Finally home after a looooong day.  I went to the gym after work for a 360 calorie burn.  Downloaded the new Rufus Wainwright album, that was unexpectedly released a day early :)  there is no better way to enjoy a workout, than to listen to a much anticipated album without interuption! (not the best workout music however.)
  Tried "Fage" %2 greek yogurt today (with peaches) and I am in LOVE with the stuff!  How did I not know about this sooner?  I've never been crazy about yogurt but this brand has just the right texture and just the right amount of "tartness."  A one serving container was only 140 calories.  This might be my new "go to breakfast!"  In fact......I'm day dreaming about tomorrow's breakfast right now........:)

  Yup, that's right!  I had pizza!  While on a "diet" (did I mention how much I HATE that word?)  and 2 pieces (big workout today!) at that!  2 pieces of pizza (loaded with veggie's) and this salad =440 calories.  I don't think that's so bad!  I would be satisfied with 1 piece and a big salad.  I feel like this is the best way to enjoy the foods you love: a small portion (I know 2 isn't a small portion!) supplemented with a HUGE salad!!!  All this and I still had 150 calories unused at the end of the day!

  Down 1 pound this week! I was hoping for 2 pounds, but 1 will do !   I had a couple snafu's this week. Sunday- I ate at work (calorie counts, unknown) and on Wednesday I had lunch at a restaurant.  I asked the waitress for the calorie count of the food I ordered. I actually saw her look it up in a book per my request.  She came back with "240."  The next day I went on their website to look up the calorie counts for some of their other food (Specialty's is the name of the cafe, and their food is amazing) and happened to see that the calorie count for what I ordered the day before was actually 440!!  that is a HUGE difference! I have to wonder if this is normal for restaurant dining.  Is their nutritional info pretty solid?  What if one chef in particular uses more butter or cheese in a dish than a different chef?  This makes dining out risky and challenging.  However, I will not give "eating out" up.  I must do it less (Don't do it much as it as) and order dishes  that are a little more obviously healthy.
  I ordered a watch heart rate monitor/calorie counter on Wednesday. Can you believe it arrived from Kentucky on Thursday (love Amazon Prime!!!)  I used it for the first time last night and was happily suprised to find that its's calorie counting (compared to the elliptical machine's) was only off by 7 calories! (I know, I know....the monitor could be off still.)  when I started to use the ellipictal, the watch started to sync with the machine to keep track of heart rate!  COOL!  Some of you may be thinking "yeah, dummy, that's what they do!" but I had no idea!  Electronics these days, who knew!?
  I hope this week goes better as far as weight loss/eating goes!  I am going to change up my menu/meal plan a little, to see if that helps.  I am also excited to say that I have persuaded a couple of people to give the "lose it" app a try!

  Today is just one of those days where I felt hungry all day.  Hungry with a capital "H!"   No matter what I ate or when I ate, my stomach still aches and feels hungry!   I don't know what to do on these days :(

  This dinner was so good.  The serving size is quite large, wich is always a bonus!!!!

1 C small shell pasta
1 LB lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans (5-1/2oz) of low sodium V8 juice
1 can (15oz) ranch style beans, or baked beans, undrained
1 can (14-1/2oz) southwestern style diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 C frozen corn, thawed
1 TBLS chili powder
1/2 TSP salt
1/4 TSP pepper

  Cook patsa according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in large non-stick skillet, cook the beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the ramining ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionaly.  Drain the pasta.  Stir into the stew.  Yield 6 servings

Nutrition
One serving (1-1/3 C)
307 calories
7g fat
37 mg cholesterol
886 mg sodium
37 g  carbs
7 g fiber
22 g protein

I couldn't find the "ranch style beans"  or "southwest diced tomatoes"  I just used plain baked beans and plain diced tomatoes.  Still turned out wonderfull!

  Have a good day!

Work-                          Done
Haircut-                      Done
Toe Nails Painted-   Done
workout-                    Done
Grocery Shopping-  Done
Cook Dinner-            Done

The only thing left is "Take Bubble Bath!"

  Today I finally purchased a heart rate monitor (watch style!) I have been concerned that the Elliptical machines calculation of calories burned is quite a bit different from the reality!  I have heard that they can overshoot by as much as 20%.  Yikes!!!!
  I want my "calories burned" to be as close to the real number as possible!  I am also wondering if it's ok to be eating your exercise calories.  Does anyone have a thought or opinion on this?  "Lose It" allows you to eat those and, I believe Weight Watchers gives you extra activity points if you choose to use them.  Anyone have a personal story about this they wish to share.  Will my weight loss stall eating these?  I guess im still taking in the same amount of net calories.....
 

  Here is a yummy BBQ Chicken quesadilla recipe.

1 oz canned chicken breast
 pinch of cilantro
1/4 C mexican cheese blend
1/2  tbls light sour cream
1-1/2  tbls bbq sauce of your choice
1 flour tortilla (I used a rgular tortills,but they have light versions)
1/4 tbls butter

Mix together chicken and 1 tbls bbq sauce.
In pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Place tortilla in pan.
Add cheese, then chicken mixture then cilantro.
when bottom of tortilla starts to brown, fold over tortilla and cook until cheese melts.

Mix together 1/2 tbls sour cream w/ 1/2 tbls bbq sauce, drizzle over Quesadilla!  Enjoy!


* I tried to drizzle bbq/sour cream over quesadilla to make it look pretty, but it just came out in a gloop!
   If I have extra calories to spare I might try more cheese and less chicken!  I find a little chicken goes        
   a long way.  Try adding more veggies too!


Calories    369
Fat            17.8   (kind of a lot, but do-able for some)
Carbs        35.7
Protein      16.6

 

  "Few people know how to take a walk.  The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, and eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good speech, good silence and nothing too much" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Aggghhh, headache, headache, headache!  I think that headaches are a side effect of calorie/sugar reduction.  I have been fighting a headache for 3 days now!  Anyone else have this problem?  I popped 3 Advil and hope that this headache subsides soon.  As soon as it goes away, I will head to the gym (the sooner the better) and try to get in a 500 calorie burn!
  Sunday was a challenging day for me "food wise." I think I learned a valuable lesson though. I was on call and was "paged" into work in the morning.  After a few hours I was done and returned home and then........I was unexpectedly called back in again!  I hadn't planned ahead and didn't have a dinner planned and packed ahead of time and didn't have the time to pack one.  I figured that I would buy one at work when I had a break.  By the time I got a break, they were done serving dinner.  I was left to eat  (I was starving!) what was on hand and didn't have good nutritional information for my food. I'm not sure but I wouldnt be suprised if I went over my calorie intake for the day :(
  What I learned is this- I have to be better prepared for life's curveballs when it comes to my meal planning!  I know there will be times when I will go over my "balance."  Usually I plan ahead for those special days or meals (that's another post.) I certainly don't want to waste calories on a cruddy bistro/cafeteria meal at work!  I really want to make those cheats count! Something I LOVE.  My beloved gnocchi at Ristorante Machiavelli, Birthday Brunch, Easter!  My next cheat will be dinner and drinks at/before the Black Keys concert on may 8th! My last cheat (not counting Sundays possible disaster!) was easter weekend. I try to make it once a month or once every 3 weeks or so.  I havn't been eating out (unless I can find calorie counts for foods at a restaurant and can find something I can EASILY fit in) and I have not been drinking.  Boring, I know!   I do not want to be one of those boring people that wont eat out and meet with friends when she's dieting.  Ive been trying to be dilligent and I'm down nearly 20 pounds.  I figure that when I lose another 10-15 lbs that I will loosen up some!   Yep!- When my clothes loosen up some, I will loosen up some :)
  I also learned something else! - Being overweight, even just a little has so many dangerous consequenes.  Diabetes, stroke, heart disease, cancers.  The list goes on and on.  Sometimes though, just sometimes, on VERY rare occasions.......being overweight can save your life!  I'm still going to lose weight and get healthy because I am not expecting to ever experience a physical trauma so bad that all my extra fat protects my bones and innards!  I do wonder though, if when we get into our "Golden years" if its healthier for us to be at the higher end of our suggested bmi's (not overweight per se) for the sole purpose of protecting our bones from fractures so often experienced by senior citizens as a result of falls!  This is just my opinion/thoughts.  I'll have to ask a doctor for their opinion on the matter!
  Well, that's it for today.  My headache is already better! It's time for me to hit the gym!  Have a great day!

Check out this amazing salad I made for dinner last night!  167 Calories (the dinner roll was an extra 170 calories!)

1-1/2 C Romaine lettuce   - 12 cals
2oz Dungeoness crab meat   - 62 cals
1 tbls Honey mustard salad dressing   - 31 calories
1/4 C Fresh diced mango   - 27 cals
1/8 California avacado,diced   - 28 cals
1 Large strawberry,sliced   - 7 calories

Toss lettuce with dressing, add crab. top with fruit!

  Down 2 pounds ! Now my calorie intake goes down from 1232 to 1219.  I'm drinking my black coffee w/1 splenda and eating a "Laughing cow light babybel cheese."  they are only 50 calories and taste so good!  and then I'm off to the gym!  Going to meet a friend at Alki beach for a walk after that!  News says we are in for 63 degree day!

"it's going to be a glorious day" -   radiohead   "lucky"

  what a long day! got to work at 7:00am and left at 8:00pm (this is my usual shift 3 days a week.) After work I went straight to the gym for a 320 calorie burn. Night workouts are not what I favor.

  I have found that these long shifts are hard when you are trying to lead a healthier lifestyle. My job is usually feast or famine. Sometimes I have so much free time.  Snacking became a habit of sorts during these periods. Other I times, we will go hours and hours without a meal break so when you finally get your lunch you feel famished and want to eat everything in sight and often go for the quick unhealthy option. All in all, I have to say that my eating was pretty good today (I know, I know- I used real cheese, but a VERY small amount and the snickers well.....it's fun size! and it's friday)  As promised.......here is what I ate!

At Home-

8oz black coffee with splenda   -   5 calories  (who knew coffee and splenda both had calories....I didn't)

At work-

8oz coffee with 3 tbls creamer and 1 Splenda  (those little individual "buckets" of creamer are just under a tbls, I used 3)   - 63 calories

Breakfast-

3/4C Bite size Shredded Wheat    - 135 cals

1/4c 2% milk  - 61 cals

1 String cheese  - 80 cals

1 champagne mango-  107 cals

Snack-

Rice cake with 2/3 tbls peanut butter  - 98 cals

Lunch-

4oz grilled chicken breast  -  124 cals

salad

1-1/2c romaine lettuce  -  12 cals

3 cherry tomatoes  - 9 cals

1/8c chopped red bell pepper  - 6 calories

1/8c chopped cucumber  - 2 cals

1/4c dry chow mein noodles  -  59 cals

1-1/2  tbls Kraft light asian dressing (wich is very good btw!)  -  38 cals

1 diet Sprite

Snack-

1 orange

Workout-

320 calories burned on elliptical trainer

Snack-

1 16oz post workout peach protein smoothy from smoothy bar at gym   -  180 calories

Dinner- 

1/2 whole wheat pita bread lightly toasted  -  80 cals

1/2oz goat cheese spread on pita  -  52 calories

1 tbls olive tapenade spread on top of cheese

Salad

1c red leaf lettuce  -  4 cals

3 cherry tomatoes  - 9 cals

1/8c chopped cucumber  - 2 cals

1/2 tbls balsalmic vinegar

1c 1% milk  - 102 cals

Snack-

1 fun size Snickers bar -  140 cals  

*My daily calorie budget according to "lose it" is 1232 calories

I added 250 (I try not to add them all) of my 320 calories burned for a total of 1437 calories consumed

  BTW- This is one of my favorite dinners to make it is so delicious and only 287 calories including the milk!  It's also easy and fast.  I like to use plain balsalmic vinegar on salads when I don't want to waste calories on dressing.  I work VERY hard to make sure I don't go over my budget. Some days (like yesterday) my meals are not particularly healthy but I never go over my budget. 

Have a good night! 

  Yesterday was a good example of using up my calorie bank on foods that were not very healthy (Hello Gyro!) .  I broke another rule wich was that I didn't eat reakfast.  Tonight I will post EVERYTHING that I eat throughout the day so you can get an idea of an average day of healthier eating for me.

Have a good day!

600 calorie workout done!
1/2 chicken gyro in my belly!
945 calories left in my account today!

  Aaaah, It's morning and it's my day off.  What to do, what to do?  I am sitting here drinking my morning coffee.  I am drinking it black wich I have to say is not enjoyable :(  Little changes, right?  If I finish a decent work out and want to waste (I say waste, because basically it is) calories on cream......I totally will!  cream is one of those things that I am having a dificult time giving up and for the most part cannot stand the low/non fat varieties......might as well go black. I suppose that when my daily calorie target goes down even more, I will not  want to waste any on cream.
  I am planning a BIG workout today.  I am setting my sights at a 500-600 calorie burn!  I have been pretty dang good about going to the gym (4-5 days per week plus a 24 flight 12 level stairclimb 1 day while at work).   The fact that I get to eat a little (sometimes quite a bit) more really motivates me to get it done. I am planning this big workout today because I feel like I have not  been eating very much the past couple days and, I'm feeling pretty hungry !   When I post my calorie burn on the "lose it" app,  I always leave some calories out. I want to make sure I'm safe and can account for any inconsistencies on the cardio machine and don't want to eat all of my excersise calories.  This is just me though!
  My roommate's girlfriend made dinner the other night. She likes to cook and best of all.......she usually cooks out of "light" cookbooks! I thought it was very tasty and I did not feel like I was eating any low cal food.  they thought it was a little salty but since I have a love affair with salt (that's a change I'm going to have to make down the line, I know) I thought it was just right. Here is the recipe below including nutritional information.

tasty italian chicken

1/2 chopped onion
1-1/8 teaspoon paprika - divided
3 tsp olive oil - divided
1-1/4 c water
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp reduced sodium chicken boulillon granules
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 c flour
1-1/2 tsp grated parrmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1-1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins

  in small saucepan,saute onion and 1/8 tsp paprika in 1 tsp oil until tender.  Stir in water,tomato paste, bay leaf, bouillon, and italian seasoning.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat,simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins.
  Meanwhile, in a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, parmesan cheese, salt,garlic powder, oregano, and remaining paprika.  Add chicken; seal bag and shake to coat
  In large nonstick skillett coated with non stick cooking spray, cook half the chicken in 1 tsp oil for 2-3 mins on each side or until juices run clear.  Remove and keep warm; repeat with remaining chicken and oil.  Discard bay leaf from sauce.  serve over chicken

1 serving- 4 oz chicken with 3 tbls sauce
163 calories
3g fat (trace saturated fat)
67mg cholesterol  
287mg sodium
8g carbohydrates
1g fiber
27g protein


serve with :    Creamy Noodles

8oz uncooked thin spaghetti
3 minced garlic cloves
3 tbls butter divided
6 ounces fat free cream cheese cubed
3 tbls reduced fat sour cream
3 tbls fat free milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp white pepper
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh parsely

  cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute garlic in 1 tbls butteruntil tender.  Add cream cheese, sour cream, milk, salt, onion powder, cajun seasoning, pepper and remainng butter.  Cook and stirover low heat until smooth (do not boil) remove from heat
  Drain pasta;toss with cream sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley. serve

yields 6-1cup servings

234 calories
7g fat
20mg cholesterol
547mg sodium
32g carbohydrates
1g fiber
10g protein


*courtesy of "everyday light meals"

About me

  French bread, cookies, macaroni and cheese, loads of butter, pie, cake, turkey and  bacon sandwiches, breve lattes, donuts, bagels and, fast food, GOOD restaurants-too often.  This is just the beggining. this is how my problem started. of course there is more to this story. When it comes to food and weight gain isn't there always a story behind it all?  I have a couple of friends who have started their own weight loss blogs and it inspired me to start my own. I want to share my journey and hope to meet people who will share their stories and what worked for them.

  I spent most of my life thin.  Really thin actually.  I ate what I wanted, when I wanted and always hovered around the 120lb mark (oh, what I wouldn't do now...) I will admit though, that although I ate what I wanted, I did not eat nearly as much as I did in the future. I seemed to eat  when I was hungry and didn't over eat.  Then I turned 24 (my metabolism seemed to stop at this age...seriously) and moved to a new city.  I began working in a hospital and naturally it had a cafeteria. Having constant access to food was trouble for me. Seattle is also a haven for "foodies."  there are too many great restaurants to even begin to count. I was enjoying my new city and my new social life and eating out was a big part of it.  I immedialtly started gaining weight, but the real problem started 2 years later.  All at once I encountered a couple of HUGE life changes (we wont get into all of them here.)  My long term relationship was over.  All of a sudden I was alone and had a lot of time on my hands.  I was relieved that my relationship was finally over, but was struggling with this major change in my life and didn't know how to deal with all this new time on my hands.  I started eating!  I was eating for comfort and eating because I was bored.

  So, I have been dieting ever since then. Every Monday morning it's "diet time" and by Tuesday morning I was done.  I have lost a few pounds here and there but have never stuck with a diet (I HATE the word diet and only use it now for the lack of a better word) for long enough to see any significant results.  I guess I just was not ready for the HUGE lifestyle change required to do this.

  5 weeks ago I decided enough was enough and started a new plan.  I didn't have that "aha moment" that people like Oprah talk about.  I just decided I was tired of being unhealthy and overweight.  I'm tired of feeling ...well....like crap!   I want to feel better and yes I want to look better too. I want to look like the person I remember and feel like I can do anything.

  I read about an Iphone app called "lose it." (there is also a good one called "my fitness pall")   It helps you calculate how many calories you need a day in order to lose anywhere from 1-2 lbs per week until you reach your goal weight.  It is great at helping you keep a food journal in order to see how much you are eating.  It also allows you to record your daily excersise and even lets you add your calories burned to your daily calorie account if you would like.  I call it an account because that's basically what it is. You have an account full of calories and when they're gone.....They're GONE! no overdraft protection here!  I really believe (I AM NOT A Dietician,Doctor,or nutritionist and this is just my opninion) this is the best and only scientifically proven way to lose weight.  You HAVE TO put out MORE than you are taking in and counting calories is essential to that. My Dr. told me once that losing weight is 70% food and 30% excersise (I have evn heard it described as 85% food!). Time magazine even had an article about it.  Listen, excersise is SOOOOO important to our health and weight loss.  I am in no way advocating that people don't need to excersise.  I'm just saying that if a person needs to loose a decent amount of weight they are fooling themselves if they think they can go on a treadmill for 30 mins a day 4-5 days a week and accomplish that.  You have to start eating healthy and eating less.  Probably a lot less :(

  So here I am 5 weeks later and down 15 lbs.   No gimicks!  no "paleo, adkins, southbeach, that HORRIBLE hcg diet."  (I have to give a shout out to weight watchers though! they know what they're doing) Just taking in less than I am putting out .  I am also hoping that I can show people that it is possible to lose weight while still enjoying the foods we love, just in moderation.  I eat a very healthy breakfast and lunch and snacks throughout my day but at dinner I often eat something I Enjoy......just a very small serving.  Sometimes (ok, a lot of times) I even have enough calories left over for a piece of chocolate or something.  this is important to me because I wouldn't be able to stay on a diet where I couldn't eat anything but baked chicken and broccoli for every meal.

  I hope that I can keep this momentum up.  I'm hoping to reach my goal by the Holiday's and I am hoping that creating this blog will keep me motivated and honest as well as keep me on track.  I certainly don't want to post about 3 lb gains after a weekend of binge eating (especially on a regular basis)  for all to see.  This is my journey and I am on track to getting "back to me!"