Getting my (fat) butt into gear

[iesika]

After a recent dip into a mood slump that I was terrified was going to turn into another depressive episode (and in true depressive fashion I had convinced myself *was* another major depressive episode) I made up my mind that I needed to get healthier.

A few days ago, I spent too much money on things like *gasp* a scale and *gasp* a food scale, and a few cooking gadgets to make cooking more easy/pleasant/fun (grating carrots and zucchini is more fun when you have a BRAND NEW GRATER, etc, and now OMG I HAVE A MANDOLIN SO EXCITED). I weighed myself for the first time in like a year and set myself some realistic long and short term goals and started keeping track of everything I ate in private journal posts (private because while I'll probably post a few recipes as I go, I doubt anyone *really* wants to hear how many dates went into my salad).

I'd like to say I'm focused more on health and mood improvement than weight, but the first thing I've got to do to improve my health and mood *is* lose some of this weight.

Other than an upset stomach this morning (whether from the diet change or the fact I had milk yesterday I'm not sure) and a distressing tendency to stare over my laptop at the kitchen, come about ten o'clock at night, everything is going very well so far.

Four pounds down, yo. *airpunch* This is rather unscientific, considering it's been only a few days, but whatever, I'm taking what I can get.

Comments

[greyandgold.livejournal.com]

GOOD FOR YOU! I'm so happy for you, and I totally agree - nothing works quite as well than a little shopping for a new life. I am so jealous of your mandolin, I've wanted one for years but always seems to be out of the budget at the time.

[glymr]

Way to go!

[drake-love.livejournal.com]

So, I don’t know if this will work for you or not, but it is one of my favorite recipes. Which I now have to go make, because you have made me hungry. Congratulations and good luck on improving your health.

Zucchini Quiche Recipe

Ingredients:
4 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, dried basil and oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
2 teaspoons prepared mustard (I use Dijon mustard, but any kind will work)

Crust:
1 cup Whole Wheat flour
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbp Oil
3 Tbp milk


Directions (nine inch pan)

For the crust:
In a cup mix together oil and milk, then mix with flour and salt. You may or may not need to add more milk/oil mixture depending how dry your crust comes out as. Then press into pan so that the layer of crust is thin.

For the filling:
In a large skillet, saute the zucchini and onion in butter until tender; drain. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, parsley, salt, garlic powder, basil, oregano and pepper. Stir in cheese and zucchini mixture. Spread mustard over crust; add egg mixture.

Cover and freeze for up to 2 months. Or bake, uncovered, at 400° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown (cover loosely with foil after 25 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning). Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

To use frozen quiche: Thaw in the refrigerator. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown (cover loosely with foil after 35 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning). Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6-8 servings.

[caerfree.livejournal.com]

Good for you. Just take small steps and get yourself healthy. Sounds like you're on a good path. Wish I could get my butt going on the diet part. LOL

[faile-neume.livejournal.com]

*high five*

You are awesome!

I really need to get my diet into order, but it's hard when I don't actually get a choice about what I eat for dinner. But I've been cutting down on bread/cereal/pasta because those are my biggest indulgences. CAARRRBBSSS I love them but they are bad for me in high doses.

But mostly I need to be exercising because I am unfit. But luckily the hockey season has started again which is good, because team sports motivate me so much more than being at the gym does (unless I imagine Cass telling me to man up and work harder, which I do sometimes)

[kasra-c.livejournal.com]

It takes small steps and commitment, but it sounds like you're well on the path. :)

Measuring things out is a great start. I don't diet but I do measure a lot of food portions out very carefully, to the point where I wince when I see people just pour cereal all the way up to the top of a bowl. That's like 2.5 servings! Another trick is to invest in smaller plates/bowls/serving utensils to trick your brain into thinking that because you cleared your plate you got lots of food in the process, even when the plate is half the size of your usual portion. (Baby spoons are nice if you're going to indulge in a treat; they're that much smaller, so you're less likely to bother continuing to eat -- this is an old pregnant woman trick.)

I love you the way you are but you need to love you the way you are. *hugs* Take care and I wish you the best of luck! &hearts