Missy Maintains » Emotional Eating

Core Fusion and Food Challenge Update

MissyMaintains — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:01:44 +0000

Hello! How are you doing? I am doing great with my Core Fusion Challenge so far! In case you missed my last post, I am participating in the ”Stay on CORE-Se” challenge at Exhale Spa this month. This means that I have to attend class three times a week and, as a reward, I will receive special perks and discounts to the spa. I changed the challenge to five classes per week just because I want to take full advantage of this opportunity and really want to see some results by the end of the month. I started off the challenge with a Core Fusion Cardio class on Monday. I did not go on Tuesday just because I refuse to miss Patricia Moreno’s intenSati class. On Wednesday, I went to a very challenging Core Fusion Open class. I was practically in tears but it felt oh, so good. I also went to Core Fusion Sport after work yesterday when I found out that my colorist was out sick! Since I could not get my hair done, I had no other choice but to work out again! It is not really an option for me to go home right after work because it just leads to lots and lots of eating for no reason. While some people cannot wait to go home and relax after a long day at work, I do everything in my power to avoid being home for long periods of time at night. I would rather stay in the city for a couple of extra hours while getting a nice workout instead of mindlessly snacking. I know I do not talk about it much on here anymore but I am still a work in progress.

While I was kind of dreading Core Fusion Sport last night, I felt amazing afterwards. I did not really want to go since I was pretty sore from the morning class and am really trying to be careful about not overdoing it and then getting an injury. I also tried Sport a couple of years ago and was not a huge fan. I knew I would feel better if I worked out so I sucked it up and gave it another chance. I also need to mention that Exhale Spa is literally right across the street from my work so I have no excuse not to go! The class ended up being really great! The instructor, Adina (also my Cardio teacher on Monday) had a ton of energy and was very challenging at the same time. We did all kind of exercises using a weighted ball like jumpbacks, lunges, tricep dips, push ups, etc. We used an exercise band at the end for leg, butt and ab exercises. I will definitely try to take Sport at least once a week during this challenge!

I am happy to say that I also woke up this morning and went to Core Fusion again! It’s now Thursday and I’ve gone to Core Fusion four times this week! I will probably take a break tomorrow and go maybe one or two more times this weekend. I am a little nervous about seeing results though because, so far, my eating has been…hmm…out of control the last three days! Let’s just say I can’t have English muffins and crunchy peanut butter in the house. Now that the jar is gone, I am ready to get back on track. If I don’t start eating a little better at night, I will not lose any inches and will be pretty disappointed come August. I am going to try to start taking some more pictures of my food and posting them on here to hold myself accountable. Here are some eats from yesterday:

Before Core Fusion, I made an espresso and protein powder mix with Stevia and almond milk in my Magic Bullet. I make this every single time I exercise in the morning. It wakes me up right away and tastes delicious at the same time.

Breakfast was out for grabs when I arrived at work. It was interesting but I like free food so I ate it.

I had some sort of egg, black bean, and corn scramble, a mini bagel, and some potatoes that tasted like bacon. MMM, bacon.

Lunch was from a fruit store in Chelsea Market. They have awesome homemade guacamole and the salads are super cheap!

Between lunch and Core Fusion, I had my last English muffin with peanut butter and jelly. It was supposed to be my actual lunch but I was craving my greens and wanted something a little more substantial.

After Core Fusion Sport, I had one of these since dinner would not be for another couple of hours:

Yes, it tasted like Cookies N’ Cream ice cream!

I got home and made my own little version of Sangria: Trader Joe’s $2.00 red wine and frozen fruit. No need for soda!

The fruit makes the wine taste sweet and also gets me drunk. I picked up a salad on my way home which had carrots, broccoli, squash, and pesto chicken. Good stuff.

And then…9:00 p.m. rolled around and I just wanted to eat. I had a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios because in my mind, the salad was not enough. Luckily I stopped at one bowl which is very rare for me. Baby steps! I will continue to post my food a couple of times a week and try to kick this habit in the butt. Let’s see some results!

Do you snack more at night than during the day?

What is your favorite night time snack?

Still on Track? (O.N.E. Coconut Water Winners Also Announced)

MissyMaintains — Mon, 02 May 2011 11:53:52 +0000

Hello May! It was nice to finally see some sun this weekend! I usually start off the month with a goal check-in but I did not set any specific goals in April. I would like to follow up on my post about getting back on track and let you know how I’ve been doing with the healthy eating.

I really started to focus on eating more protein and vegetables right around when Passover started (April 18). I did not eat bread products the entire week and was actually down 5 pounds by the end of the next weekend. I felt great and really felt in control of my food choices for the first time in a while. It was definitely a challenge, especially since my roommate broke one of our biggest rules for the apartment: All cereal must be left in her bedroom. I don’t buy cereal because once I start, I end up having about four bowls of it. Jackie knows that it is a trigger food for me so she is usually great about keeping it out of the kitchen. For some reason, there was a box of crack in my food cabinet the entire weekend!

Jackie was out of town so I could not put the box in her room. I decided to leave it there as a test to see how much willpower I really had. I resisted the cereal all weekend until Sunday night at 9pm. I ended up breaking Passover a few days early and finishing off the box in two days. Okay, so maybe I am not ready to have cereal around, especially after not eating carbs for a whole week. Of course, this whole situation got me frustrated with myself and caused me to fall off track for the next couple of days. On Monday night, I finished off the only other snack she left in the cabinet which was taunting me all weekend:

I really wish Jackie was one of those roommates that would freak out every time I ate her food. She actually does not care at all but I still always buy her a new box of whatever I ate. This time, I told her to force me to buy her a new box, plus an extra food item. So far this consequence has worked, as I have not touched her new bag of Kettle Cooked chips or her two bags of chocolate chips from our chocolate covered strawberry incident!

Besides dealing with my roommate’s food at home, I’ve also been facing some challenges at work. A giant box of granola decided to arrive right smack in the middle of Passover!

I let the box sit there for a week but once I started trying all of the flavors, I could not stop! Love Grown Foods granola is on the healthier side (see below), but too much granola really adds up. The granola is:

Free of Refined Sugar
Free of High Fructose Corn Syrup
Free of Trans Fats
Free of Hydrogenated Oils
Free of Artificial Flavors
Free of Preservatives
Free of Gluten
Free of Genetically Modified Ingredients

I started adding the Sweet Cranberry Pecan to my oatmeal but it was too good to just eat one serving at a time!

The Apple Walnut Delight served as my afternoon snack almost every day last week.

Once I opened a bag of this stuff, I just kept going and going. The Cocoa Goodness is now in my coworker’s desk because I know the bag will be gone in a day once I open it! If you are looking for a delicious and healthy granola, I do recommend Love Grown Foods! Just be careful because it is super addicting!

Of course, everyone seemed to have a birthday last week at work!

I’m happy to say that I enjoyed half of a brownie and was satisfied.

More office treats that I walk by every single day….

I usually stick with the popchips and Kind Bars but it is tough to not take Milano cookies every day! While I did lose control at the end of Passover, I do feel back on track now. I got the little carb binge out of my system on Sunday and Monday and now feel like my diet is balanced out again. Yes, a no carb diet does make me lose weight super fast but, like most people, I get way too many cravings and ending up overeating later. I like bread. It is as simple as that!

I am not setting any goals again for May but I do have some excited things going on!

I am running a 5K this Sunday! Jackie and I will both be in Philly for Mother’s Day so we decided to run the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I have absolutely no idea if I can run for 3 miles but I am going to try my best! We’ve been running together maybe once a week after work but never make it more than 2 miles. I think being in a race setting will help us to not stop and walk.
I am starting the Organic Avenue 3-day juice cleanse on May 16! My intenSati instructor happened to read on my blog that I keep putting off starting the cleanse. She messaged me and told me that she had plans to start it on May 16 with 3 other Sati people and invited me to do it with them. Perfect! This will make it much easier for me to have a support system. No gum for 3 days….aaah!
I have an orientation today that might lead me to teach intenSati on a regular basis. This is not definite so that is all I am saying!

Do you have any goals for the month of May?

It is time to announce the 3 winner of the O.N.E. Active Coconut Water giveaway!

69- Megan, “I love coconut oil for cooking and baking, and I’ve always wanted to try coconut milk1

14- Julie, “I love chocolate macaroons, which are made out of coconut shred then dipped in chocolate–yum!”

85- Amy Rouse, “Like ONE on FB”

Congrats to the winners! I will email you soon to get your contact information! If you did not win, stay tuned for a new coconut water giveaway coming soon!

Have a great day!

Getting Back on Track

MissyMaintains — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:11:11 +0000

It seems like ever since I started my new job, I’ve been allowing myself to eat anything and everything that is put in front of me. I used to be chained to my desk so I was forced to bring healthy lunches and snacks every day. Things are much different now. I am able to get up any time of day and grab a cookie from the cafe upstairs or go outside and enjoy pizza with my coworkers. I used to be in my own department so I was not invited to any meetings or birthdays. Now, it seems like there is bagel party or cupcake meeting every week! While some people can eat half of a bagel or just a bite of cake, I am not one of them. In all honesty, my pants have been feeling tight and I just don’t feel great after eating all of these sweets and heavy lunch foods. The other day, I put on my work pants at the gym in the morning and a big hole ripped down my inner thigh. I am grateful that I happened to be wearing my Lululemon pants to the gym that day because I was able to pull them off as work pants! This was a pretty big wake up call for me so I decided that I would use Passover as a way to get back on track with my eating. Part of keeping Kosher for Passover means no bread products, which also means no cake, pizza, or cereal. The holiday came at the perfect time for me.

I got on the scale for the first time this past weekend since the beginning of January. The number confirmed that I did not just shrink my work pants in the dryer the night before; they no longer fit me. I work out almost every day for one to two hours so I know my weight has nothing to do with the amount that I exercise. It is completely about food and having the self-discipline of staying away from all the sugar and huge serving sizes. My friend from intenSati is also struggling with her weight so we worked together for a while on Sunday and planned out our meals for the week while also setting weight loss goals for the month. We’ve been emailing each other our meals each day, along with how we feel after each meal. We are trying to figure out what foods make us crave sweets, make us bloated, make us anxious, or make us want to binge. Sending my meals to a friend is already much more effective for me than just logging them in a journal or on a website. Since Monday, I’ve kept Passover and have been making much smarter food choices. It feels so much better to get through each day without that feeling of guilt after stuffing myself to the point of feeling sick. Yesterday at work, there was a birthday which meant a giant chocolate cake and chocolate chip cookies the size of my head. I simply sung Happy Birthday and walked away. Not only did I feel great for sticking with Passover, I felt like I actually had control over my food choices for once. I have to admit that I felt even better when I heard my coworkers complaining about how stuffed and gross they felt after eating too much cake! I know if I continue on this route, I will get back to the weight I am most happy at and I will feel powerful, strong, and proud.

Since I have to avoid bread products for Passover, I’ve been eating a ton of veggies and protein! I’ve been starting my mornings out with green juices that contain kale, celery, parsley, green apple, ginger, and cucumber.

I am trying to get back in the green juice routine so that my body is not in total shock when I do my 3-day Organic Avenue juice cleanse (happening sometime before my Groupon expires in June, I promise!)

I’ve also been making omelets at home and bringing them to work for breakfast since I can’t eat oatmeal during Passover.

I’ve been bringing vegetables for when I get the mid-afternoon munchies. I was getting into the habit of eating the heavenly red velvet cake or banana cream pie that was always sitting out at work!

I was fighting a fever last night so I made a comforting dinner of eggs with turkey slices and salad.

As for lunch, I’ve been spending $10 on grilled chicken salads from Hale & Hearty each day. That needs to stop before I become poor! Last night, I decided to make a ton of vegetables and chicken to bring for lunch the rest of the week.

I made a big bowl of string beans topped with pepper, garlic powder, and spray butter.

Lots of salad..

I also made balsamic chicken with mushrooms. Look at me cooking!

Check out my fancy dinner! I will admit that it was much more enjoyable than my typical frozen veggie burger dinners.

Some other fun foods I’ve been snacking on this week….

Can you tell I had a fun time in Trader Joe’s last night? I finally feel like a healthy eater again and am committed to staying on track. The only thing that has not improved this week is my gum chewing. I really want to get over that addiction too since it makes me bloated and makes me crave more food. I guess one step at a time though. I am happy with the way things are going.

Do you have a habit or food addiction you are trying to break?

** The winner of the Betty Crocker Mashed Potato and Cookware Giveaway is…

14- Andrea, “most excited for those loaded mashed potaters!!”

Congrats Andrea. Please email me your address and phone number! Have a great day everyone!

Core Fusion Bootcamp Winner and December Goals!

MissyMaintains — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:01:43 +0000

Thank you to everyone who entered by Core Fusion Bootcamp giveaway! I really enjoyed reading all of your goals for December. It is only fair that I share my goals with all of you!

Teach at least 3 practice intenSati classes to one or more people
Do 100 minutes of AAH Meditation
Eat at least 2 mindful meals per day

The second and third goals are actually part of a challenge I am participating in on SocialWorkout.com. It is a 30-day challenge called HolidaySati. The challenge is to do 12 intenSati workouts, 100 minutes of AAH Meditation, and eat 2 mindful meals per day. Each day, I go to the website and track my minutes of meditation along with my workouts and mindful meals. I know I will be completely fine with the 12 intenSati workouts this month since I already go 3-5 times per week. The meditation and mindful meals are going to be tough though! I never really just sit and meditate at home so this should be good for me. In the past couple of days, I’ve also realized that I am always doing something while I am eating. As I type this right now, I am eating oatmeal. I am enjoying every spoonful but could definitely be paying more attention to the taste and smell if I was not blogging! I also usually eat dinner while playing on Twitter and Facebook at night. I should really take advantage of my big kitchen and eat at the table! I think I just get really bored when I have nothing to do while eating. At least I am always sitting while eating my meals! The only time I am standing is after dinner when I wander back in the kitchen and start eating 8 million snacks. I will try my best to not let that happen this month!! Hopefully putting this all out there and tracking my workout on the website will hold me accountable. Right now there are 74 challengers, many of whom I know from class, so I know I will try my best to keep up with these goals. By the way, all of you are more than welcome to join the challenge!

More information from SocialWorkout.com:

Join Patricia Moreno and the Sati Life community in exercising our heart, body and mind so that we can start 2011 better than ever! During the holiday season most people gain an average of 7lbs and start the New Year feeling less than their best. Step out of the ordinary into the extraordinary by committing to do lots of intenSati, plenty of healthy eating and take some time each day to say “AHHH”

Go to Satilife.com for class schedules or to buy a dvd for home practice. You can also get the book “The intenSati Method” and vary your workout daily!

If you are in NYC and want a guest pass for class post your request.

Prizes on offer from Lululemon Athletica and more to come!

Let me know if you decide to join so that I can start following you on the website!!

Now for the winner of the Core Fusion Bootcamp DVD!

The winner is Alison Jack! She said, ”Fun giveaway! My goal is to have a good balance in December between eating right, exercising, and indulging in my favorite holiday treats ”

Congrats Alison! Please send me your address so I can get your DVD to you as soon as possible!

IIN December Scholarships

In other news, I have TWO more $500 scholarships for Institute of Intregrative Nutrition. You must enroll between December 1st and 31st to receive the discount. I am giving them away on a first come, first serve basis so contact me if you are interested!

Hope everyone has a nice Friday! What are you looking forward to this weekend?

I am looking forward to dinner at Candle 79 with Dori and Melissa! Peace out!

IntenSati Addict and AADP Certified!

MissyMaintains — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:53:34 +0000

Morning! It’s Fridayyyyy! I’m on a little exercise high from intenSati this morning. The class today today was labeled, “HCB” on the schedule (high calorie burn!) It was intense but amazing as always. I did not wear my heart rate monitor but Mari burned 690 calories! Our awesome instructor, Natalia, mixed our routine up a little today and made us do everything backwards with sprints mixed in. Loved it. Mari and I stayed after and did some arm exercises with free weights. We were asking Natalia what else she does besides intenSati because she has such an amazing body! Of course us food bloggers asked her what she usually eats as well!! I am so grateful that she let me on her guest list this whole month! I have one more week at Equinox on guest lists and then I need to figure out what to do. I really want to join Equinox so that I can continue intenSati! Nothing at New Yorks Sports Club excites me like intenSati does! It is about $100 extra dollars a month though so I would need to cut back on something big! We’ll see! I have this debate with myself almost every month! I do think it would be worth it because I leave there feeling so happy every day. They also have a million other great classes too. I have a week to decide so I will keep thinking about it.

After class today, I refueled with a delicious breakfast sandwich from the deli nearby. I got egg whites, mushrooms, spinach, and feta cheese on whole wheat toast.

I also got a ~~beer~~ iced coffee!

Last night after work I went to intenSati again! I told you I was an addict. It was a great, hot class! The air was broken but hey…more of a detox right? I love that we were twice as loud yelling the affirmations at 6:30 this morning than at 6:30 last night. There was just so much energy today. Maybe because it is Friday? I liked the trancy, fast music today too!

Mari and I headed over to Whole Foods for dinner last night after class. I made a salad beast!

It contained vegan tuna salad, steamed kale, bean salad, zucchini, edamame, broccoli, quinoa, feta cheese, and probably 5 other things! We both wanted something sweet afterwards so we decided to go to The Lite Choice! There is one in Union Square where we were but we decided to walk 2 avenues further so we could use my Living Social coupon. I bought a coupon for 8 servings of TLC for half price! We got to the 7th Avenue location and it was closed because of an electrical failure. We decided to walk another 10 blocks to the 23rd street location. They did not take my coupon but it was completely worth the $4.00!

I got 1/2 Chocolate and 1/2 Scoopstachio with crunchies. Scoopstachio is their brand new flavor so I had to try it! It tasted like a mix of peanut butter and mint. I loved all the different flavors going on in my cup! We decided to walk while eating so we ended up walking another mile and a half to the subway! We like our exercise!

In other news, I can now write A.A.D.P next to my name! I got my certificate for the American Associatian of Drugless Practioners yesterday! I also graduate from Integrative Nutrition this weekend! It went by so fast! I am officially a health coach and am offering free one-hour health consultations so let me know if you are interested! We can do it over the phone if you don’t live in New York. You can also sign up for my health coaching newsletter below for more wellness tips and recipes.

Besides school this weekend, I have a Core Fusion class planned, Mari’s birthday dinner at 5 Burro, and some other celebrations since tomorrow is National Tequila Day! Can’t wait!

1) Are you planning on celebrating National Tequila Day tomorrow? I plan to celebrate all weekend!!

2) How do you like your coffee? Lately I’ve been getting iced coffee with soy milk from the deli. No sugar necessary!

Thanks for reading! Have a nice weekend!