Do you see yourself as fat?

A couple of weeks ago, a patient asked me this question. She asked me because she has been working on losing weight since January, has lost 30 pounds, but still sees herself as fat. It didn't take me long to answer her question because I have thought about this in the past...my answer was "No". And I truly don't. Now don't get worried...you won't find me on the beach in a bikini or at the mall sporting a belly shirt. I'm not disillusioned, but over the next few days, I thought about this question more. I was worried that I might actually see myself as thin! In fact, I will actually look at other females, looking for someone whose body I think looks like mine so that I can see what I look like to other people. (Wow, that's a bit of an overuse of the word "look".) After spending some time thinking about this, though, I realized that I just simply don't see myself in that way, at all....neither fat nor thin...just Colleen. Now this wasn't always the case. I have definitely grown over the past six years, and have learned to love myself no matter what I look like in the mirror. I feel like loving oneself is important, maybe even more so when you don't like what you see in the mirror. How can you be ready to change something about yourself if you hate yourself? Would you consider yourself even worth it? It's difficult to work hard at something for someone that you hate. Sometimes I get worried, though, as I waiver between eating healthy and not, that loving myself as is, is making it difficult for me to care about changing. I mean, why change something if you're content?!? But even though I may be content with who I am, I am definitely not content with my health as it is. This is another reason why I do not want to focus on simply the scale as a measure of how well I am doing. As a chiropractor and nutritionist, I understand the impact our daily eating has on our health, and how a lifestyle of poor nutrition can lead to a chronic state of unhealth (made up word, I know, but I love using it!)...maybe not tomorrow, but definitely within 20 years. I see it often in my patients. I do not want to be that person! Although I am relatively healthy now, I do have some symptoms related to poor nutrition, which need to be addressed now.

And so I battle on....winning some and losing others.

Ham and Cheese Frittata

So, after a brief relapse (2 wks worth) involving way too many Doritos tacos from Taco Bell, I'm back to it with this delicious ham and ricotta cheese frittata. I will get this healthy eating thing right some day...sigh...

Ingredients:

1 cup diced fully cooked ham 1/2 cup chopped onion 6 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup ricotta cheese 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.	In a large ovenproof skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, saute the ham and onion until ham is lightly browned and onions are tender.
2.	In a bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta cheese and pepper; pour over ham mixture. As eggs set, lift edges, letting uncooked portion flow underneath. When the eggs are almost set, broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 1 minute or until top is set. Top with cheddar cheese. Broil 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted. *From allrecipes.com where I find the majority of my recipes.

Comfort me dear food...

Yesterday was tough...I covered a high volume chiropractic office, and adjusted 60 patients!! Just so you can fully understand, the busiest day in my practice was when I had 6 patients in one day. Now granted, I spend approximately 45 minutes with each patient, but still! 60?!? The morning was slower than the afternoon, which was nice because I got used to the pace...or so I thought. The afternoon was not only busier, but an hour longer. By the end, I felt like I couldn't really formulate a sentence. I needed to be comforted, so the first thing that popped into my head was how nice it would be to stop for some greasy fast food. I knew I wasn't going to, but sometimes I am shocked at my food response to stress. I never thought I was an emotional eater...just that I really liked food. :) But I, also, never really paid attention that closely, and the response was so natural that it never stood out as a poor response to stress.

So, instead of a fat-laden, addiction-filling, heart-attack-in-a-sack dinner, I had leftovers from the previous night. I know, thrilling, right? Ahhhh, but it was thrilling...a stuffed green pepper. YUM! It hit the spot, and soon after I was asleep. Here's the recipe:

MAKE ME STUFFED PEPPERS
2 large green peppers, halved lengthwise
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped, 1 1/4 ounces
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup tomato, chopped, about 2 ounces (*I used canned diced tomatoes)
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (*I used shredded Asiago)
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping (*I used sliced mozzarella)
I added: dried parsley, fresh basil and ricotta cheese

In a large pot, bring about half a potful of water to a boil. Add the peppers and boil for 3 minutes; drain. In the same pot, brown the hamburger, onion and garlic. Drain the fat and stir in the tomatoes and seasonings. Cook until the tomatoes are hot; remove from the heat and stir in the 4 ounces of cheese. Put the pepper halves in a greased 8x8" baking pan. Put a couple tablespoons of ricotta cheese in the bottom of each pepper then fill with the meat mixture. Layer the mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

By the way, this is from a great website - http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html . She has wonderful recipes!

Colleen's Top Ten

Reasons to GIVE UP CARBOHYDRATES!

1. They make you crave more carbs
2. Excess turns into fat
3. They don't keep you satiated, so you will be hungry sooner than if you had meat and vegetables
4. Excess intake causes insulin resistance so cells can't get the glucose they need
5. High levels of blood glucose is damaging to the arteries
6. Excess carbs (not fat) will raise cholesterol
7. Sugar feeds the "bad bacteria" in your gut allowing them to proliferate
8. Many are also filled with trans-fats...baked goods, crackers, etc.
9. Grains are inflammatory
10. Excess affects nitric oxide, which can raise blood pressure

Day 3 Low Carb

First things first...I passed on cherry pie last night!! Go me!! Even better...it was easy to do! Now, if it was chocolate peanut butter pie, it may not have been as easy. More good news...I've lost 3 pounds since Friday!!!! I know, I know, I'm only supposed to be weighing myself on Tuesdays, but I was too curious. I've had a few moments over the past couple days where I feel sorry for myself that I can't have carbs, then my mind tries to wander down the path of "am I really going to be able to keep this up?", but I'm working hard to switch my thoughts from "I want it, but I can't have it" to "I can have it, but I don't want it." I also want to move away from looking to food to fill an emotional need. Last night, I was cooking for my boyfriend's son and became very aware of how often I would have taken just a little bite of something previously. I kept having the urge because it is a behavior that I do without even thinking, but I was successful in resisting the urge.

So, what have I been eating? Eggs, tuna with celery, roasted cauliflower (YUM!!)...I also made a low-carb meatloaf using venison and spicy pork rinds. Here is the recipe:

Low-Carb Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 cup crushed pork rinds

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 can tomato sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup diced onions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients.

Transfer mixture to shallow baking pan or loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Servings: 8
According to MasterCook:
Calories: 318
Fat: 26 g
Protein: 18 g
Carbohydrate: 3 g
Fiber: 1 g
Cholesterol: 105 mg
Sodium: 362 mg

I didn't have enough pork rinds, so it was a little too wet and fell apart, but it was very good and definitely a keeper! I'll tweak the recipe the next time I make it because it needed more flavor.

I'm currently baking a spaghetti squash, and will most likely be stir-frying a bunch of veggies to serve over it. Oh, I'm also making potato salad for a family birthday party today, but I won't be having any.

Quick question for you guys...should I share my actual weight? I've seen other blogs that do, but I'm a little nervous to do that because a lot of people that I know read this and I'm not sure how ready I am for everyone to know how much I weigh. Do you feel it's a necessary thing to do in this situation? I want to be as helpful as I can to people, and as transparent as I can be so this is the battle I am having in my mind. Any thoughts would be appreciated. And what about sharing monthly pictures? Would that be helpful, beneficial, fun?? Let me know...thanks!

Farewell lover!

Remember that time that I said I wouldn't be eating any "last meals" before starting to eat healthy?!? Remember? I do, but I must admit that I've been doing a little of that this week...okay, okay I've been doing that a lot. You see, I will be losing a very dear and close friend this Friday, and I needed to say farewell....to sugar / carbohydrates some would even call it the cocaine of the food industry...whatever its name, I will not be hanging out with it much in the future. And, so, we have been doing a lot of partying these past few days, and I must say that I feel LOUSY!! Not a shocker, but I feel crappy...low level headache, sick to my stomach, tired, brain fog...just plain blah! I mean who wouldn't feel terrible after eating a bagel for breakfast, 2 slices of cheese pizza for lunch and ramen noodles for dinner? No lie...I did it! And I feel gross! This attempt at getting in as much carbs as I can in the last few days is really making me HATE carbs.

I also said, that one time, that I wouldn't be giving up entire food groups in my quest for becoming healthier. Am I just full or crap? Can I even be trusted with what I say? But here is what I realized...I cannot be in control when I continue to eat sugar. Since January, I can honestly say that I have not made much progress in eating healthier...and I blame carbs...not me, the carbs!!  Yes, I am being a bit silly, but for someone who is a carbohydrate addict and has severe cravings that seem out of control, omitting carbohydrates is the best answer. I attempted to omit carbs from only one meal per day, but I was not successful so this is the next step. My goal is 20 g of carbohydrate per day. That would leave 5 per meal with one snack at 5 g, also. I do have a partner in this...my mom! So wish us luck.

Supplements

I keep talking about my supplements, and my focus on getting more disciplined in taking them. You may be wondering what the big deal is or how hard it can really be to just take them every day. Others may be wondering what I am taking. Or maybe no one is wondering anything...either way I'm gonna tell you! The issue of discipline is something that I need to work on, so the supplements are a small symptom of a bigger problem. By taking them regularly, it is evidence to me that I am moving forward, making positive changes and becoming more disciplined; which is empowering! It's not even about simply forgetting to take the supplements because sometimes I would remember, but still choose to not take them. Why??? I don't really have an answer for that one.

So here's what I am taking:

Some I bought and others I am taking because I got them free. Did I mention that I'm a sucker for freebies?!? I take them a few times throughout the day, which can be a nuisance (not gonna lie), but it is much better to take supplements this way so that you are able to utilize the nutrients more effectively. If I were to take the entire dosage at one time, I would simply have an expensive bowel movement. :)

Fish oil - omega 3 fatty acids. I really should be taking some omega 6, too. I'm going to start using chia seeds, so I'll get some O-6 that way.

Catalyn - a whole food multivitamin.

Iodoral - iodine. I am taking 36 mg per day to saturate all of my peripheral iodine receptors. I should be taking 50, but I seem to always forget the fourth dose. After a couple months at this dose, I will go down to the maintenance dose of 12 mg per day...much higher than the RDA, but the RDA is a joke, especially when it comes to iodine.

Symplex F - to support the female hormonal system.

Inositol - free :) Beneficial for things like panic attacks, anxiety and depression, but I'm taking them a.) because they were free and b.) because they also assist with fat burning.

Chromium - also free; helps with balancing blood sugar, and we all know how much I need that!

Cranberry - free! But I tend towards UTIs, so I grabbed this for healthy maintenance when it was offered at my part-time job. Also contains some probiotics.

Fiber - free :) Also contains probiotics.

Feverfew - more freebies! Supports a healthy inflammatory response.

Rhodiola Rosea - also free...Supports a healthy response to stress.

I should probably also be taking additional B vitamins, trace minerals, magnesium, gallbladder support and possibly digestive enzymes. I have a history of a couple gallbladder attacks, and I have many symptoms of a dysfunctioning gallbladder - nausea, pain at right shoulder blade area, difficulty digesting high fat food, and a few more that I'll spare you from hearing.

Well, there's the list of supplements, and maybe now you can understand why I have struggled with taking them regularly. It's not as simple as popping a couple of pills in the morning. I will say that I feel much better when taking them...more energy/pep and less nausea.