Stand

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Karen

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless
Like you’ve lost your fight
But you’ll be alright, you’ll be alright

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you’re made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand, Then you stand

Life’s like a novel
With the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon
With only one way down
Take what you’re given before its gone
Start holding on, keep holding on

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you’re made of
You might bend till you break
Cause it’s all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand

Every time you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you’re made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand, Then you stand

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Super Snack for Super Bowl

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Karen

Did you know that Super Bowl Sunday is the 2nd biggest binge-fest of the year? The first is Thanksgiving. So, if you know you’re going to stuff your face for the big game, it’s important to stuff it with the best choices.

Here’s a great recipe to bring along to a party. I made it last year and wrote about it then, but I am reviving it today for the Super occasion.

Pizza Ravioli

Ingredients:
1 package egg roll wrappers
1 package turkey pepperoni
3 sticks Weight Watchers (or other brand) lite string cheese.
Jarred spaghetti sauce of choice (I used Francesco Rinaldi ToBe Healthy Spicy Marinara)

The process of putting these guys together is a little time consuming but the result is fantastic.

Carefully pull the egg roll wrappers apart. They are very thin and rip easily. Cut the wrappers into two long rectangles. Cut the pepperonis into 6 pieces each. The flavor will distribute in the ravioli when the pieces are cut as opposed to using a whole slice. Cut each string cheese stick into 4 chunks and then each of those chunks into another 4 smaller pieces for a total of 16 small pieces of cheese.

Wet the edges with water by dipping your fingers into a bowl of water and running them around the edges. Envision the egg roll wrapper rectangle as a top and bottom half. You will be filling the bottom half and the folding the top over and sealing the packet. Add a small dollop of sauce in the center of the bottom half. Then place 2 pieces of the cheese and 6-10 pieces of the pepperoni on top of the sauce.

Then, carefully fold the top half over the “stuffing” and fold the edges together to secure the packet.

Place the raviolis onto a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Continue filling the tray. Once the tray is full, spray the tops of the ravioli with another light coat of cooking spray. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until the wrappers are mostly brown. For extra crispy ravioli, broil for a minute or so at the end of the cooking cycle. Carefully flip the ravioli and broil the other side for a minute or so to complete the process.

Delicious:

Serving size: 2 Ravioli
PointsPlus: 3 PointsPlus

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The Chicken or the Egg

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Karen

In my 2011 recap post, I mentioned that I was lucky enough to make new friends over the course of the year. That is truly a gift, and not an easy thing to do. Friends come and go, but real, true friends are hard to find.

Two of these new friends came into my life because of Weight Watchers. When I was contacted by Weight Watchers to consider training to become a leader, I never thought that the most valuable thing I’d take away from the program, would be the women who trained alongside me. I learned the ins and outs of the Weight Watchers program, I took away some valuable presentation skills and I now lead a very rewarding meeting. But more than all of that, the leader training process brought two amazing people into my life.

Sally and Jo are women that I likely would never have met without Weight Watchers. And I truly believe that God put them in my life as guardian angels.

Jo, Sally & Me at the Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon

But these ladies are not just my guardian angels and friends; they are also my shrink and my personal Weight Watchers leaders. We keep each other sane. We act as sounding boards for one another.

Over the past few days, we have been emailing each other to set our goals for 2012 and evaluate our roles as Weight Watchers leaders. Many of my emails to them are rambling, stream of consciousness stuff. Today’s was no different. But I feel like I had an epiphany of sorts and wanted to share that here.

So, here’s a Cliff Notes version…

A main reason I wanted the job as a Weight Watchers leader is because I need the accountability for myself as much as I want to provide it for members. I thought that doing this job would create that accountability for me. As far as the scale and weighing-in goes, it hasn’t created that accountability. But it has created some internal accountability to speak to members and not be dishonest.

I know that being a leader will keep me accountable in the long-term. As a regular lifetime member, I stopped going to meetings and started to gain. If I hadn’t gotten the letter to go become a leader, I don’t know how long it would have been before I went back to a meeting room. So, for me, being required by a schedule to go to the meetings, read the material, come up with motivation, forces me to consider the program each and every week, even when I’m not on track. If nothing else, even when I’m dangling off the edge, the leadership role forces me to hang on and not fall off completely.

The biggest thing for me, is that I don’t want to be a fraud. And over the past few months, I have been one. I haven’t been a consistent follower of the program for a very long time. I stand there and preach how the program works if you work the program. And yet, I am frustrated and disappointed by my own weight gain. It has everything to do with me and my own food struggles. So I’m honest about those struggles. With myself and with my members. Is that the right thing to do? Who knows. But the one thing I can do, even when I’m struggling everywhere else, is be honest. I tell my members to be honest with themselves and with the group. So I do the same. The more confessions I make to the members, the more I want to prove that I can do this and so can they.

I’m not in a bad place right now, but I’m not in a great place either. I want IT to be better and I want ME to be better.

Solving the puzzle of which came first, chicken or egg, is just like me trying to solve my own puzzle for health and happiness. It’s a constant battle and cycle. My head and the program. Which comes first? There’s no real answer to that conundrum. I just have to keep fighting to keep both healthy.

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2012 Resolutions

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Karen

Last year, I made some very specific resolutions for myself. Of the five goals I set for myself, I achieved three. That’s a 60% success rate. Hmmm, in America, 60% is a D. But Canadians and Europeans would give me a C. Maybe I should move…?

Regardless, I am proud of the 3/5 I accomplished. These were big goals for me. They were specific and challenging. They weren’t obtuse. No “I want to lose weight,” open-ended, BS goals for me. I had to work to make them reality.

I firmly believe that writing my resolutions and publishing them on the blog is the reason that I earned the [Canadian] passing grade. The goals were “out there” for all five of my readers to see.

With that in mind, I present my 2012 resolutions. Some of these are lofty. I am aware that I may have another D in my future. But I’ll aim higher. After all, I used to be an A-student.

  1. Get back to my Weight Watchers goal weight (lose approximately 10 pounds) and keep it off.
  2. Be a consistent blogger with a minimum of one post per week.
  3. Compete in at least five competitive fitness events, including SheROX 2012.
  4. Become a runner. To me, this means that I will be able to run 3-5 miles without it being sheer torture.
  5. Beat binging. Break the habit. Gain control.
  6. Stress less. Center my chi. Om.

Posted in Motivation | 4 Comments

2011: Year In Review

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Karen

In 2011, I…

Made new friends.
Quit my job.
Started a new job.
Ran a 5k.
Completed a half-marathon.
Became a triathlete.
Found out my mom had cancer.
Found out my mom beat cancer.
Went to Europe.
Went to Portland, OR.
Wrote blog posts.
Ignored my need to write blog posts.
Went to my high school reunion.
Started leading my own Weight Watchers meeting.
Lost weight.
Gained weight.

Here’s to 2012. Happy New Year!

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Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Karen

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Five on Friday: Nifty Gifty

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Karen

Thanksgiving is just two weeks away, which means Christmas will be here before you know it. Both of my moms have already asked me for a Christmas list and I have NO idea what to put on it. If you’re struggling to think of ideas, here are a few gadgets that you should consider added to your letter to Santa.

Five Healthy Gift Ideas:

1. Heart Rate Monitor. I use mine every time I work out. I can see how hard my heart is working and how many calories I am burning. When my heart rate is below a certain point, I know I need to pick up my effort. Having the digital display showing me my output certainly encourages me to put out a little more.2. Portion Controlled Bowls. If I can measure and eat out of the same dish and it’s a nice looking dish, the treat seem even more special. I’m a geek when it comes to kitchen gadgets and these measured bowls speak to my inner dweeb.

3. Mini Food Processor. While I’m on my kitchen-kick, allow me to recommend this 3-cup KitchenAid food processor. I was given this gadget for a bridal shower gift and thought I would never use it. I was wrong! The food processor is a time saver when it comes to chopping veggies for homemade soup, grinding Fiber One cereal into breadcrumbs and making my zero-point sorbet.

4. SnuggBuds. These are the world’s best headphones. I get viciously angry if headphones slide out of my ears when I am exercising. Until recently, I thought it was inevitable that I would have that frustration forever. I couldn’t find a decent pair that stayed put. I bought these at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon expo and couldn’t be happier with the sound quality and snugness.

5. TurboJam! As much as I hate bad headphones, I despise exercise DVDs even more. The only workout video I don’t completely hate is TurboJam. It’s fun and for some reason, I don’t hate the instructor. Most celebrity fitness instructors make me want to strangle them. Chalene irks me sometimes, but I’ve been using TurboJam DVDs on and off for 4 years now and haven’t kicked the TV yet. I actually think these workouts are fun.

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Recipe: Miracle Mashies

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Karen

This week I tried a new-to-me recipe. I get the Hungry Girl email newsletter every day. She often references her Miracle Mashies recipe. And I’ve always ignored it. Until this week.

P and I have been eating a lot of potatoes as side dishes and I figured it was time to play around with those side dishes. I was inspired to try her recipe and am glad I did.

The “miracle” of these “mashies” is that they aren’t 100% potatoes. The recipe blends cauliflower with potatoes to create a lightened-up version of an often-calorific dish.

Side Note: P was not told about the secret ingredient. I let him believe that they were the real-deal, and until he reads this post he will continue to think so.

Ingredients:
1 large (about 13-oz.) potato
3 cups cauliflower florets
3 tbsp. fat-free half & half
1 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread
1/4 tsp. salt
pepper and additional salt, to taste
Optional: 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, peel and cube the potato.

What an oddly-shaped potato!

Once water is boiling, add peeled potato cubes and cauliflower. Wait for the water to return to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes (until potatoes and cauliflower are very tender).

I used steam in the bag cauliflower and added the steamed veggie after the potatoes had been boiling for awhile on their own.

Remove the pot from heat and strain out all of the water. Transfer contents to a large bowl, and add half & half, butter/buttery spread, salt, and (if you like) crushed garlic. Mash it all together with a potato masher, until completely blended.

Season to taste with pepper and additional salt. Enjoy!

Serves: 5
PointsPlus per serving: 2

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Five on Friday: For Me

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Karen

I concluded my post from Wednesday with the epiphany that I need to do some good things for myself. I need to take care of me and not let exhaustion lead me to make unhealthy choices.

That’s what this Five on Friday is all about. This weekend is the first weekend in more than a month that I’m not 100% booked. I actually have time to do something for me.

Five things I will do this weekend that are just for me:

1. SLEEP!

I have no morning obligations on Saturday.  When I go to bed tonight, I am not going to set an alarm. Whatever time my body decides to get up, is when I will rise. The thought of sleeping-in is making me giddy.

2. Spend time with P.

We are planning to hit the outlets to do some shopping. Then, later in the day we are going to celebrate some special birthdays with P’s grandparents. His grandparents treat me as if I have been their granddaughter since birth. Being around them is always good for me.

3. Paint my nails. It’s silly, but having nicely painted nails makes me feel more feminine. My hands currently look a mess. So I am going to pretty them up!

4. Treat myself to a new nail polish color.

I’ll do this before #2 (obviously). This morning, while reading Health Magazine, I read about the green trend in nail color this season and I’m totally intrigued.

5. Enjoy girl time.

I’ve got plans to spend Sunday with one of my favorite people, my friend Nichole. She is one of the rare people in this world that I can just be with. No pretense. No effort. I feel blessed to have met Nichole and have a friendship with her.

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Exhausted

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Karen

I’m exhausted.

I have been stretched so thin lately that every ounce of my being is tired. Being worn out never leads to anything good. For me, exhaustion leads to emotion. And my go-to emotional reaction is to cry. So I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.

Just two weeks ago I had a major tear-fest. It started, as most of my recent breakdowns have, with a number on the scale. My weight has been bouncing around the same 3-pound range for two months. But on the day in question, it shot up by about 6 pounds. The gain came after an entire week of planning my meals, tracking my eating, and plenty of exercise. It made no sense.

So, when I saw the scary number on the digital readout, I had a meltdown. It went something like this:

Why me!? I work so hard and never get any results. Why should I even bother? Why can’t I just eat like everyone else and not worry so much? It isn’t fair! I work out for hours upon hours and still gain weight! What’s the point? I’m destined to be fat forever! My high school reunion is just weeks away and I need to be skinnier. The people who were mean to me in high school are going to be mean to me now too. I’m worthless! Why can’t I just lose the weight? Why is the world so unfair? Woe is me, woe is me, woe is me!

It went on like that for about 20 minutes.

A few days after my pity party, I learned that hormones were to blame for the freak out. My weight went back down to a more reasonable number, but still within that same 3-pound roller coaster ride I’ve been on for the last two months.

I’m at a stalemate with myself. I see a few pounds come off and then I get a little bit lazier with my planning and tracking. Then I start to gain again and I get back to basics — for a few days. But I haven’t been diligent enough to effect real change. I’ve been half-assing it.

To be cliché, I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I wake up at 4:30 almost every day of the week and bust my rear with exercise. I push myself to the extreme in the gym but lately I haven’t been putting that same effort into my food choices. And I’m mad at myself for it. I beat myself up for my imperfections and lack of discipline. It’s completely unhealthy and I know it. I want to be proud of myself again.

I have accomplished a lot this year and have many things to be proud of. But one peek at the scale makes me forget how far I’ve come and how strong I am.

I’ve written about motivation here many times, and yet I’m having trouble grasping it for myself. I want to point out a post from last summer that spoke to me then and speaks to me now called Eating is Easier.  I read that post and remember that putting food in my mouth is never a solution. In fact: “Eating is harder than dealing with life, when you realize your days are limited and you’ve wasted them focused on food.”

I am exhausted. But mostly I’m exhausted from the energy I spent focusing on food, weight, and being mad at myself. It’s time to do the good things for myself so I can be proud, happy, and maybe a little less exhausted.

Posted in Motivation, Self Esteem | 1 Comment