Should I Allow Myself a Cheat Meal

If youve been sticking to a strict diet for a long period of time, you might be toying with the idea of taking a

day off. In the health and wellness world, this is commonly referred to as having a cheat meal or a free meal. There are benefits to having cheat meals. Mentally, cheat meals are a good break. Cheat meals can also help you develop healthier attitudes towards food by showing you that one bad meal wont completely destroy your progress. Before you jump off your routine and into a day of indulgence, you should know that cheat meals arent for everyone. Heres what you need to know about cheat meals.

What is a Cheat Meal

When we think of cheat meals, we typically thinking of indulging in foods that we normally wouldnt eat. But theres more to a cheat meal than eating whatever you want. A cheat meal needs to be three things: planned, portioned, and practical.

Planned - Cheat meals dont happen because you accidentally messed up. Cheat meals are meals you planned for and have looked forward to. Planning you cheat meals ahead of time gives you something to look forward to.

Portioned - While cheat meals are an opportunity to eat foods that you normally wouldnt, they arent an excuse to binge. Dont eat a whole bag of chips, eat a small bowl full. Dont eat multiple full-size entrees, pick a sampler and have a little bit of everything. You can still enjoy yourself without over eating.

Practical - You should go into a cheat meal knowing your restrictions and knowing that it might be tough getting back on track the next day. Allowing yourself a cheat meal isnt permission to eat everything youve been craving all at once. Cheat meals are only successful if you understand that it is a temporary break from thinking about your diet regimen. That break ends as soon as your cheat meal does.

Should You Allow Yourself a Cheat Meal?

So how do you know if a cheat day is for you? Well that depends on how you answer the next question: Are you a binge eater? If you answered no, then you definitely should give the cheat meal a try if you are trying to vary your eating program. Many people follow the 80/20 rule. Which means that they stick to their program 80 percent of the time and then the other 20 percent they allow themselves to eat more liberally. So to put this in perspective, if you eat 3 meals per day, 21 meals per week, you should be eating 17 of those meals following your program, and allow yourself 4 meals of food you dont normally eat. 

 Now, if you answered yes to my earlier question about binge eating, then I recommend being extremely careful before you let yourself have a cheat day. If you have a hard time controlling your portions when you have a free day, or if having more options is a trigger for binge eating, cheat meals will not be in the best interest of your or your program. One cheat meal wont set you back, but if having a cheat meal triggers a 3 day binge, it will set you back and its not worth it. Recovering from a binge takes a lot out of you mentally and emotionally. If your past experiences with food have left you feeling out of control or a little bit crazy for food, youll want to stick to your routine as much as possible. 

Ultimately the decisions of having a cheat meal is up to you. From personal experience I know that one cheat meal usually turns into a binge, Thats the type of eater I am. I have a hard time eating indulgent foods in limited quantities. Being able to recognize that helps me realize that I will be successful doing the things that help me feel focused and in control.

Do you allow yourself cheat meals? 

Read More..

Guess I Should Post Today

Today was 10 months ago that Barry died.

I dont remember what I was doing 10 months ago exactly.  It was all a blur to me, and remembering what I did to pass that first evening that Barry was dead is to much work.  Im sure my mind has just blocked it out, because I remember certain things like having a glass of wine with my mom and sister the next night, and crying myself to sleep each night, and also waking up at 5AM on October 11th, crying my eyes out in my sleep.

Today I experienced something sad that I wished I could have shared with Barry.  Two and a half years ago, we put our first, and only home we owned together, on the market, because we could no longer afford it.  We landed up selling it a few months later, and moved to the house I just moved out of in April.  We loved that house so much, it broke my heart to have to sell it, but we had no choice but to sell.

On our way to dentist appointments in the same town today, I though we would stop by the old house and take a peek.  I had a friend of mine that had never seen it, so I thought wed show the house and where we used to live.  I havent driven by there in quite some time, so imagine my surprise when we noticed the house was abandoned.  Abandoned.  The yard was filled with three foot high brown grass, debris everywhere.  The backyard was even worse, it being an acre at least, and so much junk filled it.  We looked in the windows, and were greeted to sights of garbage in the house, old nasty furniture, and just general mess.  This house that we loved so much, was foreclosed on by the people that bought it from us.  Apparently, they left their dog there too, and my old neighbors landed up taking her in as their own.

The things that we loved so much about that house were just ruined. My old neighbor Shirley told me they took a gorgeous house (which was when we had it) and turned it into a crappy fixer upper. It broke my heart seeing it like that, because it was a beautiful home when we owned it.  Im sad for that house, and I have half a mind to go buy it, but I wont be.  Its not worth it because weve closed that chapter in our lives, and the memories we have in that house would be too painful to relive.  Christmases, birthdays, taking A home from the hospital to that house, the wood stove that Barry loved so much, our 400sq foot master bedroom, my custom oak cabinets in the kitchen.  I wish I could have told Barry about all this, and I knew he would figuratively "roll over in his grave", if he knew.

I dont have much else to write.  I filled up the day without even realizing it, and didnt even realize it was the 10th until 11:30 this morning.  I cant believe I forgot.


P.S...I did get a new car on July 23d.  I landed up purchasing a Silver 2011 Honda Pilot.  Im absolutely in LOVE with it.  Its fantastic and gorgeous and gets pretty good gas mileage.  I drove it off the lot with 9 miles on it!! I just LOVE it ;)

Read More..

Low Carb Thai Stir Fry With Chicken and Shrimp

I dont know what my deal is, but Ive been craving Thai food like CRAZY lately. Oh the carbs. I love massaman, and panang, and pad thai, and this week I was determined to find a yummy protein and veggie packed recipe with some thai flavor. I ditched the rice and noodles and stuck with Spaghetti Squash. <3 Good ol squash. :) Check it out fellow fit-meal foodies.

Ingredients 

1 pound Boneless skinless chicken breast
1 pound shrimp, pre-cooked and deveined
garlic powder, to taste
onion powder, to taste
1 large spaghetti squash
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, shredded
1 bunch green onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro

Sauce
1/4 cup low fat, low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 fresh lime, squeezed
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup Tamari*
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cut spaghetti squash in half longways. Remove seeds and pulp. Fill a glass casserole dish with an inch of water. Place spaghetti squash middles down in the dish and microwave for 15 minutes, or bake on 350 for 45 minutes.

While squash cooks, chop chicken and cook in chicken broth and season with garlic powder and onion powder in a LARGE skillet. When chicken is mostly done, add in shrimp. Cook until chicken is done and shrimp is thawed.

While the chicken and shrimp are cooking, combine sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and heat on low heat (it does not need to boil.)

Add the red pepper, carrots, onion, garlic and cilantro to the chicken and shrimp mixture.

Once the squash is done, use a fork to scrape it out of its skin and into a large bowl. Add meat and veggie mixture, top with sauce. Mix together and enjoy!

This recipe makes about eight 1 cup servings.
Each serving has 257 calories, 31 grams protein, 16 net carbs

*If youre watching your sodium, use low sodium Tamari.

This recipe was adapted from Hello Healthy.

Read More..

HCG Blogs 2 you should follow

Earlier this week I talked about my roommate joining me on HCG. While I love all the support I receive from her, I realize that not everyone has this same advantage.  In fact, Im guessing many of you are the only ones in your households following protocol. Maybe you dont have anyone in your area to turn to about HCG questions. Feeling alone on your journey can be incredibly discouraging.

Well, Im here to tell you, as hokey as it sounds, were all in this together. Just because you dont have a live-in diet buddy, doesnt mean you cant get the support you need.

Today I wanted to introduce you to some blogs I enjoy reading when Im feeling alone in my diet endeavor.

The first blog is a current HCG dieter named Heather. I love how up front Heather is about whats going on in her diet world. Shes a strong lady with a very supportive husband. Shes working her way towards some inspiring accomplishments. If you have any frustrations or questions, Heather is a great woman to connect with. You can check out her blog here. 

This second blog is from a former HCG dieter named Kristy. She writes about a variety of topics. I love hearing about her healthy goals as well as the fun adventures shes up to. There have been many days where I visit her site hoping to get diet advice, but instead she posts something wonderfully unrelated that brightens my mood and somehow inspires me to continue through my diet frustrations. You can check out her blog here.

As always, Im more than happy to answer your questions that you post in the comments section below or send to my email: lowery@hcgdiet.com

Do you follow any HCG Diet blogs? If so, which ones?

Read More..

Eleven Years Ago Today

This week has been pretty hard.  Grief is like that though, it comes in waves, and sometimes you get hit by a giant tsunami, and other times just a little wake. Im not quite sure where I am this week, dont know how to classify how Im feeling, but it hasnt been an easy week.

Yesterday for the first time in ages, I was sobbing into Barrys t-shirt, my tears soaking the cotton as I tried to calm down but could not. That was the last t-shirt he ever wore, for those of you who dont know. Ive never washed it, and I dont think I ever will.

Ive also noticed that my attitude has been pretty damn shitty lately. Ive been a bit of a cranky bitch to everyone.  Though that could be due to having my period at the same time, but I know that grief is a big factor in my attitude right now.  I tend to get that way before certain days, and not even realize it till the day is upon us, or has already passed.  Even today I just HAD to be out of the house, had to be gone, had to be busy doing everything and anything.

11 years ago today, Barry and I met for the very first time in person, and it was also the day he proposed to me!  At this point in our relationship, I was living in Edmonton AB, and he was in Wiesbaden Germany, stationed there in the Army.  I was visiting my mom in Abbotsford, BC, and he his mom in Port Angeles, WA.  We both agreed to meet in Victoria BC and spend the day together.

I dont remember what time I arrived in Victoria that morning, but it was pretty early on in the day.  I took the ferry from Vancouver to Victoria, and the greyhound to downtown Victoria from the ferry terminal.  I was so incredibly nervous to finally meet him after talking for 9 months.  And the funny thing is, I had never seen a picture of him.  Never! he did send me one once, but it was lost in the mail.  But I was so in love with this man that I knew even if he was hideous, I would still say yes if he asked me to marry him.

As I sat there on a bench in front of The Empress Hotel, I kept glancing across the Victoria harbor waiting for Barrys ferry to arrive.  I waited, and waited, and waited. And then I saw a young man walking down the road.  And I knew it was him. My heart knew it was him. He crossed the street, walked up the path to the front of the hotel, and as I stood up, shoved his military ID card in my face so I would know it was him.  That was a mere moment, as we then hugged and hugged and hugged. Finally, we met.  We had gone through so much to meet that day, and it was finally happening.

We spent the rest of that day together, sightseeing around Victoria and just spending time together.  Towards the end of the day, we landed up in the Rose Garden in front of the hotel.  We were laying there in the grass, and I was getting impatient because Barry hadnt proposed to me yet.  He had told me before we met that he was going to propose to me, and I had waited all day.  We were basically engaged already, just had to make it official.  So, my spunky self finally asked Barry if he was going to ask me to marry him.  I told him I was tired of waiting! LOL  and shortly after that he asked me to stand up, and he got down on one knee.

Holding my hands in his, Barry told me I made him the happiest man on earth, and he wanted to make me the happiest woman on earth (the only two things I remember that he said haha).  And then he asked me to marry him.  And i said yes.

We parted ways shortly after that, unfortunately, as we only had one day together.  And then we both went back to our lives, he  to Germany, and I to Edmonton.  And then 3.5 months later, on December 29th, 1999, we were married in Wiesbaden, Germany.  The day we were married, was the 15th day we spent together in person.  Yes, you read that correctly, we only spent two weeks together  in person before we were married.

The day we got engaged was one of the best days of my life.  I met the man of my dreams, and got engaged in the very same day!  Not many women can say that can they? I truly was a lucky woman to find such a man like Barry.

Read More..

GOVERNMENT SHOULD STOP PROMOTING UNHEALTHY DIETS THE EXAMINER

From a recent article in The Examiner:

Federal nutrition programs such as the school lunch and WIC programs adhere to these guidelines. The grain-focused, low-fat nutrition policy has not helped Americans live healthier lives. An estimated 42 percent of the U.S. adult population is projected to be obese by 2030.  (emphasis mine)

 

The Worst Advice.  Ever.

It is wrong for federal guidelines to promote behaviors that might increase our risk of obesity and heart disease. Instead of grains, USDA policy should recommend that we eat mostly vegetables, protein and healthy fats to reduce the prevalence of obesity and its associated health problems, such as Type II diabetes and heart disease. (emphasis mine)  Research shows that a lower carb diet, like the Paleo diet, can result in weight loss, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, improved metabolic syndrome risk factors, and reduced risk of developing heart disease. While critics of low-carb diets suggest that replacing grains with fat and protein will damage our hearts, there is evidence that this is untrue. A long-term longitudinal study, published six years ago in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that lower carb diets with increased amounts of protein and fat did not increase coronary disease risk.

Read the full article here.

Read More..