9 December 2009

WSU Week 8: The Usual Amazingness

Emma: “I’m pretty happy with [my weight] as it’s the lowest I’ve been all year.”

Ginny: “I feel like something just ‘clicked’ in my body this week!!   I had tons of energy, too!”

V: “Stocking my fridge — and even more importantly, my office — with healthy, satisfying snacks was a huge help.”

Helen: “This challenge has definitely kept me accountable, especially the goal setting.”

Nathalie: “I am very happy to say that I ordered water at every restaurant, which decreased my calorie intake. I can only imagine all the extra calories I could have consumed if I added a drink or two to each meal.”

Christin: “I just ran a 8 min 35 sec mile to burn off the stress of a bad final. That’s 1 min 25 sec faster than the beginning of this semester.”

Ariel: “met all my goals this week although I had to smush a bunch of stuff in over weekend b/c my week was so crazy.”

Melissa: “I just read your post about falling off of the WSU bandwagon and it could not have come at a better time.  I was thinking today that I would drop out of the challenge and what that would mean for me… But, now that we have 3 weeks to go and a whirlwind few weeks leading up to the holidays, I decided to turn my negative thoughts around and rededicate myself to my goals.” [Ed. Note: YES!!!]

Katie K.: “So, I weighed in today at [XXX]. That’s still half a pound lost! And is getting even closer to my first reward goal of ten pounds lost. Mani/pedi, here I come!”

Dear WSUppers:

I have limited access to my computer this week, but I got all your emails and will respond asap! In the mean time, keep up the good work! GO TEAM! :)

7 December 2009

Winter Shape Up Week 8: My Goals, and a Confession

I have something to confess. I totally fell off the WSU bandwagon. Yup, while you all have been going strong, meeting your goals week after week (or if you don’t, persisting until you do!), I stopped setting goals a few weeks back. I was frustrated that I wasn’t meeting many of my goals and figured it’d be better not to set any at all.

Someone recently emailed me to say that she was happy for the people that had lost weight and had other successes as part of the challenge, but that she hadn’t been very successful and was contemplating if there was even a reason to continue.

I wrote her back and honestly told her that I’d been struggling with the challenge, too. And now let me be even more honest: I’m up three pounds from when this challenge began. Is three pounds life changing? Absolutely not. To the outsider, I’m sure I look absolutely the same. But I’m short with a pretty small frame, so three to five pounds on me is edging on “my clothes are starting to get tight” territory.

All this to say, for the last three weeks of the WSU, I’m rededicating myself to the challenge. I’m going to write about my goals and progress again, just like I’ve required all the WSUppers to do every single week in an email to me. Without further ado, my goals for Week 8:

• Work out five days this week (doesn’t matter what I do). I’ve only managed to work out two or three days a week these past few weeks, and I feel like it’s starting to take a toll on my health and well-being.
• Only ONE sweet treat per day. I’m going to count anything with refined sugar (or other sweetener) as a sweet treat. This will be a big challenge for me, since this is the time of year when coworkers regularly bring in goodies and friends host holiday parties with the sole purpose of serving delicious grub. I don’t want to cut myself off completely, but every meal of the day does not need its own dessert.
• Stay gluten-free, for now. Even though I’m not sure it’s the cause of my stomach woes, I haven’t had any problems since I cut gluten out of my life on Dec. 1 (I’ve definitely had a few slip-ups, though). I’d like to stay gluten-free until at least Christmas Eve. I’m sorry, I just can’t commit to being gluten-free at my boyfriend’s family’s annual Christmas Eve party… not going to happen. If my stomach acts up before then, gluten gets to come back into my life!

I hope this might inspire any other WSUppers who are struggling with the challenge (it’s a long challenge, I admit!) to rededicate themselves these last few weeks. A lot can happen in three weeks, and what better way to end the year than to celebrate your health?

3 December 2009

Make It: Easiest Turkey Chili

Last night, I headed to my boyfriend’s house for our weekly date night (which usually consists of dinner and Top Chef). He doesn’t always have groceries on hand to cook with, but I wanted to cook a dinner that would be quick/easy and make for great leftovers. I gave him a short grocery list, and soon after, our dinner of spicy turkey chili was served.

You’ll need (makes 8-10 servings):

• 1-2 lbs lean ground turkey (if possible, get turkey that was raised sustainably!)
• 2 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes (I always use fire-roasted)
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 2 medium green bell peppers
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 1 large onion
• lots o’ spices (see below)
• olive oil
• SECRET INGREDIENT (see below!)

Preparation:

Roughly chop the onion and peppers, and begin sauteeing the turkey with a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a large soup pot with salt and pepper. My boy thinks that “only white people” cook the raw turkey WITH the vegetables (despite the fact that everything is going to be cooked fully together anyway!), so he cooked it separately. I love the colors of the veggies. Sorry for the bad photos… I had to use my phone.

After the turkey is mostly cooked, add the veggies and let them saute until they begin to soften.

Let that mixture cook for another 5-10 minutes. Then, add the rest of the ingredients.

My favorite kind of diced tomatoes: Muir Glen organic fire-roasted. They lend a slightly smoky flavor to the dish, which I like. They also seem to be slightly less acidic than un-roasted tomatoes.

The spices I use: cumin, paprika, chili powder, crushed red pepper, cayenne. I probably use about a teaspoon of each. That gives the chili a little bit of a kick, so back off if you’re sensitive.

The secret ingredient! I added about 1/2 C Harvest Moon pumpkin ale. I would usually use red wine, but we didn’t have any opened. I think adding some sort of alcohol (make sure it’s one you’d actually want to drink!) really gives chili more depth and complexity. It’s subtle, of course, but it’s there. This meant I added a bit of gluten to my chili, but I figured such a small amount would be okay.

Let everything simmer together for about 30 minutes to let some of the liquid steam off. If you’re in a rush, just let it simmer for as long as you can.

This is such an easy dinner, and makes a ton of leftovers. I usually add a bit of shredded sharp cheddar or plain Greek yogurt for a finishing touch. Winter Shape Uppers, definitely give this one a try!

Nutrition Stats (for 8 servings):

Calories 291.1 Total Fat 8.1 g Saturated Fat 2.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.3 g Monounsaturated Fat 1.3 g Cholesterol 60.0 mg Sodium 1,401.1 mg Potassium 303.6 mg Total Carbohydrate 29.1 g Dietary Fiber 8.9 g Sugars 11.1 g Protein 23.1 g

1 December 2009

Winter Shape Uppers: More Amazing Than I’ll Ever Be

There are only a little over 30 of you left, but those of you that stuck it out are completely rocking this challenge. I have nothing else to say. Your words speak for themselves!

Helen: “I weighed in yesterday at [XXX] pounds, a weight that I haven’t seen on the scale in about three years, a weight that means I have a healthy BMI =]”

Meghan: “Oh, and as I’m sure your sick of me saying this, I set a new PR on Thursday for a 5 mile run. I managed to crush my old time by more than three minutes.” [Ed. Note: I’ll never get sick of hearing about a PR!]

Tara: “Met my nutrition goal of eating mindfully on thanksgiving. I didn’t overeat but treated myself to the things that I wanted that day.”

Stephanie J.: “I am thankful this holiday season for those bloggers that have inspired me to take charge of my health and you are the one right there at the top.” [Ed. Note: I’m thankful for you guys, too!!]

Maggie: “On my 4 mile run yesterday I felt really strong, so that was a good way to end my week”

Ann: “I did not over eat which I find a huge accomplishment.”

Kelsey: “I watched Food, Inc. and I’m thinking about vegetarianism.  I have already tried to buy organic and local, but I’m really going to focus on that now.”

V: “I worked out 6 (!) days this week. I’m especially proud of the fact that I was able to squeeze in a run on Thanksgiving day (and the day before, and the day after).”

Alice: “I did a pretty good job of not overstuffing myself on Thanksgiving.”

Jennifer: “If nothing else comes from this challenge, I’m still glad that working out has become a part of my routine.”

Katie K.: “I am almost 10 pounds down from when I started exercising and eating better in September!”

Kelly: “A .4 pound loss over thanksgiving week seems pretty good to me!!”