Living Well In Bermuda

the Plan – the workout

genellebda — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:32:32 +0000

i either do full body 3 times a week or alternate upper with lower every other day. i switch it up from week to week. if i ever hit a plateau, i’m in BIG trouble, because i already have a lot of variety to what i do weekly or even daily.

so far i have seen no weight lose, so i can only believe that i have a lot of healthy muscle under there (muscle weights more than fat), and it’s under there doing double duty. in my mind, once i get into my cardio – big time – the weight will start to drop.

so, i wouldn’t recommend wrecking your brain over whether it’s possible to lose weight with JUST diet OR exercise. do it all. it’s a lifestyle adjustment. if you use a quick-fix, once you’ve reached your goal you will not have the skills to maintain. so, is it worth it? i can’t imagine if it is (UNLESS you’re losing for a wedding or something, but still not a good idea).

NOTE: dieting without exercising slows the metabolism. this is a very bad thing.

the Plan – shopping list

genellebda — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:26:54 +0000

Here are the things that i ALWAYS keep in my cabinets and fridge. Keep in mind that i live in Bermuda, so i don’t know if any of these items are unique to here. like churico for example. it’s a Portuguese sausage. for all i know, it would be difficult to get in the states…

Everyday i create a different combination for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Recently i saw something VERY close to these things in a magazine under “the Good Mood Diet”. i think i’ll have to get that book to see what it has to say. i originally choose these items looking for high fibre, low fat, good fats, high protein… low calorie seemed to just happen. for example: egg beaters have 30-35 calories per serving. you can’t beat that. here is my list:

boneless skinless chicken breast
ground turkey
turkey churico
boned cod-fish (salted, w/o bones. VERY low-fat, no carbs, VERY high in protein)

skim milk
beans (red kidney – lowfat, high protein)
eggs
eggbeaters
lowfat cheese
all-bran flakes with yogurt bites
whole wheat bread (i look for 2 or more grams of fibre per slice)
tortillas (for making wraps. they’re fun to eat)
brown rice and wheat pastas (i’ve taken a break from all rice and pasta)

low fat yogurt
angelfood cake boxed mixture
saltless mixed nuts
fruit (bananas, apples, oranges)
frozen fruit (strawberries, mangoes, blueberries)
saltines (no salt on top)

if you have any suggestions, i’m happy to hear them!! i spend a lot of time strolling through the grocery store looking at the labels for new staples.

the Plan

genellebda — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 01:34:43 +0000

i’m not a nutritionalist. nor am i a personal trainer. BUT i am a work in progress and i read everything on the subject that i can get my hands on. so i’m going on a journey to see if it’s possible to slim down without a science degree. my theory is that the healthy eating is going to be a foundation and my cardio is going to put it over the top. my personal challenge is to lose approximately 20 lbs by March 31, 2007. There i said it. now that it’s out there, i have no choice…

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

genellebda — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:22:47 +0000

Ok, so I made it. It was just “ok”. Too sweet for my liking. And that’s pretty strange for a sugar addict. It was just weird and the only thing that I had for my lunch that day. No backup plan… I felt like sucking on a salt packet after. I was trying to think of what it might be nice next to. Maybe a porkchop or something like that. Maybe it had something to do with not having the correct ingredients for the dressing. I think I saw the tail-end of a spinach and strawberry salad with a dressing that actually called for balsalmic dressing. Maybe that topping would suit me better. Definitely try it. These two items should be a regular on your shopping list anyway!!

Yummmmmm…

genellebda — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 02:04:22 +0000

So, i’m at work, ummm, working… and I come across a salad recipe in a magazine. What do you know!! I have ALL of the ingredients at home already! All two of them! Strawberries and Spinach. I happened to have picked up frozen strawberries from Lindo’s in Devonshire and had since vowed to keep frozen fruit in the freezer. I’m tired of throwing out fruit bought with the best of intentions. And who knows WHY I bought fresh spinach yesterday – but i did. Sooooo what choice do i have? Seems like fate.

The catch is the dressing. I did get balsalmic vinegar to give a whirl, but – of course – this recipe doesn’t call for balsalmic vinegar. *sigh* I’ll try to make something similar to what’s in the recipe. To be continued…

In the spirit of adventure…

genellebda — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 04:40:21 +0000

I have a habit – we won’t judge as good or bad just yet – of not trying foods because they don’t look or smell familiar. I decided to put the ginger on my california roll. YUM! why didn’t I try this before? sooooo, in my new-found spirit of adventure I thought “if the ginger is good, how is the wasabi?”

ummm… ginger, yes; wasabi, no.

Turkey Burgers

genellebda — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 05:13:57 +0000

I’m a firm believer in only buying spices that i’ll keep using. So, as a consequence, I don’t know what “cumin” is. Somewhere along this journey I’ll at least figure that out, but I’ve vowed to still not buy it unless it can be used often.

Let’s start with my new turkey burger recipe. I just invented it two days ago. It may sound gross, especially since the only seasonings I know so far are salt and pepper (and something tells me that I shouldn’t have used either in this recipe, but I did. So there. BUT. It came out yummy. Ask India, my food taster…)

Here it is:

1lb ground turkey breast (well, it doesn’t matter how much it is. it’s all guesswork. don’t expect me to be talking about tsp or tbsp)

cinnamon (just sprinkle some in. it’s good for you. i read that somewhere recently…)

golden raisins (or regular raisins. i picked up golden last time i went to the grocery store. they’re ok. yummy for the turkey burgers, but i think i prefer the dark ones if i’m just eating them.)

and, of course: SALT & PEPPER. or… leave it out

Mix all of the ingredients together with a big ole spoon and plop it in balls onto the george foreman grill. 8 mins later: mmmmmmmm! For added goodness: use whole wheat bread and miracle whip instead of mayo.