Nutty for Coconut Oil

It all started innocently enough...on Pinterest. If you are like me, crazy things happen when start pinning things: recipes, makeup ideas, home decor, crafty picture frame making out of newspaper and old buttons, ect. You know, you've probably been sucked into that time trap known as Pinterest! Anyhoo, here I am searching away for healthy stuff. I find coconut oil. Innocent.

So, a month later, I am now putting coconut oil in my cappucino and coffee, in my shakes, in the skillet when I cook, on my eyes to remove makeup, on my skin to moisturize, on my hair to condition... The list goes on. Below are some FAQs I've answered for friends recently who have recognized my love of coconut oil (and may think I'm just nuts).

 

What are the possible benefits of coconut oil? It may help with digestion, metabolism, skin condition, hair growth and repair, immunity, help stop tooth decay, among many others. The list is actually quite long.

Does coconut oil taste like coconuts? No, it doesn't. It really doesn't taste like anything. There is just this faint coconut smell. I can mix it in anything but not taste coconuts, which is actually a little disappointing as I love coconut!

Doesn't it make you greasy if you put it on your body? Nope. The interesting thing about coconut oil is that it is a liquid above 75 degrees. Once I scoop some into my fingers, it starts to liquidize. It isn't greasy, and smooths onto skin or in hair easily. 

How much do you consume? For me, personally, I have 1-2 Tbsp a day. I've read that you really need 3 Tbsp to reap the benefits. 

What have you experienced? I love how shiny and soft it makes my hair and how silky it makes my skin. My husband has very dry, irritated skin, and I've noticed his skin is finally starting to heal. AS far as internal health, I haven't noticed any differences, but I love the richer texture it adds to my coffee and shakes. It seems to fill me up too. 

Verdict: It is not causing harm so I'm going to keep using it and expanding my uses of it!

Hello, Old Friend

The black bag is back... Chocolate Shakeology! I've missed this old friend! After months of Tropical Strawberry, I was just ready to go back to a flavor that brings comfort and richness to my tastebuds. Anyone who knows this flavor knows it is full of decadent, bold chocolately deliciousness. I'm looking forward to sharing some of my old recipes and hopefully come up with some yummy new ones.

I was bummed to discover I was out of coconut as I really wanted to whip up an Almond Joy-inspired shake in my nifty Ninja. Instead, I settled on my Tangy Black Cherry Chocolate shake.

Tangy Black Cherry Chocolate

1 scoop of Beachbody's Chocolate Shakeology
1 T chia seed
1/2 container of Chobani Black Cherry Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze
water and ice

Blend and sip. Or chug. Whatever works for you! Enjoy!

Bringing back this healthy friend really helps me refocus on eliminating those unhealthy habits I have gotten into. I'm excited to go "old school" with some HipHop Abs and throw down some Turbo Fire before derby practice. I also have the Roller Derby workout I need to get into. I'm loaning my classic pound-dropper, Turbo Jam, to a dear friend and hope it brings her the same weight loss ass-kicking joy it did me.

Bite Me, Thursday!

I have dear friend...Lose It! This little app is such a pal, helping me track the good, bad and ugly. Yesterday was mix of all 3 of these nasty little adjectives. I'll share with you the details. Unfortunately, I can't do a screen shot with my Droid, so you really have to visualize here. And...why does it feel like I'm standing in the middle of a room full of strangers in a swimsuit? Hmmm...

Thursday June 7, 2012 Calorie Budget of 1,551

1,416 (consumed)-147 (burned)= 1,269

Breakfast: 

morning sugar free cappucino with half and half (bad)

quaker oats with cinnamon (good)

Snack: 

Greek yogurt (good)

Lunch: 

1 organic cheese enchilada (good)

handful of baby tomatoes (good)

Snack:

spinach/pineapple smoothie with almond milk and chia seed (good)

Dinner:

2 corn tortillas (bad?)

grilled chicken (good)

bell pepper and onions (good)

cilantro lime light sour cream (not sure)

Snack:

1.5 T natural peanut butter (can be both good and bad)

And...the ugly. Half of a red velvet cupcake. BUT I did just eat half! And boy, did I take my time! I call it "making loving" to my food lol. Kind of a silly joke around the house. When it comes to desserts, which I LOVE, I eat them slowly, savoring each sweet bite. My husband...he does something else with his. Let's just say he can eat a whole cupcake in a minute. ;)

My goals yesterday were to eat smaller portions and spread them out over the day so that I have 3 small snacks and 3 "regular meals." I tried to balance it, but there is a lot of improvement. Below is a picture of the breakdown of nutrition. I record food-related things on a white board that hangs on the pantry door. 

In the top pic, you can see what my basic goals were. The grams are off a bit. I'm trying to really figure out what the balance really is. In the bottom pic, I've documented my breakdown. Blue indicates that I was in the range I was aiming for. I put it in red if it was not where I wanted it to be. Obviously, I need less fat and more protein. That's my goal today!

Scary Changes to Fresh Changes

The last time I really saw myself as a truly, all-out unhealthy person was back when my drawers were full of size 18 matronly, dowdy garb, my pantry was full of Little Debbie, and my idea of working out was 5 minutes of sweating through a dvd warm-up and then sitting on a stability ball the other 40! Not a pretty picture.

I saw myself that way again. And not in the mirror. It was reflected in my blood work report from the lab last week. I saw everything from macrocytic anemia to a toxic liver to high cholesterol (and not the good kind). I was convinced that it was a mix-up. Then I knew that was unlikely, and I cried. Finally, I really looked at my diet the past half a year. Back in January, I made a drastic change: I went on the Belly Fat Cure.

Now, I'm not about to talk smack about BFC or Jorge Cruise. I loved the plan. The science behind it made sense to me, and I was tired of counting points ala Weight Watchers and figuring up calories and fat grams. BFC sang to me because it was different! I jumped on it and didn't look back. Until now.

My current issues may be totally unrelated, but having gone from years of healthier, lower fat eating to low card, low sugar eating with higher fats and then seeing, for the first time ever, these issues just tells me that the common sense, balanced, "clean" eating is the best. I didn't want to think about common sense. I wanted a quick fix to drop 10 pounds when I started BFC. 

I'm going to continue to watch my sugars and add back in complex carbohydrates while focusing on whole foods, natural foods and cleaner, less processed foods. I realized as I looked through clean eating recipes how much my body has been craving fruits and other pure foods, which I had pretty much abandoned. I just haven't been listening. It has my attention now!

So I traded my Belly Fat Cure books for a Clean Eating cookbook. I've thrown my meal plan for the remainder of the week in the trash and am starting over. I'm not sure what I am going to do with the 2 cartons of eggs, the heavy whipping cream, the bacon, ect. Trash, I guess. Better there than wasting away another day in my body. 

I urge everyone to be really careful when making eating choices. I felt good! I felt healthy! I work out almost daily. I journal everything I eat. It looked like I was doing "the right thing." I'm 35 with high cholesterol?! It could happen to anyone. 

The good news is that I can change it. And that fresh change starts today.

Smart Phone Addict?

I love my smart phone. I'm probably an addict. I will admit this, but forget about any 12 step programs because I'm not giving up my precious Android!! And now I've discovered a Blogger app?! Yes!
I know I'm not the only 'phone practically up the ass' person out there. In fact, how many of you are reading this on your phone now? :) Yeah, that's what I thought.
I just want to share a few of my most-used and favorite apps:
LoseIt! I use this to track what I eat, mostly for sugars and carbs. I love the weight loss graph it creates too. Plus I can create and store recipes. Nifty.
AllRecipes. I never use the 'dinner spinner,' but I love that I can enter search requirements and come up with rated recipes tailored to what I have in the pantry and fitting our nutritional needs.
DietPoint. I started this for meal plans, but now I enjoy the forum more than anything. I can ask questions and get answers, share recipes and even help others. It adds the community aspect back into getting healthy without attending meetings.
Horoscope. Yeah, I read them. I also call them Horriblescopes because they are such a joke. But who doesn't need a laugh first thing in the morning. Today I'm meeting an alluring person who may be a bad influence. Really? Because my car is broken down, and I'm hanging out in the house with 2 kids and a cat all day.
Facebook. Yes, I saved the best for last. I'm such a sucker for my groups. Low carb, roller derby, teaching, Christian, ect. And how can I resist being such a spy on my friends' lives? ( Now I don't go out there seeking...they post it for me to read! Not creepy!)
What are YOUR favorites and why? I still have room on my phone for more, after all!

Should You Be Eating That?

 *a little dramatic and fictionalized to make a point...no one get your boxers in a bunch*

 With a simple announcement, every bum, large and small, lifts from chairs and makes their way to what never fails to be a buffet of treats...donuts, mini candy bars, muffins, sodas and more. "Ok, people. Let's take a 10 minute break. Get up, walk around, have some of the delicious snacks Mrs. J provided us."

Ahhh, what to do, what to do.

I stand, I stretch, and I think... "I work out almost every day. I eat healthy foods as much as I can. I drink water. I'm losing these last few pounds, and I feel great. Half a donut is not going to break me. I know I can get right back on track and continue on my path to health and fitness."

And so I meander over to the buffet, tearing a donut in half and taking a few mini candy bars to snack on during the presentation. I grab another water bottle and head back to my table... But what is it that I hear from behind me???

"Oh, I can't believe she is going to eat that! After all the work she has done!" I keep moving.
"I'm pretty sure that isn't in her diet plan!" It isn't a diet, but whatever.
"Only half a donut? And water? Guess she is trying to show us up!" Eye rolling at this point, right?
"I knew that this health kick was never going to stick." Oh, what they don't know...

And then there are the comments made to my face... Which are worse? Who can tell?

"So, I see you've given up on that health thing." Noooo.... half a donut is not giving up. It is a calculated choice made amongst many more healthier choices. It isn't the end of the world. It is a fried piece of dough. Big difference.

"You know you are going to have to go back and get that other half." No, I don't know that at all. I know how to stay in control. This is a choice, not a requirement or some uncontrollable urge. Geez.

"You're going to regret eating that when you get on the scale." Really? Like you will regret the 2 donuts on your plate or like you will regret not joining me in trying to get in better health and fitness when I offered to be your accountability buddy?

The commentary could go on and on. And although this exact situation is fictional, I have experienced some of these things in different settings and situations. The point is, people sometimes try to knock you down, make you doubt yourself, weaken you with comments. It happens. If you are trying to get healthier and fit, expect it from someone., maybe even your family members. Maybe it is jealousy. Maybe they are truly concerned for you and this is how they show it. I don't know, but I do know that you have to keep your head up. Words are words. Your actions, your choices, your determination and drive...these things are what will make a difference in YOU at the end of the day. :)

Shakeology

I have just loved experimenting with my Shakeology, creating new recipes and trying new combinations of fruits and milks. I've been using Shakeology for 2 weeks now, and I had to get used to how green the Greenberry really was. I just wasn't expecting something that tasted so natural and raw. Now that I am used to it, I love it1 There are so many ways to add flavor excitement to my Shakeology meals.

My favorite recipe by far must be for the Key Lime Dream. Basically, I add 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 a cup light vanilla yogurt, the juice of 1 lime, water and my Greenberry Shakeology. Heavenly!

Today, however, I add to my health journey with the Shakeology 3 day Cleanse. I'm nervous about it and am afraid I will end up caving and going off the plan within a day or so. I know, it isn't positive thinking. It's just 3 days, right? :)

I will update each day so you know how it goes! Time to whip up shake #1!