Timewarp Tuesday...

Getting a bit retrospective this week in an effort to better explain how I got to this point in my life--or rather, how I got to the point of making this change in my life.  You heard a bit of my saga in my first post about the realization that something had to change, but now that I've got a bit of time between then and now, I can look back and analyze just what got me to that point in the first place--that's right, today's post deals with how I got fat, and some suggestions on how others might avoid my same pitfalls.

Foremost, I feel like most people don't realize they have a problem with their weight.  Not that people don't know that they've gained weight (I mean, I saw those numbers go up (and up) on the scale every year), but that people easily pass it off as "just a few pounds," "getting older," or "stress."  Personally, in my mind, I attributed my weight gain to both getting older and getting married, when in reality, it was more simply bad habits that became a daily routine.

Unlike most people in college, I lost weight.  Not a lot  of weight, but the cafeteria food was bad and I was pretty active in marching band (Fire Up Chips!)  Admittedly, I also didn't do much drinking in college, so the dreaded "Freshman 15" stayed away.  My problem first started with graduate school.

Amongst other things, graduate school provides ample opportunity for late nights, bad eating habits, and far too much thinking.  My first year of grad school, I decided I needed to lose ten pounds.  I don't know why I suddenly thought this--I had never felt like I was overweight.  I had always been pretty average-sized and had been the same size since eighth grade.  Perhaps the pressure of society got to me and I started thinking I was a little on the chubby side?  Whatever it might have been, I opted to lose weight quick on the Atkins diet--no carb/low carb--which was all the rage circa 2004.

Upon deeper analysis, this was the real start of my problems.  I did  lose that ten pounds, in fact, I lost fifteen.  However, no one can legitimately live a lifestyle where bread and potatoes are outlawed (this is the Midwest, after all), so I went back to eating "normal foods" after I lost the weight.  The problem was that this low carb diet seemed to really screw up my metabolism.  I not only gained back the weight I lost, but then some.  In my mind, it didn't matter because I could just lose it quick again the same way.  Only, I didn't lose that weight, I just gradually gained a little more each year...with various periods of extreme diet mixed in...until I hit my highest weight ever, last year.

So, what gives? Well, part of the problem probably is getting older--but it's not just about age but rather the fact that old habits die hard.  When I was younger, I could stay up late, get up early if I had to, and eat whatever, whenever (cheese fries at Lil' Chef at 3am, let's do it!)  I also never worried about exercise.  I never liked it, and as I never gained weight, I never seemed to need to do it either.  As I got older, I continued to try to live this same lifestyle--and eventually, my body rebelled by putting on weight, feeling tired all the time, etc.  So, while I'm not saying you can't have a good time at any age...I am saying that you should pay attention to your body, your age, and what's appropriate for your place in life at that moment.  Some people want to stay in college forever (and indeed I knew a few people who are/were giving it their best shot!) but it's really a hard lifestyle to live if you're over age 22--probably why it's only meant to last four years.

Marriage posed another pitfall in healthy weight maintenance for me.  We've all heard the phrase, "fat and happy" usually associated with nuptial bliss, and this is what seems to happen to a good majority of couples.  You get married (or make a lifetime commitment) and before you know it, you're both eating the same way every day and one or the other, or both, have put on a few pounds.  Now, despite the fact that my husband and I dated for a good ten years before getting married, one thing we hadn't done was live together for any length of time.  Herein lies the problem.  Where I might not have eaten in the healthiest manner before marriage, I also only felt the need to eat when I was hungry.  However, once married--I ate when "we ate" and was easily suckered into those late night jaunts for pizza, ice cream, etc. that he was so fond of in college.

My husband used to joke that everyone who ever had to live with him gained at least thirty pounds.  Both his college roommates and sister can attest to the sad truth behind this statement, as can I.  Hubby has strange eating habits--not just large portions either.  Snacks right before bed, late night "fourth meals," and a penchant for M&Ms in mass quantity.  This sounds like a nightmare for anyone trying to lose weight--and admittedly, was probably why I found it so hard to do on any permanent basis in the past.  At some point, however, you have to make the decision to do what's healthy for you--whether your loved ones get on the bandwagon or not.

As mentioned previously, my husband has been forced to at least eat healthier since I do all the cooking in our household, but it wasn't without initial argument.  The hardest part for me, was getting beyond this initial stage and sticking to my diet plan.  Yes, it would just have been easier to get pizza all those nights when I was tired from graduate work and he from the daily grind, but it was healthier to make something at home.  It would have been nice to get a little support or help making dinner all those types of nights--but I aimed to get healthy for me, and in the end, it payed off, despite the arguments and is now part of routine life.  Likewise, when you're watching television late at night, it's too easy to eat those chips, a bowl of cereal, or whatever with your significant other--even if you're not really hungry.  When it's simply an unavoidable craving, find something healthy, high fiber, and low in calories to eat along with your mate, even if he/she is not eating the same thing.  For me, I turned to pop corn--and in limited quantity.  Otherwise, I decided it was time for bed and left the room, completely removing myself from the temptation.

In conclusion, I got fat thanks to no one but myself.  I didn't pay enough attention to my bad habits, my body, and my place in life. It happens to the best of us. One of the biggest parts (and biggest challenges) to living a healthier lifestyle is really tuning in to what you have to do for that lifestyle to work.  You can't always depend on those around you to reinforce your good habits (they are more likely to rope you into their bad habits).  You can't always depend on the right choices being offered up to you--sometimes you have to look for them.  Even if you hate exercise, you have to get out there and do it!  You're not 21 anymore and beer pong no longer counts as a sport--an unfortunate downfall of adulthood, but why not try tennis instead?  This is all really hard.  It requires a constant, conscious effort to try your hardest to choose to live this life.  For most 21st century Americans, sadly, it's not a "natural" choice, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

Healthier Baked Chicken Chimichangas--the Adult Version of Taco Bell

Try this healthier version of the Mexican favorite when your next craving hits (drunk munchies?)  It'll save you from yourself in the long run.  Finish it off right with a serving of tortilla chips and a low calorie margarita.

Ingredients:
4 oz. Neufchatel cheese, softened
4 oz. 2% Mexican Blend shredded cheese
3/4 T. taco seasoning
2T pickled jalapenos, strained and chopped fine
8 oz. cooked boneless, skinless chicken, shredded (I just poach mine)
4 Smart & Delicious light flour tortillas
Black olives (optional)
Plain nonfat Greek yogurt with salt added to taste (optional)
Salsa (optional)
Shredded lettuce (optional)
Additional jalapeno slices (optional)
Canola cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350' F.  Stir together Neufchatel cheese, Mexican blend cheese, jalapenos, and taco seasoning in a large bowl.  Fold in chicken until well blended.  Divide chicken mixture between four tortillas, placing scoop in the middle and rolling up, "burrito style," tucking in the edges to form a neat package.  

Lay completed chicken chimichangas, seam side down, in a 9 x 9" baking dish, sprayed with canola oil.  Spray tops of chimichangas with spray as well.  Bake at 350' F. for fifteen minutes, turn chimichangas over and bake an additional fifteen minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve with black olives, plain Greek yogurt, salsa, and shredded lettuce.  Serves 4.

Per Serving (1 chimichanga) = 305.5 calories. W/serving of tortilla chips and low calorie margarita = 540.5 calories