Back on Track.

Okay, I'm falling and I can't get up!

I've been on a downward spiral since Easter!  I mean, I've done my exercising, so I'm good there, but my food choices have not been the best.

Time to pick myself up and dust myself off and get back on track.  Life just sometimes gets in the way.  Holidays, date nights, crazy work schedules, stress ... it all adds up and sometimes bumps us off track.

So, I'll be doing what I've talked about doing in the past.  I'll pull out my posts on my reasons that I'm doing this.  Re-focus and why this is important to me.  It's probably time to find some more inspirational photos and quotes and put them up around the house.  I need to get myself re motivated. 

I have to do a better job on the planning.  Last week was just an awful work week, so I didn't have the time to plan out menus and snacks and, as usual, the lack of a plan led to choices that could have been better.

I mean, my choices weren't horrible.  I did the chicken wings for date night, so that was a better choice than some of the things I've had.  And I avoided most of the Easter candy.  I ate decent portions of the Easter dinner.  What the problem was is that I was doing this often rather than just sometimes.  It's okay to splurge, but not on a consistent basis. 

I'm actually proud of myself for doing as well as I have, and for not giving up.  Back in the old diet days, I would have said to just forget the diet thing.  It's too hard to do all the planning, the special recipes, the cooking, the exercise.  But I haven't given up and I've done fairly well - it's not like I gained back all 14 lbs ... just one.

So I just need to remember why I'm doing this.  Get back some of that spark and fire that prompted me to start in the first place. 

And today I have time to do some planning.  Next week's work schedule isn't nearly as bad as last week's so I should be able to get back on track again. 

So, I might have swerved into a parking space, but I just sat on idle for a second and now I'm back on the road!

Choose Your Calories Wisely

I have tried every diet there is.  None have worked, because frankly, I LOVE food.  There is no way I can ever exclude any particular foods from my diet and manage to stay on task and not end up binging and un-doing everything.

The only way to lose weight is to watch the calories.  And to choose them wisely.

You can eat Twinkies.  You just have to count them in your calorie intake and adjust somewhere else.

I have found that the easiest way to get rid of extra calories, is to drink water.  No diet sodas, no regular sodas, no sweet tea, no juices.  Just water.  Ice cold water.  Our bodies need it anyway, right?

Now I do have to have milk.  I'm a milk fiend.  So if I have cereal in the morning, I'll have it with skim milk.  But other than milk, I drink water. 

So, just keep in mind (and track) what you are eating, so you know what calories you have left in the day.  It's simple, really.  My hubby did this just the other day.  He made a better choice at lunch so he could have an extra helping of something at dinner.  He planned it out and was able to enjoy the dinner without guilt or worrying about the extra calories.

For me, I'm not a big bread eater, so it's easy for me to pass up on breads and even buns or tortillas.  If it doesn't make me feel really happy, than I can do without it and it doesn't bother me. 

The other half of this equation is that you can also increase the calories burned to compensate for a less than good choice of food. 

I've never found it easier to be on a "diet" in my life.  Which, I guess is because I'm not really on a "diet."  And it's weird.  When I do eat fatty stuff, I find that I don't feel well afterwards.  And that it really didn't taste as good as I remembered it tasting. 

Well, except for steak.  I can eat a WHOLE lot more than the 3 - 4 oz serving size.

And, of course, eating just Twinkies is not a good idea, even if you do stay in the calorie range to lose weight.  We are on this journey for our health and a Twinkie diet is in no way healthy.  So, you still have to consider WHAT you are eating in addition to the calories you eat.

I was reading a friend's blog the other day and she had said that calorie counting didn't work for her.  And when I looked at her stats, she weighs a bit more now than she did last year.  And she had tried several "diets" during that time.  It brought home to me that you really do have to watch your calories.

Then again, you can't be maniacal about it, though.  If you get too tied up in numbers, you can forget that food is fun and tasty - even the lower calorie ones.  And with today's tools, it's so much easier to keep track than it used to be.  I use the WebMD tracker, but there is the Livestrong one as well as the Sparkpeople one - all are fantastic and have great databases that make it a snap to keep up with how much you eat.  And Sparkpeople has a whole bunch of recipes that are low calorie and quite good, so you don't have to spend a lot of time researching or experimenting (time that most people don't have) to come up with food that you actually like and want to eat.



So, start tracking those calories.  Plan around your choices and I think you'll find this is doable forever.  'Cause, it's not a diet.

Measurement Day

Yesterday was measurement day.  Ever notice how hard it is to figure out where you measured before on your hips or waist??

I THINK I've lost 4.5 more inches!  It depends on if I measured in the same spots as last time!  I think I was pretty close, and if so, then I'm pretty happy!

I lost no more on my boobs (thank goodness) this time, nor on my waist (boo!!) but I lost 2.5 inches off my hips and 3/4 inch off each thigh.  That's actually where I can tell the biggest difference - in my thighs.  I guess that's from the bike riding.  I can tell in my clothing as well there.  It's what gives me the frumpy look.

In other news, I had no choice but to go shopping for a few things yesterday.  My pants fell down at work all day on Wednesday and I know I didn't look very professional.  So, I went shopping and I am down a size - hooray!!  So I got a pair of slacks, a pair of jeans and a pair of capris to get me through for a bit.  I'm very excited!!  It's been a long time since I was able to go shopping and not feel like crying every time I tried something on.  I even looked GOOD in some things yesterday.  Very exciting.

And I got my hair cut, so that was also nice.  It was a happy, reaffirming day for me.

However, after hitting my tipping point and losing quickly over a few days, I hit Easter and then went up a pound.  And it seems to be sticking.  I had hoped it would come off this week, but so far it has not.  And I have date night tonight, which is problematic.  But worth it.  I'll make decent choices tonight and then get back on track after that.

I am thinking I have got to spice up my exercise, though.  I was telling my Hubby that I really believe I've got the stomach of my dreams under all my belly fat, if I could just get rid of the fat!  I can feel the muscle under there, but it's all covered up by the fat I still carry.

So, it's really time for me to plan in some more exercise.  My cardio is the bike for an hour every day, but I think I need something more.  I am tinkering with the idea of the belly dancing.  I have found one DVD,but I haven't watched it yet to see if it's something I can do if I might die trying.  We have wii fit, so I could do that, but that seems less productive than some other things, unless I get maybe a dance wii game - I bet that would burn some calories.

It's definitely something to think about.  I'll keep you posted on what I come up with.  You know, yesterday when I was shopping, I worked up a sweat running around the stores and trying on clothes ... maybe that should be my new exercise program!  Somehow I don't think my hubby would like that idea - lol.

I also took some pictures yesterday to track my progress and you really, really cannot tell a difference.  I guess the 13-14 lbs I've lost isn't enough to really "see" yet.  At some point I hope to have some pictures to post.  Maybe next month.

I'm still proud that I've been doing this for nearly three and a half months.  Better than I've ever done!  And I'm feeling better about myself. 

I want more results, but for now, I'll take it!

Spring Cleaning

Nope.  Not your house (though mine could certainly use a good spring cleaning - and I'd burn calories doing it, too, but that's a blog for another day ...), your weight loss plan or whatever it is you call your journey.

There are certain times of the year that can be used to kick-start us into action.  New Year's is one - a time to "start over,"  "start fresh."  A time of new beginnings.  But Spring works that way too.  It's also a time of new beginnings - baby birds, newly budded flowers ... you get the idea.  Some of us need the idea of a time for new beginnings to get us motivated to start, or re-vamp, our weight loss plans.  For me, it was New Year's.  I started my journey on January 2, 2012.  But spring works too.

So, use this time to either start your journey or re-examine the one you are on.

Look at your current habits.  Are you still doing what you were doing in the beginning when it was all new and you were motivated?  If not, now is the time to dust off those things you've stopped doing and start them up again.

Journaling/blogging/tracking.  It is so important to keep track of your journey.  That's how you know what is causing your weight gain, plateau, etc.  It's such a necessary tool that tracks what you are eating, how you are exercising and what is going on in your life.  It's what makes it easy to catch what went wrong and fix it.  So if you've stopped, pick it back up again.

Tools.  Re think the tools you are using.  Have you let some of them go?  In looking at things now, do you need to start using that tool again?  Do a search on new tools.  As you all know, I'm a big ipad app geek.  Now is the time to see if there are any new weight loss apps out there that might get me on track and help me reach my goals.  If you don't have an ipad, there's lots of stuff on the internet.  Sometimes a tool a fun new thing that makes us want to get back in the game.  If it works, then go for it!  I find it fun trying new ones, even if I don't end up using them in the long term.  I'm always on the lookout for something to help me.

Re-think your goals.  Where are you now on your journey?  Are you where you wanted to be?  Is it going slower than you want?  Have you gotten complacent about reaching your goals.  Now is the time to focus on what your want and make a plan to get there.

Diet.  Have you slipped back into the fast food habit?  Do you find yourself eating things that aren't the best choices?  Now is the time to clean up that diet.  Do some searches for healthy recipes, buy a new cookbook with low calorie recipes.  It might even be a good time for a cleansing of sorts to try and rid your body of toxins and such.  Try to "eat clean" for a week and see if you feel better.

Plan.  Spring is a great time to plan.  A time of new beginnings that you can plan around.  More time outside.  Exercises that can be done outside now that it's warmer.  Plan out changes that you want to make to get your journey back on track.

Don't you just love this time of year?  Take that "spring fever" and put it to use!  Get out there and spring clean yourself!

Holiday Food.

I survived Easter food!

The Easter Bunny was very clever and brought Hubby and myself non-candy things!  I got weight lifting gloves and we got things for the grill to make our lower calorie cooking easier!  Very wise Easter Bunny!

I must admit, though, that the food was decadent.  I made a lot of non-healthy things and mmmmmm where they good!

For breakfast we had creamed egg on toast:

And then for a lunch/snack I made scotch eggs:

then I made dinner (ham, mashed potatoes, peas, green bean casserole, fruit salad, rolls with honey butter ... ):

and of course, the peeps for the peep s'mores!

It was a really fantastic dinner, and I really enjoyed it!  And yes, it did set me back a bit, but I was up yesterday morning and on the bike as usual.  I did my bowflex, even with my awful work schedule this week.  I think the weekend was a wash due to three days of decadence.  We had date night on Friday night,  the girls came home from college on Saturday, so we grilled out steaks (and even though I only ate half of one, it was a LOT more than the 4 oz I was supposed to have) and then Easter food on Sunday.  Three days.

But, no guilt.  Just a little sadness at the scales creeping back up, but I fully expect it to be back down by Thursday or so.

In fact, I'm supposed to do my progress pictures and measurements this week.  I can't believe I've been doing this for three months now.  And I'm still doing it!  And it's not hard!  The exercise is like second nature now.  And the food isn't that hard any more either.  Most days I like the lower calorie foods.  And since I allow myself the pleasures every now and then, I think I can do this indefinitely! 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and is back on track with the journey!  Keep it up!

Cutting Calories while Cooking

I've done a lot of thinking (and re-thinking) about the food I cook.  Last night I made a black bean soup that was very tasty!  It was only about 230 calories for 1 cup of soup and only about 8.5 grams of fat.  And it was rich and wonderful.  (I'll post the recipe on my recipe page later).

And it got me thinking.  There are many ways to reduce the calories in recipes without too much effort.  Ideas range from the very simple to the strange.  Of course, the strange ones may only be strange because I haven't tried them yet ...

Lower calorie doesn't have to mean less taste.  Or less comfort food.  So how to begin?

First, equipment.  By changing what we use to cook with, we can reduce the oils we have to use to cook and that takes care of a lot of fats (which = calories).  I've already talked about grilling.  By grilling food rather than frying it, you remove the need to add in the fat/oil.  And grilling adds a nice smoky flavor to the food.

Other equipment would include a kitchen scale.  It is imperative to be able to know the proper portion size - at least in the beginning when we have no concept of what a serving size really is.  Along those lines are the measuring cups.  Just this morning, I measured out my cereal to make sure it was the one cup serving size. As we get better in our food intake, we might better be able to "guesstimate" the amount, but in the beginning, measure it.

A steamer is another way to cook without adding in fats, or leeching out vitamins.  Steaming veggies is a great way to cook them.  I'm one of those people who likes my veggies cooked to the point of mush as opposed to the normal person's crisp/crunchy kind.  You can steam a veggie to whatever point you want.

Non-stick pans are a must.  It is another way to be able to reduce the amount of fats/oils used to cook with.  In fact, I try to use chicken broth or water rather than oil when my frying pan gets dry.  Which brings me to the next step.

Second, substitution.  This is the biggest one.  The main one.  It's amazing how many hidden calories are in our foods.  And by substituting ingredients, we can make a huge difference in the amount of calories we end up with. 

One of my first substitutions was mustard for mayo.  When making sandwiches, I no longer slather on the mayo.  I use mustard and actually like the flavor better than the thick mayo.

Some substitutions are obvious and easy.  When cooking, substituting 2% milk, or even skim milk, for regular milk is a no-brainer.  Substituting turkey sausage for regular sausage is also an obvious switch.  Lower fat cheese for regular cheese (although, I have noticed that the lower fat cheese doesn't melt as well, so stick with using it in recipes as opposed to on top when you need the gooey melt).  But there are some substitutions that aren't as obvious.

I like to start with a half-and-half rule.  Like eggs.  If the recipe calls for 2 eggs, I might use 2 egg whites and 1 egg with a yolk.  When it comes to sugar, I'm experimenting with mixing regular sugar with Truvia.  (I actually tried using Truvia exclusively when cooking a recipe and I could taste it - it had an odd after taste - so I think using some of each would solve that).  If you can't stand skim milk, using part skim and part 2%.  Any little substitution you do is going to cut some calories.  And every calorie counts. 

Some weirder ideas I've seen, but having tried yet, include swapping some oil in baking with applesauce.  Since my weakness isn't really baked goods like brownies, etc, I haven't used this one yet.  Evaporated milk for cream.  I haven't tried this one either.  It will be worth testing out.

Basically you can take any recipe and look at the ingredients and see what you can swap out.  Yogurt for sour cream.  Also think in terms of using the healthy request Campbell's soups as a base.  Like in my enchiladas, I knew I needed a creamy filling so I used the cream of chicken soup as a base. 

It is going to take experimentation.  Which is actually kind of fun!

Third, flavor.  You can add major flavor without a lot of calories. One of my main tricks is bacon.  Everything tastes better with bacon!  And while you probably think it's crazy to even consider bacon when you are trying to lose weight, one piece of bacon which is crisp-fried is only about 48 calories and yet it packs a HUGE punch in flavor.

Another flavor must is spice.  Spices are key.  I happen to like spicy, so for me making a dish spicy makes it satisfying without having to add the fats for flavor.

Fourth, technique.  As I talked about above, the way you cook can help.  Grilling, etc.  Broiling is another option. I stumbled on a really good chicken finger type thing by accident.  It was when I was making my chicken enchilada recipe.  I sprinkled taco seasoning on the chicken tenders and let them "marinate" in that for about 2-3 hours.  Then I broiled them, sprinkling some more seasoning on them just as I cooked them.  They were so good just by themselves that the kids kept coming and stealing snippets of them while I was shredding them for the filling of the enchilada.

You can also "oven fry" food which is another way to cut the oils.  Or fry-steam foods in a frying pan by using chicken broth and a lid. 

The bottom line is that there are many ways to make our recipes "lighter."  Some will be failures and some will be huge successes.  Half the fun is trying.  So go have fun with your food!

Jelly Beans, Peeps and Sweets, Oh, my!

I'm a little nervous about Easter!  It's another holiday we celebrate with food!

And I'm doing so well - down to 198.4 today - I've definitely hit that tipping point!  And I don't want Easter to un-do me!

At least with planning, I can make better choices.  Like, we are having ham, which isn't an awful choice as far as main dishes go.  And rather than the four-cheese au gratin, I'll make mashed potatoes.  I'll have the green bean casserole, but will also have baby peas, which is a better option for me.  So I've planned out better choices. 

But there will be CANDY in the house.  That is a very hard temptation to overcome!  I suppose I can eat the jelly beans, which are at least fat free.  And I'm sure the Easter Bunny won't put too many decadent things in MY basket, but I know he'll shower the kids with chocolates!  I'll just have to stay away from their baskets!

One thing I won't be able to stay away from are the peep s'mores.  You take peeps, small chocolate bars and graham crackers and melt them in the microwave for s'mores.  I have no doubt I will eat those.  Maybe I can keep it to one.

I'm tinkering with the idea of making some of the deviled eggs with low-fat mayo.  But I really don't like the low-fat mayo flavor.  And I LOVE deviled eggs.

I guess I just need to be as good as I can be on my diet and exercise to make up for what will be a decadent Easter.  And hope that the kids eat their candy really fast so it's not there to tempt me for very long!!

Hopefully the weight will continue to drop.  Once I hit my next plateau I'm going to have to buy some new clothes.  My pants kept falling down in the grocery store this morning.  My undies are too loose as well.  But I can't see buying anything at this point. 

Here's hoping I'll get through Easter and drop enough inches to go buy some summer clothes!