February 2015 – Yoga Pants Diary

February 27, 2015

Hungry vs. Hangry vs. Starving

Now that I am changing my fitness routine, I need to change my eating routine. In order to be a boxer, I need to eat like one. I’ve been taking boxing for a few weeks now and mixing it with my normal routine. I was expecting for my body to feel the adjustment and it definitely has. However, I wasn’t expecting it to effect my eating habits and it did.

So let’s look at the difference. Is being hungry ok? What is hangry? How will I know if I’m starving myself and not just dieting?

Hungry

It took me a long time at the beginning of my weight loss to understand hunger. I don’t think I’d been hungry for YEARS. I was overeating so often that one meal just ran into the next before I could begin to feel hungry. Now when I think about, I feel like I was stuffed for years. I didn’t even remember what feeling hungry really was. One of my first rules when I started dieting, is that I’d always wait to get hungry before the next meal or snack. This took a while to be routine, but now I just always do it. I try to listen to my body and let it tell me when it’s time. Now, I don’t like to eat if I’m not hungry.

If you are at the beginning of your weight loss, I encourage you to really listen to you body. How does it feel to be hungry? How much food makes you not hungry? What is the balance? If you’re not hungry before the next meal/snack, you’ve eaten too much at the last meal. Train your body to eat at the right times based on how much you’ve eaten.

Hangry

There is such a thing as TOO hungry. When you’re hunger is effecting your mental state, you’re too hungry . Try to eat within a half hour of getting hungry at least. When I have gone too long without eating, I get HANGRY. At this point, I’m so hungry, I’m willing to do almost anything to get food. Included: push old ladies out of the way, punch a puppy, throw myself down and cry, eat the 6 month old circus peanut floating around the bottom of my bag….etc. I usually get hangry when something else is out of control. Sometimes you have to wait longer than expected at a meeting, get caught socializing with someone…..so on. I try to not get to the ‘hangry stage’ if at all possible.

Not everyone gets Hangry. I do. Some people start to get sleepy. Others start to lose focus. If you are too hungry, it will start to effect your mental state. Do not do this to yourself. Eat as soon as possible. The people around you will thank you.

Starving

Sorry for the above picture. I want to rip this sign down and punch that girl the the face. The truth is YOU CAN BE TOO SKINNY. Also, you can starve yourself without being skinny. It is NEVER ok to skip a meal, eat way less or see how long you can go without eating. Never. I find the above photo repulsive.

What I really mean here is you could be starving yourself without realizing it. Make sure you have set your calorie goals with doctors advice or at least lots of research. You could be starving yourself without even knowing it.

What your stomach says when you’re not eating enough

“Hey. I need some food down here. Hey! Ok. Well if you’re not going to give me what I want, I’m going to hold on to every calorie I possibly can because I don’t know when I’m getting any more. I hate you. ”

What your stomach says when you’re eating enough

“Yo. Send me some food. Hey thanks! I only need this, and this, oh and that! I don’t need the rest of this and I know I’m getting more in 3 hours so….out you go!”

I’ve heard the phrase “I eat so well and just can’t lose any weight” over and over. This IS NOT true. Something is wrong. Either you’re eating too much or it’s possible you’re eating too little. A friend of mine got frustrated after not losing much weight after several months. We have the exact same fitness routine and I was melting away while she stayed the same. So we talked about her diet. She is a vegetarian and thought she was eating enough. I told her to start using My Fitness Pal to see what the app thought she should be eating. She found that she was eating way less than she should for her level of activity. After one week, she dropped three pounds. She was starving herself without knowing it.

Next Post: A Boxer’s Life – Sunday

February 18, 2015

Weight Loss Timeline

I have been wanting to do a photographic timeline of my weight loss since I hit my goal weight back in September. Now I’m glad I waited. After hitting my goal weight, it’s hard to feel my body changing. A lower number always meant I did the right thing and made the right choices. However, putting this timeline together shows me how much I’m STILL changing after hitting the magic number.

The more I look at the old photos of me, the more I can’t hate her. There’s so much of her that’s still with me today. In a lots of ways, I still feel just like her. There are days I feel no better than that person. It just happens. So I can’t hate her because she will always well….be me!

On the other hand, I am so clearly NOT that person any more. But it isn’t because I lost the weight. It isn’t because I counted calories. It definitely isn’t because I logged hours at the gym. It’s because I changed on the inside. I became independent. I made new friends and had new experiences. It’s because I DID something with my life.

I’ve been struggling with something to measure for a while now. I think I just need to relax and enjoy where I am. I don’t mean relax at the gym or with my fitness level because I just truly love it now. I mean mentally. I think I am still putting way too much mental thought into this whollllllllllle thing.

Today I feel awesome. I feel like I kicked my obesity’s ass. Take a look!

February 17, 2015February 17, 2015

Photos Don’t Lie

This week I have been collecting a lot of old and new photos to make a timeline of my weight loss. It has been surprisingly difficult. Photos of my body at my heaviest weight, DO NOT EXIST. I feel like I keep using the same 5 pictures of examples of how heavy I was over and over. So I spent a few hours going through old photos both digital and in print. Now I have maybe 10. All the photos I can find, only show my face. The reason for this is obvious. I didn’t want people to see it! It’s bad enough to have to walk around in a body like that but seeing it in a concrete photo makes it even worse.

There are definitely times when, even when I was huge, I felt beautiful and sexy. Here’s an example! Then: While this wasn’t my actual Wedding Day, this is a day that I felt beautiful. I felt sexy and confident in my wedding dress. This was a great day and I think the smile on my face shows it all.

Now: When I look at this photo now, I still think I look beautiful. I do think I look huge in my size 22 wedding dress but all my happiness outshines my size. True love really does conquer all, even making you look past how heavy I am.

However, my beautiful and confident days were few and far between. Here’s another example:

Then: This is a hot summer day in Las Vegas on my Honeymoon. I had bought new clothes just for the Las Vegas sun. I remember wanting to feel cute in this photo and being totally grossed about about my belly. I think I might have even cried right there on the Las Vegas Strip. Is that what I really looked like? Photos don’t lie and I wanted this photo to lie sooooo bad.

Now: Gross. Fat. Unhappy. This should have been another photo where my smile and happiness distract you from how I look, but it doesn’t. I was uncomfortable with how I looked that day and you can tell.

The beautiful and gross days still continue to this day. There are days I feel confident, sexy and ready to take on the world. This is how I feel most days now. BUT I do still have days that I feel gross and unattractive. Even after losing the weight, some days I feel fat. Even after losing the weight, there are things I don’t like about my body. Even after losing the weight, I’m still not always happy.

Here’s an example: Then: I remember feeling gross this day. This was the weekend I hit my goal weight. Even though I should have been over the moon, I just wasn’t. I wasn’t confident about how I looked and I was feeling really weird about the whole thing.

Now: Get over yourself. To everyone else, this picture is totally normal.

But there ARE days I feel SUPER hot. Then: I feel cute today. Let’s take some pics!

Now: Look at all that extra skin. Gross

People think losing weight just makes all your other problems go away. Thin=Happy right?

Sexy=No gross days right?

Confidence=Never feeling fat right?

No! To most people these last two photos probably look the same, but how I was feeling in both photos is totally different. YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR VISION.

The farther I get from my heaviest weight, the fatter I think I was. It’s so easy to lie to yourself and tell yourself it’s not that bad. It’s so easy to think, ‘it’s just a bad photo’. Bad photos exist and I think the lens that you view photos through depends on how you were feeling at that time. But photos can not lie. That is how you looked at that moment no matter what. It’s your emotions that change the way the photo seems.

February 15, 2015March 29, 2015

Nacho Sunday?!?

I was greatly looking forward to a workout at Red Rocks today, but alas the Denver weather is as surprising as usual. Even though I’ll take it over Chicago any day, the weather is always changing here. So instead of puking on stairs today, I’m hanging around the house. This is a rarity for me on the weekends; even more so is the fact that I’m cooking lunch.

I usually cook during the week but not very often on the weekends. We are usually so busy that we eat out pretty often on the weekends. So today I thought I’d try my skills at sharing a recipe. I look up recipes on pinterest all the time but rarely follow them. I’m constantly adding and subtracting from recipes. One of my favorite restaurants up the street, The Vine Street Pub, (also known as “the hippie place” to neighborhood folk) makes some killer chicken nachos. **Warning: Should you ever eat there, they only take cash! I always find myself thinking, “I could make this.” So I did. I now make this every other week or so. I love this meal.

As a kid, I would ask my mom to make tacos all the time. Every Friday in high school they served tacos. I love tacos. Tacos and nachos were a big reason why I weighed what I did. Tacos is a meal that I knew I had to figure out how to make healthier when I changed my lifestyle. I couldn’t go without tacos/nachos for the rest of my life. So here’s my recipe. Give it a try!

Chicken Nachos

1 lb. Ground Chicken
1 can black beans (low sodium, organic)
1 can of corn (low sodium, organic)
1/4 cup Taco Seasoning (I make my own – Recipe)
1/4 cup Frank’s Redhot Sauce Original
3/4 cup water
Salsa (Love: Trader Joes Chunky)
Cheese (Love: Trader Joes Cheddar)
Tortilla Chips of Choice
Optional: Chiles, Tomatoes, Jalepenos, other veggies

Steps

Brown Chicken until cooked through. Drain if necessary.
Add rinsed black beans, taco seasoning, Franks, and water.

Mix all together and bring to a simmer. Cook all the water out at med-high heat until the meat is nice and thick. It should look like this:

Set oven to 350 degrees. Build your nachos as you wish. My usual order is: Meat, lots of corn, salsa, cheese. If you have other veggies you love, go for it! I’m not a big pepper fan and I like the meat spicy. Feel free to use your imagination!

See notes about my chips and portion size and other tips!
Bake for 15-20 minutes until hot and delicious. Soooo much healthier than the way I used to make them and just as delicious.

NOTES:

Ground Chicken – I buy cage free, hormone fee, junk free ground chicken. It could easily be made with turkey or shredded chicken. I find that ground is usually cheapest and quickest to cook.
Corn and Beans – I buy organic, preservative free, low sodium at Trader Joes. It ends up being less than a 50 cent difference and an easy way to make a better choice.
Salsa – Again I buy preservative free at Trader Joes. I LOVE this salsa. I think it’s the perfect consistency and you can actually taste the vegetables. Why? Because all of it’s ingredients ARE vegetables. And since it’s from TJ’s: always no preservatives. Salsa is also low calorie! (5 calories a serving)
Cheese: I hate low-fat cheese. Hate it. I buy regular cheese for two reasons: Low fat sucks and I don’t drink cow milk. Since we drink soy milk, this is my only opportunity for dairy fats. Also, since I’m at goal weight, this is something I have added back into my diet.
Chips: The chips pictured are not my norm. We usually get blue or yellow organic corn tortillas chips. However, these were less than a dollar a bag on Christmas clearance. I finally opened the last bag today! I couldn’t pass up the deal!
Taco Seasoning – I REALLY recommend making your own. There are so many fillers in the store bought kind. Also, this is an easy way to cut out A LOT of sodium. You’d really be surprised.
Portion Size: I didn’t end up eating my whole portion but I could have. This meal is pretty protein packed and I am SORE today. Both the beans and the chicken are providing your protein. Since we aren’t using rice, the carbs aren’t too out of control either. This is a tasty meal that is very filling!

February 10, 2015February 10, 2015

Diet Rules that Don’t Bite

This January, I ordered several different fitness magazines. Now that I have a new lifestyle, even my reading and TV time is spent differently. While hanging at Starbucks last weekend, I read this article. It’s s great read!

Diet Resolution That Don’t Bite

Original Source: Fitness Magazine, January 2015 Issue

Just in the past two weeks, I’ve talked to two different people on juice fasts and someone trying Atkins. I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THESE DIETS. I understand that they work. I understand that people lose weight following these plans, however, they aren’t real life. All three of the people I’ve talked to on these crazy diets have expressed anxiety about ‘transitioning’ back to real eating. How about just trying real eating to begin with?

I feel like a lot of people are stuck in the old way of dieting. Most people think if you’re not hungry, angry and giving up everything you love, you’ll never lose weight. WHAT?! I did it eating almost all of the foods I love and never had to worry about transitioning back to real food. I ate real food the whole time; I just made much much different choices.

So give it a read. There are a lot of ‘diet rules’ that have been around forever that are simply just not true anymore. Science has advanced. Fitness has advanced. Medicine has advanced. It’s time for diets to advance.

February 1, 2015March 29, 2015

Fit Football

Just as you think the eating temptations and binges are over, Superbowl Sunday rears it’s ugly face. I don’t really care about football and probably won’t even be watching the game. Our house is a hockey house! However, since I know a lot of you WILL be watching the game, here’s some tips to make it through the day without regretting all the choices you made the next day.

Bring Your Own Food – I suggest this for any get together. I always bring a fruit or veggie/hummus tray when I go to parties. That way I know for sure that there will be things I can eat and not worry about. Look for a healthy dip or quick snacks you can bring for everyone to enjoy. People might not think of putting these options out today but you’d be surprised how many people will gravitate to what you brought. It’s also easier to say no to the fried food tray when the fruit tray is sitting right next to it.

Stand up! – Force yourself to stand while you eat. You will burn more calories standing while you eat, but that’s not the full point behind this tip. If you force yourself to stand while you eat, you’ll do less ‘robotic shoveling’ into your mouth while watching the game. Also, when you get sick of standing, you’ll have to stop eating to sit down. This is an easy trick that I find myself naturally doing at parties now.

Don’t bring the bag – When you’re eating, portion everything out! DO NOT BRING THE BAG TO THE COUCH. You’ll find yourself ‘robotically shoveling’ into your mouth and the next thing you know, the whole bag is gone. Don’t even sit next to someone who has done this. Just don’t do it.

Eat Once – DO NOT GRAZE. Load up one plate and only eat that. Grazing adds up. As soon as you walk in the door or your party, the food will probably already be out. Then there will be a meal in the middle of the game. Then deserts. If you eat a full plate at each one of these times, you’ll be WAY over your calories. Eat once. If you get hungry again (Because I hear this whole superbowl thing takes the whole day) then eat another meal, but don’t graze!

If you’re still feeling like today might kick you off your course, check out this superbowl exercise routine. It would be great fun to get the whole family involved and even teach a few people the actual rules and calls in football!