Hunting for Health

Food Find!

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:48:08 +0000

I found this a couple of weeks ago at my local health food store, Sprouts, and it is AMAZING!!! I tried the chocolate peanut butter flavor and I love it. They also have chocolate, vanilla, strawberry banana, and chocolate mint (which I have been on the hunt for about 3 weeks and yet to find ). So the first ingredient is water, which made me think that it would be really icy, but it is not. I have found its more creamy if you defrost it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. And did you notice it is 32 calories for 1/2 cup?!?! LOVE!

I also looked up where else it is sold. They have it at Market Street and it is also sold on Amazon. It’s obviously a little more expensive from amazon since they have to ship it with dry ice, but well worth it! FYI: this is not a product review, I found and bought this on my own; I just needed to share the greatness with all of you! The website is myarcticzero.com for more info and that is where the nutrition facts are from.

I will fill you all in on the rest of my life soon, it has been crazy busy, but I thought it was imperative to post this great ice cream substitute while I remembered. See y’all soon!

Improvement Needed

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:06:43 +0000

So this week has been a big fail on the 40 day move every day challenge, but that just means a big marginal improvement this week, right?! I have done No More Trouble Zones twice (including today), I did Zumba Monday and Tuesday, and I can not remember doing any other exercise this week I think I am also going to go for a little jog soon because it is just too pretty not to!

I did order the Meltdown Yoga by my fav Jillian Michales, the Shiva Rea Creative Core Abs, and Zumba Advanced DVDs. They came in Friday and I need to try them, so they will def keep me busy and motivated this week! I am also going to try some workouts from New Rules of Lifting for Women. I am actually really excited about it because even before losing weight, I would strength train and loved it! I just did not really know what I was doing, so it did not produce results. Well, actually I am also hypothyroid and I was not on thyroid meds at that time, so any attempt at weight loss and getting fit would not work until I was treated with hormones but that is a topic for another post.

I also think I am going to Austin at the end of the week, which should be so much fun! I went to school at UT and my old roommate still lives there, so we are going to have some girl time. I think we are actually also even going to try to fit in some of my fav workout classes that I used to take in college. I had a favorite kickboxing instructor that has never been replaced since moving back to Dallas. All of the classes I have tried here just do not compare! He was just so upbeat and fun but hard at the same time! There is also a Pilates class that I loved that I will def have to revisit as well. We are also planning on doing some classic Austin things like going on Town Lake and wandering around South Congress looking at all the cool jewelry/ vintage stores. Should be a nice trip with hopefully beautiful weather!

So, I have also been doing a meditation CD that has really put me in a positive mindset and helps me sleep really well. Don’t judge, but its the Dan Marino Think and Lose CD. It just makes me feel more at peace with my body as well. I think there really is something to having the right frame of mind to lose weight. Have any of you all read the IntenSati book? Same concept of positive thinking to lose weight. I bought the book after seeing it on the Today Show, but I have not really done anymore than skim a few pages. What do you think, is some of losing weight in your mind?

Ok, well I am kind of all over the place today. I think it’s from my allergies since I was outside all day for the St. Patty’s Day Parade and block party downtown. It was fun, but lots of pollen in the air does not do my body good. I did take all of my allergy meds in the morning and popped nettles throughout the day, so it could be worse if I had not done so.

Happy Sunday!

xoxo Erin

Emotional Eating

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:45:40 +0000

So.. I have an interview today and its making me pretty nervous. I usually do not feel the nerves for a first interview at all and I do today, which is not good. But it is also not good that I ate a bunch of chocolate chips (like handfuls) with my breakfast because of my nerves. I do not even think I was that hungry . But I also popped a magnesium supplement in case my body really just needs more magnesium than I am giving it and hence my chocolate craving. I do no know. I have not done the emotional eating thing in a really long time, and usually when I get nervous my stomach just does not want food but that was not the case today. I did, however, weight myself this morning and i was down 2 pounds from my disappointing weigh session a couple days ago, so that’s exciting!!

Last night we had some brown rice sushi from Central Market, it was pretty amazing (sorry I did not take pics)! Marianne had a spicy assortment, with tuna included of course, and I had a california roll because I could not find salmon. Not as good as the homemade sushi we constructed a few weeks ago (which I will talk about sometime soon), but still really good. Tonight we are making stir fry with flank steak, broccoli, onions, peppers, and prob some mushrooms with a soy/ lime juice marinade; should be good!

I also bought The New Rules of Lifting for Women yesterday at Barnes & Noble and I think I will start trying those workouts next week. I am excited/ hesitant because I really do not think I am that strong, but I guess that just means I have a lot to do to improve it! I additionally ordered a few fitness DVDs from amazon that should be arriving today or tomorrow, so I will let y’all know how they are once I try them!

Bouncing Back

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:08:22 +0000

So after my moodiness surrounding the number on my scale yesterday, I did a few things that really helped:

I did No More Trouble Zones DVD (Jillian Michaels)
I went to Zumba with an amazing instructor who is always positive and really lifted me up
I realized this is just a set back and I need to form and action plan, follow it, and move on (easier said than done)
I also realized I needed to turn this frown upside down so I did some meditation to turn my thinking into more positive thoughts

So, I decided I am going to research heavy lifting and see if I think its right for me. I think it is, but I need to be informed. I need to realize this is just a minor setback that can easily be rectified. I need to eat more veggies (I only eat them at 1-2 of my 5 mini-meals). I hate that I let the scale get to me so much, but abandoning it just does not work for me . I think I can weigh myself once a week so I do not become obsessive but at the same time am held responsible for my eating. Weight just plays with my mind so much and I thought I was beyond those thought processes but I guess I am not.

Today I am going to do a little yoga now to make my sore muscles (from Jillian Michaels) feel better and to put me in more of a zen place. My fav Zumba class is also tonight, so I am going to go to that as well. There is also a Whole Foods trip in my future today, we found a tequila lime rubbed salmon that is TO DIE FOR = dinner tonight! I also need some essentials like broccoli, Fage 2%, stevia, strawberry mineral water, you know the usual.

Today I am also promising myself I will call back recruiters and get some resumes out. I am writing it on here so I actually do it! So, I have not really talked about my life situation, but I graduated from UT Austin this August. Some endocrine issues got in the way after graduation, so I have been living at home with my lovely parents, Marianne and Kevin. I finally have my thyroid and pituitary issues worked out as of two weeks ago I started feeling better, so now I am on the job hunt! I love to work, I just hate to look for work but who doesn’t? So many things to do, I better get started on them now!

Have a great afternoon blog friends, and I will be back later tonight!

xoxo Erin

Weight :(

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:45:31 +0000

So I just weighed myself for the first time in about two months. In the past two months, I have upped my thyroid medicine and also increased my cardio. I also thought not being chained to the scale would really help in some way as well. I figured my weight would be down like 5 pounds- ish, no such luck . It was down about 1 pound. I know, I know one pound is better than nothing, but I still feel like it should be better. I also know my muscle mass has increased, so I probably lost more fat but it is still really disappointing!

Well, I already knew that I have been snacking too much and that I need to control this with a food journal. But I have been adding in a lot more veggies. But I was also trying coconut oil in cooking and making protein chocolate, but maybe that does not agree with my body? I think I also need to chang up my workouts. I need to add more cardio but also some weight training. I am thinking I need to buy The New Rules of Lifting for Women. Any suggestions?

UPDATE: So, this is all I have been thinking about for the last hour because I am really disappointed by this gain. I think I need to phase out nuts and coconut oil, I do not think my body can handle the fat. I also think I need to go back to measuring everything I eat. In the past couple of months I have changed birth control and all of my hormones have been really screwed up, but my doctor says I need to stay on it for 4 months before everything is regular (it has only been 2). I wish I could just get off BC all together, but due to my PCOS I cannot , I do not get my period if I am not on the pill. When I was losing weight, I was using Splenda instead of Stevia, I wonder if my body could not handle the Splenda and just did not digest it. I just don’t know. Sorry for the negative post, I just do not know where to go from here, I feel like I am doing anything I can.

Food Journal and Exercise Rut

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:43:51 +0000

Goals for this week:

Start food journal (discussion below)
Do JM No More Trouble Zones 3 times
Add more veggies to each mini meal
Be religious about taking allergy meds
Send out resumes times 50!
Get to Zumba at least 3 times
Go to Hot Yoga
Make something new and interesting for dinner

So, starting tomorrow (I need to find a spiral) I am going to start food journalling (is that a word?). I am not going to track my calories, but I feel like I have been doing a lot of unnecessary mindless eating which is not good. When I lost my 35 pounds, I would track my calories online. But I found myself a little too obsessed with the numbers (I am a math kind of person) and I would end up eating lower calorie foods that usually contained too many chemicals. I do not want to get like this again, so I am just going to simply write down everything that I eat and make sure I am getting my daily water and veggies in. No daily plate, just a plain, old spiral so that number crunching and minimizing does not ensue.

I want to lose 5 to 10 more pounds (not only for vanity reasons but it would also help my PCOS), and I think getting rid of my mindless eating could really help in reaching this goal. I have also been doing more cardio in order to accomplish this. Zumba is my new favorite thing, it really is just fun to me! I am actually thinking about getting the Zumba DVDs because Zumba is only offered 3 times a week at my gym . I know, I sound a little DVD obsessed lately, but I just need a change in routine and do not know where to start. I think I need more strength training and a better mix of cardio, but I am just not inspired lately. Does anyone have suggestions for routines? Help a sista out, lol!

It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:13:28 +0000

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but it has been too gorgeous outside to be indoors despite my terrible allergies! Here in Texas, it is 70 degrees and sunny, so it is a must that I at least jog the bike path by my house. My sister is on her way to the Hamptons right now for Spring Break (rough life right?), but it is 50 degrees there and she is a little jealous of our warm weather. I don’t know I think I would rather be strolling the beach in the colder weather than being in plain old Texas.

So, I have not really filled y’all in on my allergy history, but I have had terrible allergies since exiting the womb (I was a preemi). I also have allergy triggered asthma, with my first attack at age 18 months, also the only day I crawled in my entire life. Needless to say, I have tried every allergy medicine on the market, and I have found that Stinging Nettles a la Whole Foods really work best! I have to take two at a time to have them really work but they are better than Claritin or Allegra any day! My seventh grade humanities teacher actually told me this, but it was not until my uncle and fave vitamins department employee at Whole Foods confirmed their love for the nettles was I willing to try the herbal remedy. I now swear by it and recommend it to any random I meet at the grocery store, a bar, etc that talks about their allergies. I know, a little out there, but they work so well I feel like I have to spread the news! My family seriously lives off of these come allergy time!

Dr. Oz (I am a BIG fan!) always talks about the neti pot for allergies. Has anyone actually tried it? I have heard great things, but for some reason it just kind of creeps me out!

Source Source

This morning before Pilates core fusion aka class of death, I made some vegan cookie dough a la Averie (of Love Veggies and Yoga) check out the recipe here! I did not have chocolate chips so I made the recipe without and it was still great! I made two batches: one with cocoa and one without, also I stuck one batch in the oven for 10 mins at 250 degrees aka made them not raw. I actually liked the baked ones a little better because the flavors melded together a little better and brought out the sweetness. Really though, they were both great and I will be munching on them for a while! I also think they are delish frozen.

I have also been on the hunt for the new Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown. I have been to Target, Wal-Mart, Dick’s Sports, and a couple of other places, I think it’s an Amazon purchase waiting to happen. Has anybody tried it? I think yoga is a great thing for my breathing, but I can not always handle it in a studio, so I think I need a DVD. I love Jillian’s training method, so I think that may be a good way to ease me into yoga practice. I used to do yoga a couple of times a week, but I was just not good at it and decided I needed more cardio in my life. Does anybody have suggestions for yoga or Pilates DVDs or any other exercise DVDs? I think I need a break from the gym, I am just kind of tired of it right now.

Ok I am off to eat grilled BBQ chicken and some eggplant, weird combo? Probably, but I think it will be delightful! I have not had homemade BBQ chicken in years because my sister really does not like it, so I am quite excited to have some tonight!

Goodnight bloggies, have a great Saturday night! See you tomorrow!

40 Day Challenge

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:54:28 +0000

So, I know I am a little late in starting this since lent has already started, but I decided I am going to do Kristin’s at Iowa Girl Eats’ 40 Day Challenge! The Challenge it to get moving everyday, even if it is just for a short amount of time (but the goal is for at least 20 minutes). Everyone can take part, bloggers and non-bloggers alike. To join in on the challenge, just leave a comment on her 40 day tab. This challenge is a way to be accountable and get moving more.

I work out 5 days a week usually, but this is a good goal that will get me moving everyday and hopefully help me lose those last ten pounds. Also, my doctor suggested I walk for half an hour everyday outside to get my sunshine since my vitamin D levels are a little low. It is raining today, so I have not walked today, but I am going to Zumba tonight!

I LOVE Zumba! I did competitive dance a lot of my life until my junior year of high school when I quit because it was taking up too much of my life. I have never gone back, but Zumba fills my dance void. And it is exercise I really enjoy doing! Especially when I take from the instructor I am going to tonight. She just has such a positive energy that radiates to the rest of the class and gets everyone else in a great mood.

Happy Monday!

xoxo Erin

Not a want but a NEED for chocolate!

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 06:04:30 +0000

So my earlier moodiness was not just because of my low blood sugar but because of my hormones, yayy!! I thought I was getting better about controlling my spikes and dips in insulin with my eating, and I was quite disappointed that I was snappy when we got home because I had not let myself get like that in a while. Come to find out it was not those hormones controlling my attitude, but my womanly ones. I did not even put two and two together until I needed to dip into my coconut oil chocolate a la Averie that I made the other day and then was still wanting more. So…. I made BROWNIES!

A few weeks ago I experimented with the typical black bean and banana recipe out there for diet brownies, and even though I enjoyed them they were still too banana-y and too runny. So tonight I had to improvise since I did not plan for this want need for brownies. The only beans I had in the cabinet were black soybeans, so they were the starring act

Also in the mix: Agave, pumpkin, a little yogurt, dark cocoa, vanilla extract, and soymilk + a little cinnamon (not pictured)

End result: I promise it tastes much better than it looks!

So.. I do not have exact measurements since I was kind of winging it, but I used the whole can of black soy beans, a splash of vanilla, two big spoonfuls of yogurt (about 4 T), two little spoonfuls of pumpkin (I would guess 2T), a couple splashes of soy milk to get desired consistency (I would guess 1/4 c.), and cinnamon and Agave to taste. The experiment turned out well!

I hope the rest of your Sundays went well, happy Monday!

xoxo Erin

Food Rut

Erin @ Hunting for Health — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:04:13 +0000

Do you ever get tired of cooking? Do you get in patterns of eating?

Today we went to see Valentine’s Day and when we got home I did not want to cook. Chicken did not sound good, neither did the veggies I was planning on making, the only thing that I wanted was the breakfast I have everyday, Fage 2% with cocoa, stevia, and pumpkin mixed in. It was so weird that nothing else sounded good, well I did eat some broccoli so I guess that sounded good too. I guess a lot of this was because it had been about 3.5 hours since the last time I ate, so my blood sugar was low. Do you have weird cravings or get moody when your blood sugar is low/ need to eat? Some of this is due to my PCOS that makes me insulin resistant and causes blood sugar spikes and lows.

Lately, we have been making lots of stir fries and Italian-inspired marinara and veggie dishes, but I need to break out of this box. What kind of dishes do you make a lot?