I’ve listened to this song at the gym three times today. I’d never seen the video before now. I found it a little odd that they’d blank out the word gun, don’t you?
You know the part where the girl comes in near the end of the song? I find it impossibly difficult not to sing along at that part. But I usually check to make sure no one is close by first. ;)
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The Healthy Eating Challenge is going pretty well, although there have been a couple of small hiccups along the way.
My neighbor went to Calgary last week and brought us a little box of fancy chocolates. The chocolate is actually perishable (something that can’t be said for 99.9% of the chocolate available out there) and has to be kept in the fridge and eaten within a week. And Mark brought home a bag of kettle corn last night. (Just TYPING the words KETTLE and CORN is making me salivate.) I had to have a bowl of it last night. It was my wifely duty.
But I don’t feel bad about these transgressions, for two reasons.
1) There is room, in my daily diet, for The Really Good. i.e. Haagen Dazs, fancy chocolates, a bakery-fresh croissant, brie on a baguette etc. These are things that I don’t have very often, and when I DO eat them they are special and highly enjoyable. There is no room in my daily diet for the crappy stuff, and that includes waxy dollar-store chocolate, cookies from a vending machine, Lay’s potato chips, and Sarah Lee, among others. They are a waste of my time. Catch my drift?
2) I’ve been getting my share of physical activity. I’ve been going the gym every weekday, and now that the weather is better I’ve been doing some yard work as well. As a family we like to go for a walk or (a bike ride) almost every night after dinner. So I figure my output is squared with my input.
I’ve been keeping track of my food intake on a separate page here at the Fishbowl. (Fyi – if you want to read what I’ve written previously about the Healthy Eating Challenge, just click over to the Food category.)
You can get to the page where I’m tracking things meal-by-meal by clicking the “one month foodlog” link in the sidebar. (Or just by clicking here.) I’m documenting my meals entirely for my own benefit. This was not a mandated part of the Challenge. But I have to say, I’m glad I’ve been doing it. It’s given me an unprecedented view of my eating habits.
re: breakfast
– I am a creature of habit. I’m perfectly happy to eat the same small group of things over and over again. It’s actually easier this way. As long as I have the items on hand I don’t even have to think about it. If I’m in need of a little warmth or comfort I reach for the oatmeal. But I’m more than happy with All-Bran Buds (I’m a convert, and there is no way I’m switching) and the PC granola.
– I’m not a juice person, but sometimes I’ll take a splash of OJ in a fruit smoothie, which I like to have mid-morning. You see, I’m tricking myself. The smoothie is really a Fruit, Yogurt, and Flax Delivery System, but it is also very much a treat. The PC Blue Menu Finesse Vanilla Yogurt has been great addition to my daily smoothie of late, but the yogurt contains a few ingredients that some folks might have trouble with, namely corn starch and gelatin (which is not vegetarian-friendly) as thickeners. And I wonder if I’m getting as many of the active bacterial cultures that the other brands have.
re: lunch
– I used to work in an office where some co-workers brought in a frozen lunch meal every single day. Something like Michelina’s. You know what I thought when I saw that? You don’t like yourself very much, do you? That kind of thing depresses the crap out of me. I know it’s hard to motivate yourself to make a healthy lunch everyday, but why not bring a bag full of washed lettuce to work, along with a brick of cheese, a loaf of crusty bread and a bag of apples? YOUR LIFE WILL BE SO MUCH NICER. Trust me.
Okay. I know. I’m not being realistic. This doesn’t work for everyone and sometimes ones does need the Frozen Lunch FallBack. And it’s doable. I tried the PC Blue Menu Reduced Fat Cheese & Spinach Cannelloni and you know what? It was decent. I had it with some baby greens on the side. For some people, this would do just fine for lunch. The added benefit is that it’s portioned out at only 210 calories. So if a weight loss is your goal, or you’re really stuck at the office, this might be a good idea for you.
– my lunch preference leans more towards the fresh. I love a big savoury salad. A sandwich. Even soup. I told you about my revelation as it pertained to the lentils. The other soup I really enjoy is PC Blue Menu Spicy Black Bean with Vegetables Ready-To-Serve Soup. In fact, this and the lentil one are the only canned soups I will eat. The black bean has oomph and it’s not heavy on the onions. It is great on its own or with some chopped cilantro or avocado on top. Yum. I’ve even cut up some sausage to put into it – which is very good – but if you’re on a calorie-restricted diet I wouldn’t recommend that route.
I am happy with the Blue menu line of breads too – the multi-grain, the oatmeal – they’ve all been great. No complaints there.
re: dinners.
… will have to be my next post. I’ve got a lot to say and have run out of time.
