So many people make a New Year's resolution, wanting to eat better; get on a sensible exercise & work-out regimen; keep/stay in touch with friends and family; learn a new craft or language; go back to school for a better job (hopefully), and the list goes on...
These good intentions are great. Everyone should strive to make an improvement on themselves, for themselves, and become a new you in the making. Especially with Americans becoming more and more obese on a regular basis, not just by how much, but also in number of people, and this trend is going to give the next generations a more expensive health care system, as well as poorer health of their own. But, how many times have we made this resolution to lose weight by eating less, eating healthier, and exercising more? And because we often indulge through the weekend, start off sluggish in our exercise regimen, because we are still eating holiday goodies which are not good for us? They are delicious treats, and difficult to resist. We can't be perfect, right?
Well, no, but, part of the reason why we start off less than enthusiastic, or we jump in with both feet, ready to conquer the world of the overweight negativity of our current situation, just to be back to the same old same old of the past decade(s) or more? Partly, because we only gear up to make this decision as the winter holidays come in. We need to start talking ourselves into the healthier routine all year around, not just for New Years. Second, because we wait for the new year to begin to install these changes. Or maybe it's for your birthday 7 months away. Or only for your sister's wedding. Don't wait, start it when you think of it.
I, myself, have spent years trying to figure out a good plan to become healthier. It doesn't help, when I (and my son, too) have this #16p11.2microdeletion going on, where we like to eat more than we should, yet our metabolism is sluggish. Every year, I would research various eating plans, to see which one would seem the most reasonable, and that was my Christmas gift to me. Of course, when they never worked out as planned, I, too, had put them aside. With my back pain issue, many exercises are out of the question. Basically, I can swim relatively unrestricted, and I can walk with the aid of walking aids. I had started my walking regimen over the summer, and was relatively successful, but, with the winter months here, I needed a plan B. I was gifted with a family membership to the Y, and started it at the beginning of December, because that is when the plan came together. So far it's working out great.
So, exercise, so far so good, and I feel pretty good coming out of the pool. Now for the eating plan... I refuse to call it a diet, because just that word... Diet... It sounds so, restrictive. As if it's all about sacrificing all of your favorite foods because they are unhealthy somehow. Granted, many meals ARE somewhat unhealthy. Those are most often the best tasting. When you are an athlete, you can afford to cheat, but, to keep up a good game, still need to be careful of how much and what to take in. Some are lucky enough to have a hollow leg and eat constantly and still stay thin. Most of us are NOT that lucky. But, we do need a reasonable plan.
When starting a new exercise and/or eating plan, my suggestion is to start slow. When we jump straight in, saying that we are going to stop eating potatoes in all forms, no more pasta, and run a half an hour each morning before breakfast, and cut out red meat and what ever else, we tend to fail, because it's not a reasonable first step. I had actually stopped making a New Year Resolution for the longest time, because of all of these failures of not getting that perfect job, or losing enough weight, or what have you... So, my resolution was to not have one. But, because something just clicked, I decided to go on this Revolution Me Resolution which started back in March of 2015, where I was at the doctor's office, and my weight was at an all time high, as if I jumped 10#, and well. Being Type 2 diabetic, got disgusted, and decided to do something about it.
I started with going through my cupboards, and doing as much research as possible on different foods, what would be better, worse, etc... So here is where I humbly started...
1st: You know all of your canned goods, instant foods, and the processed boxes of mystery helpers? Yeah. Only keep enough to feed your family 3 days, in case of emergency, such as the one snow storm that had many of us here in Wisconsin stuck inside our houses because the snow literally was a frozen lake, from the tops of our stoops, all the way across the street. Get whole food, real food, and enjoy the extra goodness. Exercise goal: 15-20 minutes of walking, 3x daily.
Here is why. Any and all canned foods, as well as processed foods are super high in sodium and what ever other preservatives. I think 1 can of green beans have enough salt for 3 days in them. Instant foods such as instant rice, potatoes and oat meal basically have had what ever was good about them removed for the convenience of cooking. Instant foods like this are literally empty calories, and might have a pinch of soluble fiber, if we are lucky. Keep the boxed helper meals and the mac n cheese at the store. The only exception I make for this is tomato paste for spaghetti sauce. Focus on adding more veggies in your meals. Start with your favorites. Others like cream soups are used only in rare occasions. Exercise goal is to increase to 30 minutes 4-5 days a week.
2nd: Start buying fresh produce. Look through the store ads to see who has the best deals. When you get there, take a look around for other deals, because sometimes, the manager will add their own specials to move more stock or to make room for seasonal ones. If it's still intimidating, go to the frozen section. Because many of those are flash frozen fairly soon after harvesting, you're getting a better price for things that are out of season here in the wintery states. When the summer comes, don't forget to check out your local farmers and their stands, and often, there is a farmer's market in a neighborhood near you. The prices are super good, the flavor is out of this world, and you are not going to find produce more fresh than farmer direct. These are also the healthiest for you. Make a point to try a new veggie a week. Or, one that you've tried while a child, you may have a different idea or change your mind about whether you like it or not. Start stretching out your exercise to 45 minutes from 30.
3rd: Play with your food. Not technically, like a 3 year old, but creatively, like a 3 year old. Grandma's recipe for lasagna or what ever your favorite meal was... See if you can make it healthier. If the sauce was only tomato sauce and spices, use real garlic and onion instead of powdered or dried. Add a minced bell pepper, and your favorite fresh mushrooms. To use less calories, use the fat free ricotta cheese or crumble up the soft tofu in it's place. Season as usual. It will be good. Have a salad and a hot veggie with dinner, and have one or the other with lunch. Stay with current exercise.
You get the idea with adding more healthy versions, and learning new recipes. I tried hummus for the first time several months ago, and was surprised that I liked it. Once you're doing 45 minutes of exercise, 6 days a week, strive to go faster or push harder. Keep making good choices about using skinless chicken vs. skin on. You got this... ...Oh, and another thing... Fall off the bandwagon? Had a cheat meal? That is okay! Don't sabotage yourself by banning the fried chicken. Once a month won't hurt anything. Don't feel guilty, don't kick yourself. It takes time, and we aren't perfect. Just try to reduce adding sugar to anything, as well as planning... So, if you're going out for Pink Squirrels with the girls, you may want to skip dessert or cut 1 serving out of another meal.
Now, there is a difference between a serving and a portion. For example, a serving of breakfast cereal is 1/2 cup. But, you might have 1 full cup with 1/2 cup of milk, which the portion of cereal is 2 servings, and the portion of milk is a half serving in this example.
Well, we have the basics down. And now, going out to eat... Yes, this is allowed, and there are more options than ever, when you stay away from fast food. My complaint, though. I don't like processed meats... Ham was the first one off of my list, and quickly bacon, breakfast sausage, corned beef and the rest got chopped off of my list. I've never been a bratwurst type of person to begin with. It's not just the process, it's also the fact that it's overly salty, full of fat, and the flavor is lost in translation. Every nutritionist and dietician I have ever talked to, as well as pros in cardiology, bacon is classified as a fat, not a meat. I agree. But, now, it seems as if there is a bacon craze? Why? Oh, and another thing... These young nutritionists... They either want to push the sandwiches (which get boring, fast), and I mention I like ethnic food. Their answer is don't use what ever, and add 2 TBS salsa to the rice. LAME! Where is the flavor? Then they start getting pissy, saying I can just add to taste... Yes. But I buy real rice. It's Japanese rice. And before you ask, yes it is a type of sticky rice, but, not all rice is created equal... the rule of thumb... The shorter the rice grain, the stickier it is. The rice grown in one region with certain weather/soil conditions will taste different from other places, and it could be the same type. But, each region of short grain seems to have the type of rice that grows well there. I also use a rice cooker for it, and because I cannot get this type in Racine or Kenosha, it's a big deal to get it, and no, I don't want soggy rice or too stiff, just because I took some water out, and yes, it makes a difference, and don't lecture me about food you don't understand... (okay, I guess I told the nutritionists, didn't I)?
This bacon craze is annoying! Everywhere I go, Denny's, Wendy's, McD, everywhere... They are putting bacon on EVERYTHING. And, they are charging extra for it. Thing is, when I ask for a salad with no bacon bits nor imitation bacon, why is it that they had to pick off the bacon bits rather than give me one without it in the first place? Even on sandwiches and certain soups... But, even if I wanted the burger with no bacon, they don't reduce the price because *I* wanted it w/o bacon. Why should I pay for something I am not consuming, when keeping my health in check is helping them from paying out more for my health care... Anyone else with this problem???
To end, I just wanted everyone to submit their family's authentic ethnic food, so I can figure out how to make it healthier while preserving the flavors. Thanks.
My bucket list so far... Learn to be a search and rescue diver. Learn to hand-glide, and go solo. Swim with dolphins in the ocean. I'll add more to the list later...
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