Monday, March 22, 2010
The Kitchen Is A Playground
Even when I am crazy busy I find time to throw together dinner. I love to cook, and feel robbed if I don't get to. It's theraputic for me. It's my play time. Since I've been so pressed for time and exhausted lately I have lost some of my creativity and become a little monotomous in my meals, because it's so much easer to go straight to a 15 minute staple meal than come up with anything new! For example, yesterday I had only 20 minutes to do a weekly food prep, so I went for a good ol' fridge cleaning out vegetable soup with whole wheat soba noodles. It's delicious and fast, but a bit boring. I'm itching to have time to spend on making some great recipes. One great thing about going to a plant based diet is that there is such an exciting world of new dishes to try. It's like a personal challenge, and if you're doing the cooking the food is all so good for you (cause um...Fritos are vegan, but they ain't good for ya!). I've been revisting my awesome cookbook The Urban Vegan (I can't wait to have the time to try some baking-I'm a total Rachael Ray and not a big baker), and I've been enjoying looking at the 21 Day Vegan Kick Start site. It's full of inspiring recipes. Be sure to check the celebrity tips-they share recipes as well. Ginnifer Goodwin's Gramma's Bok Choy (& Chick'n) Salad sounds so delightful, easy to make, and a great way to dress up my bok choy! Take a look and let the mouth watering begin!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Pants Dance
Behold: Thursday I put on my old “skinny slacks” and they’re a bit roomier now!
SCORE:
BB30-1
A**Hole Scale-0
The story of my skinny slacks:
Here is a brief BB30 History lesson that I have yet to share and gives you a little insight into my endless struggle to achieve the slim fit body I’ve always wanted. I’ve definitely had some set backs. About 2.5 years ago I randomly decided to start calorie counting (sticking to about 1200 calories a day). I kept an excel spreadsheet at my day job where I logged every calorie I ate. The result was a very rapid weight loss. I had just been eating waaaay too many calories (damn you delicious Cocoa Krispies). I wasn’t fit or firm (I was still all jiggle) but I was slimmer and it stuck for about nine months. That is until I started taking a medicine that threw weight on me until I was up the 25 pounds I had lost. At first it was slow and unnoticeable, but then it started piling on so fast-I had no idea what was happening (I was still eating 1500 calories or less per day-it was like a bad dream! Seriously, I lost a pair of pants in my closet for two weeks and after finding them they couldn’t even button. SCARY.) Another tidbit to point out: My off-the-rack (and stunning) wedding dress was already purchased!!!! So, I stopped taking the medicine (of course) worked with a trainer friend for some sessions, enrolled in dances classes, and got moving so that I could wear my beautiful wedding dress in six months. I did it, and I was lucky, but man oh man-it was scary! Anyway, in those slimmer months I purchased my “skinny slacks.” They were snug and at first I would wear panty hose under them to make them fit better (you know you’ve all done it), and when I ballooned up of course there was no way I could even pull them up over my hips.
So, it was such a nice feeling to put on these slacks and see some results!!!
SCORE:
BB30-1
A**Hole Scale-0
The story of my skinny slacks:
Here is a brief BB30 History lesson that I have yet to share and gives you a little insight into my endless struggle to achieve the slim fit body I’ve always wanted. I’ve definitely had some set backs. About 2.5 years ago I randomly decided to start calorie counting (sticking to about 1200 calories a day). I kept an excel spreadsheet at my day job where I logged every calorie I ate. The result was a very rapid weight loss. I had just been eating waaaay too many calories (damn you delicious Cocoa Krispies). I wasn’t fit or firm (I was still all jiggle) but I was slimmer and it stuck for about nine months. That is until I started taking a medicine that threw weight on me until I was up the 25 pounds I had lost. At first it was slow and unnoticeable, but then it started piling on so fast-I had no idea what was happening (I was still eating 1500 calories or less per day-it was like a bad dream! Seriously, I lost a pair of pants in my closet for two weeks and after finding them they couldn’t even button. SCARY.) Another tidbit to point out: My off-the-rack (and stunning) wedding dress was already purchased!!!! So, I stopped taking the medicine (of course) worked with a trainer friend for some sessions, enrolled in dances classes, and got moving so that I could wear my beautiful wedding dress in six months. I did it, and I was lucky, but man oh man-it was scary! Anyway, in those slimmer months I purchased my “skinny slacks.” They were snug and at first I would wear panty hose under them to make them fit better (you know you’ve all done it), and when I ballooned up of course there was no way I could even pull them up over my hips.
So, it was such a nice feeling to put on these slacks and see some results!!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Acupuncture: A Follow Up, Heart Rate Monitors: A Hoax
Soooo, I've been told to keep track of changes I notice after having acupuncture on Saturday so I can report them when I go back on Friday. So far I have noticed that I am breathing easier (which I mentioned before), I am not as cold as I typically am (I am always cold and typically don't last long with bare arms unless it's the middle of summer and I am outside), I'm gassy (I'm so dainty I know), and my eye has only twitched once (it barely twitched for a micro second today but that's it). I have no idea what any of that means, but it's all fascinating and good (sans the gassy part). Hopefully I will go Friday, have the acupuncturist work his needle magic on my metabolism, and I will wake up Saturday being able to diet and exercise and actually lose weight like a normal human. (Note: My expectations are managed with that one.) Here's to healin'!
Also, here is what will happen if you purchase a heart rate monitor/calorie counter.
1) You will spend lots of money.
2) It will tell you that you do The Shred without cheating and only burn 80 calories.
3) It will tell you that you do 30 minutes of cardio and only burn 100 calories.
3) You will feel like you have been robbed.
4) You will order a new elliptical machine from Sports Authority to replace your deceased one.
At least this has been my experience thus far with my Polar heart rate monitor. The hubby is going to try to recalibrate it.
Also, here is what will happen if you purchase a heart rate monitor/calorie counter.
1) You will spend lots of money.
2) It will tell you that you do The Shred without cheating and only burn 80 calories.
3) It will tell you that you do 30 minutes of cardio and only burn 100 calories.
3) You will feel like you have been robbed.
4) You will order a new elliptical machine from Sports Authority to replace your deceased one.
At least this has been my experience thus far with my Polar heart rate monitor. The hubby is going to try to recalibrate it.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
What's That In Your Face?
Why it's an acupuncture needle thank you very much.
I have been so curious about acupuncture for a while now, and I finally found a decently priced well recommended acupuncturist. I went yesterday. After talking with the sweet acupuncturist/owner I was stuck with eight needles: One near the side of my nose, one in part of an ear, two in one hand, one in the other hand, two in one foot, one in the other foot. I have a slew of emotional/internal things I wanted to address, so for this inagural session he targeted overall energy flow which is mood lifting (because short tempered-ness and mood have been a big issue for me lately). I sat in the chair with my needles for about 30 minutes and somewhere in the middle of it I sort of gasped. A good gasp. All of a sudden I could breathe deeper than I've ever breathed before. It was crazy. I've been breathing so deeply since then and have felt much calmer. When my husband met me in the lobby afterwards he said I looked like I was glowing. How cool is that?! I go back on Friday after work. I am really looking forward to more sessions and ridding myself of what angsty nasty stuff I have clogged up inside and seeing if we can attack my sluggish metabolism (because I truly feel there is something wrong, even if docs say my thyroid is fine. Something is rotten in the state of my Metabolism. I'm toning up inside and out afterall. Mmmm...soul food.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that the acupuncturist said that there is something going on in my liver, but I do not have liver fire. He said if my liver was very hot then I wouldn't be cold all of the time. Good to know. He also squeezed my feet and ankles in certain spots and asked if they were tender-they definitely were! All of the point charts I've looked up confuse me so I don't know exactly what's going on down there or what it's connected to, but it's very interesting. I always feel like the bones on my lower legs are sore (although I know bones themselves cannot be sore). Hmmm....
EDIT: I forgot to mention that the acupuncturist said that there is something going on in my liver, but I do not have liver fire. He said if my liver was very hot then I wouldn't be cold all of the time. Good to know. He also squeezed my feet and ankles in certain spots and asked if they were tender-they definitely were! All of the point charts I've looked up confuse me so I don't know exactly what's going on down there or what it's connected to, but it's very interesting. I always feel like the bones on my lower legs are sore (although I know bones themselves cannot be sore). Hmmm....
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A Limb and an Organ Walk Into A Bar…
I wanted to provide you some updates.
First, my problematic liver.
Damn Girl, your liver’s still smokin’!
Way back when I told you all about my hot liver. Well, apparently it’s still hot and could be behind my stubborn belly bulge and a recent eye lid twitch that just won’t go away. I do too much ab work to still have a pooch, and a congested liver can cause all sorts of issues. I'velearned that the liver also effects our eyes. In addition to my eyelid twitching through the day for well over a week, my vision is also blurring in a weird way. At first I chalked it up to teh dry air, but now I think there is more to it. We store anger and resentment in our livers and need to be good to them and good to ourselves to cleanse them. I must admit that lately I have been holding lots of anger been the short temper queen. Do you ever have those waves of time where so many little ridiculous things happen to you that you swear there must be a hidden camera somewhere or like you’re on a terrible sitcom? That’s me lately folks. From my debit card number being stolen resulting in a two month long battle to get a new card (including things like the bank linking my card to the wrong address and zip code) to knocking over and shattering an entire bottle of red wine all over my kitchen, to falling apart most Sundays because I am so unhappy in day job-dom and feel sick at the thought of the approaching week, to simply not feeling fulfilled, I have lots going on inside. Dandelion root is very healing for the liver and I have been drinking lots of dandelion tea since last week. Prior to that I was drinking a liver tea I found at an amazing Asian market. Mostly, to heal my liver it seem that I must de-stress. I have to let things go, take deep breaths, and simply make an active choice to be in a good mood. I really want to see an acupuncturist, but it’s terribly expensive. Ideally I know my health should know no cost, but my insurance (although a major company) does not cover acupuncture and hella expensive.
How’s Your Arm?
Way back when I told you all about my arm woes. Basically until I am not in office day job-dom I will hurt. The hours and hours a day of being unhappily typing away in a cube and such will continue to irritate my rotator cuff, despite all efforts to be ergonomically correct. The good news is that working out and lifting dumbbells has helped me strengthen up. My arms still hurts on certain exercises (like ones with a lot of rapid rotation and doing windmills with my arms and jumping jacks), but for the most part weight lifting has been so good for it. I can hold plank pose and side plank pose without my arm killing me, and I can do pushups without a problem. I can see someone from afar and quickly reach up and wave at them (a luxury I didn’t have for a while without pain). It’s such a great feeling and it’s been a long road!!
How are all of you?
Have any of you healed ailments with acupuncture? Is it worth the cost?
Have you overcome any injuries with strength training?
First, my problematic liver.
Damn Girl, your liver’s still smokin’!
Way back when I told you all about my hot liver. Well, apparently it’s still hot and could be behind my stubborn belly bulge and a recent eye lid twitch that just won’t go away. I do too much ab work to still have a pooch, and a congested liver can cause all sorts of issues. I'velearned that the liver also effects our eyes. In addition to my eyelid twitching through the day for well over a week, my vision is also blurring in a weird way. At first I chalked it up to teh dry air, but now I think there is more to it. We store anger and resentment in our livers and need to be good to them and good to ourselves to cleanse them. I must admit that lately I have been holding lots of anger been the short temper queen. Do you ever have those waves of time where so many little ridiculous things happen to you that you swear there must be a hidden camera somewhere or like you’re on a terrible sitcom? That’s me lately folks. From my debit card number being stolen resulting in a two month long battle to get a new card (including things like the bank linking my card to the wrong address and zip code) to knocking over and shattering an entire bottle of red wine all over my kitchen, to falling apart most Sundays because I am so unhappy in day job-dom and feel sick at the thought of the approaching week, to simply not feeling fulfilled, I have lots going on inside. Dandelion root is very healing for the liver and I have been drinking lots of dandelion tea since last week. Prior to that I was drinking a liver tea I found at an amazing Asian market. Mostly, to heal my liver it seem that I must de-stress. I have to let things go, take deep breaths, and simply make an active choice to be in a good mood. I really want to see an acupuncturist, but it’s terribly expensive. Ideally I know my health should know no cost, but my insurance (although a major company) does not cover acupuncture and hella expensive.
How’s Your Arm?
Way back when I told you all about my arm woes. Basically until I am not in office day job-dom I will hurt. The hours and hours a day of being unhappily typing away in a cube and such will continue to irritate my rotator cuff, despite all efforts to be ergonomically correct. The good news is that working out and lifting dumbbells has helped me strengthen up. My arms still hurts on certain exercises (like ones with a lot of rapid rotation and doing windmills with my arms and jumping jacks), but for the most part weight lifting has been so good for it. I can hold plank pose and side plank pose without my arm killing me, and I can do pushups without a problem. I can see someone from afar and quickly reach up and wave at them (a luxury I didn’t have for a while without pain). It’s such a great feeling and it’s been a long road!!
How are all of you?
Have any of you healed ailments with acupuncture? Is it worth the cost?
Have you overcome any injuries with strength training?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
...And I Like That
This Lenten season I have been writing down things I am grateful for each day. To balance my lame trip through Morose-ville from yesterday, I will list some of them here.
I've had some good brave moments: Taking the initiative to speak to my agent about my hair, doing a major hair cut (that's awesome), booking new headshots, speaking up to my boss about additional jobs I am doing that I am not being compensated for and asking for that to be reviewed.
Beautiful Surroundings: There have been some amazingly sunshiney and gorgeous days over the past few weeks and I am happy to get to appreciate them because I sit by a window at my day job. I've also gotten some gorgeous views from the El (Chicago's Elevated Train System) of the lovely Chicago archetecture.
Happy Food: My day job began "Free Fruit Fridays" to promote health so I get to pick a piece of fresh fruit to enjoy each Friday morning. They are also now offering healthier options in our little cafeteria such as a little salad bar and even some vegan friendly entree days-I enjoyed tofu and quinoa one day with my pal Mandy! I typically birng my lunch, but it's so nice to know I have options, especially now that I am super busy and my schedule isn't as open to go grocery shopping. I also have been enjoyiong weekend brunch at a wonderful vegetarian restaurant not far from my apartment...and my husband loves it too. I'm so glad I have this restaurant nearby-I can never decide what I want-I can have almost everything on the menu! It's great and bikini friendly!
Day Job/Life Balance: In February I got to initiate one work from home day a month! (It's a policy many have been enjoying for well over a year, but I was left out-so I spoke up!)
Staying Strong in the Face of Stress: Although yesterday's blues warranted a diet soda, I stayed strong and did not order French Fries ('cause the best Diet Coke comes from Mcdonald's)
Gifts: My bestie sent me The Artist in the Office which is a fun book all about how to survive day job-dom and maintain your creativity while chained to a desk 40 hours a week. It encourages you to list goals and suggests ways to be creative and work on your craft even if it's a short walk outside at lunch, looking up one contact, sending out one manuscript or headshot/resume or making collages from your scratch pad. It inspired me to list out some atristic and personal goals I have for this year so they are now on paper and out in the universe.
Feeding My Creative Soul: I'm back in rehearsals adn working on a show which plumps up my resume, keeps me out there as an ative Chciago artist, and feeds my creative soul!
Lookey there, lots of nice things.
Do you keep a gratitude list or journal?
I've had some good brave moments: Taking the initiative to speak to my agent about my hair, doing a major hair cut (that's awesome), booking new headshots, speaking up to my boss about additional jobs I am doing that I am not being compensated for and asking for that to be reviewed.
Beautiful Surroundings: There have been some amazingly sunshiney and gorgeous days over the past few weeks and I am happy to get to appreciate them because I sit by a window at my day job. I've also gotten some gorgeous views from the El (Chicago's Elevated Train System) of the lovely Chicago archetecture.
Happy Food: My day job began "Free Fruit Fridays" to promote health so I get to pick a piece of fresh fruit to enjoy each Friday morning. They are also now offering healthier options in our little cafeteria such as a little salad bar and even some vegan friendly entree days-I enjoyed tofu and quinoa one day with my pal Mandy! I typically birng my lunch, but it's so nice to know I have options, especially now that I am super busy and my schedule isn't as open to go grocery shopping. I also have been enjoyiong weekend brunch at a wonderful vegetarian restaurant not far from my apartment...and my husband loves it too. I'm so glad I have this restaurant nearby-I can never decide what I want-I can have almost everything on the menu! It's great and bikini friendly!
Day Job/Life Balance: In February I got to initiate one work from home day a month! (It's a policy many have been enjoying for well over a year, but I was left out-so I spoke up!)
Staying Strong in the Face of Stress: Although yesterday's blues warranted a diet soda, I stayed strong and did not order French Fries ('cause the best Diet Coke comes from Mcdonald's)
Gifts: My bestie sent me The Artist in the Office which is a fun book all about how to survive day job-dom and maintain your creativity while chained to a desk 40 hours a week. It encourages you to list goals and suggests ways to be creative and work on your craft even if it's a short walk outside at lunch, looking up one contact, sending out one manuscript or headshot/resume or making collages from your scratch pad. It inspired me to list out some atristic and personal goals I have for this year so they are now on paper and out in the universe.
Feeding My Creative Soul: I'm back in rehearsals adn working on a show which plumps up my resume, keeps me out there as an ative Chciago artist, and feeds my creative soul!
Lookey there, lots of nice things.
Do you keep a gratitude list or journal?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
So We Meet Again 3rd Day of the Month...
Here are my latest measurements:
Feb 3rd Waist (at belly button): 30 inches
Mar 3rd Waist (at belly button): 29.75
Down 1/4 inch! Down 3.75 inches total!
Feb 3rd Hips: 36 inches
Mar 3rd Hips: 36 inches
No Change. Down 3 inches total!
Feb 3rd Arm: 10.75 inches around
Mar 3rd Arm: 10.75 inches around
No Change. Down 1 inch total!
Feb 3rd Thigh: 21.75 inches around
Mar 3rd Thigh: 21.75 inches around
No Change. Down 1.25 inches total!
Honestly, I am really frustrated so I am a Debbie Downer right now and my new found confidence has taken a hit. I have been exercising so much over the past month. I've worked so hard and feel disappointed. There just can't be a way that I'm not losing more inches! I am definitely firmer and more defined which is amazing, but there is superficial part of me that just wants to be smaller and refuses to believe that this is as good as my frame gets!! My clothes are all loose so it's amazing that I've only lost a quarter inch in my waist. It just doesn't make sense or add up. I feel like I am eating well, not getting too many or too few calories, averaging about seven hours of sleep a night (low for my needs, but decent), doing a good variation of cardio/strength training/Pilates, as well as drinking lots of water. I'm down you guys and definitely didn't feel motivated to work out this morning (I felt gloomy and thought, "why bother-what I am doing is not working"). I think with my busy schedule that I just don't have the time to get in the super long workouts that I need and can't spend the money and don't have time for a trainer and nutrionist. I clearly must be doing something wrong. I am trying to fight the negative and embrace the positive and acknowledge that being less jiggly is wonderful and a huge accomplishment and that I have come far. I am the lightest I have ever been by 2 pounds and have more muscle than I ever have. These are great things and I would be foolish to poo-poo them! I absolutely know that! One of the things that is hard to keep that in mind sometimes is that a slender human and a slender camera-ready actor are two very different things.
My husband met my disappointment with a tough love approach and wouldn't let me just cry it out. It hurt, but I am trying to see that he meant well.
Could gluten be the cuplrit? Perhaps I should test my sensitivity by staying away from wheat.
Feb 3rd Waist (at belly button): 30 inches
Mar 3rd Waist (at belly button): 29.75
Down 1/4 inch! Down 3.75 inches total!
Feb 3rd Hips: 36 inches
Mar 3rd Hips: 36 inches
No Change. Down 3 inches total!
Feb 3rd Arm: 10.75 inches around
Mar 3rd Arm: 10.75 inches around
No Change. Down 1 inch total!
Feb 3rd Thigh: 21.75 inches around
Mar 3rd Thigh: 21.75 inches around
No Change. Down 1.25 inches total!
Honestly, I am really frustrated so I am a Debbie Downer right now and my new found confidence has taken a hit. I have been exercising so much over the past month. I've worked so hard and feel disappointed. There just can't be a way that I'm not losing more inches! I am definitely firmer and more defined which is amazing, but there is superficial part of me that just wants to be smaller and refuses to believe that this is as good as my frame gets!! My clothes are all loose so it's amazing that I've only lost a quarter inch in my waist. It just doesn't make sense or add up. I feel like I am eating well, not getting too many or too few calories, averaging about seven hours of sleep a night (low for my needs, but decent), doing a good variation of cardio/strength training/Pilates, as well as drinking lots of water. I'm down you guys and definitely didn't feel motivated to work out this morning (I felt gloomy and thought, "why bother-what I am doing is not working"). I think with my busy schedule that I just don't have the time to get in the super long workouts that I need and can't spend the money and don't have time for a trainer and nutrionist. I clearly must be doing something wrong. I am trying to fight the negative and embrace the positive and acknowledge that being less jiggly is wonderful and a huge accomplishment and that I have come far. I am the lightest I have ever been by 2 pounds and have more muscle than I ever have. These are great things and I would be foolish to poo-poo them! I absolutely know that! One of the things that is hard to keep that in mind sometimes is that a slender human and a slender camera-ready actor are two very different things.
My husband met my disappointment with a tough love approach and wouldn't let me just cry it out. It hurt, but I am trying to see that he meant well.
Could gluten be the cuplrit? Perhaps I should test my sensitivity by staying away from wheat.
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