The ELFF Diet

Lunches and Their Components

The happy and spirited Jen asks:  any tips for packing good lunch snacks? My husband and I are trying to lose weight and I'm wondering what to put in the lunches he takes to work every day. Usually they currently consist either dinner leftovers or a PB&J; a piece of fruit; and a granola bar or some pretzels. Are there specific brands of granola bars that are good? Or some other snack I might substitute? Any tips you can give on healthy, CHEAP foods that are easy to throw in a lunch box would be great.

What a great question!  Typically, I take something that comprises a main dish, a piece of fruit and some cut up veg.  I tend to take a granola bar or protein bar for mid morning, so I avoid those in my lunch.  I'll list what I find to be some great choices - what can you add?

• lowfat string cheese and whole grain crackers
  
• baked sweet potato
• homemade chili, made with soy crumbles, topped with low fat cheese
• whole wheat tortilla, filled in with a choice of black beans, fat free refried beans, shredded chicken breast, tomatoes, lettuce and low fat cheese
• a lean cuisine or similar frozen meal
• peanut butter on rice cakes
• peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread topped with sliced bananas or strawberries
• Lunch meat roll up - sliced turkey and cheese, lettuce and tomato rolled up in a whole wheat tortilla
  

If I'm taking a sandwich, I typically take all the components and assemble it at lunch time, leaving the top piece off.

Random Has Spoken

And the winner is....Kim!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

41	

Timestamp: 2008-05-29 02:24:50 UTC

Thanks SO much for entering - 76 comments, wow!  I think I'll have another contest soon. Kim, please email me with your address at mom to the screaming masses AT gmail DOT com -removing spaces and changing the words to the symbols, of course. 

I had my stitches taken out today - actually very easy and painless and now I can begin to exercise once again.  Twelve days off - no martial arts for another week or so, but I can walk and run and lift weights now. So, tomorrow I start again. So those are my plans for this weekend. 

What about you?

It's a Giveaway!

So, while I'm convalescing from my surgery, which is way less fun than I always thought it'd be, it occurs to me that I have a book on hand that would make an awesome gift for one of you.  I was given a brand new, still in shrink wrap, never opened or smelled or spilled on, copy of Cooking Light Complete Cookbook: A fresh new way to cook.

It's close to 300 pages, ring bound - which means that it lays flat on the counter, a must for me - and chock a block full of great recipes.

 

Want it?  Leave me a comment here.  I can only ship to the United States - sorry, but this thing is heavy.  Contest is open until Tuesday, May 27. 

Our Friends in the Weight Loss World

I read lots of diet, exercise and weight loss blogs.  Many of them I've found by reading the alternating headlines on the right of the screen, over there -----> under the Blogher ad.  Some of my favorites are listed below; who will you add?

• Diet Naked
• Fitness Fixation
• Mr and Mrs Get Fit
• Half of Me
• The amazing adventures of Dietgirl!

I have met all of the above and they are lovely, lovely, REAL people.  (Well, not met Mel of Diet Naked, but emailed and chatted so much that I feel like she's my long lost sister or something.)

Go forth, read, comment and let me know who you recommend!

Breakfast smoothie

I know, I seem to be stuck on smoothies lately.  Why not?  They are quick and easy and you can take them in the car.

Blend 10 ounces skim milk or plain soy milk, 1 T natural peanut butter  and 1 banana.  Add ice if you want a thicker consistency. 

Breakfast in less than a minute.  Now you have no excuse not to eat!

Guest Post

The amazing LC has done a wonderful thing in her life.  When she told me about it, I was so amazed and impressed that I asked her if she'd be willing to write a bit about it for us.  And she did.  So here it is. :)

When is it that a person reaches a point where they feel so fragile, even though they are grossly overweight, that they are afraid to do physically challenging activities?  That they entertain serious thoughts about what would happen if they “dropped dead” mid-day?

I reached that point a couple of years ago.  Rational thought would have reminded me that I’d had all sorts of medical evaluations, and that all indications were that I was free to exercise at will, and participate in any activity I chose.  Anxiety and irrational thought trumped those, however, and even the idea that I would be going to a series of events that included large crowds and long days (the triple crown races of horse racing!) might be fatal.

I realized that my irrational fears would soon find me trapped in my home, if I let them.  I remembered that someone had suggested yoga as a way to approach anxiety without medications.  On that memory, I joined a yoga class, taught by a wonderful husband and wife team (mylifefitness.com).  I learned to breathe through fear and doubt.  I learned that I am perfect even as I am at any given moment.  I learned that I have the right to occupy the space I do, and that I shouldn’t worry if my anxiety starts to well up. 

I got through the Kentucky Derby, the Belmont Stakes and the Preakness Stakes with lots of breathing, and even going into the public restroom, putting my foot up on the toilet seat lid and stretching my hips and back after sitting too long on a bus, airplane, or stadium seat.  I made it.  I did it!

Within a couple of years, the yoga class disbanded for a number of reasons.  I felt I was ready to take my health and fitness to another level, and so I started working with the husband of the yoga team, as a student to his wellness coaching.  We work on my mental, spiritual, emotional and physical health and balance.  He pushes me when I need pushed and he settles me when I need settling.

One significant time, I was doing a “plank” pose on his floor, and I got very anxious and frightened.  My head was pounding and my heart was fluttering.  He was aware of my situation, and had me sit on his couch and do centering breathing, and did some guided visualization.  The panic and discomfort passed, and we talked until I had the epiphany that “strenuous exercise is not fatal”!  It sounds absurd, but it is what it is.

Skip forward to this week. 

The Rest of the Questions

I know, this was from more than a month ago.  I'm sorry. 

The gracious Janelle asks:  When you started to lose weight, did you have any sabatogers? Like the mother-in-law who brings over a plate of your favorite cookies or your husband brings home a box of doughnuts. How did you handle stuff like that?

My hardest part was that my husband would bring home candy bars, cookies and ice cream.  It was hard not to eat them.  While I was trying actively to lose weight, I didn't eat any of them.  Not one.  I ate Cocoa Via bars, or other lower calorie treats every once in a while, but I really tried to stay cleanly away from the stuff.  It did make him upset.  I felt bad, but I knew that I'd feel bad if I ate them.  Too much guilt either way.  I finally had to ask him to just cut it out, but I knew that he wouldn't listen.  Now that I'm pretty much where I want to be, I'm a bit more generous with my choices - some days, a bit too generous.  (Oops, chocolate cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory on Mother's Day!)  I mainly try to, as much as I can, weigh the benefits of what I'm being pressured with - yummy taste - with the time needed to work it off.  That often keeps it in check.

The wonderous Nancy asks: I'm new to dieting for weight loss (before it was always just eating healthy to stay thin) since I just had three kids in four years. I've been doing OK, eating right and exercising regularly, and averaging a pound a week lost, but I'm getting a little depressed. It seems like to have a "good" diet and exercise day I have to wake up and say to myself "look how gross you are. You're fat and disgusting. Do something about that today." I've always had relatively good self-esteem, but this dieting thing is getting me down. How do I do it with a positive spin?

Feel Great About Your Body

I read an article this weekend in Parade magazine, that little insert in the Sunday newspaper, and the article on Feeling Better About Your Body.  In the article, a scenario is set.  You look at your body in the mirror, become disgusted with yourself because you've gained weight, and walk away feeling depressed and hopeless. For those of us that struggle with emotional eating, we might even bury ourselves, and our feelings, in food to find some measure of comfort.

How can we stop this?  How can we feel better about our bodies? There were four points in the article:

• Don't tie your self-worth to the number on the scale.  Um, seriously, this one is the VERY hardest for me.  Case in point:  Over the summer, I was down to my lowest weight - 129.8.  I took a picture of the scale and everything.  I wasn't working and my kids were off school, and I was able to devote 2-3 hours a day to heavy exercise.  During the school year, my job changed and I worked more hours, my kids sports went nuts and I put on five pounds.  I weigh in now at 134.  At first, when I realized that I've pretty much set my point at that level, I was frustrated.  I wanted to be even lower than my lowest.  I felt like a failure and a hypocrite on this site.  But I've realized something - when I was working out that hard, I wasn't really able to enjoy my meals - I was always aware of every single bite.  I didn't want to eat anything sweet or bready or, really anything, because I was addicted to that number.  At a number just five pounds higher, I can pretty much eat what I want and exercise daily and keep in line.  It's healthier for me.  YOU (and me) are not the number on the scale.
• Don't put your life on hold. I'll start exercising when my thighs don't rub together.  When I can bike outside and not struggle with my balance.  When I have hours to devote to it.  When I buy some great new exercise clothing. You don't need to, and in fact you shouldn't, wait for all of the stars to line up.  Just get out there and do something.  Even walking for 20 minutes will help you feel better.  Remember, a step in the right direction is a positive. 
• Ease up on the pressure.  You don't have to work out at a death pace all day, every day.  Find something that you like to do, and do it.  Try to think about how great you feel, what wonderful work you've done, and how great it is for your body, rather than how far you have to go.  If you've got a lot of weight to lose, that huge number can be very overwhelming.  In the beginning, I concentrated on five pound chunks.  That's all - I wanted to lose 5 pounds.  And then five more.  Relax. 
• Congratulate yourself on your hard work.  No matter what you haven't accomplished, a step in the right direction is moving you that way. No one says that you have to reach your goal today, tomorrow, or next month.  You ARE getting there.  You WILL.

Check in

What are you up to?

I did weight work at the gym today.  I walked three miles.

What about you?

Tomorrow, I'm taking my kids to a local amusement park, where I'm certain to walk at least four miles. Maybe more.  The challenge for tomorrow will not be getting my exercise, but eating correctly - this park will not let you bring any food in, and it's a hike to get to your car if you pack food.  Plus, hello, I'm not up for returning to the car with all kids.

What will you do for exercise this weekend?  What challenges will you face and how will you overcome them?

In which I channel a deep and introspective persona

I received a few personal emails, asking why I'm so freaked out about having surgery.  One, from a person who has known me for quite a while, chastised me.  You are making a mountain out of a molehill, said he.  Plenty of people the world over have surgery every day, for much more major stuff, some even in worse conditions, and they survive just fine.  Buck up, buttercup.  Quit whining and complaining and get back to your exercise.   I swear, you are so melodramatic. And stop it with the weight talk.

Swear to goodness.  Actual email from someone I know well.  Posted here with his permission. I've already addressed it with him - oh boy, have I - but I thought you all might want to hear it as well. 

So, here's my background.  My brother in law died when he had surgery.  A mom at my church, with kids my own kids ages, goes into the hospital for routine surgery - she'd had the same surgery a month or so before.  She has a reaction to the anesthesia, suffers brain damage, remains in a vegetative state for quite a while, and dies. I attend a fancy dinner this weekend, and sit with two people.  These people have in common the fact that their mothers are deceased.  Why?  Coincidentally, both died during surgery.  One for a hernia. 

I have had one surgery in my life, when I was 17.  That's it.  So, I haven't much base to go on, so pardon me if I freak out a bit, um'kay?

As far as the "weight" talk, well, huh.  Realistically, I know that it takes a long time to put on weight.  When I had a stress fracture over the summer, when I tore my IT band during the half marathon, when I broke my toe - all of those incapacitated me, and I was worried about gaining weight.  Each time, I did gain a bit, but I was able to lose it.  I know that will be the scenario again.  I just don't have a basis of surgical experience to go on - I do have an injury history and know how my body heals with that.  I absolutely agree that I need the rest - the foot with the badly healed stress fracture is achey again and I think it needs time to heal.

I want to thank those of you who took the time to reassure me.  I'm a big baby, I know, but feelings are feelings - I can't change them and I can't control them but by God I can blog about them.

Now, if I could figure out a way to get another tattoo and a bikini wax while under anesthesia, I'd be allllll set.