Category: Food

Getting back on track after the Holidays

Today’s Friday and that marks a full week since we returned from our vacations. It’s been a tough week, lots of catching up to do at work with dozens if not hundreds of emails to go through and reply to and following up on pending jobs from last month so I haven’t had as much time to write as I would’ve liked. The house is a mess, luggage is still unpacked which would normally drive my partner crazy, however given the fact that he’s been super busy at work too so I haven’t gotten “the look” yet. I still may get it this weekend if I keep procrastinating.

Even though I’ve been busy at work and as part of my 2018 New Year’s resolutions I did manage to cook pretty much every night this week, except on Tuesday when we went over to my in-laws house to celebrate my father in law’s birthday. I did have a couple of pieces of fried chicken (yum) and a slice of homemade carrot cake and I regret NOTHING.  It was all delicious and we had a fun evening so to me that’s a win. The rest of the week I tried different healthy recipes that were all excellent, my favorite being these baked shrimp taquitos from the skinnytaste website. I love shrimp and this recipe is really easy to make and most importantly they taste delicious. I wish I had taken some pictures of it.  Continue reading “Getting back on track after the Holidays”

Healthy eating while on Puerto Rico (can I make it?)

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a big deal, much bigger than people who were not born here imagine. Navidad (Christmas) is when we experience the best of Puerto Rican culture. Nowhere else is Christmas celebrated like in my little island. Navidad is the time of tradition, family, aguinaldos and villancicos (Christmas songs) and parrandas (louder and funer version of Chirstmas caroling), when  friends gather late in the evening (after 10pm) and visit different houses to “surprise” and wake them up with the loud music and singing of the ‘parranderos’ (those taking part in the ‘parranda’). Traditionally these are supposed to be a surprise but most people have ‘arranged’ that they will be visited; because the custom is that when you’ve been ‘woken up’ you have to join in the parranda so it grows during the evening as more people join in! The fun can last all night, finishing at dawn!

Christmas celebrations in Puerto Rico begin very early in December and do not stop on December 25th. The celebrations can continue into the middle of January if you consider the ”octavitas”. The big Christmas celebrations are; December 24 – Nochebuena; December 25 – Navidad; December 31 – Despedida de Año; and the biggest and most important of all for the children, of course, el Día de Reyes (Three Kings Day) on January 6th.

Throughout all of these celebrations there is one thing in common besides the spirit of celebration and that is FOOD.  Continue reading “Healthy eating while on Puerto Rico (can I make it?)”

What I’ve learned in the first month of my lifestyle change.

The day I decided that enough was enough and embarked on this lifestyle change of mine, it was probably an all time low with respect to how I felt both physically and emotionally.  As I mentioned on a previous post, I was struggling with low self esteem and feeling like people, especially my customers would judge me because of the way I looked. On top of that, I was also struggling with feeling tired ALL of the time, no energy whatsoever so even the most basics of things would tire me out or leave me without breath. Going to the grocery store, or to the mall, or any activity that required me to stay on my feet for an extended period of time would result in me feeling like I walked around with a knife stuck on each heel by the time we got home. My blood pressure is fine, same with my blood sugar and while my cholesterol and triglycerides were borderline, they were still fine so I really couldn’t say my health was rapidly deteriorating, yet I felt terrible all the time. I’m in my mid 30s now, which isn’t really that old, but it is old enough to know that I couldn’t keep going the way I was before it would be too late. So, while I’d like to say that there was a very deep and meaningful reason behind my decision to change my habits,  the reality is that I just want to look better and not feel like shit all the time.

Change, is hard, really, really hard given the kinds of things I like and the kind of work I do where I’m eating out all of the time. Asking for water instead of a coke proved to be very challenging as stupid as that may sound, and everyone who knows me and my baked goods addiction will know how much I’ve struggle not to buy cookies or cupcakes on the weekends. But I will say that once I got into the habit of making better choices, rather than buying on impulse, it suddenly became easier to walk by the cookie aisle or the bakery section at the supermarket and not feel that temptation. I also like that making these new choices made me feel good about myself.  Yes, I still like sweets, and it’s not like I have not had any “treats” this past month, but overall I feel great about the kind of food I’ve been eating.

Continue reading “What I’ve learned in the first month of my lifestyle change.”

Holiday Party Survival Guide: Staying on track or falling of the bandwagon?

This past weekend was a very eventful three days. Not a typical weekend for us that’s for sure. My company Christmas party was held this past Friday, and while I wasn’t particularly excited to attend I have to say that we spent a really good time when it was all said and done. The following evening, we went to dinner at a popular Mexican chain food restaurant to celebrate my sister in law’s birthday and afterwards went to another holiday party at a friend’s house. We also were invited to another holiday gathering on Sunday evening which we decided not to attend since we were pretty much burned out after the last two days and I realized I had some work reports to do for Monday morning.

All in all, it was a great weekend but for someone that has recently embarked on a journey to reinvent himself it was torture. On the one side, I made it through without binge eating everything in sight as I would normally have done (including the delicious chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant which was hard as hell). On the other side, I completely failed at moderating my alcohol intake, which is a habit that needs to be modified if I am to continue seeing progress throughout this holiday season.

Now that I know what doesn’t work for me, here are some things I learned that will help keep me on track and still be able to enjoy myself.

Continue reading “Holiday Party Survival Guide: Staying on track or falling of the bandwagon?”

‘Tis the season to be jolly and FAT?

Coming from a big tight-knit family, the holidays are always a time of gathering and celebration which means a lot of delicious home cooked meals and plenty of drinks while playing dominoes while listening to all of our Christmas time favorite songs. This is the time of year when all of our attempts at healthy eating go straight down the toilet (maybe literally.)

Starting at Thanksgiving and going all through to the new year and if you’re in Puerto Rico the celebrations often last until almost February when the “Octavitas” come to an end, it’s weeks of potential overindulgence. From “coquito” (puertorican eggnog but much much better) and pernil (pork roast), to handfuls of nuts and chips, along with fried finger foods (too many to mention all) and decadent dips, there’s a ho-ho-whole lot of fat and calories being ingested . Why would I ever start a diet a week before Thanksgiving? Self torture comes to mind. However, if I am to be serious about a true lifestyle change then I need to be OK with being in social situations and learn how to make good choices and learn moderation. After all, this is not a short term goal for me. I’ve tried pretty much every diet out there and it’s always about restricting your food intake and food choices and always feeling like you’re “missing” something. Inevitably, this feeling has led me to “fall of the bandwagon” and I end up binge eating which in turn makes me feel even worse than before.

Continue reading “‘Tis the season to be jolly and FAT?”