Project Self: Clean the Fridge

The most important part of leading a healthy life (other than making the commitment to do so) is eating properly. We've talked about it before, but let me just show you what I mean. Here's my refrigerator in its current state. I had to really break down, empty the entire thing, and start from scratch. But now, we build on healthy blocks every week and don't have any toxic residue left behind for temptation.

Preface: Not all of my food is organic. And no, beer and wine are not good for you while you're trying to lose weight. Duh. Oh, and that beer is NOT mine. Ew. I can't say the same for the wine...

L to R (all organic/cage free/antibiotic and hormone free): 

turkey breast, turkey bacon, kiwi, strawberries, vine ripened tomatoes

We buy all of our meat at Fresh Market because I can't bear to eat non-organic meats. And it tastes way better this way. Promise.

L to R and F to B: 

organic strawberries, Dannon OIKOS vanilla greek yogurt, Stoneyfield Farms OIKOS plain greek yogurt, more vanilla greek yogurt, Country Crock that I need to throw away because we don't use it, Arnold Health-full bread, Nature's Own 100% whole wheat hot dog buns, Nature's Promise organic eggs, organic egg whites (don't remember the brand)

L to R(ish):

Horizon part-skim organic cheese sticks, organic cheddar (in baggy), Kraft cheddar, organic feta on top of Sabra classic hummus, Little S' ham, part skim shredded mozzerella, Little S' cheese sticks (Borden?), fresh ginger and lemongrass

If you're like me, cheese is a major weakness. Horizon's part-skim organic cheese sticks are a great stand-in when a craving hits and they're a good source of protein for a small snack. Make sure to pair your protein with a good carb like a pear or apple. I stick (as best I can) to a 1400 calorie/day regimen which allows for 3 meals at 400 calories each and one afternoon snack at 200 calories.

L to R(ish):

organic oranges, organic apples, conventional lemons, organic pears, conventional carrots

F to B:

conventional green onions, organic red and green peppers (underneath), organic spinach

Buying organic is definitely more expensive, but your health is an investment. I'm not going to go all haywire on why I choose to eat organic when I can, but it's a choice I've made and try to stick to for my family and myself. What I find *most* helpful about eating organic meats and produce is that when I spend more dollars on healthy foods, I have less dollars to spend on cheapie snack crap. This yields more lean proteins, fruits, and veggies and less crackers, chips, and cookies in our house. Win-win? I think so.

If you have any questions about what foods you should buy organic and which ones you can get away with buying conventional, Katy is a great source!!! She helped me a lot when I first started changing to organics. Now, I don't *always* follow the golden rules. For instance, in a perfect world, my lemons, green onions, and carrots would all be organic. I use the lemon ZEST, so the peel is definitely touched with pesticides and other chemicals when the inside isn't, so if you're just using the meat of the fruit, conventional is totally okay. Get it?

The deets:

last week - 189.6

this week - 190.2

up: 0.6

69.8 lbs to go

My refrigerator is somewhat moot at this point, however.

I'm a little bit frustrated about how clean and healthy I've been eating and I'm not seeing the weight drop. After my initial 16 lbs, nothing has really happened and I've been on a 1 lb fluctuation for three weeks. After talking with my family, watching a few documentaries on cleansing and healthy fasting, discussing my decision with the doctor for whom I work, and getting Husband in on the plan, I've decided to cleanse and reboot. We are focused on weight loss, but not primarily. We want to clean our bodies of the nastiness we've done to them, introduce a micronutrient rich diet into our lives and well... try something drastic together.

So, for the next (x amount of) days, Husband and I will be doing a juice fast. Yep, I just sprung that one on you since I know everyone's going to have a zillion opinions and no matter what, I'm doing it. I'll be reporting!

Ready. Set. LINK!

Exposure and the Chicken

 Have you ever called your dinner a "package?"

I giggled when I read the title of the recipe, because, well...

I'm a dirty sailor.

"Aromatic Chicken Packages"

(hahahaha)
- as adapted from The Glycemic Index Cookbook-

Ingredients:

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 1 tsp. EVOO

- 1 zucchini, trimmed

- 1 carrot

- 1 celery stalk, trimmed

- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded

2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

- 10 cardomom pods, broken (I didn't use these)

- 4 tbsp white wine

- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro (I used oregano)

- scant 1 cup brown basmati rice

- few saffron strands (omg. $7.99 for HALF an ounce)

- pepper

- (I added garlic)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut 4 squares of parchment paper (this wasn't in the "ingredient" list, so I didn't buy any- you'll see I used foil and it worked great), 8 inches in size. Lightly rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Heat a nonstick skillet, add the oil, then brown the chicken on all sides (how many sides does a chicken breast have?). Set aside.

2. Cut all the vegetables into thin strips. In the center of each square of baking parchment (or foil), place one quarter of the vegetable strips with a chicken breast on top. Pour over 1 tbsp of the wine and season with a little pepper (and garlic). Add chopped cilantro (ahem, oregano). Fold over to encase the vegetables and chicken. Place the parcels in a large baking pan and cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. I found that 20 minutes was perfect with the foil. The chicken was juicy, tender, and cooked all the way through. Remove the packages from the oven and place each one on a seving plate, letting each person appreciate the aroma as they open their own package. Seriously? They're not asking for me to laugh, here? Insert, "That's what she said."

3. Meanwhile, rinse the rice, then place in a pan with the remaining cardamom pods (er... water?) and the saffron strands (I also added saffron to the packages). Cover with water and boil. Cover, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Drain and place in a warmed serving bowl, then serve with the chicken.

Dinner: 335 calories

This plate is a 7x7 inch square.

So, my mornings have just gotten a lot more hectic. I used to only have to get myself motivated and ready to go to work. But now I have to get Little S. ready to go, too. Actually, that's a lie. I had to get her up and ready to go to daycare. But now, for some reason (ahem, she's exhausted from playing so hard all.day.long), she's a pain to wake up. So I'm quite frankly VERY lucky to be able to snap a photo of myself. This morning, I set my camera on the Brita that was still sitting on our dining table from last night. The first snap used flash for some reason and the second didn't. So the first photo is blown out and the second is fuzzed and dark. I should at least make an effort to go back outside. The grill is feeling left behind as the tripod stand-in. I didn't even grab my shoes before taking these photos, but that doesn't really matter, since I don't wear shoes at work much, anyway.

top: Filene's Basement

shorts: Old Navy

hah... that's it.

boring.

I've been thinking about setting out my outfits during the weekend and having husband take outfit photos for me ahead of time and posting them the days I actually wear them. 

Would anyone be offended? Would you have even known if I didn't tell you just now?

Oops.

Off to make chickpea burgers for dinner! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and is looking forward to linking up with this Friday's Project Self!

Stay tuned to see We Love Colors Wednesday return, tomorrow!!!

A Cry for Help

I took that picture 8 minutes ago. And yes, my bra straps are showing. One thing my job doesn't allow for is a strapless bra. Not enough support. And when the thermometer in my car reads 107 degrees Fahrenheit, this chick isn't wearing sleeves. My cheeks are 8 shades of red, I have no cover-up on, and there's sweat beading from the outsides of my nose.

Neutrogena Helioplex SPF 70? Pfft. You've got NOTHING on this sunshine. I'm bright red from head to toe. Don't get me wrong. I love some sun. I loooove some tan. And I adore my "natural happy pill," le Vitamin D. However, I didn't sunscreen my lips this morning and they HURT. And I'm sweating, still... I've been in 71 degree air conditioning for at least 40 minutes, now. 

And that house behind me? Messy. Gotta clean it. Don't wanna. 

Gotta clean it, TODAY and TOMORROW. It magically has to get done.

But I'm hot and tired. And I want to decorate my guest room. So right now, I'm intermittently blogging between spray painting my nightstand Robin's Egg Blue. 

And my mascara is running.

*****

But... those are really the least of my issues. 

If you read my tweets this morning, you know I had a doctor's appointment, yesterday, and boy did I get a wake up call. Some of you might remember a few weeks ago when I had some scary chest pains and took myself to the doctor instead of to work. As a precaution, my doctor decided to take a pretty ginormous blood test that day, which would end up showing basically everything in the world that I never wanted to/definitely needed to know. Fortunately, my heart is in great shape and I was most certainly suffering from a panic attack that day. Myocardial stress is supposed to be under a score of 125 (I don't know the units) and my measurement was 5. Excellent.

However, there are several other things that tested and came back in the red zone, ie: High Risk.

Insulin.

Cholesterol.

Artery inflammation.

Very low Vitamin B12 and protein.

Platelet sticking.

Of course, weight.

WAKE UP CALL # 1:

Insulin? You might jump to thinking that's a diabetes problem. Well, you're not entirely wrong. But here's the kicker. My glucose levels are perfect. I'm producing WAY too much insulin, though, which is mega bad and a sign that if I don't get my act together, I could become diabetic in the future. Your pancreas only creates a set amount of insulin for life. Kind of like women have a certain amount of eggs. We don't get more throughout our lifetime. We're born with X amount and that's how many we get. Same with insulin. You get X amount and when your pancreas secretes it all, it's gone and you have none left to transfer your sugars and carbohydrates into fuel for your bones. (Thank you pancreas and insulin for working so hard.) So, the insulin score is supposed be between 4 and 9. Mine is 47. BAD. Easy fix? Kind of... Exercise is the answer. Aerobic exercise and reaching your metabolic heart rate burns carbohydrates for your body so insulin doesn't have to. 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day should decrease the amount of insulin my body is letting out. 

My ass is about to get serious about movement.

Oh- and as a precaution, no more white starches for me. Damn it to hell.

WAKE UP CALL # 2:

My cholesterol has been high forever. "High" is over 200. Mine tested at 267 in college. When I  became a vegetarian in 2006, my cholesterol dropped to 230 by mid-2007. This time around? 288. Kicker? I also had a genetics test done for my cholesterol and my problem is SEVENTY FIVE PER CENT genetic. Thank you, paternal family. That means only 25% of my cholesterol problems can be remedied with diet. Good thing? My GOOD cholesterol (HDL) is very high. When it's over 60, it becomes protective of your heart against the LDL. Mine is 72. Worst thing about this for me is that I have to be on medication, which I've been so against since I found out my cholesterol was bad many years ago. Most cholesterol lowering medications are very dangerous to a fetus, so being at child-bearing age, I'm SICK about having to be on something. But I can plan ahead for whenever Husband and I are ready for baby 2 and I'll get off of the medication 1-2 months ahead of time and I guess get back on after I'm done nursing. Ugh. As for diet? I don't eat red meat and barely eat other foods high in cholesterol (yolks of eggs, fried foods, seafood, cheese). Okay, that's a lie. I love cheese.

WAKE UP CALL # 3 (are you bored, yet?): 

Because my cholesterol is so high, the doctor ordered another test, which measures the size and amount of the physical pieces of cholesterol. The bigger and less, the better. The smaller and more bountiful, way worse. The size of pieces of cholesterol are measured by how many physical pieces there are per cubic inch. You are supposed to have less than 1500 pieces. I have over 3500 pieces. This means the cholesterol is very tiny and can go into the arteries with ease. Bigger pieces can't get into the small openings of the arteries. Because my cholesterol is so tiny, it's already sticking to my arteries and they are becoming inflamed. This means the openings are getting smaller and blood may not flow through as easily. The cholesterol medication I'm taking also has niacin, which opens up the arteries for blood to flow more freely.

WAKE UP CALL # 4: 

I don't really like meat. At all. I eat it out of necessity and convenience and I probably get it down 2-3 times per week. Other than that, forget about my protein. B12 is found most saturated in red meats and that just doesn't happen for me. I'm not completely opposed to red meat, but I really don't like it and it's tough on my stomach. I can't digest it well (mostly because human bodies weren't created to properly digest meat, anyway) and I can be up all night with cramping after eating a burger. So, I'm on a B12 pill and have been strictly ordered to eat low fat, high protein snacks between meals. Think: almonds, hummus, nut butters, greek yogurt, cheese, dried or canned beans...

WAKE UP CALL # 5:

Having high cholesterol is often tied to red blood cell platelet sticking. This means that your red blood cells should flow through your bloodstream singularly. The measurement of a single platelet is 1500 (I don't know the units). The measurement of my platelets is averaging 8500, which means my red blood cells are sticking together in large clumps, which could cause the obvious: blood clotting. Bad kind. Blinding, cardiac arrest, brain aneurism kind. So now, I'm also on 81mg of Aspirin each day, taken 30 minutes before my cholesterol medicine to help thin blood and reduce the painful discomfort of "flushing," caused by the cholesterol pill. 

WAKE UP CALL # 6: 

Every.Single.One. of these problems can be greatly reduced, if not erased by losing a garbage truck load of weight. The exercise needed to reduce my insulin is not going to help me lose the massive amount of weight that I need to lose to get healthy. I've always said, "Yeah, so I'm overweight, but at least I'm healthy." Well, that's not a truth I can lie about, anymore. 

Why am I telling you all of this? It seems pretty private and serious, right?

I need you.

That's the cold, hard truth.

I've tried and tried and failed at this for too many years (about 9 to be approximately exact). After my pregnancy, things definitely took a turn for the worst with my weight and I guess my eating habits, but DEFINITELY my exercise habits. I think when you're a mom (and other moms, correct me if my generalization is wrong), you are so freaking exhausted from the state of BEING. You wake up early (and sometimes are up throughout the night), try to cram some coffee down your throat to make it through the morning, go to work, or work from home (including SAHMs), feed your kids or work through lunch (either way, usually forgetting to feed yourself anything healthy or satiating), work through the afternoon, either at the office or around the house, cook dinner (tasting a bit while you're plating the food, so you're not even that hungry when it's really meal time), get your kid(s) bathed and ready for bed, snuggle, read, clean the kitchen, do the night's dishes, pick up toys, slide a load of laundry in, fold what's in the dryer, and barely brush your teeth before crashing, face-down in your bed.

WHEN do we get time to focus on OURSELVES? Our own health and well-being?

When do we realize that if we're not healthy, we won't be here to take care of our families, which is so clearly our number one priority?

When do we reach out and ask for help and support? 

I'm not waiting until it's too late. I'm believing that you will be my support system and that you will help me do this FOR REAL. For me. For my family. For my LONGEVITY. 

It's not just about how I fit into my clothes, anymore.

It's about living to see my great grandkids.

I'm not afraid of my secrets, anymore. I'm not afraid to tell you that I'm not healthy. 

And on Friday, when I start my weigh-ins, meal plans, and link-up (name TBD), I hope you're here with me, not only holding my hand, but not being ashamed and not letting yourself come last.

Let's take care of ourselves.

TOGETHER.