Tuesday, February 9, 2010

It doesn't always work the way you hope

I was so excited about this blog that I spent a few days brainstorming my first post. I decided I was going to try a new low calorie recipe and document it for you. I picked a 350 calorie salmon dish that looked fantastic when I found it on the real simple website. I took pictures of the lentil and spinach salad and the Salmon cooking under the broiler. I ate approximately 2 bites before looking over at my husband, trying to gauge his reaction. We exchanged glances and he ate another bite or two before I gave him the ok. "I don't want to eat mine either, honey, go ahead and find something else in the pantry." That's a good man for you. Eating your failed food experiment, and he doesn't need the diet! And my older son, O, well he just looked at his plate and said "Oh that's a yucky, I want cheese and crackers" So, for dinner we ate cheese, crackers, non-fat plain yogurt and a handful of grapes. I feel most food groups were represented. That recipe was immediately deleted from the stash, and I hope the next one I try works out a bit better.

It can be difficult to find good lower cal meals when Paula Deen's recipes hold a special place in your heart. This is something I battle more now that I have a family. The food needs to please the picky two year old and his "meat and potatoes" daddy. I am of the opinion that you don't have to stay away from all of the food you love. That is a recipe for disaster and binging. I try and make an effort to make some of my favorite things diet friendly. I am totally with Erin on this, make simple substitutions to cut out fat. After browning my ground beef I'll rinse it and the pan in boiling water before adding more ingredients, takes a lot of the fat off. I throw ice cubes in my chile, the fat solidifies around the ice and you can scoop it right out. Just don't leave the cube in long enough to melt.

The food is not my issue, my biggest challenge is working out. Eating healthier I can do but, getting myself off the couch will present a challenge and is my biggest goal. Something I can do in the 30 minute nap-time overlap I get is a must and leaving the house to go to the gym is simply not an option. I am looking into the Wii, and Wii fit. However, every store in my area is sold out, and Amazon is asking a whopping $400 for the set. So until then I need to figure something else out. Any suggestions?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

*sigh*
working out...
I've got the same problem. When you find a solution, let me know. I have found, however, that just having the Wii (a measley $199) gets you up and moving. My next step will be adding the Wii Fit.

LeLe said...

My hardest thing to do is also the exercise. I found this really great kick-boxing DVD right before I got married and it helped me tone up. It's kind of hard to do on carpet though because there is a lot of ankle pivoting. I can't remember the name but I'll look at home and get back to you if you're interested. I got it at Wal-mart for really cheap and there are five different ten-minute workouts.

LeLe said...

Found it! http://www.amazon.com/10-Minute-Solution-Kickbox-Bootcamp/dp/B000A3DGG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1265733875&sr=8-1

Tamara said...

I hate getting out for a walk. I'm going to have to give myself a challenge like: Get out for 15 min power walk daily.

Haha - in saying that... I don't actually think I can do that. I CANNOT, for the life of me, coordinate myself with a stroller. Seriously! I trip and stuff. And running with a stroller? Heck no!

PS - Wii "active" is much cheaper than Wii Fit. And works just as good I think. It has a 30 day challenge that holds you accountable for the days you miss... Seriously, your little trainer yells at you!

Anonymous said...

Tamara, do you need that fitness board to do the Wii Active?

Tamara said...

No, you don't, which is why I chose the Active instead. However, if you do decide eventually that you can afford to get the board, it is compatible!

Tamara said...
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Hannah said...

$199 must be the Christmas sale price, Amazon is the only place that has the Wii in stock and last time I checked it was listed as $250. I was really not on the ball with this one and put it off too long. Actually, it was getting R on board, but I told the kids will have fun with it too, so he finally gave the ok, just not in time. *sigh*

Kyrstin said...

I would check your local Gamestop (or the like) for a used system. They check them out for any problems, etc. and you can often get them much cheaper! My fiance bought a PS2 for around $79 there about 1.5 years ago and it still works great. Those systems last a long time! They may even have some Wii Fits with the boards, etc. there for really low prices.

Stephanie said...
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Stephanie said...

Exercise is my biggest hurdle too. A lot of my family has gotten into this Zumba classes. I love to dance and use to be able to dance really well before I let myself go. Anything you do that gets your heart pumping is good. Take the kids for a walk, go walk around the mall, buy one of those cardio work out DVD's. My sister-in-law have my 2 neices who are 6 and 4 work out with her. They all seem to enjoy it. There's my 2 cents worth : )

Kyrstin said...

Working out is a hurdle for me too. I hated going to the gym at college and working out with the buff guys (great eye candy, but embarrassing!) and the super-bitty girls. I'm thinking about a membership to the local Y. The only thing that is potentially embarrassing there is the old people working out harder than me... (like the 60-75 crowd).

Also, I work a job where I am on my feet for my whole shift. By the time I get home... I don't want to work out. My legs already are tired. :-(

Kyrstin said...

Working out is a hurdle for me too. I hated going to the gym at college and working out with the buff guys (great eye candy, but embarrassing!) and the super-bitty girls. I'm thinking about a membership to the local Y. The only thing that is potentially embarrassing there is the old people working out harder than me... (like the 60-75 crowd).

Also, I work a job where I am on my feet for my whole shift. By the time I get home... I don't want to work out. My legs already are tired. :-(