Sometimes I think the airport is my second home… May 4, 2010

At some point during this cut the cake challenge I remember talking to Bissy on the phone and telling her that I wish for once I would stop thinking about food as a reward. That if I can hold off and eat healthy all week then after our weigh-in on friday morning friday night I can eat whatever I want! I found myself really eating whatever I wanted and it wasn’t all too helpful. I think it’s probably something we all struggle with because I don’t know about you but I love food. I was thinking back to this conversation as I was reading an article just now. I found it really interesting so here is an excerpt I thought I’d share…

We eat for many reasons, and, in more ways than one, “we are what we eat.” Food affects who we are by impacting our mood, energy level, and how we feel.

By looking deeper into the “stomach-mind connection,” we may find harmony and even more health in our food selections. As you’re eating, ask yourself:

• Why I am eating this?
• What are my intentions with this meal?
• What nutritional needs have I yet to meet today?

There are no wrong answers. These questions help bring awareness to your eating habits.

Unhealthy eating patterns are unfair to the “stomach-mind connection” and limit the pleasure found in food (and, oooh, there is so much pleasure!). Deprivation, overeating and restriction can even lead to feelings of fatigue, grouchiness or anxiety. Where’s the pleasure in that?

Sometimes deep down I think this is what I strive for or wish I did. The woman who wrote the article went on to say that it isn’t always healthy to look at food as good and bad choices but more as better choices. What I also liked and found interesting was her comparison of the "fat free" phenomenon of the 90s to the "100 calorie pack" phenomenon we find ourselves in now. I laughed when she said…"who said 100 calories is the magic number?!" What was most thought provoking for me was that she acknowledged that these 100 calories snacks we all focus on (thank you southwest airlines!) aren’t going to have all the nutrients our bodies need and are mostly filled with things our bodies don’t even want…hence why we’re hungry 30 minutes (10 minutes? hah) later…

Food for thought. I don’t know about the rest of you but I am really thankful for cut the cake because in many ways it’s opened my eyes more to what I eat and why I eat it. I’m not always going to be perfect, nor should I be, but I appreciate that this whole thing has made me think about things more.

For now, I’m sitting in the Denver airport on my way to Dallas just for the day tomorrow for work. I’ve tried to bring some nutrituous snacks along the way so I don’t cave when I land and go for something incredibly unhealthy. But alas, I hear they have great tex mex near my hotel and I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist!

If you’re interested in more from that article or others check out lunabar.com!

Hello again Family! :) April 16, 2010

So this was an exciting week, for three reasons. First, I finished my first sewing project! It’s a cute little brown and pink tote bag w/ a colorful floral lining. I do have to admit I am pretty proud of myself. The second reason, I finished my second half marathon (see photo below) this time 5 minutes faster than my last. Also exciting! I have to say I was mildly dissapointed because believe it or not I was ready to be 10 minutes faster but I had been sick all morning w/ a stomach bug and around mile 10 my body was not happy with me. But, oh well that just means I might have run another one next month to break the two hour mark! woo hoo! The last exciting thing that happened this week: Jen & Bobba’s wedding invitiations! Although I was tipped off the day before by my dear mother that I might be getting mine it was still very exciting once it came!

So family, with less than two months to go lets keep with it!! It’ll make all that cake on June 12th that much sweeter

Strange Americans @ The Oriental Theater April 3, 2010

Hello Family!!

Since there hasn’t been a cut the cake post in quite some time I thought I’d share a picture (or two) from Trent’s show last night! In Denver on the first friday of every month there is a First Friday Art Walk. So, Trent and his band the Strange Americans played an early gig while art goers were looking at different pieces that people had out to show last night. It was a great crowd that turned out for their little gig and I think they really impressed a lot of people (so proud!). In other news with easter tomorrow I hear the family is going to La Diablita, so fun . As for Trent and I we’re going to the early Easter service at 8am to beat the crowds and then over to one of my bible study friends house for easter brunch at Noon. It will be fun and relaxing. My race is next weeked so more pictures to come of my at the finish line hopefully!

Love to you all

img 2722

img 2719

img 2744

Winter Blues? February 9, 2010

So, a month into the "cut the cake" I’ve been starting to feel a little lag if you will in my drive to stay focused. Slightly frustrating only a month in; but I’m guessing that those of you who are snowed in must not be having the easiest time either! I told my mom on the way home from work that I should be thankful for "cut the cake" because most winters especially in Colorado I’ve noticed that with the snowy and cold winter weather in the mountains after I finish skiing I’m in total hibernation mode – I want pizza! So – at least cut the cake can keep me from gaining the winter lbs. Well, I decided that was all the debbie downer ideas I needed I was not going to give myself permission just to stay the same. I am currently at my pre-holiday weight so I feel like much of my battle has just begun because I’ve been trying to successfully fall under 160 for at least a year now. Can’t this finally be my chance? Enter, the platte river half marathon. It runs from Littleton, Co (near my work!) to the Buckhorn Exchange: the oldest restuarant in denver, w/ the first official liquor license and also as seen on Man vs. Food! Anyway, some of my friends had decided to do it and had been asking if I wanted to I kept saying yes but still couldn’t quite find the motivation to get my training together. My friend M.C. stated the obvious last night, Martha – you know you won’t get focused until you sign up and then there is no turning back! So, I signed up. I have 8 weeks (pretty much the shortest amt of time possible) and although I haven’t stopped running because of my goal this year to run through the winter (outside!) I’m still slightly nervous. But, I haven’t backed down from a challenge yet and w/ some of the triathalons I’d like to accomplish this summer what a better way to start out the year. So people! Here goes nothing! (By the way I’m secretly excited for the Buckhorn Exchange food at the finish line, woo hoo!) http://buckhornexchange.com/history.php

On a side note, I’m jealous of all the snow. We did get 6 inches sunday/monday – but that 6 inches looks like it’s turning into 20 for you people! no fair! I hope you’re sledding down the streets!!!

A little science? (aka, the longest post ever) January 22, 2010

So a couple weeks ago when I was talking on the phone w/ auntie and we were talking about our awesome blog she mentioned how do you know how many calories you’re supposed to eat in a day to lose weight. I told her there was a formula – but then I forgot to post it! Anyway, from my research over the past couple years (and perhaps some of you already know all this mumbo jumbo) there is something called our BMR or our basal metabolic rate. Basically this is the amount of calories your body needs to sit on the couch all day and do nothing. So if your BMR was 1500 then you eat 1500 calories and do nothing all day and still weigh the same. To calculate BMR use these formulas:

Women: BMR=655+(4.35xweight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
Men: BMR= 66+ (6.23 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

Unfortunately (or fortunately) none of us just sit on the couch all day so we have to take into consideration our activity level too. Take your BMR level and use the Harris Benedict Equation for the next part (yes i copied and pasted this!):

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

So, in order to lose weight you need to eat 500 calories less. The reason for that is because there are about 3500 calories in 1 pound of fat. So, if you ate 500 less calories each day for 7 days, it would equal the 3500 less calories required to lose 1 pound. (500 x 7 = 3500) I’m sure I learned this in gym class in high school when I wasn’t paying attention!

The other exciting part to this is that we do exercise! (At least we try to) So you’re burning calories when you’re working out too. The basic idea is that you want to create this 500 calorie deficit. So for me when I calculate my BMR i get 1553.1 calories. Once I calculate in my activity level which for the time being I used as moderate I come up with 2400. So, to lose weight I need to either continue along my same 3-5 day exercise path and eat 1900 calories OR continue to eat 2400 calories but amp up my exercise so that I can burn an additional 500 calories just by running my BUTT off .

Of course as all you south beachers out there know it’s not all about focus on how many calories something has but the carbs you eat too. You know in the summer when you have a delicious pork sandwich sloppy w/ bbq sauce with beans and watermelon and everything yummy you can think of…and then 2 hours later you fall asleep? The higher the carbs then the higher the glucose levels will be which means depending on the glycemic index (if it’s high too) the glucose will go into the bloodstream so fast that your body will spike and in two hours it will fall – what kind of energy is that?! That’s why the south beach diet focuses so much on the good carbs w/ low glycemic index so that your body gets good energy afterall your body needs carbs for energy and then it needs good proteins (chx, nuts, avocado) to build all that muscle and make your body lean after exercise! The reason south beach is oh so successful is because it’s giving you the right carbs – you know the ones that keep you going not the ones that make you oh so tired and sluggish. SO if we eat the right # of calories BUT we eat bad carbs that really does us no good in the long run. Or, if we eat the right carbs but so many that we eat too many calories, that gets us no where too! I mean clearly 1500 cals of chicken and 1500 cals of oreos is the same in terms of weight but in terms of life? And then if we don’t eat protein we’d just be FLABBY!! (lol). I guess it really is a balance huh?

So, all in all it’s about the calories but it’s also about the ones you choose to eat to fuel your body. As most of us crazy Halls we were raised to LOVE food not for it’s purpose (fuel!) but because it tastes soooo goood. Maybe with this crazy cut the cake blog we can all get better at realizing that the foods we eat are what keep us going for better (good foods!) or worse (bad foods!) cus heaven knows we’ve ALL been on both sides of that see-saw.

Hopefully I don’t go on like grandpa (love you grandpa) – this was my best explanation from stuff I’ve researched while training for races or from nutrition classes.

Some Colorado Exercise! January 12, 2010

One of the things I wanted to do every since I moved here has been snowshoeing. I FINALLY got the chance to go this weekend with my old roomate Kelly. I drove up to Ft. Collins (where she now lives) and we drove out to Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, CO and did a great snowshoe trail near Bear Lake. Apparently, you burn approx. 544 calories an hour snowshoeing…woah! Hopefully this made up for my biscuit slip for dinner on friday night at Denver Biscuit Company (oopss…). Anyway, it was SO much fun! It was just so great to be hiking through the snow in the winter – i love to hike so to be able to do it in the winter is just awesome! Here are some pics of me and Kelly on our snowshoeing adventure! Oh…and no we didn’t see any animals…except one bird, and a southwest plane up above!

A little inspiration? January 6, 2010

One of my resolutions this year was to run through the winter (outside). I’ve never been very good at that but it’s always such a pain to build up endurance again in the spring. It’s been harder than I thought! As with most nights this week I’ve wanted to go to the gym this week after work – a bit lofty considering I’ve worked out in the morning too. I tried again tonight but realized I’d forgotten my shoes which was a bummer because I didn’t exercise this morning. Trent and I had dinner tonight and he said why don’t I for a run outside? I basically told him he he was nuts: it’s snowing and it’s 10 degrees. When I got back home I was sitting on the couch, bored, and thought – why not? So I did it. I wore all my warmest clothes and I ran 3 miles in 10 degree weather in 3 inches of snow. There were moments where I thought I was completely insane but there is always great joy in running in the snow because everything is quiet. This is certainly not a habit but a little sense of adventure I suppose. So for my sweet mommy it’s 30 degrees in baltimore – you can do it!
love you all!

one more posting for the day… (now that i know how to do it) January 4, 2010

Okay, so I will confess I did not go to the gym tonight. BUT I did work out w/ Jillian Michaels this morning. So, I figure aim high and I’ll be sure to exercise once. I have two reasons for this blog post (1) to share a yummy salad dressing recipe and (2) to publicly state that when I go to bible study tonight w/ my girlfriends I will NOT partake in our weekly treat. But, back to number one…It’s a cumin-lime dressing: 2tbsp fresh lime juice, 1tbsp olive oil, 1tbsp honey, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1/8 tsp ground cumin. Usually cooking light gives nurtrition facts but I don’t have them this time. Anyway, it was SO GOOD w/ some fresh greens, about a quarter of an avocado and maybe a 1/8th of the can of black beans…proteins, good fat, and deliciousness . Jillian Michaels in the morning.

Back in Denver January 4, 2010

Hello Family! So, I have finally figured out how to make a post, woo hoo! After lots of traveling I’m finally back in Denver (w/ mixed feelings). Anyway, Chicago was great lots of YUMMY & not so healthy food but hey it was vacation! Everytime I go back to that city I fall in love all over again, good times there. I tried to find the apartment i almost lived in but to no avail. Well once I got back home and weighed myself I finally rang in after two weeks of minimal exercise and pretty much eating whatever I wanted 5 pounds heavier than I was before I left. It’s actually been harder to get back into a normal exercise routine than I thought it would be. The eating part has been pretty easy but I just have wanted to sleep and veg out, perhaps that was necessarily after being so on the go. Anyway, tomorrow morning I’m starting out w/ Jillian Michaels! We shall see how this goes – with Denver basically being one big sheet of ice I’m even hesitant to break out the new ice running shoes because it’s so darn slick out there. We shall see. If I’m adventurous I’ll get some cardio at the gym after work tomorrow too – maybe this will make me accountable just putting in print! Here are some pics to share from my trip… love to all! (hope this works )