Summer Break

I'm back from an unplanned summer break. Usually when weight loss bloggers disappear it's because:

a) They're gaining weight.
b) They're super busy.
c) They have nothing to say.
d) Something else.

For me, it's that I've been unmotivated (about writing) and have nothing to say. Shock of all shocks, I have not actually gained any weight although I have fluctuated up and down. I have stayed between 153.5 and 157 since I last wrote, with my most frequent weight right around 155. I'm thrilled with actually maintaining at this new lower weight after being at 160 for so long but I would be thrilled to move even lower. To be honest though, I haven't been doing anything to make that happen.

My summer (if you can call it that with all the rain) has been unexciting and full of work (sometimes) and stress (most of the time). I know it's boring, but like most people at the moment I have been suffering from money concerns and issues with job security. Thankfully (thankfully, thankfully!) it seems things have calmed down a little and for now at least I can relax. Who knows what the future holds, but letting go of that knot in my stomach for just a little while feels pretty good!

Nothing on the eating or excercise front has changed. I have been eating as well as possible, with many slip ups here and there, and basically doing no exercise. All in all I'm happy with the whole foods I have been eating but know I could do better. I'm currently reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, which I highly recommend. I love his motto "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." and think it's something to really hold onto and live by. I'm trying to live day by day and not be too hard on myself when I fall off the wagon, but rather just get back on.

So I have been keeping up to date on everyone's blogs through Reader but not commenting too much. I will try to be more active moving forward and share some of the yummy things that have helped me maintain so far. Who knows, maybe even share some update photos!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia!

Remember those chia pets that were all the rage in the 80s? I never had one, but can remember the "Ch-ch-ch-chia" ads. It was fascinating to think that it could be so easy to grow green hair and fur on ceramic objects.

Anyway, fast forward to 2009 and I never thought I'd be not only reminiscing about chia, but in fact EATING it! My journeys round the internet have revealed that chia is considered a superfood that is high in protein, dietary fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. One to two tablespoons a day and you're supposed to be good to go.

So last night I popped into my fave local health food store (Noah's for any Toronto readers) and when I spotted the little seeds knew I had to try them. They weren't cheap at about $8.00 for a fairly small bag, but I figured I'd try them out then see if I could find them cheaper next time if I liked them.

So, I have now tried them twice, both times in smoothies. Before I give my opinion, one thing that appealed to me is that the package said they had little to no taste when compared to flaxseed. I don't know if any of you have tried flaxseed in smoothies, but I find it has a bitter taste and doesn't blend in well, so I was definitely eager to see how the chia fared.

My first smoothie last night consisted of coconut milk, frozen bananan, strawberries and chia. I just added whole, unground chia seeds to the smoothie and blended it all together. The verdict? It didn't really alter the taste, but it certainly did thicken up the shake a little. I felt very full once I had finished the smoothie. The one thing I didn't like was that I felt like I was crunching on seeds as I drank it, which turns a drinking experience into an eating experience! All in all, I'd probably give that experiement 3 out of 5 stars.

This morning I decided to add chia seeds to my usual morning smoothie of banana, almond milk and spinach. This time I ground up the chia seeds before adding the other ingredient. The grinding definitely broke them down somewhat, although there was still some crunch. But the one thing grinding did do was really thicken the smoothie up. In actual fact, I had to leave half of it for later in the morning for the first time ever as I was so full so quickly. I would give this smoothie 4 out of 5 stars.

So my final verdict on chia is that I like it so far. It has a filling quality and would be good for those who suffer from hunger throughout the day. And you definitely can't beat the nutritional info, which is awesome (especially for those of us who don't eat meat). I'm going to continue my experiments in the coming days. Next up, sprinkling it on salad!

Oh and my metabolism reset continues to tick along. 154.2 on the scales today - slow but steady wins the race (I hope)!

Tripping Along

I'm continuing to loosely adhere to the metabolism reset, and am happy to see some downward movement on the scale already. It's my TOM, and I've still moved back down to 155 this morning. Monday morning I saw 154.6 so things are definitely improving!

Part of my journey since January has been trying to figure out the impact of different foods on my body. Last week I decided to make a lasagna with eggplant in place of pasta for my evening meals. I ended up making this one. The recipe called for a fake meat product called Veggie Ground Round, which I found in a local grocery store. I usually try to avoid fake meat products, although do find them useful when it comes to veggie burgers and the like. Anyway, I made the recipe and it turned out ok if not great. Something was just a bit off. I think next time I would use my usual recipe that has no fake meat but grilled veggies instead and it would be better.

Aside from the taste, there was something else I didn't really like about this meal. I noticed that every time I ate the lasagna the scale would (temporarily) increase. Monday my weight in the morning was 154.6. I ate the lasagna Monday night. Tuesday morning my weight was 156.6. I didn't eat the lasagna Tuesday night. This morning my weight was 155. Now bearing in mind the rest of my eats on Monday and Tuesday were essentially the exact same, the only thing I can think that caused such a fluctutation was the lasagna. I think there must be a lot of sodium in the cheese and veggie meat that caused me to spike. I noticed a similar thing last week when I ate it.

I don't really care about the increase on the scale. An increase one day that is gone the next is not a problem. But I do care that that increase must be water weight most likely caused by sodium. I don't eat too much salt in my diet (mostly due to not needing it for taste). I rarely if ever add it to the food I make, so the only time I eat it is when it's in the premade food I eat. So to have a recipe made by me that is so salty it causes my weight to spike is not cool. And not something I will be repeating.

This healthy eating thing is a long learning process. It started 6 years ago and I still get confused by the conflicting recommendations and amount of information out there. But I figure as long as I keep an eye on the info and more importantly the actual effect of foods on my body, I'll be in a good place in the long run.

On a final note, I found another documentary made last year about the food we eat. It's obviously a hot topic! I feel most of these docs probably preach to the converted, but hey, if even one person has a think about the food they eat as a result it's got to be a good thing.

Food Inc.

There's a movie out now or coming soon called Food Inc. that's all about the manufacturing of food and how much this has changed in the last 100 years. I can't wait to see it! Although the movie is about the state of the food industry in the States, I know most of it applies to the rest of us who live in industrialized nations.

I have talked before about how I like to buy foods in a natural state and limit the processed foods I buy as much as possible. I know I can do better than I do though, and I'm sure this movie will remind me to boost my efforts to get back to nature and back to what I know is good for me. It never hurts to be reminded that the big food companies have profits as their main interest rather than our health.

Keepin' On, Keepin' On

Day one of my recommitment to the metabolism reset has been a success! The best part of the day is that I once again had breakfast. Lately I have been back to my old habit of skipping breakfast then eating far too much in the evening, so it felt good to space my food throughout the day in a normal fashion.

My weight this morning: 156.8

Today's food consisted of:

Breakfast: Coconut spinach smoothie (Half can coconut milk, 3/4 scoop whey powder, flaxseed oil, splash of water, half a banana, two cups of spinach.) This was pretty good, although I found the banana overpowered the coconut taste. Next time I would use a softer tasting fruit like pineapple or mango in place of the banana. The great thing was that this kept me full all morning though, most likely due to the highly calorific coconut! J'adore coconut!

Lunch: Ezekiel wrap with generous portion of hummous, half can of tuna, roasted vegetables and handful of spinach. This was pretty good, although I think it would be better with tempeh rather than tuna.

Snack: Primal Strip

Dinner: Half can Amy's veggie chilli over broccoli, small amount of veggie lasagna cooked for rest of week, 3/4 cup raspberries with plain yogurt.

The Last 15 Revisited

It's been 6 months since I started this most recent weight loss jaunt, and overall I am really pleased with my progress. I'm down 7 to 9 pounds depending on the day and outside of my weight feel like my body composition has firmed up. I regularly have to reach for the smaller size these days (10s instead of 12s on the bottom), which is something very new for me.

Anyway, while I am pleased with how I've done, I have to face the fact that I have not yet achieved my goal. I'm doing a very good job at maintaining at the moment, but I haven't seen under 155 in a few weeks now. So I have decided to go back to The Last 15 and once again tighten up my eating plan for 30 days.

While the plan is quite strict for 30 days (limited carbs, pretty much no alcohol etc) I will be relaxing it a little this time. It's one thing to have next to no alcohol when hibernating in the snowy tundra of January, it's quite another to hold off on drinking when it's patio season in June! So when it comes to alcohol, I will be practicing moderation. Only when I'm out with friends and in limited quantities. Not that I'm a huge boozer anyway, but I need a few pints of beeerrr in my life.

I will also be taking one day off a week. So most days I will be sticking to carbs only at lunch time, but once a week I will go nuts and grab some carbs for dinner. I want to clean up my eating again, but I did find it just a touch too strict for me when I last did it.

The challenge begins tomorrow once I have eaten up my planned food that involves carbs. Wish me luck, I'm interested to see if this gets the scale moving (downward) again!

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot: Part 2

I joined M at Bikram yoga again last night. Wowza it was a toughie! I've been having a cold or allergies the last few days, and halfway through the class I started coughing and feeling wheezy to the point that I just had to lie on my back on the mat and focus on not running out of the room. I managed to stay but only really did half the moves.

Apparently I wasn't the only one to find it tough, everyone came out of the room saying what a challenge it was. It's kind of bizarre, as every Bikram is the exact same moves in the exact same order, and yet one class can be harder than the next. It was certainly hotter than it had been on Monday.

Anyway, as a couple of you expressed an interest in trying out Bikram, I thought I'd share what I've learned.

What to bring:

A big water bottle - you're not supposed to drink any until after the first 3 moves - the teacher will notify you when it's time.

A yoga mat - most studios will rent you one if you need.

Two towels - one for in the room and one for after you shower. And believe me, you will need to shower as you will probably sweat like you never have before!

A change of clothes - see above re: sweatiness.

What to wear:

As little as possible! I started both classes off in knee length shorts, a sports bra and tank top. Halfway through I had to whip off the tank top and roll up the shorts as high as they would go. So the smallest amount you feel comfortable with is what I recommend. I would also suggest taking off any necklaces, rings etc. Your fingers will swell in the heat and as you spend part of the class upside down, your necklace will dangle in your face and annoy you (I found that out the hard way!)

Before you go:

M recommended I drink a big pint glass of water about 1 hour before, which I did, and I had no problems with thirst. It's also recommended that you eat no more than 2 hours before. I would recommend eating exactly 2 hours before if possible, as you will most likely feel hungry by the end due to the amount of calories burned and water sweat out!

What to expect:

Bikram Yoga is a copyrighted series of exercises. As such, every class is exactly the same, barring individual differences in teaching style between instructors. Over the course of 90 minutes you do a series of 26 exercises including stretching and balance within a 40 degree celsius room. Exercises vary between standing and floor. You complete each exercise twice, with the second repetition slightly shorter than the first. The focus is on posture and breathing throughout the class.

I hope this is helpful! I will most likely attend one more class over the week-end before my one week pass expires. Then I will move onto some other forms of classes, and of course share here what I experience! I also have some other things to share, including a recent successful shopping trip. Happy Friday everyone!