Eating My Way Toward a Healthier Me

In keeping with my little fitness/wellness theme this week (remember my 2-a-day crazy workout post?), I thought I'd give you an inside look on what I've been eatin' over the last year or two.

I've managed to lose 30 pounds, something I'm quite proud of. But in addition to having started a challenging workout routine, part of my success has been due to running far, far away from the foods I love - mac'n'cheese, spaghetti o's (yes, I still love these and yes, I realized I'm not an 8-year-old), frozen dinners, lots of pasta....the list could go on. I've also learned to stop skipping breakfast and to always bring my lunch with me to work. I'm often the girl sitting and eating carrots and yogurt at a restaurant while my co-workers grab yummier stuff, and I'm ok with that.

I always start my day with a high protein, high fiber cereal, usually by Kashi (I love the Kashi Go Lean and the Kashi Heart to Heart). I recently switched to skim milk and have never noticed a difference between that and the 2% I used to buy.

(Please excuse the old picture, but it's me eating cereal, nonetheless).

My lunch is always a peanutbutter sandwich on whole wheat bread, a lowfat yogurt, a bag of carrots or a mixture of strawberries and grapes, a banana, and if I'm feeling wild and crazy, some pretzels or string cheese. Lately because I've been working out so much, a pack of instant oatmeal has also been helping to fill my tummy. But I make sure that I'm eating all day long, which I think is key. I actually eat my sandwich around 10am, and eat all the way through 3pm, spreading the food out during that time.

(It's great marrying a photographer...you seem to have pictures of yourself in every situation!)

Dinner after the gym is usually on the lighter side as well. I love buying organic frozen burritos that are just beans and rice. They're great to have on hand, give you something hot, but aren't super fatty! I eat those a lot during the week. If Mr. S has time to cook, he'll make some sort of chicken dish (this week it's been a blackened chicken breast over salad with a lemony Italian dressing - yum!). For "fun" we make homemade pizza with a wholewheat crust (a recipe we've developed over time), topped with part-skim mozzarella, chicken sausage and veggies.

Finally, we drink a lot of smoothies in our house (Mr. S will sometimes have 2 or 3 a day!), especially after the gym. He experiments with different fruit combinations for himself, but I like to stick with a strawberry, banana and peanutbutter smoothie:

Handful of frozen strawberries
2 ice cubes
1 banana
Orange Juice, as needed
1-2 tsp of peanutbutter (smooth, not chunky!)

Combine all in blender, adding more juice depending on the desired consistency.

(This is what it looks like....yum!)

I personally think it's silly to go a little crazy on a pre-wedding diet. Keeping it healthy in the months leading up to the wedding will not only make you feel better through the last stages of planning, but will encourage you to maintain that healthier lifestyle after the wedding! I do not want the feeling of "crashing and burning" on my wedding day because I've been restricting what I've been eating. But that's just me, to each her own!

And so, without further adieu, I leave you with my "before" and "after."

The Before (OMG I can't believe I'm sharing these! And please ignore the dreadful sunglasses):


The After:

Source: Laurie Peacock Photography

Seeing these is an important reminder of just how hard I've worked to not only meet this goal, but maintain it, and how blessed my life is! I'm healthy, in shape, and Mr. S has encouraged and motivated me every step of the way. If fitness wasn't so important to me now, I don't know how ready I would feel for the wedding - I want to look back on the pictures and feel that I looked my best!

What steps are you taking to be a healthier you?

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Sunrise...Sunset...At the Gym!

The countdown to the wedding is hanging precariously over my head, ticking away as the 30 day mark looms closer and closer...which will, of course, only speed toward the 15, 10, 5 day markers! And before you know it, we'll be at the night-before-the-wedding-point. Eeh.

I think Mr. S is starting to feel it too, however he's not feeling the need to get a jump start on DIY projects or plan out the timeline. He's instituted "two a days" in the Stiletto household.

Source

The Stilettos aren't strangers to a whole lot of exercise - in fact, our workout regime has changed little due to the engagement because we were already going to the gym 4, 5 or 6 days a week. But with the thought of the wedding and the beach honeymoon on the horizon, Mr. S thought we needed to kick it up a notch during this last month. When he mentioned 5 am workouts to me, I told him absolutely not. No way. Never going to happen. Too much on my plate right now (I mean, come on - I'm planning a wedding here!).

Eventually, I softened to the idea and have found myself getting up at 4:30 am to take the dog out, get changed, and dash off to the gym with Mr. S for 45 minutes of good cardio. Some evenings include returning to the gym for more cardio (and, I know, I need to get back to the weights, as much as I've been ignoring them!), or staying at home for pilates.

Between you and me, I love it! I have more energy during the day, I feel great, and I love being at the gym when they've just unlocked the doors. And, since getting workouts in at this stage is crucial, if I have something after work that conflicts with my normal workout, I know that I got at least one workout in for the day (rather than having to give up my workout completely for that day) and I can alway supplement at home with lifting some light weights or a quick pilates DVD.

Will 5am workouts be with me after the wedding? I wouldn't bet on it. But as we power through these final weeks, I'm motivated by how great I want to look and feel on my wedding day!

How early is too early for you to workout in the morning?

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Prepping for the Gun Show

It's takes a lot for this self-proclaimed Cardio Queen to back away from the elliptical and scoot on over to the weights side of the gym. In fact, it has taken me almost 3 years of working out with Mr. S to finally make the leap. But a bride-to-be has to do what a bride-to-be has to do.

Source: Daily Mail Online

No, don't worry, that's not my inspirational picture that's helping me through the workouts. As if. While I'd definitely prefer not to have chicken wings on the day-of, I have no need to see the veins popping out of my biceps as I walk down the aisle. As if.

Anyway, back to cheating on my elliptical machine. I've grown to have a strong affection for certain ellipticals at the gym, and I don't like giving up my 65 minute workout for anything else. That 65 minutes is full of me pushing myself to not give up on myself, work through the fatigue and frustration until I hit the last 20 minutes and I sail through it. Unfortunately, though, when you've been sticking with the same workout for a couple of years, your body adapts. Cruel, isn't it?

Last weekend I finally gave in - the Cardio Queen left her "throne" and went on over to the dark side. And you know what? It actually wasn't that bad. It was, well, kind of fun. I've never known what half of those contraptions do, and it was interesting to learn. And, more importantly, it was great to learn from Mr. S. Normally when we walk into the gym, we go our separate ways, get in our individual workouts and meet up after an hour. We have it down to a science, really. I'm sure I cramp is style a little bit as he teaches me what to do and we figure out how much (or, err, how little!) weight I can handle, but it's fun. We get to spend that precious time together.

I've only lifted twice so far, and will probably be reserving my lifting times for Friday nights or early weekend mornings when the gym is a little quieter and the weights section is far less intimidating. And I'm not about to give up a lot of my regular cardio time! But I know that without mixing in different workouts and pushing my body in different ways, I'll never look fan-freaking-tastic on my wedding day! And besides, what's better than quality time with my man and sculpting my guns?

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Fit or Flabby?

Will you be fit or flabby on your wedding day? I'm going for fit. I go to the gym 4 or 5 times a week, but I'm a cardio-a-holic and don't make a lot of time for toning. Since we're stuck in the midst of an snowy/frigid/icing/you name it winter here in Chicago that won't let us have longer than a 1-day reprieve, I can't always make it to the gym and my good friend, Mr. Elliptical.

For Christmas, S bought me Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Will you lose 20 pounds in 30 days? Probably not (if you do, I want to know!!). But this is by far one of the best workouts you can do in the comfort of your living room. Each of the three workouts (marketed as 20 minutes each, but closer to 27 when all is said and done) are divided into three segments. Each segment focuses on strength, cardio and abs.

Cardio in my living room, you say? Even though it's a lot of jump jacks, butt kicks and oblique twists and plank jacks, your heart will be racing. I live in a tiny city condo, and still manage to move around the space that I have and keep up.

Jillian is tough - if you've seen the Biggest Loser, you know this. At one point in the workout, she tells you that she wants you to feel like you're going to die. Umm, thanks Jillian. But for whatever reason, her toughness in the workout makes me not want to let her down. Yes, a person on my tv screen has made me committed to my workout, even when it hurts!

One of the best elements of this workout is all of the focus on toning arms and shoulders - perfect for those of us getting ready to don our strapless dresses. All you need is a set of hand weights (I use 3 lbs) and you're ready to get shredded!

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