Day 38: Chasing dreams & Skinny Jeans

He said:

Today I did the second 7 mile run of my life, a little longer on time then the one I did on Sunday and I had to rest for about three minutes near the end, but I got all the way.  I look back on how I got to this point and see that it was a series of baby steps.

The first time I tried to start running (again) I took a completely different approach and just started walking, trying to speed walk and keep a decent pace.  Then slowly starting to jog a little bit at a time with intermediate walking, which went on for months.

It was only Sunday and the 7 mile run that I realized that I probably haven’t been pushing myself enough, but only because I wasn’t approaching running the right way.  I always thought that you just started running and that was the end, but there are many facets of being able to run well.

You have to work on your stance, pace, breathing, stride, etc.  When starting out I was trying to just run without thinking about any of these other aspects, needless to say I would get tired quickly and then have to stop and walk for a while.  It was on Sunday that I finally found a pace that worked where I do not get tired and can stay on track, I have been running now for six months (some of us are slow learners).

I am excited about the fact that a life long goal is slowly being realized, I have always wanted to be one of those people that was able to run everyday for about five miles.  Maybe in another month I can check another box on my list.

Food Log:

Breakfast: Skyr (100 cal.)

Mid-morning snack: Banana (120 cal.)

Lunch: Broccoli soup (125 cal., 3.5g fat)

Afternoon snack: Fat-Free Cottage cheese (90 cal.,)

Dinner: glass of milk + Vegan Spring Rolls (594 cal., 16g fat)

Total calories: 1,029.

She Said: 

Today was my first day wearing my skinny jeans out and about!

By “skinny jeans” I mean that one pair all women keep in the back of their closet hoping they will fit into them again someday… Three weeks ago I couldn’t pull them all the way up much less BUTTON them.

So in my skinny jeans I went to GAP and purchased a size 14 pair of jeans in a style I already own.

The “skinny jeans” are still a size 16 but because of their style they fit smaller than the 16’s I have been wearing.

Progress Progress Progress!

For dinner I made Nathaniel and I veggie spring rolls with lettuce, cucumber, carrot, avocado and mushrooms inside. We dipped them in peanut sauce and sriracha and they were delicious!

Monday I ran the week 4 program of couch-to-5k, yesterday I ran 2.5 miles at varying speeds and tomorrow I will run the week 4 schedule again.

Feeling good!

 

Veggie Tacos

This is not so much of a recipe as it is a meal alteration suggestion because you can interpret it in a million ways.

Last night I really wanted tacos but I can’t eat meat during the week and tortillas are calorie bombs. The average flour tortilla used to make burritos at taquerias has 300 calories. Corn tortillas while a much healthier option just aren’t worth it at nearly 100 calories each.

Meal suggestion – even if you want to make all the same taco fillings you normally would try using butter lettuce leaves instead of tortillas. Each leaf has 1 calorie (awesome) and I think I prefer them to corn tortillas (which I’ve never been a fan of anyway).

Tonight for dinner we had black bean tacos.

Ingredients:

3 cups drained black beans

1 cup drained whole kernel corn

Pico De Gallo

2 butter lettuces

Cheese

Sriracha / tapatio

Directions:

1. Mix beans and corn together and heat on medium

2. While beans and corn are heating wash and tear leaves off of lettuce (discard outer wilted pieces)

3. Stack leaves on plates and spoon bean mixture into bowls

(serves 2)

Serve leaves and beans with your choice of toppings – which in our case was pico de gallo, sriracha, tapatio and cheese.

***Pico de Gallo ( 2oz. / 15 calories) is available fresh at most grocery stores and is simply a blend of chopped onions, tomato, jalapeño peppers and cilantro. You can make it yourself or just buy it.

Day 30: Free Day & -13 Pounds

He said:

So I think I am getting the running thing down.  Did 3.1 miles last week on Thursday and was able to follow that up with another 3.1 on Sunday.  The progress is starting to show and I do feel more motivated because of that.

On another note, Alex and I were getting sick of losing weight all week and then gaining most of it back on our free day (and the free day wasn’t even that crazy…ok it was kind of crazy).  So we decided that for the next two weeks, starting on the 12^th that we were not going to do a free day till the 31^st (excluding a dinner with Alex’s parents on the 17^th).

With all of that, last Saturday we had Alex’s parents over for dinner (corn beef and cabbage, shout out to my Irish cousins), but didn’t have a free day only that one meal.  The next day was back to normal and starting out this week I weighed a little less then I did at the end of last week, a great place to start.

I am supportive of the free day concept because it gives you something to look forward to during the week and when you do get a craving it is easier to tell yourself that all you have to do is wait for the weekend then to tell yourself your never going to be able to eat that again.  One of the bet free days that Alex and I had was when we hiked through SF.  Because even though we had half a doughnut and cookie, some breakfast sandwiches and a heavy Italian dinner, almost all of that was counter acted by the hike.

I guess you just have to customize when you are going to splurge and how much your going to allow yourself.  As I said before, I think it is crucial to have these free meals, one because you can do it guilt free as it is built into your diet and two it will help you stick to your diet.  But instead of having a doughnut breakfast of two or three doughnuts on your free day, have a bowl of adult cereal and one doughnut to cut the calories down.

Getting close to some goals and starting to set my eyes on new ones, it’s an exciting time.

Food Log:

Breakfast: Skyr (100 cal.)

Mid-morning snack: Banana (120 cal.)

Lunch: Lentil Soup (250 Cal. 2.5g fat)

Afternoon snack: Fat-Free Cottage cheese (90 cal.)

Dinner: Lettuce Bean Tacos (425 cal, 1g fat)

Total calories: 985.

She Said: 

As of today I have lost 13 lbs. since we started our blog one month ago!

Today I screwed up at the gym and didn’t change the incline on the treadmill after my warm-up walk. So after my first 3 minute jog I was dying. I thought to myself “holy cr*p how am I this tired?” and then I realized… “You idiot – you were running uphill for three minutes.”

As a result I didn’t run as much as I should of to fully complete my workout so after lifting weights and doing abs I went back to the treadmill and put in another 3 minutes of running to get as much cardio in as I was supposed to.

Now that I’ve lost 13 lbs. livestrong.com has cut the number of calories I can eat on non workout days to maintain my weekly weight loss goals. I have more motivation to work out now because that means I can eat REAL food!

My goal is to lose a definitive 2 more pounds before the end of the month and hopefully fit into my “skinny” jeans.

I ate a lot of little things today that I don’t want to bore you with… but with my workout I still have 275 more calories I am allowed to consume today.

Also – for the past few days my nightly motivational treat of choice has been semi-sweet dark chocolate chips – 32 to be exact (and yes I really do count them).

Curry Tofu Spinach Soup

I wanted to make a quick soup with tofu because we need to start getting more protein in our diet. Per serving this soup has over 28g of protein and about 220 calories.

I used spinach instead of baby bok choy because I realize it may not be easy to get in the mid-west or Europe. However – feel free to use bok choy if you can find it.

Ingredients:

3 cup low sodium vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup thinly sliced white onion (about ¼ of a medium onion)

2.5 cups baby spinach

1 cup sliced shitake mushrooms.

3oz. Organic firm tofu (1/4 inch cubes)

¼ tsp. Sriracha (or more depending on your taste)

2 tsp. red curry

Directions:

1. Add chicken stock and onion to a medium saucepan and bring to boil over high heat

2. Once broth is boiling turn heat to low and add sriracha / red curry – stir till combined.

3. Add sliced mushrooms and cubed tofu.

4. Once mushrooms are done (about 2 minutes) add spinach and stir till spinach is wilted and tender.

5. Serve.

(Makes one large serving)

Day 25: Cookies & Parents / Lame Treadmill Thiefs

He said:

So I had four cookies today, in the middle of the day, because I was hungry and I had brought them to work to try and get my coworkers to eat them.  That ended up being 360 calories that I didn’t plan on eating.

Again, I have to try and find a better way to cope when I have hunger pangs (I also need to keep some handfuls of healthy snacks around).  But unlike in the past, where I would chalk the whole day up to a waste and eat something really crazy, I remembered that Alex had searched and that running for about 45 min would burn something around 450 calories.  Even if it only burned 300 calories, that would still bring my splurge down to 60 calories.

After this realization I was motivated to go on a really good run.  Luck was on my side and the day cleared up and I was able to go for a run.  I did 3.1 miles in 50 min, a new personal best.  I hope that was enough exercise to undo the cookies, and if not I am still happy with the run I did.

I think this was a good way to look at how to deal with the fact that there was a craving I just couldn’t handle.  Also, never bring cookies to work because you will end up eating them.

Food Log:

Breakfast: Skyr (100 cal.)

Mid-morning snack: Banana (120 cal.)

Lunch: Veggie Soup (120 cal., 1g fat) + 4 cookies (360 cal., 16g fat)

Mid-afternoon snack: Nectarine (60 cal.)

Dinner: Quick lentil soup (150 cal)

Total calories: 910

She Said:

I started my morning by getting up just as Nathaniel got out of the shower – got myself ready for the day and hit the road armed with a banana and a cup of coffee.

It was my Dad’s 72nd Birthday today so I wanted to surprise him by randomly showing up at home early. I assumed he would still be in bed by the time I got there or was planning on heading to his favorite breakfast spot… he didn’t know I was coming.

He had already made plans in Stockton with friends so we were only able to hang out for a little while but it was nice.

While I was there he got me to eat a piece of bacon and a pop tart (260 calories). Mom wanted to go to lunch with me afterwards and we went to a Japanese place (765 calories).

So after hanging out with my parents I knew I really needed to push myself at the gym so I did! Hyah!

There was a wait for treadmills and this woman totally cut me in line! We of course ended up on treadmills directly next to each other but I comforted myself in the fact that although we started running at the same time I had burned 60 more calories than her when I hopped off a half hour later. I ran extra at the gym today and I felt really good by the time I left. Double hyah!

Food Today:

Coffe (5 calories)

Banana (105 calories)

Food at home (260 calories)

Japanese Lunch (765 calories)

Dinner 120 calories – stir fried cabbage / onions / mushroom / sesame seeds

Day 24: Rain, Rain, Go away & Emotional Eating

He said:

It has been raining for the past two days, and while California needs the rain bad, it is not helping my running efforts.

I have been working longer days lately and having commitments at night after I’m done, which all sound like a bunch of excuses.  Doing ok with the diet, but had a couple of cookies today because we made some for Alex’s dad’s birthday and for me to take to work.  I think these acted like Alex’s cherry cordial, just giving me more motivation for tomorrow.

I really hope that the rain stops tomorrow sometime in the afternoon so that I can go for a run, because I’m itching to get back on the road.

Food Log:

Breakfast: Skyr (100 cal.)

Mid-morning snack: Banana (120 cal.)

Lunch: Veggie Soup (120 cal., 1g fat)

Mid-afternoon snack: Plum (60 cal.)

Dinner: Black Beans (454 cal., 2g fat)

Snack: cookies (420 cal.)

Total calories: 1274 (not too bad and gearing up for tomorrow)

She Said:

I’ve had a rough couple of days professionally. I didn’t get two jobs I really wanted and was notified on back-to-back days.

The first e-mail I read this morning was notifying me I didn’t make it to the interview round for a job I’ve been obsessing over for nearly a year.

I will have to apply again next year, but it was a tough thing to deal with. I ignored it till around lunchtime when I kept tearing up over coffee with Nathaniel.

This brings us to the subject of emotional eating – now that Nathaniel and I have been really reading food labels and paying close attention to our food it’s a lot easier to estimate how many calories are in restaurant dishes.

After hanging out with Nathaniel during his lunch break I still hadn’t eaten yet (like at all the whole day) and I ended up at Mr. Pickles Sandwich shop.

I ordered a Tom Turkey sandwich and a diet coke before heading out to my car. I told myself “I’m going to eat this whole thing! It has been such a shitty two days!”

Before our diet I wouldn’t have thought about how many calories are in the sandwich. I would have happily eaten the whole thing with a Snapple or a diet coke and gone home and had a regular dinner which could have easily put my daily non-diet food intake for the day at 2,500 calories.

At the halfway point of the sandwich eating I sat there thinking… and I guessed that the whole sandwich probably had 1,000 calories. It’s a large piece of bread, has mayo, pesto, turkey and several slices of cheese.

Still determined to eat the whole thing I checked online to see if I could find the nutrition info for the sandwich I was eating – it ended up being 865 calories.

I realized in that moment there is a difference between “guessing” at the amount of calories you are overeating and “knowing.”

I took one more bite and threw it away.

Then I went to a local grocery store and bought some stuff for me to make myself a really low calories soup for dinner. (Bok Choy and Shitake Mushroom Soup! Yum!)

I went over my “usual” calorie allotment today in part because Nathaniel asked me to bake cookies… putting my total calorie intake for the day at 936.

Day 22: Pink Slime & A Quiet Day

He said:

I read an article today about a mom who has a petition going to get ‘pink slime’ treated hamburger out of school kitchens.  Unfortunately I could not find the article I read earlier today or else I would post a link to it, but I am sure you can Google information about it.

This brings up several issues, one being that an ingredient that McDonald’s & Taco Bell now have stopped using is still being used by the school systems and how the politics of food play out every day in decisions that are being made about public food policies.  Pink slime is only the latest ingredient in the industrial food chain to come to light, but if this is normal operating practice for these food producers, what other random ingredients are they using?

Alex read me the letter from the editor from this months Bon appétit magazine where he was describing pizza night at his house and how they never use store bought sauce. My first reaction to this was that he was being a food snob…but I had to check myself and reconsider a different view.

His letter brought to light what Alex and I have being doing for the last month, building a better relationship with food.  In general Americans (myself included) need to reform a long lost relationship with the food that we put into our bodies.  Alex mentioned a couple of days ago that on our free day it was kind of weird to go to a restaurant and not know exactly what was going into the food we were eating because for the last week, we knew every calorie that went into our bodies.

It might be easier to go to out to eat, but every time you do you are letting someone else decide what you are going to put into your body.  In a memorable quote from an unmemorable movie: “It is called fast food because it speeds you to the grave.”

Food Log:

Breakfast: Skyr (100 cal.)

Mid-morning snack: Banana (120 cal.)

Lunch: Vegan chili (286 cal., 2.5g fat)

Mid-afternoon snack: Plum (75 cal.)

Dinner: Nine vegetable winter stew (150 cal., 3g fat)

Total calories: 731.

She Said:

First of all – Bon Appetit is one of the greatest magazines on the planet!

Today I didn’t do much besides write a few articles about whales, wifi and traffic lanes for SFBay.ca and make veggie soup that we will eat for the next day or so.

I didn’t run today but I plan on going tomorrow… I haven’t decided if it will be before or after I write my articles for SFBay.

Today is day 2 of our 3 weeks with only one free meal!

A really exciting non-diet related happening is that a photo story I shot for the Chattanooga Times Free Press was published yesterday! So far the writers have gotten really positive responses from the story and I’d love as many people as possible to check it out. Click here to read the story and see my photo slideshow (linked at the end of the story).

Food Today:

Siggi’s Yogurt (100 cal.)

4 Kalamata Olives (40 cal.)

Tea

2 cuties (70 cal.)

1 bowl boiled red lentils with seasoning (200 cal.)

1 bowl veggie soup  (150 cal.)

It looks like I didn’t eat very much today but I definitely nibbled carrots and celery while I made dinner so I know I consumed more calories than I recorded.

Day 21: Skydiving & Fizzy Stuff

He said:

Yesterday I went skydiving for the first time and it was amazing.  But it got me to thinking why I had never done it before and one of the reasons for that (other then being scared) was because I thought I was too self conscious about my weight.

I realize looking back over the last month (and last half of the year) that being active on a regular basis makes you want to be more active, and visa versa.  The day that Alex and I went on our urban hike, we got back and were just hanging out and then went to dinner and at dinner we decided to just go home and watch a movie, but I felt bad that that was all we were going to do.  This was before I remembered that we had hiked for 7 miles that day.

There was a time when I would drive to work, sit all day (maybe not even getting up from my desk for lunch), drive home from work and then sit and watch tv or play video games.  In the entire day I think the most exercise I got was walking up the stairs at work.

Now I bike to work and try to run or get some other form of exercise every day and I want to.  At first it can seem like a far fetched idea that you 1)can fit working out into your schedule and 2)that you will get to the point that it is something you want to do.  I am not saying that I feel like doing it everyday and that there aren’t days I’d rather not, but it is getting to be more and more a habit then just something I do sometimes.

Food Log

Egg White omelet (240 cal., 13g fat)

Plum (75 cal.)

Dinner: Vegan chili (286 cal., 2.5g fat)

Total calories: 601.

She Said:

I don’t really feel like writing much… I think I am tired or something from the weekend.

Maybe it’s because very little happened TODAY.

We are now giving ourselves 1 truly free meal till March 31st… because loosing weight each day all week makes us feel like we are stepping backwards on our free days. This free meal will be March 17th when we celebrate my Dad’s birthday. It’s going to be intense!

Quick food tip – Faux soda: squeeze half a lime into a glass and pour in 8 0z. of carbonated water. It’s my go-to drink at a bar when I can’t actually drink alcohol (like when I am working). Also – it’s a low calorie fizzy alternative to soda. If you need that sweetness adding agave syrup is still better than drinking 7up or Coca-Cola.

Food Today:

Egg White omelet (240 cal., 13g fat)

Mexican Soda (150 cal.)

Vegan Chili (268 cal.)

4 kalamata olives (40 cal.)

10 Healthy Work Habits

I have been thinking about writing this article for a little while and then on Tuesday Alex sent me an e-mail with a blog about the same thing.  While this blog has some good advice, there were several ideas that we came up with so this is an addendum to similar articles that have tackled the subject.

Seeing as we working people spend, at a minimum, 40 hours at work a week it is only reasonable that we should look at our habits there to see potential health problems.  I work as an accountant and besides being the most exciting job ever, it also means I am like most Americans in being sedentary for the majority of the day.  Here are ten tips for healthier habits in the workplace.

1.      Start a water co-op

About a year ago I was sick of brining my own water to work to only run out half way through the day.  I consulted my manager if it was alright that I ask my coworkers if everyone was interested in getting a water cooler and sharing the cost.  After a couple of months of asking we got one, which is quite cheap to start and then everyone who drinks water chips in when the bill is due (plan one of the 5 gallon jugs per person per month).  The other great aspect of this is that you might guilt trip your employer into paying for the water, which is what happened in my case.  The other great thing about having a water cooler is the access to hot water, which you case use to make instant oatmeal, tea, coffee, but not instant ramen.

2.      Start drinking more water:

Along with the water cooler, drinking more water at work helps in multiple areas.  The first is proper hydration, which is always a good thing.  The other aspect to think about is that this is a healthy reason to get up and walk and stretch while you’re at work.  Getting up and walking over to the water cooler gets your muscles moving and helps to elongate your spine so it doesn’t become depressed.  It also means you have to get up and go to the bathroom more, which you can look at as another reason to get up from you desk and get moving a little to break up the hours of sitting.  You can mix up your water consumption too and have tea (try herbal or green to cut down on caffeine), coffee, emergen-C etc.

3.      Set a stretch pop-up:

If you use Outlook at work (I am sure you can do this with gmail as well) you can set a pop-up to go off every hour with the simple message to stretch.  I did this about three months ago and it is great for reminding me to at least stand up and stretch my back out a little, or I use this as a reminder to go fill up my cup with water.  If you go to the calendar section of Outlook you can set a reminder to pop-up every day starting when you get to work, and then just dismiss it for an hour every time it pops up.

4.      Walk to get coffee or at lunch:

I try to save money like everyone else, and I did this for a time by bringing my own coffee to work (which is a great way to save money), but now I try not to drink coffee until my morning break and then walk up the hill to starbucks or pete’s coffee to grab a cup with a co-worker.  This gets me roughly 15 min of walking time away from my desk and I get to enjoy the caffeine buzz when I get back.  Just make sure get coffee and not some sugary concoction masquerading as coffee, a venti drip coffee has 5 calories while a venti white chocolate mocha has 510 calories and 15 grams of fat.  Similarly, if you can, use your lunch break, other then eating lunch (that you brought from home) to go for a walk around the building.  You will be surprised how more alert you feel if you go for a twenty minute walk during lunch, that and the food will help you power through the rest of your day.

5.      Walk / ride / park further away:

I recently started riding my bike to work and it has been the most rewarding experience.  I don’t have to deal with rush hour commute, and feel more alert and awake when I get to the office in the morning.  However, I understand that most people do not live close enough to work to make communing by any means besides a car practical, which is why you should start to park further away from work.  Instead of taking the spot right next to the front door, park at the edge of the lot and walk all the way to the office, it’s not much exercise, but over the course of a year it can add up to hundreds of thousands of extra steps.

6.      Use the stairs:

This is a basic one that gets mentioned a lot, but I thought I would repeat the advice.  I try to use stairs in any building I go to, but I realize that many people either work on the first floor of a building or work on the 50^th floor.  If you work on the first floor, I am sure that you need to go to another department sometime in the day and use this as a way to play a little hooky and get some exercise.  If you work on a floor that you cannot walk to without walking in dripping with sweat, make it a goal to walk up the first three –five floors and then take the elevator the rest of the way.  If you are someone who gets to winded walking up the stairs, try making it a point to at least walk down the stairs at the end of the day.  On a side note, I walk up the stairs in the morning, get coffee, take my lunch break, and walk down the stairs at night, all in all I go up and down 12 flights of stairs in a normal day but I am only on the third floor.

7.      Get healthy with your co-workers:

There are at least 8 hours a day your away from your spouse or anyone else that knows you’re on a diet, which leaves plenty of time to cheat if you want.  A great way to get around this is by telling your co-workers you’re trying to loose weight, as this will make you think twice about grabbing that cookie that’s in the break room when your co-workers can see you.  Also you can try to get your coworkers to become health with you, I am currently in a bet with one coworker to see who can do 100 push-ups first and planning to run a 6.6 mile race with another.  We all help each other to stay focused at work, and they kid me around when they think I want to eat something bad (such as friday’s doughnuts).

8.      Identify unhealthy habits:

Really need that chocolate fix at three?  Always have a soda after/with lunch?  Find the times during the day you are most likely to snack or consume empty calories and try to change the habit.  Take a diet soda to work instead of regular.  Have a piece of fruit in the afternoon, or bring bit-sized chocolates with you that a portioned into reasonable servings.  Don’t bring a bag of chocolate to work and think you are only going to have one, just leave the bag at home and bring one piece with you to satisfy your craving.

9.      Bring your lunch and snacks from home:

This is a tried and true fact, and is mentioned in most other lists of healthy work habits.  If you bring a lunch and snack food from home you are going to be eating significantly healthier food (without mystery contents) than most food places near your work will be offering.  You don’t have to do it all at once, aim to bring lunch two days a week to start with and then increase it from there.  If you are just not a brown bagger, that’s fine, but try to find healthier options (I know not everyone is a fan, but Subway is a healthy choice if you don’t add cheese and mayonnaise).  Try to stay away from any type of fast food for example a plain hamburger, small fries, and small Classic Coke is 20g fat and 630 calories, and when was the last time you ordered just a regular hamburger?  If you order this meal once a week for a year, you would be consuming 32,760 calories or the equivalent of 9.36 pounds…stick to the brown bag.

10.  Start a company sports team:

There are softball leagues in every city, try to get coworkers to start a company team.  I played softball on a company team, and it kept me accountable to show up and participate because I would be hounded at work the next day if I didn’t show up.  Just make sure you’re not joining a beer league or you will just drink back the calories you’ve burned. You can also try to get different departments to complete against each other to foster corporate competitiveness and hey it never hurts to play softball with the boss to try and schmooze in the off hours.

You don’t have to do all of these, if you could implement only three, you will already be on the road to a healthier life.  Just remember you’re going to spend roughly ten years of your life (in total hours) working, healthy habits at work can make a significant difference.