I Have a Rant - We're Programmed

When did we lose control?

When did we become sheep being led throughout our lives with other people telling us how things are supposed to be?  We're programmed.

I typed "ideal breakfast" into the image search on Google and this is the first image that popped up:

This is what we're told is a "good" breakfast.  Look at it. Really look at it.  Is that the best we can really do for ourselves?   Of course not.  But we've been programmed to think that this is what we need.  I'm not saying it's devoid of nutrition by any means!  Although I'm pretty sure the croissant falls more in the "butter" group than the "whole grain" group  ;)

We're so programmed that some people will adamantly argue the appropriateness of your food choices if they see you deviating from what has become the norm. My husband for example, has a huge problem with just the idea of breakfast for dinner.  It's just not right even if many of us are beginning to truly embrace brinner.  A dear friend of mine began eating salads for breakfast.  They are a compact, nutritionally dense meal that can easily be modified to hit the protein, fat levels, etc that a person might want or need.  Oatmeal for breakfast is great.  It just doesn't hit as many points that are beneficial as something like the salads do.  When my friend mentioned her morning salad diet,  some people commented that they couldn't do it themselves.  Why?  For a minute my brain said "that's weird".  Why are we so afraid to step outside the norm?  Americans on the whole are suffering from obesity and a wide range of ailments that can be diet and fitness controlled.  Obviously the norm is NOT WORKING people.  I yell to remind myself to get the message as well.

Doing the same thing on Google, here is the ideal lunch:

That looks... less than thrilling. Nutritious?  SURE!  But positively boring.  Because good-for-you food is all bland, uninspired, and just something you have to consume.  Eat to live, don't live to eat right? I say WRONG.  I want to enjoy every bite that goes into my mouth.

I challenge you. Yeah, you.  I'll do it too.  I challenge you to make a list of all the food you like that's pretty much totally good for you.  Then next to the food, write why it's a poor food choice for each meal.  A lean grilled steak for lunch?  Yeah, it's pretty hard to make one fresh when you're at work all day.  But if you had steak for dinner last night, there isn't any reason leftovers couldn't become sliced steak in a corn tortilla with a bit of cheese and veggies.  Steak tacos!  Heck, it almost sounds better than the original meal.  I had steamed broccoli for part of my breakfast. I eat constantly throughout the day when I'm home so no formal breakfast.  So far today here's my food:

•   7:30am  - 2 light Babybel Cheeses
•   9:00am  - 1 cup of steam broccoli with salt and my healthy "butter" with lots of omegas
• 10:00am  - 4 or 5 fried egg whites (I used egg beaters whites)
• 11:15am  - mixed melon pieces (still eating but I suspect 3-4 cups will be eaten)

Just all foods I like.  Sure, I could make it look "normal".  It's all just a deconstructed broccoli and cheese egg white omelet with a side of fruit.  But I didn't want an omelet and I refuse to eat one just because it's what I should do according to the programming i have received.  I like to think for myself.  That's freedom.

So take the challenge.  Make your lists and share them with me.  if you don't eat a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast just because it's weird, tell me so.  I'd like to know.  I'll post my list tomorrow.

Day Zero ~ 101 Things in 1001 Days

If you haven't heard of the Day Zero Project, you should definitely check it out.  I'm excited for it.

http://dayzeroproject.com/

Almost as excited as I am about Christmas.  Almost. Speaking of Christmas, my husband saw my eyes light up at Lowe's this weekend when I caught sight of a pretty, white, metal, tree with lights for outside.  I have one that's done it's duty for almost ten years and needs to retire due to rust.  My cat approves of the colored lights. (we had to try it out) Heck, I approve of the colored lights.  Those led ones are pretty nifty.

ANYWAY.  Day Zero Project.  I'm doing it.

Here is my list:

1    Run a 5k race for time

2    Identify 100 things that make me happy

3    Learn a poem by heart

4    Make a custom recipe book

5    Get to my goal weight and maintain

6    Go on a picnic

7    Learn to say "I love you" in 10 languages

8    Learn to write with my left hand

9    Keep the kitchen spotless for 30 days

10  Be proficient in conversational French

11  Take a photo of the same place every month for year and then turn it into a calendar for the next year

12  Build a piece of furniture I'll want to pass on to my children

13  Be able to play a full Christmas song, by heart, on the piano

14  Make a pie on Pi day

15  Make soap

16  Answer the "50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind"

17  Make a list of the top 5 people who have positively influenced me and write them letters

18  Keep my room tidy for a month

19  Create a painting worthy of hanging in my house

20  Have a new list of 101 Things written before my 1001 days are done

21  Have a monthly game night for a whole year

22  Make a quilt

23  Serve dinner by candlelight every Friday during the dark of winter

24  Read 10 books by local authors

25  Learn to juggle 3 balls

26  Build a gingerbread house

27  Do at least 1 project a month off of Pinterest

28  For one year, pick one person a day and honestly compliment them

29  Do a charity bicycle ride

30  Make a souffle that my husband likes

31  Make a simple household chores chart and stick with it

32  Send 101 postcards via postcrossing.com

33  Draw at least once a week for a year

34  Make a pillow for the bed

35  Go ice skating

36  Read the bible and make a list of bible verses that touch me

37  Sew an apron

38  Take time for a coffee break once a week

39  Do all basic maintenance on my truck for 6 months

40  Lay in the grass and just watch the clouds go by

41  Make homemade pickles

42  Make a last name photo collage from my own pictures

43  Host a non-holiday party

44  Develop a daily stretching routine

45  Do 1 random act of anonymous kindness a week

46  Make mozzarella in my own kitchen

47  Grow my own mushrooms and cook with them

48  Make 10 random babies smile

49  Say "I love you" to my husband. Every day

50  Take 10 minutes a day to just sit and think about non-pressing things

51  Change someone's life for the better

52  Take a day trip to a state park

53  Wear nail polish and keep it looking nice for a month

54  Play a round of golf with my husband

55  Re-learn to cross-stitch and make something useful

56  Make my own candles

57  Study 6 different cultures per year; have a themed weekend for each with food, music, culture and geographical info for the family

58  Wear a sexy halloween costume

59  Make a family tree

60  Learn how to take a compliment

61  Have my make-up done at a make-up counter

62  Learn how to play the harmonica

63  Find a four leaf clover

64  Climb a tree and take a photo of the view

65  Have a Halloween party

66  Decorate my bedroom

67  Find a hat I don't look silly in

68  Write a poem

69  Go to a drive-in movie

70  Make a list of things I'd like to see before I die

71  Develop a signature entree that will one day be what grandchildren compare all other foods to

72  Design and build a vertical garden

73  Learn to love myself even just a little bit

74  Make a pretty calendar of some sort to keep track of birthdays and other special events

75  Decorate the family room properly

76  Teach 6 people to appreciate Christmas

77  Get rid of all clothes in my closet that do not and never will fit

78  Enter something for competition at the Sioux Empire Fair

79  Detail my truck's interior and keep it that way with weekly maintenance

80  Bring back kissing under the mistletoe

81  Get recertified at CPR

82  Make a time capsule to be opened on our 20th anniversary

83  Hit 50 lbs weight loss goal

84  Learn to be comfortable naked

85  Write a list of songs that I want played at my funeral

86  Watch the sunrise and sunset on the same day

87  Knit a blanket

88  Spend a weekend living like it's the 1800's. No electricity, no internet, just old fashioned entertainment

89  Spend an evening watching a meteor shower

90  Develop 5 new soup variations

91  Pick 3 things that are stereotypically "man activities", and learn to do them well

92  Get confident enough to once again sing in the presence of someone else

93  Scan old family pictures and make a book or books of them with proper labels

94  Make 5 new family traditions

95  Sew a week's worth of outfits

96  Learn to do a fancy braid to my own hair

97  Complete the P90X workout system

98  Go on 6 day trips to places I've never gone in my area

99  Sew a patchwork tablecloth that's pretty for any season

100 Combat my negative self talk with positive self talk. Daily

101 Teach my niece something that only I can do 

 

It's a handful but I think if I challenge myself I can do it.  If you'd like to follow me on the Challenge site:

http://dayzeroproject.com/user/KickMeImAnna

Motivation

Wanna ask me how P90X is going?

Don't bother.  I haven't started yet.  It's intimidating, I'm a chicken, and being lazy is so much more fun.  But at least I'm honest.  I'll be starting it Monday.  No excuses this time. 

It's hard to come up with motivation to better my body.  I don't know why and I think it's stupid, but it is.  Oddly enough, I have a competitive streak that drives me to beat others.  I was always the little kid who would yell "race ya!" and then take off down the sidewalk.  I think it stemmed from feeling inferior most of the time.  Competition allowed me to earn my place at the top.  To have a victory that others could recognize and appreciate.  I never felt entitled to good things.  Because, well, I never felt good enough.  This experiment/blog is about overcoming the negativity against myself and to stand tall by myself and for myself.  But i still need others to do this. Thank God for them. I've got motivation now!

Today equals 98 days until good old Greedy Pig Fest...  I mean Thanksgiving.  Typically I try to lose 2 or 3 pounds previous to balance out the extra weight a pumpkin pie diet brings.  This year I'm taking part in a weight loss challenge with a few fabulous women.  We're all different shapes and sizes so we're basing the challenge off of percentage of weight loss.  Whoever loses the highest percentage of weight loss in a healthy manner by Thanksgiving wins.  98 days of hardcore working out and watching my diet.  The winner will be mailed prizes from the losers.  Just something little from each of the other participants.  Of course, the losers might be winners themselves.  I don't mind losing if I still pull off a significant weight loss.

Four Things

First:  @KickMeImAnna

Second:  I'm so discouraged,  It's getting harder and harder to eat enough food per day.  No doubt the primary  reason for my slowed down weight loss. I'm lonely all the time.  I'm a social person but the majority of oral conversation in my day is with my cats and that's pathetic.  I have friends that I only talk to online, but they have lives and I don't want to seem needy or ever bring anyone down.

Third:  I'm having inspiration issues when it comes to cooking.  My husband has been SO good about trying new things lately, but he really is a picky eater still and I'd hate so be constantly making foods he doesn't like just because I'm the one with fat issues.  So I feel like we're having the same thing almost every night.  Grilled chicken breast with some kind of sauce/marinade/rub, steamed broccoli/cauliflower, and corn/peas/green beans.  SO boring!  I try to keep a complete dinner under 500 calories. 
This week we're having:

• hamburgers, grilled corn, and oven fries
• pork loin chops with sauteed mushrooms, broccoli, and veggie medley
• cedar plank herb chicken and green beans.
• beef roast, potatoes, carrots, and peas
• chicken fried rice and broccoli

Sounds pretty good.  It's just so tough since I've got thousands or recipes I can't use since they have words like heavy cream, pan full of oil, & add more butter in many of them.

Fourth:  I am kinda proud of myself for taking part in the 200 sit-up challenge, 100 push-up challenge, and soon we'll start the 200 squat challenge.  I'm earning my badges.