Day 29

Its been a couple weeks since I kept a food journal - updating throughout the day the foods and beverages that I have consumed and calculating the calorie content. I find food journaling helpful because: 1. It helps me keep track of how many calories I am consuming; and 2. It helps me make sure that I am eating enough fruits, vegetables and dairy.

Breakfast (9:00 a.m.)
1 slice wheat toast
1 teaspoon honey
2/3 tablespoon peanut butter
1 pear
2 c. coffee with 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Lunch (12:30 p.m.)
2 Weight Watchers chicken ranchero smart mini wraps
1 grilled cheese sandwich
1 1/2 c. skim milk

The comfort food craving continues. Last week, I made a chicken-noodle-veggie casserole. Tonight, I made broccoli cheddar soup. I've had a bag of frozen broccoli hanging out in my freezer for several months, and it was starting to show signs of freezer burn. Soups, stews and casseroles are good ways to use up less-than-perfect produce.

Dinner (6:15 p.m.)
2 c. broccoli cheddar soup

About the soup:
It started with a roux made from about 3/4 stick butter and 1/2 c. flour. To that, I added about 1 1/2 cups lowfat, low sodium chicken broth and 2 1/2 cups skim milk. That mixture was brought to a simmer, then 2 cups frozen broccoli pieces were added. Once the soup reached a low simmer, I added salt and pepper to taste, then added about 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar. This resulted in a soup with a medium-thin "creamy" base. It wasn't as thick (or as high in calories) as most of the broccoli cheddar soups I've had in restaurants.

Snack (8:30 p.m.)
1/2 (4"x7") of "Thing"

So, I was kind of hungry, wanted a granola bar but didn't have any. I set out to make my own. But I didn't have any oatmeal. But I did have whole wheat flour. What resulted was a "Thing." The "Thing" consists of 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2/3 cup chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup rasins (briefly reconstituted in water), 1/3 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 egg and 1/3 cup skim milk. I wanted to make an 8"x8" pan of "granola" bars. The mix I made up didn't quite fill the pan, so it wound up being 8"x7". The "Thing" was about 1/4 inch thick. It was okay. I was hungry. I ate half.

Day 15

First day of the new job! Up before daylight! Breakfast...at breakfast time!

Breakfast (6:45 a.m.)
1 1/2 c. Special K Red Berries
1 c. skim milk
1 c. coffee w/1/2 tablespoon heavy cream

I have a little bit of a soft spot for statistics, so I'm kind of addicted to Google Analytics. This site allows you to track statistics about who visits your site. So far I have had 78 visits from 53 unique visitors. This blog has been viewed by people in 4 countries other than the United States: France, Brazil, Canada and the United Kingdom. Within the United States, this blog has been visited by people in 12 states. The majority of views come from Hutchinson, Kansas. My visitors from Illinois and New York spend the most time on the site (10 min 25 sec and 9 min 20 sec respectively). For all visitors, the average time on the site is 1 minute 43 seconds.

(End geek-out for the day)

Day 12

I'm trying to get back on track to eating healthy after a few days of some less-than-great choices.

Lunch (12:00 p.m.):
3 Taco Bell beef soft tacos

Dinner (4:30 p.m.):
1 Weight Watchers "Smart Ones" Chicken Parmesean
2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 c. skim milk

At this point I have consumed about 1320 calories.

This evening I attended the Hutch Haunts event that was put on by the Reno County Museum and the Hutchinson Theater Guild. Dinner was served there. It was a $45 event, but I got a free ticket thanks to my friend Patsy Terrell, who got two free tickets so she could blog about the event. Yes, I have a blogger friend who gets swag. Hopefully, one day, I too will get free stuff for projecting my thoughts into the interwebs.

Dinner again (5:45 p.m.):
1 turkey and provolone sandwich on a bun with lettuce and honey mustard
1 individual serving bag of Baked Cheetos
1 pumpkin cupcake
1 Bud Light

Snack (10:15 p.m.):
1 small oatmeal cookie
1 caramel brownie (about 2" square)

This Hutch Haunts event was about 4 1/2 hours. Actually, I left after 4 1/2 hours, but there was still another portion that would probably take about 30-45 minutes.

Calorie total for the day: 2242

Day 10

Today is a big day. I have a job interview this afternoon and a friend is coming over at 11 for a day of cooking, so there will be recipes to post later. I actually got up for normal people breakfast time!

Breakfast (8:15 a.m.):
2 c. Special K Red Berries cereal
1 1/3 c. skim milk
3 c. coffee w/ 2 1/2 tablespoons hazlenut creamer (7:30 is early)

Well, cooking day has been postponed. My friend is feeling under the weather.

Lunch (12:30 p.m.):
1 1/2 c. steamed white rice
7 oz. roast beef
1 c. gravy w/ 2/3 c. spinach wilted in

Interview went okay, I think. Going to Third Thursday tonight!

Dinner (5:00 p.m.)
1 Weight Watchers Smart Ones quesadilla
1 glass white wine

Sorry it took me a while to finish this post. I didn't get home until late Thursday night and today...well, I was just lazy.

Snacks/Dinner (6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
3 pieces pineapple
3 carrot sticks
1/2 teaspoon ranch dressing
2 crackers
2 .25 oz cheese cubes
1/4 cup popcorn and candy mix
1 ginger cookie
1 hot dog on bun with ketchup
1 cup peanut and candy mix
1/4 cup potato cassarole
1/4 cup baked broccoli and cheese
1 Bud light
1 chocolate chip cookie

Apparenly, snacking is my downfall. Total calorie intake: 2896.

Day 9

Breakfast (10:30 a.m.):
1 1/2 c. Kellog's Special K Red Berries
1 c. skim milk

Lunch (1:15 p.m.):
1 acorn squash stuffed with wild rice stuffing
1.5 c. wild rice stuffing
    1/2 c. wild rice
    1/8 diced granny smith apple
    1/4 c. golden raisins
    3/4 c. low sodium chicken broth
    salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon grated parmesean
2 tablespoons roasted squash seeds
2 c. coffee w. f.f. hazlenut creamer

The stuffed squash was AMAZING! It was also pretty easy to make.

First, cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Rub the flesh with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the stuffing. In a small pot with tight-fitting lid, mix 1/2 c. wild rice mix (unseasoned), 1/8 cup diced granny smith apple (or other tart apple), 1/4 cup raisins and 3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (for me, a dash of salt and a liberal amount of pepper). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes.

When the rice and squash are finished cooking, spoon rice mixture into the cavities of the squash halves. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesean. Return to oven and bake for about 10 minutes.

If you're vegetarian, substitute vegetable broth. If you're vegan, sub veggie broth and leave out the parmesean.

I also roasted the seeds from the squash, but unfortunately I left them in the oven a bit too long. I tried a few, but they really were burnt. Just seperate them from the squash goo, rinse, let dry on a paper towel, then mix with olive oil, salt, and any other spices you'd like and roast at 375 for about 8-10 minutes (apparently 20 is way too long).

Snack (4:00 p.m.):
2/3 c. f.f. no sugar added peach yogurt

Snack (5:15 p.m.):
2 oz. smoked almonds

Tonight for dinner I was invited to join the Kansas Main Street Conference for a mini "Taste It" Downtown Hutchinson. Typically "Taste It" is a quarterly event where people buy tickets and visit 10-12 restaurants downtown to sample food. Food is included in the price of the ticket, but people pay for drinks. Tonight they did a smaller version just for the conference with 6 restaurants. I missed out on two restaurants because I attended another event.

So, we traveled around to different restaurants - dinner took about 3 hours.

Dinner (6:15 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
10 wheat tortilla chips (Anchor Inn)
3 tablespoons salsa
1 mini bbq sandwich (Danny Boy's)
1 oz serving baked beans
1 small slice pepperoni pizza (Carl's Bar)
1 small slice hamburger pizza
1 Ginger Bee beer
2 oz beef fillet (Marcella's)
1/2 tablespoon blue cheese sauce
1 very tiny roasted potato with sour cream
1 glass Riesling white wine
1 individual pumpkin tart (Jillian's)
1 "Cougar" cocktail

So I added up my food calories for the day and came up to 2587. Not bad, right? Oops, forgot to add in the alcohol. Final count? 3012 calories. I definately need to watch my calories the rest of the week. Yes, I did some walking this evening, but not 400 calories worth. FYI, before "dinner" I had only consumed about 1400 calories.

Day 8

Today woke up at 9:00 a.m., then spent an hour and a half in bed thinking (mostly about how to respond when confronted by Fred Phelps) and reading Women's Health magazine. Then I showered. Then I checked e-mail, checked facebook, texted my friend Jon, and checked the mail. Finally I got around to cooking what I shall refer to as "brunch"...

Brunch (11:15 a.m.):
2 slices bacon
1 omlette
    1.5 tablespoons bacon grease
    1 cup raw spinach leaves
    2 large eggs
    2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
2 c. coffee w/ 2 tablespoons f.f. hazlenut creamer

Have I mentioned that I'm not really a morning person? Oh, you're still hung up on the bacon grease? Well, bacon grease and all, this was about a 460 calorie breakfast. I didn't add bacon grease, I just used what was left after frying the bacon to sautee the spinach and eggs. Don't judge me.

Lunch (2:00 p.m.):
2.5 c. cooked white rice w/ 1/3 teaspoon olive oil
5 oz roast beef
1 c. gravy (with few mushrooms and onions)
1.5 c. raw spinach

Cut beef into bite size pieces, toss into skillet on medium heat. Add leftover gravy, and a bit of water. Stir to incorporate. Let beef heat through until tender. At last minute, add spinach, let wilt. Serve over rice. Voila, lunch.

Dinner (7:30 p.m.):
2 small potatoes cooked "crash hot" style (see post from yesterday)
4 oz roast beef
1 c. gravy
1 cup Minute Maid pomegranate-blueberry juice

Total of 2400 calories today.

Day 7

Once again, my day is starting with lunch. I should get up earlier, I know...I even set an alarm clock. However, since I'm mostly unemployed and usually have nowhere I have to be, I turn it off and wind up sleeping until 10 or 11 a.m. In an effort to justify my late sleeping, I will tell you that I don't normally go to sleep until sometime between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. Lets just say that getting up early is a strugle for me.

Lunch (11:30 a.m.)
Chicken Salad Sandwich
Chicken Salad Sandwich
    1 whole wheat English muffin
    1 c. homemade curried chicken salad
    A few spinach leaves
2 c. coffee
2 1/2 tbsp. International Coffees f.f. Hazelnut creamer
1 tangerine

Last week's chicken is now finally gone. God rest his tasty, productive soul. Let us remember his succulent contributions to chicken pot pie, lentil soup, and chicken salad. He was a part of 13 meals this week. If you're buying boneless skinless chicken breasts and sauteeing them one at a time, you're paying too much per serving. Cook a whole chicken, pick it apart and boil down the carcass for chicken stock.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts usually cost $4-6 per pound. A package of 3 typically costs $6-7 and most people eat 1 breast piece as a serving for a total of 3 servings per package. Whole chicken is usually $1.50-$2 per pound, but sometimes you can find it on sale for $0.99 per pound (which is what last week's bird cost). For about $5 I bought a whole chicken. Considering that chicken was part of 13 servings...it cost about $0.38 per serving. The chicken breasts cost about $2 per serving. Take some time, work with whole foods and save money.

Dinner (5:15 p.m.):
1 c. homemade pasta
4 oz roast beef
1/4 c. gravy w/mushrooms and onions
1/2 cup raw spinach (cooked down into the gravy)
1/2 c. f.f., no sugar added peach yogurt

Lets just say the homemade pasta was a disaster, starting with me miscalculating the Ratio of flour to egg. I'll eat a big snack/second dinner when I get back from the Kansas Equality Coalition meeting. I'm usually pretty good in the kitchen, but occasionally I FAIL. Today I FAILed miserably. (Seriously. It was so inedible I threw out 3/4s of what I made).

And now a photo depicting how I feel, thanks to Failblog.org, part of the Cheezburger Network.



After the KEC meeting, I went to dinner with a couple of the guys. We went to Lonestar. This was my first dinner out since I started this project. I wasn't super hungry, but I did need to eat something, so I had:

Dinner (8:30 p.m.):
3 tablespoons spinach artichoke dip
6 tortilla chips
1 small dinner roll
1/2 teaspoon butter
2.5 c. chicken tortilla soup

Total calorie intake today is 1904 calories. I need a snack to boost that a bit...

Snack (10:45 p.m.):
1 small apple
1.5 tablespoons peanut butter (Smart Balance - no added sugar or sodium)
1.5 c. skim milk

Now I'm up to a healthier 2228 calories.

Day 6

Breakfast (11:15 a.m.):
1 1/4 c. Special K Red Berries
1 c. skim milk

Lunch (1:30 p.m.):
Chicken Salad Sandwich
    1 whole wheat English muffin
    2/3 c. homemade curried chicken salad
    A few spinach leaves

Snack (4:15 p.m.):
Special K snack

Snack (4:30 p.m.):
1 1/2 c. lentil soup
1 c. Minute Maid Pommegranate Blueberry juice

Tonight I cooked a nice dinner for myself - beer braised roast beef and "crash hot potatoes" (crispy oven roasted potatoes) using a recipe from the Pioneer Woman blog. According to the nutrient tracker, everything I consumed before dinner (breakfast, lunch and both snacks) only came up to about 850 calories. Not nearly enough. So I went ahead and ate a big dinner. Although I am now stuffed, I am at about 2100 calories for the day.

Dinner (6:45 p.m.)
6 oz beer braised roast beef
1/4 cup brown gravy
1/4 cup mushrooms and onions (cooked with the beef)
2 small red potatoes, cooked "crash hot" style (lots of olive oil)
1 O'Dell brewery 90 Shilling Ale
(Yes, I know that this meal is seriously lacking in vegetables)

About the beer braised roast beef:
I like roast beef. I have a variety of different ways that I cook it. From time to time, the local grocery store will put good roasting cuts on sale: buy-one-get-one-free. So, whenever I see this deal, I always buy two, which means that I almost always have a beef roast in the freezer. These roasts are usually 2-3 pounds, so I usually save them for dinner parties. However, I've had a roast beef craving lately - probably something to do with the cooler weather.

The inspiration for this recipe came from this chow.com recipe. The version I made tonight was pared down, but very tasty.

I used 1 8-ounce package of sliced mushrooms (normally I would slice whole mushrooms myself, but these were on sale) and 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thin. I placed these in the bottom of a cassarole dish along with 3 crushed and peeled garlic cloves.

Then I put a liberal amount of fresh ground black pepper and sea salt on both sides of the roast, then seared it for about 6 minutes on each side. I put the roast in the cassarole dish, then poured in a bottle of the 90 Shilling Ale (any ale will do, but lighter beers won't impart as much flavor). I then placed the roast in a 350 degree oven for 2 1/2 hours (another half hour or hour would have made it more tender, I think).

When the roast was done, I removed it from the oven, then removed the meat from the cassarole dish and put it on a plate to rest. I strained the liquid to seperate the mushrooms and onions from the juice. Then I heated about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and added 3-4 tablespoons of flour, stirring to incorporate it into the oil. I let it brown for a minute, then slowly added the reserved juices/beer from the roast and slowly added it to the flour mixture, stirring constantly to incorporate it without lumps. I then added salt and pepper to taste. I added the mushrooms and onions back to the gravy, and served it over sliced beef and the crash hot potatoes.

I ate more than I would have - 1 potato and about half the beef would have been okay, but I probably would have been hungry later. In all, dinner was about a 1100 calorie affair. I should have eaten more earlier in the day.

Day 5

I actually woke up in time for breakfast this morning, but instead of eating, I stayed in bed and read for a bit, then my Dad called and I talked to him for a while. Let the record show that I have nothing against breakfast. I love breakfast, really! I just don't always eat it...but sometimes I do eat breakfast food for dinner (remember last night's homemade Egg McMuffin?). That counts, right?

Lunch (11:30 a.m.)
Chicken Salad Sandwich
    1 whole wheat English muffin (I've run out of regular bread...)
    2/3 c. homemade curried chicken salad
    A few spinach leaves
1 pear
1 2/3 c. skim milk

About my homemade curried chicken salad:
Remember the chicken that provided the filling for my pot pie earlier in the week and the broth for my lentil soup? Well, there was some meat leftover (about 1/2 chicken worth), so I made some chicken salad! This particular incarnation of my chicken salad includes about 3 cups chicken, 1/2 cup lite mayonaise, 1/8 cup golden raisins, 1/8 cup chopped smoked almonds, 1 tablespoon curry powder and 1 teaspoon smoked spanish paparika. I use just enough mayonaise to hold the ingredients together - I like my chicken salad on the 'dry' side, and this also helps cut calories.

Snack (1:30 p.m.):
1 apple
1 slice Tillamook cheddar cheese
1 c. Minute Maid Pommegranate Blueberry juice

Dinner (5:00 p.m.):
Chicken Salad Sandwich
    1 whole wheat English muffin
    2/3 c. homemade curried chicken salad
    A few spinach leaves

Snack (7:30 p.m.):
3 c. popcorn, popped in oil, salted

Snack (1:30 a.m.):
1 c. skim milk

Today I consumed approxmately 1651 calories - not quite enough. Should have had a bigger snack when I got home late.

Day 4

I woke up in time for a late breakfast. The kitchen still smelled like baked goods, so I couldn't resist having some of the galettes for breakfast. Not exactly the healthiest choice, but small portions soothe my sweet tooth and at least they have some nutritents in the fruit.

Breakfast (10:30 a.m.):
1/10 of apple galette
1/10 of blackberry galette
1 1/2 c. skim milk

Lunch (12:15 p.m.):
1 1/2 c. homemade lentil soup
1 1/2 c. pomegranate-blueberry juice (Minute Maid)

This afternoon I distributed the remainder of the apple galette and the blackberry galetter to friends. No more sugary, buttery temptation! When I stopped at my friend Jon's house, he invited me to sample some Coke chicken (chicken breast with Coca-Cola based barbecue sauce) and a potato cassarole (with butter and sour cream).

Snack (4:30 p.m.):
1 Diet Dr. Pepper (although diet soda has no calories, some studies indicate that sugar substitutes can have an effect on your insulin production and blood sugar).
3 oz chicken with sauce
1 1/4 cup potato cassarole

Dinner (6:00 p.m.):
1 egg sandwich
    1 whole wheat english muffin
    1 slice bacon
    1 large egg
    1 slice Tillamook cheddar cheese
1 beer (O'Dell's 90 shilling ale)

This evening I was hungry for something fatty and succulent. Eggs bacon and cheese are not the healthiest of combinations, but they aren't bad in moderation. What I made was more or less an Egg McMuffin. So far I have consumed approximately 2070 calories today, so I will probably have a snack before bed.

I don't have any plans this evening. I will probably hang around the house and watch a movie or read. Usually on Friday and Saturday I go out and have some drinks with friends. The calories in alcohol can add up quickly. A bottle of beer typically has 110-150 calories. A glass of wine typically has 90-110 calories. Liquor mixed with soda water, tonic, or diet soda has 70-100 calories. Cocktails like Margaritas, Apple-tinis and White Russians have anywhere from 200 to 500 calories. If you plan on drinking of the night, be sure to eat light during the day (but of course, have plenty for dinner: no drinking on an empty stomach!) to make sure that your alcohol consumption doesn't bust your diet.

Late night snack (11:00 p.m.):
1 Weight Watchers ice cream bar
1 1/2 c. skim milk

Final total is 2284 calories for the day. And I spent the evening playing Monopoly online, if you were interested in how I spent my evening.

Day 3

Once again I am up late, so no breakfast.

Lunch (11:30 a.m.):
1 1/2 c. homemade lentil soup
1/2 c. f.f., no sugar added peach yogurt
1 1/2 c. coffee w/ 1 tablespoon f.f. hazlenut creamer

About my homemade lentil soup:
I do my lentil soup a couple of different ways, but this time I started with 3 slices of bacon, cut them into small pieces and sauteed them in the bottom of a big pot to render the fat. I then added 1/2 chopped onion, 2 ribs of celery, sliced, 3 carrots, sliced, and 2 cloves of garlic, chopped, and sauteed until the vegetables were soft. I then added approximately 4 cups of lentils that had been soaked overnight, drained and rised. On top of it I poured about 6-8 cups of homemade chicken broth (Remember the chicken pot pie? That's what I did with the carcass of that bird). Then I allowed it to simmer for about 1 hour. Voila, lentil soup.

Dinner (6:45 p.m.):
1 3/4 c. lentil soup
1 wheat english muffin w/1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese

Snack (9:00 p.m.):
1/10 homemade blackberry galette
1/10 homemade apple galette
12 oz skim milk

Tried making galettes this evening with fillings leftover from yesterday's mini-pies. They turned out well, but now I have to find someone to give them to so that I don't eat them all myself.

Today I have consumed approximately 1600 calories. It is not necessarily a good idea for me to consume fewer than 2200 calories on a regular basis until I lose more weight. Eating significantly fewer calories than my body currently consumes for extended periods will lead to rapid, unsustainable weight loss.

Trying to committ to healthy eating/Day 1

I have struggled with my weight for a long time, and this blog will document my latest of several attempts to lose weight. I find it is easier to manage my diet/lose weight when I keep a journal of what I eat.

This is not some fad diet or lose weight quick scheme. My plan is to gradually adopt a healtier diet and lifestyle - eat more vegetables and fruit, eat less processed foods, sugary foods and high-fat meats, and incorporate moderate exercise.

I finally replaced the battery in my bathroom scale. My last weight check was July 28, 2010. I weighed in at 346 pounds, my heaviest weight ever. Today my weight is 334.6 pounds.

In the past 11 weeks I have lost an average of 1 pound per week (probably more while I was in Panama due to increased walking and decreased appetite from the Malaria prevention antibiotics). This is a healthy rate of weight loss. The medical community has concluded that a loss of 1-2 pounds per week is a healthy rate.

Breakfast today (9:00 a.m.):
1 1/2 c. Special K Red Berries
1 c. skim milk
2 c. coffee w/International coffees f.f. creamer

Lunch today (12:00 p.m.):
1/4 leftover homemade chicken pot pie.
2/3 c. homemade roasted cauliflower soup garnished with smoked almonds

About my homemade pot pie:
This pot pie is approximately 7 inches in diameter. The filling consists of 1/2 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 large carrot, 1 rib onion, 2 tablespoons extra virgion olive oil, 1 cup frozen broccoli pieces, 3 tablespoons flour, 3-4 c. fat free, low-sodium chicken broth, and 1/2 chicken. There is a top crust only and it is a traditional pie crust (yes, lots of butter).

About my homemade roasted cauliflour soup:
To make this soup, I cut 1 head of cauliflower into florets, tossed with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin and salt. I then roasted the florets on 400 for about 30 minutes. I then pureed the florets with water in the blender. The mixture was put into a pot, brought to a boil, reduced to a simmer for 20 minutes. The soup was flavored to taste with additional paprika, cumin, salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Snack (3:45 p.m.):
1 medium apple
1 slice Tilamook Medium Cheddar

Snack (4:45 p.m.):
2 oz smoked almonds

Dinner (5:30 p.m.):
1/4 homemade chicken pot pie

Snack (9:20 p.m.):
1 1/2 c. homemade cauliflower soup

Evening Drinks (11 p.m.):
3 glasses wine

Today I have consumed approximately 2580 calories. I used the food intake tracker at mypyramid.gov to analyize the items I have eaten today. In order for me to loose 1-2 pounds per week, I need an average daily caloric intake of less than 2680 calories per day. 1 pound of fat = 3500 calories. In order to loose 1 pound per week, I must decrease my calorie consumption by 3500 calories per week or increase my activity level so that my body burns an additional 3500 calories per week.