Mamavation Week 48

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This was a fairly decent week considering the feasting holiday that we celebrated!

Exercise: Rocked 6 days of cardio.  My right hip flexor that I injured two weeks ago is feeling better.  Sunday afternoon when I took Ladybug for a walk in the neighborhood, I tried a little jogging.  There was no pain, but if I lengthened my stride, it started to feel tight.  So a few more days of no running.  I have a chiropractor appointment on Wednesday so I'll have him check it.  If he says it's nothing serious, then I'll try a little running next weekend.

I had a total of 222 minutes of cardio this last week, plus three Pilates workouts for strength training.

Monday - power walk, 30 minutes, Pilates mat workout
Tuesday - power walk, 49 minutes
Wednesday - intervals on exercise bike, 30 minutes
Thursday - power walk, 48 minutes
Friday - intervals on exercise bike, 30 minutes, Pilates mat workout
Saturday - intervals on exercise bike, 35 minutes, Pilates sidekick series workout
Sunday - rest day

Food: If I could myself an A on my workouts this week, I'd give myself a B- on food.  I did very well with portion control, even on Thanksgiving.  I had decided that I would give myself three bites of dessert (enough to taste & savor it), but I promptly forgot that rule when the desserts were brought out.  Blergh. I also didn't get all of my fruits & veggies.  I did bring a spinach salad to Thanksgiving dinner, but only my mother-in-law and I enjoyed that.  The men went for the carbs smothered in gravy!

Plan of attack for this week is clean eating, focusing on 7-8 servings of fruits and veggies.  Here is our menu plan for this week.

The Scale: I maintained this week.  I'm happy with that, but will be dialing in the eating so I can make some forward progress.

Fiber Challenge: How are you doing with tracking your daily fiber intake? Last week, we shared ideas for getting a great start to the day with fiber. This week's fiber discussion is about fiber-rich snacks.  Please go to the forums & share your favorite ideas for getting fiber-iffic snacks.  I also posted last week about how fiber can help us get through the holidays without the typical holiday weight gain.

While I want to slow down & savor this CHRISTmas season, I want to soar through it with a solid workout schedule and good nutrition. How about you?

Fighting Holiday Weight Gain With Fiber

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Y'all know I like to talk about fiber. I am known as "The Regulator" for Mamavation. I write New Food Friday to focus on fiber rich foods and how you can add them to your diet.  I believe that fiber is a very good thing.

Did you know that fiber aids in weight loss?  Fiber-rich foods help you feel full longer, so you eat less. 

Think about the typical American holiday season.  From Thanksgiving to New Year's, your life becomes jam-packed with festivities, parties, and of course, food.  How can we survive this festive time of year and NOT pack on the pounds?  Part of the answer is : FIBER.

While you cannot control how everyone makes their holiday goodies, you CAN control your approach to your own goodies and parties that you attend.

Here's my high-fiber plan for merriment and weight-maintenance.

• When baking your holiday treats, substitute at least half of the called for flour with whole wheat flour.  White flour has no fiber.
• Add ground flax to your baked goods.
• Unless someone you know and love has nut allergies, add nuts when included in the recipe as "optional."
• Add dried fruit to your treats.  They add sweetness as well as fiber, so you might even be able to cut back a bit on the sugar.  
• Substitute unsweetened applesauce for half of the called for oil.  You are lowering the fat and increasing the fiber.

Other non-baking tips:

• Eat a high-fiber snack before hit the party circuit.  A cup of raw veggies, a slice of whole wheat bread.
• When not attending a party, cook at home with lots of veggies, fruits and whole grains.  I recently shared about how barley has become one of our favorite grain side dishes. 
• Limit sweets or at least, pair sweets with fiber and protein.  Get off the sugar-crash roller coaster which makes you reach for more sweets.
• Start every day with a high-fiber breakfast.  Oatmeal is our fave. 

Speaking of breakfast, my typical oatmeal breakfast contains 11-13 grams of fiber.  Want to know my secret?  I recently shared it with the ladies in Mamavation.

• 1/2 cup dry oats cooked with 1 cup water (I prefer water, use what you like)
• 2 Tbsp ground flax
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (to act as a sweetener)
• 1 serving of fresh or dried fruit
• topped off with a dash of cinnamon

 My plan for the holiday season is not only to maintain weight, but to LOSE weight.  I'm focusing on fruits, veggies, and whole grains to keep my fiber intake up.  I'll be keeping up with my workouts as well.  I've worked hard this year, I don't plan on "re-starting" in the New Year.  I want to build on my success.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the Bookieboo and Coach's Oats Fiber blogging program, making me eligible to win a $50 American Express gift card and free product. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Photo credit: stock.xchng

My Thankful List {Top Ten Tuesday}

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While I try to foster and attitude of gratitude all year long, I want to write down the things for which I'm thankful.  No particular order.  And I know there are more than ten!

1. God's provision - God always provides what we NEED.  And I'm learning the difference between "need" and "want."

2. My wonderful Hubby - seriously. Can I be any more blessed with someone who is perfect for me?

3. My beautiful, healthy 3 year old - She's 3 and she tries my patience.  But Ladybug is a blessing, and I'm so thankful for her good health!

4. Hubby and I are also in good health - We are VERY thankful that we don't have chronic health problems.  And until last week, I had not experienced any fitness-related injuries this whole year.  In spite of my injured hip which is slowing me down, I'm still thankful!

5. Our church family - We're so blessed with a wonderful church, talented church staff, and amazing friends.

6. Our families - I am also VERY thankful that we have wonderful extended family.  Yes, there are differences of opinion, but no family feuds.

7. Wonderful friends - I don't distinguish between "in real life" and "online" friends anymore.  The line is blurred, and I'm thankful for all y'all!  The support and encouragement that y'all give me is very much appreciated!!

8. The opportunity to send Ladybug to preschool - She has social interaction, structure, and friends.  The mornings go quickly, but I have time to work on other things.  And the fact that it's a Christian environment is a huge blessing!

9. A warm home, clothes, and food to eat - Sort of redundant with #1, because I recognize that ALL of these things come from God.

10. Freedom - Freedom of speech, freedom of religion.  Lord, I hope it stays that way.


The list could go on and on.  What are YOU thankful for?

For more Top Ten lists, be sure to visit ohamanda.com

Mamavation Week 47

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Remember that formula for success that I shared last week?  I wasn't quite as successful with it this week.  I allowed myself to lose focus and had a difficult time finding it again.  Blergh.

Exercise: Cardio 5.5 days out of 7, for a total of 209 cardio minutes.  (More on the .5 in a minute.)  I was scheduled for strength training on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday.  Tuesday was crazy and I didn't make time for it.  Thursday did a killer 30 minute Pilates workout that I was STILL feeling on Saturday.  But Saturday, I had the beginnings of a headache and I let that talk me out of doing strength training that day.

On Wednesday, I'm only counting it as 1/2 of a cardio workout.  I had pulled a muscle in my right hip flexor during Monday's run, but I was only a little sore.  But during Wednesday's run, I felt something in my right hip POP.  Not good. I walked home & jumped on the exercise bike to test it out.  No pain there.  Pain came with the impact of trying to run again.  I was very sore after and got stiff if I sat too long.  I took it easy the rest of the week and it was feeling much better (until Monday morning, when it popped again).

Monday - walk/run intervals, 30 minutes
Tuesday - power walk with a neighbor, 48 minutes
Wednesday - aborted run, 9 minutes, exercise bike 10 minutes
Thursday - power walk with a neighbor, 47 minutes, Pilates for strength training
Friday - exercise bike intervals, 30 minutes
Saturday - walk/run intervals, 35 mintues

So my plan for this week is to do low impact cardio - walking and exercise bike - with three days of Pilates as my strength training.  I love Pilates because it not only works my core and back, but it also incorporates a lot of stretching, which is great for my hip.  I already have an appointment with my chiropractor next week, so I know he'll have some advice on what to do about my hip.

Food: I was pretty emotional about having an injury.  This is really my first injury since I started making healthy changes at the beginning of this year.  I allowed the emotions to rule what/how I ate on Wednesday, and I wasn't able to drag myself back on track.  Lack of focus.  Blergh.

This week, I want to focus on 7-8 servings of fruits and veggies every day, lots of water and fiber, and eating only until satisfied (not gorged!) on Thanksgiving Day.  Here is our menu plan for the week, and here is our Thanksgiving menu.

The Scale: I'm thankful in spite of losing focus, the scale did not move.  No gain, no loss.  I'll take it.

THANK YOU for nominating me as Sista of the Week again!!  Y'all seriously knock my socks of with your support and encouragement.  I really needed that boost this week, that confirmation that I make a difference.

Don't forget to check out our official Fiber Challenge!!  Start tracking your fiber and let me know what your average daily intake is.  I've already started sharing ways to increase your intake (do it slowly!) with ideas for fiber-filled breakfasts to start your day.  Please let me know if you have any fiber related questions.

I posted another New Food Friday last week - this time sharing about Sweet Potatoes.  Go check it out!  And thank you to Subway for being such an AWESOME sponsor of Mamavation!  My Commit2Fit goal is to help my 3 year old daughter be more active.  We run/walk together several times a week, and this past week, we even took Hubby along, which Ladybug LOVED!

New Food Friday - Sweet Potatoes

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Welcome back to New Food Friday!  In this series, I feature new-to-us or new-to-you foods that can be part of a fiber rich diet.  With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I am talking about sweet potatoes, with some information about white potatoes thrown in for good measure.

Sweet potatoes actually are not related to the common potato.  They are more closely related to yams, but yet are different from yams. Sweet potatoes can range from white flesh to dark orange flesh. The darker the flesh, the higher the vitamin A content. Carrots have lots of vitamin A and are good for your eyes; so are sweet potatoes!

Sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber and beta-carotene.  A 3.5oz serving of sweet potato has 3 grams of fiber.  I know a lot of people make candied sweet potatoes, but why not skip all that sugar and bake your sweet potatoes instead?  Get the benefit of the goodness of sweet potatoes without the added sugar. I love the versatility of sweet potatoes, that they can be part of a sweet or a savory dish.

My favorite way to serve sweet potatoes is roasted.  Cut the sweet potatoes into large cubes, toss with olive oil and little salt (or cinnamon if you're feeling sassy), and roast in a 400 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes, stirring half way through baking time.  I also like to make "Thanksgiving in a Crockpot" when I have leftover chicken or turkey and leftover stuffing.  Other ideas are: Spicy Sweet Potato and Chicken Bake at the Weight Loss Guru, and this recipe for Sweet Potato Biscuits.

Common white potatoes have received a lot of bad press. But they still have decent nutritionals when the skins are eaten.  They are rich in vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6, as well as dietary fiber.  The carbohydrates in white potatoes is mainly in the form of starch, which we are often told to avoid.  However, this resistant starch has the same effects as fiber, in that it bulks up the stool, may offer protection against colon cancer, improves insulin sensitivity, lowers cholesterol, and even can reduce storage of fat!

So whether you are having sweet potatoes or regular potatoes for Thanksgiving, know that they both can be good choices in a fiber-rich diet (especially if you avoid the sugar-laden potato dishes).

Do you have a favorite recipe featuring sweet potatoes? Feel free to leave a link in the comments!

Source: wikipedia.com
Photo credit: stock.xchng

Mamavation Week 46

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Consistency + Focus = Results

That was my formula for this week.  And it worked.

Exercise: Cardio on 6 days out of 7.  216 minutes of cardio.  I improved my running time and was able to run a 12:26 minute mile on Wednesday.  On Saturday, I ran 3.3 miles in 45 minutes which was my longest run EVER.  LOVE that I'm seeing progress in my running!

Monday - running, 24 minutes
Tuesday - power walking, 45 minutes, strength training with resistance band
Wednesday - running, 26 minutes
Thursday - power walking, 46 minutes, strength training with Pilates Power Sculpt dvd
Friday - intervals on the exercise bike, 30 minutes
Saturday - running, 45 minutes
Sunday - rest day

Food: Rocked.It. I increased my protein intake, ate clean all week, ate less bread, ate more fruits and veggies.  I really like egg sammies, so one day I made scrambled eggs with veggies and ate it in a lettuce wrap instead of on toast. Protein, veggies, less bread.  At our Wednesday night small group, I did not go back for seconds, and I abstained from dessert. Here's our healthy menu plan for the week.

The Scale: All that focus did equal results this week. I'm down 1 lb this week, back down to 22.5 lbs lost this year.  And that included the monthly visitor showing up a few days early.  I fought the bloating and body aches with LOTS of water (and a little bit of ibuprofen), and snacks of fresh fruits and veggies and almonds. 

Goals for this week: More of the same.  Less bread.  7-8 servings of fruits and veggies every day.  Focus on clean eating.  Stick with my workout schedule. 

As always, I am thankful for your support and encouragement.  I would not have stuck with it this long without you!

Tell Me Your Story

Imagine that you are sitting in your favorite coffee house or restaurant.  You are with a group of friends.  You look around at your friends.  You know them well.  But do you do REALLY know them?

Everyone has a story.  Do you know the stories of your friends sitting around you?

When we lost our first daughter almost six years ago, that experience became part of our story.  Her death is only part of our story, but the effect is profound.  We were changed in an instant.

At that time (and since), I've learned the stories of other parents who have walked a similar path.  Our stories are similar yet unique.  But we all were changed by it.

Maybe you have a different story.  A story of caring for and losing an elderly parent.  A story of cancer battles won and lost.  Maybe you are still writing your story.

Whatever your story is, there is someone out there who needs to hear it.  I had a brainstorm last week about how I love to connect people with similar stories.  In order to do that, I want to hear YOUR story.

Have you blogged about it?  Leave your link below.  And if you do, please take time to read a link or two that have been left by others.  The more people who know your story, the more people we can connect who have similar stories.

After all, this is not a Do-It-Yourself life. You need people.  We all do.  Let's connect. 

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Mamavation Week 45

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This was a week of highs and lows.  Let's jump right in, shall we?

Exercise: Cardio 6 days out of 7.  I have a plan and I'm in the groove.  I feel like I have a good balance between strength and cardio.  I like my workouts, and I look forward to them.

The #MamaGuns challenge is officially done.  I started strong, lagged a bit in the middle, and feel like I finished strong these last two weeks.  I only missed two strength workouts in eight weeks.  Just as a reminder, here is my before pic.

And my after pic - woot!!

I am challenging myself to increase my strength training workouts between now and Christmas, and I'll post another pic of my "guns" on the Monday after Christmas.  I feel like I could have had a lot more progress if I hadn't let up in the middle of the challenge.  But I'm not going to focus on that.  Focus forward!

For the cardio challenge, I had 233 minutes of cardio.

Monday - running, 24 minutes
Tuesday - power walking, 38 minutes, #MamaGuns workout
Wednesday - run/walk, 32 minutes
Thursday - power walking 48 minutes, #MamaGuns workout
Friday - exercise bike, 30 minutes
Saturday - running, 41 minutes, #MamaGuns workout
Sunday - scheduled as rest day, but I was dealing with some anxiety. So instead of turning to food, I hopped on the exercise bike for some intervals, 20 minutes

Food: No problems here.  I feel like there are a few things I can tweak (see below).  I still use SparkPeople to track my nutrition and fitness, and one of my frustrations is that it keeps telling me to eat more because of the amount of cardio that I do.  I feel like I can't eat more and keep my food CLEAN (non-processed).

The Scale: Another frustration.  I'm down .5 lbs this week.  Yes, it's a loss.  But two weeks ago, I gained because of Aunt Flo, then I gained last week for whatever random reason.  I keep losing and gaining the same two pounds.  I am very frustrated with this plateau. I did re-check my measurements this week and I lost .5in in my biceps and 1in in my hips.

So, I asked for some input on Sunday.  Thanks to those of you that helped me with ideas.  I felt like I had paralysis by analysis.

Here are the changes that I am focusing on in the next two weeks: eat less bread (yes, it's my homemade bread, but I can eat less of it); eat 7-8 servings of fruits and veggies EVERY day; increase my protein intake with additional lean protein.  Also, we attend a church small group on Wednesday night.  We take turns bringing food, so I don't have control over what it is or how it's made.  But I will not have seconds and I will not have dessert. I just tweaked my workout routine two weeks ago, so I'm going to leave that alone for now, but I'll up the intensity of my cardio.

Here is our healthy menu plan for the week.  Thanks to everyone for your continued support and encouragement. And thank you to Earth Footwear for being an awesome Mamavation sponsor!

Ten Ways to Eat Veggies with Brinner

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What's brinner, you say? Why, it's Breakfast for Dinner!  Breakfast is such a great meal; I could eat it all the time.  So many great choices, and a economical way to stretch the food budget without sacrificing good nutrition.

Yesterday, I tweeted:

I received quite a few great ideas, so I knew that I had an impromptu topic for today's post!

1. Scrambled eggs or veggie omelets with green peppers, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, etc, etc, etc.

2. Lori shared a great recipe for Garlic and Herb Tomatoes - yum!

3. Oatmeal with butternut squash or pumpkin puree mixed in, add little bit of real maple syrup, cinnamon, a few walnut & raisins - super yum!

4. Zucchini pancakes or waffles -  to hide the "green stuff" from picky kids, I think you could totally puree the zucchini to incorporate it into the batter

5. Pumpkin pancakes or waffles

6. Adding grated zucchini to hash browns (I have added grated sweet potatoes to hash browns before - yum!)

7. Or a favorite hi-jacked from Waffle House but not so greasy - hash browns with onions, tomatoes and green peppers

8. Carrot muffins

9. Zucchini bread or muffins

10. Or a favorite from Deceptively Delicious, scrambled eggs with cauliflower puree

Special thanks to the following for the conversation and for sharing their ideas: @Rachel_L, @SeasideTales, @NYCPatty, @gutimom, @Momma_oz, @DiaperDiaries, @MizFitOnline, @kristalswan, @Jenidvm, @dearabbyleigh

For more great Top Ten lists, be sure to visit ohamanda.com