Lilian Tsi Stielstra - Eating well, exercise and losing weight
A stroke gave Lilian Tsi Stielstra the wake-up call she needed to change her diet, exercise regularly and reduce stress. She encourages women to understand their family history and health factors and make lifestyle changes to reduce their risks. She is a volunteer with the Go Red for Women movement and 2017 Real Woman. She blogs in honor of National Nutrition Month. 
In August of 2010, I had a stroke. It was what I call a Stroke of Good Luck. Up till then, I ate fried spam, greasy fast food hamburgers, ice cream, cake, slathered butter on my toast, and drank sugar with my coffee (cream, too).
I worked full time, my husband was a firefighter, and occasionally, I was a single mother to two tween-agers at the time. I worked long hours frequently and made the excuse, that I had no time to exercise, nor prepare better food for myself and my family.
Since my stroke, I’ve changed my ways, and discovered that food can be delicious and healthy. While it has been hard to give up cake and ice cream, I’ve found substitutes, which satisfies my sweet tooth.
The lessons I’ve learned in the last six years about food have to do with portion control, when to eat what type of food, and to read labels.
My first step was learning what to eat when. Breakfast was a meal I used to skip before my stroke. Now, I make sure to have breakfast everyday. It’s the one meal which will set the tone for the rest of the day. I grew up eating white rice noodles, or congee, and unfortunately, the processed white rice digests easily, and within hours, I would feel hungry. Now, I have oatmeal, granola, or two eggs with whole wheat toast and fruit. I measure the granola (which is store bought) to ensure I’m not consuming too much sugar or saturated fat. The rationale here is that the oatmeal or eggs are more difficult to digest, and therefor keeps me feeling full longer.
Lunch is when I have brown rice with some meat and veggies usually in a curry or stew format. Rice or grains in the middle of the day is useful to maintain energy. While we are active, the energy from the food is burnt off by activity during the day.
Dinner is a salad. I usually have arugula with tomatoes, cucumber, and fruit such as grapes, strawberries, or pear, and I make my own dressing so I can control the salt and fat content. As an Asian, this was the biggest change for me. Now that I have a better understanding about how the food I eat affects my weight, I do mix things up a little.
I used to skip breakfast, eat salad for lunch and by dinner, I would be starving and so I would inhale a large portion of pasta or rice then go to bed with a lot of food in my system, not being worked off.
A big step is meal planning. I spend weekends preparing the stew and rice which I pack for lunch while at work. This all helps me stay on a healthy track!
For great, heart-healthy recipes, check out the American Heart Association’s recipe page!
In August of 2010, I had a stroke. It was what I call a Stroke of Good Luck. Up till then, I ate fried spam, greasy fast food hamburgers, ice cream, cake, slathered butter on my toast, and drank sugar with my coffee (cream, too).
I worked full time, my husband was a firefighter, and occasionally, I was a single mother to two tween-agers at the time. I worked long hours frequently and made the excuse, that I had no time to exercise, nor prepare better food for myself and my family.
Since my stroke, I’ve changed my ways, and discovered that food can be delicious and healthy. While it has been hard to give up cake and ice cream, I’ve found substitutes, which satisfies my sweet tooth.
The lessons I’ve learned in the last six years about food have to do with portion control, when to eat what type of food, and to read labels.
My first step was learning what to eat when. Breakfast was a meal I used to skip before my stroke. Now, I make sure to have breakfast everyday. It’s the one meal which will set the tone for the rest of the day. I grew up eating white rice noodles, or congee, and unfortunately, the processed white rice digests easily, and within hours, I would feel hungry. Now, I have oatmeal, granola, or two eggs with whole wheat toast and fruit. I measure the granola (which is store bought) to ensure I’m not consuming too much sugar or saturated fat. The rationale here is that the oatmeal or eggs are more difficult to digest, and therefor keeps me feeling full longer.
Lunch is when I have brown rice with some meat and veggies usually in a curry or stew format. Rice or grains in the middle of the day is useful to maintain energy. While we are active, the energy from the food is burnt off by activity during the day.
Dinner is a salad. I usually have arugula with tomatoes, cucumber, and fruit such as grapes, strawberries, or pear, and I make my own dressing so I can control the salt and fat content. As an Asian, this was the biggest change for me. Now that I have a better understanding about how the food I eat affects my weight, I do mix things up a little.
I used to skip breakfast, eat salad for lunch and by dinner, I would be starving and so I would inhale a large portion of pasta or rice then go to bed with a lot of food in my system, not being worked off.
A big step is meal planning. I spend weekends preparing the stew and rice which I pack for lunch while at work. This all helps me stay on a healthy track!
For great, heart-healthy recipes, check out the American Heart Association’s recipe page!
