"A-ha" Moment Not Needed

Wanted to share these experiences with you from this past Wednesday. Here it goes. . .

Situation #1

As my profile indicates, I am a Registered Dietitian. I have the pleasure of working with the community on an outpatient basis which can be both frustrating and rewarding at once. I received a call yesterday from someone seeking nutrition counseling for weight loss. Not an unusual request; what made it different was the desperation in the voice. This person sounded so desperate to gain control of his/her weight, it sounded like an emergency call. This person sounded as if they had reached bottom and was screaming as loud as possible for help. I was moved by the call. I can help this client and I know he/she will be successful because although I struggle with my weight, I am good at what I do and have a good track record with clients.

I digress.

What struck me about the call is that I am not in that same, desperate place. I really, really want to lose weight but I'm not desperate. I feel as if I've reached bottom several times but I'm not screaming for help. So now I am left to wonder what's in it for me. Doesn't that sound so Jillian Michaels? What benefit do I derive from remaining fat? I'm not going to over-analyze the situation but I am curious about me.

Situation #2

After work, I head to Wal-mart and choose a cashier. The people in line in front of me were obese. I mean morbidly obese. The whole family: mom, dad, 3 teenage girls. Their cart was full so it appeared to be a re-stocking type of grocery trip. And let me tell you. . . that cart contained only crap. Yes, I judged. I am a judger but what's the saying? "When you point a finger there are three fingers pointing back at you?" Close enough. . you know where I'm going.

Back to the cart: there's cake, packages of brownies, bags chips, bottles of soda and all the packaged, full-of-sodium-and-fat entrees you could imagine. Not a fresh fruit or vegetable in sight. I looked at my cart: water, high fructose corn syrup free whole wheat bread, low carb 6" tortilas and a pack of gum. Then I chuckled. Almost laughed out loud.

In all honesty, I have never eaten even half of the items I saw in the 'obese' cart but here I am overweight (very likely obese based on my BMI) and judging others because of their food choices.

So went my second weight loss reminder: it's all about portion sizes. You can get fat on 'healthy' foods. Trust me on this one. Hello? All foods have calories.

There are other consequences besides weight gain to consistently eating sodium-, fat- and calorie-laden foods but the crux of weight loss remains the same: calories in versus calories out.

So those three fingers pointed back at me. I am fat because of I've been eating out of control. I abuse food.

Next steps?

I may not be desperate to lose weight and I may not have actually reached bottom yet but I don't have to wait until I get there. If eating the right amounts of food and exercising daily have to be mechanical actions then that's what I have to do. There doesn't need to be an 'a-ha' moment flooded with emotion for me to get my butt in gear. There are a lot of things I do consistently not because I want to but because I have to or there are consequences: like my job.

So, it's my job to lose weight and get healthy. It's that simple.

Slowly moving to the mark,

- Kareen, RD

Memory Lane

Hello!

It's time to address the white elephant in the room. My goal date, May 22, passed and I didn't reach my weight loss goal.

Disappointed? Yes, I am but not broken. I lost a net of 5 lbs and while that's a drop in the bucket it's a loss.

May 22 was also my five year wedding anniversary. My hubby and I were on vacation visiting family during that time. I couldn't rightly be depressed during such a wonderful occassion. I would not let weight ruin the celebration.

So, two weeks out from vacation, I'm re-focussed and ready to tackle this thing called weight loss. I spent the weekend looking through wedding pictures with my hubby and wow, I looked great! Tooting my own horn here :) Besides how I looked, the pictures reinforced the fact that I have been successful at weight loss. And not just five years ago but also a couple of years ago although I don't have pictures to document that phase.

What's the next logical thought? What was I doing 'right' during that time? AND more importantly, what should I do to maintain so I'm not in this position again?

Question 1: What have I done in the past to lose weight successfully?

1. Worked out two hours/day - one hour in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening.
2. Had a gym membership.
3. Faithfully logged EVERYTHING I ate in Sparkpeople.
4. Weighed-in weekly.

It's not complicated but I haven't been following that plan and I haven't lost weight as I have in the past.

Question 2: What do I need to maintain successfully?

Truthfully, I've never reached the maintenance phase. While I've been successful at weight loss I have never actually reached my goal weight and eventually I fizzle out trying to reach that goal. So my main task is to stay the course. I'll deal with maintenance as I get closer - one step at a time.

I'm going to spend this week checking out the local area gyms. Hopefully I find one but if not I'll stick to the home workouts diligently. Even if I find a gym, I will continue with home workouts but I need interaction with like-minded people at this point.

I'm excited!


- Kareen, RD

What's for Lunch Tomorrow?

First, the Rootin' Tootin' Salad from yesterday was delicious and super filling. Fiber is good. Tonight's recipe was an experiment and it is...what's a synonym delicious? Ah yes, it is pleasing, especially to the taste.

Seashells and Mushrooms in Basil Creme Sauce
from Vibrant Life May/June Issue; recipe by Vic and Dee Scalzo

Yield: 4 1-cup servings

8 ounces whole-wheat seashell macaroni, uncooked
3 cups portabello or button mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons dried or fresh basil, chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon unbleached flour
1 cup soy milk
3 tablespoons vegan cheese, grated

1. Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with basil and garlic powder. Cook five minutes, or until mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently.
3. Place flour in a small bowl. Add a few tablespoons of milk, stirring to make a thick paste. Gradually add remaining milk, stirring until smooth. Add mixture to skillet, along with cheese. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring until the sauce thickens slightly. Toss in the seashell macaroni and coat with sauce.

Nutritionals:
Calories: 179; Total Fat: 3 g; Protein: 11.5 g; Fiber: 6.2 g; Sodium: 104 mg

Okay, let's get to cooking!

The pasta. Yes, I weighed it

It's ready

Mushrooms sliced and basil chopped

Sauteed mushrooms in water to reduce fat content

I made a roux. . . okay, it was more like memories of a roux

The finished product and for a first run, it tasted pretty good

Next time, I'll incorporate veggies into the cooking process. Tomorrow, I'll toss in some frozen spinach and corn.

If you try it, let me know what you think.

Until the next episode, keep eating right!

- Kareen, RD

Rootin' Tootin' Salad

Hello from the EatingRight kitchen!

This is the second time I've made this recipe and I love it so I'm sharing. The first time around, I followed the recipe to the letter. Tonight, I switched it up based on convenience and taste.

So here's the original recipe from Foods That Fight Cancer by Neal Barnard, M.D.; recipe by Jennifer Raymond, M.S., R.D.

1 15-ounce can showstring beets, drained
1 small jicama, peeled and cuts into matchsticks
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
3 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

Combine beeds, jicama, and carrot in a large salad bowl. In a small bowl, mix lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and dill. Pour dressing over the salad. Toss to mix. Serve warm or chilled.

Nutritionals per 1/6 of the recipe

Calories: 56; Fat: 0.3 g; Protein: 1.2 g; Carbohydrate: 13.1 g; Fiber 4.5 g; Sodium: 209 mg

Here's what I used tonight:

Yellow organic baby carrots, organic baby carrots, jicama, lemons, seasoned rice vinegar, stone-ground mustard, dried dill weed


Carrots before...


. . .carrots after!


Jicama! I'm new to this root vegetable. Not sure if I can fully describe the taste but it is close to kohlrabi and it's delicious.


All together. The salad presents beautifully with the magenta colour of the beets so be sure to try it out!


Time to get saucy


Final, yummy product! Can't wait for lunch tomorrow. Mmmm!



Please let me know if you try the recipe. It's quick, easy, nutritious and delicious!

Keep eating right!

- Kareen, RD

My New Favourite Smoothie

Here's the latest smoothie currently on heavy rotation in the EatingRight home. The original recipe is from the excellent Cancer Project vegan cooking class I am attending.

Below is the adapted version of the recipe. I use what's on hand and it's delicious in all its iterations!

Fantastic Fruit Smoothie
What you'll need:
1 frozen banana
1 c frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen pineapples
6-8 frozen strawberries
8 oz pomegranate juice
Lots and lots of baby spinach
Cold water as needed



Place the fruit in the blender:



Next add the spinach (trust me. . . all the nutrients without a compromise in taste):



Lastly add the juice:



Now you're ready to blend. Add water and/or juice as necessary to reach your desired consistency:



Time to enjoy!



If you try it drop me a line to let me know what you thought. Looking forward to hearing about your variations!

- Kareen, RD

An Apology

Well, it's been some time since I blogged but I had to take a step back from the public (sorry to my 5 subscribers) and reassess the weight loss journey. For now, the journey will be less public. In the past three weeks, I've lost 4.6 lbs and it's staying off. I think the pressure to succeed and not wanting to be embarrassed worked against my efforts.

I will remain somewhat mute on weight loss. Instead, I'm going to focus on nutrition which is my area of expertise.

To those who read my musings, I appreciate the support! Hope you'll join me as I venture into new territory!

- Kareen, RD

Do Over

Last week started off really great on the exercise front. I was proud of myself for starting Insanity. I even stuck to the schedule. . . the first three days. Wednesday I was sore, nursing a tender knee (my fault) and tired. I started the warm-up on Thursday but then my computer went on the fritz (we don't own a DVD player). After an hour of troubleshooting, it was 9:30 p.m. and I was in no mood to work out. Sorry but that's the truth. On Friday I deemed the week a failure and didn't bother with Insanity.

To top that, my nutrition intake was epic. . .epicly horrible. Let's label last week "Adventures in Cheese." Hello?! Doesn't that sound crazy? How else can I explain eating crap while on an intense exercise program? On Friday, I had a serious dialogue with the mirror. What is the point of sweating your butt off but eating poorly?

As a dietitian I especially know (and I advise clients of the same fact) that you have to bring it in the kitchen. Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% of your body transformation lies in diet and 20% in exercise. Of course that's not based on exact science but it emphasizes the nutrition's key role.

I came to the realization that I am not yet strong enough to tackle the cafeteria at work. Yeah, my meals are free so that helps with the grocery bill but it's harming my waist line. So, time to suck it up and bring my meals to work. That way, I don't even need to venture into temptation.

With all that said, it's do over week. Starting at Day 2 of Insanity today.

Going to bring it!

- Kareen, RD