"Getting into shape" is probably the number one resolution each year, judging by how crowded the gyms become each January 1. I'm not the kind of person who makes resolutions around the new year because I don't want to lean on January 1 as an excuse to wait to get started on things like "getting into shape." I actually started this resolution to lose 20 pounds just before Thanksgiving.
You've probably heard of the Noom app, which is designed to help people lose weight. If you're like me, you might have seen the ads that promise to change your relationship with food with a plan that's personalized for you and thought, "Yeah, no."
You've probably heard of the Noom app, which is designed to help people lose weight. If you're like me, you might have seen the ads that promise to change your relationship with food with a plan that's personalized for you and thought, "Yeah, no."
I don't know if "yeah, no" is universal, but in the Midwest it simply means...no. In this case, not likely.
I had been working out nearly every day, and each week my weight fluctuated between 180 and 185 pounds. For months, this was my plateau. A frustrating cycle. I love fast food, but had limited it to maybe twice per week. I hate vegetables. I have always been a stress-eater. I never felt shame with my eating habits, but rather frustration. When stress hits me, I would think I needed a large pizza--all that cheese and grease and flavor of comfort food was my go-to. No longer being the young college kid who could call a large pizza and a six pack dinner and not gain an ounce...well, no wonder my weekend binge undid my weekday efforts.
I had decided to give something different a try. Enter Noom. Does it work?
I had been working out nearly every day, and each week my weight fluctuated between 180 and 185 pounds. For months, this was my plateau. A frustrating cycle. I love fast food, but had limited it to maybe twice per week. I hate vegetables. I have always been a stress-eater. I never felt shame with my eating habits, but rather frustration. When stress hits me, I would think I needed a large pizza--all that cheese and grease and flavor of comfort food was my go-to. No longer being the young college kid who could call a large pizza and a six pack dinner and not gain an ounce...well, no wonder my weekend binge undid my weekday efforts.
I had decided to give something different a try. Enter Noom. Does it work?
How personalized is it? I don't know, but it did pick up on my stress-eating and the fact that I hate veggies, and give me a daily caloric intake window that takes into account that I want to gain muscle while losing fat.
Noom did change my relationship with food. Whenever stress kicks in and I'm craving that large pizza, a few things happen:
That is perhaps the worst of my diet that Noom has helped me tackle. I have also been able to gamify getting more veggies in my diet...and I'm surprised that the more I eat them, the more I actually seem to like them. Except kale. Kale is evil.
Through daily lessons and tons of quizzes, Noom has me thinking more intentionally about how I stuff my face. There are literally no foods off limits, and I like that. Since starting Noom two months ago, I have lost 15 pounds and I can see reaching my target weight inside 2 weeks...exactly as Noom had predicted when I took its initial lifestyle quiz. That's pretty impressive.
Will it work for you, too? Probably. Granted, I started this process merely "overweight" according to BMI scales, and not "obese." I wanted to lose only 20 pounds...but this was after being on a plateau for many, many months. Noom was the change I needed because it gave me a structure in which to work. I don't rightfully know if it will work for you, too...that's entirely up to you.
Pros
Cons
]]>Noom did change my relationship with food. Whenever stress kicks in and I'm craving that large pizza, a few things happen:
- I try to cut off that binge-monster before it consumes me...and a whole pizza. I take notice that I'm stressed. I know what I will begin to crave in a short while. And I'll snack on healthy--and sometimes not-so-healthy--snacks so I don't feel as hungry when I am ready to order the pizza.
- I go ahead and order that damn pizza. Instead of just a large, though, I get extra large. Makes sense? Not at all. My binge-monster WANTS that pizza. Sometimes, just having one delivered is enough to calm that desire. The trick, though, is that the first thing I do when that pizza arrives is to put a few slices on a plate and immediately wrap up the rest and stick it in the freezer. That limits how much I will eat TONIGHT, while having pizza available for the next time stress kicks in.
- Sometimes, the binge-monster wants what the binge-monster wants, and doesn't relent. In those instances, I relent and forgive myself. This process is not at all about punishing oneself, but it is a process. On those nights, I binge MINDFULLY. That is, eating slowly, I literally pay attention to each bite--how do I feel NOW? I eat another bite and ask the same question--how do I feel NOW? It kind of reminds me of a joke I once posted on Facebook, "What's better than a Twinkee? TWO Twinkees! What's better than two Twinkees? It's definitely not three Twinkees." (True story. Try it and you'll see what I mean.) Eventually, I found my sweet spot--somewhere between three and four slices--where each bite has a diminishing rate of return on satiating that monster. I begin to feel sick, stuffed, bloated, gross. Now, I simply stop at three slices even if there are four on my plate. So, binge-monster gets happy, but not out of control. That's progress.
- The part of me that remains logical about pizza feels satisfied that I won't need to order another pizza for at least another month...when before I started doing this, ordering at least one pizza each week was a given. That's a huge money savings. Whenever I want pizza, I simply pull three slices from the freezer. And, yes, I limit that to no more than one day each week. Knowing that the pizza is already here and available is, quite often, enough to keep the binge-monster calm, like a security blanket chilling away in my freezer.
That is perhaps the worst of my diet that Noom has helped me tackle. I have also been able to gamify getting more veggies in my diet...and I'm surprised that the more I eat them, the more I actually seem to like them. Except kale. Kale is evil.
Through daily lessons and tons of quizzes, Noom has me thinking more intentionally about how I stuff my face. There are literally no foods off limits, and I like that. Since starting Noom two months ago, I have lost 15 pounds and I can see reaching my target weight inside 2 weeks...exactly as Noom had predicted when I took its initial lifestyle quiz. That's pretty impressive.
Will it work for you, too? Probably. Granted, I started this process merely "overweight" according to BMI scales, and not "obese." I wanted to lose only 20 pounds...but this was after being on a plateau for many, many months. Noom was the change I needed because it gave me a structure in which to work. I don't rightfully know if it will work for you, too...that's entirely up to you.
Pros
- It's informative. Daily lessons and quizzes help you analyze your behavior and suggest strategies to try.
- It works in a realistic way. That is...it's not restrictive, not a fad diet. It sets you up for long term success by teaching you to eat intentionally/mindfully. On a day-to-day basis, I'm very focused on what I eat, but I haven't ever felt like I was on a diet.
- It integrates activity tracking with wearable tech like Fitbit.
Cons
- It's expensive. $60/month? That's crazy. I truly recommend this, but only if you're serious about making changes. Otherwise, spend that money on the food that makes you happy, forgive yourself and be happy with that choice.
- The app makes it difficult to re-read previous lessons. You can bookmark a page and re-read your bookmarks, but to re-read an entire lesson you need to "swap out" the old lesson for the lesson you're currently on. First world problems, I know. But it's really damn frustrating when you think you want a refresher on a lesson about psychology and you can't just re-read it. You lose progress on your current lesson, and you can only re-read a day's worth of pages instead of the entire lesson. And, no, I don't want to bookmark every page as I read them just in case I want to return for a refresher.
- Calorie counting is perhaps the biggest con. It's tedious. But, if you're like me, tediously managing your daily caloric budget actually reinforces the eating behaviors because...if you do the work, why mess up the eating?
Looking for something different to do to burn off some of those Thanksgiving calories?
Go out on a Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt! Go out in groups of two or more, armed with your cell phone cameras, and take selfies next to things found on the list at the end of this post. After spending a specified amount of time out on the walk, have everyone return home to share their selfies. Maybe give extra points for a team that turns in a digital collage!
But wait! Before you head on out, make this awesome drink to keep off the chill - Hot & Spicy Apple Barrel! The cinnamon and spices give it a comforting and seasonal flavor that's just right for a chilly outdoor adventure, keeping you warm and refreshed. Omit the rum for the young'ns.
Go out on a Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt! Go out in groups of two or more, armed with your cell phone cameras, and take selfies next to things found on the list at the end of this post. After spending a specified amount of time out on the walk, have everyone return home to share their selfies. Maybe give extra points for a team that turns in a digital collage!
But wait! Before you head on out, make this awesome drink to keep off the chill - Hot & Spicy Apple Barrel! The cinnamon and spices give it a comforting and seasonal flavor that's just right for a chilly outdoor adventure, keeping you warm and refreshed. Omit the rum for the young'ns.
Hot & Spicy Apple Barrel (serves 4):
Scavenger Hunt list:
]]>- 4 cups apple cider or apple juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves
- 2 star anise
- Orange peel from 1 orange
- Optional: 1/4 cup brown sugar (for added sweetness)
- 2 oz Dark rum
- In a large pot, combine the apple cider, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and orange peel. If you want a sweeter drink, add brown sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.
- Strain the drink to remove the spices and orange peel.
- Add dark rum if using and pour into insulated flasks.
- For a fruity touch, add a slice of fresh apple or orange to each cup.
Scavenger Hunt list:
- A red leaf
- A pinecone
- A bird (good luck with the selfie!)
- A smooth stone
- An acorn or other tree seed
- A feather
- A piece of bark
- A squirrel or other small mammal (again, good luck with the selfie!)
- A spider web
- A mushroom or fungus
- A footprint or animal track
- A type of berry
- A fallen twig with a unique shape
- A flower
- A body of water
- An insect
- A patch of moss or lichen
- A leaf that's different from the others around it
- Something the color of the sky
- A natural object that makes a sound (rustling leaves, flowing water)
- A house that still has Halloweeen decorations up.
- A house that already has Christmas lights on.
- A balloon yard decoration -- Santa, Snowmen, Snow globe, etc.
- A yard that hasn't raked any leaves
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Salted Butter
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Large Chicken Breasts, cubed. (Or 1 lb Shrimp)
- 6 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Small Yellow Onion, diced
- 1/2 Cup White Wine
- 1 14.5 oz. Can Diced Tomatoes, including juice
- 1 Small Carton (8 oz) Heavy Cream
- 1 Small Bag of Baby Spinach
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Tsp Cornstarch
- 2 Tsp Dried Italian Herbs
- 1 Tsp Parsely
- 1/2 Lb Rotini Pasta
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Cook pasta with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once cooked to preferred doneness, drain in strainer. I don't recommend rinsing as the olive oil should keep it from sticking.
- Heat large skillet. Once hot, melt butter and cook chicken (or shrimp) with salt and pepper. Once cooked, remove chicken and set aside. If using shrimp, I like to add some crushed red pepper flakes for heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and onion. Cook until onions are soft, scraping bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add garlic and cook another minute.
- Mix cornstarch with one or two tablespoons of the water/juice from the tomato can. Set aside.
- Add wine, tomatoes, and heavy cream. Reduce heat and let simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced by about half. Stir in the cornstarch.
- Add Italian herbs and parsely.
- Add cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. Mix until cheese is melted.
- Add cooked chicken.
- Add spinach and cover pan until wilted.
And from that research I developed some quick 60-second bios posted to my YouTube channel. You can learn about early pioneers ("Aunt" Clara Brown), outlaws (Cherokee Bill), con-artists (Ben Hodges) and more!
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This is a Christmassy kind of drink that I like to make in batches and bottle up as gifts. I’m not a huge fan of cranberries, but cranberries and alcoholic beverages is a match in my book. The sweetness and tartness not only adds a bite to the drink, but also takes the edge off the alcohol.
One of the ingredients is Fernet, which can be a bit polarizing because it is an intensely bitter and spicy alcohol. It’s an Italian liqueur that is made from herbs and spices, and was originally a medicine. Like cilantro, folks seem to either LOVE it or they HATE it, with no in-between. The herbs and spices here are a great add to this drink.
One of the ingredients is Fernet, which can be a bit polarizing because it is an intensely bitter and spicy alcohol. It’s an Italian liqueur that is made from herbs and spices, and was originally a medicine. Like cilantro, folks seem to either LOVE it or they HATE it, with no in-between. The herbs and spices here are a great add to this drink.
Another ingredient is simple syrup, which is quite simple to make. Add 1 Cup of sugar to 1 Cup of water, heat for about 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for about a month. (This is the recipe for the simplest of simple syrups—don’t be afraid to experiment. Adding a handful of cranberries while cooking will add a great flavor to the syrup.)
The batch recipe makes about five servings. The single-serving recipe is pretty close. Serve over a glass of ice with a sprig of rosemary.
The batch recipe makes about five servings. The single-serving recipe is pretty close. Serve over a glass of ice with a sprig of rosemary.
| Batch recipe Vodka – 2 ¼ Cups Lemon Juice – ¾ Cups Simple Syrup – ¾ Cups Cranberry Juice – 4 ½ Cups Fernet – 1 ¼ Cups | Single-Serve recipe Vodka – 2 oz Lemon Juice – ½ oz Simple Syrup – ½ oz Cranberry Juice – 3 ½ oz Fernet – 1 oz |
Seriously, I could eat this nonsense all day, every day and never get bored.
This recipe is for my meal prep strategy, where I get about 12 servings. Cut this recipe in half if needed.
Ingredients
This recipe is for my meal prep strategy, where I get about 12 servings. Cut this recipe in half if needed.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Basmati Rice, thoroughly rinsed
- 2 Cans Black Beans, rinsed
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Large Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 Large Green Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 Large Red Bell Pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced (optional)
- 5 - 6 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Can Tomato Sauce
- 1 1/2 Tsp Cumin
- 2 Tsp Paprika
- 1/2 Tsp Cayenne
- 3 1/2 Tsp Salt (less, if desired)
- 1 Tsp Pepper
- 2 Cups Corn Kernels
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock (Or Vegetable Broth for a vegan dish)
- 6 Green Onions, sliced
- 1 bunch Cilantro, chopped (1 1/2 Cups)
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- Add oil to hot pan and sautee onion, red and green pepper, and jalapeno until soft. (I like to keep the lid on to trap the moisture that can be absorbed by the rice. I might be wrong that it makes it more flavorful, but don't care.)
- Add garlic and cook another minute.
- Add tomato sauce and all spices. Mix well.
- Add corn, rice, black beans, and chicken stock (or veggie broth). Cover and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes.
- Add green onion, cilantro and lemon juice. Give it a good stir.
- Let rest for a few minutes and then fluff with fork before serving.
I like caliente, so diced jalapeno makes sense to me. If that is not your thing, then omit.
I like to serve this up with refried beans, steak and/or chicken. If vegan is your thing, try frying up garbanzo beans/chickpeas. I'm finding it to be a great substitute for chicken. If going the extra mile to add beef, chicken or chickpeas, then why not dice up an avocado and serve on a warm tortilla with shredded cheese? Because, yeah, tacos are heaven in the palm of your hand...until they're heaven in your belly.
For chicken or chickpeas:
- Dice one or two chicken breasts and add to bowl OR drain and rinse one or two cans of garbanzo beans and add to bowl.
- Add 3/4 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper.
- Add either 3/4 tsp paprika or 3/4 tsp chipotle chili powder.
- Give it a good stir.
- Sautee in hot pan with olive oil.
But, I’m divorced, my oldest kids have grown up and moved out, and my youngest that still lives at home rarely wants to eat anything I cook. I’ll be damned if I’m going through the effort of cooking a good dinner every night. I had tried the meal prep services like Hello Fresh, but even with getting two meals out of each kit, the energy spent into making each dish felt hardly worth the reward.
Back when I was cooking for the fam, I would do theme weeks, where leftovers were re-worked into the next meal and then the next. So, there would be two days of heavy lifting in the kitchen, each followed by one or two days of light cooking with the leftovers. For example, Sunday night might be a homestyle chicken night—chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy and corn. Day 2 might be a fake out of the KFC bowls—all the leftovers dumped into a bowl and covered with cheese. Day 3 might be chicken quesadillas.
But doing even that for just myself felt like too much. I was really missing my eldest, a foodie who would eat just about anything I would conjure up in the kitchen. Cooking for one sucks.
I decided to try a meal prep strategy where I make 8 – 12 servings of a meal, and eat that for lunch and dinner all week. And, as you can imagine, by Wednesday, I’d be craving something new…no matter how good the dish was!
That gave me an idea. I only need 8 meals each week. Lunch and dinner, Monday through Thursday. Fridays and Saturdays are date nights where I eat out. Sunday is my day of leftovers from Friday and Saturday.
So, on Sunday afternoon, I make 10 – 12 servings of the same dish that can be frozen: Kung Pao Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Shrimp Tacos, Shepherd’s Pie, etc. For the first two weeks on this strategy, I’d eat 8 servings of the same dish and then freeze the rest. The payoff started to come in week 3.
On week 3 I made 8 servings of Shepherd’s Pie and froze half. I then pulled out 2 servings of Kung Pao Chicken and 2 servings of Mongolian Beef. Now I have a rotating variety in my meal prep so I never get bored. Every Sunday, I bank half of what I make in the freezer and withdraw 4 meals.
I’ve been doing this strategy for a few months now and haven’t got bored yet.
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This salad is perfect for parties this time of year. Cherry tomatoes will give each bite a "pop," but I prefer diced Roma. Eat it as a salad, or serve up like salsa with corn chips!
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 3 ears of cooked sweet corn, cut from cobs
- 1 sweet red pepper, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 avocados
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved OR 3 Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced (Optional)
- Cook the corn in a deep pot. I like to cover the corn with milk and add a stick of butter and bring to a boil. Cut corn from the cobs.
- Whisk together oil, lime juice, vinegar, salt, cayenne, pepper and garlic in a bowl. Set aside.
- Mix all remaining ingredients except avocado in a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat.
- Just before serving, dice up the avocado and add. Give the bowl another toss to coat.
NOTES:
- If making ahead of time and you need to store in the fridge, be sure to bring to room temperature before serving. (Olive oil in the fridge will solidify, but will melt back to a liquid.)
- I like things a little spicy. If caliente is not your thing, omit the jalapeno. Or if feeling cautiously adventurous, split the salad into two portions and add the heat to just one half and then everyone will be happy! Maybe not, but not for lack of trying.