New guidelines for school lunches are placing more emphasis
on nutritious and healthier menu options as reported in the recent USA Today article entitled Schools
Serve Up Veggies, Variety by Nancy Hellmich. Interestingly enough, I have embarked on a
journey to get my kids to eat healthier at home. Having them eat healthier at school will not
only reinforce my attempts, but will ingrain that healthy choices can be
satisfying and taste good. I will admit
this effort is not based entirely on altruism, as it may sound. I looked in the mirror one day and saw a
horrific sight; not only had I gained 20 lbs, which the scale annoyingly
informed me about, but I had developed this unsightly layer of flab over my
already pregnant-looking obese stomach. When I
walked, this atrocity jiggled, and you could see it despite how much I tried to
hide it under loose clothing. I wanted
the earth to open up and swallow me whole.
Not only had I fallen off the health and exercise wagon, but
my body was just getting rounder and flabbier by the day. It was scary to realize that the barrel-like body
my mom had with the protruding belly would not only be mine, but I was working
on a nasty layer of jiggly wrinkly fat in all the wrong places to top it all off. That had to stop then and there. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect to look
like a supermodel, but damn! Hell, no!!!! That very rude awakening was a bit
over a month ago.
Since I am still recovering from a surprise shoulder
injury. Oh, it’s so great getting old! I
know I am not able to workout as vigorously as I did before. For years, I have been very active and would
always try to find new ways in which to exercise my body. I enjoy the physicality of working out
immensely. However, the above named
injury stopped me in my tracks when I was referred to a physical therapist
after not being able to raise my arm above shoulder level. I was also having really bad pain when I
slept on the affected arm or when I would sleep on the opposite side, the arm
sort of hung there. They discovered I
had somehow managed to dislocate my shoulder very slightly. Injuries like this need regular strengthening
and stabilization of the muscles surrounding the shoulder, but they never
really heal.
The physical therapist prohibited any jumping exercises,
upper body workouts, and no running. That
was my entire old workout regimen right out the window. He wanted me to stretch and do lots of
walking, and of course, go in 3 times per week for my sessions. This not only set me back $120/week for a few
months, but it was stressful to squeeze it in during lunch. My boss was very supportive and
understanding, but it was run here, exercise, run back, eat and get back to
work. I felt as if I was always rushing
somewhere, and the days, I was really busy at work, it was just overwhelming. Since I have always walked a lot anyways, I
felt as if that wasn’t really helping me, and it wasn’t. I managed to put on about 15-20 lbs while
rehabilitating my shoulder.
After my physical therapy, I am able to raise my arm over my
shoulder, but it is still quite stiff overall.
I don’t have the shoulder pain anymore, but I also don’t have the upper
arm strength I did once. And, despite
what anyone says, it’s a bit harder building strength back up on one side
only. I decided my best line of defense
was making my diet healthy, tasty, and rich in good fats, and slowly incorporating
exercise back into my routine. So, for
the last month or so, I have been cooking at home pretty much nightly. My youngest daughter has discovered she really
likes mashed butternut squash, and the oldest does not detest mushrooms as she
once thought. Then again, her main frame
of reference was the canned variety on pizza.
Last night, I made a mushroom risotto and the girl had seconds. That makes me really happy because not only
can I watch what I eat, but the kids are also jumping onboard with me. There is no quicker recipe for failure than dieting alone in a house full of people.
It does take a little more planning and creativity, but the
main thing is loading up my shopping cart with fruits and veggies instead of
cereals, frozen potatoes (French fries, tater tots, etc.), chicken nuggets,
ramen, boxed cereals, pasta, mac and cheese, etc. Now, instead of buying 2-3 cereal
boxes weekly, cookies, and several packets of pudding, we get 1 box of cereal,
no cookies, 1 box of mac and cheese for a night I can’t make dinner, and lots
of fruit. They can drink some Krystal Light
with me or have some watered down 100% juice.
We only have a single 2 liter bottle of diet soda per week. We usually reserve this treat for the
weekends.
Don’t get me wrong the key to all this is to make the kids
feel they are eating healthier not being deprived. Tonight, for example, we will have
pizza. However, instead of calling for
delivery, we will make it ourselves. I
buy frozen whole wheat pizza dough. I
also bought a handy rolling pin so we can make the crust nice and even, or as
thick as we like. We will be having
mushroom and shrimp pizza with part-skim mozzarella. I am not letting those yummy mushrooms go
bad. My preference would be to throw in
more veggies, but I am satisfied the kids are keeping an open mind, and have
been eating everything I place before them.
I do let the younger one have a modest dessert or a piece of fruit after
dinner. Every now and again, I have to
use the dessert bribe, but not very often.
It is good to have it in the bag of tricks in case you need it.
I am also loving the fact that cooking more often not only
keeps us healthier because it lets us control what we put in our food, and how
we prepare it, but the time it takes to cook the food, gives us time to catch
up and chat. It has become a nice moment
for us to share things, and every now and again, my youngest daughter will join
in as well. The best part is now that a month has passed, I looked at myself in the mirror, and I can see a definite improvement paunch-wise. It's not flat by any means or anywhere near there, but the layer of jiggle is not noticeable anymore. I don't look like I am 6 months pregnant, maybe just 3...lol.
Today, at work, I brought in some of the baked chicken, the portabella
mushroom risotto, and carrots and corn I made last night. I have stopped buying lunch out altogether. I had at least 3 coworkers come over and ask me
what smelled so good. They were actually
disappointed to find that it was homemade, and not something they could buy
themselves. I always try to eat lunch by 12:15
pm so I have fully digested what I ate for lunch by the time I hit the gym at
3:00 pm. After the gym, it's my tried and true favorite snack after a workout; a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat toast and a cup of skim milk. I know I am lucky to be able to
accommodate working out at the gym 3 times a week while at work. I eat my lunch and snacks while working at my desk so I can then use my actual lunch break to workout in the free gym downstairs. I am also fotunate to have one of those jobs that allows me to get up and walk around several times a day. So, by the time I get home, I can cook, and
devote my free time to the kids. Believe
it or not, I also get a little more free time to watch TV if I am so inclined. Everything is a compromise so I am just trying
to balance a healthy lifestyle, losing unwanted pounds, becoming fit, and being
a full-time single mom.
