Sunday, July 29, 2012

Ahhhh, Sweet Summer!

Thank you summer, for producing so many gorgeous vegetables and fruits!  I have moved on to phase 2 of South Beach, which means including some fruits and whole grains.  Like I have said before, very much aligned with the "Patty" approach to eating (I don't like calling it a "diet")!  25 days with no sugar (none, nada, zero, zippo), and I feel virtuous!  I have conquered the "monster".  It is now up to me, and not my cravings, to decide if and when I want to eat something with sugar again.

Our neighbors have a garden and have been on vacation.  They asked us to harvest their garden while they were away.  Their garden has been producing beautiful yellow summer squash.  It is so delicious and has found it's way into most of our meals.  I have sauteed it (in chicken broth) with onions, I have roasted it in the oven with a drizzle of EVOO and we have grilled it on the BBQ outside.  So delicious!  This morning, I chopped a huge fresh squash right out of the garden, sprayed the pan with PAM, tossed in a chopped onion and a few handfulls of spinach, cooked that until the veges were soft then tossed in beaten egg whites with a little shredded lofat mozzarella.....DELICIOUS Sunday morning breakfast scramble.  Our garden this year is all flowers but we are considering starting our own vege garden.  It really is a blast to pick something out of the garden and eat it!

So look around at your grocery store, farmers market or maybe in your own back yard!  Select veges you may not have tried and get creative!  No matter what eating plan you are on, there is one thing they all agree on......load up on fresh yummy veges to improve your health!

Desire to include at least 5 servings of veges every day. Dedication to seeking out the freshest, most delicious veges for you. Discipline to buying and preparing more veges in the most healthy way possible.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Summer Celebrations - Keeping It Real

Summer is in full swing.  I have sun tea brewing in the back yard right now.  Awesome decaf tea bags with fresh apple mint leaves from the garden.  It will be a tasty treat later on for sure!  It seems that every day there is another opportunity to "celebrate" summer.  By celebrate, I mean eat off plan.  I had a wonderful lunch with some dear dear friends last Friday.  They went for glasses of cold crisp white wine, sweet potato fries and more.  I had iced tea and a lite little salad.

I was in Dallas on a business trip Monday -Thursday last week.  I had a big department lunch and 2 dinners with colleagues.  Each time, I made positive healthy choices and did not "stray".  I stayed at a beautiful hotel with a huge breakfast buffet.  But instead of the buffet, I ordered from the menu, my egg whites and veges.  My final night at the hotel, I did a cardio workout and went to the restaurant for dinner.  I ordered the scallop appetizer, but asked for them broiled dry.  Then I ordered a salad with seared ahi on top, asking for no croutons, no cheese and no dressing.  The waiter was very obliging.  As he removed my empty plates, he said with a smile....I guess you don't want to see the desert menu?  I chuckled and said no.  He said...that would just undo all your great work. 

It was funny how validated I felt by his simple comment.  So nice that a total stranger recognized that I was indeed working hard to be healthy.  Thank you Mr. Server, whoever you are!    

So, I am on day 18 of "South Beach" eating, aka, Patty's plan.  Zero sugar.  Zero fruit.  Zero grains.  Zero starchy vege.  Lots of fresh vegetables, lots of lean proteins, small amount of low fat or fat free dairy.  I must admit, I really LOVE my sugar free popsicles at night.  It is amazing how they satisfy my sweet tooth.  I am 6 lbs lighter.  That makes me happy.

Even better news, my Mom has shed 7 pounds.  And she has been following this eating pattern for only 9 days!  You go Mom!!!!

So, I am enjoying and celebrating summer.  The light, the air, the fresh herbs, the summer squash from the garden, dips in the jacuzzi, walks on the beach, all the beautiful flowers......Hooray for summer!

Desire to celebrate summer.  Dedication to maintaining my focus.  Discipline to say "no thank you".

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Try for 25!

Kathi (my trainer, who took a first place in last Sunday's Carlsbad Tri!) "mixed it up" yet again during my mid-week workout this week.  Instead of doing 15 reps of each exercise, she had me do 25 reps of each.  I did 12 stations, 25 reps each, 2 full rotations.  So, if you do the math, it is only 5 extra reps for each exercise.  Normally I do 15 reps for 3 rotations, equalling 45 total reps of an exercise.

She said by increasing the number of reps to 25, it is essentially giving your msucles an endurance workout.  I thought.....no big deal, I'll just pound out 25 reps.  WELL, LET ME TELL YOU......there is a very big difference between 15 and 25, even though it is just 10 little reps!  I was very surprised at how the level of difficulty went so far up!  Our bodies have muscle memory, so during the first 15 reps, my muscles were saying...OK, this is a normal workout.  Then, BAM, add another 10 and my muscles really started talking to me! 

It made me think how our bodies get accustomed to all aspects of what we do, what we eat, how much we hydrate, how much we sleep, how much we drink, how much we relax, how much we love, and everything else!  So, if you want to teach your body a new level of performance, just add another 10 reps, or whatever that translates to for you!  Try it and let me know how it goes for you!

BTW, I am at the end of day 10 of the 2 week induction for South Beach.  Just 4 short days left.  I have not strayed one little tiny bit.  I feel good.  The waistband for my slacks fit better.  I am happy with my effort!

Desire to see what else my body can do.  Dedication to push a little harder.  Discipline to push for just 10 more!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

I Am Off to Miami!

What I mean is that I began the South Beach Diet.  The day after the 4th of July.  I am loving it.  It is very much aligned with what I think of as the "Patty" diet.  The first 2 weeks is the most restricted including lots of lean protiens, lots of low glycemic veges, low fat cheese, fat free cottage cheese, a few nuts, lots of water and sugar free popsicles if you want a treat.  The instructions encourage you to eat until you are full and not to bother counting calories or points or anything else.  After the induction 2 weeks, then you add in a few low glycemic fruits and grains and eat that way until you reach your goal.

My goal is to stay following this program until our trip in September to Cape Cod to celebrate our 25th anniversary!  The 2 months will fly by.

I feel really good.  I am not hungry.  The discipline is positive for me.  It is how I see results. 

So, go ahead, buy a ticket to Miami and join me on the beach, South Beach that is!

Desire to be disciplined.  Dedication to being disciplined.  Discipline to pay attention to the deisre.