Are You Stuck?

Me too! And sometimes, it feels good trying out random tips that people always talk about. Things that you don't know will definitely work, but you've heard may work. So I'm gonna compile a list of things that should "do the trick" but remember, they don't work for everyone! And you don't see results within a day.

• Start off your day with a cup of HOT water, with freshly squeezed lemon
• Cinnamon honey water (2x a day) 
• Ingredients
• 1 tsp of honey
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 cup of water
• Directions
• Combine cinnamon, honey and water in a saucepan
• Bring mixture to a boil
• Filter the liquid into a cup 
• Drink 1/2 before breakfast and 1/2 before going to bed
• Credit: http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/How_to_Lose_Weight_Using_Cinnamon_Powder_and_Honey
• Random thought: I've been told that boiling honey is not good/beneficial; therefore, if I do this, then I'll add the honey right before drinking it when it's slightly cooler but still warm enough to melt the money
• Increase the amount of steps you take in a day with these methods that fit into your schedule
• Park a little bit farther away than you normally do
• If you have a second floor, then go to the other floor to use the bathroom or wash your face or apply lotion (whatever you would normally do on the floor you're working on) - it makes a difference!!
• If you're thinking about something (ex. developing ideas for a project at work or trying to remember how to do a math problem to help your child), pace instead of sitting still
• Don't keep a water bottle with you! Instead, force yourself to get up every time you need water. (If you want, leave your water bottle elsewhere so you're forced to go to it.) [Remember, don't be lazy when you're thirsty!! Go get that water!]
• Don't use elevators or escalators. You'll also be helping save energy used for these things:)
• Don't rely on a remote control if you watch TV. Instead, go and change the channel. 
• I know we all record our shows now, but don't let commercials go. Instead, walk around your house aimlessly until your show is back on! 
• Don't sit in a chair while talking on the phone. Instead, walk around/pace!
• My brother and I do this one just for the fun of it: when you go grocery shopping, take out a significant amount of time and go through every single aisle. a) You're walking a lot more! b) You might see something that's not on your list!
• Change your snacks up. Eat more fruits and veggies! They'll keep you filled and they really do stop sugar cravings.
• If you're hungry, drink a cup of water. Then if you're still hungry, eat! This really makes a difference. We don't learn to adjust to our bodies, and we just eat all of the time. (If you're hungry, try working on something. Maybe you were actually just bored!)

Anyway, these are just a few I can think of right now :) if you have some, share!

February 28th 2013

How is it already February 28th and I haven't worked so hard towards my goal still?! Oh well, gotta stay positive!! Let's see it this way: two months into the year and I finally got a great routine going, and I'm eating healthy while doing it!

Today's day:
9:00am - Roll with cream cheese (300cal)
11:30am - Key Lime Yogurt (160cal)
2:15pm - Indian food (200cal)
5:30pm - Smoothie (300cal)

Total until 5:30 - 960

Update @ 9:30am - 2 cups of water (1 hot cup)
Update @ 11:15am - 5 cups of water (including tea: this is working out so well!!)

Exercise:
40 minutes Slendertone
200 ab crunches
100 butt crunches
12 minutes of fast-walking
10 minutes of bicycling
Plus PT later today :)

February 27th 2013

So I realized that there aren't enough hours in a day when you have fun and exciting things to look forward to, even if you aren't in school and don't have a job! Who would've thought?!

For that reason, I've been up for quite awhile and have accomplished more than I usually do by this time. And I think I slept well knowing that I have a fun and big day ahead of me :)

Here's what I did so far: I used some leftover tea leaves to brew 16-24oz of tea. While I let that cool completely, I did all of my below exercises :) And then I washed my hair with that tea (can't really tell you if it makes a difference for quite some time). Now I'm about to make today's two cups of tea, I have 1 fruit at my desk, and I'll grab some raw veggies for another snack! And then get to work :) I'm excited!

Last thing I want to mention is that I've been heating fairly healthy the last two days and I haven't "cheated" at all. This is a HUGE deal for me. When I follow specific diet plans, I always find reasons to cheat because I'm just never satisfied. (Even when I was eating around 1300 calories from 8am to 8pm, I would be hungry in between and at night!!) Well now, with my own routine...which includes eating every few hours (whether or not I'm hungry) and including more fruits and veggies has been great! One of the biggest changes I made in the past two days that I want to continue doing is that I finish my dinner by 6pm. After that, if I'm still hungry, I eat a small fruit or drink some water! And no matter how late I stay up, I still feel satisfied and full :) It's wonderful!!

Anyway, here's my day.

8:30am - Scooped bagel with cream cheese (200cal)
12:30am - 5 baby carrots (5 calories each? If yes, then 25 cal)
1:30pm - Indian food (200 cal) + some sugary candy (100cal)
3:00pm - More carrots - I'm having SERIOUS food cravings today...and needed to eat something. (30cal)
5:30pm - Smoothie (300cal) - by the way, my Dad tried this and LOVED it! He's thinking of including it in his daily meal plan :)
9:00pm - Small apple (40cal)

Total 895 calories

Update @ 9am - 3 cups of water (all spaced out and because I was thirsty!)
Update @ 12:30am - 6 cups including 2 cups of tea!
Update @ 2pm - 7 cups
Update @ 6pm - 8 cups (and still thirsty!!)
Update @ 7:15pm - 9 cups (STILL thirsty. Maybe I'm getting sick :p)
Update @ 9:00pm - 10 cups and I will not let myself drink more!

Exercise:
200 ab crunches
100 butt crunches (sore already!)
15 minutes bicycle
30 minutes Slendertone (is this making a difference? I can't tell yet!)
5 minutes of PT leg exercises

All in all, a great day so far!!

February 26th 2013

Good morning (almost afternoon)!!

9:30am - Pear (100cal)
10:30am - Roll with Cream Cheese (300cal)
3:30pm (oops, long gap-wasn't home) - Indian Food (200cal)

Total (600)

I have my two cups of tea and fruits on my desk :)

Water:
@11:30am - 2 cups
@ 5:10pm - 7 cups (including 2 cups of tea)

Exercise:
25 minutes - Slendertone
200 ab crunches
10 minutes - Bicycle
15 minutes - leg strengthening activities (including weights!)
Plus PT later today :)

February 25th 2013

Hello again!

Without extra chatting, here is my day:

10:00am - Honey Bunches of Oats & Soy Milk (243cal)
12:30am - Pear (half of a pear? It kind of went bad...oops) (50cal)
2:00pm - Indian food (300cal)
4:15pm - Yogurt (160cal)
6:00pm - Smoothie (300cal)
7:45pm - Baby Apple (40cal)
(Total so far: 1093)

I'm trying out a new thing suggested by many people and a good friend: not to eat dinner or real food after 6pm. If I'm hungry, which I probably will be, I'll eat fruits and raw veggies!! This way, I can reach my goal and not sleep with a full stomach.

Water count:
@11am - 2 cups
@1pm - 3 cups (plus most of the tea, won't count that until I'm finished)
@3pm - 6 cups (including the two cups of tea)
@5pm - 8 cups (wow! That was easy!! And that means that I walked around a bit at least 8 times!)

Exercise:
20 minutes - Slendertone Flex (it was interesting?)
100 crunches
10 minutes - Bicycling (foot started hurting around 8 minutes, didn't want to push it too much)

Commitment Issues Much?

Happy Monday!

So I clearly have commitment issues with diets and this blog...but I'm having fun while doing it so I guess it's okay? (Maybe...)

Anyway!! I am not following the six week diet I had tried, and I'm not on my detox (because of course I got my period on the 2nd day and had so many cramps sooo that was out the door). But I'm back on track for being healthy, without having a crazy diet plan. It's time to relax and lose weight at the same time. I'm tired of every diet being so uptight...it's hard to live life that way! But I am still definitely ready to lose weight. So I'm going to try out a few of my own things.

For one, here's how my desk is set up today (I know, my first official picture!!)

It's a little bit blurry but look at that! Right at my convenience are three fruits that I must eat by the end of today, and 2 cups of tea (a mix of roasted rice and chamomile, yum!). This way, I'm staring at them all day...when I get hungry for a snack, I have no reason to go looking through our junk food (why do we still have that in the house? Oh right, because I don't do the shopping and for some odd reason, my Mom loves junk food!). The only things not set up at my desk are water and lotion, and that's done on purpose. Why? I have to get up every time I want water and walk around :) And I have an addiction to lotion (not sure if many people know) but I'll also have to get up if I want lotion! 

Anyway, enough about that. Guess what I found in MY room today? (Last week, I found an awesome heat/water/foot massage, two great neck cushions (one of which has a massager!) and a great heat pad. (Who knew?! I guess my family got it awhile back and stored it in my room since no one was living there!) Anyway, I found what's called The Slendertone FLEX Abdominal Training System. I'm still researching it at the moment (I just spoke with a representative from their company), but if it seems good, then I will use it for 8 weeks since that is how long the clinical study was. I guess it won't do any harm, right? 

Also, more great news!! I have my bike set up (and cleaned-it was so gross sitting in my Uncle's basement) in front of the TV! This means that I can start working my way up to a good workout on the bike. At PT (physical therapy/physical therapist-depends on the context), my PT started me at 5 minutes and worked me up to 8. She said I can slowly start increasing at home, so I'm going to start with 15 minutes plus a bunch of resistance exercises for my legs. I'm also going to do some crunches on our medicine ball because that requires nothing from my feet! I'm excited to put together a routine that will both help my foot and let me exercise! 

Lastly, before I leave...there is one thing I've actually stuck to doing! I have been washing my face with honey. This might be "TMI" (too much information) but during my period, my skin usually becomes a little rough (I don't get acne, knock on wood, but it is different). This time, it wasn't! As a girl of science (kind of), I can't say that this is a cause and effect situation, but it might be! We'll see what happens with time :)

Anyway, have a wonderful day everyone! Work out, eat smaller portions, eat more fruits, eat more veggies, but don't forget to live life while you're doing it!

Take care!

Skin Care!

I guess I’m back earlier than I thought I would have been! So recently a friend showed me this random girl’s FaceBook profile page. This girl lost around 60 pounds in a year in a healthy way! But that’s not that exciting, right? We’ve read many stories about how people lose weight and look great. Well, there was one thing that she talked about that I hadn’t read about in many other places. It’s all common sense, but it’s not something people talk about frequently. She talked about skin care!!

Did you know…that you could easily have a face full of acne because significant weight loss? Or a more commonly fact: that you can have stretch marks left after losing weight? Or have a lot of loose skin? Did you know that you are more likely to have dark circles under your eyes after you lose weight? And there’s also a chance that you could lose some hair? Of course, it doesn’t happen to everyone but there’s a possibility. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of things that can be done prior to and during your weight loss period to prevent a lot of this from happening! I am going to include the document that this girl put up so that you can look at it and hopefully choose to follow some of the tips!

(As you can see, her name is Sapna Vyas Patel so you can look her up that way if you’d like!!)

Personally, here are the tips that I’ll be following.

• ·      Wash my face with honey twice a day (I read so, so, so many articles before coming to this conclusion.  You just put some honey on your face (don’t mix it with water or won’t be thick enough), and wash it off if you don’t have the time. If you do, then keep it on for 5-15 minutes. If you have very oily skin, keep it on even longer!)
• ·      Use coconut oil as a moisturizer after washing your face with honey. (I’ll be putting it on at night right before sleeping so it can soak in during the night, and I can wash it off in the morning. In case the honey dries out your skin, this will fix it!)
• ·      Massage cocoa butter + vitamin E on your skin at least once a day. (I’m going to try doing it in the morning after showering and once again right before sleeping! We have some at home, but I’m definitely going to go buy another bottle and put it right by my bed!)
• ·      Massage your hair with oil a few times a week. (My mother has been telling me to do this for so long, so I’m going to start trying to do it at least once a day!)
• ·      Use green tea bag water for your hair. (I drink the tea anyway; I might as well use the bag one more time for my hair! I don’t know when I’ll start this but I will try it out within a week hopefully!)
• ·      Place cucumber slices on your eyes. (It always feels so refreshing so why not try it out!!)
• ·      OR I might try the potato juice thing J I’m going to do some research to see if I can simply make some potato juice and store it for a few days to keep using the same one. We’ll see how it goes! I’ll let you know!

It all seems like a lot of work but it definitely seems worth it! I’ll let you know how it goes! J An update in two weeks seems like a good deadline!

Take care all!

February 19th 2013

Well hello! It's been awhile. Between eating every few hours and logging what I ate, I found it difficult to focus on studying for my certification exams; therefore, I took a few days away from here and any plan. And now I need another kick start because I'm around 173 (which is still in a similar range) but I'm not going anywhere else. I'm doing a detox (started today...probably an awful day to do so with my brother's birthday tomorrow and friend's birthday on Thursday!) to clean out my body and restart a health plan. This time, it's really going to happen.

This is based off of the Vegetarian GM diet. I'm also reading a few other things to see if I can combine two or more programs so that I don't have a headache by the end of Day 1 (as I have in the past when I've attempted to do this diet).

Day 1: Eat all fruits except bananas all day.

Things to remember throughout:

• Exercise at least 20 minutes (done)
• Drink 10-12 cups of water (had 4 by 12:21pm)
• Drink/eat as much as soup as you'd like (special recipe I'll post if the soup tastes good)
• No alcohol allowed throughout the 7 days
• You can drink black coffee, club soda and black tea with no cream, sugar, etc. (Now, I'm not sure if this excludes green tea but I am probably going to drink it anyway.)

I know that weight loss is typical after the 7 days, and it's really easy to gain it back soon afterwards, but I'm going to use the basis of the 7 day diet to create a meal plan for myself for the next few weeks and see how it goes. 

Quick update: I'm allowed to bike now (yay!). I just have to figure out a way to do it indoors since it's cold outside. 

Today's log:

8:30am- 1 bowl of cantaloupe (Tabernacle was right: it is not in season!)

8:30am- 1 orange

11:00am- 1 apple

12:30pm- 1 bowl of soup
3:00pm- Let me first say...I wasn't feeling well so I decided to use the format of the detox for the next few days while still eating a little bit. I had a bagel for lunch! And altogether, it was a 200 calorie meal - not bad and so satisfying!
6:00pm- Smoothie (homemade, of course) and now I am SOO extremely full right now!! 

By 12:21: 4 cups of water

Update @ 7:53am - I have 7 cups of water and 1 cup of tea (didn't meet the goal but it's a lot!)

I'll write more tomorrow about skin care...something I've been researching a lot for the past few days! It's something a lot of people (including myself) don't think about, but it's important to start planning early :)

February 11th 2013

Whoa! I'm late today!! Today's been a very bummy day...I have not eaten according to my plan because I just didn't have the time. But here it is:

10:45am - Cereal and milk & 1/2 cup of organic orange juice (delicious)
1:00pm - a very light Indian snack
1:30pm - Smoothie :)
3:00pm - I munched on two very small pieces of candy...it was much needed, but it fell in my plan because I counted the calories!
5:00pm - 1 bowl of frozen yogurt
7:30pm - 1/2 bowl of soup, 1 bowl of salad, and some Indian food.

I know, so much Indian food today BUT even with all of that, my total calories was around 1118. I know, it doesn't sound so healthy but I need to walk to eat more calories, and I haven't been able to do so yet.

Also, I had no tea today...like I said, it just wasn't my day. Hopefully I'll be completely back on track tomorrow!

I'm ready for dinner! I'm going to have some soup, salad, and another light Indian meal because I just need to eat something!

BUT here's some motivation for some of us out there :)

Now that should get us up to work out :) :)

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup Recipe

So I decided to try something out today. I LOVE black bean soup at Panera, so I wanted to make something similar. Unfortunately, I didn't have vegetable broth at the time and couldn't go anywhere because of the snow. I did some research and combined quite a few recipes to make my own. End result: it was delicious! I tried keeping track of everything I did in case I had to share this recipe with anyone.

To be honest, I'm not sure how many servings this has made because it's still sitting in the pot. By the looks of it, it seems to be 6 cups of soup. I plan on storing it in the fridge and eating it throughout the next few days.

Ingredients:

• 26 oz of cooked black beans (made from 10 oz of uncooked black beans)
• 4 cups of water
• 1 small peeled potato
• 3-5 flowers of a cauliflower
• 5 baby carrots
• 1/2 small red pepper
• 1/2 small green pepper
• 1 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves 
• 1 Tsp cornstarch (for thickness) 
• 1/2 tomato (substitute: 4 oz of tomato puree with water)
• 2 Tbsp of cumin
• 1 Tbsp of chili powder 
• 2 Tbsp oil (any kind)
• Salt 

Steps:

1. Place baby carrots, potato and cauliflower in 4 cups of water. Add a little bit of salt for taste. Cover pot and let it boil slowly for 30-45 minutes. 
2. While that is boiling, continue with the next steps. 
3. Chop onions, garlic , red pepper and green pepper. Blend it in a food processor so it is almost in liquid form. 
4. Put oil in a pan. After heating properly, add cumin. Then, add blended mix (step 3) to the oil. Add chili powder and salt. Properly sauté this slowly. 
5. After baby carrots, potato and cauliflower have been boiling for 30-45 minutes, scoop out the vegetables and blend them in the processor. Then, add this to the pan of onions, garlic and peppers. Sauté the whole mix for approximately 5 minutes. 
6. Then add the mushy carrots, potato, cauliflower, onions, garlic, red pepper and green pepper to the leftover water from step 1. Add 16 oz. beans. (Yes, it will look really mushy and gross...but bear with it for a little while longer.) Keep the stove on low and let this mix properly. 
7. Meanwhile, blend your leftover 10 oz. black beans with the tomato and cornstarch. 
8. After the water comes to a boil, add in the blended beans and tomato. 
9. Let everything come to a boil. 
10. Taste, and add salt as needed. 
11. Enjoy!

To be honest, I'm a huge fan of spicy foods...and even for 6 cups of soup, I didn't have to add anything to the 1 tbsp of chili powder. It tasted fantastic! It was filling & healthy. Nothing but vegetables (with the nutrition!!) and beans. Let me know what you think! Oh and according to research, 1 cup seems to be approximately 100 calories. It might be a little bit more but it depends on what you add here and there.

February 10th 2013

Hello, hello!!

So I'm having a difficult time getting up for breakfast at 8:30...so I keep on shifting my meals over! Anyway...

9:30am - 1/2 a Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Yum! And a small orange :)
11:00am - Waffle with Syrup
1:20pm (I'm late...got caught up making my soup!) - Small Salad and 1 Bowl of Soup
4:00pm - 150 calorie snack (Indian food-sometimes I just really need the spices!!)
5:30pm - Smoothie (I'm not tired of it yet!!)
8:00pm - 1 cup of salad & 1 bowl of soup

Total calories: 1101-1201

So far I've had 1 cup of tea! I haven't walked but I was up cooking and whatnot in the kitchen for two hours, so I need to rest my foot now.

Update @ 8:51pm - I had my two cups of tea today! Delicious. I feel really full tonight compared to other nights; I think that it's the soup. But, just to share: soup does not taste the same once it has been reheated. Just saying!

Have a good night & be safe tomorrow if you'll be out in this weather.

Favorite 150 Calorie Snacks!

And the same for 150 calories!

1. Anything from the 100 calorie list :) Just add a little bit more, or add some cheese/chocolate/syrup/sugar to it (depends on what it is)
2. Yogurt!
3. Add 1/4 Cup of Ricotta Cheese on a Graham Cracker (115 calories, and has a lot of proteins so it's very filling)
4. PB&J (check calories in all of the ingredients)
5. Chips & Salsa (be sure to measure your calories first and put the rest way, otherwise you'll never stop!) :)
6. Strawberries & Plan Yogurt
7. Cereal
8. Nutella!!
9. Frozen Pizza (not all, but some!)
10. Peanut Butter and Chocolate Dipped Pretzels (Freeze them 5 days before eating them!)
11. Energy Bars
12. Chocolate Milk
13. Granola Bars
14. 1 Mozzarella Cheese Stick & 7 Honey Sesame Crackers
15. Applesauce & Cereal
16. Baby Burrito: 6 inch tortilla, 2 Tablespoons bean dip, and 2 tablespoons salsa
17. Brown Rice Vegetable Sushi Rolls (5 pieces) 

Definitely want more on this list! 

Favorite 100 Calorie Snacks!

I'm going to compile a list of my favorite snacks by calorie count, for me and for you. This way, I can refer back to it once in awhile and so that you can look at it as well! I hope that you're able to give me some ideas as well :) it's never good to get bored with what we're eating.

1. Eggo Waffle (Whole Wheat) (85 cal) w/ 1/4 of a Tbsp of Syrup (15 cal)
2. 5 Almond stuffed Dates
3. 6 Whole Wheat Crackers (or 3 crackers with cheese)
4. 29 Pistachios, yum!
5. 1 Skinny Cow Fat Free Fudge Bar 
6. Cheese Stick (Not all of them are this low in calories!)
7. Just Under 1/2 a Cup of Cottage Cheese (Mix and match with certain fruits!)
8. 1/2 Medium Cantaloupe 
9. 1/2 Cup of Mango
10. 1/2 Cup of Ice Cream (Chocolate too!!)
11. Popcorn! (How much you can eat in a hundred calories depends on what kind of popcorn)
12. 1 Cheese Quesadilla
13. 14 Almonds
14. 1 Pita Pocket stuffed with Ricotta Cheese
15. 8 Carrots with Hummus (or more without!)
16. 3/4 Cups of Apple with Peanut Butter 
17. Peanut Butter (check calories)
18. Frozen Banana Pop - haven't tried it yet but I've heard great things about it. An alternative is taking out the frozen banana and blending it to make it creamy (like ice cream!)
19. 1 Cup Tomato Soup (74 calories) 
20. 1/2 Medium Baked Potato (85 calories), add some butter and make it 100 and delicious!
21. 1 Medium Red Apple
22. 2 Medium Kiwis
23. Slice of Bread (depends on what you get) 
24. 1 Cup of Low-fat, Low-sodium Vegetable soup 
25. 1/3 Cup of Red Kidney Beans (85 Cal)
26. 1 Small Scoop of Frozen Yogurt
27. 2 Cups of Watermelon (90 cal) (that's a lot of watermelon!!)

Tips that I Read About 

• Don't have cookies and crackers during all of your snack breaks...too much refined flour isn't good for us!
• Mixing fruits with other things (cheese!) helps us eat more fruits without torturing ourselves
• Making smoothies is a great way to get in your fruits and veggies, but make sure you're counting calories because it could easy add up to 400-500 calories without even trying!!
• 
  

Am I Walking Enough?

So a lot of people don't have the time or energy to do anything more than walk as a part of their exercise routine. Or there are people like me, that cannot walk because of an injury. Well, are we walking enough to actually lose weight?

I read a few different articles (I'll include the links) with a quick summary on how much walking can eventually help someone lose weight.

30-60 minutes per day - http://walking.about.com/od/weightloss/f/walkingenough.htm

45 minutes to burn 240 calories; helps you burn 1,300 calories in a  week (this article also discusses using workouts on certain days instead of simply walking each day ) - http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/cardio/walking/lose-weight-walking/

60 minutes; theoretically, you would lose 52 lbs in a year if you walk every single day - http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_should_you_walk_to_lose_weight

Tips/Things to Remember

• "Cross-train" - change where and how much you're walking every few days 
• Stop in between to resistance train and then continue onwards
• Strap weights on your hands or legs to change it up a little bit
• Don't just walk for 90 minutes in one day...build up to it
• Stay hydrated!

Overall, I think targeting 30-60 minutes seems healthy! Let me know what you've been doing :) 

February 9th 2013

Good morning :) For those of you affected by Nemo, good luck shoveling! Be safe out there!!

9:15am - Honey Bunches of Oats with Soy Milk (I know, not very creative...but tomorrow's will be different!!)
10:15am - 6 Crackers (only 96 calories!)
12:00pm - Smoothie & Green Tea
2:00pm - Yogurt
4:30pm - Same sandwich as yesterday! Ate it slower today...mind was tricked successfully and I feel fuller today at this time than I did yesterday. Two more meals left for the day! I'm excited for the next one.
6:30pm -
8:00pm -

Projected total calories: 1204

No water or tea or walking yet...but it will soon, I hope. I will count shoveling as my walking today because it is definitely an intense workout. (My exercise goal today was initially to rest, so I'm ahead of the game, although I owe myself 20 minutes.) And I'm sure that we'll drink a ton of tea after coming back inside to stay warm & cozy!

Update @ 1:11pm - Shoveled for approximately 20 minutes outside...and then realized there's no need. It might take awhile, but the snow blowing machine can handle it!! And I had some tea to soothe my throat. So I'm not sure why but after my PB Chocolate Smoothie, my throat bothers me every day unless I do something about it. The tea helped today, but hopefully I can find another delicious smoothie so I can avoid that!

Update @ 4:44pm (hah, how ironic) - Drank some more water (3 cups so far) and had a total of 2 cups of tea today. I don't think I'll be walking again today, it's actually hurting :(

February 8th 2013

Hello, hello!!

8:40am - Honey Bunches of Oats with Soy Milk & Small Orange
10:00am - Whole Wheat Waffle with Syrup
11:45am - Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Cheese Sandwich & 1/2 Cup of Salad
1:00pm - Yogurt 240
3:30pm - Smoothie + Tea + Fruit
6:00pm - Pudding!
8:00pm - 2 Cups of Salad + Tea

Total: 1326 calories

So far, I walked/exercised for 20 minutes...it started bothering my foot so I stopped, but I'll definitely be up again for 20 minutes! I lied. My foot is hurting a lot so I did not get up again. I'll make it up on a "rest" day.

Water: 4-5 cups?
Tea: 2 cups

Stay safe in the snow please!!

Water

I'll keep this nice and short...because I don't really have an answer to this question yet, but "how much water should we drink per day?"

I bet everyone immediately thought: 8 glasses per day (8 ounces per cup, so 64 ounces in a day). (Because of course, we all know the 8x8 rule: sleep for 8 hours and drink 8 cups of water.)

But really? There is SO much research out there that proves that we should actually be drinking more water. Men should have 13 cups per day and women should have 9 cups per day.

On the other hand, there is SO much research out there that says that we should actually not count how many cups of water we are having. Instead, we should only drink water when we are thirsty. Apparently, it isn't healthy to have more water than your body craves.

At the end of the day, all research says something similar: space out the water that you are drinking so that your kidneys can have time to breathe in between.

So what's the point of this post? I guess it's just to inform you that you should do your research before deciding what to do. Just because one point is more popular does not make it more correct. Personally, I am making sure that I drink a little bit more water before meals so that I eat a little bit less. I've always used water to my benefit. Instead of keeping a water bottle with me, I make myself get up to get a cup of water every time I want it. That way, I'm moving around a little bit more! It increases the number of steps I walk in a day by a lot!

Just remember, everything in moderation!

February 7th 2013

Life happened in between! I thought I'd go back and fill it in but...I am just so worn out that I guess I'll start fresh right now! I'll be taking my measurements tomorrow morning, so that'll go up soon.

Weight: 171lbs (it varies between 170 and 171). Now I won't check until next week...ahh the pressure!

So I'm following a diet plan for the next few weeks but I don't want to give away everything that the dietician put together. Unless it REALLY works, I won't share who this is by so that I can freely jot down what I'm eating and drinking.

Oh, quick update. I saw my doctor and he did say to avoid running and most exercises, but he didn't mention that I should walk less and only rest. Starting today, I'm going to try walking in place with my cam walker on and only increase how much I walk if it doesn't make my foot worse.

9:00am (190 cal) - Small serving of Honey Bunches of Oats & Small Orange
10:45am (100 cal) - Whole Wheat Waffle with Syrup
12:30pm (300 cal) - Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie!
2:00pm (160 cal) - Key Lime Yogurt (delicious!)
4:00pm (66 cal) - 2 Cups of Salad
7:30pm (183 cal) - 2.5 Cups of Salad + 1/2 Cup of Black Beans
8:30pm (150 cal) - Scooped Roll w/ Butter

Total calories: 1149 (I'm sure I miscalculated something and it's right around 1200!

Seriously...I felt satisfied all day! There was a point when I couldn't eat anymore, so I cut all of my portions into smaller pieces.

Walking: 35 minutes! My foot is actually hurting a lot right now but I think it's just getting used to walking around a little bit more.

Cups of water: 5? Lost count somewhere in between...

Overall, not such a terrible day! Day 1 down...a few more weeks to go!!

February 3rd 2013

Long and busy day, ending with a win by the Ravens against the 49ers...so a quick recap and then hopefully I'll come back soon to fill in the blanks.

No workout today - needed to rest my muscles!

(Calculating) 1 Biscuit with Butter
(Calculating) 1/2 Cup of Coffee (Instant Coffee w/ Skim Milk)
(Calculating) Dokri (small serving)
(Calculating) 2 Slices of Pizza

Green Tea

I absolutely love green tea but have a difficult time drinking it consistently. To help myself and others, I decided to do some research and pinpoint reasons to drink it every day. To my surprise, I typed in Google "benefits of" and the first option was green tea! (I know, I know. You're probably thinking that I've researched it before. But no! I haven't done any research linked to this e-mail address. How exciting!)

Here is what one person had to say:

1. Weight Loss. Green tea increases the metabolism. The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories.
2. Diabetes. Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.
3. Heart Disease. Scientists think, green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.
4. Esophageal Cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them.
5. Cholesterol. Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.
6. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells.
7. Tooth Decay. Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions
8. Blood Pressure. Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.
9. Depression. Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.
10. Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases.
11. Skincare. Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging. This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.

Source: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-benefits-of-green-tea-that-you-didnt-know-about.html

This same writer states that one glass is not always looked upon as beneficial. Rather, it's better to have 2-5 cups of tea in one day.

Well, I shall start today with a minimum of two cups of tea. I have Roasted Rice Tea, Jasmine Tea, Chamomile Tea, Green Tea with White Tea, and plain old Green Tea! I'm not a fan of adding anything in my tea but if you don't like the taste of it, you can always add honey (healthier than sugar) and/or lemons/limes.

Enjoy :)

February 2nd 2013

Well, good morning! Nothing special to report at the moment except...

Weight: 170 lbs
Ab Lounge 2: 600 Crunches
Exercise Ball: 300 Crunches  (They burned.) (Total: 900)
Exercise Ball: Random leg/calf exercises.

I still can't find that resistance band. Tabernacle should be home soon, hopefully I remember to ask this time!

(150cal) Honey Bunches of Oats
Roasted Rice Tea!
(Calculating) Scooped bagel with onions, tomatoes, light ranch and hot sauce - delicious!
(90cal) 1 Cup of Skim Milk
(Calculating) Dokri with Vegetables...and a smaller portion than usual!!

I had two cups of tea today!! :)

I had my usual cup of hot water with freshly squeezed lemon after my workout, yum.

I am excited to try that yogurt today! It wasn't quite frozen yesterday so I haven't tried it. It looks creamy and delicious though :)

Frozen Yogurt!

Okay so I know I said I was going to make a Breakfast Carnation Peanut Butter Cinnamon Milkshake but I didn't end up doing that. I tried out something new and it tasted good so far...but I'll definitely follow-up letting you know how it tastes later.

Wait a quick background story about my brother and I. Yes, he's a lot younger than I am but we're similar in many aspects. For one, him and I LOVE to watch TV and eat something chocolately. We usually make chocolate milkshakes and freeze them prior to watching TV. During the summer, we love having our share of ice cream. During the winter, we make due with what we have at the time.

Well...while I was about to make the above milkshake, I decided to try something else out. We had five 5.4 ounces of fruit on the bottom yogurt that had already expired. I checked it out and it looked/smelled fine, so I thought I'd use it up before it went bad. Without a plan, I tried something out and am excited to eat it later when my brother comes home. Oh, let's call him Steve Tabernacle since he'll be mentioned quite often.

5     5.4 fruit on the bottom yogurt cans (blueberry and strawberry)
3     Chocolate Breakfast Carnations Packets
1.5  Cups of water
1     Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Blend all of the above together and pour it in a freezable container. Then freeze it and serve! If it's frozen solid, then let it thaw for 20 minutes before serving.

I'm assuming that you can add anything else to this. Peanut butter, cinnamon, sugar, caramel, other fruits, etc. Also, a lot of people use milk instead of water but I've heard that yogurt and milk mixed are unhealthy so I stuck with water. If you mix different things in it, give me some suggestions please!

Let me know what you think and I'll do the same!

February 1st 2013

Wow! It's February! I hope that you've all had a phenomenal first day of the month thus far.

Anyway, right to the point. I wanted to check my measurements this morning but I can't find our measuring tape so that will have to wait until later. I also wanted to do some resistance training this morning, but I couldn't find the band. Clearly I don't know where anything is at home. I guess I'll wait until my brother is home!

Lately, I've been using the Ab Lounge 2 recently because it doesn't strain my foot as much, so I'll keep you updated on that experience as well. Depending on the position I'm sitting it, it can hurt my back (upper and lower). But I'm trying to figure out how it works best for me. If you've had any experiences with this, please share! I'm hoping to do some more later today and then do a 20 minute circuit training with my brother.

I'll look for some articles later and share them but before I do so, let me tell you what I'm looking forward to today. I researched different smoothies I can make with my Breakfast Carnations milk and I found one recipe that I'm going to try in an hour! [Mix the powder with milk, add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and blend it, sprinkle with cinnamon & enjoy.] I'll be sure to let you know how it is.

Height: 5'0"
Weight: 170lbs
Ab Lounge 2 @ 9:45am: 800 crunches
Ab Lounge 2 @ 1:00pm: 500 crunches (1300 total--oo I'm totally feeling it!)

Breakfast:
(200) Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds & Special K Chocolatey Delight with Skim Milk
(300) Bataka Paua (Indian food, delicious.) (500 Total)
(400) Burrito Bowl (Homemade, 1 serving) ((900 Total)

I know I should be consuming some more calories but in between I had some flax seeds, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and tasted different foods that I was making.

I didn't work out anymore because my foot and back are bothering me...but I'll build it up slowly.

By the way, I know, wow, 170 - that's a lot! But back during Thanksgiving break, I was at 182 so this is a nice 12 pound difference.