Surviving Candy Land! Halloween Strategy....

Yikes it has been a month since my last blog! It truly has been a crazy busy month of work, fun, healthy eating, non healthy eating, and just general life getting in the way!
But Halloween is practically here- and I wanted to pass on a few quick tips to help get you through the holiday!
Tip #1 Don't Buy Candy.  UNLESS you get a lot of tricker treaters in which case- buy a candy you DONT LIKE, and buy it THE DAY OF Halloween. Make sense? If it's not there- you can't eat it.  I once had a Halloween where I ate an entire bag of Reece's Peanut Butter Cups in the week prior to the actual holiday.  I had to buy more candy.  Embarrassing to admit- but true story.
Tip #2 Let Your Costume Motivate You.  If you fall in my age range- 20 to early 30 somethings- and you don't have children, chances are you are dressing up as "sexy" something.  "Sexy" nurse, bunny, Chilean Miner- you get the gist.  A cute outfit, minus coverage.  So- buy your outfit in advance and hang it in the front of your closet where every morning you are reminded that you want to make it look good!
Tip #3 Treat Yourself- In Moderation.  Easier said then done, but chances are you aren't going to be eating carrots on Halloween night.  Choose a number of pieces to eat and stick with it.  Enjoy them- don't gulp them down.
Tip #4 Read the Label. There is such a thing as "better for you" candy.  It's not stuff to eat 24/7 but check the nutrition labels of candy before making your pics.  Tootsie Rolls, candy corn, 3 Musketeers Bars, Now N Laters, Gummy Candy are all COMPARATIVELY lower fat and calories than their popular candy counterparts. 
Ok- that's all I've got!  Good luck this weekend and remember- even if for some incomprehensible reason you ignore my tips and give in to a candy binge this weekend- wars were not won or lost in a day.  That goes for healthy eating too. Forget the guilt and start fresh and healthy the next day!
XO
Chel
PS. Happy Bday Natty! Love you!

Win The War on Temptation

Happy Friday! Today's post was inspired by an article by Jill Waldbieser on Women's Health.com that caught my eye with the title "4 Ways to Resist Food Temptations".  Who couldn't learn something from that? I'm constantly looking for ways to prevent/resist & recover from the deadly pull of junk food.
Here's what the article had to say- and of course, my take on her suggestions :)
Strategy: Eat Smaller More Frequent Meals
What it Targets? Out of control hunger.
Why it works: Going too long without eating makes your blood sugar plummet. That leaves you with a raging appetite that can overpower your best intentions to eat well. If you have small meals every three to five hours, your blood sugar stays stable, preventing the wallop of a sugar low that will leave you vulnerable to overeating, says Lisa Jones, R.D., of LaSalle University. I COULD NOT agree with this one more.  I have noticed repeatedly through my food journaling that often my bad choices are caused directly by hunger, lack of snack planning, or the blood sugar crash following something sweet. Have a healthy snack with you at ALL times. Right now, I have a fruit leather in my purse, protein bar in my desk and crackers in my car. Seriously- these are my saviors.
Strategy: Eat With Your Other Hand
What it targets: Distraction
Why it works: Picking up a fork with the hand you don't usually use automatically slows you down and makes you focus on your meal, two things that have been proven to aid weight loss. Studies have shown that with regular practice, this kind of switcheroo can also increase your overall willpower. Hmm... ok... don't really think I'll be trying this one anytime soon (I'm laughing just picturing myself trying to do this in a restaurant! Chris would probably stop taking me out in public :) But I do agree with the underlying principle of focusing on what you are eating and slowing down the meal process. Rather than eating with the other hand, I'd suggest working on chewing your food more, not eating in front of the TV or in the car, or other strategies that help you concentrate on what you are eating.
Strategy: Weigh Yourself Regularly

What it targets: Losing sight of your goal
Why it works: Few things keep your weight-loss goal front and center better than seeing those big glowing numbers on the scale. Regular weigh-ins also make it easier to notice extra pounds creeping on, so you can slash and burn immediately. In fact, when researchers at the University of Minnesota analyzed more than 1,800 people who successfully shed pounds in weight-loss programs, they found that about 40 percent weighed themselves daily or weekly. And the more frequently they stepped on the scale, the more they lost: 12 pounds on average for daily weighers, compared with six for weekly weighers. (Scale shunners, meanwhile, gained an average of five pounds.)  Interesting study! And I agree that weighing yourself keeps you accountable.  I know for myself, when I'm "being bad" I just stop weighing myself, which never leads to anything good.  Then I'll go 6 weeks without weighing myself and it's torture to step back on the scale.  There's definitely a healthy balance between obsessive weighing and scale avoidance, find what works for you. For me- I do best if I weigh myself once a week, same day & same time.
Strategy: Lift Your Spirits
What it targets: Emotional eating
Why it works: It's estimated that when people overeat, nearly 75 percent of the time it's because they're feeling blue.
Even small doses of pleasant emotions can quickly renew your ability to say no. So the next time you're facing down temptation, surf over to theonion.com or buy yourself that going-out top you've been eyeing. The good feelings might be temporary, but they will last long enough to get you safely past that hot-fudge sundae. I do think this works.  However (and I know from experience) it can get expensive if you shop every time you feel like eating :).  Another great way to lift spirits is by getting outside, or really getting your serotonin flowing with some exercise.  Obviously easier said than done when you are feeling down, but nothing lifts my spirits more than a run or taking Riley to dog beach. 

Now you've got the tools, so get out there and resist some temptation this weekend!

XO

Chel

Caving to Temptation- Confession!

Here's what happened.  It's 4pm yesterday. I'm cranky, tired and dreading bootcamp after work. I finish up a rough meeting and walk back to my office to find a Fed Ex box on my desk.  I open the box to reveal a "goodie basket" sent from a company trying to woo mine into partnership.  There in the box, cutely wrapped with a ribbon among the harmless items like a pen and notebook sits a large bag of M&Ms. Plain chocolate M&Ms. And I caved.  I tore off that ribbon poured out a handful and munched them down while I responded to emails.  10 minutes later looked up and realized I was still snacking on them. "What am I doing?? I've just ruined a good day of eating!" Trying not to panic, I took the remaining M&Ms and dumped them in the trash.  Then I dumped a half a bottle of water on top of them (just to be safe :).
I wrote them down in the food journal (even though I did NOT want to). An estimated 400 calories for my moment of weakness. Then I went to bootcamp and worked them off through sprints and squats. (side note- I don't recommend M&Ms as a pre-workout snack, when you feel like they could come back up at any minute- it's not pleasant).  I managed to salvage the rest of my day by eating  a low calorie dinner (egg white & chicken scramble) and going to bed early.
Lessons to be learned?
#1 Mistakes happen.  Don't beat yourself up, accept them and move on.  Make the next choice a good one. 
#2 10 minutes of M&M pleasure is NOT worth the 75 minutes of hell at bootcamp to burn them off. 
#3 Do the math.  If you're going to indulge- make sure you're using your calories wisely.  I could have had 3 glasses of wine with those calories!
I share all this with you- so you will not have to repeat my mistakes.  Or if you do- realize you're not alone! We can do this. I may have lost a battle yesterday, but there's still a war to be won.
XO
Chel

Sometimes A Girl Just Needs A Burger...

I had In N Out for lunch today. And it was GOOD.  I was feeling some aftereffects of excessive wine consumption at a dinner party last night and couldn't get the thought of a burger (and fries) out of my head. In a feeble attempt to "be good" I did order it protein style (lettuce wrapped instead of a bun) but it was definitely an indulgence. I wrote it down in my food journal... and now I have a whopping 490 calories to last me the rest of the day- hmmm.... since I totally blew my calorie count yesterday I am trying to keep in check today!

Last night I had a  friends over and made Phenomenal Chicken And Pasta In Creamy Pesto Sauce.  Sounds healthy right? :) I made some modifications to the recipe reduce some calories, including using whole wheat pasta, swapping cream for half & half, cutting back some of the olive oil... it came out pretty good. But then at the end I had to add a ton of extra parmesan cheese for flavor which may have offset all my improvements!  My favorite part was making the pesto sauce- I think I'll make that again. I blended a ton of fresh basil, little olive oil, pine nuts, a tomato & garlic and it was SO good. I wanted to spread it on bread and eat it plain! My favorite dish of the night was a Smoked Salmon Crostini appetizer- which is actually a Cooking Light recipe. Checkout the picture below. It was all good! But I ended my day at 2,400 calories. Yes you read that right. I'm eating burgers and going 1k over my daily calorie allotment... uh oh... Time to get back on track!

Definitely looking forward to a low key weekend with lots of exercise!  Happy Friday!
XO
Chel

Should I Develop Restaurantaphobia?

Am I the only one who gets daily emails from the "Eat This Not That" people? Because although I LOVE the concept... it's freaking me out! I'm terrified of going to a restaurant!
Today's email was a list of the Top 20 Worst Restaurant Meals in America. I feel like I'm pretty good at evaluating menu selections, but the calorie count on some of these was insane!
For example, you'd be better off getting In N Out Cheeseburger & Fries (total of 880) then eating something that sounds harmless like the TGI Friday BBQ Chicken Wrap (with NO fries or sides) for 1,720 calories! Or one piece of Sbarro Stuffed Pizza for 960 cals! The one that killed me though was from California Pizza Kitchen becuase it's TOTALLY something I would order, the Thai Crunch Salad with Fresh Avocado. It has 2,238! OMG. They make McDonalds look like diet food. Nowhere is safe!!
Since permanently avoiding all restaurants is pretty much out of the question- I guess the best thing to do is either: Buy the "Eat This Not That" book and bring it with me everywhere I go- slightly embarrassing and definitely bulky OR learn my substitutions. By knowing WHERE the calories come from and looking out for key words like: bread, sauce, cheese, spread, cream-based, dressing, fried, and even healthy things like nuts & avocado. Then I can pick and choose what's important to me. Personally I'd rather keep the avocado on my salad- but get the dressing on the side and no croutons. And I'd rather take half the bun off of a burger and replace it with lettuce but keep the cheese. It's not an exact science- but I think most foods can be fairly easily modified with just a little knowledge.
Today's blog was originally going to be about fasting & cleanses... I'm considering doing a 2 day "Liver Cleanse" to jumpstart me back to healthier eating (and c'mon whose liver couldn't use a cleanse??) BUT this scary restaurant email freaked me out and I felt the need to put out a warning immediately before another fake "healthy" restaurant meal was consumed! Diners beware! Have a wonderful weekend!
Chel
PS- There is a new law in CA that if a restaurant has over 10 locations they HAVE to publish the calorie counts on all menu items. They don't have to be printed on the menu- but available on request. Don't be embarrassed to ask for it! (unless it's a first date- probably keep it on the DL, you can always google calorie counts on your phone in the bathroom if you are really desperate! :)

Today is Not My Day...

Recap of weekend: BAD BAD Eating and Drinking. I'm not going to get specific but let's just say it wasn't good... well it did taste pretty good, but you see where I'm going with this.
I hesitantly weighed myself this morning- preparing for the worst- and it was! I gained 2.5 pounds this week! Thats the biggest gain I've had in all 16 weeks since I've been in bootcamp. So frusturating especially since I'm only on schedule to loose 1 lb a week now- it's like I set myself back 2.5 weeks!
You'd think that would inspire me to be extra good today- but so far it hasn't! I mean I'm not out eating Big Macs or anything but I did have an amazing Submarina sandwich for lunch- and the reason I know I'm not "on track" is because I got cheese on it, and light mayo! Ok to be come 100% clean- I got white bread instead of wheat!!?? Who am I and what has happened to my motivation?
Definitely going to bootcamp tonight (even though I'm still sore from last night- we ran hills!) and then having a healthy dinner of mexican ground turkey pitas & salad. Going to try and avoid the remains of a DELICIOUS white chocolate key lime pie I made this weekend. (In NO way low cal- but oh so good).
I'm reminding myself of things I'm always telling others- two pounds is not the end of the world- I can take it off easily, and it's ok to mess up, you just need to move on. UGH. But I'm having a hard day. Being good starting... Now!
Chel
PS On a totally random note- does anyone shop at Kohls? I happened upon one during lunch today and it was kind of amazing! Really good deals and pretty much everything in the store was on sale! I got a cute jacket marked down from $90 to $60 and then on the clearance rack for $18! (I'll probably never wear it- but even once will be worth that price!)

The Cost of Eating Well

I want to go see the movie Food Inc. I've heard it's going to make me never want to eat again which might be tough (but will sure help with the diet :). I watched a preview for it last night, and I think the basic concept is how the Food Industry has become really powerful and is dangerously unregulated, that the American public is eating things that could be harming our health over time. Overuse of hormones, inhumane treatment of animals, overprocessing- all of which has led to food that has less nutrients than it should and our bodies are not getting what they need. The "solution" seemed to be to "fight back" against the food industry by supporting local farmers and shopping at Farmers Markets rather than the large grocery chains.
It's an interesting concept & I definitely want to see the movie. I'm all for supporting local foods- but to be honest, price, selection & convenience also are a factor in where I shop. I'll keep you posted if I change my tune once I see the movie!
Speaking of price- this morning as I was eating breakfast I was thinking about how one of the common arguments against eating healthy is that it's "too expensive". And I agree- it can be. But there are definitely ways around that. For example- my breakfast this morning was an Egg White McMuffin with cheese & scallions. At McDonalds- the same Egg McMuffin would cost between $3-4 and have 300 calories (still not bad- I actually reccomend this if you're going to have a fast food breakfast). I calculated the cost on mine and it went like this:
Light Thomas Brand English Muffins (8) $3.49 +Carton Egg Whites 15 servings $2.99 +Bag pre-shredded lucerne reduced fat cheddar cheese (8 servings but I only used half a serving) $3.99+
Scallions 99cents (used about 1/6 of stock) =
Total cost for my Egg White McMuffin was $1.23 and only 185 calories. Oh and did I mention it was delicious and filling? Serve with a side of fruit and you've got a great start to the day.
Even my usual breakfast- a bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch comes in at 200 calories- 240 with milk and at $4.29 a box(and that's not even a sale price) divided by 16 servings comes out to 27 cents a day! Wow- I tend to be a little obsessive about deals when it comes to shopping for clothes- I don't want to get too hooked on this food thing... Next thing you know I'll be updating Chris daily on how much $$ I saved by eating healthy that day! He got an email yesterday detailing how much money I'd saved at Old Navy (is everyone aware of their 50% off all outerware sale??) Ok- Stopping calculations now :) but seriously- no more cost excuses for not eating healthy!
XO
Chel

Because We're Catching Up- I'm Being Random

And again- almost another week gone by! So this week I'm talking a little bit of everything! Lets start with Halloween, what a fun candy filled holiday... I've always thought I was being "good" by eating the fun size candy bars~ turns out they are not quite so "good"... if you eat 9 (which can add up quickly) you gain a 1/4 pound of fat! Seriously, it's a mathmatical equation. So- I'm going to skip the candy and save my calories this weekend for the number of drinks it will take me to feel comfortable in my costume :) ha. kidding. Kind of.
Boot camp is going well- hard to be as motivated the second time around, I'm less conscious about writing everything down- but it feels great to be working out again. I went for a run yesterday at Lake Murray which was one of my FAVORITE running/walking/thinking spots in college and ran about 4 miles at a decent pace and actually finished feeling ok- like not ready to pass out and die :) It was fun to go to an old place becuase it made me see how far I've come from the days there when 2 miles used to kick my butt.
I have cooked two meals in the crock pot this week, a turkey breast recipe and last night beef short ribs (that one was probably not the healthiest.. but kind of amazing). With the cold fall weather I just think it can't be beat as a way of cooking. With the crock pot I'm even starting to enjoy the process of cooking- finding all the ingredients, reading recipes, putting it all in the pot and letting the magic happen! It's kind of like making potions as a kid. (am I the only wierdo who did that?) However- so far all my experiments have been much better tasting than any of my youth creations :)
Ok and finally to top off this randomness of a post- I will share my recipe for a festive holiday champers drink that was a HUGE hit this past weekend.
1 tbs Sugar
1/2 cup water
1 bottle of champaign (or maybe two in case you want seconds :))
fresh rosemary (available at grocery store)
pomegranet juice
Directions: Heat the sugar and water in a pan until the sugar disolves. Turn off heat and add a few leaves of Rosemary (recipe says 2 tbs) and let it sit for 30 min. Then strain it (to get the rosemary out) and place aside.
In a chilled martini glass pour: 1tbs Rosemary blend, 2 tbs pomegranet juice, and a half cup champaign. Top with a sprig of fresh rosemary.
This delicious drink is not only tasty and beautiful -it's got only 115 calories (I got the recipe in my latest obsession, Cooking Light Magazine).
And on the note of festivites & great drinks- HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATTY! I can't wait to see you next week and celebrate in person!
XO
Chel

My Boyfriend Took Away My Corn Dog Bite Last Night...

And I love him for it. :) Seriously though, it got me thinking about how important it is to have a strong support system of people in your life who are aware of your goals & truly want to see you succeed. Last night we were at a concert (actually I think it was more of a "show" we are such hipsters it's redic) and I'd had a few vodka sodas and suddenly the buffet line of corn dog bites & taquitos looked AMAZING. I piled a plate full without even thinking about it and luckily I had Chris there to take it away. I totally gave him a dirty look and he said "you'll thank me in the morning" and he's right, I did.
It can be hard to be supportive of friends who diet, I think especially for girls. Prior to Boot Camp I always prefered to eat junk food or drink with other people. It somehow makes it seem okay. But when other people aren't joining in, the guilt about eating a whole bag of chips or pint of ice cream hits you immediatly and it's harder to enjoy the guilty pleasure. BUT- what I've realized is that doing something as a group (binge eating) may be fun in the moment, but the guilt always comes eventually whether it's later that night or a week later when your pants feel tight.
SO- two lessons learned. One- Avoid the guilt completely by making good decisions and having great people around you to catch you if you slip up. And Two- Don't hate on people who diet. It's something they're doing for themselves & if it's irritating you, take a moment to consider the possibility that your annoyance may be born from the subconcious knowledge that you should probably put down that corn dog bite too.
Happy Friday!
XO
Chel

Bread Bowls, Runs & Healthy Mexican

Warning- this post is a little random (could you tell from the title?) what can I say, it has been a long week! TGIF (shoutout Kurd)
I was horrified yesterday when I got the mail. There was an insert promoting Domino's new Bread Bowl Pasta. Could there possibly be anything worse for you? Choose from chicken alfredo, mac & cheese, carbonera... all in a pizza dough bread bowl! But that wasn't even all- the offer on the insert was buy a Bread Bowl Pasta (ranging from 1400-1600 calories- more than I can eat a day) and get a free Chocolate Lava Crunch Cake!! Each crunch cake has 357 calories, but don't worry- and order includes 2 of them! So- were you to eat it all (for the low price of $5.99) you could potentially be eating 2,300 calories in one meal. WOW. And people wonder why American's are getting fatter? Seriously!
So- this weekend is America's Finest City 5k run in Balboa park. I'm excited and hopeful to beat my time from last year. I would really love to beat Chris- but not sure that's going to happen just quite yet :) I'm a little nervous because I haven't really been running lately outside of bootcamp. In class we run about 2 miles (and a 5k is 3.2) but I think I should be okay because I'm doing a ton of cardio & my legs are definitely stronger! Races are really fun- the first one I ever did was this same race last year and really got hooked. It's such a fun environment & a great way to motivate yourself to keep working out when you know you've got a race coming up. We actually have another one- 4 miles next weekend but I think that will be more of a fun run, it's on the beach from La Jolla to PB & ends in a beer garden. :)
I'll leave you with a recipe which I'm thinking about making tonight "healthy mexican tacos/tostadas" it's pretty easy & really good.
Corn tortillas
Ground Turkey
Mexican seasoning package
Black Beans
Lettuce
Chopped Tomatoes
Cilantro
Lime
Salsa
Plain non fat greek yogurt (use in place of sour cream)
Lite Cheese
So basically you prepare the turkey in a pan just like you would ground beef, and add the seasoning. Then heat the beans & toss the tortillas on the grill for a minute to soften and then add all the great toppings and enjoy!
Have a great weekend!!
Chel