The last one, I promise. (Last one of what, you ask? Ahem. The Intro.)
The Crazy
Let’s make a deal. I’ll give you one truly crazy item and then use the rest of this section for that bonus general update I mentioned in the title. What do you say?
Healthy Merritts
Believe it or not, Chris and I are actually making a concerted effort to workout, lose weight, lower cholesterol, and be in overall decent shape. I say that as though we’re the unhealthiest people on the planet, which isn’t really true. We don’t smoke or binge drink or do drugs. I used to always take the stairs, but now I usually have a stroller with me, and while carrying the stroller up the stairs would be a good workout, it also has danger written all over it. Especially if you happen to be my daughter, child of the woman who once got a hairline fracture in her wrist as a result of getting it stuck in her steering wheel. But now I carry nearly 20 lbs of baby plus a carrier and 6 bags of groceries up the apartment stairs at once. As long as we stay in the apartment, we eat pretty healthy stuff. In fact, for this week (and maybe next week) only, I’ve been counting how many calories and fat grams and such that I eat just to see where I stand. I’m not going to commit to keeping it up because a) I know I won’t and b) I don’t want to and c) I want Caelyn to grow up in a home that simply promotes healthy habits, not super-fitness habits that could easily become obessive and turn into completely unhealthy habits. But I figure, once I see what the recommended amount of calories looks like, I can stick pretty close to that without counting.
The results:
We’re amazingly on track, if not over track. (Yeah, I made that up.) We eat three meals a day with a couple small snacks in between. We eat lots of fruits and veggies. (Mom, that multi-colored plate rule stuck.) We eat some carbs and starches, but not tons. We eat lots of chicken and fish and some pork and beef. We go turkey on the breakfast meats. I cook with natural, organic ingredients when possible, always opt for whole grains, steer clear of hydrogenated oils and saturated fats, add in Omega 3’s and Calcium when it works, and generally go for low-fat. (I have exceptions to the low-fat rule. I won’t use it if it makes whatever I’m cooking taste gross. And I don’t use low-fat creamy dressings; I just opt for less. Something bad happens when you take the fat out of creamy stuff. It’s just not the same. I also don’t do diet sodas and juices. I’d rather split a Coke or a DP and have a smaller glass of 100%. Fake sugar is gross!) And ever since the beginning of the year, the only desserts that have been in the house are 100 calorie snack packs. (This isn’t huge for me, who likes chocolate okay, but will almost always choose fruity and creamy instead and isn’t ordinarily tempted to buy a bag of cookies. Bag of cheesecakes? Thank goodness they don’t make that. Chris, however, could live on chocolate chip cookies alone.) We really only get in trouble when we go out, and I admit, going out to eat is one of the few things I like to spend money on. But we’re aiming for only eating out once a week or having one “cheat” meal a week, because even though I’ve always liked healthy stuff quite a bit, I also like onion rings and hamburgers and ribeyes and BBQ and queso and bacon and wings and pizza and chicken salad and chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes A LOT.
So what else will be changing? Well, we’re adding in a daily workout. I gotta be honest. I don’t mind eating well, but I don’t like exercising so much. I know; if I do it long enough, I’ll come to love it and not be able to go a day without it. Yeah, that’s probably not going to happen. My sister is one of those people. She used to make me power walk with her several miles a day. (That short girl with the bouncing ponytail and bent-at-the-elbows, swinging arms, zooming around HSU? That’s my sister.) I ran and did strength training with a couple guys in high school for a while. I did Pilates for 6 months or so in graduate school. And I gotta tell you: I didn’t have a hard time giving up a single one of those. I guess my problem is two-fold.
1) I’m not athletic or coordinated . . . at all. (Whenever I say that I’m not graceful, my mom says, “Yes you are! Think about how coordinated your fingers are on the piano!” I don’t think that counts, Mom.) When I was six, I broke my elbow and had to have surgery . . . due to an encounter with a friggin’ ballet bar. My parents never let me take a dance/gymnastics class again. (That double-jointed elbow now makes the left-side of Tae-bo punches fairly hilarious.) I was horribly shy as a kid. (Just this week my sister, who’s a marriage and family therapist, informed me that the only kids she’s ever worked with or met who are as or more shy than I was are either autistic or selectively mute!) That translates into not wanting to have anything to do with sports or other group activities, which translates into me being an adult with no athletic skills whatsoever.
2) Until, oh, I don’t know, 22, I was ridiculously skinny, and not by choice. I’m talking dr.’s taking my mom aside and talking to her about my eating habits skinny. Strangers asking me if I’m anorexic skinny. 5′11, 115 lbs, size 2, freshman in college skinny. Luby’s lady giving me a free double portion skinny. And I ate a lot! My sister started exercising, I think, because she was afraid of getting fat. I never feared getting fat, just getting more scrawny. I guess I started filling out around 21. And I liked it. People told me I looked better with “some fat on my bones.” An old boyfriend and I briefly got back together and he told me he liked kissing me “with hips.” (I brought up the hips issue, so don’t jump to conclusions.) And then I had a baby and swelled like crazy. I’m talking 30 lbs water weight alone. (I know it was water, since it disappeared by itself within two weeks.) I worked off 1/2 of the other weight with Pilates and walking. Then I noticed this guy sitting in a maintenance-looking truck in the parking lot of our complex. As I walked around, he moved from one spot to the next. And the entire time he was watching me. Chris says I’ve been brainwashed to worry about safety, and that may be true, but I’m telling you something was off about this guy. Lo and behold, not a week later we got a notice on our door about a man posing as Maintenance trying to get into women’s apartments during the day. Coincidence? Maybe. But I’m not a risk taker. So I switched to the mall. These days, a walk at the mall is a big deal, taking hours out of the day, by the time we get ready and get there, and I’d have to stop and feed Caelyn a snack and possibly skip one of her naps. (The excuses will always be there, I know.)
But here’s the good news. Chris and I are working out together, and I think that’ll make a big difference. For now, I’m doing Pilates and light weight training while he’s doing a routine from the Abs Diet. And we’re both doing Billy’s Boot Camp Cardio Tae-bo, which pretty much kicks my butt. But at least we can laugh at each other while we do it. And Billy gives us a hug at the end of each session! When it cools off, we’ll probably trade Billy for outside walking (me) and running (Chris), provided I get a jogging stroller. So we’ll see how it goes.
I should also mention that we’re doing this workout during Caelyn’s morning nap, which means goodbye to 1/2 of available blogging/cleaning/showering/shopping/napping time.
(For the record, I actually like Pilates. I even tried to do it yesterday with Caelyn awake, but that resulted in me, half-way through rolling like a ball, with my legs up in the air and Caelyn supporting herself by holding onto the back of my knees, which left me stuck, unable to roll down without knocking her out and unable to roll forward without straining my neck and taking her with me. I screamed as loud as I possibly could for Chris to help for three minutes. He never heard me. With those headphones on, someone could break in here, haul Caelyn and me off, and Chris would be none-the-wiser until he realized his lunch was late. All that to say, Pilates is a naptime only activity.)
And we’re not the only ones who are making some changes. For some reason, Caelyn has turned her back on meat! I don’t think she’s touched it in about two weeks. I guess that means, for now at least, I need to figure out how to make sure she gets enough protein and stuff without meat, though she’ll probably outgrow it. Allie, you got any baby-friendly vegetarian recipes for the whole family? Caelyn can’t have nuts until she’s two. She doesn’t like tomatoes yet. Chris doesn’t eat: squash, zucchini, cucumbers, eggplant, asparagus, lima beans, peas, snow peas, cooked carrots, cooked cabbage, mushrooms, bean sprouts, brussel sprouts, beets, avocado except in guacamole, greens, sometimes spinach, frozen or fresh green beans (canned are okay), cauliflower, raw broccoli (loves it cooked), any vegetable that’s been creamed, tapicoca, tofu, grits, corn that’s not on the cob, stuff with seeds or pits that you have to spit out, raw onions, pickles, water chestnuts, sweet potatoes, stuff with weird texture, cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, whipped cream, tart fruit, nuts other than peanuts and almonds, yogurt, and some other stuff I’m sure. :) I eat almost everything.
In other news . . .
Chris strikes again, this time with a brief interview in .Net magazine in an article about the BEST redesigns on the Web this year. (The interview’s in print, not online, in this edition of .Net in the cover article, “The Ultimate Site Refresh.”) It’s okay to brag on your hubby, right? ‘Cause I just can’t resist!
Caelyn’s keeping up her usual cuteness routine with a few new flares, like: saying, “Hey Puppy,” and patting Maverick; grabbing my finger and helping me touch her “touch-n-feel” books; teetering on the verge of walking; requesting Praise Baby with “ba-by!?” and wide eyes; tossing me her ball and laughing; and even flipping the light switch and gasping with wonder at the room filling with light and falling instantly back into darkness.
The Many Moods of Broccoli Cheese:
The fam’s swell. Since we last spoke, Mom and Dad took an anniversary trip across the southwest. Mom sent Caelyn a postcard from the Grand Canyon with details about all the animals she saw (if only Caelyn could read). My mother-in-law has fallen in love with Red River, New Mexico. Chris’ bro-in-law started a new job. My sister’s returned to work part time. That means she’s also keeping the Baileys’ baby along with Claire one day a week — she’s surprised by how fast 8-month-olds can crawl . . . and get into cabinets. Claire and nephew Graham are both doing their best to out weigh Caelyn.
Graham may be the happiest wide-eyed baby ever.
You can check out Claire here (as well as Todd & Kathryn’s new little one, Emily), here (as well as Tytus, who belongs to Scott & Bethany), and here (along with Luke of the Baileys).
And last, but not least, our niece kicked off her third year with a swimming party.
Caelyn was wild with excitement about swimming with cousin Finley at her third birthday party!
And that’s it. Until next time, keep those summer flicks rollin’.
9 Comments
August 24, 2007 at 12:08 pm
[...] just a short trip to Crazy!) [...]
August 24, 2007 at 1:47 pm
And to think I was half a breath away from posting a comment yesterday wondering what you guys were up to…
I miss meat. I don’t mean turkey. I mean cheeseburger meat.
Good stuff on trying to get healthy. If your experience is anything like ours, you’ll settle in on some healthy stuff and slowly turn the dial up as the need(s) arise(s). And I think that’s the trick.
Oh, and they do make cheesecake in a bag. And it’s good.
August 25, 2007 at 12:05 am
katy. caelyn is just precious. of course, i always think that – but the broccoli and cheese photos seal the deal!
August 26, 2007 at 11:40 am
Big ups to your workout/eating routine!
I understand what you’re saying about getting Caelyn into healthy eating habits. My parents did the same as we rarely had soda or fruit snacks in my house, and grew up eating wheat bread and other healthy snacks. I went through a white bread phase, when I discovered its goodness, but am now hardcore back on wheat bread. It just tastes so much better to me, and hey, it’s healthy! So, win-win ;)
And cheesecake in a bag? Yeah, that sounds good… but… I’ve recently stumbled across a recipe for cheesecake pancakes with strawberry topping. Yeah. I know. Talk about anti-healthy eating. I’m still DYING to make it.
I’m trying to do as much of the organic/all natural thing as I can. My mom never got into it, so it was hard to do when I was living with the folks, and it’s hard now because it can be really freakin’ expensive :) Though I have to say, my new favorite thing to do on Sundays is drive around and do my fruit and veggie shopping at the local farms. In fact, I’ve gotta get ready to do that now!
If it makes you feel good, keep it up, girl!
September 24, 2007 at 9:06 am
I think you’re right about how we’ll settle and fluctuate, Steve. At least I hope so. And so far so good. (Real updates in forth-coming, cross-my-fingers-it’s-really-gonna-happen post.)
Just when I was thinking about missing cheeseburger meat, a Styrofoam cooler filled with dry ice and 10 sirloin burgers, 4 filet mingons, 4 top sirloin steaks, 2 crab-stuffed sole fillets, 4 pork tenderloin chops, 12 gourmet franks, AND potatoes au-gratin arrived from Omaha Steaks courtesy of Chris’ Grammie. Needless to say, we’re grateful for such a yummy gift. And also needless to say, our weekly cheat meals for the next three months will be coming directly out of our freezer!
On a related note, in the last month of healthy eating, I’ve looked up quite a few nutritional facts on fast food and restaurant items. The burger Chris gets at Jack In the Box has more than 70 grams of fat! That’s way more than we eat at home in an entire day, and that’s before the accompanying curly fries and tacos! Looking up cravings and finding out how bad they are helps me change my mind about wanting them, but Chris says thinking about it at all, even that way, only makes it worse for him. But it’s worth a shot.
And how could I not have known about cheesecake in a bag?!?
September 24, 2007 at 9:06 am
Aww, thanks, Jamie!
September 24, 2007 at 9:09 am
Your childhood house sounds a lot like mine, Chelsea. We only got to have soda, and a small one at that, on Sundays at lunch. Otherwise it was 100% fruit juice or water. We always had wheat bread and I can’t remember ever having a sugary cereal . . . ever. What’s kinda crazy is that my mom was into being healthy–lots of veggies, desserts only on special occasions, cooking with barely any salt or butter–but every day in my lunch that she made EVERY SINGLE DAY of my pre-college school career, she included a Little Debbie snack cake. It baffles me to this day.
I too have gone through phrases of indulgence after discovering the goodness of something I never got when I was a kid. And I still cook with more butter (Smart Balance Light, which doesn’t cut it for baking, by the way) and salt (usually Kosher or sea salt) than my mom, but I think I’ve got a good handle on it. Of course, Mom’s been doing South Beach for the last few years, so our menus are totally different. And Mom’s aren’t the same as when I was a kid at all.
You’re right about the price of organic/all-natural and, really, healthy stuff in general. That makes me sad, especially when I think about big, low-income families. When you’ve got lots of people to feed and very little cash, white rice, canned beans, and regular ground beef are a whole lot cheaper than multi-grain/whole-grain, extra-extra lean, and fresh, organic. We’re certainly not “rollin’ in it” by any means, and we’re not doing everything all-natural, but I figure that we can make cuts on some other “fun expenses” in favor of healthier grocery options. One way that’s happening is by us only eating out once a week. That’s a big change from eating out together a couple times a week and being lured into lunches with coworkers. Of course, with all three of us home every day for all three meals, the grocery bill is higher, but I still think we’re saving moola. And the farmer’s market is fun! The local farms you’ve got sound even better!
HOLY CHEESECAKE PANCAKES! That sounds like a cheat-worthy extravaganza! I’d have to make regular pancakes for Chris, though. He doesn’t eat cheesecake! Crazy!
September 24, 2007 at 9:45 am
[...] LHC Days Part III: The Crazy (Healthy Merritts & General Family Update) [...]
August 19, 2008 at 3:44 pm
[...] to a year ago, I wrote a post about the Merritts getting healthy, and I suppose, to celebrate that anniversary, I ought to write [...]