Thinner Jennifer

Another year, another resolution

2017-01-04T00:51:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again. The time where I look back at my resolutions from last year and realize that I failed again. The time where I'm determined this year will be different. New year, new game plan. My weight has gone up and down so much over the years you'd think I'd have it all figured out by now.

The only thing that has truly been successful for me was when I went on Nutrisystem. I have been wanting to go back on it but I didn't want to do it alone as I knew it would be difficult for me to stay on track while hubby eats delicious yummies next to me. Luckily this past week he said he would be interested in doing it too.

So here we go again...

Weekly Progress Report

2015-03-08T19:59:00.000-04:00

Last Weigh In: 199
Current Weight: 195

Yeah! Take that post-pregnancy body.

Hakuna matata!

Weekly Progress Report

2015-03-01T19:57:00.000-05:00

Last Weigh In: 199
Current Weight: 199

I blame the cookies...

Hakuna matata!

Thinspiration #44

2015-02-24T08:54:00.000-05:00

Permanent results require permanent change. --Unknown

There is not a shortage of weight loss in this country. Everywhere you look there is a new fad diet, new "superfoods", and lots of people trying to make changes. The shortage is the permanent results. Very few people who go on a diet are able to maintain their weight loss. In fact most people will not only gain back all the weight they lost, many will then continue to gain weight and be heavier than when they started. Why is that?

It's because people see diets as a temporary thing. They think "I'm overweight. I'm going to eat healthy while I feel motivated and it's convenient." Ok maybe not in those exact words but that's how a lot of dieters start. They get this big hoorah to be healthier, which is great, you need that. But after the first week, the newness starts to wear off, temptations are all around, and eventually most dieter fall back into old habits.

If you lost weight eating healthier and exercising, you need to keep eating healthier and exercising to keep the weight off. This is not a one and done kind of deal.

Hakuna matata!

That's not what I ordered

2015-02-23T12:09:00.002-05:00

That moment you realized you grabbed the wrong Tupperware from the fridge this morning...

Today I was supposed to have leftover taco soup for lunch. But instead of grabbing yummy taco soup, I grabbed icky garlic chickpeas. Why did I have something icky in my fridge? Because I was trying something new to see if I liked them. Well, I didn't. So they just sat there. Why didn't I throw them out if I didn't like them? I don't know, laziness I guess.

So now I have to sit here at work, hungry, waiting for Hubby to drop off some yumminess to me. (He's such a sweetheart.) Guess I'm having raisins for lunch and taco soup for afternoon snack.

Edit: I guess I have the mailman to thank for making sure I have lunch today. One of the things on Hubby's to do list today was to send out a bunch of packages. Hubby had just left the house when the mailman turned onto our street. He made a quick U-turn and went back to the house so he could just give them to the mailman. Well sometime during that whole shindig, Hubby realized he didn't grab my food from the fridge! So thank you Mr. Mailman for ensuring that I eat something today.

Hakuna matata!

One thing the hobbits got right

2015-02-22T14:56:00.000-05:00

Earlier today, Hubby and I were joking that this new meal plan is like that of the hobbits.

7:00am – Breakfast
9:00am – Second Breakfast
11:00am – Elevenses
1:00pm – Luncheon
4:00pm – Afternoon Tea
6:00pm – Dinner
8:00pm – Supper

But after thinking about it, who decided in the first place that we are supposed to only eat three meals a day. Why isn't it seven? Or four? Or ten?

There are so many studies and meal plan that agree that eating smaller meals more often fights off hunger better than "3 square meals a day".

Hakuna matata!

Weekly Progress Report

2015-02-22T14:41:00.002-05:00

Last Weigh In: 206
Current Weight: 199

Hubby's Last Weigh In: 265
Hubby's Current Weight: 253

Hooray we've made it through the first week of our new diet plan. It's been a little rough this week as we both have been going through munchy withdrawals. However, we can't argue with the results. It's also motivating to know that we are properly fueling our body to perform at it's best.

Hakuna matata!

Missing my munchies

2015-02-19T21:07:00.000-05:00

Today was a rough day. I was really craving sweets and Hubby was missing 'real' food (a.k.a.chicken nuggets). We really had to push each other to stay on track. I snacked more than I wanted to today but at least I can say I stuck to the general meal plan. I ate a lot of raisins this afternoon and had a couple too many banana bread granola bars. (Recipe coming soon!)

I'm starting to put together the meal plan for the weekend since we have to go shopping tomorrow. It takes a lot of work to plan everything because I need to make sure we both have enough ingredients for all our juices and food items for the next couple of days. Plus I have to take inventory of the things we haven't used yet so I can incorporate them into a recipe and not buy more if I don't need it.

Hakuna matata!

A diet by any other name would taste just as sweet

2015-02-19T15:30:00.000-05:00

I've been stuggling all week to find a term to call this new diet. Everyone know vegetarian, Atkins, Weight Watchers, fruitarian, South Beach, gluten free, etc. Up until now I've just been telling people I was on a whole food, plant based diet. A bit of a mouthful. But today I finally found a name: nutritarian.

Simply put, a Nutritarian diet is a way of eating which bases food choices on maximizing the micronutrients per calorie.

Hakuna matata!

Carrot and Sweet Potato “Fries”

2015-02-18T11:51:00.000-05:00

Directly from Reboot With Joe's website. This is one of our favorites and great if you're craving fast food.

Makes 2 servings
Nutrition per serving: 265 kCal; 1108 kJ; 3 g protein; 34 g carbohydrates; 14 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 6 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 133 mg salt

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes
2 large carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C/gas 7).
Cut the potatoes in half lengthways, and slice each half into 4 equal wedges.
Cut the carrots in half crossways, then lengthways, and cut each piece into 2 or 3 wedges,making them roughly the same size as the potatoes.

Put all the wedges in a bowl and toss with the oil, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste.

Place all the wedges on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment and bake for 30 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned, with slightly crisp edges.

Hakuna matata!

So 'beet' it, but you wanna be bad

2015-02-18T10:20:00.001-05:00

Another shopping trip behind us. I'm pretty sure I spend all night in the kitchen making my food for today. But the good news is that now I have lunches done for the rest of the week. Today's breakfast, snack, and lunch include:

An important lesson also came out of yesterday's food prep: Wear gloves while peeling beets otherwise it looks like you were finger painting. My hand is better today but definitely still has a noticeable magenta tone to it. Hubby can do his own beet peeling from now on. Now I understand why beet juice makes such a great natural food coloring!

There was a lot of temptations at work today. We had a celebration breakfast for a few new people to our department as well as celebrating a few birthdays. It was so difficult to walk past all the bagels, muffins, and pastries that I previously would have filled my plate with (and probably my lunch plate too). But I was good and only had a few strawberries and pieces of pineapple.

Hakuna Matata!

We survived

2015-02-17T13:26:00.000-05:00

We finally made it through Day 1 of our reboot and on to Day 2. Yesterday had some highlights and it definitely had some low points. For me, the juice was tolerable but definitely not one I'd add to my favorites list, unlike breakfast which was delicious.

The hardest part for both of us was the salads. I'm not a salad person. The only salads I ever have are smothered in ranch, caesar, or italian dressing and mostly consist of tomatoes. The lettuce is really just there to keep my tomatoes on my plate.

I could only force myself to eat about a third my lunch salad. Hubby did better and managed about 2/3 of his. We didn't even bother to make the dinner salad. We just ate the sweet potatoes. Hey, it's better than chowing down on a bag of potato chips!

After some discussion last night we decided to not follow that specific meal plan anymore. Tomorrow Hubby will go 100% juice and I made a meal plan that's part juice part whole food.

Hakuna matata!

Another beginning

2015-02-16T08:28:00.000-05:00

Today it begins, whether we're ready or not. Last night we spent a long while cutting, juicing, cooking, and packing. Today is Day 1 of our whole food, plant based reboot. It won't be easy, especially since 'munchies' was it's own food group up until now, but this is needed.

Hubby's starting weight: 265
My starting weight: 205

Today's menu includes:

Hakuna matata!

Weekly Progress Report

2015-02-15T12:06:00.001-05:00

Last Weigh In: 208
Current Weight: 206

Still out of commission for running. My knee feels fine until I try to jump, run, or go up and down stairs. I'm hoping a few more days of rest will be enough to get me back out on the roads.

Hakuna matata!

Stocked full of produce

2015-02-14T21:01:00.001-05:00

Today was a really rough depression day for me. Emotions and anxiety were on high alert and it took a while to get going for the day.

Once we did get going, Hubby and I went shopping for days 1 and 2 of our reboot. Yes the below picture is only 2 days worth of food for two people.

There's a lot of things we bought that will be used over time (such as the rice and balsamic vinegars, olive oil, and herb plants). But there's definitely about $100 worth of produce that is specifically for day 1 or day 2 of our reboot.

This is definitely not something that we will be able to afford long term. I'm hoping that prices drop as the weather warms up in a few months. Luckily we live across the street from a local farm and they have a produce stand most of they year. I've never stopped so I'm not sure how their prices compare but I would feel good supporting a local business.

Hakuna Matata!

Bring on the veggies

2015-02-13T10:58:00.000-05:00

For the past several days, Hubby and I have been watching a number of documentaries on Netflix realting to healthier eating. Each of these films focuses on reducing the amount of refined sugars and processed foods and focusing more on eating a whole food, plant based diet. Our watch list includes:

Hungry for Change
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (1 & 2)
Forks Over Knives

By the way, I highly reccomend watching any one of these if you need some motivation to start eating healthier. What I like about these films is that they focus on the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables and don't focus so much on being vegan because animals are treated poorly or eating organic because of pesticides, GMOs, etc. I'm not saying that isn't happening in the world and that it's not important, but really for me that is not a motivating factor at this time to change my eating habits.

I like meat and dairy. I refuse to entirely give up meat and dairy. I also can't afford to eat entirely organic. I do however think I need to turn my current food habits upside down and eat mainly plant based foods and only have meat and dairy sparingly.

Hubby and I have both struggled with our weight and several medical conditions, especially the last couple of years. We decided to jump in together and get our eating habits in check. Starting Monday (2/16), Hubby and I will be doing a diet reboot. (Check out the plans here!)

Tomorrow we go shopping and our grocery list is huge! Hopefully my fridge is big enough to hold all this produce.

Hakuna matata!

Nothing beats free

2015-02-12T10:54:00.002-05:00

Today while browsing my running forums, I came across a hidden treasure. Someone posted that they were offering to get rid of their one-time-worn running shoes. Best part: 100% free, good quality, and perfect size. Worst part: perfect size for Hubby.

While texting him about it I asked,"Why is it that I'm the one running and you're the one getting new running shoes?" He surprising said that he was going to start running. Why is it surprising? Because he hates running, or at least running as it's own activity. This is no secret. Maybe by "running" he means "basketball". That's more believable.

Hakuna matata!

Pes Anserinus Tendon

2015-02-11T08:54:00.002-05:00

In other words, my knees really hurt. Specifically, my lower inner knee. I could hardly run last night. My running was more like an awkward shuffle. I probably should have cut my run short, but when do I ever listen to myself at the right time? I'm not sure whether it's bursitis or tendonitis but I do know that something is up with my pes anserius.

Well according to this website, pes anserine bursitis [or tendonitis] can be caused by:

Repetitive activities
Incorrect sports training techniques, such as a lack of stretching, sudden increases in run distances, or too much uphill running
Obesity
~~Osteoarthritis of the knee~~
Incorrect positioning of the knee (an "angling out" of the lower leg)
~~Turning the leg sharply with the foot planted on the ground~~
~~Injury, such as a direct hit to the leg~~
Tight hamstring muscles
~~A tear in the cartilage of the knee~~
Flat feet

Guilty of probably 6 out of 9. I was doomed from the beginning. I iced my knees last night and I'm taking ibuprofen all day today. I'm also trying to stretch my hips, hamstrings, and quads as much as I can. Hopefully stretching and strengthening my leg muscles will help speed up recovery.

Hakuna matata!

Email filters

2015-02-10T15:35:00.000-05:00

In case you weren't already aware, I am a very introverted person. It takes me a million drafts to write something out (including each of these blog posts) and I never know what to say in fear of embarrasing myself.

I have been wanting to join one of the local running groups for a while now but have been afraid to reach out to them. Today I sent the following email to the Manchester Running Company (MRC):

Hi, my name is Jennifer. I came across your website while trying to find a local running group. I only recently started running but wanted to find some local people that I can keep up with to help me get better. Thanks!

But what I really meant was:

Hi, my name is Jennifer. I came across your website while trying to find a local running group. I only recently started running so needless to say I really suck at it. This is assuming that my waddling down the street at a snail's pace for only 30 seconds at a time can actually be classified as running. In fact, my walking may be faster than my 'running'. Please help me if at all possible even though I am probably beyond saving at this point.

I wanted to find some local people that are as slow as I am to help me feel better about myself while not being horribly embarrased by those who can run under 7 minutes per mile. Also I'm shy so it's taking me an hour to (re)write this email in a way that makes sense to you and doesn't make me look like a complete fool or noob. Does anyone use that term anymore?

Assuming that you even respond to my email, I may or may not show up to the first running practice depending on how intimidating you all look from my car all the way across the parking lot. Thanks!

Hakuna matata!

The final countdown

2015-02-10T12:27:00.002-05:00

It's official. Registration finally opened this weekend for the 5K that I wanted to do this spring. I registered for me and my sister-in-law, though she doesn't know it yet! May 9th is the day so mark it on the calendar! More details to come...

Hakuna matata!

Weekly Progress Report

2015-02-08T17:47:00.000-05:00

Last Weigh In: 208
Current Weight: 208

More snow is coming into the northeast tonight into tomorrow so we will see how that affects the running plan. On the plus side, doc cleared me to lift weights again so tomorrow will most definitely be a BODYPUMP day.

Hakuna matata!

Series of misfortunate events

2015-02-07T21:56:00.001-05:00

As much as I was dying to go running yesterday, I was just as disappointed after I completed my run. It was one of those runs that just wasn't going right in any way.

Issue #1 was the combination of my alarm going off at the end of my warm up, my phone being buried under two layers, and having thick snow gloves on. By the time I turned off my alarm, I had missed my audio cue to begin running on my C25K app.

Issue #2 was bringing my dog. Don't get me wrong, I love my dog and I would love for him to go running with me, if he would only not try to run at full speed in the middle of the road.

Trying to rein him in so he wouldn't get hit by a car was so distracting that I was breathing wrong and my form was terrible. As a result, I was completely out of breath and couldn't run for more than 20 seconds at a time.

Issue #3 was my stupid headphones. I only put them in one ear and tuck the other earbud into my bra strap. Well somehow it got untucked so my arm kept getting tangled. Eventually all that tangling caused it to fall out of my ear entirely which again caused me to miss another running cue.

My underwear was also scratching my hip.

So with all of that, I came home more annoyed and stressed than when I left. Total disappointment after an entire afternoon of anticipation. Bah!

Something's going around

2015-02-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

I think I'm getting sick.

There is still snow and ice covering the ground. The average temperature tonight is in the mid teens. And I want to go running. Yup I think I can call this one...

I caught the running bug!

I'm actually itching to go running right now. It's driving me crazy knowing I have to sit here at work for another hour and half before I can leave.

I already warned Hubby I'm going for a run when I get home. He says I'm crazy. Maybe I am. I don't know. I don't care.

Hakuna matata!

Dress for success

2015-02-06T08:11:00.000-05:00

I am notorious for not checking the weather before I get dressed for the day. Too often I am wearing a knit sweater on the warmest day of autumn or I wear heels on the rainest day of the spring. I then proceed to complain all day about being too hot, being too cold, having wet feet, or having hurricane winds blow up my dress. (Yes I have had at least one Marilyn Monroe moment in the middle of Hartford before.)

I make poor wardrobe choices.

Last night Hubby and I were supposed to go dancing but he wasn't feeling too well, so we didn't go. I was enjoying being lazy on the couch when I realized that I actually wanted to go running. Problem? It's dark out and the temperature was quickly dropping. (It was about 17° F before I started running.) I knew if I was to go out that night, I needed to be warmer than last time.

I recently read online that there's no such thing as bad running weather, just bad gear choices. I saw that and immediately I thought, "That is so me!" So this time I was determined to be smarter about this.

I started layering up and quickly realized that I had too many layers on. I had a tank top, tshirt, thermal, sweatshirt, and reflective tshirt. Yeah you can imagine how warm I was just standing there. So I dropped 2 of the layers and thought I'd see how that goes. (I think next time I'll swap the thermal for a regular tshirt.) I double layered my pants and socks, wrapped my dollar store scarf around my ears, and remembered my snow gloves.

Just need my sneakers, headphones, and all my phone apps and I am ready to go! But not without taking a selfie first...

Hakuna matata!

Clear the way!

2015-02-03T19:40:00.001-05:00

Please people. If you have a sidewalk in front of your house, please shovel/plow it as much as you do your driveway.

Today I went on the coldest run of my life so far. It took half of my run just to get feeling back in my fingers. Note to self, buy stretchy gloves tomorrow. But on the other (frozen) hand, I brought a running buddy today.

I decided to bring my 3 year old bichon dog along for the ride. He loved every minute of it though I'm sure his little paws were just as frozen as my fingers.

Anyways, half of the route that I went on had sidewalks, which is nice especially with a dog. However it was a lot of extra work because the pathways weren't very clear. Running on slushy snow was like running on sand. Each step I took shifted as my weight transferred from one foot to the other. I had to pay close attention to each step so I didn't get any injuries.

So please, for the safety of all runners, power walkers, dog walkers, etc, keep your sidewalks as snow free as your driveway.

Update 2/3/15 7:42pm: Ok so literally no more than 2 minutes has passed since I published this post and I saw this article on Facebook. Too funny!

Uncleared sidewalks against the law - WTNH (CT)