urban:masala

WW Weigh-In: Week 5

urban masala on 01 10, 2009

I did it! I have officially dropped my holiday-faux-pas weight, all 9.5 pounds of it — exactly and approximately! AND I made it to my WW meeting. I tipped the scale at 266.8 (exactly what I weighed on Dec 20 before my holiday meltdown) and though the weigh-in stamp on my card does not show a loss or gain (just a blank space where a zero should be), I lost 3.7 pounds this week. This brings my total weight loss back to the 16.4 that it was on Dec 20. I am so ecstatic about this that I could do backflips. Unfortunately it took me two weeks to undo that holiday mess, but I’ve learned my lesson and moved on. I can now focus on consistently increasing my weight loss numbers and achieving my goal.

Eating went pretty well this week and I’m improving in this area every day. I finally started juicing last Saturday and preparing even healthier foods. I’ve been drinking lots of fresh green juices (several recipes using spinach, kale, tomatoes, garlic, onions, cucumbers, parsley, apples, etc.) and my beloved fresh carrot-ginger-apple blend, eating lots of veggies and fruit, and incorporating more and more lentils, beans, seeds, nuts and whole grains into my diet. I have also significantly reduced my intake of meat and poultry, which I have replaced with more fish, seafood and plant-based proteins. I’ve only been doing this for a little over a week and I am already experiencing a huge difference in how I feel. I am reaping such benefits as better digestion, faster and more frequent elimination and enhanced sleep. I also feel much lighter and my energy level is significantly higher. Oh, and I’ve been consistently drinking more water, 64 oz. a day, minimum.

After today’s meeting I went to the market and stocked up on a variety of fish and seafood (mahi mahi, salmon, tilapia, white fish, shrimp, scallops), seeds (pumpkin and sunflower), nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, almond milk), fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries, bananas, lemons, limes, grapefruit, red pears, apples, papaya, honeydew melon), fresh veggies (green beans, alfalfa sprouts, ginger root, jicima, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, red bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cucumbers, parsley, cilantro), whole grains (flax seeds, barley, brown rice, bulgar, cracked wheat) and beans/lentils (chickpeas, red/green lentils, red beans, black eyed peas).

Yep, I’m planning on doing quite a bit of cooking, freezing and even a bit of baking (multi-grain, seeded crackers). Rather than purchase frozen meals (Lean Cuisine, Smart Ones, etc.) for my lunches or buy canned soups (even the so-called healthy/low-sodium varieties have way too much sodium and not enough substance), I prefer making my own meals each week and freezing the extra portions for those times when I don’t have time to cook. That way, I have on hand exactly what I want without the excess sodium or compromising on flavour.

I have been thinking of changing my dietary habits for quite some time and now it looks like things are finally beginning to fall into place. My attitude towards food is evolving and my desire to consume healthier fare is becoming more and more intense each day. The more healthy foods I eat, the more I crave them and it’s gotten to the point that I would rather wait and take the time to prepare healthy meals and snacks than to eat whatever is available or convenient. I have completely eliminated fast food restaurants from my routine and I haven’t eaten out at any of my regular haunts in weeks. Instead, I’ve been making my own delicious, nutrition-dense Indian, Thai, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Italian, Caribbean and other dishes at home so that I can control exactly what goes into my food — and more importantly, what doesn’t.

Well, that’s pretty much it for today; not much else to report. My game plan for next week is to continue what I’ve been doing and add in a bit of consistent exercise (my pedometer arrived). We’ll see how it goes next week. For now, I’m off to cook.

Namaste!

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