My body hates me again. This time in a bad way.

Today was a cheat day.

Today was the mother of all cheat days: Bagels, cream cheese, hot chocolate, coffee with creamer, some Skittles, brownies, lemon bars, Old Chicago pizza, chocolate chip cookies, and Dr. Pepper.

Ugh, even reading it makes me cringe. How did I used to eat like this? My stomach is so tied up in knots and nauseous that I can't even stand straight. Pepto-Bismol isn't even touching my symptoms. I feel fuzzy, bloated, lethargic and downright awful.

Knowing what I know now, I would've eaten differently, even though I was really excited for a cheat day. Today was my last full day of advising SCSU's incoming students - a job I've held all summer. This  meant FREE celebratory food provided by the advising office. While I did help myself to several servings of fruit, I also helped myself to hot chocolate and a giant bagel. I love bagels....

But I digress. I stayed SANE at lunch with a salad a bun-less turkey burger. However, two hours later, my coworkers were munching on complimentary brownies and lemon bars. Because it was my cheat day, I grabbed one of each without blinking.

Once done with work, my boyfriend and I headed to a dinner/movie date to celebrate ten months together (Thanks for the support lately, babe!). He bought Skittles at the movie, and of course I indulged in a few. Next, I suggested we eat at Old Chicago because I'd never eaten there. I didn't even know it was a pizza joint until we got there, but I was pumped nonetheless; I've been craving pizza for days.

Let's just say this was not the smartest decision I've ever made. While delicious, the pizza was cheesy and greasy as all get-out. And even worse, the date-night special came with a warm "pizza" cookie in a pan. Ben and I had a great time together, and the whole day was a highly enjoyable experience.

Well, at least until my body started to process the food. I don't know how much longer I'm going to feel like this, but I hope it's not too long. I guess I'll chalk it up to another hard-learned lesson. This experience just confirms to me that putting crap in my body is not the way to go. I think it's time to go to bed and sleep it off. After all, I only got five hours of sleep last night... and the night before... aaaand the night before. The change in my work schedule on Tuesday really threw me off.

Hopefully I'll be back with some healthier tidings later in the week.

Update: Baking powder is a legitimate antacid. Who knew?

Back on track and armed with new recipes

Who knew that SANEity could look this good?

Okay, so the cheese on top wasn't that SANE, but other than that, this dish was a home run.

But before I give you my secret recipe, let me summarize the most recent part of my journey.

When most of you last heard from me, I was nearing the completion of my inSANE trip to Texas. The trip was good for my heart, and I loved seeing all my family (Hi, Dad!). However, it wasn't good for my eating habits. Even after returning to Minnesota, I was reluctant to get back on track. Eating whatever was so simple (and socially acceptable to boot).

 Only a few days after my return, I had another  mini-trip with my boyfriend to celebrate his mom's graduation. I didn't want to be complicated, so once again, I made myself vulnerable to bread, cheese, and chocolate cake. Uh oh, spaghettios.

Now I won't lie. I enjoyed that chocolate cake immensely. There's something so immediately gratifying about sugar, sweets, and flour. What I did not enjoy, however, was how terrible it made me feel about myself. Obviously, I didn't gain 25 pounds from those few days of binging, but I knew that eating it was showing disrespect towards my body. And the worst part was that my low self esteem led to emotional eating... which then led to even lower self esteem. What an awful cycle!

Shortly afterwards, I came home to near-bare cupboards and had to take control of my own eating habits again. For a few days, I rebelled; I existed on leftover frozen meals and hamburger helper, but when those ran out, it was time for the moment of truth - and what a hard moment it was! In the end, though, my willpower did win over my cravings. My pantries are once again stocked with veggies, protein,  nuts, and fruits.

Whew.

Now that I'm back on track, I feel much better. Naturally, I've gained more energy, but I've also gained some things that are less tangible: confidence, pride, self-esteem, etc. Yes, I do still get cravings, but I'm trying to take a utalitarianism approach, as suggested by SSoS's author: Seek the most pleasure. Avoid the most pain. Sweets do give me short-term pleasure, but eventually they will cause me pain through loss of self esteem and poor health. I expect SANEity to do the opposite.

Right now, exciting new recipes are the best weapon in my armory to keep myself SANE. The one pictured above (eggplant parmesan) was found while searching for "eggplant recipes." Everything in it was homemade to preserve the SANEity. The entire recipe can be found here: http://www.marthastewart.com/313564/baked-eggplant-parmesan.

For those of you who are trying eating like me, replace the breadcrumbs with flax seed and add ground turkey to the sauce for extra protein. To make it 100% sane, simply skip the cheese.

I've also been experimenting with Greek yogurt. Earlier today, I combined Greek yogurt with natural peanut butter, Stevia, vanilla whey protein powder, and vanilla extract. It's probably the most addictive sweet and SANE food I've made yet. It will definitely be a go-to snack when I have cravings.

If you want to see a few other recipes I've found, you can follow my SANE foods board on Pinterest. These recipes are all SANE or will be if some minor adjustments are made.

Enjoy!





Ice cream, and pizza, and sugar... oh, my!

I think I've avoided writing lately because I've been a little naughty. After two strict weeks of SANE eating (and 5 lbs lost), I took a ten day trip to Texas/New Mexico to visit my family, and apparently, vacations are no friend to SANEity; I've gained my 5 lbs back. Staying SANE is much more difficult when you aren't the only one preparing your meals.

Though I'm a little embarrassed at my lack of commitment, I haven't completely reverted to my poor eating habits. Upon my arrival in NM, I had my grandma take me to the grocery store to buy SANE foods galore. I even convinced her to try some milled flax seed. Nonetheless, the ice cream in my aunt's freezer was hard to resist. My "vacation" mentality probably didn't help either. I definitely set myself up for failure in that way (excuses, excuses...)

I am returning to reality in Minnesota on Wednesday, and I am promising myself that I will get back on track once I step off the plane. No more excuses! I'm not looking forward to a new case of sugar withdrawals, but if I survived it once, I can do it again. I am looking forward to restarting my eccentric workouts. So far, each workout has left me sore for days, which definitely signals effectiveness!

Even though I've been a poor role model for those attempting SANEity, I have tried some interesting SANE recipes over the last few weeks: Garlic herb turkey meatballs, spaghetti squash, and SANE peanut butter "fudge."

Garlic Herb Turkey Meatballs
I really enjoyed this recipe. It was super easy, super tasty, and super sane. My boyfriend even ate some! One lb. of ground turkey made about 20 meatballs, so this was a good source of protein that lasted several days for me. To find the recipe, go to http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/7-days/.

Spaghetti Squash
The spaghetti squash was an interesting alternative to spaghetti noodles. I baked it as per the instructions, and ate it with some Preggo spaghetti sauce (Not very SANE). Much to my dismay, the "noodles" were very crunchy. It tasted like an under-cooked vegetable. However, my cousin assured me that she's had it before and that the noodles she tried were soft. I found some new cooking instructions online, so I will give it another shot.

SANE peanut butter "fudge"
For chocoholics like myself who are afraid to try SANEity, know this: Pure cocoa is SANE, SANE, SANE!  You can mix it in smoothies, or any other recipes you like. SANE peanut butter fudge consists of natural peanut butter, pure cocoa powder, water, flax seed, Stevia sweetener, and whey protein (preferably chocolate flavored). I ate it straight out of the bowl with a spoon, and it definitely satisfied my cravings. Supposedly, it can also be used as a frosting or in baking. Yum!


Anyway, I plan to post more frequently from now on, more for me than anyone else. I have to keep myself accountable! After losing five lbs. in two weeks, I'm convinced this program works. I just need to stick to it and reap the rewards.

Stay SANE.

My muscles hate me, but in a good way.

After days of putting off eccentric exercising, I finally worked up to the courage to go work out - and it wasn't as bad as I thought!

I warmed up with a brisk walk on the treadmill for five minutes and then started on the chest press machine. At first I felt a little self-conscious about my unusual lifting technique, but once I got into my reps I had to focus all of my energy on the exercise itself. It was tough! My muscles felt like gelatin afterwards.

Even though I've lifted weights before, I had a little trouble figuring out exactly what weights to use with the eccentric exercises. I think I need to improve my entire technique. The work was so hard that I kept forgetting the right way to breath. I also made the mistake of briefly resting between each rep because my muscles kept giving out. The exercise would be much more effective if I lowered the weight slightly so that I could manage 6 reps without losing control. So far I'm sore, but I don't think I'll be sore for three to four days like I should be. I guess the only downside to eccentric exercising is that I have to wait another week to try and perfect my technique.

Overall, my SANE lifestyle is going well. Despite a Fourth of July inSANE binge, I've been sticking to SANE foods. Even though I've been following this regimen for less than a week, I've already noticed a change in my cravings; starches and sweets don't seem nearly as tempting as they did on Day 2 (as you probably saw in my last post). I read in SSoS last night that our body can actually become physically addicted to sweets, so I was probably experiencing withdrawals at that point. Let's just say I'm feeling much more optimistic now!

For those sweet cravings I can't resist, I bought some vanilla flavored whey protein from Target and a new Black & Decker Cyclone 12-Speed Blender to go with it. This purchase made me more giddy than it should've, but it's the little things in life that count, right? My first SANE smoothie consisted of ice, whey, Greek yogurt, blackberries, spinach, and flax. It was soooo good and sooo fulfilling! I will definitely be eating more of those as I continue my SANEsational journey.

What I ate today
Breakfast: Scrambled egg and 3 egg whites. Grapefruit. 2 celery stalks with natural peanut butter.

Snacks: 2 handfuls of walnuts. Water with 1/2 scoop of whey. Frozen banana "ice cream."

Lunch: Big smoothie with a handful of raspberries, 2 scoops of whey protein, a cup of Spinach, a handful of flax seed, and about 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt.

Supper: A large chicken breast, fried in 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil and then baked with a cup of spinach, a little mozzarella, garlic, salt, and pepper. A "market fresh" vegetable steamer bag of zucchini, carrots, peppers, and tomatoes with chili spices and flax seed on top. 1 cup of unsweetened green tea.

Ignorance is bliss vs. the truth will set you free.

A few weeks ago I watched the Matrix movies for the first time, and right now I'm feeling like Neo when he learned the reality of his existence (Nerd alert). What's learned can't be unlearned.

Knowing the truth about health and weight loss is a bit of a blessing and a curse right now. Yesterday, I did relatively well eating SANE foods. My proportions weren't perfect, but I was still pretty proud of myself. Today is a different story: My sweet cravings are trying to take control! I really wish I could just eat that cookie and then head to the gym to burn it off, but because I now know it doesn't work that way, I can't justify it. Sorry, Cookie.

I was reading some of the online support groups yesterday, and there are several suggestions for relatively SANE sweets, but I really want to stay on track right now. After all, I am just getting started, and I'm worried that if I fall off the bandwagon once, I may never get back on. I'm especially concerned about the Fourth of July. The Fourth is like my family's Christmas, and there is going to be inSANE food everywhere. I'll just have to do the best I can and use it for a cheat day. Maybe I'll bring some veggies with me.

I still haven't tried any of the eccentric exercises suggested by the book. These exercises only take minutes, but as I mentioned yesterday, they work your muscles to the core. I'm going to try the gym version of the exercises first because I don't own any free weights right now. I think I'll do that tomorrow morning.

In the gym, exercising eccentrically calls for four basic resistance machines: a chest press, a shoulder press, a leg press, and a rowing machine (If I'm remembering correctly. I'll have to double check my book later). On these machines, I will have to pick a heavy weight that I can lift with both of my arms or both of my legs. After lifting with both limbs, I am supposed to slowly lower the weight using only ONE of my arms/legs. I am supposed to do 12 reps per machine, six on my right and six on my left. This doesn't appear too difficult, but appearances can be deceiving.

Overall, I think that achieving health might be a little tougher than I initially expected, but that's okay. I just have to stay strong. Nothing worth having ever came easy, right? 

Stay SANE.

What I ate today
Breakfast: 2 eggs (I skipped the egg whites today because I'm a college student on a budget, and that's a lot of eggs. Not as SANE, but okay for today). 1 cup of spinach. 1 orange. 1 handful of almonds.

Lunch: Smoothie with 1 cup spinach, raspberries, strawberries, greek yogurt, and flax seed. Chicken breast.

Snacks: Greek yogurt with raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and flax. Orange. 3 handfuls of walnuts.

Dinner: 3 cups of spinach with mango salsa. Cauliflower pureed with Greek Yogurt. 2 muffin-sized portions of meat loaf and 1 slice of lemon poppyeed bread (Oops... my boyfriend made it for me and my friends. How could I resist?). Too much watermelon. 1 cup green tea with Stevia.

What exactly does it mean to eat SANEly?

Undoubtedly, there are people out there who want to know why I am capitalizing the word SANE, so please excuse me while I ramble.*

SANE is an acronym used by author Jonathan Bailor in his book The Secret Science of Slim. It refers to the four ways to measure the "quality" of calorie: satiety, aggressiveness, nutrition, and efficiency. To put it simply, Bailor says a calorie is NOT a calorie. For example, more aggressive calories (such as those that come from grains and sugar) are more likely to be made into fat calories than less aggressive calories (such as those that come from spinach).

So, what does this mean? It means that you can't lose weight long term by simply reducing your calories or exercising more. In fact, this approach often has the opposite effect. These facts go against everything we've been taught about nutrition. Trust me. I was incredulous, too. If you don't believe me, I suggest you pick up his book and read the studies for yourself. There's a reason that doctors from Harvard are endorsing it.

Anyway, a SANE diet focuses on eating things the way a hunter-gatherer would. That means eating lots, and I mean LOTS of low-starch veggies (sorry, corn), lean meat, fruit (especially citrus and berries), nuts, and certain protein-packed dairy products (Greek yogurt - my favorite!). These foods "unclog" your metabolism and lower your weight "set-point" by fixing the imbalance of hormones caused by bad foods. From there, your body largely regulates itself.

The best thing about following this healthy eating pattern is that I never have to go hungry. I can eat as much of the approved foods as I like, without having to worry. Yes, that means no more counting calories!

These are some of the foods I bought yesterday:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Snap Peas
• Grapefruit
• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Avocados
• Peaches
• Mango salsa
• Chicken
• Tuna
• Salmon
• Herbs/Spices
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Pistachios
• All-natural peanut butter (with no added sugars)
• Milled flax seed
• Green tea
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Stevia Sweetener

When buying, I made sure to get a mixture of both frozen and fresh foods so that the produce would not spoil before I could eat it. As per suggestion, I avoided canned veggies.

I'll admit, I'm going to miss chocolate, bread, pasta, and Dr. Pepper; however, a SANE diet does not require that I eat only SANE foods. In fact, the author recommends having a cheat day once a week or once a month if you are not able to maintain the diet without them. I'm hoping my food preferences will adjust over time, though.

What I'm most nervous about is the exercise. The studies in the book suggest that we only need about 20 minutes of exercise a week, but the exercise needs to work the muscles deeply. These short exercises will probably leave me sore for days afterwards. I'll give you some more detail on that tomorrow.

Until then, stay SANE.

*All the information presented here was obtained from The Smarter Science of Slim by Jonathan Bailor.

What I ate today
Late breakfast: 1 full egg and 3 egg whites, scrambled with a cup of spinach. A whole grapefruit broiled with 1/2 packet of Stevia. A cup of water with 1/8 cup of milled flax seed (Ew. I need a blender).

Late lunch/early dinner: Spinach Salad (3 servings) with green peas (1 serving), chicken (1 can), walnuts (1 serving), a squirt of lemon juice, and fresh mango salsa (OMG DELICIOUS).
Snacks: 1.5 cups of Greek yogurt with about a serving of rasperries/blackberries and 1/8 cup of flax seed. Two strawberries. Banana Mush Ice cream (Basically a banana smashed up and then frozen). Spoonful of peanut butter.

The rest of the day was all kind of screwed up because I worked a 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. without a break. I brought strawberries, almonds, green tea, and snap peas to munch on, but didn't really keep track of how much I ate. All I know is that I was FULL.

How I became SANE

Behind me, a pot of water is boiling, waiting to be made into iced green tea. Next to me, a bowl of Greek yogurt is waiting expectantly with raspberries, blackberries, and milled flax seed.

Wait a minute. Milled flax seed? How did THAT happen? Well let me just tell you, some books can change your perspective overnight.

As my boyfriend well knows, I have been on one of my health binges lately. I guess that's what happens when you gain your Freshman fifteen as a sophomore (and only in a matter of four months!). A few weeks ago, I decided that I wasn't happy being at my heaviest weight ever, and I decided to make a change. Since then, I've been religiously tracking my calories and food groups on the USDA's SuperTracker and working out three to four hours a week. So far, the program seems to have caused some improvement (I've lost about three pounds). However, this program is NOT the one I'm here to recommend.

Late last night, I was Google searching and trying to find success stories of people who lost weight using the SuperTracker. During my search, I came across a comment that said the USDA's guidelines specifically went against research studies into weight loss. Even worse, the commenter mentioned that the USDA had a conflict of interest where food was involved because the organization needs to make a profit BY selling food (even if it's at the expense of others' health).

I was intrigued. The commenter said they had received their information from a book titled The Smarter Science of Slim, so event though it was well past midnight, I ordered the $9 book from Kindle. Once I began reading it, I was floored. The book proves (using FACTS, not opinions) that many things we have been taught about health is wrong.

The book is too full of information to summarize right now, but tomorrow I'll try to give you a better understanding of exactly what the book advocates. Until then, you can read about it on the author's website (http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/) or even better yet, go ahead and order it.

I know I'm only on Day 1, but I think it's going to have a long term impact on the way I think about food.

Stay SANE.

-Lindsey