So many times when we're dieting we focus on what we "can't" eat, and very little notoriety is given to what we CAN.
With my new meds and attempt to balance food, I find I have to have protein, which means meats for dinner. I'm notorious for cooking them until they're dry, because I worry they'll be raw in the middle. (Hubby, on the other hand, is great at it, but not home at dinnertime.) Plus, with a busy lifestyle (day job, kids' activities, writing, a house...), I don't have time to cook at full meal every night.
So today I want to share a quick and easy favorite from our house: mexican chicken. Just throw it in the crockpot (don't forget the slow cooker bag!) and by dinnertime its ready to shred and use for a salad, burritos, tacos, nachos, whatever you heart desires -- as long as you can be bothered to throw it together. :)
Here it is:
3 large bone-in chicken breasts (if you use boneless, add an extra breast)
1 large jar black bean & corn salsa (I prefer the Walmart brand.)
Line your crockpot with a slow cooker bag, add chicken, then pour jar of salsa on top. Set to low heat for 6 hours. Remove chicken from crockpot and shred with a fork. Serve as desired.
See? Easy peasy!
Challenge: What's your favorite "healthy" dish these days?
Dani
Our special guest blogger today is Linda Winstead Jones! As y'all know from her posts, she travels quite a bit, personally and for her writing career. She's sharing her tips for managing food while on the road. Thanks, LJ!
As a writer, I get to live vicariously through my characters. They can have adventure after adventure, and I’m along for the ride. I experience their ups and downs, I feel their pain and their joy. Best of all, all my heroines can have the fabulous metabolism with which I was not blessed.
A shallow thought, I know, but there you go.
Even though I work at home, I end up traveling quite a bit. Conferences, luncheons, the occasional signing, working vacations... It seems there’s always a trip around the corner. Coming up next month, we have the RWA National conference. It’s always so much fun, but dieting on the road is not just a challenge, it’s darn near impossible.
So, what’s a girl who struggles constantly with weight issues to do? How can I enjoy myself without needing to pack pants in two sizes? Here are a few of the travel/diet tips I’ve relied on over the years.
One: Take complete control of one meal a day. For me, it’s breakfast. A protein bar and a couple of cups of black coffee will fill me up, provide some protein to start the day, and comes in at around 200 calories. I might throw in a piece of fruit, depending on the bar and the circumstances. Compare that to a medium latte and a blueberry scone from Starbucks, which will give you around 650 calories and little to no protein. Buying a smoothie? Go in knowing what you’re getting. They can run anywhere from 200 to over 900 calories. Love Cracker Barrel? I do. Their breakfasts come in between 500 and 1200 calories, depending on your choices.
Not only do I save myself calories at the start of the day, getting that good start reminds me all day to be careful about what I choose to eat. And protein bars are easy. Stick a box in your carry-on and you’re set. Have a couple of extras on hand to eat in the airport or on the plane.
Two: Share. When Lori Handeland and I are in NY, we always go to Junior’s. And we always share. We split a meal and a piece of cheesecake. It’s still not what anyone would call a healthy meal, but half an unhealthy meal is better than eating the whole thing. If you don’t have a friend along you can share with, cut the meal in half anyway. I used to feel terrible about “wasting” food, until one day I convinced myself that my stomach is not a garbage can. That’s the alternative, after all. My stomach, or the restaurant garbage can. Cleaning my plate does not affect a single hungry person anywhere in the world in any positive way. If you feel guilty about wasting food, pledge to donate to a local food bank when you get home. It’ll do a lot more good than eating twice as much as you want or need.
Three: Water. I can’t emphasize this one enough. Drink water. Lots of it. Not only will you be well hydrated (a must for flying and staying in a hotel) your body will function better and you won’t mistake thirst for hunger. Going to a party? Alternate cocktails or wine with water. Not only do you save calories, you might save yourself from that embarrassing “I don’t remember dancing on the table” Facebook photo. :-)
Four: Remember the three bite rule. Recently I’ve read that after three bites we’re no longer tasting the food, we’re eating out of habit. A rich dessert? A fabulous appetizer? Take three small bites. Eat slowly. Savor. Enjoy. Then stop.
Five: Ask. While I would never go into a restaurant and make an outrageous special request, asking for salad dressing on the side or steamed vegetables instead of fries is not demanding, and you could easily save yourself hundreds of calories.
It all comes down to taking control. Plan ahead, be prepared, and have a good time.
Share with us some of your favorite tips for eating on the go, and your progress for this week!
Linda's first historical romance was released in 1994, and in the years since she's written in several romance sub-genres under several names. In order of appearance, Linda Winstead; Linda Jones; Linda Winstead Jones; Linda Devlin; and Linda Fallon. She's a six time finalist for the RITA Award and a winner (for Shades of Midnight) in the paranormal category. Most recently she's been writing as Linda Jones in joint projects with Linda Howard, and rereleasing her backlist in ebook format. She can be found at any one of a variety of Facebook pages (search for Linda Winstead Jones and Linda Howard/Linda Jones) and at www.lindawinsteadjones.com .
As a writer, I get to live vicariously through my characters. They can have adventure after adventure, and I’m along for the ride. I experience their ups and downs, I feel their pain and their joy. Best of all, all my heroines can have the fabulous metabolism with which I was not blessed.
A shallow thought, I know, but there you go.
Even though I work at home, I end up traveling quite a bit. Conferences, luncheons, the occasional signing, working vacations... It seems there’s always a trip around the corner. Coming up next month, we have the RWA National conference. It’s always so much fun, but dieting on the road is not just a challenge, it’s darn near impossible.
So, what’s a girl who struggles constantly with weight issues to do? How can I enjoy myself without needing to pack pants in two sizes? Here are a few of the travel/diet tips I’ve relied on over the years.
One: Take complete control of one meal a day. For me, it’s breakfast. A protein bar and a couple of cups of black coffee will fill me up, provide some protein to start the day, and comes in at around 200 calories. I might throw in a piece of fruit, depending on the bar and the circumstances. Compare that to a medium latte and a blueberry scone from Starbucks, which will give you around 650 calories and little to no protein. Buying a smoothie? Go in knowing what you’re getting. They can run anywhere from 200 to over 900 calories. Love Cracker Barrel? I do. Their breakfasts come in between 500 and 1200 calories, depending on your choices.
Not only do I save myself calories at the start of the day, getting that good start reminds me all day to be careful about what I choose to eat. And protein bars are easy. Stick a box in your carry-on and you’re set. Have a couple of extras on hand to eat in the airport or on the plane.
Two: Share. When Lori Handeland and I are in NY, we always go to Junior’s. And we always share. We split a meal and a piece of cheesecake. It’s still not what anyone would call a healthy meal, but half an unhealthy meal is better than eating the whole thing. If you don’t have a friend along you can share with, cut the meal in half anyway. I used to feel terrible about “wasting” food, until one day I convinced myself that my stomach is not a garbage can. That’s the alternative, after all. My stomach, or the restaurant garbage can. Cleaning my plate does not affect a single hungry person anywhere in the world in any positive way. If you feel guilty about wasting food, pledge to donate to a local food bank when you get home. It’ll do a lot more good than eating twice as much as you want or need.
Three: Water. I can’t emphasize this one enough. Drink water. Lots of it. Not only will you be well hydrated (a must for flying and staying in a hotel) your body will function better and you won’t mistake thirst for hunger. Going to a party? Alternate cocktails or wine with water. Not only do you save calories, you might save yourself from that embarrassing “I don’t remember dancing on the table” Facebook photo. :-)
Four: Remember the three bite rule. Recently I’ve read that after three bites we’re no longer tasting the food, we’re eating out of habit. A rich dessert? A fabulous appetizer? Take three small bites. Eat slowly. Savor. Enjoy. Then stop.
Five: Ask. While I would never go into a restaurant and make an outrageous special request, asking for salad dressing on the side or steamed vegetables instead of fries is not demanding, and you could easily save yourself hundreds of calories.
It all comes down to taking control. Plan ahead, be prepared, and have a good time.
Share with us some of your favorite tips for eating on the go, and your progress for this week!
Linda's first historical romance was released in 1994, and in the years since she's written in several romance sub-genres under several names. In order of appearance, Linda Winstead; Linda Jones; Linda Winstead Jones; Linda Devlin; and Linda Fallon. She's a six time finalist for the RITA Award and a winner (for Shades of Midnight) in the paranormal category. Most recently she's been writing as Linda Jones in joint projects with Linda Howard, and rereleasing her backlist in ebook format. She can be found at any one of a variety of Facebook pages (search for Linda Winstead Jones and Linda Howard/Linda Jones) and at www.lindawinsteadjones.com .
While my progress during this challenge hasn't been stellar (still hanging in there are 7 pounds the last time I stepped on the scale), I realized when I made a recent trip to visit family that over the last year and a half I've actually come down 25 pounds total! For someone who had not been able to lose weight the whole 7 years prior to that -- it's incredible!
I knew that my shape was changing. Almost all of my pants are baggy and I can take them off without unbuttoning them. I'm actually going to have to have new pants for Nationals. Not much else has changed, but that bit of encouragement went a long way. Then I went out of town and a few relatives mentioned how good I looked. Nothing like someone who hasn't seen you in a while to notice the difference.
So my progress is slow, but its happening! If I keep trying, I'll eventually reach my goal weight and be able to maintain it because of the changes I've put into place. My point is: if I can do it, you can too! I'm the worst dieter and exerciser in the world. It doesn't take much to beat me. :) So keep trying, keep moving. 1 meal at a time. 1 exercise session at a time. You can do it! I'm sure of it!
Dani
Check in and tell us your progress too!!!!
Well, ladies, I'm setting a bad example today. I'm celebrating being down another pound by going off my diet completely!!!!
Actually, today is mine and Ella's birthday, so I'm taking a wee break, but back to it tomorrow. I used to take a break for any reason and could make just about any meal a special exception, but now I know that for what it was: rubbish.
But being good for 11 weeks or so has earned me today and only today! I'd love to hear your progress!
Dani
Oh my goodness, what a horrible day!
As shoes, dress clothes, and bra comes off, I try to shed the tension of the daily grind but its not working very well.
The kids start off tattling on each other, but go silent under my death stare. (I wish.) Before long, they're whining about being forced to do chores and asking what's for dinner. The email inbox reveals another agent rejection (boo) and still no word from my editor (boo hiss).
I start wishing I'd stopped at Krispy Kreme on my way home.
STOP!
I don't know about you, but more days than I care to think about go this way. A lot of it is, I live in my head and I'm a worrier, so I tend to add snow to the snowball as it rolls downhill. And the first and last thought when stress hits me? EAT! It doesn't make sense, but its still there. I'm not going to pretend to have a handle on this -- not even close! But exercise has helped. I don't turn to it as quickly as I should but I'm getting there. My other big stress reliever is a nice, long bath. Shut the door and sink into the hot water -- it can only help! :) Challenge: How do you keep from reaching for food when you're stressed? I can use all the pointers I can get.
We’re working hard to slim down before RWA Nationals in July through healthy eating, exercise, sharing information, and accountability. Join us any time along the way, introduce yourself and post goals, or just contribute to the conversation! We’re here to share!
When it comes to sleep, I'm an 8 hour a night girl. My hubby can attest that my grumpiest years were the infant stages where my babies woke me up during the night. Since I've started working full-time and publishing, one of my most fervent wishes has been to get by with less sleep. But I neglect those hours to my (and my employers) detriment.
Without adequate sleep, I spend all day in a fog and am dozing over my work-in-progress by 7pm. So sleep I must. When I protect those 7-8 hours, my body and brain rewards me by being more alert and on board when I am awake. I'm able to exercise and make better eating choices because I'm not noshin' all day to try to keep myself awake.
Challenge: Are you a 6, 7, 8 hour a night girl? Does the amount of sleep you get affect your writing/exercise/eating choices? How do you ensure you get enough rest? Don't forget to check in!!!
Dani
P.S. A big thanks to Kayelle Allen for the updated version of our button!!!!! Didn't she do a great job?
We’re working hard to slim down before RWA Nationals in July through healthy eating, exercise, sharing information, and accountability. Join us any time along the way, introduce yourself and post goals, or just contribute to the conversation! We’re here to share!
Welcome Ella Sheridan, who is sharing with us about rewarding ourselves this week!
When B. F. Skinner coined the term “operant conditioning,” we finally had a scientific name for a concept that has been around since the beginning of time: our behavior is modified by its consequences. Call it reward and punishment, reinforce and punisher, whatever; the truth is, rewards make us do more of an action and punishments make us do less. When it comes to losing weight, rewards are key.
I used to reward myself with food—stupid, I know. I’m trying to get away from food, not use it to feed my addiction. Now I give myself a free meal once a week, including dessert, not because I need a reward but because I understand that deprivation leads to bingeing. If I don’t allow myself to have something on a limited schedule, I’m guaranteed to break at some point and gorge myself on all the things I keep away from myself the rest of the time. That’s a safety net, not a reward.
So what do I reward myself with? Some of you have heard me talk about gold stars. I decided I needed immediate feedback on my daily efforts. I couldn’t reward myself with food, so what did I use? Well, I took a page out of my childhood book and put a gold start beside every day on my food diary where I have fulfilled ALL of my goals for that day. When I get seven of those stars, I give myself a non-food-related treat. A new shirt. An album off iTunes. A trip to the dollar movie theater. I’m not certain it matters what you reward yourself with as long as it makes you feel good. Make yourself a list; check it when you are doing well and boost that good feeling with some positive reinforcement.
I also give myself a number-related reward. Every five pounds. Every ten pounds. Every two pounds, doesn’t matter as long as you have a set schedule and stick to it. Knowing when you hit that five-pound mark and you get that new pair of jeans to replace the ones that are too big for you right now might just be the incentive you need to get through the week of hormone-related, I-can’t-get-enough-chocolate-to-save-my-life cravings from he**. My next incentive, when I hit the ten-pound loss mark, is a new bra and panty set from Soma. It’s been so long since I felt beautiful in my underwear, none of which is pretty. I can’t wait to go pick out something I can enjoy every time I put clothes over it—or when I take them off. c;
Challenge: So what’s your reward list? How often do you reward yourself? Do you need to do it more often? Let’s throw out some ideas to help each other build our list of “operant conditioning reinforcers”—and yes, cabana boys and chocolates count, if they’re real, not virtual (Bonnie! c;).
I remembered something about myself tonight. I' m a perfectionist.
Shocking, I know. But I've really struggled over the past few days with a synopsis for my editor. Tonight I wasn't feeling well, was trying to finish the synopsis and send it off, trying to bolster my sinking writer's self-confidence, and it hit me -- I don't have my blog post up for tomorrow. Maybe we could skip just one week? Oh, heaven forbid!!! My perfectionist tendencies kicked in. I certainly could not do that.
Looking back over the last week, I've felt the same way in another area: my diet. I haven't done it perfectly, so I've been very down on myself. Exercise is going well, but I haven't followed my diet to the letter. So of course nothing is working. Of course I feel fat. Of course I'm depressed.
Because I'm not perfect. Hello! We're not supposed to be.
Yes, I can try harder. But I also think this perfectionist thing hurts me. You see, if I can't do something perfectly, why do it? It's a lot easier to just give up. :) So this week I'm going to focus on 1 meal at a time, and stop beating myself up over every little mistake.
Challenge: Are you a perfectionist? Or are you more flexible? How do your personality traits hinder or help your weight loss goals?
Check in today and let us know how you're doing!
Dani (who promises to turn on the comments this week so Ella doesn't panic!!!)
We’re working hard to slim down before RWA Nationals in July through healthy eating, exercise, sharing information, and accountability. Join us any time along the way, introduce yourself and post goals, or just contribute to the conversation! We’re here to share!
Today I have the privilege of hosting my own sister, Ella Sheridan, as she shares some motivation from her own journey!
Don't Wish For It; Work For It.
Over the past few months, this has become my mantra. I’ve spent a lot of the last thirty or so years wishing my weight was something it wasn’t, wishing my body was different, wishing everything I wanted wasn’t so hard. And you know what? Wishing got me exactly what I put into it: almost nothing.
About two years ago, I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder during karate training. It was an accident brought on totally by me, not my partner (I turned the wrong way during a throw). I went to the doctor, went through physical therapy, but the injury never truly healed. Finally, last November, my husband and I decided enough was enough and I went back to the orthopedist, who scheduled me for surgery. The week before Christmas, I was under the knife with a minimum four-month recovery period ahead of me.
Yeah, not an easy task.
Here’s the thing: shoulders rotate more than any joint in the body. Can you imagine how hard it is to function when that rotation is now severely limited by ultratight screws, ties, and anchors? Very hard. I was unable to do any cardio exercise for around two months because the jarring hurt so badly, but I came out of therapy three times a week sweating like a dog and crying because it hurt so horribly just to stretch. I had to do it, though; there was no other choice, not if I wanted to heal and heal right.
As time went on, the therapists and I noticed something that frustrated us both. I couldn’t relax enough to let them take me from mostly healed to completely healed. I didn’t trust them enough not to hurt me beyond what I could bear, and so they could only push me so far. (Honestly, they told me just about every session that they’d never had a patient with such horrible trust issues, lol.) To get beyond where they could take me, I had to do it; if I ever wanted full function of my shoulder again, I had to be the one to push myself, not them. Considering I’m a black-belt karate instructor and need full function to continue teaching, wishing and not working was not an option.
So I did the work.
Every day, my shoulder gets stronger. It might be months before I have complete rotational ability again, but I will get there. And it might be months before I arrive at a good, stable, healthy weight for me, but I will get there. I’m now willing to do the work, not just wish the work was done and I looked the way I want to. We all have to be willing to do the work to be healthy, happy writers. That means overcoming obstacles, sacrificing what we need to sacrifice, refusing to accept our own excuses, and committing to long-term diligence, not just this day or this week or this month.
We have. To do. The work.
Will I ever be skinny? No. Will that wish I had as a teenager of being like all the other thin girls who never have to worry about what they eat ever come true? No. But I can and will be healthy. I can and will be the best I can be in the body God gave me. I can and will…if I do the work.
Challenge: Where could you put more effort into your workouts? Eating habits? Stress relief? Share with us today!
Today I have the privilege of hosting my own sister, Ella Sheridan, as she shares some motivation from her own journey!
Don't Wish For It; Work For It.
Over the past few months, this has become my mantra. I’ve spent a lot of the last thirty or so years wishing my weight was something it wasn’t, wishing my body was different, wishing everything I wanted wasn’t so hard. And you know what? Wishing got me exactly what I put into it: almost nothing.
About two years ago, I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder during karate training. It was an accident brought on totally by me, not my partner (I turned the wrong way during a throw). I went to the doctor, went through physical therapy, but the injury never truly healed. Finally, last November, my husband and I decided enough was enough and I went back to the orthopedist, who scheduled me for surgery. The week before Christmas, I was under the knife with a minimum four-month recovery period ahead of me.
Yeah, not an easy task.
Here’s the thing: shoulders rotate more than any joint in the body. Can you imagine how hard it is to function when that rotation is now severely limited by ultratight screws, ties, and anchors? Very hard. I was unable to do any cardio exercise for around two months because the jarring hurt so badly, but I came out of therapy three times a week sweating like a dog and crying because it hurt so horribly just to stretch. I had to do it, though; there was no other choice, not if I wanted to heal and heal right.
As time went on, the therapists and I noticed something that frustrated us both. I couldn’t relax enough to let them take me from mostly healed to completely healed. I didn’t trust them enough not to hurt me beyond what I could bear, and so they could only push me so far. (Honestly, they told me just about every session that they’d never had a patient with such horrible trust issues, lol.) To get beyond where they could take me, I had to do it; if I ever wanted full function of my shoulder again, I had to be the one to push myself, not them. Considering I’m a black-belt karate instructor and need full function to continue teaching, wishing and not working was not an option.
So I did the work.
Every day, my shoulder gets stronger. It might be months before I have complete rotational ability again, but I will get there. And it might be months before I arrive at a good, stable, healthy weight for me, but I will get there. I’m now willing to do the work, not just wish the work was done and I looked the way I want to. We all have to be willing to do the work to be healthy, happy writers. That means overcoming obstacles, sacrificing what we need to sacrifice, refusing to accept our own excuses, and committing to long-term diligence, not just this day or this week or this month.
We have. To do. The work.
Will I ever be skinny? No. Will that wish I had as a teenager of being like all the other thin girls who never have to worry about what they eat ever come true? No. But I can and will be healthy. I can and will be the best I can be in the body God gave me. I can and will…if I do the work.
Challenge: Where could you put more effort into your workouts? Eating habits? Stress relief? Share with us today!
We’re working hard to slim down before RWA Nationals in July through healthy eating, exercise, sharing information, and accountability. Join us any time along the way, introduce yourself and post goals, or just contribute to the conversation! We’re here to share!
The biggest challenge in getting healthy, for me, is Mindset. It’s too easy to tell myself, Well, this once it won’t hurt to… One little cookie won’t make that much of a difference… Missing exercise just this once isn’t a big deal… But I feed myself these excuses again and again.
I let myself get away with things I shouldn’t because I won’t tell myself “No. You can’t have that (or that much).” My internal dialogue needs some serious adjusting.
I don’t think switching to all negative self-talk and beating myself up will help, but a gentle reminder of what I have to gain through self-restraint or continuing to work hard would go a long way towards changing my outlook and helping me confront temptation head on.
So I’m making a list of reminders to guide me until I can maintain a different internal dialogue. It needs to become second nature. So here are some ideas for more positive internal dialogue:
Food:
“Eating that will not make you feel better.”
“Your health is extremely important. Is eating this going to help you reach your health goals?”
The occasional “Not having that cake (cookies, etc) won’t kill you,” probably wouldn’t hurt either.
Exercise:
“Remember how good it feels to workout on the elliptical?”
“Exercising will help your body regulate your insulin and sugar better.”
“Moving will lift your mood.”
“Remember how the story ideas flow when you work out and crank up the music?”
General
“Being here for my family is more important than this moment.”
“I can write better and longer when I feel better physically.”
CHALLENGE: What are some positive internal thoughts that would help us reach our goals?
Share Your Progress! (even if the #s haven’t changed, we still have lots to celebrate)
Dani