I heard that carbs are bad.

Let's talk carbohydrates.

I was talking to another lady who I volunteer with today, and she had a cleanse drink with her. We started talking about cleanses, and the conversation ended up something like this:

Lady: I heard that your body can produce it's own carbohydrates, so I don't need to eat them. Carbs are bad, they make me fat.
Me: noooo.... your body can't produce carbohydrates.
Lady: Yeah it can! So it's ok to do a Master Cleanse for weeks.
Me: oh god... no, your body can produce glucose from fat and protein. But it's incredibly inefficient, and can lead to really major health problems. Plus you'll probably have some major vitamin deficiencies from not eating for weeks...
Lady: I guess, but I'd still lose weight, right?
Me: *cringe*

Oh, it makes my ears bleed! There are SO many people out there who think that carbs are evil and make you gain weight, and that therefore reducing or eliminating carbs is the best thing ever.
SERIOUSLY???

Let's talk.

What's the deal with carbs?
Carbohydrates break down into glucose when you digest them. Depending on the type of carbohydrate, it may break down faster or slower (e.g. complex carbs, like whole grains, versus simple carbs, like table sugar). Carbohydrates also includes fibre, which is super important to help material get moving through your digestive tract. Soluble fibre can also reduce blood cholesterol!

Why do I need carbs?
Glucose is the body's main source of energy. Your brain ALONE needs 100g of carbohydrate daily just to maintain normal function, let alone everything else your body needs to do (heartbeat, breathing, voluntary muscle movement). This is why things like the Atkins diet scare the crap out of me - I've heard tell that the diet cuts participants down to about TWENTY grams of carbs per day. That's the equivalent of about 1/2 a banana.

But carbs make me fat.
No. An excess of ANY macronutrient will make you fat. Carbs are not the only thing to blame. You could cut carbs entirely out of your life and eat nothing but fat and protein, and still gain weight if you're eating more than you need. All three can be converted to body fat if consumed in excess. A diet that is well balanced, including adequate carbohydrates, will help you to lose/maintain your weight.

What if I don't eat carbs?
A couple of things can happen. As I mentioned, your body can produce glucose from fat and protein, but it's incredible inefficient. From the fat cells in your body, only about 5% of the triglyceride molecule can actually be used to make glucose. With protein, the deamination of a protein also frees up pieces of the molecule. The rest of the molecules are left unused, and can cause some major health problems. Those extra fatty acids and amino acids produce ketone bodies, and when produced in excess (i.e. you're relying entirely on fat and protein for glucose), the number of ketone bodies gets out of control and can lead to ketoacidosis. This condition lowers the pH of the blood making it more acidic, and can be FATAL.

Another major issue - the body doesn't store protein like it does with fat (remember, excess protein is stored as fat, not as protein). Protein that is in the body is active, being used as muscle tissue, hormones, enzymes, bone, and other major functions. So, by taking protein away from it's regular function to make glucose, you could be taking away some major body functions. Not to mention wasting muscle tissue, increasing risk of osteoporosis and reducing your ability to metabolize anything else you eat since you won't have functional enzymes.

Oh, and since you won't be consuming much/any fibre, you'll probably be pretty constipated too. Fun!

So yeah, you'll lose weight. But then you might die. Just saying...

I don't want to be constipated/wasting away/osteoporotic/dead! How much carbohydrate do I need?

The recommendation in Canada is that 45-65% of your total caloric intake should be from carbohydrates. In particular, it emphasizes focusing on complex carbohydrates, such as veggies, fruit and whole grains, and limiting the simple sugars and added sugar.

How's School Going?

I get this question a lot. I am so in love with my program and all the amazing stuff I'm learning, despite how swamped with readings/assignments/essays/craziness I have been all semester. And today, I received some new and exciting news to make me love it even more!

I have just been accepted into an international interdisciplinary course for spring 2011! The course is for students in the Faculty of Community Services (including social work, nursing, midwifery, nutrition, urban planning, etc) to work together in helping a community with all of our specialized knowledge and skills put together. We learn from each other's disciplines to understand how all of our knowledge comes together to help communities in a holistic way.

Neat huh?

But you know what the best part about the course is???



WE'RE GOING TO NEW ORLEANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We will be in N'Awwlins for TWO WEEKS to work together and help to rebuild the community that has been devastated, after surviving Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. Thousands have lots their homes and their jobs from these two events, and the community needs not only physical rebuilding, but economic as well. As health professionals-in-the-making and other community support people, our job will be to explore how the community has been impacted, how far-reaching these impacts are, and what can be done to help improve the health status of the residents of New Orleans and rebuild their lives.

WHEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!

I have no idea yet what the actual course content will be or what the project in New Orleans will entail (I suspect it involves a lot of hands-on community involvement, potentially assisting in construction and education opportunities). But I'm SUPER excited :D!!!!

Preparing to Run

Hello!

I decided to update you all on my progress toward my first half marathon! Another 30 Day Challenge has come and gone, and this time, my body was pretty unhappy with me for it. My hip flexors and knees were, at times, painful to walk on. Even though the 30 Day has been over for a couple of weeks now (and I've only been back to practice a few times since then), I still don't quite trust my knees... they've been doing funny things, like hyperextending at random when I walk. It's not cool.
So, I'm a little afraid to start a running program with unstable/unhappy knees and hips. Instead, I've been working on a hard walking program and LOTS of weight training to build up muscle around the knees and build more stability! I'm doing something that looks like this:

• 15-20 minutes on treadmill: start off with 2 minute warmup, then jack up the speed to a fast walk. Alternate between fast and brisk walks every 2-3 minutes. Or, bring on the hills by jacking up the incline, alternating between mountain size and big-but-manageable-hill size. One minute cooldown.
• 20-25 minutes of weight training: LOTS of squats and lunges to build lower body strength and raise the heart rate. I've been trying to incorporate movements that work both the lower and upper body at the same time (e.g. squat with press, lunge with bicep curls), and of course, working the core muscles!
• 5 minutes of abdominals: alternating different types of ab workouts, mainly planks and side planks, with some traditional crunches and variations mixed in.
• 5 minute stretch and cool down.

I'm doing this 2-3 times per week, and trying to fit in a yoga practice at least once a week as well. It's been tough with midterms/final essays winding down and final exams starting to sneak up! I'm hoping to keep up this routine until the beginning of December, then evaluate my knee situation. Hopefully I'll be able to get into some actual running, and will post on my progress then!

I'll also start posting about nutrition needs for endurance training. We've started learning more about how the body metabolizes nutrients, and debunking some of the myths surrounding exercise physiology and nutritional needs (e.g. what do those gels/goo's do? How much water do I need to drink and how often? What's "carb loading", and is it really necessary? What's the deal with electrolytes? What foods are the best to choose, and what should you avoid before training runs?) I know! Exciting, right?!??

I just got an email today from the Toronto Women's Half Marathon saying that it is already over 80% sold out! WOW!!! I'm so excited that I signed up early and get to be a part of this awesome event! Oh yeah, there's also a chocolate rest station. And um, can we all say FIREFIGHTER WATER STATION??? Yeah. No wonder it's already 80% sold :P!

Determination

Hey everyone!

So I'm in the middle of studying for my third midterm, and decided to take a break to finally post again on this blog!

I have some BIG NEWS today! I've been a bit lazy with running lately, given that I've been crazy busy with school and work and teaching, and currently undergoing yet another 30 Day Challenge at my yoga studio. So, I decided that I need a kick in the butt to get my running back in gear.

Soooooo...

I registered for my first half marathon today!!!!!!! :D SO EXCITED! I'm officially in for the Toronto Women's Half Marathon in May 2011! I'll also be signing up for the Sporting Life 10K again (registration isn't open yet). I figure that knowing that I have an upcoming half marathon will be just the push that I need to keep training, and give me determination to keep going when I get sore and tired and whiny. Stay tuned to see how it goes! I have about 6.5 months to get ready, which I think will be more than enough time for me :)!

Also, I know it's kind of ironic that I'm a nutrition student and haven't posted much of anything to do with food since I started school. I promise that more food stuff will come: recipes, neat food info, etc! Just for fun, here's a random fact to tide you over:

Did you know...
We've all heard the commercials from All Bran saying that psyllium fibre can help lower your blood cholesterol, but why??? Psyllium is a type of soluble fibre. When mixed with water (e.g. the fluids of your stomach and GI tract), soluble fibre forms a kind of gel substance that moves through the intestines with the rest of your food. This gel binds with bile, a fat emulsifier (breaks down dietary fat) released by the gall bladder. Normally, bile breaks down the fat in your food and is reabsorbed in the large intestine. When bound to the gelly soluble fibre though, this can't happen! In order to create more bile and emulsify fats properly, the body must use cholesterol (i.e. that which is found in the blood), thus, your blood cholesterol lowers!

Now you know!!!

Dusting off the blog - Thanksgiving!

Hello world!
I know, it's been a while! I owe you an apology. I've been so busy with school and work and general life that I've neglected to post anything! Here's the gist of what's been going on lately:

School is going awesome. I love it :)! So far, my classes have been super interesting (even chemistry :P). The downside - a LOT of homework!!!! There's a lot of reading involved in university O_o!!! I'm so happy that there's a long weekend coming up!

I work two jobs and volunteer once a week as well, oh, and I teach yoga sometimes too. This leaves me very little time for a social life in between, so I squeeze it in whenever I can...

I've also started teaching yoga more regularly (yay!)

In other words, I've been doing well, but just been ridiculous busy!!!

So, let's talk about Thanksgiving. This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving, meaning a) long weekend!!!!, and b) TURKEY DAY!!! This time of year can be very difficult for people who are trying to watch their weight and/or make healthy choices in their diet, as a Thanksgiving meal can often pack on HUGE amounts of fat! Most of this fat comes from things like butter and cream/milk in mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie/other pies, dark meat turkey, and my favourite thing - stuffing (mmmmmmmmmm...). So, how can we deal with this awesome holiday, which is essentially centred entirely around food???

Ideas to survive Turkey Day:

• Plan ahead. Eat smaller meals/lower cal meals during the day so that you will be able to indulge a little bit for dinner with less guilt. Try not to sit down for dinner feeling starved - eat a small salad or veggie soup beforehand so that you won't feel the need to dive in and binge.
• Exercise. During the day, go for a workout! If you've got the time for it, give your workout some extra push today to burn more calories to store up for later.
• Take control. If you're the one cooking, take control of what you'll be feeding people. So what if buttery fluffy mashed potatoes are the norm in your family? Try lowering the fat by substituting out some of the butter. Or, mix in some steamed and mashed cauliflower!
• Stock up on produce. Fill half your plate with veggies. Go for steamed veggies, roasted squash/root vegetables, salad, green beans, etc. They'll fill you up with their stellar fibre and low calorie content!

Most of all, enjoy your time with family. Make this holiday less about the meal, and more about the people you are spending the day with instead.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Financial Health

Part of overall health includes budgetary health too! As a future student (ONLY TWO MORE WEEKS!), I'm extraordinarily conscious of my budget and finances. Mind you, I've always been a pretty frugal person, but now that I have a $6000 bill coming at me every year for the next 4 years, plus my regular expenses (rent, food, living), suddenly my situation seems much more dire.

Now that my boyfriend and I are living together (yay!), my living expenses have been cut significantly. We're splitting the costs of food, hydro, rent, internet, etc., so I'm super lucky that I don't have to worry about covering these costs by myself! In all, I'm estimating my monthly expenses to be just over $1000/month (and they literally cannot be cut any further). The problem? I'm working 3 jobs part-time, possibly 4 once I start teaching yoga regularly, which will give me approximately $1000.month. Oh good. I just break even, and that's assuming that no emergencies come up. How the crap am I supposed to save $6000/year for tuition when I can barely sustain my own living expenses???

Mind you, I have been saving for a couple of years for my education. I currently have enough for the first 2 years, so I'm not in a critital situation at this point. But come this time next year, it's going to seem a lot more crucial.

First step: Create a Budget

First thing to creating a budget: write EVERYTHING down! Much like tracking your food to lose weight, you need to track everything you spend and earn to lose debt! I keep a spreadsheet each month where I can easily track what I've spent broken down into categories: Rent, Food, Hydro, Phone, Entertainment, Clothing/Gifts, etc. For the first month, I tracked everything I would spend normally without trying purposely to cut down, just to see what my normal spending habits were like. As I said, I'm a pretty frugal person to begin with, and I was REALLY surprised to see how much I was blowing on takeout food, coffee and little impulse purchases things! It only costs a couple of bucks at the time, but it really adds up over a month! I used this as a guide to see where I could trim down my spending to a level that was reasonable to maintain (e.g. don't cut your grocery bill to $50/month, because that's impossible).

I highly recommend checking out the resources on Gail Vaz-Oxlade's website and getting yourself addicted to Till Debt Do Us Part :D. Her website also has groups for various people (e.g. by geographic location, by life stage, etc). For example, there is a student group where I've learned some more tricks and tips specific to university students on how to save and earn a few extra bucks!

Second step: Save your money

Now that you've got your budget written down and you're ready to track, see where you can get more for less.

I'm a major coupon clipper/flyer shopper. Check the flyers for grocery stores near you online to see what's on sale. If something looks good (e.g. pork tenderloin or gigantic club packs of chicken are on sale), I will either arrange my weekly menu around these items in order to use them, or make some room in the freezer to accommodate them and use it later. As for coupons, there are TONS of coupon websites around that I have used to get some awesome deals on things I use every day, e.g. toothpaste, cereal, cleaning products, etc. Examples:
www.save.ca
www.brandsaver.ca
www.smartcanucks.ca

From BrandSaver alone, I racked up about $17 worth of coupons for things I actually use!

You can find coupons for nearly everything that you want to buy, especially if you're buying online. Most companies have a place for promo codes before you check out. Google search the company you're buying from and "promo codes" (e.g. "shoes.com promo codes") and you'll be amazed at the things that pop up. You can really save a lot this way! I got a few coupons for clothing stores just by doing a quick search. Buying stuff online is often cheaper than buying in stores (e.g. Chapters), but watch for shipping fees. Some companies will ship for free if you purchase more than a certain amount before taxes.

If you're looking to buy something like electronics, furniture, etc., I recommend checking out Craigslist first. You can often find items that are in excellent condition for incredibly cheap prices. Often the owners just need to get rid of the item because they're moving, got a newer model, etc. This is also a great way to earn some money too - get rid of the stuff you no longer need on Craigslist! You'll get more from it this way than you would from a yard sale. When we moved in, I sold some bookshelves, my Nintendo Wii (we had duplicates of the system and some games), a dresser and a few other things, and earned myself about $350!

Loyalty and points cards are a great way to save as well. Some companies will charge a small amount at first ($20-25 usually), but if it's a place you shop at frequently, it will pay for itself. I have cards for Chapters, Suzy Shier and many other stores that give me discounts on every purchase and coupon books for cheaper or free product at certain times of the year. I also have a President's Choice credit card, where I earn points on every purchase that I charge to the card which I can put towards free groceries/other stuff sold in the store. After racking up points for years, I have nearly $500 worth of free groceries sitting on the card waiting for me.

Finally, a great way I've found to save on exercise and athletic fees --- volunteer! Many yoga studios offer free yoga classes to students who volunteer a few hours a week to help clean up. I've heard that the YMCA offers free memberships to their athletic centre volunteers as well! Don't forget that going outside for walks and runs is free :)

Third step: Earning Extra

If you have heavier debt or need to save extra, you may need to go beyond frugality and actually earn some extra cash. I mentioned one great way already - selling stuff on Craigslist or yard sales. You'll help to declutter your home and your finances all at once :)

If you have the time to work a part-time job, this is the easiest way to get extra cash. Or, if you are able to pick up overtime/extra shifts at your current job. In looking for my part-time jobs through the school year, I admit, I purposely applied at places where I knew I would want to get discounts *shame*. e.g. I wouldn't apply to a high fashion retailer because I'd never in a million years be able to afford their product. But applying to a clothing store I frequent anyway was a good move!

Ask around your neighbourhood or put up signs advertising your services to earn some more cash. Offer to shovel snow or rake leaves for your neighbours, walk their dogs, babysit, clean houses, get groceries for them, etc. If you have neighbours who are elderly or who have a lot of kids/are super busy people, this kind of service can be incredibly helpful for them!

Fourth step: Banking and Saving

Now that you have some money to save, make sure that you save smart. Put your savings into a high-interest savings account (i.e. an account that you won't be dipping into regularly. Let it sit there and earn money for you!). TFSAs are great for this - you can put in up to $5000 per year tax free! If you know you won't be touching the money for a longer time, GICs can be a great investment to earn some interest and know that your money has been tucked away safely for a few years.

I don't claim to be an expert financial consultant or anything, so if you are interested in other kinds of investments (RRSPs, mutual funds, etc), see a pro who will be able to fix you up with investments that fit your life, needs and future plans.

What are your tips to save money? Do you have other interesting and creative ways to earn extra bucks?

Back to Reality... sort of

Well friends, it's official -- teacher training is already over :(! Now I sit in unemployment (except for a few WW meetings) and try to prepare to go back to school and find part-time work to pay the rent. But the good news.... I'm a certified Moksha teacher! I've completed the first 300 hour segment of the course, and now have the remaining year-long portion to complete. This includes things like 150 practice hours, 50 feedback hours from a senior teacher, 25 workshop/continuing education hours, and 8 projects to do throughout the year.

But the most fun of all: TEACHING HOURS!!! I have classes scheduled in August that are open to anyone and everyone, for the low low price of FIVE DOLLARS! I'm teaching 60 minute and 90 minute classes, both heated and non-heated, so it's totally accessible to everyone!

Interested in coming to a class and/or thinking about going to hot yoga in your area? Read my FAQs below!

"Why hot yoga?" Practicing yoga in a heated room presents several benefits over practicing in a regular temperature room. The body detoxifies through breath and sweat - and you will sweat a LOT in hot yoga! In addition, the fascia and connective tissue of the body respond well to heat, allowing you to stretch more easily and more deeply than you would generally be able to in a regular temperature room. Warm muscles operate better than cold (which is why you should warm up before any exercise), but the flexibility and strength benefits will extend beyond the hot room into your everyday life!

"I'm not flexible enough to do yoga." That's crap. You become more flexible by coming to yoga! Heck, when I started I couldn't come within a couple of feet of touching my toes. I'm still not as flexible as many other students, but that's not the point of yoga. The point is to get in touch with your own body's needs and abilities. It's not a competition!

"I'm too out of shape to do yoga." Again, completely not true! Yoga is open to all shapes and sizes of people. In fact, hot yoga (and any other hatha yoga) counts as physical activity, which will help with weight loss and building lean muscle mass. It is believed that hot yoga adds more cardiovascular challenge for the body, and burns more calories than regular temperature yoga (though I don't have stats on that, and it depends on the type of regular temperature yoga - e.g. ashtanga will burn more calories than restorative or yin)

"I have injuries/conditions, so I can't do yoga." Pretty much anyone can do yoga. I've seen people in wheelchairs who have done yoga. You just need to understand your body's needs and what you're capable of. Every pose in Moksha can be modified to suit different injuries and sensitivities. I attended classes regularly after dislocating my elbow, despite being unable to straighten or bend my left arm, and unable to bear any weight on it. Most people find that their injuries and conditions improve greatly from practicing yoga, including those with arthritis, rotator cuff injuries, ACL tears, lower back pain, bulging/herniated discs, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc. There is even some research to suggest huge benefits for those with chronic conditions like MS and cancer.

"I'm a dude. Yoga's for chicks." It's true that in many studios, the ladies far outnumber the men. However yoga is open to any gender (yes, even transgender/transvestite). Yoga only became available to women fairly recently, having been a male-only practice for centuries. Many of the most "famous" yoga instructors and gurus worldwide are male. Besides, you'll be able to check out all the chicks in your class and probably have a better chance of scoring if you're one of the only dudes there :P

"I don't have a mat/clothing/other equipment." All you need to wear to hot yoga is something that you're willing to sweat in, ideally clothing that breathes (i.e. sweat wicking) rather than cotton. So really, anything that you wear to the gym/other activities that you do is appropriate. As for other equipment, all you need for hot yoga is a mat, towel for your mat, towel to shower afterward, and a bottle of water. If you don't have these things, they can be rented/borrowed from studios for a low price (usually $2 for mats/towels).

Come sweat with me!

My upcoming classes are all at Moksha Yoga Bloor West on the following dates/times:

• Sunday, August 15th at 1:30pm (1 hr class) Heated class
• Thursday, August 19th at 10am (1.5hr class) Non-heated
• Sunday, August 22 at 1:30pm (1.5hr class) Non-heated

In the meantime, I've also gotten most of my schedule for school already (everything except my elective, whatever it will be)!!!! I'm sooooooooo excited :D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe that I'll officially be a nutrition student in less than a month!!!! AAAHHHHH!!!!

Teacher Training and Sangha Support

Hey guys! Yes, I'm back, on my day off :D!

Teacher training is going amazing so far. We all suddenly realized this week that we're already over halfway done. It feels like we started like, yesterday! I can't believe how fast the time has gone!!!!!! In only 2 more weeks, we'll all be parting ways :( It's very sad!

Before teacher training started, other teachers and Ed had told me all about how connected everyone gets. They were all "these people will be like your family, you'll suddenly have 60 new best friends, you'll miss them so much when it's over, etc". I was like, "pfffft, yeah right". Even on the first few days I figured that there was no possible way that I would remember EVERYONE'S name, or make many friends, or really care all that much about anyone by the time it was over. But, I've been proven wrong once again. It really is amazing how close you get to people when you share such a strong common bond. We're together for almost 14 hours a day for the whole month, eating together, showering together (seriously), studying together, and learning so much together. We've grown a lot together, and seen huge changes in each other as teachers and as individuals. I truly will miss these people when we finish, and I'm very proud of the progress all of us have made!

Speaking of growing and learning together, teaching yoga is HARD!!! A lot harder than I thought! I've been practicing at Moksha for about 2.5 years, and I know the series inside out and backwards and upside down. I know the script like the back of my hand, and what the benefits of each pose are, etc. But damn, it is REALLY difficult to verbalize it and make sense of it all! The first time that we practice-taught, I was like "inhale your left... um, right... wait, left foot up. Foot? No, I meant hand. Wait. Crap..." Pretty much everyone else was the exact same, and we had no sense whatsoever of how long to hold each pose (my poor partner went through almost the whole 60 minute series in 20 minutes. Meanwhile, he had me hold only 5 poses in that same time). That was only a week and a bit ago. Since then, we've all become so much more confident in ourselves and our class, and we can actually teach effectively! Of course there's still some mixups with lefts and rights and "ummmmm"s, but compared to where we started, it's amazing how much improvement we've all had.

And by the way, ***NEWSFLASH***! Those in the Toronto area - I will be teaching practice classes in August! For only $5, you too can enjoy the benefits of sweat, stretching and yoga! I'll post up my schedule at the end of the month!!

Update, and a word about Multiple Myeloma

Hey blog!

I know, I'm sorry, I've been away for a little while. Teacher training is surprisingly more vigorous and exhausting than I ever expected! But, I love it!!! We started on July 1st, and so far our days look something like this:

5:00am - get up
6:30am - 1.5 hour yoga practice and meditation
8-9:30 - shower and breakfast break
9:30-11:30 - lecture
11:30-1 - lunch
1-2:30 - lecture
2:30-3:30 - 1 hour yoga practice
3:30-4:15 - shower and snack break
4:15-7:15 - lecture
7:15-7:30ish - travel back home
9:30pm - collapse into bed after doing a load of laundry (smelly yoga stuff), eating dinner, packing lunch and yoga/lecture stuff for the next day, and doing whatever homework we were given.

*yawn*! So yes, we practice twice a day, and are in teacher training for about 13 hours a day. Every day. For a month. Wheee!!! It's going great so far though. My sangha is awesome, and we're still just sort of getting to know each other. If Ed and other teacher's experiences are any indication of what's going to happen, apparently we're all going to be BFFs by the end of the month :P

I'm also still caffeine free, back to alcohol free, and have been doing my best to stay vegetarian as well. I've had a few accidental meat ingestions this week, as it has been Filipino Food Fiesta all week. We've been spending whatever free time we have with Ed's family, and I had to miss a day of training as a result (see below), and of course there's no such thing as vegetarianism in the Philippines!

So what's with the Filipino Food Fiesta and why would I have missed a day of teacher training??? There's a good reason. Here comes the personal update section of this blog post... My boyfriend's father, Eduardo, passed away on Tuesday, June 29th. He had been suffering from multiple myeloma, the same cancer that my own father was diagnosed with (see About Me!). He had gone through three rounds of remission, however the last time the cancer had metastasized in his brain. We learned that he was sick again in April, and he was given 6 months to live. However, the chemotherapy and radiation treatments did not help to extend his chances of survival, and the cancer took over. He passed away just a couple of weeks after his 62nd birthday, and had been living in palliative care at the hospital for almost a month. We had the funeral service today, and have been staying at his mom's place all weekend for visitations and helping her deal with the arrangements. Though I didn't know his dad for a very long time (only 2.5 years), I will miss him dearly. He was a man of few words, but despite this he truly made me feel like I was part of the family. He was a wonderful man, incredibly passionate about his family and his community. He touched a lot of lives both here and in the Philippines, as demonstrated by the enormous turnout at his funeral service and visitations this weekend.

If anyone is interested, we are asking friends and family to consider donating to Myeloma Canada in his honour and memory. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells that reside in the bone marrow, affecting how your body creates red blood cells and affects other body systems in later stages, especially the kidneys. It is not curable, but can be treated. Myeloma Canada works with researchers to encourage new treatments for myeloma and to provide support to patients and their families.

I will also be participating in a 5k walk in October in support of myeloma research at Princess Margaret Hospital. Search for 5k Your Way, a 5k run or walk during the Goodlife Marathon where you can select the research department at PMH that you would like your donations to go to (e.g. skin cancer, lymphomas, brain cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, etc etc etc). The Myeloma group is located here: www.mm5kwalk.ca

30 Day Challenge Update and Poll

Happy summer!

We are now entering the final week of the 30 Day Challenge!!! I have a couple of confessions to make this week....

First, I'm down 2 practices in my challenge. There came a couple of days when I simply could not for the life of me fit a yoga practice into my day. We are allowed to do doubles (practice twice in one day) to make up for a missed day. If I can do them in the next 5 days, then I will. If not, I'll live :)

Second, I've been doing awesome with the lack of caffeine (caffeine free for 24 days!), but I briefly broke the alcohol ban. My family and I signed up for the Twenty Valley Wine Country Run, a 4k walk in Niagara through wine country which includes wine tastings along the way. Of course, I signed up for this not realizing that it was smack in the middle of the 30 Day Challenge. Since I'd paid for it already, I decided to lift the ban for the day. In total I probably drank the equivalent of one glass of wine, so it wasn't the end of the world I guess...

Confessions over! Other than these two things, I'm still doing great. Eating vegetarian meals, no caffeine, journalling my experiences every day and sweating A LOT!!! Let me tell you - there's a lot of laundry involved in 30 days of hot yoga. Last night I did a huge load of laundry (because I hadn't done it almost all week and was completely out of clothes to wear). My laundry hanging thing was completely covered in sticky towels, shorts, shirts, and other yoga class paraphrenalia!
The 30 Day Challenge officially ends on Wednesday the 23rd with a vegetarian potluck party at the studio.

• (Shameless promotion: this is also the same day as the Weight Watchers Walk It Challenge with the Running Room! I'll be doing that first, THEN partying!)

So, I will be bringing a dish to the potluck and I haven't decided what to bring yet. So far, most people appear to be bringing desserts because they're easy (brownies, cupcakes, fruit tray, etc), or things with dip (pumpernickel and spinach dip, veggies and hummus). In past potluck parties at the studio, I've made things like:

• stuffed mushroom caps
• chocolate covered strawberries
• couscous salad
• pasta salad
• pineapple-angel food cake (it was the studio's 2nd birthday party, and was decorated accordingly)

I'm not sure what I'd like to make this time. The mushroom caps were an enormous hit the last time I made them, and ran out within about 30 seconds of hitting the table.

Enter: a poll!

What should I bring to the potluck? Here are a few options that I've thought of, but feel free to comment and suggest your own. Whichever idea wins is the one I will make, and I promise to post the recipe and photos when I make it on Tuesday/Wednesday. Some of these are simple suggestions (e.g. pasta salad), so if you have specific ideas of things to go into the recipe, add that with your vote!

• Mushroom caps
• Bean salad
• Lentil salad (recipe in the previous thread)
• Pasta salad
• Vegetable curry

Go!

*post edit* Since no one commented (*feels shame*), I made the lentil salad from the previous thread. It turned out to be a hit :)!

30 Day Challenge: Vegetarian Diet and Protein

Hey everyone!

We are now more than halfway through the 30 Day Challenge! Wooooooo!

Being that this is now week 3 of the Challenge, I am still caffeine-free and alcohol-free, and have started adding vegetarian meals to my life. I'm not a very picky vegetarian though - if someone gives me rice that was cooked in chicken broth instead of veggie, I'm not going to freak out over it. I'm still eating eggs and drinking milk, just cutting out meats and fish - basically anything that bled at some point in it's life.

This week's goal was to eat full days of vegetarian meals 3x during the week, but I've already exceeded that :) Sunday, we went to my mom's place for dinner and she served tilapia (mmmm), so there was one day gone. Wednesday night Ed and I went out for sushi (also mmm). But every other day (Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri) have been full on vegetarian dishes. Woooooo!

I've been experimenting with fun sources of protein, trying to gets lots of variety in plant proteins.

Nutrition Lesson!
There are 22 amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Proteins make things like muscles, enzymes, hormones and other great things your body needs. The body can piece together some proteins on it's own (non-essential), but there are 8 amino acids that the body cannot synthesize (essential amino acids). These amino acids must be obtained through food. It is very important to eat a variety of protein sources to ensure that you're getting an adequate amount of each of these essential amino acids.
Meat eaters typically don't need to worry much about this, as meat products tend to be rich in essential amino acids. For vegetarians and those who don't eat a huge variety of meat products though, you need to explore new protein sources to get the full range of essential amino acids. For example, if you eat no source other than wheat, you will be deficient in some amino acids -- lysine is found in very small quantities in wheat and rice. You need to balance it out with other sources, like legumes, seeds, beans, soy, etc. Chickpeas and beans are fantastic sources of protein, as is quinoa, which contains ALL of the essential amino acids!!!

Neat, huh???

So, here are some examples of the foods I've been gobbling this week in an effort to get lots of good plant proteins:

• Quinoa --- I use it either as an alternative to rice when making stir-fries, or make a quinoa salad by mixing it up with veggies (tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, etc) and herbs (cilantro, parsley, etc).
• Chickpeas, and other beans --- love them!!! I put them on my salads a lot, and make a lot of hummus and black bean dip to dip my veggies. They're also great in vegetarian chili!
• Edamame and tofu --- I bought a huge bag of frozen shelled edamame, and just take a cup out, microwave it for a minute, and poof! Steamed edamame! It's great sprinkled on salads, or just lightly salted (sea salt is best) and eat as a snack. As for tofu, I haven't gotten into it yet as a dessert or in smoothies (silken tofu), but I do make a lot of stir fries. I do try to limit my tofu intake though, as there have been some reports about fermented soy products and links to breast cancer. Whether the rumours are true or not, I'd still like to experiment with other protein sources first than eat nothing but tofu all the time.
• Lentils --- I'm addicted to lentil soup.
• Nuts, seeds and peanut butter --- mmmmm.... nuts are dangerous territory for me. I could scarf down a whole bag of cashews like THAT *snaps fingers dramatically*. But portioned out properly, nuts can be a great protein source. I sprinkle a tablespoon of walnuts on salads, or just eat walnut halves or almonds with dried apricots as a snack. I've gotten big on pumpkin seeds lately as well (because I bought a box thinking that they looked neat, having no idea what to do with them. So I'm experimenting). Peanut butter, again, is a bit of a trigger food for me, but I eat it sparingly. One tablespoon on my toast or in my oatmeal is all I need to feel peanut buttery goodness and satisfy the craving for the day :)

So since we're talking so much about protein, let's talk about recipes that can help you get them in! I've listed here one recipe using eggs (for those of us who eat them), and one with only plant-based protein.

Southwestern Egg Salad

Giving credit where it is due, I got this recipe from the Weight Watchers website. But I made a couple of small alterations to their recipe, so hopefully I won't get sued for it or something.

3 hard boiled eggs (whole eggs - you could use 2 eggs and 2 egg whites to cut some fat/points)1/2 bell pepper, chopped finely
2 whole red bell peppers
2 tbsp onion chopped finely
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp salsa
1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped finely (don't touch your eyes!!!!!!!)
1/8c reduced calorie or fat-free mayonnaise. I only had reduced-calorie in the house, so unfortunately, my points value is increased. Fat free would cut the points down :)
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel your hard boiled eggs and place in a large bowl. Mash them up with a fork.

Add all your chopped veggies into the bowl, and the mayo, salsa, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix it all together till it's well blended.

You can eat this on it's own, in a sandwich, or my preferred way, inside those 2 whole bell peppers! STUFFED EGG SALAD PEPPERS!!!!!

With my reduced-cal mayo, this worked out to 5 points per serving. You can get about a 1/2 cup per serving, so this recipe makes 2 servings (about 1.5 eggs per serving). Great for lunch!

Roasted Pepper, Feta and Lentil Salad

Giving credit again, this recipe also came from the Weight Watchers site. Except for the making your own peppers part -- that was all me :)

1.5c dry lentils, picked over to remove the gross stuff
6 cups of water
1/4c balsamic vinegar
1/2c roasted red peppers (canned in water) diced, or make your own ***
1/3 fresh chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste
2tsp olive oil
1/4 crumbled feta cheese

Place your lentils in a saucepan and pour in water. Set it over high heat to boil. When it's rolling, reduce the heat to simmer, covered, for about a 1/2 hour till the lentils are tender.

Drain the lentils and transfer to a large bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar and oil, toss it around to mix. Add your roasted peppers and basil, toss again. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve in 4 bowls, each sprinkled with about 1tbsp of feta cheese. This can be served either warm or cold, and gives about 3/4 cup per serving for 5 Points!

*** Making your own roasted red peppers

Brush the entire pepper with vegetable oil. Note, I learned the hard way (i.e. when the security guard came to make sure I hadn't set the apartment on fire) that extra virgin olive oil should be avoided. It has a very low smoke point, and it will BURN. It doesn't make the veggies taste any different, but it makes a lot of smoke, and makes for a very embarassing situation when you have to explain that your cooking set off the fire alarm.

Turn on the broiler. Put your peppers on a cookie sheet and pop 'em in on the top shelf of the oven close to the heat. Keep a close eye on them --- when you see dark splotches show up, take the sheet out, turn your peppers over (use tongs if you value your fingers, they're very hot), and put them back in.

When they start to get brown again, take them out. Put your peppers into a bowl that can stand the heat and cover with plastic wrap. The heat will move around in the bowl and steam your peppers, allowing the skin to loosen. Leave them alone for 15-20 minutes.

When the peppers are cool enough to touch, pull the stems off. Hold the pepper down and peel the skin off (should come off fairly easily). You can then squeeze out the pulp and seeds, cut them open, and voila! Roasted peppers, ready to use in your lentil salad above, or on sandwiches, salads, bruschetta, etc!

What are some of your favourite ways to get protein into your diet?

30 Day Challenge Update and Breakfast on the Go

Hello again!

I've officially completed my first full week of the 30 Day Challenge! Whooooooo :D Practices are still going great, and I'm still doing mostly early morning classes. A couple of days I slept in accidentally (boo), but still practiced either later in the day or on my balcony! Who says that you need to dress in Lulu gear and go to a specific space to practice yoga? Why can't I wear pajamas on my balcony and get the same benefit??

This week also marks the first week of challenge eliminations. I've started to eliminate caffeine from my diet (NOOOO!!!!), reducing it down to 3x per week this week, and then zero from June 6 onward. On Sunday I went to work and stopped by my regular coffee place on the way. Figuring that I was sooooo smart, I ordered tea instead of coffee. I chose chai tea thinking that it was herbal, therefore decaf. Um, no. Turns out that chai tea is actually black tea. Dammit, one day gone. Yesterday, I went out for an iced latte with work friends and forgot until the last possible second to ask for decaf. I have no idea if they gave me decaf or caffeinated, so to err on the side of caution, I'm calling it day 2 of caffeine consumption. One day remains for the week...

From my early morning practices, I've learned the extreme importance of planning ahead. A couple of times, I've been completely unprepared for the next day, and end up scrambling around at 5:45am to feed the cat and scoop her poo box, get my yoga clothes packed, get work clothes ready, change, find a lunch (because of course I didn't pack that the night before either), eat something for breakfast and/or get a breakfast to go for after class, etc. It wasn't pretty, and I was damn cranky. I've since learned that lunches should be packed the night before, yoga clothes should be washed and ready to go, and that breakfast can be made super quickly!

Let's talk food. Practicing yoga early in the morning can be challenging for breakfast lovers like myself. I need to eat before going to work out, or I will eat my own arms, and the rumbling of my stomach will disrupt everyone who is meditating (not kidding, it's loud :S). I will usually eat something small (small yogurt with berries, a banana, or a small bowl of cereal) before leaving in the morning just to get going, and then eat a bigger, more satisfying breakfast afterward. I'm fortunate enough to live about 10 minutes away from my home yoga studio, so I get to come home after practice to eat breakfast before going to work. But for those who are less fortunate than I, I present:

Satisfying Breakfasts on the Go

OMG recipes!!!

I'm really into eggs lately, especially those awesome Egg Beater cartons. They're just so freaking convenient! So, here are some egg-related recipes, and some other breakfast ideas!

The Fastest Egg McMuffin Ever

1/4c Egg Beaters (whatever flavour you like - all flavours other than Cheese & Chive count as filling foods!)
1 English muffin
Toppings of your choosing (I like tomatoes and/or salsa, and maybe some cheese)
non-stick cooking spray
a coffee mug

Squirt a little bit of cooking spray into your mug so that the eggs don't stick. Pour in egg whites. Pop the mug in the microwave and cook on high for a minute (if they're still a little runny, an extra 20-30 seconds). Meanwhile, if desired, toast your english muffin and put your toppings on. Plop your cooked egg onto the muffin, put the top on, and consume.

Super easy! Lots of protein and very satisfying, for the low low price of 3 Points (more if you're using cheese, sausage, bacon, etc). You can make it in a minute, wrap it up in tin foil, and there you have it - toasty warm breakfast to go! You could totally make this at work too to ensure full warming goodness, just take the eggs with you and hope that no one at the office steals them.

Veggie and Feta Frittata

I make this ahead of time, and it keeps me fed with breakfasts for SEVERAL DAYS! You can use whatever veggies you like, but here are some of my favourites for this recipe (add more of these measurements if your tray is big or you're making lots):

1c Egg Beaters
1/2c zucchini, chopped up
mushrooms, chopped up
1/4 bell pepper, chopped up
1/4c cherry tomatoes, chopped up
1Tbsp feta cheese crumbled
non-stick cooking spray

Spray a small glass pan with the non-stick spray. I have a bitty glass baking dish that I use, OR you could use a muffin tray!
In a bowl, combine your eggs, veggies and cheese. Pour into the baking dish.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until the mixture is firm.

You're done!

To eat over several days, keep it covered in the fridge. You can take off a slice when you're ready, heat it up in the microwave for 30s-1minute, plop it on a piece of toast or English muffin (or just eat it by itself, maybe with some salsa!), and munch munch munch! For point values, it really depends on how big of a slice you're taking (how many servings you get). I usually take about 1/4 of my mini pan, so it's a mere ONE POINT for a protein-and-veggie packed slice, add more for toast/English muffins when applicable.

Other favourite breakfast-on-the-go ideas that I love:

• Oatmeal, either the instant packaged kind, or make your own the night before. Top with whatever you like (e.g. PB and banana, apples and cinnamon, dried apricots and walnuts, raisins/dried cranberries, etc!)
• Yogurt parfait with lots of fruit (strawberries, blueberries, grapes, apricots, peaches, whatever) and a sprinkle of granola. I also like to drizzle a bit of honey on top :)
• Smoothies, which you can blend sans ice the night before, and just blenderize it with ice cubes to froth it up in the morning when you're ready to go
  

WOW!!! Breakfast is AWESOME!

Next week will start the complete elimination of caffeine, and start eating more vegetarian dishes! More recipes will come as I experiment!

30 Day Challenge: Week One Update

Hello all!

The 30 Day Challenge is going great so far! We're on Day 5, and I've practiced every day! Most days, Ed and I have been practicing at SIX THIRTY IN THE MORNING!!!!! Today there is no early class, so I'm taking Ed's 3pm instead (yay boyfriend instructor!).

This week was insanely hot outside. As you'll recall, Tuesday and Wednesday peaked at somewhere around, oh, a billion degrees or so. The first day (Tuesday) we went to an evening class at 6:30pm. Now, hot yoga is hot anyway, obviously. But when it's a million degrees outside, it's three million degrees inside. It was so hot, I was nauseous (and I've been practicing for years!). I became so nauseous that I almost puked. So, lesson learned --- practice in the early morning! It isn't as hot out that early in the morning (it's still been like 20 degrees each day...) and the studio isn't as busy, so the humidity doesn't build up as high as it could. Besides, in teacher training we will be practicing twice a day every day, including practices at 6:30am, so I might as well get used to this whole waking-up-at-5-to-practice-yoga thing.

The studio director extended a related challenge to the participants as well - a Media Challenge. The idea is to reduce or eliminate your excess media usage (e.g. stop mindlessly surfing the net, or turn off the TV for a few hours). Most people were like "No way!!!". I liked it. I've mentioned before about TV and how I tend to get lazy when it's on. Now that most of my favourite shows have entered re-run mode anyway, I decided to take part in the Media Challenge. I'm not only turning my TV off - I SOLD IT!!! My home is now TV free for the month until Ed's TV gets moved in at the end of June! WHOOOAAAAA!!!!! I sold it on Wednesday, and since then I still walk by the TV stand thinking that I can turn it on for background noise. Nope!!! lol... This has really made me realize how much TV I actually did watch, or at least how often it was on without my watching (e.g. washing dishes, but TV was background noise). Ed still has a TV, so I'll still have a little bit of TV watching available to me a couple times a week, but I still count this towards the Media Challenge as it's a drastic reduction in the amount of TV in my home!

Next week will begin Week 2 of the challenge, in which I will start eliminating things. Starting tomorrow, alcohol consumption will be ZERO for the remainder of the challenge, and I will reduce my caffeine down to 3c of coffee or less this week. Wish me luck!

30 Day Challenge begins!

Tomorrow is the beginning of a new challenge that I've been teasing for a few days now. Here's the scoop!!!

A few times a year, Moksha yoga studios hold 30 Day Challenges. My studio's summer challenge starts tomorrow and runs to the end of June. The idea is that participants sign up and will practice yoga every day for 30 days. Classes can be done at the home studio, other Moksha or other yoga studios, or even home practices (so long as at least 1/2 the classes are done at the home studio).

This will be my 5th time participating in a 30 Day Challenge. These challenges are incredible, both physically and mentally - it's not just about physical postures! Some students become very emotional or discover new things about themselves during a Challenge.

I have written journals during my previous challenges every day so that I could look back at the end and see my progress (actually, the journal also helped my physiotherapist to diagnose my plantar fasciitis and figure out how long I'd been suffering with it :P!). I will not be blogging every single day during the Challenge, but I will provide updates at least once per week to let you know how I'm doing!

I will also be adding extra challenge to my 30 Day this time around. Because teacher training is coming only a week after this challenge ends (I know... I'm doing a 30 Day challenge followed by teacher training - which includes 2 practices daily for a month!), I have decided to incorporate some of the challenges that I will incur in the training into the Challenge. Might as well start getting accustomed to it sooner rather than later! In teacher training, participants are required to stay alcohol and drug free (including caffeine!!!!), and are strongly encouraged to try to reduce or eliminate meat from their diet (i.e. go vegetarian). I attempt to make vegetarian dishes at least a couple of times a week, but I would like to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into my life. I smell more recipes coming!!! And FYI, I plan to still consume milk and milk products and eggs in my vegetarian diet.

So here's the schedule of extra challenges:

Week 1 (May 25 - 29): all yoga all the time, no eliminations yet. Just getting accustomed to the yoga practices for now.
Week 2 (May 30 - June 5): eliminate alcohol and reduce caffeine to only 3c of coffee this week or fewer
Week 3 (June 6 - 12): Keep eliminated alcohol, eliminate caffeine entirely, and eat a full day of vegetarian meals at least 3 times per week.
Week 4 (June 13 - 19): Keep Week 2 eliminations, and increase vegetarian days to at least 5 times per week.
Week 5 (June 20-23): Keep Week 2 eliminations, and eat only vegetarian meals this week.

Can it be done? Stay tuned and find out :D!!!!

Motivation Challenge Day 13

Holy crap! The last day already???

Monday's Food:

• Breakfast was 2 waffles with 1tbsp of syrup. Later had a big smoothie with 1/2c almond milk, 1/2c fat free yogurt, and 1c of mango and strawberries. Used 6 Points, got 1 Dairy and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Lunch was 1/2c of pad thai Used 4 Points
  
• Dinner was at my parent's BBQ! I had a cup of fruit chunks, a turkey burger on a bun with about a 1/2c worth of veggies piled on top (tomatoes, onions, pickles, etc), plus a 1/2c of whole wheat pasta salad (made with whole wheat twisty pasta, chopped veggies, a sprinkle of feta cheese, and olive oil with lemon juice vinaigrette). Also had a beer, and my dad made iced lattes. Used 14 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Dairy, 1 Whole Grain, 1 Oil, 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were a banana and a cup of chopped zucchini and peppers. Used 2 Points, got 3 Fruit/Veggies

I apologize that my GHGs aren't coloured. I'm using my boyfriend's itsy bitsy Netbook to write this, and it's just way too irritating to try to colour it all in O_o...

Used 26 Points (+3 Weekly Points)

I also drank 1L of water and a cup of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 6/6
• Oils: 1/2
• Dairy: 2/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Lean Protein: 1/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Darn it, those oils continue to escape me!!!!

Monday's Activity

Before going to the BBQ, Ed and I went to a hot yoga class. And let me tell you, it was a HOT yoga class!!! It was like, a million degrees outside, therefore a million and one degrees in the studio plus incredible humidity. It was sweaty enough that I'm pretty sure that my neighbour's sweat somehow ended up on my mat. But, it was a great class!!!

In conclusion:

• Tracked food: Yes!
• Got GHGs: Almost
• Got moving: Yes!

So um, motivation challenge may not have been the most motivating thing in the world. I didn't achieve all of the goals that I set out (meeting all GHGs each day, moving as often as I would have liked including running). But the good news is that by forcing myself to blog it every single day, even when I wanted to lie about it to make me look better (but didn't), I can see the areas where I need improvement. I've also started to make changes to help me get in those GHGs in a creative way and incorporating new foods (e.g. making smoothies to help me get in dairy and oil, including new kinds of protein like chickpeas, and grains like quinoa and couscous). I hope to keep these lessons going and start to learn about new foods and new ways to get all the nutrients that I need, especially with my upcoming yoga teacher training and dietetic school!!!

I'll start a new post to talk about tomorrow's challenge!!!

Motivation Challenge Day 12

Still the long weekend :D!!!

Sunday's Food:

• Breakfast was a cup of Kashi Go Lean and a 1/2c of skim milk. Used 4 Points, got 1/2 Dairy GHG.
• Lunch was 1/2c of cottage cheese with strawberries and blueberries on top, and the World's Biggest Salad. The WBS consisted of 2 cups of salad greens and a full cup of other veggies (mushrooms, zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions), topped with a hard boiled egg, 2 tsp of olive oil and 2tsp of balsamic vinegar. WOW!!! This enormous salad kept me full for 5 hours!!!!! Used 6 Points, got 1/2 Dairy, 3 Fruit/Veggies, 2 Oil and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Dinner was a crazy quinoa pilaf-type of thing. I made a cup of quinoa with a full cup of veggies (cucumbers, bell peppers, celery, onions, tomatoes), about 2Tbsp cilantro mixed in, and a 1/2c of chickpeas. Mostly because I couldn't remember if quinoa counts as both a whole grain AND protein or just a grain. Also had a lovely glass of wine on the balcony watching my neighbour's fireworks. Used 6 Points, got 1 Whole Grain, 1 Fruit/Veggie, and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Snacks were a latte, 1/2 banana, and a mini cheddar-rosemary scone. Used 6 Points, got 1 Dairy and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG

Used 24 Points (+1 Weekly Point)

I also drank 1.5L of water and 1c of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 7/6
• Oils: 2/2
• Dairy: 2/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Sunday Activity:

Unfortunatly I don't have much to report here. Unless I get to count 4 straight hours of cleaning as activity (I suppose I could...). I worked at the yoga studio this afternoon picking out hairy drains and mopping sweaty puddles. As fun as that was, I was exhausted by the time my shift ended. I came home, made dinner, and promptly fell asleep for 20 minutes almost the second that my spoon hit the table for the last time.

In Summary:

• Tracked Food: Yes!
• Got GHGs: YES!!!
• Got Moving: If housework counts, then yes! If not, then no.

Holy crap, Motivation Challenge ends tomorrow!!!!! Info on the 30 Day Challenge will come after tomorrow's update :D

Motivation Challenge Day 11

Happy loooong weekend!!!!

Saturday's Food

• Breakfast was a 1/3c of Egg Beaters with 1c of chopped zucchini, mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes, served with 2 slices of Cobs Country Harvest bread. Used 3 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Whole Grain and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Lunch was out at a neighbourhood burger place, where I had a turkey burger topped with a grilled portobello mushroom and blue cheese. The cheese was overwhelming after a while, so I only managed to eat about 1/2 of the cheese, and was stuffed after about 3/4 of the burger. Boyfriend was kind enough to finish it off :P. Also had a salad on the side. Used estimated 8 Points, got 2 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Lean Protein GHGs
• Dinner was turkey meatballs dipped in tomato sauce, served as sort of 'sliders' on the new PC Mini Slider buns. We also made guacamole (avocado, lime juice, chopped onions and peppers, and some olive oil) to dip some tortilla chips. I had 3 Sliders and about 2tbsp of guac with about 10 chips, and a glass of wine. Used 9 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Oil, and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were 1/2 a Cobs apple scroll (shared with my Mom!), baby carrots, and a glass of skim milk. Used 5 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Dairy GHG

Used 25 Points (+2 weekly points)

I also drank 1.5L of water and a cup of coffee.

GHGs!

• Liquids: 6/6
• Oils: 1/2
• Dairy: 1/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Lean Protein: 3/2
• Whole Grains: 1/1

So close :( Darn you, oils and dairy!!!!!

Saturday's Activity

Yet another busy day - I worked at my WW meeting all morning, came home to find my dad constructing a closet organizer for me (yay!), so I had to clean up his sawdusty/plastic wrap/cardboard box mess. Then I did 3 loads of laundry, vaccuumed everywhere, cleaned the kitchen, tidied all over, and holy crap! It was already 7pm by the time I finally sat down!

Despite being exhausted from housecleaning all afternoon, I was determined to have good news for the blog. I'm tired of writing "no" in my "Got Moving?" summary! So. I went RUNNING!!!! YAAAAAAY!!!!!! I did this in spite of the fact that my Nike chip is STILL not connected up with my shoe. I just did a short run, about 25 minutes, just to get myself back in the shoes and on the road. And um, I realized that I really need to run more frequently if I hope to keep this up. It was pretty awful O_o!

In Summary...

• Tracked food?: Yes!
• Got GHGs?: Darn oils and dairy....
• Got moving?: Yes!!!
  

Motivation Challenge Day 10

Happy Friday!!!

Friday's Food

• Breakfast was 1/4c of steel cut oats cooked up, and topped with a 1/2 banana and 1/2c of strawberries. Used 3 Points, got 1 Whole Grain and 1.5 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Lunch was leftovers from last night's amazing Asian Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes. I also had a 1/2c of brown rice on the side which I stirred in 1tsp of olive oil. Used 7 Points, got 0.5 Whole Grain, 1 Lean Protein, 1 Oil and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Dinner was held at my coworker's Hindu wedding. I have to estimate some point values and measurements here.... I had a samosa, 1/3c of chickpea salad, 1/3c of pumpkin, 1/3c of eggplant, a piece of naan, and 1/2c of steamed rice. Used estimated 14 Points, got 1 Lean Protein and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were 1/2c of 1% cottage cheese with 1/4c strawberries, 1c of skim milk, and a slice of Cobs Country Harvest bread with peanut butter. Used 6 Points, got 1.5 Dairy GHG

Used 30 Points (+7 Weekly Points)

Given that I had a wedding today and had little control over the food that was coming, I'm pretty OK with this! I also drank 1.5L of water, 1c of coffee and 1c of chai tea

GHGs!

• Liquids: 8/6
• Oils: 1/2
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 4.5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1.5/1

So, not an entirely successful day for GHGs :( Darn you, oils and dairy!

Friday's Activity

Was non-existant. For real. I worked at my full-time job till 2:30, travelled home till 3:15, tidied up the apartment for about 45 minutes, wrapped my saree for a half hour (yes, it really did take me that long to figure it out :( lol), and then had to leave again to go to the wedding. We didn't get home till 11pm, and I had to work the next morning at my WW meeting.

To make up for the lack of activity, enjoy this pic of me and Ed at the wedding!

In Summary...

• Tracked food?: Yes!
• Got GHGs?: no :(
• Got moving?: no :(!!!

Motivation Challenge Day 9

I apologize in advance. This is the longest post in the world. But you get two recipes out of it!!!
(and FYI, (ff) indicates a filling food in a recipe)

Thursday's Food

Breakfast was 1/4c of Egg Beaters and 1/2 a Blue Menu mini oatmeal bagel. It was going to be the whole bagel, but unfortunately it was stale and tasted like crap :( (Used 2 Points, got 1 Lean Protein).

Knowing that there was no way I'd be satisfied with that breakfast all morning, I whipped up a SMOOTHIE!!!

Michelle's Amazing Smoothie

1c vanilla almond milk (or you could use skim milk for equal awesomeness, but I'm still experimenting with almond milk)
1/2 c frozen mango chunks (ff)
1 banana (ff)
a few strawberries (ff)
1 tsp olive oil (or other healthy oil)
a handfull of ice cubes

Blender it up, and WHAM! Filling smoothie with 1 serving of dairy, 2.5 servings of fruit AND 1 serving of oil! OMG! I thought I'd try this out as a new way to fit in both a dairy serving and an oil, and you know what? TOTALLY worked!!! Used 6 Points

• Lunch was 2 slices of leftover homemade pizza from Tuesday night and a side salad. Used 7 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were a tall iced skinny vanilla latte, and 1c of popcorn Used 3 Points, got 1 Dairy and 1 Whole Grain GHG
• Dinner was at my place, and whaddya know??? ANOTHER RECIPE?!??!??!

Asian Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes

6 tomatoes (hothouse or other large tomatoes) (ff)
1tbsp ginger root, shredded
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1c diced carrots (ff)
1/2c chopped celery (ff)
1/2c chopped red onions (ff)
2c shelled mini shrimps (I buy them pre-cooked and frozen) (ff)
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Slice off the top 1/3 or so of your tomatoes, and scoop out the innards. Season the insides with a little bit of salt if you like. Turn your tomatoes over and place them on paper towels to drain out.

Put your ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar (if using) in a blender or food processer, and blend until it's well mixed. Put it into a small bowl and set aside for now.

Chop up the carrot, celery and onion and blanch (I had no idea what blanching meant till I looked up this recipe :P) by placing them in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, strain, and put into ice water to refresh. Strain again and squeeze out excess water. Place them on a paper towel and keep chilled till you're ready to use them.

Mix your veggies, shrimp (I thawed mine), cilantro and vinaigrette together in a bowl. Fill your tomatoes, and serve with the tops placed back on top.

(I forgot to take a picture of the veggies and shrimp before filling the tomatoes, so here's the after-shot :P)

I calculated this out to be 5 Points per serving! Also gets you 1 Lean Protein, 1 Oil, and 2 Fruit/Veggies!

Used 23 Points

I also drank 2L of water and 1c of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 9/6
• Oils: 2/2!!!
• Dairy: 2/2!!!
• Fruit/Veggies: 5.5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!! All GHGs in!

Thursday Activity

I work at my home WW meeting on Thursday nights, which means that today was weigh-in day! Today's weight: 141.2lbs

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to get much activity today with my meeting after full-time work, I knew that my activity would be scarce today. So I tried to squeeze it in where I could!

• Offered to take the mail out, and picked up my latte in the afternoon, earning me a 10 minute walk. Also took the stairs back up! It's only 4 floor, but these stairs are hella STEEP!
• My WW meeting has a ghetto slow elevator in the building, and we have to go down every 15 minutes or so before the meeting starts to see if anyone needs a ride up. We also use it to take our A-frame sign downstairs. We had a fill-in leader today, so I offered to take the elevator shift. Walked downstairs, and when no one was there, walked back up. I walked up those stairs 4 times!
• After my WW meeting, I had to go grocery shopping to pick up some little bits to make the Asian Shrimp Stuffed Tomatoes and a few other things. I walked home from the grocery store, giving me about a 10 minute walk home with heavy groceries.

By the time I got home, cooked, ate, cleaned up and was ready to move, it was already almost 9pm. So, the sun was long gone, I was exhausted (especially since I didn't sleep very well last night) and just wanted to rest for a night. Plus the season finale of Grey's Anatomy was on :D!

In Summary...

• Tracked food?: Yes!
• Got my GHGs?: Yes! EVEN OIL!!!!
• Got moving: Yes! Despite being broken up, I did squeeze in activity today wherever I could find a chance, so I'm counting this one as a success :)

All in all, a successful day!

Do you have creative ways to sneak in activity throughout the day?

Motivation Challenge Day 8

Wednesday's Food

• Breakfast was 1c of multigrain Cheerios with a handful of fresh strawberries and a sprinkle of dried cranberries, with 1c of skim milk. Used 5 Points, got 1 Dairy GHG. While the Cheerios do contain whole grains in their first few ingredients, they also have sugar in the first few ingredients. So I'm going to avoid counting them as a whole grain and get this GHG in a different way.
• Lunch was 1c of brown rice and stir fried veggies with edamame and black beans. I topped the mixture off with 1tsp of olive oil. Used 7 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie, 1 Oil, 1 Lean Protein, and 1 Whole Grain GHG
• Dinner was out at a restaurant (*gasp*)! Ed's parents were in town, so we went out to our friendly neighbourhood Thai restaurant. I ordered ginger shrimp (mmmmm) which comes with about 1c of stir-fried veggies, and I only got through about 3/4 of my steamed rice. Used 8 Points, got 1 Lean Protein and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were a banana, and 1/2c of cottage cheese with 1/2c of berries. Used 4 Points, got 2.5 Fruit/Veggie and 0.5 Dairy GHG

Used 24 Points (+1 Weekly Point)

I also drank 2 L of water and 2 cups of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 10/6
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Oils: 1/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 4.5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Wednesday's Activity

After work today, I met up with my sister for a coffee, and also finally got my 10K medal engraved!!!!

I got home at 6pm, and Ed's parents were due to arrive sometime between 6:30-7. Because I didn't know the exact time I'd have available to exercise and shower before they came, I opted not to go for a run. BUT, I squeezed in a 20 minute session with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred instead! I've had this DVD since like, November, and let me tell you - she STILL kicks my ass every time! I only just graduated to Level 2 like, a month ago, and half the time I'm following the low-impact girl because I feel like I'm going to die. I also got in a 15 minute walk from walking from work to the subway station, so I got in 35 minutes of activity today and earned 1AP!

In summary:

• Tracked food: Yes!
• Got all my GHGs: No :( somehow missed 0.5 F/V, still not completely meeting oils and dairy...
• Got moving: Yes!

I also have a lesson of the day today :D

Today's lesson: Food Pushers

My boyfriend and his mom are lovely people. Really they are. But they are extreme food pushers!!! We went out to the restaurant, and I was determined to be good and stay within my points for the day. I had skimmed around on the wine list and said I'd think about it, but when it came time to ordering, I didn't get any. Boyfriend was confused. "I thought you wanted wine? Don't you want some wine? You said you were going to order some". No thanks, I'm good. "You sure? Really? Huh?" No really. I'm good. We ordered some appetizers for the table (spring rolls and an order of pad thai for the 4 of us to share). I opted out of partaking. Mostly because I wasn't super hungry yet, and didn't want to spoil the dinner that was on it's way out. I got food-pushed to the extreme. "Have some!" No thanks, I'm waiting for dinner, don't want to spoil it, etc. "Oh please, one isn't going to kill you". I'm trying to be good with my food, and I don't want any right now, thanks. "Wtf are you talking about? Look how skinny you are!".

The worst was dessert. Everyone ordered ice cream, and Ed got the honey-fried banana as well to share (they are delicious, but soooo deep fried). I ordered a ginger tea instead of ice cream. His mom was determined to make me eat ice cream, near to the point of shoving it down my throat herself. On top of this, boyfriend was shoving honey-fried bananas at me. I finally looked them both straight in the eye and said "Stop food pushing. I am fine. I can order my own food and decide what I want to eat. I don't want any of that today. Let it go." They were dumbfounded for a second, but they did indeed let it go. We all enjoyed our desserts (and tea!) and had a lovely remainder to our night.

All it takes is standing up for yourself and showing some courage to get food pushers to back down! When I was losing with WW, I worked in an office with OUTRAGEOUS food pushers. They couldn't seem to understand that the more cake and pastries I refused, the slimmer I got. They never got the correlation with their own waistlines.

Have you ever encountered a food pusher? What strategies do you use to get them to back off?

Motivation Challenge Day 7

Tuesday's Food

• Breakfast was 2 waffles loaded with blueberries, 1tbsp of maple syrup, and 1c of skim milk. Used 6 Points, got 1 Dairy GHG
• Lunch was a roasted veggie sandwich (containing roasted red peppers, eggplant and mushrooms) on a whole wheat flatbread with some melted swiss cheese, and a salad on the side. Used 7 Points, got 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Dinner was homemade pizza, loaded with mushrooms, peppers, pineapple, zucchini and 1 turkey sausage, and a sprinkle of mozzerella cheese. Used 7 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Snacks were a banana, 1/2c of 1% cottage cheese with 1/2c of berries, and a WW fruitty nutty bar. Used 5 Points, got 2.5 Fruit/Veggie and 0.5 Dairy GHGs

Used 25 Points (+2 weekly points)

I also drank 2L of water and 1.5 cups of coffee.

GHGs:

• Liquids: 9/6
• Oils: 0/2 (oops)
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5.5/5
• Lean Protein: 1/2
• Whole Grain: 0/1 (oops)

Tuesday Activity

In my search for lunch (didn't have leftovers, had to hunt and gather from a nearby coffee shop), I got a good 20 minute walk into my day. Why did it take 20 minutes? First I walked to a sushi place, but it was closed. So I went across the street to a sandwich shop that didn't accept debit (the only form of payment I had with me at the time). Went back across the street to a burrito place (in sheer desperation) which ALSO did not accept debit. Gave up and went to the coffee shop. Sigh :(

On Tuesdays, I sometimes fill in for a Weight Watchers meeting downtown, so that's what I did today! I didn't get home until about 8:45pm, so the sun was long gone and my motivation dwindled as my hunger for a hearty dinner roared. No run tonight :(

Wow, Motivation Challenge has reached the end of it's first week! There are only 6 days left! PS: New challenge starts on May 25th. More details to come! Spoiler --- it's a 30 Day Challenge and involves a lot of yoga :D

So let's review my progress so far...

• Tracked food every day: Yes, however reluctantly!
• Got GHGs every day: No, but came close. Oils and dairy remain a challenge.
• Got activity 3 days per week, at least one yoga practice and at least one run: I did get moving 3 days, and I did get 2 yoga practices. Sadly, no running due to my pathetic excuses.

Hmm. I've also used 23 Weekly Points so far. While this is totally fine, since I have 35 of them to use in a week, it indicates to me that I might need to reign it in a little bit. Reviewing my food log shows that I've been using those weekly points mostly on a lack of planning (Fruit and Cheese plate at Starbucks, not reading the NI on my pasta or measuring it before cooking, not planning lunches and ending up with takeout...). Mind you, I have not been counting the Activity Points earned against it. Then again, I haven't been earning many APs anyway...

After reviewing my progress (?) this week, I've identified where I need to make changes. In the last 7 days of the challenge, I will make those changes!

Let the last week of Motivation Challenge begin!

Motivation Challenge Day 6

Hello again!

Monday's Food

• Breakfast was 3/4c of low-fat granola cereal with strawberries, and a 1/2c of skim milk. Used 5 Points, got 0.5 Dairy GHG.
• Lunch was 1c of salad greens with other veggies cut in (mushrooms, bell peppers), with 1/4c edamame and 1/4 avocado. Also had a mini multigrain bagel with 1tbsp of peanut butter. Used 8 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie, and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• Dinner was 1/2 cup of homemade butter chicken loaded with cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms and peppers, 1/2 cup of rice, and a 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt for dessert. Used 9 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Whole Grain, and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Snacks were a banana, a cup of strawberries, and a tall skinny latte. Used 5 Points, got 3 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Dairy GHGs

Used 27 Points (used +4 Weekly Points)

I also drank 1.5L of water and a cup of coffee

GHGs!

• Liquids: 6/6
• Oils: 0/2
• Dairy: 1.5/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

Monday's Activity

After work, I had to go down to Little India to buy a saree, as I'm going to be attending a Hindu wedding later this week (photos will come after Friday!) As a result, I didn't get home till it was pretty late. Here's a fun story about my lack of exercise today - after I got home, I figured that I had enough time between then and when the sun would set (I don't go running after dark. Despite living in a relatively safe neighbourhood, the street lighting isn't great, and the park has almost no lighting on trails). Now, as you'll recall, I lost my Nike Plus chip after the 10K, so I had to go buy a new one. As I went to put it on my shoe clip, it just WOULD NOT fit. I tried everything to make that chip fit! It took me like, 20 minutes to finally realize that the reason I'd lost my chip in the first place is that the little clear plastic cover had also fallen off. Therefore, I need to buy an entirely new clip as well :( By the time I figured this out, the sun was on it's way down. Aargh!!!!!

I know. It's a pathetic excuse for not exercising. I could easily have done an exercise DVD after the sun set, or gone running without the chip. Sigh :(

Long story short, Monday's activity was ZERO. And as a result, I felt like a super blob of lard afterward (not a fatty blob of lard, just a blobby blob. You know what I mean :P

The Results

• Tracked food: Yes!
• Got all my GHGs: Once again, almost, except for oils and a 1/2 dairy...
• Got moving: Sadly no.

I hate that I keep having to write down anything in red in that "results" section during Motivation Challenge. This needs to change!!!!! I don't want to feel blobby anymore!

Do you have lame excuses to not exercise? How do you get over them?

Motivation Challenge Day 5

Sunday's Food

• Breakfast was Kashi Go Lean cereal with a 1/2 cup of skim milk, and a pile of strawberries and blueberries. Used 4 Points, got 0.5 Dairy GHG
• Lunch was leftovers from previous dinners: 1/2 cup of dal, 1 cup of aloo gobi, 1/2 cup of basmati rice, cellophane noodles with steamed bok choy and other veggies, and a spring roll Used 16 Points, got 1 Whole Grain, 1 Lean Protein, and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Dinner was 1 taco (that's right - only ONE taco, since I had only 3 daily points left!) and a gigantic salad containing tomatoes, zucchini, and mushrooms. Used 3 Points, got 2 Fruit/Veggie and 1 Lean Protein GHG
• My snacks were 1/4 of my boyfriend's Starbucks cupcake, and a baggie of baby carrots and red bell pepper slices Used 2 Points, got 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG

Used 25 Points (used +2 Weekly Points)

I also got 2L of water, a cup of coffee, and a tall unsweetened iced tea.
GHGs:

• Liquids: 10/6
• Oils: 0/2 (maybe 1 if I count the oil that is assumed to be in the leftover Filipino/Indian foods)
• Fruit/Veggies: 5/5
• Dairy: 1/2
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 1/1

I'm noticing a trend with my GHGs... I'm really awful at getting in the healthy oils. I tend to only get them in through sauteeing my veggies, and occasionally as salad dressing. I'm going to need to find some new creative ways to get them in!

Sunday Activity
After dinner, Ed and I went for an enormous walk through the park (about an hour). It was great! We stopped at Starbucks first, where I got my tall unsweetened iced tea, and he a latte and cupcake. We walked around the pond, where we saw tons of ducks, swans, and even a beaver :D! Had a great time and earned myself 1AP on top of it.

So, let's recap:

• Tracked all my food: Yes!
• Got in my GHGs: :( Darn oils...
• Got moving: Yes!

So here's my next steps... I need to get my oils in and dairy in a creative way (because clearly, my less creative ways aren't working out for me :P), and I need to get in my first run of the Motivation Challenge! It's gonna happen people, I'm officially promising right here and now that it will HAPPEN!

Motivation Challenge Day 4

Happy weekend!!!!!

Saturday's Food

• Breakfast was Peanut Butter and Banana Oats! Mmmmmmmmm delicious and filling :) Used 6 Points, got 1 Whole Grain and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Lunch was 6 pieces of nigiri sushi, a cup of miso soup, and a seaweed salad! Used 6 Points, got 1 Lean Protein and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG
• Dinner was 1 cup of whole wheat pasta with 1/2c of Ed's mom's delicious meat sauce and a few meatballs, and a spinach salad on the side. Also had a beer. I'll explain below :P Used 14 Points, got 1 Lean Protein, 1 Whole Grain and 2 Fruit/Veggie GHGs
• Snacks were a tall skinny latte and 1 cup of fruit. Used 3 Points, got 1 Dairy and 1 Fruit/Veggie GHG

Used 29 Points (used +6 Weekly Points)

Also drank 1L of water and had 2 cups of coffee and 1 cup of green tea.

GHGs!

• Liquids: 6/6
• Oils: 0/2 :(
• Dairy: 1/2
• Fruit/Veggies: 6/5
• Lean Protein: 2/2
• Whole Grain: 2/1

Missed out on the oils, though I'm sure that there was probably some in the pasta sauce. Ah well. I give myself a B- on this effort.

So I kinda derailed a little this afternoon. Everything was going great, until I had a work training session this afternoon. Ummmm... let's just say that I really, REALLY needed a stiff drink following this one. It was INTENSE and incredibly draining. I also neglected (stupid me) to check out the nutritional info on my box of pasta prior to cooking it. I figured that it was probably like the whole wheat pasta that is written in my WW Pocket Guide, 1c for 4 points. Um, no. Apparently this one is 1c for SEVEN points. Awesome.

BUT!

Instead of feeling miserable after the training and just sitting on the couch, beer in hand and watching TV all night, I got a little bit of activity instead! I practiced yoga for 45 minutes in my living room after dinner to help calm me down! I decided that if I still wanted that beer after yoga, then dammit, you really wanted a beer. And, well, I did. But at least I didn't feel so guilty about wanting it :)

And, lovely readers, I have a confession. I saw that I was going to go far over my Points again today and I thought very seriously about lying about it in this log. I was like, "Who am I to be writing a blog about healthy living and stuff when I went over my Points two days in a row? That's not what people want to read, therefore - LIE about it!" I kicked that little voice out of my head. Because this blog IS about healthy living and healthy balance. And this motivation challenge is about being accountable to myself and to the ENTIRE INTERNET about my eating and activity habits. There's no way that I'm going to be a perfect little Weight Watcher every single day, because I'm human! And, Weight Watchers gives me an extra 35 points per week to work with if I need them or go over with things like surprisingly-7-Point-whole-wheat-pasta.

So I decided in the end to be honest and open about everything. There are no secrets in the Motivation Challenge. There is no hiding food and no lying in my tracking and accountability. What's the point in writing it down if it's not true? It wouldn't be helping me, or you, to do so.

So! How did the Motivation Challenge go today?

• Tracked all food: YES! Even though it was a struggle.
• Got all my GHGs: Almost. Missed the oils and a dairy again.
• Got active: Yes!!!

Do you get "food guilt" or accountability guilt? How do you deal with it?