Goals For the Week

I've decided to put down some goals for this week. If this helps, I will make it a habit.

Workout at least 20 minutes each day this week, working up to 30 minutes.

Do Yoga everyday! This is the calming, breathing sort of Yoga and will be aside my regular workout.

Drink only 2 mugs of coffee each day. Drink in the morning so as not to effect sleep.

Eat well and eat enough!

Allow myself a low cal daily treat. My daily diet is almost completely sugar free. I eat fruit, but other sugars, especially refined sugar, are almost completely done away with. I suspect this is leading to cravings. A piece of birthday cake at a party makes my head spin and makes me want more.

Make time for fun and relaxing.

So far this week, so good.

As I think about the 2 bad weeks that led to this day, I am thankful. I've learned a lot during my downer time.

Today I am feeling firsthand why it is so direly important that I take better care of myself. I only made it through 20 minutes of working out. After eating around 1000 calories each day for 3 days and not exercising for 2 weeks, believe me, I feel it. I am still considering this a step in the right direction and after a good night of sleep and eating regularly for a few days, I will feel stronger.

A lot of people online workout more than I do, but I cannot keep up what I was doing. I must find moderation. Since I began exercising, I have always hit it hard and burned it out leaving myself drenched and exhausted. When I have lapsed in my routine, the first few days actually make me feel better. I have to find the moderation to pursue a routine that allows me to feel improved by physical activity.

I spoke to my doctor about this. She has advised me to only workout for 30 minutes, 5 days a week or 40-45 for 4 days. She said that I should use a couple of days to do moderate exercise and couple for intense. I had been working out 5 days a week intensely. I am going back to morning exercise because getting it done in the morning allows me to feel freer for the rest of the day. Also, I am seeking fun in my routine. I love running, but each day I pushed myself to run farther and faster than the day before. I cannot keep competing with myself in this way. I just want to move and I want to enjoy doing it.

I am still learning. With each blunder, I learn what not to do. I am learning about myself. I feel physically badly right now and emotionally drained, but I am learning and I see nothing except positive things coming from this.

The Turn-Around

I have not been taking care of myself. My calories have been fluctuating in an unhealthy way with days of overeating followed by a few days of under eating to try to compensate. Exercise has been hedged out by stressful activities that only make the cycle worse. I am dull, I am tired, while climbing stairs yesterday I thought my legs would not carry me.

I finally started doing some light Yoga a couple days ago. I had to do something! It has helped.

Today is my turn-around. I ate a healthier amount of calories and drank less coffee, and feel amazingly better. It is surprising how quickly the body responds. Tomorrow I plan to workout for at least 30 minutes.

It is time to shake off this funk.

Slippery Slope

I was reading Shane G. today and thinking that it was so amazing that he can balance this whole weight loss game with other responsibilities like school. College makes me want to eat my arm off. Seriously, it is so difficult for me to control the stresses of school and find the mind, energy, and motivation it takes to control what I eat and how I exercise.

I fear I am on a slippery slope.

Exercise has been nonexistent for me for a week and a half now. I tried to make up for this by cutting calories, but that has only worked about half the time. I am eating very healthy, whole foods, but too much of them. Right now, though it is evening, I am drinking coffee and gearing up for another late-night study/homework session.

I am in a sucky place. I just keep telling myself that I’ll do this until I get over the hurdle... I’ll cut back on calories in lieu of exercising until this week is over.... I’ll do better when this tough class ends.... I’ll lose this five pounds when I can (lately I’ve been losing and gaining the same five pounds while struggling to just maintain). The thing is that as these classes end, new ones begin.

I only have about 20 hours left. I don’t know if I can make it. I fear that I am only getting a BA so that they can stick me a cubicle, any way. I bet I could gain a tremendous amount of fat sitting in a cubicle all day

Paying off

Feeling good about myself has been a challenge for me my entire life. You know, just feeling good about who I am and how I look right now with no preconceived, externally influenced conditions. I realized this fully just yesterday, and I realized it because I looked in the mirror and realized how much I like myself right now.

I am not a petite woman by any stretch. I am six foot tall and of big Scandinavian/German stock. No matter how much I lose, I will never be petite. As I looked in the mirror yesterday I noticed this, but felt so perfectly fine with it; something that I never fully felt okay about in my life until now. My reflection appears healthy and strong now. My shoulders are broad and you can see muscle definition in my upper arms and legs. I am not chiseled and my physique is still very feminine. I just look healthy.

Yep, this whole healthy food and activity thang... yep, it pays off.

Egg Nog!

It may be a bit early, but I’ve already made egg nog. I followed the low fat, low cal recipe below.

Lite Egg Nog

5 Cups Light Vanilla Soy Milk or Skim Milk
1 Small Packet of Instant Fat Free, No Sugar Added Vanilla Pudding
6 t No-Calorie Sweetener
1 T Rum Extract
1/2 t Nutmeg

Blend all ingredients on high in blender. Allow to chill overnight. Can be served with shot of rum added, but don't forget to add calories.

Made with soy: about 68 calories per 1 cup serving
Made with dairy: about 120 calories per 1 cup serving

I tried this recipe using both skim milk and light soy and both worked very well. I’ve seen this recipe on several foodie sites, one attributed it to Hungry Girl.

My appetite has been ridiculous lately! Too many nights I’ve found myself around 500 calories over. Nothing is happening on the scales, but I really need to rein this in a bit. I think I may have brought this on by attempting to cut calories too much and upping my exercise at the same time. I need to figure out what the magic range is and stick with it. I am even considering visiting a nutritionist.

The food that I am eating is actually really good, and that is part of the problem. When I find myself craving a heaping spoon full of almond butter and a glass of skim milk or a big bowl of watermelon, it is difficult for me to say “no!” I want to respect my body, but I also want to avoid giving in to cravings that are not good for me. It is a difficult dance sometimes.

Besides my monster appetite, I feel great about my body. During my runs I really notice just how awesome I feel. I feel strong. Last night I even earned a compliment on my guns while running in a sleeveless shirt. Awesome! When I feel so good the loose skin around my thighs doesn’t bother me, nor does the dab of marshmallow I am still carrying in my lower stomach area. Some of these problem areas will tighten up with time, but even if they don’t I am prepared to live with it. I just want to be healthy.

I made this for dinner one lazy night not long ago...

Raw Brownie Dough

2 T Almond Butter
2 T Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 t salt
1 T Stevia or another no-calorie sweetener
1 t vanilla extract

Mix and eat. Makes 1 serving at about 300 calories.

I do not believe in things just falling into place. I believe in forcing the pieces to fit. I just cannot seem to figure out how to make all the “healthy lifestyle” pieces come together and stay that way. For days or weeks all the food pieces will work in my favor, but exercise will not be happening like it should. At other times, all the exercise pieces will fit, but the food pieces will be out of control. Why can’t I get it ALL together?

Recently I have been working out like a mad woman, but my appetite has been stoked. My weight doesn’t seem to be going up, but it isn’t coming down either. Adding this to the other pieces of life I am trying to juggle and it just seems so overwhelming.

I do have some good things to celebrate. My upper body is toning up nicely due to some weight training I’ve added. I am running longer and faster than ever. I may not be losing weight, but I am toning up.

Things I need to work on: controlling calories and eating clean! This morning I’ve already given in to a Poptart craving. I need to work toward making these pieces fit better.

I am still working on getting it right. In weeks past I posted about how controlled my calories were. This past week, my exercise has been regular and intense, but my eating has been, well, more than it should. No binging, nothing too out of control. I think that trying to cut back on calories may have backfired.

Nut butter is something that I am going to have to keep out of the house for a while. I am not attracted to the kid’s hydrogenated stuff, but the dark chocolate almond butter and the white chocolate peanut butter is going to have to go for a while. Getting enough protein is an issue in my diet, but I am going to seek sustenance from something with fewer fats and calories.

My steps ahead this past week: For the first time ever I ran for a whole 30 minutes and covered about 3 miles and I have had many successful smoothie creations.

Here is a new week! Leap ahead!

Duly inspired by Patrick, I planned a run at 5 AM this morning. However, the inspiration of the Sand Man overpowered Patrick’s good example and that run never happened. It is probably for the best because it has been a constant rain since I awoke this morning at 6. I have run in the wet, I have run in the cold, but I think wet and cold would have been overwhelming at 5 AM. (Should that be “ran” or “run”? Microsoft Word says it is “run.” Hmmm.) I still plan to take that run tonight.

I have not been doing so well with keeping my calories below my new limit. I tried to cut back only a few hundred calories, but that is easier said than done. I am still eating below maintenance, so I am not too worried. Peanut Butter seems to be the real culprit that is setting this goal amiss. I am uncertain what to do because getting enough protein in a diet stuffed full of fruits and veggies is already a challenge for me.

If you have completed the C25K, what are your plans? How do you plan to keep in shape during the winter? Do you plan to do the C25K again in the spring, or do you have a plan to keep up the running indoors?

C25K Graduate

I have finished the C25K program, but I am still working on perfecting my time. I run about 3 miles in 30 minutes, sometimes more like 2.75 miles, so my time could use some work. I take walk breaks sometimes for 2 to 3 minutes when I really feel like I need to. I am still very happy with the distance I am able to cover and how good I feel running. Loosening up on myself and being a bit more easy going about the program has made running more fun for me. Some runs are better than others, but the key for me is just doing it 3 days a week no matter what is going on or how I feel.

This week I have stepped up the strength building. I am mostly working on upper body and core strength. It feels good. This is a part of my fitness program that I have neglected at times.

Yesterday I made BBQ Kale Chips...

BBQ Kale Chips

1 T Mesquite BBQ seasonings (garlic, onion powder, cumin, paprika, pepper)
1 t Splenda
3 cups Kale removed from stems and washed
Nonstick spray

Set oven to 300. I used a premade Mesquite rub, but you can easily mix your own seasonings. After preparing kale, place one layer on sprayed cookie sheet. Spray kale with nonstick spray and sprinkle with Splenda and BBQ seasonings. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

New Resolve

I have been hovering right around 10 pounds from my goal for a while now. This has been mostly due to my satisfaction with being this weight. I feel good! I feel really good, most days! That feeling of jumping out of the bed in the morning, even when I didn’t sleep so well the night before, is my favorite part of being healthier... but I digress.

My goal weight became my goal because it is the weight that the FDA proclaims healthy for my height. I have been slouching around for a while and I now have set a plan into action to fix that. (For some reason I feel this post needs some evil laughter at the end. Maybe it is all the talk about my “plan.”)

I am cranking up and varying my workouts and pulling back slightly on calories (only slightly pulling back because I am afraid of stalling my weight loss; my caloric intake is pretty steady and controlled now).

Mwahhh, ha, ha, ha!

I think I am coming out of my funk. This week has been a toughie, but I am nearly soaring today.

I am fortunate that I am not a true binger. However, I do have some tendencies in that direction. I have to be careful around the sweets because those are the old eats that I miss most. I am learning new ways, primarily using fruit, to get my sweet fix without heading back to old habits.

The binge tendencies really showed themselves this week. Monday I realized during a stressful phone conversation that I was almost planning to go out for cake and ice cream. It was weird because it was more of an urge or desire that was beginning to cement itself in my consciousness. Just as my plans began to take shape with me eating a helping that equaled more like 3 real portions and leaving the rest for the kids (as if I was being selfless by doing it for the kids), I reminded myself that I do not eat that way anymore. The urge returned over the next couple days, that cake became chocolate in my mind as the urge and plan was further getting a foothold, but I resisted.

Today I ran out to the market for a few things and didn’t even think about that cake and ice cream. I didn’t even realize I had done it until I sat down to write this post. I am almost certain that had I visited the market on Monday or Tuesday, I would have given in. With what refined sugar does to my blood sugar levels these days, I would have been stoned all day.

Earlier in the day I changed into running clothes and began stoking myself up for a run that I wasn’t feeling up to; this seemed to help. After my 5 minute warm-up walk, I took off and as I looked down my path I figured it would be awesome to run around the neighboring baseball field.

This baseball diamond is surrounded by uneven ground and has totally wiped me out in the past. Running on uneven, grassy terrain partially uphill is hard. So in the very beginning I ran it. I ran around that diamond that seems troublesome for the high school boys who run around it. I ran the rest of my run (20 minutes) and finished with another trip around the diamond. I think I may make this grassy route part of my regular run. The hills could really make my legs stronger.

I was doing really well within the C25K program until the heat wave hit. I’ve ran 25 minutes twice, but for the last couple weeks my runs have been more like 20 to 22 minutes. I felt good about my 20 minutes tonight because of those trips around the baseball diamond. It feels wonderful to do something that seemed so challenging before. It was tough, especially the second time, but I did it!

After my most excellent run, I came home and made this Green Goddess dressing for my salads tomorrow.

Make tomorrow a great day!

Blogging For the Greater Good

I want to send a big Thank You out to my friend Big Clyde at The Clydesdale Project. To be honest with you all, I have not been feeling it this week at all. My diet has been healthy and within my calorie allowance, but the exercise has not been coming easily. Right now, due largely to inspiration from Clyde, I am wearing running clothes and will be heading out later this evening for my C25K run. Thanks again, Big Clyde and all the other fitness/weight loss bloggers who pique my thoughts in the direction of better living every day.

So this is how this works, aye?! Jack Sh*t has posted often about how much blogging has helped him in his journey. At this point in my journey, I am in quasi-maintenance. I am 10 pounds away from goal, but some of my habits have shifted from loss to maintenance. When I first started I could lose 6 pounds in a week, while now losing 1 pound here and there makes me smile. Most of the time just not gaining makes me very happy. I can see blogging being a huge aid in helping me to maintain for the long term.

A few blogs very worthy of recognition (in no particular order):

Dr. Fatty Finds Fitness
Responsibility 199
Losing Weight after 45 is a B*tch
The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser
The Anti-Jared
Bitch Cakes

And, of course...

The Clydesdale Project
Jack Sh*t

I have been reading most of these blogs throughout the process of losing 80 pounds and I cannot thank the writers enough.

OMG! I found Truwhip!

This may not seem like a big deal. It is to me because when I began losing weight, my kids still wanted sweet treats from time to time. Low sugar cakes topped with an icing made of fruity yogurt and Lite Cool Whip became a dessert that I could share with the kids. As clean eating became more of a priority and the knowledge I was garnering began trickling into the choices I made as a mother, Cool Whip was one of the first chemical laden products that stopped coming into my home.

But, I still occasionally like cake (whine, whine). Last night we made strawberry shortcake (my youngest made a tall concoction she called “longcake”).

Strawberry Short(long)cake

1 box reduced sugar yellow cake mix
1/3 cup water
2 egg whites
1 cup natural applesauce
1 container strawberry yogurt

Topping:
1 container Truwhip
1 container strawberry yogurt
1 pound strawberries

Mix cake mix with applesauce, water, egg whites, and yogurt and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until lightly brown. Mix second yogurt and Truwhip. Layer cake, berries, and topping in bowls or parfait cups. 16 servings= less than 200 calories a serving!

(Truwhip did not sponsor this post in any way! I am just pleased to find an all natural whipped topping sans high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and other funky stuff.)

I have been making my own yogurt!!! Yes, all those exclamation marks are at the end of that sentence because this excites me!! Making my own yogurt saves money, ensures that I am eating clean, and, I don’t know, it just feels so dang quaint. You can make your own plain yogurt, too.

You need:

Crock pot slow cooker

8 cups of milk (anything but ultra pasteurized; I use skim milk)

Yogurt starter (you can buy yogurt starter or just use a small container of natural plain yogurt with live active cultures)

Instructions:

Place milk in slow cooker and turn switch to low setting for 2 1/2 hours. Unplug, do not remove lid, and allow milk to sit for 3 hours. Remove about 2 cups of warm milk, mix with live cultures and pour contents back into slow cooker. Wrap towel completely around cooker for insulation and leave it for 8 hours.

Your final product should be slightly runnier than store bought yogurt, but can be strained through a coffee filter in a mesh strainer for a thicker, creamier consistency. The final product may be a bit lumpier than the store bought stuff too, but this is only because the yogurt lumps are floating in whey. It’s completely natural and while it may not look great, it tastes so fresh.

It’s weird... I was never a foodie, I could not even really cook until I began living healthier and caring about what sort of food I put into my body.

Still making progress, but so tired

Life has not been a bowl of cherries. Well, actually I’ve been eating so many fresh cherries that removing all those pits have stained my fingers and left me in dire need of fresh manicure, but Life has been full change and difficulties. I always feel like a whiny child when I write stuff like this. Adults are supposed to be accustomed to life being difficult and unfair and act accordingly with resilience by adapting. But, to be honest, my husband losing his job is the worst thing that has ever happened to us. This is the biggest blind change we’ve ever made. I look back and feel as though we were hiding in that small town where everyone knew our names and knew our history. Now, I am constantly dealing with city dwellers who seem to always be covering their a*ses because they’ve been screwed over so many times. Business and social interactions are just very different here. It is a different culture out here, folks.

During times like this I just want to run. I want to run until I burn. it. out. Thanks to the C25K I can now run. I could barely run 1 minute when I started, now I easily run at least 25 minutes, and that is if I don’t feel up to the full 30 minutes for some reason.

Some days I feel like I have mastered my bad habits. I can look back over several days and see that I have eaten plenty of veggies, drank lots of water, exercised, and taken excellent care of myself. Then something crashes and I find myself struggling. I find myself reminding myself of why I began this journey, why I even lost over 80 pounds to begin with, and I keep reminding myself with a pitiful weariness.

The good news is that a year after beginning all this “new lifestyle” stuff, greasy foods totally disgust me. The idea of eating cheese fries smothered in ranch dressing or a fastfood burger (foods I once thrived on) totally turns my stomach. Now if I could just get all disgusted by cheesecake or cookies, I’d have this thing all set.

Progress

Dang, it's been a while. I've made loads of progress since my last post. I am controlling calories, but not as afraid of food as I was when I was last blogging. It seems that at that time losing so much weight made me terrified of gaining it all back. I am no longer afraid, but I am wise about the habits I cultivate. I am working out more than ever and feeling great because of it. I am also still losing weight, but at a much slower pace than before which is to be expected. I am happy in my own skin more than ever before.

Life, however, has not been easy this past year. A little over a year ago my husband lost his job and was forced to move into the city. Me and the kids were left behind and have been preparing for the move since. This is a huge move for us! Not only will everything be new, but my kids will be leaving a small, conservative school and little town for a much bigger city with its benefits and pitfalls. I have spent this time finishing my Bachelors degree and taking better care of my body. I am now completely off all medications and my blood pressure and cholesterol numbers are excellent. I've done this so that I can watch my kids grow up. I will be there for the good and bad in their lives. That is the motivation that gets me through, that makes me work out when I don't want to. Any way, this year has not been a piece of cake, but I have found that even when everything feels out of control, my physical well being is something that I really can control, and that is empowering!

Soon things will change. (God, please let it be for the better.) My family will be reunited. In 21 hours, this part of my schooling will be finished and I will hopefully find a job and begin work toward an MA. And maybe things will settle down a bit so that I can exhale.

This is probably not my return to blogging. Acting as a single mom (God bless the parents who must to do this all the time), I barely have any time for blogging. By the time I get the kids home from school, do homework, make their dinner, make sure that they get some much-needed outside time, and get them to sleep at night, I am all worn out. This is after a day of working out, cleaning house, doing my own homework, and boxing/bagging things for the move. I will keep this blog open. I enjoyed reading it a bit this morning and thinking about where I was and where I am now. Perhaps in the future I will return full time. Perhaps.

I now own new running shoes. Spending money is sort of a commitment for me. If I pay for something, I am motivated to use it. I know I can do this. There is a casual marathon that takes place in late summer in a city near where I live. As soon as the snow melts, I will begin preparing. Well, actually preparation has already begun; that’s what the new shoes and online research is all about. ;)

My hamstrings are killing me and I hope they do not hold me back. I started jump training last week to “ramp up my metabolism” and the work out is causing my thigh muscles to hurt badly. I just hope that this doesn’t mean that pain in my hamstrings is some weakness or defect that will hinder my running aspirations.

Before work out:
1/2 of a banana with 1 teaspoon natural peanut butter on whole wheat flat bread – 200 calories

Breakfast:
1/3 cup oats mixed with 1/2 of a banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon brown sugar – 250

Snack:
1/2 lemon Lunar bar – 100

Lunch:
PB & J on whole wheat with crispy kale – 400

Snack:
Snack size Snickers bar, a couple conversation hearts (V Day just never really ends) – 100

Dinner:
Chicken soup – 200

Carrots with 2 ½ tablespoons of hummus – 200

Dessert:
Pumpkin yogurt – 200

Pumpkin yogurt is made with 1/4 cup plain canned pumpkin and 3/4 cup vanilla yogurt with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Total: 1650

Freedom

Today was a victory that I am only now fully appreciating.

This morning I awoke feeling awful. I have been feeling badly for a few days and blaming it on bad sleep. However, when I checked my blood pressure per doctor’s orders my heart rate was below 50. My pressure was something like 111/60, but the low heart rate was what concerned me.

For the last few days my heart rate has been around 56 or 57, but yesterday it was twice checked at 52 and this morning finally dropped to 49. Anyway, a trip to the doctor today confirmed that I am so over hypertension medication. They took them away! I am free of meds! Free!

My doctor was tickled. I mean fists above her head, arms in the shape of a ‘V’ tickled. I was happy, but felt too unwell to properly show it. I was trembling and dizzy. I am finally now enjoying my small victory.

Oh, and all of my blood work from last week was finished and my cholesterol, triglycerides count, everything is perfect. I am healthy! After a good night’s sleep, I will feel like a goddess.

Before work out:
1/4 cantaloupe with 1 tablespoon almond butter – 200 calories

Breakfast:
Overnight oats – 300 calories

Lunch was awesome:
Grilled cheese on whole wheat with low cal cheese and bell peppers, crispy kale, and a side of bell peppers with 2 tablespoons hummus for dipping – 400

I made my crispy kale by coating bite size pieces of kale with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with a teaspoon of olive oil and then baking at 350 for 20 minutes. Halfway through the process I shook the baking sheet to make sure that all the kale became equally crispy. After baking I seasoned with sea salt. These were surprisingly good (at least I was surprised). I was offering a piece to everyone in the house exclaiming, “Try these! They’re so surprisingly good!”

Dinner:
Roasted potato and peppers with a cup of vegetarian chili and 1/2 cup plain yogurt – 700

Dessert:
Whole wheat toast with 1 teaspoon almond butter – 100

Total: 1700

Due to snow, it looks as if this evening’s meeting at church will be canceled. These meetings are supposed to be similar to Weight Watchers and all who are “interested in nutrition, exercise, and healthy living are welcome.” I am really looking forward to beginning a program that will keep me ramped up to lose these last lingering 20 pounds.

Last week I added jump training to my daily work out. This has been very challenging for me. I have always been a book worm and never athletic, so my body is surprising me all the time. At the age of 32, I am just now learning where my physical strengths and weaknesses lie. Most of these surprises have been wonderful in that I am amazed at what I am capable of. The bad surprises lie in learning how painful and tight my hamstrings and thigh muscles can become. Today I became terribly cramped in my left thigh. I’ve studied anatomy and physiology, but I can’t remember all that stuff, so let’s just say my lower a$$ is hurting on my left side. I kept going and the cramp mostly worked itself out, but tomorrow I may skip the jump training and do something else.

I haven’t been doing a good job of chronicling it, but I’ve already made time for 2 thirty minute sessions of yoga this week. My weekly goal is 3 yoga sessions.

To be honest, I am a bit of a mess right now. I appreciate my body more than I ever have and I am taking very good care of myself, but this is a difficult time for me emotionally. My husband with whom I am very close is living 2 hours away, I am trying to prepare my children, myself, and my house for the move, and I have 3 final ten page papers due this weekend to end my current term. If my husband were here these tasks that just seem so huge to me would not be so difficult. He supports me with encouragement and he helps with the kids and house, so I am really missing half of my team right now. Still, I am so happy to have made these changes because being healthier allows me to better tackle the hardships of life.

Here is some truth: if we are each lucky, we will live long enough to witness our bodies cease to work properly. No matter how well we take care of ourselves now, this will inevitably happen. When this does begin to happen and we find ourselves facing the disorders and illness that come with old age, we will be in better shape to deal with the problems. Surgery and treatments are scary enough without having to face such procedures knowing that obesity stacks the odds against you.

I look at my body as a tool; these days I am taking better care of this tool and it is working better for me because of it. Whether I am forced by life to face great illness or just the stress that comes with daily living, I am now better equipped.

Before work out:
1/2 frozen banana – 100 calories

Breakfast:
Rice pudding – 300

2 egg white orange omelet – 100

The rice pudding was made with 1/3 cup of left over rice, 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and raisins and warmed in microwave.

The omelet was a variation of a recipe I found once in a cookbook of medieval meals. I whisked 2 egg whites with about 2 tablespoons of orange juice, orange rind, and a pinch of nutmeg before pouring into a heated skillet. The egg whites rise and puff a little and the flavor is similar to a custard, but not as sweet. I used to make these with whole eggs and a side of marmalade.

For some reason that I cannot fathom all that food was not holding me until lunch. Perhaps it is because I’ve pushed up the intensity of my workouts.

Snack:
1/2 cup Fiber One cereal with 1/3 cup skim milk – 100

Lunch:
Turkey on whole wheat with Greek yogurt, cucumbers, and lots of spinach – 200

Snack:
Kashi cereal bar – 120

Black Chai tea with light soy milk – 80

Dinner:
Subway six inch chicken sub with loads of veggies – 400

Low cal frozen yogurt – 300

Snack:
1/2 cup fro yo – 120

(Yes, I really did measure out a 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt because I knew I was overindulging a bit.)

Total: 1820

The Last Twenty

I have lost to date 70 pounds. My scale has refused to budge for 4 weeks or so. I need to lose just 20 more pounds to be considered within my healthy weight range for my height. It comes down to this. I am redoubling my efforts. I am determined. I am even joining a group similar to Weight Watchers at my church. Let’s see where this takes us.

Before work out:
Slices of apple salted and wrapped in spinach leaves – 100 calories

Today was a difficult day to get started. I think I have caffeine withdrawal after staying at the Baby Boomers’ Paradise that is my mom’s and dad’s home. Much like chain smokers who light up as they extinguish, they grind the beans as they drink the last remaining cup in the pot. It is high priced, gourmet stuff and it flows like milk and honey for my entire visit leaving me deliciously wired.

Breakfast after working out:
Overnight oats – 300 calories

I think I got this recipe here. Last night I mixed 1/3 cup oats with 1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/8 cup skim milk, 1 teaspoon almond butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and a few raisins and then stored it in the fridge overnight.

Snack:
1 piece whole wheat bread with less than a teaspoon of almond butter – 100

Lunch was a processed mess.

Lunch:
Weight Watchers burrito – 220

Low cal vitamin water – 25

These were leftovers from about 3 months ago before I became serious about eating cleaner. I do not intend to bring any more frozen diet goodies into my house. I have found that when one eats fewer calories it becomes even more imperative that every bite offer nutrition. Low calorie burritos will not ruin you, but is it really the best you can offer your body?

Dinner:
Baked chicken breast, Jasmine rice, roasted veggies – 700

Dinner was good, but the rice was extremely high in calories.

Dessert:
1/3 cup ricotta cheese and peaches – 200

Total: 1645

Come Monday

I am currently visiting my parents, so I am in the land of comfort food. I am staying on track as much as possible and just finished a rather awesome work out (if I do say so myself). Days like this when I am not able to eat the way I usually do actually motivate me. I return to exercise with a renewed vigor charged up to work off the excess calories I've consumed. I always go home ready to eat clean with plenty of good fruits and veggies. It also doesn't hurt that I've bought a slew of new summer clothes while down here, so I am ready to tone up and look good.

I plan to return to blogging as usual on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Before workout:
1/2 frozen banana – 100 calories

This morning I did 2 segments from The Shred Level 2 and 2 segments from level 3 plus the warm-up and cool-down. It is snowing here, so I suppose I had better get happy about DVD workouts for a little longer.

Breakfast:
Breakfast cookie – 300 calories

This is my current favorite made using 1/3 cup of whole oats, teaspoon of natural peanut butter, teaspoon of light brown sugar, teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa, and 1/2 of a banana.

Snack:
Chocolate covered soy nuts – 100

These chocolate covered soy nuts actually come in the little 100 calorie snack packs. One thing that I am learning from blogging about my daily meals and snacks is that processed food is still a part of my diet almost every day. The cereal bars and snacks I eat often contain corn syrup and other nefarious or unnatural ingredients. I’ve made a world of progress since I started this process in May of last year, but I would like to work harder in the future to make my diet even cleaner.

Lunch:
3/4 cup of bran flakes with 1/2 cup skim milk – 135 calories

Dinner:
Salmon steak, 1 ½ cups of brown rice, small spinach salad – 500

Dessert:
Ice cream cake – 600 calories or more

Yeah, this birthday celebration sent me back to work out hard for another 40 minutes. I knew the party was coming, so I ate fewer calories throughout the day and the additional work out felt good. I may try to fit an hour and half in more often.

Total: 1735, but maybe more