For the past week and a half I've been having an all fruit smoothie before dinner. Something to help fill me up and give me my fruit intake for the day. I HATE bananas and can only tolerate them in smoothies. My at home recipe varies a bit but I'm sure this one is delish!
Ingredients:
• 2 frozen, ripe bananas
• 1 mango, peeled and sliced
• 10 ounces calcium fortified orange juice
• 1 cup low fat or fat free vanilla or mandarin orange yogurt
Preparation:
Cut banana into chunks. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, thin with a little more orange juice. Pour into 4 glasses.
Per Serving: Calories 150, Calories from Fat 8, Total Fat 0.8g (sat 0.4g), Cholesterol 2mg, Sodium 29mg, Carbohydrate 32g, Fiber 1.9g, Protein 3.4g
ENJOY!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Date Night
Spending one whole hour on cardio equipment is not my idea of a date.
Yesterday afternoon my husband and I were texting and making plans for the night.
Him: “You goin to the gym?”
Me: “Yep…You?
Him: “Yep..It’s a date!”
In the Pursuit of Tight Bodiness, I’ve been working on changing my ideas of quality time with my honey. It used to be dinners downtown, taste testing every sorbet in Cold Stone Creamery before we order what we really went in there for, and savoring a cheeseburger and cheese fries from the local Portillo’s. But now, we bond on the bike, swap sweat on the treadmill and end up in a nice horizontal position…on the seated squat machine. We are both pretty athletic and competitive(him more than me) so him challenging me gives me that extra push. I can’t complain because anytime we’re working together is a good time (even without the company of French fries).
To an extent, I guess my connection with food does stem back to my childhood. Life events, big and small, were celebrated over food. My parents, brothers and sister are naturally thin and never really gained much weight during my formative years. Just me.I guess by me being the youngest for so long, they basically gave me whatever I wanted. They probably got a kick out of seeing me chew! I can hear them now, saying “Wow! Look at her go”Lol.. I dunno.
Whatever the case may be, I have a standing “date night” with hubby and L.A. Fitness!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Thoughts from 2007..contd
... Another great memory, that severed my relationship with doctors, was formed during those routine physicals for school. I’ll never forget sitting inside that cold, smelly little examining room and in walks the doctor. A square-built Indian woman, she took her cold stethoscope and put it on my chubby chest and listened. She had me do about twenty jumping jacks and reach for the sky, then touch my toes. Then she’d listen again. All good. At the end of the examination, she told me I needed to loose some weight. Why? So I wouldn’t be one of those fat girls going to prom. Yes, she did. I believe I was in third or fourth grade and already she was talking about prom. That same doctor suggested to my mom that I go on a diet. And so I did. I was drinking skim milk and eating lunchmeat, instead of fried chicken, and all that.
The real problem was that I ate too often. My grandmother babysat me and after I got out of school everyday she would have cooked beef tips, fried chicken, lima beans, cube steak, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, or cornbread (all from scratch, none of that box stuff). So of course she’d make me a plate and I would sit in the kitchen and eat, and eat. When I was done, I’d put up my plate and we would watch The People’s Court with Judge Wapner. She’d shake her head and call the judge, plaintiff and defendant stupid. I thought it was hilarious.
I was the baby of the family for 9 years before my great little brother was born, but for those first 9 years of my life things basically went my way. My dad was my number one target. I loved the days he picked me up from grandma’s house. One because he picked me up really early. As much as I loved grandma I was always glad to go home. The second reason was because we almost never went straight home. Sometimes we’d go to my brother and sisters high school to watch their basketball games, to Montgomery Wards, or to the baseball park. No matter where we went, there was a treat in it for me. If we went to the basketball games I knew afterwards I’d get a big, juicy gyro with French fries from our favorite greasy spoon restaurant. If we went to Montgomery Wards in Evergreen Plaza, I knew I would get the most delicious chocolate chip and pecan cookies I’d ever tasted and I’d wash it all down with a cherry ICEE. If we went to the baseball park, of course the ice cream truck was ALWAYS around, so I’d get my Bomb pop, Choco-Taco, or whatever ice cream had a bubble gum eye. Umm, even the memories taste good.
Whenever my dad’s team did well in the playoffs, the baseball league would reward them with a trip to Shakey’s buffet. And I was right there joining in on the celebration. I’d get my favorites, meatballs and mashed potatoes with gravy, sausage pizza, cheese fries, and chicken all on one plate. Even to this day when I go to buffets I have to at least get cheese fries. Of course, my dad didn’t say anything because I was a kid and kids have strange eating habits. They love something one day, and hate it when their big sister or a school friend says “ You eat that? You nasty”.
The real problem was that I ate too often. My grandmother babysat me and after I got out of school everyday she would have cooked beef tips, fried chicken, lima beans, cube steak, spaghetti, mashed potatoes, or cornbread (all from scratch, none of that box stuff). So of course she’d make me a plate and I would sit in the kitchen and eat, and eat. When I was done, I’d put up my plate and we would watch The People’s Court with Judge Wapner. She’d shake her head and call the judge, plaintiff and defendant stupid. I thought it was hilarious.
I was the baby of the family for 9 years before my great little brother was born, but for those first 9 years of my life things basically went my way. My dad was my number one target. I loved the days he picked me up from grandma’s house. One because he picked me up really early. As much as I loved grandma I was always glad to go home. The second reason was because we almost never went straight home. Sometimes we’d go to my brother and sisters high school to watch their basketball games, to Montgomery Wards, or to the baseball park. No matter where we went, there was a treat in it for me. If we went to the basketball games I knew afterwards I’d get a big, juicy gyro with French fries from our favorite greasy spoon restaurant. If we went to Montgomery Wards in Evergreen Plaza, I knew I would get the most delicious chocolate chip and pecan cookies I’d ever tasted and I’d wash it all down with a cherry ICEE. If we went to the baseball park, of course the ice cream truck was ALWAYS around, so I’d get my Bomb pop, Choco-Taco, or whatever ice cream had a bubble gum eye. Umm, even the memories taste good.
Whenever my dad’s team did well in the playoffs, the baseball league would reward them with a trip to Shakey’s buffet. And I was right there joining in on the celebration. I’d get my favorites, meatballs and mashed potatoes with gravy, sausage pizza, cheese fries, and chicken all on one plate. Even to this day when I go to buffets I have to at least get cheese fries. Of course, my dad didn’t say anything because I was a kid and kids have strange eating habits. They love something one day, and hate it when their big sister or a school friend says “ You eat that? You nasty”.
Thoughts from 2007...
This morning when I got up, I went to the bathroom and got on the scale. The same thing I do every morning. I guess I do this in hopes of loosing 10 pounds in my sleep. I’m not really fat, but I could stand to snore off a couple of lbs. I’ve been going to Bally off and on for about a year now and I’ve seen improvement. But what’s better is that everyone else has seen improvements. They say “Ohh girl, you look little”, “How much weigh DID you loose” or my favorite “You’re lookin’ a lil slenderized”. That one was from my line sister.
Before I get in the shower I check my body for any “changes”. A saggyer boob, an extra booty dimple or jiggly old lady arms. Same thing. Every morning. As I get ready for work I put on my clothes and once again, do a self-check. I check my butt in my jeans, do that breast hoist we do, and finally I smooth it out. Perfect!
I’ve never been thin in my life. I was always a little taller, chubbier, and darker than all my friends. But of course I developed my personality to compensate for everything else. I don’t know when this whole weight obsession began, but there were many memories that were branded into my mind. For example, I was in fourth grade and my very best friend was build like a thoroughbred stallion way back in 1990. She was thick before the rappers and video girls appreciated “thickness”. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t. I was the tall, high waisted, flat-bootyed one. One of my oh-so-mature classmates told me “Ain’t nobody looking at you, you don’t have no shape”. Shape? I was 9 years old.
There have been numerous times when my mom or sister would tell me the infamous “McDonalds” story. They’d say every day before my mom went to work she’d leave my lunch money. Keep in mind I was about 3 or 4 years old. She’d inform my sister or brother to take me to McDonalds for lunch. When we got to McDonalds, they would ask me what I wanted and my answer was always “Cheeseburger, French Fry, Pop”. Everytime. I believe that my generation was the first to be the “fast food kids”. McDonalds Happy Meals, Popeyes chicken, and Burger King were convenient for our busy, working mothers who just needed to give us something that would hold us over until dinner. And having a kid in the backseat scream for chicken nuggets every time you go past the golden arches doesn’t give a parent much of an option to disregard the annoying requests.
Before I get in the shower I check my body for any “changes”. A saggyer boob, an extra booty dimple or jiggly old lady arms. Same thing. Every morning. As I get ready for work I put on my clothes and once again, do a self-check. I check my butt in my jeans, do that breast hoist we do, and finally I smooth it out. Perfect!
I’ve never been thin in my life. I was always a little taller, chubbier, and darker than all my friends. But of course I developed my personality to compensate for everything else. I don’t know when this whole weight obsession began, but there were many memories that were branded into my mind. For example, I was in fourth grade and my very best friend was build like a thoroughbred stallion way back in 1990. She was thick before the rappers and video girls appreciated “thickness”. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t. I was the tall, high waisted, flat-bootyed one. One of my oh-so-mature classmates told me “Ain’t nobody looking at you, you don’t have no shape”. Shape? I was 9 years old.
There have been numerous times when my mom or sister would tell me the infamous “McDonalds” story. They’d say every day before my mom went to work she’d leave my lunch money. Keep in mind I was about 3 or 4 years old. She’d inform my sister or brother to take me to McDonalds for lunch. When we got to McDonalds, they would ask me what I wanted and my answer was always “Cheeseburger, French Fry, Pop”. Everytime. I believe that my generation was the first to be the “fast food kids”. McDonalds Happy Meals, Popeyes chicken, and Burger King were convenient for our busy, working mothers who just needed to give us something that would hold us over until dinner. And having a kid in the backseat scream for chicken nuggets every time you go past the golden arches doesn’t give a parent much of an option to disregard the annoying requests.
The Introduction...
It is with great apprehension that I start this blog. I have been talking myself into and out of getting started for two reasons:
1.) I previously had a short lived blog that I haven’t even looked at since 2007 (see http://urbangyrl.blogspot.com/)and
2.) This is a subject that, in so many ways, makes me who I am. Therefore, I don’t want to have another “Urban Gyrl” mishap. I want to share MY story with someone that may have felt or experienced the exact same things I did. This is the "talking myself into it" part.
The first few entries of this blog are from my personal ‘memoir’ that will one day be a major motion picture, or at the very least an amazingly produced and directed made for tv movie(think Queen).
There are no fancy banners, famous bloger endorsements(but shout out to theybf.com…loves it!), or personalized domain names – YET! I have to prove to myself that I can commit to this....much like a.... DIET! *sigh*
Enjoy!
1.) I previously had a short lived blog that I haven’t even looked at since 2007 (see http://urbangyrl.blogspot.com/)and
2.) This is a subject that, in so many ways, makes me who I am. Therefore, I don’t want to have another “Urban Gyrl” mishap. I want to share MY story with someone that may have felt or experienced the exact same things I did. This is the "talking myself into it" part.
The first few entries of this blog are from my personal ‘memoir’ that will one day be a major motion picture, or at the very least an amazingly produced and directed made for tv movie(think Queen).
There are no fancy banners, famous bloger endorsements(but shout out to theybf.com…loves it!), or personalized domain names – YET! I have to prove to myself that I can commit to this....much like a.... DIET! *sigh*
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)