17 Day Diet

A couple of months ago I read the newest weight loss book, "The 17 Day Diet" by Dr. Mike Moreno. It was a quick and easy read and the concepts behind this plan made sense to me. The title sounds a whole lot easier than what it really is. At first I just thought, this is another fad and you can't diet for 17 days. However, as I read I found that this is really 3-cycles (17 days each) and that if you haven't achieved your weight loss goals then you repeat it again and again. No miracle here. This diet is not easy, it is a diet and not a pure lifestyle change. It eliminates several foods and that is why I see it more as a diet. I am sick of my plateau though and while my lifestyle changes seem to at least allow me not to GAIN weight it hasn't been working to well for me to LOSE weight. The 3 cycles of 17 days is 53 days and we leave for Idaho in about 58 days. I am going to do this and blog about the recipes that I am eating, how I feel and how it is working. I have a goal to meet and drastic changes call for drastic measures.

Here is how it works:

Cycle 1 (17 days)-ACCELERATE

This phase is a low carbohydrate diet that provides around 1200 calories. Eat unlimited lean meat and no-starch vegetables, two fat-free plain yogurts and two low-sugar fruits, a bit of oil, green tea, and 64 ounces of water a day. Typical for any low carb diet, fat-burning and fluid loss is favored during those days.

Cycle 2 (17 days)-ACTIVATE

This phase is calorie cycling (aka calorie shifting or calorie zigzagging), which means that the daily calorie intake cycles and recycles from low to high over the course of several days. The goal is to trick the metabolism to prevent it from slowing down. Two servings of whole grains are added to the above to raise the average calorie intake to 1500 a day. During these 17 days you will alternate days of ACCELERATE & ACTIVATE.

Cycle 3 (17 days)-ACHIEVE

This phase is the same as “Activate” except that lean meat is no longer unlimited and more grains and fruit are added, along with an optional serving of alcohol and a 100-calorie snack. In other words, the low carb diet is 'Out' and a balanced low-calorie diet is 'In' sans the processed food.

I will be doing my meal planning for the week on Saturday's, doing my grocery shopping on Saturdays and then starting my plan on Sunday (tomorrow). I will post all of my dinner recipes and try to take pictures.

This plan is going to be hard. Travis is on board to help me as he wants to see my achieve my goals as well. I have been loving my exercise and I feel like I have totally made it a habit. I rarely miss a workout and consistently workout 3-4 times a week. I need to focus on what I am eating. I really do think that this plan will work. I will be weighing tomorrow and then the fun begins. I am not super excited about this as I know it will be restrictive and limiting but I have a deadline and I have to meet it. I will still be plugging in the recipes to weight watchers and getting their point values too. I do think that the challenge will be fun and that it will be fun to document the process, recipes, and planning.

Am I Fat?

I was talking to my friend the other day about taking Hudson to this big waterpark close by, Splash Country. She chuckled and said that I should go because it would be a big confidence booster and I'd feel skinny when I left. This week in the news Tennessee was listed as the fourth fattest state in the nation with an obesity rate of over 30%. Wow! I am sure it is all the fried foods and the southern comfort foods such as biscuits & gravy that are catching up to people's waist lines. I have to admit that I have never had a biscuit & gravy and I have only had fried chicken a handful of times. I've never had fried okra and only tried fried green tomatoes. When I tell people this, they look at me with dismay...like I am really missing out on something.

Growing up in California which is actually one of the fittest states I was never served these types of food. I had cold cereal, an english muffin or a bagel for breakfast. My family never really had hot breakfasts such as homemade french toast, pancake or eggs & bacon. Occasionally we would have waffles or eggs and bacon for dinner. As a kid I wouldn't even eat pancakes. I am getting off topic...

As I read this article about the fattest states it reminded me of a radio cast I had heard on NPR telling a similar story about the obesity rates in the south. They interviewed people and asked them to describe people as obese. Most people states above 300 pounds. What? I am a 5'3 female and I think that sadly I am still considered obese at 170. The show focused on how people sometimes don't realize that there is a problem when all the people around them have the same problem. It made me think back to my friend's comment about splash country. Here I am, still overweight but if I went to splash country and saw all the people there that are overweight and sporting their skirted swim suit how I would all of a sudden feel skinny. It makes total sense to me.

I think that is why I think its good to have a strong base of friends and family members with common health goals as you. This holds you accountable and can keep you on track. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have friends that are overweight; how sad would that be. I am so thankful for all of my friends no matter what size they are but I am glad that I have those that bug me for my weigh ins, ask me what I am eating and want to go workout. Without them I would be lost on this journey. I just think that it could be really easy to not realize that you have a problem if everyone around you has the same one. That puts those of us that live in these fat states at a disadvantage already because the normal here is just an illusion and not a good picture of health.

Do you wonder if you are overweight? Click here for a BMI calculator. BMI is not a perfect prediction as we know that muscle weighs more than fat however it is pretty accurate for the typical, average person.

For the Love of Kitchen Aid

I have been wanting a Kitchen Aid for about 10 years now. Several of my friends and family members have them and even though I have wanted one I thought that it wasn't really necessary. Most of the baking and cooking I did used only the power of my small hand mixer and I never even got out my stand mixer. Really I wanted one to be trendy!

However, since being at home more I have really learned how to make some new things; especially bread. It tastes so much better and it is much healthier than eating a bunch of ingredients that you can't pronounce in your super market bread. Baking bread with a hand mixer is impossible so I am really looking forward to having a new mixer.

This weekend is Travis and I's 13 year anniversary. He surprised me with the new mixer. I can't wait to give it a try. We also already have our babysitter lined up for Saturday night and we are headed to Flemming's to celebrate. Looking forward to a kid free date night. I will have to be very careful as I select my food choices that night but I think I should be able to find something tasty and not overly loaded with calories. I'll be posting more soon!

If you have any recipes to share or any healthy baking...please let me know. I'll be posting an easy bread recipe soon.

4th of July

Knoxville Boomsday

I wrote this on July 5th but for some reason it didn't post. I know I didn't post a weight post on Sunday. This weekend was so busy that I haven't sat down on the computer once or even think about my blog. Sadly, I lost no weight and I weigh exactly the same. This is going to make my goal get even harder. I now only have 8 weeks till our trip. Time is creeping up on me and every week that goes by it will only get that much more unobtainable. My niece Ashley suggested writing my goal on my forearm again. I think I will do that today!

This weekend was not your typical 4th of July weekend for me. No lake, no barbecues, no parties just a whole lot of sun, sand paper and paint! We have a pretty good size deck and screened in porch which were both in dyer need of some fresh paint. After spending the entire 4th of July weekend, 10 hours per day...our deck is done! The sad thing is that we have more decks and a fence so I think this project is never ending. I should of wore my bodybugg because it would of been very interesting to see how many calories you burn doing manual labor but I didn't want to get paint on it. That brings me to another point. Why is it that people will spend money to go to the gym but you couldn't hardly pay someone to want to come over and paint?

The weekend really was beautiful. It was pretty HOT though for manual labor. We did have some fun playing in the sprinkler, swimming in our kiddie pool and doing some fireworks in the cul-de-sac. We were also able to sit on our back deck and get a 180 degree view of all the fireworks. It amazes me the amount of money people must spend. I spent a pathetic $40 and got 10 nice fireworks and some sparklers. There were people that must of shot off 100 bottle rockets similar to what you would see at a fireworks show. Some of those are $25-$50 a piece. The good news for us is that we get to enjoy them at someone else's expense.

Today I am just trying to recover. I have sore muscles in places I never new I had! I have a Zufu class today at 11 but then Tammye is going to be going to the beach so no more workout sessions with her this week. I will have to force myself to do some on my own. I was really really sad because she had two weekend sessions (Sat and Mon) and I was unable to attend. Her Weekend Warrior sessions are intense and I would of loved to go but sometimes chores have to come first. Kind of made me want to trade this house in for a condo!

Hope you all had a happy Independence Day! I am so thankful to be an American and to have freedom. Thankful for all the men and women that have served our country and made sacrifice so that this is true. I read a quote the other day that was something like "How often we fail to realize our good fortune in living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy." This really got me to thinking how lucky we are. That even when our country is suffering and congress is fighting.....we aren't starving, we aren't drinking muddy water, we aren't fighting malaria, we aren't oppressed, we aren't fighting for our freedom. So many of us take life for granted and fight about our political differences; yet we still live in the best country in the world and we should all be Proud to be an American.

Eat Your Fruits & Vegetables!

Confession: While I love fresh fruits and vegetables, I do not eat enough of them.

On the new weight watchers plan almost all fruits and vegetables are free foods, worth no points. Even when I am eating the right amount of calories and points they aren't coming from the right places. I am not eating enough veggies or fruit. I really do love them so I am not sure why I don't eat them more often. I really need to make a conscious effort to incorporate them more. I eat too many starches!

One trick that my sister-in-law does is make smoothies a lot. She makes the oddest concoctions that sound gross but I have tried many of them and they are delicious. Just this week she had some crazy ones. Here are some of her recipes:

1. ice, honey, lime, spinach, pineapple, celery
2. ice, honey, collards, cucumber, pineapple, apple, spinach
3. ice, honey, celery, pineapple, green grapes, lime
4. ice, cantaloupe, green grapes, pineapple, greek yogurt
5. pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, greek yogurt

Now she does have this amazing blender called the vitamixer that is like an industrial blender so it can break up all the lime rind, cantaloupe seeds, etc...this would not be so easy in a regular blender. But what a great way to get in tons of fruits, vegetables and antioxidants in a quick drink. I think I am going to try and make some more smoothies at least with fruit. The veggies are a little tougher in my blender.

Fruits and Veggies are so yummy; especially this time of year. They are low in calories, rich in fiber and antioxidants and can help guard against several chronic diseases (1). They are also full of vitamins and minerals. I have heard many people say that the more colorful your plate is the healthier it is! We need to fill our plates with more color and try new things. I actually don't hardly have a veggie or fruit I don't like. I am not crazy about hot peas but I can eat them. I love artichokes, asparagus, brussel sprouts, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower; just to name a few...and I love all fruit except prunes (if you can really call that a fruit...hee hee).

I am going to make an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables and you should too. What are some of your favorites. Any tips on cooking them? Please send ideas. I am going to try and have all of my snacks be fresh.

(1) According to the CDC

Veggie Greek Salad

This is a great recipe for you to get in lots of veggies and not have to eat lettuce which has not much nutritional value. This recipe makes 8 servings and the calories are mostly dependent on how much and what type of dressing you use. If you use 10 oz of regular Newman's Own Greek Dressing then it is 6 Weight Watcher points per serving, if you use 8oz of Kraft light Zesty Italian then it is only 3 points. I made it with the one cup of zesty italian and it had plenty of dressing and was very good. You can make this in 15 minutes; all you have to do is cut veggies. The longer it soaks in the dressing, the better it tastes.

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli

1 head of cauliflower

2 cups cherry tomatoes

6 oz can sliced olives drained

6 oz tomato basil feta (crumbled)

2 TBSP Purple Onion (optional)

Zesty Italian or Greek Dressing

Chop veggies, mix in other ingredients, toss with dressing and chill overnight or for at least 2 hours.

Trampoline

My friend is moving and she offered to sell me her 15 foot trampoline that she got at Sam's Club for $45. SOLD! Not only will my kids have a blast on it for years to come but it is a fun way to burn some calories. I am going to wear my bodybugg and go jump for 10 minutes and report back but I have read that you burn about 50 calories in 10 minutes. Not a ton but I'd much rather go jump for 10 minutes than walk on the treadmill.

Here is a picture of my son Hudson. Yesterday he was playing in the backyard when he decided to strip down and go for a swim in our little pool, next thing I knew it...he was out there jumping in the buff. I definitely won't be doing that!

OK..I put on the bodybugg and it looks like I can burn almost 100 calories in 10 minutes. This is active jumping, bouncing and running. This is a great way for me to interact with Hudson in play and help me meet my goal. One of my workout friends wants me to throw another Wii Dance party & add trampoline! I think I will do it!