Returning to Your Culture

A change in life style can impact a lot of different aspects in one's daily rituals. My mom makes home cooked meals every Sunday. My favorite meal you ask: Meatloaf, Patti LaBelle's macaroni and cheese, and cabbage with hot water cornbread... MMMMMM!!!! As much as I love my mom's cooking, I had to step away for a minute to maintain my goals. This week, however, I have to go to my mom's house to pick up my groceries she made (sidenote: I'm from Louisiana and I "make groceries"... this is not a constant grammar error, it's how I actually say I "went grocery shopping"... sorry BIG CITY folks, that part will never change... I digress). My mom has my food on hostage, so I have to go by there and pick them up. I don't know what is on the menu today, but I'm ready! Weight Watchers has taught me portion control and that alone can keep you within your daily allowed points.

Other parts of life that I left for a while was Happy Hour, brunch, and even dinner with my friends. I abandoned them for home cooked meals that I could easily calculate, plus do you know how many points is in a Strawberry Blondie Martini????? Neither do I, LOL! I just know that vodka drinks carrys some of the highest points in the WW system. I went to Buffalo Wild Wings on Tuesday and had six hot wings... and just like with my Taco Bell, I ended up sick later that night. This week I am cooking all week, but the following week I have about three events with friends that I have to make. My idea is that once you are on the bandwagon of healthy eating, those good habits should be able to be carried with you every where. I'm learning to not be afraid of going to my favorite spots to have a good dinner, great conversation, and even a skinny cocktail...

I do love a good drink!

Until the Next Time,

KP





Getting Back on The Band Wagon

Every since I started this adventure of healthy living and weight loss, I have been pretty good. No fast food, no sodas, a lot of fruits and veggies, and a big decrease in high carb/high fat foods. Yesterday (sigh) I jumped off the band wagon and ran to Taco Bell. Now let me remind you that I really didn't eat TB before I started to change my diet, but I wanted it so bad. I stopped by, ordered my food, came home, ate... and ultimately paid a very unpleasant price for that decision. Let me just say that yes your body does start to process food differently after eating healthy for only 3 weeks. What did I learn: Fast food is a NO-NO! The experience was crazy!

This morning I made it my business to go grocery shopping. Let me first say that I have not learned how to shop. I have found myself spending a lot of money every week. My mom has reminded me that I am testing a lot of new foods out, so I am spending a bit more because I don't know what to buy. She also mentioned that I am not use to cooking and lack a lot of things that most people just have in their pantry or freezer, like bread crumbs (which has been a life saver since frying foods is out of the question). So here is a list of things I have personally learned about shopping for healthy foods and cooking:

1: Fruits and veggies are your friend and should be used daily to help carve those craving. I try to incorporate them in each meal and use them as snacks mid-day. I am a picky eater (don't like soft fruit, hate citrus fruits, will only eat bananas when they are green, allergic to onions, won't eat lettuce... the list can go for days), so when I go shopping for fruit, I take my time.
2. Breakfast is mandatory!! I ran across an idea for a breakfast sandwich on a page of a blogger that I recently began to follow. Andrea, from Thin Thighs & Sweet Potato Fries, made a egg white, spinach, and cheese breakfast sandwich that looked so good that I had to try it (side note: Andrea's blog is awesome, check it out if you have time http://www.thin-and-sweet.com/. She has motivated me that eating healthy can actually be accomplished in the Fried Food Capital of the South aka Dallas, TX).
3. Listen to your body. It does not take long for your body to become use to you treating it good. My experience yesterday was a very mean way of my body letting me know that greasy foods are not what makes it happy.
4. Try something new. On these 28 years I have been on this earth eggplant has never been a veggie that I have been dying to try, but Weight Watchers had a recipe for it so I bought it. Turns out it's not that bad. I made eggplant parmesan (4pts) and was really happy.
5. Just because it's a "health" food does not mean it's the best thing for you. Breakfast is the hardest meal for me because I try to grab every minute of sleep I can before work. I love cereal, but I wanted one that didn't taste like tree bark, was not high in sugar, and of course was 4 points or less on my WW scale. I was amped up and headed for the Kashi cereals. I was a little hurt to find out that their carbs were higher than my oh-so-faithful frosted flakes. I opted for the Honey Nut Cheerios= 4pts BABY!!! Let me say that Kashi has a 3 Mushroom and Spinach pizza that is AWESOME!! oh, and healthy.

I have some new recipes that must be shared, including that eggplant parmesan. Oh!!! And yes I was a little lazy and forgot to take pics for this entry, blame it on the Taco Bell... Until then...

Good eats!


KP

The Fight for My Life

On Sunday June 26, 2011, I started a journey that impacts so many different aspects of my life. I began Weight Watchers. I have struggled with my weight for years. I have always been a big girl. I believe that when you have always been big, you somehow become comfortable in that skin. How you are raised and the environments you grow up in also has a lot to do with that comfort. I was raised in Louisiana where home cooked meals were standard. From the greens and cornbread to the red beans and rice to the smothered pork chops... I loved it all! In my junior to senior year summer, I found myself really sick and my eating habits changed. Let me be specific: I stopped eating. A hot pocket every now and then, sometimes I would eat one or two nectarines, but that was it. I recall going to Applebee's with one of my classmates and eating TWO cheese sticks and feeling stuffed. I lost 60lbs in three months. From a 22W to a 14. People were saying "Oh Kevina you look so good!!" Too bad I didn't feel that way. Any of my friends will tell you that I hate being put on the spot and being the center of attention. I'm in no way shy, I just like to play the background. My rapid weight loss made me feel very self conscious. I was constantly explaining to classmates that I didn't mean to loose so much weight and even worse I had no clue on how to adjust to the change. A lot of people are not going to understand, I barely understood. When Homecoming arrived I tried on a size 16 dress and it fit (side note: I have always been chest heavy, the girls never went anywhere. I tried on the 14, but then I couldn't breathe because my boobs were literally choking me... literally). I made it my business that night to not be photographed (SUCCESS!). As my senior year went by, I started to gain some of my weight back... and some of my confidence. I took senior prom pics!!! Yayyyy!! I admit that every now and then I would wear my 22W jeans to school, but I was senior, who cared!

I graduated and decided to go to the University of Louisiana in Lafayette (GEAUX CAJUNS!!!) where I ate red beans and rice on Mondays, white beans and rice on Tuesdays, rice and gravy on Wednesdays, fried chicken, rice, and gravy on Thursdays, and Chik-fil-a on Fridays... and yeah, that was just lunch. Let's not mention the burgers, fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, and hot wings for dinner. I was gaining 20-30 lbs every year!!! What I figured out recently that I probably should have addressed then that I am an emotional eater. So yes, I received a C- on my test, but that burger and TWO helpings of fries lessened the blow.

Fast forward to the present...

I graduated with my bachelors degree, moved to Dallas, fell in love, fell out of love, got a good job and continued to be... fat. I hate exercise, but decided to take part in a running class. LOVED IT! Until they told me I had to stop. I tried to keep going on, but was diagnosed with exertional compartment syndrome and the thing I loved to do was becoming too painful. I lost some weight, but gained it back, plus some. I decided that it was time to make a definite change about a month ago. I found myself crying and upset because I wanted to do more, I just didn't know where to start. I moved to a new apartment that has the stupidest location for their gym and for a complex this size, I'm afraid of cooties. I don't think half of my neighbors take baths, wash their hands, or cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough... Eww...

My plan is to conquer Step 1: healthy eating habits. So I joined Weight Watchers and my life is now consumed by points, lol. I like it though. Lost 10lbs in 3 weeks with changing my eating habits ONLY. The next step is to somehow add exercise. I don't mind living by the "no pain, no gain" motto, but my co-pay to the emergency room is $100. I'm taking it slow. I'm changing up my blog just-a-lil-bit to give you all my progress, my thoughts on dieting (OOOPS, sorry! healthy living), reviews on foods, and alternatives to hard core exercise. Below is a pic of me at my heaviest in 2011... Let's get it!!!

Have a good one, Fam!

KP