#7daychip Chat: Food Tricks!

Quick post: My responses to last night's chat!!!

Q1: What is your best "go to" item to eat when you don't have any time to prepare something?

A banana or some other piece of fruit with yogurt. I'm really bad here in France at having to-go food in my apartment.

Q2: What do you eat for breakfast. Give at least two of your regular choices. Does it keep you full? 1) 2 weetabix with a banana, milk, and honey (sometimes PB) or 2) granola with milk and a banana.

Q3: What did you eat for lunch today? Do you eat that often? Yesterday's lunch was leftover pizza. I'm really struggling with being good while Taylor is here, but, no, I don't eat pizza for any meal that often.

Q4: What do you bring to eat when you are on a road trip? Granola, fruit, cut up veggies, whatever we can use to empty out the fridge!

Q5: If you pre cook food, what do you like to pre cook? Do you freeze it, and how often do you do this? Mostly soups and chicken breasts. I really need to do this more often, actually!

Q6: Are there any pantry items you try to always have in the house as a safety net for an empty fridge? Good grains like quinoa and brown rice, chicken broth, a few boxed soups, FiberOne bars (in America), and extra milk and cereal.

Q7 (final question): What would you like to cook, but need to learn how to? What is stopping you from doing so?

I love cooking and can't wait to get back home to my kitchen to keep trying out new recipes when I know I can find all the ingredients!!!

More later, off to the beach with Taylor!

Keeping My Word: 7 day chip disappointment... again.

I have problems pushing myself. I also have problems sticking with what I say I'm going to do. But, now I'm so in a rut with this I don't know how to find the motivation to change it. Every let down just proves the rule and I'm getting discouraged.

Case in point: this week's sugar-free/baguette-free 7 day chip goal. Did good for a few days, then got myself in a situation where I was too hungry and couldn't bring myself to be the only one out of the three of us not to get "the best ice cream ever" (Jean-Michel's assessment) that he wanted so bad we drove 60km from the beach we WERE (Salin-de-Giraud) to the town of Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer to get a cone. The ice cream was amazing, but I knew that I was ashamed of myself when I didn't take a picture of the pretty colors to share with my blog readers. I didn't admit to anyone in the #7daychip group that I'd fallen on Day 3 either. I just quit tweeting so I wouldn't have to mention it. I was embarrassed.

At the gorgeous Salin-de-Giraud beach pre-sugar

From there, it became "Well, at least no baguette." Then, what happened? Rosie and I made cookies and I was going to eat dinner at hers so I was going to bring along a baguette for everyone... But, I ended up not going and was thus left alone with a baguette in my apartment. Complete and utter 7 day chip fail.

I am going to run tonight to at least make my weekly mileage goal, but I still feel like I've let myself down. More importantly, I've let the other tweeps down too. I'm so encouraged by everyone's successes on Twitter and via blogs that when I'm doing poorly, instead of getting on here and talking about how I'm feeling and feeding into that motivation and support, I just shut down and disappear for awhile.

I only have 5 weeks left here in France, so I'm going to try and make the most of it. Get my runs in, eat the food I want in moderation, and try and stick to some kind of plan. I'm going to try from here on out to be more honest with my blog and with my twittering. I'm really struggling for motivation right now and I hope reaching out to you guys will help me get it back.

On that note, my goals for this week are simple: be honest about what I'm doing, avoid food binges (if I'm going to have some baguette, I will have a SERVING of baguette and not half of one like I did this weekend), and get my weekly mileage in (more on that soon).

Thanks for sticking with me (and with the blog). Your comments, advice, and support, really mean a lot, especially since I know that my blog isn't as inspiring as others since I'm currently not seeing amazing losses or fabulous results. I know it's going to get better, I'm going to make it.

Twitter Chat Topic: Fitting Healthy Eating Into Your Life

Since I live on Central European Time, I always miss Brad's #7daychip twitter chats. Here are my responses from last night's chat on healthy eating. Really good topic choice, Brad!

Q1: On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best) how well does you eating plan integrate with your life? Why?

I'd give it a 9. I've been eating this way for almost 2 years now, so I don't think I could go back completely back to the way I ate before, even if I do backslide occasionally. I think it's integrated so well because my life is now focused on being healthy and doing healthy activities, and eating well and cooking for me and my family has become a big priority.

Q2: When do you plan your meals/menu (weekly/daily/night before/morning off, meal by meal)?

I tend to have a general idea for the week and like to pre-cook multiple servings of things since I live alone here in France. Then, the night before I pre-track what I think the next day will look like, though it very often changes.

Q3: What part of integrating good eating into your life do you find most challenging? Why?

Going to parties or going out with friends. I have really bad control when I'm around 'graze-y' food and don't see what I'm putting into my mouth all together on a plate. I also need to work on not gauging what/how much I eat based on what the others around me are doing.

Q4: Do you food shop in a manner that makes healthy eating easier? If so, what do you do?

I stock up on healthy fruits and vegetables several times a week as well as pre-planned healthy meals. I also do not keep anything in my house (usually) that is unhealthy for me so even if I do have a desire to binge at home, the worst I can do is yogurt and a banana or something similar.

Q5: Do you pre pack meals? If you do, when do you do it during the day?

When I pre-cook meals, I pre-pack them into individual servings so I know exactly how many calories each serving is and so they're ready to go. I also pack my lunch every day and do that every morning before work.

Q6: What meal is most likely to cause you trouble when it comes to keeping to your plan (due to scheduling/work/etc)?

Usually evenings are hardest for me. Either I get home from work starving, or I sometimes I eat my healthy dinner and then get invited out and end up with more calories than I'd planned for. I am working on this last bit by limiting myself to one glass of wine... even by going so far as to only take enough to buy ONE glass!

Q7: Do you regularly hold yourself back from optimal success due to poor planning? If so, why do you do so?

I don't think so. I regularly plan... it's just keeping to it that is hard for me.

Q8: Do you ever sabotage you own planning?

I was going to say no, but you're right sabotage is the right word for days when I knowingly throw my plan and my weekly goals out the window and either go off my eating plan or don't exercise, etc. I have yet to have a full week where I stick to all my goals, so I am really trying to work on that.

Q9: If you were going to give a tip to someone about fitting good eating into your life, what would it be?

Get excited about it and get the other people in your life excited about it. When I first started WW in 2009, I spent an entire summer trying new cookbooks and new recipes and learning how to cook healthy. Now, I have tips and tricks and my family (namely Jon) really loves my cooking and that we both can eat healthy together. It really helps to have the full support of my family and friends when I make and bring lighter foods to get together (ex: black bean brownies) or come to a big family meal at an Italian restaurant and have already scoured the menu and meticulously planned what I was going to order (real life event). Plus, your new excitement is contagious and over the past year, a lot of other family members or close friends have hopped on the bandwagon too after seeing how happy and healthy I was getting!

Alrighty, on that note, off to make some healthy choices... and wake up Jon so we can go sightseeing in Avignon (and picnic) today!

Weekly Weigh-In and #7daychip?

Starting last week, I set myself some REALLY high goals to get my first #7daychip:

1. Run 4x: Saturday with Jeanna, Monday after work, Wednesday before meeting Jon, and Friday WITH Jon to show him Ile-de-la-Barthelasse. I plan on making Monday a speed workout, the others TBD.

Didn't make this goal, but I still feel really good. Ran Sat. with Jeanna, and my left knee hurt after doing Goal #2's yoga on Sunday so I didn't get in Monday night's speed workout and wasn't able to make it up later. If you've been around the blog long enough, you know I went to PT for my knee last year when I started running, so if my knee is bothering me, no running here, esp so far from Chris!

2. Do P90X Yoga and Ab Ripper X at least one time each (planned for Sunday and then Thursday night)

Done! Actually did the yoga out on my porch (away from prying eyes) Sunday night and REALLY enjoyed it. Light breeze, nice temperature, and (not gonna lie) got to check my form in the sliding glass doors... Actually looks a lot better than I thought. I always have this mental image of me doing yoga that's akin to a cow doing ballet, but from Sunday's workout, I don't look that bad!

3. Stay under 1,400 calories for at least 4 days, with 2 days in the 1,200's.

With 4 days down, I have 2 in the under 1,400 calorie range, with one being in the 1,200's. My official calorie goal on CC is 1,232 cal/day, but that's really hard for me to hit. That said, I feel REALLY good about how I ate this week, so even if I didn't hit the 1,200 calories, I'm going to count my tracking and my intake as a BIG accomplishment this week.

4. Keep up with my intuitive, 7.5-9h sleep patterns

CHECK! I'm really LOVING this goal. Tuesday, I actually woke up for school a good 20 minutes before my alarm clock went off. There's just something so satisfying about waking up on your own and not to an infernal siren-y alarm that wrenches you from a good dream. Great way to start the day.

5. Drink at least 1.5L of water each day.

Check. Doing so well with this. Just carrying my 1,5L bottle with me everywhere, even if it makes me look odd. It's been especially important since I've worked 3 field trips this week, so it's important for my voice (and general well-being) to stay hydrated out in the sun and wind with small children!

As far as goals for the coming week are concerned, expect to see a lot less of me on the blog/twitter. Jon's here and I haven't seen him since Christmas... and won't see him again until the end of June, so I fully intend to enjoy our precious time together as much as possible.

As to how that relates to next week's goals, it just means that they aren't as strict:

1. Keep tracking my food
2. Run with Jon at least 2x (3 would be great)
3. Try to make our activities as healthy as possible. We'll be doing a TON of sight-seeing AND, on top of that, I'm trying to work in some hiking (we'll see) and a possible bike excursion, so we won't be sitting around at all!
4. Enjoy myself, but don't over indulge. Jon and I plan to go out on at least a few dates with at least one nice French restaurant included, so I want to enjoy that, but not undo all of the progress I've made since March!
5. Keep up with my "intuitive sleeping" (this should be doable since we'll both be on vacation after all)
6. Keep up with my 1,5L of daily water

Weekly Weigh-In and Goal Eval

Let me start off by saying that this week is not going to be my first #7daychip. I spent almost half of it (Saturday-Monday) sick, not being able to eat, and not exercising. Then, for the remaining 4 days, I've been over my 1,200 CC calorie goal every day and over my 1,400 max personal calorie target by at least 80 calories each day too. Always under my burn for the day, but still not where I want to be calorie-wise. Now that I'm feeling better, I'm hoping to kick it into gear next week, but it's going to be really difficult since Jon arrives on Wednesday!

That said, here how I did with the updated goals I set for myself once I got better on Monday:

1. Get in 2 runs (one on Tues or Weds and one on Friday)

Check! Got in the really difficult run on Tuesday and my first "speed" workout in a long time Thursday night after work.

2. Do 1 full-length P90X workout either Tuesday or Wednesday

Check! Wednesday morning, I did P90X Yoga all the way through for the first time probably since December. I can STILL feel it--I love those kind of workouts! Might try to do it again tomorrow morning.

3. Clean/organize my apartment

Not really. Did go through and organize a lot of my papers and get that all sorted, but I still need to REALLY clean and do laundry before Jon gets here.

4. Get no more than 7.5-8hrs of sleep a night. No naps.

CHECK! This might actually be what I'm most proud of this week. On Wednesday, I got myself out of bed and got my day started earlier than anticipated, ate my breakfast, then got my yoga in right away... Great way to start the day. THEN, for work both Thursday and Friday I woke up (and got up) about 10 minutes before my alarm clock because I went to bed on time. I'm so proud of this and I'm feeling great about this choice already! :)

As far as weigh-in, here are this week's results:

Weigh-In:

Starting weight: 193.8

Last week: 70.5kg (155.4 lbs)

Today: 70.0kg (154.3lbs)

Change: -.5kg (-1.1lb)

Wow, a whole half kilo down? It doesn't sound like a lot in kilos, but I'll DEFINITELY take a 1.1 pound loss! Plus, this puts me in a great position for next week: I mightcould break into the 60's for the very first time!!! Woo! It's not a fast process, but these little losses will totally add up!

On the whole, I'm pleased with my overall goal turn out and tracking this week. Even if I'm not elated with my intake, I've tracked everything and it's led to this next week's goals!

In order to get my first #7daychip, here are my goals for next week:

1. Run 4x: Saturday with Jeanna, Monday after work, Wednesday before meeting Jon, and Friday WITH Jon to show him Ile-de-la-Barthelasse. I plan on making Monday a speed workout, the others TBD.
2. Do P90X Yoga and Ab Ripper X at least one time each (planned for Sunday and then Thursday night)
3. Stay under 1,400 calories for at least 4 days, with 2 days in the 1,200's.
4. Keep up with my intuitive, 7.5-9h sleep patterns
5. Drink at least 1.5L of water each day. (I know this is under the 64oz. but I want to start with a manageable goal and work from there).

I know I've laid these goals out really specifically, but I want to be able to KNOW without a doubt if I've earned my chip or not and if I'm on track to do so, especially since Jon is coming too! For the workouts, if the days change, it's okay, but the overall numbers are what count.

Anyway, I wish you all an AMAZING weekend and now it's time to GET TO IT! :)