Quinoa

From Wikipedia - 

"Quinoa (pronounced - kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited."

That's the basics behind the 'new grain' sweeping the nation.  As you can see, it's not a true grain, but putting that aside, it's not 'new' either.  In fact, it has been a food source in South America for over 6,000 years!

Lori the roomie has brought it in to our diets, so far, in the form of 'burgers'.  Today I ate a quinoa and veggie burger for lunch.  It's very filling and, as you can see from the label below, it's pretty healthy.  Fiber, iron, protein and good fats, some of the keys to staying healthy as you workout.  Especially when you are working out twice a day.

Which reminds me, it's okay to workout super hard, even more than once a day, but you have to account for the extra output in your intake.  I am not saying jump by a thousand calories, I am saying through in an extra hundred calorie snack here or there with your regular calories, if you are trying to lose weight.

That's important because if your body believes it's not getting enough calories, it's going to go into starvation mode.  This does two things - 1. Your body tries to hang on to all the calories you take in and stores them as fat, because your body is about preservation first.  2. It will slow down your metabolism.  We work hard to endless miles, weights, crunches and other sweat inducing moves to increase our body's basic burn rate, don't let it be halted by losing track of calories.

If this is something you struggle with, a couple of meetings with a certified dietitian, like Katie at the Mercy Weight Loss and Nutrition Center, can be a great investment.  It can not only help you set proper calorie levels for your activity level, but they can recommend new foods to try or how to properly mix foods to get optimum use for your body.

Yours in Health,
Kate

My Butt is a National Security Issue

Okay, that's the funny.  Now for the serious, as you know, childhood obesity is growing.  This article highlights an interesting twist on this problem. 

In capsule form:  The U.S. government has noted that this epidemic could some day effect national security because over 40% of 18-24 year olds (the age they concentrate on recruiting) are overweight.  In fact, in that group most have more than 30 pounds to lose.

Now, I will be the first to tell you that the scale, in the end, isn't the all out answer to how healthy you are.  But the military has already raised its weight limit in response to needs for more recruits and the expanding American waist line.  If they increase allowances again, it could become unsafe for soldiers and expensive for the military.  We all know being overweight has a way of increasing doctor visits, injuries and health care premiums.  (Which is why insurance companies should cover fitness programs, but that is for another time.)

The reason I find the article in the Des Moines Register interesting is because the government seems to be noticing the far reaching implications of bad school and childhood nutrition.  This isn't new, schools have been cutting corners for years with the food they feed kids, you can get cheaper food (read: not highly nutritious), but it's hard to get cheaper text books. 

The only concern I have is that everyone seems a bit too focused on junk food in machines.  I totally agree that it's a problem and they never should have put snack cakes and soda into schools to begin with.  But it's the school sanctioned meals that alarm me even more.  When you break down what is supposed to be in them and how they end up making that inexpensive and palatable to children is almost tragic.  For example - we are teaching children that pizza is 'a dairy' and 'a bread'.  That kind of justification led me down the road to where I now write this blog!

I am hoping that my friend and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, will help turn things around.  In fact, I think I should send him a link to Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" - I have only been able to watch two episodes because it just makes me ill.  To think what we have done to ourselves and in turn our children.  Even the ones who are not overeating are not being taught good food choices. 

Another example, in the mind of the government, there is no difference between chocolate milk and white milk, the kids are allowed to choose.  What six-year-old is going to pass up chocolate milk?!!!  Yea, they are drinking milk - good.  But they are also chugging down additional sugars - not good.  It also ruins their palate for the future, slowly creating sugar addicts like myself.

Oh boy, I have spiraled.  Sorry.  Obviously I feel incredibly passionate. 

As for my own education and journey, today it was physical therapy at 6:30 a.m.  Despite a headache I worked away in the pool.  I really do love water therapy.  I was telling Personal Trainer Gwyn at this afternoon's training session that I feel like I am coming along the fastest I ever had with this therapy.  I would ask where this was before, but they are the only ones with an underwater treadmill in Des Moines and they just opened a year ago - so it was on the drawing board. :)

Well, yes, I am just walking out of work.  So, I am going home to eat a small snack and go to bed.  Good night.

Yours in Health,
Kate

"I must have shrunk my pants in the dryer"

LOL. I used to use that line all of the time before I started losing weight. Never mind that the only thing that was shrinking was my supply of sugared treats. This last week I put on one of my workout tank tops and it hugged my middle showing every roll of extra skin and what's that? FAT!

I stepped on the scale and paid attention for the first time in a while. I had been watching it creep up, but the number awaiting me was a call to action - 163. That's what I weighed Sunday morning. That is not o.k. I would loved to have lied to myself and blamed the dryer or 'putting on muscle', but really, where would that get me?

Instead I walked in the kitchen and made a peanut butter/chocolate pound cake. What?! It was for my Mom's birthday, it was actually Tuesday, but we were celebrating it as part of our usual Sunday get-together. It was decadent and damn tasty and it was my last sugar for the sake of sugar moment until my birthday next month.

After realizing I had put on 11 pounds over the 152 I had been maintaining and 15 pounds over my lowest weight, I was disgusted with myself. And before anyone tells me not to be hard on myself, realize this - I know what got me to 260 pounds and I was doing it again. I was eating too much AND to much sugar and fat.

When trainer Traci and I talked about the eating thing on Tuesday she said, "You have to get back to eating healthy foods." I moped with shame and admitted, "I have been eating healthy, I've just been eating junk on top of it. So all of the calories of the fruits veggies, whole grains and lean proteins get combined with the calories of the junk. It means I am simply overeating."

Those words are hard for me to write, but they confirm something I have said all along - I am recovering from obesity, there is no cure. Like alcoholics I sometimes crave a pill that would truly help me stay healthy, but I know it's not really about the food - it's about the behaviour surrounding the food.

The past few months I had become a 'secret eater' again. Fat filled crap doesn't count if you eat it in the car where no one can see you, right? You can have the three cookies if you eat your carrots. If people in the office don't see me down that second piece of birthday cake, they'll still respect me. You see, it's a sickness. It's an addiction.

You find yourself bargaining your way into that bag of 100 calorie chips, it's only 100 calories. But when you add into that the handful of M&Ms you had and the cookie you will have and the treat from Starbuck's that's standing in as your 'second breakfast' and the protein shake you 'should have' after your workout and the two servings of the entree and... And I think you get the point, gluttony is realized.

The other thing I really impress upon people is that being healthy is a lifestyle change. You can't just do it for a while and then go back to what you were doing - that's a diet and diets don't work. No, you have to maintain your healthier habits for life. Yes, you can have sweets once in a while - but it truly has to be rare and controlled. Half the cake when nobody is looking is still half a cake.

So I really was, until a couple of months ago, shrinking my clothes in the dryer. My pants size was between 10 and 12 and I need them snugger. Well, check that off my list, they are definitely snugger. Now, I have to shrink me back into them and I will.

On Monday I cut my calories to about 1,400 a day. The current plan is:

Breakfast: small bowl of high-protein/fiber cereal w/ skim milk
Coffee: skim milk, drizzle of cream, Splenda
Morning snacks: Several small portions of fruit to keep my blood sugar up, if it drops too far, I will be starving at my next meal and prone to over eat
Lunch: Yogurt, fruit, carrots
Afternoon snack: Something high protein and fruit
Dinner: big salad, big bunch of veggies, reasonable entree
Dessert: strawberries with teaspoon+ of vanilla sugar.

I have been lacking energy lately, but by mid-afternoon yesterday my energy was picking back up. Just three days in and I am seeing results in how I feel and I have lost 2 pounds. Amazing what happens when you do what you are supposed to do.

But this time, when I get back down to 148, I am not going to let myself plateau. This time I am going to take my body fat to where I want it to be and then I can look at maintenance. No more of this standing on the edge of the shore, dangling a toe crap, it's time to dive in and finish the race.

Yours in health, Kate

Sunday Inspiration - Do it for the Kids

When I was a kid I was active, always on the go, much like my young nephew now. As I hit my teens depression settled over me and I became less motivated to move. The couch and TV became my best friends. Even once I got a job, it didn't help - I worked at a bakery - very little moving, lots of eating. By the end of high school I had fully transformed into an obese person. Only then nobody used that word - you were just fat.

I look at the (I'm sorry to say) literally growing problem of childhood obesity and I am very sad. Convenience foods, less play time, rides to and from school, no physical education in school, television and poor nutritional knowledge are gathering as a perfect storm. Very involved parents can fight all of this off. But sometimes even the parents that mean well need help.

That's where programs like "Trim Kids" come in. This is a cooperative effort between the YMCA and local hospitals. It's a combination of exercise and eating education. Nobody gets put on a 'diet', they are kids for god's sake - they need to grow! Instead they are taught how to make better choices, what a real portion size looks like, how to trade fruit for sugar and when treats are o.k.

The other interesting thing they are taught is to play again. I interviewed one of the leaders for "Trim Kids" a couple of months ago and that's exactly how she put it. She said too many kids thought to lose extra pounds and be healthy they had to be like adults and hit the treadmill or gym seven days a week. Most kids are surprised to learn if they simply add physical play like playing soccer or jumping rope back into their lives, they can have fun AND give their bodies what they need.

That, of course, is completely right. Now I'm not saying that kids who are severely overweight can reduce without reducing their calorie intake. But this program tries to catch kids before it gets horribly out of hand. Instead taking kids that could end up obese and giving them the knowledge to even things out so they can become healthy adolescents and then adults. I wish something like this would have existed when I was young.

The great thing is the program is financially feasible for everyone, it's just a few dollars a week. Plus, I almost forgot, this isn't just a program for the kids - it's for the adults in their life as well. While the kids are off playing get healthy games, the adults are learning more about how to shop and cook healthy meals. It's a holistic approach and for good reason - no child gets fat on their own. Adults, we do this all of the time, but kids eat what's in the house.

I am inspired by this program because it's common sense, something I and the world as a whole could use more of. And kids on the program have lost 10-60 pounds - all from simply doing things the right way - eating healthy and getting physical. It's awesome!

Yours in health, Kate

From the beginning... Fat will make you Fat

The past few months I have once again been struggling with sugar. I don't know why I haven't been able to let it go. But every cookie, dense piece of cake and brownie has tempted me to the point of caving. I have spent quality time beating myself up over lacking self-respect. (While stuffing another bite in my face.) It has been self-defeating and just flat negative. But this weekend I had a breakthrough moment.

Fat.

The way I eat these days is low in fat, except for a little olive oil here or nut fat there, almost everything I eat is 6 grams of fat or less. Unless, of course, you count those 'temptations' I mentioned. The average cookie has a minimum of 10 grams of fat - yes, per cookie. Brownie - 20-26. Cake - 25-35. Cheesecake - 35+.

Yes, this label is for ONE! brownie.

While I have been lamenting the sugar, the fat has been piling up. The pathetic thing is that the fat content rarely passed through my mind on my benders. And while we are talking fat - no 'from scratch' baked good worth its sugar is baked without whole eggs and real butter - so bring on the cholesterol too.

Holy crap!

I haven't just been feeding my stress and emotions with the white/brown stuff - I have been damaging my health with flat-out healthy diet contraband! The only saving grace, perhaps, is that I tend to like the locally produced goodies, so no trans fats. However, that doesn't negate the overall affect on one's body. To be blunt - fat with make you fat.

The body feels the need to store that which it doesn't need right now, for a rainy day. Fat is not a quick burn, carbs are, protein can go either way. It's all about your body's make-up and what you are doing around the time you consume your food. While in the end it comes down to the simple equation - calories in needs to be less than calories out - when it comes to losing weight; fat is the last point of interest for the body to burn.

Luckily, the body needs 'X' amount of fat to survive. If we lower our overall fat intake, it will have to burn some of what we have stored to survive. The other way we lose fat is by lowering overall calories - your body will burn fat when it runs out of immediate calorie sources and needs energy.

That is where making sure you are getting enough protein and plant sources come in, your body will seek out what it needs. If you are eating plenty of lean protein and vegetables, it won't bother to go after your muscles or anything else in your body - except fat, for energy.

Obviously, I am writing this to share some fat facts. But honestly I am writing it for me as much as anyone. I needed a reminder of why I don't eat 'treats' anymore, except on rare occasions. There is nothing healthful or body fulfilling in them. They taste good, they give you a temporary high to make you 'feel better', but in the end they are a crutch for people like me.

While I definitely do not believe in ever denying yourself anything - it should be everything in moderation. I 'moderated' myself right into a long term binge. Now it's time to move myself right out. Both my butt and my heart will thank me.

Yours in health, Kate

Finding a new weight loss strategy

Today I begin looking at my food habits, again. I think that, as important as calories and fat are, when I am eating and what I am eating, may have an effect at whether it stays to become fat. I think it is time to once again mix-it-up.

The times of day I struggle the most are in the morning and right at dinner time. With my wacky schedule - up at 2:45 a.m. to work at 4 a.m. and in bed by 8 p.m. at the latest - deciding when to eat has been hard.

In the morning, even with eating a high-fiber, high-protein cereal, I feel ravenous by 6 a.m. Of course, by that time I have been up for over three hours. For most people that might not be a problem, but I have been able to speed up my metabolism via gaining muscle.

That said, it should not be an excuse to eat from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m. continuously. I tend to eat my banana, then a hand full of trail mix, then anything else that isn't nailed down in the break room. I had also picked up a crap habit of using non-dairy, fatty, sugary creamers in my coffee. (I removed that on Thursday and yes, I know better.)

From 9-11 I drink my Starbucks. It's actually one of my more sensible choices. I drink a Venti (large) 1/2 caf, Americano with sugar-free syrup, some Splenda, a 1/4 cup of non-fat milk and a drizzle of half & half. I know it sounds very high-maintenance, but as long as I am paying for coffee, I will get what I want. Nursing that over two hours or more, helps curb my appetite and keeps my hands busy. I now know, I eat when I am bored too.

About 11 I start in on carrots, then at noon some form of protein, followed by a piece of fruit. I try to be out of the office by 1 or so, that way I don't find some kind of junk in the break room to eat. I far too often do for someone who preaches against it.

Once I have worked out, my body needs a snack. I may not be hungry, but if I have just worked my muscles hard, I need to feed them for their recovery. I try to stick to about 100 calories of protein and a piece of fruit.

Then I walk into the apartment, I put my stuff away and begin staring at the kitchen.

I have no idea why.

For the first part of this journey I was able to lock away my demons and make the kitchen my friend again. I was purely eating for utility. I knew my body needed something on board for quick access energy and that's how I kept it. I made it dig deeper for energy when I exercised and that is how I burned off so much fat.

When I am fixing my dinner I begin grazing - a handful of nuts here, a couple of tortilla chips there, then I eat tons of veggies (anything consumed in the kitchen is "free", right?).

Finally I have a sensible dinner. Only problem is, thinking about it now, I have been wandering on my portion control too, mainly at dinner. Then I 'have to have a little something sweet'. Wow, there are seven self-defeating words if I have ever seen them.

In total, a day like above would be 1800-2000 calories. Unless I throw in some extra sugary goodness for some reason, something that has been happening far too often.

So, there you go, complete {ugly} honesty. Now, what to do about it?

My plan:

-Take one meal or snack at a time.
-Plan ahead and do not wander off path from plan.
-Less processed sugar, it has NO dietary value.
-Get back to every meal being extremely veggie heavy.
-Peruse eating plans created by experts that are specifically designed to accomplish what I want. [I have a copy of the "Abs Diet" sitting at home collecting dust, time to at least read it.]
-Follow the good examples other people are setting and remember, I taught some of them to eat that way.
-Talk down that evil wench, Luci. She's not the one who gains fat when I overeat - I am!
-Measure everything again. Eye-balling portions is not helping control calories.
-Don't eat the same thing all of the time, maybe my body is simply used to burning what I have been giving it. I need to reintroduce food challenges.
-Keep working out and keep it diverse. It's the only reason I am looking at 5 pounds having crept back on instead of 25.
-Remember how I got here. I think it is time to go back to old journal and blog entries to find inspiration. Before I landed in the hospital last year, I felt bullet proof when it came to food.
-If none of this works, be ready to pay a professional nutritionist to assist me.

Well, there you go. All of that definitely falls under 'too much information' for you. But I needed to put a plan in writing to deal with this situation and this seemed the best place.

Wish me luck.

Yours in health, Kate

Dish #1 & Eat This, Not That

Sorry I was lazy over the weekend and did not post. I kept myself pretty busy with work and the Winter Market on Saturday and family stuff and baking with Lori on Sunday. Both days I worked out hard at Fitness World West.

Especially important since Lori made pralines yesterday. Thank god we shipped all but four of what was left after we ate too many to friends on the east coast. They are pure sugar, butter and pecans. Not a single redeemable quality. There is even the chance that they are the devils work - but they are damn tasty.

Speaking of tasty, you will find our first side dish recipe of the week for the holiday. But first, I wanted to share a quiz with you that actually had me saying, "really?!" and shaking my head a lot. It is called "Eat This, Not That" and it is from one of my favorite magazines "Women's Health". It puts two foods in front of you and then asks you to choose which one is healthier. After you choose, it gives the proper answer and a nutritional break down of the options.

Now there are common sense decisions like - pumpkin pie or pecan pie - pumpkin of course, very little fat in the core ingredient there. But it also has a 'course' on fast food - you will truly be frightened into not eating a number of your quick fix and comfort foods after you see them broken down. So give the quiz a quick spin.

As for the side dish - I like my sweet potatoes roasted or mashed solo, no additives except maybe a little salt or pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. But, especially this time of year people want to sweeten this nearly perfect vegetable. Here is a way to avoid coating it in corn syrup or marshmallows and still get your sweet side.

Apple Sweet Potato Bake

Ingredients:

5 cups thinly sliced sweet potatoes (or yams), about 1 1/2 sweet potatoes
2 cups thinly sliced apples, such as pippin or Granny Smith (about 2 small)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons reduced-calorie pancake syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup apple juice or orange juice
1/4 cup walnut pieces or chopped walnuts

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes, apple slices, and brown sugar together. Spoon into a 9x9-inch or similar-sized baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, blend syrup with cinnamon. Stir in the apple juice. Pour evenly over sweet potato mixture. Sprinkle walnuts over the top.
4. Cover baking dish with lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake about 15 minutes longer (or until apple and sweet potatoes are cooked throughout).

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 128 calories, 2 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (0.2 g saturated fat, 0.7 g monounsaturated fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 2.2 g fiber, 24 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 21%.

This is from MedicineNet.

Yours in health, Kate