A Weekend in the Mountains
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Nature at it’s finest!
As you all saw from my multiple Twitter and Facebook status updates last week, Elliot and I spent all day Saturday and most of today hiking the mountains of the Shenandoah National Park. I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing it was to escape the city [and the pollution!] and be at one with nature. The air was fresh, the scenery magnificent and there was almost NO cell service anywhere. I’ve never felt more free! The dogs were also in heaven with all of the open space and smells to occupy them. Remember how I thought I was going to have to carry Oscar the whole time? Well, I’m happy to announce that he held his own, even led the way up some of the hills! After 4.5 hours of hiking this weekend though, both him and I are exhausted and sore! I can’t speak for him, though, but I’ve never felt better! And you know what the perfect pre-hike snack is? Oatmeal Raisin Muffins, which I’ll post tomorrow! Full of fiber and healthy carbohydrates, these breakfast treats kept me moving up those steep hills! Words can’t do this gorgeous park justice, so I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!
On the drive up, isn’t it gorgeous?
View from one of the outlooks on our way to the lodge.
On our first hike of the day. Oscar was a real trooper!
He’s a handsome stud isn’t he?
After we dropped the puppies off in the lodge [we’re pretty sure they passed out right away!] Elliot and I hit up another trail, the Stony Man, where we were met with some of the most gorgeous views in the park!
On top of the Stony Man Overlook. So gorgeous!
The sun was starting to set so we made our way back to the lodge. The pups were exhausted but we were starving. We headed up to the dining room [literally up, it was like a 90 degree angle]. I honestly felt like we were in camp! I enjoyed a delicious glass of Chardonnay from a local winery and Elliot had his dark stout beer. After a long day of hiking, that pretty much hit the spot! We went to bed early and got up even earlier for a 2 hour morning hike. Nothing like walking on the mountains when the sun is rising! The dogs were ready for round two as well!
Boys will be boys!
Such a stunning view! I felt like I was on top of the world!
After a great hike this morning, we had to check out and head home. Bye bye mountains, until next time!
Weight Watchers Here I Come: My Trials and Tribulations With Weight
A funny picture to lure you into a very serious post. Remember this guy?
So I’ve been holding off on writing this for a while, and after some serious deliberation, I’ve decided to bite the bullet and do it. Honestly, ya’ll have no idea how nervous I was to even voice this to anyone I know. And although what this post is about is obvious by the headline, let me just reinforce that 1. I’m not pregnant 2. I’m not trying to become pregnant and 3. I didn’t kill anyone. Ok? I’m just joining Weight Watchers. And the reason for my abnormal nerves? I feel like a “nutritionist” failure because of it.
I’ve been into nutrition for most of my life. I remember the moment it turned into a passion for me. I was in 7th grade and was an avid swimmer. I swam on the middle school swim team as well as on the swim club team. I’d spend upwards of 4 hours in the pool a day. However, even after 4 hours of extreme exercise, I was still a little chubby. I’ve always been a bigger kid. Even though I loved my veggies growing up, I loved my Little Debbie cakes just a little bit more. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and how much I wanted. Although I was very active, that didn’t offset the 5 Nutter Butter bars I was eating before bed. Well, while the rest of my peers were slimming up and sprouting their bosoms, I was still wearing 12-14’s in women’s sizes and had the body frame of a chubby little boy. However, that all changed when my club coach, after a very disappointing practice one afternoon, decided to mandate that we keep a food journal so we could track “all the crap we were eating.” And at the ripe age of 13, I hadn’t discovered the art of lies, so my journal was a correct reflection of my food choices. As cheesy as this may sound, that food journal changed my life and how I view food, nutrition and my overall health.
I still recall when I had that “a ha” moment and it all clicked. I was really dissapointed with how I swam in one of our meets. I honestly worked my little ass off that week in practice and still performed sub par. So I went home and read through my journal and knew, that minute, why I was performing so crappy. The whole week I’d stuffed myself with macaroni and cheese, ding dongs, sweet tarts and cookies, and did not have but 2 servings of fruit or vegetables that whole week. I knew, that instant, that what I ate had a direct correlation with how I swam and how I felt. I knew then that I had to make some changes. And 6 months later, I dropped at least 30 pounds and found myself fitting into a size 0-2 pants. And you know what else? I started kicking some serious ass in my 50 freestyle 🙂
Although I ended up putting some of that weight back on, at 5’7, the most I’ve weighed since then is 165 pounds. That’s heavy to me, but in the grand scheme of life, I know that’s a perfectly healthy weight. Especially for my height. But even though I knew I was nowhere near obese, I still felt horrible about myself. Here’s a picture of me at my highest [I’m in the green].
I knew, based on how I felt and what I saw when I looked in the mirror, that I had to lose weight. So I started doing something I knew worked and began a food journal. It took a bit longer than it did in the past [8 months to be exact] but I lost 25 pounds and found myself at a perfect weight for my body. At 140, I was lean, toned, in shape and most importantly, I was happy. I loved how I looked, how I felt and how my clothes fit. At 140, I felt invincible. From that point on, I remember stating “I will never let myself gain this weight back! I feel just too good!” And I was true to my word. I stayed at a healthy and happy 140 [some days even 138!] until I graduated college, a full 7 months later. Here’s me at my happy weight, on my 22nd birthday.
Me with my family the night before graduation!
I looked great, right? Even though my weight crept up a little after graduating, it was still only by about 5 pounds. My clothes still fit and I still felt great about myself. The weight really didn’t start to pile on until I started my first 9-5er, a month after walking across the stage. And that weight I gained? Yeah, it’s still here, a full year and a half from when I started.
I’m on the left. This was taken in July.
There are a bunch of reasons why I’ve gained a total of 15 pounds this past year and a half. For one, I work 8-10 hours a day sitting at a desk. And with an hour commute to and from work, by the time I get home, I’m often too exhausted to work out. I know that’s just an excuse, but it’s the honest to goodness truth. Secondly, my job offers a bunch of perks. One of them being snacks, candy and free food. There is always something. Whether it be birthday cake, a jar full of candy or free sandwiches, I’ve started eating well over my alotted calories. Third, I’ve gone through fits of depression. What I’m doing now is not what I got my degree in and to me, that’s very upsetting. Although I’ve overcome my sadness and I’m feeling so much better about the job, there were months where I was utterly miserable. And the only thing that really cheered me up was wine and junk food. And lastly, I’ve taken to cooking lately. Even though I’ve been making really healthy dishes, there are only 2 of us, and I often make enough servings for 4-6 people. Although we do save a bunch for leftovers, I still end up overeating and serving myself huge portions. These are all factors that contributed to the creep on the scale and I take full responsibility for them. I’m almost 25 and I need to take charge of the one thing I can control; my body. It’s time to get healthier and feel better about who I am, physically and mentally.
And this isn’t the first time I’ve really tried to lose weight and be healthier. I’ve been trying, hard, for the past year. Even though I’ve tailor made plans for myself, nothing has worked. As a girl who knows a lot about health and nutrition, and one who is going to go back to school to become a registered dietician, this is kind of a huge blow to me. I should know this stuff, I should know what it takes to lose weight. So why aren’t I? Because I’m not perfect. I’ve tried my best to write a plan for me, but it didn’t work. Instead of beating myself up over why it didn’t, I know I have to find something that will. And after doing a ton of research and consulting with friends who have lost weight and are HAPPY on Weight Watchers [like Kelly!], I knew it was the right plan for me. Ya’ll have no idea how scared I was to even admit this. I even texted my bff, “Emily, will joining Weight Watchers make me a nutritional failure?” She wrote back with “No! I believe it’s a good plan and it’s a really good system. Just know you are beautiful the way you are!” Love when she ends her texts with that 🙂 But seriously, I’ve been afraid that ya’ll will think I’m a failure. My heart and soul is nutrition. I get nutrition Google alerts, I read all of the big nutrition blogs and I even order nutrition textbooks offline so I can be caught up when I go back to school. Nutrition and health are my life. With that being said, I was scared my readers and friends would be like “Um, you study this stuff. How come you can’t lose weight without the help of some diet? You obviously must not know much!” I know, way harsh thoughts, right? But it’s all I could think about. So friends, I’m taking this huge leap of faith by posting this. I hope you all still believe in me and will still read, even though I’m seeking outside help to lose weight. I just know what I need is some structure, and I really think Weight Watchers is what’s best for me.
A Food Tip: Eat Your Veggies!
No dessert…
until you eat your vegetables! [Photos via]
I know, I sound like your mother/grandmother/naggy babysitter. “No dessert until you eat your veggies!” Trust me, I’ve been there, but not how you think. Unlike the rest of my peers, the veggies were often the first thing to be gone off my dinner plate. However, my brothers didn’t share my same love for them and I had to wait until they ate theirs before I could have dessert. Not fair, right? For some reason, I was one of those weird, awkward tots who just LOVED her vegetables. Whether they were covered in cheese, butter or served plain, I gobbled them right up. Oh, and if you want just another reason to gawk at me, I also loved brussel sprouts. I used to get extra helpings at my elementary school. I know, I know. What a freak.
Even though we’re all adults here, I still know plenty of people who classify mashed potatoes as a vegetable serving. Yes, a potato is a vegetable, but drown it in butter, milk and gravy and it sort of defeats the whole purpose. Instead of harking on what counts and what doesn’t, I’m just going to give you the facts.
- A diet rich in vegetables will lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Fruits and vegetables are effective in lowering blood pressure.
- The fiber in vegetables reduce constipation and bloating and can prevent intestinal damage and diverticulosis.
- Eating veggies will help your eye sight and prevent common eye diseases like macular degeneration.
- Vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories, which help with weight loss and weight maintenance efforts.
So today, during lunch, hit the salad bar for a delicious meal that will not only prevent many health complications, like cardiac arrest and macular degeneration, but will fill you up and keep you full until dinner! Click here for a super easy cranberry & feta salad!
Nutrition in the News: The Convenience Store Diet
Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard about the professor from the Kansas State University who lost 27 pounds on the so called “convenience store diet.” When I first heard this story on the radio yesterday morning, I thought it was a joke. Then when I got to my desk and read my Google alerts [I get nutrition Google alerts, what of it], I realized it was, in fact, a true story.
[Photo courtesy of CNN]
If you haven’t heard of it yet, here are the logistics, according to CNN. Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, ate Little Debbie cakes, Doritos, Oreos and sugary cereals for 10 weeks, every 3 hours, in the place of meals. For this “class project” he had to limit himself to 1800 calories a day. His hypothesis for the experiment was that weight loss is dictated by pure calorie counting and not by the actual nutritional value of what you eat. Going into the experiment, he had his doubts and wasn’t expecting much of a result. However, after 10 weeks of this dietary change, he had lost 27 pounds. Not only this, but his body mass index decreased from 28.8 to 24.9. Also, his LDL [bad cholesterol] was reduced by 20 percent and his HDL [good cholesterol]was increased by 20 percent. This proved that it wasn’t just a fluke; eating sugary donuts, cakes and sodium laden chips made him physically healthier.
Of course, he recognizes that this isn’t the healthiest of lifestyles, however positive the results. The point in the whole exercise was to prove that portion control and calorie consumption were the bottom line to weight loss. Which brings me to the question, “does what you eat not matter as much as how much you eat?”
Naturally, registered dietitians, nutritionists and other nutrition professors weighed in on this as well. Dawn Jackson Blatner, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, reassured that his weight loss success was just a result of caloric reduction and nothing else. As quoted in CNN, Blatner also indicated that when you lose a significant amount of weight, the factors you were facing when you were obese, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol will also reduce. This, to me, makes some sense. When you lose weight and overall body fat, you are lessening the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiac disease and heart attacks, which will in turn lower your blood pressure, cholesterol and other risks for these complications. However, I’m still not sold on the fact that what you eat doesn’t matter as how much.
This doesn’t even look healthy, does it? [via]
For example, take the Atkins Diet, which is a low-carb, high protein diet geared towards helping people eat less carbs and more protein. When it first came out, people thought it was revolutionary; a fantastic answer to their weight problems. However, as the years have passed, more studies have proven the negative impacts a high-protein, low-carb diet can have on your body, including high blood pressure risks. According to the American Heart Association, diets like Atkins restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients to our bodies. Limiting carbs may raise blood pressure via associated reductions in potassium, calcium and magnesium. Couple this with an increase in sodium and your body becomes more susceptible to gout and osteoporosis. Although people have lost significant amounts of weight on this, they’ve also increased their risks for high blood pressure, cardiac arrest, gout and osteoporosis! This only reinforces my belief that what we are eating is still important.
Portions matter, obviously, but are they all that matters in the weight loss arena? [via]
This question of what we eat versus how much was also addressed by Blatner in the article by CNN. She stated that what can’t be measured, such as a higher risk of cancer, diabetes and other health complications, needs to be taken into account when a person stops eating vegetables, fruits, lean proteins and whole grains. These are the things that can’t be measured as quickly as weight loss, but in the long run, determine our overall health. Even though this snack food diet caused Professor Haub to lose weight, lower his bad cholesterol and reduce his body fat, it still begs the question of what the negative impacts will be in the long run, if he keeps it up. And according to Haub, who is adding an additional 300 calories of healthy foods to his diet, the snack cakes aren’t going anywhere for a while.
In the end, I’m not shocked by the results. When you reduce your calories by over 1,000, you are going to see dramatic results. There is no disproving that. However, when you replace healthy foods with processed, high sugar, high fat snacks, the long run results could not be as positive. The data proved his hypothesis, but I’m still not buying it. And even though I’m looking to shed some weight for my wedding, you won’t see me stocking up on Little Debbie snacks at the local grocer anytime soon. How I feel has a direct correlation with what I eat, and eating crap will result in me feeling like crap. No matter what the claims are, I’d much rather be a little heavier but actually feel good, physically and mentally.
I’m eager to know everyone else’s opinions on this! Please feel free to chime in, even if you aren’t a nutrition junkie like myself!
Like That? Try This: Pumpkin Pie
[via]
Pumpkin Pie is a Thanksgiving staple, and I will not try to argue that. I couldn’t imagine a holiday without this delicious fall favorite. Based on my Thanksgiving giveaway comments thus far, pumpkin pie is everyone else’s favorite as well! There’s something so comforting about this thick and creamy dessert. As soon as I take a bite of some foods, my mind rushes back to amazing memories I have of a certain event or party where I first tasted it or ate the best version I’ve ever had of it. For me, pumpkin pie always brings me back to Thanksgiving at my Grandma’s house, where I would always help my mom make the whipped cream that always graces the top of the pie. I usually ate at least 3 cups of whipped cream before dinner was even served!
In the family of pies, pumpkin is definitely one of the lightest in regards to total fat and calories per slice. A slice of home-made pumpkin pie has anywhere from 290-370 calories and 9-20 grams of fat, depending on how it’s made. Compared with the other holiday favorite, pecan pie, which has up to 500 calories and 30 grams of fat! If you are going to splurge on a sweet this Thanksgiving, pumpkin pie is your best bet. Since I didn’t want to alter this favorite, I instead started digging for twists on this recipe, ones that you can serve alongside the famous pumpkin pie. That is how I stumbled upon a recipe for frozen pumpkin mousse pie that features all the delicious ingredients of pumpkin pie, but adds light vanilla ice cream into the mix! This Thanksgiving, surprise your friends and family by serving this delicious frozen pie, it will surely become a new staple! [At least it will in my family!] Recipe was taken from Eating Well and edited by me. This pie makes 10 servings.
Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie
What You’ll Need:
Crust
- 30 small gingersnap cookies
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Filling
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 4 cups low-fat vanilla ice cream, softened
How to Make It:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with cooking spray.
- To prepare crust: Combine gingersnaps and raisins in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add oil and pulse until blended. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.
- Bake the crust until set, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare filling: Combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a large bowl and mix well. Add ice cream and stir until blended.
- Spoon the mixture into the cooled pie crust. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Let the pie soften slightly in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Nutritional Information per 1/8″ slice: 230 calories, 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.
