vegetarian Samgyupsal and the liver diet

I'm still beaming about my progress last week. I was actually pretty surprised by the result. My calorie count was actually not as low as I wanted. I had a dinner party with some friends and an obligatory drink-and-bitch session with a friend who is going through a rough time.

The dinner may have not actually affected my calorie count that much though. It was Korean Samgyupsal, which is basically fatback thrown on a grill served with side dishes. Since I'm a vegetarian, I got to let the boyfriend go to town on the pork, and I was stuck with the side dishes. Since I'm trying not to be a total food-measuring weirdo in front of my friends, and not stuffing yourself is SO not done in Korea, I thought I'd play it smart and stick to the things I know to be low cal. So I gorged on grilled mushrooms and garlic wrapped in lettuce and cucumber salad, and took it easy on the potatoes, rice and bean paste. So it was impossible to really track, but I don't think I did badly.

As far as the drinking session, I don't think the alcohol calories did me any favors. However, my crazy teacher friend admitted to me the reason she's lost so much weight lately is because she has been on a "I don't eat anything anymore, I just drink." diet. So I didn't have to worry about her wanting to order food, but I am trying to talk her into changing up her diet before her liver falls out of her body. (I have to admit though, she does look great.)

Stay strong  out there! (...and watch those alcohol calories.)

progress report 4-29-2012: I found a scale!

So, two weeks ago while I was doing some shopping at a local mega-supermarket thing, I came across a shelf of bathroom scales. One had been taken out of the box and looked like it was used pretty regularly. So I thought, what the hell? I put down my bag and shopping basket and weighed myself. It came to 69 kilograms. Being a lazy American, I don't know crap about the metric system. (And being a cheap American, I'm not buying the scale when I'm moving out of the country in two months.) So when I got to work, I did a quick conversion on my computer, and astoundingly, it came to 152.1 pounds! That means I'd lost about three pounds so far! I know that I shouldn't be too excited. You need to weigh yourself consistently, in the same clothes, on the same scale, to really track your progress. So I went back this week, wearing the same shoes and pretty much the same outfit, and did it again. This time I was 68 kilograms, or 149.9 pounds. I know that 2.2 pounds may not seem like much for a week, but if I keep up this rate, I'll be two pounds from my first goal (130 pounds) by the time I go home! Beach trip here I come!

So, from now on my weekly shopping trip will include a weigh-in, and my weekly update will include a weight.

Exercise total: 8.25 hours, awesome!
Weight: 149.9 pounds
Waist measurement: lost another half-inch, which brings the total lost to 1.5 inches

I upped my ab workouts from two to three a week. My personal favorite is the one included in the Yoga Booty Ballet's basic workout. It really hits the lower abs, which are crucial for pulling up in ballet. But, I try new workouts all the time and I'm always on the look out for more! Any suggestions?

It's been a great week! I'm crazy motivated now and I hope you are too. Stay skinny!

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.  

it's all about the little things

Counting calories is LAME, precisely measuring out every little bit of food is LAME, but it's what I'm having to do right now. And, it's what I'm going to continue to do until I reach my goal. Mostly it's depressing, (like finding out how small a real portion is), but sometimes it's great, (like finding out there are only 4 calories in a strawberry, holla!)

And sometimes, it's freaking fantastic! Like finding out I eat less that I eat less than a standard portion of grits. A real, satisfying breakfast that I can have with CHEESE, and that I already love, for less than 200 cal? You rock, world!

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.)

hangry

This interview with Anna Paquin doesn't reveal any secrets to how she maintains the best little body in the business (seriously, she rocks short and curvy in ways that make the long and lanky jealous.) Instead, she does something I find far more inspiring. She basically admits that there is no "magic pill", no being naturally thin, Hollywood stars have to work just as hard and suffer just as much as anyone to have those figures. But apparently, it's a battle you can win:

...so keep strong!

P.S. Love, love, love her use of my new favorite word, hangry. We all know how that feels, don't we girls?