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Hey everyone, I’m back from 4 days of fun in the sun with my college girlfriends. I did more touristy things around town then I’ve done in…I don’t know how long! When they put their photos on Facebook, I’ll be sure to steal the good ones and share them with you all. I’ll be honest, it was HARD to stay on track with my meal plan but I did the best I could, and I’ll learn on Thursday’s weigh-in if the margaritas I had Saturday night will come back to haunt me (more then they did Sunday morning, hehe).

I wanted to check in and say HI and let you know that I’m making the leap into legitimacy.

www.healthytwists.com

Please update your blog readers and blogrolls (if I’m on there, of course!). Check the new site in the next few days for an awesome GIVEAWAY to celebrate my 100th post and the birth of the new site.

(Note: I’m still learning the new tricks so it might take awhile until the new blog is totally purdy. Any hints would be appreciated! Contact me at healthytwists at gmail.com or on Twitter @hallieaviva if you have any suggestions/tips for me!)

I did something MONUMENTAL the other day.

Something that I’ve never done before.

And now, I feel like an empowered female. Hear me roar and all that.

What did I do, you wonder? I ventured onto our balcony and had a date with this guy:

Our really dirty grill! This is a big deal for me because I absolutely love grilled foods (especially vegetables, chicken, and fish…and Mitch’s mom’s amazing ribs) but I didn’t know how to turn on the grill. If I wanted something grilled, I had to get Mitch to do it…and as nice as it is not having to cook, sometimes he’s not around. So he showed me how to turn on the propane (it’s really not too scary!) and threw on one chicken breast and one zucchini.

(Or is it yellow squash! I just love the crazy stuff I get from my CSA!)

All I did was sprinkle on some salt-free seasoning from Trader Joe’s (it’s called 21-Seasoning Salute and it is amazing on chicken and veggies). I grilled the first side for about 4-5 minutes and then flipped.

Look at those pretty grill marks! I was so proud of myself. The squa-cchini would have probably been prettier had I drizzled olive oil in it first, but I didn’t and it still tasted great.

I ended up cooking the chicken for a minute in the microwave for a minute because I was worried that I took it off the grill too soon. I’ll have to practice my grill-master technique a little better.

But all in all, it was a success and now I can have a yummy grilled meal without having some stupid boy around (I kid, I kid). I really want to experiment more and try my hand at grilling:

• Tofu
• Fish (especially salmon)
• Veggie burgers (homemade, perhaps?)
• Fruit! Especially peaches and pineapples (I think first the grill might need a deep-cleaning or the fruit will taste like charred meat)

Want to learn more about grilling? Check out:
Bobby Flay’s 10 Great Grill Tips
Food Network’s Ultimate Grilling Guide
BBQ and Grilling FAQ on about.com

So, who is the grill master in your life? Dad, Mom, boyfriend/husband, BFF, or is it YOU?

Programming note: I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll do until next week. Two of my college friends are coming from the East Coast tomorrow to visit. I’m so excited to play host in my own town, and see “my sisters”! I never do touristy things so it’ll be a blast. But please STAY TUNED for some exciting things to come in the land of Healthy Twists…including a milestone or two that might be celebrated with a kick-ass giveaway!

Also, keep those folks in LA in your thoughts and prayers…wildfires are no joke around here and my heart goes out to everyone (people and pets) affected by what’s happening over there.

I can’t believe I’ve been doing my bootcamp program for a month! Honestly, I’m ready for it to be over, but I haven’t reached my goals yet, so I’ll keep on trucking. I’m having trouble dealing with the fact that my eating plan goes against many of my personal beliefs about food/hunger/losing weight, etc. But this program has produced results for so many people, so I’m going to keep going…I can do anything for 8 more weeks! I love the tough workouts; however, I can see that the the restriction with the meal plan is potentially taking me to that unhealthy place mentally that I don’t want to go.

In fact, I had a panic attack the other night (over a bunch of things) and Mitch pretty told me if I didn’t get a handle on my emotions, he thinks I need to drop out of the program. Hearing him say that was a bit of a wake-up call. I’m not a quitter, so I’m going to keep it up, but I’m going to try REALLY hard not to let the bad thoughts get to me. It’s been a really interesting process so far, that’s for sure.

So given all that, here are my results so far, from last week’s weigh-in:

Weight Loss: 5.2 lbs
Fat Loss: 11.77 lbs (my fat loss was greater last time but I think the first number was wrong)
Navel Inches Loss: 6.75
Total Inches Loss: 17.25

So that’s down .8 pounds from last time, and another 1.75 inches off my waist. Since my overall goal is 1 lb per week, losing 5 pounds in one month is great, but I was hoping the weight loss would be greater. Other people in my program lost 3-6 pounds these last two weeks, and I’m really bad about comparing myself to others.  This next weigh-in will be interesting as well, since I have some friends coming from college to visit over Labor Day weekend and we’ll be going out on the town and such, but I’m going to do the best I can and hope for the best.

Last week I made French toast since I didn’t have the waffles called for on my Sunday meal plan. Well I finally bought some (Vans whole-grain) and let me say, it’s been FOREVER since I had a frozen waffle! I forgot how good they are. I topped my waffles with a homemade and delicious peach syrup. 

Sugar-free Cinnamon Peach Sauce for Waffles/Pancakes
Adapted from allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Stevia
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 healthy dash cinnamon
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh peaches
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan, bring water, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon to a boil; boil for 1 minute. Add peaches. Bring to a boil; boil another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in extract. Serve warm.

So good! I think it’d be great with other fruit (pear, apple, banana?) instead of the peaches. I ate the waffles with the rest of my peach and three slices of uncured turkey bacon from Trader Joe’s. Good stuff for a Sunday morning! This is probably the best meal I’ll have all week.

What’s the best meal you’ll have this week (or had last week)?

Is anyone else as looking forward to the weekend as I am?

Well, I always look forward to the weekend. Originally I had no plans but now I’m hanging out with a friend on Saturday and going to a little housewarming party on Sunday. Social events like parties kinda stress me out since my diet program forbids alcohol and just about anything tasty, but I’m taking it as an opportunity to focus on the conversation and company, and not the food/drinks.

My trainer asked me the other day how my blog was going and I said, “it’s going well…except I never have time to blog!” To that he said, “try micro-blogging…short posts. No one wants to read a long blog anyway.” Now, when I think of micro-blogging I think of Twitter, but he might be on to something here. I think, for the next couple of months at least, I’m going to try blogging more frequent but shorter posts. What do you think?

And what better “micro-blog” than PHOTOS! Here are some shots of our trip to the Grand Canyon. I didn’t take any food photos (of course!) but imagine Larabars, Greek yogurt, Gatorade, grilled chicken, and a few unsanctioned Oreos snacks after burning nearly 1700 calories on a 5.5-hour hike down the canyon. I mostly stuck to the items I packed, so that was handy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The canyon is as amazing as you’d think it is. On our “big hike” day we hiked 4.6 miles to the Indian Garden campground…and then 4.6 miles back UP which not exactly easy. I could barely walk the next day, my calves hurt so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
But I did it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Of course, it was great spending some quality time with this fella, before he starts school and football (watching) season and I forget what he looks like.

All in all, it was a lovely trip. Since we are on a very tight budget, this was as inexpensive a vacation as one can have without having a “staycation” (which of course in San Diego, is still a lot of fun). If you’re looking for a cheap way to get away, I highly suggest camping…if you can handle the lack of electricity, getting a little dirty, and sleeping in a tent!

Hmm…this wasn’t such a micro-blog after all (and if the layout looks all wonky, please forgive me. I tried to fix it but gave up). Maybe next time…

I’m alive! My vacation was a lot of fun but it ended too soon, as vacations tend to do, right? We took some cool photos that I’ll share later this week. I didn’t snap any food photos, but I’m happy to report that I stuck to my meal plan fairly well, thanks to all my snacks and planned meals. I did “cheat” a little, though, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about this Thursday’s weigh in. So we’ll see.

Has anyone read the article in Time magazine, “Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food”? I have been interested in food policy, sustainability, and the “organic versus conventional” debate for some time now. In fact, awhile back I took a tour of an organic farm and wrote about it as a guest post on the Love of Oats blog (I miss her!). This fall, my work is hosting a series of lectures all about sustainability and food and I can’t wait to attend the talks and learn more (even if they are preaching to the choir).

Here are a few tidbits from the article I found particularly interesting:

• A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a dollar could buy 1,200 calories of potato chips or 875 calories of soda but just 250 calories of vegetables or 170 calories of fresh fruit.
• Pound for pound, a pig produces approximately four times the amount of waste a human does, and what factory farms do with that mess gets comparatively little oversight. Most hog waste is disposed of in open-air lagoons, which can overflow in heavy rain and contaminate nearby streams and rivers.
• Work in a CAFO [large-scale commercial farms/slaughterhouses] is monotonous and soul-killing, while too many ordinary farmers struggle to make ends meet even as the rest of us pay less for food. Farmers aren’t the enemy — and they deserve real help.

Now, the article didn’t tell me much that I didn’t learn when I read The Omnivore’s Dilemma (well, I didn’t know Chipotle buys products from organic farmers. This from a company owned by McDonald’s?), and I had the same feeling at the end of the article that I did when I read the book: ok, but what can I DO about this?

Actually, I know what I could do (only eat organic, sustainable meat and less of it; buy more organic and local foods) but one of the problems is I buy and cook food for someone who is very much a carnivore. With the amount of chicken we go through, there is NO way I could buy organic. And right now I am eating a ton of Greek yogurt, so I switch between Trader Joe’s brand and Oikos, which I prefer but it is pricey. I can’t imagine trying to feed a family of 4 an all-organic diet. I can’t even do it with two adults and a dog.

Now that I think about it, we don’t eat that much red meat, so maybe there’s room for improvement there. I found a local food blogger’s post on grass-fed beef, and I think I’m going to scope out some of those options, especially the ones I can get at the farmer’s market. I’m sure it’s more expensive, but if we only eat red meat a few times a month, I can handle that, right?

Do you think about where your food comes from? Have you seen Food, Inc or read Michael Pollan, etc.? Do you take environmental/political factors into account when grocery shopping? 

I haven’t seen Food, Inc. but I’m sure I will at some point. I want Mitch to watch it with me but he won’t. When it comes to his food choices, he believes “ignorance is bliss” which I’ll admit annoys me, but I have to respect his views if I want him to respect mine. Me, I’m an information/news junkie, so I like to have all the facts before making my decisions. And right now, my food-buying choices are like my diet-and-weightloss program: all I can do is the best that I can with the information and resources available to me.

Today’s the big day! I just have to get through bootcamp this morning, come home and shower, eat breakfast, throw the rest of my stuff in a bag, and then we hit the road! I’m really happy Mitch’s mom is able to puppy-sit for us while we’re on our Arizona adventures.

Here is our crazy itinerary:

• Wednesday: Drive from San Diego to the Grand Canyon (South Rim)
• Thursday—Friday: Camping! We’re planning on doing some SERIOUS hiking.
• Saturday: Drive to Dee’s house. Dee used to work with us and she and her husband custom-built a eco-friendly house in the mountains in southern AZ.
• Sunday: Spend the day with Dee and her husband Bob.
• Monday: Drive from Dee’s house back to San Diego. Cry that I have to go back to the real world so soon.

So, that’s three days of driving and three days non-driving. If I have to spend 1500 miles in a car over 6 days, driving across Arizona is a good place to do it! I love the desert—it’s so pretty.

As far as food goes, I’m determined to stay “on plan” (to quote a Weight Watchers term) and not let this trip derail the progress I’ve made so far in bootcamp. I made a spreadsheet (the old-fashioned way, with a ruler and a piece of paper) listing out all my meals, and then shopped accordingly.

So, what can you bring if you’re going camping and want to eat healthy?

• Turkey sandwich on sprouted bread (for lunch later today)
• Whole wheat bread
• Larabars
• Oats + flax + stevia + pumpkin pie spice
• Protein powder
• Rice cakes and PB
• Canned salmon
• Raw almonds
• Pouch tuna (I’ll have this while hiking)
• Peach, pluot, tomatoes, bananas
• Oikos yogurt (we’ll have a cooler packed with ice)
• (unpictured) chicken breast and turkey burger patties for grilling
• (unpictured) zucchini and red bell peppers for grilling
• (unpictured) whole wheat tortillas
• (unpictured) granola bars, cereal, eggs, OJ, cheese/crackers (all for the boy)

We have a small gas-powered grill to BBQ meats/veggies, and a stovetop that fits one small pan for eggs, oats, and water for my green tea in the mornings. We’re also bringing LOTS of water and Gatorade for the hikes. I’m not sure how we’ll eat when we’re with Dee, but I’ve given her fair warning that I’m a giant pain in the butt trying to be healthy and I’m sure she’ll either cook us healthy choices or point me in the direction of the nearest store—either of which is fine by me!

Now, if I wasn’t on a special diet, you’d see things like ingredients for s’mores, chips and salsa, and probably steak. Oh and a bottle of Jack D for Mitch and some vodka for me and some diet soda for making cocktails. That’s a fun part of camping, the eating and boozin’, but the way I see it, this isn’t the last time I’ll ever camp, and there will be plenty of opportunities for s’mores and fireside drinking in my life. Right?

If I had my act together, I’d have written a post in advance or gotten guest bloggers or something while I’m away, but clearly I’m not that hip. So you’ll just have to miss me! Next week I’ll post some recaps from my trip, as well as the results of (gulp) weigh-in #2.

See you next week…don’t have too much fun without me!

Here we are, another Sunday night! Did this weekend go by way too fast for anyone else? I was so busy between getting ready for camping, working out, and spending the night at my friend’s house to avoid the fantasy-football craziness (I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one whose boyfriend/hubby is into that stuff hard-core).

Tonight, I spent some time planning my meals and snacks for next week’s camping trip. I’m not sure I’ll stick to it 100%, but the more prepared I can be, the less likely I’ll find myself in a situation where I can’t follow my diet plan. After my first weigh-in went so well, I’m really committed to keeping it up as much as I can.

This morning, I had a lovely Sunday breakfast that was bootcamp-diet approved. Today, we were supposed to have 2 whole-grain waffles with sugar-free syrup, 4 slices of turkey bacon, and a banana. I didn’t have any waffles and I refuse to buy yucky fake syrup, so here’s what I came up with:

• Two slices of sprouted-barley bread (<3 Trader Joes!)
• French toast mixture: 1 egg white, splash unsweetened almond milk, cinnamon, stevia
• Half a banana (I ate the first half before my run this morning)
• 3 slices turkey bacon (it’s SO not real bacon, but I like it anyway)

I think this breakfast shows that even if you’re watching your calories or trying to lose weight, you can still enjoy satisfying, tasty meals! I cooked the French toast in Pam and topped it with one “fake food” I just can’t give up: butter spray. I know it’s terrible, but I love it so.

Did you catch that I RAN this morning? On my “day off” from bootcamp? Yessir! I didn’t sleep well last night (my friend’s kitty thought it’d be fun to walk all over me all night long) but I put my workout clothes on first thing and just went. I took Nina with me to get her exercise and she usually really slows me down. Today I was very happy with my 3 miles in 34 minutes with the dog, little sleep, and not having run for 2 weeks. Maybe I will rock that 10k after all…it’s not until early November so I have time, but I need to start hitting the pavement again.

I have two days of work, and three bootcamps and then it’s time for  vacation! I’m excited to spend 6 days away from my desk, to spend some quality time with my sweetie, to see the Grand Canyon, to see our friend who lives in Arizona, and I’m even looking forward to taking on the challenge of keeping up with my program while very much outside my routine.

What are you excited for this week?

I’m a little late in updating you all with the results from my first bootcamp weigh-in, because I might have taken a nap after coming home from working out on Thursday instead of posting. Whoops.

So, I’ve been doing this program for two solid weeks, turning down things like “bridal shower punch” and “coconut shrimp” and “Thursday Cookie Day” (ok…I had one piece of the shrimp. Couldn’t be rude). I’ve been drinking protein shakes and waking up at 5:15 to work out most weekdays. And the results after two weeks?

Weight: –4.4 lbs
Total inches lost: 15.25
Inches lost at waist (navel): 5 (!!!)

Obviously I’m pretty stoked about these numbers. I know the real test will be how my next weigh-in goes, especially with next week’s vacation, but my goal is to lose an average of one pound a week so being a little ahead is good! They also took pictures of us, wearing the same sports bra and shorts that we wore at the orientations, and I can see my arms and middle are looking more toned.

After trying for MONTHS to lose weight and not seeing the scale budge, it’s really motivating to finally see some results. I’m craving chocolate right now (you know how it goes, ladies) so I’m trying to use this week’s results as motivation to stick with the program and be as diligent with it as I can.

And here’s why I didn’t post this on Thursday (and last night I had to do some friend-duty for one of my besties who’s having a rough time):

That’s Mitch and me with Joel McHale from the E! Channel’s awesome show, The Soup. Going to the taping was really fun and totally worth the drive up to LA (which usually, is avoided at all costs. Sorry, Angelenos!). I am a total celebrity/Hollywood junkie, so getting a “behind-the-scenes” look at how they put the show together was really cool. “Our” episode aired last night, and I couldn’t believe how polished and seamless it looked compared to the taping we saw. AND the cast of Mad Men (which I don’t watch but I hear is really good and I might start) as well as LeVar Burton (hello, Reading Rainbow!) had guest appearances.

After the taping, even though it was late, Joel stayed after to take photos with everyone (of course we all forgot our cameras and had to use an iPhone to get our pics). My friend from college Ann works at E! and hooked us up with the tickets. We got dinner with her beforehand and it was so nice to catch up. Thanks again, Ann!

Today, I’m going to bootcamp at Mission Bay (I skipped my workout yesterday because I had a bit of a stomachache) and then later I’m spending the night at my friend’s house because the condo will be all about boys booze and fantasy football…no place for ladies, let me tell you. Does anyone else’s significant other do the fantasy football thing? It’s so silly 🙂 I think my friend and I are going to see Julie & Julia, for the full anti-testosterone effect.

Tomorrow, I’m planning on testing out my running legs with a 3-miler, then going shopping and doing laundry to get ready for our camping trip/road trip. Usually for us, road trips/vacations/camping = less-than-healthy food, so I am going to do lots of planning and prep work to bring along the healthy foods I can eat on the road. My trainer approve LARABARS as snacks, so I was excited about that (I was worried he was going to tell me to eat one of those nasty chemical-laden protein bars, but he said those are “poison.” Agreed.)

Have a great weekend!

Over the next 12 weeks, I’m going to share my thoughts on topics that spring up as I go through my bootcamp/diet program (they can call it a meal plan all they want but it is a DIET. I’m not sure how sustainable this is long-term, but that’s for another post.)

Did anyone recognize the reference in my title? It’s from one of my favorite shows, 30 Rock. Mitch and I joke that I am like Liz Lemon (Tina Fey’s character) partly because she is kinda dorky and awkward (yeah…) and also because of her penchant for emotional eating. This post title was something Liz Lemon said after getting to an argument with one of the other characters.

Sitcom jokes aside, I’m learning how much I really stress-eat at work. There are so many times when I get out of a meeting, or have a ton of emails come in at once, or there’s some PR “fire” to put out, and as soon as I come up for air so to speak, I often immediately look for something to eat. If I have healthy snacks I’ll maybe have that, but if someone brought in cookies or something (which only happens almost every day), I would grab one, maybe just 1/2 of one, justifying it with the fact that I worked out that morning, or I “needed” it at the time.

Are cookies evil? Of course not. But eating to soothe some mental anxiety is not great, and I’m realizing that it might have been a hindrance to my weight-loss efforts as of late. So while my new diet is rather restrictive, I think maybe I needed someone telling me I “can’t” have something to make me look at why I wanted that something in the first place. I know I won’t be able to abstain from office treats forever, but for 3 months? Possibly.

I am definitely an emotional eater, but I don’t eat when I’m sad, I’ve learned. I eat when I’m stressed (see above) and when I’m bored. Since I get stressed out rather easily (I need to get back into yoga), I need to find other coping mechanisms than grabbing anything sugary or carb-y nearby. Right now, I do reality checks: “Hallie, you aren’t hungry, you just want to eat. Go make some tea and do something else for a few minutes.”

More about Stress/Emotional Eating:

Psychology Today: Stress and Eating talks about the relationship between food and stress and the effects both have on the hormone cortisol.

Back in Skinny Jeans (an awesome blogger who doesn’t blog at that site anymore but the archives are cool) wrote: 5 Ways to Avoid or Stop Stress Eating.

The Mayo Clinic posted an article about the whys of emotional eating and suggestions for how to stop. For me, “Know Your Triggers” is the biggest one there.

Do you struggle with emotional eating? What are you favorite tips/ways to avoid eating when not physically hungry, fueling for exercise, etc.

Tomorrow night I’m going over to Mitch’s mom’s house for dinner. I am bringing my own chicken and zucchini to grill while they have steak and cheesy green beans. Then on Thursday I’m driving up to LA to watch a taping of The Soup. Does anyone watch that show on the E! channel? We love it, and I hear Joel McHale is really nice in real life. Yay!

Happy Sunday! I need to make this quick because I’m seeing a play with my mom tonight, but I wanted to check in and share a cool trick I learned for preparing fish. I don’t cook fish that often because Mitch doesn’t like it, but I love fish so I’m glad my new meal plan calls for it. I’ve had trouble in the past cooking fish so that it didn’t dry out, and I think I’ve learned the method that works for me: foil cooking!

Now, it’s not the most “green” method of cooking, but I found that wrapping the fish in aluminum foil before baking provides the moisture that it needs without a ton—or any, actually—oil or butter. I’ve heard that it’s unsafe to cook with foil, that it can cause Alzheimer’s, but that appears to be disproven, or at least inconclusive, says the Washington Post among other sources. I think it’s ok, so I went with it.

I got a decent-sized piece of foil and layered my veggies on the bottom half of the sheet. I used one leek, a tsp of garlic, and half a sliced tomato.

 

Then, I placed the fish on top of the vegetables, put some black pepper and a few basil slices on top of the fish and topped it all off with sliced lemon.

I folded the top half of the foil over the fish, and wrapped up the whole thing fairly tightly. I baked the packet in a 450-degree oven for 15 minutes. When I made this for Mitch (I put butter on his fish so he’d eat it!) I made two separate packets. But I think you could also make one large fillet and then slice it when it’s done.

Note to self: clean oven.

After carefully taking the packet out of the oven, I cut open the foil and let the steam out. Yesterday, the fish didn’t quite flake easily with a fork, so I should have stuck in back in the oven for a few minutes. I was starving though, so I microwaved it until it was done. If you make this, don’t do that, ok?

While the fish was baking, I cooked some whole-wheat pasta. I served 1/2 cup of the cooked pasta with the fish, tomatoes, and leeks. Now, at this point I was way too hungry to worry about presentation. And that’s why I’ll never be a famous food blogger.

But I did have a tasty, healthy, and filling meal on the table in under 20 minutes, and now I have a go-to method to cook fish. The tomatoes, garlic and basil combined nicely to make a flavorful sauce for the pasta. I think even after my 12-week bootcamp/diet is done, this is a meal I’ll recreate.

Do you like eating/cooking fish? What’s your favorite/most reliable method?

This is a big week in bootcamp land. They are switching up our meal plan and I have my first weigh-in and body-fat testing. I hate surprises so I just want to know what I’m going eat for the next two weeks (before they change it again). I already have some reflections on what this process is teaching me about myself and my relationship with food, but I need to organize my thoughts some more before I blog about it.

Ok, off to the theater! I am so cultured (ha, ha). “See” ya’ll later!