, I’m still not seeing much effects from the veggie juice yet. Today I haven’t followed the suggestions all that well - I had a pita sandwich with spinach and chicken for lunch. I must say, though, that my nose doesn’t seem quite as stuffy as it has been for the last several weeks and I can smell better. Maybe it’s having some success? I’ll keep trying it and find out.

Hope you’re enjoying your day!

~ Annie

I mentioned Saturday that I planned to follow the suggestions in the article about candida. So, I actually started following it Saturday and so far, so good. Haven’t noticed much yet but since it’s only been basically two days and not even quite three this morning, I won’t complain.

I have some healthy greens that you mix with water. They’re Isagenix and even though I don’t do Isagenix anymore, really (at least not the shakes), I still have some products and I do continue to use a few things (like the healthy greens and fruits). I just didn’t like the shakes after a while and had to stop using them. It got the point that the stuff just made me gag.

Aside from following the eating suggestions, I’m continuing the exercise - walking every day about 3 miles and will start strength training daily again here soon. With everyone being sick off and on for the past few weeks, I haven’t had much time (or inclination) to use the weight machine regularly.

So, that’s it for me. How are you doing and what’s your plan for this week? Post in the comments or feel free to write a post on your blog and link back here if you’d like.

Talk soon,

~ Annie

The past week has been a bit of a roller coaster. My husband was home on vacation, painting the house interior and such but 2 of the kids ended up ill so they were home as well. It was a bit hectic. As a result, I didn’t maintain my plan. Even so, I didn’t eat too badly but exercise - aside from helping paint an hour or two a day - was non-existent. Since the kids were home sick, I didn’t even get in my normal walking routine of before and after school.

Thankfully, I have a pretty routine grocery list I stick to so although I neglected to make a menu last week and my husband did the majority of the cooking, our meals were rather healthy. I just simply don’t buy junk to begin with (except the occasional cake or other sweet for someone’s birthday).

One of the things that helps, not only with eating right, but also on the food budget, is to make a shopping list. This is why creating a weekly menu is so beneficial - it makes writing out your shopping list ultra easy. It also helps cut down on buying junk especially if you follow a simple rule - if it’s not on the list, don’t buy it! Unless it’s something essential to your menu that you completely forgot to write in. However, this shouldn’t happen if you’re diligently following your menu for the week as your write your list out.

So, I’ll say it was a good week nonetheless.
I’ve got some cool recipes planned for later this week and tomorrow I plan to talk about some more tips that I’ve found useful. Feel free to post your suggestions in the comments. Don’t be shy!!

Let me know what you think - do you plan a menu? Use a shopping list? Why or why not?

To your health,

~ Annie

Just thought I’d share my workout plan with you. This is basically what I do weekly for exercise and activity.

The plan is to workout 6 days per week - Monday thru Saturday - with 3 days targeting upper body and 3 days targeting lower body. Each day, I do both strength training and cardio type workouts. And I try to workout first thing in the morning (between 6 and 7 a.m.) as it actually helps raise your metabolism for the entire day, allowing you to burn *more* calories!

Sample Week Schedule -

• Monday - Wednesday - Friday

• Upper body - butterfly, lateral pull-down, bench press
• Cardio - walking 3 miles (1.5 am/ 1.5 pm)
• Stretching exercises or stability ball

• Tuesday - Thursday - Saturday

• Lower body - leg press, leg raise
• Cardio - walking 3 miles (1.5 am/ 1.5 pm) and Gazelle for 20 minutes
• Stretching exercises or stability ball

And that’s it! I change the exercises every week or two to target different muscles and keep from getting bored. This also helps get over those plateaus.

~ Annie