I’ve been saying this phrase a lot recently. To the dogs when they act up: “Begbie stop it. I’m over it.” To the politicians on the radio: “Seriously? No way. I’m over it” (and then I turn the radio off). Men? HA! “Over it”.
But today…today I succumb to the frustration of something I have put a lot of time and energy into over the past few months. And today I say…”Calorie-Counting…I’m over it!!!!!”
I’ve really been making a concerted effort to drop the weight that I’ve gained over the past few years. Generally, I’m doing fairly well. I haven’t lost any pounds yet, but with working out every day, everything in my body is tighter, stronger and healthier, and it shows...but only a little. My pants are even a little loose...but only a little. I’ve even gotten to enjoy some of the workouts that I do, instead of moaning and groaning about the prospect of going to the gym. Cardio Barre is like crack – it will kill you, but it’s amazing (that’s an exaggeration of course, and I’ve never tried crack, so I couldn’t really tell you about it).
The problem is with the diet. This time around I have been counting my calories, and for some time thought that I had been doing fairly well. But after 2 months I haven’t lost anything. And that is just not right. Now, I admit that I have cheated here and there, but I still should be down AT LEAST two pounds, muscle growth and everything. Nada. But what’s really bothering me is my energy level. When I go over my calories, I feel fine, but worry that I’m not going to lose weight as quickly (also counter-productive). When I am at my calorie limit I’m tired and hungry as hell…even if I make sure to eat only healthy foods. But I don’t want to eat more for fear of sabotaging my diet!
So, today I say to calorie-counting, “I’m over it.” I’m going to stop burdening myself. The calorie count for my exercise (calories burned) is never accurate anyway. But that doesn’t mean that I will give up. So here is what I WILL do:
- Continue my exercise regiment, and even increase it as my strength and endurance builds.
- Continue to avoid foods that contain gluten and dairy (but I won’t be mad at myself if I have some whole wheat from time to time).
- Keep my carb intake low.
- Do my VERY BEST (no promises) to stay away from the refined sugar (it’s my crack) and sweets.
- Generally eat in a healthy way, increasing my fruits and vegetables and limiting my portions (not over-eating at meals).
- Drink plenty of water.
- Limit alcohol consumption (I’m getting too old for these hangovers, anyway).
- Meditate daily, and stay stress-free.
Ideally this will maintain a healthy level of energy while keeping my metabolism up and still burning calories, even if it’s only a few calories at a time. Something is better than nothing, and nothing happens overnight! So we’ll see. I’ll try it for the next month, and check back in in October. In the meantime…staying positive and motivated!
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So that's part one. And I can tell you, that so far I feel A TON better. We'll se how it goes. Now the fun part...discovering foods and ways of cooking that are relatively healthy.
I actually like to cook, and when I really get into healthy eating, I have fun coming up with new dishes that are both healthy AND yummy. But what I really wanted to share today, was how I've put meals together on the fly without killing the nutritional aspect...and I give all of the credit to Trader Joe's.
Most of you know I'm constantly on the go, driving from home to a client, from a client to the chiropractor back home, to the gym back to the chiropractor, back home, etc. I'm also hypoglycemic, so if I don't eat regularly I get crazy (like, you don't want to be around me, obnoxious). So I've been eating out a lot, which is neither good for the stomach or the wallet. The funnier thing is, when I go shopping I try to avoid getting processed foods at all cost...but then what do I eat when I go out? Processed foods.
So I came to a compromise. I bought a few items from Trader Joe's that may be slightly processed but are still relatively healthy, so that I could quickly throw together dishes that mimicked what I was buying in fast food. Buying pre-packaged hummus may not be as wonderful as making fresh hummus, but it certainly beats a burger.
Today's quick concoction: Spanakopita with Falafel and tzatziki on a bed of mixed greens.
Geddit! All from Trader Joe's. Cooked spanakopita in the oven while I showered....the frozen falafel takes 1 minute to heat up in the microwave and I placed it on top of the greens with a large spoonful of tzatziki. Yum!
Clearly I'm on a Mediterranean kick. But no more Daphne's on the run. They deep-fry their spanakopita, too...it's kinda gross.
And, if I really need to grab a meal on the fly, I'll grab a Trader Joe's salad or wrap, instead of hitting the drive-thru (that is, if I can spend the 10 extra minutes trying to grab a spot in their zoo of a parking lot). ;)
