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EJCC and Showbread's Cooking/Exercise Extravaganza!

EJCC

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In Which Your Favorite ESxJs Document Their Workouts and Healthy Homemade Meals

Holding One Another Accountable and Providing Pro Tips

(As Well As Amateur and N00b Tips)

&c.



...Be excited.
 

EJCC

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I'll start with the general gist of what I'm up to / what I will be up to:

FOOD:
  • Minimal sugar (few desserts)
  • Healthy snacks
  • Smaller portions
  • Less carbs (e.g. pasta)
  • More fruits and vegetables
  • More protein
  • More cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients
    (with help from the Moosewood Cookbook)

EXERCISE:
  • Using my gym membership!
    • Classes (e.g. spinning, yoga)
    • Stuff on my own
  • Riding my bike more frequently
  • Going running more frequently
    (not that I can run far, because my exercise shoes are not for running, but whatever)


I should note that I'm MUCH farther along with food than with exercise. I've already lost 5 pounds or so from eating better, but 1) I could still do more, and 2) I barely exercise. Plus, I care more about getting fit/healthy than I care about losing weight, anyway.
 

Showbread

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In light of school stress, my eating habits have been on a steady decline lately...

Food:
- No more eating after 9 pm. This is hard because I generally stay up until midnight-1 and I get hungry.
- Less sugar. I eat SO much sugar. Limiting self to 1 sweet thing a day.
- More produce snacking, less chips and salsa.
- Actually plan meals. I do better than most college students. But eclectic dinners of rice, eggs, and salad are getting old.
- Less refined carbs. I used to be super diligent about not eating white flour, white rice, etc, but have fallen off the bandwagon lately.

Exercise:
- Continue yoga twice a week
- Continue jogging twice a week
- Add a third workout, most likely cardio and weights on friday before class.
- Look into spin/aerobics classes.

I am in the opposite boat of EJCC. I am a pretty consistent exerciser. I enjoy exercise, and because yoga is actually one of my classes this semester at the very least I do that twice a week. I've been pretty consistently jogging before yoga, but now that the weather is grey and soggy I may need to find a cardio alternative. My biggest problem is really food. I don't eat huge portions, and most things I cook are really pretty healthy. But I snack. A lot. I also have a major sweet tooth, which is perpetuated by my working in a frozen yogurt shop. But, thankfully I only work twice a week and I don't usually go too overboard.
 

EJCC

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EXERCISE UPDATE:

Here's how much of a n00b I am at this: I just Googled "first time at the gym".

4 Things To Avoid the First Time You Work Out - FitDay

(It's not actually my first time at the gym, but it's my first time at THIS gym, and before that I didn't have much guidance at all. Just went to my college gym once every six months or so, lol.)

Planning on going in today. Will have one of my desk snacks right when I leave work -- commute is 40-60 minutes -- and will go to either a spinning class or a pseudo-yoga class ("yoga-inspired") depending on what time I get there.


FOOD UPDATE:

Been following my usual food routine this week, for the most part:
  • Oatmeal peanut butter banana smoothie for breakfast
    (I tend to make 3-4 days' worth at a time, then get it out of the fridge each morning, stir it up/reincorporate all the ingredients, then drink some before I leave for work)
  • Open-face sandwich for lunch at work -- two eggs cooked in the microwave, two small pieces of toast (Trader Joe's Rustico bread -- those slices are tiny! they end up like whole-grain crostini), and whatever veggies I'm in the mood for. This week it's tomato curry that I made on Sunday. Pretty decent, but I probably won't make it again
  • Snack at my desk if I get hungry, limiting myself to a handful of something. Currently I have three desk snack options: bison jerky, Trader Joe's pumpkin granola bars, and almonds.
  • Dinner: I try to proportion it out to 1/3 meat, 1/3 grain, 1/3 vegetables -- or 1/3 meat, 2/3 vegetables. Yesterday I splurged and had pasta with avocado and parmesan. But dude, I got a job interview. Why not celebrate??
  • Something yummy after dinner -- hot cocoa, chai tea, a beer, etc.

I realized VERY recently that my dessert cravings are probably actual sugar addiction -- which helped motivate me to not eat desserts during the day. (That plus the fact that I lose a lot of energy and motivation when I eat poorly.) For the first 3-4 days, I found myself actually getting angry that I didn't have any around. Disproportionately angry. But that completely went away after a few days passed. Since then I've been following up my lunches with a sweet sugar-free mint or something like that -- something sweet-tasting but small and harmless.
 

gromit

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:heart:

In contexts like this I wish there were a heart-eyes smiley but I suppose the above will have to suffice
 

EJCC

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- No more eating after 9 pm. This is hard because I generally stay up until midnight-1 and I get hungry.
I'm not sure how healthy this is. Your brain needs food! Maybe you just need healthier snacks?

Eat smart: Brain boosting study snacks - Fiterazzi

- Less sugar. I eat SO much sugar. Limiting self to 1 sweet thing a day.
- More produce snacking, less chips and salsa.
We are in the same boat here :solidarity:

- Actually plan meals. I do better than most college students. But eclectic dinners of rice, eggs, and salad are getting old.
:laugh: You're doing a LOT better than I did when I was in college!

One thing I do, that you probably already do to an extent, is binge-cook on Saturday or Sunday and then eat whatever I made for the rest of the week. Saves a lot of time.
Exercise:
- Continue yoga twice a week
- Continue jogging twice a week
- Add a third workout, most likely cardio and weights on friday before class.
- Look into spin/aerobics classes.
What kind of yoga do you do? People keep telling me to do yoga. Might start taking my gym's vinyasa classes.

I don't eat huge portions, and most things I cook are really pretty healthy. But I snack. A lot. I also have a major sweet tooth, which is perpetuated by my working in a frozen yogurt shop. But, thankfully I only work twice a week and I don't usually go too overboard.
Nothing wrong with froyo IMO :) (assuming it's usually the plain kind, with fruit!)

Re: snacking, how much meat/protein do you eat? One thing that's helped me a LOT in terms of minimizing portion size and carb/sugar consumption has been making sure I'm eating food that's really filling.

:heart:

In contexts like this I wish there were a heart-eyes smiley but I suppose the above will have to suffice
:wub: Our eyes are hearts for you too, friend!
 

EJCC

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Showbread

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I'm not sure how healthy this is. Your brain needs food! Maybe you just need healthier snacks?

Eat smart: Brain boosting study snacks - Fiterazzi

Yeah... Probably. I tried this las night and epicly failed. I ended up making a banana and unsweetened almond milk smoothie with a spoonful of PB around 10 pm.

One thing I do, that you probably already do to an extent, is binge-cook on Saturday or Sunday and then eat whatever I made for the rest of the week. Saves a lot of time.

Yeah. I tend to cook a lot Friday-Monday, then eat what I've made the rest of the week.

What kind of yoga do you do? People keep telling me to do yoga. Might start taking my gym's vinyasa classes.

I think what I do is either vinyasa or hatha. It's pretty basic. Lots of sun salutations, warrior sequences, various core work, etc. Anything you do at a gym will probably be something along those lines unless you take an advanced class.
Nothing wrong with froyo IMO :) (assuming it's usually the plain kind, with fruit!)

Re: snacking, how much meat/protein do you eat? One thing that's helped me a LOT in terms of minimizing portion size and carb/sugar consumption has been making sure I'm eating food that's really filling.

That's usually what I get. Sometimes I splurge and go for chocolatey with candy. But usually I try to stick to fruit, granola, dark chocolate chips, and mochi as toppings. :wubbie:

I've actually been trying to cut down on protein... I used to eat it a lot, kind of a South Beach diet type model. But I've read a lot about plant based diets being healthier. :shrug: But, I usually eat some meat once a day. I eat semi-vegetarian a lot though simply for convenience/cost. But, even if I'm not doing meat I usually at least have nuts, cheese, and eggs. I definitely get enough fat in my diet.

Last night I made chicken enchiladas. Not super healthy, but not horrible either. Poached the chicken in broth with onion, garlic, cilantro, and crushed red pepper. Then shredded it and layered with olives, green chiles, pepperjack cheese, and enchilada sauce. Mmm. I went pretty easy on the cheese(probably used 8 oz for the whole pan) and used corn tortillas, that's my justification.
 

EJCC

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Yeah... Probably. I tried this las night and epicly failed. I ended up making a banana and unsweetened almond milk smoothie with a spoonful of PB around 10 pm.
Sounds healthy to me? Caloric, maybe, but definitely healthy.

I think what I do is either vinyasa or hatha. It's pretty basic. Lots of sun salutations, warrior sequences, various core work, etc. Anything you do at a gym will probably be something along those lines unless you take an advanced class.
Excellent -- there aren't any difficulty levels at my gym, as far as I can tell, so I'm hoping they're pretty beginner-accessible.

I've actually been trying to cut down on protein... I used to eat it a lot, kind of a South Beach diet type model. But I've read a lot about plant based diets being healthier. :shrug: But, I usually eat some meat once a day. I eat semi-vegetarian a lot though simply for convenience/cost. But, even if I'm not doing meat I usually at least have nuts, cheese, and eggs. I definitely get enough fat in my diet.
Before I started fixing up my diet, most of my protein was probably from eggs and dairy. At some point I'm going to try and add in one serving of meat per day, or every other day. Not trying to do a "high-protein diet" or anything -- just up the proportion of protein relative to everything else. Especially relative to grains. A good example would be if I'm making pasta, to have some meat in it or with it, and a big serving of vegetables on the side (in addition to the vegetables already in the pasta). So the pasta fills up half the plate, or less.
 

Showbread

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Sounds healthy to me? Caloric, maybe, but definitely healthy.

Yeah. Not too caloric, I think I've added it up and gotten about 250 calories. Which is definitely less than if I had eaten a comparable portion of cookie dough ice cream (what I actually wanted). The almond milk I use is only like 35 calories for a full cup.

Excellent -- there aren't any difficulty levels at my gym, as far as I can tell, so I'm hoping they're pretty beginner-accessible.

Awesome! It might still feel really difficult at first if you aren't a regular exerciser. I was working out pretty regularly when I first started and I thought I was going to die after my first time. I had sore muscles I didn't know I had. Now I love it though. :)
 

Red Herring

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Before I started fixing up my diet, most of my protein was probably from eggs and dairy. At some point I'm going to try and add in one serving of meat per day, or every other day. Not trying to do a "high-protein diet" or anything -- just up the proportion of protein relative to everything else. Especially relative to grains. A good example would be if I'm making pasta, to have some meat in it or with it, and a big serving of vegetables on the side (in addition to the vegetables already in the pasta). So the pasta fills up half the plate, or less.

Interesting. I remember reading that the average citizen of an industrial country is eating too much protein. And I am personally trying to do the opposite meat-wise: cut it out where it is not really necessary (e.g. on a pizza or sandwich, etc) to eventually limit meat consumption to 1-2 dishes a week. Maybe try lentils or other legumes if you want more protein? Also, what is so bad about grains? Assuming they are not just something as empty as white bread or other husked wheat? There are so many different types of grain as well. Whole grain varieties of wheat, rye and whatnot.

Not criticizing, just curious.
 

HongDou

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Good luck you guys!!

(I've been accumulating some healthy recipes on Tumblr - many of which are vegan/vegetarian - so if I feel like posting some recipes on my blog I'll be sure to let you guys know!)

Also one of my ESFJ besties from high school runs a fitness/ED recovery blog and she posts a lot of good stuff. I can send the link to you guys if you wanna track it!
 

EJCC

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Interesting. I remember reading that the average citizen of an industrial country is eating too much protein.
Probably true -- then again, most people in industrialized nations aren't accidental vegetarians like I am (from being too lazy to cook meat, and not enthusiastic enough about legumes to fit them into my meals every day)! The past few times I've calculated it, I've apparently been consuming about 5-10g too little protein every day.

More legumes is a good idea. I did make lentil soup and freeze it a while back... I should thaw it out next week...

Also, what is so bad about grains? Assuming they are not just something as empty as white bread or other husked wheat? There are so many different types of grain as well. Whole grain varieties of wheat, rye and whatnot.
Nothing's bad about grain, except that I've been eating too much of it relative to vegetables, fruit, and protein sources like meat and eggs. For example, at about this time last year I was eating granola cereal for breakfast, a sandwich or something similar for lunch, and a bowl of pasta with spinach/tomato sauce for dinner. Not all that balanced, relatively speaking. Needed more of everything BUT grains.

Good luck you guys!!

(I've been accumulating some healthy recipes on Tumblr - many of which are vegan/vegetarian - so if I feel like posting some recipes on my blog I'll be sure to let you guys know!)

Also one of my ESFJ besties from high school runs a fitness/ED recovery blog and she posts a lot of good stuff. I can send the link to you guys if you wanna track it!
Thanks, and yes plz!!
 

SD45T-2

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Probably true -- then again, most people in industrialized nations aren't accidental vegetarians like I am (from being too lazy to cook meat, and not enthusiastic enough about legumes to fit them into my meals every day)! The past few times I've calculated it, I've apparently been consuming about 5-10g too little protein every day.
I'm sure Jezza would be happy to build you a Corvette blender for making beef smoothies. :newwink:
 
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