It’s been soooooo long… or at least that’s what it feels like.  

Let’s start where we left off.  Shall we?

I started reading Intuitive Eating last week and I could have easily finished the book.  If you are unfamiliar with the book ,(which most of you aren’t because I have seen this book all over health blog world), it is set up in steps.  The whole idea is that once you really truly give yourself permission to have whatever you want and you don’t feel guilty, your mind and body will find balance. 

Well, I got stuck on the step called “Honor Your Hunger”. 

I though I did honor my hunger until I really paid attention.  When I am working out  5-6 days a week, I do get hungry mid-morning but I have ignored it!  I’m usually at school or work or Whole Foods (I swear I don’t live there I just tend to be there mid-morning on Sundays). 

  So, I made an effort to honor my hunger and I feel fantastic about it.  I don’t get the lethargic feeling that I sometimes had.  I always attributed it to lack of sleep but who knew?! 

The book suggests making a list of food that I like and highlighting the things I don’t eat because of their nutritional profile or ingredient list.

  Holy guacamole (mmm…guacamole) that list was long! 

Let me be clear:  it’s not that I want these things so badly that I can’t stop thinking about them.  In fact, I enjoy many of these healthy substitutions just as much as the real thing.

Although there may be some snarky comments from “anonymous” people, I have decided to share the list with all of you.

Avoided FoodMy Background With This FoodNumber Of Years Since I’ve Eaten It	Substitution Food
Hot Fudge SundaeSome people are banana split people.  I have never been one of those people.   At least 4 Years	Instead I add pure vanilla extract, cocoa powder and Nustevia to Plain Oikos Greek Yogurt
Baked Russet (Idaho)  PotatoBaked potatoes were a part of many meals in my home when I was young.  I used to love mine with margarine and cottage cheese About  2 Years	Sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A….I like sweet potatoes just as well so I usually eat them instead.
Real Pancakes …left gooey in the middle with margarine and light syrup…mmmm 3 Years	I make protein pancakes with Cake Batter flavored protein powder, Nustevia, free-range egg whites and I serve them with sugar-free syrup and spray butter.  I know the spray butter and sugar-free syrup is not exactly healthy…
Quaker Oatmeal Squares This was my fave cereal when I was young because my grandma always stocked it.   2.5 Years	I eat cereals that have less ingredients and no preservatives.  Plus Quaker has so many misleading advertisements that I hate to support the company.  Plus, Quaker Oatmeal Squares have double the calories of other cereals
Glazed Donuts (only if they are very fresh Krispy Cremes)2.5 Years
Powdered DonutsI used to love to eat soft powdered donuts with chocolate milk when I was pregnant.  But, I haven’t had them since childbirth.2.5 Years
Kashi Chewy Bars  (Chocolate Toffee or PB Chocolate)I used to have one everyday!  Then I realized how much sugar was in them…even if it is brown rice syrup 2 years
Supreme Protein BarsMallard loves these.  They taste like candy…for a reason!  The ingredient list is questionable and they have sugar alcohols LI ate on a few days ago J	I eat Pure Protein Bars instead.  They have a better ingredient list but they don’t taste as good
Pizza Hut CheesesticksThese were my one vice for a while after I gave birth.  I soon realized that they weren’t helping with my weightloss… 2 Years
Swiss Rolls and Fudge RoundsThese were my fave when I was young but my mom rarely bought snack cakes.  I don’t eat them now because Little Debbie uses so much partially hydrogenated oils and preservatives that the sugar is the least of my concern! 4 Years?
Cinnamon RollsI’m talking soft and gooey and sweet!  Not something in my diet.  Hello saturated fat and sugahhhh! 4 Years
Olive Garden Chicken Fettuccini AlfredoMallard and I use to split this meal once a week!  Lord knows what is in Olive Garden’s recipe.   3 Years	I have had Amy’s version and it’s pretty tasty but no Olive Garden lol
S’moresMmmmm…graham, chocolate, marshmallow.  I have seen graham crackers and marshmallows at WF that have a decent ingredient list.  I just can’t bring myself to eat so damn much sugar! 3 Years?	I have a s’more  Pure Protein Bar instead…not too bad.
Jell-O No Bake  Cherry CheesecakeThis is possibly my fave dessert ever!  I know that’s weird.  I now realize that it’s chock full of franken-food.  That ingredient list is appalling.   5 years…or more?

 

Now I’m wondering if the authors of Intiuitive Eating have got something here…  Am I 10-15 pounds over my “happy weight”  because I don’t indulge?

Am I hurting my cause by substituting with healthier alternatives?

What do you think?

Another portion of the book guides the reader in getting in touch with signals of fullness during meals and feelings and emotions before and during eating. 

I discovered that sometimes I did eat past my full point at dinner because I was afraid I would wake up in the middle of the night hungry.  Not good.  I also realized that my love of protein pancakes slathered in spray butter and smothered in sugar-free syrup (also not good, I know) is due to a need for comfort.  I have been medicating with fake comfort food…nice.

…and just maybe I have been eating so late because then my daughter is sleeping and I have me time. 

Knowing all of this takes the fun out of my me time meals….thank God.

So, I needed a new form of me time…

I saw this post (love this blog!) and I found great way to unwind.

I started the first one and I have almost finished it already.  Jen Lancaster may be the funniest woman alive.  Witty, smart….I can’t wait to buy her other books as well.

Last week was my first “meeting” with Alyson (my new health coach). 

I think she is going to be extremely helpful.

What she didn’t do was hand me a meal plan and workout routine and send my on my way.

She emphasized that we are creating a lifestyle now not just dieting down for some kind of event. 

I had been eating no carbs from grains or fruit.  The only carbs I was eating were those in my yogurt, natural PB and carrots in my bags of veggies. (Hey I was desperate to fit into my clothes!)

She told me that nixing carbs isn’t necessary.  So I have happily had some delicious carbs in small amounts during the day.

One of my goals was to eat within 2 hours of rising.  This coincided nicely with my quest to honor my hunger

UPDATE:  I received my first package from Alyson today!  It’s like Christmas in June!  So much great info.  I will post pics soon

I have come to realize that all of this is going to be a process.  My clothes aren’t going to fit next week or the week after

So, I bought a few “hippy mama dresses” (yes, I have dubbed them with that name).

This is my favorite.  I have 2 more and I am still adding to the collection

My other new purple fave:

I have seen April’s cooked cabbage meals for months now.  So I decided to give it a try! 

 I had forgotten how much I love cabbage!   I try to cook it when Mallard is out of town as he is (understandably) not fond of the smell

I also made kale chips for the first time in months.  For some reason red kale is cheaper than regular kale…?

Anyway, it tastes the same to me and the purple color is a fun change

You know your life is boring when you get excited about purple kale

I realized I never posted pics of the Mother’s Day gift that Snuffy made for me!

(You can see part of Snuffy’s real name on the pink hand.  Can you guess what it is?)

It’s a flower pot with her hand print and I love it!  However, the baby-sitter told me that she accidentally used washable crayola paints!  So, I have had to keep it away from water. 

Anyone know how I would go about sealing it with some sort of “clear coat”?

Mallard has been out of town all week and he will be gone the first half of next week too  

He was out for a few days 2 weeks ago and he really felt bad leaving Snuffy…

So he bought her the biggest inflatable pool I have ever seen in my life! 

Luckily, Mallard had  just built our huge deck a few weeks earlier…

Anyway… What is your opinion on Intuitive Eating? 

Have you ever considerding utilizing the services of a health coach?

Let me be clear about something first:  I am not trying to get to an unhealthy size.  I am aware of the dangers of ED’s and whatnot. 

I am trying to fit back into my clothes.   Since I gained weight, I can’t fit comfortably into many of my clothes.  I can squeeze into some things.  It’s uncomfortable.   It’s not pretty.  

The dreaded stretch pants

I used to hate it when people wore “gym clothes” when they had no intention of working out that day.  But here I am.

I love this shirt though!  At least this one still fits.

and now for my honesty rant

After I gave birth, I lost the weight within 5 months and then I became super stressed with school and I lost more than planned.  I was too thin.  I lost muscle mass.  I wasn’t working out.  My life was consumed with a high-demand schedule . 

I realized I needed to take better care of myself and I got back on track with loving my body thus Whole Body Love

I eventually reached a “happy weight”  and was running and dabbling in weight lifting and yoga.  Then, my weight crept up and over what was happy.  I couldn’t workout as easily.  My clothes didn’t fit.  I felt like crap.

So, I startd P90X.  I lost a couple pounds …as in not many.  I got discouraged. I contacted someone about diet concerns.  I was given a plan.  Plans take time… Beat that into my head.  I saw no improvement so I started eating maintenence calories and an extra protein bar or scoop of PB here or there. 

Whattya know?  I was back to the weight I was before P90X then over it!  I realized this needed to be a lifestyle change.  I know that I could workout like crazy and cut calories and probably lose some weight but I don’t want to lose muscle mass.  I actually gained about 4 pounds of muscle from January to May.

So, I contacted a health coach.  I do already eat healthy foods. 

I never eat out.  NEVER 

I pack food and bring it along everywhere

I don’t drink alcohol.  Not in over a year.

I have recently broken an addiction to caffeine.

But extra calories can still be consumed when eating healthful foods.  You can overeat “clean foods”

I don’t want to unhealthy and skeletal.  I want to be ripped, cut and lean.  I want to fit into my clothes!

I’m excited to work with Alyson to pick up the pieces and get off this rollercoaster

On a lighter note, Snuffy is still potty-training

You should never reward your child with food

Or post it on the internet…she’s gonna kill me when she is older

In my defense, the baby-sitter started the sucker reward.  She has since change to sticker charts

Want to reward yourself for some tough workouts ?  Check out April’s giveaway!!

Later,

My Loves

Since I start with Alyson next week, I had unofficially decided to “take it easy” this week.  I was going to “give myself a break” . 

 I had been working out twice a day 3 days of last week so I could get my cardio HIIT in. 

I was doing well at staying under maintenence calories. 

 But, my weight stayed the same.  126  Unfortunately, that was my weight before I even began P90X.   Yes, I had lost a little Body Fat and gained a little muscle mass. But, whatever. 

So, I took it easy Sunday.  No workout.  I slept in until 8:00 am ( I can’t believe Snuffy let me!)  I ate when I wanted.  Oddly, that meant I ate almost nothing until like 8:00pm.  My parents were visiting and I was busy.  I guess I just didn’t think about it.

That doesn’t mean I didn’t make up for it with a HUGE stack of protein pancakes and evil sugar free syrup and spray butter though.

Monday and Tuesday followed suit of Sunday.  I slept in, didn’t workout, ate little during the day and had lots of protein pancakes and veggies with chicken in the evening.  

 I felt like crap by the end of Tuesday. 

I had not been on the scale since my “little break”.  I stepped on this morning and I was mortified.  My weight was up 6 pounds.  Mostly water I’m sure . 

 But I realized that I just operate better with a set plan.  My body really feels better when it gets to move and sweat.  My mind is more clear.

After reading this post last night, I realized that I am the only one who makes me feel good or bad.  I decide.  No one else is making me succeed or fail at accomplishing my goals .

So, I did P90X Plyo followed by Kempo using 3 pound hand weights today. 

I am beginning to wonder if there was some self-sabotage going on these past few months.  Yes, I managed to gain 3-4 pounds of muscle mass and drop a little body weight.  But, what about if I had not skipped breakfast and eaten more late in the day?  I know that the human body runs more efficiently when it is fed every few hours.  I know that not eating all day because “I’m busy” and then eating almost all of my daily calories at night is not good for me.  But, I still fall into that pattern.  I pack a lunch bag with food everyday.  I don’t always “have time” to eat it all though.  I think I have been making excuses. 

I get upset when other moms say they don’t have time to workout.  I get up at 5:00 am ladies.  But, who am I to talk when I make excuses too!  I could very well make time to feed my body during the day.  I could make the effort to not eat my last meal at 8:00, 9:00 or even 10:00 at night!  It’s ridiculous but it happens!  I never eat out, I don’t eat junk food but I overdo it on the protein powder and natural PB sometimes.  Overeating healthy food still means more body fat.  I know that.  Why don’t I change the habits?

I wonder if I have just been afraid of what may happen when I do reach my goals.  Am I afraid that I won’t be able to maintain the physique.  Do I feel I don’t deserve success? 

Not today.  I’m done with excuses.  I’m finished with feeling yucky.  I feel better when I workout.  So, I will be back at it.  I am no longer making excuses for eating so darn late either.  Yes, I have a two year old who needs lots of attention. There is housework and homework.  There is bathing and brushing teeth.  I have to take care of a little girl. But, that does not mean that I must wait until she is in bed to eat.

END OF RANT

Protein Pancakes

(normally covered in sugar-free Log Cabin  syrup and spray butter yikes!)

Two scoops of Cupcake Batter whey protein

 

one cup of free-range egg whites

A lot of Nustevia and a little baking powder

(Plain Oikos in the background for my yogurt mess )

I use my immersion blender that still need to review.

Give it a whirl with a tablespoon of water and cook it like a pancake

About 320 calories for the whole “recipe”.

Sometimes, I take one “pancake” and spread it with Naturally More PB.  Then I fold it in half for a portable snacklette