Guest Post: Nadia & Her Weight-Loss Mission

Hey guys! Please welcome Nadia’s third guest post detailing her progress with her weight-loss mission to lose 25 pounds and take over the world!
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“Alcohol: the cause of – and solution to – all of life’s problems.” -Homer Simpson
[source]

I find it extremely difficult, as an aspiring entertainer, full-time worker, twenty-something-year-old, and human being to avoid drinking some kind of alcoholic beverage on a weekly basis. Surely, if you’re sober at twenty-five, you feel like you’re missing out on something great all the time. I’m not a wino or a souse; I simply enjoy the taste of beer as a beverage. Unwinding with a brewski is downright American, goddammit, and don’t you tell me any different, you damn pinko commie.

Yet perhaps drinking is the one area of my diet that needs a severe overhaul. In one week, I managed to drink 1) a glass of both red and white wine, 2) several gin and tonics after improv practice, 2) vodka lemonades at a fabulous party thrown by The Cranky One herself [The Cranky One *blushes*], 3) Stella Artois at an afternoon barbecue in Silver Lake, and 4) some weird mixed fruity drink I generally hate at a friend’s birthday party.

Please note that this is not normal behavior. It is, however, unacceptable when you’re trying to lose weight. Add up all those drinks, people – this is a surefire way for me to ruin my diet. And it sort of did. I did not lose weight this week! Thankfully, I did not gain any significant weight. Still, I’ve got to learn some limits. If I know I’m in for a drinking “event,” (say, for instance, another barbecue this weekend), I can bother to hold off drinking during the week. I mean, really, self. Really.

Did I even manage to stick to my goal of eating one piece of fruit or vegetable a day? Alas, I believe there was one day where this did not happen. How can that be?! How can I not bother to nourish my body with the vitamins and minerals it so desperately craves for one fucking day?

Blame it on the al-al-al-al-al-alcohol.

Best Meal:

Sweet Potato Enchiladas at Casa de Cranky- As mentioned previously, dear Ana put together a little soiree, and as usual, there was amazing food. The best part was watching her craft these enchiladas the way her mom taught her – carefully dipping tortillas (whole-wheat, I presume?)[corn! Michael Pollan would have a fit!] into a frying pan [way to call me out on the frying thing, Nia! ], then filling each one up with sweet potato filling and mozzarella cheese. It’s definitely the most creative take I’ve seen on enchiladas, and sumptuously delicious to boot. (Can we get a calorie count on these sweet thangs, Ana?) [yes, ma'am, I'll post recipes for both the non-vegan and vegan version of these enchiladas with nutritional info.]

Worst Meal:

McDonald’s Big Mac – Yeah, I was hungover. Sue me. [*The Cranky One cries in sheer terror* Nia! 540 calories, 29g of fat, and questionable meat! You know what works greeeeat with hangovers? Jamba Juice!]

Food I Didn’t Realize Would Be Bad:

Movie popcorn from AMC – I know the drill: avoid movie theater food at all costs. It’s full of fat, oil, calories, and artery-clogging mystery stuff that will help lead you to your untimely death. But it was Toy Story 3, it was very late at night, and I was very much starving. I split a medium popcorn with a friend. I later estimated that I may have eaten around 600 calories when I thought I was really eating maybe 200. Oh, the horror! The horror!! [Click here for more info. on movie theater popcorn]

How I Worked Out:

Despite my drinking habits, I was able to work out once more this week. Being back in a pool has definitely been good for me, as it motivates me to not only work out more, but work out harder when I’m in the middle of a swim. When I couldn’t get into a pool, I went running. I still don’t like it, but it does provide excellent cardio in a pinch.

What Did We Learn?:

Alcohol doesn’t help. Fast food is still bad for you. Movie popcorn is deliciously evil. Ana’s cooking is still wonderful (and super healthy!). And keeping up with sleep still helps make better decisions. I think I need a midterm to study for – it looks like I’m just learning the same stuff over and over again. Would anyone like to propose a test for me? [The Cranky One twiddles her fingers together evilly]

This Week’s Goal:

Last week, I was successful 6/7 days in terms of eating fruit and veggies. I’m going to continue this habit, and of course, try to increase it each day to the actual amount I should be eating. This should be easy this week, as THIS week, I have a special plan…

…you see, on Saturday there is a barbecue I am attending with a hot tub. And a hot tub party means wearing a bikini. And wearing a bikini means exposing my belly. Well, if I must expose it, I want to make it look as damn good as possible on short notice. So I am going to be on a modified version of the “Flat Belly 4-Day Diet” from the Flat Belly Diet, printed by the editors of Prevention magazine. The book itself is full of useful information, and advocates the idea of eating MUFAs: monounsaturated fatty acids. Basically, oils, nuts, avocados, peanut butter, and other foods high in MUFAs help target belly fat. By replacing butter with olive oil, for instance, you’re eating healthy fats as opposed to “bad” fats. Before beginning the Flat Belly Diet, the book wants you to go on a four-day cleanse to flush out excess sodium from your body.

Now, why would I modify this diet? Every single day asks you to eat meat! How can I stick to being part-time veg if this is the case? Instead, I’m changing it. Plus, there are several food items they ask me to eat that I can’t stand (Grape tomatoes? Ew.). I’ll have the exact diet plan I followed for you next week. Furthermore, to help speed up the “cleanse” process, I’ll be making it a goal to exercise in some capacity every single day.

Wish me luck getting into a bikini!

Start Weight According to Crappy Target Scale: 144.6

End Weight According to Crappy Target Scale: 144.6

Ask me and Ana questions on Twitter at @nahdeeeyah and at @feedmeimcranky1!
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Tough week!! Honestly, Nia, you’ve seen my weight fluctuate a lot over the past few years and I think part of the reason I’ve gotten the fluctuations to calm a bit is because I’ve drastically limited my alcohol intake. I know it’s hard, especially as a performer, but you’re totally right that you can plan ahead and limit booze during the week if you’re going to be drinking on the weekend. Plus, you can become well-versed in which alcoholic beverages are lowest in calories. Bloody Marys & Sangria are good choices for mixed drinks. While diet sodas and rum or vodka are low cal, I don’t recommend drinking artificial sweeteners too often. As Nia knows from my party, Trader Joe’s is now selling “light lemonade” in both regular and pink with about 40 calories per 8 oz serving and they’re sweetened with stevia — a natural sweetener.

Any tips or advice for Nia?

To see Nadia’s first update, click here; her second, click here.

<3,

The Cranky One

Tags: alcohol, alcoholic drinks, artificial sweeteners, low calorie beverages, mcdonalds, natural sweeteners, stevia