Do any of you eat oatmeal? Every thing I read these days seems to say that it is great for you and great for keeping you full all morning. Also, my friend Stefanie recommended it when she visited me in November.
Anyway, I'm asking because I would like to be an oatmeal eater, but the instant kind I've bought is just gross. Probably it's not the healthiest option either, although I tried to buy the healthiest of the instant kind. Am I buying the wrong thing or should I just stay away from the instant altogether? I'm thinking most people add tasty stuff to their oatmeal like fruit or nuts, and this must make it taste better.
I really want to be an oatmeal lover, and would like your help. If you have any tips or thoughts to share on oatmeal or oatmeal toppings, please comment below. If the comment box intimidates you, please email or facebook me!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
My Net
This week I read on another blog a post titled "The Net." It was a beautiful and moving post about the author's circle of friends and how this group of women have supported each other through tough times. From the post:
"The Net," she called us. Because we caught her when she fell.
As years have passed, we've all taken our turns jumping in. We promise to catch each other, and we do our best. Sometimes we screw up. Sometimes we fall apart. New friends join forces, old friends strengthen theirs. But, in the end...we are there.
The whole post is beautifully written and augmented by stunning photography. It made me want to write about my own net.
Although it may come as a surprise to blog readers who are used to be me being open and honest with my struggles, I have never been very good at sharing personal information. I can talk to you all day long about the latest Modern Family episode or the Oscar race or The Hunger Games books, but when it comes to intimate personal conversation, I'm a little quieter. And I'm much better at asking you questions than answering yours for me.
But it's something I've been trying to work on, and it has gotten better over the years. And because of that, my net has gotten a little bigger and a little stronger. Lately, with the struggles of my weight loss and the unknowns surrounding the birth of my niece Natalie, I've felt pretty secure in my net and for that I am grateful.
I don't have the words right now to say exactly what these people have done for me and continue to do for me, so instead, I'll leave you with a collage.
Do you have a net? What does your net do for you?
"The Net," she called us. Because we caught her when she fell.
As years have passed, we've all taken our turns jumping in. We promise to catch each other, and we do our best. Sometimes we screw up. Sometimes we fall apart. New friends join forces, old friends strengthen theirs. But, in the end...we are there.
The whole post is beautifully written and augmented by stunning photography. It made me want to write about my own net.
Although it may come as a surprise to blog readers who are used to be me being open and honest with my struggles, I have never been very good at sharing personal information. I can talk to you all day long about the latest Modern Family episode or the Oscar race or The Hunger Games books, but when it comes to intimate personal conversation, I'm a little quieter. And I'm much better at asking you questions than answering yours for me.
But it's something I've been trying to work on, and it has gotten better over the years. And because of that, my net has gotten a little bigger and a little stronger. Lately, with the struggles of my weight loss and the unknowns surrounding the birth of my niece Natalie, I've felt pretty secure in my net and for that I am grateful.
I don't have the words right now to say exactly what these people have done for me and continue to do for me, so instead, I'll leave you with a collage.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tri Training
So I've decided on my next big race: a triathlon in Jekyll Island, Georgia on May 21, 2011. The Turtle Crawl Triathlon is a great choice for a number of reasons:
1) It's on Jekyll Island, which is completely flat and beautiful.
2) It's where my great friends Abi and Bryan England (and their children, Anna and the B) live and work, so I've got a built-in fan base and a place to stay.
3) I love swimming much more than running.
Triathlons, for those of you that do not know, come in a wide variety of distances, but always involve three things: Swimming, biking and running, in that order. The longest is the Ironman, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles of biking, and a marathon - 26.2 miles. There is also the half Ironman (literally, the distances are roughly half of the Ironman), the Olympic distance and the sprint distance, which is what I'll be doing. Sprint distances vary, but mine will be a .25 miles swim, a 14.5 mile bike and a 5k, which is 3.1 miles of running.
I did a lot of looking into training plans this past weekend, but that didn't do me a lot of good. I can already handle all of those distances individually right now. The training plans were all trying to build you up to where you could do those distances. So I kind of made up my own schedule of swimming, biking and running each twice a week. I'm going to try and do some speed work during my running sessions to improve my 5k time. I'm also going to research swim workouts to see if I can improve my time with that. Right now, I just jump in the pool and swim for 40 minutes, which is about a mile distance. Biking is CLEARLY my weakest discipline. Today I tackled my first ride in a long time and, man, am I going to be sore tomorrow.
The Turtle Crawl also has an Olympic distance triathlon the same day, which is a 1.5 mile swim, a 29 mile bike ride and a 10k or 6.2 miles running. I strongly considered doing it instead of the sprint distance. The swim is not much farther than I am currently used to doing in the pool, and I've already done the 10k distance for running several times. I'm not sure how difficult 29 miles would be on the bike. That would take some work. Right now, I'm pretty sure I'll stick with the sprint, even though I would like to challenge myself more. A triathlon is such a different type of race because of all of the transitions involved from swimming to biking to running. I could probably take advantage of the easier distance just to get used to the format for my first time.
Care to weigh in? Think I should play it safe for my first Tri or challenge myself with the Olympic distance?
1) It's on Jekyll Island, which is completely flat and beautiful.
2) It's where my great friends Abi and Bryan England (and their children, Anna and the B) live and work, so I've got a built-in fan base and a place to stay.
3) I love swimming much more than running.
Triathlons, for those of you that do not know, come in a wide variety of distances, but always involve three things: Swimming, biking and running, in that order. The longest is the Ironman, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles of biking, and a marathon - 26.2 miles. There is also the half Ironman (literally, the distances are roughly half of the Ironman), the Olympic distance and the sprint distance, which is what I'll be doing. Sprint distances vary, but mine will be a .25 miles swim, a 14.5 mile bike and a 5k, which is 3.1 miles of running.
I did a lot of looking into training plans this past weekend, but that didn't do me a lot of good. I can already handle all of those distances individually right now. The training plans were all trying to build you up to where you could do those distances. So I kind of made up my own schedule of swimming, biking and running each twice a week. I'm going to try and do some speed work during my running sessions to improve my 5k time. I'm also going to research swim workouts to see if I can improve my time with that. Right now, I just jump in the pool and swim for 40 minutes, which is about a mile distance. Biking is CLEARLY my weakest discipline. Today I tackled my first ride in a long time and, man, am I going to be sore tomorrow.
The Turtle Crawl also has an Olympic distance triathlon the same day, which is a 1.5 mile swim, a 29 mile bike ride and a 10k or 6.2 miles running. I strongly considered doing it instead of the sprint distance. The swim is not much farther than I am currently used to doing in the pool, and I've already done the 10k distance for running several times. I'm not sure how difficult 29 miles would be on the bike. That would take some work. Right now, I'm pretty sure I'll stick with the sprint, even though I would like to challenge myself more. A triathlon is such a different type of race because of all of the transitions involved from swimming to biking to running. I could probably take advantage of the easier distance just to get used to the format for my first time.
Care to weigh in? Think I should play it safe for my first Tri or challenge myself with the Olympic distance?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Prepped and Ready
I am better today. Sorry for the numerous mopey posts of late. You should know by now that I am kind of a moody person. I'm either sunny or cloudy, but, thankfully, most of the time I am sunny.
Anyway, after a gorgeous weekend here in good ol' South Carolina, I'm feeling more like myself. Yesterday, I took some extra time at the grocery store deciding on my snacks for the week. I want to eat within my calorie range each day, but I also want to be full and excited about what I get to eat.
I ended up buying those Sandwich Thins, which are 100 calories, and pimento cheese, which is one of my favorite foods. Two tablespoons is 80 calories, so it's not a horrible amount for a snack. If I make them in advance, I can measure out the pimento cheese to make sure I don't overindulge. A problem I've been having is being starved by 10 a.m., and then feeling defeated when my snack of a banana or almonds doesn't fill me up. So I think this pimento cheese sandwich will help keep me full through the morning and give me a snack to look forward to.
I also finally found edamames, a soybean that was recommended as a snack by Amie and seconded by Alyssa. The ones I bought are roasted and salted, and I think that robs them a little of their natural flavor, but they are still pretty tasty.
I also bought some strawberries, which I haven't been able to buy for several months. I usually just use them on my cereal, but I think this week I will stick with blueberries on my cereal and use the strawberries for a delectable snack.
Last week, due to a number of dinner invitations out with friends, I ended up not eating my sausage soup. I froze it, so I have it to eat this week. My second meal is Coca-Cola Chicken with brown rice. This is one of the easiest recipes ever: put chicken breasts, a can of coke and a cup of ketchup in a skillet. Cook on medium heat for 40-45 minutes. I use Diet Pepsi, of course, but it's the same thing. The cola and ketchup make a barbecue-like sauce. I serve over brown rice.
Anyway, I feel much better and prepared mentally and practically for the week. I also started the first day of my triathlon training today, and it felt really good. More about my training later this week.
Anyway, after a gorgeous weekend here in good ol' South Carolina, I'm feeling more like myself. Yesterday, I took some extra time at the grocery store deciding on my snacks for the week. I want to eat within my calorie range each day, but I also want to be full and excited about what I get to eat.
I ended up buying those Sandwich Thins, which are 100 calories, and pimento cheese, which is one of my favorite foods. Two tablespoons is 80 calories, so it's not a horrible amount for a snack. If I make them in advance, I can measure out the pimento cheese to make sure I don't overindulge. A problem I've been having is being starved by 10 a.m., and then feeling defeated when my snack of a banana or almonds doesn't fill me up. So I think this pimento cheese sandwich will help keep me full through the morning and give me a snack to look forward to.
I also finally found edamames, a soybean that was recommended as a snack by Amie and seconded by Alyssa. The ones I bought are roasted and salted, and I think that robs them a little of their natural flavor, but they are still pretty tasty.
I also bought some strawberries, which I haven't been able to buy for several months. I usually just use them on my cereal, but I think this week I will stick with blueberries on my cereal and use the strawberries for a delectable snack.
Last week, due to a number of dinner invitations out with friends, I ended up not eating my sausage soup. I froze it, so I have it to eat this week. My second meal is Coca-Cola Chicken with brown rice. This is one of the easiest recipes ever: put chicken breasts, a can of coke and a cup of ketchup in a skillet. Cook on medium heat for 40-45 minutes. I use Diet Pepsi, of course, but it's the same thing. The cola and ketchup make a barbecue-like sauce. I serve over brown rice.
Anyway, I feel much better and prepared mentally and practically for the week. I also started the first day of my triathlon training today, and it felt really good. More about my training later this week.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Fear
I think most people have some fear inside them. I'm not talking fear of snakes or bugs*, but a deeper, emotional fear. The kind of fears we don't really talk about most of the time, and try to push down inside us when they rise to the surface. I don't want to try and list all of the possible fears you could have, because I would undoubtedly miss yours.
What am I primarily afraid of today that sparked this particular post? Trying and failing to get back on track with my diet. Again. It seems that since November, I've been repeatedly trying to get back on track and it works for awhile, but then I go crazy or get busy or tired and blow it.**
It's a fear that grows a little bit each time I try and then fail. By now it has grown so big that it is close to keeping me from even trying again in the first place.
When I thought about wanting to write about fear, I went to the dictionary to see what it said:
Fear: -noun- a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain,etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
I share this with you because I like the fact that it specifically says "whether the threat is real or imagined." It's like the dictionary knows humans are all a little crazy.
Now as a Christian who believes what the Bible tells me, I know that I should not fear. The Bible says that a lot in a lot of different places. But again, it is a matter of knowing something logically with your brain, and figuring out how to communicate it to the part of you that does the feeling.
I need to go back to the basics. Start small. Don't put so much pressure on myself (but how does one do that?) I feel like I'm starting this journey all over again.
*Or in my case, cats and bridges.
**A few definitions for you: "Diet" is when I am eating lots of fruits and vegetable daily, tracking my calorie counts and making a concerted effort to drink lots more water than Diet Pepsi. It is not a super-restrictive, punishing diet. "Blowing it" is when I give myself over to cravings and temptations full of chocolate, ice cream and fast foods. And it's not like I can just have a little bit of these treats and be satisfied. No. Once I start with them, it is a slippery slope into full blown "blowing it" mode.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Assistant Mom for the Day
Today I pretty much trashed all of my wonderful streaks that I started yesterday. I'll be starting from scratch again. I'm not upset about it though, because I spent the day with my oldest niece and nephew so things were not exactly ordinary.
It was a busy and exhausting day. We played on the Chic-fil-a playground (Me to Julia: "What does a cow say?" Julia to me: "Eat More Chicken!") and made friends with strangers. We took their mom to the hospital twice (Natalie had her first sips of milk today! What a miracle!). We made cookies (Mine and Julia's favorites, Peanut Blossoms). We made dinner together (Zach is now a master at Mac and Cheese).
It was such an adventourous day, I thought I'd share a few pictures:
It was a busy and exhausting day. We played on the Chic-fil-a playground (Me to Julia: "What does a cow say?" Julia to me: "Eat More Chicken!") and made friends with strangers. We took their mom to the hospital twice (Natalie had her first sips of milk today! What a miracle!). We made cookies (Mine and Julia's favorites, Peanut Blossoms). We made dinner together (Zach is now a master at Mac and Cheese).
It was such an adventourous day, I thought I'd share a few pictures:
 |
| Chic-fil-a playground. |
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| Oops, a little eggshell in the batter never hurt anyone! |
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| Julia took over my old job of unwrapping the kisses. |
 |
| Batter is tasty |
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| Peanut butter 'n chocolate |
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| Zach cooks dinner! |
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Streakin'
A big part of sparkpeople.com's weight loss strategy is the idea of the Streak. It has nothing to do with inappropriate nakedness, but a lot to do with building consistency and healthy habits.
From their website:
From their website:
Consistency can be helpful, but it can also be motivating. When it takes the form of a streak, consistency is an underrated way to get your blood pumping again. Keeping a streak alive, even for a short time, is an instant power boost. It breeds confidence, builds momentum and puts you on the winning side again if you’re starting to feel yourself slide.
I took to streaking right away when I joined Sparkpeople last, last August. They have a way for you to track your water, exercise, fruits and veggies and calories, so that once you record them, it keeps track of your streaks for you. Each day when you log on, you can easily see how many days in a row you've had your water or how many weeks in a row you've met your exercise goals.
I love lists and checkmarks next to items on lists and the feeling of accomplishment that goes along with it, so streaks were right up my alley. They just make me feel good and will put me back in control (hopefully.) I'm hoping to get some good streaks going beginning today. I'm hoping to maintain several streaks (water, fruits and veggies, exercise and planks). So far today it's been going well.
If, you're just getting started on your weight loss journey, just pick one thing and try to do it consistently. If you can keep up with that change after a week or two, then add something else. Starting small and building slowly is the best way to begin and maintain a healthy lifestyle change. We can do it together!
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