New Recipe: Almond Butter Banana Oatmeal Protein Cookies

Reblogged from Living Made Healthy:

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When I'm bored or avoiding housework I like to peruse Pinterest. Everyone does right?

Lately, I've really started to miss baking. I haven't really made anything interesting because there is no one to eat them. Obviously I don't want a ton of sweet treats sitting on the counters, and Blake sure as hell doesn't need to eat a whole batch of anything, so I've just haven't made anything.

Read more… 563 more words

These look perfect for when you're "dying" for something sweet but don't want to blow a good workout's hard work! Will try them too and let you all know how I like them - sure I will!

2012 Yearly Wrap Up

Hello and Happy New Year!!!

After taking a short break to my “get crap back together” after the school thing, am very happy to be back and will be blogging again regularly. Missed everyone but have been busy learning new fitness, nutrition, and motivation tips and tricks to help us all!

But first a quick wrap of “2012 Goals Achieved“!

INCHES LOST: I lost 4 inches off my bust, went from 22 to size 16/18 in pants and from 1X to Xlarge and some Large/Medium as well. Sold or Donated 80% (or more) of my clothes and shoes and, except for one shopping trip, have gotten everything but sneakers from Goodwill.

FAT LOST: I lost 15 pounds this year and have kept it off. Went through a cycle of gaining and losing, then plateaued for about 5 months but kept going.

STRENGTH: I am doing much better. Can do 3 rounds of full range of exercises with trainer. Bench press 40 pounds and squatting 60 pounds. Much better endurance and able to run 2 miles easily.

MOTIVATION: I began working in July with an amazing trainer and hit the gym at least 3 times a week now, if not more. That includes fitness classes, strength training, C25K training, and yoga. Also tried P90X with a group.

RUNS ACCOMPLISHED: I completed 3 separate 5K’s this year, up from 1 last year. Also decreased time on the last one – Thanksgiving Day – by 15 minutes!

DIET: This year I struggled with sweets and junk food, especially pastry, but was able to get friends on board with my “healthy eating program”. Also did a great job with food choices during the holiday’s compared to last year, and did a 1 day water cleanse yesterday – even with going to a friend’s gathering a being surrounded with AMAZING FOOD.

BREAKFAST: Eat breakfast every day, use stevia not sugar, cook with cooking spray.

WATER: Drink it like it’s out of style (at least a gallon a day). That, coffee, and protein shakes are all I drink now.

ENDING THE BLAME / GUILT CYCLE: I am finished blaming my weight gain on my condition (1 med a bit of an issue but have overcome it), my mom for passing the condition down, and beating myself up when I slip off the wagon, hit a wall, or fail at something. Now I can accept life as it comes, deal with it, and move on to make healthier, smarter decisions next time. This is a HUGE step for me!

TAKING CARE OF MYSELF FIRST: After the whole “class thing” and backsliding, I have been extra vigilant about self care, meds, preparing healthy meals, eating on time, and getting to the gym. The healthier I am in all areas of my life, the better wife, friend, and overall person I will be. Can’t help others with half a tank!

OTHER GOALS ACHIEVED OF NOTE:

SOCIAL: Went from anxiety/depression central and trapped at home 2 years ago to planning and hosting 3 parties/gatherings this year: a “Harry Potter Movie Marathon and Authentic Menu” Party, “Cocktails/Mocktails” Party, and a “French Country Christmas”. Also captained the 2012 NamiWalk, great success! Am almost anxiety free now and ready to kick another med to the curb! And will be reconnecting and visiting with friends monthly.

EDUCATION: Signed up for and completed 90% of a college class.

FINANCIAL: Also studying and creating a financial plan for my family for next year to knock out our debts. Paid off car and refinanced house this year. Exciting plans for 2013.

Have another set already of goals for 2013, some carried over from 2012, but many new.

Pleased to report that achieved almost everything on our “2012 Vision Board“. So for those of you who don’t know what a vision board is or just haven’t used one – I HIGHLY recommend it! Seeing your goals in color every day and the “check marks” stuck to the one’s you’ve achieved is an incredible motivator. Gives such an amazing feeling of pride and accomplishment. Have a blog entry from January 2012 explaining how to make your own vision board but even if you just create a “2013 Goals List” and display it where you’ll see it every day, then check things off as you do them, you’ll still get those “warm fuzzy feelings”.

So, welcome back everyone! 2013 is a year of challenging myself like never before, beating the sugar monster, and getting in the best health I’ve been in since my late 20′s. And I challenge you to go after your goals and “knock them out of the park” as well! Would love to hear some of your plans and goals for the New Year and your accomplishments in 2012. This is going to be exciting and thrilled you’re along for the Ride!

Related articles

• The Secrets to Realistic New Year’s Resolutions (news.health.com)
• It’s a wrap! A year of running mayhem, by the numbers (strideandjoy.com)
• Yearly Roundup: December 2012 (thedailyquirk.com)
• Setting achievable goals for 2013 (winecountrymom.com)
• 2013: What to do? (letslivehealthily83.wordpress.com)
• Setting Your 2013 Yearly Goals (greenandcleanmom.org)
• 2013: Happy, Healthy, Hot! (eat-spin-run-repeat.com)
• Goals for 2013 (alteregolifestyle.wordpress.com)
• 13 Goals for 2013 (bloomfieldroad.com)
• Looking Back (and Looking Forward) (mylittlereviewcorner.wordpress.com)

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 6,100 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 10 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Here It Comes Again…Saturday Motivation

Get out there, work in here, move that body!!!

Extra Weight Gain? Was FOOD + MEDS…Now back on Track!

First, a very Happy Thanksgiving to all you wonderful folks!!! May this day be special for you however you celebrate it.

As for the extra weight – it’s all gone plus am almost back down to July/Aug weight and plan to end year with another 10 off, in the high 180′s. That’s my goal and am sticking to it.

Didn’t make it to the Turkey Trot 5k but am signing up for a Dec 1 closer 5k. Will be ready to run by that time!

Keeping this one short but sending love and hugs to all of you. Take care and enjoy the day!

 

Extra Weight Gain? Is it Food or Meds? Or What?

I’M UP 5 POUNDS, I FEEL LIKE CRAP, WHAT NOW???

We all know it starts with food – what we eat, how much, frequency, when, etc. Then it goes to activity, water consumption, getting enough sleep, but then it gets murky. In a depression, there’s tons of science about eating more, craving sugary/fatty foods, eating less or not eating. There are tons of factors but many of us end up with extra weight gain and feeling worse about ourselves as we move out of the depression or other episode. Not all, but the “I could care less” during the episode changes pretty quick for me when I look at the scale. The question is: did the depression cause the weight gain or did I gain weight by self medicating with food???? What other factors are in play?

For me, the main culprit has usually been meds. They helped me gain most of the weight, than I helped myself. Took 2 years to titrate (lower dosage) down 1 main culprit and another I was worried about dependency with. Then wham, bad episode, doc ups the “evil weight gain med” and a week later I’m 5 pounds up and feeling like a double failure. The pain of the episode, both mental and physical, pushed me over the edge to self medicate with food. Chicken, egg? The point: the med change helped me so much emotionally I’ve been coming out of the bad funk over the last few days. Have been able to slowly knock the increase back. And the 5 pounds, well with the lower dosage, lots of exercise, cutting back carbs, and increasing protein, not only are they gone, I’m actually back to July/Aug weight.

Lesson: There are so many factors that impact weight gain and loss, but for us on mood meds, they can have a very real impact on our hard work. Some are notorious “weight gainers” and while they help us feel more stable, we look in the mirror and are pretty unhappy with the side effects. What’s critical to remember is that mood stabilization, mental health, and mental safety come first. You can only do so much when you’re in an episode. Once you’re more stable, then you can talk to your doc about the weight issues and what you can safely do to address them. Be good to yourself – hopefully you have a plan in place and support system to call on when needed. If not – DO ONE!!!!! I wouldn’t be here typing away if those two things haven’t been my lifeline for 12 years. Although I’m preaching to many in the choir, hopefully this will shed some light for some others of you.

Huge Shout Out to Sandy Sue for her friendship and amazingly great advice/insight! Hugs!

Related articles

• My Weight Loss Journey From The Effects Of Seroquel (thecybertongue.com)
• Six Reasons for Weight Gain that Have Nothing to Do with What You Eat (healthybodylife.com)
• People Tend To Gain Weight In The Fall (atlanta.cbslocal.com)
• 10 Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain (Illustrated with Puppy Pictures) (fahv.com)
• Struggling to Lose Weight (mytrektohealth.wordpress.com)
• Weight Gain and Antidepressants (everydayhealth.com)
• Why Skipping Meals Undermines Weight Loss (everydayhealth.com)
• The importance of keeping a food diary (drbradshook.com)
• First, solve the hunger. (itsthesatiety.com)

Taking Care of Business

Quick update (and a shout of Thanks to Sandy Sue and other terrific supporters for your words of wisdom!):

- Depression beater 1 million: an hour deep tissue massage. Use a Groupon or online coupon. Hurts like heck during it, but could actually move and stretch again after a few hours. A bit sore today but not unbearable. Don’t be cheap, go for the hour to really hit all the knots depression hides in.

- Projects Help: A Lot!: continuing painting in the dining room and, even without doing trim work, is starting to look pretty amazing. Benefit: a mindfulness exercise, low stress, get in some exercise, but have to pay attention. Which keeps me from obsessing over…well, everything. Also went out and bought fabric for next big stitching project. Last one took 4 solid months. This one looks like about 8. Another mindful, mindless project that yields results to be proud of. Some people garden, cook, do woodwork – I sew.

- You May Gain A Bit of Weight, But You Probably Will Be Able to Lose It: Depression eating isn’t new, heck, many of us overindulge when we’re not depressed. But it’s only during an episode that I’ll make a 9″ pan of brownies and eat it all. We won’t talk about the brownie or cookie dough runs. However, after the initial “food medicating” is past, it takes a bit but one can get back on the horse, and with some initially hard work, lose that weight. Yes, it sucks. Yes, we initially feel even crappier thanks to the scale monster. Yes, we can do this…again. I gained almost 5 pounds in about 2 weeks and lost about .6 in 1 day through heathier eating. Imp: Results may not be typical!!!

- One Sure Fire Sign You’re Coming Out of It: ok, more than 1. You showered today and brushed your teeth. You were able to go back to work. You are back on your healthy eating program. You can stretch, move around, and want to get back to exercising, doing errands, and all that other life stuff. You may not FEEL 100% but you’re moving in the right direction. I’m at the “doing self care, eating better, and ready to get back to exercising”. Yay!

Only you know your “depression remedies” – and hopefully your significant other/support system in case you need reminding. As a rapid cycler, mine are horrible but short lived. If your main diagnosis is depression or you’re a BP1, your episodes may be much longer and require different remedies and much more time for you to see relief. That’s why it’s always so important to contact doc asap to discuss your plan and what you can do to get through this one and help make future one’s shorter and more manageable. I’m not a doc myself but after 14 years on this merry go round, have learned a tad bit. Hope this helps any of your out there or at least was an interesting read!

Related articles

• 6 Ways to Clean House When You’re Depressed (everydayhealth.com)
• Exercise as a Mood-Lifter (everydayhealth.com)
• Common Treatments For Depression (answers.com)
• Winter Preparedness. We Really Will Make It Through! (thecordovatimes.com)
• How to Get Out of Sad (freetobemetoo.wordpress.com)
• Re-set (lookingca.wordpress.com)

I don't need a cheerleader.

Reblogged from Running from Death:

Today, in my news reader, I came across yet-another-blogger who is fits into the "advice" or "coach" genre.  I added the person, even though I know it's unlikely the person will last long.  Each week, I delete one or two of them from my feed and always for the same reason: they present complex problems and answer with ridiculously simple advice.

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This post gave me a lot to think about. Mainly to remember that weight loss, like every endeavor is HARD. It's hard for everyone but in different ways. And it works (or doesn't) for all of us in different ways. There is no 1 miracle diet, no 1 perfect exercise regime, and most importantly, no 1 timeline for accomplishing this or any of goals that are meaningful to us. We WILL have setbacks, there is a learning curve, and some serious soul searching will probably be required. While it's helpful to read different blogs, check out websites, even listen to podcasts (and "friend-casts"), the hard truth is we do have to figure this out for ourselves - what works for us. And to give ourselves a break - or a kick in the pants - as needed. The pithy "this is a marathon, not a sprint" sounds great, but sometimes it's 1 step forward 15 steps back, and that's ok. It really, really is.

How To Start The Next “Do Over”

So, am starting over, again. It’s funny how each new do-over has it differences but it’s similarities as well. Here’s one way to get started…and start to heal.

*  Day 1: shock, depression, can’t stop crying, eat every sugary, fat item in or out of sight

*  Day 2: get off butt, do basic, easy projects (you know the ones that have needed to be done but there just wasn’t time), try to remember to eat, brush teeth, feed dog, all the things that used to be on the “mindless to-do”, leave house to get mail, start step one of major, potentially long term project, plan rest of week

*  Day 3: start major, potentially long term (weeks, months even) project, for example, painting all the baseboards, door casings, chair rails, and doors – in the whole house (except the master and guest bedrooms – they’ve just been done)! It’s been a number of years since a touch up and the high gloss paint will help with resale and just snazz up the place. So in the last two days I did the accent under the chair rail in the dining room (it’s beautiful by the way!), and today did the dreaded “foyer” and the library casing/window lintel/baseboards. Worked for a solid 6 hours, it all looks amazing, and, except for the french doors, is the hardest part of the whole project. Can’t believe how a fresh, bright coat of paint on baseboards and casings makes such a huge difference! Very excited about the dining room – once it’s done and has new, modern power switches and outlets will post pics. Even got out and forced myself to do a few short but important errands. Remembered to eat and take meds. Still haven’t showered, ok, still painting tomorrow.

* Day 4: planned through the weekend, doing a lot of painting, will do under chair rail, got a cheap Groupon for a massage in the afternoon, and will rest a bit, careful with eating plan

* Day 5: back on the exercise wheel with a session with trainer (as if painting like a crazed woman isn’t enough)

* Day 6: painting = finishing the dining room – chair rail, baseboards, door and it’s casing, only switches/outlets (new modern ones) to go, and then 1st day of “Insanity” program

* Day 7 and beyond: it’s important to have a plan, preferably a couple; so continue painting, leaving some items for a friend who’s coming to finish the harder parts, as well as do the “Insanity” program/sticking to clean eating — all over the next two months (or til end of year!)

- And then start next year off with a new “Vision Board”, new goals, and a renewed commitment to re-achieving and maintaining stability – eating clean (no sugar/fat/flour), 5 days of exercise a week, training for a half marathon, meditation, and treating myself like my best friend (a chore but doable).

This is my “do over”. It may seem a bit limited but after this pretty big set back, need to have achievable goals to rebuild that ole self esteem. If you’re doing a “do over”, I wish you the best and offer just one piece of advice “keep it simple, keep it achievable”!

 

 

 

 

Just Because It Doesn’t Work Out…This Time

 

I made a very hard decision today, to withdraw from my class because it was too much…for now. After a week of daily cycling, and difficulty with mood regulation since I started it, it was that or the hospital. After doing so well, getting confidence back, being consistently stable for months at a time, this has been quite a step backward.

You see the picture in my head is going back to school, getting a degree or tech certification of some kind, professional preferably, stay stable, and GO BACK TO WORK. Well, it’s still there, but not sure if it’s the right picture now. Not sure of anything really. Back to babysteps. My wife says it’s not failure, it’s simply postponement. Or maybe it’s time to consider a different picture.

Lesson: What gives us the most strength is own freedom to choose. The trick is figuring out the choices. And that’s quite a trick!