Where, oh where has my summer gone...
“Where are the pictures of the finished kitchen?” you may ask. The answer is that we are too busy to do squat around here! Actually Steve is looking for some nice pictures to add to his work portfolio, so I’m sure we will get those pictures done this week. Oh – and the green in the dining area is gone…spouse and child painted while I was out of town and it looks great!
OK, now on to everything else. What have we been up to since May?
For Kyla, school ended just before Memorial Day. She is back at it again andin the FOURTH GRADE. Dang, how time flies! Over the summer Kyla has been working on her skim-board technique and hanging out at church in the Kid’s Club. She is going through some kind of amazing growth spurt. I think she will be taller than I am.
The adults in this house have decided that we are tired of feeling tired and fat. So on 7/3 we embarked on a journey to a healthier lifestyle. We are power (dog) walking five times a week, and I have started weight training. Yes, weight training. I bought mats, a real bench, and some dumbbells. I prefer to do it at home this way rather than fiddling with the machines at our local recreation center. And you know what? For the first time I’ve found a sport that I really enjoy.
For the walking/aerobic part of our routine I use a heart monitor to ensure that I am working to an aerobic level but just less than anaerobic level every time. I hired a personal trainer to help form and designing a routine as I lift. I’ll never be one of those fitness models, but I do hope that as the poundage comes off I will be toned, not flabby.
The other part of the health equation has been changing our diet. We tried Weight Watchers in the past, but I got so tired of counting points! Plus using the points system it was still very easy to eat junky food AND remain on plan. Before giving up on the thought of WW I paid a visit to a non-official WW site - http://www.healthdiscovery.net where I learned about the relatively new Core plan…and I’m glad I did!
Core is a way of eating healthy every day without feeling deprived…it doesn’t feel like a “diet”. The three rules (courtesy of WW) are:
1. Eat as much of the Core Foods as you need to feel satisfied.
2. If you want to eat foods that are not on the Core Food List, use your weekly POINTS Allowance.
3. Follow the Good Health Guidelines.
Sure, I can see the wheels turning. “Eat as much of the Core foods as you need to feel ‘satisfied’? Yeah, right!” But it’s really true! Part of the deal is re-learning to understand what your REAL hunger level is. On most plans they tell you what to eat and how much. On this plan you eat healthy stuff and listen to your body’s signals to tell you when you are really hungry.
What are the Core foods? Any lean meat, all fruits and vegetables, whole wheat pasta, brown and wild rice…plus FF dairy (cottage cheese, milk, ricotta, cheese). There’s bit more to it, but it’s mostly just healthy stuff.
The deal is that you can eat all the Core food you want, but you have to think about your hunger level and remain in what WW calls “the Comfort Zone”. You don’t allow yourself to get to either end of the hunger spectrum – no “starving hungry” and no “stuffed”. I try to eat to what I think of as about 80% full. And core food is “low energy density” food…more bulk, fewer calories so you feel full and satisfied. It is also “whole”, less processed…and healthier. Again, from the WW site:
Research shows that over the course of a day or two, a person tends to eat about the same weight of food. By choosing the more-filling (low in energy density) Core Foods, a person becomes aware of their hunger and fullness cues (using the Comfort Zone). The end result is that following the Core Plan leads to feeling fuller on fewer calories.
Lean Cuisines? Forget about it, they aren’t Core...and be honest...they don't really fill you up, do they? You gotta cook if you decide to do Core. But you know what? Home cooking just tastes better. And it makes for better left-overs to take to work for lunch! The good news is (at least for me) is that you lose your taste for most of the crappy food.
The plan gives you a weekly points allowance to use on non-Core food, and you can even earn more points through exercise. I use my allowance when I drink coffee – half and half…plus real grainy-fibery-whole wheat bread.
Seems like common sense, doesn’t it? In my opinion, Core takes more thought, planning, and work than Flex/counting points. Once you learn what is and is not Core, it’s easy to modify your favorite recipes to fit the plan, plus you have so many options to try new foods that you may find yourself with new favorites.
So as the muscles are toning up, the fat is coming off for both of us. Since July spouse has lost 31 lbs, and I’ve lost 21 lbs. Miss Kyla calls me “Buff Mom”, but I’m a long way from THAT!
What else is going on? I traveled to Ohio to visit Nana and also visited with my Aunt Laury who had flown back to Cleveland for her 50th high school reunion. She is now a Core convert. We had a great time visiting, and I’ll get the chance to see her again in October.
Enough for now…
OK, now on to everything else. What have we been up to since May?
For Kyla, school ended just before Memorial Day. She is back at it again and
The adults in this house have decided that we are tired of feeling tired and fat. So on 7/3 we embarked on a journey to a healthier lifestyle. We are power (dog) walking five times a week, and I have started weight training. Yes, weight training. I bought mats, a real bench, and some dumbbells. I prefer to do it at home this way rather than fiddling with the machines at our local recreation center. And you know what? For the first time I’ve found a sport that I really enjoy.
For the walking/aerobic part of our routine I use a heart monitor to ensure that I am working to an aerobic level but just less than anaerobic level every time. I hired a personal trainer to help form and designing a routine as I lift. I’ll never be one of those fitness models, but I do hope that as the poundage comes off I will be toned, not flabby.
The other part of the health equation has been changing our diet. We tried Weight Watchers in the past, but I got so tired of counting points! Plus using the points system it was still very easy to eat junky food AND remain on plan. Before giving up on the thought of WW I paid a visit to a non-official WW site - http://www.healthdiscovery.net where I learned about the relatively new Core plan…and I’m glad I did!
Core is a way of eating healthy every day without feeling deprived…it doesn’t feel like a “diet”. The three rules (courtesy of WW) are:
1. Eat as much of the Core Foods as you need to feel satisfied.
2. If you want to eat foods that are not on the Core Food List, use your weekly POINTS Allowance.
3. Follow the Good Health Guidelines.
Sure, I can see the wheels turning. “Eat as much of the Core foods as you need to feel ‘satisfied’? Yeah, right!” But it’s really true! Part of the deal is re-learning to understand what your REAL hunger level is. On most plans they tell you what to eat and how much. On this plan you eat healthy stuff and listen to your body’s signals to tell you when you are really hungry.
What are the Core foods? Any lean meat, all fruits and vegetables, whole wheat pasta, brown and wild rice…plus FF dairy (cottage cheese, milk, ricotta, cheese). There’s bit more to it, but it’s mostly just healthy stuff.
The deal is that you can eat all the Core food you want, but you have to think about your hunger level and remain in what WW calls “the Comfort Zone”. You don’t allow yourself to get to either end of the hunger spectrum – no “starving hungry” and no “stuffed”. I try to eat to what I think of as about 80% full. And core food is “low energy density” food…more bulk, fewer calories so you feel full and satisfied. It is also “whole”, less processed…and healthier. Again, from the WW site:
Research shows that over the course of a day or two, a person tends to eat about the same weight of food. By choosing the more-filling (low in energy density) Core Foods, a person becomes aware of their hunger and fullness cues (using the Comfort Zone). The end result is that following the Core Plan leads to feeling fuller on fewer calories.
Lean Cuisines? Forget about it, they aren’t Core...and be honest...they don't really fill you up, do they? You gotta cook if you decide to do Core. But you know what? Home cooking just tastes better. And it makes for better left-overs to take to work for lunch! The good news is (at least for me) is that you lose your taste for most of the crappy food.
The plan gives you a weekly points allowance to use on non-Core food, and you can even earn more points through exercise. I use my allowance when I drink coffee – half and half…plus real grainy-fibery-whole wheat bread.
Seems like common sense, doesn’t it? In my opinion, Core takes more thought, planning, and work than Flex/counting points. Once you learn what is and is not Core, it’s easy to modify your favorite recipes to fit the plan, plus you have so many options to try new foods that you may find yourself with new favorites.
So as the muscles are toning up, the fat is coming off for both of us. Since July spouse has lost 31 lbs, and I’ve lost 21 lbs. Miss Kyla calls me “Buff Mom”, but I’m a long way from THAT!
What else is going on? I traveled to Ohio to visit Nana and also visited with my Aunt Laury who had flown back to Cleveland for her 50th high school reunion. She is now a Core convert. We had a great time visiting, and I’ll get the chance to see her again in October.
Enough for now…
posted by vern at
11:34 AM
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