First Forays into Glycemic Index

After much reading and research, I decided to give the Glycemic Index "diet" a try.  As per my usual ways, I immediately ran out and bought four (yep, FOUR) new books.  I grabbed a glass of wine (which is totally okay), parked myself on the couch and started reading.

I can't lie.  The first week was tough.  Pasta for dinner 2-3 times a week?  A thing of the past.  Snacky time pretzels and crackers?  Goodbye, my loves!  Dinner rolls and *ahem* heaping *cough* servings of mashed potatoes?  Fare thee well.  But I was able to make choices about the carbs I consumed.  Unlike some of the more hardcore anti-carb diets out there, I can still eat carbs without feeling like I'm going to derail all the good I've done.

Let me just say (without getting into embarrassing numbers), I've been very pleased with the scale over the past three weeks!

So what do I eat?  Here's a lowdown of a typical day:

Breakfast:

• 1/4 cup homemade granola (See? Carbs first thing in the morning!)
• 3 celery stalks w/ 2 Tbsp peanut butter (yes, I do measure, thankyouvurahmuch)

Lunch:

• Salad made with romaine or spinach, carrots, shredded cheese, turkey breast, diced hard boiled eggs, bacon and dressing of my choice (even full fat stuff)

Dinner:

• Meat.  Lots of lean meat.
• Non-starchy vegetables
• Small salad
• 2-3 times a week, I will have 1 dinner roll, or one small serving of potatoes (I'm currently trying to avoid mashed taters - I love them so hard, it's near impossible to control myself!)

Snacks:

• Cheese (mmmm!).  I like cheddar/colby, aged white cheddar, gouda. Let's be real.  I'll eat pretty much any cheese you put in front of my face.
• Turkey pepperoni
• Hard salami with cream cheese
• 1/4 cup nuts (almonds and cashews are my current faves)
• Pork rinds (I know, kinda white trash.  But they get me over the "I want potato chips" hump.)
• Lots of water throughout the day, with the occasional Coke Zero.

Interested in reading a bit more?  Dig this article from WebMD.

I'm off to check my pot roast!!!

One Hot (cool) Dish!

I'm about two weeks in with the low glycemic plan (which is FANTASTIC, but more on that in another post).  Feeling pretty saucy with my results and getting used to making different food choices when DUH DUH DUUUUUH..... I get an invite to a cookout.  

Knowing the menu will consist of white burger buns, chips, pasta salads and all sorts of stuff I'm trying to lay off of, I went in search of a low GI side dish recipe, and found this gem. 

Black Bean and Avocado Salad

2 avocados (not quite fully ripe - easier to work with)

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 can corn (drained)

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 red bell pepper (chopped)

4-6 scallions (chopped)

2 Tbsp parsley

3 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Pit, peel and dice up the avocados, and put them in a bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice, stir gently to coat, and set aside.

In large bowl, combine corn, beans, bell pepper, scallions, parsley and garlic.

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Pour dressing over veggie mixture.  Gently fold in avocados, cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours (just until chilled).  

Serving size:  1/2 cup

Glycemic Index: Low

Glycemic Load: 6

Digging Into the Low-GI Way of Life

I do realize it's been forever and a day since I've blogged.  There's a pretty good reason for that though.  I haven't had much to say.  A crazy busy social calendar combined with my efforts being relatively status quo just don't make for entertaining reading.

But!  I did get some really good news today.  After 6 months of consistently exercising, my blood pressure was beautiful!  I've always been a 120(ish)/80(ish) kind of gal.  Today, I was sitting pretty at 106/68.  Knowing that hypertension runs in my family, my doc literally high-fived me.  w00t!

Also, I'm sniffing out a new "diet" plan.  I hate the word diet.  Just saying it makes me feel deprived and hungry.  So, I'm more hoping this will be a way of life instead of a "diet."  (Did you guys here that?  I think my stomach just growled as I said it.)

I'm reading about the Glycemic Index; aka: GI.  I've done the low carb thing before, living on meat and cheese with no fruit and very few veggies.  To quote Antoine and Blaine....

HATED IT!!!

Again with the feeling deprived thing, ya know?  Since when are fruits "unhealthy"?  Needless to say, that didn't last long.

The GI plan doesn't forbid anything.  What at it does do is teach you how to choose healthy carbs. White bread?  Not so much.  Stone ground wheat bread?  Help yourself!  With normal servings, of course.  I can eat fruit.  I can eat peanut butter.  The more lean meat and non-starchy veggies on my plate, the better, but nothing is off limits.  There are no phases to worry about.  I bought three books and am totally engrossed in them, and did my first shopping excursion today.  I am really excited about this one.  It will definitely be a learning curve, but it sounds like the health benefits (including better moods - the boy will like that!) will make it totally worthwhile.

I have to go stir my homemade low-GI granola now.  Ta-ta!

back on that horse

The boy and I have this thing we like to call "kickin' it Sunday."  I generally don't want to do anything on Sunday.  At all.  Including working out.  Bummer is, Monday was a "feeling sorry for myself Monday."  Everyone is entitled to a bad day once in awhile, right?  Right?  So, that ended up being a day off of the workouts too.

Today, I am happy to say that I pulled my head out of my ass and got back in the groove. 50 minutes of cardio with an average heart rate of 161 for a whopping 465 calories burned.

That feels good.  :)

New Toy!

OH BOY!  I got a new toy!

In my review of Burlesque by Jazzercise, I mentioned that I thought maybe I wasn't working quite as hard as I thought I was.  That got me thinking - what if I'm not working as hard as I think I am, like, ever?  Really, how does one tell exactly how hard one is working?  I mean, sure,  I'm sweating like a hoss.  My heart is pounding.  I'm tired when I finish.  But, Skillz... how hard ARE you working?

I went online and did a little research on heart rate monitors and decided on the Polar FT40.  I didn't want to spend a fortune, but I wanted a little more than basics.  I found a great price through Amazon, placed my order, and within a few days, my new toy arrived.

I have to say, it's pretty cool and easy to use.  Some of it's perks:

• It's personalized.  You tell it your sex, height, age (HA), weight (HAHAHA), and it determines your target heart rate zone.
• Based on your info, it also tells you how many calories you've burned.
• It keeps track of your data.  How long have you spent working out this week?  How many calories have you burned this week?  How many of those calories were from fat? What was your average heart rate?  All at the touch of a button.
• Using it is pretty intuitive.  It ain't rocket surgery, y'all.
• The chest strap.  Looks big and cumbersome, but it sits right below your sports bra band.  Once you're moving, you can't tell the difference.
• A very easy to read display lets you know if you are in the fat burning zone, fitness zone, or anaerobic zone, and you can turn on an alarm to let you know when you've gone out of your target zone. 

It's anti-perks:

• Although it is easy to use, the user manual kind of sucks.  That said, I did just find a complete manual on their website.  I'll be printing that puppy out.
• READ the manual before you push a button.  I didn't..... and ended up being asked to input my stats in German.  
• No easy way to reset your personal info, like the fact it thinks you speak German.  I had to take the back off and pop the battery out (which was a real pain in the ass) to get it back to square one.

Bottom line, I'm diggin' it!  

Workout Review - Burlesque by Jazzercise

I have been sitting on this workout review for awhile.  Big reason?  I LOOOOOVE THIS WORKOUT ( <------ that is me shouting from the hilltops), and I didn't want to blow my wad too soon.

Let's get one thing clear from the start.  This ain't yer mama's Jazzercise.

As I've said before, I'm a pretty big Jazzercise fan.  I own several of their dvds (including Ballet Body, which I reviewed here), and this one by far takes the proverbial cake. Don't get me wrong - the first few times I put this one in, I had to tell the boy not to come upstairs.  I was not feeling sexy when I first started!  But I learned the moves, got more comfortable with the flow, and started feeling a little sexier a little bit at a time.  So, Burlesque by Jazzercise, how do I love thee?  Let me tell you all the ways!

Shanna.  Shanna Missett Nelson is the daughter of Judi Sheppard Missett, who founded Jazzercise waaaay back in the day (want a hilarious way to pass some spare time?  Youtube old Jazzercise clips).  While I have the utmost respect for Judi (she looks real good for her age, y'all),  I don't enjoy her style of leading a class.  Shanna brings new blood.  She's cute, she's upbeat, she keeps you moving, and she is fantastic with cues!  Her cuing ability may go unnoticed by some, but for those of you who have ever taken a class with an instructor who doesn't tell you what's next, you know how frustrating it can be to not get good cues.  Again, total respect for Judi, but I love having Shanna kicking my cardio into high gear.

Music.  With most workouts, music seems to be an afterthought.  Just there to fill the void.  But this dvd?  The music takes center stage.  J Lo, Britney Spears, Pussycat Dolls, and lots of stuff I've never heard of.  I have actually downloaded most of the music to make my own "Shake Yer Ass" playlist on my ipod.  I dare you not to dance.  If you ain't shakin' it, may I suggest checking your pulse?

Customization.  I've noticed a lot of dvds are jumping on this bandwagon.  Much like the choose your own adventure books of our youth, this is choose your own workout.  There is the option for the full 40 minute workout, a quick 20 minute cardio workout, or you can jump straight to abs and legs portion, which is 10 minutes.  I like having the option of shorter workouts when I'm tight on time, but I rarely do anything but the full 40 minutes.

Dancing.  Fun, fast, booty shaking dancing.  Need I say more?

The downside?  Hmmmmm, the downside.....  let me think on that.   Sometimes I worry I'm not working quite as hard as I think I am, heart rate wise (but I've got a new toy on the way that'll help me figure that out).  You know what though?  I may not be at the top of the exertion chart, but a) I'm moving; b) I'm sweating; c) I'm gaining strength and stamina; and d) I'm having a ball!

Want a peak?  Here's a little sumpin' sumpin' from Jazzercise's YouTube channel.

Buy it.  Do it.  Learn it.  Love it!

MIA....A

Yeah, I've been MIA....A.  That would be Missing In Action.... Again.  I've been under the weather.  And by under the weather, I mean I've had an earache that would make a grown man cry.  I haven't been worried about working out, I haven't been worried about eating healthy.  I've only been worried about where the hell is the Motrin??!


After deciding I'd had enough ibuprofen to eat a hole through my liver, I finally made an appointment with my family doc.  God love him - he got me in that day for an appointment.  The ear needed some prescription assistance, but will be fine (thanks for asking).  As he was brushing up on my current meds, he asked about my asthma, how I was doing on the inhaler, how often I was using it.   I was a little leary to tell him exactly how much I'm using it these days (2-3 puffs pre-workout, every workout), in fear of the push for a daily controlling med.  So, I fluffed it up and put a good spin on it.

I informed him that while, yes, I had increased my usage, it was for good reason.  I'd recently developed an "exercise habit," and needed the puffer.  He asked what kind of exercise and how often.  I told him cardio and strength training for 45 minutes, 4 to 5 days a week.  He said good on me!

When my doc asked how long I'd been at this, I replied that it was a little over four months.  You know what he said?  He said "good, you're over the hump.  Most people don't start to feel the benefits until after 10 weeks."

TEN WEEKS?  Good thing I didn't know that four months ago.  Oy!  Not sure I'd have had the perseverance to stick that out, to tell the truth.  I mean, really..... ten weeks?

Then I commented that being sick really bums me out.  In addition to just sucking, I haven't exercised in over a week, and that makes me feel crummy too.  My back feels tight, my muscles feel stiff, I feel tired and lazy. The realization dawned on me right as my doc said it aloud.  It seems as though I've made myself a new habit.  I always thought it was kind of bogus that people said working out gave them more energy.  Let's be real, you guys.... I'm tired when I get home from work.  Workouts or no workouts.  I. Am. Beat.  And some days, it is a struggle to get upstairs, change into my gear and get myself moving.  But I do it.  And I always feel better for it afterward.

I'm on day 3 of ear rescue, and I've only been able to work out once.  I was pleasantly surprised that I made it through the full workout without wanting to die.  I'm very much looking forward to getting all the little ear-stabbing monsters gone so I can get that spring back in my step.