Love Not Lipo ... Live a Little, Love a Lot

As referenced in a previous post, historically I have not been a fan of multiple small meals.  Nor have I been a fan of “Clean Eating.”

Things are starting to change.  For those of you who wonder what “clean eating” actually is, like I did, here is a definition from Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet website:

“Eating Clean is treating your body right.

It is eating the way nature intended. You eat the foods our bodies evolved to function best on, and that makes you feel – and look – fantastic. When you Eat Clean you eat more often. You will eat lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. These practices keep your blood-sugar levels stable and keep you satisfied. The best part is that if you need to lose weight it will happen almost without you having to try. And yes, you can have a treat now and again.”

My diet this week is completely clean, and incorporates 6 small meals.  Here’s what’s on the menu with a rough time frame:

7AM: Baked Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal

9:30 AM: 2 Clean Egg Muffins

12:00 Pm: Lean Hamburger and Eggwhite Scramble (I used 96% lean beef instead of Turkey, and 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil and half a green pepper, instead of spinach)

2:30pm: Arbonne Shake made with unsweetened almond milk

5:00pm: Pan Seared Ahi Tuna with Colorful String Beans:

7pm: Eat Clean Chicken Cassoulet

Seems like a ridiculous amount of food, money, and prep time, right?  Here’s the breakdown:

• Total grocery money spent for one week, 6 meals per day: $150
• Total food prep time: grocery shopping Saturday afternoon after workout, 1/2 an hour. Cook time: 12:00pm to 4:00pm Saturday afternoon (leisurely, and remember, virtually no more cooking the rest of the week!!)
• Total Calories: 1234 per day, with no hunger*

*I also have been enjoying a cup or two of my version of  “holiday libations” Eggnog Coffee with a splash of vanilla almond milk:

P.S.  Eating Clean in a restaurant is easier than I would have thought.  It’s just a mindset going in to the place.  I ate for the first time at a restaurant I’ve been dying to try last night for my good friend’s birthday party, and let me tell you it was worth it!! Aside from the beautiful ambiance of The Point in Albany NY, the menu had like 20 things I would have eaten with total delight.  I settled on a satisfying Large House salad with six big grilled shrimp on top.  I ordered a side of sauteed mushrooms and threw those on top as well.  I used about a teaspoon and a half of olive oil on top, and a sprinkle of balsamic.  YUMMY!!

In this most recent fitness venture, I am trying a lot of things I haven’t before, frankly the things of which I’ve always been resistant.  Although I live a fairly healthy lifestyle, my weight has pretty much been at a stuck point for the last several years.  Mostly this has been OK because I’ve been in a really good place emotionally for a long time, however I have evolved to be more perplexed than distraught by my body’s functioning/under-functioning, and have decided to explore the phenomenon more thoroughly.

Today’s featured “Formerly Resisted Fitness Behavior” is:

6-8 SMALL MEALS A DAY:

This is what I’ve been eating for the last week or so, and I actually really enjoy it.  I’m trying to think about why I was always so resistant and here’s what I’ve come up with.

1) It takes a lot of planning…

Yes it does, but I’m fairly obsessive/compulsive, so it’s not that big deal.

2) It can’t really make that big a difference on ramping up my metabolism….

Well my current metabolism apparently sucks, so what is my problem?

3) I cannot have the “volume” and “quantity” of food I so enjoy.

Well it’s old eating disordered behavior to hoard and relish food.  The reality is I’m simply less hungry when I eat consistently all day long protein and nutrient rich food, and isn’t that the ultimate…to “need” less food?

I’m waiting to report on actual results for my first weigh and measure day with Terry, which will be next week.  Here’s what I ate today, as an example:

7:30 AM-Natural Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal

9:45 AM- Hard Boiled Eggs and Jalapeno Mozzarella stick

12:30 PM-White Fish with Lemon Dill Green Beans

2:30pm-Arbonne Chocolate Peppermint Shake

5:30 Pm- Swai Fish Burger and Lemon Dill Green Beans

And my yummy conclusion to the day at 7pm, Mixed Berry Granola Protein Shake…mmmmm

In case anyone is curious about the calorie count of this 6 meal extravaganza, it’s 1205.

What have I got to lose?? (Besides 20-40 pounds)

I’ve been truly enjoying being back in my routine, running at my new gym especially, and the ease of tracking my nutrition.

This week I’m working on being conscientious of the impact of processed and convenience foods on my outcomes.  I am also working on incorporating more vegetables into my diet.  These are the two areas I feel I consistently fall short on nutritionally.  So I took the time to prepare four different interesting vegetable dishes to choose from this week.  My inspiration came from one of my favorite food blogs, and I easily selected delicious recipes for the specific vegetables of my choosing thanks to the clever layout of Ashlee’s site.

I went with:

I am looking forward to seeing how eating vegetarian and unprocessed will feel in my body this week.  I enjoyed the time spent puttering around my kitchen preparing this food today, and managed to spend a few leisurely hours with some special women this afternoon as well.

Today was such a gorgeous day, and still truly autumn, complete with golden sun, and a blanket of smooshy yellow leaves beneath my feet.  This is so stunning to me since we already survived a snow storm this year.  I talk all the time in this blog about how nature has a calming effect on my baseline anxious personality, and as I drove home weaving through the burnt orange leaf strewn streets of my town this early evening, I thought again about how much I love living here.  My mind was flooded with the examples of the range of intense joy and pain the women in my life are currently experiencing.  While today was one of the greatest days of one woman’s life, it was one of the worst of another’s.  I am powerless over what life will deliver me tomorrow, and I can do nothing more than show up and be present.   Although I am rich with emotion, today I am calm.

I am calm in the golden sun, and I am remembering what one of those very women said….

“When the heart is full of gratitude, there is little room left for despair.”

I believe my two weeks of utter craziness may be coming to a close, and I find that I’m feeling grounded, spiritually filled up, caught up on outstanding issues, and hopeful about the future.  It was very full weekend, including an incredibly inspiring Arbonne consultant training event on Saturday (these women are just astounding, and I’m so honored and inspired to be part of this community), studying and business planning, an actual whole hour and a half spent cuddling with my honey on the couch Saturday night, a revitalizing visit with my dear friend and spiritual guide Maureen over oatmeal and coffee this morning, and finally finally finally, with the help of my ”father in law figure,” and my mom, my art work was hung, bringing the living room dining room to near completion! (for now)

The cooking this week, and actually probably every week for a long time now that I’m juggling three businesses, was all about simplicity.  Here’s what I’m eating:

 for breakfast…

 Not a great photo, tastes better than it looks: rotisserie chicken over mixed baby vegetables with parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt

 for snack

In the spirit of lighter, more convenient, and nutritionally dense dinners, I’m making shakes out of this phenomenal Arbonne product for dinner this week.  There are so many nutrients in this shake mix already including vegan protein, alfalfa, ginseng and flax, that I will only have to add things for yummy variation and extra calories such as peanut butter, bananas, coconut, berries and other fruits and nuts. 

Thanks to the “recalibration session,” yesterday was a total success!  Actually, not only did the day turn out rewarding and exciting, it actually opened up some new doors for me that I will share more about in the upcoming months after I work out some details.  What I can share about now is the delicious food I prepared for the week:

Breakfast: Honey Greek Yogurt with Walnuts, Coconut, and Banana for breakfast…

Broccoli “Pasta” with sauteed mushrooms, feta, parsley, and ground chicken meatballs for lunch…

An Ezekial Cinnamon Raisin Flourless Sprouted Grain English Muffin (chewy, dense, and YUMMY!!!!) with 1 Tbsp Almond Butter for snack…

For dinner I had essentially the same thing as lunch, but with big green garlic olives, feta, and parsley…

Mixed Berry Soy smoothie with cinnamon and stevia for desert! 

After I finished making all this, I raced off to Albany to make it to Fleet Feet in time to get fitted for my sneakers.  The customer service was amazing, and my buddy Max not only used one of these: (1982 throwback)

He observed me walk on a tiny indoor track, and then watched me run on a treadmill to see how my feet strike the ground.  Based on these assessments, he explained to me in lingo I did not retain the reasons why he was about to pick the shoes he picked.  He brought out three pairs, and we scrutinized each, one at a time.  After walking around and running on the treadmill for all 3, we finally ruled out the Adidas, the Asics, and settled on the winner, the Saucony Progrid Omni 9.   

They are far more sturdy feeling than my Nike Shox, and were the least “intrusive” of the three that I tried.  Max told me that the sneakers that you can feel the least, are the best choice.  It feels so reassuring to know I have footwear that is appropriate for my particular body.  Inspired by the whole process, and having met another one of my New Years Goals, I decided it was indicated to splurge a little more and buy some new running clothes.

When I was checking out, another really nice kid asked me “are you training for a race m’aam?”  How good do you think it felt to say, “well, I’m gonna run a half marathon in September.”

2 years ago I would have never believed you if you told me I was gonna have this experience.  Life is so funny.

I left the store feeling motivated and inspired, the perfect “refresh” I have been needing in my life lately.  I raced up to Clifton Park to meet my mom at an adorable place she’d suggested Mocha Lisa’s.  How have I not heard of this place??  I will certainly be bringing my honey back here for an inexpensive cozy date some lazy weekend afternoon. 

Well we had a lovely time, and definitely got each other inspired on some things to come…let’s just say it’s the next major step in my journey.   Stay tuned!!!!

Managing family and work stress in the middle of a long, icy winter leaves me sliding on the proverbial slippery slope towards loss of inspiration.  So much of getting out of a funk is about recalibrating the brain.  I woke up this morning humming with anxiety, noticing the clutter and mid winter filth all around me.

"Clutter"

"Filth"

I took a deep breath, and started with the basics.  I straightened up the kitchen, stripped the bed, threw some laundry in, and set up my materials for cooking for the week.  I made the conscious decision to invest an hour or two into sifting through my new magazines, with a healthy breakfast, and a cup of coffee.  I decided to try not to stress about the blog, and trust that the ideas and inspiration would eventually just come.

"Breakfast"

Honey flavored Greek Yogurt (the best) with 2 Tbsp walnuts, 1 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut, and a small sliced banana.

Todd bought me Runners World for Christmas, and it’s like a little book of happiness that comes to me once a month.  I really appreciate that so many of the articles are geared towards “non-experts,” and the running-speak got me smiling and feeling immediately at ease remembering my autumn runs in the state park.  Now I’m sitting here feeling the promise of spring being around the corner, and validated that of course I’m feeling less inspired lately pent up in the house and the gym, and what a great time to have focused on strength training…how smart of me!

It also got me thinking back on my goals, one of which was to be fitted for new running sneakers by February 1st.  Yikes!  Today is Janauary 30th!  Moments later my mom called me and said that she would love to get together for coffee.  Now I have incentive to get moving and get my cooking done, because all of a sudden, I’ve got my inspiration back!

So you see, just by briefly immersing myself into something that feuls me, I almost instantly turned a blah overwhelming morning into a day filled with the promise of love and inspiration.

I dressed up yesterday for the first time in a while for Todd’s work post holiday holiday party.  My choice was a simple, elegant, and forgiving Ralph Lauren little black dress with diamonds and pearls for accessories.  All I can say is, Body for Life is working, no control-top hose necessary, life is good.

It was nice to get out, get dressed up and have some laughs with some of our friends.  I love holiday partys AFTER the holidays.  This coming Friday is MY work party, so we’ll do it all over again, and I just may wear the same dress! 

On the menu this week:

Breakfast: 1 Organic Nitrate Free Turkey Frank, 2 slices soy swiss cheese, 1 banana

Snack: Corn tortillas with 1/2 Tbsp almond butter and 1 Tbsp each shreeded unsweetened coconut

Lunch: Crock pot chicken Tiki Masala over Kasha (Buckwheat)

I just threw a bunch of chicken thighs and a couple pork chops in my crock pot, smothered them in two jars of tiki masala sauce from the ethnic section of the grocery store, turned it on low and cooked for four hours.  I simmered the Kasha in chicken broth for 10 minutes which will make a delicious base to soak up all the sauce. 

Afternoon Snack: Brown Rice Veggie Crackers with Pine Nut Hummus

Dinner: more tiki masala with Broccoli Slaw on the side

I’ll skip the buckwheat for dinner because I’ve had enough complex carbs for the day, and replace that with a nice pile of slaw on the side.  I buy shredded brocolli from the produce section, and throw it in boiling water for about four minutes.  I drain it then mix with olive oil and sea salt.  I forgot to buy fresh herbs this week, but it’s even better tossed with chopped dill, parsley, or chives.

Here’s to a happy and healthy upcoming week!

The good news is, I have been totally plugged in creatively, physically, socially, spiritually, and organizationally.  The bad news is that all that structure and activity has left me very little time to Blog about it.  It’s actually not really bad news, as much as it’s “ironic news.”  I conceptualized and kicked off Love Not Lipo for the purpose of inspiring me to live a full and rewarding life.  It has definitely done that, but now what about the blog??
 
There were possibly multiple compelling stories to be told of my adventures over the last few days.  However once a day or two elapses the news is already dated, and I’m on to the next thing.  So how about a quick recap? 
 
I met my commitment and completed Week 1 of strength training and I’m actually well on my way to a much more diverse fitness program.  I think I had been feeling a little bored now that the race is over, and this seems like a good opportunity to try and switch some routines up.  I tend to get a little scared about switching routines up (I am an embarrassingly habituated creature) but I’m just trying to push through that feeling and embrace the possibility present in change.  I have reintroduced strength training, interval training, the elliptical, treadmill running during the week, and outdoor running on the weekend.  I would love to incorporate yoga again, but I just don’t think I’m there yet.  My current schedule looks something like this:
 
Sunday: 5 mile run outdoors
Monday: 1 hour interval circuit training
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 1 hour elliptical machine, ½ hour Back and Biceps
Thursday: ½ hour treadmill run, ½ hour elliptical machine
Friday: Shoulders, Chest, Triceps, Legs, 1 hour total, (cardio rest)
Saturday: 5 mile run outdoors
 

Saturday I followed through with my commitment to spend some more time with my friends.  I met the lovely Gabrielle (my  favorite “talk psychology/talk design” friend) for lunch at 4 seasons, frozen yogurt at Plum Dandy.(I had Harvest Muffin and Euro Tart, she had Euro Tart and Ginger Lemon Sorbet) and a little bit of Christmas shopping at Gap Kids. 

Her daughter Paige is 2, and far more fun to shop for than Jake and Danny.  I seriously need to have a baby girl.   (Hi Todd? Are you reading this?)

Girl stuff is just cuter

 
I raced back to the house and met up with Todd so we could go down to Troy and help my mom and Phil move some furniture around the house.  My mom was not impressed when she noticed my black patent leather platform heals and hot pink silk blouse. 
 
“I thought you were here to help me Clairey!!” 
“I thought Todd was gonna help you.”
“Take your shoes off.”

you know you love 'em

She brought me a giant white button down shirt to put on over my clothes to keep them clean.  I was swimming in it.  This shirt used to belong to me, and it used to fit, and I had one of those moments quietly shuddering to myself remembering a past I want to forget.  She and I looked at each other and started giggling. 
 
We helped for an hour, then rushed off to “Sushi Thai at the Park” to meet one of our favorite couples for dinner.  Unbelievable Thai food and Sushi with friends who are really more like family.  Priceless.
 
Yesterday I was going from the minute I woke up.  Mocha mint coffee with Original Silk Soymilk (the best), and almond butter and banana smeared on “Wrap Itz” Whole Grain Tortilla (also the best) started my day off.  Then I ran 3.6 miles to Curtis Lumber and back to order more paint to finish up the dining room. 

remodeling chaos. wait till you see the finished product!!

I thought I would be able to finish the job that day, and had it not been interwoven with cooking all the meals for the week, and four loads of laundry, perhaps I would have.  It was not much of a day of rest, but I’m not complaining because I did more playing than usual on Saturday. 
 
Last coat on the trim of dining room tonight….just in time for Christmas decorating.  I’m so excited!! :)

The ruffled T and new necklace were a hit today. :)  I only wish I had remembered to photograph myself after i got ready for work at 7am this morning when I was fresh and perky, status post hardcore workout and 2 cups of coffee.  Instead this photo was taken as an afterthought at 8:45pm when I’d already taken my makeup off and was essentially feeling close to having been hit by a truck or at least heavily tranquilized this Friday evening.  And it shows.  What a week!!

I haven’t talked about Ultrametabolism in a while, perhaps because Thanksgiving slightly derailed me.  Not into a compulsive eating bender, but certainly messed with my routine having family around, my fridge stocked with extra food that I don’t normally eat, and just plain busyness.  I continue to recognize an enormous physical difference in my energy level and mental health on the days that I eat the Ultrametabolism diet.  I continue to CHOSE to quickly default back to Ultrametabolism food day in and day out because sugary, simple-carby foods leave me feeling tired, sick, and cranky.  Next week I would like to eat even cleaner, as this week I slipped and slid a little. (especially because of my Christmas day weigh in, and fitness commitments, see below)  Regardless of what I have been eating, my commitment to the gym has remained strong.  I could feel myself somewhat compelled to retreat from physicality once the race was over, but I kept remembering what Todd said to me the day of the race, “this is about your lifestyle, not about an event.”  So repeating that sentiment in my wary mind, I drag myself out of bed at 5:30AM and head to the gym in a daze and bang out another hour daily.

I committed to Lorrie and the other girls on her Healthy for the Holidays challenge to add strength training back into my regimen and I did achieve this goal this week by the skin of my teeth.  Went for double sessions, doing cardio in the morning, and coming back after work for weights.  I have that delicious familiar ache back in my muscles, and am quickly remembering why I love strength training and how much more strong, fit, and powerful I feel when I take the time to incorporate it.

I am not perfect.  I am not some girl who’s always in a good mood and never sees food or my body as an issue.  This battle is one I will likely be engaged in my entire life.  However, I do feel the shift….Instead of trying to change because I hate myself, Now I make good choices because I like myself enough to do so.  That shift is a total miracle. 

“When You Consider Yourself Valuable, You Will Take Care of Yourself in all Ways That are Necessary.” -M. Scott Peck

I am bruised and battered from my weekend war with dated décor.  My hands ache from painting, and my fingers are cramped, missing the clickety clack of my keyboard.  Yesterday morning began with a 7am rise and a “Peanut Butter and Jelly Smoothie:”

Place in a blender the following ingredients and blend until smooth

·        1 cup Silk (Original Flavor)

·        1 cup strawberries

·        1 Tbsp peanut butter

·        Dash of Cinnamon

·        3 ice cubes

The “1 cup of coffee/day rule” went right out the window when I brewed a pot of

Dunkin’ Turbo, as I did require to be turbo-ed through the ambitious day I had planned.  Throughout the day we painted and touched up, re-taped, re-painted, re-touched up. 

"Before" Faux Leather Wallpaper (metallic...ugh.)

Painting walls deep slate grey/blue with shiny wooden trim in a high contrast white was pretty much a nite-mare, and the blunders were seemingly endless.  It’s all about perception though, because for me it was truly a labor of love. 

“Coconut Dal”

Todd went to work at 7pm and I spent the final four hours working like mad woman on construction dust removal, floor polishing, and putting the furniture and accessories together before he got home.  All of the art and photography still needs to be hung, and I am planning on painting our coffee table this gorgeous warm shade of beige, Benjamin Moore “Rattan,” but other than that, we’re looking good.  Now onto the dining room.  Overwhelming? Certainly.  Worth it when I saw the look on my Darling’s face when he returned from work and saw how beautiful we had made our home?  Absolutely. 

 

Temporary Staging (until I Hang all the art)"Slate Blue and Chocolate Brown...Beautiful"

 

"Slate Blue and Chocolate Brown...Beautiful"