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Friday, May 27, 2011

Sugar Challenge

I am a firm believer in the "everything in moderation" mentality. However, in the taper leading up to my marathon, and in the two weeks since, I've really relaxed my eating standards and have majorly delved into some sugar cravings. I could explore reasons why I might have both craved sugar (I normally crave salt) and why I caved to the cravings, but the point is I did and I did.

And after cookies, candy, and cupcakes, I discovered something--my body doesn't really like sugar! The heartburn I kicked with healthy eating came back, my stomach started feeling queasy, and to share a tad too much information, I got really gassy. And I know that the high uptake in sugar was the culprit. The rest of my eating habits stayed largely the same.

So now this Monday begins round 2 of marathon training, and I had already vowed to make my diet the focus. I'm going to take that a step further and start out with a 30 day campaign to kick sugar. Now this doesn't mean I'm avoiding the stuff completely. Any natural sugar (fruit/milk) is okay. And the goal will be to stick with the recommended guidelines for consumption which is 5 teaspoons or 20 grams. Which is NOT a lot.

I think that this will start out by cutting the most processed of foods out. I currently have some homemade protein bites in my fridge with dates and almonds...and dark chocolate. I will eat these. I also have some chocolate protein powder that I want to start using as my morning snack with water (never tried this...but I have the powder and want to use it). But no more candy bars, no more cookies. Or at least none that will put me over the daily amount.

Will I be perfect right away? Of course not. And at the end of June I might still be going over 20 grams a day. But we can't make eating changes if we don't try. The one thing I am going to make an effort to eliminate all together is soda and sugary drinks. I almost always drink diet soda (I prefer the taste and the bonus of zero calories is a nice plus). However, I can see myself turning to diet soda or crystal light type drinks in an effort to curb cravings. And while I don't panic about what aspartame may or may not do to you, I don't want to avoid one thing by substituting its fake sister in large quantities.

As a side note, this challenge will be my blog topic for the next month. With summer schedules kicking in and the fact that I am working 2 jobs until they find my replacement really hampers my ability to blog in the rhythm I'd like. So to sum up:

May 30 to June 30~     *Track sugar intake
                                    *Attempt to avoid sugary snacks and drinks
                                    *Work toward staying within the '20g a day' guideline
                                    *No soda or sugary drinks

I'd love it if others of you would join me in the challenge. You can join in the comments section, or as always email me at pursuitofness@gmail.com

In Pursuit,

Sarah

Monday, May 23, 2011

The WHOLE Pursuit May 23rd

Today's whole food--sweet potatoes!

For some reason, people insist on taking these delightful tubers and adding sugar, fat, and marshmallows. I never really knew why I didn't like yams as a child, but it might be because I never got a chance to see how they actually tasted!

Tonight I made some healthy burgers (I'll share the recipe on Wednesday) and I wanted a healthy side to go with them. Sweet potatoes have become a staple in my house, so I thought I'd make up some "chips" as an alternative to french fries. I own a mandolin, so I was able to cut the potatoes quite thin. While this tool is nice, it isn't necessary. You can use a sharp knife to cut thin slices-the thinner the slice, the crispier the final product.

1 medium sweet potato covered two baking pans with a single layer of thin slices

*Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
*Lightly drizzle olive oil over slices
(1 tablespoon of olive oil per pan is sufficient)
*Season to taste--salt and pepper work great
*Bake approximately 5 to 10 min



Your baking time will vary depending on how thick your slices are and how crisp you want them. The most important thing is to keep a VERY close eye on them. I forgot this crucial step and ended up burning quite a few. But I did get a decent serving, and the chips were wonderfully crisp and even better, delicious!

*A complex carbohydrate
*High in Fiber
*High in vitamins A, C, and B6

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Diet Dos and Diet Don'ts

First, a tip: For a quick tasty breakfast, take 1 cup milk, 2/3 cup frozen strawberries, and blend! I have an immersion blender with a separate blending cup which worked great! So quick and easy and only 150 calories!

Second, an update: RE: granola bars. I would recommend eating the homemade granola bars within 2 weeks, 3 tops. They don't get stale, but they do start to get overly moist and just lose the nice taste.

Now, for the main event! I'd like to share some diet Dos and Don'ts that have worked well for me. I hope you can find a tip or two that might help you eat better or lose weight!

  • Do make a list of goals, both short and long term. Goals can be short and simple (today I will drink 100oz of water) or they can be long and tough (I will lose 50 pounds). Having small goals along the way to a big goal will help prevent you from getting discouraged at the long journey
  • Do make 1 or 2 changes at a time. Start by cutting out soda (or something similar). Next add more water. Tackling something small and accomplishing it is helpful to both your body and mind.
  • Do have a support system. Look for someone you are comfortable being accountable to. If you will become upset or angry if a spouse suggests NOT eating that third slice of pizza, maybe they won't be your best choice. Find someone that you can vent to, celebrate with, and who gets you and what you need to hear. The rest of your family and friends can help, but designating someone as your "buddy" makes the whole process seem doable.
  • Do drink lots of water. Shoot for a minimum of 8x8 (8 8oz glasses). While there is no scientific evidence that 8 glasses of water is the optimal number, it is a good place to start. If you can move to 10 or more, you will be well on your way to keeping yourself well hydrated. This will keep your systems working properly, will help keep you feeling full, will improve your overall health and appearance.
  • Do find tricks that work for you. Personally, I find tea (hot or cold, unsweetened), gum, and water to be easy fixes for keeping my mind off of jelly donuts. I keep a few kinds of gum around depending on what I may be in the mood for--sugary taste (berry flavors) or refreshing (cinnamon/mint). While these tricks are not as healthy, sometimes hard candy or diet soda helps too. I feel like I am getting a "treat" without having a 300 calorie candy bar or bag of chips. Find what works for you and keep it handy!
  • Do believe in yourself. While statistics show a very low percentage of people actually keep off the weight they lost, it isn't because it can't be done. It can be done and it can be done by you! Regardless of your past success or failures, you need to believe in you today. Your own belief in yourself can push you through the hard times and give you the patience you need to succeed.

  • Don't change everything at once. Deciding to eat only fruits and veggies, avoid all junk food, work out for an hour a day, and drink a gallon of water all on the first day (or even first months) is a sure fire way to fail. When you try too many new things at once it can become overwhelming and discouraging. You settle into the mind set of "why bother". Pick one and work at it (see the Do list)
  • Don't make a "forbidden" list. Telling yourself you can't have a certain food can be counter productive and cause you to want more of it. Instead make an "alternatives" list. Want chips? Try air popped popcorn. Want candy? Try watermelon. The changes can be even smaller than that. Want chocolate? Try 1oz of dark chocolate to at least get the added health benefits. You may find that when you eat pizza, you overeat pizza. This might be a food that you decide to keep out of the freezer or throw away the take out menus for. But if you put it on a forbidden list, you will become frantic if a friend invites you out for a slice, or it is the only food option at the next kid's birthday party. And if you can practice self control and keep it to a serving size--enjoy the pizza!
  • Don't get caught up in trends. Perhaps fewer carbs and more protein will work well for you. Maybe a low fat diet is best. Maybe you operate well as a vegetarian/vegan/gluten free/paleo/raw foods eater. I firmly believe that these eating patterns are best explored SLOWLY and ONLY after you have formed good habits in your current lifestyle. It may not be your ideal, but the standard food pyramid is a good place to start a healthy eating life. If you find later down the road, and after lots of research that an alternative works better for you, by all means go for it.
  • Don't go to extremes. More is not always better. Less is not always better. It is not healthy to eat 1,000 calories a day while working out for 2 hours a day. Find a tool to help you determine the proper amount of calories you need to lose weight and stay close to the recommendation. Some tools will give you an amount to follow whether you exercise or not. Some will give you 'extra' calories to eat if you do exercise. Whichever plan you use, don't over do it and tax your body.
  • Don't give up. You might have a bad patch. You might start out great and then falter. You might start slow and then soar later. You will never reach your goals if you give up trying. "The Miracle isn't that I finished, the Miracle is that I had the courage to start" (John Bingham)

In Pursuit,

Sarah

Monday, May 2, 2011

The WHOLE Pursuit May 2

Today I am attempting, for the first time ever, to cook an artichoke. This is a completely new territory for me. I can remember being a kid visiting relatives in Georgia and we had artichoke hearts with melted butter for dinner. I also remember them being delicious! Since then, I've had artichokes in all of their over used forms--pasta dishes, dips, pasta dishes, chicken recipes, pasta dishes...I tend to feel they are overused in pasta. I also know that you can find about 50 jars of artichokes in the canned food aisle, but I don't see them very often in the produce section. Or maybe I didn't know what I was looking at. Here is the artichoke I found for today's experiment:
The goal of the WHOLE pursuit blog is to explore foods that can be enjoyed as close to their natural form as possible, or with no processed ingredients present. Artichokes come from the thistle family, and only require a pot and some water to prepare. For such a simple set up, 1 artichoke provides:
  • 7-10 grams of fiber
  • 3-4 grams of protein
  • Vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, magnesium, potassium and manganese
  • Less than 1 gram of fat
  • Only 60 calories
  • Properties that help lower cholesterol and clean out the liver
(http://www.livestrong.com/article/5282-need-health-benefits-artichokes/)

I did multiple searches on how to cook these, and found that boiling and steaming were the most popular options. I chose to steam mine. But first, preparing the artichoke:
  1. Wash under cool water. Take time doing this. The formation of the leaves creates lots of spots for dirt to hide.
  2. Cut off the tips of the leaves, any large tough outer leaves, and the stem. Trim off 1/2 inch to 1 inch off the top of the artichoke. The prepared artichoke should look like this:

  1. In a large pot, add 2-3 inches of water. Whenever I steam anything, I always add a little garlic and lemon juice to the steam water. It provides a nice subtle flavor. Place steam basket in pot and add artichokes.
  2. Cover and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and let steam for 25-45 minutes or until the outer leaves pull easily away. My artichoke took 35 minutes to steam. When leaves are tender, the artichoke is ready to eat!
How to eat an artichoke:


Pull off each leaf. I chose to have a side of butter with lemon juice

and fresh garlic. The white part of the bottom of the leaf is the edible part.Use your teeth to pull out the inner meat from the leaf, and discard the rest of the leaf. Continue to pull leafs until you get to the center of the
artichoke.
It will look like the picture to the left. The inner fibrous portion is not edible. However, it easily scoops out to reveal the tasty heart inside (picture on right)   While this took a little bit of time, it was incredibly easy, and tasty! Enjoy!



In Pursuit,

Sarah

Sunday, May 1, 2011

What's next syndrome

I don't think I am alone in my affliction with 'what's next' syndrome. I hear lots of people lay out their plans weeks & months in advanced. And sometimes when someone is discussing a particular event they are looking forward to, they might finish by saying "but then nothing really after that" almost apologetically. As if they know we all have to have something that is next.

I'm done with my first week of marathon tapering. In two very short weeks, by this time I will be reveling in the soreness resulting from finishing a marathon. I've been working toward this for weeks and am very excited at the prospect of re-entering the marathoning world after such a long hiatus. But with my mileage decreasing, I've had some extra time on my hands and all I can think about is what I will do to make the fall marathon I run even better. I don't know what 'better' will be since I haven't run the first one, but my mind is contemplating which cross training activities or running strategies will make the fall race great. And it doesn't even stop there. I'm also thinking about what I'll do over the winter. I wasn't happy with the mileage I put in before starting training, so what do I need to do to be at a comfortable level this winter?

In September, Matt will be 1 year away from beginning his student teaching. Which means he will be 1 year & 1 semester away from graduating. And after that, we have to find out what he will do for work before he can teach the following fall. And then where will he teach?

And where does all of this fit in with plans to have kids? Buy a house? WHAT'S NEXT???

It's really quite exhausting when you realize how much mental energy goes into planning the future. And so often we get to the point we were waiting for and can't believe how quickly the time flew. Before I know it, we'll be house shopping and looking for baby clothes and I won't be able to believe that it was only x number of years since we were just waiting for...life.

All of this forward thinking can really get in the way of just living our life. If we are only worried about what comes next, we can never enjoy the now. I am constantly wondering what waking up an extra 15 minutes early might allow me to fit in work out wise this summer instead of enjoying the extra sleep I can get now.

This isn't a very helpful blog. I don't have an answer of how to live and enjoy each moment. Because even when I feel like I might be doing just that, I know somewhere in my mind the next thing will always be lurking. Even my title "Pursuit of Ness" calls to mind something that is always out there waiting for us. Maybe that isn't something we can change. After all, anticipation is sometimes greater than the reward. So maybe having something be 'next' is what keeps us moving forward. But today, I think I want to just pursue Now. I want this moment, this evening, this today. We don't have a guarantee for anything else, so let's try to enjoy what is already ours. Now.

In Pursuit (of now),

Sarah