A Few of My Favorite Things

I wanted to share a few of my favorite things.  I have a chip craving...more of a problem I guess.  Tortillas, corn chips, chips, Cheetos, etc...you name it I love it.  In my quest for improving my choices, I've found a fair replacement for those chips...and it's much more healthy!  Yes, that's right, I'm saying these chips are healthy.  (Ok, healthier anyway).

Trader Joe's Soy & Flaxseed Tortilla Chips!  Here's how they're healthier - each serving (7 large chips) has 6 grams of protein, 500 mg of Omega 3's, and 4 grams of fiber.  Also, they have only 50 mg of sodium per serving. 

I'll admit, it took just a bit to adjust to not having the high salt, high fat, greasy taste of those other chips.  But now that I've had them, I'm in love with them. (ok, maybe that's a bit much).  But they are really great!

I love pairing these chips with Trader Joe's Organic Tomatillo and Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa.  This salsa has such great flavor - it's not spicy at all.  The consistency is a bit thin compared to the chunky salsa's I usually like but the flavor more than makes up for it.

It's become quite fun for me to try to find healthier alternatives to my favorite foods.  I still get the overall effect of the normal food, but I pay less of a price later.  Now, I just need to find a good substitute for pizza.  I have made pizza's before on pita bread, and used ricotta cheese, some low fat mozarella, and some turkey pepperoni - oh and some chunks of canned diced tomatoes!  Yummy!  But, I don't always have those items around, and it would be much easier to have one pre-made and frozen for me already.  Hmm....  maybe that's a project my dad and I can do next time I'm home!

A Monday Mile...

What a nice and relaxing weekend.  Lots of food, family, sleep, some exercise too.  Unfortunately it seemed every bit of food I love was available (except for pizza, tacos, lasagna, and... LOL, so maybe not everything).  I ate and ate and ate.  I even picked out all of the mini Twix candy bars from the bag of candy!


All in all though, I think I still did pretty good.  I got some walging (walking/jogging) in with Amber on Saturday and we both did our ab workout.  Then we walked the dogs for a short time that night through the park.  Heidi and I then took a few of the other dogs out on Sunday for about 45 minutes.  Those both qualified for enough exercise for my workout plan.


I did eat a lot of sodium this weekend, so I felt really bloated.  I was determined to change that.  I drank a ton of water at work today.  So much that I was running to the bathroom quite a bit.  One time... my zipper even broke!  Thankfully that was at the end of the day!


I didn't deviate from my eating plan today, I had no chocolate, no chips, no snacks other than my apple and orange that I had planned.  Woo hoo, it's been a while since I've done that!


At the gym, I was determined to make the most of my cardio today.  The plan was for 15 minutes cardio...I wanted to push myself.  I warmed up for 5 minutes and then jogged what I thought would be a 5 minute interval.  Then I thought heck, let's try for 6.  6 turned to 7 minutes, and soon I was at 10.  I figured I would just go for it and finish off 1 mile in 12 minutes.  I know, for those of you that run a lot 12 minutes may seem lazy but for me being just short of 250 pounds (down from a high of 312 in October 2005) and not used to running at all, I was proud of my accomplishment today... my first non-stop mile of this short spring season.  Time to build on that and work my way up to 2 miles then 3.


Every success starts with a small gain... What were you successful at today?

Vestry

Today I was elected to serve on the Vestry for Saint Mary's Episcopal Church in charge of Hospitality and Fund Raising.  First, what an honor.  I was very humbled by this nomination, but also excited to explore another angle to my re-emerging faith.  I do have to admit I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at all of the tasks and responsibilities that lie in front of me, but I'm sure that will go away as I get started.  This is a 2 year position.  I will be in charge of overseeing various committees and events, as well as being accountable for a portion of the church finances and budget.  I even have to write an annual report.  I am excited, looking forward to getting started and hopefully bringing some new ideas to the table.  I will keep you posted as I go!

Fitness Update

One of my recent goals was to lose 7 pounds over a 3 week period... and not step on that scale at all during those 3 weeks.  Well.... drum roll....  I did it!  7 pounds exactly!  Woo hoo! That's a good feeling to reach a goal and know I'm on track.  Before I would always have one goal...that was my end goal, and it always seemed so difficult and so far off, it became discouraging.  I think I like the short term goals better! :)


My next goal will be to lose 15 pounds over the next 6 weeks (by April 29).  I think I can do it! I have another tough workout plan from Thomas that I will start next week.  It's important to change your routine every so often so it keeps your body from slipping into a routine and seeing decreased results.  Thanks to Thomas for encouraging me and supplying the knowledge and routines!


With that said, I'm so excited the spring weather has arrived.  It was in the 60's a few times this week and it's great to get outside!  Although it's only in the 40's today, I plan on getting out into that sunshine and walg (walk/jog intervals) along the river.  It should be fun, the river is high and moving very fast.  It will be fun to look at.


Anyway, wishing me luck as I start the next 6 weeks!  Just think, if I achieve this 6 week goal, I'm only about 10 pounds away from what I feel is a real good healthy weight for me.


Here's to a good week!

Many thoughts...

I have decided I am no longer going to be a slave to the scale.  For so long I have weighed myself every morning..sometimes before and after my shower.  When I get home from work, and when I go to bed.  That's just not healthy...in more ways than one.


Thanks to some clear goal setting support from Thomas, and a solid plan for working out (written in my new planner!), I haven't weighed in since Monday morning when I did to document my starting weight.  I know that's only 4 days, but for me it seems like an eternity!


My goals for the next 3 weeks are as follows (started this past Monday):  
1.  No stepping on the scale until March Monday March 15
2.  Lose 7 pounds 
3.  Stick with my written work-out plan, as closely as possible.  It is quite difficult so far!
4.  No fried food.


Outside of those health related goals, I also have the following goals this past week:
1.  Select one bible verse each week.  This week I have selected:  Hebrews 11:1 - "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  I thought that was appropriate given some of the struggles with organized religion I've had over the past 12 years or so.  Glad I've found my way back!
2.  I need to finish the book "Breaking Dawn" - the 4th book in the Twilight Saga.  I've been reading this - or should I say it's been sitting on my nightstand for months.  Time to finish it!  Only 250 more pages or so to go!  I also have a reading list that is stacking up pretty quickly. I've never been a big reader, but I'm working on it.  Here are the books I've got waiting in my queue:
Wuthering Heights
Three Cups of Tea
Stones into Schools


Anyway, I've combined so many things into this one update.  Sorry about that...I haven't had time to post all week, so I crunched a lot into this one.  I have more to say, but I will have to give that another post very soon.  Have a good weekend!

A near miss...

I had a near miss today.  I had a really rough day at work..very stressful, was barely at my desk, I didn't have a minute to even eat my apple and orange I brought for my mid morning and mid afternoon snacks.  I ended up leaving work about 7pm after putting in 12 hours.  I was exhausted.
So what did I do... my thoughts immediately turned to my good friend Ronald McDonald.  I made every justification possible to get myself there... it was late, I was tired and didn't want to  worry about what I had to eat when I got home, I worked out yesterday, it was just one trip to McD, it wasn't the end of the world.
On my drive home my thoughts turned from trying to justify going to asking myself why the heck would I let that happen?  I was clearly turning to emotional comfort eating when I knew deep down I shouldn't do it, and didn't want to do it.  
My thoughts turned from justification to repulsion.  I thought about how groggy I would feel after I ate it (let's be honest, 1 cheeseburger just doesn't cut it for me), I thought about how that one meal would undo all of the good eating and working out I did over the past week.  
I had a breakthrough!  I decided not to eat it!  I mean, I've had these cravings and blogged about it once before, but this one was different.  I clearly realized I was turning to emotional eating.  Would I feel any better about my bad day after I had this meal?  NO.  In fact, I would feel much worse. What a good feeling to realize this and overcome it!


I just reinforced my decision.  McDonald's has a "bag a meal" feature on their website - click here  My typical meal in this situation would have consisted of the following:
2,040 calories (950 from fat)
106 grams fat (36 grams saturated, 4.5 grams trans fat)
270 mg cholesterol
3,750 mg sodium


Wow... those are crazy amounts!  No wonder America is so unhealthy!  Thank you McDonald's for offering this valuable tool to the public (probably from a government mandate, not by volunteering).  Maybe more people can start using it!


What gets me again is that McDonald's says they offer only the best ingredients.  If you've seen Food, Inc. you may think differently (I highly recommend you watch this)  Thanks Heidi for recommending this to me!


Ok, I've rambled on enough already...it was only one small decision I made.  Best wishes on the choices you make every day, I know it's not easy!  (And as much as I've ranted about McDonald's on this blog I'll probably have it again at some point.)

3 Cups of Tea

So I've been attending St. Mary's Episcopal Church for about a year now.  I have never felt a group of strangers could have such a profound impact on my life.  One year later, I now consider this group of strangers my friends, my extended family.


This community has been so welcoming, and so comforting during my transition from Texas to Minnesota.  It offers me a home, a place to become involved, to share my talents, and learn from others, to help those who need help, and to make a difference, making the world a better place.


One of the groups I'm involved in is "Global Outreach."  This group focuses on needs of the larger global community and how we can make an impact and help make a difference, from right here in St. Paul, MN.  We meet monthly at a different ethnic restaurant.  Last month was a Tibetan/Nepali restaurant (yes, I ate yak and goat and lamb) and this month we will be eating at an Ethiopian restaurant - I've been forewarned that they do not provide eating utensils, but instead provide flat bread for assistance.  I will let you know how that goes.


So anyway, as a group we are working with our church community to read the book "3 Cups of Tea" which is about one man's story to make a difference in the world by building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  He does not do it however by coming in with a bunch of money and dictate to the locals what to do, how to do it, and what to teach.  Instead, he befriends the locals by using the custom of having 3 cups of tea.  The first cup of tea you have with someone, you are strangers.  The second cup you are friends, and the third cup you are family.  This has helped him understand their culture, customs, and what they really need.  


To bring this idea of listening and understanding right to our daily lives, we are working on the principles of 3 cups of tea...we are encouraged to have tea and go through this process with someone we don't know, or who are different from us.  The goal is to gain a better understanding of each other, and a respect for any differences we may have.  


This is exciting to me. You all know that I have differing opinions and differing ways of looking at things.  I look forward to exploring ideas with someone else, and helping me to learn more about myself, and others through this process.  There is one gentleman at church I have talked to several times, but would really like to get to know better.  He has lived a full life, and there is much I can learn from him.  He's 87 years old (I never would have known that), he's healthy, smart as they come and a downright good person.  I'm going to ask him to have tea.  There are many lessons I can learn from him, and hopefully I can provide him some insight as well.


If you'd like to listen to the sermon from today kicking off the program, you can listen by clicking here. 
Click on the sermon titled 3 cups of tea.  Feel free to listen to any others as well.


Think of the difference we could make, if everyone made an effort to better understand others.  Beyond any differences we may have, there is common ground, and things we can agree on to help build a better tomorrow.


I ask you, who are you going to have tea with?