You Are What You Eat

Daily Insight from yogajournal@email.yogajournal.com

January 16, 2012
Yoga Journal    

You Are What You Eat

We've all heard that "we are what we eat." A more specific way to translate that axiom is to say that what we eat, to a great extent, determines our health. More complex is the idea that how we eat affects our health. When we appreciate and are conscious of our food, we derive incredible benefits from eating, in part because such awareness makes it difficult for us to eat food that is bad for us.

Discover food anew every time you eat. What you will find is that every apple, slice of toast, or meal in your favorite restaurant has its own unique, subtle qualities that often slip by, unnoticed, when you eat habitually or in a distracted state of mind.

If you can bring yourself back to the present moment for just an instant and pause to see how your food aligns with you deep in your core, you'll find you have an unfailing tool for knowing what is truly healthy and satisfying for you.

Cultivating Motivation

Hey All,

My new find that I've been enjoying this evening is a podcast by Jillian Michaels:  The Jillian Michaels Show.  It's free on iTunes.  The episode I'm talking about is called Jillian and General Mills.

She took a call from a woman who was asking for tips about how to stay motivated when everyone around her is not.

Jillian said that "lasting motivation has to come from within you."  She advised her to cultivate that motivation by thinking very specifically about what she wants.  At first, the woman said she wanted to be a good person.  Jillian pushed her to be more specific, so she said she wanted to lose weight so she could move more easily.  Jillian pushed her to be even more specific than that: Did she want to: go on dates? feel comfortable having sex with the light on?  look better so she could feel more confident at her job?....  Jillian told her to finish the sentence "The reason I want to be more motivated is because I want to improve my quality of life in the following ways..." in order to create an emotional connection to the goal.

Jillian told the woman to write down "everything fantastic that is going to come with this healthier you" and post it everywhere: all over the house, at work, in her car.  She also went on to talk about evaluating and negotiating the relationship if the caller's partner did not support her efforts to change.

So, I'm curious, what are your fantastic things? 

Even if you're not trying to lose weight, pretty much everyone I know has some things they would like to change.  What are the outcomes that you can create that emotional connection to in order to get yourself motivated?

Nutrional Guidelines

These are the nutritional guidelines I got from my trainer... Just thought I would share

Nutritional Guidelines

1.       Eat 6 small meals a day, one every 2-3 hours

2.       Eat a portion of protein and carbohydrate with each meal

3.       Add a portion of vegetables to at least two meals daily

4.       A portion is the amount of food that is the size of the palm of your hand

5.       Drink at least 10 cups of water a day

6.       Consume protein approximately 30 minutes after a workout

7.       Plan meals in advance

8.       Have a free day once a week

9.       Take a multivitamin daily and calcium as needed

10.   Have specific goals to aim for so it’s easier to stay on track

11.   *Focus on progress not perfection*

Protein

Fish

Seafood

Skinless, white-meat poultry

Lean beef:

                Tenderloin

                Sirloin

                Eye of Round

Skim or low-fat milk

Skim or low-fat yogurt

Fat-free or low-fat cheese

Eggs

Lean pork (tenderloin)

Cottage Cheese

Carbs

Whole grains (bread, pasta, etc)

Vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, cauliflower, green beans, peas, mushrooms, cucumber, etc.)

Fruits (apple, orange, banana, strawberries, melons, tomato, lemon, lime, etc.)

Baked Potato

Yam or Sweet Potato

Brown Rice

Wild Rice

Yogurt

Beans

Legumes

Fats

Avocado

Olives

Olive oil

Omega – 3 fatty acids from fish

Canola Oil

Peanuts

Walnuts

Almonds

Legumes

Peanut Butter

Sunflower Seeds

Seek Strong, Not Sculpted Abs

Just a little FYI... from Yoga Journal's daily insight email:

Seek Strong, Not Sculpted, Abs

In the American way of thinking, hard, flat abdominal muscles are the embodiment of a healthy physique. While strong, toned core muscles support good body health, it may not be as important as Western culture would lead us to believe.

Too much belly fat is unhealthy. However, working too hard to eliminate fat can also cause serious problems. For the 10 percent of us who are actually capable of acquiring them, six-pack abs comes at a price—reduced flexibility and freedom of movement. Women who work the abs too much can suffer estrogen depletion, bone weakness, and fractures. Overdoing abs exercises can also lead to a flattening of the lumbar curve, creating a weakened spinal structure.

Yoga Journal, Daily Insight, Jan 15, 2012

My Fitness Pal

Hey All,

I've continued to plug away at my goal of getting down to 170 lbs in the next year and am happy to report that, in spite of numerous moments of giving in to cravings of really bad food (*sheepish smile*), I am actually still on track in terms of pounds lost.  I'm down another 5 lbs. 

When I started out, I didn't think much about what I was eating or how much exercise I was getting.  I just kinda exercised here and there, and ate less junk.  I'm getting more systematic about it now that I'm working with a personal trainer, and I've started trying to hit a calorie deficit (more calories expended each day than eaten) of about 500-1000 per day.  That adds up to 1-2 lbs of weight lost each week.  (It is not recommended to lose weight any faster than that).  I'm not interested in getting super crazy about tracking, but one thing about me is that I know precious little about nutrition and what it takes to reach and maintain a healthy weight, so doing this is very instructive for me!  

I wanted to blog today about a tool I've been using.  I posted about it on my Facebook status, but I thought I would provide a little more info.

Myfitnesspal is a really awesome app that I use on my iPad to track my nutrition and exercise.  If you don't have an iPad or iPhone, you can use this program online at: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/  Also, if you use both, the two will sync- which just rocks. 

I used one other program prior to finding this one (the other program was imapmyfitness), and I like this one so much better.  I'm going to talk today about its use for tracking nutrition, and save the exercise tracking for another post (so that this one isn't gigantic).

Myfitnesspal has a searchable database of nutrition facts for lots of foods, and whatever you can't find, it's really easy to enter the information from the nutrition label yourself.  It keeps a daily count of your carbs, proteins, and other nutrients.  The interface is a little different from the app to the online program, but the features are basically the same.  

Here's a little printscreen of what my homepage looks like on the website.  As you can see, I haven't entered my food or exercise yet for today... but generally once you enter your food and exercise, it will let you know your calorie balance for the day (the number in green), which takes a lot of the guesswork out of weight loss. You know that over the course of a week if that balance is about a 500 calorie deficit you should lose about a pound. If you are consistent in your tracking, you have a pretty good idea of what the scale will show.  (Though stress and other things can impact that). Again- you should never average a deficit of more than 1000 calories a day (sometimes I go a little over that, but I also go under 500 during the week, so it averages out to a healthy deficit).  Consistent weight loss of more than 2 lbs per week is NOT healthy.

And here is a horrible pic of my iPad that shows my homepage using the app (sorry, I have no clue if it's even possible to do a print screen of an iPad... if someone knows, tell me!).  I chose another day so you could see what it looks like with actual data:

But here's the other thing I love: it's not just about calories.  There is more to being healthy than calories and weight, right? Myfitnesspal tracks a lot of different nutrients, which has given me some education in nutrition.  Often I enter foods immediately after eating them, and when I do, I enjoy instant feedback about how they impact my nutrition.  The program lets you know what your goals should be for how many calories you should consume, and how much carbs, protein, and fat.  You get a report each day that updates itself every time you add food.  On the website, it looks like the pic above.

On the app, it also provides the table below.  I haven't figured out on the website how to get the more detailed information like this, so if someone knows, let me know!  

Finally, you can add friends (my sister and I follow each other) and it gives you status updates whenever your friends burn calories or log their foods or lose weight.  Or, you can view message boards from either the app or the website and interact with people all over the place!

This is an awesome app and I highly recommend checking it out if you'd like to learn more about nutrition (even if you're not currently concerned with losing weight).  I'll blog more later about the exercise tracking features.

Also, keep your eyes peeled for some interviews.  I've started talking to friends and loved ones about their wellness journeys, and I'm going to start sharing their stories on the blog soon!  Stay tuned....

This Very Present Moment

(This is a repost from my private blog...)

So I got seriously off-track on my goals lately as I went through some hard stuff, and teetered on the edge of depression.  I started really feeling like life was hopeless again... and I've been longing to know that happiness I knew a little while ago.

I actually gained back some of the weight I've lost.  The lowest I got was 241: a 52 lb weight loss!  But after I crashed... I got back up to  264.  Since I kicked it back into gear, I'm at 258 now.  That takes my total down to 35 lbs lost.

But I refuse to give up.  I have this moment, right now, to change my life.  And I'm doing it.

Today... is New Year's Eve and tomorrow is 2012.  And it's time for renewal. Time to let 2011... and every year before it... wash out with the tide. 

I've been watching The Biggest Loser a lot lately for inspiration.  I even wrote to one of the past contestants recently when I was feeling totally down and broken.  And she wrote back!  I wrote to Tara, this rock-solid woman from season 7 who is seriously amazing.  I swear there is nothing she can't do... Recently, she even completed an iron man!  And she started out at 294.  That's one pound heavier than my starting weight, so why can't I do it, too? Check out her transformation.

Here is what Tara had to say to me:

Hey Angela!

First off, I wanted to say congratulations on the weight you have already lost! Take time and realize how big of a change you have made! Over 30 pounds is huge so be proud of yourself for that! I know how you feel as I felt the exact same way at one point. The best thing to do is think about why you want to make the change and reflect. A lifestyle change that is created to last involves changing on the inside as well as the outside. After that, you have to believe in yourself Angela! Think about how you felt, how proud you were when you initially lost 10 or 20 pounds! It is that feeling that you have to carry with you at all times to overcome that temptation. And like all exercise, the hardest step is the one out the front door! You got this Angela! Take it one day at a time. I believe in you!

Be Well,

Tara =)

I couldn't believe she wrote back... that was awesome!  I feel so much less alone when I watch The Biggest Loser.  And yesterday, I watched an episode (Season 8, Episode 9) where Jillian Michaels was training a contestant (Rebecca) who was having a breakdown.  She said the most beautiful thing, and it just really spoke to me.  I put it on this awesome pic of her with her horse because I really dig the braids in her horse's mane (shhhh.... don't tell Carolyn!)

        (pic is from from her facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jillianmichaels)

That's what it takes.  Knowing that right now IS all that I have, and treasuring this holy moment.  What could be more real?  I can't keep crying over yesterday... or waiting for tomorrow for my life to start.  I have to give myself everything that I possibly can.  Right now. Not tomorrow.

So, one other thing.... I wish I had taken full-body "before" pics back when I was 293 lbs, but I didn't because I didn't believe I would ever lose a significant amount of weight. So, I took some now at 258.  At least I'll have some idea of how far I've come...

Here are some pics (though not full body "before" pics) of me at 293

For comparison, here's just my face at my lowest weight: 241.

And here is me now at 258...

There will be MORE TO COME!!!

Unlike a lot of people who say they make resolutions every year that they don't follow, I've actually always been afraid of making them, because I knew I'd let myself down.  Not this year. I'm making a New Year's resolution, and for the first time I'm putting a number on it.  I'm making a concrete goal.


By January 1, 2013... regardless of the ups and downs that happen between now and then... I will weigh 170 lbs. or less.  Watch me.


I'm going to do it today.

The PE Teacher Approach vs. Gentle Challenge

Starting out exercising was really, really hard for me.

Taking physical education classes in school gave exercise a really bad name.  Everything was about competition and comparing oneself to others.  Of course, I was the last pick for the team every time.  I was clumsy and not into competition.  That was even before I was chubby!  I don't remember ever receiving messages about the importance of being active, and the impact that caring for our bodies has on our minds, hearts, and souls.  I think I would have responded much better to this than to the grumpy PE teachers who made me run four laps around the track while my lungs burned and I felt panicky about not being able to breathe.  (We didn't realize I had asthma, and I didn't have an inhaler, until I was 16.  So there were many miserable years).

I often hear my friends who want to lose weight talk about what new, super-intense fitness program they want to do.  They know that Pilates or Zumba are hard and get fast results.  Yes, absolutely they do.  But when you're a beginner, it's very easy to burn out on them, and start avoiding.  To me, this is much like the PE teacher approach.  It's a one-size-fits-all way of looking at exercise.  You either exercise to the max like all the super fit people do, or you don't at all.  That approach has never worked for me.  Here's what has:

I made a rule against hating exercise.  I absolutely will not hate it.  I refuse.  So, if I'm doing something and I'm in pain and I'm hating it... either I find a way to reframe it as an exciting gentle challenge (authentically, I have to REALLY feel better about it, OR I take the intensity down a notch so it is still challenging but not horrible, OR I stop.  

I know, I know, I know.  You watch The Biggest Loser and it's all about pushing past the pain.  I agree that there's something to be said for that, and I do push myself.  But if you hate what you're doing, are you going to do it again?  Not for long.  

I'm all about very slow, gradual changes.

I started out doing very simple things, and I celebrated my little victories at every step. If I did something more that day than my usual routine, even if it was something really tiny, I considered that a success.  And that attitude of abundance (hey, I'm doing something!) rather than deficit (I'm not doing enough) has taken me much farther.

I walked my dog only five blocks, and slowly added more and more distance. I added some easier hills, then some harder ones.   I did water aerobics.  It felt great!  There was something really invigorating about being in the water... and water aerobics can be as gentle or as challenging as you like.  You're underwater, so people aren't able to gawk at your body like in the gym, so there's a certain level of safety there.  And you get a lot more benefit from even small, easier movements because of the water resistance.  Check it out.

After walking my dog for a while, I tried very easy hikes, then harder ones, then backed off to easier ones, and back to hard ones.  Now I'm almost able to keep up with my friends who are thin, not asthmatic, and have been hiking for years. Give me some time, and I'll be as fit as them.  I'm getting there slowly, and it's awesome!

Now I do pilates and zumba here and there, mixed in with gentler challenges like riding my bike (even just a few blocks) and walking my dog.