down a dress size!

Hello all, my bout of sickness has finally receded. I even had to go to the Emergency Room because I was so dehydrated and needed an IV drip. Craziness. But I bounced back from it with a little help from anti-nausea medication and my mother’s compulsive worrying. Getting back to the gym after a week was surprisingly easier than I imagined. When I walked in there, I was almost elated, a part of my routine that I actually ::gasp:: missed. My cardio routine as of late has been at least 30 minutes on the stationary bike with light to medium resistance. But today I up’d the ante and interwove sprinting and heavy resistance, keeping it up for 50 minutes. I feel so good now, like I’m calm enough to take on all my assignments. Every other day I do weight train, about 10-15 minutes of leg and thigh sculpting and arm and back strengthening. A big part of my body goal is to have a booty to be proud of, hehehe. So I devote at least 2 or 3 machines to that each time.

On to the success news! Despite the scale not budging much for the past 2 weeks, I did manage to lose a dress size, bringing me down to a 16. So I’m back to the size I was when I started college almost 2 years ago. My “skinny” jeans are now my “just right” jeans, and my favorite pink mini skirt is going back into use, with some leggings and when it gets warmer of course. The down side is, I’ve just about shrunk out of my bras. I’m a 40D. The “D” I have always been proud of to a certain degree, and my wardrobe definitely illustrates that. Unfortunately, we all make sacrifices, and as much as I hate to see my girls shrivel and shrink, they will still be there as I continue on my way to the body and health of my dreams.

Quick tip of the week: Drink a cup of tea every day. Even if it’s a hassle. Go for the ones with small amounts of caffeine but not too much, such as Rooibos (my favorite), Yerba Mate, or Darjeeling. I always buy Fair Trade certified Organic of all of these, available at any health food store or Trader Joe’s.

Jetlagged and sick

Hey all, I’m back at school after an amazing week in my second home country, South Africa. It was truly awesome. I found out I’m an aunt and I got to see Former Archbishop Desmond Tutu speak in Cape Town. Most of the days there I hiked through beautiful parks and walked all over town, which was so refreshing because it was sunny and warm. My eating was pretty decent too, save for my one ultimate treat – a chocolate dipped ice cream. Truly worth it.

Unfortunately my dad was chewing at my ear, as they say, all time time. Despite being a physician, he really knows nothing about nutrition and dieting; he’s also overweight and a diabetic. Many mornings I would get up wanting yogurt and fruit for breakfast and he would give me the look of shame and tell me he wished I wouldn’t eat so much. GEEZ, I didn’t realize breakfast was so shameful/harmful. He didn’t think it was necessary for me to eat 3 meals a day so I suffered eating only 2 but I tried my best to make them as nutritious as possible. I’d wake up in the middle of the night both famished and depressed. I tried to explain to him that my plan is to eat 3 small meals a day and usually a healthy snack or two. His response was simply: give me that shamed look and said, “I’m just trying to show you a new way of eating.”

Yeah, by STARVING? Who is he to talk? His physician is always on his back telling him to lose more weight and he got himself Type II Diabetes anyway! His solution for losing weight is to not eat. And he NEVER exercises. This is a doctor who knows nothing about good health, and a dad who knows nothing about his daughter.

I know this sounds like a rant, and I’m sorry for that. I was just having a very rough week dealing with his crap. Many diet books talk about people who are harmful influences. But his role is more complicated I think. He doesn’t feed me bad things, he doesn’t make me feel bad for losing weight, he just thinks he knows what is right and couldn’t be more wrong. I guess I should feel lucky it was only a week because otherwise I only see him during my holidays and he’s usually working.

But now that I’m back I’m coming to terms with a more aggravating reality. I failed my Sociology midterm, which for me, is like damnation. First failing grade I’ve received in college and it better be my last. I’ve also got the flu and every time I eat or try to take a pill I run to the bathroom, and I’ve been missing my classes.  Horrible. Utterly horrible. I don’t know how I’m going to work today and the gym seems out of the question. I guess I can’t go through life having an amazing week without the next week being utter hell to put me back in emotional purgatory. I’m out for now as my oatmeal isn’t agreeing with me.

my well deserved break

So I am about to jet off for Spring Break (don’t worry I’m a mild child). I’m so excited because I get to go back to South Africa – my second home. It’ll be amazing even if only for a week. Ugh, 2 days worth of flying for 6 days of fun. Anyway, I have a hike planned and lots of walking. I’ll be sure to take loads of pictures and post them when I get back next sunday.

Have a great week!

The Dorm Room Diet by Daphne Oz

Review of The Dorm Room Diet – By Daphne Oz

By now I am sure you’ve all heard of the infamous You, The Owner’s Manual Guides by Dr. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz. My family has actually known Dr. Roizen for years and I assure you, he’s a genuinely compassionate, stand-up guy. His co-author for You On A Diet and others, Mehmet Oz, is also a gifted and knowledgeable doctor, so it intrigued me to find his daughter, Daphne’s, book sitting on the shelf in the bookstore behind the sheen and glow of her father’s best sellers. She wrote this book while studying at Princeton (which of course is a feat on its own). I found her book to be a thoroughly easy and enjoyable read. I believe whether you’re a freshman or ten or twenty years out of college you will get something positive out of her tips and advice.

Daphne outlines 8 core steps for creating a healthy lifestyle amidst a chaotic atmosphere such as college, which as many know is anything but predictable. She begins by inspiring the reader, not just to lose weight but also to feel good about their bodies and comfortable with food and fitness with personal anecdotes from her own life and others. She helps the reader to map out their eating pattern, lifestyle, and that of their families, and articulates how to make small, incremental changes to one’s eating and fitness habits in order to slowly make the change from Fat U to Fit U.

According to Ms. Oz, it is possible to eat healthy on a budget (time and money), which should be music to the ears of all my friends subsisting on ramen and pizza (UGH!). Despite a seemingly impossible schedule, it is a matter of mapping out time during the day to hit the gym and to sit down and eat. The way I see it, if your schedule is too busy to work out or eat healthily, your priorities are not in order. She also gives tips and advice for eating well on a budget, which of course involves learning how to make smart choices in a sea of not so healthy options.

The most useful parts of the book were the “Danger Zones” and the multivitamin chapters because they were most helpful. We all know our danger zones: parties, restaurants, or sports games. For me it’s restaurants and the vending machine down the hall. Daphne asserted that once in a while it’s okay to splurge, but control is key. The Multivitamin chapter outlined how to buy the right vitamins, what to take when you are sick or stressed, and what foods you can take instead of supplements.

Best of all, Daphne Oz is adamant about finding happiness. Losing weight, regaining control of your life, none of that means anything if you are not happy with yourself. My advice: get happy before the pounds come off – or you won’t appreciate it! All in all, the book is pretty simple, the information certainly isn’t new but there are some things you should never get sick of hearing. Presentation and voice is what makes this book unique and a nice addition to anyone’s diet library.

food summaries and some whole wheat pancakes

So the rest of the week again, has been a struggle. I have been taking things one day at a time. Most class days I hadn’t been eating breakfast because of late night midterm studying and crazy projects due in the coming weeks. But let me tell you from recent experience, DO NOT EVER SKIP BREAKFAST!!. You will always make up for it later with much less healthy food options, not to mention you will be to tired to work out during the day too. So I start out each morning with old school oatmeal, which has 4 grams of fiber per serving. I usually don’t line my bowl with added ingredients though I scoop up the occasional coconut flakes or slices of banana. I experimented with some baking chocolate in oatmeal today and it was disgusting so Rachel recommends sticking with fruit (fresh or dry).

Lunches are usually found at our lovely (puke) dining hall though I believe I have done fairly well considering my limited options. Half my plate is always a vegetable with minimal dressings and sauces. The other half is split between a grain of some kind and lean meat. Sometimes if the meat looks gnarly I’ll go vegan and stock up on beans. In case you don’t know, I am not a fan of tofu or seitan or whatever new age new fangled topsoil burgers the PETA sympathizers are trying to shove down our throats at school. Give me animal protein (or unprocessed vegetable fiber) any day. I’ll be sure to post my rant on how tofu cultivation is contributing to global warming by destroying the Amazon sometime.

Dinner, it gets dicey. Mostly because I’ve had a long day of classes, I’m tired and a bit irritable and I have a buttload of work to do. This week has been decent, except for my once a year baked ziti and chicken dinner last night (but it was so good and worth it). When I am working my evening shifts (twice a week) I get a falafal sandwich at the local sandwich and pizza place which despite being fried, I will still believe has its health benefits (come on! 100% chickpeas people!). The valentines candy is gone or I don’t know where the rest is so thank goodness for my roommate and I living in a combination of pig sty and organized chaos.

Yesterday I made the best pancakes ever! Whole wheat with bananas, semisweet baking chocolate, and some diced pecans. Eating just 2 made me full for a good 5 hours! That recipe is definitely going up. Tomorrow night I’m making a couscous dish. I will put the recipe up soon.

In brief: look forward to 2 new recipes and a book review on Daphne Oz’s Dorm Room Diet. Back to studying for this lazy slacker.

they say, nothing ever worth having is easy

So yes, it has been a couple weeks since my last post. I wish I could say it’s because I’ve been so busy working out and eating so well that the fat is just melting off. It’s not. Oh, sure, I am at the gym nearly every day. So that’s good. But my eating just hasn’t been under control lately and I haven’t been recording in my food journal regularly. I don’t know whether it’s because I am losing motivation or what.

I was casually seeing a guy who would always bring out bad, pathetic emotions in me – and always order a huge helping of chicken tenders that I’d have to share. So I put him out of my life even though he didn’t think it was fair because I’m doing things for myself now. I have begun to notice a pattern. Every time I start working out and a new diet, I seem to have this awesome boost in confidence, and I have guys literally beating down the door to complicate things. I guess it’s because I am letting them see a more confident me and that’s attractive to them. But eventually I become too involved with them and I get depressed and needy, spiraling out of control until the only men I want in my life are Ben and Jerry. This time, instead of falling completely off the wagon, I had a few bad days of not leaving my room and eating Valentines’ Day chocolate – I know, terrible idea. But then a couple days ago I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that no, I don’t need a relationship and in fact, having one during this transitional phase of my life will sabotage all of my efforts.

So starting today, I’m going to be writing everything down again. To show you I’m not going to flake out, I will post entries on this page. Thanks to everyone who commented to get me back on track. More later. I love you all and myself.

Bumps along the road

Hey everyone… Sorry it’s been like over a week since I posted. Things have been quite busy at school, with classes, work, and all that jazz. I haven’t been entirely faithful to my lifestyle changes all the time. Some sweets have crept in, but over the past two days I’m getting back into the routine full time. I went to the gym for an hour today, and barely even noticed. I’m going to weigh myself either tomorrow or Sunday so I’ll know my progress, but upon measuring myself I noticed I lost an inch off my waist since the beginning of my personal challenge. I feel pretty good about myself right now, and promise I’ll write more later when I’ve got less on my plate, so to speak.

1/21/08 weigh-in

Starting weight: 230

Current weight: 223

In a day shy of 2 weeks, I have lost 7 pounds to date.

Exercise: For the first week I only changed my eating habits and did not do much exercise. For the second week, I worked out for 30 minutes on the stationary bike every other day. For my third week I will continue on the bike but work out for the 30 minutes every day.

Nutrition: I have been limiting myself to 1600 calories a day, as calculated by the Biggest Loser book, which I will be reviewing shortly. I made sure to eat high protein/fiber breakfasts and cut my lunch and dinner plates into sections: 1/2 fruits/veggies, 1/4 whole grain, 1/4 meat or protein. I tried my best to stick to correct serving sizes, and had 2 or 3 snacks throughout the day (fruit, yogurt, or 100 calorie pudding).

Spirit & Self-Motivation: I practiced yoga and meditation every other day for most of the period, and I recommend this to anyone, whether weight loss is your goal or not. It centers your mind, relieves stress, and stretches your muscles to help prevent injury. I created mantras for myself to prevent laziness and temptation, and it helped to learn my family and friends truly supported me in this endeavor.

miscalculations, 99cent candy, and patience

Last week has by far been the longest week I’ve encountered in years. It dragged on, agonizing and slow, and yet there is so little I got done. I did stick to my gym goals, which is celebration enough. I think I only went over my calorie limit maybe once or twice, but hey, that’s pretty good for my first week.

That leads me to my next incredibly ditzy, for-your-entertainment purposes story: I had been tallying my calories every day in my food journal, and was feeling pretty low, coming to the realization that 1600 calories really isn’t much at all. I was hungry all the time, despite carving up meals into smaller, more frequent eating times throughout the day and then it hit me: I looked at my math for the first 5 days. I had been rounding up my daily intake by 2 or 300 calories without realizing! No wonder I was hungry! So now I bought a calculator and I feel much more satisfied during the day. Lesson learned: Make sure your math is right.

So yesterday I walked into Walgreens and at the checkout saw my old favorite childhood candy staring me in the face: sour ropes and watermelons. I hadn’t seen those in at least 6 years, so yeah, I did buy them. And I don’t feel guilty about it. I ate 300 calories worth last night and I don’t care, because I woke up this morning and was back on track. When did this attitude adjustment happen?? I don’t need to beat myself up anymore… How strange.

And so, into the second week of school and my “lifestyle adjustment period” (because diet for me always seems so temporary). The motivation is running strong. This week I will be at the gym every day, 30 minutes on the bike. Here goes nothing.

So on an interesting note: My crazy Jewish grandmother called yesterday, which she likes to do every week to catch up on school, my relationship status, when I’m next coming to visit, and my weight – yunno, typical stuff. She asked if I was dieting again, and I told her yes, even though I was cringing at the sound of that word. She said she was proud of that, and at that point I figured she would say what she usually said: “Such a shame, you have such a pretty face, but what about that stomach?” What next came out of her mouth shocked my very foundation. “Rachel, you will always be beautiful to me. But I want you to be beautiful for yourself.” I’m getting there, Grandma.

Back at school, with its share of challenges

So now that I am back at school, I’m back to the same influences keeping that needle up on the scale. I walk through the cafeteria snooping through tasty looking oiled up entrees and devilish deserts only to realize – wait a minute! This food sucks! We have Sodexho, mind you, and let’s just say they aren’t know for gourmet cuisine. In fact, often times they use semi-rotten ingredients and trans fats. While their meals may sometimes look presentable, they are almost always bland and uninspiring, which only makes you want to pile more on your plate to fill that ever-present hunger for quality food.

In previous semesters, I ate dessert almost every night, a cup of frozen yogurt or a brownie or a piece of cake, sometimes more than one! If the dinner was particularly bad I would substitute more dessert for it, an even worse idea. I’d walk by that table full of sweets and HAVE TO have something, until one day last week I told myself “It’s only food”. Let me repeat that: It’s ONLY food. While sweet and enticing to eat for a couple minutes, it only satisfies in the short term, as I always regret it later that evening or in the morning. Now, if I’m craving something sweet, I’ll eat a fat free pudding cup earlier in the day or if there are oatmeal raisin or cranberry cookies in the caf I will take one. They are about 100 calories each, if that. And nowadays I pass that dessert table, say to myself my new nutrition mantra, “It’s only food”, and make a beeline for the fruit. There’s usually at least one thing ripe.

Despite the stares I get from people when I whip out my little food journal and jot notes down in the cafeteria or in class, I don’t mind the attention. And if they ask, I say, I’m watching what I eat, and this is the best way to remember. Everyone at school has been encouraging.

Unfortunately I cheated last night. I was out with my friend, not from school, and he nearly begged me to help him eat his chicken tenders. I like this fellow quite a lot, and didn’t want to be like all those other girls who refuse to eat food when offered by their date and the guys think they are whacko. I had 2 chicken tenders, and that was fine. Though I was hungry the rest of the night. Interesting. Fried food makes you want more. I will avoid it next time. All for now, I’m off to work.