I’ll Have My Own Infomerical Soon

Close to a year ago, I wrote a post about the Merritts getting healthy, and I suppose, to celebrate that anniversary, I ought to write an update post, even though I’m not sure I really want to because: a) being thin without working for it was a part of my image for a long time and b) it feels kinda vain.

But, still, I’m happy to report that 365 days later we’re still at it. I’ll admit that we haven’t been 100% for each of those days. January to April was sparse on the workout front. But, still, knowing us, I think that’s an accomplishment.

So what’s all that “healthiness” looked like?

Basically, our main tactic has been making good food taste good and having an old favorite at 1 meal each week. We’ve watched portion size, read labels, and cooked with the best tasting, healthiest ingredients we can afford/find. (Eating has a physiological purpose, but if the experience isn’t at least on the verge of amazing, why eat whatever it is?)

Since April, I’ve cut back to one coke a week, upped my water intake, and often switched out chips for veggies at lunch. Nuts or yogurt have made great snacks. FF frozen yogurt, whipped cream, and whole berries, great desserts. Whenever I start thinking about something I shouldn’t eat, I look up its nutritional value and decide if it’s worth it. For eating on the go, I’ve looked up the best options at my favorite places and order the sandwich, not the combo. And I don’t go some place where I know — based on how I’m feeling — that I’ll make a bad choice. I try new recipes, and if I’ve got a craving that can’t hold until cheat night, I make up a healthy version to have at home. Because I’m pretty serious about food and, quite frankly, I think I deserve to have stuff I like. I just try to keep the burgers, pizzas, onion rings, cupcakes, cheesecake, BBQ, tacos, queso, steaks, and fried chicken to a minimum.

(They say when you eat healthy for a while, your stomach grows intolerant of greasy stuff and you just don’t enjoy it. I’ve craved veggies after junk, but I’ll never think that stuff isn’t awesome.)

Here’s what I cooked for dinner a few weeks ago:

Monday: Grilled Ahi Tuna Sandwiches w/Roasted Red Pepper Aioli, Oven Fries, & Salad

Tuesday: Grilled Sweet Chili Shrimp on Summer Asian Salad (spinach, romaine, pineapple, broccoli/carrot/cabbage slaw, and almonds)

Wednesday: Creamy Feta Penne w/Rustic Italian Chicken, Tomatoes, & Broccoli

Thursday: Rustic Italian Chicken Panini w/ranch & spinach salads

Friday: Spaghetti w/spinach salads (Chris wants spaghetti every Friday, for some reason.)

Saturday: Cheat Meal

Sunday: Peanut Butter & Jelly (Chris wants PB every Sunday night because that’s what he had when he was a kid. Sometimes I eat it too. Sometimes I make myself something else.)

It looks like the only vegetables we eat are salads, broccoli, and green beans (not that week). And that’s true. At dinnertime. Those are the only green things Chris likes. Caelyn and I have asparagus, artichokes, sugar snap peas, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, etc. at lunch. And I’ll let you in on a secret: I use Miracle Whip, Smart Balance, low-fat milk, whole grain breads & pastas, low-fat cheese, natural pb, no sugar added fruit spreads, etc.

We’ve been working out too. Chris has been doin’ his own thing. Caelyn and I have a rotation that includes powerwalking or Bootcamp Cardio TaeBo 4 days a week, dancin’ around 1 day a week, and Pilates or strength training 5 days a week. I still don’t like working out. I’m still not addicted to it. Even so, it’s not as hard as it used to be, because: a) I’m more physically fit and b) It’s a part of my day.

I think it’s making a big difference. I wouldn’t say I’m perfectly toned or look like an athlete. But I look decently in shape, feel stronger, and have definition in my legs, arms, and abs that I didn’t have before.

But the big question is, “Has it really made us healthier?”

I don’t know. Part of the reason we started this was to get Chris’ cholesterol down. We haven’t had it checked since before we began.

But I do know that we’ve lost a decent chunk of weight — Chris 36, Me 43, Maverick 20. It makes me feel vain to admit it, but I’d be lying if I said that doesn’t make me happy.

My mom keeps asking me to make her a diet plan. But we don’t have one. I know healthy eaters are supposed to plan their meals, but I can’t. Planning makes me feel tied down. I go with cravings, even though everything I’ve ever read says that’s a recipe for disaster. And we don’t have a “diet.” I haven’t cut out carbs, all red meat, or all processed sugar. We’re not veganed, Zoned, South Beached, Atkinsed, Weight Watched, or whatever. We just eat when we’re hungry, stop when we’re full, and make the healthiest version of whatever we want.

And I’m not about to give fitness advice. I’m not an expert. I get a little extra satisfaction out of knowing that we did it on our own without equipment, gym memberships, trainers, or diets, but I’d feel better about recommending an exercise routine if I’d had one professionally recommended to me. I don’t know what I’m doing!

Nonetheless, to make this post even longer, I’ll share a few things that have made a big difference for me:

1. “Before and after” pictures. Whenever I want to eat hamburgers 4 nights a week, I’ll look at the two pics side by side. Chris and I had this conversation last week when I really wanted some cheesecake chimicangas:

Me (pointing to the before and after respectively): “This girl eats fried cheesecake whenever she wants. This girl doesn’t.”

Chris: “That’s right.”

Me (pointing to the before): “But I gotta tell ya, that’s the girl who lives in my heart.”

Chris: “Oh, I think she’s a lot bigger than that!”

Don’t be hard on him. He’s right. (I’ve mentioned that I used to eat Whoppers for after-school snacks, although I weighed 20 lbs less than I do now.) And he followed up with, “I’ve got a Cookie Monster in my heart.”

2. Chris. I tend to go full-throttle in one direction or another. It’s been good to have Chris remind me that I don’t need to be a “nazi.” It’s equally good for him to remind me that I don’t need to have pizza just because my day sucked. I’m not saying those reminders haven’t set me off a few times, but they do help me keep on track the right way.

3. Mari Windsor. Pilates works. 20 minutes, 3 times a week with Mari is all it takes. I don’t have to get sweaty. I don’t need anything other than a mat. I can do the routine from memory and add in moves from the advanced one. And all that deep breathing and stretching does a mind and body good.

4. TV. Television gets railed on for making potatoes, and Hollywood gets a bad rep for teaching young girls that bone thin is sexy. I agree that Hollywood can be tough on one’s self-image and the methods stars use to get/stay thin are often unhealthy and ridiculous. But not all of Hollywood’s like that. There are some women who can really be inspiring. Chris and I have been watching Alias on the Apple TV. Watching Sidney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) kick butt and rack up bad guys with her rock hard abs makes me want to drop and give you 20.

Of course, I wouldn’t mind looking like Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) either.

I looked up Jen and Lauren’s fitness routines. Turns out they’ve both trained with the same trainer. They both watch what they eat and drink tons of water. They splurge and take time for themselves. They work out about an hour a day. Lauren runs 4 miles on a treadmill in her dressing room and does strength training when she can. Jen alternates days of running/martial arts with days of mat Pilates and strength training. Lauren admits that she works really hard to look like she does. Jen admits that she had a hard time getting motivated to lose the weight after Violet was born because she just wanted to be with her baby.

It also helps that both Jen and Lauren are on the taller side, like me, and they’re long and lean, not ripped, like I’d like to be. (I do miss the days when I could eat cheeseburgers daily without consequence like Lorelai, though.)

5. iPod. I’ve already written about this a few times.

6. Knowledge. I mentioned looking up the nutritional value of restaurant foods. I’ve also done some Internet perusing of the “best exercises.” (If you have an eating disorder or someone in your family does, the Internet can be a very dangerous place to get information.)

7. Good-lookin’ food. Making sure food looks pretty, yummy, and decadent makes a big difference.

8. Steadiness. I like challenging myself, but I also know that I can only stick with something that’s ridiculously hard for so long. Senior citizens powerwalk.

9. Variety. This applies to workouts, but I’m mainly thinking of food. I can’t eat the same things every day. So I don’t. (Though I do get on kicks.) I don’t like grocery shopping at the same place all the time. So I don’t. (Though I do most of my shopping where the groceries are cheapest.)

10. Sexy and Slack. If I get on my mat to do Pilates and Caelyn thinks I’m giving piggy back rides, I change my plans. And, every now and then, I get dolled up just to celebrate nothing in particular.

BONUS: Good kitchen equipment. Eating at home is way more fun when I’ve got stuff that makes me feel like a gourmet. I’m not sayin’ I need tons of gadgets. But, seriously, good pots & pans and an awesome set of knives give me feelings you wouldn’t believe. Get some and see for yourself. You deserve it. A good mixer and espresso machine are nice too. And don’t forget the little stuff like kosher salt, pepper grinders, spatulas, and olive oil dispensers!