Category Archives: Health

Wellness Wednesday 2015-2

Second week and I already almost forgot to post.

My hard work has paid off and I’m down 4.4 pounds since January 5. I’ve been doing my wii fit, counting my calories and incorporating healthy habits. I’ve even been drinking water!

There are already a few things that I can see I’m going to have to work on if this is all going to be sustainable.

First, I think I’m going to need a second 1/2 cup measure. I feel like I’m constantly washing mine because so much of what I eat is measured in 1/2 cup increments. I’m sort of sick of looking at that stupid cup. I suppose soon enough I’ll better be able to eyeball what a 1/2 cup of stuff looks like. Maybe I won’t get a second one. You all know how much I hate owning stuff. Almost as much as I hate washing stuff.

I’ve been eating a salad with chicken almost every day for lunch. I don’t mind eating the same thing every day. In fact, it kind of makes things easier because I know what my calories will be, I have my trusty 1/2 cup measure at the ready, and I actually find it filling. My 250 calorie meal is reasonable and I can have a yogurt and a piece of fruit later in the day so I can make it until dinner. Here’s the problem: I HATE cutting up salads. The amount of effort that goes into compiling one meal is downright ridiculous. As it is I buy bagged lettuce and grape tomatoes and mini cucumbers, all so that I can cut up that much less. I mean, how much more can I cut out of this process? I’m trying to appreciate the (very few) calories I must be burning in this process, but I’m still getting sort of bitter at the salad. Stupid salad. It doesn’t even have cheese on it.

Speaking of cheese, remember how I said I wasn’t going to eat cheese? Yeah, that didn’t work. Cheese is delicious. I’m measuring it and eating single servings and I’m hoping I can remain in control.

Speaking of remaining in control, my cheat day got a bit out of hand last week. One pint of ice cream. All at once. Bad. Bad bad bad. So yummy though. Whatever. It happened and I’m shaking it off but I can’t make a habit out of that. I really want my cheat days to be more about not having to log everything in or measure every portion. It isn’t supposed to be about eating everything in sight.

I haven’t been at this long enough to say I have new habits. Not even close. But I saw enough weight loss to keep going. I plan to keep it up.

Until next week…

Featured image credit: http://uncrate.com/stuff/fitbit-aria-wi-fi-smart-scale/

Blog Forward Challenge – Third Installment

It’s time for the latest installment of the Blog Forward Challenge by ZonePerfect! (There’s a giveaway at the bottom, but you have to read the post to get to it. Promise you will?)

This is my third post in this series. You can read the other posts here and here. We are more than three-quarters of the way through the year. It’s time to check in on those resolutions!

So… the resolutions… well…

You guys, I have no excuses. I mean, I have plenty of them. They just all stink. I weighed myself recently and I weigh almost exactly as much as I did in the beginning of the year. In a way this is progress because last year I put on weight instead of losing. This year I maintained. Baby steps, amirite?

I could rehash all my shortcomings again, but why bother? The issue is that I have some pretty big hurdles between me and my goals and I haven’t come up with effective strategies to deal with them. In this post, I’m supposed to tell you how I plan to recharge and reignite some of the excitement I had earlier this year. The truth is I have no idea. The days are getting shorter, it’s already colder than I’d like it to be, and a schedule change has made it impossible for me to work out at all during the week (not that I was working out, but the possibility is killed dead at this point). In fact, I’m going to have to learn to be one of those people who cooks and preps food on the weekends just so I can keep my head above water during the week.

I guess my plan is to figure out how we’re going to eat mindfully when I don’t even really have time to make a grocery list.

(When I no longer have a lunch break most week days, the ZonePerfect Bars are going to come in handy what with their not needing to be cooked and requiring no clean up! Go ZonePerfect Bars!)

I’m also supposed to revisit the letter I wrote to future me earlier this year. In case you missed it, here’s the letter:

Dear Future Me:

Hey, what’s up? I hope you’re not still fat. Haha, kidding. Sort of. Seriously, did you get your act together? I hope so. You need to be strong and healthy to watch your kid grow up, write your memoir, and empty your house.

Wait a second, how old are you now Future Me? If this is 6-months from now Me, it’s fine if you didn’t accomplish this stuff yet. But if you’re 5 years from now Me and this stuff still isn’t done, what the what?! Come on, Me. You had 3 goals in 2014. I’m disappointed in you.

Oh. This letter was supposed to be encouraging. If you did the stuff, yay you! And I know you did because Present Me was pretty adamant that this stuff would get done. Past Me was the one all about slacking off. I hope you’re on to newer goals and newer challenges. You better be.

Don’t let us down, Me. Keep growing, or some other inspirational message. Also, work on your pep talks.

Kind regards,
Present Me.

Obviously I’m pretty disappointed in myself for not accomplishing what I wanted to but the year’s not over yet, so there’s still some hope. Let’s go with that: There’s still hope!

As previously mentioned, I’ve got a giveaway all lined up here. One lucky winner will receive a well being essentials kit provided by ZonePerfect. Your kit will include a tumbler suitable for all* your drinking needs, a pedometer, lip balm, hair ties, hand sanitizer, a box of ZonePerfect bars and a coupon so you can buy more at your leisure. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Comments received by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, October 18, 2014, will be eligible.

*I have no idea what sort of things you might want to drink but this is a cup and so I assume it will work for you. But if it doesn’t, sorry.

Mandatory disclosure is required for every program-related post. Although I have entered the program and received complimentary product and ZonePerfect promotional items, I am free to comment about ZonePerfect in a positive, neutral or negative fashion.

AND THE BIG WINNER IS… Rachel!! Congratulations on winning the wellness essentials giveaway! I’ll be contacting you by email to claim your prize!

On Making Better Choices.

This is the second post as part of my participation in the ZonePerfect Blog Forward campaign. Mandatory disclosure is required for every program-related post. I hereby disclose to you that although I have entered the program and received complimentary product and ZonePerfect promotional items, I am free to comment about ZonePerfect in a positive, neutral or negative fashion.

And if you stick with me to the end on this one, there’s something in it for you. But you love me, so you’re going to keep reading, right? Of course you are.

One of my resolutions this year (just like every year for the last 15+ years) is to lose weight and to get in better health. I go in fits and spurts. I do well, then I crash and burn. I lack consistency. Sometimes this happens because I go too far with my diet or exercise, other times it’s because I’m lazy and pizza tastes good. So do burritos. And ice cream.

Here’s the thing: I know better. I know that everything is OK in moderation, I just often lack the motivation to do things in moderation. So when I make these poor choices, I feel terrible about myself. Feeling terrible doesn’t exactly inspire me to do better, so I don’t. It’s a vicious cycle, you guys.

I haven’t lost any weight this year. I haven’t really gained, either. But holding steady isn’t what I want for myself and it certainly isn’t healthy. The only real option I have is to work on making small improvements, make better choices and lose the weight in a reasonable way. Those of you who make these healthy choices already are thinking, “Well, duh, Michelle, yeah.” And those of you who are in the same boat I am know how hard those changes are to make.

One recent change has been to include Greek yogurt as a major component of my breakfast. It’s filling and packed with protein, so I stay full longer than if I had, say, a bagel. (Mmm. Bagels…)

Another thing I’ve been doing, particularly on weekends when I’m running like a maniac, is to throw in a Zone bar. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, those things come in mighty handy. I can eat them while I’m getting stuff done around the house and since they come in a neat little wrapper, I don’t even have to dirty a plate, thus saving valuable time not washing an additional dish. Seriously though, they are packed with protein and are super satisfying.

You see, if I eat lunch at 11am when I’m hungry, I want to eat dinner at 4pm. We don’t eat dinner until usually 8pm or later (please don’t tell me how bad this is for me, I already know but this is just the way things are). The end result is I end up snacking way too much in the afternoon and it’s never healthy. I’ve found that a bar around 11 lets me hold off on lunch until 1pm and things fall into place better.

This isn’t the magic cure to all of my weight woes, but it helps. I feel like I’m more in control of my hunger, which makes me feel good. Feeling good helps me to not eat half a pizza for dinner followed by a pint of ice cream. This is one of the little things that I’m hoping will add up to bigger things later.

Also, if you’re obsessed with coconut like I am lately, I highly recommend the Perfectly Simple Toasted Coconut bar. Honestly, I could eat a million of them. They aren’t paying me to say that, they are just that good.

Are you interested in trying some? Become A ZonePerfect® VIP & Save up to $10* Your first coupon will be emailed to you. Join Now . *$10 in savings relates to savings spread across a one year period and may vary.

Oh, hey, one other thing! The good people at ZonePerfect sent me a neat little portable charger that I can charge, then take with me places to charge my devices when I’m not near a place where I can charge my devices in a regular outlet!

Guess what? They actually sent me two and I’m giving one of them to one lucky reader.

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment on this post. Then I will use a very sophisticated method to pick a winner. By sophisticated I mean I’m going to write the names down on little pieces of paper, throw them all in a hat and pull one out. Maybe I’ll let my kid pull it out. Full disclosure: it might not be a hat. It could be a bowl. Or a vase. Or just a pile. But it will be random because I’m very honest. I promise. You trust me, right?

The contest ends at 8:00 AM Eastern time on Monday, June 2, 2014. The winner will be notified via email and will have to send me his or her mailing address so that I can mail the charger. It’s totally on the up and up and I will never stop by unannounced. Or announced even, because I’m not really the stopping by type.

OK. That’s it. I’m off to eat a healthy snack and you have some commenting to do!

6.4.14… Edited to add: The big winner is STACIE!! You can read Stacie’s blog here. She is awesome, so I recommend that you do that.

In The Zone.

A while ago I mentioned that I had some resolutions for the new year and I intended to write about them. Here’s a quick recap:

1. Empty my house. I’m just so tired of owning stuff.

2. Writing. Word by word, the memoir is getting written.

3. Health. Well, sigh. That’s a tough one and the main focus of this post.

In general, I haven’t been living a healthy lifestyle these last few years. As a working mom, it’s hard to find the time to get everything done and exercise is usually one of the first things I let slide. Cooking a healthy dinner is another. And the snacking. Oh, for the love, the snacking. I have a lot of changes to make and an opportunity arose to work with ZonePerfect in their Blog Forward campaign. Naturally, I jumped on it.

The great thing about ZonePerfect bars is that they are quick fuel for those times when I’d otherwise forget to eat. You would think someone like me (that is, overweight) doesn’t forget to eat often, but on weekends when I’m running like a chicken without a head, stopping for a meal or a healthy snack doesn’t happen. I probably would not have purchased a giant box full of bars, mostly because I wouldn’t want to spend the money and then find I didn’t like them. I received a box of 25 bars as part of the campaign and I got to try many varieties. I have to tell you, they’re pretty tasty.

In particular, I liked the ones with coconut. The yogurt and fruit flavors are also delicious. Fudge Graham was another hit. They pack a nice amount of protein and the calories aren’t out of control. They certainly satisfy hunger. There is one line, the Zone Perfect Simple line, that boasts fewer ingredients. The cranberry almond one and the toasted coconut are definitely ones I’ll pick up in the future to keep on hand.

Since I’m a complainer, I will tell you what I didn’t like about the bars. First, and I know this might sound crazy, but I’m not a huge chocolate fan. I mean, I like chocolate, but I’m not all gotta-have-it about the stuff. So given that there are so many chocolate varieties and less non-chocolate (or so it seems to me), the options that would be my favorites are a little more limited. But if you like chocolate, there are definitely many flavors for you to choose from.

Second, peanuts. I hate peanuts and I hate peanut butter. I find all snack bar brands to be big on the PB. Again, if this is your thing, then you will be happy. It just isn’t mine.

Finally, and here’s where you’re going to think I’m crazy, there is just so much chewing. These are hearty and satisfying bars. They are hefty. There were some times when I couldn’t finish a whole bar because there was just so much chewing. Yes, I’m that lazy. But they hold up nicely to finish the bar the next day, so even my negative isn’t really a negative. Maybe I’m losing my complainy touch!

All in all, I think the bars will be a helpful addition in my journey towards healthier eating. Having a quick and satisfying snack at the ready certainly can’t hurt, right?

Another part of the Blog Forward campaign is to include a letter to my future self. I am not one to write letters to myself, so I’m just going to dive right into that challenge and pretend I don’t feel awkward doing so. Here goes:

Dear Future Me:

Hey, what’s up? I hope you’re not still fat. Haha, kidding. Sort of. Seriously, did you get your act together? I hope so. You need to be strong and healthy to watch your kid grow up, write your memoir, and empty your house.

Wait a second, how old are you now Future Me? If this is 6-months from now Me, it’s fine if you didn’t accomplish this stuff yet. But if you’re 5 years from now Me and this stuff still isn’t done, what the what?! Come on, Me. You had 3 goals in 2014. I’m disappointed in you.

Oh. This letter was supposed to be encouraging. If you did the stuff, yay you! And I know you did because Present Me was pretty adamant that this stuff would get done. Past Me was the one all about slacking off. I hope you’re on to newer goals and newer challenges. You better be.

Don’t let us down, Me. Keep growing, or some other inspirational message. Also, work on your pep talks.

Kind regards,
Present Me.

And now the other obligatory thing:

What do you think? Have you tried ZonePerfect bars? Do you have a tried-and-true tip for balancing health and all the other stuff in life? Start a conversation in comments.

Featured image credit: zoneperfect.com

The Urge to Purge.

It’s December 29. It’s time to really think about what I want from the new year so that I can start it out on the right foot.

I don’t want to have 1,000 emails in my inbox. That’s 1,000 messages that I should have paid attention to the day each showed up, but I didn’t. I’m letting too much in. I’m not selective about what I promise my time to and then I wonder why I have no time. Next year I will be more selective about who I let in. I will delete the email subscriptions that are no longer important to me. I will not be bullied by my gmail.

I don’t want to have a house full of things I don’t need, want, use, love. I don’t want to have a house full of someone else’s keepsakes. I don’t want to feed into the culture of materialism or buy into the notion that if I just get more containers it won’t feel like I have so much stuff. I’m done with stuff.

I don’t want to be overweight, filling my mouth and stomach with fat and sugar and salt. There’s no pleasure in food for me anymore and, arguably, there shouldn’t have been from the start. At least not in the way I expected there to be.

I’m so tired. I think 2013 might have been my most tired year yet, despite the fact that I slept more this year than I have in the past six. I’m tired because of all of the excess. It’s weighing me down, both literally and figuratively.

On the road to minimalism, the road to simplicity, 2014 is going to be the year of the purge.

I’m submitting this post to the final moonshine grid of 2013. Click through to check out what other writers have shared.

Featured image credit.

Michelle Longo

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