Wow, I can’t believe how many of you have been affected by injury! Especially foot injuries. I forgot to mention in my last post about rest, that I typically take a day off exercise every three days. Sometimes it’s four, sometimes it’s two. It usually adds up to two rest days a week, one being an “active rest” with yoga. The other being a “sloth rest” :P

Today was neither kind of rest though because I finally went for a run! I took it easy – only doing 30 minutes at a medium pace. It was another brisk and sunny day out, but for whatever reason the cold air was hard on my lungs. Maybe it’s because I’m sick, but I was wheezing the whole time. I wish I could say I felt energized and refreshed after almost a week off, but to be honest, my legs were kinda dead. I really had to drag myself through it. But I felt a lot more energized and back to my usual self for the rest of the day :) I iced and stretched like a mofo when I came home and I’m happy to report that I’m 100% free of hip pain :D Yay! All that sitting on my butt paid off :P

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I’ve been fuelling with amazing food – it’s Waffle Wednesday!

Another Wednesday, another stellar waffle combo. This is two Nature’s Path flax waffles topped with 1/2 cup cottage cheese blended with 2 tsp peanut butter + stevia and a drizzle of maple syrup.

I also have a bit of a confession to make. I’m back on the vitamuffins.

 

I will be making my own cheaper muffins again, but damn! A frozen deep chocolate smeared with PB is sooooo good. It’s one of my favourite treats and something I always look forward to!

I did a little more kitchen clearing for dinner tonight. This time using up a can of kidney beans that’s been taking up space in my cupboard for a while. 

This was just a random throwing together of ingredients that I first sautéed, then baked.

• 1/2 kg lean ground chicken
• 1 can red kidney beans
• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 1 tomato
• 2 very large mushrooms
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika

I decided to eat it as a dip, so I baked some ezekiel tortilla wedges with a little olive oil, kosher salt and paprika.

With the last of my leftover dazzled carrots with pears and balsamic. 

Aaaalllll together now…

Yum! I love “active” meals where I get to assemble as I go :)

I also tried out a new-to-me product tonight:

I think this is new to Canada too? Hopefully this is a sign of things to come! I’d love to try their frozen meals!

Anyways, the stats are okay. High in fibre (yay) and carbs (nay), low in sodium (yay) and protein (nay).

The ingredients are pretty darn good though.

Of course,  none of that really matters because this stuff is absolutely delicious!!!

Something that’s cinnamon flavoured that actually tastes like cinnamon. I ate it with unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze and a spoonful of vanilla whey powder. The protein powder acted as the “frosting” ;) I really like my shredded wheat soggy and mushy too. I kinda like soggy cereal in general.

Moving on…

 

Going with Flow – Food

I talked about going with the flow in terms of exercise yesterday, but today I wanted to talk a little about the other side of the equation – food.

I opened up about previously being rigid with my exercise schedule, so I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I was also the same with my eating habits.

I’ve lost 30 lbs since the summer of 2008. I did it by calorie counting and was very successful with it. I figured out my calorie allowance, and stuck to it every day. The number on the scale went down every single week up until my transition into maintenance.

I remember my first vacation during that period. It was a trip up north for a family reunion. I obsessed for weeks beforehand, worrying about how I was going to eat while I was away. I stuck to the same safe foods at home, and the thought of not being in control of that terrified me.

I packed up a cooler full of food to bring with me, but of course, that only did so much. I ended up at a big family function without my backup food. I was a vegetarian then and the main course was meat. I was told by several people not to worry – there was potato salad for me to eat.

I was hungry and the thought of having to fill up on a plate of potatoes swimming in mayonnaise made me to freak out. I was going to go over my calorie number! I wouldn’t lose weight that week! My pants won’t fit!

Well, we are all still here, so I can tell you the world did not end that day :P

I like to think I’ve come a long way from then. I’ve learned that sometimes, when it comes to food, you’ve just gotta go with the flow. We can’t always be in control of what we eat, and it isn’t the end of the world if we have potato salad for a meal.

Looking back, I can see that a lot of what should have been enjoyable social situations for me were fraught with feelings of anxiety over the food being served. I would worry about how much beer I was drinking instead of laughing with friends. Or worrying if restaurants would have low-calorie choices, when I should have focused on who I was at the restaurant with.

I think my latest trip to Windsor was a real accomplishment for me. I snacked on things like crackers and chips, and ate what everyone else was eating. When given the option, I would always pick the healthiest thing possible. I listened to my hunger cues, and snacked when I knew I really needed it. Sure there was some over-consumption, but hell, that’s what vacations are for!

I also want to tack on here that it’s important to be up front with people about your eating habits. I never told anyone at that family function I was trying to lose weight, so they didn’t understand why I was so unhappy with the choices. Since then, my family and friends have learned about my new eating habits and have done a great job at respecting them. My mom always makes sure she has some healthy foods on hand whenever I go home :)

Questions of the day:

1. How do you deal with eating in social situations? Do you bring back-up food? Do you veto certain restaurants?

2. Cereal – crunchy or soggy?

 

Okay, it’s time for bed! I’ve got the next two days off and a wide open schedule! I’m sucking it up tomorrow and trying out a zumba class. I’ll be back with a full report :)