It’s been two days since the contest ended and I’m having a bit of trouble adjusting. I’m not sure if I want to continue the contest diet or do a more liberal Weight Watchers diet. I went the liberal route, but I think it contained too much gluten and sodium for me, and I feel pretty gross despite eating perfectly within my points. I think I need to get back to the contest plan. Why is this so hard?!
This morning I had my health reassessments by the contest doctor. The great news? I lost nine inches in my hips. The not-so-great? The top number of my blood pressure dropped quite a bit, but the bottom–and more significant–number did not. The bad? Somehow, my sugars managed to INCREASE. We are blaming this on the fruit flush for now, and I’ll reevaluate it in about six weeks with my regular doctor.
Sigh. For some reason, I thought this contest was sort of my magic bullet to a lifetime of skinnyness and good health. It was an incredible start, but it’s just now sinking in that I need to put forth that same level of effort–or really close–for the rest of my life.
To help me find some great meals that will make this lifelong journey more interesting, I asked for some recommendations on a message board and I got these two great suggestions:
Both look like they have some fantastic recipes and I’m eager to try them. Okay, not really. I hate cooking. But the recipes do look great and if I DID enjoy cooking, I’d be eager to try them. I’m going to start slowly and try to cook at least two to three new recipes per month.
If you’ve made anything healthy and delicious–and simple!–recently, I’d love to hear about it!
We had recently this Rosemary Feta Chicken dish from the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. SO Simple, SO Yummy that Jason asked for it again the next night!!
I make this mexican type dish where you make some brown rice, add cooked/grilled chicken diced up/black beans and salsa. It’s pretty tasty cold or warm. You can add low far sour cream and avocado and even a little cheese if you like. Sometimes I worry about sugar and sodium content in salsa and I use canned diced tomatoes and mexican seasonings like cumin, chilli poweder garlic and onion powder. It’s easy and delish!
The “Cook Yourself Thin” cookbook is great, I’ve shown it to you before. Stick with Weight Watchers, it’ll be the best thing over time. We should have you guys over again!
Avocado & Black Bean salad:
http://ohsheglows.com/2010/11/02/easy-avocado-lime-black-bean-salad/
If I’m feeling particularly lazy (fairly often), I won’t bother with the shallots or cilantro. This is great as-is, served with a few tortilla chips, or on top of a bed of lettuce, tomato salsa, and crunched tortilla chips for a protein-packed taco salad.
Adjusting to a new lifestyle is definitely difficult. If it’s easier to stick to your contest diet then do it and still track your points. You can still use Weight Watchers and the basics you learned during the contest to lose weight now. Also, The Gracious Pantry, is a great blog for “clean eating” which may help you make the transition! I just started reading the Eat-Clean Diet Recharged by Tosca Reno and I am excited to learn the basics of clean eating and change my lifestyle! This whole calorie counting thing isn’t working for me!