iphone tracking

as a good cosmopolitan girl, I succumbed to modern age paradigms, and bought an iphone last week. I spent an entire day downloading iphone applications, and I found many to which I am already addicted. so here are the ones that are aiding me when it comes to weight loss. [(next post: the ones that are making me fat, like "allrecipes" and "around me", which finds bars and restaurants anywhere in the city.)]

Lose It!

the first thing I love about this app is that it gives you your "daily calorie budget", and lets you know how long it will take you to achieve your goal weight - based on your preferences and personal data. then, you enter your daily meals and exercise routines, and the app adds up the calories you eat or work out, and helps you to stay within your daily budget! the food database is extensive, and includes brand-name foods, as well as restaurant dishes.

I was never the calorie-counting kind, but more than just keeping track of what I eat - and how much I eat in a day or week - this has helped me curb -or expand- my portions, and know how many calories are in my food. now I measure how much 100cal/cup soy milk I put in my banana smoothie, and I have a second helping of eggplant, at 33cal per cup!

RunKeeper

there are tons of applications like this one, and I'm not sure which is the best, but I thought this was pretty awesome. at the gym the treadmill keeps track of your stats, but it is summer, and living near the gorgeous central park, I refused to be confined in a hot, smelly gym. that's where runkeeper comes in: it uses the iphone's gps to track you while running, so you know exactly your speed. the app is very straightforward: it tracks speed, time and pace (X minute-mile), and keeps a history of your runs in various graphs, as well as on their website. so I take the time and average speed, and pop it on "lose it!" to get my calorie count - and some extra calories for the day!

THI Personal Trainer Lite

I'm a yoga and pilates girl, but lifting weights is useful when you want to lose weight. [(more muscle = more lean body weight = more calories burned at all times)] I was shopping for more free weights arm exercises, and THI personal trainer lite is exactly what I needed: it lists exercises by muscle group, lets you customize entire workouts, but also suggests workouts based on different criteria - free weights, machines, push/pull days, upper/lower body days, etc. the exercises are pretty standard, but the app groups them in a very useful way.

O.T.G. Pilates and Yoga Trainer

I looked for good free yoga and pilates apps, but no luck. on-the-go pilates light is the only free pilates app, and is very so-so. yoga trainer is... uh. the best one I found, but still leaves much to be desired.

because yoga is very fluid, and it uses varying and repeating series of asanas, I don't think they can make a good yoga app that isn't a video - even a paid one. so I'm sticking to my yoga podcasts - favorites being JivaDiva and Amazing Yoga. [(they can be a little hard to follow if you are a complete novice, but just looking up what the asanas look like online should be enough.)]

2fat

it calculates your BMI and body fat percentage. straightforward and useful.

Heartbeat

tap the screen every time your heart beats, and it will give your heart rate. useful to have, but you can't really use it while exercising because, well, it's not practical; worse: I can't even stop my run for a second to check my heartbeat because I have runkeeper running.

still seeking: a good stretch app.

baby steps...

the biggest challenge in changing one's life is just how to start that change. small steps are always the best way, but if they are too small and don't bring some kind of tangible difference, they lead to disappointment. [(that is one of the reasons why I wanted to start my diet with a two-day, detox diet; a sure-fire way to lose a couple of pounds in very little time in a very healthy way, while detoxing my system and getting ready for the months to come.)]

I read an article in Boa Forma magazine last week that really spoke to me. [(sorry, it is in portuguese! but read my little translation of it below.)] it was one of those articles we tend to glance over, and think "oh, I have heard that a million times", only this time it made me think. the name of the article was "7 steps to lose weight without counting calories", and as I first scanned it, I thought to myself: "I do all of these things, it doesn't work!" I started this blog because I have great habits, but somehow I still manage not to be as thin or fit as I want to be - don't we all feel like this? don't we all feel like we're doing things right, but not we are sure where we are going wrong? I started writing down my habits to see what I'm missing, and I think this article may just have made me figure it out.

maybe the problem is that we are doing things right, but not often enough. as the good obsessive-compulsive girlie that I am, I wrote down these steps on post-it notes, and stuck them right next to my bed so I can see it first thing when I wake up!!! [(I know, it sounds crazy, but trust me, it's the way I found to have it work!)]

so here are the things I was allegedly already doing, but have started doing on a daily basis:

step 1

organize your schedule to avoid stressing out;

[(this also helps me measure how much time I devote to certain activities, like working out, and now that I have an iphone, it is much easier to check my icalendar, which I have been keeping for a long time but could only see on my computer.)]

step 2

drink warm water with lemon juice and a tablespoon of honey upon rising in the morning;

[(this is what actually inspired me to write this post. I have been doing it for 3 days, and it has had the most dramatic change in my morning mood, how my body feels in the morning, and how I digest food throughout the day. I can't stress enough how great I've been feeling!)]

step 3

work out in the morning - it increases the body's levels of serotonin and endorphins right in the morning, and makes you feel better throughout the day;

[(I can't really do my run in an empty stomach, so I have been doing 20-30 minutes of yoga on a mat in my living room. I listen to JivaDiva's yoga podcast which I love. it is the toughest to get used to, I must admit.)]

step 4

have a fruit and yogurt smoothie with whey protein instead of a carb-laden breakfast;

[(mine is a soymilk and banana smoothie, enriched with two spoons of flaxseed meal. it has been for a long time - sometimes I use strawberries or mangoes instead - but I'm trying to make it an every day habit.)]

step 5

eat foods rich in minerals:

chromium: oats, almonds, hazelnut, brazil nuts, dry figs, mussels, calamari, liver, white cheeses;

magnesium: collard greens, cashew nuts, mussels, calamari, chicken breast, tofu, soy milk, onions, wheat germ;

calcium: yogurt, white cheeses, cottage cheese, salmon, sardines, beans, collard greens, fortified soy milk

[(I always have a bowl of mixed nuts around for this purpose! it's tricky because they have a high fat content, but I have started eating 3-5 assorted nuts every day, usually when I'm cooking lunch or doing another activity. taking them out of the bowl, and putting it away before I start eating prevents me from just eating away...)]

step 6

eat flaxseed every day: it reduces the appetite, controls the blood glucose levels, stimulates the intestines because it is rich in fiber, and is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which makes you happier!

[(two tablespoons of flaxseed meal, every day for breakfast! I buy the meal because the seed has to be ground, and I don't like putting it in the blender with my shake - it becomes stringy, and with the meal I get the crunchy, which is yummy!)]

step 7

don't lose sight of your goal.

[(this can't be mistaken with an obsession for numbers; but I wrote down my ideal weight, and instead of obsessing about it, I am setting it as a goal to be accomplished.)]

I have been doing this since monday, let's see how I feel at the end of this first week...

sunday brunch is the best meal of the week.

I'm completely addicted to sunday brunch. when I lived downtown, my local joint was balthazar; for drinks at the bar, a quick bite, and their delicious lobster bisque, the only food I could eat when my wisdom tooth was acting up. I lived two blocks down on crosby st, and refused to cross broadway on a weekend for any reason other than going to the gym. it just so happens that balthazar is one of the best brunch restaurants in the city, and I ended up there for brunch yesterday, all the way from uptown.

no dish with the word "lardons"* should enter anyone's diet. ever. however, when our waitress recommended the œufs en meurette - eggs poached in red wine, with wild mushrooms and lardons - I had to say yes!

but it was definitely a no. the tangy flavor from the wine was too much for me, and my date exchanged plats with me - he knows I'm a taker-backer-and-bringer-me-another. So I had the mild eggs norwegian, hollandaise on the side, but it was still delicious. I skipped my potatoes, but had some of the french fries he had ordered on the side...

we also ordered their delicious pastry basket - so I skipped the english muffin in my eggs norwegian, and had a brioche instead - and their amazing bellinis, because you can't go to balthazar and not have their bellini! it is out of this world sweet and delicious! [(I was a good girl, and only had one.)] we finished the meal with a capuccino, and a juicy glazed cinnamon bun...

the diet, you ask? it starts on monday. ;-)

[(* lardons are small pieces of savory fat; in baltazar's dish, they are thick-cut bacon, and just heavenly!)]

manhattanite does not live of diet alone...

it is restaurant week in new york! so last sunday I had brunch at tribeca grill with the awesome midtown girl. I had the most amazing granola parfait with ripe and delicious strawberries and blueberries - seasonal fruits! yummy!

we left the restaurant, and wandered through tribeca and soho, and we walked past the vosges haute chocolat store. I had seen their ice creams at citarella, and I had been curious about it for a long time; so when I was grocery shopping yesterday, I picked up an overpriced pint of naga - the brand's sweet indian curry + fresh young coconut flavor. it was well worth the prices - and the calories! it's a coconut ice cream, but nothing like regular coconut ice cream, and the sweet indian curry gives it a an interesting and unexpected flavor - and a little bit of a kick! the consistency is very creamy and smooth - think haagen dazs, but softer. this isn't ice cream, it's an experience.

and at 230 calories per serving, worth the 30 minute run ;-)

little notable one...

the whole point of establishing this blog was to keep track of my diet and exercising habits in my superbusy life in new york... and yes, I've been unable to do it for 30 minutes a day for a week. I lost 2lb last week [(which is awesome!!!)], but I need a jump-start! I am always going back to my roots for inspiration, and who better than carmen miranda to inspire an all-fruits-and-veggies diet? being healthy is part of the brazilian way of life.

my favorite way to boost my weight loss is to go on a powerful detox diet for two days. whether the benefits of a detox diet extend to one's liver, colon, and kidneys is still disputed by researchers, but the benefits to a dieter are amazing! after two days of veggies and fruits, I always feel lighter and more energetic, but there are two main reasons why detox diets always lead to more weight loss for me after it is over:

1. there are no artificial flavors, so my taste buds are no longer overwhelmed after the two days. with a clean palate, the food I eat after the diet is over tastes much better than before! so instead of a bowl of ice cream, a teeny tiny scoop will satisfy me!
2. my body stops craving certain foods, like fried foods, and complex carbohydrates. so after the two days, french fries and bread are no longer appealing to me!
3. after the detox period, my body is used to a certain amount of calories per meal, so it's hard for me to go back to having a huge meal after the detox is done. and because I enjoy food even more - see 1) above - I end up eating less of it because it satisfies me faster!
4. after two days on the detox diet, I usually lose 3 to 4lb, so I am happy and radiant - and ready to follow a more inclusive weight loss diet, and exercise more!

the past part of this menu is that I'm never hungry. the menu is set up so that meals are about 3 hours apart, and all the juicy stuff really fills me up for a long time... sometimes I even cut down on the snacks - not eliminate them completely, but have half of them. so I am embarking on a two-day detox diet today and tomorrow... here is today's menu:

DETOX DIET - day I

breakfast

1/2 lemon squeezed into a glass of water [(preferably warm)]

smoothie: 1/2 mango; 1 cup of fat-free yogurt; 1/3 cup of fat free (or soy) milk; 1 tbsp honey

sprinkle 1 tbsp flax seed meal before drinking [(do not blend it)]

snack

smoothie: 1 banana; 1 cup of soy milk, 3 tbsp of rolled oats; 1 tbsp honey

sprinkle 1 tbsp flax seed meal before drinking [(do not blend it)]

lunch

soup: 1/2 chicken breast; 2 cups broccoli; 1/2 zucchini; 1/3 cup corn; 1/2 cup cauliflower; 1 clove garlic; 1/2 onion

1/3 cup of frozen peaches

snack

2 slices pineapple, blended with 1/2 cup coconut water or orange juice

dinner

soup: 1/2 chicken breast; 1/3 cup dry yellow lentils; 1/2 carrot, diced; 1 clove garlic; 1/2 onion

1/3 cup of frozen peaches

day 3

tuesday:

wednesday:
I had a salad for lunch, and ended up having another - huge! - salad for dinner. workout was uneventful, 30min of running, 30 min of weightlifting (arms) and pilates.

thursday:

not good, not good at all. had some sauteed asparagus and broccolini, and a chicken breast for lunch, but I met a friend for dinner... and ordered a thanksgiving turkey platter that I had my heart set on for a while. we also ordered cookies & milk as an appetizer (!) and I had 3 huge cookies, plus a crab cake, plus tons of delicious bread... not good!

I had been really sore, so I decided not to work out - so total disaster ensued!

friday:

ate the rest of my turkey dinner thingie, and ran for 40 minutes - I had to make up for it somehow!

now I must decide whether I'm going out with some friends - which will probably result in a drink or five - or stay home, eat something, do laundry, and do some more pilates...