I think we all know by now that not all fats are created equal.  There are fats and then there are, well, fats. The good fats are monounsaturated fats (or MUFAs).  MUFAs are found in plant foods such as olives, avocados, nuts, oils such as olive oil and safflower oil, and chocolate.*

One serving of a MUFA rich food with each meal can actually help you lose weight and get healthier!  Really!  In order for MUFAs to work their magic, though, you must pay attention to serving size:

One serving equals:

oil:  1 T

avocado: 1/4 c.

olives:  10 large

nuts: 2 tablespoons

chocolate: 1/4 cup (must be dark or semi-sweet--no cheating!*) 

Here's a recipe I've come up with that is tasty and will help you get your MUFAs.  Serving size: 1/3 cup.

Creamy Avocado Salad

1/2 ripe avocado, diced

1/2 small tomato, diced

10 black olives, sliced

lots of chopped chives

1 tablespoon bleu cheese crumbles

1 tablespoon ranch dressing.

Toss together and serve as a MUFA-rich side dish. 

Makes about three servings 

Whenever I have a difficult decision to make, I like to give it the three day rule.  Usually, it's about spending money (do I really need that beautiful hand crafted pie safe?) or ministry related (should I teach Sunday School just because I've always taught Sunday School or should I step aside?).

Three days gives me time to think and pray and ask advice.

Regarding the Brown Plate Special, the three days gave me time to think and pray and re-evaluate.  

I've decided that this will be my last Brown Plate Special post, for a host of reasons. 

The Brown Plate Special was an experiment to see if, by controlling portion size and following a few guidelines, a middle aged girl like me could cook and eat the way I love to cook and eat and manage to stop the slow weight gain and even shed a few pounds.  Doing only that, I managed to lose 4 pounds in two weeks.  But after that, the weight loss slowed to a halt until I added exercise (granted, not an original part of the experiment).  But weight loss was still slower that I hoped and so I began to read about diet and exercise and aging.  I began to learn about blood chemistry, adrenal fatigue, insulin resistance and pre-diabetes and realized that I needed to make more changes than just the size of my plate.

And so last week, there were a whole lot fewer carbs on the ol' brown plate and the ones that did make it to the plate were in the form of complex carbohydrates--that's right, VEGETABLES.  No pasta, rice, potatoes or bread.  As always, no dessert.  But I added protein snacks twice a day.

And I lost 3.5 pounds.  And all of a sudden I wasn't doing the Brown Plate Special anymore. 

My goals have changed, too.  Before I just wanted to be able to do what I wanted to do (cook like I always have and eat what I like) but now I just want to be healthy.  My energy, stamina, endurance, and flexibility have increased dramatically with regular exercise.  And the Brown Plate really didn't have anything to do with that. 

So, sayonara, Brown Plate Special!  It was a fun experiment, but your time is over; portion control is only part of my health and fitness regime.

Thanks to everyone who played along, especially Ellen, who encouraged me beyond words. 

I lost 1.5 pounds last week, so I've be able to get rid of my hospital weight gain.  Yippee!  It took just less than 4 days to gain three pounds and almost two weeks to lose it!  Moral of the story:  do not go backwards!  Even a disappointing .5 pound a week or no loss at all is better than a weight gain!

Here are my stats for the past week:

The past week's weight loss--1.5 pound.

Total weight loss--7.5 pounds.

Fitness Averages per day:

average miles per day:  1.57

average calories burned per treadmill workout: 168 (tallied only during the treadmill portion plus whatever is burned during the exercise portion)

carbs burned per treadmill workout: 21.5 (same as above)

speed/incline: I'm still doing the same pre-programmed "total body workout" but I have increased the incline +2 for every programmed cycle throughout the program.

I've also increased the number of workouts with the hand weights and exercise ball and have added some new sets.  I'm surprised at how much I am beginning to look forward to working out. I worked outside in the yard for over three solid hours this weekend and I could really tell the difference. Between the new medicine that is controlling my arrhythmias and my increased level of fitness, I was able to work much longer and without total exhaustion.

I'm still disappointed at the slow weight loss.  Therefore, there will be fewer carbs in the form of pasta, rice, potatoes, and bread on the old brown plate this week.  I know, I know.  The idea was portion control, not deprivation, but it seems that carbs continue to be my downfall, even in smaller portions.

Is it Monday already?

Last week, I was just coming home from the hospital, so I didn't post up a progress report.  Believe it or not, I gained three pounds while I was languishing in the hospital.  I didn't over eat, I didn't snack, I didn't eat bread or dessert, but I didn't get enough exercise while I was there.

This week, I have managed to lose two of the three pounds, even though I developed a small pseudo-aneurism after I got home and had to go back to the hospital for an ultrasound.  Until that is healed, I am not to exercise and have to apply ice and stay off it as much as possible.  That situation has improved a great deal, but I still can't exercise.  Bah. 

The moral of the story:  Rabbit had it half right when he told Pooh, "It all comes from eating too much." 

 

I'm sitting here blogging, perched oh-so-carefully atop my exercise ball.  I learned that if you trade your chair for an exercise ball, you can burn up to 350 calories per day (if you work an 8 hour day) with the added benefit of strengthening your core, achieving balance, improving posture and circulation, and just generally getting fitter.*

Know what?  I feel a little silly but once you get used to it, it's very comfortable.  I don't think I'll be sitting on the ball at the drawing board or anything, but I do think I'll keep using it at the computer for awhile. 

If you have an exercise ball, give it a go and let me know what you think. 

*If you have or develop back pain, give up the exercise ball chair.  It can exacerbate some skeletal problems. 

Look what I found at Rosemary's this morning:  a new toy!

This chart was generated at the website, Calorie-Count.com.

To give it a try, I chose a very simple recipe--basic crepes.  Partly because it is a simple and straightforward recipe and partly because I've been making crepes a lot lately (one fits very nicely on my little brown plate).   

106 calories isn't much, is it?  Now, let's compare that to one FILLED Creamy Spicy Sausage Crepe:

Add them both together and one filled crepe--well, you do the math. (Recipe gets an A+, but the filling gets a Nutrition Grade of D+.  Must've been the veggies that saved it from total failure!)

Thanks, Rosemary! 

It's Monday morning again; time to weigh in and post results.

I didn't post my results last week because I was taking a break from blogging, so I'm combining the last two weeks in today's post. 

Two week's weight loss--1 pound. 

Total weight loss--7.0 pounds. 

Fitness Averages per day:

miles per day:  1.11

calories burned per workout: 140 (tallied only during the treadmill portion plus whatever is burned during the exercise portion) 

carbs burned per workout: 17.5 (same as above) 

speed/incline: varies throughout workout.  Highest level 3.5 speed/4.0 incline 

I've worked up to doing one of the preset total body workouts now.  It's a 25 minute program that automatically changes the speed and incline and stops 4 times so you can get off the treadmill and do regular exercises with the exercise ball and hand weights.  Along with the hand weight exercises, I have added abdominal crunches, lunges, ball squats, and a couple of other ones that escape me at the moment.  The whole thing takes about a half hour to complete, but I'm only on the treadmill once a day instead of several, shorter periods.  It'll take some time before I'm able to move to the next preset program--it's 45 minutes long with higher incline and faster speeds, so my fitness numbers will be fairly static for a while.

I can tell a real difference in stamina and endurance and even though my weight loss is slow, I am beginning to exchange fat for muscle.  Muscle weighs more than fat, right?

I confess, though, that my portion size has been sneaking up a little so I'm going to be more careful this week and see if that makes a difference in next week's numbers. 

If you want to join me, click on the image in the side bar.  That'll take you to the first post with all the information.  This is do-able!

Time to weigh in again. 

This week's weight loss--1 pound. 

Total weight loss--6.0 pounds.  That's an average of 1 pound per week.

I was hoping for two pounds per week, but I'm learning to be content and take the long view.  (sigh--keep telling yourself that, Kim!)  I weighed myself earlier in the week and discovered a one pound weight GAIN.  That was pretty upsetting.  So you might say I lost 2 pounds this week, net one.  There.  That sounds better, doesn't it?

On a brighter note, here are my fitness stats averages for the first week:

miles per day:  1.6

calories burned per day:  172

carbs burned per day:   44

minutes on treadmill per day:  26

speed/incline:  level 3 / 2 (or 2.5) incline 

 I'm breaking up my exercise into two or three short sessions (about 10-15 minutes each) so I don't think I'm getting the full benefit that I would if I could do a sustained 30 or 40 minute work out.  I can't really push it on the treadmill until after I have my little heart procedure because after about 10 minutes, my heart rate is in the high 180's and the arrythmias are going crazy.  But I can already tell a big difference in the way I feel, even after just one week.

I've also been doing 6 different upper body weight training exercises with the 2 pound weights, 20 reps each.  After just a week, those are already seeming much easier.

Looks like the ice and snow will be melted away and the dogs and I can get back outside for regular walks soon!

If ever you should be about 10 minutes into a 20 minute walk on the treadmill and you should begin to mentally reorganize the rooms in your basement, imagining all the wonderful space you could find if you simply moved things around; and if ever you should decide the space behind the treadmill is as unorganized and jumbled as the space in front, and begin to wonder how much space could be reclaimed behind you, DON'T PEEK AROUND WHILE YOU ARE WALKING!

You may think only your head is turning but you might find yourself skipping to stay upright and moving forward. 

I'm just saying. . . 

Time to weigh in again with last week's totals: 

This week's weight loss--.5 pounds. 

Total weight loss--5.0 pounds.

Slow but steady.  That's the ticket.  I confess that each week, when I step on the scales I am hoping to repeat the first week's loss of 2 pounds and I suffer a brief moment of disappointment when that doesn't magically materialize on the scales.  But then I remind myself that I didn't gain this weight overnight--it crept up a half pound at a time over years.  Hopefully, it won't take years to get it off.  That's where the treadmill comes in.

I'm really glad we took our time and researched treadmills before we invested in one.  We are delighted with our ProForm 5.0 Crosstrainer.  The whole family has had a chance to try out all the bells and whistles (of which there are many) and we've all been able to find a program that fits our different fitness levels.  Moving from one level or incline to another is effortless, the displays are easy to read, and it keeps track of the time, distance, carbs burned, calories burned, and will display pulse rate.  (I'll be sharing some of those numbers with you next week) I've already added some upper body exercises to my new routine--two 2 pound weights are stored right in the console within easy reach.

I hope I don't sound like a commercial!  The best commercial, I suppose, is stick with it, lose weight and get fit. (Speaking of commercials, though, the ProForm 5.o Cross Trainer is on close out clearance from the manufacturer, with FREE SHIPPING.  Now's a good time if you've been thinking about investing in your family's fitness!)