About Me

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I am a former career girl and am now a stay-at-home-mom to 2 amazing little girls. Exercise and "dieting" have never been easy for me. But now more than ever, I am determined to adhere to a more active, healthy lifestyle. I am not dieting - just making smarter, more natural food choices. I want to set a great example for my girls. I starting running last year with the Couch-to-5K running program. I've lost over 35 pounds since last year and I want to lose 60 more. I completed my first race (a 5K) in October and I running a 10K by this summer. My long-term goal is ultimately to run a half-marathon in 2012. I've created this blog to put it all out there and most of all - to keep me honest. I include a tested recipe & inspiring workout song on each post. I am also hoping to inspire and be inspired by you! I would love for you to join me for this journey and become an official follower of this blog!

Friday, July 23, 2010

To Booze or Not to Booze... That is the Question.

There's a lot that happened this past week on my journey - it was hard to narrow it down to what to post about. But overall - this week - I think it's most important to talk about alcohol and how it affected my plans.  As a busy mom of 2, who will only rely on my parents to babysit my smallest one, to say "I don't get out much", is an understatement.  So when I was invited to a fabulous intimate outdoor party, along with a tent, band, catering and bar service with some of my closest friends (to celebrate a friend's anniversary).... I was raring to go.

I had the mindset going into this party that I was going to behave myself and limit my drinking and I did. I only drank light beer instead of the mixed drinks I normally would have drank on a rare night out like this. I also really watched what I ate. What I didn't factor into the equation was the amount of time I was out and the limited amount of food I ate compared to what I normally would have eaten.

I was definitely in control that night, but I didn't get a good night sleep. The next day I felt exhausted and slightly hungover. This affected what I ate that next day. Instead of making good food choices - I made bad ones thinking it would make me feel better physically. I also missed that day of running.

The next day when I ran it was A LOT harder - but I pushed through it. It was amazing how missing just one day set me back. Where I netted out that day is that drinking in excess is not worth it in any instance. It has taken me a long time to get there mentally and I hope I can stick to it. One or two beers / glasses of wine or ONE martini every once and awhile I think is fine and wouldn't hurt me - but even at a fabulous party I don't need to keep going - it's just not worth it on my quest for healthiness!

On the positive side - I really exhibited self control with food at the party. Sometimes I used to eat food when out at parties etc. not necessarily because I was hungry, but because I thought if I didn't - that I would be missing out. The "X" food was going to be too good to pass up etc. etc. But I've realized that it's not like that food is going to disappear - if I wanted it again sometime when I was hungry, or at a better weight - I could ask for the recipe and then I would really enjoy the food - not just eat it because of fear of missing out.

I officially finished week 2 of the running program yesterday and have also been making healthier eating choices for 2 weeks. As of this morning I've lost 6 pounds and am happy with that as a general guide to my progress. I am nervous to start week 3 of running tomorrow since the last day of week 2 was really hard - but I plan to push through it with the end goal in mind!

A question to my followers - do you prefer these longer more thoughtful weekly posts or would you prefer shorter more frequent posts? Please leave a comment with feedback. 

SONG THAT KEPT ME RUNNING THIS WEEK: "Dirrty" Christina Aguilera
THIS WEEK'S RECIPE: Awesome Turkey Meatloaf (otherwise known as Mom's Turkey Meatloaf courtesy of Ellie Krieger)

Ellie Krieger is a nutritionist who had a food network show and has published a few cookbooks. I have both and they are great (see titles below). This Turkey Meatloaf recipe is really good - really moist - I think the oats make all the difference. My husband is a big red meat guy and he loves this recipe. And it is only 205 calories, 3.5 grams of fat per one inch slice which is a filling portion!!!! Also - it's easy - I made it this week and have included a picture.

  • 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 1 medium onion, peeled
  • 2 pounds ground turkey breast       
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, stir together the oats and milk. Thinly slice 1/4 of the onion and set aside. Finely chop the remaining onion. In a large bowl combine the turkey, oat mixture, chopped onion, bell pepper, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix just until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and shape into a loaf about 5 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches high. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf and sprinkle with the sliced onions. Bake for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees.F.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

10 comments:

  1. Hey MaMa!!! Congratulations on your success so far!! It is so hard .. but you can do it! Just stay focused.
    I like the longer posts ... but I know being a mother of two little ones, that's not always easy ...
    I am a mom of 4 > 9, 10, 12 & 13 ... so I know about busy!
    I would love to see not just a favorite song ... but btw, love Dirrty! Very cool song .. but what is a typical playlist for you? I'd love to hear more of what keeps you moving. Please?
    I'm not ready to start the couch to 5K program ... not yet ... I became a "non-smoker" on June 7 ... and started swimming a mile each day and Monday I am planning to start strength training - upper and lower every other day with Sunday as a rest day ... I'm fighting my way back to health after a serious car accident last Janaury ... so baby steps for me before starting to run again ... but the C25K really works ... I've been there done that, with lots of 5k races and 1/2s and a marathon and a tri under my belt before getting bi-lateral stress fractures ... so from my experience, listen to your body, take it slow but never give up. My motto ... "it doesn't just happen, it takes commitment" ... you can do it! For me, it's been probably about 4 years since I really seriously was running ... so, I decided to join in on your blog to help find the motivation and the inspriation to keep going on my path as well to just living a helathy life style. You are right ... trying isn't an option - it gives you an out! It's about making a choice every day to maintain the "mind set" ... a freind recently told me, don't tell yourself you "quit" smoking, but rather tell yourself I became a "non-smoker" ... telling yourself you "quit" something is a negative ... so non-smoker puts a positive twist of the self-talk!! ... Winners never Quit, and Quitters never Win ... and together, we can be WINNERS!!! Good Luck and I look forward to reading more and sharing more ... ~Jane!

    ps> can't wait to try the turkey loaf and other recipes, as I love to cook tooo!!! Thanks!

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  2. I'm not a mama. Heck, I'm not female. But I am a fellow chunky, and I just completed Week 2, Day 3 of Couch to 5K this morning.

    To be honest, I've restarted the whole program. I did Week 1 previously, and then after I did 90 minutes of walking, every alternate day. I started the Couch to 5K again because of time commitments, and just to see if I could do it.

    I think it's fantastic you're setting an example for your daughters. Keep it up! I'm starting Week 3 on my next run, so stay with me! You're not alone!

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  3. Jane - Thanks for your great note. You are such an inspiration! Thanks for the blog feedback as well. Congrats on becoming a non-smoker! Your friend's advice was great as well.

    Miguel- Thanks for your comment! W3D1 just in the books. Those 3 minute runs weren't easy but I powered through them!

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  4. I like the longer posts! But you could always mix it up. If you have more to talk about, do a few short posts one week, and if the next week is slow, just do a long post! :) Can't wait to try the recipe this week!

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  5. Hi! I found your blog via the C25K page on facebook. I look forward to following your journey!

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  6. I too ran across your blog on the fb page...I am 'thinking' about starting to jog...hmmm, maybe I can? I have zero extra time, and that's getting ready to be even less when school starts, but I have been giving this program some serious thoughts for over a week, so I guess I am in! Thanks for starting a blog about it...might be what I need to push me over the line!

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  7. Thanks to all the new followers!

    @Beth - It only takes 25 minutes every other day. It's not much of a time commitment and after awhile you will have more energy! I really like the fact that I get a day off every other day :)

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  8. Kell - I'm SO SO SO proud of you! I had no idea you were doing this - but it's awesome and I love reading your blog! Especially love the inspired running song since I need some ideas for my playlist - xoxo Katie

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  9. I have had that very thought concerning the "X" foods. There are times when that slice of cake or pie, or square of brownie are okay, and there are times when they just aren't worth it. I'm working too hard, (finished C25K in April and still running- wore the "goal dress" to a wedding July 3rd!) to sabotage my success. There will always be brownies and cake and pie, or whatever happens to be the "X" food of the moment, available when I really want to have them. For now, the more rare the tastes, the more special they are!

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