Bee in My Bonnet: Health and Wellness Edition

ARG! There is a mild bee in my bonnet this morning. I was reading Allyson's blog today and her most recent post Nutritional Redonkatude. Yes, that is a fabulous word and we are putting it on tee-shirts and selling them out of the back of a van with fleece throw covers and Valentine's Day roses.

Ok, so here is the picture she posted:



Go ahead and click on the image to see what this Pop-tart eats and thinks is healthy.

Now, pick yourself up off the floor and let's talk about all that is wrong with this.

As you read in my last post, I lost some pounds and inches in the month of June. I worked hard for every single ounce I lost, and for every single inch that is gone. I don't doubt that Pop-tart up there works hard, but honestly, how hard do you have to work to work off 10 almonds and 6 bottles of water? And here is where I will say as well, success is measured not just in the numbers on the scale but in how your clothes fit, how you feel, your blood pressure reading, the ability to move and do things as well.

I will say this, this kind of diet and example is WRONG! Why does People Mag profile this kind of stuff. (I realize my question answers itself with "Why do you read People Mag anyway?")...well I don't read People Mag, but I know lots of people do. I know lots of young women will read that story and want to go on that diet. I know that lots of not-so-young women will look at that and feel guilty that they are not skinny like that. We live in an eating disorder nation...why, oh why does it get perpetuated?

This is not real life, this is not what real people eat. Real people eat grains and fruits and veg and dairy. Real people sometimes have a popsicle in the evenings with their kids because it makes the kid happy, heck it makes me happy! Right now I am striving for moderation but I still want to enjoy my food and living. I wonder if Pop-tart enjoys her days eating amino-acid spray and celery fumes. I doubt it.

I don't know how to change this "normal" but I do know this -- us fattys gotta stick together and help people enjoy their curves, and kinks, and black under eyecircles, and cellulite, and very-close veins, and junk in the trunk. It's ok to have all of those things, it really is.

The bee has been excised from my bonnet, now to eat a piece of cheese...eat that Pop-tart!

June Weight Loss Update

For the month of June:

Weight lost: 5 pounds
Waist measurement: lost 1/2 inch
Hip measurement: lost 2 1/2 inches
Thigh measurement: lost 2 inches
Bust measurement: no change

It's been a good month on Weight Watchers and with my excercise -- despite not feeling well the last 3 days of this week, which necesitated not eating on plan but just eating white rice and potatoes to calm my stomach. I think trying to take things in incriments was a good idea as well. I just hope that my results keep on this way. My fattest fat pants also fit better, which movement toward my ultimante goal....the closets of clothes that I cannot wear! I just hope that I will fit into another church dress soon too. The two I can wear are boring me.



I've also discovered greek yogurt. Normally I like more Bulgarian style yogurt, which is runny, but I read an article about how the Chobani company came into being last week so I gave it a try. It was good, but I made it better. The non-fat yogurt is a bit gritty and very thick texture wise, but the 2% is just right. However, there are only a few flavors in the 2% variety, pomegranet not included. So, one morning I mixed a tablespoon of whole milk into the non-fat and got the 2% texture result -- brilliant! Studies show that when you are trying to lose weight, eating dairy helps. I know for me, eating a protien packed breakfast helps get me to lunch without a snack, thus saving me WW points. I need all the points I can get by the end of the day, when I am really hungry.

Now it's on to July!

The Light Bulb That Lifted My Burden

I had this major "light bulb" moment a few weeks back when I first emerged from my post-pregnancy seclusion.

Everyone kept telling me how "great" I looked.

I thanked them graciously but inside I just wasn't happy about those comments.

Didn't these people know that I did not look better? That I was one, perhaps two sizes bigger than I was before I started this whole pregnancy thing? (And if we really want to get technical, 4 sizes bigger than when I had SBJ).

That's when it occurred to me. No one remembers what I looked like nine months ago. No one but me. They just remember me in those tragic days when I was truly sorrowing in my conception, just trying to make it 45 mins without having to waddle to the bathroom.

A major burden lifted off my ego when I figured that out.

However, that does not mean I am happy in my complacency. No I am not. Because I do not want to buy one more article of fat-lady clothing. I am really tired of my very large bottom being very large, and because I am tired of having feet and knees that hurt all the time and a blood pressure that will probably kill me eventually.

So, if you see me wearing the same dress at church every week, and one of four shirts all the time, be kind. I'm working on it.

This is where I make a big announcement.

I have a plan.

And I've been thinking about my plan for a few weeks, trying to figure out what is the best route to becoming less of myself.

Then another light bulb went off above my head. This light bulb involved motivation. Like I said, I am not buying one more article of fat lady clothing. I want to wear the almost 2 closets full of not-so-fat lady clothing I have. I also want to be able to wear my wedding dress again.

And that was it. That wedding dress.



In a few weeks Joseph and I will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary. By our 10th wedding anniversary I want to fit back into that wedding dress. That gives me 365 + 10 days (because I'm starting my plan on June 4th) to loose 50 pounds and fit back into my wedding dress. The way I figured it, that's 4 pounds a month for 12 months, or there abouts. If I lose more then great too.

I'm going to be doing Weight Watchers again, in combination with some meal replacement shakes my friend Rochelle sells thru Melaluca. I'll be riding my stationary bike and doing my phys therapy and other strength training exercises. I wish I could walk again, like I used to, but my old lady feet and the fact that I'd be pushing almost 70 + pounds of kids and stroller made me want to cry. Really it made my feet cry more than anything, but who wants to hear about my feet? Not me, and totally not you.

My wish for myself is that I can do all this while wrangling The Goodnight Brothers and my other domestic duties with out losing my cool, my sanity, my car keys and my will power to resist chocolate, cheese, nutella toast and my secret cookie stash. Bye-bye beloved friends I'm going away for awhile.

If anyone knows Richard Simmons, please have him call me, I need him to tell me I can do this.

The Very Sad Tale of My Feet

You may or may not have noticed a facebook status update or five about shin splints and/or my aching feet and the need for new shoes. You might be wondering what the heck is going on with me, as you've probably assumed I'm a large couch potato, why in the name of Richard Simmons would I ever need to worry about it? Well, I was a couch potato. Emphasis on WAS. You may or may not know in 2007 I made a few changes and became hooked on Weight Watchers (and you were hoping I was going to say phonics weren't you??).



Anyway, along with my new WW inspired eating, I began to exercise. Since I live in the middle of nowhere and there are no cheap gyms and/or exercising establishments I decided to just take to the streets walking. People would comment all the time that they would see me out walking, here and there, too and fro, like a little pioneer child singing (ABBA) as I walked and walked and walked, aaaaaaand walked.

As that year wore on I began having some serious problems with my feet. Namely plantar fascitis. Which is an irritation of the fascia, or the ligament that runs along the bottom of your foot. It's a common injury in walkers and runners. The solution was to get Uncle Cameron--the best podiatrist in the world--to make me some orthodics (because I have insanely high arches in my feet -- we're talking Golden Gate Bridge here people!) and take it easy. So I did and in a few weeks I felt better and was more mindful of my body's pain signals. Orthodics in the shoes, shoes on the feet at all times and in all places and in all things. Said good bye to sandals, flip-flops and cheepy shoes of all sorts as well. (You should too!!)



Obviously in 2008 I didn't have this problem as I was great with child and moving at the pace of a brontosaurus; and in 2009 I was not really back up to my previous intensity of walking. However, this year has been different. I've been trying to lose the last 15 baby pounds. Lately it seems like I'm losing and re losing the same 3 pounds (curse all 3 of you dangit!). I've also really been trying to make the most of each summer day we have as well. James loves to be outside and he really enjoys a ride in the stroller. Winter is long and coming soon, which means the DVDs will have to come out, and I just about lose what little mind I have left doing exercise DVDs.

Now we come to the beginning of August. My shoes died. It happens frequently with me. The other thing is, I developed a WICKED case of shin splints. I kid you not, they hurt like there was no tomorrow, like the fiery rubber bands of hades, like, like....ok you get it....I was in pain. There were nights when I would just sit and cry because of the pain. So I began in earnest to find a new set of shoes, and just laid off the exercise totally. Thankfully one day, the pain stopped though, like someone flipped a switch. I was baffled, but not complaining at all!! However, I've been feeling quite lonely without my daily walks and like I have, in fact, lost the aforementioned teeny-tiny-bit-o-brain, or as Poirot would say, "Zee little grey cells".

The problem is this, and I know you'll sympathize with me, you all know about where I live. The dab-smack middle of nowhere. It presents some problems as you can imagine. No stores at which to try and buy shoes. Sure there are stores in the Capitol City, but that's a whole mess a crazy I'm not willing to engage in alone with toddler in tow, so I order on line. I love the internet, specifically I love Zappos.com. As you can imagine the problem is I have to buy before I can try, and I thought I'd try a new brand and a new shoe style. It was a mistake of epic proportions. First the shoe didn't fit, so I sent it back and ordered the next size up. It came and at first I was pleasantly happy. Arches were supported, heels were cushioned...all was right with the world. Until last Monday that is.

I'd felt no pain for a week so I thought I'd try a really easy walk over at the park, on the track. No hills, no terrain, nothing. Monday I got up, put my new shoes on and the pain started in my Achilles tendon. As the morning progressed the pain grew worser and worser to the very worstest. My right Achilles felt swollen and bruised. WHAT THE HECK?? I serioulsy felt like I'd just gone down the big slide in Chutes and Ladders...not a fun feeling, if you remember that game. What else could go wrong with my bod, I asked myself? I just kept taking the ibuprofen and icing my foot every few hours without much relief. That afternoon James had a doctor's appointment. While we were there we walked past the office of Super S, our local podiatrist. The still small voice, which I usually have a hard time hearing, sent me a message. "Stop in and make yourself an appointment today."

So I did. And as it turned out they had one appointment left for Friday morning. Sweet!

This is what Super S deducted from our convo. I was overdoing my exercise and was just outta whack. Lay off, take pain meds, ice the foot and be nice to yourself. As for the Achilles tendon. "Have you been wearing new shoes lately?" Why yes I have Super S! He figured it out. Then I remembered a blurb in one of the customer reviews of this particular shoe, "Hugs the back of the Achilles tendon and pulls my sock down." Apparently the shoe was doing more than pulling my sock down. It was pinching my Achilles, rubbing it raw and causing it to swell, and making it hurt like H-E-*-* (rhymes with not so swell).



Super S taped my feet up...really up. To the point that I was able to walk with out pain. Oh, I love to have my feet properly taped. He also gave me some heel lifts for the shoes in question, but I've decided to not wear them at all. The very thought makes me cry and want to roll up into the fetal position and rock in a corner.

I'm still debating to brave a trip to the shoe store with small child in tow, or to just order the shoe I know works (while it's still being made...curse you Reebok and your silly affinity for 'toning' shoes). I just hope that in yet another week, my Achilles will have calmed down and I can resume my walks. Because I tell you that last 15 pounds of fat, ain't leaving on it's own.

So if you're interested, I'll sell you a pair of shoes, cheap!

Country Chicken with Mushrooms and Leeks

Last night's chicken dinner was not the disaster as the previous night's, and for that we are all thankful. You might also be wondering why I am posting all of these recipes. A sudden fit of domesticity? No. A deep unfulfilled yearning to have my own Food Network show? Again, no. I'm trying to get back into my WW groove, and I'm cooking from my WW cookbook and if it were not for my knee being wonky, we'd be seeing success.

So here is Country Chicken with Mushrooms and Leeks



3 chicken breasts cut in half
Salt & Pepper
Paprika
Poultry seasoning
1 bunch of leeks, cut up and washed out**
1 pkg of your favorite mushrooms
2 carrots (or 1 C year supply carrots)
1 can chicken broth
1 can veg broth
***3-4 thick sliced Yukon or red potatoes
Fresh dill for garnishing

Method:
Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, paprika, and poultry seasoning. Brown in a skillet in olive oil. Remove the chicken when it's brown and add the leeks, mushrooms and carrots to the pan and saute for about 10 minutes. You can cook this in a slow cooker or on the stove top. If you are doing the slow cooker, put everything -- chicken, veggies, broth -- in the cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours. If you're doing things on the stove top or in an electric skillet add the chicken back in along with the potatoes. Add the broths and simmer on low for 2 hours. Garnish with fresh dill.

**When leeks grow they pull soil up into their layers. The best way to clean them is to cut off the bottoms, cut in half and then separate. That way you'll really be able to wash the dirt out of the layers.

***I added the potatoes to the recipe, you can leave them out if you want.

More chicken recipes to follow, I'm sure.

Health is a Family Affair

I got an incredible response to my previous blog about Diet being a dirty word. So in that same vein, I'm going to dole out some of my lifestyle wisdom...Call me Dr Joyce Brinton if you must. I prefer the Mormon Erma Bombeck, because let's face it. Erma was REAL!

First, lets talk about what many of my friends have discussed in relation to lifestyle changes and getting healthier. Their husbands do not support them. Men, REPENT OF YOUR FOLLY! If your wife needs to be less of herself, or wants to start eating better, then guess what, you should want that too.

Once a friend asked me how Joseph dealt with my being on Weight Watchers. I told her that he did it with me. Her eyes fell out. She then told me her husband wouldn't eat anything made from a WW cookbook, nor would he support her. He still insisted the house be filled with chips and cakes and other treat items. If you think I wanted to go and drag him out of Elder's Quorum right then and there and give him the what for, you'd be right.

If one person needs to make a lifestyle change I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the whole family needs to make that lifestyle change. Children will pick up and adopt their parents eating habits. It's also hard enough to have to cook and keep up with the kiddos all day long, but to have to cook two seperate meals? No-way! None a that happnin' here! I'm not saying that pancakes are off limits and you can't have an occasional ice cream. But what I'm saying is that it is unfair to have two sets of gastronome going on under one roof.

And let's face it, you really do start to fall apart after 30. If you let yourself fall apart after 30 it's will take more than all the kings horses and men to put you back together again.

Eating healthy can be a family affair and a fun one at that. Challenge your kids to eat the rainbow. Teach them how to read a food label (if they are old enough to read), have them choose their favorite fruit and veg at the store and then have them help you prepare it -- studies show that kids who cook with their parents are more likely to have a healthy diet and like healthy food than those who do not.

Second, and the other thing is that I have a firm belief that being healthy is a righteous desire. I know that Heavenly Father helps us with our righteous desires. I have to pray daily and even many times a day to make it thru the day on plan and on points. Toady has been hard already, and we shouldn't even mention yesterday's "cream cheese frosting" incident. Make your lifestyle change a matter of prayer. I promise it will be better that way.

Tomorrow we will diverge from health related topics. I promised my brother James' UBER-cool friend Janina, who has kindly consented to me my friend as well a story of how I killed James' Beta fish. It's a tragic tale really....be sure and tune in!

Diet is a Dirty Word

Anna challenged me to a diet race. I said no.

"But Joyce" you say, "Aren't you on a diet with the Weight Watchers and all that?"

No, no I am not on a diet. I am on a lifestyle quest and WW helps me on my way.

So here is what started my whole relationship with WW three years ago. It was the fall of 2006, I was finally starting to come out of the haze of pregnancy loss, teaching a year at Satan's High School and I was told by the doctor that I had too high of blood pressure for one so young as myself. I finally felt that I needed to do something as well, because let's face it cottage cheese belongs on a plate, not on your thighs and as much as we'd like the think the Ba-donk-a-donk bottom is hott, it's not.

I knew Atkins was bad. I knew that I couldn't do something like Nutrisystem -- too expensive and didn't really teach you how to live better. I knew that things like Jenny Craig or LA Weightloss were also out because the nearest locations were in the Capitol City some 45 mins away. I also knew I could not join the YMCA or the one "gym" in town. Both of those places wanted $45 to $65 a month, and although we are doing fine in the wages and salary department and despite what my hellish, minions of students though, we were not made of money.

So I landed at WW. My friend Christianne did WW in high school and loved it, but more than that, she lost weight and it stayed lost. I knew this was the right program for me.

So I got online and found out that they did in fact have a WW group here in town, but I knew I could do the program on my own if I had the materials. So because we live so far out on the fringe I could get what was called an "AT HOME KIT" it had all the stuff you'd buy at the meetings with out the cost of meetings. I bought it, the kit came in the mail and I read thru everything and prepared myself for 2007. I started on January 5th 2007, the day Joseph went back to work from Christmas break.

That first day was hard!! HARD people. Oh so hard; I'm sure it was how a drug addict felt going cold turkey clean. However, I was determined to stick to the plan and only eat enough food as my points would allow. Did I mention it was hard? I was in tears many, many days and nights about it. There were days I totally blew it and made bad choices. But I'd decided in the beginning that there would be no snivelling, no complaining. I was making a choice to CHANGE MY LIFE, to CHANGE the way I was, to CHANGE into a healthy person. I was CHOOSING to take better care of myself and the gift of life I'd been given by a loving Father in Heaven. I was CHOOSING to keep and live the Word of Wisdom better because I believed in the blessings it promises. When I had a bad day, it was time to reevaluate, CHOOSE to do better the next day. Because in the words of Anne Shirley, "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it." That became my mantra, every single day.

Those first weeks were hard -- some of the hardest in my life, and I really learned something about myself and what I was able to put myself thru. I ate because I was board. I ate because I was sad. I ate for no reason at all. I had a very co-dependent relationship with cheese and it had to stop. I had no idea what a real portion size was and I was eating way too much. I am a sugar addict and for the first time in my life I was willing to admit that. I drew on the hard times in my life -- tromping thru the Bulgarian snow, losing my babies, deaths and disappointments to get me thru. I knew if I could come thru those things standing, I could do this. You might wonder if I'm being hyperbolic about this. I don't think I am. You need food to survive, and yet food was my enemy. How do you balance that?

But before I knew it, I'd lost 10 pounds and was down a jean size. I lost another 15 and was down another jean size. Then I was down 30 pounds and swimming in my fat clothes. I was finally able to wear the clothes I liked again, and I was finally able to put my wedding ring back on. Do you know how much it stung to take it off because it wouldn't fit a year and a half before? It made me feel like I was unfaithful to my husband. Horrible, horrible feeling, but so absolutely great when it went back on. I recently put that ring back on for the first time since about the 7th month of pregnancy. I felt just as good to have that ring on my finger again this time as it did the first time and as it did the day we got married. My blood pressure was also at a very healthy level as well -- no medicine for me!!

But the real reward, the absolute best reward I had from my choice to life a healthy life was April 18th, 2008. That's the day I first heard Baby James' heart beating. I was 6 weeks pregnant at the time and still didn't know if this pregnancy would end in failure, but that heart beat and a very sweet whisper from the Holy Ghost assured me that this one, this time I would stay pregnant because I'd done my part to take care of myself.

So I'm not on a diet. Diet is a dirty word. I'm on a quest to live a healthy life, for the rest of my life. If you want to join me, stick around because I'm going to write down and share what it takes, because I love you all that much!

:)