The Doubting Daikon

I am thinking about changing the name of this blog. I have been considering it for some time now. I no longer feel like a "doubting daikon", not that the title ever felt like me. Victor, a friend and tri-coach, asked me last winter on our early morning bike rides, ahem at 4am, why on earth I would relate to a low energy radish. He is right, the last thing I am is low energy. You know me, always on the go, counting down items on multiple to do lists found in my pocketbook, while planning out and chasing down my next idea. My mind and determination is always restless. I am rather flippant about things. I have an idea and run with it to the end. I don't really do enough brainstorming. So, I am reaching out to you, my friends, to help me name my next blog. The title, "Motivation to Change" has been on my mind for a while. What do you think? Do you like it? Have a another suggestion. I would love to hear from you.

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson

What's INSIDE a Chicken "Nugget", ANY "Nugget", even the "Healthy" ones?

istock photo

I was sitting in the lunch room, waiting to hear from one of our school administrators about the new lunch program. One of the other moms brought up Jaime Oliver's television program, I had seen some passing commercials about Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution, but I hadn't yet watched the show. She said something like, "I hope that's not what is really in a chicken nugget. My kids eat chicken nuggets all the time." I remember responding with something like, "I am sure it is."

When I got home, I googled the episode. If you haven't seen in, here it is:

Now I know that this exactly what's is inside a chicken nugget anymore, but the fact is, we don't really KNOW what is! I don't know a label that reads chicken skin, tendons and cartilage, but the sad thing is that some of the bloody Cuisinart contents look frighteningly familiar if crusted in the perfect hue of golden brown.

Still, isn't that clip leave you stunned? We train our kids (and possibly ourselves) to only eat food that tastes good, no matter how disgusting the ingredients are. If I had known what I was doing when I served my boys that first chicken nugget, I would like to say emphatically that I wouldn't have done it. The real question is whether I will do it again.

Now YOU know, will knowledge change what you do? 

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson

"What I Hate About Me"

Have you seen this new show on the Style network? It's your typical makeover show with a new flashy title. The premise is that participant lists 10 things they hate about themselves and then the hour long program revolves around solving each one of those problems. Most of these were of course superficial and could be solved immediately though an intervention of some sort, skin re-surfacing, new clothes, a haircut, etc. Of course the part that I remember most is diet related.

The female participant, Ambar, had recently lost 70lbs. While that is miraculous and commendable, she accomplished this by eating only junk food. Now, if you are like me, it can seem difficult to imagine someone eating high calorie junk foods all the time and losing weight, but we know she also restricted her calories or she wouldn't have lost anything. Ambar describes her self imposed weight loss plan as just snacking throughout the day. She ate a small bag of chips and some fatty fast food type items (remembering a couple of tacos). The intervention for her hating that she ate junk food took place with a dietitian. The dietitian, with fantastical  TV flair, held 1 plate full of all the junk food she had been eating. This was the best part. The plate of junk food was about 1600 calories. Looking at that plate, it is hard to believe that it was only 1600 calories. The dietitian told her about the consequences of eating such an unhealthy diet including, heart disease, diabetes and cancer to name a few. Then they showed an entire table with plates full of food, all together totaling the same amount of calories.

What I found to be humorous was Ambar's's response, "Okay, but you couldn't make me eat any of that stuff", pointing to the table full of healthy food. What did those plates consist of ? Vegetables, salads, chicken, fish, grains, and fruit. Although Ambar talked a good game about changing her eating habits, I remain skeptical. 

The visual take away from this is that you can eat more food, if you choose to eat lean meat, vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Who doesn't want to be able to eat more delicious food?

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson

PS. Anyone else have a problem with that title?

Dreams aren't realized with resolutions, they need action plans

 
Source: istockphoto

I refuse to create resolutions. I can't suddenly change a 20 items on a list at the same time. I doubt anyone can acutally do that. The last thing I need is another reminder of what I didn't accomplish. You know me. I believe in change. Ijust don't think goals are realized with resolutions.  Say you want to lose 20 pounds or be more organized or be a better whatever it is that you want to do, wouldn't it be more valuable to think about what you are going to today? When you say the word resolution, or even goal, it sounds like to some far off, distant place. Overwhelmed, people fail when they don't look at the short side of the equation. For when you lose motivation by week 3, (it is always week 3 by the way or even day 3) the far distant goal becomes that much more unattainable. I like to think about ACTION PLANS. Whomever coined that term, thank you, it is brilliant. Action Plan. Doesn't that sound motivating? Half of your success is actually doing what you say you are going to do, an action plan gets your boo-tay moving.

How my Action Plan keep you from bonking:

1. I think it is far more valuable to take 1 thing. That's it, just one. You cannot really change more than 1 thing at a time. You tend to lose focus. Too many diversions, life gets in the way, and it will be that much easier to say that you couldn't "do it all" and your big plans will get flushed down the toilet.

2. Think/dream about what you want to do and set a date for change. Take time to think about the challenges and barriers to your new actions. Take a week, heck take a month. Take whatever you need. Spending the time dreaming fuels your motivation. And if you don't spend enough time dreaming, you won't have an reserves built up when you start running on empty. You might even have many false starts. Set another date and try again.

3. Limit your timeframe. Figure out what you are going to do differently, just today. Can you change to being that person you want for 1 single day? Of course you can! You have 1 day down, now replicate that for tomorrow. When you have 2 days, then start thinking about your week. Its just a week. Work week to week and no further. Taking a small manageable amounts of time makes change easier. You can see and recognize small changes. And as all those small "wins" (borrowing your word Whitney) add up, you can see progress as it really is....SLOW. Nothing great or sustainable happens quickly.

4. Finding the perfect fit. Daily/ Weekly/ Monthly Assessment (your call which one). When putting some big plan in place, (for most of America that will be a new diet and exercise plan), you need to take time to make adjustments and be realistic about your progress and what is feasible, especially after that first week. I can tell you that those smarty pants people achieving their goals, (ahem) action plans,  are the ones making time to taking a  step back, assessing and altering their plans of attack. For example, if you haven't exercised in your recent past, you cannot start out doing it everyday. Your body will quickly become sore and fatigued, possibly resulting in injury. Then you really won't be doing it again until next year. Take a step back, maybe  exercising 1 or 2 days a week is your action plan for this week.

You are unique, don't try to follow someone else's plan. It won't work. You need to design and alter your own action plan to fit you perfectly.

Everyone is gung-ho come January 1st, hitting the gym and the produce section more in the first two weeks than they have all year. February comes and the half the gung-ho bunch is sleeping in those extra 30 minutes and going through the drive-thru after work. By March, few resolutioner's  have retained enough stamina to keep going. But, there are always those precious few who remain resilient, who avoid the resolution bonk. Will you be one of them?

What are your action plans for 2010?

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson

Planning ahead for vacation

Hope you are having a wonderful day with family, regardless if you celebrate this holiday or not.  if this is your holiday. We are leaving today for Florida. We are going to spend the rest of today different  airport today and inactivity mixed with horribly prepared foods can mean a bad day for most people. My sure fire ways to combat this scenario:

1. Bring your own food.

2. Buy 2 bottles of water when you get through security.

3. Don't sit down during lay overs.

I just have to make it until dinner time. So, I am packing 2 snacks and lunch, for each person in our family. The water is essential each person gets 2 bottles, in addition to the beverages on the plane. This assures that you never mistake dehydration for hunger and it does force your to get out of your seat on the plane and move around, great for your circulation.

Daily intake for the past 2 days:

Day 23

B: greek yogurt and blueberries

S: cashews, apple

S: cashews, carrot, hummus

D: Lentil soup, carrots, cashews, dried fruit

Didn't plan my lunch or snack, so I didn't do that well. I actually ended up eating too much. But I didn't' eat any of the cookies or treats, which I feel good about.

Day 24

B: dried fruit, greek yogurt

S: carrot, hummus, kids leftover bacon, cashews

L: broccoli slaw, chicken, salsa, apple

S: cashews, dried fruit, pistachios

D: Chicken, cauliflower, carrot, hummus, cashews

I am easily over by 1000 calories in nuts alone. I will eliminate those today.

I will try to keep posting on my trip, though it probably won't be daily, but I will try.

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson

31 days of food journaling: Day 21

I took 3 days off from food journaling during my 31 days of journaling. I know. I know. I'm sorry. What can I say? I have no excuse. I had complete use of my fingers. I should be a better example, but I wasn't really getting out of bed, at all. Heck, I wasn't allowed to shower for 2 days. This isn't Alyson's life story kind of a blog, but I had a little minor surgery....golf ball removal. If we know each other well, I will elaborate later. That is my long drawn out apology.

Today should be another installment of " What's for lunch?" Monday but yesterdays snow storm here in Boston means no school today. I can't go without saying that having a snow day on this sunny day today was completely a waste considering all the roads were fine. But it is Boston and this will happen at least 4 more times this school year.

Getting back to lunch, this is the in the top five of the worst lunches you could ever give your child.

A Fluff based sandwich. No matter if you add peanut butter or bananas or allow it to ride solo between two slices of bread, its toxic whiteness is just screaming at you.  Just so you know, most kids that have a fluff sandwich, surprise, surprise, aren't eating it on whole wheat. It wouldn't matter if it was. I have noticed the majority of kids cannot finish eating the whole thing. Is it because said child has a sugar coma similar to a slurpee brain freeze? Or is it because they are just bored and really want to move onto eating that fruit roll-up? I will never know, but don't even try to wane nostalgic reasoning your way out of this lunchtime atrocity. It is the main ingredient in cheater fudge. Would you put that between two slices of bread and then continue with your high-brow thought process, telling people that little Jimmy "really likes it". When you put a Fluff sandwich in your child's lunch, you might try to fit a crash cart in his/her backpack too for the teacher that has to deal with your child after recess.

The best lunch has only 2 items: a sandwich and a piece of fruit. Take time on that sandwich and you won't need all the other fillers to make up for the tin foil wrapped soggy mess. Two slices of stone ground whole wheat or better yet, Ezekiel bread with slices of meat, a little cheese and whatever else you can hide in there. This IS enough. You can survive on these two items, so can you kids.

Oh, I almost forgot. A water bottle, a re-usable one. No need for kids to drink their lunchtime calories.

My Daily Intake:

1. Greek yogurt and blueberries

2. 1/2 cup cottage cheese

3. broccoli slaw, 1/2 cup italian chicken salad, apple

4. 1 large carrot, hummus, 6 almonds, 1/4 cup spaghetti squash dish

5. whey protein shake w berries

6. large carrot, hummus, italian chicken salad, spaghetti squash dish, handful pomegranate seeds

7. 1/2 cup cottage cheese, cocoa

I feel really good. I ate pretty much every 2 to 3 hours. I am feeling really tired now at the end of the day. I tried to rest a little today, but a mother can never rest. There is always too many things to do. My back hurts, which is not uncommon given the surgery. I know, Mom, I need to be better and rest more, but it is hard to do! 4 more days till I can workout again. I feel like my muscles are getting a little soft. I need to wait. I can wait. My body needs to heal itself before I can start tearing up those muscles again.

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson

31 days of food journaling: Day 17

No morsels of wisdom, just my daily intake for today.

B: Oatmeal, cottage cheese

S: small yogurt, pretzels

L: apple, pretzels, hummus, dried figs

S: NRG bar, pretzels

D: chicken, carrots, green beans

It was the day of the pretzels. It is hard to eat junk because it just makes you want to eat more junk. I think I said the same thing yesterday. I am up late tonight drinking water. I have a little minor surgery tomorrow, so I won't be blogging my food for the day. I assume fasting for the better part of a day followed by vikadin (however that pain killer is spelled) doesn't make much for a post. You can post Thursday and Friday to this blog. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson

Moving Through Obstables: Day 16

What are the obstacles that hamper your nutritional success? Are you willing to own them,  by identifying them? The only way to move through and around your obstacles is to identify them so you know what you are up against. If it is going to be a fair fight, you have to know your own weaknesses and blind-spots.

Are there certain situations that are predictors of failure? For example, are there certain rooms or chairs that you sit in that are more conducive to eating unhealthy foods? I found that any food I eat away from the table is a predictor of failure. Somehow if I stand up to eat, I don't enjoy myself or my food, so I don't think I am able regulate how much I really consumed. It feels like it really didn't count if I can't see it all out there in front of me.

What about eating while watching television or reading or typing on the computer or driving? I find that it takes me longer to register fullness and satiety if I am distracted.

People can also be obstacles. Are there friends or family members around you that make eating healthy impossible? I find it interesting to note who the supportive people are who encourage your good behaviors. And then there are  those who are always wanting your company to fulfill their own desire to indulge. My friend worked really hard for a year to look better than her high school prom pictures. Amazing right? You would think friends and family would be happy for her. But as many of you might experience, people around her were trying to thwart her success. They told her she needed to eat more and they would bring over desserts to her home to share. Anyone like that in your life?

Persisting in the face of our obstacles, what or whomever they maybe, is only accomplished by identifying them. For when you know you are going to eat entire bag of cookies watching show X or reading blog X, you can then re-purpose these obstacle's. Obstacles that would previously have been viewed as a setback, can now be motivating. (e.g. Obstacle: I know that if I eat standing up, I consume more food. sMotivator: Now that I am sitting down to eat, I will eat the correct portion size and leave the table satiated.)

B: chobani and blueberries

S: whey protein w mixed berries

L: Lentil Soup w pita chips

S: cottage cheese w cocoa, pita chips

D: Chicken, broccoli slaw, pomegranate, salsa

S: 4 bites of my lite pumpkin cheesecake

Once you get started eating pita chips, it is hard to stop. And the portion size is 1 oz. That is roughly 3 chips. Who eats just 3 chips? My son wanted them as his treat for the week in his lunch. And now look at me, diving into the kids snacks for my lunch. I haven't eaten those in a long time and now I know why. I need to get back to measuring again so that I know how many calories I am consuming.

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson

You already know this: Calories IN, Calories OUT

There are so many reasons why I have decided to do make this month about writing down what you eat and changing unhealthy eating habits. I have too many friends that have told me that they are stuck and can't lose weight.  There are others that want muscles rippling down to their toes. They think the only way to have muscles is to gain weight. And while they are gaining weight and lifting  really heavy, they wonder what that layer is, developing around their middle. They both tell me they have tried everything and that "nothing works."

Well, I am here to tell you that the only thing not working is you. There is some myth out there that skinny people must be able to eat whatever they want. Not being a skinny person myself, I am here to tell you that is NOT true. Every person is in the same predicament: calories in, calories out. People that are able to maintain a healthy body weight have the ability to consistently eat within their calorie range. They weren't born that way, they don't have some amazing metabolism and they can't eat whatever they want. If you feed someone more food calories than their body can burn in a day then they are going to gain weight. I have found out smart people that successfully maintain their weight have a cut off number. They choose a number and if their weight goes above that number, then they know they know they need to put a plan into action immediately to return to their base.  And yet, some people still think that genetics have more power than the quantity of food consumed. If it doesn't get consumed, it just can't happen.

Stop mindlessly eating. Be mindful of every morsel that you CHOOSE to put in your body. Write it down. Own what you are doing.

Daily Food Intake: Day 15

B: Chobani and blueberries

S: post workout shake,

L: green beans, apple, hummus, 1 large carrot, pita chips!, 5 pretzels

S: cottage cheese, 5 pretzels

D: Chicken, salsa, broccoli slaw, pomegranate

S: 2 pieces of chocolate

So this day started out better than yesterday, but snacking for lunch didn't lead to good choices. I didn't eat any protein for lunch, which is sad. My stomach hurts. I didn't count calories, so I am sure that I ate too much. I have figured out that I actually have more energy when I consistently eat at or a little under my calorie allowance. Otherwise I start getting tired in the middle of the day after a big lunch. Funny thing about having a bad day or a string of bad days, it takes small incremental changes to get back to where you want to be. I couldn't just flip a switch today when I had that lull in the afternoon. I gave in, made a bad choice and snacked instead of waiting for my next meal. But, I know that tomorrow will be better. I will eliminate my mistakes from today to make tomorrow better. I did Computrain today and boy was my body slow. Eating too much for three days now has made my heart have to work harder to sustain work. It is only a 2-3 bpm at my VO2min and max, but that is noteworthy given that there are direct correlations considering how eating effects performance.

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson

What's for lunch?

My intention here is not to shame you parents, but just to make you think about what you are putting in your child's lunch. As I have said before, I get to help out at lunchtime at my child's school. And I would love to photograph the contents of their lunch boxes. Oh, how I wish that were possible, but no Principal in their right mind would allow that. Every Monday, I am going to feature that days worst lunches and why.

First lesson: Quantity. Your child doesn't eat as much as your think he or she does. So don't jam pack 5 to 6 items in there when there isn't enough time to properly consume all those. If your child is capable, then you need to really be worried that they aren't actually chewing and a torn esophagus might be in your future.

Todays horrific lunch eaten in the following order: A juice pouch, an entire 99 cent bag of lays potato chips, few bites and into the trash went a small apple, bites of peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white, chewy chocolate chip granola bar, go-yogurt, cliff bar gummy fruit leather stick, a cupcake and candy cane.

If this was a male who ate these foods, would you think is was okay? Please tell me you are sitting there horrified as I am. I watched every bite, just hoping that the child would just recognize that they were full and throw the rest down. I just wanted to cry. I wanted to say something, anything. But this is an improvement. At least this time there was an apple and a sandwich.

31 days of food journaling: Day 14

 

Greek yogurt and berries, handful granola

Chicken, green beans,hummus,  apple

handful granola

Southwest chicken and green beans,

handful granola, diet cocoa, popcorn, olive oil

I had to throw away the granola, it was just too good. At 300 calories per 1.5 handfuls or so, it doesn't fill me up and I walk away unsatisfied. Over all, not a good day, but tomorrow will be better.

Eat Wisely and Be Well,

Alyson