A Little Q&A!

Ever since my Shape article came out last month, I’ve been receiving tons of wonderful e-mails from new readers. I wanted to welcome those people to my blog and express how much I appreciate all of your support and kind words. A lot of great questions have been asked so I decided to do a little Q&A post so I could share my answers with everyone! Enjoy!

 1) Dear Missy,
I love your website!! I saw you in Shape Magazine and I was really inspired. I have started exercising and eating better. I have some ground chicken in the fridge and I was wondering if you had any good recipes for it. I need something low cal with ingredients that i can find down here in the good ole south lol…thanks!!

I have a dish that I love making with ground chicken. I don’t have the recipe written out anywhere but I will try to remember it now! It is called Ground Chicken over Whole Wheat Pasta.

Ingredients:

-Whole wheat pasta (I love Healthy Harvest whole wheat pasta. Any brand that makes whole wheat is okay to use though)
-Red Sauce
-Chopped up mushrooms, squash, and onions
-Ground chicken
-Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder)

1) Cook a serving size of the pasta according to the instructions.
2) Cook the ground chicken on a skillet. Make sure it is cut up into small pieces.
3) Add mushrooms, squash, and onions to the skillet.
4) Add red sauce to the skillet. I like Newman’s Own Organic sauce. Pick one with no artificial ingredients.
5) Cook extra red sauce in a pot for the pasta. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder for extra flavor.
6) Once everything is done, pour the whole wheat pasta in a bowl with red sauce. Add some of the ground chicken with veggies on top. Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese if you prefer.

It is a delicious and healthy dinner!

2) Your website is awesome!! Do you have any tips on starting a blog? How did you get started & how long have you been blogging, if you dont mind me asking!?

I started my blog exactly a year ago! I started it as a food diary because I realized I was overeating at night. The blog ended up turning into so much more! I love trying out food products from different companies. I’ve also met so many great people through the blog community. There are tons of meetups and cool events. It turned into a wonderful hobby that I hope to continue for a long time.

I started my blog on Blogger which seemed like the easier way to go. I switched over to WordPress about a month ago because it seemed to have more advanced features. I would recommend starting it on WordPress so that you do not have to go through the trouble of switching over.
I’d say blog about whatever you are most passionate about. Do it as a hobby and not something you are doing just to impress others. A lot of people get caught up in what others want and stress about not posting every day. I just try to post when I feel like it and have fun with it. It is definitely very rewarding and all of my readers are extremely supportive and friendly.

3) I recently bought the new Shape magazine and saw your article in it! I logged onto your blog and have been reading it all day. It’s great! I’m currently struggling with my weight. ’ 5’6 and weigh 110 pounds. To me I still have thick thighs and a curvy body.

I admire you so much. I admire anyone that is happy with their body. I used to looooooove eating and would eat anything but im at the point where i constantly fret over what I eat and how many weight watchers “points” it is. You mentioned that your were under weight too. How did you get over the mentality of being a certain weight and allow yourself to gain the healthy weight back and be happy?

Thanks for reading the blog!

It was very hard to allow myself to gain some weight back. It took me so long to lose that weight so I had a constant fear of getting back to my unhappy weight. I think the turning point for me was when my mom came to visit me at college and was extremely worried about me when she saw me. She was scared for me and said I looked horrible. I did not realize I was too thin until I saw her reaction. With the support of friends, I slowly introduced some fats and sweets back into my diet. I was able to stay thin but not look sickly throughout college. It really just takes confidence and help from others to know that a few extra pounds will not kill you. Good luck to you!!

4) Hi Missy,
I saw your article in shape and now follow you on twitter:) I am also 5’4 have struggled w/ over restricting- my weight is around 105 ish and know that it is not my natural weight. My husband would really like me to put on some weight…When you got to skinny, how did you gain the weight to get to a healthy weight and did you fear it? I do think that I would look much better a little heavier but I am having trouble gaining…Thanks in advance! Happy New Year!

Thanks for writing to me! I did fear gaining the weight back because I was scared of getting back to the weight that I felt horrible at. I did not gain the weight back in the most healthy way. I picked my favorite food (cookies n cream ice cream) and ate tons of it every night. I felt gross after but it did help me put some weight back on. I don’t recommend doing it that way of course. I’d say add some healthy fats back into your diet like nuts, avocado, and olive oil. I don’t know if you count calories but try to eat an extra 500 per day. You should slowly gain the weight back. Best of luck to you!

5) Hi Missy-

I have been following your blog for about two weeks now. I just love it. I never thought of eating ‘Gerber dried fruits’ before but I must say that you have me craving some after seeing your oatmeal pics. How often do you workout and for how long? I am currently doing 5 days a week 45 minute cardio and 3 days a week strength training. I am thin but have that extra 10-15 lbs of flab that I want to tone. I live in Georgia and saw you in my Shape magazine.

Have a great day and keep up the good work!

Thanks for reading my blog!! Yes, those freeze dried fruits are delicious in oats. They are a great snack because you can eat an entire bag for just 100 calories! I like to leave them in my desk at work.

I usually work out about 4-5 days a week as well (unless I am in a gym funk!) I like to do 45 minutes of cardio and try to do at least 2 days of an hour long strength training class. This month is a little different since I am doing a few challenges. I am trying to take 3 Core Fusion hour long classes a week plus at least 3 inTensati classes.

It sounds like you are doing great with the amount you are exercising. Maybe try to substitute some of your cardio for more strength training if your goal is to tone up. I am not sure exactly what kind of strength you are doing but I would recommend mixing it up with some classes if possible. I definitely recommend the Core Fusion DVD’s! Core Fusion is an amazing workout and perfect for toning. Good luck!!

6) Hi Missy,
What is a good go-to snack that you like so you aren’t hungry for dinner so soon? I’m trying to get on a later schedule b/c the baby goes to sleep at 7 and I would like to have dinner then, so I can enjoy lol. Thanks in advance! Have a good day!

Here are some of my favorites:

-Apple with peanut butter
-Kashi Go Lean bars
-Handful of nuts (almonds, pistachios, etc.)
-Slice of whole wheat toast with sliced banana and peanut butter
-Greek yogurt with some granola sprinkled on top
-Veggies and hummus
-Edamame

I always have some sort of snack between my lunch at 1:00 and dinner at 9:00. All of the above usually hold me over pretty well since they are high in fiber and protein! Let me know if you have more questions!

7) I’ve been trying to lose weight and when I read your article in SHAPE I felt inspired. I’m 20 yrs old, 5’4″, I currently weigh 144, but my starting weight was 154. It’s always exciting when I see someone who I can try to relate to. You are around my age, my height, and even when you were overweight, you weighed about what I weigh right now. I decided to get on your blog and see what it was all about, but now I’m feeling a little discouraged. I live in Montana, and my town isn’t exactly “happenin”, we don’t have all organic restaurants, markets, etc. like you do there. I was pretty shocked about how much you drink! Whenever I drink I can’t control my eating. I get so hungry, and eat more than I should. I also was shocked at the size of your portions. When you take your pictures, do you clean your plate? Because in my mind all I was thinking was that if I ever ate that much I would blow up. I don’t think my appetite is even that big for starters. And, lastly it seems like you have dessert several times a week, which would definitely cause me to gain weight- organic or not organic.

I’m not trying to offend you, I guess in whole just trying to convey how bummed out when I realized I wasn’t like you. Maybe I’m wrong but in my mind you are just a person who had really bad eating habits previously, not a really slow metabolism. I recognize that you eat extremely healthy foods, which is awesome, but have you always eaten this way? Or was it a change you made when you began dieting? I’ve tried to make myself eat extremely healthy, but I feel like it’s a lost cause. The food doesn’t taste good to me, no matter how often I try it. How did you learn to like these foods? (if it was learned thing). I would also really like to know how you feel about alcohol and dessert. I know that sounds silly, but you were in college, I’m sure you’ve seen those previously skinny girls who get to college and start drinking and start getting love handles atop their jeans, and bellies were they were once flat.

Thanks for writing to me! You are right; I did have very bad habits previously. When I was overweight, I was eating Cookies N Cream milkshakes almost every night after dinner. I was eating only white carbs (pizza, white bread, pancakes). I had never heard of whole wheat before. I also ate lots of processed food like Doritos, Oreos, etc. I never worked out.

Eventually I read a lot about the South Beach Diet, whole grains, and how refined sugar can turn into fat. I completely cut out white bread from my diet. I switched to whole grains and it made a huge difference. I was still able to eat the foods I loved but healthier versions. I would make a turkey sandwich but on whole wheat instead of white bread. I would make whole wheat pizza. In college I still had fun and drank but did not go crazy in the dining halls. I also learned how to exercise and would go to the gym for an hour most days of the week.

I now allow myself desserts every now and then. Most of my desserts are fat-free frozen yogurt or banana soft serve instead of regular ice cream. When you do see a real dessert on my blog, I am usually sharing it with others. I also work out about 5 days a week so I don’t gain weight from allowing myself these treats. I usually don’t finish my portions either. I guess I should start showing that more on my blog! A lot of things that seem huge that I eat aren’t. I’m not sure if you saw my Mexican salads with corn, brown rice, salsa, and lettuce. Most of my plate is lettuce so it is not as much food as it seems.

How did I learn to like these healthy foods? Well most of them can be so similar to unhealthy foods when you make substitutions. My oatmeal is delicious in the morning since I add banana, cinnamon, and a scoop of peanut butter. I’ve always loved turkey sandwiches. I love making huge salads with fish or grilled chicken. I guess I also know how much better I feel when I choose healthy foods. If I eat greasy fried foods, I feel awful after. It is not worth it to me.

My advice is to make sure you are eating whole grains instead of white bread. Make sure you are not eating too much refined sugar. Try to choose grilled over fried foods. Try to cut out processed foods. Make sure you are working out 4 or 5 times a week. Allow yourself that occasional treat so that you do not feel deprived. You will feel much better when it is all said and done. Good Luck!

If anyone has any more questions, send them my way! Have a good one!

*Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that I am not a Registered Dietitian. My advice is based on my own personal knowledge, experience, and opinions. You should always consult a doctor before making any changes to your diet and exercise routine.

Related posts:

1. About Me
2. In Sickness, And In Health
3. Guest Post: Slim Down Your Kitchen
4. Owning It
5. Guest Post: Sweatin’ to Maintain