100 Days Challenge - Day 39 and 40 - Part One: Preparing for an Eating Experience

Once again, I've taken a rather long hiatus from journaling.   Part of it was because I was on vacation last week and I just didn't have much time to sit and reflect.  I did pay attention to my food choices, and got in at least 30 minutes of walking nearly every day.   I have not weighed myself since I returned but I'm probably up a couple of pounds as we ate out often.

I'm back home again, and have returned to my exercise program and have started planning my meals again.   I'm feeling both energetic and relaxed, thanks to a wonderful and exhilerating vacation up in the Colorado Rockies!   I also had a therapeutic experience in the hot mineral springs - and my knees have been thanking me ever since!   Each time I stop my swimming therapy, I start getting twinges in my knees/legs.  Since I didn't swim while I was in vacation, I was feeling a bit of discomfort - but the "healing waters" sure made a difference!   Now I am back to my swimming therapy - and feeling great!

On the 100 Day Challenge, I'm finally finishing the first four decades.  That means 40 chapters done, and "only"  60 to go!   I am determined to finish "the Challenge" no matter how long it takes!   However, I will continue to substitute topics when topics do not apply to me.

Today, I am gearing up for tomorrow's "eating experience"  (topic for Day 40).  I happen to be eating out with a friend at a favorite restaurant called Ripe.  The "assignment" is this:

Intentionally plan to have an eating experience. Let the food become a minor part of your event, perhaps even choosing a simple meal of soup or salad for your experience.  Select a restaurant based on the type of experience you want to have.  

The focus is to determine what have been the most enjoyable eating experiences, and what caused the experience to be so enjoyable, and then to replicate the experience.  This is easy as all enjoyable eating experience have been about the person or persons I've been with.  I enjoy eating out with the people who are special in my life - whether it be with my spouse, or other family members, or my friends.   Tomorrow I am meeting a former colleague who has become a good friend.   I truly look forward to sharing a dining experience with her and sharing stories about our lives as well!  Shari is a culinary arts teacher so I'm sure we will be paying close attention to the culinary delights during our meal!  (note:  see Postscript below)

How did I demonstrate my dedication and commitment to my program?

Exercise -  I did nearly an hour of lap swimming.

Food Plan - I had the following:   Breakfast - Fiber One cereal + unsweetened Almond Milk;  Lunch - crackers and hummus,  an apple ;   Dinner - turkey sausage and a medley of rice and vegetables;  Snacks - 1/2 slice of low-cal ww bread w/tsp of pb;   energy bar; strawberries shortcake (w/angel food cake);   1 small apricot;  Activia yogurt

Postscript:


I find that when I'm enjoying the companionship of my spouse, another member of my family or a friend at a restaurant, that becomes the focus of my dining experience - not the food - which is the way it should be IMO.  Though one might savor the meal as well as the sharing of conversation, food should never take so such great importance that it overshadows the relationship one has with one's dinner companion.  I recall dinner with friends not because of the food I ate but because I love spending time with friends and family.    

100 Days Challenge - Day 38 - Synchronizing My Program

"Energy is the essence of life. Every day
you decide how you're going to use it by
knowing what you want and what it
takes to reach that goal, and by maintaining focus." - Oprah 

Even though I haven't posted in my blog for a week, I have been working hard to protect my program.   I do find a few of the topics in the 100 Day Challenge irrelevant so I've substituted topics from time to time - this is one of those times.   The actual topic is "Food as Power" - and I've pondered over this for a while and honestly cannot relate to it.    Instead, I will discuss where I am right now on my journey.   Seems to be truly what I should be focusing on!   


I do love the quote above by Oprah Winfrey.   It speaks to me since this is exactly what I am doing and need to continue to do - know what I want, know what it takes to reach my goals, maintain focus and use my energy productively so that I can accomplish it all!   There it is in a nutshell!      I actually plan out my Google calendar with my exercise program at the beginning of each week - usually on Sunday.  I schedule 4-5 days of exercise and get in at least three days.   However, there are days I "double-up" -  with 30-40 minutes of aerobic walking and 50 minutes of lap swimming.   All in all, on the exercise front, I'm doing great!  


I'm still not tracking my points on my Food Tracker, and I suspect that that may be why I've been on a plateau for quite some time.  I've been playing with the same two pounds like a "see-saw" for a good six weeks or so  and haven't lost any weight since late March.   I actually think I'm not eating enough and that is backfiring on me!  As I write this, I am resolved to rectify this by returning to my WW Food Tracker TONIGHT - right after I complete this blog entry.  Why is it that when  we admit what the problem is on paper, the solution becomes more obvious!?   Another good reason to continue blogging!   : )


It does seem that either I do well on my Food Plan or I do well on my Exercise Program.   The goal here is then to get them both in sync!   And that, dear friends, is my goal for the week - to create a "holistic program"  - one that actually works together.   Since I've been exercising regularly,  I do have ENERGY - so no excuse really not to get it together.    


Next week, I'll be in the Southern Colorado Rockies - a whole week in Pagosa Springs at a resort!   Nothing to do except spend time relaxing, walking, enjoying the scenery -  and focus on my health, of course!  I intend to bask in the wonderful alpine mountains...and in the mineral hot springs !  : )    A true "Rocky Mountain High"!!!   

100 Days Challenge - Day 37 - A Great Day!

Had a great day today - lots of exercise, eating right - one of those feeling stronger, healthier "on top of it all" kind-of-day!   I'm more prone to WANT to blog when I have one of these days then when I've had a sluggish, "fell off the wagon" kind-of-day".

I woke up  and did my usual morning stretches.   For breakfast, I made both my husband and me a Biggest Loser Protein Shake - added berries and flax seed.  Also ate a Fiber One muffin packed with blueberries.   Then we left for the park and walked at a good, fast pace for 30 minutes  (probably 1.75 miles or so).  We've decided to walk three times a week together - for at least 30 minutes and then build on that.  I also went to the Y pool and did my laps for a good 45 minutes, plus 5-10 minutes of water aerobics.  Wow!  Felt great!!  At home, I cleared out a cabinet  (we're getting ready to move and tons of "stuff" to get rid of).  Felt very energetic - must have been the great "jumpstart" I had at the beginning of the day!  I did feel tuckered out, though, after my swim.  

My food plan went well - had several mini-meals today - starting with the breakfast I described above.  Prior to going to the pool at 12, I had a slice of low cal/ww bread w/pb.  After I came home from the pool, I had a bowl of light Activia yogurt w/a TBSP of plain Greek yogurt - and mixed in strawberries and a TBSP of granola.   At 5 p.m. , I had an apple pecan salad which I had picked up at Wendy's  - added grape tomatoes and 1/2 of an avocado to the salad.  About three hours later, I had a turkey sandwich.  I think I was hungry because of all the exercise I had done!

Hoping to keep up the momentum for the rest of the week!

The topic for Day 37 is "I Love to Eat!".   Really?  Now would I have a weight problem if I didn't love to eat?!!   Actually, this appears to be a prelude to the next topic which is "The Power of Food".   Here are the exercises:

1.  Make a list of foods you absolutely love.  (I have way too many to list...but here are a few - ice cream, yogurt, avocado, all kinds of fish, dark chocolate, all things French (just about!)...and I could go on and on.

 2. Explore what you love about these foods. Consider the flavor and texture as

well as the settings where you typically eat them. (seems we've done this several times already so I'm skipping this one.)

3. In addition to the flavors of good food, notice other things that you love about eating. Is it possible that what you love isn’t related to the food at all? Record your insights below. (this seems to be leading up to the next topic - The Power of Food).

I'll "explore" my feelings about food and share my insights to #3 in the next topic.

100 Days Challenge - Day 36 - Slow Down Your Eating

The topic for Day 36 is "slow down your eating".  This has a domino effect as it also allows one to pay attention to not only the flavors of food but also be able to "pause" so as to know when one has reached the "satisfied" level of eating.  It is true that one eats too fast, there is no time for the feeling of "fullness" vs "just being satisfied" to be recognized.  Unfortunately,  for years, I ate too fast as I was teaching and we had such a short lunch period (30 minutes - but that included getting the food from the fridge in the lounge, heating it up - not to mention bathroom breaks).  Sometimes, it was more like "eating on the run" when I had "school stuff" to do such as running copies, meeting with other teachers, counselors,  students, etc. etc.    Fortunately, I am retired now so I don't have this excuse any more.

Today, I went to a wonderful Champagne Buffet Brunch at a restaurant in Old Mesilla, New Mexico.  I did the "pause" exercise as describe in my last entry.  It worked!  By slowing down and pausing between each part of the meal, I was able to reach a level of feeling satisified and did not over-eat.  As from past exercise, I also savoured the various foods - which also forces one to slow down and I truly focused on enjoying the myriad of flavors.  I also made sure to balance my plate with veggies, salad along with the entrees - a salmon crepe and 1/2 portion of Chicken Marsala.  I did "splurge" on a small piece  (square) of Carrot Cake, however.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 I have set up my weekly goals:
1.  6 days of exercise  (alternating between 2 mile walks and an hour of lap swimming).


2.  I will also continue to try to pause and slow down during meals as I know it will be to my benefit to do so.  


3.  I will TRACK my food points on E-tools on the WW site  (I have not been doing this very regularly which is not in my best interest!).   

4.  I will blog at least four days this week.   By doing so, I will be able to complete another decade of daily topics!    

100 Days Challenge - Day 34 and 35 - Listening Accurately and The Eating Pause

Time to pick up the topics that are covered daily in the 100 Days Challenge of Weight Loss book.   Days 34 and 35 have inter-related topics - both focus on knowing when one has reached the "satisfied" level vs getting to the "feeling stuffed" level of eating...although Chpater 34 goes a bit further by saying:

If you realize that you like feeling stuffed, you may need to work on changing your belief that full is a good sensation. Instead of enjoying the sensation of being overly full, begin labeling it as uncomfortable. Make a clear decision that you no longer want to feel that way, and instead, you want to feel comfortable or satisfied.

I can say that I don't enjoy feeling stuffed!  I had a recent experience with this when I ate steaks w/grilled red-skinned potatoes and carrots.  I had planned to stop eating when I felt satisfied, but went beyond that feeling...and then felt very uncomfortable!   I will say that I don't usually allow this to happen and was a bit upset with myself for allowing myself to overeat.  

Moving on to Chapter 35, the topic here is: the Eating Pause.   This is described as -


When you naturally pause in your eating, you’re usually at the exact point where you feel satisfied or comfortable. In fact, this pause seems to correlate exactly with the moment your stomach indicates it’s taken in enough food. If you continue to eat, you quickly move to the level of being too full.

I must admit that I had never really thought about this but it does make sense to me. I plan to monitor this "natural pause" in the next few days.  In fact, the homework exercise which is given in connection with this topic is as follows:    


1.  At each meal and snack, notice when you pause in your eating. Record how you recognized the pause as well as how much you had eaten at that point. 


2. Once you’ve paused, stop eating, regardless of the amount you have left. Wait for at least two hours before eating again. Describe your experience with recognizing the eating pause.

3. If you realize you were actually hungry, work at fine-tuning your listening skills and improving your ability to use the eating pause as a tool. Write a few notes about how you can improve this in the future.

Note how #3 refers back to Day 34 - Listening Accurately - topic.  These two topics are clearly inter-related.   I will continue discussing this in my next entry when I've had a few days of "listening" and "pausing".   

How did I demonstrate my commitment to my journey?

Exercise - 50 minutes of lap swimming and 5 minutes of aqua aerobics.

Food Plan - 

Breakfast - WW English muffin w/thin layer of pb;  light Activia yogurt w/1 TBSP Greek yogurt (plain) w/strawberries
Lunch:  Apple pecan salad (sans pecans) from Wendy's  - w/viniagrette dressing
Dinner:  Veggie soup and an apple 
Snack:  150 calorie Skinny Cow ice cream bar

100 Days Challenge - Happy May Day!

It's good to finally get back to blogging my journey after taking a 2 week "sabbatical". I think I should change this "100 Day Challenge" to a "1000 Day Challenge" as at the rate I'm going, it's going to take me that long to finish it.  LOL   That's OK as I  knew this journey was going to go way over 100 days.   Life happens and try as I may, I cannot always "drop everything" to blog.  That's not to say I'm not "working my journey".  I am - more days than not.   I do better, however, when I blog AND exercise AND focus on my food plan all at the same time.  For me, the components all work together.

Today is May Day which in many countries is celebrated as "Labor Day".   What an appropriate day to return to my blog - as this journey truly is "hard work"!   However, I'm at a good place now in my personal life  (the adoption of my two little granddaughters has take place!) and have more time now to focus on me.   On the other hand, there will no doubt be other "sabbaticals" as we will more than likely be moving this summer - probably to the North Central part of Texas  (near Fort Worth).

As I said, I am working my journey.   I've been eating healthy 80% of the time - have strayed an average of once a week  (mostly with desserts).    I've also gotten back to my exercise routine though I would like to add more to my repertoire.

How did I demonstrate my commitment today?


Exercise - 45 minutes of lap swimming and 5 minutes of water aerobics

Food Plan -
Breakfast - Fiber One cereal w/unsweetened almond milk and banana;  Lunch - scrambled eggs and turkey sausage;  1/2 biscuit;   yogurt, fruit and granola
Dinner -  6 oz steak and mushrooms;   carrots and red-skinned potatoes
Snack -  Activia w/fruit and a sprinkling of granola

In retrospect, I had plenty of fruit, protein, dairy...but needed more veggies as I skipped the large salad I had planned for dinner.