kale and ginger juice?

Maybe she does have a secret after all!

USA Today: Stephen Moyer: 'True Blood' set mimics 'Biggest Loser'

disappointment as motivation

Today I was totally going to write a post about a breakthrough I had with hiking, but then I did my weekly weigh-in and all that was crushed. My weight went up.

Bummer.

Me on the ride home from work: "I figured last week's 145.5 was a fluke brought on by dehydration, but this week I was at 148.8, exactly where I was two weeks ago! Zero progress in two weeks! I thought I would hang on to at least a little bit of that dip. I've been so good this week with my exercise and calorie count. What's a girl gotta do?" On and on with the dark and stormy thoughts. So, instead of bringing all this negativity home, I did not catch the last leg of my bus transfer. I got out early and took a nice 15 minute attitude adjustment walk.

Why am I flipping out so badly? This isn't my first no-progress week. But it is my first TWO no progress weeks in a row. It's my first dip and gain. This happens, right? This happens to everyone. I'm sure.

So when I got home I checked some of my favorite weight loss blogs, girls who have been successful doing things in a positive way like I do, and yes, they too have had dips. I found this graph of sweethinspration's weight loss to be particularly reassuring. She experienced a LOT of no progress weeks, and even a few upticks in weight, and she still ended up losing a ton of weight. Much more than what I have to lose.

So basically, I need to suck it up, tweak my plan, and keep going. Here are some new ideas I'm going to try:

• Beef up lunch, tone down dinner. Divide lunch into two portions, have one at lunch and another as a late afternoon snack. Do this to: prevent metabolism drops, prevent hangry at work, prevent being so hungry at dinnertime that I do grody things like eat a handful of potato chips while I'm cooking.

• Re-measure everything. I've started to eyeball portions when I'm in my own kitchen. That's a no-no. This morning I found out I was underestimating the milk in my coffee. Whoops. Overestimating everything just a little is a great way to completely sabotage yourself. You know better!

• Start taking and posting more photos. (You're a freaking photographer anyway, right?) I wanted to wait to post before and after photos after I actually made some visible progress. But documenting the journey along the way couldn't hurt. And all this hiking has given you nice tan shoulders and collarbones – show off! It'll make you feel good!

• Exercise EVERY day. Especially food “indulgence” days. Rainy? Do a video. Feel like crap? Change it up – try something new. Hungover? Bad girl! Drink water and then go sweat it out! (I actually don't drink that much anymore, but every now and then...)

• More lean protein, less fat. This is gonna be a toughie until I get back to the States and can get my hands on some protein powder. But I can still get tofu and egg whites here. Gotta make it happen.

• Love, respect and take care of myself, no matter what. Guilt is stupid. Punishing myself is stupid. Just get back on the horse and ride faster!

I can do this! I will do this! Stay skinny out there!

calorie counting help

Counting calories is LAME, but it's what I've had to start doing in order to reach my goal. I'm always on the lookout for anything to make it easier, and the computer program, Calorie Balance, makes it way easier. 

It's freeware, so it's not perfect, but on the whole it works fine for my needs. You type in the foods you eat, and the amounts and it looks in its massive food database and spits out your calories, fats, carbs and other nutrients consumed for the day. You still have to measure your food yourself, ugh, but it's about as easy as it gets. If you have some restaurant entree or exotic new food it hasn't heard of, you can look up the nutritional info on the web and add it to the database. There is supposed to be a feature where it goes looking for you, but it doesn't work. (There are some internet-based calorie tracking programs that do this very well, but you have to live with the fact that your personal information, plus what you eat every day is being stored on someone else's server. Creepy.) The main food chart screen totals all your calories, carbs, fats, sugars, fiber, and protein in an easy-to-understand graph at the bottom. That works very well. There is also a feature where you can choose other nutrients (iron, calcium, etc.) to be tracked on the same graph, but it's pretty buggy. It does track that kind of thing for you, but you kind of have to total it yourself. 

It also has an exercise tracker, which I love. It tracks the calories you burn in different workouts. All you have to enter is the kind of activity ant the time spent, and since it's already keeping track of your weight, it does that calculation for you. Then it takes the calories burned and subtracts it from your total calories consumed, giving you the net figure. (Keep in mind, if you eat 1500 calories, you don't have to do 1500 calories worth of exercise. Your base metabolism rate will take care of a lot of that for you.)

I am a huge geek, so it's been a boon for me. It helps me compare foods, plan out my exercise and know every little thing I am consuming and burning.

Anyway, for absolutely free it's a great tool to try. Read cnet's review and download the program here. The download does ask you if it can install a web toolbar. It's just an ad (everyone's gotta make money right?) you can decline it.

I hope this helps you on your way to awesome!

you do not need 2,200 calories a day

Whenever you look at the dietary intake recommendations from the USDA (the people behind the food pyramid, and MyPlate), keep in mind this organization is run by farmers, people who make money when you overeat. While they are wising up to the idea that too many starches are bad and more vegetables are good, their guides are still more about keeping big agriculture in business and less about keeping you healthy. (Have you ever looked up the ridiculous amount they tell you to eat? Unless you're a bodybuilder, you do not need 2,200 calories day.) I am not the only one saying this. Harvard agrees with me.

“Unfortunately, like the earlier U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pyramids, MyPlate mixes science with the influence of powerful agricultural interests, which is not the recipe for healthy eating,” said Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition and chair of the Department of Nutrition. 

Harvard's redesign of MyPlate actually looks like what I try to eat every day, on a lower-calorie basis of course.

This makes way more sense than any of the USDA's current or past recommendations. And it's the way I will continue to eat in the future, to maintain my awesomeness. Check out the article here.

the power of a nap

When I was in college I had a friend who said whenever she got hungry, she just went to sleep. Oh, to have a college schedule. But in all seriousness, it's not a bad idea. When I go hiking, I can't eat lunch. My stomach just can't take it. So when I get home I'm turning inside out with hunger, but I'm also beat, so I take a nap. It's not even anything I do on purpose, my body just needs it. It's the weekend so, why not? But it really is a good idea, because I sleep through a period of time when I might be driven to snacking from honestly earned exercise hunger. Instead I power nap, shower, and it's time for dinner. This would never work during the week, but fortunately on work days I'm better at managing my need to snack. 

So if you have a schedule that allows for a nap, try timing during a time you usually want to snack. Every calorie you skip helps, and the extra sleep will actually help you lose weight. 

Enjoy your zzzz's!

top five reasons you need to go hiking right now

1. Hiking is the best burn! A 150 pound person burns almost 500 calories an hour, more if you're carrying a pack.

2. It's not just about the cardio! Hiking also builds muscle, the good kind, in your rear. Nothing puts the butt on the elevator going up faster than hiking. (Trust me, the significant other you already have or are looking for will probably love this more than the weight loss itself ;)

3. It's for everyone! Anyone with reasonably well-working legs can hike. There are low level trails for the less-fit, and you can take it at your own pace. Don't live near mountains? Do an internet search for cross-country trail maps in your area.

4. It's free! Well, within reason. All you really need is a good pair of shoes or boots that have high tread and  ankle support. You might already have something in your closet that will do. The first pair of hiking boots I bought were $40 bucks and they lasted me almost a year, and I hike A LOT.

5. Phytoncides! They may fight cancer, or they may be total crap. Either way, the air in the forest will be cleaner and smell better than anything you'll find in a gym.

Bonus: It's freaking gorgeous. The scenery, the flowers, the wildlife = you actually enjoy getting exercise. Have fun getting skinny!

semi-daily menu

I'm so stoked! Some days I do better than others with my calorie count, but yesterday's menu was well within my limit, full of a variety of foods and nutrients, and even had enough calories leftover for an after-dinner beer, woo-hoo! It's so easy to fall into a routine and just eat the same things everyday. It's a bad idea in general, and a super bad idea when you're restricting your calories. You need variety to make sure you're getting everything you need. Always be on the look out for new recipes and foods. I thought I'd post an occasional day's menu when I think it would be inspiring and useful, so without further ado:

Breakfast

1 scrambled egg with garlic

breakfast beans with cheese

1 tangerine

coffee with milk

Lunch

½ cup muesli with blueberries

¼ cup milk

1 small banana

Dinner

Awesome stir-fry:

   bok choy

   mushrooms

   green pepper

   spring onions

   fresh garlic and ginger

   tofu

   soy sauce

1 well-enjoyed Suntory Premium Malts

I found the trick to a low-oil stir-fry is to put the oil in a cold pan, turn on the heat, add the garlic and ginger. As soon as the spices start to sizzle, add the veggies. When the pan gets really heated and things just start to stick, then add a little water, soy sauce, and THEN the tofu. (The tofu likes to stick to the pan if you add it too soon.) Cover, and let it steam the rest of the way. That way you really can get away with an honest-to-God teaspoon of oil.

So, there you go. All the food groups represented, all nutrients accounted for, just low on the fat and starch. (Though, the occasional high-carb comfort food isn't bad, as long as it's in your calorie limits.) The stir-fry actually ended up being a filling meal. The veggies go a long way, calorie-wise, so you can really load up on them. It lead to a bulkier portion than what I've been eating for dinner lately, so it even felt like a kind of indulgence.

I'm debating whether or not to post my daily calorie goal and actual count. I certainly don't want to encourage anyone with, shall we say, a “psychological eating illness”. I don't even want to write the proper term for fear my blog would show up in a search for it. My limit is not far out of the boundaries for safe weight loss outlined by the USDA, and it certainly isn't going to land me in the hospital if I just do it for a few months. Still, some people might not consider it healthy. So, I'm not sure. Any thoughts?

What I'm definitely NOT going to do is ever go back to the crazy amount I was eating before. Now, when I think about how much I used to consume daily, I can't believe it. I plan to eventually up my intake to a maintenance program of 1800-2000 calories a day, but that won't be until I've truly reached a body I'm happy with.  

top five reasons you need to go to a ballet class right now

Ballet is absolutely at the core of my body's transformation. It's something I work at and something I work for. It's an incredible source of inspiration and power, and here are the top five reasons why:

1. Nothing, not a bathing suit, not looking at yourself naked, nothing gives you a better assessment of where your fit situation is right now (and how far you've got to go) than a leotard and a pair of pink tights.

2. Every class you will get stronger, more flexible, more capable of the positions, and more toned. Some people see results faster than others, but you will notice progress in EVERY class.

3. Unless you're a dancer, ice skater or horseback rider you have crap posture. And crap posture means you stand with your belly poked out. Don't believe me? Go to a mirror, look at your profile, and try tucking your butt under and rolling your pelvis forward. Wow, makes a difference, huh?

4. Experience the joy of movement. Think about sprinters and skateboarders and how much fun they have just moving around in space. This simple joy is denied to a lot of un-fit people. Ballet gives you grace, balance and a taste of that joy.

5. The world can be a mean, cruel, competitive place. This is especially true in teenage dance classes. (Adult classes tend to be more relaxed, but as all grown-ups know, just because someone's an adult doesn't mean they act that way.) If you can learn to deal with it there, you can deal with it anywhere. Remember, you are doing this for you. Be strong for you.  

(Seriously though, it doesn't matter what your preferred style of exercise and movement is, just get out there. Do it, love it.)

tip: cheat snack

Tip: have a cheat snack ready. I did not come up with this one, but it is something I have adapted to my needs. My cheat snack is fruit. (My ONLY acceptable snack is fruit.) I keep 1 small apple or tangerine or sliced pear or what-have-you in my bag when I go to work. Usually, I'm cool. I don't need it. So, it becomes my breakfast fruit for the next morning. If I'm faced with a surprise seemingly insurmountable temptation, something that smells or looks so good that my hunger gets churning (see here), then my safe snack is ready to save me with a low-calorie indulgence. Then, no breakfast fruit the next day. No harm done. But most times, just knowing it's there saves me. It's a psychological trick. If your caveman brain knows you have food with you, it won't go seeking food elsewhere. So far, I average eating about one cheat snack a week. That's only 60 calories, instead of whatever high calorie pastry/junk food/crap I was having, like, every other day.

You can make your subconscious your friend instead of your enemy, as long as you know it's dirty tricks.

a confession

So.... I don't own a scale. And I can't really justify buying one since I'm leaving the country in two months. The last time I weighed myself was at Christmas when I was at my parents' place, and I guess the next time will be when I see them again in two months. But I want to be able to track some kind of progress until then, so here's my brilliant idea: dental floss. I measured my waist with dental floss, and cut it so it's exactly the circumference of my waist. Every Saturday I'll pull out that piece of floss and if my waist has gotten smaller, I'll be able to cut the extra off. I decided against using a measuring tape, in case the measurement is too discouraging. Instead, I'll just track whatever progress I make.

I suppose this idea would work with string or yarn or anything, but I happened to be staring at my medicine cabinet when the idea occurred to me, so, there you go.

Floss can be cut, but it cannot/will not/cannot grow longer!

closet project

Here's a fun weekend project (not my original idea, but it's a good one), pull out all your clothes and look at them, really look. Anything that looks worn (in a bad cheap way, not a fun shredded knee jeans way), get rid of. Anything you know as soon as you put it on will make you feel dowdy and frumpy, get rid of. Anything that is not of good quality, get rid of. Anything you're keeping “just for sentimental reasons” get rid of. (Do you really need your high school graduation gown taking up space in your life?) Try on what's left and give yourself a good look. Anything that doesn't look awesome, anything that doesn't feel great, get rid of. If you were the kind of person who was going to get it altered to fit better, you would have done that already.

You are better than muffin-top pants. You are better than cheap, pilly rayon blend fabrics. You are better than shot elastic.

What's left in the keep pile? Probably what you wear all the time anyway. Anything that's in the toss pile, you probably never wear, and when you do you regret it about 10 minutes after you leave the house. Why keep it? Recycle/donate/give away. Eliminate it from your precious space.

What's left to do?

Shop and dream. But only buy things with good fabrics and flattering cuts. Things that look good on you now. The other things you think you're not quite thin enough for (YET), wait. Having that one motivational pair of jeans or bathing suit is a worthy idea, but keep it to one item. Fill your life with what makes you look and feel great now. Treat your body and your life like a temple, and it will become one.

awesome sweater and jeans available at tobi