January 26th & Temptations

Maybe you don't know but I am a teacher at a small private school. We were studying how to make alterations to recipes (increasing and decreasing ingredient measurement). They asked if they could get extra credit if they did measurements while baking at home and bring their results in the next day, today.

This is where the temptations came in. Today - during our Math class -- they all got out their gorgeous, sugary, and very carefully made temptations. I have to admit that I had the thought of eating a couple items and then just not posting it on here but I know I would think about it because I wasn't honest to those that read this. I delighted in some of those tasty treats and regretted it later. I am not killing myself over that slip-up because I have allowed myself a small sweet increment every day since I've started this. I understand it's not an over-night change and with that - I have to learn from it.

We went to Subway tonight for dinner and I did overcome that White Chip Macadamian Nut cookie that I absolutely desire when I see it. I did not buy that one and forgot about it as soon as I left the pay counter. Good advertising though on their part because while I got a healthy meal I saw that cookie and about negated the healthy portion.

As rough as it may have been today with the temptations - I know I can finish it out strong.

Food Intake:

1. 1 1/2 cup of Raisin Bran
2. 1 cup of Coffee
3. 15 pretzels
4. 1 Deli Chicken , oven roasted, sandwich on wheat w/ cheese and mayo
5. 12 oz Sprite
6. 1 apple
7. 2 small blond brownies - oops
8. strawberry cookie (?) and p/b cookie -- double oops
9. oven roasted chicken breast salad from Subway w/french
10. 1 cup plain yogurt blended with 1 banana, sliced strawberries and sweetened with agave nectar
11. 60+ oz water

Workout:

-Treadmill...................4.45 miles --------------- The last two days I have picked up the miles. I have been on the treadmill during two whole movies in two days. It really made the time go by though. Maybe I should do movie reviews at the same time on this blog.

If I finish January at this pace I will only be off pace by 22 miles (approximate).

Miles til Goal: 968.11

January 25th and Processed Vs. Fresh 2

We talked on the benefits of Fresh foods in another post and we are revisiting that today to get get a clearer viewpoint of processed foods. In comparison to fresh foods - processed foods can not hold their weight and will lose the health battle every time. There are many problems that are associated with processed foods when it deals with overall health. Will the one processed meal kill you? No. Will the one processed meal after another slowly build up and gradually take you to poor health in which increases your chances of life-threatening sickness and disease? Yes! Maybe that sounds too hard and I'm not giving it a chance but this is reality and the reality is that America is fat. That fatness is coming from somewhere and it's out of control.

What are processed foods? Processed foods are any food that has been changed in any way from the state that they were naturally. The linked site on processed foods says, " Processed foods have been altered from their natural state for safety reasons and for convenience." There are many foods that will be considered as processed foods with this definition. My opinion is that if you do not grow it or buy it in its natural form it has undergone some type of processing. This does not have to be a negative thing if you know what you are buying. There are some processing techniques that can preserve the life of the natural food; for example, freezing and dehydrating. This does not change the genetic make-up of the food. If you do not know where it came from and it does not look like the natural form -- consider it processed (this does not make it processed - just a guide to go by). Another way to consider if it is processed is to look at the Sodium. Click here to learn more about how much Sodium a healthy adult should take in.

Processed foods use high levels of salts, refined flours, and sugars among other things. This processing leads to an array of health problems like elevated blood sugar levels, digestion problems, obesity (which leads to fatigue, heart problems, gut problems, breathing problems), skin issues, and many others.

Food Intake: approx. 1,745 Calories



Workout:

- Treadmill ......4.35 miles.......

Miles til Goal: 972.56

January 24th and no Internet

I started to blog yesterday and had to leave fully thinking that I could finish my blog when we got to the place we were going but the Internet was down. I had my blackberry but there is no way I can blog and that --- makes mereally want an iPhone. My iPod is awesome and really
makes me want to change my carrier so that an iPhone is an option. Anyways, I am back and will finish my post that I started as well as food intakes. I will add my workouts though.

Workout today:

- basketball........1.59 miles

miles til goal: 976.91

January 23rd & adequate sleep

We can pick up part two of the Processed Vs. Fresh later (once I have a better outlook on processed food). Adequate sleep, I think is an important topic in which hardly gets enough credit when talking about better health. I am not the poster child for getting enough sleep but I do understand the importance of getting quality sleep and the affect it can have on an entire day.

Adequate sleep is something the body needs to have to function at 100%. Granted, some people don't need as much as the next person to function at a high level but I do think that overall health makes a difference. Sleep gives rest to the body. We don't need to go into the dynamics and science of sleep but here are a couple quick formulas for you.


No Sleep + Bad Eating = tired and fat with no energy

Sleep + Bad Eating = fat with 1/2 energy

No Sleep + Good eating = Tired with 1/2 energy

Sleep + Good Eating = Full Functioning Body

If you are trying to get to a place of better health - changes have to be made in order for you to succeed. There is a quote and I don't know the author (Einstein, Chinese Proverb, i don't know) of it that defined Insanity.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Change has to take place. We will not succeed doing the things that got us in poor health to begin with.

I found an Article done by a student at Stanford. It talks about the benefits of sleep and some of what hinders our sleep.

Food Intake:

Because this is such a long post already - I'm just going to give Calorie Intake, which was 1,849. This is the closest that I think I could get on actual calories going in. On Saturdays I have rewarded myself with Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte' and a slice of bread to go with. It was the only thing different for my eating schedule. It has been a good thing to look forward too throughout the week.

Workout:
- Treadmill ....... 4.26 miles

Miles til Goal: 978.5

January 22nd & Processed Vs. Fresh

Obviously, when we speak of processed food compared to fresh food, it is no secret that fresh food is the route to take. Speaking in terms of easiest to access, buy, and make - the competition is a little closer. If we take any care for what we put into our bodies we know and can attest that processed foods are not the healthiest decision and negate much of the work that we put into making ourselves healthy. Our bodies have trouble breaking these foods down, as pointed out yesterday in the comments of yesterday post, processed food can also have much sodium attached to it. When you sodium intake is poor - poor health conditions thrive (such as heart attack, exhaustion, stroke, etc.). This topic of Sodium will be discussed at another time though because right now I'm still learning. So, what I want to do is get some more opinions on the idea of Processed Vs. Fresh foods. Today...let's discuss the benefits of Fresh food. If you have additional information -- please comment below!

Fresh foods...

- ...contain natural vitamins and essentail nutrients
- ...help to build immune system
- ...will help fight off harmful bacteria entering the body on a daily basis
- ...are able to be grown by the consumer (you)
- ...help the digestive track (better digestion)
- ...lowers chances of obesity (a person can still get fat on fresh foods though)
- ...increases your chances of fat loss
- ...contain natural sugars which provides for the sweet tooth (fruits)
- ...provide energy

Now, these are not all of the benefits and I'm sure I am missing a few vital positive benefits of fresh foods. Please fill me in if I am. I would not be doing any justice if I just said that there are no setbacks to fresh foods. While they are the healthiest route - buying fresh costs money. If you are not able to grow your own vegetables or fruits and have no local farmer's market -- then you are left with the grocery store in which can charge crazy prices for very little quantity and/or quality. This is my solution though - stop spending the money at fast food joints and you will have more to buy healthy foods with. It's an idea.


Food Intake:

1. 1 1/2 cup of Cornflakes with 1/4 cup of walnut pieces.
2. 1 Banana
3. 4 oz chicken in fresh salad (romaine lettuce, cucumber slices, carrot shavings, tomato) w/Italian dressing
4. About 18 petzels
5. 12 oz diet pepsi
6. 3 peanut butter cookies - (small girl scout cookies)
7. 5-6 oz garlic herb chicken
8. Mixed cooks vegetables (squash, carrots, brocoli)
9. Sweet & salty peanut bar
10. 20 oz sprite
11. 60+ oz water
12. 1 cup plain yogurt blended with 1 banana, strawberry slices, mixed with frozen blueberries, blackberries, raspberries



Workout:

Treadmill: I did not get to work out today-----not cool.

Miles til Goal: 982.76

January 21st & Calorie/Carbs/Protein Breakdown

I'm listing the calories, Carbs, and Protein along with what I ate today so that I can get a clearer picture of what the day is looking like when it comes to what I'm putting into my body. The Carbs (carbohydrates) and the Protein are measured in grams. For my 1900-2000 calories a day...approx. 220 g of daily intake is to be carbs and around 120 g is to be protein. I'm conflicted on these numbers because I have read that I need a considerable amount more carbs in the daily take. I will stick with what I have written down and if I need more...I'll eat more. The way that it is now....I feel like I'm eating all day long.

Here is the Calorie Counter that I have been using to break this down. It is always best though to go by what is on the packaging of your food. As for meats and things prepared fresh - this is a good guideline to go by.

Food Intake:

1. 1 3/4 cup of Raisin Bran (372.73 calories; 79 carbs; 9.2 protein) w/ skim milk (41 cal; 6 carbs; 4 protein)
2. 1 cup of Coffee (0 cal; 0 carbs; .2 protein)
3. 1 Banana (105 cal; 26.95 carbs; 1.28 protein)
4. Deli Chicken Sandwich - oven roasted (49.97 cal; 1.367 carbs; 10.57 protein) on wheat (133 cal; 23.75 carbs; 5.45 protein) w/cheese (37.8 cal; .735 carbs; 5.16 protein) and mayo
5. 12 oz Diet Pepsi (0 cal; 0 carbs; 0 protein)
6. 23 pretzels
7. 3 peanut butter cookies
8. 4 oz steak
9. 3/4 baked potato
10. 1 cup steamed brocoli
11. 1 cup plain yogurt blended with Banana, sweetened with agave nectar
12. 60+ oz of water



Workout:

- Treadmill: 3.01 miles.

Miles til Goal: 982.76

January 20th & calorie input/output

I spent a lot of today trying to figure out the suggested calorie input and output balance. I came across several sites giving some information but was never satisfied with what I found. This is what I know.

Calorie input & output:

The suggested minimum amount for women on calorie input is no lower than 1200 calories a day and 1800 for men. I spent some time today and found that I'm just barely hitting that 1800. This can be a positive and a negative. The positive is that I will see a quick result in fat loss but if I go too low than my body will search for those calories elsewhere in the body (muscles!). More on the negative is that while you have initial fat loss it will plateau rather quickly, you become fatigued, and the chances of binging are higher. No one needs binging when trying to achieve better health.

Your body needs a certain amount of calories in order to function well throughout the day. Eat several smaller meals and your body will take the food and use the calories for energy for the next couple of hours. That is called metabolism. That is the constant take and use that the body does. The general rule of thumb is that 3500 calories is the equivalent of 1 pound. If you were to cut your calorie intake by 500 calories a day ---- you may lose up to 1 pound a week. Add exercise to the equasion and you may shape up rather quickly.

I will be shooting for just under 2000 calories. I don't want to fall into the trap of trying to make it happen over night and starve myself from what my body needs.

Food intake:

1. 1 cup of coffee
2. 1 1/2 cup raisin bran cereal
3. 1 banana
4. 12 oz diet pepsi
5. Deli chicken sandwich (oven roasted) on wheat with cheese and mayo
6. 18 pretzels
7. Rice crispy treat
8. Four scrambled eggs
9. 2 1/2 slices of turkey bacon
10. Two slices of bread w/ blackberry jam
11. My yogurt - plain w/ blended banana, agave nectar
12. 60+ oz of water


Workout:

- basketball ---- 2.01 miles ---- we won quite a few games tonight ( they are just full court pick up games).


Miles til Goal: 985.77
.

January 19th & Nutritional Tip 2

I've decided to edit my posts gradually throughout the day if I am able too. Having a computer at all times is pretty convenient.

- Nutritional Tip -

The Importance behind Fiber:
I guess I never had thought about it that much until here recently but fiber takes on an important role in your body. "It keeps you regular" <-- We all have seen the commercials where they tell you that their yogurt will keep you regular...in which it might - but there are other ways of receiving your fiber that maybe you aren't even aware of. One primary way to get lots of fiber is through vegetables and fruits. They are fiber enriched. It is the most natural form of fiber intake that you can get and enjoy the benefits thereof. Those benefits are primarily through the digestive track. It cleans the track out and as the commercials say - makes you regular. Why do you want to be cleaned out? Because otherwise you experience constipation, diarrhea, and bloatedness. Without this cleaning, your body will not function to its fullest. Granted, other problems may exist in your body which would compromise full functionallity but an adequate amount of fiber could relieve some of the lesser problems. I have found a quality fiber content list that gives a broken down account of what foods have fiber and their approx. amount. I would encourage you to take a look at your fiber intake. The suggested amount of fiber intake for the day is around 25-30 grams.


Food Intake:
1. 1 cup of coffee w/half & half
2. 1 1/2 cups of Raison Bran
3. 1 Banana
4. 1 serving of pretzels - yes I counted them out and eaten at two different sessions
5. Deli Chicken ( oven roasted) breast sandwich on wheat w/cheese & mayo
6. 12 oz Diet Pepsi
7. Rice Crispy Treat
8. 2 strawberries - sliced...I picked them off of a dish someone made for the teachers.
9. 1/2 of a stuffed green pepper
10. Salad -- romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoe, shredded cheese, italian dressing
11. 1 cup plain yogurt blended with banana, sliced strawberries, and agave nectar sweetner
12. 60+ oz of water
13. 12 oz of orange gatorade



Workout:
- Treadmill - .......3.26 miles ---- It's getting easier to do more.


Miles til Goal: 987.78