Tag Archives: diet

29 June 2010

Do You Eat Meat?

By Nicki

I was at a wedding on the 19th, actually in the buffet line at the reception, when it dawned on me.  I had not eaten any meat since Wednesday night’s dinner.  This was definitely not intentional up to that point.  I did, though, intentionally eat only the veggie lasagna as an entrée that night.

Truthfully, I had also run a 20K race earlier that day and was just not into very heavy food.  The chicken – everyone who had some said it was delicious – didn’t look appetizing to me and I eat very little red meat so the roast beef was definitely out.

A few observations from my one week – once I realized it – imposed vegetarian stint are as follows.  Some are common sense, whether vegetarian or not.  Others are observations of my life.  Realize that I work from my home so set my own hours.  I run between 25 and 35 miles a week.

  1. I could have kept going with the no meat diet if I had planned it better. This is one of those common sense things.  I was still cooking dinner every night for my family.  I have three lads of Irish decent living at home – read that to mean they are meat and potato boys all the way.  I had to make a conscious effort to have something for myself that as not meat.  This requires planning and I didn’t plan.
  2. I like greens. I ate a lot more romaine and spinach when I was not eating meat.  I love spinach, even going so far as to put it in smoothies after I run.  Not all my friends, and definitely not my children, think this is good.
  3. I like chicken. While I didn’t miss having other things, I did miss it the night we had chicken spiedies, a local specialty.  I do like having occasional chicken or fish but not other meats.’
  4. I required less sleep. This one sort of confuses me.  I did not intentionally stay up later or get up earlier but I did, without an alarm as it was my youngest’s first week of summer break, find I slept less.  I have noticed, just in the few days I have been eating meat again, that I get tired earlier in the day/night.

Do you eat meat?  Do you keep a strict vegetarian diet?  Have you ever tried raw eating or clean eating?

14 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Fitness, Food and Recipes, Just my Thoughts

26 January 2010

One Month Into That New Year

By Nicki

I was checking out a list of blogs I follow over the weekend and happened upon an update of The Wild Mind’s New Year’s Resolutions.  Her measuring and weighing got me to thinking.  I do not bring out the measuring tape ever!  I do weigh myself about once a month and it was time.

Back in October of 2007, shortly after starting to run, I wrote about measuring progress.  Looking back, I have come a long way since then.

I can no longer wear three of my bracelets that I always have on when I run.  They fall off.  As a matter of fact, I found one on the kitchen floor Sunday.  It had fallen off while I was doing dishes.  I have shirts that I have only owned a year that do not fit properly any longer.  These are the ways I measure day to day progress.

My miles are increasing while my times are decreasing – as a general rule.  Another way to  measure what progress I make.

Then, I did the one thing I have always hated.  I stepped on the scales.  I have always, even at my skinniest in college, had a love-hate relationship with scales.  This relationship continues to this very day.  Yet, once a month, whether I need the re-enforcement or not, I get on them.

Well, this past weekend was the month and on the scales I hopped.  When I started getting fit, the goal was not inches or pounds, it was to be fit.  I feel fit now and am probably in the best shape since I was in college.  Unfortunately, I have always, in the back of my mind, wanted to get back to what I weighed before I had my first child.  This is not an uncommon weight for a woman of my height and build.  It would not make me skinny.  It is just a number.  At one point in my past, I weighed almost 80 pounds more than that number.  Now, I am less than 25 pounds away from it.

I am not going to starve myself.  I am not going to obsess over my running.  I am going to continue to live and run and eat and lose hopefully.

Did you make resolutions?  How do you measure success in your resolutions?

11 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fitness, Food and Recipes, Just my Thoughts

1 April 2009

Product Review – Arnold Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins

By Nicki

I admit I could never do a carb-free diet.  I do, though, try to control the amount of carbs that I eat on a daily basis.  I like a good sandwich for lunch, though, so am always looking for a less caloric and less carb rich alternative.  Enter Arnold Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins.

Arnold Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins

Arnold Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins

I first saw this wonderful little items at Sam’s Club and bought a sixteen pack – not exactly trial size.  The good news was the Sandwich Thins were a big hit at my house.  We love them with sandwich meat on them.  We love them with tuna or egg salad on them.  I even love them with hamburgers on them.

The Sandwich Thins score bonus points with me for several reasons.  First, there are 22 grams of carbohydrates in a roll.  The bread I currently have in my house has 18 grams in one slice and most of my sandwiches have two slices of bread.  Also, because the Sandwich Thins are multi-grain, there are five grams of dietary fiber where as my loaf of bread has less than a gram per slice.  The bread in question is potato bread.

Just a precautionary note, there is sugar in the Sandwich Thins and sucralose.

I would strongly suggest that you try the Arnold Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins.  My family loves them.  Maybe yours will also.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Food and Recipes, Just my Thoughts, Product Reviews

23 March 2009

Fad Diets – Ways to Spot

By Nicki

I have tried, in my lifetime, many different types of diets.  I have found, with age and through trial and error, that diets themselves do not usually work.  Healthy eating habits and exercise help a body to be at its optimum weight and strength for the life that body leads.  

 

Fortunately, this means something different to each person as each person leads a uniquely different life so needs different eating habits and different exercise habits.  Certain “requirements” help with your overall fitness but please beware fads that promise quick weight-loss or quick inch loss.  Please beware fads that swear that it works for anyone.

 

This morning I read an interesting article on Sparkpeople.com.  It is 12 ways to spot a fad diet.  Worse thing is that I have probably, over the last 20 years, tried diets that meet most of these ways to spot a fad.  It has taken me a long time to get to a point where I know what I need to eat to fuel my body and not gain weight, possibly even losing weight.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Fitness, Just my Thoughts

13 March 2009

Your Friends and Family and Their Health

By Nicki

You have spent all kinds of time changing your diet, exercising to get more fit, changing your lifestyle to be healthier.  Now, what about your friends and family?  Do you encourage or discourage them with your changes?

 

I get daily emails from Sparkpeople.com and a recent one stuck in my mind – and in my inbox as well.  This particular email was part of a subscription to their “family health and wellness” series.  It discussed helping your family stay healthy or improve their health.  

 

The email starts by saying you may not be comfortable discussing health, exercise or weight loss with loved ones.  While I can understand this feeling, I want to say – separate from the ideas in the email, get over it!  You need to voice your concerns to loved ones.  You need to be able to discuss  their specific dietary requirements – both by their age, their fitness level and their health.  You need to make known what you know to help your loved ones get healthier on their own.

 

Sparkpeople.com’s email goes on to discuss “random acts of fitness” or “random acts of health.”

Some ideas (in random order of course):

  • Make sure you talk to them about other things besides weight loss and fitness.
  • Maintain an upbeat attitude.
  • Invite them to take part in a fundraiser that supports something important to all of you.
  • Get a physical and urge them to do the same.
  • Use positive language all the time.
  • Be straight up and let them know you’re concerned about their health.
  • Ask them to help you stay on track.
  • Give big, positive attention to changes that are made.

So jump over your uncomfort and start committing “random acts of fitness and health.”

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Family, Fitness, Food and Recipes, Just my Thoughts

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