Monday, March 1, 2010

The Benefits of Chopsticks and Other Realizations

I'm still waiting for life to settle down. I thought last week would be calm, but I thought wrong. Threats of snow storms and traveling from here to there have kept me busy. Because of this, my dinners have not been glamorous. I am the type of person who will throw random things in pots and pans and eat whatever comes out of it as long as it's warm and satisfying.

My go-to this week has been veggie stir fry.

diet tip #302859879
I tend to eat dinner with chopsticks because it forces me to eat slower and, therefore, more mindfully. I almost never finish everything in the bowl when eating with them mostly because I can't get at all the little bits in the bottom!

All I do is fire up my non-stick skillet, heat up some oil, throw in some chopped veggies (carrots, broccoli, green beans, edamame and mushrooms in this case) and vegetable stock and let it all cook. I then add a few drizzles of soy sauce and sesame oil, serve it over some brown rice and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. This particular night I also added in a scrambled egg for protein. I rely a lot on those, but have decided to start cooking more meat at home. I'm taking baby steps back into this and bought a fillet of salmon that I'll experiment with this week. I was eying up the organic chicken last night at the grocery store but I'm going to see how the salmon goes first.

This past weekend was pretty interesting. I was able to work out with my mom for the first time maybe ever. We did Jillian Michaels' Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism workout in its entirety and we were laughing almost the entire time. The next morning we were also able to do Level 1 of The Shred. It's really amazing to see my mom, at 51-years-old, so fit and able to keep up with these DVDs. I can only hope to be as in shape as she is at her age. She was giving me a run for my money during some of the exercises.

twentyten // 057 // not your mother's workout
Mom During Cool Down

There was also a downside to my weekend and the past week in general. Though I've been successfully strict with my activity levels, I have been lax on eating again. For a while I was eating around 1200 calories/day, but I don't think it is sustainable and began going overboard on anything I could get my hands on at home (especially carbohydrates). I'd come home from work and lose control before I even ate dinner. To prevent this from continuing to happen, I've decided to cut myself some slack and be more realistic with my diet, bumping my calorie-intake up to about 1400/day.

At the end of the day, I need to remember that I'm not trying to lose weight - I'm trying to get fit. And if I'm not fueling my body correctly, there's no way it's going to be able to keep up.

6 comments:

Diane Fit to the Finish said...

I love stir-fry but my stovetop doesn't seem to get hot enough. I may get a countertop wok and see if that helps!

I love that your mom is in great shape - what a great example she is, and you are too!!

Anonymous said...

i'm incredibly inspired by your story, but, i'm glad that you decided to go a little easier on yourself--1200 calories is only a few hundred away from an official starvation diet, lady! you're an incredibly active and busy person--give your body fuel!

Jenelle said...

Diane - My mom (whose name is also Diane, coincidentally) is really great at keeping me motivated. She called me last night to tell me she finally did Level 3 of the Shred and I was so excited. Have you tried it (The Shred) yet? I know you mentioned perhaps giving it a go a while back.

Thank Anonymous. I dropped down to that number because it was what my LoseIt App suggested. It sounded a bit low but I gave it a try. Throughout most of my weight loss I was eating roughly 1500/day so it was quite uncomfortable. I'm working hard to find a number that works for me. It's always more of an estimate.

Anonymous said...

yum yum yum! your stir fry looks amazing. i'm craving vegetables as i type this - never thought that was even possible, hmmm!

thanks again for a great update. i think i'll have to try the chopsticks thing too, although i'm picturing myself covered in food! ahh, practice will make perfect.

anonymous from australia :)

Heather said...

Jenelle, do you read The Fitnessista (http://www.fitnessista.com)? She is a personal trainer and works out every single day. I know you're trying to find what works for you (and that, of course, is something that is personal because something different works for everyone else) but she talks a lot about proper fueling for fitness. Figured you might enjoy her blog!

Jenelle said...

Thanks for that link Heather! It's full of lots of great info. I'm always trying to figure out what works for others and kind of experiment on myself. Since I've started eating more food/planning more calorie-dense meals my workouts have felt SO much better.

Fitnessista's breakfast cookies look OUT OF THIS WORLD. Gotta try those :)

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