Sunday, December 11, 2011

The End? The Beginning?



Whoops! I wrote the whole post (below) thinking that this was the last post of the challenge.  Looks like I have one more week of redemption!  So not planning to quit, not ever. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Well, we made it through the challenge.  I for one, stuck with it, but didn't do so well.  I'm glad I stuck to this as it really made me think each week.  I'm not going to join any more challenges for the moment but I'm not going to give up and stop. I just need to find out how to succeed.  I know what I want, I just need to commit myself to doing it. 

So thank you Mir for hosting this challenge.  I've enjoyed every one of your butt kicking posts.  I'll keep reading and follow along with the people in your next challenge. I wish you and the others the best! 

Weight:  I'm up like 2 lbs. I ate horrible this week. So I'm ending the challenge weighing in more than I was at the beginning.  Embarrassing and I'm mad as heck about that.  Obviously, the jacket still doesn't fit.  It's still in my closet though!

Exercise:  Bad week, ice has made it unfit for running outside and the treadmill and I still need to get reacquainted. 

Book:  I'm forever grateful that Mir recommended Wheat Belly.  It really was the key to me figuring out this gluten intolerance.  Loved the book and am continuing to learn more and more about it. 

Monday, December 5, 2011

Almost the end?



Whoops, sorry this is late.  Busy, busy weekend.  I have extra daycare kids here today so I was trying to get my kids to do a few lessons last night so they could play with their friends today. That's the beauty of homeschool, the flexibility. 

I still am far away from fitting into a whole bunch of winter clothes.  I have a whole bunch that I was HOPING to fit into. Instead, I'm stuck at the same weight and it doesn't appear that I'm moving.  I need someone to smack me and tell me to get serious!  No, actually, I need to find that switch and just flip it and take it seriously.  That's what it comes down to, I'm just not taking it seriously.  It's pretty stupid, I know. 

Weight:  Pretty much the same.  Seriously, the last few months, it's has stayed remarkably the same.  I'll go up a few pounds, then down a few pounds.  I'll have one great week, then one stinky week.  Consistency is a huge issue.

Water:  Better, staying hydrated.

Exercise:  Decent.  I'm not walking or running quite as much as it's cold and icy now. I need to get used to the treadmill. Weights are going well.

I can't blame the holiday foods or anything in particular.  It's me. All me. I need to figure out how to get back on track. 

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Challenge Week 11



First up - check out this post on my recipe blog for Melt and enter us both to win a $500 giveaway! You have until November 30th to enter! Go enter the giveaway and then come back here. :-) 

Now that you have the prospect of winning $500, I can tell you that I had a crummy week.  All around crummy.

I ate bread. Lots of bread.  I can't blame Thanksgiving, we don't have the traditional gorge fest so it had nothing to do with that.  The 4 day weekend threw me but I wasn't doing too well before that either. 

All eating bread does is make you crave more bread.  So for the last few days, I wake up telling myself that I am not going to do it and then I find myself with 3 dinner rolls sopping up the leftover spaghetti sauce off my kids' plates.  Now I'm going to wake up tomorrow wanting to do the same.  I'm hoping that with the routine back to normal (and the dinner rolls gone) that we can get back to gluten free. All I get from the bread is a whopping headache and a gut that feels like it is going to explode. 

Weight:  Honestly, I didn't even look.  I wasn't purposely avoiding, I just didn't care. Yea, not good. 

Exercise:  Decent.  I've been consistently getting in 3 runs/walks a week but the last couple of weeks have been only 2 per week. It's getting cold and a few days have been icy.  All in all, it's been a gorgeous fall in Minnesota and I'm thankful that I am still able to run outside at all.  My run tonight went well.  I'm planning to go out Tuesday and Thursday night this week as well.

Water:  Eh.  Not as good as I would like.  The bread is soaking it all up. :-)

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Challenge Week 10


Well, if this were a challenge about maintaining your weight, then I would win, hands down.  At the beginning of the week I had some swelling and I gained like 5 lbs.  Odd, now it's back down. I was actually hoping it would be down as I felt I did good this week. I tracked and planned.  I went off track a couple of times but nothing major.  Ok, Mir wants a number, it's still hovering around 220.  I'll break in the teens and then hop back up. 

One day was kinda funny. I was in the mood to eat something sweet, so I started rummaging through the fridge and cupboards looking for "something".  Then realizing that yogurt or fruit were about the sweetest things here, I just gave up.  It so helps not to have junk in the house.  Oh, I did steal a few spoonfuls of ice cream at some point this week. Ice cream isn't a big trigger for me so I do sometimes keep it in the house for the kids.

Water is continuing to be bad. I've been consistently bad with water the last few weeks. I'm not sure why.  hmm... Gotta work on that. 

Exercise is still good. We got our first snow so running outside won't be happening much anymore.  Too bad as I hate the treadmill.  Guess I'll have to get used to it for the winter. The snow should be gone by Tuesday so hopefully I can get a couple of runs in this week before we get more.

End of the year paperwork is creeping up on me so it's getting busy. Plus, I'm super behind in writing up recipes and organizing photos on my other blog so I haven't had time to really focus on this one. 

So what are your plans for avoiding the holiday pies??  :-)

Monday, November 14, 2011

Challenge Week 9


I didn't feel like posting this week. I did still plan and keep track, just not on the blog.  I tried out a couple of online sites and tried it some different ways but really, I do better with just a notebook on my desk, really.  There is something to be said about seeing it in print on the screen that does make it a bit more real but yet, the pen and paper work.

I had a decent week, still ended up eating about 300 - 400 more calories than planned each day.  Grr.

Weight:  I'm up a pound, I ate weird stuff on Saturday but hopefully the scale won't reflect the junk too bad.

Water:  Actually, I had a bad week on water. It had become habit to drink a ton of water but I've slowly been going downhill on that.  I have a post it note on my desk reminding me to drink!

Exercise:  Pretty much the same.  Still running. I can't believe how long I am running!  I'm still running pretty darn slow but I'm running for longer and longer each week. I'll work on speed later.  I can't go to my weight training class for the next two weeks so I have to do that at home. Shouldn't be a problem. 

Let's hope for an awesome week!!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Challenge Week 8

Ok, confession time. 


The whole week went great. Really great.  Saturday morning I showed a 2 lb. + loss, despite me eating too much on Friday night.  Then I lost it.  Saturday started good.  We has a great morning out in service, then took 3 extra kids to The MN Science Museum and stayed there all day.  Then we brought pizza and breadsticks home.  And cookies.  All of course with gluten. 

Sigh. I indulged. 

Only because they smelled so good, I wasn't even overly hungry.  The stupid thing, is the mentality that, "Oh well, I already had a piece of pizza and a breadstick, I might as well have more.  I already had a cookie, I might as well have 2 more."  It was like I knew my body was already contaminated with the gluten so I might as well go all out.  Ya, I know, it doesn't make sense.  I didn't horribly binge or anything but I ate way too much and of course now I feel this brick of gluten in my belly.  Plus, the bread cravings are right back now.  Normally leftovers don't appeal to me but of course the leftover pizza and breadsticks in the fridge are driving me mad. 


Self inflicted torture.  That is what this is. I KNEW what would happen. Yet, I did it anyways. 


I'm sticking with the 2 lb. loss and hopefully after a couple of days of getting this crap out, we'll be back on track. 

**Ok, if you've been reading all this, I should tell you. I wrote the above this morning and never got around to finishing it. Now, it's 7:30 pm, I just finished my run for Brad's challenge AND, I just started my period. 

Hmmm...

I hate to place blame on why I indulged in pizza this time and not before on the time of the month but I'm wondering if it's related. Sure, I've seen somewhat patterns before but never anything definitive.  Usually, I'm having my period and I'll say something stupid like, "I'm having my period, it's okay to have the cookie."  Yea, excuse. But this time, I didn't forsee that time of the month approaching (I never keep track) and I honestly didn't know WHAT came over me. 

Moral of the long winded annoying story, I need to keep track and try to recognize it if it happens again. 

Weight:  I'm sticking with Saturday morning's weight of minus 2 lbs.

Exercise:  Very good, keeping up with Brad's challenge. It's getting tougher and everytime I think I'm done and can go no further, I find strength and get through the next workout.  I'm amazed.  I still have my Monday night weight class and am trying to do more during the week of real exercise. 

Water:  Good up until this weekend.  Operation flush and hydration continues tomorrow.

Book:  I've been learning more and more about going gluten free and finding it easier and easier.  *cough cough* except for the above pizza incident. 

I know that my weight skyrockets during my period, like 4 pound gain type of thing so I'm not weighing myself until Saturday.  Plan, plan, plan and I'll have success.  Pizza is NOT planned this week. 

Here is this weeks menu plan. I might switch days for things though.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Friday, Finally Friday

I'm tired. This week has lasted forever and I'm so ready to get some sleep this weekend!  I ate good yesterday, not great.  I nixed the salad and ate too much meat and honey mustard.  It was quick so it worked.  I was headed out the door to a class after dinner so I estimated on the quesadillas and rice.  Hopefully I estimated high. 

Thursday Eats:

Eggs, corn tortillas, cheese - 325
Yogurt - 100
Zucchini cheese soup - 185
Ham and Turkey - 250
Honey mustard - 60
Apple - 100
Quesadilla - 250
Southwest Rice and Beans - 250
Total = 1520

Fridays Plan:
Eggs, corn tortillas, beans, salsa - 325
Yogurt - 100
Zucchini cheese soup - 185
Southwest Rice & Beans with chicken - 300
Apple - 100
Garlic Chicken - 200
Gluten free fruit stuffing - 150
Butternut squash - 80
Total = 1440

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Thursday, Nov 3

Wow! I stuck to the plan perfectly today! I didn't add or subtract anything.  Amazing. I did alter the calories a bit based on the weight of the potato and how much the soup turned out to be.  Pretty darn close estimates though. 


Wednesday Eats:
Eggs, corn tortillas, cheese - 325
Yogurt - 100
Ratatouille Polenta Bake - 450
Salad - 150
Steak - 180
Potato w/sour cream - 150
Zucchini Cheese Soup - 185
Total = 1540


Thursday Plan:
Eggs, corn tortillas, cheese - 325
Yogurt - 100
Zucchini cheese soup - 185
Ham and Turkey - 150
Honey mustard - 30
Salad - 125
Quesadilla - 200
Southwest Rice and Beans - 250
Total = 1365

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Wednesday ~ November 2

I stayed on track again today. Woohoo!  The Ratatouille Polenta Bake was awesome!  It was like a veggie lasagna almost.  My brother thought it needed meat but I thought it was perfect!  Then I made a pumpkin mousse this afternoon.  Holy cow was this good! Trust me, ditch the pumpkin pie in Thanksgiving and make this.  I doubled the recipe and split it into 6 servings.  I ate 2 of them.  I had one, then went for a run and then indulged in another.  108 calories per serving, it will be okay.  :-)

Tuesday Eats

Eggs, corn tortillas, cheese - 325
Yogurt - 100
Pear fruit crisps - 40
Taco chili - 180
Salad - 150
Cheese - 100
Ratatouille Polenta Bake - 300
Pumpkin Mousse - 216
Total = 1411

I have kinda a big dinner planned, I might not eat the potato, we'll see how the rest of the day goes.  Big lunch too.  There are 3 portions of the Ratatouille left and while I'll try to just eat two, I know that there is a good chance I'll just scarf the other so I might as well plan for it.

Wednesday Plan:
Eggs, corn tortillas, cheese - 325
Yogurt - 100
Ratatouille Polenta Bake - 450
Salad - 150
Steak - 180
Potato w/sour cream - 175
Zucchini Cheese Soup - 125
Total = 1505

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Tuesday ~ November 1

Yesterday went well.  I didn't end up making quinoa last night as it turned out to be just me home. Plus there were tons of taco chili leftovers. 180 calories a cup and very filling. Nice. 

Tonight I'm planning a new recipe, I haven't figured out the calories yet.  I'm looking forward to another good day!


Monday Eats:


Eggs, Corn Tortillas, Cheese - 325
Leftover omelet from kids - 125
Yogurt - 100
Taco Chili - 180
Pecans - 150
Grapes - 50
Salad - 150
Taco Chili w/sour cream- 225
Peach fruit crisps - 30
String cheese - 80
Total = 1415


Tuesday Plan:
Eggs, corn tortillas, cheese - 325
Yogurt - 100
Pear fruit crisps - 40
Taco chili - 180
Salad - 150
Ratatouille Polenta Bake - 400
Popcorn or smoothie - 100 - 150
Total = 1295 - 1345

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Monday ~ October 31

I've been doing Brad's running challenge for 9 weeks now.  I've been regularly going to a strength training class for about 4 or 5 months now. I am stronger and have been enjoying the regular exercise. 

But I haven't lost any weight. 

It's highly annoying that I just haven't gotten my eating under control.  Each night and then in the morning I start out with the best of intentions and then just snack and blow it by the end of the day. 

So here I am again, with resolve to have a REALLY good week and not be satisfied with just maintaining and doing mediocre.  I so have to do better.


Sunday Eats:
Eggs, Corn Tortillas, Cheese - 325
Yogurt - 100
Corn Chips - 350
Cheese - 200
Potato - 125
Raisins - 130
Taco Chili - 180
Total = 1410

Monday Plan:
Eggs, Corn Tortillas, Cheese - 325
Yogurt - 100
2 cups Taco Chili - 360
Salad - 150
Chickpea Quinoa - 400
Total = 1335

Challenge Week 7


Don't worry, my lack of posting my food doesn't mean failure.  My schedule was odd this week and I didn't have to get up as early and by the time I got up, everyone was up and no time for morning blogging. 

I planned and sorta kinda stuck to the plan this week.  There was this chip incident that we won't talk about.  I maintained the gluten free thing but may have had a similar reactions to soy. Not sure yet, still trying to figure out these allergies and intolerance's still. 

I'm going to make this brief as I'm tired and want to go to bed.  Plus, I cut my finger on a cheese grater and it hurts to type. 

Weight is about the same.  Planning is still good.  Water is much better than last week.  I'm still reading and learning about the whole wheat free thing. Exercise is going good too.  Running was more difficult this week but I'm still giving it my all.

Finger hurts. Stop typing. 

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Tuesday ~ October 25, 2011

Well, I was right about yesterday, I knew I wouldn't want to cook with hubs and the brother gone. Plus, I had to rush out to my exercise class.   I ate decently but basically just snacked all day.  Still too many calories than desired.

Monday Plan:

Pecans - 200
Eggs, corn tortillas, cheese - 300
Vegetable Soup - 200
Apple - 100
Peanut butter - 150
Ham, Turkey & Mustard - 150
Pecans - 200
Yogurt - 100
Oat Bar - 190
Total - 1590

Tuesday Plan:
Pecans - 200
Veggie & Cheese Omelette - 250
Soup - 200
Salad - 125
Ham - 60
Yogurt - 100
Chipotle Bean Burritos - 400
Total - 1335

Monday, October 24, 2011

Monday Again

This is a fairly unusual week for me.  Hubs works practically every night and my brother is gone for the week.  So I'm just cooking for me and the kids.  I enjoy making new things but tend not to as much if it is just for me.  I was planning a quinoa dish tonight but I'm not sure I have all the ingredients, so I might just make some simple bean burritos.  I need to go shopping and get some veggies in the house.  I have carrots and celery but that's about it.  I have a bunch of frozen fruit for smoothies but nothing fresh. 

So - here is the vague plan for today. I already ate my nuts this morning, hopefully I can keep my fingers out of the bag for the rest of the day.

Monday Plan:
Pecans - 200
Eggs, corn tortillas, cheese - 300
Soup - 200
Smoothie - 100
Yogurt - 100
Bean Burritos - 400
Total - 1300

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Challenge Week 6




I feel like I'm on a treadmill.  Working hard, thinking about what I am eating constantly, yet...going no where.  The scale yesterday did read a 1 lb. loss but I then had a horrible weekend and ate way too much. 

We spent yesterday evening at the Emergency Room with my daughter. We were dancing to Just Dance and she cracked her knee and it made a horrible crunching sound and she couldnt' move. We thought it was dislocated but it turns out that it is just a bad sprain.  She has a knee brace and some crutches and will obviously be laying off the dancing for awhile. 

We left around dinner time and by the time we got out we were starving and went to Subway. I got a sandwich. With bread. Wheat bread.  So stupid.  I could totally feel it right away and have been paying for it all day today as well.  Bad choice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Weight:  One pound loss. I'm still eating way too much and just seem to be losing control.  Sometimes I just don't CARE which is really stupid.

Exercise:  We had an easy recovery week for running which wasn't the best for me mentally.  I started my week of running tonight and it was hard to get motivated after having an easy week.  I still was able to finish the scheduled run today and feel confident about the next jump in running time.  I did amp up the weights this week with the lower running schedule.  Plus, a whole lot of Wii Just Dance. 

Water:  So-so. I bombed this weekend, especially today.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.  I'm actually THIRSTY now, which means I'm dehydrated probably.  Off to bed though so I'll drink a ton tomorrow.

Book:  I didn't do a lot of reading this week. Actually, I did a ton of reading, just not the reading that I want to do. I've been reading The Hobbit with my two older kids and Robinson Crusoe with my baby.  (he's 9, not really a baby, but he's MY baby). 

Friday, October 21, 2011

Friday ~ October 21, 2011

I never got around to making the soup yesterday.  The school kids have Thursday and Friday off this week so I had 3 extra kids.  Three extra kids might not sound like a lot but I've noticed that with each addition of kid, it exponentially gets louder and crazier in the house.  So me standing in the kitchen cutting veggies for soup just didn't happen.  Today will be just as crazy, my plan is to make an awesome spaghetti sauce and eat it over zucchini. 

Thursday Results -

Omelette with Southwestern Rice - 250
Yogurt - 80
Tacos - 350
Fries - 200
Apple - 100
Oat Bar - 190
Salad - 250
Pecans - 250
Total - 1670


Friday Plan:
Eggs, Corn Tortillas, Peach Salsa - 300
Yogurt - 80
Tacos - 350
Salad - 125
Zucchini Spaghetti - 400
Popcorn - 100
Total calories = 1355

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Thursday ~ October 20, 2011

I think I made a gluten faux pas yesterday.  First, I ate a bite of one of the kids' waffles.  We were teasing her about taking a bite of her food and I snagged a piece before I even thought of it.  I also let the kids put chocolate chips on their waffles (bad mommy) and I ate a couple of handfuls.  Small handfuls but probably about 1/4 cup so about 280 calories. Yikes.


Okay, here is my problem. The bite of waffle and the chocolate chips were in the same 1/2 hour.  Almost immediately I felt the effects of the gluten in the waffle.  Does anyone know if Hershey's Chocolate Chips have gluten?  The ingredients say, "Natural Flavors" and I've been told to stay away from things that say that.  I looked online but there doesn't seem to be any concrete evidence either way.  I know, gluten or no gluten, I need to stay away from the stupid chocolate chips but really? A small bite of waffle and some gluten dust on CChips does THIS to me? I'm gassy and hurting like crazy.  I know, TMI.  It's really annoying though. 

I had no interest in tacos or chipotle chicken salad with an upset stomach so I ended up eating pecans and going to bed early.


Wednesdays Results:
Omelette with Southwestern Rice - 250
Yogurt - 80
Asian Broccoli Slaw - 375
Apple - 100
Chocolate Chips - 280
Pecans - 400
Total = 1485


Thursday Plan -
Omelette with Southwestern Rice - 250
Yogurt - 80
Tacos - 350
Apple - 100
Vegetable Soup = 200
Salad - 125
Smoothie - 150
Total - 1255

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Wednesday ~ October 19, 2011

I started rummaging around the kitchen too often yesterday.  I ate an apple and a bit of peanut butter before lunch.  I was so in a snacky mood.  Then I finished the little bit of sloppy joes in the frig, I don't think it was actually 200 calories but I'm not sure.  I told myself that I just wanted to get the containers out of the frig but it was just me with some serious snacking going on. Then I ate my nice healthy 300 calorie portion of the squash gratin.  And proceeded to eat more for another 200 calories, just because it was so tasty.  Moral of the story, I keep eating more calories than I want to!  I just need to stay out of the kitchen today!  (ya right)

Tuesday Results:

Omelette with southwest wild rice - 250
Yogurt - 80
Apple - 100
Peanut butter - 100
Asian Broccoli Slaw - 250
Pumpkin Sloppy Joes - 200
Salad - 125
Spaghetti Squash Gratin - 500
Popcorn - 100
Total = 1705




Wednesday Plan -
Omelette with Southwest Wild Rice - 250
Yogurt - 80
Asian Broccoli Slaw - 250
Spaghetti Squash Gratin - 300
Chipotle Chicken Salad - 400
Pineapple - 100
Total = 1380
Today I'm planning to eat more leftovers. I actually love having leftovers in the frig, it makes choices for lunch much easier.   Then I have a chipotle chicken salad I'm making for dinner while the rest of the crew will eat tacos. 
 
Plus I'll try not to be snacking!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Tuesday ~ October 18, 2011

Well, I stuck to the plan.  And I would have done awesome if I hadn't made some homemade peanut butter bars. They were small and highly caloric and I indulged in way too many.  I have to stop making desserts, they get me in trouble way too much. Now today I will be craving sugar all day. 

Monday's Results:

Eggs, Corn Tortillas, Peach salsa - 300
Yogurt - 80
Pumpkin Sloppy Joes - 200
Potatoes - 150
Salad - 125
Southwest Wild Rice Pilaf - 250
Broccoli - 50
Homemade bars - 600
Total = 1755

Tuesday Plan:
Omelette with southwest wild rice - 250
Yogurt - 80
Asian Broccoli Slaw - 250
Salad - 125
Spaghetti Squash Gratin - 400
Popcorn - 100
Total = 1205

I haven't figured out the calories for the spaghetti squash gratin yet but I think it's going to be pretty low cal for a healthy portion. I'm going to shoot for less calories today to make up for the peanut butter bar incident yesterday.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Monday ~ October 17, 2011

Having a plan last week really worked.  Writing it down really helped.  So we're trying it again.  Another week without gluten. 

Monday's Plan:
Eggs, Corn Tortillas, Peach salsa - 300
Yogurt - 80
Pumpkin Sloppy Joes - 200
Potatoes - 150
Salad - 125
Chicken - 150
Southwest Wild Rice Pilaf - 250
Broccoli - 50
Total = 1305

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Challenge Week 5




Well, I for sure ate too much this weekend. I still managed to stay gluten free which I am very happy about though.  I ate about 1800 calories both Saturday and Sunday.  Overall, I think I had a great week and am very pleased.  I succeeded in planning, and for the most part, I stuck to the plans fairly well.  I didn't eat any wheat or gluten this week and I feel really good about that. 

Weight:  It stayed the same.  I am not bothered about this.  I refuse to be a slave to the scale and don't want to feel the need to look to it for redemption.  I did GOOD this week. I set out to do what I planned and I'm building muscle with regular exercise. So phooey on the scale. 

Calories:  Very good. In a perfect world I would like to continue to lower it a bit.  I want to keep regular on the planning and tracking.  Lowering the calories will come. 

Exercise:  I still did my 3 days of Brad's 100 days to run a 5K challenge.  He raised the bar and I was afraid of the jump in running but was pleased to see that I was able to do it.  I had my weight training on Monday night and I used weights at home on Thursday and Friday.  We're also a bunch of dancing fools here.  We now have Just Dance 3 and it's really so much fun.  Quite the workout too.  Plus, just being able to spend time with the family and laughing is priceless. 

Water: I did good until this weekend.  Well, today was fine but yesterday, I just forgot to drink. No idea why.  We went to the corn maze, it was gorgeous but super windy so I was really cold.  The kids had fun.  I just forgot to drink throughout the day.  It's harder when the schedule is different. 

Book:  I'm now alternating between Wheat Belly and Elisabeth Hasselbeck's G-Free Diet book.  While I love the facts in Wheat Belly, parts of it are not easy to read, especially when I'm in the car with kids yelling and singing and stuff.  It's getting very technical as he's showing proof of what wheat can do to you.  He's associated wheat as a problem with many diseases, neurological problems and even aging.  It's really quite fascinating.  Elisabeth's book is an easier read and I'm learning a lot.  I don't like her term "G-Free" though. It makes it seem more like a fad. It's okay though, I am still enjoying the book. I just wish I had more time to sit and read!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Bad eating day. I just munched and ate all day it seems.  Plus, I drank 250 calories!  I have been only drinking water for a long time, but Costco has these flavored drinks that I used to drink that are only like 10 calories.  Well, when the husband came home with these, I THOUGHT that these were the ones.  Then I find out that they are 50 calories a serving at 2.5 servings a piece.  Grr.  I drank 2 of them and there are still a ton of them here. I hate to pawn them off on the kids because they don't need the extra calories either.  So we might just share one a day or something, we'll see. 

We went to some friends house for a bible study and had a lot of fun. My friend had a gluten free chocolate cake that was awesome!  I just had a small piece as it did have sugar. 

Friday Results:

Veggie omelet with peach salsa = 140
2 vitawaters - 250
Yogurt - 80
Blueberries - 50
Southwest Casserole - 500
Salad - 150
Cheese - 200 
Teriyaki broccoli slaw - 300
Gluten free chocolate cake - 250
Total - 1920 calories

Sadly, I have no idea what to expect for the weekend.  Often my husband works all weekend and it's much easier to plan meals when I am home. Well, he has the whole weekend off and we're planning to do a bunch of stuff tomorrow.  I made a big batch of teriyaki broccoli slaw tonight so I'm planning to eat that for lunches. I'm really going to try to avoid eating out. 

I've had a good week for eating so the scale should look good but so far it isn't budging.  Hmmm...  Hopefully tomorrow it will be nicer.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Friday, October 14, 2011

I stuck to the plan pretty well. The southwest rice casserole turned out to be more caloric than I thought. Lots of cheese, yum.  As far as I can tell, I've been gluten free the entire week, yet something made me quite gaseous this evening.  I've eaten black beans before with out problem so I can't imagine it being that.  I had Campbell's Chicken & Wild Rice Soup and it appeared to be gluten free, but I'm wondering? 

Sorry if this is TMI. One of my reasons for wanting to write all this down is so I know what I am eating and to find out what is happening with my body!  I am noticing the lack of veggies, despite the fact that my frig has a ton of them.  Even though the pumpkin applesauce is healthy, I should have stuck to the salad with veggies. 

Thursday Results:

Raisins - 130
Eggs, corn tortillas & peach salsa - 300
Chicken wild rice soup - 200
Homemade Pumpkin Applesauce - 200
Cheddar Cheese - 100
Southwest casserole - 500
Total = 1430


Friday Plan:
Veggie omelet with peach salsa = 140
Yogurt - 80
Blueberries - 50
Southwest Casserole - 500
Salad - 150
Teriyaki broccoli slaw - 250
Misc - 200
Total - 1370
 
We're going to a friends house for bible study after dinner and they are bound to have something to eat so I'm allowing 200 misc. calories for such thing.  She is gluten free as well so I don't have to worry about there being cake or something.  Hopefully...

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Thursday, October 12, 2011

Well, I stuck to the plan.  Except that I ate too much apple risotto.  Holy cow that stuff was good!!  I meant to have 200 calories worth which would have been 1 portion but I ended up eating almost 2.  Grr.  I'll try to stick with this blog planning for awhile. Don't be alarmed if I drop off the face of the earth again though.  It won't necessarily mean I failed, it might just mean I'm sick of blogging again.


Wednesdays Results:


Raisins - 130
Eggs, corn tortillas & peach salsa = 300
Asian Quinoa = 250
Salad = 125
Yogurt = 80
Blueberries = 50
Steak = 180
Apple Risotto = 400
Broccoli = 50
Total = 1565

Thursday Plan:
Raisins - 130
Eggs, corn tortillas & peach salsa - 300
Chicken wild rice soup - 200
Salad - 150
Yogurt - 80
Blueberries - 50
Southwest casserole - 400
Popcorn - 100
Total = 1410

I ran again this morning, I usually prefer Monday, Wednesday and Friday but  I don't have my early daycare child tomorrow morning so I get to sleep in!  No getting up at 5 am, yea! I feed the baby and he goes right back to sleep in the same room as my husband is so I'm free to go run!  Plus, it's supposed to be cold and windy tomorrow. 

I'm still running pretty slow but I'm running for longer distances.  I'm amazed each week at the progress.  If you want to learn to run, I really, really, really recommend Brad's challenge.  It looks like he starts a new batch of runners once a month so I highly recommend you take a look at his program. You post weekly results with him to keep you accountable and he is constantly giving you motivation. It is perfect for a beginner like me.  I am currently in week 7 and I really didn't think I'd make it this far. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Wednesday, October 12, 2011



The pecans were my downfall today. I ate my soup and then had this overwhelming desire to snack.  I didn't have any thing "bad" in my house to snack on but I really wanted something.  I should have just let it go and forgot about it.  Or better yet, had the salad that I had planned. But instead, I knew there were a small bit of pecans left.  I was saving them to make granola.  Well, the pecans are gone.  I had about 1/2 cup or 2 oz.  So way too many calories. 

The only good thing about eating so many pecans was that I wasn't hungry for the rest of the afternoon.  I wasn't overly hungry for dinner and should have had less but it was so GOOD!  I made like a fried rice with ham, peas, pineapple & egg but with quinoa. I'm very happy how it turned out.  1 cup is 240 calories, 16 grams of protein and super filling. 

Tuesday Results =
Eggs, corn tortillas & Peach salsa = 300
Banana = 100
Enchilada Soup - 185
Cheese - 110
Pecans - 400
Applesauce - 200
Asian Quinoa - 250
Total = 1545

Tomorrow, more leftovers. Plus a new apple risotto recipe for dinner.  I'm hoping to go for my 3 mile walk/run in the morning if it isn't raining!  (that's why I have the raisins, to give me energy while running!)

Wednesdays Plan
Raisins - 130
Eggs, corn tortillas & peach salsa = 300
Yogurt = 80
Blueberries = 50
Asian Quinoa = 250
Salad = 125
Steak = 180
Apple Risotto = 200 ( haven't figured out calories yet)
Broccoli = 50
Total = 1365

If you want to see my dinner menu plan, check my post from Sunday. I switched around the days a bit but it's still part of the plan.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tuesday ~ October 11, 2011



Hey, hop on over to my other blog and enter my giveaway. It's for this awesome book about family dinners and keeping the family closer. It has a lot of good points and I really enjoyed the book!

I did good yesterday, basically stuck to The Plan. I decided against making chicken salad as there are a TON of leftovers in the frig.

Monday Results:
Raisins - 130

Eggs, corn tortillas, peach salsa = 300
Homemade Pumpkin Applesauce - 225
Enchilada Soup = 185
Salad = 125
Yogurt = 80
Blueberries = 50

Pumpkin Oat Bar = 240
Popcorn - 100

Total = 1435


Tuesday's Plan:
Eggs, corn tortillas, peach salsa = 300
Yogurt = 80
Blueberries = 50
Salad = 125
Enchilada Soup = 185
Pumpkin Applesauce = 225
Asian Style Quinoa = 400
Total = 1365
 
I still have peach salsa that I made from last week. It's awesome and I love it on eggs!  I'll be eating this all week most likely.  Plus a ton of enchilada soup in the frig.  I made pumpkin applesauce that is delicious and I decided to have that as a snack.  I'm not entirely sure of the calories, I just estimated based on what regular unsweetened applesauce would be.  I'm planning to make a new quinoa dish tonight.  I'm hoping it will be like fried rice, just with quinoa instead. 

Monday, October 10, 2011

The Plan


Ok, so I've been severely lacking in the planning area and it's taking a toll on me.  Here's the plan for today. In a perfect world, I'd do this daily and then update at night, knowing me, it won't last but I'll give it a shot.

Raisins - 130
Eggs, corn tortilla, peach salsa = 300
Pumpkin Oat Bar = 240
Enchilada Soup = 185
Salad = 150
Yogurt = 80
Blueberries = 50
Chicken Salad = 300
Total = 1435

I'm off now for my 3 mile walk/run and I have my exercise class this evening. 

Probably not enough veggies and I'm actually not sure if there are any pumpkin oat bars left. I made them yesterday and I THINK there are two in the frig.  I'll probably munch on celery while making the chicken salad. And with 150 calories planned for the salad, I should be able to throw a ton of veggies on there, I have broccoli, peppers and cukes in the frig.

That is the plan.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Challenge Week 4



Ugh, I've been meaning to write this all weekend and just never got around to it.  So here it is, at the last minute! 

Busy weekend, it's been gorgeous outside so we went on walks, bike rides and played baseball.  Unusual to have this many good weekends in October.  I'll take them for as long as possible though!

1.  Weight:  Gained a pound. I'm back where I started from. I ate like crap this week.  It's frustrating, and annoying.

2. Calories:  Still too many, I'm still tracking, but not planning.  It's stupid.  I'm really, really, really hoping to change that this week.  Crap is out of the house and we're stocked with fruits and lots of veggies.  We just need to tell the stupid fruit flies to get out!

3.  Exercise:  Very good still. I'm still on track with the 5Kin100days challenge.  I MIGHT have to repeat a week coming up here though, we're making quite a jump in the amount of running and last week kicked my butt. We'll see how tomorrow mornings run goes.  Weight strengthening class on Monday as usual, I'm going to up the weights this week and see how it goes.

4.  Water:  Along with my crappy eating, I've done bad with water. Usually this is fine but I can tell that I need more. 

5. Book:  Still reading Wheat Belly and continuing to learn and enjoy it.  I also got a couple of gluten free books at the library that I want to read.  I'd have more time for reading if I didn't have to help the kids with their literature.  The daughter is reading The Hobbit so I'm reading with her so she understands it better. 

I've been eating wheat all week and I can feel it. It started last Sunday, we went out to eat and then I just developed this "screw it" attitude for the rest of the week.  My body paid for it and I am eager to get the wheat and sugar out of my system and get back on track.  :-)




Saturday, October 1, 2011

Challenge Week 3



Yea, yea. I know I've been bad at blogging.  I actually am thinking about changing my other blog into more of  a healthy living blog rather than just for recipes.  I'm not sure.  The problem is, I go through streaks of wanting to write.  I'm often way too tired to be creative and I don't want to HAVE to blog.  I don't want it to feel like a job or something I need to get done by the end of the week or day.  Recipes are easy.  I'm already planning meals, cooking and mostly figuring out the calories so just adding a picture and a small bit of commenting is fairly easy. Anyways, I'm rambling but who knows, maybe you'll see some changes on the other blog.

I've already been making food changes.  I've been making mostly gluten free meals.  There are still some that are not, these have either been made for others or were made before I made this decision.  I've really felt good about not eating wheat and it's going well. 

Anyways, enough rambling.  Here are my DO-IT's for the challenge.

1. Weight - I only lost 1 pound. I wanted more but I've still been eating too much.  Good stuff, no wheat and very little sugar but nevertheless, too much. 

2.  Calories - Too many.  Right around 1800 - 2000 per day probably.  It's stupid, I know it. 

3. Exercise - It's still awesome.  I can't believe it.  I'm walking/jogging every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 6 am. In the dark. It's creepy and getting darker all the time. Getting colder too.  The mornings have still been decent but I'm going to have to start bundling up pretty soon.  So much better than the treadmill though. I find that incredibly boring and couldn't imagine doing 3 miles, 3 times a week on that thing!

4. Water - Glug, glug, glug.  I had a diet coke this morning, other than that, it's been 100% water all week and lots of it!

5.  Book - Wheat Belly. I didn't make any progress in reading more this week. I did however recommend it to several including a nutritionist who taught a class I went to today.  I love the book and totally believe in it.  I am looking forward to finishing it soon!


Saturday, September 24, 2011

Challenge Week 2



I like having this challenge. It keeps me focused.  It keeps me from reaching back into the pecans for a second or third handful.  Sometimes. 

1. Weight: Well, I broke even. I started at 221, didn't weigh in last week after vacation and then today I was back at 221. I was hoping for better but not really surprised.  I essentially gained a pound on vacation and then lost it this week.  *sigh* I'll do better. I promise.

2.  Calories:  I've been tracking my calories but not planning right.  Essentially, I'm eating and then at the end of the night, I calculate and realize, "Oh gee, I shouldn't have had that blank..."  So I've been consuming around 500 calories more than I should have each day.  Some days better than others.  I have however been eating the right things.  No wheat and highly limited sugar. I just need to plan and stop eating that extra handful of pecans or this homemade peanut butter granola that was SOOOOOO good with vanilla yogurt.

3.  Exercise:  This has been strong still. Yea me!  Three days with Brad's Learn to Run a 5K in 100 Days running challenge.  It's getting tough as the weeks are going on but I'm still sticking with it. I'm not running very fast for sure but I am running.  Then the exercise class on Monday, plus I'm trying to work the same muscles on Thursdays at home with weights.  Then there is the weekly jam sessions on Just Dance 2.  That is always fun.  Didn't make my 70,000 steps this week but came close.  I need to average about another 500 - 1000 steps a day to get this.  So off the computer and  get out walking more!

4. Water:  Water is good, keeping hydrated.  Got my handy dandy water bottle here as I speak.

5: Book:  Still reading the book. I had to take a break from it to read a book for a review I have to do.  Kelly the Kitchen Kop did a two part series and an interview with Dr. David, the author. 

I have a plan for next week and it includes better planning and good eating. 

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Challenge Week 1



















Source: etsy.com via Pascale on Pinterest


Back from vacation!  It was just 4 days away up along the North Shore but it was fun and relaxing!  We did a lot of hiking and walking.  My legs will be grateful for the break!  I ate pretty cruddy, I admit.  I made some good choices along the way but plenty of bad ones as well.  I'm ready to get back on it and have an awesome week!

1. Weight - I didn't weigh myself this week.  Yes, I broke the rules the first week.  I'm quite sure with the extra salt and junk that I am up.  Way up. I had a great eating day today and am on the right path to get rid of the sodium and junk this week. I promise to weigh in the rest of the challenge. I don't have any unusual weekend circumstances planned that would prevent this in the future.

2.  Calories - I tracked my calories Monday, Tuesday and today (Sunday).  I hit under 1500 for both Monday and Tuesday and today was around 1200 tops.  The rest of the week stank.

3.  Exercise - I did all 3 days of Brad's running challenge.  I'm happy that I'm seeing a difference and I'm running better and am not as tired. I'm still going at quite the slow speed but still, I'm DOING it.  I exceeded my goal of 70,000 steps this week and I had my weight training class on Monday night as well.

4. Water - Just so-so.  It's hard when not in the same routine. I am back on track and drinking and peeing up a storm now though. 

5.  Book - I'm still reading Wheat Belly.  I love it, and I BELIEVE it. I am not one to get into fad diets or trends but this just MAKES SENSE to me.  Eliminate the wheat and eliminate a LOT of problems.  I did NOT go wheat free while on vacation, I did today and plan continue.  ~~  I also read Unbroken Will - The Extraordinary Courage of an Ordinary Man, The Story of Leopold Engleitner.  It is a book the describes the life and times of this man whose belief in God and in nonviolence stood the test of Nazi persecution in WWII.  He was in three concentration camps and suffered unspeakable brutality but remained firm in his faith.  It was an awesome book and while deep, it was very faith strengthening.  I finished the whole book this week and would recommend it to anyone!  I got it at the library, I have another one that is similar on request as well. 

So we begin week 2! I'm looking forward to seeing some better results next week. I feel like I'm actually "starting" this challenge this week. 

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Recipes...


Okay, so you all know I have this recipe blog.  That is how I got started blogging in the first place. 

I've had several comments about the recipes on the side of my dieting blog. Some serious and some in jest, about taking them off or not wanting to come to my blog so they won't be tempted. 

I need your opinion.  Do you want me to take them off?  I certainly will if you want me to.  First, let me explain my hesitation. 

I spent most my life in the upper 200's and lower 300's by the time I had baby #3.  I'd never eaten healthy.  We ate out all the time.  Cooking at home was rare and not healthy at all.  When I think of the "healthy" meals I would make, I now cringe.  I had my aha moment, straightened up and started eating healthier. I started COOKING healthier.  I read blogs, looked for recipes, did everything I could to healthify the family favorites and I was quite proud of what I had done.  I often would call friends and say, "I just made ..., you have GOT to come over and try it!"  I had friends asking me for recipes, so I would email them or give them recipes.  At the urge of several people, I started my food blog.  I was already writing down and organizing my recipes. I was already calculating the calorie counts on most things.  So why not add some pictures and start a blog. 

So Debbi Does Dinner Healthy was born, just about 2 years ago.  I started the diet blog with my first challenge as a motivator for me, not to get a ton of followers or anything.  Like with my recipe blog, I thought, if I can help people, then great!  So I added some recipes on the side that I was proud of. 

I AM proud of these recipes.  They represent a new way of eating for me. They represent a new me. Granted, if you visit my recipe blog, not ALL the recipes are low calorie and healthy.  There are plenty that are not.  But I tried to pick the better ones to put on my weight loss blog. 

Now, my eating is changing. I'm trying to go wheat free or at least to cut WAY back on it. So the loss of my beloved flour tortillas has been the most difficult of changes. But I'm getting over it. It's only a tortilla! I've been eating some corn tortillas or just putting the nummy filling over lettuce or eating it plain.  It works, I'm happy. I'm not depriving myself of anything. 

So anyways, moral of the long winded story.  Part of me wants to take off the recipes, as I don't want to tempt anyone into overeating or indulging or to set off a trigger in you if you see a wrap or a mexican lasagna.  My goal is to help, not hurt. On the OTHER HAND, my goal in setting up the blog was to let people know that dieting isn't all about grilled chicken and salads.  We can enjoy awesome, simple meals that are healthy, hearty, filling and low calorie.  I get that this doesn't work for everyone.  It did for me. (at first at least until I got confident and stupid but that's another story.)

So you decide, should the recipes go?  Or stay?  Should I cut back?  Any ideas?  Give me your honest opinion, I won't get insulted or get offended easily.  :-)

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Christmas Dress Challenge



Okay, I'm committed again.  Another challenge. It's going to happen. It just has to happen.  No, I have to make it happen.  It is Day 1 for me in the Christmas Dress Challenge. Interesting challenge for me as I don't celebrate Christmas nor do I favor dresses. On me that is.  I've always been a hard fit for dresses, big on the bottom but smaller on top.  So no dress for me. However, I do have this jacket. 



Funny story with this jacket.  It's like nothing I've every worn. I got it from a friend who was going to donate it. It was in sorry shape, filthy. I washed it up and it came clean and is super soft and pretty and just different.  It might seem strange that I want to fit into this used, previously uncared for jacket but it's so UNLIKE me, that I just want to wear it.  Well, I want to FIT into it.  Who knows, maybe I won't even like it as much or use it but I've just had in my mind for the last couple of years that THIS would be the year that I would fit into this jacket.

 

And there it sits.  In the closet. Well, this is my end of the year goal. To fit well in this jacket. As you can see, it's a bit tight around the shoulders and for sure would never close.  I look like I am pregnant!



Last spring I was slightly closer to fitting into it.  One bad summer and I'm now 15 lbs. FURTHER away from fitting into the jacket.  I THINK that if I can get under 200 lbs., I'll have a shot at it. I don't know.  We'll see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So here are my DO IT's from the challenge rules.  Here are my goals for each.

1. Weight - Challenge runs September 11 - December 18.  14 weeks. My goal is to lose 1 1/2 lbs. a week for a total of 21 lbs.  This will bring me RIGHT to 200 as today I weigh 221.  Then by the end of the year, my goal is to be under 200 forever. 

2.  Calories - I've been hit or miss on tracking. I tend to start at the beginning of the day and then just sorta, kinda but not really estimate at the end.  Or just say screw it and not do it at all.  Well, I'm planning to see more hits, than misses.  My goal is not to exceed 11,000 calories per week.  This works out to 1571 per day.  I KNOW I can do this. I know I can go under this.  But I found that if my goal is 1200 and I hit 1600 instead, I feel like an utter failure and start downspiraling into a jar of peanut butter or something.  So if I up the goal a bit, my thoughts are that I'll be extra happy when I hit 1200 - 1300 and not be so depressed if I hit 1600 or 1700 occasionally. Yea, it's a mind trick.  Let's just hope it will work!

3. Exercise - I just joined Brad's 100 Days to Run a 5K challenge.  We're only in week 2 and it's going well so far.  So I'll be running/walking 3 days a week. I'll give a short update weekly with how this is going.  I also have a strength training class on Monday's, I'm signing up for the fall session this Monday.  Plus I usually do weights during the week.  I've also been using my Fitbit to track my steps and I'm aiming for 70,000 steps a week.

4.  Water - Water has been going well. It's like second nature to me now.  I drink all the time and pee all the time.  I usually have at least 6 to 7 - 16 oz. glasses of water.   It's usually when I lose focus or when the routine is interrupted for the week that this fails.  Focus, focus, focus. 

5.  Book - At the suggestion of Mir, I bought the book Wheat Belly.  I've been toying with the whole gluten free idea but basically thought that with the exception of Celiac diagnosed people, that it was a fad.  I'm realizing the facts behind it and I'm only about 1/4 way through the book but it MAKES SENSE.  In a nutshell the wheat we eat now is NOT the same wheat that grandma baked bread with and it's causing a lot of problems.  We're slowly phasing out wheat.  It's not going to be an overnight process but the family is on board and it's going to be interesting.  I'll keep you updated on the book.  I also have another book on a completely different topic waiting at the library that I might want to share and review. 


Blogger is still being weird about me commenting.  Some blogs I can comment on and others I can't.  I used to be able to comment on Mir's blog and now it won't let me sign in.  I might take Mir's advice and just switch this to Wordpress.  Maybe that will help. 

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Fitbit

I got a fitbit about a month or so ago. I really, really like it!  I'd been looking for a good pedometer.  I like tracking my food and weight online.  And I love to see how many calories I've burned.  Well, this has given me all that and more. 

It's super small so it fits in your pocket or clips to your bra without any problem.  It's easy and accurate!  It even tracks your sleep!  Seriously, you put it on a wristband overnight and it knows when you fall asleep, how many times you woke up and then gives you a number for how long you were actually asleep. It's kinda eerie but extremely accurate!  Plus, it's super comfortable to wear so it's not like hooking up to a huge contraption.

The only drawback is that it IS small and I'm always afraid I'm going to lose it. I have a good routine with it now so I'm not as fearful anymore.

It is a bit spendy, it's $99 on fitbit.com.  I debated a long time over this, I don't have money to burn, that's for sure.  After reading several reviews and committing that I would actually USE it, I bought it. And I'm glad I did.  Now my husband wants one. He wants one more as a toy though than a fitness tool.  I thought about changing my profile to his stats but that would mess things up for me so phooey on him. I'm keeping it.  :-)

You are able to use it for social networking and you can find friends and compare numbers. I would LOVE this as I think it would keep me going stronger to know that someone else was watching my stats and knowing how many steps I take a day.  However, I have yet to find anyone who uses theirs regularly.  If you are using one, I would love to "friend" you on fitbit. :-)