Monthly Archives: July 2013

Gluten-Free Food At Its Best

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We just came back from dinner at what I think is the best gluten-free food I have ever had. If you are in the Howard County, MD area, you have to try One Dish. The owner, Maureen Burke, knows her stuff. She is friendly, knowledgeable and quite engaging.

Being our first time in her restaurant, she took time to show us around. She has two separate kitchens to avoid cross contamination. Not only does One Dish serve gluten-free food but casein, soy, egg, corn, fish, and animal product free. This woman knows her way around the allergen-free kitchen.

I had the meats pizza and my husband had the Reuben. You can enjoy this food at home, at work, or on the go and never know that this was “special” food. Taste is top-notch at this restaurant. The bonus is that I don’t go home with a stomach ache. There are no odd flavors or off tastes in this food.  I cannot say enough about the food. Whether you are Celiac or just prefer to eat healthier foods, this is a place you have to try. Once you do, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s different from all the rest of the gluten-free market.

I didn’t plan on this blog to be a review but it turned out that way. So I might as well finish it. One Dish also sells frozen food, including desserts – ice cream sandwiches, cupcakes and more. You can stock up on the frozen gluten-free foods and eat them at home, at work, or on the go. Mondays are 10% off days. It’s worth the trip.

So, I’m working on the weight loss between paleo and gluten-free foods. I am hoping that now that I have found this gem in a hole in the wall near home, I should be able to keep myself from straying too far afield. When I have to deny myself certain things because I can’t eat them in “regular” food, that’s when I get sucked into eating poorly. Now I can have my cake and eat it too!

 

 

Plan Ahead for Treats and Sweets

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I managed to get myself out to the store and stock up on snacks that will prevent me from overdoing a sugar attack. When I get a hankering for something sweet, get out of my way. I will find it one way or another. But planning ahead, I can keep myself from going overboard.

I bought bananas to make the one ingredient ice cream. Now you have to like bananas for this to satisfy the sweet cravings. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make the first time. Now I experiment with flavors. I’ve made the flavor combinations on the site. My favorite is the Peanut Butter and Honey. I’ve tried my own concoctions with caramel and other sweet treats but that defeats the purpose of cutting out the sugar.

My husband is now cooking paleo meals regularly. We still have our CustomFit Meals but it’s nice to have other options too. Cauliflower mash is one of my favorites. Instead of eating starchy potatoes, cauliflower mimics the creamy texture. Then jazz them up with a little creative seasoning.

I have to admit that I still want chocolate. I bought Quaker Chocolate Rice Snacks just to see if they would do the trick. They have a little chocolate flavor but the crunch seems to be more helpful than the sweet. Rice cakes have never been interesting to me as a snack. They have that dry cardboard – need a big glass of water just to get it down flavor. I’m pretty surprised that the flavor is greatly improved in these chip-sized snacks.

All the fitness gurus say to drink plenty of water. I found that is so true. I usually don’t think about it during the day because I have easy access to water all the time. On this last business trip, I was stuck in a demo for six hours, only breaking once for lunch, and no water. By the time he day ended, I had chapped lips.

Lesson learned.

Back on Track – Weight Loss a Priority

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I’ve traveled so much lately that I feel I haven’t given my weight loss goals a priority. First, I went on vacation. Of course, vacation isn’t the place where I want to think of cutting back on anything. I had a few creamy beverages that had too many calories. That’s done. I’ve got another 51 weeks until next vacation.

Then I had to travel for work. Went to Southern California on a whirlwind trip that didn’t afford enough time to do anything but work. My eating habits were already out of whack. The trip didn’t afford time to eat three proper meals so I ate what I could when I could. Domestic airlines don’t offer food any more; so for six hours I had peanuts and ginger ale.

I planned a bit in advance on the return trip. I packed a banana and some leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. Who says you can’t have ceviche for breakfast? Since I had a refrigerator in my room, I could save the food safely. It was actually nice to mix up meals so it wasn’t the same old thing. It still tasted fresh and I was happy I controlled my portions so that I had another meal out of it.

I had a good example with my coworker who traveled with me. She got up early in the morning or took time before dinner to work out. I really felt pretty ashamed. I was so jet lagged that I couldn’t motivate myself to do anything other than to drop into bed every time at every chance. Now that I’m home, I need to get back on track. (Heard/said that before!)

When I returned, my husband was so sweet. He knew how I was feeling – that unspoken communication that people have when they know each other so well. He offered work out with me to help me get my motivation back. Having just been away with someone half my age and full of energy kind of zapped my confidence.

So I will be back on track with weekly updates. Every day I will try to focus on what I actually need to eat – not just what I want to eat. My husband will guide me to work out for a healthier attitude for weight loss and most importantly health and fitness.

 

Vacation’s Over – Back At It

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I took a well-deserved vacation. I did what I wanted, ate what I wanted, and had a wonderful time. I did gain 3.5 lbs. but I feel better than before I left. For me, it was worth it.

Being away from the stress of everyday life gave me time to reflect on what I was doing wrong that blocked my weight loss. It’s not like I have all the answers but it is easier to think through things when you are not in your own way. Getting out of the routine of working all day, coming home to exercise, and eating specific foods helped me process on what I’m doing wrong. I wasn’t happy.

Happiness is a key ingredient to being successful in life. I know that rationally but haven’t been able to translate that in my daily life. I have felt let down for a long time and it’s time for me to take my life in a different direction. There is so much to check that I need to break it down into manageable pieces so I don’t overwhelm myself.

I can only change things under my control. So I need to start with me – everything else will fall into place (that’s what I hope). I can’t change things that I don’t the ability to change so I have to learn to let it go. Even when I know I may have the right idea or a better plan, if I’m not the one who can make the change, it’s not going to happen. Tough lesson for me to learn. It seems so simple in words but it’s so difficult (for me) in action. I always have a “plan”. But not everyone wants to buy into my plans.

Starting today, my first goal is not to waste time doing things that are not productive. Even if I am not in charge, I can decide to do what is most productive for me. It’s not productive to wallow in the “misery” of being overweight. I can be overweight and be healthy. I just need to make it happen. If I lose weight while I’m getting healthy, good for me. If not, I will be a better person in the long run. That’s hard for me to accept because of the body image I have of myself but it’s the first step.

First things first, then small steps to a better me.

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