My appetite was back Sat and it was two moderate turkey day meals Sat and again Sun evening before the last of everything but the turkey was gone. I had turkey sandwiches Sun and Mon mornings and today I chopped up the rest of the white meat into my chicken salad recipe (celery seed, mayo and raisins).
After all of this I have put the carcass in the freezer and still have a leg and some dark meat left which will probably go into the freezer too. I was going to make turkey noodle soup last night but gagged at the thought. To be honest I am ready to start gobbling if I eat one more bite of the stuff. Also I had that bowl of leftover cabbage to finish so I mixed that with the turkey broth and tossed the turkey into the freezer.
I have a roll of hamburger defrosting. I had Texas toast with the cabbage soup last night but there are about four giant slices left. I am thinking chili or spaghetti with a few slices of Texas toast. It will be perfect for this rainy day. The temps are dropping and it will be freezing by evening. A hot bowl of chili would feel good - and it won't be turkey *BG*.
I have to say I am proud of myself. One to two meals per day and all average size. I spread the pies over 10 days but I did suck the seven cookies down in one practically one bite :) I have been having apples and raw nuts in the shell for snacks. I covered the table with giant bowls of each to keep me motivated and from looking for other things and it seems to be working. (Don't forget I am lazy LOL.)
The rain should clear out tonight so I can bake bread tomorrow. If so then I think I will finish out the week with grilled ham & cheese, peanut butter and fried egg sandwiches and bowls of chili and stew.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Talk about a twist.......
a fridge stuffed with food - great food I might add - and no appetite!!! I finished the turkey this evening at the same time as my friend Diane stopped by. She has been working tons of banquets and saved a couple of ham bones and turkey bones for me. I can pick meat off for the dogs and make soups with them.
I had breakfast about 6pm - a couple of small slices of turkey, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, a couple small scoops of dressing and a cup of the mashed sweet potatoes. I couldn't finish it!! There is pie and Diane also brought some yummy fresh baked chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I ate one and am too full to have anymore tonight. I couldn't even tackle the chocolate pecan pie.
Well it would be great for the diet but I think things will turn back around tomorrow. I think I just snacked without thinking while I was cooking and was full. If I am not hungry tomorrow I will be wrapping and freezing a lot of stuff LOL.
Happy Holidays
Linda B in TN:)
I had breakfast about 6pm - a couple of small slices of turkey, a spoonful of cranberry sauce, a couple small scoops of dressing and a cup of the mashed sweet potatoes. I couldn't finish it!! There is pie and Diane also brought some yummy fresh baked chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I ate one and am too full to have anymore tonight. I couldn't even tackle the chocolate pecan pie.
Well it would be great for the diet but I think things will turn back around tomorrow. I think I just snacked without thinking while I was cooking and was full. If I am not hungry tomorrow I will be wrapping and freezing a lot of stuff LOL.
Happy Holidays
Linda B in TN:)
Holding it together .....so far
but I haven't pulled out the chocolate pecan pie yet LOL.
I did splurge on two pre-made pies - the CP and a pumpkin. I attacked the CP earlier this week and ate a couple of pieces Mon night. I had intended to just have one piece but I had 3. I had PLANNED to use half the pies for Thanksgiving and freeze the rest for Christmas if I didn't have company. Well of course none of that is going to happen. I will finish off the pies over the next few days but I kind of knew that was going to happen if I am honest with myself. Especially when I discovered the pecan pie was CHOCOLATE pecan LOL.
I wasn't able to buy a ham but did get a turkey. I boiled some chicken breasts Wed night to make chicken broth. I decided to go ahead and make the dressing and cranberry sauce so I had a serving of each with a chicken breast. I also cooked a pot of cabbage.
Thurs I baked bread in anticipation of turkey sandwiches. I chopped up two of the chicken breasts into a delicious salad - celery seed, mayo, grapes and raisins. Later in the evening my bread finished about the same time I was going to fix some cabbage and a chicken breast so...... for dinner I had 4 crisp, hot bread crusts cut from the fresh loaf and forgot about the chicken. They were awesome and I was stuffed so I headed to bed.
After a 5 hour nap I got up around 1am and figured I better make another loaf of bread. I also made a pot of mashed sweet potatoes. For most of my life I thought I hated sweet potatoes because they were always served with marshmallows or syrup - gag!!!!! I only discovered the mashed a few years ago. I just peel and dice them into large chunks, add a can of chicken broth to the pot, bring to a boil then lower to med and let steam for about 20-30 minutes. I don't want them mushy, I want some "chunk" and fiber to them. I hand mash with a fork and add a little butter - awesome!!!!! I had a small bowl mixed with chunks of the last chicken breast this morning and loved it.
I finally got to bed about 8a and got up at noon when a friend called. I had the turkey ready to go so I just popped it in a few minutes ago. I plan to have a true Thanksgiving spread this evening, will heat leftovers tomorrow then go to sandwiches. By Mon I hope to boil the carcass, make homemade egg noodles and turn it into turkey soup.
Who knew my physical problems slowing me down to cooking bits of a meal day by day would also be good for dieting. I can't pig out on tons of stuff because I am making it one meal at a time LOL.
Hugs
Linda B in TN:)
I did splurge on two pre-made pies - the CP and a pumpkin. I attacked the CP earlier this week and ate a couple of pieces Mon night. I had intended to just have one piece but I had 3. I had PLANNED to use half the pies for Thanksgiving and freeze the rest for Christmas if I didn't have company. Well of course none of that is going to happen. I will finish off the pies over the next few days but I kind of knew that was going to happen if I am honest with myself. Especially when I discovered the pecan pie was CHOCOLATE pecan LOL.
I wasn't able to buy a ham but did get a turkey. I boiled some chicken breasts Wed night to make chicken broth. I decided to go ahead and make the dressing and cranberry sauce so I had a serving of each with a chicken breast. I also cooked a pot of cabbage.
Thurs I baked bread in anticipation of turkey sandwiches. I chopped up two of the chicken breasts into a delicious salad - celery seed, mayo, grapes and raisins. Later in the evening my bread finished about the same time I was going to fix some cabbage and a chicken breast so...... for dinner I had 4 crisp, hot bread crusts cut from the fresh loaf and forgot about the chicken. They were awesome and I was stuffed so I headed to bed.
After a 5 hour nap I got up around 1am and figured I better make another loaf of bread. I also made a pot of mashed sweet potatoes. For most of my life I thought I hated sweet potatoes because they were always served with marshmallows or syrup - gag!!!!! I only discovered the mashed a few years ago. I just peel and dice them into large chunks, add a can of chicken broth to the pot, bring to a boil then lower to med and let steam for about 20-30 minutes. I don't want them mushy, I want some "chunk" and fiber to them. I hand mash with a fork and add a little butter - awesome!!!!! I had a small bowl mixed with chunks of the last chicken breast this morning and loved it.
I finally got to bed about 8a and got up at noon when a friend called. I had the turkey ready to go so I just popped it in a few minutes ago. I plan to have a true Thanksgiving spread this evening, will heat leftovers tomorrow then go to sandwiches. By Mon I hope to boil the carcass, make homemade egg noodles and turn it into turkey soup.
Who knew my physical problems slowing me down to cooking bits of a meal day by day would also be good for dieting. I can't pig out on tons of stuff because I am making it one meal at a time LOL.
Hugs
Linda B in TN:)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Wow I did not realize I had left this so long. Between some remodeling and fall with lots of yard work and leaf raking, time has just slipped by.
Sort of good news - I went to the doctor in mid Oct and found out I have lost almost 35 pounds this year. My scale at home is still acting weird so I wasn't sure. I am only averaging about a pound or two a month since early summer and going low carb but as long as it is going down, it is still better than gaining. My problem with low carb, I still end up sometimes eating a couple of apples or yogurt cups here and there and blow the day for dieting but still stay within maintenance. I can live without potatoes, rice and most flour products but I love raisins, nuts, apples and oranges and have a hard time staying away from them - especially when I find a great sale on them.
Now speaking of gaining, the holiday season is here. I have already been invited to Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners and have more things planned at church. I know I am going to pig out and enjoy those dinners plus the electric bill is already rising so I am going to go back to low fat for a few months. I will stop worrying about carbs and be strict most of the time and hope it will balance out the fun stuff. I will be back to low carb after the holidays or when the electric bills go back down in the spring so this is a month to month thing.
I bought a 50 lb bag of potatoes today and will split all the meat into single servings before I put them in the freezer. I will be up to my elbows in cling wrap for hours tomorrow LOL.
Also on the menu, unbleached organic flour to bake bread, make pasta and drop biscuits and toppings for some mini homemade pot pies in my Express cooker. I bought lots of bags of fruit, bags and bags of nuts in the shell, some clearance veggies and lots of nonfat yogurt. I decided on peanut butter and sugar free fruit only preserves on stone ground crackers and bagels for snacks. No chips or stuff full of preservatives like last winter. I am hoping I won't be as sluggish.
My only problem - I haven't figured out what to do for my chocolate cravings. I may try to remember to pick up some Hershey's syrup and experiment with low fat cream cheese for some type of cheese cake. Also I still have about 20 bags of those SF Hershey's chocolate chips in the freezer. My friend Debby loves them in Cool Whip. I tried that and tried adding them to SF vanilla ice cream but found them very hard to bite into. I also tried to melt them and add them to the ice cream but it hardened immediately. Oh well, more experimenting in my future LOL.
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
Sort of good news - I went to the doctor in mid Oct and found out I have lost almost 35 pounds this year. My scale at home is still acting weird so I wasn't sure. I am only averaging about a pound or two a month since early summer and going low carb but as long as it is going down, it is still better than gaining. My problem with low carb, I still end up sometimes eating a couple of apples or yogurt cups here and there and blow the day for dieting but still stay within maintenance. I can live without potatoes, rice and most flour products but I love raisins, nuts, apples and oranges and have a hard time staying away from them - especially when I find a great sale on them.
Now speaking of gaining, the holiday season is here. I have already been invited to Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners and have more things planned at church. I know I am going to pig out and enjoy those dinners plus the electric bill is already rising so I am going to go back to low fat for a few months. I will stop worrying about carbs and be strict most of the time and hope it will balance out the fun stuff. I will be back to low carb after the holidays or when the electric bills go back down in the spring so this is a month to month thing.
I bought a 50 lb bag of potatoes today and will split all the meat into single servings before I put them in the freezer. I will be up to my elbows in cling wrap for hours tomorrow LOL.
Also on the menu, unbleached organic flour to bake bread, make pasta and drop biscuits and toppings for some mini homemade pot pies in my Express cooker. I bought lots of bags of fruit, bags and bags of nuts in the shell, some clearance veggies and lots of nonfat yogurt. I decided on peanut butter and sugar free fruit only preserves on stone ground crackers and bagels for snacks. No chips or stuff full of preservatives like last winter. I am hoping I won't be as sluggish.
My only problem - I haven't figured out what to do for my chocolate cravings. I may try to remember to pick up some Hershey's syrup and experiment with low fat cream cheese for some type of cheese cake. Also I still have about 20 bags of those SF Hershey's chocolate chips in the freezer. My friend Debby loves them in Cool Whip. I tried that and tried adding them to SF vanilla ice cream but found them very hard to bite into. I also tried to melt them and add them to the ice cream but it hardened immediately. Oh well, more experimenting in my future LOL.
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Low Carb Pizza - OOOPS
I was wondering why this didn't come through. Well seems I posted it on the wrong blog LOL. I have one called Village Ramblings where I check in about once a month so my family and friends can know I am OK and still grumbling. Well, I posted the pizza there. So here's the link:
http://villageramblings.blogspot.com/2010/08/low-carb-pizza.html
I am going to try to copy and paste it into here. If it doesn't come out right just check out the link above.
Originally posted Aug 8, 2010 on the wrong blog:
I created this recipe back in the 90's. I was always buying provolone cheese for "sandwiches". I would have it sliced extra thick at the deli and use it as my "bread". I figured why not substitute it for the bread crust in a pizza.
Line a small pan with 2 layers of provolone. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of pizza sauce. Now cover with shredded moz and your favorite meaty toppings. Feel free to load up on pepperoni, bacon, ham, ground beef etc. Sprinkle a small amount of diced onion, mushrooms and peppers if you like.
I used to put this under the broiler for about 10 mins or until the cheese was melted. Now I make two half pizzas in my GT Express cooker. It takes about 5 mins to crisp up the pepperoni.
Let the pizza sit for about 10-15 mins to cool and set then serve. This will not cut neatly so you will probably have to spoon it into the dish. I try to slide it onto a plate and find that works best.
I found cheese molding in the fridge last night so I put a pizza together. It was so hot that I got sick while cooking it and ate it cold a few hours later. Still good. I also made up some tuna salad last night which I ate spread on celery sticks for supper today. Actually I only ate one meal today, the tuna-celery sticks and a bag of Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds (100 cal, 2 net carbs). It was too hot for anything else.
I haven't been checking my weight too much lately but I weighed tonight. I am still at 350 but my clothes are much looser and friends keep saying I look much thinner so I don't know. I know that, except for the heat misery, I feel better and clearer mentally since I changed my diet. I may have to hunt for a scale at a store in town next week.
Happy Dieting,
LindaB in TN:)
http://villageramblings.blogspot.com/2010/08/low-carb-pizza.html
I am going to try to copy and paste it into here. If it doesn't come out right just check out the link above.
Originally posted Aug 8, 2010 on the wrong blog:
I created this recipe back in the 90's. I was always buying provolone cheese for "sandwiches". I would have it sliced extra thick at the deli and use it as my "bread". I figured why not substitute it for the bread crust in a pizza.
Line a small pan with 2 layers of provolone. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of pizza sauce. Now cover with shredded moz and your favorite meaty toppings. Feel free to load up on pepperoni, bacon, ham, ground beef etc. Sprinkle a small amount of diced onion, mushrooms and peppers if you like.
I used to put this under the broiler for about 10 mins or until the cheese was melted. Now I make two half pizzas in my GT Express cooker. It takes about 5 mins to crisp up the pepperoni.
Let the pizza sit for about 10-15 mins to cool and set then serve. This will not cut neatly so you will probably have to spoon it into the dish. I try to slide it onto a plate and find that works best.
I found cheese molding in the fridge last night so I put a pizza together. It was so hot that I got sick while cooking it and ate it cold a few hours later. Still good. I also made up some tuna salad last night which I ate spread on celery sticks for supper today. Actually I only ate one meal today, the tuna-celery sticks and a bag of Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds (100 cal, 2 net carbs). It was too hot for anything else.
I haven't been checking my weight too much lately but I weighed tonight. I am still at 350 but my clothes are much looser and friends keep saying I look much thinner so I don't know. I know that, except for the heat misery, I feel better and clearer mentally since I changed my diet. I may have to hunt for a scale at a store in town next week.
Happy Dieting,
LindaB in TN:)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Soy is NOT an option
Sorry it has been longer than usual. Internet down then PC crashed and now my external hard drive has died. Naturally I am broke so it will take time to recover completely.
Well, I had a brilliant idea this evening. I have been craving something fried. I had thawed some pork chops and was sick to death of stir fry so I decided to try some soy flour to keep the carbs down. I mean what could it hurt?
Let me tell you - it was disgusting. Soy flour is extremely fine and it bound on thickly but the taste was horrible. I can't even begin to convey how nasty it was. There was a burnt flavor (like bad soy milk of the old days). It started like regular breading on a chicken nugget but morphed immediately into something mealy then thick and gummy.
Guess I will have to just go back to regular flour and plan my carbs better on fried food days.
Happy dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
Well, I had a brilliant idea this evening. I have been craving something fried. I had thawed some pork chops and was sick to death of stir fry so I decided to try some soy flour to keep the carbs down. I mean what could it hurt?
Let me tell you - it was disgusting. Soy flour is extremely fine and it bound on thickly but the taste was horrible. I can't even begin to convey how nasty it was. There was a burnt flavor (like bad soy milk of the old days). It started like regular breading on a chicken nugget but morphed immediately into something mealy then thick and gummy.
Guess I will have to just go back to regular flour and plan my carbs better on fried food days.
Happy dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
Friday, August 13, 2010
Let's Talk Flat Bread
I ran out of low carb tortillas and was hunting for low carb flat bread recipes last week. I found several to try but I needed to buy ingredients for all of them. I am stocked up now but it is too hot to cook (and I am not really in the mood to cook LOL) so I will work on them later.
I have been using low carb tortillas for bread the last few months. They are made by La Banderita and called Soft Tacos, 8 in a pack for $2.43 and the only low carb brand available around here.
They are 4 net carbs, thinner than regular tortillas and have a yucky yeasty dough taste that is sometimes hard to get past. They also rip and tear very easily so my wraps fall apart and I usually have to eat them with a knife and fork.
I was surprised but WM only had one package of them left in the store Wed which turned out to be a good thing.
When I was at the deli I glanced down at the breads and discovered a flat bread called Flatout. These things are thin like a regular tortilla, don't tear easily and taste like real bread!! WM had them in Light Original - 6 net carbs, 0 sugar; or Healthy Grain - 8 net carbs and 1g sugar. I snagged both but have found out there are many other varieties available.
There are 6 in a pack for $2.88 so they are a little pricier however it works out better. The soft tacos are round and have too much left over dough for me. The flat breads are large ovals and easily cut in half for two slightly smaller wraps. The wraps also turn out nice enough to serve to company and have such great flavor. I am hooked:)
This reviewer mentions a sun-dried tomato variety which I am hoping to find:
http://www.examiner.com/vegetarian-food-in-raleigh/flat-out-flat-bread-review
Go to their website and see more varieties. They even have flat bread crisps. There are also recipe ideas. It looks great as pizza dough. You can order direct through the company. They have a lot of varieties that look like they would be tasty.
http://www.flatoutbread.com/
They also have a new, thicker "Fold It" wrap that is great for burgers. This is their Atkins approved list for low carbers:
http://www.flatoutbread.com/healthy-lifestyle/atkins-lifestyle/
Enjoy and Happy Dieting,
LindaB in TN:)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Heat Continues
It is causing a big problem with my menu prep. I am on a limited income so staying on low carb requires loading up on a lot of eggs. I had planned eggs and bacon or sausage for my breakfasts most of the month but this blistering heat causes my stomach to roll when I even consider eggs. I had also bought some deli meat, low carb wraps and inexpensive ham bits for lunches.
I spent the first week eating lots of deli meats dumped into salads. Week two it was more salads and I cooked meat in the middle of the night, cooled it and dumped it into more salads. I ran out of salad fixings last week so it was mostly fruit cups and yogurt left over from last month. I have been stretching one bag of burgers through the past week and have 4 more days until grocery day.
Note: I bought one of those egg cookers with the domed lid. It works really great. It does 7 boiled egg, 4 poached eggs or steams veggies. I figured out the perfect amount of water to boil my eggs so they aren't runny but they are still dark yellow on the inside. I love them. I made a batch last night and am hoping I will be able to stand some tuna or egg salad tomorrow if everything is pre-chilled.
Happy dieting
Linda B in TN:)
I spent the first week eating lots of deli meats dumped into salads. Week two it was more salads and I cooked meat in the middle of the night, cooled it and dumped it into more salads. I ran out of salad fixings last week so it was mostly fruit cups and yogurt left over from last month. I have been stretching one bag of burgers through the past week and have 4 more days until grocery day.
Note: I bought one of those egg cookers with the domed lid. It works really great. It does 7 boiled egg, 4 poached eggs or steams veggies. I figured out the perfect amount of water to boil my eggs so they aren't runny but they are still dark yellow on the inside. I love them. I made a batch last night and am hoping I will be able to stand some tuna or egg salad tomorrow if everything is pre-chilled.
Happy dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
I'm Melting.............
but it is not helping LOL. 46 days and no end in sight!!!!! On average we have about 15 days of above 90 degree temps each spring and summer. Last year we had 9. Even worse they are not just low 90's but mid to high 90's and high humidity giving us heat indexes of plus 100 degrees. With no a/c I am sleeping during the day and getting up in the evening. Even that is not helping much the past two weeks. It is not even cooling down at night *sigh*.
We lucked out with some rain last night that cooled things down for about 3 hours. I was able to heat some water and wash dishes but that left me wrung out. I am still trying to stay low carb but I have been too hot to cook most of the time. I had several cans of SF applesauce and some low sugar fruit cups from the low fat days. I tossed them in the fridge and have been pulling them out for my breakfast and suppers.
It is a good thing I gave up sodas, I wouldn't have been able to haul enough home. I go through 6-10 trays of ice each day plus refill and use about 15 water bottles each day. I can't seem to get enough. Oh and Miss Kitty and the dogs expect a couple of ice cubes in their water each time I go into the kitchen LOL.
I was already refreshing it with cool well water several times a day. Well, Miss Kitty came over one day and dipped her head in my insulated mug that was filled with ice and water. I had to fight her to get it away and give her a cup with ice and water. Now I have to fix her a cup of ice water every time I go to the kitchen to get one for me LOL.
Here's an interesting note - canned Fr. cut green beans have very little flavor. During that cool spell yesterday I decided I wanted some spaghetti and was very hungry. I cooked a few hamburger patties, diced them up and added some cheese and a few tablespoons of Ragu garden delight spaghetti sauce. I rinsed a can of the beans and tossed them in. It actually didn't taste much different than having the real thing - just a few more veggies and I enjoyed it.
Happy Dieting
LindaB in TN:)
We lucked out with some rain last night that cooled things down for about 3 hours. I was able to heat some water and wash dishes but that left me wrung out. I am still trying to stay low carb but I have been too hot to cook most of the time. I had several cans of SF applesauce and some low sugar fruit cups from the low fat days. I tossed them in the fridge and have been pulling them out for my breakfast and suppers.
It is a good thing I gave up sodas, I wouldn't have been able to haul enough home. I go through 6-10 trays of ice each day plus refill and use about 15 water bottles each day. I can't seem to get enough. Oh and Miss Kitty and the dogs expect a couple of ice cubes in their water each time I go into the kitchen LOL.
I was already refreshing it with cool well water several times a day. Well, Miss Kitty came over one day and dipped her head in my insulated mug that was filled with ice and water. I had to fight her to get it away and give her a cup with ice and water. Now I have to fix her a cup of ice water every time I go to the kitchen to get one for me LOL.
Here's an interesting note - canned Fr. cut green beans have very little flavor. During that cool spell yesterday I decided I wanted some spaghetti and was very hungry. I cooked a few hamburger patties, diced them up and added some cheese and a few tablespoons of Ragu garden delight spaghetti sauce. I rinsed a can of the beans and tossed them in. It actually didn't taste much different than having the real thing - just a few more veggies and I enjoyed it.
Happy Dieting
LindaB in TN:)
Friday, July 23, 2010
Chocolate Milkshake - One Carb
I have been staying faithful to the low carb plan but the scales are not being kind. Yesterday they said I had gained 8 lbs!!!! However I know my clothes are hanging loose and a friend came to visit today and SWEARS I look thinner to her. I hadn't seen her in a couple of months so that was great to hear.
I came up with an awesome low carb treat to get past my chocolate cravings. Hershey's cocoa powder is only 3 carbs per tablespoon but 2 gms are fiber so you only count it as 1 carb. Heavy whipping cream is zero carbs.
Monday I tried making some cold chocolate milk but the powder stayed lumpy.
Wed I decided to give it another try. I put almost 2 cups of cream into a large plastic "glass". I added 1 1/2 tbsp of cocoa and 2 teas Splenda. I decided to try mixing it with my stick blender. I was playing around with the blender and before I realized it I had an entire cup of fluffy chocolate whipped cream!!! It tasted pretty good but was a little thicker, a little less sweet and a little less cold than I would have liked but it was still pretty awesome tasting.
Well I tried again last night. 2 cups cream, reduced to 1 tbsp cocoa, increased to 3 teas Splenda, tossed in two ice cubes and blended. I hit the ice cubes a little at a time to break them up and then blended the entire cupful but not as long as before. A little too sweet but otherwise perfect. Tasted like a big frothy chocolate milkshake. Yum!!!!
This combo with some vanilla and half and half is supposed to make ice cream but I have misplaced the recipe. That will be my next experiment since we are still in the middle of a heat wave and I am melting.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
I came up with an awesome low carb treat to get past my chocolate cravings. Hershey's cocoa powder is only 3 carbs per tablespoon but 2 gms are fiber so you only count it as 1 carb. Heavy whipping cream is zero carbs.
Monday I tried making some cold chocolate milk but the powder stayed lumpy.
Wed I decided to give it another try. I put almost 2 cups of cream into a large plastic "glass". I added 1 1/2 tbsp of cocoa and 2 teas Splenda. I decided to try mixing it with my stick blender. I was playing around with the blender and before I realized it I had an entire cup of fluffy chocolate whipped cream!!! It tasted pretty good but was a little thicker, a little less sweet and a little less cold than I would have liked but it was still pretty awesome tasting.
Well I tried again last night. 2 cups cream, reduced to 1 tbsp cocoa, increased to 3 teas Splenda, tossed in two ice cubes and blended. I hit the ice cubes a little at a time to break them up and then blended the entire cupful but not as long as before. A little too sweet but otherwise perfect. Tasted like a big frothy chocolate milkshake. Yum!!!!
This combo with some vanilla and half and half is supposed to make ice cream but I have misplaced the recipe. That will be my next experiment since we are still in the middle of a heat wave and I am melting.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Saturday, July 3, 2010
How to Weigh Yourself LOL
Things here continue the same, no loss, no gain. My electric bill is staying around $70 right now so I have just enough to stay on low carb for another couple of months. When winter gets here I will have to rethink it because it will probably be lots of pasta, potato, rice and bread stretchers to get through the high heating bill months.
In the meantime I am mostly enjoying eating low carb. I do have to admit I could use some variety so I have been plundering the LC cookbooks for some recipes. Mostly soups and desserts. Soups for fillers to stretch the LC foods. Desserts because I absolutely must have chocolate at least once a week or I become a very cranky old biddy. I am even happier if I can also have ice cream a few times a week. If the recipes turn out well I will post them here. My favorite places to get LC recipes is LowCarbLuxury but I just discovered a Google group that has collected two great LC cookbooks. The list below was also collected by them at alt.support.diet.low-carb:
The Best Way to Weigh Yourself
A couple of threads copied from alt.support.diet.low-carb
To all those people who measure their progress by weighing themselves, here is how to do it: Use the same scales, every time. Take your weight at the same time of day, EVERYDAY. That way, you get a seven-day moving-average, which smoothes out abnormalities
You forgot to say don't eat before you weigh yourself.
Take all the clothes off so you don't weigh them.
Potty first.
And suck in as you step on the scale.
It won't make you weigh less but it does make you LOOK skinnier.
And, most important, kinda ease your way onto the scale. Sneak up on it. You don't want to startle those numbers into doing something bad.
The proper small-animal sacrifice beforehand doesn't hurt either........
as long as you can eat it afterwards. :-)
Also shower first to rid yourself of that heavy "dirt"… Dry body and hair vigorously to avoid unnecessary water weight. Be sure to clean water and wax out of ears. Brush lint and cat hair off scale
Weigh WITH your clothes.Then frown, take off your shoes and try again. Frown just a little. Take off your pants, and try again. Nod to confirm that the number looks better. Take off your shirt and weigh again....Take off your socks and underwear....weigh again. Smile and affirm that even if it is heavier than yesterday, it is still lighter than 5 minutes ago!
How To Lie To The Bathroom Scale
Weigh yourself with clothes on, after dinner... then again in the morning, without clothes, before breakfast, because it's nice to see how much weight you've lost overnight.
When weighing, remove everything, including glasses. In this case, blurred vision is an asset. Don't forget the earrings, these things can weigh at least a pound.
Use cheap scales only, never the medical kind, because they are always five pounds off...to your advantage.
Always go to the bathroom first.
Stand with arms raised, making pressure on the scale lighter.
Don't eat or drink in the morning until AFTER you've weighed in, completely naked, of course.
Weigh yourself after a haircut, this is good for at least half a pound of hair (hopefully).
Exhale with all your might BEFORE stepping onto the scale (air has to weigh something, right?).
Start out with just one foot on the scale, then holding onto the towel rack in front of you, slowly edge your other foot on and slowly let off of the rack. Admittedly, this takes time, but it's worth it. You will weigh at least two pounds less than if you'd stepped on normally.
LOL my favorite is the advice to sneak up on the scale LOL.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
In the meantime I am mostly enjoying eating low carb. I do have to admit I could use some variety so I have been plundering the LC cookbooks for some recipes. Mostly soups and desserts. Soups for fillers to stretch the LC foods. Desserts because I absolutely must have chocolate at least once a week or I become a very cranky old biddy. I am even happier if I can also have ice cream a few times a week. If the recipes turn out well I will post them here. My favorite places to get LC recipes is LowCarbLuxury but I just discovered a Google group that has collected two great LC cookbooks. The list below was also collected by them at alt.support.diet.low-carb:
The Best Way to Weigh Yourself
A couple of threads copied from alt.support.diet.low-carb
To all those people who measure their progress by weighing themselves, here is how to do it: Use the same scales, every time. Take your weight at the same time of day, EVERYDAY. That way, you get a seven-day moving-average, which smoothes out abnormalities
You forgot to say don't eat before you weigh yourself.
Take all the clothes off so you don't weigh them.
Potty first.
And suck in as you step on the scale.
It won't make you weigh less but it does make you LOOK skinnier.
And, most important, kinda ease your way onto the scale. Sneak up on it. You don't want to startle those numbers into doing something bad.
The proper small-animal sacrifice beforehand doesn't hurt either........
as long as you can eat it afterwards. :-)
Also shower first to rid yourself of that heavy "dirt"… Dry body and hair vigorously to avoid unnecessary water weight. Be sure to clean water and wax out of ears. Brush lint and cat hair off scale
Weigh WITH your clothes.Then frown, take off your shoes and try again. Frown just a little. Take off your pants, and try again. Nod to confirm that the number looks better. Take off your shirt and weigh again....Take off your socks and underwear....weigh again. Smile and affirm that even if it is heavier than yesterday, it is still lighter than 5 minutes ago!
How To Lie To The Bathroom Scale
Weigh yourself with clothes on, after dinner... then again in the morning, without clothes, before breakfast, because it's nice to see how much weight you've lost overnight.
When weighing, remove everything, including glasses. In this case, blurred vision is an asset. Don't forget the earrings, these things can weigh at least a pound.
Use cheap scales only, never the medical kind, because they are always five pounds off...to your advantage.
Always go to the bathroom first.
Stand with arms raised, making pressure on the scale lighter.
Don't eat or drink in the morning until AFTER you've weighed in, completely naked, of course.
Weigh yourself after a haircut, this is good for at least half a pound of hair (hopefully).
Exhale with all your might BEFORE stepping onto the scale (air has to weigh something, right?).
Start out with just one foot on the scale, then holding onto the towel rack in front of you, slowly edge your other foot on and slowly let off of the rack. Admittedly, this takes time, but it's worth it. You will weigh at least two pounds less than if you'd stepped on normally.
LOL my favorite is the advice to sneak up on the scale LOL.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Why? Why? Why?
I am not gaining, I am not losing. At least I think I am not. I have been weighing a lot the last week. The scales can say 360 and ten minutes later say 345. Jump on again and they may say 290 or 390. If I am careful, get on them slowly and tilt just a little to read it I get somewhere between 345 and 355.
I thought I was doing well the first six weeks. I dropped off 20 pounds. It is now over two months later and I may have lost another 5 pounds or gained 5 pounds back. I mean SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!
Let us review. In Jan I had given up sodas and mayo. I also switched to a low fat margarine and stopped using butter. In March I started a low fat diet. Except for a 100 calorie cup of chocolate ice cream each night and a little bit of olive oil, everything I ate was low fat. This alone should had netted me 30 to 40 pounds of weight loss in the past 6 months.
But wait, I went further. My daily calories were 2000 to 2300 per day. I had two days at 2500 and one at 2800 otherwise I stuck with the program. For a 360 to 380 lb woman this is not an unreasonable amount to expect to eat and still lose weight. I was diligent and faithful and ate all that rotten processed food as snacks plus tons of awful bread in an effort to stay with the diet. I had no more than one serving of meat per meal. I even stored everything in the freezer in single servings so I could make sure I wouldn't be tempted.
After two months of being stalled I decided to try switching to low carb to get my metabolism going. Two weeks and nothing. My intestines are still not working correctly. Probably still sabotaged by all that unhealthy wheat bread I stuffed myself on. (Did I mention I think wheat and bread are bad for you? I know, they shove it on you in every diet but I still think it is bad.)
I have been meticulously stringent on the low carb, eating meat, eggs, cheese, salads from plain lettuce, celery, green beans and spinach. Add a little mayo/salad dressing and butter and that is it. I should be dropping at least 3-5 pounds per week but nothing.
Oh well. At least enjoy a good laugh. I love John Pinette and I certainly know what he is talking about here:
John Pinette - On a Diet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdNTMa1xZA
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
I thought I was doing well the first six weeks. I dropped off 20 pounds. It is now over two months later and I may have lost another 5 pounds or gained 5 pounds back. I mean SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!
Let us review. In Jan I had given up sodas and mayo. I also switched to a low fat margarine and stopped using butter. In March I started a low fat diet. Except for a 100 calorie cup of chocolate ice cream each night and a little bit of olive oil, everything I ate was low fat. This alone should had netted me 30 to 40 pounds of weight loss in the past 6 months.
But wait, I went further. My daily calories were 2000 to 2300 per day. I had two days at 2500 and one at 2800 otherwise I stuck with the program. For a 360 to 380 lb woman this is not an unreasonable amount to expect to eat and still lose weight. I was diligent and faithful and ate all that rotten processed food as snacks plus tons of awful bread in an effort to stay with the diet. I had no more than one serving of meat per meal. I even stored everything in the freezer in single servings so I could make sure I wouldn't be tempted.
After two months of being stalled I decided to try switching to low carb to get my metabolism going. Two weeks and nothing. My intestines are still not working correctly. Probably still sabotaged by all that unhealthy wheat bread I stuffed myself on. (Did I mention I think wheat and bread are bad for you? I know, they shove it on you in every diet but I still think it is bad.)
I have been meticulously stringent on the low carb, eating meat, eggs, cheese, salads from plain lettuce, celery, green beans and spinach. Add a little mayo/salad dressing and butter and that is it. I should be dropping at least 3-5 pounds per week but nothing.
Oh well. At least enjoy a good laugh. I love John Pinette and I certainly know what he is talking about here:
John Pinette - On a Diet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLdNTMa1xZA
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
Friday, June 18, 2010
One Week of Low Carb....
....and something is not working correctly. I have managed to finally lose one more pound but this is not usual. Normal on low carb is 5-10 lbs the first week. I have been very faithful to the diet but there are other things that are odd.
I have been doing LC for 40 years. My first time was back around 1970 after my son was born. The two big diets were Dr. Stillman's Quick Weight Loss and Whipped Cream & Martinis: The Drinking Man's Diet. Stillman's was meat, eggs & cheese only. You alternated it with the Quick Inches Off Diet which was all veggies and fruit. You did the QWL until you got your weight within about 20 lbs then you alternated it with the QIO every two weeks. This supposedly got you back in shape as you lost the final pounds and did not leave you with sagging skin. I followed the diet to drop the 20 lbs I had put on during my pregnancy and actually enjoyed it.
Over the years I don't always diet but I eat more LC than anything else. I love meat, eggs and cheese and any veggies. I don't care much for sweets (except chocolate and ice cream) or fruits. Also while I love a good loaf of home baked bread, I really am not big on breads either. So mostly I have eaten LC for half the month and then the second half is loaded with lots of noodles, rice and potatoes as I try to pay all the bills and stretch my grocery bill to nth penny.
Three things usually happen when you start a LC diet.
First there is the diarrhea. Within a day or two you will usually have some diarrhea problems that will continue throughout the diet because you will be eating high protein meals plus high fiber with veggies. This did not start this time until about 2 days ago. Instead it seemed as if I was still stuffed with all that whole wheat bread.
Second - you get really bad breath. It is from a process called ketosis that is going on in your body. As the body burns fat it puts off gases that come through your breath. Most diets will give you some bad breath but LC usually gives you extreme bad breath. I mean you can TASTE it, it is so bad. It is a good reason to keep a bit of parsley available and I brush my teeth often plus keep a SF mouthwash available. I haven't had this problem but one or two days so far this time.
Third - you usually start to lose your appetite after 3-4 days. I mean you have to FORCE yourself to eat at least twice a day. Not so this time. It has been a constant fight in the other direction. I have craved all that garbage that I was eating on low fat even though in my normal life I almost never ate any of the stuff. The first 3 or 4 days I was cooking almost nonstop. I would eat a pork chop and salad and two hours later feel hungry, hungry, hungry. I would distract myself enough to make it to 4 or 5 hours then it would be another pork chop and a small cup of salad. This went on for 3 days. By Sunday I finally began to feel like I was actually filling up but it was Tues before I went on two meals a day and no hunger pangs.
Since things are finally seeming like normal with this diet I am hoping next week will finally record a reasonable weight loss. I will stick with it. I want to stay with low carb for 3 full months before going back to low fat.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN@ 349 :)
I have been doing LC for 40 years. My first time was back around 1970 after my son was born. The two big diets were Dr. Stillman's Quick Weight Loss and Whipped Cream & Martinis: The Drinking Man's Diet. Stillman's was meat, eggs & cheese only. You alternated it with the Quick Inches Off Diet which was all veggies and fruit. You did the QWL until you got your weight within about 20 lbs then you alternated it with the QIO every two weeks. This supposedly got you back in shape as you lost the final pounds and did not leave you with sagging skin. I followed the diet to drop the 20 lbs I had put on during my pregnancy and actually enjoyed it.
Over the years I don't always diet but I eat more LC than anything else. I love meat, eggs and cheese and any veggies. I don't care much for sweets (except chocolate and ice cream) or fruits. Also while I love a good loaf of home baked bread, I really am not big on breads either. So mostly I have eaten LC for half the month and then the second half is loaded with lots of noodles, rice and potatoes as I try to pay all the bills and stretch my grocery bill to nth penny.
Three things usually happen when you start a LC diet.
First there is the diarrhea. Within a day or two you will usually have some diarrhea problems that will continue throughout the diet because you will be eating high protein meals plus high fiber with veggies. This did not start this time until about 2 days ago. Instead it seemed as if I was still stuffed with all that whole wheat bread.
Second - you get really bad breath. It is from a process called ketosis that is going on in your body. As the body burns fat it puts off gases that come through your breath. Most diets will give you some bad breath but LC usually gives you extreme bad breath. I mean you can TASTE it, it is so bad. It is a good reason to keep a bit of parsley available and I brush my teeth often plus keep a SF mouthwash available. I haven't had this problem but one or two days so far this time.
Third - you usually start to lose your appetite after 3-4 days. I mean you have to FORCE yourself to eat at least twice a day. Not so this time. It has been a constant fight in the other direction. I have craved all that garbage that I was eating on low fat even though in my normal life I almost never ate any of the stuff. The first 3 or 4 days I was cooking almost nonstop. I would eat a pork chop and salad and two hours later feel hungry, hungry, hungry. I would distract myself enough to make it to 4 or 5 hours then it would be another pork chop and a small cup of salad. This went on for 3 days. By Sunday I finally began to feel like I was actually filling up but it was Tues before I went on two meals a day and no hunger pangs.
Since things are finally seeming like normal with this diet I am hoping next week will finally record a reasonable weight loss. I will stick with it. I want to stay with low carb for 3 full months before going back to low fat.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN@ 349 :)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
No Harm, No Foul?
Still no weight loss and no gain. I have mostly been cleaning out the fridge and just using up some of the high carb items that could spoil like potatoes and carrots. I have made several pots of stew lately. Lots of veggies, little meat and lots of microwaving instead of having to cook. I was sick over the weekend. I have been having nasty sinus headaches and a queasy stomach so I am behind on finishing up the leftovers. It will be another day or two before I switch to the low carb diet.
I picked up groceries yesterday and did very well. With less than $200 I was able to get 8 mock chuck roasts, 48 hamburger patties, 5 containers of raw chicken breast tenders, a pork roast, 3 large containers of lean pork chops, plus 2 giant and 2 small shrimp party platters (all 4 over 1/2 off) . I also got lots of eggs and 5 bags of cheese so I have plenty of protein for meals and snacks.
I found a Sargento cheese that is a blend and has bacon bits in it. It SAYS real bacon but we will see. If it tastes good it would be great for making cheese wafers. You put a small pile of cheese on a piece of waxed paper. Nuke it for a minute, let it sit for a minute then nuke it another minute. Let it cool for a minute then peel it off the waxed paper and eat. Makes great cheesy "crackers".
Veggies were much higher in price - onions $4.88!!!! I had to settle for 8 heads of lettuce, celery, one cucumber and 20 bags of frozen assorted mixes and veg. No fruit allowed right now but I have never liked fruit that much, too sweet. Next month I can add in some melons and berries and they will be at the best prices by then too. By the time I am ready to return to low fat/low calorie in the fall I can start getting apples and oranges on sale again.
I gave myself a splurge yesterday. I bought a small container or honey BBQ nuggets and onion rings plus a small container of ice cream. I had the first two for my breakfast/lunch. Supper was a few slices of whole wheat bread and a can of cold peaches. (It has been hot and steamy here lately and I have been eating a lot of cold stuff.) The ice cream is still in the freezer. I will have some of it tonight. The rain is supposed to cool things down and I am hoping my stomach won't be so queasy.
So one or two more days of eating low cal and low fat. I will keep it simple. I had my regular eggs and toast for breakfast this morning, skipped the bacon. I have enough bread for one more round tomorrow. I also have quite a few yogurt cups left and am debating putting some of them in the freezer. They keep pretty well in the fridge and in two weeks I can have one now and then so I may just leave them.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
I picked up groceries yesterday and did very well. With less than $200 I was able to get 8 mock chuck roasts, 48 hamburger patties, 5 containers of raw chicken breast tenders, a pork roast, 3 large containers of lean pork chops, plus 2 giant and 2 small shrimp party platters (all 4 over 1/2 off) . I also got lots of eggs and 5 bags of cheese so I have plenty of protein for meals and snacks.
I found a Sargento cheese that is a blend and has bacon bits in it. It SAYS real bacon but we will see. If it tastes good it would be great for making cheese wafers. You put a small pile of cheese on a piece of waxed paper. Nuke it for a minute, let it sit for a minute then nuke it another minute. Let it cool for a minute then peel it off the waxed paper and eat. Makes great cheesy "crackers".
Veggies were much higher in price - onions $4.88!!!! I had to settle for 8 heads of lettuce, celery, one cucumber and 20 bags of frozen assorted mixes and veg. No fruit allowed right now but I have never liked fruit that much, too sweet. Next month I can add in some melons and berries and they will be at the best prices by then too. By the time I am ready to return to low fat/low calorie in the fall I can start getting apples and oranges on sale again.
I gave myself a splurge yesterday. I bought a small container or honey BBQ nuggets and onion rings plus a small container of ice cream. I had the first two for my breakfast/lunch. Supper was a few slices of whole wheat bread and a can of cold peaches. (It has been hot and steamy here lately and I have been eating a lot of cold stuff.) The ice cream is still in the freezer. I will have some of it tonight. The rain is supposed to cool things down and I am hoping my stomach won't be so queasy.
So one or two more days of eating low cal and low fat. I will keep it simple. I had my regular eggs and toast for breakfast this morning, skipped the bacon. I have enough bread for one more round tomorrow. I also have quite a few yogurt cups left and am debating putting some of them in the freezer. They keep pretty well in the fridge and in two weeks I can have one now and then so I may just leave them.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tiny Steps?
It is only two pounds but thankfully I finally dropped a couple. Last week was all stews and chili with mostly potatoes or rice and lots of canned vegs and little or no meat. I am surprised it didn't work too much havoc on my insides.
Fri I had the blahs worse than usual and I have mostly been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and fried egg sandwiches for dinner. I am sore and tired and just don't seem to have the energy to do much else.
I had planned on potato salad and either one chicken breast sauteed in olive oil or one country rib in a tiny bit of BBQ sauce for my Memorial Day "picnic". I never got up the energy to make it.
A possible diet tip: I was reading several books last week and stumbled across a tip that I may try. It said to alternate your calories between feast and famine. Say you want to eat 1500 calories per day. Instead eat 1000 calories today and 2000 tomorrow. By alternating the number of calories you fool your system into thinking it is starving and feasting so it is less likely to slow down. I cannot say this works but I am figuring I might as well try it. Because of my physical problems I cannot do the usual fitness things to step up my metabolism. Normally I would increase exercise to push past a stall. Maybe this will work instead.
From the beginning I have been trying for 2000 to 2500 per day. At the beginning of the diet I stayed at around 2000 or lower and then would have a spike to 2500 every 3rd or 4th day as I allowed myself light splurges. I was having no trouble losing. At some point I started having a harder time sticking with the diet, hating the food and always craving something different so I started staying at around 2500 or sometimes even going up to 2800 as I desperately tried to satisfy my cravings with "one more 100 calorie snack" for the day.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN @ 348 :)
Fri I had the blahs worse than usual and I have mostly been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and fried egg sandwiches for dinner. I am sore and tired and just don't seem to have the energy to do much else.
I had planned on potato salad and either one chicken breast sauteed in olive oil or one country rib in a tiny bit of BBQ sauce for my Memorial Day "picnic". I never got up the energy to make it.
A possible diet tip: I was reading several books last week and stumbled across a tip that I may try. It said to alternate your calories between feast and famine. Say you want to eat 1500 calories per day. Instead eat 1000 calories today and 2000 tomorrow. By alternating the number of calories you fool your system into thinking it is starving and feasting so it is less likely to slow down. I cannot say this works but I am figuring I might as well try it. Because of my physical problems I cannot do the usual fitness things to step up my metabolism. Normally I would increase exercise to push past a stall. Maybe this will work instead.
From the beginning I have been trying for 2000 to 2500 per day. At the beginning of the diet I stayed at around 2000 or lower and then would have a spike to 2500 every 3rd or 4th day as I allowed myself light splurges. I was having no trouble losing. At some point I started having a harder time sticking with the diet, hating the food and always craving something different so I started staying at around 2500 or sometimes even going up to 2800 as I desperately tried to satisfy my cravings with "one more 100 calorie snack" for the day.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN @ 348 :)
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Soup or Chili Day?
Since I am debating the low carb diet I thought I would work on using the high carb foods to help clear the cabinets a little. I have two weeks until grocery day and one week until I find out if I will have enough money to buy LC. I found I still had 3 bags of baby carrots in the veggie bin and one was starting to turn. I diced them up, put them in some water and added a couple of bowls of some instant black bean soup a friend gave me.
After simmering on high for 30 mins the carrots were still hard!! I added a carton of the cream of tomato soup we got at this last food give away. It was hideous bright orange and tasted like cream of carrots but it morphed into a tolerable taste later. I also added one can of diced tomatoes.
My 50# bag of potatoes included a bunch of teeny ones this time. I peeled a bowl full of these, quartered them and tossed them into the pot. I set it on low and let it cook for another hour.
I had intended to add cans of peas and mixed veg but it had a very chili taste from the spicy black bean soup so I decided I would turn it into a chili pot and add dark red kidney beans and black beans. Only one problem, the stew pot was full. It even ran over while on slow simmer. (The dogs were kind enough to get up every drop that had hit the floor LOL but I had to clean the hot plate and countertop.)
I ended up having a cup of the "chili" each time I got hungry so it was my breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday. I had tossed in 3 chicken tender strips near the end but they were overcooked and disgusting so I gave them to the dogs. The food was tolerable but not great.
There is still half a pot left. Today I am going to add a half pound of hamburger so I can at least have the illusion of getting some meat plus a few cans of those beans. I might actually stretch this out for another couple of days. It's not the best food for my tastes but I can get it down without gagging and it is very low cal, low sodium and low fat. I have to do some figuring but I am hoping I can actually afford to make some garlic toast using that LF butter I bought.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
After simmering on high for 30 mins the carrots were still hard!! I added a carton of the cream of tomato soup we got at this last food give away. It was hideous bright orange and tasted like cream of carrots but it morphed into a tolerable taste later. I also added one can of diced tomatoes.
My 50# bag of potatoes included a bunch of teeny ones this time. I peeled a bowl full of these, quartered them and tossed them into the pot. I set it on low and let it cook for another hour.
I had intended to add cans of peas and mixed veg but it had a very chili taste from the spicy black bean soup so I decided I would turn it into a chili pot and add dark red kidney beans and black beans. Only one problem, the stew pot was full. It even ran over while on slow simmer. (The dogs were kind enough to get up every drop that had hit the floor LOL but I had to clean the hot plate and countertop.)
I ended up having a cup of the "chili" each time I got hungry so it was my breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday. I had tossed in 3 chicken tender strips near the end but they were overcooked and disgusting so I gave them to the dogs. The food was tolerable but not great.
There is still half a pot left. Today I am going to add a half pound of hamburger so I can at least have the illusion of getting some meat plus a few cans of those beans. I might actually stretch this out for another couple of days. It's not the best food for my tastes but I can get it down without gagging and it is very low cal, low sodium and low fat. I have to do some figuring but I am hoping I can actually afford to make some garlic toast using that LF butter I bought.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Monday, May 24, 2010
GAG
The truth is I hate this diet. I have always hated low fat. I love meat and vegetables seasoned with butter, mayo, soy sauce and garlic. I just find it hard to stay on that diet when I am paying out over $200 a month on electric bills. With only $150 a month for groceries and potatoes at $10 for a 50# bag it is easier to do LF.
There are other problems besides taste. I hate eating all this processed food. I am overloading everything with salt to give it flavor. A low fat/low cal diet can only find seasoning in herbs (I am allergic to most), hot seasonings (violently allergic), which leaves salt and sugar both of which gag me. I don't care for most fruit - too sweet. I love chips but I have never eaten more than one bag a month. I might toss in a can of salted nuts or trail mix but this was the extent of my snacking. Now I am loading up on fruit cups and baked chips everyday. Salt and chemicals - yummy. Also I cover all the potatoes and rice with canned sauces because homemade ones are too full of fat and calories so goody, more chemicals and salt.
Also all this bread. I have always believed that too much wheat is bad for you. All that fermenting going on in your stomach. Just bubbling and boiling away. I used to go through one loaf of bread every couple of months now I am shoving 3 or 4 loaves or more down me each month. Double yuck.
And I mean I am forcing this food down because I am definitely NOT enjoying it. I load it with salt to kill the taste. Eating has become a duty that I avoid half the time then I overload in the evening because I am too hungry.
Also the low fat diet always leaves me tired and sluggish. Since the second week I have been sleeping more and more. I was getting up at 9 each morning. Then it was noon. Now I get up at 9 but am so tired I lay back down and sleep until 1 or 2pm. Now it is until 4 or 5pm. I get up for a few hours in the evening, cook dinner, watch TV, read a few emails and go back to bed. I have no strength but I also think some days I avoid getting up because I would have to face this crappy food.
Today was weigh in day. I am still at 350. I am not losing or gaining just struggling to swallow this lousy food. This happens every time I try to do LF. I pump myself up and convince myself to like it the first month or two. By the end of about 6 weeks I am sick of it. I fix dinner and sit starring at it. Sometimes I just break down in tears because I absolute hate it so much. I always feel sluggish and bloated on the LF diet.
I have two more weeks before grocery day. I am going to continue to fight with the low fat diet. However, now that the electric bill will be down I may try to buy extra meat and veggies next month and go back to low carb. I will have to see how it goes.
Happy Dieting *sigh*
Linda B in TN holding by a fingernail @ 350
There are other problems besides taste. I hate eating all this processed food. I am overloading everything with salt to give it flavor. A low fat/low cal diet can only find seasoning in herbs (I am allergic to most), hot seasonings (violently allergic), which leaves salt and sugar both of which gag me. I don't care for most fruit - too sweet. I love chips but I have never eaten more than one bag a month. I might toss in a can of salted nuts or trail mix but this was the extent of my snacking. Now I am loading up on fruit cups and baked chips everyday. Salt and chemicals - yummy. Also I cover all the potatoes and rice with canned sauces because homemade ones are too full of fat and calories so goody, more chemicals and salt.
Also all this bread. I have always believed that too much wheat is bad for you. All that fermenting going on in your stomach. Just bubbling and boiling away. I used to go through one loaf of bread every couple of months now I am shoving 3 or 4 loaves or more down me each month. Double yuck.
And I mean I am forcing this food down because I am definitely NOT enjoying it. I load it with salt to kill the taste. Eating has become a duty that I avoid half the time then I overload in the evening because I am too hungry.
Also the low fat diet always leaves me tired and sluggish. Since the second week I have been sleeping more and more. I was getting up at 9 each morning. Then it was noon. Now I get up at 9 but am so tired I lay back down and sleep until 1 or 2pm. Now it is until 4 or 5pm. I get up for a few hours in the evening, cook dinner, watch TV, read a few emails and go back to bed. I have no strength but I also think some days I avoid getting up because I would have to face this crappy food.
Today was weigh in day. I am still at 350. I am not losing or gaining just struggling to swallow this lousy food. This happens every time I try to do LF. I pump myself up and convince myself to like it the first month or two. By the end of about 6 weeks I am sick of it. I fix dinner and sit starring at it. Sometimes I just break down in tears because I absolute hate it so much. I always feel sluggish and bloated on the LF diet.
I have two more weeks before grocery day. I am going to continue to fight with the low fat diet. However, now that the electric bill will be down I may try to buy extra meat and veggies next month and go back to low carb. I will have to see how it goes.
Happy Dieting *sigh*
Linda B in TN holding by a fingernail @ 350
Friday, May 21, 2010
Grocery Day
Suddenly I look around and another week is gone. I always mean to write every few days but there seem to be too many other things to take care of.
First, no gain or loss this week. I am still at 350. Part of it is my fault. I bought groceries last Tues and grocery day does something to me. Since I am only able to go to the store once a month I get cravings that have to wait for weeks. All that crap about wait a few hours and the yearning will go away, BULL FEATHERS. When I want something I will crave it for weeks and weeks, months even. In between nothing I eat will satisfy me. I have been trying to adjust my groceries so I can cover all possible cravings (in a healthy way) but I still have a little ways to go.
This past trip cubed steak and country ribs were on super low specials. I also decided to buy some ground beef for spaghetti and some chuck steak. If I can cut it into small servings I can have these items now and then if I stick with boneless, skinless chicken breasts for most meals.
I frequently don't do that on grocery week. It takes me several days to work my way through the meat packages and get them divided and into the freezer. As a result I have a different meat and yummy favorite meal each day.
Tues I was exhausted so I sauteed a few chicken tenders and several potatoes in olive oil. Wed was the cube steak - lightly breaded and cooked in olive oil. I added boiled potatoes with Alfredo sauce.
Thur was BBQ ribs and potato salad. I have learned that trying to convert to low fat mayo is disgusting and not going to happen. I end up tossing out the food and then raiding the cabinets in the middle of the night. I can mix regular mayo with LF ranch dressing to bring the content down and did that with the potato salad this time. Next trip to the store I am going to check out the olive oil mayo by Kraft. I don't know what it tastes like but it is supposed to be better for you.
Fri I finished up the decadence with a pot of spaghetti. I used whole wheat purchased noodles and made a full pot using one pound of beef.
Since then I have been on a chicken bender except for a small steak this evening. Today I made up a pot of homemade veggie soup. About 6 cups of water and I boiled a pound of diced carrots and some leftover celery and dehydrated onions. I added about 4 teas of Knorr beef bouillion powder (found in the Spanish foods section). After about 20 minutes I added 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced and cooked on medium another 20 minutes. Then I added one can each of - peas, corn, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, and black beans. After about 20 minutes more the potatoes were tender and it was ready. I had a bowl with my steak and another bowl with a piece of whole wheat toast for dinner. The dogs got a hearty helping and there is still almost 2/3 of a large pot. I will be able to eat off of this for a few days.
Well, time to get some zzzz's.
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN holding @ 350 *sigh*
First, no gain or loss this week. I am still at 350. Part of it is my fault. I bought groceries last Tues and grocery day does something to me. Since I am only able to go to the store once a month I get cravings that have to wait for weeks. All that crap about wait a few hours and the yearning will go away, BULL FEATHERS. When I want something I will crave it for weeks and weeks, months even. In between nothing I eat will satisfy me. I have been trying to adjust my groceries so I can cover all possible cravings (in a healthy way) but I still have a little ways to go.
This past trip cubed steak and country ribs were on super low specials. I also decided to buy some ground beef for spaghetti and some chuck steak. If I can cut it into small servings I can have these items now and then if I stick with boneless, skinless chicken breasts for most meals.
I frequently don't do that on grocery week. It takes me several days to work my way through the meat packages and get them divided and into the freezer. As a result I have a different meat and yummy favorite meal each day.
Tues I was exhausted so I sauteed a few chicken tenders and several potatoes in olive oil. Wed was the cube steak - lightly breaded and cooked in olive oil. I added boiled potatoes with Alfredo sauce.
Thur was BBQ ribs and potato salad. I have learned that trying to convert to low fat mayo is disgusting and not going to happen. I end up tossing out the food and then raiding the cabinets in the middle of the night. I can mix regular mayo with LF ranch dressing to bring the content down and did that with the potato salad this time. Next trip to the store I am going to check out the olive oil mayo by Kraft. I don't know what it tastes like but it is supposed to be better for you.
Fri I finished up the decadence with a pot of spaghetti. I used whole wheat purchased noodles and made a full pot using one pound of beef.
Since then I have been on a chicken bender except for a small steak this evening. Today I made up a pot of homemade veggie soup. About 6 cups of water and I boiled a pound of diced carrots and some leftover celery and dehydrated onions. I added about 4 teas of Knorr beef bouillion powder (found in the Spanish foods section). After about 20 minutes I added 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced and cooked on medium another 20 minutes. Then I added one can each of - peas, corn, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, and black beans. After about 20 minutes more the potatoes were tender and it was ready. I had a bowl with my steak and another bowl with a piece of whole wheat toast for dinner. The dogs got a hearty helping and there is still almost 2/3 of a large pot. I will be able to eat off of this for a few days.
Well, time to get some zzzz's.
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN holding @ 350 *sigh*
Friday, May 14, 2010
Pretend it is Monday May 10th:)
I haven't given up or run off just because of the weight gain last week. Just got busy with real life and haven't been on the computer much the past two weeks.
The good news - my Monday weigh in showed I had dropped the 8 pounds plus 2!!!! I am down to 350 WOOHOO. So I was probably right it was just bloat from too much sodium or just one of those anomalies that happen when you are dieting. There are good weeks and bad weeks.
I remember when I attended TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) I almost always showed a loss but I wasn't a good dieter. We had our weigh ins on Tues nights. I didn't really learn to control my eating habits back then which is why I am in bigger trouble now. I ate what I wanted most of the time just cutting back on a few things. Monday and Tuesday I practically starved myself. My son was between 8 and 10 at the time and I took him with me. There were lots of other kids and we met at a church where we turned the kids into a fenced playground.
After the weigh in it was treat time. Either Granny's Fried Chicken (my favorite) or Pizza Inn (his fav). We alternated each week but at both it was the buffet and we ate like hogs at a trough. Granny's had banana pudding and dumplings. Pizza Hut had every kind of pizza plus lasagna, spaghetti and more pastas, pastas, pastas. We would come rolling out stuffed and I would avoid the scales until Sat or Sun when I would go into panic mode and start starving myself again.
Not these days. I am working hard to evaluate and understand what I eat each and every day. What are my favorite foods and how can I make them lower in fat, salt and calories and still like the taste of them? This is a difficult mission but if I don't assess these things and make the changes I will never get rid of this weight or I will continue to yoyo until the day I die. Which I predict will be a lot sooner if I don't get this under control.
Tues was my shopping day. I spent a lot of time reassessing last month's meals and tweaking the diet. I will talk more about that next time - hopefully tomorrow:)
Happy dieting,
Linda B in TN @ 350:)
The good news - my Monday weigh in showed I had dropped the 8 pounds plus 2!!!! I am down to 350 WOOHOO. So I was probably right it was just bloat from too much sodium or just one of those anomalies that happen when you are dieting. There are good weeks and bad weeks.
I remember when I attended TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) I almost always showed a loss but I wasn't a good dieter. We had our weigh ins on Tues nights. I didn't really learn to control my eating habits back then which is why I am in bigger trouble now. I ate what I wanted most of the time just cutting back on a few things. Monday and Tuesday I practically starved myself. My son was between 8 and 10 at the time and I took him with me. There were lots of other kids and we met at a church where we turned the kids into a fenced playground.
After the weigh in it was treat time. Either Granny's Fried Chicken (my favorite) or Pizza Inn (his fav). We alternated each week but at both it was the buffet and we ate like hogs at a trough. Granny's had banana pudding and dumplings. Pizza Hut had every kind of pizza plus lasagna, spaghetti and more pastas, pastas, pastas. We would come rolling out stuffed and I would avoid the scales until Sat or Sun when I would go into panic mode and start starving myself again.
Not these days. I am working hard to evaluate and understand what I eat each and every day. What are my favorite foods and how can I make them lower in fat, salt and calories and still like the taste of them? This is a difficult mission but if I don't assess these things and make the changes I will never get rid of this weight or I will continue to yoyo until the day I die. Which I predict will be a lot sooner if I don't get this under control.
Tues was my shopping day. I spent a lot of time reassessing last month's meals and tweaking the diet. I will talk more about that next time - hopefully tomorrow:)
Happy dieting,
Linda B in TN @ 350:)
Monday, May 3, 2010
What happened?
Somehow I have managed to put 8 lbs back on. One leg is swollen but overall I don't feel bloated or like I am retaining water. I was very careful with the food my friend brought but I can only assume my calorie estimates were way off. The green beans had bits of bacon in them and I had them for lunch and dinner everyday. I kept the sauce to one half cup per meal but it did have butter and cream. Maybe I calculated too low. It is hard to figure what is in something if you don't cook it or have a label to go by. I am so glad I gave the dogs huge helpings of everything each day:)
There is one more possibility - the homemade pasta. I really don't think that is what did it though. However I will hold off with the pasta recipes and experiment with them again in a week or two when I am back down a little more.
Right now I intend to concentrate on being very bland and very low calorie this week. Except the possibility of one dinner out with family. I will be careful but I am not going to be a drudge either. I believe in enjoying life and will savor the food but I will try to make good choices. I still have some low fat frozen dinners in the fridge from last month so I will concentrate on eating those until grocery day.
Last night I fixed the cheese tortellini, diced in a 3 ou piece of turkey breast and added some plain green beans and spinach that I steamed. Loved it.
I am out of potatoes and only have one or 2 more servings of rice. I was trying to stretch to Tues May 11 before going to town. They are giving away food which will be a big help. They have cut back to just once every three months but the quality of the food is so much better. I thought the homemade pasta would be a good stretcher but I am just too afraid of trying it right now. Besides I would like to make some whole wheat pasta and I know the recipe will need to be tweaked for ww.
Here's a lesson I learned yesterday:
I am allergic to milk, gives me nasty headaches so I haven't touched it since the mid 70's. I don't keep milk in the house and hate powdered milk so I started using evaporated milk for cooking which didn't bother me like fresh milk. I used it for everything - mashed potatoes, potato soup (2 cans) and a full can in a bowl of snow cream. Over the winter months I can go through a dozen or more cans of evaporated milk just making snow cream. I love it and love the taste of evaporated milk. Well guess what - 20 grams of fat per 8 ou!! That is 40 grams per can and it is 80% fat!!!!! YIKES!!!!
Well we have another winner in the never eat THAT again category.
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN @ 360 :(
There is one more possibility - the homemade pasta. I really don't think that is what did it though. However I will hold off with the pasta recipes and experiment with them again in a week or two when I am back down a little more.
Right now I intend to concentrate on being very bland and very low calorie this week. Except the possibility of one dinner out with family. I will be careful but I am not going to be a drudge either. I believe in enjoying life and will savor the food but I will try to make good choices. I still have some low fat frozen dinners in the fridge from last month so I will concentrate on eating those until grocery day.
Last night I fixed the cheese tortellini, diced in a 3 ou piece of turkey breast and added some plain green beans and spinach that I steamed. Loved it.
I am out of potatoes and only have one or 2 more servings of rice. I was trying to stretch to Tues May 11 before going to town. They are giving away food which will be a big help. They have cut back to just once every three months but the quality of the food is so much better. I thought the homemade pasta would be a good stretcher but I am just too afraid of trying it right now. Besides I would like to make some whole wheat pasta and I know the recipe will need to be tweaked for ww.
Here's a lesson I learned yesterday:
I am allergic to milk, gives me nasty headaches so I haven't touched it since the mid 70's. I don't keep milk in the house and hate powdered milk so I started using evaporated milk for cooking which didn't bother me like fresh milk. I used it for everything - mashed potatoes, potato soup (2 cans) and a full can in a bowl of snow cream. Over the winter months I can go through a dozen or more cans of evaporated milk just making snow cream. I love it and love the taste of evaporated milk. Well guess what - 20 grams of fat per 8 ou!! That is 40 grams per can and it is 80% fat!!!!! YIKES!!!!
Well we have another winner in the never eat THAT again category.
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN @ 360 :(
Friday, April 30, 2010
Homemade Soup and Pasta
I finished the potatoes this past week. We had a few cold snaps (back down to freezing) and rainy days so I made soup. I used to make homemade potato soup all the time but it was super high in calories and fat. You can read the recipe here:
http://thevillagepantry.blogspot.com/2008/06/bulk-cooking.html
My new version is to boil a small amount of water with two chicken breasts. When finished I shred one breast for today's meal and put it in a bowl. The second chicken breast is set aside for dinner.
Add 4-5 diced potatoes to the boiling water. I try to just barely cover them.
After about 10 minutes I add a cup of diced broccoli and a tablespoon of dehydrated onions.
When the potatoes are tender I turn the heat down and add - 3-4 tablespoons of instant creamer (still high in fat but only half as much as the real thing); 1 tablespoon soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
I spoon some soup over the shredded chicken breast.
I keep the chicken breast separate because they become rubbery in the microwave or when overcooked. While heating the soup for a different meal, you can shred the 2nd breast. Add it to the hot soup and it will warm immediately but still be tender. I was able to get 4 or 5 large soup mugs full of soup from this recipe.
This makes a low fat, low cal meal. Add a slice or two of whole wheat bread and you have a filling meal that keeps you warm:)
On another note - I dug out my pasta machine today and made homemade noodles!!! It was so much fun and I am digging through a couple of cookbooks and websites for some low fat recipes. I will post them next.
Happy dieting
Linda B in TN:)
http://thevillagepantry.blogspot.com/2008/06/bulk-cooking.html
My new version is to boil a small amount of water with two chicken breasts. When finished I shred one breast for today's meal and put it in a bowl. The second chicken breast is set aside for dinner.
Add 4-5 diced potatoes to the boiling water. I try to just barely cover them.
After about 10 minutes I add a cup of diced broccoli and a tablespoon of dehydrated onions.
When the potatoes are tender I turn the heat down and add - 3-4 tablespoons of instant creamer (still high in fat but only half as much as the real thing); 1 tablespoon soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
I spoon some soup over the shredded chicken breast.
I keep the chicken breast separate because they become rubbery in the microwave or when overcooked. While heating the soup for a different meal, you can shred the 2nd breast. Add it to the hot soup and it will warm immediately but still be tender. I was able to get 4 or 5 large soup mugs full of soup from this recipe.
This makes a low fat, low cal meal. Add a slice or two of whole wheat bread and you have a filling meal that keeps you warm:)
On another note - I dug out my pasta machine today and made homemade noodles!!! It was so much fun and I am digging through a couple of cookbooks and websites for some low fat recipes. I will post them next.
Happy dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Good, The Bad and The Yucky
The good news - I haven't gained any weight BUT I haven't lost any either this week. The other good news is a friend of mine who works banquets brought me some wonderful leftovers. She brought a bucket of fresh veggies. Plus there were a couple of chicken breasts and lots of green beans.
The bad part I didn't manage the food well. She brought a tub with lots of deli meat. It was lean and I was very careful to only have about 3ou per meal. However I should have put some of it in the freezer. It was mostly ham and I diced it up in omelets. Made sandwiches (on whole wheat with LF ranch). Boiled potatoes and diced it up into them. All good but I think it was too much salt at once.
I have been sticking with mostly chicken breasts and allowing beef or pork/ham every 4th or 5th day. The only splurge is my two slices of bacon every morning for breakfast. I even skipped those and had ham in omelets this past week. I should have wrapped the ham in individual servings and put it in the freezer and meted it out carefully. All that salt probably has me retaining water and I am hoping is the reason for my lack of weight loss this week.
Oh well, I am back on chicken and boiled potatoes today so hopefully the pounds will drop off this week.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
The bad part I didn't manage the food well. She brought a tub with lots of deli meat. It was lean and I was very careful to only have about 3ou per meal. However I should have put some of it in the freezer. It was mostly ham and I diced it up in omelets. Made sandwiches (on whole wheat with LF ranch). Boiled potatoes and diced it up into them. All good but I think it was too much salt at once.
I have been sticking with mostly chicken breasts and allowing beef or pork/ham every 4th or 5th day. The only splurge is my two slices of bacon every morning for breakfast. I even skipped those and had ham in omelets this past week. I should have wrapped the ham in individual servings and put it in the freezer and meted it out carefully. All that salt probably has me retaining water and I am hoping is the reason for my lack of weight loss this week.
Oh well, I am back on chicken and boiled potatoes today so hopefully the pounds will drop off this week.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Getting Thinner all the Time
I continue to fight with sinus and ear infections and an aching back so I am still spending most of my time in bed. The good news - I am still sticking with my diet and have lost another 8 pounds. I am now at 352.
I have to admit that I was stunned when I got on the scales this morning. I expected the first 20 lbs to be easy. We always have that initial big drop. However I figured things would slow down to about 2lbs per week but evidently not yet.
Using Dr. Oz's advice of setting a small one or two day menu so you always know what you will be eating - I have narrowed breakfast down. I think I mentioned before I have 2 slices whole wheat toast (50x2), 2 slices precooked bacon (90) and 3 eggs overlight (240). I also sometimes add a small dash of maple syrup over the toast for a different flavor. I was using SF syrup but ran out and now use a light brand. I have to add a few extra calories but I am trying to get away from all fake sugars in my food by the first of Jan 2011.
For midmorning snacks I was eating trail mix or granola bars last month. This month I have been able to replace those with sliced oranges, carrot sticks or yogurt cups. I do think it might be because the weather has warmed up and I am enjoying the cool foods. I had some of those items last month and didn't eat them. Plus we had a cold spell today and I couldn't get myself to eat any of the cold stuff. I will have to work on some ideas for something warm - maybe toast and hot tea or instant oatmeal.
For lunch and dinner - about 4 days a week I am boiling a chicken breast and several potatoes. I drain them and add some cream of mushroom soup or one of the Ragu cream sauces. I usually drain some type of canned veggie and stir that in too. This meal gets divided into 2 so I eat about 2/3 of it early and then have the rest as a late evening snack/dinner.
The other 3 days I have my chicken and potato fry although I am going to be trying something different tomorrow. I got a great deal on catfish so I am going to try to saute some fish with my potatoes. If that isn't edible I have a recipe for fish croquettes that uses mashed potatoes for filler and no flour.
Here's a lesson for you - always check the calories when you change brands. I was using cream of mushroom soups that said 60 calories per serving and 2.5 servings per can. I picked up a different brand last month but never checked it - I just assumed it was the same. I looked a few days ago. The WM brand is 110 per serving but still 2.5 servings per can. So I went from 150 calories to 275!!!! Luckily I have been staying low on my calories most days so it didn't affect my overall count too much. My weight maintenance is over 3500, weight loss 2500 and I am averaging around 1900-2200 per day so we're still good :) Now here's the irony, I can't for the life of me remember the brand of that other COM soup LOLOL.
I haven't formally added any exercise yet. I was trying to reach 300 first. However I have been washing clothes each day. I don't have a washer, dryer or hot water so this is not an easy job. I had piles of clothes stacked up because of all the rain, snow and ice this past winter. For the past three weeks I try to wash two small buckets of clothes each day and get them on the line so this is my unofficial exercise LOL.
Happy dieting,
Linda B in TN @ 352:)
Monday, April 12, 2010
Good News and Bad News
I tried to do too much then I HAD to do too much and I have spent over a week in bed. Everything hurts and I can't seem to get more than 10-15 feet before I have to sit down. I continue to feel weaker but it is nothing to do with the diet. It is the pains in my chest and breathing problems. This is part of the physical problems I have been having for a couple of years. I know I should see a doctor but it is just not financially feasible and I can't get anyone to take me as a patient now that I am on Medicare.
First I was working on hand washing all those clothes which gave my back a fit. Then I tried to do some yard work everyday - only about 15 minutes each day but it was too much. Then the trip to town Wed did me in. I washed clothes (blankets, curtains, linens) which had to be hung out when I got home. Also I visited a grocery with no electric chair and was exhausted when I got done. It took me 4 days to get all the meats separated and stored in the freezer but I haven't finished the canned goods yet.
The really hard part - my dog was attacked Thurs morning and I have had to wrestle with him everyday. He has puncture wounds and gashes all the way around his head. They ooze stuff and I have to wash it at least twice a day and try to get him to hold still while I apply antibiotic creams. Of course it is the big, strong dog so he is tearing my arms off.
Add to that, I now have to walk both of the dogs on a leash. Everyone along here lets their dogs run at times. Since I haven't been able to get the fence up yet and have been feeling so badly, I have let my run twice a day for about 20 minutes to do their business during the last two months.
Most of the times they stay in the yard but other times they wander down the road. They seemed to get along with the other dogs but something went wrong the other morning. I had stepped back inside to get something when the little dog came flying back and stayed beside me. A few minutes later Bo came in with his head dripping with blood.
The good news - I have stayed on the diet. I splurged Wed evening with a double portion of steak but I skipped any snacks and desserts that day (too tired to bother LOL). Thurs we were all too upset to eat but Fri I made a nice dinner with diced squash and a large steak (6ou).
Sat we got back to normal but I have to admit that I have dropped a lot of the sweet snacks. I really don't care for them anyway. Now when I make breakfast I also cut up an orange. The orange goes to my computer desk and over the next hour or two I snack on it.
While preparing my dinner I chomp on raw cauliflower, baby carrots and/or celery dipped in a little bit of LF ranch dressing.
After the meal I fix a small bowl with a diced apple or some raw veggies or I get a box of raisins, a fruit cup or a yogurt cup. This goes to the desk with me and, again, is munched on over the next few hours instead of going for granola bars, trail mix etc. The calories are about the same but I am trading cane sugar for natural sugars which is a good thing.
I will get back to discussing some more of the diet tips I have read about and am trying in a few days when I feel a bit better. In the meantime
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
First I was working on hand washing all those clothes which gave my back a fit. Then I tried to do some yard work everyday - only about 15 minutes each day but it was too much. Then the trip to town Wed did me in. I washed clothes (blankets, curtains, linens) which had to be hung out when I got home. Also I visited a grocery with no electric chair and was exhausted when I got done. It took me 4 days to get all the meats separated and stored in the freezer but I haven't finished the canned goods yet.
The really hard part - my dog was attacked Thurs morning and I have had to wrestle with him everyday. He has puncture wounds and gashes all the way around his head. They ooze stuff and I have to wash it at least twice a day and try to get him to hold still while I apply antibiotic creams. Of course it is the big, strong dog so he is tearing my arms off.
Add to that, I now have to walk both of the dogs on a leash. Everyone along here lets their dogs run at times. Since I haven't been able to get the fence up yet and have been feeling so badly, I have let my run twice a day for about 20 minutes to do their business during the last two months.
Most of the times they stay in the yard but other times they wander down the road. They seemed to get along with the other dogs but something went wrong the other morning. I had stepped back inside to get something when the little dog came flying back and stayed beside me. A few minutes later Bo came in with his head dripping with blood.
The good news - I have stayed on the diet. I splurged Wed evening with a double portion of steak but I skipped any snacks and desserts that day (too tired to bother LOL). Thurs we were all too upset to eat but Fri I made a nice dinner with diced squash and a large steak (6ou).
Sat we got back to normal but I have to admit that I have dropped a lot of the sweet snacks. I really don't care for them anyway. Now when I make breakfast I also cut up an orange. The orange goes to my computer desk and over the next hour or two I snack on it.
While preparing my dinner I chomp on raw cauliflower, baby carrots and/or celery dipped in a little bit of LF ranch dressing.
After the meal I fix a small bowl with a diced apple or some raw veggies or I get a box of raisins, a fruit cup or a yogurt cup. This goes to the desk with me and, again, is munched on over the next few hours instead of going for granola bars, trail mix etc. The calories are about the same but I am trading cane sugar for natural sugars which is a good thing.
I will get back to discussing some more of the diet tips I have read about and am trying in a few days when I feel a bit better. In the meantime
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Monday, April 5, 2010
Never Eat More Than You Can Lift
I can start today with good news - I tried getting on the scales this morning
and they didn't bang or clang and went immediately to 360. I waited an hour
and tried again. Same results. So that is 20 lbs gone in 3 1/2 weeks.
I am getting ready to go grocery shopping so I am working on my menu for
the next month so I guess now is a good time to talk about portion control.
This was another problem I had identified in my old way of eating or should say the lack of portion control was my problem.
I hate counting calories and all those years of partially low carbing meant all the meat eggs and cheese I wanted. Well guess how many calories in ONE of those frozen hamburger patties that come in a giant box or bag? I am talking 100% beef, no fillers or junk and just ONE!!. 330 to 350 calories EACH!!!! Honey, I would toss at least 3 or 4 in the frying pan and reached a point where I would sometimes have that as an appetizer before I got around to the meal. And let's not forget the mayo (we now know how much is hiding in that stuff) and cheese I topped them with. I could have had a couple of Snickers bars or a box of Dove chocolate truffle Easter eggs (drool, slobber, drool) and been eating better.
I had tried the old Susan Powter idea of cans of soup over bowls of rice in Feb. It fell flat because almost every can of soup I opened was absolutely disgusting and I tried almost everyone of them. I ended up tossing them to the dogs and making something else to eat. The dogs were happy but I was in a snit. So for Mar I decided to try the frozen dinners. Sort of like NutriSystem but frozen. I could get portion control, make extra boiled potatoes, rice or noodles to bulk them up and stay within some reasonable controls on meat and fat portions.
First the only frozen diet foods available at my local grocers are Healthy Choice ($2 to 2.50); Lean Cuisine (mostly $2.98 with a few at 1.98); and Smart Ones ($2 to 2.50 but the $2 ones were on sale for 1.80). I also bought a few things for variety from Michelina (1.00) and Banquet (.88).
Lean Cuisine used to be very tasty. I ate it often for lunches back in the 80's and 90's (before you could buy cups of ramen for .15 each). I only bought a few LC's and was not happy with them. The chicken enchilada went in the trash, even the dogs wouldn't eat it.
Healthy Choice - well they were tolerable but very bland and skimpy. The beef sirloin tips had a few thick cubes of beef and the gravy was bland but good over a couple of extra potatoes. The lemon pepper chicken wasn't great but tolerable if you want to get some fish in your diet but I hate fish. I didn't like their chicken Alfredo, Michelina's was half the price and less calories and just a tiny bit more fat.
Smart Ones were very tasty. I did not realize they were under the Weight Watchers brand but most things they come up with are pretty good. While I plan most of April to be meals from scratch I will be keeping a few frozen things as back up for quick meals and variety.
The SO Sante Fe rice and beans is covered in yummy and ooey gooey cheese. I have cut cheese out for now so this is a way to get it into the diet without going overboard. I also enjoyed their teriyaki chicken and poured it over a cup of boiled rice. The turkey medallions had a nice gravy. I found the ones that said "bistro" had more flavor and weren't far from homemade.
Finally there are a few from Michelina I found not too high in calories or fat and half the price that I will keep on the menu. The pizza rolls and chicken nuggets once every few weeks are nice for a change. I liked the pepper steak and loved the tortellini chicken with broccoli. Didn't care as much for the Tuscan chicken (heavy on the garlic) but passable.
Oh and let us not forget the Lean Pockets. I forgot to mention them at $2 for a box of 2 pockets. I thought I could have one with a bowl of soup and call it a meal. The variety seemed nice - ham & cheese, Philly cheese steak and pizza. These things have 4-5 bites and are 250 to 310 calories each. That is too little food for such a high calorie cost. It doesn't do anything but make me hungry. Also I found them almost tasteless. They are very blah and dry compared to regular Hot Pockets.
OK gotta go work on the menu. Tomorrow we can talk snacks:)
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN @ 360 :)
and they didn't bang or clang and went immediately to 360. I waited an hour
and tried again. Same results. So that is 20 lbs gone in 3 1/2 weeks.
I am getting ready to go grocery shopping so I am working on my menu for
the next month so I guess now is a good time to talk about portion control.
This was another problem I had identified in my old way of eating or should say the lack of portion control was my problem.
I hate counting calories and all those years of partially low carbing meant all the meat eggs and cheese I wanted. Well guess how many calories in ONE of those frozen hamburger patties that come in a giant box or bag? I am talking 100% beef, no fillers or junk and just ONE!!. 330 to 350 calories EACH!!!! Honey, I would toss at least 3 or 4 in the frying pan and reached a point where I would sometimes have that as an appetizer before I got around to the meal. And let's not forget the mayo (we now know how much is hiding in that stuff) and cheese I topped them with. I could have had a couple of Snickers bars or a box of Dove chocolate truffle Easter eggs (drool, slobber, drool) and been eating better.
I had tried the old Susan Powter idea of cans of soup over bowls of rice in Feb. It fell flat because almost every can of soup I opened was absolutely disgusting and I tried almost everyone of them. I ended up tossing them to the dogs and making something else to eat. The dogs were happy but I was in a snit. So for Mar I decided to try the frozen dinners. Sort of like NutriSystem but frozen. I could get portion control, make extra boiled potatoes, rice or noodles to bulk them up and stay within some reasonable controls on meat and fat portions.
First the only frozen diet foods available at my local grocers are Healthy Choice ($2 to 2.50); Lean Cuisine (mostly $2.98 with a few at 1.98); and Smart Ones ($2 to 2.50 but the $2 ones were on sale for 1.80). I also bought a few things for variety from Michelina (1.00) and Banquet (.88).
Lean Cuisine used to be very tasty. I ate it often for lunches back in the 80's and 90's (before you could buy cups of ramen for .15 each). I only bought a few LC's and was not happy with them. The chicken enchilada went in the trash, even the dogs wouldn't eat it.
Healthy Choice - well they were tolerable but very bland and skimpy. The beef sirloin tips had a few thick cubes of beef and the gravy was bland but good over a couple of extra potatoes. The lemon pepper chicken wasn't great but tolerable if you want to get some fish in your diet but I hate fish. I didn't like their chicken Alfredo, Michelina's was half the price and less calories and just a tiny bit more fat.
Smart Ones were very tasty. I did not realize they were under the Weight Watchers brand but most things they come up with are pretty good. While I plan most of April to be meals from scratch I will be keeping a few frozen things as back up for quick meals and variety.
The SO Sante Fe rice and beans is covered in yummy and ooey gooey cheese. I have cut cheese out for now so this is a way to get it into the diet without going overboard. I also enjoyed their teriyaki chicken and poured it over a cup of boiled rice. The turkey medallions had a nice gravy. I found the ones that said "bistro" had more flavor and weren't far from homemade.
Finally there are a few from Michelina I found not too high in calories or fat and half the price that I will keep on the menu. The pizza rolls and chicken nuggets once every few weeks are nice for a change. I liked the pepper steak and loved the tortellini chicken with broccoli. Didn't care as much for the Tuscan chicken (heavy on the garlic) but passable.
Oh and let us not forget the Lean Pockets. I forgot to mention them at $2 for a box of 2 pockets. I thought I could have one with a bowl of soup and call it a meal. The variety seemed nice - ham & cheese, Philly cheese steak and pizza. These things have 4-5 bites and are 250 to 310 calories each. That is too little food for such a high calorie cost. It doesn't do anything but make me hungry. Also I found them almost tasteless. They are very blah and dry compared to regular Hot Pockets.
OK gotta go work on the menu. Tomorrow we can talk snacks:)
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN @ 360 :)
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Breaking a Habit is Hard to Do
Note about my last blog and the Fried Chicken & Potatoes Treat recipe:
I forgot to note the calorie count is for 2 "medium" potatoes.
Also you can save more calories if you put the olive oil in a spray bottle and just "spritz" the pan a few times. Toss in the potatoes and spritz them again when you turn them. This will drop your calories considerably. I made them this way last night and it worked great. I prefer to add the one tablespoon of oil because I also toss in a cup or two of misc veggies plus the chicken. I limit this meal to about 3 times per week. Most of my other meals are boiled so I go ahead and splurge here. I will add this info to the last posting for anyone new that gets to see it.
Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. ~ Mark Twain
OK, now for today's subject - Breaking Bad Habits. I mentioned that I had thought I was doing good things for my body. I started around Sep 08 working on pushing myself to give up things like chips and eat blueberries and grapes. No processed foods and lots more cooking from scratch. Well, I took a wrong turn with all that oil and butter. I was raised in the deep South. My mother was a horrible cook but my grandmother was awesome and it was her food I was re-creating.
But I did have some successes. You will notice a trend. I don't jump into anything in an all or nothing manner. I hold onto my bad habits with a death grip and have to pry them away bit by bit. It took me 9 weeks to quit smoking. I set up a plan and have been smoke free for 7 months as of Monday.
Over last summer I slowly weaned myself off sodas. For many years it was two - three cases per month. I went to bottles which meant about 2 dozen two liter bottles per month then I switched back to cans. Two years ago I was drinking 3-4 cases per month!! Now I drink one can every few weeks with a meal but that is it. I have a 12 pack that is half full that I purchased
in Dec:)
The bad news, I got hooked on iced tea. Two gallons a day in the summer and a gallon a day over the winter. Decaf but still too much tea and it was sweetened with Splenda. I was doing 3-4 bags a month so I cut down, down, down until I got to one cup per gallon and less than one bag a month as of Jan.
My next goal was to begin replacing every 3rd or 4th gallon with green tea and work my way up to full green. I bought the tea a few months ago but could never bring myself to do it. I am a staunch Southerner raised on really good iced tea. Ninety-five percent of the tea served in restaurants is disgusting and nothing like what I grew up on. That cloudy dark brown muck doesn't even resemble the tea served in the South.
You can imagine what a tough time I am having convincing myself to go "green". Also I tried some of those Celestial Seasonings herbal teas many years ago and YUCK!!! I have tried to use them several times and each time the taste IMO is like chewing on the weeds in my backyard. Green tea represents that same type tea to me. Evidently it is such a hideous thought that I just decided to skip it and go straight to water. Over the last two weeks I found myself drinking more and more water and less and less tea. By the beginning of this week it was all water!!!!
I also have found an unexpected benefit - more sleep. I get very little sleep and never seem to sleep more than 2-3 hours in various increments. There is no morning or evening I just lay down when I am tired and wake up a couple hours later. My kidneys keep me on alert and I am constantly getting up for mad dashes. I sleep in bits and pieces which is why I am always tired. I was drinking decaf - I gave up caffiene around 98 and have never gone back. However the water seems to run me less often so I am getting 4 to 5 hours sleep when I lay down at night. Which I am heading off to grab a few hours of right now.
A habit is something you can do without thinking - which is why most of us have to many of them - Frank A. Clark
Nite Nite
Linda B in TN:)
I forgot to note the calorie count is for 2 "medium" potatoes.
Also you can save more calories if you put the olive oil in a spray bottle and just "spritz" the pan a few times. Toss in the potatoes and spritz them again when you turn them. This will drop your calories considerably. I made them this way last night and it worked great. I prefer to add the one tablespoon of oil because I also toss in a cup or two of misc veggies plus the chicken. I limit this meal to about 3 times per week. Most of my other meals are boiled so I go ahead and splurge here. I will add this info to the last posting for anyone new that gets to see it.
Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time. ~ Mark Twain
OK, now for today's subject - Breaking Bad Habits. I mentioned that I had thought I was doing good things for my body. I started around Sep 08 working on pushing myself to give up things like chips and eat blueberries and grapes. No processed foods and lots more cooking from scratch. Well, I took a wrong turn with all that oil and butter. I was raised in the deep South. My mother was a horrible cook but my grandmother was awesome and it was her food I was re-creating.
But I did have some successes. You will notice a trend. I don't jump into anything in an all or nothing manner. I hold onto my bad habits with a death grip and have to pry them away bit by bit. It took me 9 weeks to quit smoking. I set up a plan and have been smoke free for 7 months as of Monday.
Over last summer I slowly weaned myself off sodas. For many years it was two - three cases per month. I went to bottles which meant about 2 dozen two liter bottles per month then I switched back to cans. Two years ago I was drinking 3-4 cases per month!! Now I drink one can every few weeks with a meal but that is it. I have a 12 pack that is half full that I purchased
in Dec:)
The bad news, I got hooked on iced tea. Two gallons a day in the summer and a gallon a day over the winter. Decaf but still too much tea and it was sweetened with Splenda. I was doing 3-4 bags a month so I cut down, down, down until I got to one cup per gallon and less than one bag a month as of Jan.
My next goal was to begin replacing every 3rd or 4th gallon with green tea and work my way up to full green. I bought the tea a few months ago but could never bring myself to do it. I am a staunch Southerner raised on really good iced tea. Ninety-five percent of the tea served in restaurants is disgusting and nothing like what I grew up on. That cloudy dark brown muck doesn't even resemble the tea served in the South.
You can imagine what a tough time I am having convincing myself to go "green". Also I tried some of those Celestial Seasonings herbal teas many years ago and YUCK!!! I have tried to use them several times and each time the taste IMO is like chewing on the weeds in my backyard. Green tea represents that same type tea to me. Evidently it is such a hideous thought that I just decided to skip it and go straight to water. Over the last two weeks I found myself drinking more and more water and less and less tea. By the beginning of this week it was all water!!!!
I also have found an unexpected benefit - more sleep. I get very little sleep and never seem to sleep more than 2-3 hours in various increments. There is no morning or evening I just lay down when I am tired and wake up a couple hours later. My kidneys keep me on alert and I am constantly getting up for mad dashes. I sleep in bits and pieces which is why I am always tired. I was drinking decaf - I gave up caffiene around 98 and have never gone back. However the water seems to run me less often so I am getting 4 to 5 hours sleep when I lay down at night. Which I am heading off to grab a few hours of right now.
A habit is something you can do without thinking - which is why most of us have to many of them - Frank A. Clark
Nite Nite
Linda B in TN:)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Take my butter ......please!!!
I had always favored low carb meals which don't count butter, mayo, cheese or most oils. The only problem - I would run out of money and have to add in potatoes, rice and noodles but I forgot to count the calories and I still ate meat and oils like I was low carbing.
Around December I realized the damage I was doing with all the butter, mayo and oils - let's just call it "boils" because it is just about as bad. I started reevaluating everything I was eating and was shocked to see how many calories I was spending each day on this. The heavy meat and cheese were also slight problems but we will talk about them later. My first goal was to start reducing the amount of "boils" in my food.
Butter and mayo - 100 calories per tbsp. Cream of mushroom soup (low sodium) is 60 calories per serving or 2.5 servings per can - 150 calories. It not from scratch yet but even an entire can is less than 2 tbsp of butter or mayo. I boil potatoes, rice or noodles and add some COM. I am working on some ideas for homemade low fat Alfredo and cheese sauces and will share when they are fit to eat LOL.
For potato or macaroni salad I replaced mayo with equal amounts of light mayo (2 tbsp = 35 cal) and light buttermilk ranch dressing (2 tbsp = 70 calories next month I am moving to LF ranch at 40 cal). I hate LF mayo but the LF ranch seems to cover the flavor if I use it in equal amounts. I remember this from one of those checkout cookbooks I bought back around 1990. It had a wonderful pasta salad using the fake crabmeat and seashell noodles. They suggested the half and half idea and I remembered how well it tasted.
I stopped using butter and milk for my scrambled eggs. I bought a quality nonstick frying pan just for that type foods and it is worth it's weight in gold (QVC $17.95 Cooks Essentials). A sp4itz or two of butter spray and all I need are my eggs. I cook them overlight and pour them over whole wheat toast so they make their own sauce:)
I have given up oatmeal for right now because I have not found a way I will eat it without tons of butter and sugar. I will work on some ideas for a low fat homemade granola this summer and will try for some hot recipes by next winter. However for now, no oatmeal.
Butter in veggies - none. I spritz a tiny bit of olive oil (or measure one tablespoon for a large amount) into the pan and saute them OR I saute them in soy sauce. I brown or caramelize them and they taste awesome. Ordinarily I would put 3-4 tbsp. (300-400 cal). Now I use a maximum of 120 calories if I use the extra olive oil for a large amount.
NOTE: most of the guidelines suggest using olive oil no more than 3-5 times per week and no more than 2 tbsp per meal - otherwise it can become a liability instead of a heart healthy idea.
My Fried Chicken - Potato Treat
2 medium potatoes diced or grated - 220
1 onion diced - 35
1 garlic clove, diced - 25
olive oil, 1 tbsp - 120 **
1/2 chicken breast - approx 100
First I buy chicken breasts and cut them in half. We all know those mega breasts they sell these days are bigger than most of the calorie books are talking about. I wrap the half breast in plastic wrap. I can pull it out still frozen and slice it into round quarter sized medallions about 1/4 inch thick that cook in just a few minutes.
Dice or grate the potatoes, garlic & onion (bell peppers could be added too). Heat the olive oil. Toss in potatoes and onions and cover pan. Cook about two minutes on med and turn. Add chicken medallions. Takes another 2-5 minutes to finish depending on thickness of potatoes and chicken.
Sometimes I like to remove the potatoes and chicken and quickly saute a fresh veg in the remaining olive oil.
Total calories - 500 which leaves room for a great veg (I love edamame) and some fresh fruit. I have actually added a diced apple to the saute (40 calories). I love one pot meals so I will frequently just toss it all together eventually.
**NOTE: You can reduce the olive oil if necessary by using a spray bottle. Spritz a little bit in the pan, add you potatoes and onions and cook for a few minutes and turn. Spritz lightly one or two more times. This will reduce your oil consumption to 20 - 50 calories.
This is my treat I allow myself twice a week for right now. I may have to give it up for awhile when I get closer to my goal but it is helping me get through my fried food cravings right now.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Around December I realized the damage I was doing with all the butter, mayo and oils - let's just call it "boils" because it is just about as bad. I started reevaluating everything I was eating and was shocked to see how many calories I was spending each day on this. The heavy meat and cheese were also slight problems but we will talk about them later. My first goal was to start reducing the amount of "boils" in my food.
Butter and mayo - 100 calories per tbsp. Cream of mushroom soup (low sodium) is 60 calories per serving or 2.5 servings per can - 150 calories. It not from scratch yet but even an entire can is less than 2 tbsp of butter or mayo. I boil potatoes, rice or noodles and add some COM. I am working on some ideas for homemade low fat Alfredo and cheese sauces and will share when they are fit to eat LOL.
For potato or macaroni salad I replaced mayo with equal amounts of light mayo (2 tbsp = 35 cal) and light buttermilk ranch dressing (2 tbsp = 70 calories next month I am moving to LF ranch at 40 cal). I hate LF mayo but the LF ranch seems to cover the flavor if I use it in equal amounts. I remember this from one of those checkout cookbooks I bought back around 1990. It had a wonderful pasta salad using the fake crabmeat and seashell noodles. They suggested the half and half idea and I remembered how well it tasted.
I stopped using butter and milk for my scrambled eggs. I bought a quality nonstick frying pan just for that type foods and it is worth it's weight in gold (QVC $17.95 Cooks Essentials). A sp4itz or two of butter spray and all I need are my eggs. I cook them overlight and pour them over whole wheat toast so they make their own sauce:)
I have given up oatmeal for right now because I have not found a way I will eat it without tons of butter and sugar. I will work on some ideas for a low fat homemade granola this summer and will try for some hot recipes by next winter. However for now, no oatmeal.
Butter in veggies - none. I spritz a tiny bit of olive oil (or measure one tablespoon for a large amount) into the pan and saute them OR I saute them in soy sauce. I brown or caramelize them and they taste awesome. Ordinarily I would put 3-4 tbsp. (300-400 cal). Now I use a maximum of 120 calories if I use the extra olive oil for a large amount.
NOTE: most of the guidelines suggest using olive oil no more than 3-5 times per week and no more than 2 tbsp per meal - otherwise it can become a liability instead of a heart healthy idea.
My Fried Chicken - Potato Treat
2 medium potatoes diced or grated - 220
1 onion diced - 35
1 garlic clove, diced - 25
olive oil, 1 tbsp - 120 **
1/2 chicken breast - approx 100
First I buy chicken breasts and cut them in half. We all know those mega breasts they sell these days are bigger than most of the calorie books are talking about. I wrap the half breast in plastic wrap. I can pull it out still frozen and slice it into round quarter sized medallions about 1/4 inch thick that cook in just a few minutes.
Dice or grate the potatoes, garlic & onion (bell peppers could be added too). Heat the olive oil. Toss in potatoes and onions and cover pan. Cook about two minutes on med and turn. Add chicken medallions. Takes another 2-5 minutes to finish depending on thickness of potatoes and chicken.
Sometimes I like to remove the potatoes and chicken and quickly saute a fresh veg in the remaining olive oil.
Total calories - 500 which leaves room for a great veg (I love edamame) and some fresh fruit. I have actually added a diced apple to the saute (40 calories). I love one pot meals so I will frequently just toss it all together eventually.
**NOTE: You can reduce the olive oil if necessary by using a spray bottle. Spritz a little bit in the pan, add you potatoes and onions and cook for a few minutes and turn. Spritz lightly one or two more times. This will reduce your oil consumption to 20 - 50 calories.
This is my treat I allow myself twice a week for right now. I may have to give it up for awhile when I get closer to my goal but it is helping me get through my fried food cravings right now.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Just Call Me Butter Butt
I spent the last two years weaning myself from processed foods and cooking everything from scratch. All that "healthy cooking" and I gained another 50 pounds. How did that happen?
Well I started examining that "healthy" cooking. I had cut out sodas, chips, crackers, bread and a few other items. I was forcing myself to eat blueberries, strawberries, grapes and other fruits that I don't like. However I was gaining weight!!
It took awhile but I finally found my secret nemesis - FAT or OIL. I don't eat many sweets - mostly chocolate and ice cream that I treat myself to on grocery day and nothing much the rest of the month. However I load butter and mayo onto and into EVERYTHING!!!!!
A pot of potatoes - divide into two bowls and load one with a stick of butter and milk for fresh mashed while the other bowl gets a few boiled eggs and tons of mayo. Yum! A can of peas drained and heated WITH 4 tablespoons of butter. That is 400 extra calories and, yes, I ate them all PLUS several pieces of meat PLUS a giant serving of the potatoes PLUS a giant serving of potato salad. We are talking 4000-5000 calories for one meal!!!
I hate most fruits but love veggies. I ate lots of cabbage and carrots every month because they keep and I can only go to town once a month. Sounds great but I chopped and grated them into salads with lots of mayo and raisins. It reached a point that I was using 4-6 lbs of butter and around 4 jars of mayo per month.
My mayo says 64 servings per container and butter says 32 servings per pound. Multiply that out by 100 calories per serving and you get a minimum of over 15 days worth of calories (at 2500 per day) and over 19 days at the 2000 calories maintenance I am working towards.
It didn't stop with butter. As I increased butter then mayo I also started to increase cooking oil by starting to fry things. I haven't fried food since the early 80's but I suddenly found myself battering and frying my chops and chicken instead of making it into stir fries. I'm a soapmaker so I have a cabinet filled with lard and various oils stashed away. Did I go for the olive oil? No, of course not, that is expensive and I am cheap.
It seems the more fat I let into my diet, the more I craved it. I made a few other mistakes but I really believe the fat was my major downfall and the main cause of the last 50 lbs. Tomorrow I will discuss what I am doing to get past this problem.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Well I started examining that "healthy" cooking. I had cut out sodas, chips, crackers, bread and a few other items. I was forcing myself to eat blueberries, strawberries, grapes and other fruits that I don't like. However I was gaining weight!!
It took awhile but I finally found my secret nemesis - FAT or OIL. I don't eat many sweets - mostly chocolate and ice cream that I treat myself to on grocery day and nothing much the rest of the month. However I load butter and mayo onto and into EVERYTHING!!!!!
A pot of potatoes - divide into two bowls and load one with a stick of butter and milk for fresh mashed while the other bowl gets a few boiled eggs and tons of mayo. Yum! A can of peas drained and heated WITH 4 tablespoons of butter. That is 400 extra calories and, yes, I ate them all PLUS several pieces of meat PLUS a giant serving of the potatoes PLUS a giant serving of potato salad. We are talking 4000-5000 calories for one meal!!!
I hate most fruits but love veggies. I ate lots of cabbage and carrots every month because they keep and I can only go to town once a month. Sounds great but I chopped and grated them into salads with lots of mayo and raisins. It reached a point that I was using 4-6 lbs of butter and around 4 jars of mayo per month.
My mayo says 64 servings per container and butter says 32 servings per pound. Multiply that out by 100 calories per serving and you get a minimum of over 15 days worth of calories (at 2500 per day) and over 19 days at the 2000 calories maintenance I am working towards.
It didn't stop with butter. As I increased butter then mayo I also started to increase cooking oil by starting to fry things. I haven't fried food since the early 80's but I suddenly found myself battering and frying my chops and chicken instead of making it into stir fries. I'm a soapmaker so I have a cabinet filled with lard and various oils stashed away. Did I go for the olive oil? No, of course not, that is expensive and I am cheap.
It seems the more fat I let into my diet, the more I craved it. I made a few other mistakes but I really believe the fat was my major downfall and the main cause of the last 50 lbs. Tomorrow I will discuss what I am doing to get past this problem.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Monday, March 29, 2010
She's All That and Then Some
Between a bad back, cold weather and more rain, I spent the last few days in bed. I also stayed away because I have been a bit grumpy. It has been 3 weeks and I wanted to weigh myself.
Officially my scales only go to 340. However it has a dial and has been going around to between 375 and 380 for a few months. I don't want to stress it so I have not been weighing regularly but I tried Fri morning and suddenly it is bouncing between 280 and 380 up and down hopping about with just slight movements by me. Plus there was some nasty clanging and banging when I got off of it. I may have killed it *sigh*.
I did manage to stay under 2500 calories per day so all is not lost but it is getting harder to hang on. I am out of bread and waffles and almost out of eggs and bacon. My money does not go in the bank until next Fri but that is Easter weekend so you couldn't pay me to go near the stores. Between the leftover Easter candy and the crowds I would be heading for trouble either way. I am going to try to hold out until the following week so it will be at least 10 more days.
I still have plenty of good stuff for lunch, dinners and snacks, it is just breakfast that is a problem. However I have learned that a good breakfast with a whole wheat bread product seems to get my day started well and keep me low for the entire day. Without the bread I tend to be hungry all day.
Today's lunch was very good. With all this rain and cold I wanted a warm meal. I wasn't able to make bread yet (it doesn't rise well when the weather is damp) but I found 2 slices in the freezer. I toasted a slice, added some tuna salad made with boiled eggs and a bit of low fat ranch dressing for an open faced sandwich.
I paired it with a bowl of Preggo Hearty Tomato soup. It really hit the spot on this cold day and actually had a fairly good taste. It was a little close to tasting more like spaghetti sauce than soup because, as usual, Preggo mistakes overloading things with too many herbs as gourmet or tasty. However it was borderline enough to get by and be overpowered by the delicious large chunks of tomato. The entire can of soup is only 220 calories so I could have all I wanted. I have a couple more cans I picked up on a sale and then I will try making my own from scratch.
I saved half of everything for tomorrow's lunch. The rain will move out and they are calling for temps in the 70's by Wed so I can start attacking the yogurt.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Officially my scales only go to 340. However it has a dial and has been going around to between 375 and 380 for a few months. I don't want to stress it so I have not been weighing regularly but I tried Fri morning and suddenly it is bouncing between 280 and 380 up and down hopping about with just slight movements by me. Plus there was some nasty clanging and banging when I got off of it. I may have killed it *sigh*.
I did manage to stay under 2500 calories per day so all is not lost but it is getting harder to hang on. I am out of bread and waffles and almost out of eggs and bacon. My money does not go in the bank until next Fri but that is Easter weekend so you couldn't pay me to go near the stores. Between the leftover Easter candy and the crowds I would be heading for trouble either way. I am going to try to hold out until the following week so it will be at least 10 more days.
I still have plenty of good stuff for lunch, dinners and snacks, it is just breakfast that is a problem. However I have learned that a good breakfast with a whole wheat bread product seems to get my day started well and keep me low for the entire day. Without the bread I tend to be hungry all day.
Today's lunch was very good. With all this rain and cold I wanted a warm meal. I wasn't able to make bread yet (it doesn't rise well when the weather is damp) but I found 2 slices in the freezer. I toasted a slice, added some tuna salad made with boiled eggs and a bit of low fat ranch dressing for an open faced sandwich.
I paired it with a bowl of Preggo Hearty Tomato soup. It really hit the spot on this cold day and actually had a fairly good taste. It was a little close to tasting more like spaghetti sauce than soup because, as usual, Preggo mistakes overloading things with too many herbs as gourmet or tasty. However it was borderline enough to get by and be overpowered by the delicious large chunks of tomato. The entire can of soup is only 220 calories so I could have all I wanted. I have a couple more cans I picked up on a sale and then I will try making my own from scratch.
I saved half of everything for tomorrow's lunch. The rain will move out and they are calling for temps in the 70's by Wed so I can start attacking the yogurt.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
A Better Day
Today I had my basic breakfast of eggs, whole wheat waffles and a slice of bacon. After the bad eating yesterday I stuck with simply eating several Healthy Choice, Michellina and Banquet meals. They ran 210 to 300 calories. Add a few oranges and my daily ice cream cup and my total was 2085 so it was a good day. I probably should have skipped one of the freezer deals and added more veggies or another piece of fruit. However I am almost out of raw veggies and fruit and I have 10 more days before I can go for groceries.
I managed to move four 4x4's before the rain came in and pulled my back again so it will be another day or two in bed. The rain is supposed to have a slight break Sat. I am hoping it leaves so I can try a bread recipe in my bread machine for low calorie whole wheat. It is called Honey Peasant Bread from The Bread Machine Cookbook IV: Whole Grains & Natural Sugars by Donna Rathmell German. She is from the Charleston SC area and her books were featured just before I moved from there. I had just purchased a bread machine so I bought them all. The recipes are very easy and I love them.
Honey Peasant Bread (for 2 cup Medium machine)
Water 1 1/2 cups
Honey 1 1/2 tsp.
Salt 1/3 tsp.
vital gluten, optional 1 1/2 to 3 tbs. **
Whole Wheat flour 3 cups
yeast 1 1/2 tsp
flour equivalent: 3 cups
setting: medium
timer: yes
(My machine is a Betty Crocker 2 cup medium. I will try it with the Whole Wheat Light setting)
1 ou slice: 55.9 calories
0.3 g fat (0.0 g sat fat)
2.7 g protein
11.3 g carbohydrate
0.0 mg cholesterol
73 mg sodium
**I have no vital gluten and no idea where to get it. It is suggested for every recipe in the book.
"Dough Enhancers - are ingredients which are added to or used in whole grain bread dough with one of its main purposes to assist in achieving a higher rising., lighter loaf. Research led me to several enhancers with which I have tested with varying results. Vital gluten was used in the testing of each recipe.
Vital gluten is the dried gluten protein which has been obtained from the flour by rinsing off the starch. This has been the most significant conditioner I have found and is included in all recipes in this book in a range as an optional ingredient. If using a machine which has a cycle geared specifically for whole grain bread baking (longer rising times) and if you use a whole wheat bread flour or flour milled from a hard (high protein/gluten) wheat, it may not be necessary to add the vital gluten. I prefer to add it in all cases but under the above conditions I use the smallest amount."
I will make the bread over the next few days without the vital gluten and let you know how it goes. This is almost identical to my white bread recipe so I should like it. There are also versions for Small and Large that I can share if anyone needs them.
Next week is calling for sunshine beginning Tues. If it is nice I will be trying an apple bread that is low cal and looks delicious:)
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
I managed to move four 4x4's before the rain came in and pulled my back again so it will be another day or two in bed. The rain is supposed to have a slight break Sat. I am hoping it leaves so I can try a bread recipe in my bread machine for low calorie whole wheat. It is called Honey Peasant Bread from The Bread Machine Cookbook IV: Whole Grains & Natural Sugars by Donna Rathmell German. She is from the Charleston SC area and her books were featured just before I moved from there. I had just purchased a bread machine so I bought them all. The recipes are very easy and I love them.
Honey Peasant Bread (for 2 cup Medium machine)
Water 1 1/2 cups
Honey 1 1/2 tsp.
Salt 1/3 tsp.
vital gluten, optional 1 1/2 to 3 tbs. **
Whole Wheat flour 3 cups
yeast 1 1/2 tsp
flour equivalent: 3 cups
setting: medium
timer: yes
(My machine is a Betty Crocker 2 cup medium. I will try it with the Whole Wheat Light setting)
1 ou slice: 55.9 calories
0.3 g fat (0.0 g sat fat)
2.7 g protein
11.3 g carbohydrate
0.0 mg cholesterol
73 mg sodium
**I have no vital gluten and no idea where to get it. It is suggested for every recipe in the book.
"Dough Enhancers - are ingredients which are added to or used in whole grain bread dough with one of its main purposes to assist in achieving a higher rising., lighter loaf. Research led me to several enhancers with which I have tested with varying results. Vital gluten was used in the testing of each recipe.
Vital gluten is the dried gluten protein which has been obtained from the flour by rinsing off the starch. This has been the most significant conditioner I have found and is included in all recipes in this book in a range as an optional ingredient. If using a machine which has a cycle geared specifically for whole grain bread baking (longer rising times) and if you use a whole wheat bread flour or flour milled from a hard (high protein/gluten) wheat, it may not be necessary to add the vital gluten. I prefer to add it in all cases but under the above conditions I use the smallest amount."
I will make the bread over the next few days without the vital gluten and let you know how it goes. This is almost identical to my white bread recipe so I should like it. There are also versions for Small and Large that I can share if anyone needs them.
Next week is calling for sunshine beginning Tues. If it is nice I will be trying an apple bread that is low cal and looks delicious:)
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
Don't Skip Breakfast
I was still feeling badly yesterday morning and slept in. I got up for lots of potty breaks but I didn't head to the kitchen until almost dinner time at about 4pm. I boiled potatoes to mix with chicken and cream of mushroom soup. I put in a few extra potatoes to make a small serving of mock potato salad for dinner.
Of course you know what happened. I ate all of the potatoes. Also I was very hungry and was back at 7pm eating again and then I snacked nonstop and ended up making another small dinner at 3am. Definitely a bad day. In all the big total was 2600 which is only 100 over my max but I fried the evening potatoes, onions and chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil so my fat intake was much higher than usual.
Well it is almost noon today so I am running behind again but I am headed to the kitchen to get my eggs and see if I can do better today.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Of course you know what happened. I ate all of the potatoes. Also I was very hungry and was back at 7pm eating again and then I snacked nonstop and ended up making another small dinner at 3am. Definitely a bad day. In all the big total was 2600 which is only 100 over my max but I fried the evening potatoes, onions and chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil so my fat intake was much higher than usual.
Well it is almost noon today so I am running behind again but I am headed to the kitchen to get my eggs and see if I can do better today.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A Hint From Susan Powder - Bulking Up
Anyone remember Susan Powder and the Stop the Insanity diet? Woman who shaved her head and bleached the stubble white. Did wild shouting infomercials wearing a gray leotard with a wide maroon belt. I loved her.
In 93 I had been through several surgeries, was in great pain, spent months pinned down by doctors because of various surgeries and, at one point, spent almost 2 months in the hospital. I had ballooned up to 375 pounds and was crazy to do something.
Most of my life I have resorted to the low carb diet because I am a meat eater. Also I could eat all the mayo and butter I wanted. (I will discuss soon how these two led to most of my problems.) I wasn't working so I couldn't afford a low carb diet and Susan definitely sounded interesting. I bought the book and was hooked.
One of her main things was to FILL UP on lots of low cal, low fat items. I made giant pots of rice and scooped out a bowlful for lunch and another for dinner, dumped a can of Healthy Choice soup over it, nuked it and scarfed it up. I had bagels with cream cheese and cinni sugar for breakfast and ate fig newtons, choc graham crackers and pretzels for snacks. After 4 months I dropped to 275. I bailed out of the diet at that point but I had lost 100 lbs but even more important I kept it off until I started getting in more pain and less active around 2003. I didn't lose anymore but I kept that weight off for almost 10 years.
I had planned to try that again but there is almost nothing left of Healthy Choice soups. Definitely no steak and potato, my fav. The Select Harvest and Chunky soups are disgusting and while I like a few regular Preggo soups, their diet stuff is the absolute WORST.
OK I decided I would try the frozen dinners - Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers' Smart Ones. First they are $2 to $3 each and I can find some Michelinas for $1 each that are lower in sodium and sometimes lower in calories. The Michelinas are definitely better in taste. So I added a few Michelinas and a few .88 Banquet meals.
I heat up a frozen dish with rice, noodles or potatoes and I make extra to "fill it out". For instance I made a few cups of noodles tonight. I drained them and dumped a Smart Ones spaghetti dinner in with them. Tolerable. Even better to add one or two tablespoons of sauce from a jar of Prego sauce I keep in the fridge. Lots of bulk to fill me up and the fat is low.
Most of the frozen stuff if yuk. The Michelina pizza bites and chicken Alfredo with broccoli is great especially poured over a bowl of rice or potatoes.
Since most of the frozen stuff is so bad I am working on a menu for next month to replace them. I had planned to do that in about 3 months anyway. I just thought the frozen ones would help me get a handle on portion control and making sure I had exactly enough of each item.
No lessons tonight. Pulled my back moving a piece of furniture and not a good day. Tired and achy tonight. But remember Susan - stretch those meals with lots of potatoes, rice or noodles - but NO butter or fats. Also, if you like them, fill up on things like celery, carrots, apples and oranges. All are low cal, full of fiber, slow to digest so they keep you full longer and no fat.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
In 93 I had been through several surgeries, was in great pain, spent months pinned down by doctors because of various surgeries and, at one point, spent almost 2 months in the hospital. I had ballooned up to 375 pounds and was crazy to do something.
Most of my life I have resorted to the low carb diet because I am a meat eater. Also I could eat all the mayo and butter I wanted. (I will discuss soon how these two led to most of my problems.) I wasn't working so I couldn't afford a low carb diet and Susan definitely sounded interesting. I bought the book and was hooked.
One of her main things was to FILL UP on lots of low cal, low fat items. I made giant pots of rice and scooped out a bowlful for lunch and another for dinner, dumped a can of Healthy Choice soup over it, nuked it and scarfed it up. I had bagels with cream cheese and cinni sugar for breakfast and ate fig newtons, choc graham crackers and pretzels for snacks. After 4 months I dropped to 275. I bailed out of the diet at that point but I had lost 100 lbs but even more important I kept it off until I started getting in more pain and less active around 2003. I didn't lose anymore but I kept that weight off for almost 10 years.
I had planned to try that again but there is almost nothing left of Healthy Choice soups. Definitely no steak and potato, my fav. The Select Harvest and Chunky soups are disgusting and while I like a few regular Preggo soups, their diet stuff is the absolute WORST.
OK I decided I would try the frozen dinners - Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine and Weight Watchers' Smart Ones. First they are $2 to $3 each and I can find some Michelinas for $1 each that are lower in sodium and sometimes lower in calories. The Michelinas are definitely better in taste. So I added a few Michelinas and a few .88 Banquet meals.
I heat up a frozen dish with rice, noodles or potatoes and I make extra to "fill it out". For instance I made a few cups of noodles tonight. I drained them and dumped a Smart Ones spaghetti dinner in with them. Tolerable. Even better to add one or two tablespoons of sauce from a jar of Prego sauce I keep in the fridge. Lots of bulk to fill me up and the fat is low.
Most of the frozen stuff if yuk. The Michelina pizza bites and chicken Alfredo with broccoli is great especially poured over a bowl of rice or potatoes.
Since most of the frozen stuff is so bad I am working on a menu for next month to replace them. I had planned to do that in about 3 months anyway. I just thought the frozen ones would help me get a handle on portion control and making sure I had exactly enough of each item.
No lessons tonight. Pulled my back moving a piece of furniture and not a good day. Tired and achy tonight. But remember Susan - stretch those meals with lots of potatoes, rice or noodles - but NO butter or fats. Also, if you like them, fill up on things like celery, carrots, apples and oranges. All are low cal, full of fiber, slow to digest so they keep you full longer and no fat.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
Monday, March 22, 2010
The 13 - 14 - 15 Diet Plan
In the 70's I found a diet in a cookbook that said to eat the number of calories based on what you want to weigh and how active you are. I called it the "13-14-15" diet. Supposedly it takes 14 calories per pound to maintain a normally active person; 13 for a moderately active and 15 for a more active person. So you decide the weight you want to be, multiply that by the correct calorie number and it will give you your calorie total per day. Your body will adjust itself over time.
This is fine if you are 50 lbs or less overweight. However if you are more than that you should base it on no more than 50 lbs below your current weight. Too much change would be a shock to your system and cause your metabolism to fear you are starving and slow down. In those instances you would be like the idiots on Biggest Loser (stupidest losers IMO). They are 400 lbs and put their bodies on 1100 calories per day and then spend the entire day exercising and working out. Do you have time to take 3 to 6 months off from work so you can spend 8-12 hours a day on a treadmill and bike? Me neither and no one has to be that miserable while losing weight but, hey, misery makes good TV - in their opinion.
I may have gone too far with mine. I decided I am such a slug because I am bedridden 80% of the time and do very little activity. I based my calories on 10 calories per pound because I read a couple of places it takes 10 calories per pound to maintain someone in the hospital. At 380 I decided to make my first goal 300 so that meant I could have up to 3000 calories per day for right now. In actuality I am eating between 1900 and 2300 a day, mostly the lower amount. Mostly because I tried to buy a bunch of Healthy Choice, Smart Ones, Michelina and Banquet dinners. They are mostly disgusting and I also bought too many sweet snacks instead of salty snacks.
Today's Lesson - Forget loading up the fridge with a bunch of things you don't like:
Don't make a bunch of dramatic changes all at once. You will be making a lot of changes - cutting back on fats and sweets and changing the type of snacks you eat. If you do too much at once you will load the house up with things you hate. You can only FORCE yourself to eat things you hate for a limited time and then you will rebel. This is when we fail. You are better off making just a few changes every week or two.
I tried to buy a bunch of fruit and veggies a few months ago. I don't care for most fruit and most of them ended up going in the trash. Try introducing one item every few weeks and reduce one bad item every few weeks.
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
This is fine if you are 50 lbs or less overweight. However if you are more than that you should base it on no more than 50 lbs below your current weight. Too much change would be a shock to your system and cause your metabolism to fear you are starving and slow down. In those instances you would be like the idiots on Biggest Loser (stupidest losers IMO). They are 400 lbs and put their bodies on 1100 calories per day and then spend the entire day exercising and working out. Do you have time to take 3 to 6 months off from work so you can spend 8-12 hours a day on a treadmill and bike? Me neither and no one has to be that miserable while losing weight but, hey, misery makes good TV - in their opinion.
I may have gone too far with mine. I decided I am such a slug because I am bedridden 80% of the time and do very little activity. I based my calories on 10 calories per pound because I read a couple of places it takes 10 calories per pound to maintain someone in the hospital. At 380 I decided to make my first goal 300 so that meant I could have up to 3000 calories per day for right now. In actuality I am eating between 1900 and 2300 a day, mostly the lower amount. Mostly because I tried to buy a bunch of Healthy Choice, Smart Ones, Michelina and Banquet dinners. They are mostly disgusting and I also bought too many sweet snacks instead of salty snacks.
Today's Lesson - Forget loading up the fridge with a bunch of things you don't like:
Don't make a bunch of dramatic changes all at once. You will be making a lot of changes - cutting back on fats and sweets and changing the type of snacks you eat. If you do too much at once you will load the house up with things you hate. You can only FORCE yourself to eat things you hate for a limited time and then you will rebel. This is when we fail. You are better off making just a few changes every week or two.
I tried to buy a bunch of fruit and veggies a few months ago. I don't care for most fruit and most of them ended up going in the trash. Try introducing one item every few weeks and reduce one bad item every few weeks.
Happy Dieting,
Linda B in TN:)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Starting Over
What do you do when you suddenly realize you let things creep up on you to the point of being 380 pounds!?!?!?
No it didn't happen overnight. Part of it came from an injury in 1985 and subsequent surgeries that left me bedridden for many months. Another surgery and massive infections in '94 meant a few months in the hospital and a bit more weight. I dropped a little of it and held around 285 until about 8 years ago. The pain from my '85 injuries got worse and I became more and more immobile. I cut back on work to 4 then 3 days a week. I finally went on disability 2 years ago. Finally another major injury 2 years ago, the much lower food budget and quiting smoking 6 months ago have all added to some pounds that I didn't realize I was adding.
I have to admit that the last 2 years I have become more and more like a slug. Movement of any kind whatsoever is painful. Each time over the years when I reached what I thought was my maximum threshold of pain I found that I soon crossed it and had to learn to deal with a new and higher level. Right now I consider sitting on a stool and putting together 3 meals a day as a major accomplishment.
I had been doing several things the last few years to better my diet and make it more natural so I was surprised that I had picked up almost 50 lbs during that time. After many plans, many diet ideas, etc, I am working on calories for right now. I will talk about it more other diets I have done over the years as I progress with this journal and tell you what I kept from those diets.
The lesson for today - eat what you like just trim the calories.
I began the diet just over a week ago. Every morning I have had 2 pieces of precooked bacon that I heat up in the frying pan (to make them crisp so I can crumble them). I remove the bacon and fry 3 eggs over light with runny yellows (my fav). I pour the eggs onto two pieces of whole wheat toast. Some mornings I also have an orange or an apple with the meal.
Bacon, 2 pc 90 calories
eggs, 3 x 80 = 240 calories
whole wheat bread 70 x 2 = 140
Total 470 to 520 with apple
I had bought granola bars and yogurt for breakfast and my plan had been to just have the eggs now and then but to push for a much lower calorie breakfast. However it has continued to be cold here sometimes even snowing or icy so I have been having the eggs & toast.
Today was in the 50's and felt good so I ate yogurt and a granola bar.............and fruit...........and an hour later chips........and an hour later ...........and so it went all day. I have eaten all day and am still craving something. I loved the egg breakfasts whereas the yogurt is more like doing penance but also the eggs and toast left me full. I had to force myself to have another meal in about 6 hours and had very few snacks in the evening. With the yogurt I feel empty and hungry all day.
Soooo I will buy yogurt for afternoon snacks on hot summer afternoons. However I will continue with my bacon and eggs for breakfast.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
No it didn't happen overnight. Part of it came from an injury in 1985 and subsequent surgeries that left me bedridden for many months. Another surgery and massive infections in '94 meant a few months in the hospital and a bit more weight. I dropped a little of it and held around 285 until about 8 years ago. The pain from my '85 injuries got worse and I became more and more immobile. I cut back on work to 4 then 3 days a week. I finally went on disability 2 years ago. Finally another major injury 2 years ago, the much lower food budget and quiting smoking 6 months ago have all added to some pounds that I didn't realize I was adding.
I have to admit that the last 2 years I have become more and more like a slug. Movement of any kind whatsoever is painful. Each time over the years when I reached what I thought was my maximum threshold of pain I found that I soon crossed it and had to learn to deal with a new and higher level. Right now I consider sitting on a stool and putting together 3 meals a day as a major accomplishment.
I had been doing several things the last few years to better my diet and make it more natural so I was surprised that I had picked up almost 50 lbs during that time. After many plans, many diet ideas, etc, I am working on calories for right now. I will talk about it more other diets I have done over the years as I progress with this journal and tell you what I kept from those diets.
The lesson for today - eat what you like just trim the calories.
I began the diet just over a week ago. Every morning I have had 2 pieces of precooked bacon that I heat up in the frying pan (to make them crisp so I can crumble them). I remove the bacon and fry 3 eggs over light with runny yellows (my fav). I pour the eggs onto two pieces of whole wheat toast. Some mornings I also have an orange or an apple with the meal.
Bacon, 2 pc 90 calories
eggs, 3 x 80 = 240 calories
whole wheat bread 70 x 2 = 140
Total 470 to 520 with apple
I had bought granola bars and yogurt for breakfast and my plan had been to just have the eggs now and then but to push for a much lower calorie breakfast. However it has continued to be cold here sometimes even snowing or icy so I have been having the eggs & toast.
Today was in the 50's and felt good so I ate yogurt and a granola bar.............and fruit...........and an hour later chips........and an hour later ...........and so it went all day. I have eaten all day and am still craving something. I loved the egg breakfasts whereas the yogurt is more like doing penance but also the eggs and toast left me full. I had to force myself to have another meal in about 6 hours and had very few snacks in the evening. With the yogurt I feel empty and hungry all day.
Soooo I will buy yogurt for afternoon snacks on hot summer afternoons. However I will continue with my bacon and eggs for breakfast.
Happy Dieting
Linda B in TN:)
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