PDA

View Full Version : 30 Day Challenge



Geila
10-24-11, 5:04pm
Hey all,
I haven't been on for a while but I used to do a lot of health challenges here last year under the username Violeta. And I think it's time for me to do a new one!

In the past I focused on reducing carbs and sugar and increasing exercise and I'm looking to do something similar. The 30-day challenge has been really effective for me especially when I do a daily check in. Something about that format gives me the best results.

Anyone interested in joining me?

My carb and sugar intake is pretty good. I still tend to overindugle in times of stress but it's not the freefall that it used to be and I'm able to return to normal relatively quickly but I'll still track that to make sure I don't relapse.

My exercise though has gotten to be almost nonexistent now that I'm so busy, so this will be my main focus right now. My goal for the first week will be to do 30 mins min of exercise every day. And then I will increase it each week. I think I'll start with walking 30 mins every day.

I would LOVE to have company on the challenge! I figure we have 30 days before Thanksgiving (or thereabouts) and it will be a fun little push. Each person can choose their own version of the challenge.

Anyone game?
>8)

Rosemary
10-24-11, 8:18pm
I'm in... I want to drop 5# before Thanksgiving. Shouldn't be a problem if I focus on whole foods and exercise.

Geila
10-24-11, 10:10pm
Hi Rosemary - glad to have you join me!

Mods - I just realized that now there's a separate forum for Challenges, can you please move this thread there? Sorry!

Geila
10-25-11, 6:47pm
Day 1 (yesterday): I decided to buy a sourdough bagette to eat with soup as a splurge before my 30 day challenge and boy did I feel the effects of the wheat! It made me feel SO tired, really lethargic. I was glad that I'd done my walking beforehand as all I wanted to do afterwards was lay on the couch. Uggghhh.

Today: had to have 2 cookies and fruit for lunch as those were my only options at a meeting but I was so busy that I used up the sugar rush from it and now I just had my bowl of soup (which I had planned for lunch). already walked about 30 minutes, I'll see if I can do another 30 tonight before dinner just for the nice energy it gives me.

I'm going to aim to avoid refined carbs as much as possible for the next 30 days. I'll even try to easy my way out of sugar in my coffee. :0!

Rosemary - how was your day?

fidgiegirl
10-26-11, 8:25am
I want to join but am scared I will fail at it :( Usually when I do these kinds of challenges I end up feeling bad that I don't do perfectly at them.

Maybe I will try, thought. My challenge is going to be to do some kind of fitness activity every day, even if it's just a short fitness video, but preferably a run outside, a trip to the gym, etc.

Rosemary
10-26-11, 8:29am
I'm doing pretty well, eating whole foods and getting some exercise each day. I started a true whole foods diet back in April when we went on the allergy elimination, and I really did not expect it to make such a huge difference in how I felt day to day. I have so much more energy when I don't eat sugar... you'd think it would be its own reward. Well, it is most of the time, but once I slip and allow myself something out of my usual diet, then it becomes so easy to do it again, and soon enough I'm back on the sugar craving bandwagon. I've got lots of good foods prepped and in the fridge now, and a lot of fruit, and both of those are really important to stay with the healthy eating. Also I find that it does work much better if I eat every 3 hours or so - if I allow myself to get too hungry, it's too easy to slip. My breakfast today was mushroom-barley soup with bok choy, and that should keep me full for a long while.

fidgiegirl
10-26-11, 9:17pm
Rosemary, that's an interesting observation about eating so often. I have been worrying a little bit about why I am hungry so often. I suppose one explanation is that I eat processed foods and sweets. But it sounds like that happens for you, too, on a much healthier diet than I.

Success on day 1. Went to the Y on my free pass to try out. White Bear Lake Y is really nice!! I will go back. I could have gone outside today, but forgot my earband. It was just cold enough that if I had skipped wearing it, I would have developed a nice headache. So inside I went!! :)

Geila
10-27-11, 12:01am
Hey guys!

Rosemary - you are so right about how hard it is to get out of the sugar habit once you're in it. I can go months without sugar and refined carbs and feel GREAT, and then one day I'll have a muffin and feel like I have to have muffins every day for 2 weeks even though I KNOW they make me feel terrible. And soup for breakfast sounds really good - I'm going to try that.

Fidgie - great to have you on board! I've found that my most lasting changes have been the most gradual ones. Try to see the goal as a series of small improvements (or changes) rather than one big Succeed/Fail shot. Or look at it as a percentage - that's worked well for me too (ie, today I achieved 5% of my goals, even 5% is an achievement!) Looking for the gain is a lot more motivating and actually a lot more accurate. Congrats on your success today!

Today was a really nice day. I walked about 25 mins in the morning, and in the evening did about 1 hour of gardening and walked for 35 minutes. Feel really good. And I'm trying to resist that small square of dark chocolate calling my name!

Have a good one tomorrow!

Gardenarian
10-27-11, 5:47pm
Hi - thanks for the challenge Watergoddess! (I love your name!)
I have been slipping in the exercise department lately. It is so hard when it starts to get dark so early - and daylight savings time is next week!
I'm pretty good at staying off the carbs, but I do need to eat more fresh veggies.
So my 30 day goal will be to practice yoga, take a walk, and eat a salad or other veggie meal every day.
I'm working late today so it may be tricky, but I'll check in and let you know how it goes!

Geila
10-27-11, 10:19pm
Thanks Gardenarian! I love your name too. The garden is where I feed my spirit and soul.

Today was good: walked a little over an hour and spent time in the garden getting some sun and zen. :)

I was able to resist the chocolate last night but did take two bites today. >8)

fidgiegirl
10-27-11, 11:02pm
Hi all,

Just did a fitness video: http://youtu.be/2U9bVmVL7FY

Killer! Though I am proud to report that it was easier than it would have been about six weeks ago. I've done this one before and forgot how hard it was! But since it's only 10 minutes I survived. :)

Geila
10-29-11, 3:26pm
Thanks for the reminder on the exercise videos. We just got our Netflix back (we put it on hold for the summer) and it reminded me of my streaming videos on qeue. I really like the 10-Minute Solutions Pilates and I had found some others that were more dance-ish that I never got around to trying but that looked really fun. Dh and I both really like Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred too - we can always feel the difference when we do it: we feel (and are) so much stronger.

Yesterday: good exercise day, I got in my hour of walking; it's gotten easier to see it as part of my day.

carbs not too good: my meals were fine but in late afternoon I started to crave carbs and ate some ritz crackers and cookies, oh and a slice of cinnamon/raisin bread. I wasn't really sure why I was craving carbs since nothing stressful was going on. Later I realized that I was probably dehydrated. When I'm doing well on my low-carb eating I drink a lot of water because I never get hungry in between meals so when I feel thirsty I register it as thirst. But when I'm eating carbs I think I register thrist as a need for food - specifically more carbs. I realize that when I eat carbs I hardly drink water at all!

So, no more refined carbs these 30 days unless I really can't avoid it (like that meeting last week). It's a slippery slope. :0!

Hope everyone else is doing well!

Geila
10-30-11, 12:18pm
Yesterday was pretty good, I did my hour of walking.

I had a report due that kept me inside on the pc for most of the day so I didn't get to spend too much time outside - I'll try to make up for it today. We're still having gorgeous days here.

fidgiegirl
10-31-11, 8:30am
I'm 3 for 4. Went on the ski machine this morning. What a good workout! I was dripping!

Gardenarian
10-31-11, 3:42pm
Fidgie - I used to have a Nordic trac - I loved that exercise machine! I got rid of it when dd was a baby - it's kind of a dangerous contraption for toddlers to be around.

Watergoddess - just noticed you are also in the SF Bay Area. The weather has been just perfect! But it's going to be hard to fit in all my walking when the time changes...

Okay!
Day 1 (Oct. 27): walked 2.5 miles, yoga about 30 minutes, had a salad for dinner
Day 2: hiked 1.5 miles (but steep, took about 90 minutes.) I did yoga breathing exercises but skipped the asanas. Made a pilaf with brown rice, collard greens, and all the other veggies we had around.
Day 3: Walked 2.5 miles (this is my regular dog walk,) worked for several hours in the garden, did some restorative yoga. Had a big salad.
Day 4: Walked twice, about 3/5 mile each time. Did the grunt work carving 7 jack o'lanterns! Worked in the garden (digging, ouch!) Ate leftover pilaf with some added tomatoes. I didn't practice any yoga and I am really feeling it today at work!! I am taking my daughter trick-or-treating tonight and will try and get some yoga in after that. My body needs it!

This week I'm really going to focus on the yoga. I have a lot of gardening to do, and must walk the dog, but the yoga keeps all my gears oiled and I have to be more consistent about doing it. I actually lost my temper with dd last night, and I know that wouldn't have happened if I had meditated and been more present.

I will be eating a lot of pumpkin this week :)

I also went to the market and got some fresh and frozen veggies and fruit and really looked for some healthy snacks that I can eat in a pinch - I got walnuts, hazelnuts, dried cranberris, dried cherries (I tried these last night and they were disappointing) dried mango, and some individually packaged soy milks (that don't need to be refigerated.) With homeschooling and working and LIFE I tend to run around a lot and forget to eat, and then end up stuck with whatever is on hand. I'm leaving some snacks at work, some in my car, etc.

Geila
10-31-11, 10:48pm
Okay!
Day 1 (Oct. 27): walked 2.5 miles, yoga about 30 minutes, had a salad for dinner
Day 2: hiked 1.5 miles (but steep, took about 90 minutes.) I did yoga breathing exercises but skipped the asanas. Made a pilaf with brown rice, collard greens, and all the other veggies we had around.
Day 3: Walked 2.5 miles (this is my regular dog walk,) worked for several hours in the garden, did some restorative yoga. Had a big salad.
Day 4: Walked twice, about 3/5 mile each time. Did the grunt work carving 7 jack o'lanterns! Worked in the garden (digging, ouch!) Ate leftover pilaf with some added tomatoes. I didn't practice any yoga and I am really feeling it today at work!! I am taking my daughter trick-or-treating tonight and will try and get some yoga in after that. My body needs it!

This week I'm really going to focus on the yoga. I have a lot of gardening to do, and must walk the dog, but the yoga keeps all my gears oiled and I have to be more consistent about doing it. I actually lost my temper with dd last night, and I know that wouldn't have happened if I had meditated and been more present.



Wow. You rock, Gardenarian!

I love hiking, but I'm so darned lazy that I hardly ever do it. You've inspired me - this is perfect hiking weather too. You're making me want to do yoga too...

Isn't this weather amazing? The whole year has been fabulous. It's nice to meet a fellow Bay Area simple-liver!

Today was a good day: walked my one hour and spent a couple of hours in the garden pruning. Maybe this week I'll try upping my exercise a bit or doing more physical gardening. It feels great though to be back on the exercise groove!

Rosemary
11-1-11, 7:28am
I'm using the treadmill right now... dusted it off for the winter.

Geila
11-1-11, 9:56pm
Did my hour of walking today feeling grateful. The weather is gorgeous and the trees are starting to turn their golden yellows and reds. Beautiful. Maybe I'll try doing walking meditations this week.

My carbs has been spotty. I've been getting lazy: munching on crackers, and had 1/2 a Snickers last night.

Long day today. Need to do some reading but what I really want to do is NAP!

Gardenarian
11-2-11, 5:00pm
thanks for the support, watergoddess!

Well, doing yoga after three hours of trick or treating did not happen (tho' I did limit myself to 2 little snack sized candies.)
So -
Day 5 - walked three hours with dd and pals. Boo!
Day 6 - Sore feet!! no walking, but did a full 90 minute yoga practice. Pumpkin processing.
Day 7 (today) - so far, about 1 mile walk before work. I hope to get in more walking after work.

I still need to work in more fresh veggies...
Napping sounds really, really good - must be that cold front coming in.

Geila
11-2-11, 11:22pm
You know, I don't know if it's the evenings getting dark so early, or what. But I'm getting so sleepy and tired now. I feel like going to bed at 7:30!

I was going to increase my exercise but I've decided to hold off and stay steady. I tend to get overly excited and then do a crash & burn. So I'll just be glad that I did my hour of walking today.

I think the season is making me crave carbs too. I'm trying to decide if I want to allow myself one day a week of treat to contain it without feeling deprived or guilty. I've started to have big cravings for homemade apple pie :0!! I'm a little worried that if I say "no treats at all" I'll feel deprived and then lose all moderation. Or maybe I'm just looking for reasons to justify having some pie >8).

Rosemary
11-3-11, 8:20am
I've been trying to make lots of warm foods to replace those fall/winter treats that I might otherwise crave. Such as:
roasted sweet potatoes - I mash these and put pecans or walnuts on top. Suitable for any meal or snack.
baked fruit - naturally sweet! No need for a crust. This is what I made last time I wanted some pie. :)
"pumpkin pudding" - again, almost pumpkin pie with no crust. I don't use as much sweetener as recipes call for - it's not necessary. Some dates or a little maple syrup is sufficient.
turkey or chicken soup - even with some whole wheat pasta or barley added, it's a much lower carb and calorie load than some choices.
If I have something hot like a bowl of soup, I am still able to eat my salad for lunch on chilly days.

Geila
11-4-11, 1:52pm
I realized part of the reason I was so tired the last few days: I got my period yesterday. It's funny how every month I get something different - sometimes cramps, sometimes emotional, this month - TIRED!

Rosemary - now that I eat less carbs I've noticed that my body is VERY reactive to all kinds of carbs, even things like sweet potatoes. I love them and to me they're a delicious dessert just steamed/roasted with a little pat of unsalted butter on them. Yum. But I still get the crash from them that I would from refined sugar. I'm pretty sure I have insulin issues. I've been meaning to do research on insulin resistance for a while now - I think I'm afraid of what I might find out. Basically I'm afraid that I might find that the damage is irreversible and the thought of that scares me and makes me feel sad.

I remember you saying somewhere that you did an elimination diet. I might need to do one. I think "Women to Women" has something on it... I'll check it out and report back in case anyone else has this issue.

Ok, yesterday and today I only walked about 30 mins a day but that's ok since my body is busy doing it's thing.

My carbs has been pretty good though - no refined carbs except for the small amount of sugar in my coffee. The last two days I've been eating sweet potatoes in lieu of baked goods. I still get the carb crash but I know that it's a healthier choice.

ETA: to clarify, my bad reaction is not to ALL carbs but to starchy veggies, dairy and legumes (in addition to refined carbs). Nonstarchy veggies are fine. The best I ever felt was when I was eating a diet consisting of just fresh non-starchy veggies and animal protein. Dh and I both thrived on that. But little by little we've been bringing the starchies back...

fidgiegirl
11-4-11, 9:46pm
I'm doing terribly :(

No exercise at all since last time. My back hurts from sitting on my rear end all day. Tomorrow before I go out with my girlfriends I resolve to go for a run.

I really liked the ski machine but I bruised my gut bumping up against the pad! Oy vey!

Keep at it, girls . . . . . . sounds like it's going better than for me . . . . . .

Rosemary
11-5-11, 7:26am
I'm on the treadmill now... trying to walk 40 min every morning before breakfast. It's a good routine for winter, keeps my energy high and my body warm.

Kelli, don't underestimate the impact of stress from buying a house! Everyone falls off routines... you can get back there again. Sometimes you need to give yourself a break.

fidgiegirl
11-5-11, 8:20am
Thanks, Rosemary :) Also I think I need to remember that it isn't as easy for me to work out in winter. I balk at going outside to do it, so then if I don't plan a gym visit, I just don't do it at all. Perhaps today when I get home from the girlfriends' outing is the day to go try out my nearest Y. I have 18 more free visits to use up before they expire at end of December.

Geila
11-5-11, 9:15pm
Isn't it ironic that when we need the benefits of exercise the most is when we're the least disposed to do it? I have a REALLY hard time excercising when I'm stressed. Hang in there Fidgiegirl!!! And Congrats on your new home!

Rosemary - how do you make your baked apples? I just bought a bunch at the farmers market and I want to try baking them.

Today I was able to do my hour of walking again. Yay! It felt good to have the energy back and it does help combat the dreary-looking days.

Still doing well on the carbs - I'm so proud that I was able to resist the bakery these last couple of days! Yesterday was really tempting but luckily I was too tired to make the stop. Tonight I'll be making some popcorn - it's allowed cause it's not a refined carb :).

Rosemary
11-6-11, 7:13am
Baked apples - you can bake them whole - core, peel off the top third, fill with a mixture of dried fruit/nuts and spice as desired. Put a little water or apple juice in the baking pan and bake until soft.
Or bake them sliced, like the fruit layer of an apple crisp. This is what I usually do. Peel if desired, core, slice apples. Toss with cinnamon and other spices as desired. Add small pieces of dried fruit if you want it sweeter, or a couple of sliced pears. Bake.

Geila
11-6-11, 11:48am
Baked apples - you can bake them whole - core, peel off the top third, fill with a mixture of dried fruit/nuts and spice as desired. Put a little water or apple juice in the baking pan and bake until soft.
Or bake them sliced, like the fruit layer of an apple crisp. This is what I usually do. Peel if desired, core, slice apples. Toss with cinnamon and other spices as desired. Add small pieces of dried fruit if you want it sweeter, or a couple of sliced pears. Bake.

Rosemary - how long do you bake the sliced apples? I tried this last night but after 40 minutes they were still not soft all the way thru and they were starting to get dry (I didn't put any water in the pan, but I did put in a bit of butter). Oh yeah, the recipe I used had the oven at 275, which might be the reason they didn't cook as well. The recipe said they'd be done in 15 mins but they were still pretty raw at that point. What temp do you use?

I was thinking that maybe if I cover them with foil for half of the baking time that would speed up the process and keep them from drying out.

Rosemary
11-6-11, 5:12pm
I don't have a particular time for the baking of the apples because I am often using the oven for someone else, so time varies. I've made whole baked apples in the crockpot before, which is about 200 degrees, and that took about 2 hours if I recall correctly. An estimate for sliced apples is about 45 minutes at 350.

fidgiegirl
11-6-11, 6:13pm
Thanks for your support, girls.

Today was much better!! Went for a run this morning, mulched the leaves in the yard, have hauled stuff up out of the basement, have walked the dog already in the day light. All that's left now is to eat some supper, fold some clothes and snuggle up under a blanket, maybe with a book or some embroidery. Ahhhhh . . .

Geila
11-6-11, 10:17pm
Thanks Rosemary! I'll try that tomorrow for my next batch. Love your avatar! We get a lot of those beauties in the garden. That's an awesome shot.

Congrats Kelli!!! You'll sleep good tonight!

Today was good: walked a bit over an hour, we're getting sun again so it felt good to be out. I did three separate walks about 25 mins each, instead of one long one, and it helped me stay focused on my math homework. The sweet potatoes and baked apples are giving me my sweet kick. The apples are especially sweet, they taste like candy.

Wishing everyone a good Monday!

Rosemary
11-7-11, 6:47am
Thanks, watergoddess. Took that pic at the hummingbird aviary in Tucson's Desert Museum. Fascinating place to watch them. We do get hummingbirds here in MN but not as many and they rarely sit still!

I'm up early, thanks to the cats, who don't understand the switch to standard time, and walking on the treadmill. Too much rich food at church this weekend. Have decided that I am just going to not eat wheat and sugar, indefinitely. It is too much of a temptation for me and I don't seem to be able to regulate it. I was allowing myself too many 'treats.' And I can feel the difference - aches and pains, indigestion, sleep quality, etc.

Geila
11-8-11, 5:51pm
We have a hummingbird who "lives" in our yard. He's quite territorial and even has his own "branch" on one of the trees - it's a tiny little branch with a curve on it. He hangs out there every afternoon, resting. I haven't tried to take a pic of him, but maybe one of these days...

Baked apple success! I peeled, cored, and sliced them, tossed them with cinnamon, covered with foil and popped in the oven. I kept them covered for about 3/4 of the time but next time I'll only do 1/2 so they can be more roasted than steamed. I put just a dot of butter on them and they are DELICIOUS!!! This is my new apple pie! Next time I'm going to put in some pecans or walnuts too.

Exercise is going well. I'm still doing my hour of walking. I think about increasing it but then I get lazy! Maybe next week...:)

Carbs is pretty good. I've been able to avoid all refined carbs and I'm even cutting back on some of the starchier veggies - like my beloved sweet potatoes... :(

I read up on Insulin Resistance and it appears that the damage IS reversible - Yay! - but that it can take from 6 months to a year of low/moderate carb eating :(. They recommend a diet of less than 60 carbs per day, which is actually very reasonable - if I abstain from "treats". I too have a hard time moderating my sugar and wheat. It's really hard to break the association of "baked good = reward/comfort". I've come a long way in learning more healthy ways to reward and comfort myself, but carbs still have a strong pull.

I'm just going to take it one day at a time. Today I will choose... a walk in the sunshine as my treat. And maybe a hot bath with peppermint salts!

Gardenarian
11-9-11, 5:20pm
I've been forgetting to check in! There has been family crisis and I'm off to the East coast on Friday. I'm really stressed about it.
I've been anxious about the trip and exercising a lot to try and calm myself, but it hasn't been working well. Yesterday I actually went for a run, which I usually never do. I have been keeping up the yoga fairly well.

What I see happening is that there are days when I always walk/hike/practice yoga a lot, and days when it is difficult/impossible for me to get much exercise in. So what I think I need to do is get more exercise on those days (Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday) when I have some blocks of time available.
I have also become aware that I have to spend a little more time shopping for produce - I need to have a selection of stuff in the house to choose from. When I'm at the market I tend to buy a lot of whatever is a good deal or appeals to me at that moment.

So, this has been a really good challenge for me, in that I've made those realizations!

I didn't record last week's stuff, but for the past few days:
Day 11 (Sunday): Walked 2.5 miles. Started work on my straw bale raised bed (6 bales of straw - oof!) Practiced yoga ~45 min. Made pumpkin pudding, had salad.
Day 12: Walked twice, about 3/4 mile each time. Big salad.
Day 13: Walked/ran 2.5 miles. Just about finished with the big garden bed (lots of digging.) Yoga, about 30 minutes? maybe an hour? Walked another 3/4 mile. had a large salad and a big apple too. Also ate a lot of chocolate. oh well.
Day 14: nada so far. Try to get in some yoga tonight, but I've got to do laundry and get organized for my trip.

Geila
11-9-11, 10:50pm
I like how Gardenarian keeps track of her miles walked. I think I'll do that too, it might help with staying motivated to see that.

I decided that instead of worrying too much about my starchy veggie carbs I'm going to focus on increasing my exercise for the last two weeks of the challenge. I'll still avoid refined carbs but I'm not going to obsess about the rest for now.

Yesterday and today I felt like I was coming down with something so I only walked about 30 mins each day. And I had bread today too :(. I think because I was feeling deprived after giving up my yams. But yams is better than bread!

Rosemary
11-10-11, 11:30am
Watergoddess, eating more yams/winter squash/legumes has made it easier for me to mostly give up grains. I say 'mostly' because I occasionally have some whole grain pasta, barley, or quinoa. But for the most part, those other foods are so much more appealing that the grains are not that attractive anymore.

Have any of you seen the web page http://www.joesgoals.com/ ?
I find it to be a good daily reminder of what my goals are. If I remember my intentions in the morning, I'm less likely to make decisions about these things later in the day. For instance, '30 min exercise' is one of my daily goals. Easy enough to get 30 minutes, and if I plan to do it in the morning, then I am less likely to decide to skip it later. I exceed 30 min about 50% of the week, but having a doable goal makes it easier to plan.

Geila
11-10-11, 2:49pm
Rosemary, you're right. When I have sweet potatoes I really have no craving at all for baked goods or sugary stuff. Thanks for the link, I'll check it out today.

I have a confession: yesterday I didn't just have bread. I had bread and a bear claw and a cinnamon roll :|(. I was craving some comfort food so I stopped for bread to go with the soup I was going to make and I yielded to temptation. I think the fresh chicken soup would have been all the comfort I needed.

Is anyone eating pomegranates? They're in season here and they are so good. They make a great snack in the evening cause they take forever to eat!

My goal today is to get back to my hour of walking.

Rosemary
11-10-11, 7:56pm
We love pomegranates! The seeds are yummy little jewels in our winter fruit salads.

My progress this week: had a sugar binge on the weekend, decided that I just need to decide not to eat it anymore. I'm ok with that. Better that the decision is made. It was actually pretty easy being off it all summer, knowing that I just could not eat it (when on full elimination). All week, I've been eating very good homemade foods. I had to bake something to take to school for the teachers one day and I baked some lovely-smelling cranberry orange cream scones, and really didn't even have a desire to sample them. Had DH do a taste test for me. I was on my feet most of yesterday & today, volunteering at DD's school - and although that's not exercise, it does burn more calories than sitting.

So as we come toward Thanksgiving, my plan is to make my own pumpkin pudding for dessert, sweetened with dates or a small amount of maple syrup. I like the custardy pumpkin very much even with just 2T maple syrup per pie-sized batch. (That's less than some people put in their sweet potato "side dishes!") And I'll make my own cranberry sauce, too. I usually cook some cranberries with 1-2 apples or pears.

Geila
11-10-11, 9:21pm
Rosemary - would you share your pumpkin pudding recipe? That sounds really yummy! I used to love rice pudding for it's creaminess factor but I don't eat it anymore.

On your cranberry sauce: does the fruit provide enough sugar to offset the tartness of the cranberries? Or is the cranberry sauce more on the tart side? I have to admit that I don't normally eat cranberry sauce (I'm not a native American and didn't grow up with it).

Cranberries are beautiful but I was surprised at how tart they are! I made a cranberry upside-down cake last year (an Alice Waters recipe) and I halved the sugar but it was a mistake - the cake was lovely but the berries were too tart. (Probably Alice had already reduced the sugar.)

Rosemary
11-10-11, 10:38pm
Watergoddess,
It is possible to make a cranberry sauce that is only fruit-sweetened, that is not tart. I do like mine on the tart side. You could use apple juice concentrate, or more apples or pears. I have made a rhubarb-fig compote with no other sweetener (using dried figs) that I thought was actually too sweet - and if that's possible, then cranberries are easy to sweeten!

For the pumpkin pudding - I tend to cook without recipes most of the time. I've made this several different ways so I'll give you the general idea of each.
A - use a vegan pumpkin pie recipe and omit the sugar, subbing a dried fruit compote (such as apricot) or maple syrup. If you use a vegan recipe (no eggs), it's ok to taste-test before baking to see if there's enough sweetener for you. The vegan recipes generally use silken tofu.

B - I do this when I have my own home-roasted winter squash. Puree it, add spices and a small amount of milk/milk substitute, and sweeten to taste. Mix well. This really doesn't need to be baked at all. I like to eat it warm.

C - Use your own favorite pumpkin pie filling recipe, but omit the sugar and substitute a small amount of your chosen sweetener, if any. Maple syrup or honey can always be dribbled on top at serving time if you decide it is not sweet enough on its own. Also, I have never used the evaporated or condensed milk that these recipes usually call for. 1 c soy or almond milk can sub for the 12 oz can that appears in most recipes. The eggs provide sufficient richness.

Rosemary
11-11-11, 7:02am
Similar recipe for spiced sweet potato pudding: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/dining/162grex.html

Geila
11-11-11, 2:13pm
Thanks Rosemary! I'm going to try both of those pudding recipes this Thanksgiving. The sweet potato one looks especially luxurious. I've never used cardamon before. I'm going to try the pumpkin one both ways - I like the idea of the roasted pumpin/squash (I remember having that as a kid, we had it as a sweet treat with just a sprinkle of brown sugar on top) and I think making one with eggs would make the pudding more filling and hopefully make me eat less. When I was in Paris some years ago, I was amazed that I could eat just small amounts of food and be satisfied - even the fruit tarts and pastries that I love. I think their generous use of fat (and eggs?) makes their food more satisfying. Yumm... I can't wait!

I'm making a big batch of beef bean and veggie soup. I put in lots of bones for a tasty broth. I made this a few weeks ago and dh and I both loved it. And I bought some sweet potatoes to cook too :).

Yesterday I walked a bit over an hour - that's about 3 miles, maybe a bit more. I also got in some garden time and that was really nice. I always feel so good when I'm in the garden, even if it's just walking around looking at it. Today it's windy and drizzly so I'll see how it goes. I have videos I can do inside but I get so lazy when I'm inside. Maybe I'll be able to motivate myself...

Geila
11-12-11, 11:45am
Yesterday I walked briskly for over an hour - a little over 3.25 miles! I'm glad I made myself get out there. Today should be easier cause there's no rain.

Yesterday's carbs - not so good. Dh really likes to have bread with his soup so I walked to the bakery and got some for him, but then I got some for myself too :confused:. It's hard to resist when you're there with that fresh-baked smell and you know someone will be having it right next to you! Today I will not get him any - if he wants it he'll have to get his own, which he probably won't do.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Geila
11-14-11, 3:56pm
Sat & Sun were good days: got over an hour of exercise each day - about 3.5 miles of walking every day - plus over an hour of yardwork. I've been able to stay away from the refined carbs too.

Rosemary
11-14-11, 7:31pm
Doing well on exercise as long as I use the treadmill daily. Our balmy fall weather is about to come to an abrupt end, and with the short daylight hours, I'm not always able to get out for a good long walk... even though I know they are so very therapeutic for me.

Diet-wise, feeling good. Am over the hump of avoiding sugar and now it is easy to do. Keeping up with having lots of fruits and veggies in the fridge and ready to go. My sweets are dried apricots, figs, dates, and fresh fruit, heavy on the local apples right now. I love apples so this works for me.

Geila
11-16-11, 11:13pm
Good couple of days. I've increased my speed and duration and I'm now doing about 4.5 miles per day. We're having a stretch of gorgeous weather so its been nice. I'm amazed that even when I have to force myself to get out of the door, a few minutes into my walk I forget my tiredness. It's teaching me discipline.

Diet has been pretty good. I did have two small pumpkin cookies at a meeting but they were not too sweet. I need to bring my own snacks to these meetings now that they are a regular thing. It's too tempting to eat what is provided, which is always sugar-based.

Gardenarian
11-17-11, 4:43pm
It sounds like everybody is doing great - so active!

I have been away for a little while, and I walked as much as I could (not all that much.) I usually have a really difficult time adjusting to different times zones, and my digestion is often off-kilter when I travel, but I felt really well on this trip (physically.) I think it is due to the extra care I've been giving myself with this challenge. I want to keep it going!

I'm trying to get back on track with the fresh vegetables and fruits, and I hope to go on a nice long hike tomorrow (though the weather will be rainy. I don't mind, but my dog hates it.)

Geila
11-18-11, 7:51pm
Welcome back Gardenarian! Glad to hear you had a good trip and that you're feeling well.

The last couple of days have been good. Excellent workouts: 4 miles a day of walking plus the Jillian Michael's 30-day shred. Boy, did my thighs feel it! Today I had a day off and spent it at the beach with a friend. I think I'll take the rest of the day off and skip the exercise. It's starting to rain and I have lots of reading to do.

Carbs: so-so. On Weds we went out for a movie and burger & fries and today I had a lunch of sandwich & fries. But all other meals have been good.

Geila
11-20-11, 9:51pm
Excellent couple of days! I walked 5 miles yesterday and about 4.5 today. Plus, I've stayed away from refined carbs all weekend.

Hope everyone else is doing well too!

Tiam
11-21-11, 12:30am
Hi - thanks for the challenge Watergoddess! (I love your name!)
I have been slipping in the exercise department lately. It is so hard when it starts to get dark so early - and daylight savings time is next week!
I'm pretty good at staying off the carbs, but I do need to eat more fresh veggies.
So my 30 day goal will be to practice yoga, take a walk, and eat a salad or other veggie meal every day.
I'm working late today so it may be tricky, but I'll check in and let you know how it goes!

It is SO hard. It is cold and rainy. I was riding my bike to work, but I don't really have the gear for riding dark and wet. One thing I do find is being very tired at the end of the day. I know the ride will energize me, but it's SO hard to get going when you are so tired.

Geila
11-22-11, 3:01pm
Tiam -you're right, it is very hard. It's especially hard to get started.

Well gang, the 30 days is up! This challenge has been great for me. I started out doing no exercise at all, and now I'm up to over an hour of exercise at least 6 days a week. Woo-hoo!!! I feel great! I hope to maintain this and maybe even improve on it these next 30 days.

Wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving. Thank you for joining me on this challenge!

Gardenarian
11-23-11, 3:51pm
Thanks for starting this challenge Watergoddess! It has been a real learning experience for me.

I have learned to concentrate my exercise on the four days when I have free time, rather than trying to squish in exercise everyday, and things are going much more smoothly. I still walk the dog for about two miles on my working days, but on the days when I have more time I have been shooting for a 4 mile walk and a full yoga practice, and have been actually doing it!

I have been really working at finding more fresh veg. and fruits, and going to the market more. That is still a challenge for me. I'm not a big foodie and would be happy to live on yogurt and the occasional apple.

I'll be up for another challenge in December!

Peace & blessings :)