The Afternoon Slump

Here is my predicament: I eat a healthy, balanced breakfast with protein to help keep me full. Then I eat an equally healthy lunch. Generally, I bring a snack to eat after lunch but I am so full I cannot eat it.

However, then I get in the car to go home from work. And It hits! The AFTERNOON SLUMP!

By this I mean that every time I get in the car to go home from work my body goes from full/satisfied to RAVENOUSLY hungry instantaneously. And every restaurant, grocery store, and fast food joint on my way home look and smell like heaven! It doesn't make any sense!!!! How could I possibly get that hungry that fast?

By the time I resist all of these urges, I get home, check the mail, walk the dog, and immediately open the fridge. It's often hard to resist choosing an unhealthy snack between 4-5:30PM.

Do you experience the afternoon slump? How do you combat it? What can I do to combat mine?

By the way, I am happy to report that since starting this blog I have lost approximately 4 lbs. I still have a long way to go, but I am confident that I can get there. Just keep swimming, right!?!

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the weather!

XOXO,
M

Food Plan:
Breaky- Biscuit with 1 egg and ham
Lunch- Yellow rice, Chopped chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, FF Cheddar Cheese & Salsa, Tangelo
Dinner- Hamburger from New Deal Cafe :)

You have to try this recipe!

Hey All,

I tried the most amazing recipe tonight! I just HAVE to share!

I got the recipe from Cooking Light (my FAVE magazine). The recipe was for Chicken and Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce. At only 350 calories per WHOOPING 1.5 cup serving, it was GREAT! BMan and Jess liked it too!

I served mine with broccoli spears. Try it soon! I promise you'll LOVE it!

P.S. I also used Whole Wheat Egg Noodles instead of plain egg noodles and I added a little more
chicken broth to keep it from getting dry.

Anywho, here's my menu for today! :)

Breakfast- Eggbeater Spanish Omelet
Lunch- 1 Cup Fresh Market Minestrone Soup & 1 Serving Stacy's Plain Bagel Chips, 1oz. Boar's Head Maple Roasted Chicken
Afternoon Snack- Tangelo & a few baked chips
Dinner- Chicken and mushrooms in garlic white wine sauce, broccoli spears


Now that the weather is getting GORGEOUS, all I want to do is be outside! What are your favorite ways to enjoy the Fall weather while working out?

XOXO,
M

I suck . . .

I know, I know . . . I am a terrible blogger.

Sorry for the delay folks! I've been neglecting you and my blogging duties.

Saturday was my birthday so forgive me.

Mostly, I have been sticking to my 1200 calorie or so limit and trying to feel better tummy-wise.

Here is the food plan for today:

Breakfast- ham and egg on wheat toast, a few grapes
Lunch- Potato Leek Soup & Leftover Squash & Zucchini
Afternoon Snack- Tangelo
Dinner- 2 FF Hebrew National Hotdogs with 1 lite wheat bun, ketchup, onions & 1/4 pickle. 50% Wheat Light Prep Kraft Mac & Cheese.

I hope you're all doing well!

XOXO,
M

Office Pitfalls

I know this is a common subject when it comes to dieting, but none the less, I feel it deserves to be blogged about.

The office, and the workday in general, is like navigating through a dark and dangerous Amazonian jungle. Stay with me here . . . There are a million ways to lose your way, get lost, and fail. There are wild beasts dead set on your destruction (co-workers), there are deep, murky waters that must be crossed (staff meetings that wouldn't be complete without pizza), and of course, treacherous quick sand (the boredom and monotony that make your mind think crazy things like, "its OK to eat out for lunch 5 days a week")!

So maybe I have a touch of hyperbole today, but I think everyone can identify with this struggle. Well, at least everyone who is a normal, contributing member of society.

Let's say [hypothetically, of course ;)] that there are co-workers in your office who complain about their size (Please see my SB post). And yet, nearly everyday of the week these same colleagues sample the delectable and waist-enlarging fare of establishments such as Moe's, Taco Bell, Jimmy John's, and this little Chinese place that smells like heaven every damn time. Would you want to strangle these people? I would. Hypothetically, of course.

The office is a real struggle for me. I sit all day behind a computer. I try EXTREMELY hard to bring breakfast and lunch everyday and control what I eat. But when people insist on eating take out almost every day- and asking me whether I want some or not- it's truly hard to resist.

How do you combat the office pitfalls? What kind of machete do you wield?

XOXO,
M

Today's Menu:
Breakfast- Applesauce
Lunch- Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Caribbean wing sauce OTS, a few fries, and some spinach/artichoke dip (It's my best friend's birthday so we went out to lunch.)
Dinner- Cattleman's Meeting- I have no idea what they'll serve but I imagine it will involve steak and potatoes.

Today's Menu

So yesterday I went with the risotto and shrimp option for dinner that was suggested by my beloved reader B. She is a wonderful source of advice on everything! And NOT to be confused with BMan.

Anywho, I am not feeling particularly literary at the moment so I will just let you know the food plan for today:

Breakfast- Eggbeater & Sausage Casserole with Bread & FF Cheese
Morning Snack- Half Banana
Lunch- Leftover tilapia and noodles with the other half of my banana
Afternoon snack- unsweetened applesauce
Dinner- Broiled Salmon with 1 TBSP of Teriyaki sauce, Baked Potato with FF Sour cream & Chives

This is my third day eating seafood for dinner, hopefully my cholesterol will thank me! I know my tummy is starting to!

As for this weekend, the BMan and I have a marriage prep class and we are going to finish up his Master's Thesis. Then I think we deserve a little celebration-in moderation!

Have a great weekend!

XOXO,
M

The BRAT Diet

No, I am not talking about being obnoxious or complaining because you can't eat what you want. The BRAT diet was prescribed to me yesterday because I am having a flare up of my ulcerative colitis. I have to follow it for about a week, or until I begin feeling better.

BRAT stands for:
B- Bananas
R- Rice
A- Applesauce
T- Toast

Hence, the BRAT diet is essentially a low-residue, low-fiber diet. Basically, this means I am severely restricted in the items we might normally consider "healthy." And this is where I have gotten off-track on so many diets before- its much easier to pick up some low-fiber low-residue tortilla chips or white bread rather than a healthy snack of hummus and veggie dippers or whole wheat bread.

Here are examples of foods that are OFF LIMITS:

• Fibrous meats such as beef or tough cuts of pork
• whole grains, oats, nuts & seeds
• popcorn
• carbonated beverages or sugary drinks
• Vegetables
• Salad greens
• UNprocessed fruit
• Skins from potatoes & fruit
• More than 2 cups of dairy products
• Beans
• Fruit juices with pulp
• pepper
• hot sauce
• ETC

Here's what I CAN eat:

• Poultry and cooked fish
• Mashed or Baked potatoes
• white rice
• white pasta (limited)
• white bread
• canned fruit (except pineapple)
• applesauce
• ripe bananas
• soups
• limited canned or well cooked veggies with no seeds or pulp
• scrambled eggs
• tender, ground, well cooked meats

So, I get frustrated and upset- with the lack of choice and with the lack of what I see as healthy foods. Hopefully I can stay on track with my weight loss and also get better at the same time.

Below are some articles on the low-fiber, low-residue diet. I particularly like the first one- its a cookbook written by two UC sufferers with some low-fiber, low-residue recipes and advice. I might have to pick up a copy! http://www.colitiscookbook.com/

http://www.gicare.com/pated/edtgs02.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_residue_diet

PLUS- I've lost about 5 lbs. so far! WOOHOO! Thanks for all the encouragement and words of support!

Here's is today's BRATty menu- please help me with dinner suggestions!

Breakfast- scrambled egg white with toast (thanks BMan for cooking for me)
Lunch - Creamy Chicken Soup at Hand and ham sandwich- maybe a pudding
Dinner- Baked Potato Bar? What do you think of this idea?
I bake a couple of potatoes and I top mine with, well, just about nothing, and the BMan can top his with chili & cheese, or broccoli & cheese, or something else yummy?

Let me know!

XOXO,
M

Tough Times

Hello Again,

I feel like I have been gone forever even though its only been a couple of days. For those of you who didn't know, yesterday I had a colonoscopy and my first treatment with the clinical trial.

I had resolved that after the colonoscopy (since you have to empty yourself completely first), the only things I would put in my body would be healthy. This would help my body adjust and be a whole new composition of only good-for-you foods. My line of thought was that this could only help my digestion and my entire intestinal tract.

Today I feel weak, and sore, and tired. And most of all, I have quite a bit of abdominal pain after I eat. So today's menu includes low-residue, bland foods. These are to help ease my body back into eating and digesting with as little pain as possible. As for exercise, I'm not sure thats going to happen today seeing as how its taking me effort to lift my arm and the doctor's are suggesting narcotics for the pain.

But before I get to today's menu, what do you do when you feel worn out and exhausted? So you have any low-impact fitness tips for me? Are there any activities or meals that jump start you? Or is it just better to lay down, put your feet up, and rest every once in awhile?

I don't know about you- but I think that's just what my body is calling for today!

XOXO,
M

Today's Menu- Plus Water & Lemonade Gatorade (I need to rebalance my electrolytes)

Breakfast- 1 plain bagel with scallion cream cheese
Lunch & Snacks (split throughout the day) - 99% FF Chicken Broth with brown rice and 1 shredded chicken breast
Dinner- 1 baked tilapia fillet with 1/2 sweet potato and some sauteed squash & zucchini topped with melted romano cheese.
Plus MAYBE a 100 calorie pudding for dessert, if I feel ok.

CAUTION- this is only about 1000 or less calories per day and isn't recommended normally.