Day 5 and Day 6: Shit is getting hard

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After 4 relatively easy days I've finally started to hit some obstacles. Yesterday at work multiple people brought in donuts. They smelled heavenly, thick globs of fried dough saturated with ooey gooey sticky sugar glaze. Our kitchen isn't sectioned off at work, it stretches along the hallway leading our cubes and offices to support staff so I had to constantly walk past the tempting treats.

While I was very proud to have kept to my resolution I apparently wasn't done being tempted yet. Last night my dreams consisted off large buffet style dessert tables weighed down with every treat imaginable. I can't remember if I indulged in my dream but at some point the dream me did remember my resolution and I was so bummed out.

I really have to up my motivation and will power so here's a study posted on Mind Body Green about the negative effects of sugar: Sugar Can Make You Dumb.

"Eating too much sugar can eat away at your brainpower, according to US scientists who published a study Tuesday showing how a steady diet of high-fructose corn syrup sapped lab rats' memories.
Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) fed two groups of rats a solution containing high-fructose corn syrup -- a common ingredient in processed foods -- as drinking water for six weeks.
One group of rats was supplemented with brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while the other group was not.
Before the sugar drinks began, the rats were enrolled in a five-day training session in a complicated maze. After six weeks on the sweet solution, the rats were then placed back in the maze to see how they fared.
"The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity," said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
"Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats' ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier."
....In other words, eating too much fructose could interfere with insulin's ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar, which is necessary for processing thoughts and emotions.
"Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning," Gomez-Pinilla said.
"Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new. Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think," said Gomez-Pinilla.
"Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage."

Also!!! 14 Mind Blowing Facts About Sugar

Infographic from Total Health as posted by Mind Body Green

I am probably going to troll Mind Body Green all day for wellness tips and motivation, it's a beautifully designed website with tons of great articles and information and I'm glad I found it to help keep me on track towards my health goals. Anyone else have any inspiring health websites???

Blueberry Banana Oat Bran Muffins

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My goal to try to get healthy is going really well. I've been eating really clean, exercising with more frequency and intensity, and allowing myself to indulge as long as it's in my calorie limit. I've already lost 6 pounds and I feel great. I use the MyNetDiary app on my iPhone to help track my calorie intake and exercise.

Fruit has been really cheap lately which has been amazing. I bought watermelon, mangos, bananas, and blueberries all within my grocery budget. I wanted to make a quick and healthy breakfast muffin for mornings when I want to eat and stay full but I don't have a lot of time. 

I found this Recipe and I really like it and the fact that the calories had already been figured out for me :)

Gibbs Banana Oat Bran Muffin

Oat Bran, 2.25 cup 
Baking Powder, 3 tsp 
Maple Syrup or sugar, .25 cup 
Milk, nonfat, 1.25 cup (* I used almond milk which has no fat and less calories)
*Egg white, 2 serving (*I just used 1 whole egg)
Banana, fresh, .75 cup, mashed 
Almonds, .5 cup, chopped (No Almonds)
(optional: handful of rasins or blueberries and .25 cup of shreded coconut)

*I made a few modifications with my recipe which I listed on the side

I found this nifty website that has a recipe calculator and my muffins came out to be about 70 calories a pop. They are super filling and great for digestion. Plus, they are super cheap, bananas are less than $0.50 a pound and oatmeal and oat bran are super cheap in bulk and can be used in tons of different ways.

  

Changes!!!

So I'm really gung-ho about making some positive changes in my life right now. First step: I've changed my "About Me" from "Broke ass wino trying to get out of debt" to "Broke ass wino trying to improve my life in every way without the use of money". After my life semi-depressing entry I started to really think about what I wanted and how I could get it. My whole life I've been poor and it's never really bothered me because I'm (usually) a happy, healthy, and thankful person. But there's this idea in modern American culture that the ONLY way to improve ANY part of your life is by spending money. Want to get fit? Better dole out lots of cash on expensive gyms and organic foods. Want to be happy? You need all of the latest gadgets and gizmos and a big fancy house. IT'S CRAZY.

Just because I'm broke (and I mean seriously broke, I have less than a $1 in my bank until payday this Friday) doesn't mean that I can't live the best possible life. I can get fit, I can have happy relationships, I can have a beautiful home. Yes, it would probably be much, much easier if I had money but it's not impossible!

So! What's my plan?
1. Get Fit: I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to lose weight/get fit. How can I do this without money?? The two main parts of fitness are diet and exercise. I joined a gym years ago and the $30 bucks it costs me a month completely works in my budget. BUT it's also possible to workout with out a gym. The internet is amazing. Go to Youtube and find exercise clips, go to a free park and do lunges and situps. Run around the local high school football field. Honestly, the only reason I even joined a gym is because running outside in the Texas heat can cause some serious damage to a girl as pale as I am.

There's this idea that eating healthy has to cost a pretty penny. You know what makes grocery shopping cost  a lot?? Poor meal planning. Right now it's summer and fruits are incredible cheap. Last time I went grocery shopping I got a whole seedless watermelon, nectarines, beans, quinoa, and a few other items for less then $20 bucks. Shop the bulk food and whole food sections. A bag of beans costs $1 and makes 4 times as much as 1 can of pre made black beans. It also has less sodium. Right now I'm chowing down on 1 cup cooked quinoa and 1 cup cooked black beans all for about 442 calories.

Now, the hard part about dieting and getting fit is you have to find what works for YOU. I've mentioned before I really love The Token Fat Girl and she posted today about how, for her, counting calories is a waste and leads to counter productive eating. For me, I need to count calories because I can become SO consumed by my competitive nature and try to eat less and less that I end up GAINING weight because my body isn't getting what it needs. It seems odd that in order to lose weight you have to eat more sometimes but it's true. If you're body is working out too much and not getting the right nutrition your metabolism is going to shut down. I have a handy (and FREE!) app on my iPhone that helps me keep tabs. It's insane that I can snack all day and then when I check my calories I'm still a few hundred away from my goal.

2. Get out of Debt: This one is hardy and will take the longest. Right now I'm in a rough spot. Life has been doling out the usual stuff (dead car battery, dentist, bad tire, etc) and, like I said above, I have $1 left in my account. I'm just really thankful that my apartment is taking their sweet time to cash my rent check so hopefully I can make it until Friday. But by the end of this year I'm hoping that I'll be in a much better spot: paying less in rent and paying more towards my loan. This loan isn't going to go away over night and with the interest rates the first few years are going to be the hardest but I know that I can pay it off.

3. Be Happy: This one is pretty ridiculous but I don't see any reason why I can's live an awesome and fun life  just because I'm broke. My situation is a little different because my boyfriend has money so I still get to do fun things because he can pay but even if he wasn't around I think it's entirely possible to be poor and happy. I'm lucky that I live in Austin that has so many fun and free things. Free movies in the park, gorgeous rivers and green belts open to the public, opportunities to volunteer to help others, the list goes on and on. Yes, I'd probably be REALLY happy if I had millions of dollars and could pay off all of my debts and travel the world but I don't NEED money to be happy.

ALSO:
I just finished two really amazing books that I want to recommend. I mentioned that I joined a library a few months ago and they've started to offer eBooks to rent. Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton and Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay. Plus this helps me reach my goal of two books a month! I figure, those two books can take care of June and sometime tonight I'll see about downloading two new books for July.