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.

World's Greatest Invention- The Steamer Basket!

My fiance's mother likes to shop at garage and yard sales. And she is always finding little gadgets and doodads to give me as gifts when we go down to the PC to visit. Usually, the gift is some sort of random kitchen accoutrement because (in case you didn't know, or couldn't tell) I wanted to be a chef for a very long time growing up and I still enjoy cooking quite a bit.

A few visits ago, my soon-to-be Mother In Law presented me with an outdated William's Sonoma (my favorite store) box with a $1 sticker on it. Inside was a steamer basket. Never having used one before, or seeing the importance of this metal device, I said a simple thank you and went about my business.

But recently (as in just this week) I have come to see this steamer basket as the World's Greatest Invention!

SO HOW COME I NEVER KNEW ABOUT IT?

Well, the answer to that is very simple. My mother believed that vegetables came out of a Birds Eye box, were placed in a pan full of water, boiled and then topped off with a large PAT of butter.

OH YES, In the South, even vegetables are unhealthy. If you've never had green beans without bacon in them, you know what I am talking about.

So how am I combatting this? By steaming damn near everything.

While its hard to forget some of my most beloved (and calorie-laden) family recipes, I think the best way to beat them, is to change them!

So I have begun altering my family's cherished recipes to cut out fat, cholesterol, and calories wherever possible. And I hope, if you're interested, to post some of these new-and-improved recipes here.

So what family recipes have you changed, do you miss or crave?

Happy Steaming!

XOXO,
M

This isn't a family recipe but it is a REALLY good one that I LOVE! It's Based on my favorite Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen.

Southwestern Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

1 Reduced Fat/ Whole Wheat Pizza Crust or Reduced Fat Tortillas (for extra low-carb or low-cal)

2-3 boneless skinless Chicken tenders

1 can seasoned black beans

2 TBSP Mojo Marinade

1/4 C Sliced Red Onion

Fat Free Cheddar Cheese, shredded

75% Fat Free Jalapeno Jack Cheese, shredded

Tomatillo Salsa

Fat Free Sour Cream, if desired.

Pre-heat oven to 350-375 degrees

If using tortillas, bake on a cookie sheet until lightly crisped.

Marinade chicken tenders in Mojo for at least 5 minutes.

Saute until cooked through in a pan coated with cooking spray.

Chop into bite sized chunks.

Spread black beans (use 1/4 to 1/2 of can) onto crust/tortillas. Mash them as you spread.

Spread cheeses lightly across pizza

Top with chicken chunks and sliced red onions.

Bake until bubbly and browned on top. Serve with tomatillo salsa and sour cream, if desired. I also serve mine with a side salad.

Makes 4 Servings.

1/4 of the pizza (using a crust) contains 305 calories, 9g fat, 6g fiber, 26g protein.

Moody

Hello,

I'm moody today. I woke up that way. And to be honest- I didn't work out yesterday. I didn't over-eat either though. So I feel pretty OK about it. And the truth is, I tried. I got on my bike with every intention of riding the 1.7 miles to the library and the 1.7 miles back. But my butt hurts . . . bad. And I don't feel well, at all. Which will, hopefully, be remedied beginning on Monday.

So for now, here is my incredible, amazing, well-thought-out food plan for today. And the high hopes that I can motivate my lazy ass to move this afternoon.

MENU- Plus water & Crystal Light Lemonade

Breakfast-Eggbeaters Spanish Omelet

(This is a GREAT recipe I created at only 133 calories per serving. I make it the night before, separate it into 2 servings and eat it for breakfast for the next two days or -rarely- share the other half with the B-Man.)
Place one small potato (I use red-skinned) in the microwave until soft
In the meantime, chop:
1/2 one small onion
1/4 green bell pepper
3 slices of Jones Ham Slices
Cooked potato

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

In a small omelet pan over Medium heat, spray Pam or other no calorie cooking spray.
Place potatoes in the pan until browned.
Add vegetables and ham to pan and saute until soft and lightly browned (approx. 5 minutes)
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add 1/2 Cup of Eggbeaters or other Egg Substitute to the pan.
Sprinkle with Fat Free Cheddar Cheese- less than 1/4 cup needed for the entire dish.
Place pan into the pre-heated over for approximately 10-15 minutes or until puffed up and cooked through.

This recipe makes 2 servings with 133 calories, 2G Fat, and 17G Protein.

Morning Snack- Royal Gala Apple
Lunch- 1 Cup Shepherd's Pie & 1 Cup of Steamed Green Beans
Afternoon Snack- 4 oz. of Cucumbers with 2TBSP. of Light Zesty Italian Dressing (in the neato to-go packets they come in now!)
Dinner- 4oz. Grilled Flank Steak marinated in FF Catalina dressing, 1/2 sweet potato and 3/4 Cup of Asparagus Cuts.

Hope you all have a better day than I am having!

XOXO,
M

Frustration

Before I get into the reason for my frustration, I just wanted to let you know that I did well AGAIN at the fraternity house last night. I chose to bring my own Tupperware full of shepherd's pie and steamed green beans, as well as a whole wheat biscuit. That way, I could eat with everyone and be social while still adhering to my diet AND feeling less tempted to eat a damn chicken wing.

Alas, I think the chicken wing will always be an issue for me.

Any who, on to the source of my frustration:

WATER

Yesterday, I was instructed by a doctor to drink more than a gallon of fluids a day. Of this gallon, one quart must be lemonade- don't ask, I have kidney issues.

So I did some research into water.

Obviously, the effects of water on weight are well known. Drink more, lose more. Flush it out. Stay hydrated. Replace what you sweat out. ETC ETC . . .

BUT, what about if I am watching my sodium intake? Drinking more than a gallon of water a day could likely kill me. (Bear with my hypochondria here for a minute.)

Obviously, I see the pluses:

1. Burning additional calories
2. Speeding up my metabolism
3. washing away the increased protein in my kidneys
4. staying hydrated
5. Making you feel full longer
6. Suppressing the appetite
7. THE LIST GOES ON . . . .

But what about the very real, and often forgotten minuses (please remember, I am not talking about drinking 8 glasses of water a day- I am talking about doubling that! 16 glasses, 128 oz., 1 GALLON!!)

1. Water Intoxication

OK, so maybe that's the only minus I can think of, and maybe that just means I can afford to feel less guilty about my 98% Fat Free, Healthy Harvest, Reduced Everything else, FULL Sodium Soups that I enjoy so much?

Here are a couple of other articles I found interesting on water and dieting.

Article on water and weight loss- including the risk of sodium imbalance.
http://walking.about.com/cs/howtoloseweight/a/water011204.htm

Here's an article I found that's just for fun. It discusses the top 10 LEAST healthy foods and how to detox from them using water:
http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-education3/36-water-top-ten-least-healthy-food.htm

I hope this keeps you as entertained at work today as it did me.

Stick with it!

XOXO,
M

PS: Today's Menu - AND DON'T FORGET THE WATER!!

Breakfast- Breakfast Casserole
Morning Snack- Gala Apple
Lunch- 98% FF Clam Chowder, 2oz. Boars Head Honey Maple Ham, 100 Cal. Chocolate Pudding
Afternoon Snack- 4 oz. Cucumber slices
Dinner- Oat bran pita with 4oz. baked chicken breast with canned diced tomatoes & Tsp. Plain FF Yogurt, 1 Cup of Fresh Steamed Broccoli and MAYBE 1/2 C. of Brown rice

Workout-
I'M BORED ALREADY!! My butt hurts from riding my bike, Jessie is tired after walking for 10 minutes (to her defense she has black fur and its HOT) and I need something new to do today!

Any suggestions? :)

Ulcerative Colitis/Crohn's Disease

I know this has absolutely NOTHING to do with most people's ideas of weight loss and fitness but it has everything to do with mine.

Here are a couple of articles and blogs my Godmother sent me this morning. I particularly enjoyed reading the comments. It makes me feel less alone in my disease.

XOXO,
M

Not sure if you saw this, a good series on NYT about Crohns

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/voices-of-crohns-disease/

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/irritable-bowel-syndrome/overview.html

I hate skinny bitches

I know it sounds harsh. But its true! I don't hate all skinny women. That would take too much time. And I am also well aware that many, like me, have to work extremely hard to stay as slim as they are in order to EARN that piece of chocolate cheesecake or pile of delicious chicken wings.

But to those of you who hover around the dessert table, eat pizza, and bread sticks, and drink alcohol like there is no tomorrow, and wouldn't know exercise if a treadmill and spandex smacked you in the face- I hate you. Pure and simple.

Ok, now that I got that off of my chest (and I feel MUCH better, thank you!) I actually managed to do quite well yesterday at the fraternity for dinner. I avoided the dessert table (unlike my before mentioned skinny counterparts), I had some lean meats, and kept my fatty meats to a minimum. Oh and I jumped on the few veggies I saw ASAP! I even steered clear of the sweet tea! WOOHOO GO ME!!!!!

Now, tonight will be a totally different story. Because tonight is Live Music and (dum dum dum) . . . CHICKEN WINGS. I know that I cannot possibly hope to stick to this diet forever if I eliminate chicken wings. But considering the fact that I just started last week, I think that if I fell off the bandwagon now, I might never get back on. So, I must come up with an alternative.

Here are my choices:
1. California Chicken Grill- Grilled Chicken Breast, Steamed Veggies, yellow rice & Salsa
2. Homemade Shepherd's pie that I have in the fridge- made with lean beef & FF everything else (PS- this option is free and there is enough to share with my other wing avoiding women folk)
3. Bento or some other asian steamed option

Before you choose, here is how my yesterday went, and what I have planned for the rest of today:

Last night I took the dog for a long walk and then I walked to the gym in my complex. Then I rode the stationary bike, stretched and did crunches, and did light intervals on the treadmill for 20 minutes (i'm just starting out again).

Today's Menu and Workout Plan:

Breakfast
Breakfast Casserole- Sausage & Egg Beaters baked with FF Cheddar Cheese- 306 Cals & YUM

Morning Snack
8 Baby Carrots

Lunch
2oz. Boars Head Cajun Roast Beef, Light Italian Flat Out Wrap, Lettuce & Tomato
1 Reduced Sodium Campbell's Soup at Hand Tomato Soup

Afternoon Snack
Gala Apple

Dinner
?

Workout
A bike ride and dog walk

XOXO,
M

Dancing

Lots more to come later. But for now, enjoy this article that I really found interesting and a good reason to go out to the clubs again:

http://living.health.com/2008/05/01/the-best-stay-young-secret-yet-dancing/

Starting Food And Challenges

Today's Menu-



Breakfast

1/4 cup scrambled egg beaters

2 slices canadian bacon



Morning Snack

12 Baby Carrots

Lunch
Campbell's Select Healthy Request Italian Wedding Soup

Afternoon Snack

Gala Apple

Dinner

Beast Feast at AGR- this worries me a little, as I don't know what will be there to eat. Perhaps I will bring some carrots and celery sticks with dip with me just to moderate?

So far I have received some great feedback from some amazing women and friends that I love dearly. I know that together we can all do this!

XOXO,

M

The beginning of the end

Ok, So I have always wondered . . . what's the big deal about blogging? And who has time to read this crap anyway?

But I have decided- this is an excellent way to keep myself accountable. Accountable to what you might ask?

My weight loss journey.

I'm no stranger to dieting, working out, losing and subsequently re-gaining the weight. Almost every woman I know is trying to lose weight or keep some off.

My journey began 9 years ago in high school. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at the age of 14. The treatment? Prednisone. A steroid. This caused my weight to go from a healthy-ish 140 to 190lbs. in a matter of months.

Since then I have struggled with my weight. Getting back down to about 170 by the end of high school (-20).

About 140 by my sophomore year in college (-30 more).

And since then, 3 years later, I have hovered between 138 and 160. Now I am getting married in exactly 6 months. I have the dress of my dreams, the man of my dreams, and I refuse to let my weight keep me from having the wedding of my dreams.

So here is my plan- in the next 6 months I will lose 18.5 lbs or more and achieve a BMI of 24.9 -Considered HEALTHY.

This will bring me to 136 lbs. A very attainable goal of -3lbs a month.

And here is how I will do it.

1. By journaling my daily food intake both on dailyplate.com and here in my blog.
2. By reducing my calorie intake and finding substitutions for all the foods I crave
3. By increasing my fitness level, slowly but surely (I'll need help with this one guys!)
4. By blogging about how much this process sucks! How much I want to eat this or that. And how much I DONT want to go to the gym after work everyday. While also sharing with you stories, articles, and recipes that I have found helpful to my weight loss journey.

Please comment, share your struggles, encouragement, and recipes. And please feel free to KICK MY ASS into shape! I need it!!!

Because, THIS Time's A Charm!

XOXO,
M