Do you fantasize about food when you're hungry? I was driving home from the gym (yes, I went to the gym...go me!) thinking about waffles, egg whites, bacon, and grits. I'm not even a huge fan of breakfast food, but that sounded so good to me. Then my thoughts shifted to what was for dinner tonight (spaghetti) and I began dreaming of the rolls at Provino's that are dripping in butter and garlic. Mmmm...drooling...
So, I was super thrilled when I got home and found not one, but TWO Hungry Girl cookbooks waiting for me in my mailbox. I ordered them online last week (Side note: Order books from half.com. You can find them WAY below retail price. I frequently buy novels for $0.75.). Hungry Girl specializes in making super-fattening food healthy. I have one of her books, but I need more. Plus, she has amazing recipes for desserts, and we all know how much of a sweet tooth I have. I can pass by potato chips any day of the week, but I can't restrain myself from pie. Anyway, I've flipped through the first one and already have some great ideas for next week. After I finish typing this, I'm going to curl up on the sofa, watch Thomas the Tank Engine (Caleb's choice), and read and bookmark pages in my new cookbooks.
Today's menu:
Breakfast: Cereal bar (160 calories)
Lunch: Campbell's chicken noodle soup (220 calories), grapes (50 calories), 100 calorie cake
Misc calories: 100 (I ate a couple Reese's pieces, a bite of Caleb's yogurt, and a french fry. Yes, one french fry). I'm proud of myself for counting this because this is the sort of stuff that I would overlook.
Dinner: Spaghetti - I use only 1/2 lb of super lean ground beef, 32 oz of tomato sauce, garlic powder, and italian seasoning. I got the recipe from my best friend after she brought me food when Caleb came home from the hospital. I also use SmartTaste angel hair pasta. The calorie content is the same, but there is more protein and fiber. (350 calories a serving...I'm guessing here...but I know I will eat a little more than the packaged serving size so I'm going to say 500 calories). This will also be lunch tomorrow for me...but I'll only eat one serving size then. :-)
Dessert: Lowfat ice cream (130 calories)
Total for the day: 1260 - pretty good, and I worked out too!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Week 1...Complete!
I've had a long day, so this will be short. I weighed myself today and I lost 3 lbs this week! yay! Then I got on the scale again (I always do this at least twice...I don't know why), and I lost 4 lbs. So...I'm going with the 3 so I don't get sad next week. I only made it to the gym twice this week, but it was a highly stressful, emotional week for me. My goal for next week is 3 times because it's conference week.
My menu today:
Breakfast: cereal bar (160 calories)
Lunch: Bbq sandwich (300 calories), handful of doritos (150 calories)
Dinner: (after funeral so I wasn't super hungry)...part of a chicken leg, a little ham, a little pasta salad with vinagrette dressing, and a little mac and cheese. (??? calories)
Dessert: banana pudding (150 calories...I'm guessing, but I didn't eat a ton.)
Total for the day: No idea.
We'll start over tomorrow. I told you I was terrible at weekends.
My menu today:
Breakfast: cereal bar (160 calories)
Lunch: Bbq sandwich (300 calories), handful of doritos (150 calories)
Dinner: (after funeral so I wasn't super hungry)...part of a chicken leg, a little ham, a little pasta salad with vinagrette dressing, and a little mac and cheese. (??? calories)
Dessert: banana pudding (150 calories...I'm guessing, but I didn't eat a ton.)
Total for the day: No idea.
We'll start over tomorrow. I told you I was terrible at weekends.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Don't ask, don't tell...
Tonight was a hard night. We went to the visitation of our friend who passed away from cancer on Wednesday. Going to a visitation/funeral for someone who died so young, so quickly is heartbreaking. I know without a doubt he is in heaven tonight, but my heart hurts for his wife, parents, and other friends. So, afterward, Glen and I took advantage of having a babysitter (my dad) and stopped for dinner on the way home. After such a sad/difficult evening, we decided to splurge a little and to go to Fini's. I knew it would be hard to eat healthy there, but I am a little proud of myself for how I did. I knew we would likely eat out tonight so I tried to eat low calorie for lunch.
Breakfast: None...Glen got up with Caleb and let me sleep late so I didn't eat any. I got up at 9:00, but I wasn't really hungry. Chipotle was filling yesterday.
Lunch: Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (220 calories), 200 calorie Diogiorno pizza, saltines (30 calories)
Dinner: Caesar salad, Cheese Ravioli with Marinara (I ate maybe 2/3 of it), and one roll. (Calories - no idea, but I figure after only 450 calories all day, it was okay).
Total for the Day: I'm guessing 1000 calories for dinner, so 1450. The salad didn't have much dressing, and it wasn't as heavy as a traditional caesar dressing anyway. It was more vinagrette-like.
But, even if I'm way off and dinner was 1500...it's still below 2000 calories. I chose the cheese ravioli because I knew that was one of the lower calorie Italian options, plus it was yummy. I didn't eat it all, and Caleb LOVES cheese ravioli so he can have the leftovers tomorrow. As someone who has said that emotions don't drive my eating...I was wrong. Sometimes, I am an emotional eater.
By the way, if someone happens to know the calorie content of my dinner tonight...don't tell me. I don't want to know if I'm way off. Unless I'm estimating too high. Then tell me.
Breakfast: None...Glen got up with Caleb and let me sleep late so I didn't eat any. I got up at 9:00, but I wasn't really hungry. Chipotle was filling yesterday.
Lunch: Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup (220 calories), 200 calorie Diogiorno pizza, saltines (30 calories)
Dinner: Caesar salad, Cheese Ravioli with Marinara (I ate maybe 2/3 of it), and one roll. (Calories - no idea, but I figure after only 450 calories all day, it was okay).
Total for the Day: I'm guessing 1000 calories for dinner, so 1450. The salad didn't have much dressing, and it wasn't as heavy as a traditional caesar dressing anyway. It was more vinagrette-like.
But, even if I'm way off and dinner was 1500...it's still below 2000 calories. I chose the cheese ravioli because I knew that was one of the lower calorie Italian options, plus it was yummy. I didn't eat it all, and Caleb LOVES cheese ravioli so he can have the leftovers tomorrow. As someone who has said that emotions don't drive my eating...I was wrong. Sometimes, I am an emotional eater.
By the way, if someone happens to know the calorie content of my dinner tonight...don't tell me. I don't want to know if I'm way off. Unless I'm estimating too high. Then tell me.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Chipotle...
Soon after I moved to Texas in 2002, I learned about a wonderful new restaurant called Chipotle. One of my seminary friends first introduced it to me, and soon it became a weekly staple. The first few times I went, I ordered my burrito with hot sauce, and my mouth burned for days. I switched to the green tomatillo salsa, which has a kick, but it doesn't clear your sinuses. Somehow while I was in Texas, Chipotle started opening restaurants in Georgia, and so it has remained one of my favorite places (especially for fast-food), and Glen and I have lived near one ever since we moved back to Georgia.
So in this blog, I will introduce you to how to eat semi-healthy at Chipotle. It's still a splurge meal, but it's still not as bad as my favorite salad from Chili's (buffalo chicken salad...another blog for another day). After my bad week, and a particularly rough day at work, Chipotle is what's for dinner tonight! So, the first rule at Chipotle is...lose the tortilla! I love the yummy tortilla as much as the next person, but the thing has 290 calories. On occasion, I will order the burrito rather than the burrito bowl, but it's not very often. I'm not a fan of beans of any kind (black or pinto), so I just have rice. My nutrition app on my phone says the rice has 130 calories, but I figure they have to give you at least two servings...so let's double that to 260. I order the chicken (190 calories), corn salsa (80 calories), green tomatillo salsa (basically none), cheese (100 calories...you can't let them go too crazy on the cheese). Sometimes I have chips, too. The entire bag has like 570 calories, but I split it with Glen...so 285. When I don't have chips, it's really not that bad.
So today...
Breakfast: Cereal bar (160 calories)
Lunch: Leftover poppyseed chicken (400 calories), apple (60 calories), 100 calorie cake
Dinner: Chipotle - burrito bowl with chicken, rice, green salsa, cheese, corn salsa (630 calories) plus chips (285 calories)
Dessert: Lowfat ice cream (130 calories)....you have to have something sweet after Chipotle.
Total for the Day: 1765 calories
I did go to the gym today, so that does make up for some of my extra calories from my yummy dinner. Plus, I've been under my target almost every day this week, so again...I don't feel guilty. But, I will admit that weekends are so much harder than weekdays. I'm not as busy, and it's usually when I eat out. My goal is to plan ahead and eat a lighter lunch when I think I may be eating a higher calorie dinner. We'll see how it goes. Sunday is my day to weigh, but I'll admit I've checked a couple times this week (always at the same time of day). My scale is never the same twice...that's going to be frustrating.
So in this blog, I will introduce you to how to eat semi-healthy at Chipotle. It's still a splurge meal, but it's still not as bad as my favorite salad from Chili's (buffalo chicken salad...another blog for another day). After my bad week, and a particularly rough day at work, Chipotle is what's for dinner tonight! So, the first rule at Chipotle is...lose the tortilla! I love the yummy tortilla as much as the next person, but the thing has 290 calories. On occasion, I will order the burrito rather than the burrito bowl, but it's not very often. I'm not a fan of beans of any kind (black or pinto), so I just have rice. My nutrition app on my phone says the rice has 130 calories, but I figure they have to give you at least two servings...so let's double that to 260. I order the chicken (190 calories), corn salsa (80 calories), green tomatillo salsa (basically none), cheese (100 calories...you can't let them go too crazy on the cheese). Sometimes I have chips, too. The entire bag has like 570 calories, but I split it with Glen...so 285. When I don't have chips, it's really not that bad.
So today...
Breakfast: Cereal bar (160 calories)
Lunch: Leftover poppyseed chicken (400 calories), apple (60 calories), 100 calorie cake
Dinner: Chipotle - burrito bowl with chicken, rice, green salsa, cheese, corn salsa (630 calories) plus chips (285 calories)
Dessert: Lowfat ice cream (130 calories)....you have to have something sweet after Chipotle.
Total for the Day: 1765 calories
I did go to the gym today, so that does make up for some of my extra calories from my yummy dinner. Plus, I've been under my target almost every day this week, so again...I don't feel guilty. But, I will admit that weekends are so much harder than weekdays. I'm not as busy, and it's usually when I eat out. My goal is to plan ahead and eat a lighter lunch when I think I may be eating a higher calorie dinner. We'll see how it goes. Sunday is my day to weigh, but I'll admit I've checked a couple times this week (always at the same time of day). My scale is never the same twice...that's going to be frustrating.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
What's your favorite food?
So I mentioned yesterday was a rough day...yesterday morning, a friend from our church passed away from cancer. He was only 28. Glen and I were good friends with him and his wife, so we are deeply saddened. I found out while I was at work and couldn't get away. Definitely be in prayer for his wife and family!!
Later on, I received a call from my husband letting me know Caleb was sent home with a fever. He's okay (we think he has a sinus infection...he's prone to them due to his cleft palate repair). Glen took Caleb to the doctor, and I wrote sub plans. So I'm home today with Caleb...I've watched 4 episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine, 1 episode of Sesame Street, and now am watching Despicable Me. He loves it!
I haven't yet told you about my secret food vice. My favorite food...which has almost zero calories and no fat. It's the perfect side item to any dish! They're cheap! They're crunchy! They're...pickles! I love pickles. They go with everything - soup, sandwiches, pizza, tacos, poppyseed chicken. No, I don't eat pickles and ice cream (gross!) but I do include pickles with at least one meal a day. I don't really count them in my calorie count because they only have like 5 calories per serving. I only eat dill pickles, and I prefer Claussen or Publix brand hamburger chips. But...I'll eat other kinds if I have to.
I didn't eat two helpings last night, just one...so I came in at 990 calories. But...it had been a rough day and I did eat less than normal. Here's today's menu:
Breakfast: None...I was home with Caleb and just didn't eat. I know...not good.
Lunch: Two mini-quesadillas made out of the mexican chicken I ate on Tuesday night with some chips (350 calories for quesadilla, 150 for chips...and 5 for a pickle).
Dinner: Poppyseed chicken. This is fat-free sour cream, fat-free cream of chicken soup mixed together with 1 lb.of chicken. It's topped with one sleeve of reduced-fat ritz crackers and poppyseeds, served over 1/2 cup white rice, and veggies on the side (when I remember them). (400 calories per serving)
Dessert: Ice Cream (130 calories)
Total for the day: 1055
Later on, I received a call from my husband letting me know Caleb was sent home with a fever. He's okay (we think he has a sinus infection...he's prone to them due to his cleft palate repair). Glen took Caleb to the doctor, and I wrote sub plans. So I'm home today with Caleb...I've watched 4 episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine, 1 episode of Sesame Street, and now am watching Despicable Me. He loves it!
I haven't yet told you about my secret food vice. My favorite food...which has almost zero calories and no fat. It's the perfect side item to any dish! They're cheap! They're crunchy! They're...pickles! I love pickles. They go with everything - soup, sandwiches, pizza, tacos, poppyseed chicken. No, I don't eat pickles and ice cream (gross!) but I do include pickles with at least one meal a day. I don't really count them in my calorie count because they only have like 5 calories per serving. I only eat dill pickles, and I prefer Claussen or Publix brand hamburger chips. But...I'll eat other kinds if I have to.
I didn't eat two helpings last night, just one...so I came in at 990 calories. But...it had been a rough day and I did eat less than normal. Here's today's menu:
Breakfast: None...I was home with Caleb and just didn't eat. I know...not good.
Lunch: Two mini-quesadillas made out of the mexican chicken I ate on Tuesday night with some chips (350 calories for quesadilla, 150 for chips...and 5 for a pickle).
Dinner: Poppyseed chicken. This is fat-free sour cream, fat-free cream of chicken soup mixed together with 1 lb.of chicken. It's topped with one sleeve of reduced-fat ritz crackers and poppyseeds, served over 1/2 cup white rice, and veggies on the side (when I remember them). (400 calories per serving)
Dessert: Ice Cream (130 calories)
Total for the day: 1055
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tiny Pizzas
Today was a rough day, so I'm just going to post what I've eaten (or plan on eating). I didn't make it to the gym because Caleb went home with a high fever (though he is fine now...fever-free and full of energy watching Toy Story).
Breakfast: Cereal bar (160 calories)
Lunch: 200 Calorie Digiorno pizza, apple, 100 calorie cake (360 calories)
Dinner: Lemon Chicken Pasta (400 calories per serving...but I'm seriously hungry because of my lack of food today so I may have two helpings). It's chicken and angel hair pasta in a light lemon garlic sauce with a little mozzarella sprinkled on top.
Dessert: Ice cream (130 calories)
Total: 990 or1390 calories...depending on how much I eat...probably somewhere in between. But it's nice to know that if I eat two full portions I'm still doing okay.
FYI: Digiorno pizza offers these 200 calorie portions, which basically just takes a whole pizza and slices off enough to equal 200 calories. So the pizza is about two inches by six inches. Tiny is an understatement. At lunch, my colleagues were like, "Wow, cute pizza! It's so small!" So, if you have one, I recommend a salad or something to go with it. Or eating two of them.
Breakfast: Cereal bar (160 calories)
Lunch: 200 Calorie Digiorno pizza, apple, 100 calorie cake (360 calories)
Dinner: Lemon Chicken Pasta (400 calories per serving...but I'm seriously hungry because of my lack of food today so I may have two helpings). It's chicken and angel hair pasta in a light lemon garlic sauce with a little mozzarella sprinkled on top.
Dessert: Ice cream (130 calories)
Total: 990 or1390 calories...depending on how much I eat...probably somewhere in between. But it's nice to know that if I eat two full portions I'm still doing okay.
FYI: Digiorno pizza offers these 200 calorie portions, which basically just takes a whole pizza and slices off enough to equal 200 calories. So the pizza is about two inches by six inches. Tiny is an understatement. At lunch, my colleagues were like, "Wow, cute pizza! It's so small!" So, if you have one, I recommend a salad or something to go with it. Or eating two of them.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Update!
So...I didn't eat the third taco...so let's cut 170 calories from the total for the day. New total: 1310! Go me!
Did you know?
Did you know that if you allow more than 8 hours to pass between meals, the calories don't actually count? Somehow, that's what I managed to convinced myself to be true in the past. However, despite the fact that it has been nine hours and counting since lunch, I'm still planning to eat my planned dinner.
Last night, I prepared some Mexican chicken in the crockpot. It's a Hungry Girl recipe, and it has crushed tomatoes, roasted red peppers, diced chiles, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and chicken. You cook it in the crockpot and then shred the chicken. However, because I left the crockpot in the fridge all day, most of the sauce was absorbed into the chicken. It's still yummy...but not quite as saucy as I was hoping. I'm making chicken tacos. The worst part is the tortillas. I know they make low calorie tortillas, but Glen was in charge of shopping this week. Also, the low-cal tortillas often stick together so badly they are shredded by the time you get them apart. I'm topping the tacos with the chicken, onions, peppers, salsa, and some cheese. Yum!
Here's today:
Breakfast: Cereal bar (160 calories)
Lunch: Leftover pasta from last night's dinner (500 calories), 100 calorie cupcake
Dinner: Chicken tacos (530 calories for three tacos)
Dessert: Lowfat Caramel Ice cream (130)
Total for the day: 1420 calories
I didn't make it to the gym today. I got allergy shots and visited a friend at the hospital instead. My goal is to go Wednesday, Friday, and maybe Saturday. I need to address my breakfast menu. What is something I can eat in the car that is filling and low-cal? I don't mind preparation (though minimal), but I have to be able to eat in the car. I'm just not willing to get up any earlier.
Last night, I prepared some Mexican chicken in the crockpot. It's a Hungry Girl recipe, and it has crushed tomatoes, roasted red peppers, diced chiles, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and chicken. You cook it in the crockpot and then shred the chicken. However, because I left the crockpot in the fridge all day, most of the sauce was absorbed into the chicken. It's still yummy...but not quite as saucy as I was hoping. I'm making chicken tacos. The worst part is the tortillas. I know they make low calorie tortillas, but Glen was in charge of shopping this week. Also, the low-cal tortillas often stick together so badly they are shredded by the time you get them apart. I'm topping the tacos with the chicken, onions, peppers, salsa, and some cheese. Yum!
Here's today:
Breakfast: Cereal bar (160 calories)
Lunch: Leftover pasta from last night's dinner (500 calories), 100 calorie cupcake
Dinner: Chicken tacos (530 calories for three tacos)
Dessert: Lowfat Caramel Ice cream (130)
Total for the day: 1420 calories
I didn't make it to the gym today. I got allergy shots and visited a friend at the hospital instead. My goal is to go Wednesday, Friday, and maybe Saturday. I need to address my breakfast menu. What is something I can eat in the car that is filling and low-cal? I don't mind preparation (though minimal), but I have to be able to eat in the car. I'm just not willing to get up any earlier.
Monday, January 24, 2011
I'm hungry!
I woke up at 4:30am this morning STARVING! I couldn't believe how hungry I was. However, I didn't end up eating the ice cream last night (1299-130=1169! I'll be making up those calories this week, don't worry.) Anyway, so I laid in bed thinking about food, and eventually fell back asleep. Hopefully, that won't become a nightly occurrence. I have never been one of those people who snacked in the middle of night (I like to sleep way too much to get up), but I seriously considered last night for the first time.
Just a note about the pasta I made last night - I used veggie pasta (tomato, carrot, and spinach noodles). It has tons of protein and fiber and is surprisingly tasty! However, I did overcook it by a couple of minutes because I got on Facebook and got sucked in. By the time I mixed it with the sauce and baked it for the required 20 minutes, it was a little mushy. But we ate it, and it was pretty good (Glen even took the leftovers to work today. Maybe next week I'll make it again and not overcook the pasta.
So...here's my menu for today. Again, I haven't actually made the dinner yet, but this is my plan.
Breakfast: Cheerio Cereal Bar (160 calories).
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Pepperoni Pizza (350 calories), apple (60 calories...totally made up that amount, but it has to be close.), 100 calorie cakes (uh, 100 calories)
Snack: handful of Gummi Life Savers - probably about 100 calories
Dinner: Ziti with tomato basil sauce and asiago cheese sauce - I make this with skim milk so it's not too bad...but this is definitely one of my higher calorie meals. The tomato basil sauce has like 35 calories - it's just garlic, crushed tomatoes, and basil. . I'm estimating the calories but I entered it on one of those recipe calorie counters and this is what I got. (500 calories...not as bad as I thought).
Dessert: Lowfat Caramel Ice Cream (130 calories). I'm totally going to eat this tonight.
Total for the day: 1400!
I did go to the gym today as well. I worked out on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes, then did weights for 15-20 minutes. When I did Weight Watchers, you always had to eat your workout points the same day. Maybe I should have some extra pasta...yes?
Also - for those of you who are admiring my carb-loaded diet, I must admit a love for pasta. However, I did have veggie pasta last night, and I like whole-wheat pasta (though today it's just regular ziti). My next couple of dinners won't be pasta, though. I had to make tomorrow night's dinner a few minutes ago and put it in the crock pot for a few hours. I never leave stuff in the crock pot all day because it ends up being like 10 hours by the time I get home, sometimes longer. I'm super excited about tomorrow's dinner, but I'll share that later.
See ya tomorrow!
Just a note about the pasta I made last night - I used veggie pasta (tomato, carrot, and spinach noodles). It has tons of protein and fiber and is surprisingly tasty! However, I did overcook it by a couple of minutes because I got on Facebook and got sucked in. By the time I mixed it with the sauce and baked it for the required 20 minutes, it was a little mushy. But we ate it, and it was pretty good (Glen even took the leftovers to work today. Maybe next week I'll make it again and not overcook the pasta.
So...here's my menu for today. Again, I haven't actually made the dinner yet, but this is my plan.
Breakfast: Cheerio Cereal Bar (160 calories).
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Pepperoni Pizza (350 calories), apple (60 calories...totally made up that amount, but it has to be close.), 100 calorie cakes (uh, 100 calories)
Snack: handful of Gummi Life Savers - probably about 100 calories
Dinner: Ziti with tomato basil sauce and asiago cheese sauce - I make this with skim milk so it's not too bad...but this is definitely one of my higher calorie meals. The tomato basil sauce has like 35 calories - it's just garlic, crushed tomatoes, and basil. . I'm estimating the calories but I entered it on one of those recipe calorie counters and this is what I got. (500 calories...not as bad as I thought).
Dessert: Lowfat Caramel Ice Cream (130 calories). I'm totally going to eat this tonight.
Total for the day: 1400!
I did go to the gym today as well. I worked out on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes, then did weights for 15-20 minutes. When I did Weight Watchers, you always had to eat your workout points the same day. Maybe I should have some extra pasta...yes?
Also - for those of you who are admiring my carb-loaded diet, I must admit a love for pasta. However, I did have veggie pasta last night, and I like whole-wheat pasta (though today it's just regular ziti). My next couple of dinners won't be pasta, though. I had to make tomorrow night's dinner a few minutes ago and put it in the crock pot for a few hours. I never leave stuff in the crock pot all day because it ends up being like 10 hours by the time I get home, sometimes longer. I'm super excited about tomorrow's dinner, but I'll share that later.
See ya tomorrow!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Starting Point
I used to blog regularly right when Glen and I got married, but it became too much to keep up with. Plus, my life didn't seem particularly interesting enough to blog about on a regular basis, so there would only be an interesting update every couple of months or so. However, I read recently about a woman who went on a diet and lost lots of weight because she kept an online blog of the experience. By posting what she ate every day, whether good or bad, she felt more accountable to stay on her diet. In the end, she lost over 100 lbs!
Success! If it worked for her, maybe it would work for me! I'm prepared to try pretty much anything. Weight loss has been something that has plagued me most of my life. I was an overweight teenager, and it wasn't until I moved to Texas when I was 22 that I really began doing something about it. My roommate (Sarah!) and I would go work out at the gym and as I slowly began to see the results, it became addicting. So I worked out for 3 years five days a week, and got all the way down to a size 6! 6!! I was a 14 before! That means I lost half of myself! In truth, I only lost about 40 lbs, but it felt like a whole new me. I bought a whole new wardrobe, swearing I would NEVER gain again. Ha.
I write this not to make anyone else feel badly about their physical appearance, because I think the true issue has much more to do with our own perceptions than a number on a scale. I was (and still am) very insecure about myself and feel like I'm usually standing on the outside of a group trying to get in. My perception is that I'm not good enough to join, or perhaps that the people don't really want me there anyway. I know this is (probably) not true 95% of the time, but because I don't like myself, I think others won't like me either.
After I got married, I slowly began to gain weight. Somehow you eat more when you're married, I think. After my son was born, I was back at the weight I started at when I began this journey almost nine years ago. Time to do something! I joined a local gym, and started working out 3-4 times a week. I do have the exercise part in check (most of the time), but now it's time to focus on the eating...hence the blog. My goal is to stay around 1500 calories a day and get to the gym 3-4 days a week. I know there will be some days where there are colossal failures, but hopefully I can have mostly good days with only a few days.
So today, I begin. Want to know my menu for today? I've eaten everything but dinner and dessert...so I'll update if something changes.
Breakfast: Cheerio Cereal Bar (160 calories, 3 grams of fat per serving)
Lunch: Subway 6 inch turkey and pepperjack on wheat (300 calories), Baked BBQ Lays (150 calories), cookie (209 calories)
Dinner: Fiesta Noodle Casserole - got the recipe from the Hungry Girl 1-2-3 cookbook. Basically, it's like taco pasta - tricolor rotini, red taco sauce and taco seasoning, lowfat cheddar cheese. It calls for "soy crumbles" instead of ground beef, but I opted to substitute lean ground beef. I don't like pasta especially beefy so I only use 1/2 lb of meat in the recipe. (350 calories - I'm guessing here...but I have to be close)
Dessert: Lowfat Caramel Ice Cream (130 calories, 3g of fat per serving)
Total: 1299 calories (even with my two desserts!!!)
I HATE counting calories, but I did include my best caloric estimates. I have an enormous sweet tooth, so you will be see desserts in my daily menus. I also will be trying some new recipes from various lowfat cookbooks, so we'll see how they go. Oh, what's my goal weight? Well, I'll tell you this...I want to lose around 40 lbs. So, each week I'll let you know how much I lost, gained, or held on to. I did not work out today, but I rarely do on Sundays anyway.
This should be fun....
Success! If it worked for her, maybe it would work for me! I'm prepared to try pretty much anything. Weight loss has been something that has plagued me most of my life. I was an overweight teenager, and it wasn't until I moved to Texas when I was 22 that I really began doing something about it. My roommate (Sarah!) and I would go work out at the gym and as I slowly began to see the results, it became addicting. So I worked out for 3 years five days a week, and got all the way down to a size 6! 6!! I was a 14 before! That means I lost half of myself! In truth, I only lost about 40 lbs, but it felt like a whole new me. I bought a whole new wardrobe, swearing I would NEVER gain again. Ha.
I write this not to make anyone else feel badly about their physical appearance, because I think the true issue has much more to do with our own perceptions than a number on a scale. I was (and still am) very insecure about myself and feel like I'm usually standing on the outside of a group trying to get in. My perception is that I'm not good enough to join, or perhaps that the people don't really want me there anyway. I know this is (probably) not true 95% of the time, but because I don't like myself, I think others won't like me either.
After I got married, I slowly began to gain weight. Somehow you eat more when you're married, I think. After my son was born, I was back at the weight I started at when I began this journey almost nine years ago. Time to do something! I joined a local gym, and started working out 3-4 times a week. I do have the exercise part in check (most of the time), but now it's time to focus on the eating...hence the blog. My goal is to stay around 1500 calories a day and get to the gym 3-4 days a week. I know there will be some days where there are colossal failures, but hopefully I can have mostly good days with only a few days.
So today, I begin. Want to know my menu for today? I've eaten everything but dinner and dessert...so I'll update if something changes.
Breakfast: Cheerio Cereal Bar (160 calories, 3 grams of fat per serving)
Lunch: Subway 6 inch turkey and pepperjack on wheat (300 calories), Baked BBQ Lays (150 calories), cookie (209 calories)
Dinner: Fiesta Noodle Casserole - got the recipe from the Hungry Girl 1-2-3 cookbook. Basically, it's like taco pasta - tricolor rotini, red taco sauce and taco seasoning, lowfat cheddar cheese. It calls for "soy crumbles" instead of ground beef, but I opted to substitute lean ground beef. I don't like pasta especially beefy so I only use 1/2 lb of meat in the recipe. (350 calories - I'm guessing here...but I have to be close)
Dessert: Lowfat Caramel Ice Cream (130 calories, 3g of fat per serving)
Total: 1299 calories (even with my two desserts!!!)
I HATE counting calories, but I did include my best caloric estimates. I have an enormous sweet tooth, so you will be see desserts in my daily menus. I also will be trying some new recipes from various lowfat cookbooks, so we'll see how they go. Oh, what's my goal weight? Well, I'll tell you this...I want to lose around 40 lbs. So, each week I'll let you know how much I lost, gained, or held on to. I did not work out today, but I rarely do on Sundays anyway.
This should be fun....
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