Day 160: Why is just as important as what.

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As I laid in bed this morning thinking about my current state of health and how frustrated I was, a thought occurred to me.  The same thing that is happening now, happened in my early twenties, nearly twenty years ago. (Yes, I just leaked my age, oh well...I tend to be an open book) Yep, at one point, I gained 40 pounds in 6 months during a time I was the most active in my life.  Noticing the similarities, I continued to analyse the timeline of my life.

I was a teen in the 90's.  I remember the HUGE craze then was a low-fat, high-carb diet.  I was in high school and I was very rigid with my eating.  I was also a size 6 who felt like I was a size 26. (If I could go back in time and kick myself, I would.) I remember eating very little fat, if any, and a whole bunch of carbs and Diet Pepsi. I remember my cycle was messed up and the Dr. gave me medication to fix it.  So during a time where my endocrine system and metabolism was developing, I was doing everything to work against it.

A body needs good fats to help build and strengthen every system needed to be alive and healthy.  I gave my body none, or at least I didn't give it the healthy kind when I had treats or a snack.  I also flooded my body with chemicals from soda and medicine.  What's sad is if I had been eating a balanced and healthy diet, I wouldn't have needed the medication to begin with. No wonder my body rebelled when I was 20, my endocrine system and metabolism were toast.  I had abused it without even knowing and it was ticked.

Now, twenty years later, I'm still dealing with the damage I incurred while I was developing in my youth.  I'm grateful that now I know better health habits so I can teach my children not just to eat better but why they would want to eat better.  I personally think the why is just as important as the what. You need to know what to put in your body so you can be healthy, but if you don't understand or know why, it's easy to make excuses.

I'm tired. * I don't feel good. *  Just this time. * It's a special day. * Tomorrow I'll do better. * Monday.

For me, when I know the why, the why will squash the excuses and reveal how lame and flimsy they really are, giving me a better chance of winning.

French Dressing

(makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup plain, low fat yogurt
  
  


• 2½ tbsp ketchup
  
  


• 2 tbsp water
  
  


• 1½ tbsp cider vinegar
  
  


• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  
  


• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
  


• ½ tsp sugar
  
  


• Black pepper to taste
  
  

Preparation:

• In a small-size bowl, mix all ingredients together with a spoon or fork until well. Season with pepper.
  
  


• Store in the refrigerator in a covered container until ready to use.
  
  

Make 8 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(2 tbsp (24 g)): 28 Calories, 1 g Protein, 3 g carbohydrates, 0 g Dietary Fiber, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 76 mg sodium

There is light at the end of this dark tunnel

For the first time in weeks I woke up feeling like life is good. I'm not dreading going to work. I'm looking forward to heading off to the gym in a few minutes. Even though the sky here in the Northwest is dark, there's a promise of "sun breaks" today (a popular Northwest phrase that  means it might rain, but we might get to see the sun too). I feel...well, happy. For the first time in what feels like forever.

We had a new guy start on Tuesday. I'm mentoring him. I'll admit that I was dreading this task. This was going to be the third person I've mentored in the last five months. It's a challenge to mentor someone, and one of my mentors didn't turn out well.

This guy is great. He's easy going, funny, laughs at my jokes and he's super smart (much smarter than myself, but that's not really saying much). It's only been two days, but so far, so good. I have high hopes this one will work out.

I've eased up on myself about the weight thing. I went through a bad few days that included sugary, junk foods. Something I haven't indulged in for quite a while. Thankfully that only lasted a few days, and I've been back to healthy eating for several days now. Although the scale isn't going down, I'm hanging steady at 188.

I decided to give myself a break and stop beating myself up so much for my 30-pound weight gain. Yes, it's horrible, but it's not the end of the world. It's just something I have to deal with, and recently I just couldn't deal with it and my work situation too. 

Now that I've calmed down a bit about work, I feel able to tackle my weight problem. Number one is back to Weight Watchers and back to tracking. I haven't done either for over a month. My best friend has dropped out of Weight Watchers. She just gave up after months of not really trying. I've had months of not really trying too, but I refuse to give up.

Number two, back to reading my favorite blogs and commenting. I've been reading a lot of your blogs, but I wouldn't comment a lot of the times because I felt empty inside. It's hard to encourage someone else when I was feeling hopeless myself.

I'm finally seeing the light again.

Day 159: Catching up after a few weeks.

Hello! Just thought I would pop in real quick and catch up with my blog.  I feel like it's been months since we've connected. ;)

During the last few weeks things have been crazy.  My husband's mom lost her battle with cancer and we had a quick trip to Utah for the funeral.  It was a sad time, but also a happy one as family from all over the states gathered together and had a few days to catch up.

As for me personally, I am uber frustrated with my body.  I feel like it's waged war against me! I'm very grateful for the ability to workout every day with my elliptical and I fear what I would look/feel like if I wasn't.  As I mentioned in the last post, I have had PCOS for most of my life.  When I was first diagnosed, the biggest concern was that I would never be able to have children.  Now looking back as a mother of four children, I know it was through my diet and a little help from the medical world with progesterone, I was able to get pregnant after a year of effort.

One thing I learned from my OB/GYN was that PCOS disappears while pregnant. Over the last 12 years, I was pregnant about every three years and I didn't really see a lot of my PCOS symptoms. It was actually easy for me to lose weight, especially when I was breastfeeding.

Our youngest is 2 1/2, in the past, this would be the time I would typically be having another baby, but since I'm not, something else is happening.  My PCOS is coming back in full force!  According to the scale, I'm up 7 pounds from last week.  SEVEN POUNDS in a WEEK???? The sad thing is that I didn't do anything to bring this on! No binge, no buffet, nothing but regular eating and exercising.  Part of me wants to curl up and actually do the binging I've already gained the poundage for, but I'm not.  *tempted* But I'm not.

So what's the plan? I am going to wear sun dresses now that it's warm. I refuse to go out and buy larger sized clothes, it's depressing.  My current clothes are snug and the way it feels makes me want to eat to comfort myself, which isn't good since I'm already tempted. (see above)  Sun dresses are cute and comfortable.  I don't know how I'll look, but at least I can feel comfortable while I make some tweaks to my lifestyle.

I've read a few chapters of my Schwarzbein and the science always fascinates me and supports my own thinking of health.  No chemicals, all natural, nourish your body and eat WHOLE foods.  The reason I LOVE to read these books is because of the science.  Over time, I forget the details of the science that shows me WHY I want to eat/live this way.  (For instance, I forgot just HOW important stress reduction and adiquate sleep was to endocrine system health--oops!)  Dr. Laura Schwarzbein is also an endocrinologist which means she has specific suggestions to help with endocrine issues, which PCOS is.

Weight loss and total health is a journey! Right now, I've hit one of the bumps and that's okay.  If it weren't for the rough spots, the happy times wouldn't be as exciting. :D

Fava Bean and Red Onion Salad

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  
  


• 12 oz. fava beans in pods, shell and discard the pods
  
  


• ⅔ cup low-fat plain yogurt
  
  


• 1 teaspoon fresh mint, chopped
  
  


• 1 garlic clove, sliced
  
  


• ½ cucumber, peeled and sliced
  
  

Preparation:

• To reduce pungency of onions, rinse slices briefly under running cold water and drain well.
  
  


• In a medium saucepan, bring 2 qt. water to a boil and boil fava beans until tender (about 8 minutes).
  
  


• Drain beans and rinse under cold water. Pierce the favas and squeeze them out of their outer white skins.
  
  


• Combine yogurt, mint, garlic and cucumber in a small bowl. Add beans and onion and toss until well-coated then serve.
  
  

Make 4 Servings:

Weight Loss Recipes Amount Per Serving(¼ of recipe (274 g)): 148 Calories, 10 g Protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 1 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 2 mg cholesterol, 54 mg sodium

Obesity in Our Youth

These days, it seems we’re constantly being bombarded with the message that Australians are bigger than ever before. It was big news when we over took the Americans to take the crown as the most overweight country in the world and now more than ever the health benefits of weight loss are being touted in the media.

Some may think that our obesity crisis is a normal result of our aging population (after all we all put on a little ‘pudge’ as we age – don’t we?) However, recent reports published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show that obesity is not only rampant in the older generations, but it’s increasing rapidly in those who are in their prime.

According to the report on the recent National Health Survey conducted by the ABS, 21% of Australian women aged between 18 and 24 years are overweight while a further 15% are classed as obese.  In young men aged between 18 and 24 years, there is a similar story with 28% classed as overweight and 12% classed as obese.

These results show the need for urgent action from our young people if we, as a nation, stand any chance of reducing the incidence of obesity and the co-morbidities that go with it.  And while the negative impact of obesity on health is clear, big improvements to health can be gained by small to modest losses in weight (5-10% of initial weight).

With modest changes to lifestyle, our young people are able to regain their health, vitality and make a big difference to the health of the country.  If you’re craving the opportunity to make a real difference in the world, here’s your chance.  Not only will you be contributing to a healthier society, but you’ll be reaping the benefits on a personal level as well.  This is an issue well worth some time and attention in the day to day life of every young Australian.

Before attempting to lose weight by changing your diet or tackling an exercise program, remember to consult an Accredited Practicing Dietitian.  Their expert advice will help to ensure you’re on the right track.

References

References from WWMC June Broadcast

Obesity in Youth

1. National Health Survey: Summary of Results, 2007-2008 (Reissue), ABS
2. Thomas TR, LaFontaine TP. Exercise, nutritional strategies, and lipoproteins. In Roitman JL, senior editor. Resource manual for the guidelines for exercise testing and exercise prescription. 4th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins, 2001

Foods That Boost Immunity

1. Bendich A. Carotenoids and the immune response. J Nutr 1989;119:112-15.
2. Watson RR, Prabhala RH, Plezia PM, Alberts DS. Effect of beta-carotene on lymphocyte subpopulations in elderly humans: evidence for a dose-response relationship. Am J Clin Nutr 1991;53:90-4.
3. Chandra RK. Nutrition and the immune system from birth to old age. Eur J Clin Nutr 2002;56:S73-6.
4. Dardenne M. Zinc and immune function. Eur J Clin Nutr 2002;56:S20-3.
5. Bogden JD, Oleske JM, Lavenhar MA, et al. Effects of one year of supplementation with zinc and other micronutrients on cellular immunity in the elderly. J Am Coll Nutr 1990;9:214-25.
6. Hawley HP, Gordon GB. The effects of long chain free fatty acids on human neutrophil function and structure. Lab Invest 1976;34:216-22.
7. Barone J, Hebert JR, Reddy MM. Dietary fat and natural-killer-cell activity. Am J Clin Nutr 1989;50:861-67.
8. Nordenstrom J, Jarstrand C, Wiernik A. Decreased chemotactic and random migration of leukocytes during intralipid infusion. Am J Clin Nutr 1979;32:2416-22.