Rethinking the Food We Eat

The transformation is slow and multifaceted, but we're leaning more towards vegetarianism.

In January, we realized how much calorie-dense crap we were eating. We stopped eating take-out so many times a week, doubling our grocery budget, but evening out in the end.

A month ago, Chris mentioned the new diet that his friend and his wife are on. As a way to control her severe diabetes, she's on the food pyramid diet with the exception of meat. They are able to eat fish once a week. They feel incredible and energized, and Chris was filled with envy.

Around the time of my surgery in April, we loosened the reins on our wellness plan. I couldn't work out, and I was feeling sorry for myself a lot, and we ate a lot of comfort food (mostly homemade *thanks nana*) and avoided the gym. We've maintained our weight loss, but we haven't dipped down again since then. I suppose if I would eliminate the recent scourge of ice cream cones, the many-mile walks I take every day would actually show up on the scale.

So starting from this middle ground, we bought a couple vegetarian cookbooks. We studied them in detail, marveled at how yummy everything sounded. And then we shopped. There's so much out there in the produce world, in the cheese world, that we hadn't tried much. Asiago cheese? Feta? Asparagus? Come on. We're not foreigners.

That's the whole point. We really want to branch out. There's so many foods out there that aren't part of our Wisconsin-standard diet. Our dependency on ground beef as a staple is crazy, not to mention not very good for us.

So far we've had the following: Three-Cheese Tortellini with summer squash and zucchini, Pasta Rosa Verde with fresh spinach and grape tomatoes, and Asparagus Stir Fry served over rice.

It's been fabulous and oh-so delicious. We aren't planning on abandoning our carnivore status any time soon; we just want to add some variety to our diet. Having a really good reason to visit the local Farmer's Market is also a definite plus. We'll be there bright and early on Saturday to be inspired for another week's menu.

Can't. Seem. To. Get. It. Done.

Ever have one of those days when you just can't seem to get anything completed?

In reality, I did get a lot done this morning. I spend three hours taking pictures of clothes and then writing little tags on the images to describe them and then uploading the files to my FTP site. Why? In addition to the HUGE Freecycle lot of plus-sized clothes that I went through on Friday, I also received two bags of clothes that a teenage boy recently grew out of or tired of. And I have nephews. So you can guess my train of thought on that.

But my house is cluttered with half-finished tasks all over the place, and it makes me feel frazzled. It wouldn't take too long to sort it all out. Hang up the rest of the laundry and fold the next basketful. Pack up the broken VCR that's being freecycled. Wash the two loads of dishes that are waiting and congealing on the counter. Pull out the top layer of socks from the donation box and throw them in the laundry because the cat slept on them, and then put the donation box in the closet where she can't get to them.

It's one of those days when I wish I had a couple of servants who would keep coming back to my side, asking what else they can help me with, and could they please warm up my coffee for me. Why, yes. Yes, you can. That would be lovely. And could you get the broom and sweep up those dust bunnies that I can see peeking from under the couch? Thank you. On your way back from the kitchen, can you pick up the puzzle that Ben left scattered on the floor? Terrific. Thanks.

On the fitness front, Chris and I have both been holding steady for the last week. We haven't lost anything, we haven't gained anything. This is probably a result of our half-assed devotion to clean eating (a few cookies on Thursday, a dessert after our lunch date on Friday). We'll get it back in gear.

I know exactly where I've been slipping. That just-before-I-go-to-bed hunger graze that happens when I'm overtired. When I want chocolate but have two portions of fruit instead. When I shouldn't really but I have it anyway peanut butter sandwich.

Hey. At least you know I'm not lying about this weight loss journey. It's not all plummeting scale numbers and enthusiastic recipe cooking.

In Honor Of Eighteen

It's been just about three years since I was a size 18. That was how long ago it was when I last wore the pants that I tried on yesterday. They fit! Snug, but they fit, and I was able to breathe and move around. I find it phenomenal that I have lost 18 pounds in just under one month. We started this whole thing on January 5th. And now I'm two pounds away from my first 20 pound goal. That's when I'll take pictures and measurements again.

In honor of being a size eighteen again, I present 18 observations of the last two days:

1. Ben randomly runs up to us now and tackles our legs. It's a typical toddler love thing, but it's a recent development for him, and I absolutely love it.
   
2. Changing a baby's diaper while she's sitting on your lap in the passenger side of the car (we were stopped of course) is not nearly as difficult as gingerly peeling off poop-soaked clothes and replacing them with clean ones, all while trying not to get the offending goo all over yourself.
   
3. I tucked the icy cold baby wipes under my breasts to quickly warm them so they wouldn't shock her delicate baby skin. I think that is one of the truest examples of a mother's love.
4. I have wonderful siblings. I had so much fun with my sisters yesterday at the baby shower. I wish they lived closer to me. They sort of kick total ass, and I wuv them dearly.
5. Driving to Appleton when the roads are snow-covered and slippery is a bad idea. Really. Driving back from Appleton when the roads are even more snow-covered and slippery is a worse idea. Daisy, you were out and about yesterday, so you know.
   
6. We lost count of how many cars we saw go in the ditch. Once, we saw a car actually fly into the ditch. It was a white-knuckled trip.
   
7. When we finally got to the church ten minutes late for the baby shower, I hauled Anna in right away. When I got to the room with all the baby shower stuff, I looked around and didn't recognize anyone, and the room was strangely decorated in blue. Wasn't my SIL having a daughter?
8. Apparently, within two blocks of each other, two baby showers were being held at the exact same time at two different churches.
9. When someone eats a whole scoop of frozen custard because that person's son absolutely refused to eat it himself, she works extra hard at the gym that night.
10. Moms of toddler boys often have little cars in various pockets.
    
11. Yesterday, I had no less than four.
    
12. When you incorporate more activity into your life (chasing my son at a dead run down the church hallway), eating a little slice of spice cake at a baby shower doesn't show up on the scale. My weight went down another pound and a half since yesterday, and that was with some minor cheating, ie cake. (We skipped the creamy fruit salads and potato salads and filled up on a turkey sandwich and a whole mess of fresh veggies... and three cocktail turkey meatballs).
    
13. I honestly think that I flipped a switch on my metabolism. How else to explain the constant weight loss?
    
14. I credit T-Tapp with this. Even though the 15-minute workouts are intense and exhilaratingly difficult at times, I end up with a huge burst in energy afterwards that stays with me for most of the day. It's not so much of a big deal anymore to jump up and chase after Ben or to make several trips up and down the stairs. And really, that's what the advertisements say will happen. I don't get tired as easily.
    
15. Anna's hair is changing from a dark brown to a medium shade of strawberry blonde. You can definitely see it in her eyebrows. I think with her deep blue eyes, it'll be a very attractive combination.
16. Today is my spa day at the YMCA when I get to spend two hours there with no children or husband. I could spend it lounging around in the women-only whirlpool, but I will probably bust my butt some more on the elliptical trainer and the bike.
    
17. I have this terrible urge to finally start chipping the tiles off of the bathroom walls like we had planned on doing last March. We put off finishing the bathroom makeover because of time constraints, but I'm getting very close to taking a chisel and a hammer and just going to town. I'm not quite sure what is stopping me, other than the inevitable mess and dust that I'll have to clean up.
    
18. My dear sister is pregnant again. She's sicker than a dog now, so we have high hopes for this pregnancy. She's finally gotten some relief from the vomiting by taken Unisom. I'm so happy for her on so many levels, though with her husband in the military, she faces quite a challenge with having two children around the house. I wish I lived closer so I could ease some of the strain.
    

And there you have it. My Eighteen in honor of Size Eighteen. Wooo!!! Now get up off your butt and shake your tail feather in celebration of my awesome progress! And for those out there who are struggling with motivation to get in gear and make positive steps towards your weight loss goal... just remind yourself of me. If I can do it, so can you! No fancy powders, no difficult diets, no heart-hurting drugs. Just clean, healthy eating and clean, vigorous activity.

Introduction To Skinny Meals

About a week into our new healthy eating lifestyle, Chris and I talked about starting a new, separate blog dedicated to food, healthy food in particular, food we create and make that suites our weight loss plan.

Today I posted the first recipe to that site, Skinny Meals. I tried a new recipe yesterday, so I posted about my experiences with that.

I'll let you all know when I add another post to that site, and you can visit it anytime by clicking the handy-duty button in the right column on this site. I also plan on doing product reviews of different food items and brands, and hopefully, I'll remember to take pictures of what I serve.

If you have any recommendations or suggestions for the new site, please let me know. It's a work in progress, and I'm curious as to what it might become. I'll also be accepting recipe submissions, but don't feel bad if I don't try yours. We're fickle people with a tight budget.

Anna and Nana Sitting in a Tree

We came back from spa week at the Minocqua homestead yesterday. My mom said she must not have done a very good job, since I lost another three pounds while I was up there (even with the turtle cheesecake dessert that Chris and I shared on our date night). That brings the total loss to 12.5 pounds. Awesome. I haven't been in the 220s since before I was married.

Tuesday morning when Nana arrived to pick up me and the kids, Anna was calmly swinging in the kitchen. Nana bent down to smile and her and say hello, and Anna just stared at her intently for five seconds. Then my precious daughter let loose a scream so loud and so soul scratching, you would think someone had just chopped off her finger with a rusty dull knife.

I rescued Anna from Nana's evil smile and we nursed for a little bit, and then Anna was okay with sitting on Nana's lap.

Such a rough start to our holiday. By the next day, Nana got her to giggle for the first time. Whenever Anna would see Nana's face, she would light up and grin and coo. Two peas in a pod, they were. Content to just sit there and study each other.

This picture does not show my mother at her best appearance, since it was before six in the morning, and she hadn't even brushed her teeth yet, let alone showered and dressed and put on lipstick. But I love how happy she looks holding my dear little Anna.

I didn't have the coziest of grandmothers. My mom's mom was very kind and homey, but she wasn't overly demonstrative or, well, any fun. My dad's mom was ... let's just say she also wasn't overly demonstrative and certainly wasn't homey or fun. I saw both of them a lot in my youth, but I never had warm, effusive relationships with them. (I should note that Anna looks a lot like my maternal grandmother. My siblings always refer to how she looks like a little Lempi, my mom's mom.)

I've known a lot of people who swoon over the mention of their grandparents. "Oh how wonderful!" "My grandma was my best friend." "My grandpa always took me fishing." etc.

I've seen my mom be Super Nana to my nieces and nephews, but watching her with Anna, I really get a sense for how important Nana will be in her life. Their connection is beautiful. I can totally imagine how Anna will reminisce about her early years with Nana.

Ben loves her dearly as well... but it's different. Ben is all energy and movement and squirming to explore and play. He's always been like that. Maybe it's just her current developmental stage, but Anna seems to be more interesting in communicating. When she's awake, she's always cooing and grunting and looking into your eyes to see your reactions.

We're heading off to do some cardio at the Y after we do a quick T-Tapp workout to get our engines running. We'll be exhausted, but it'll be so worth it. Combined, we've lost about 25 pounds.

When we had our date night, we didn't worry much about calories. It was our "cheat meal" to just sit and enjoy food and enjoy each other. Instead of going with the high-fat, high-calorie stuff that we would have chosen before, we went with what sounded the most interesting, something we hadn't tried before. We each tried a Greek dish. I had dolmades, and Chris had pastichio. We probably won't order them again, but we expanded our knowledge of food, that's for sure. We both fell in love with hummus on warm pita bread with cucumbers, tomato and lettuce drizzled in a dill vinegarette. It's a new way of eating for us, and we're loving it.

A Little Righteous Anger

I remember when I quit smoking a month before I married Chris. I set a date, I prepared myself with some chemical-free stop smoking aids, and I enjoyed my last smoke. That was it. I didn't smoke again. Yes, it was really tough, and one of the many reasons I won't light up again is because I don't want to deal with quitting again.

Since I wasn't relying on patches or gum to help me with the process, I made it a mental exercise. I went through the typical stages of grief. One of them was anger.

I was so angry for a while. I was mad at myself for smoking in the first place, and then I got really mad at the friends I had who were smoking when I started, and finally, I was mad at the tobacco companies for making such a harmful product just because they can and because after the first pack, the product sells itself because of addiction.

This morning I woke up mad. I'm mad at the fast food companies for thinking it's a good idea to serve us garbage. Sure, some people can metabolize that crap food, but even if they can, it's still not doing their bodies any good. Why can't convenient food be good for us, too? They need to get that sh*t off the menu, because the people who keep buying it can't help it. They are addicted.

I'm mad at burgers and french fries and soda and milkshakes and fried chicken and all of that other stuff that helped me get fat. I'm mad that they exist, and I'm mad that I ate them. I'm mad that I let myself get to be 241 pounds before I finally said enough is enough.

Today when I go out for lunch with my husband, you can be damn sure we won't be going through the drive-through at Taco Bell or Burger King. Never again. We'll be going to a nice cozy diner where they have low-fat options on the menu, where they offer egg substitutes for their customers, where the dressing is always served on the side, and where every sandwich doesn't automatically come with french fries. I don't know what I'll be inspired to eat, but it sure won't be garbage. It'll be food that will help me stay on the right track, the track that has let me drop a total of 10.5 pounds already.

Playdate Fun and other news

We had Ben's best friend Luke over for a playdate last night. So Much Fun. They ran around the house like a couple of rabid banshees. Mostly, Chris and I watched and giggled, only becoming part of the action for a basketball game where they had to take turns dunking. Even Anna smiled at their exuberance on a couple of occasions.

The weight loss bandwagon is still trucking along. What's the point of falling off the wagon when the road isn't even bumpy yet? I've tried four new recipes: Turkey Burgers (5 stars), Butternut Squash and Onion pizza (4 stars), Stuffed Acorn Squash Supreme (2 stars from Chris, 4 from me), and Chicken Parmesan (5 stars). The chicken parmesan started out as eggplant parmesan with chicken, but turns out my eggplant had gone to seed and I forgot to add parmesan to the breading. So really it was just chicken sprinkled with mozzarella on low-fat spaghetti. But it was yummy anyway.

Tonight, the Mathis kitchen features Turkey Goulash from the Eating For Life cookbook. I'm excited to try another turkey recipe, since the burgers were a total hit.

We've both stopped recording our calories since we're good at knowing what our allotment is for a specific meal or snack. With how much I'm exercising, I'm creating a huge calorie deficit every day, so that explains the Six And A Half Pounds I've lost. Can I get a Wooohooo!?

In other news, next week will be the week of the break when I go to my mom's house for a few days. It'll be strange to leave Chris here for so many days (Tuesday through Friday), but I'm looking forward to the break and the change in focus. My mom and I will be trying the T-Tapp program together (you can thank Ask Moxie for finally convincing me to give it a try), and I'll be helping her purge her basement since that's the target of note with her weekly housekeeper lady for the next few months.

On February 2nd, we'll be driving to Appleton, WI to celebrate with a whole bushel of women at my sister-in-law's baby shower. Chris will be providing babysitter service during the shower. I think we'll both have a fun time. I'll have a few gifts for her, but I've also collected one bin and two boxes worth of baby stuff for her that I'm done with. Anna keeps growing, and she's breastfeeding so well, I'm relinquishing my breast pump to the working mother who needs it more.

Cute Ben Thing: He can say monkey clearly now, and it's just as precious as I imagined it would be. He giggles when I tell him to be a good little monkey, ala Curious George. We've watched Cars (Kucks) at least three times a day now for the last week. It's still his first request, then Thomas (Choo-Choo), then Wiggles (Weee-oh).

Cute Anna Thing: One of my favorite things she does right now happens when Chris hands her off to me when she's sleeping. I put her in my arms, nestled into my right elbow. She opens up her eyes a bit at the disruption, notices that it's Mommy who is holding her, and she grins like an idiot for half a minute before she accepts the nuk, burrows her head in and falls back asleep.

When Mommy is exercising, Anna gets an upper swaddle that also conveniently keeps her nuk in place. Notice how she is glaring at me. Someday she'll appreciate the effort I'm making to become healthier.

A New Take On Life

We're all signed up for our membership at the YMCA now. Those lovely people were able to give us a fantastic scholarship, and we feel very humbled and blessed to receive it. We're going to go this morning for some time on the cardio equipment while the kids enjoy the mini-care.

As I was driving home from my IUD appointment yesterday, I went past Pizza Hut, advertising their latest deal. I thought about how I would feel to eat the pizza and knew I'd probably get sick from all the grease. My only regret was that I didn't indulge in a big deep dish pizza last week before I started my new life.

Then, something important happened. My mind jumped to ways I could enjoy pizza while still maintaining my healthy eating lifestyle. I thought of whole grain pizza crusts with diced veggies and low-fat mozzarella cheese. I started salivating at the thought. That's an important step for me in my re-prioritizing of life and food.

So my weight loss mantra today is: Re-imagine the foods you crave. Don't feel like a prisoner to your diet. Use it to your advantage and find compromises, or this new life won't be maintainable for long.

In other news, Ben had a blast on our Y tour yesterday. He loved climbing up and down all the stairs, and goodness knows there were a lot of them. He had a few moments where he didn't want to leave a certain area, but promising him more stairs did the trick to refocus his attention. I think he's lovely in this regard. It wouldn't have worked for me, that's for sure.

My Mirena IUD appointment was interesting. It didn't take long, but I was supremely uncomfortable since I have very sensitive innards. The cramping started almost immediately, and by dinnertime, I was crying so much I figured I'd have to go to the emergency room and make them rip it out. I sat with a heating pad on my back for a couple of hours, and that helped. As of this morning, I don't feel any pain. Hopefully, it won't return, and the trauma of yesterday afternoon would have been worth it.

We are definitely taking our before pictures today... and my weirdo husband actually wants me to post his before pictures as well. I thought he was crazy, since he doesn't even read this blog, but he says he wants the accountability, so I guess you all will get to hear more about his weight loss efforts, too.

I Think I Need A Cookbook

Chris, as he's entering in his calorie count from dinner in his log: So, what kind of meat was that? Pork?
Me: *silence* *tears welling up* No. It was chicken.

Oh well. At least it was healthy, though I cooked the heck out of it and it was left incredibly dry. And I used the same seasoning I use on most meats: worcestershire sauce and minced garlic. Can't win them all.

Stamina Or Something Like It

We're on day 2 of eating well, and our new lifestyle seems to be all I'm thinking about. I probably changed too suddenly yesterday. The meals I prepared yesterday were SO healthy, we were both feeling ill by the evening, suffering from sugar and fat withdrawals. I had a splitting headache throughout the night last night, and I was sick to my stomach this morning. (I refuse to contemplate the possibility that I'm pregnant, so don't even both mentioning the idea). Because I'm nursing, I allowed myself a piece of American cheese on my egg white scramble this morning, and I'll have a spoon of peanut butter later.

Life is moving along at a steady pace, regardless of any lifestyle change. That is to say, nothing much is going on.

One of the reasons I listed for this life adjustment was that I wanted stamina. Stamina for life and for children and for movement and for activity. I know that feeling healthy and fit and strong provides stamina. Like so many other things, I need stamina to get stamina. I need to move in order to move easier. I need to eat in order to reduce cravings.

So my mantra is Baby Steps. As long as I stay with the plan of eating right and taking baby steps towards more activity, I'll still be proud of me.

Cute Ben Things:
Anna was in her swing yesterday, and Ben was "helpful" by wiping her face with her burp rag. She started screaming from all of his helping. He's starting to tell us things now. Last night, he was explaining about how his cars go down the track. Sure, he didn't use sentences, but I knew what he was talking about. "Guck" "Whee!" "Guck" "Whee!" "Honk Honk!" He used the motions for it, too.

Cute Anna Things:
Her smiles are so precious. She's just starting to coo a little, that is, making noises that aren't her usual grunts. She also has the most precious pout when she wants something that she's not getting immediately, but she hasn't started screaming yet. Mostly, I just love watching her facial expressions and admiring the color of her eyes. She kicks a lot now, and she stretches and squirms to get into a better position while she sleeps nestled against me at night. She'll also put her arm over her eyes when she's trying to sleep when the lights are on.