Too Much Meat Up in Herre

It's getting hot in herre, i.e. in the yay area. There is also too much meat in my house. Not an insane amount at all, but enough that I need to postpone being a veggie for the sake of my budget and to not be wasteful. So we'll see how long it takes me to get through that, and then I shall update you with fabulous veggie tips and recipes!

For those of the meat-eating persuasion, St. Patty's Day sure is a fun time. Had corned beef, cabbage, red potatoes, and Guiness last night. We even had Guiness chocolate cupcakes! Mm.

Cupcakes are my favorite - what's your favorite cupcake recipe? And does anyone know of any good vegan baked goods/recipes?

Adventures in veggie land

So starting tomorrow I will go veg for one week. One week only because I am having dinner with my boyfriend's parents next week and they LOVE meat. And then I am visiting my mom and she likes to eat meat like once a day or every other day and her cooking is amazing so I will indulge. And then when I am back I will go veg for another two weeks, and note the changes.

For those of you that don't know, embracing your veggie side has lots of pluses besides being nice to animals. I do think our bodies tend to want meat and that unless you are getting the right nutrients going veg is not easy, but if you fully embrace it you are doing good things for your body and for the planet. It takes an insane amount of energy to feed and raise cattle and produce a pound of beef. Veggie agriculture takes a loooot less energy. Plus veggie agriculture tends to deplete the soil less than than pastures where cattle are kept (unless they are allowed to wander all over the hillside and such frolicking about).

So as a courtesy to the environment, myself, and to save money, I will be going veg and seeing what it does to my mood, weight, energy levels, etc. Let's hope I don't become a raging bitch due to soy. Soy increases estrogen levels, which I have far too much of already. So here's hoping!

Let's get tofunky.

Almost one week!

So this week has been pretty tough in terms of hunger/cravings. Plus I actually burned amazing amounts of calories last night dancing for 4 hrs. really intensely haha. Buuuut on WW you can't use your activity points until you use your extra points which is kinda weird. My stomach is growling like crazyy.

But at least I got to eat yummy things! That's the cool thing about WW, you can eat whatever you want pretty much in moderation. Last night, for instance, I had a smart ones chocolate chip cookie dough sundae! Only 130 cal and super low in fat, and still tasty. And I made hungry girl cupcakes clocking in at only 110 cal and really low fat, and got to eat laughing cow cheese a lot, and pasta! It's all about portion-control really, getting exercise, and snacking on healthy things like unsalted nuts, veggies, and fruit.

This blog really helps too as an outlet for feelings. I just wish I had someone to diet with! It's easier when you're in the same boat and trying to make the same healthy choices. Tomorrow is weighing day - oh my!

Cravings in the Night

So last night I was having a hard time going to sleep, and for some reason I was reallyyy craving ben and jerry's. I had to fight those cravings for a looong time. I wasn't hungry persay, but my head kept conjuring images of really tasty food! So unfair. haha.

But then when I woke up this morning I wasn't that hungry all day. I guess my body is getting used to eating less calories, which is good.

I also had to rethink my diet mentality. It's about making healthier choices, and not depriving myself of stuff but just eating less of it. And that's in a sense a reward! Because then my body is healthier and happier, and I feel more energized because of the exercise etc.

So all in all a pretty optimistic day. :)

PMT you have forsaken me

So today I was wondering exactly how many calories are in the pearl milk tea I love so dearly. Now on Weight Watchers it says bubble milk tea is only 2 pts, but this somehow seemed deceiving. I typed it into Google and found several different calorie counts - ranging from 230 to 330 and like 12 grams of fat. And to think this is one of my staple foods! I typed the info into the WW point calculator and it produced not 2 pts, but 6-8 pts. depending on which calorie counter i used.

Definitely gonna have to make my pmt intake minimal haha.

One thing that's tasty and low in fat and pretty low in cal (111) AND a good alternative to hot chocy though that I found is Ovaltine! You can make it with non-fat milk, and it is reallyy tasty. And has vitamins. yeee. There is also diet hot chocy, but that is kinda gross. I tried it, but it tastes mostly like water. I must say cool whip free does taste amazing though, and that is le fact.

Also I got activities point values today for vacuuming! And scrubbing! Oh fabulous times. So don't hire a maid people, just break out the broom and get your sweat on, and you will have killed two birds with one stone. The birds here being exercise and cleaning, not actual birds like robins. I hope. That would be sad and inhumane. Considering we humans are pretty much the cause of the mass extinction the planet is suffering right now.

But I digress...

Off to beddy by land for some good sleep. Which promotes a healthy weight and happiness btw.

Day 2: Billy Blanks Has Funny Moobs

Thank god for having friends that know about nutrition. As I sat on a wooden square at Foothill eating lunch with a few friends, one of them looked at the meager salad I was eating and exclaimed "That has absolutely no protein!" and kindly forced a banana and chunky peanut butter whole wheat wrap into my hands. It was tasty and kept me going for five hours. And was super healthy!

It's nice to have friends that look out for you when you're trying to lose a few of the hanger-on lbs. I get a lot of jokes like people just being like "Guess what I had for dinner last night? HAWAIIAN PIZZA" and stuff like that. But I just have to laugh it off and stay strong.

For my workout portion of today, I broke out the tae bo DVD with Billy Blanks. He has the funniest moobs - they are not really moobs, more like really defined pecs, but even so, they shake with the music. It makes me laugh, which intensifies the whole kickboxing deal. Also this blonde chick has hilarious crotch sweat going on. So all in all I would reccommend it as it's an entertaining workout on several levels. :)

Also I realized yesterday that I actually am at 140.2 lbs instead of the 145 I dreaded I was at! Somewhere since August I have lost 5 lbs! Yay! The going gets easier and it means my eating habits aren't as bad as I thought :)

Embarking On the Diet Quest

At the tender age of sixteen, my mother sat me down and said to me "Nora, in life there are two types of people. Those that eat when they are stressed and those that don't eat when they are stressed." I happen to be among the many that find comfort in a home cooked meal or some good ole Phish Food when the time is right. I have always been pretty healthy, not a body builder or a lean machine, but well-proportioned and within my healthy weight range. Then I went through an incredibly traumatic experience this past summer, at age 19, and gained ten pounds. It's time to get them off! Part of that process for me is shirking off the emotional baggage that the extra fat carries.

I am not a dieter. Even though I am a comfort eater at times, my metabolism has been a gift, and so I have not had to diet. So this process will be painful at times, disturbing, and my friends will no doubt attempt to thwart it since I am not overweight, but I'm doing this for me. I want to show that you can get really healthy at any age. I want to show that I'm strong and nothing, not even the traumatizing event that happened in my life, can get me down.

So here goes...day 1 and counting.

I type my food into weight watchers (my diet journal essentially) and am amazed to find that Special K is TWO POINTS. 3/4 cup cereal is not a breakfast of champions, it is a breakfast of mice. I try to think like a mouse, in the hope that believing I have the stomach of a mouse will make the serving less pathetic-looking.

The food is down, and it is ten minutes later and I am amazed. I am full. Who knew almond milk and perfectly proportioned cereal was apt to sustain a growing 19-year-old? My cat, Jim, stares at my milk moustache longingly. I realize that even Jim, no matter how much yummy food I put in front of him, can control his cravings. While dogs will eat until no tomorrow, cats will eat until they are full and have an internal wiring system to tell them this. I share this with my cats. Thus it is time to take a cue from my feline counterparts and find stuff to do when I am dying for a fix of dark chocolate frosting.