I've been working out nearly every day and have noticed that my need to chomp on snacks all day long and eat late at night has diminished. When I start feeling better about my body, I really just don't have the desire to put crap into it, especially when I know how hard I've worked to slim myself down.
If I find myself lazing around the apartment, watching tv and starting to think about how nice it would be to eat a bowl of ice cream while watching The Office, I now put on my sneakers and head to the gym. I can still watch The Office there, but I'm pretty sure it'd be hard to eat ice cream while jogging on the treadmill. In other words, I think I'm realizing that by keeping myself busy and active, I'm actually curbing my snacking habits...and becoming a more involved, busy, and happy person.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A Lesson In Healthy Eating....Brought To You By The Occidental College Theatre Department!
I started really and truly cleaning up my eating and fitness at the beginning of this past summer. The semester had just ended. I'd just finished acting in a show at school. I was emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted and had really let myself go. I felt crappy, pissy, ugly, and like I didn't look good in any of my outfits (this was definitely the worst side-effect of my over-eating). Being in a production gave me excuse to eat at 11:00 at night, right before I went to bed, or snack on unfulfilling things throughout the day. I also was having trouble fitting exercise into my life. It was not a happy time at all.
I came home for summer vacation completely determined to revamp my body and my self-image. The whole process was actually a lot easier than I'd expected--I think this was probably because I was living at home and didn't have the temptation of going out and drinking, partying, and eating crappy food at 2:00 in the morning. I exercised nearly every day, ate hearty, nutritious meals, and spent the majority of my time outside, in the clean, fresh air of Branchville. I came back to school a revamped, confident, healthy person. I was glowing, inside and out (I got a really good tan over the summer, which helped).
I maintained my healthy eating and exercising pretty well over the course of my first semester and throughout winter vacation. I had some slip-ups and ate late at night more often, but I was still doing pretty damn well. Then, this semester, I was cast in the show HAIR. Although I didn't fall completely off the wagon, being in a show again really changed my habits. I only was finding time to exercise about once or twice a week and was definitely over-eating (and not the right things).
Anyway, to make a very long story a bit shorter, after a week back in New Jersey for Spring Break, I've come back to California with a renewed sense of determination--both in my quest to be a wholly healthy person and in my desire to be the most well-rounded actress I can possibly be. And though those two goals may not seem related, I really think they are. When I'm taking the best care of myself that I can, I know that I'm more mentally and emotionally capable and confident. And then that's where the joy of acting starts....
I came home for summer vacation completely determined to revamp my body and my self-image. The whole process was actually a lot easier than I'd expected--I think this was probably because I was living at home and didn't have the temptation of going out and drinking, partying, and eating crappy food at 2:00 in the morning. I exercised nearly every day, ate hearty, nutritious meals, and spent the majority of my time outside, in the clean, fresh air of Branchville. I came back to school a revamped, confident, healthy person. I was glowing, inside and out (I got a really good tan over the summer, which helped).
I maintained my healthy eating and exercising pretty well over the course of my first semester and throughout winter vacation. I had some slip-ups and ate late at night more often, but I was still doing pretty damn well. Then, this semester, I was cast in the show HAIR. Although I didn't fall completely off the wagon, being in a show again really changed my habits. I only was finding time to exercise about once or twice a week and was definitely over-eating (and not the right things).
Anyway, to make a very long story a bit shorter, after a week back in New Jersey for Spring Break, I've come back to California with a renewed sense of determination--both in my quest to be a wholly healthy person and in my desire to be the most well-rounded actress I can possibly be. And though those two goals may not seem related, I really think they are. When I'm taking the best care of myself that I can, I know that I'm more mentally and emotionally capable and confident. And then that's where the joy of acting starts....
Calories and Questions
A math question from the very lovely and talented Pookie, who's battling the diet devil right now:
"How is it that there are 3 grams of sugar in a cup of grape nuts, twelve in an orange, 13 in a cup of cookie crisp, 20 in a cup of Raisin Bran, and 12 in a glass of 1% milk?"
I'm not a calorie counter myself, so I'm not quite sure how to explain the science of sugars. Anyone else care to take a stab?
And Pook: the best advice both my mother and sister ever gave me was NOT to diet--to simply try to eat healthy, and eat organic, and not obsess over every point (Weight Watchers) or calorie. If you educate yourself on what's good for you (which is a HUGE education, but is still incredibly valuable, as I'm learning every day), then you're golden. I think. Someone prove me wrong, please.
"How is it that there are 3 grams of sugar in a cup of grape nuts, twelve in an orange, 13 in a cup of cookie crisp, 20 in a cup of Raisin Bran, and 12 in a glass of 1% milk?"
I'm not a calorie counter myself, so I'm not quite sure how to explain the science of sugars. Anyone else care to take a stab?
And Pook: the best advice both my mother and sister ever gave me was NOT to diet--to simply try to eat healthy, and eat organic, and not obsess over every point (Weight Watchers) or calorie. If you educate yourself on what's good for you (which is a HUGE education, but is still incredibly valuable, as I'm learning every day), then you're golden. I think. Someone prove me wrong, please.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sweet Treats?
I think that I might have worn out my love for Greek yogurt and strawberries. And the problem is that I'm craving a big, huge, sloppy, ice cream sundae. So, people out there, what's your best healthy substitute for desserts? Inquiring minds want to know.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Eat Your Meat...and Other Proteins
I've read that despite the relative wealth of Americans (or former wealth) a majority of us are undernourished. We put a lot in our mouths, but much of it lacks necessary nutrients. There's a theory that this lack of nutrients, especially protein, is what makes us feel hungry all the time.
After casually tracking my protein consumption for a while, I realized that as long as I stayed to the straight and narrow of clean eating, I had no problem with protein. But if I filled up on processed foods or snacks foods (like crackers), I fell behind.
I should be taking in about 46 grams of protein. If I have oatmeal with a 1/2 cup of milk for breakfast, that's about 11 grams. Eating two slices of turkey on two slices of whole wheat bread for lunch gives me 18 more grams of protein. A half cup of nuts for a mid-afternoon snack provides 10 grams. And beans and brown rice, topped with plain yogurt and broccoli on the side for dinner adds on about 28 more grams. So that's a whopping total of 64 grams. But many days I don't have meat for lunch or a dinner so protein heavy.
The trick is not make yourself crazy with this information, but to try eating a wide variety of whole-grain, unrefined, and fresh foods. If you stick to that basic pattern, you will become better nourished and will not be hungry all the time.
As you switch to eating this way, you might even put on a few pounds at the very beginning. But once your body gets over the shock and your nutritional deficiencies are remedied, you will start dropping down to the weight your bones were designed to carry.
In very general terms, adult women should consume about 46 grams of protein a day while men need about 60. In order to figure out the exact amount you need, convert your ideal body weight to kilograms by multiplying it by .453. Take the resulting number and multiply that by .9, since that's how much protein you need per kilo of body weight. If you're skipping meals and living on junk, this protein goal will be tough to reach. But if you're eatin' clean, it's a very reasonable goal, one that can really keep your appetite in check.
"None of that lard-coated caca for me, thanks!"
RE: The Title: That was a postcard my mom sent me when I was in college (about 4 years ago), and has been placed firmly on every refrigerator I've ever had since.
An interesting change has occurred in my eating mentality lately. When I think about ice cream, or cheese cake, or even cheese (oh God, how I LOVE cheese), my brain immediately says to me, "You can't have that!" It's gone beyond the point of rationalizing with myself, having that conversation that goes something along the lines of, "Well you COULD have just one Swedish Fish, but will it really be just one? And honestly, what good will just ONE Swedish Fish do? Far more bad than good, I can assure you." At which point I stop staring at the Swedish Fish in the office kitchen, and grab myself a bottle of water.
But recently, that conversation hasn't been happening that much (except for the Swedish Fish. Because it really could be so easy to just take one). Now, I've just gotten it into my head that eating something bad for me is simply not allowed, and might potentially cause me bodily harm. So, when I stare down that sausage pizza that was just delivered to the office, the diet-master inside my head (who, oddly, sounds a lot like my mother) just says, "No."
And believe it or not, I listen...for now....
An interesting change has occurred in my eating mentality lately. When I think about ice cream, or cheese cake, or even cheese (oh God, how I LOVE cheese), my brain immediately says to me, "You can't have that!" It's gone beyond the point of rationalizing with myself, having that conversation that goes something along the lines of, "Well you COULD have just one Swedish Fish, but will it really be just one? And honestly, what good will just ONE Swedish Fish do? Far more bad than good, I can assure you." At which point I stop staring at the Swedish Fish in the office kitchen, and grab myself a bottle of water.
But recently, that conversation hasn't been happening that much (except for the Swedish Fish. Because it really could be so easy to just take one). Now, I've just gotten it into my head that eating something bad for me is simply not allowed, and might potentially cause me bodily harm. So, when I stare down that sausage pizza that was just delivered to the office, the diet-master inside my head (who, oddly, sounds a lot like my mother) just says, "No."
And believe it or not, I listen...for now....
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Michelle Obama - Clean and Green
Check out this article about Michelle Obama that was in the Dining & Wine section of yesterday's New York Times.
And according to Bonnie Fuller (courtesy of her blog on Huffington Post, "Michelle Obama's Sleevegate: Why Can't America Handle Her Bare Arms?"), here's how you can get her fabulously sculpted biceps: "...you need to do three sets each of "Lying Down Dumbbell Tricep Extensions", "Dumbbell Hammer Bicep Curls" and "Dumbbell Lateral raises," to achieve her toned shape." For those of you who don't own dumbbells and don't belong to a gym, I hear soup cans are great substitutes for weights.
And according to Bonnie Fuller (courtesy of her blog on Huffington Post, "Michelle Obama's Sleevegate: Why Can't America Handle Her Bare Arms?"), here's how you can get her fabulously sculpted biceps: "...you need to do three sets each of "Lying Down Dumbbell Tricep Extensions", "Dumbbell Hammer Bicep Curls" and "Dumbbell Lateral raises," to achieve her toned shape." For those of you who don't own dumbbells and don't belong to a gym, I hear soup cans are great substitutes for weights.
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