I've got an incredibly busy weekend ahead of me. With lots of potential eating hazards along the way.
I have successfully gotten through the first one - this morning, my work had a pancake and sausage breakfast for charity. I ate my regular oatmeal at home and just had coffee at the breakfast. Tomorrow night my husband and I have a fancy dinner event at a local hotel. It is an event I usually look forward to all year because the food is just INCREDIBLE. It is usually very "gourmet" which means it will not be "light" but the portions won't be huge either. I plan on just eating whatever I get served, and drinking some wine too!
We are staying over that night at the hotel and then going for breakfast in the morning. I will probably let myself "live a little" at breakfast too, but then I will have a light lunch and dinner. I plan to go for long-ish runs both Sat and Sun (which will help with all the additional calories).
None of this would worry me much, if I wasn't also going away on business Monday and Tuesday (so FOUR more restaurant meals there). I will just try my best to order food that is similar to what I'd eat at home... then back to normal right away...
I didn't have time to do up my food diary from yesterday, but my eating was pretty much "same old same old"... with calories at about 1550, and 45 minutes on the elliptical for my activity...
Have a great weekend!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Day 171 - A Post About Nothing
Not all my posts can be deep and meaningful... sometimes it is just hard to come up with things to write about! Although I'm sure my husband would tell you I NEVER run out of things to blather on about when it comes to my weight and healthy eating.
Yesterday, Diane suggested that I try adding larger servings of the things I am already eating.... I have already done that a bit, but it's really challenging. I have this hidden fear that if I do that, I will increase my appetite and I will be hungrier all the time.... for example last night, it was vegetarian night at our house and I made a ratatouille with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper, dates and almonds, which I served over couscous. I took one sixth of the recipe which was a "normal" size plate - about 1/2 cup of couscous with 1.5 cups of ratatouille. Then I had my regular dessert and I was "uncomfortably" full after that. I couldn't possibly have eaten another bite.
This morning, I put peanut butter in my oats. That increases the calories quickly, without making me more full than usual. I also might try just adding one calorie dense treat somewhere in my day (e.g. a couple of cookies for 200 calories or some chocolate would do the trick!)
I do feel like I am getting there slowly. Right from the start, I said that I didn't want to jump to 1800 calories a day right away. I've tried that before and it didn't work for me. So, I am going slow... YES, it's taking way longer than I originally anticipated (mostly because I'm nervous about it), but I'll get there....
Here is my food from yesterday...
Yesterday, Diane suggested that I try adding larger servings of the things I am already eating.... I have already done that a bit, but it's really challenging. I have this hidden fear that if I do that, I will increase my appetite and I will be hungrier all the time.... for example last night, it was vegetarian night at our house and I made a ratatouille with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper, dates and almonds, which I served over couscous. I took one sixth of the recipe which was a "normal" size plate - about 1/2 cup of couscous with 1.5 cups of ratatouille. Then I had my regular dessert and I was "uncomfortably" full after that. I couldn't possibly have eaten another bite.
This morning, I put peanut butter in my oats. That increases the calories quickly, without making me more full than usual. I also might try just adding one calorie dense treat somewhere in my day (e.g. a couple of cookies for 200 calories or some chocolate would do the trick!)
I do feel like I am getting there slowly. Right from the start, I said that I didn't want to jump to 1800 calories a day right away. I've tried that before and it didn't work for me. So, I am going slow... YES, it's taking way longer than I originally anticipated (mostly because I'm nervous about it), but I'll get there....
Here is my food from yesterday...
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Day 170 - Ideas to Add More Healthy Calories
I am trying to think of some ways that I can add more calories to my diet without eating junk food or trigger foods, and without disrupting my nutrient balance too much (e.g. don't want to add a bunch of carby snacks - which would be my tendency).
The main problem is that I am FULL pretty much all the time.
Breakfast: My normal breakfast which is usually about 400 calories fills me up, so I don't really want/need to add more. I usually eat cold cereal or hot cereal in some form with add ins and half a grapefruit.
Lunch: I've considered substituting a more calorie dense SANDWICH at lunch time, but the truth is, I just LOVE my toasted avocado, laughing cow and tomato sandwich so much that I can't bring myself to make the switch. I added a side dish to my sandwich and my lunch comes to around 500 calories in total. But honestly, I eat SO MUCH food at lunch, somedays it makes me feel overfull, which I don't like. I eat my sandwich, my side dish (veggie soup, veggie sticks or rice crisps), a fruit, a yoghurt and a vitatop...
Dinner: The calories for my dinner vary more, but more often than not, I cook some sort of lean protein (chicken, fish, pork) and pair it with PILES of steamed veggies and either potato or 1/2 cup of rice or couscous. I'll usually add some discretionary calories (e.g. olive oil or butter for potato, dipping sauce for meat, butter in rice etc... depending). My dinner usually comes to around 500 calories including my dessert (normally tapioca or rice pudding).
Snacks: I don't have a set snacking pattern. I usually look at my day, and what I have planned in terms of exercise and add snacks, if I think I'll need them (or if my calories seem low). Most of my snacks are 100-200 calories and my favorites include: Ryvita Crisps with Laughing Cow and sliced apple or grapes; Raw Almonds, Fruit, Popcorn, Hummus and Crackers...
So, it is starting to become apparent that I need to add MORE somewhere. But where and what? How do I add more without (a) changing what I already eat - which I love OR (b) not eating junk food OR (c) not being even more OVERFULL than I already am...
The current times of the day when I would be hungry enough to eat are right after work about 4-5pm before dinner - but I don't like to "spoil my dinner" and I don't let my kids eat then... and I should probably practice what I preach! And right before bed, I'm not usually "hungry" per se, but not full either - I could accommodate a snack. But again, for some reason eating right before I go to bed seems like something I shouldn't make a habit of...
Anyway, something I've noticed is that you should NEVER EVER EVER mention aloud that you are having trouble figuring out how to work enough calories into your diet in order to stabilize your weight... I makes people REALLY ANGRY AND BELLIGERENT... LOL. A friend commented the other day on my weight... one of those "you're wasting away" comments (not said in a nice way), and I said (a little defensively)... "I'm not really trying to lose more weight, but I'm having trouble getting my calories high enough... I've lost about 5 more pounds than I originally intended".... she got REALLY angry.... She was like, well EAT MORE!!!! STOP STARVING YOURSELF!!! Then she starts trying to push some Tim Hortons cookies on me (and I said "no thanks", which seemed to make her MORE ANGRY). I wanted to go on to explain that I was trying to eat more, but in a healthy way... I don't want to eat junk, or more things that come from packages and are high in sodium!! But I didn't - she struggles with some unwanted pounds and I thought it would be best not to say more...
Anyway, here is what I ate yesterday.... I have discovered a new add in for my oatmeal... mashed banana and a tablespoon of brownie mix powder - YES BROWNIE MIX... I know that isn't consistent with ANYTHING I said about about adding HEALTHY calories... but it's SO GOOD, and even I make exceptions sometimes (if its worth it!)...
The main problem is that I am FULL pretty much all the time.
Breakfast: My normal breakfast which is usually about 400 calories fills me up, so I don't really want/need to add more. I usually eat cold cereal or hot cereal in some form with add ins and half a grapefruit.
Lunch: I've considered substituting a more calorie dense SANDWICH at lunch time, but the truth is, I just LOVE my toasted avocado, laughing cow and tomato sandwich so much that I can't bring myself to make the switch. I added a side dish to my sandwich and my lunch comes to around 500 calories in total. But honestly, I eat SO MUCH food at lunch, somedays it makes me feel overfull, which I don't like. I eat my sandwich, my side dish (veggie soup, veggie sticks or rice crisps), a fruit, a yoghurt and a vitatop...
Dinner: The calories for my dinner vary more, but more often than not, I cook some sort of lean protein (chicken, fish, pork) and pair it with PILES of steamed veggies and either potato or 1/2 cup of rice or couscous. I'll usually add some discretionary calories (e.g. olive oil or butter for potato, dipping sauce for meat, butter in rice etc... depending). My dinner usually comes to around 500 calories including my dessert (normally tapioca or rice pudding).
Snacks: I don't have a set snacking pattern. I usually look at my day, and what I have planned in terms of exercise and add snacks, if I think I'll need them (or if my calories seem low). Most of my snacks are 100-200 calories and my favorites include: Ryvita Crisps with Laughing Cow and sliced apple or grapes; Raw Almonds, Fruit, Popcorn, Hummus and Crackers...
So, it is starting to become apparent that I need to add MORE somewhere. But where and what? How do I add more without (a) changing what I already eat - which I love OR (b) not eating junk food OR (c) not being even more OVERFULL than I already am...
The current times of the day when I would be hungry enough to eat are right after work about 4-5pm before dinner - but I don't like to "spoil my dinner" and I don't let my kids eat then... and I should probably practice what I preach! And right before bed, I'm not usually "hungry" per se, but not full either - I could accommodate a snack. But again, for some reason eating right before I go to bed seems like something I shouldn't make a habit of...
Anyway, something I've noticed is that you should NEVER EVER EVER mention aloud that you are having trouble figuring out how to work enough calories into your diet in order to stabilize your weight... I makes people REALLY ANGRY AND BELLIGERENT... LOL. A friend commented the other day on my weight... one of those "you're wasting away" comments (not said in a nice way), and I said (a little defensively)... "I'm not really trying to lose more weight, but I'm having trouble getting my calories high enough... I've lost about 5 more pounds than I originally intended".... she got REALLY angry.... She was like, well EAT MORE!!!! STOP STARVING YOURSELF!!! Then she starts trying to push some Tim Hortons cookies on me (and I said "no thanks", which seemed to make her MORE ANGRY). I wanted to go on to explain that I was trying to eat more, but in a healthy way... I don't want to eat junk, or more things that come from packages and are high in sodium!! But I didn't - she struggles with some unwanted pounds and I thought it would be best not to say more...
Anyway, here is what I ate yesterday.... I have discovered a new add in for my oatmeal... mashed banana and a tablespoon of brownie mix powder - YES BROWNIE MIX... I know that isn't consistent with ANYTHING I said about about adding HEALTHY calories... but it's SO GOOD, and even I make exceptions sometimes (if its worth it!)...
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Day 169 - For the Rest of My Life... REALLY?
Somedays this maintenance thing seems really easy... eat my regular foods (that I love)... avoid splurges. NO PROBLEM. Although, sometimes when I get to thinking that I have to be careful of my eating for the rest of my life in order to stay slim... I start to get down on myself. But then I realize, there are CERTAIN things that YES, I will have to do for the rest of my life. But there are other things I can stop doing... (not yet though, I really want my body to become used to being 125-130lbs for a while first)...
THINGS I HAVE TO DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE:
1. Weight myself every morning. Really, this isn't too onerous, it takes 3 seconds, and it will help me to notice and correct any upward trends early.
2. Eat healthy *most* of the time.
3. Exercise.
4. Avoid Binging. Overeating once in a while (OK), mindless binging when I'm not even hungry (WAY NOT OK).
THINGS THAT I CHOOSE TO DO NOW, THAT I DON'T HAVE TO DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE:
1. Counting Calories. Right now this gives me comfort, and I will continue... but as long as I weigh myself everyday, I don't think I also have to count calories - if I decide to stop, I will do so without guilt. Besides, I can always go BACK to counting calories at any time I want.
2. Tracking. My daily ritual of tracking everything I eat, and my weight etc in an excel spreadsheet is fun... but time consuming (and possibly a little obsessive). I could stop that, if I chose to. I think I can remember what weight I'm suppose to be, from day to day without logging and charting it...
3. Blogging. Also time consuming. It helps with the motivation and accountability, but will I do it forever and ever? Probably not.
4. Weighing everything I eat. Similar to counting calories, if my weight stays fairly constant do I really need to keep weighing everything? This one would be hard to stop, because I know it is easy to let those portion sizes slowly creep up. But I could also opt for a mixed approach... e.g. weigh calorie dense items (meat, pasta, rice, cheese, peanut butter), stop weighing vegetables and fruits, stop weighing things that are already portioned out (e.g. a slice of bread, a bagel).
There is probably more that I could add to these lists. But one thing that I don't know if I will ever be able to change, is the way my food intake and my weight is ALWAYS at the forefront of my mind. I can never truly forget about it. It's on my mind, it's always there and it plays into everything I do... sometimes that bothers me... why can't I just go about my life without worrying about what I'm eating, and how much I'm exercising?? Sadly, though, in my experience, if I stop thinking about it and planning everything, it means my guard is down and I've gotten lazy and I will probably start gaining weight...
Here is what I ate yesterday. I have a big weekend coming up (Dinner Event Saturday, Breakfast Out Sunday, Bookclub Sunday, Business Trip Mon-Tues)... so I am trying to bank a few calories this week... (see how I'm THINKING ABOUT IT... GRRR).
THINGS I HAVE TO DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE:
1. Weight myself every morning. Really, this isn't too onerous, it takes 3 seconds, and it will help me to notice and correct any upward trends early.
2. Eat healthy *most* of the time.
3. Exercise.
4. Avoid Binging. Overeating once in a while (OK), mindless binging when I'm not even hungry (WAY NOT OK).
THINGS THAT I CHOOSE TO DO NOW, THAT I DON'T HAVE TO DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE:
1. Counting Calories. Right now this gives me comfort, and I will continue... but as long as I weigh myself everyday, I don't think I also have to count calories - if I decide to stop, I will do so without guilt. Besides, I can always go BACK to counting calories at any time I want.
2. Tracking. My daily ritual of tracking everything I eat, and my weight etc in an excel spreadsheet is fun... but time consuming (and possibly a little obsessive). I could stop that, if I chose to. I think I can remember what weight I'm suppose to be, from day to day without logging and charting it...
3. Blogging. Also time consuming. It helps with the motivation and accountability, but will I do it forever and ever? Probably not.
4. Weighing everything I eat. Similar to counting calories, if my weight stays fairly constant do I really need to keep weighing everything? This one would be hard to stop, because I know it is easy to let those portion sizes slowly creep up. But I could also opt for a mixed approach... e.g. weigh calorie dense items (meat, pasta, rice, cheese, peanut butter), stop weighing vegetables and fruits, stop weighing things that are already portioned out (e.g. a slice of bread, a bagel).
There is probably more that I could add to these lists. But one thing that I don't know if I will ever be able to change, is the way my food intake and my weight is ALWAYS at the forefront of my mind. I can never truly forget about it. It's on my mind, it's always there and it plays into everything I do... sometimes that bothers me... why can't I just go about my life without worrying about what I'm eating, and how much I'm exercising?? Sadly, though, in my experience, if I stop thinking about it and planning everything, it means my guard is down and I've gotten lazy and I will probably start gaining weight...
Here is what I ate yesterday. I have a big weekend coming up (Dinner Event Saturday, Breakfast Out Sunday, Bookclub Sunday, Business Trip Mon-Tues)... so I am trying to bank a few calories this week... (see how I'm THINKING ABOUT IT... GRRR).
Monday, November 2, 2009
Day 168 - Great Halloween and Bunny Pics
I had a great Halloween weekend, and I want to report that NOT ONE SINGLE piece of candy/chocolate/junk food crossed my lips (and I didn't miss it at all!). Unfortunately, I can't really say the same thing for beer... LOL.
I went to a costume party Saturday night. I ate my dinner RIGHT before we left for the party which started at 8pm, so I wouldn't be hungry (and I wasn't) so I never ate anything from the snack food spread, but I did drink my share of beer (as you can probably tell from the picture below where I am doing the Karaoke thing... not something I would normally do sober!!!). Sorry about the poor quality pics, I grabbed them from a friends facebook page...
Sunday was a good day, we had a lovely pork roast for dinner and I tried a new recipe (Braised Cabbage with Apple and Onion)... it was delicious and I got a HUGE pile of it for only 77 calories!!
I have also discovered something new that I just love doing... since I reached maintenance I have started having something "on the side" with my sandwich at lunch, usually either veggies with dip, rice chips, or soup. I recently invested in a "Magic Bullet" and I have started taking leftover veggies from dinner, throwing them in the bullet - topping it up to make one cup with vegetable broth and then I whiz it up for a fabulous soup! Sunday I had leftover Sweet Potatoes, so I made a Sweet Potato and Apple soup (yum!!). Today I made a soup with the leftover Braised Cabbage. I am finding this kind of soup is a great way to up my veggie intake (and the fullness factor) without adding many calories!
I went to a costume party Saturday night. I ate my dinner RIGHT before we left for the party which started at 8pm, so I wouldn't be hungry (and I wasn't) so I never ate anything from the snack food spread, but I did drink my share of beer (as you can probably tell from the picture below where I am doing the Karaoke thing... not something I would normally do sober!!!). Sorry about the poor quality pics, I grabbed them from a friends facebook page...
Sunday was a good day, we had a lovely pork roast for dinner and I tried a new recipe (Braised Cabbage with Apple and Onion)... it was delicious and I got a HUGE pile of it for only 77 calories!!
I have also discovered something new that I just love doing... since I reached maintenance I have started having something "on the side" with my sandwich at lunch, usually either veggies with dip, rice chips, or soup. I recently invested in a "Magic Bullet" and I have started taking leftover veggies from dinner, throwing them in the bullet - topping it up to make one cup with vegetable broth and then I whiz it up for a fabulous soup! Sunday I had leftover Sweet Potatoes, so I made a Sweet Potato and Apple soup (yum!!). Today I made a soup with the leftover Braised Cabbage. I am finding this kind of soup is a great way to up my veggie intake (and the fullness factor) without adding many calories!
Friday, October 30, 2009
Day 165 - Weekend is Free and Clear
For the first time in I don't know HOW LONG... I have a weekend coming up that is free and clear of FOOD DANGER ZONES... I get to eat all my meals at home this weekend! We do have a Halloween Party on Saturday night, but it starts at 8pm (so I will eat at home before I go)... and I won't drink because I will be the designated driver anyway... other than that, I get to have my regular meals.
This is great, because for about the next 6 weeks after that, we have something on every single weekend. Next weekend is a biggie - a Fall Dinner Dance related to my husband's work. We usually go to a Pre-Dinner party in somebody's hotel room (lots of yummy appetizers), a gourmet 4 course dinner at the event (with unlimited booze)... then we stay over at the hotel and go out for Sunday brunch the next day... That one will be REALLY hard to navigate!!
Then there are other countless Christmas Parties and Events coming up over the next few weeks. And my husband and I have a gift certificate for a dinner for two at a fancy restaurant that he was given last year as a gift from a work contact. It expires at Christmas... so we have to use it before we leave for New Zealand... YIKES!!!
My eats from yesterday were pretty good. I am finding it really hard to get my calories up. I feel like I am eating ALL day long, and then I sit down at the computer around 9pm and figure it all about and I'm usually under 1500. I want to be eating closer to 1600 (so that I average at about 1700 after the weekends). But it's 9pm, and I just finished dinner, and I don't really like eating just for the sake of it right before I go to bed...
This is great, because for about the next 6 weeks after that, we have something on every single weekend. Next weekend is a biggie - a Fall Dinner Dance related to my husband's work. We usually go to a Pre-Dinner party in somebody's hotel room (lots of yummy appetizers), a gourmet 4 course dinner at the event (with unlimited booze)... then we stay over at the hotel and go out for Sunday brunch the next day... That one will be REALLY hard to navigate!!
Then there are other countless Christmas Parties and Events coming up over the next few weeks. And my husband and I have a gift certificate for a dinner for two at a fancy restaurant that he was given last year as a gift from a work contact. It expires at Christmas... so we have to use it before we leave for New Zealand... YIKES!!!
My eats from yesterday were pretty good. I am finding it really hard to get my calories up. I feel like I am eating ALL day long, and then I sit down at the computer around 9pm and figure it all about and I'm usually under 1500. I want to be eating closer to 1600 (so that I average at about 1700 after the weekends). But it's 9pm, and I just finished dinner, and I don't really like eating just for the sake of it right before I go to bed...
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Day 164 - Holy Moly! Another Vacation!
So my husband is being sent to a work conference in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and I have the opportunity to go with him for a week at the end of January!!
Awesome! Right? What could possibly be the problem?
OK, obviously I'm not expecting anyone to feel sorry for me....BUT...here's the thing.... you know that 4 week long vacation in New Zealand that is causing me so much stress? The one where I will be eating in restaurants and hotels three meals a day?? Well, I'll get back from New Zealand and I'll have ONE WEEK to get back on track with my routine and then I'll be off to Mexico where: (1) I'm probably going to want to wear a BIKINI and (2) We will be staying at a 5 star all inclusive resort where the food looks fantastic and the drinks are free...
YIKES! This just makes it even more imperative to me that I don't gain weight in New Zealand!! And it is really adding to my stress level... Good new is, that if I can make it through these 5 weeks of vacation unscathed (I am defining unscathed as 5lbs or LESS of weight gain or not going over 130lbs) than I think I can do ANYTHING!
Here is my food from yesterday... I tried a new morning cereal. It's called "Red River Hot Cereal"... the only ingredients are Wheat, Rye and Flax. It has no added sugar, low sodium, 6g of fibre and 6g of protein per serving, and only 150 calories and 3 grams of fat! I was worried because it looked a little like birdseed, but it was really good, the flax seeds stayed crunchy and rest was smooth and creamy! I cooked it in almond milk and added my usual mashed banana and 2 tsp of molasses. It kept me STUFFED until lunch. It's a KEEPER!
I dipped below my "RED LINE" this morning on the scale.... 124.8, so I am going up my calories to an average of 1700 a day...
Awesome! Right? What could possibly be the problem?
OK, obviously I'm not expecting anyone to feel sorry for me....BUT...here's the thing.... you know that 4 week long vacation in New Zealand that is causing me so much stress? The one where I will be eating in restaurants and hotels three meals a day?? Well, I'll get back from New Zealand and I'll have ONE WEEK to get back on track with my routine and then I'll be off to Mexico where: (1) I'm probably going to want to wear a BIKINI and (2) We will be staying at a 5 star all inclusive resort where the food looks fantastic and the drinks are free...
YIKES! This just makes it even more imperative to me that I don't gain weight in New Zealand!! And it is really adding to my stress level... Good new is, that if I can make it through these 5 weeks of vacation unscathed (I am defining unscathed as 5lbs or LESS of weight gain or not going over 130lbs) than I think I can do ANYTHING!
Here is my food from yesterday... I tried a new morning cereal. It's called "Red River Hot Cereal"... the only ingredients are Wheat, Rye and Flax. It has no added sugar, low sodium, 6g of fibre and 6g of protein per serving, and only 150 calories and 3 grams of fat! I was worried because it looked a little like birdseed, but it was really good, the flax seeds stayed crunchy and rest was smooth and creamy! I cooked it in almond milk and added my usual mashed banana and 2 tsp of molasses. It kept me STUFFED until lunch. It's a KEEPER!
I dipped below my "RED LINE" this morning on the scale.... 124.8, so I am going up my calories to an average of 1700 a day...
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Day 163 - Halloween is More Fun at Goal Weight
Every year my friends throw a big costume party at Halloween, and every year, the thought of trying to figure out a costume that wouldn't make me look HUGE filled me with DREAD.
So this year, I was totally and seriously tempted to dress up in something really scandalous and skimpy for Halloween... I mean in the total history of Halloween for me, I'm not sure I've ever been in good enough shape to pull of some skimpy French Maid/Cheerleeder etc costume without looking ridiculous. So, I'm thinking - why not now? I've earned it, right?
So, I went out shopping to a Halloween store and I could NOT believe how slutty 90% of the adult women's costume's were... and I thought...NOPE, NOT FOR ME, NO THANK YOU...
I will still wear something that shows off my figure (e.g. I won't be dressing up as a pumpkin)... but I don't want to look like a tart either...
My idea is for my husband to go as a Magician (cape, top hat, magic wand) and for me to go as a bunny. But the bunny costumes at the store were all "a la playboy bunny"... so all I bought was a set of bunny ears and a white tail. Maybe I will wear them with white shorts, white tights and a white t-shirt..??
Yesterday, I discovered a new amazing snack... it was so good. For 150 calories, I had 2 ryvita crisps with 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese spread on them and then 10 grapes which I sliced in half and arranged on top of the cheese. I also tried a new recipe in my crockpot for dinner. It was sweet potato chili (vegetarian night at our house). Since I had a vegetarian dinner, I had some turkey breast in my grilled sandwich at lunch, it was a nice change...
I've also decided to add my daily exercise at the bottom of my food chart. Just the minutes, not the calories burned (because I don't eat them all back...)
So this year, I was totally and seriously tempted to dress up in something really scandalous and skimpy for Halloween... I mean in the total history of Halloween for me, I'm not sure I've ever been in good enough shape to pull of some skimpy French Maid/Cheerleeder etc costume without looking ridiculous. So, I'm thinking - why not now? I've earned it, right?
So, I went out shopping to a Halloween store and I could NOT believe how slutty 90% of the adult women's costume's were... and I thought...NOPE, NOT FOR ME, NO THANK YOU...
I will still wear something that shows off my figure (e.g. I won't be dressing up as a pumpkin)... but I don't want to look like a tart either...
My idea is for my husband to go as a Magician (cape, top hat, magic wand) and for me to go as a bunny. But the bunny costumes at the store were all "a la playboy bunny"... so all I bought was a set of bunny ears and a white tail. Maybe I will wear them with white shorts, white tights and a white t-shirt..??
Yesterday, I discovered a new amazing snack... it was so good. For 150 calories, I had 2 ryvita crisps with 1 wedge of laughing cow cheese spread on them and then 10 grapes which I sliced in half and arranged on top of the cheese. I also tried a new recipe in my crockpot for dinner. It was sweet potato chili (vegetarian night at our house). Since I had a vegetarian dinner, I had some turkey breast in my grilled sandwich at lunch, it was a nice change...
I've also decided to add my daily exercise at the bottom of my food chart. Just the minutes, not the calories burned (because I don't eat them all back...)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Day 162 - What I am doing differently this time
First off, I just wanted to report that my weight is back down to normal this morning following the weekend (125.6)... not that I was really worried about it, but getting used to those fluctuations that come as a result of eating a little more every once in a while is one of the hardest parts of weight loss maintenance (for me, anyway...)
If you've been following my blog, you'll know that this is not the first time I have successfully reached my goal weight. And it's pretty early in the game (43 days since hitting goal)... too early for me to confidently declare that THIS time I'm not gaining the weight back.
BUT, I do feel differently this time. 43 days, believe it or not, is longer than I have ever made it before. I tried to sit down and really analyze what I've done this time that was different from the previous times.
1. I am making better food choices: I find that this time around, I am eating like I am still on a diet... I am just eating more. Let me explain. For example, last Thursday night I had an omelet for dinner. I used egg beaters, light cheese, 1 tsp olive oil, lots of veggies. This is EXACTLY the same way I would have prepared my omelet when I was trying to lose weight. But because I am not trying to lose weight, I also added: one slice of whole wheat toast with light butter and sugar free jam, two slices of peameal bacon and a small side salad with no dressing... it was a lot of food. In the past, once I reached maintenance, I would have given myself "license" to make my omelet the "old way"...e.g. real eggs, more cheese, more add ins and more butter/oil for frying. But that would drastically increase the calories in my omelet without increasing the AMOUNT of food that I got to eat... so I would still add side dishes and the end result would be WAY too much of an increase...
2. I am staying in control: Not once since I have been on maintenance this time, have I let one bad meal turn into an entire day/weekend/week of bad meals. This past weekend was a perfect example. I ate too much Saturday night, but it was OK, because I didn't binge when I got home, and I went right back to my normal eating on Sunday. I have gotten much better at just forgiving myself and moving on with it... this is a biggie!!
3. I am not treating every event as a special occassion: It seems like my husband and I always have something on, each weekend (a dinner with friends, wedding, party etc) and I now understand that they are just "meals" and cannot all be excuses to overindulge. So, I will "scan" a month out and see all what occassions I have coming up (we have a lot in November), and they can't all be splurges, so I decide WAY in advance which ones I will treat like regular meals, and which ones can be splurges. And when I say "splurge" that means, a bun from the breadbasket and a dessert - NOT a crazy pigout!
4. I have been weighing myself EVERY day: This is all about refusing to pull the wool over my own eyes! Even when I am pretty sure I will be "up" because I overate at dinner the night before. No excuses, no denial. Just face it, and move on...
Those are the biggies. I mean sure there are other things I am doing... like sticking to my exercise and my proven routine and "go to meals" monday to friday. I follow my food rules almost religiously. I let myself have the treats, for example, every Sunday morning for breakfast, I have toast with butter and jam and scrambled eggs and I look forward to that ALL week long.
Here is my food from yesterday. I was inspired by Finding Radiance to try an egg sandwich on waffles for breakfast and boy was it good! My kids loved them too. It kept me pretty full until lunch (not quite as full as oatbran or oatmeal, but full enough!).
If you've been following my blog, you'll know that this is not the first time I have successfully reached my goal weight. And it's pretty early in the game (43 days since hitting goal)... too early for me to confidently declare that THIS time I'm not gaining the weight back.
BUT, I do feel differently this time. 43 days, believe it or not, is longer than I have ever made it before. I tried to sit down and really analyze what I've done this time that was different from the previous times.
1. I am making better food choices: I find that this time around, I am eating like I am still on a diet... I am just eating more. Let me explain. For example, last Thursday night I had an omelet for dinner. I used egg beaters, light cheese, 1 tsp olive oil, lots of veggies. This is EXACTLY the same way I would have prepared my omelet when I was trying to lose weight. But because I am not trying to lose weight, I also added: one slice of whole wheat toast with light butter and sugar free jam, two slices of peameal bacon and a small side salad with no dressing... it was a lot of food. In the past, once I reached maintenance, I would have given myself "license" to make my omelet the "old way"...e.g. real eggs, more cheese, more add ins and more butter/oil for frying. But that would drastically increase the calories in my omelet without increasing the AMOUNT of food that I got to eat... so I would still add side dishes and the end result would be WAY too much of an increase...
2. I am staying in control: Not once since I have been on maintenance this time, have I let one bad meal turn into an entire day/weekend/week of bad meals. This past weekend was a perfect example. I ate too much Saturday night, but it was OK, because I didn't binge when I got home, and I went right back to my normal eating on Sunday. I have gotten much better at just forgiving myself and moving on with it... this is a biggie!!
3. I am not treating every event as a special occassion: It seems like my husband and I always have something on, each weekend (a dinner with friends, wedding, party etc) and I now understand that they are just "meals" and cannot all be excuses to overindulge. So, I will "scan" a month out and see all what occassions I have coming up (we have a lot in November), and they can't all be splurges, so I decide WAY in advance which ones I will treat like regular meals, and which ones can be splurges. And when I say "splurge" that means, a bun from the breadbasket and a dessert - NOT a crazy pigout!
4. I have been weighing myself EVERY day: This is all about refusing to pull the wool over my own eyes! Even when I am pretty sure I will be "up" because I overate at dinner the night before. No excuses, no denial. Just face it, and move on...
Those are the biggies. I mean sure there are other things I am doing... like sticking to my exercise and my proven routine and "go to meals" monday to friday. I follow my food rules almost religiously. I let myself have the treats, for example, every Sunday morning for breakfast, I have toast with butter and jam and scrambled eggs and I look forward to that ALL week long.
Here is my food from yesterday. I was inspired by Finding Radiance to try an egg sandwich on waffles for breakfast and boy was it good! My kids loved them too. It kept me pretty full until lunch (not quite as full as oatbran or oatmeal, but full enough!).
Monday, October 26, 2009
Day 161 - Did I Slip Up?
I'm up about one pound after the weekend... did I slip up? I don't really think so. I have to keep reminding myself, that I'm not actually on a DIET anymore...I can relax just a bit!
Remember the plan that I talked about on Friday for my Italian Restaurant meal? Well, I really did TRY to stick to it... and it kind of makes me angry when you do everything possible to order the healthiest meal, and then the waiter puts it down in front of you, and its covered in cheese, or has a cream sauce that wasn't mentioned on the menu!! I should probably start sending stuff like that back, but I don't like to be difficult... especially when we are out with other people.
First off, I ended up having a piece of bread from the bread basket... I hadn't intended to, but it's usually my favorite part of meal out and a treat that I THOUGHT would be OK... and it would have been, if the rest of my dinner had been what I was expecting!! I ordered the shrimp cocktail which on the menu said "traditional shrimp cocktail with horseradish sauce". I assumed I would get the red cocktail sauce they usually serve with this dish. I got a mayonnaise based sauce, and it was dumped over the shrimp and the lettuce, not served on the side for dipping. The seafood linguini was drizzle with oil - LOTS of it, I could tell... and I had one glass of red wine.
All in all it wasn't the end of the world. When we got home, my husband left to drive the sitter home, and I thought to myself... In the past, I would have gone and ate a whole bunch of crap/chocolate/peanut butter/cookies right now, since he's not here to see me, and I had already "messed the day up anyway"... but I didn't this time, I wasn't even tempted, and I consider that a small victory.
I was 2 lbs up Sunday morning, and 1 lb up this morning. I'm sure I'll even back out the rest of the week.
The thing that REALLY worries me about this experience is this: what does this mean for my 4 week trip to New Zealand in December?? I will be eating three meals a day in restaurants. When you have one bad meal a week in a restaurant, its not a big deal because you go back to your usual routine the next day, and it doesn't stay with you. But I won't have the opportunity to go back to my regular routine for a MONTH... and obviously even when I TRY to make the very best choices in restaurants, it doesn't always turn out as expected!!
Anyway...not a big deal this past weekend, but I am really stressed about New Zealand...
Here is what I ate yesterday (on Sunday)... I ate a little less than usual to compensate, and I ran a 10km (and shaved 10sec off my previous 10km race, I did it in 50:33).
Remember the plan that I talked about on Friday for my Italian Restaurant meal? Well, I really did TRY to stick to it... and it kind of makes me angry when you do everything possible to order the healthiest meal, and then the waiter puts it down in front of you, and its covered in cheese, or has a cream sauce that wasn't mentioned on the menu!! I should probably start sending stuff like that back, but I don't like to be difficult... especially when we are out with other people.
First off, I ended up having a piece of bread from the bread basket... I hadn't intended to, but it's usually my favorite part of meal out and a treat that I THOUGHT would be OK... and it would have been, if the rest of my dinner had been what I was expecting!! I ordered the shrimp cocktail which on the menu said "traditional shrimp cocktail with horseradish sauce". I assumed I would get the red cocktail sauce they usually serve with this dish. I got a mayonnaise based sauce, and it was dumped over the shrimp and the lettuce, not served on the side for dipping. The seafood linguini was drizzle with oil - LOTS of it, I could tell... and I had one glass of red wine.
All in all it wasn't the end of the world. When we got home, my husband left to drive the sitter home, and I thought to myself... In the past, I would have gone and ate a whole bunch of crap/chocolate/peanut butter/cookies right now, since he's not here to see me, and I had already "messed the day up anyway"... but I didn't this time, I wasn't even tempted, and I consider that a small victory.
I was 2 lbs up Sunday morning, and 1 lb up this morning. I'm sure I'll even back out the rest of the week.
The thing that REALLY worries me about this experience is this: what does this mean for my 4 week trip to New Zealand in December?? I will be eating three meals a day in restaurants. When you have one bad meal a week in a restaurant, its not a big deal because you go back to your usual routine the next day, and it doesn't stay with you. But I won't have the opportunity to go back to my regular routine for a MONTH... and obviously even when I TRY to make the very best choices in restaurants, it doesn't always turn out as expected!!
Anyway...not a big deal this past weekend, but I am really stressed about New Zealand...
Here is what I ate yesterday (on Sunday)... I ate a little less than usual to compensate, and I ran a 10km (and shaved 10sec off my previous 10km race, I did it in 50:33).
Friday, October 23, 2009
Day 158 - My Sense of Calm
I am finding that as time goes on, my sense of calm and my confidence in being able to maintain this weight loss is growing. For example, I have two meals out this weekend. I am eating out for lunch today with a friend at a Thai Noodle house, and tomorrow night, we are going out to dinner with my Parents and my brother and his girlfriend at an Italian Restaurant (their restaurant choice).
In the past, this would have gotten me into a HUGE panic... but not now. I know that today at lunch I can make an OK choice, and if I don't, I will scale back my dinner to compensate. For the Italian Restaurant, I have already scoured the menu and made my choices. At first I was disapointed that they don't have any grilled fish, or plain grilled chicken with vegetables on the menu. But, you know what, it's OK I can work with what they have. I have two plans depending on my mood when I get there...
Plan A: Appetizer - Shrimp Cocktail; Dinner - Vegetarian Pizza (ask for reduced cheese and take half the pizza home).
Plan B: Appetizer - Mixed Green Salad (dressing on the side); Dinner - Seafood Linquini in a Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce (eat all the seafood and about 1 cup of the pasta).
See how easy it is? I guarantee, whichever Plan I choose, I will enjoy my dinner because (a) even though it won't be the most caloric thing on the menu, it will still be GOOD, (b) I didn't have to cook it myself!! (c) I won't have to do dishes and (d) I will enjoy the atmosphere and the company of my family!!
Here is what I ate yesterday, my husband had a dinner engagement, so I enjoyed breakfast food for dinner (my favorite!)...
In the past, this would have gotten me into a HUGE panic... but not now. I know that today at lunch I can make an OK choice, and if I don't, I will scale back my dinner to compensate. For the Italian Restaurant, I have already scoured the menu and made my choices. At first I was disapointed that they don't have any grilled fish, or plain grilled chicken with vegetables on the menu. But, you know what, it's OK I can work with what they have. I have two plans depending on my mood when I get there...
Plan A: Appetizer - Shrimp Cocktail; Dinner - Vegetarian Pizza (ask for reduced cheese and take half the pizza home).
Plan B: Appetizer - Mixed Green Salad (dressing on the side); Dinner - Seafood Linquini in a Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce (eat all the seafood and about 1 cup of the pasta).
See how easy it is? I guarantee, whichever Plan I choose, I will enjoy my dinner because (a) even though it won't be the most caloric thing on the menu, it will still be GOOD, (b) I didn't have to cook it myself!! (c) I won't have to do dishes and (d) I will enjoy the atmosphere and the company of my family!!
Here is what I ate yesterday, my husband had a dinner engagement, so I enjoyed breakfast food for dinner (my favorite!)...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Day 157 - Motivation to Run
I find that as the evenings grow colder, and darker... it is getting harder and harder to find the motivation to get out for a run.
I have been trying to run right after work, before dinner when it is still bright outside. But, sometimes (like yesterday) I just couldn't do it, because I was too hungry. I'm a real wimp when it comes to exercising on an empty stomach...
So, I had to eat dinner and THEN go for my run after. By 7pm it was dark, and chilly and raining. But, I did it (8km, 45 minutes) and once I got home, I felt great and I was so glad I went. I don't think anything ever felt as good as peeling off my wet running clothes and getting in the hot shower, but MAN OH MAN, was it ever hard to get myself out there to begin with... I bribed myself with a snack (if I run, I can have a bedtime snack, and if I don't run... I have to skip it!)
Makes me wonder how I'll do when it's minus 20C and there is snow on the ground... I've already gone out and spent quite a bit of money on some proper winter running gear, so hopefully that investment will provide a little motivation...
Here is my food yesterday. Yes, I put baby good (pureed prunes) in my morning oatmeal... it was very good!
I have been trying to run right after work, before dinner when it is still bright outside. But, sometimes (like yesterday) I just couldn't do it, because I was too hungry. I'm a real wimp when it comes to exercising on an empty stomach...
So, I had to eat dinner and THEN go for my run after. By 7pm it was dark, and chilly and raining. But, I did it (8km, 45 minutes) and once I got home, I felt great and I was so glad I went. I don't think anything ever felt as good as peeling off my wet running clothes and getting in the hot shower, but MAN OH MAN, was it ever hard to get myself out there to begin with... I bribed myself with a snack (if I run, I can have a bedtime snack, and if I don't run... I have to skip it!)
Makes me wonder how I'll do when it's minus 20C and there is snow on the ground... I've already gone out and spent quite a bit of money on some proper winter running gear, so hopefully that investment will provide a little motivation...
Here is my food yesterday. Yes, I put baby good (pureed prunes) in my morning oatmeal... it was very good!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Day 156 - Charting Progress
I love creating little charts and gizmos to record and track my progress, and I could spend countless hours doing so (it's OK, it's time well spent...I could be EATING instead!!). I have created the line graph below to illustrate my weight fluctuations since I hit maintenance.
The red line on the chart represents my danger zone weight (130), if I touch that line, my plan is to go back into diet mode until I'm below. The blue line is my actual weight, see it going up and down? The green line is the "trend line". According to this "trend line", if I continue to eat and excercise as I have been, on December 16, 2012, I will weigh ZERO. I might have to buy another new wardrobe...
Seriously, though I really don't want to dip below 125... (I should add another red line on my chart at 125)... everytime I hit that line, I increase my calories to adjust...
The red line on the chart represents my danger zone weight (130), if I touch that line, my plan is to go back into diet mode until I'm below. The blue line is my actual weight, see it going up and down? The green line is the "trend line". According to this "trend line", if I continue to eat and excercise as I have been, on December 16, 2012, I will weigh ZERO. I might have to buy another new wardrobe...
Seriously, though I really don't want to dip below 125... (I should add another red line on my chart at 125)... everytime I hit that line, I increase my calories to adjust...
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Day 155 - My Calorie Intake
It occured to me, that since I always post my food diary each weekday, but I almost never get around to doing so on the weekends, it probably LOOKS like I eat far fewer calories than I do, and my diet must look pretty boring - same thing day in, day out. Right now, I am targeting an AVERAGE of about 1600 per day over the week, but Monday to Friday, I stay a little shy of that target, which lets me go a little OVER the target on the weekends.
So, instead of showing yesterday's food chart (which is pretty much like EVERY other one that I put up), I will show Sunday's.
For lunch on Sunday, I made a grilled sandwich in my panini press. I tried something new (e.g. not my "go to" avocado, tomato and laughing cow)... this sandwich combination was FABULOUS! I used sourdough bread. On one slice I spread apple butter, on the other I spread laughing cow. Then I added some roast turkey breast meat and threw it in my panini press (sprayed with cooking spray), until it was all hot and melty. Wow - good!
We also had roast beef for dinner on Sunday - a rare treat. I try to limit red meat to once a week or so (and I usually end up using my red meat quota for "hamburger night" during the week)...
So, instead of showing yesterday's food chart (which is pretty much like EVERY other one that I put up), I will show Sunday's.
For lunch on Sunday, I made a grilled sandwich in my panini press. I tried something new (e.g. not my "go to" avocado, tomato and laughing cow)... this sandwich combination was FABULOUS! I used sourdough bread. On one slice I spread apple butter, on the other I spread laughing cow. Then I added some roast turkey breast meat and threw it in my panini press (sprayed with cooking spray), until it was all hot and melty. Wow - good!
We also had roast beef for dinner on Sunday - a rare treat. I try to limit red meat to once a week or so (and I usually end up using my red meat quota for "hamburger night" during the week)...
Monday, October 19, 2009
Day 154 - A Personal Best
Had a really great weekend!
On Saturday night, we went to a wedding... I did very well at the dinner. The food really wasn't that good, so it wasn't too hard. I intended to skip the bread basket, but I was starving and it looked very good. The rolls were small and I had one with one of those little plastic containers of butter (how much are in those anyway?? a tsp? 2 tsps?).
In the end, I was glad I had the bread, because it turned out to be the ONLY good thing they served us. The salad was boring and PRE-DRESSED (which I hate) with bottled dressing. My heart sank when the main course came out and it was a chicken breast smothered in cream sauce (with carrots, cauliflower and mashed potatoes). I ate all the veggies, but there weren't many. The chicken breast was huge, and dry and I scraped all the sauce off. I only ate the half the chicken, which was my normal serving size of meat... I was still hungry because normally I would eat two or three times that many vegetables!
Dessert was wedding cake with buttercream frosting, which I skipped without a moment's hesitation. The only thing was that I had to turn down dessert, not once but FOUR times. They plunked one in front of me and I passed it to my son, then they came and tried to give me another one (I said no thank you)... twice more they tried to serve me cake... LOL, it's a good thing I wasn't tempted!! I didn't have any wine because I was running a race Sunday morning....
Which brings me to the title of this post. I ran in a 10km race on Sunday morning. I did it in 50:43!! I came in THIRD PLACE in my age group... and 8th place out of all the women (88 women in total) and I came in 28th place overall (out of 126, including the men). I can't even describe how happy I was with those results. Racing is addictive. It's quite the rush!
I have a nice looking week ahead of me... no occassions or possible screw ups until Saturday night (going out for dinner)...
On Saturday night, we went to a wedding... I did very well at the dinner. The food really wasn't that good, so it wasn't too hard. I intended to skip the bread basket, but I was starving and it looked very good. The rolls were small and I had one with one of those little plastic containers of butter (how much are in those anyway?? a tsp? 2 tsps?).
In the end, I was glad I had the bread, because it turned out to be the ONLY good thing they served us. The salad was boring and PRE-DRESSED (which I hate) with bottled dressing. My heart sank when the main course came out and it was a chicken breast smothered in cream sauce (with carrots, cauliflower and mashed potatoes). I ate all the veggies, but there weren't many. The chicken breast was huge, and dry and I scraped all the sauce off. I only ate the half the chicken, which was my normal serving size of meat... I was still hungry because normally I would eat two or three times that many vegetables!
Dessert was wedding cake with buttercream frosting, which I skipped without a moment's hesitation. The only thing was that I had to turn down dessert, not once but FOUR times. They plunked one in front of me and I passed it to my son, then they came and tried to give me another one (I said no thank you)... twice more they tried to serve me cake... LOL, it's a good thing I wasn't tempted!! I didn't have any wine because I was running a race Sunday morning....
Which brings me to the title of this post. I ran in a 10km race on Sunday morning. I did it in 50:43!! I came in THIRD PLACE in my age group... and 8th place out of all the women (88 women in total) and I came in 28th place overall (out of 126, including the men). I can't even describe how happy I was with those results. Racing is addictive. It's quite the rush!
I have a nice looking week ahead of me... no occassions or possible screw ups until Saturday night (going out for dinner)...
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Day 150 - Nothing Fits Me!
When I got to a certain level in my weight loss... I just had to go out and buy some new things, because everything (especially my work clothes) was just way too baggy and sloppy looking. So when I was in the high 130's I went out and bought a whole bunch of size 8 things, thinking that would be my final size.
All that size 8 clothing is now sloppy and baggy looking... I am really mad at myself for not waiting a little longer to buy everything (I could have just bought one or two things to tide me over...). Now I don't really feel like I can go out and buy a whole new wardrobe AGAIN... but it's starting to feel a little desperate. My clothes are very loose. I will have to replace things more slowly this time. My highest priority is a new pair of black dress pants for work.
Unfortunately, I also need to replace my running shoes (I've been running in the same ones since May, and I've logged well over 500km in them), I also need to outfit myself for winter running, because it's starting to get cold here (insulated running tights, a long sleeved tech shirt, a shell, thin/warm hat and gloves, some merino running socks that come higher up my ankles...). All that running gear won't come cheap either...
Anyway, I'm including below my food from yesterday, but also my excel spreadsheet that I use to track... well just about everything except my body temperature... :-) It's small but you can click on it for a clearer view...
All that size 8 clothing is now sloppy and baggy looking... I am really mad at myself for not waiting a little longer to buy everything (I could have just bought one or two things to tide me over...). Now I don't really feel like I can go out and buy a whole new wardrobe AGAIN... but it's starting to feel a little desperate. My clothes are very loose. I will have to replace things more slowly this time. My highest priority is a new pair of black dress pants for work.
Unfortunately, I also need to replace my running shoes (I've been running in the same ones since May, and I've logged well over 500km in them), I also need to outfit myself for winter running, because it's starting to get cold here (insulated running tights, a long sleeved tech shirt, a shell, thin/warm hat and gloves, some merino running socks that come higher up my ankles...). All that running gear won't come cheap either...
Anyway, I'm including below my food from yesterday, but also my excel spreadsheet that I use to track... well just about everything except my body temperature... :-) It's small but you can click on it for a clearer view...
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Day 149 - One Month Mainteversary
Well, it has been exactly one month since I officially declared "maintenance". On September 14, I weighed 129.0 and made the official switch from weight loss to weight maintenance.
Since then, I have upped my calories twice until I arrived at an average of about 1550 a day (averaged over the week, so some days higher, a few lower). For the last 10 days or so, I've seen my weight level off (in the 126-127 area), so I stopped increasing. I told myself that if I ever dipped below 126, I would increase the calories again.
All of the sudden this morning, without warning, I weighted 125.0, (I got off the scale and back on again to make sure it wasn't malfunctioning). It was a big drop, here's the last few days (which included a big turkey dinner and lots of leftovers!)
SAT 126.6
SUN 126.4
MON 126.6
TUES 126.6 .... very consistent.... and THEN....
WED 125.0 !!!
My husband says, will you just start EATING?!? LOL, never thought I'd have this problem! I suspect that each time I increase my calories, it just takes a while for my body to adjust (because when I was eating in a deficit, my metabolism slowed accordingly)... now I'm getting the metabolism fire stoked again, it just takes a while to adjust to each increase.
So, I am officially increasing my target to 1600 per day (yeah!)...
Here's yesterday... I made a big pot of turkey soup in the crockpot. It was delicious, I added kidney beans, black beans, lentils, carrots, turnip, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and potato to the stock with about 2 cups of leftover shredded turkey meat. I calculated the calories as best I could at 1800 for the pot (contained 16 cups of soup)... it was really a guessing game - how many calories are in homemade stock?? I refridgerated the stock overnight, so I could skim the fat off... I saved myself 300 calories for my bowl of soup, but when I sat down after and figured it all out, my portion was only 189? Oops, I could have had seconds!! Hate it when that happens! It filled my up, so I guess it's OK...
Husband is out tonight at a business function, so I am making Croque Monsieurs for me and the kids.... can't wait! It's one of my favorites!!
Since then, I have upped my calories twice until I arrived at an average of about 1550 a day (averaged over the week, so some days higher, a few lower). For the last 10 days or so, I've seen my weight level off (in the 126-127 area), so I stopped increasing. I told myself that if I ever dipped below 126, I would increase the calories again.
All of the sudden this morning, without warning, I weighted 125.0, (I got off the scale and back on again to make sure it wasn't malfunctioning). It was a big drop, here's the last few days (which included a big turkey dinner and lots of leftovers!)
SAT 126.6
SUN 126.4
MON 126.6
TUES 126.6 .... very consistent.... and THEN....
WED 125.0 !!!
My husband says, will you just start EATING?!? LOL, never thought I'd have this problem! I suspect that each time I increase my calories, it just takes a while for my body to adjust (because when I was eating in a deficit, my metabolism slowed accordingly)... now I'm getting the metabolism fire stoked again, it just takes a while to adjust to each increase.
So, I am officially increasing my target to 1600 per day (yeah!)...
Here's yesterday... I made a big pot of turkey soup in the crockpot. It was delicious, I added kidney beans, black beans, lentils, carrots, turnip, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and potato to the stock with about 2 cups of leftover shredded turkey meat. I calculated the calories as best I could at 1800 for the pot (contained 16 cups of soup)... it was really a guessing game - how many calories are in homemade stock?? I refridgerated the stock overnight, so I could skim the fat off... I saved myself 300 calories for my bowl of soup, but when I sat down after and figured it all out, my portion was only 189? Oops, I could have had seconds!! Hate it when that happens! It filled my up, so I guess it's OK...
Husband is out tonight at a business function, so I am making Croque Monsieurs for me and the kids.... can't wait! It's one of my favorites!!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Day 147 - No Turkey Coma Here!
Just a quick post today to say that I had a fabulous Thanksgiving Weekend, and to report my findings on holiday weekends. My findings are that it IS possible to enjoy your holiday without (a) eating yourself into a coma or (b) making the entire holiday focus around food...
I had a wonderful Turkey dinner on Sunday night. I had turkey, (white meat, no skin) gravy, a small scoop of dressing and steamed brussel sprouts, potatoes, carrots and cauliflower. For dessert I made a light pumpkin tofu mousse and some pumpkin swirl brownies (I had some mousse and one small brownie). And I had a glass of wine and 3 mini quiche appetizers before dinner.
On Monday morning, I weighed myself and I was 126.6, which was EXACTLY the same as the day before. I was so pleased. I had a fairly generous thanksgiving dinner (more than I usually eat, but not an insane amount)... and WINE, and and APPETIZER, and a BROWNIE... and I weighed exactly the same the next morning.
This. Was. Fabulous.
Then last night, we had hot turkey sandwiches with leftovers (I made mine on a small whole wheat hamburger bun) with all the same side dishes and more of the pumpkin tofu mousse for dessert. And this morning 126.6 (Again!)...
Wow.
I had a wonderful Turkey dinner on Sunday night. I had turkey, (white meat, no skin) gravy, a small scoop of dressing and steamed brussel sprouts, potatoes, carrots and cauliflower. For dessert I made a light pumpkin tofu mousse and some pumpkin swirl brownies (I had some mousse and one small brownie). And I had a glass of wine and 3 mini quiche appetizers before dinner.
On Monday morning, I weighed myself and I was 126.6, which was EXACTLY the same as the day before. I was so pleased. I had a fairly generous thanksgiving dinner (more than I usually eat, but not an insane amount)... and WINE, and and APPETIZER, and a BROWNIE... and I weighed exactly the same the next morning.
This. Was. Fabulous.
Then last night, we had hot turkey sandwiches with leftovers (I made mine on a small whole wheat hamburger bun) with all the same side dishes and more of the pumpkin tofu mousse for dessert. And this morning 126.6 (Again!)...
Wow.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Day 144 - Family Night Out
The last time I lost weight and successfully reached my goal, I decided that we would start having Family Night Out every Friday. The idea was that, since I was at goal, I could afford to go out to dinner once a week and have whatever I wanted. This was probably true, but what happened was that it used to turn into an entire weekend of overeating. I'd get back on track Monday, but by Monday I'd have to go back into "diet mode" to reverse the damage, and then the next weekend it would start all over again. Obviously, I gained the weight back.
So this time, when I reached my goal weight, my husband (very eagerly) asked if we were going to have Family Night Out again. Well, I feel sort of bad for depriving them, but I just don't think it's a good idea. I don't mind going out once in a while, but there always seems to be other things on (business trips, parties, weddings, dinners with friends) that cause mini splurges and to add ANOTHER regular night out each week might be more than I can handle. So, I said "no" to regular family night, but that we should look at each week as it comes and if there are no other occassions (and I'm maintaining my new weight OK), THEN we can go out for dinner.
And so... we are going out tonight! Yes, I know this weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, but that's not really a splurge for me. I'm hosting my family this year, and it will be turkey (breast meat with no skin for me) with steamed vegetables (potato, carrots, cauliflower and brussel sprouts) and a light dessert (pumpkin mousse made with silken tofu)...so it's just a regular meal, really...
Tonight we are taking the kids to Mucho Burrito. This a mexican fast food chain (I think similar to Baja Fresh? in the States). A small chicken burrito is about 600 calories and 12 grams of fat. That should allow me to stay within my calories for the day no problem. I just hope the small fills me up (in the past I'd have ordered a medium for closer to 800 calories...)
Yesterday, I had smoked salmon and cream cheese on a bagel for lunch - it was really good (having it again today)...
So this time, when I reached my goal weight, my husband (very eagerly) asked if we were going to have Family Night Out again. Well, I feel sort of bad for depriving them, but I just don't think it's a good idea. I don't mind going out once in a while, but there always seems to be other things on (business trips, parties, weddings, dinners with friends) that cause mini splurges and to add ANOTHER regular night out each week might be more than I can handle. So, I said "no" to regular family night, but that we should look at each week as it comes and if there are no other occassions (and I'm maintaining my new weight OK), THEN we can go out for dinner.
And so... we are going out tonight! Yes, I know this weekend is Thanksgiving in Canada, but that's not really a splurge for me. I'm hosting my family this year, and it will be turkey (breast meat with no skin for me) with steamed vegetables (potato, carrots, cauliflower and brussel sprouts) and a light dessert (pumpkin mousse made with silken tofu)...so it's just a regular meal, really...
Tonight we are taking the kids to Mucho Burrito. This a mexican fast food chain (I think similar to Baja Fresh? in the States). A small chicken burrito is about 600 calories and 12 grams of fat. That should allow me to stay within my calories for the day no problem. I just hope the small fills me up (in the past I'd have ordered a medium for closer to 800 calories...)
Yesterday, I had smoked salmon and cream cheese on a bagel for lunch - it was really good (having it again today)...
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Day 143 - Having Bizarre Dreams
The last two nights in a row, I have had some very strange dreams.
I dreamt that I was binging. My dreams were soooo vivid, I can't even describe how vivid. The first night, I dreamt that I was baking some banana chocolate cupcakes for the kids and I had made an "icing" by combining cream cheese, peanut butter, honey and brown sugar (not a bad recipe invention for a dream!).... and for some reason I had an entire bowl of icing leftover, so I started making thick slices of toast and buttering them and then spreading this icing on them and eating them. Then I made more, and ate them. It was so good. Then I made more.... I felt bad... really guilty... then I heard my husband coming into the kitchen and I threw the last slice into the garbage (my heart was pounding)... this dream felt so real, I was berating myself in my dream "What are you doing? You are going to be up 5lbs in the morning!!"... the guilt felt so real...
Last night, I had a similar dream.... only this time it was fresh chocolate chip cookies warm out of the oven with milk....tons of them!
Both nights when I woke up and realized it was only a dream and I hadn't actually done that, I felt SOOOO relieved.
I wonder what this means?
Here's my food from yesterday (no toast with peanut butter icing or warm chocolate chip cookies to be found!!)... but I did make a really nice "lightened up" Sloppy Joe recipe with ground turkey and fresh tomatoes.
I dreamt that I was binging. My dreams were soooo vivid, I can't even describe how vivid. The first night, I dreamt that I was baking some banana chocolate cupcakes for the kids and I had made an "icing" by combining cream cheese, peanut butter, honey and brown sugar (not a bad recipe invention for a dream!).... and for some reason I had an entire bowl of icing leftover, so I started making thick slices of toast and buttering them and then spreading this icing on them and eating them. Then I made more, and ate them. It was so good. Then I made more.... I felt bad... really guilty... then I heard my husband coming into the kitchen and I threw the last slice into the garbage (my heart was pounding)... this dream felt so real, I was berating myself in my dream "What are you doing? You are going to be up 5lbs in the morning!!"... the guilt felt so real...
Last night, I had a similar dream.... only this time it was fresh chocolate chip cookies warm out of the oven with milk....tons of them!
Both nights when I woke up and realized it was only a dream and I hadn't actually done that, I felt SOOOO relieved.
I wonder what this means?
Here's my food from yesterday (no toast with peanut butter icing or warm chocolate chip cookies to be found!!)... but I did make a really nice "lightened up" Sloppy Joe recipe with ground turkey and fresh tomatoes.
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