Back again!

Hello there, world, it's been a while.

Right at 2 years, in fact. My how things have changed.

First things first. Since this is a blog about healthy eating, I should confess that for a while I was not eating healthy. By late January 2012 my weight had rocketed back up to about 349 lbs. Spring and summer 2012 I managed to get my weight back down to about 318. Over the winter, 10 pounds snuck back. Over the past month, I've shed them away. Yesterday morning I weighed in at 317.6 lbs.

There has been huge change in my life. During summer of 2011 my experience working at the restaurant changed drastically. Business there plummeted and so did my hours. I started working part-time at the news again. Around August/September I realized that in order to earn a decent living I would have to either commute an hour each way to Wichita to work, or I would have to move out of Hutchinson. First week of November 2011 I put my house on the market, packed up my things and moved back to Charleston, SC. I had a Craigslist roommate, no job and no real plan to speak of.

I got lucky in terms of work. About 3 weeks after I moved to Charleston I was contacted by a temp agency for a customer service position. 4 months later I was hired on by the company I was working for. 6 months ago I got a promotion. I make decent money, enjoy what I do, and can see opportunity for growth and advancement.

I was unlucky in my choice of roommates. January 2012 I was told I would either have to take over the lease by myself or move out - with 15 days notice. I found a cute apartment in Park Circle and I've been nesting here ever since. Oh, and in September 2012 my office moved from a location 25 minutes from my apartment to a location 7 minutes from my apartment. Adios, commute.

So, over the past year I've done relatively well keeping my weight near 320 lbs. It's time to move my healthy habits to the next level and drop some more weight!

Last week my parents and I started a challenge amongst ourselves. Whoever loses the greatest percentage of weight between May 2 and August 31 will win two new outfits, courtesy of the "lesser losers." I've stated Weight Watchers online to help me stay on track, and I plan to blog about my exploits - hopefully to inspire others and motivate myself.

Hello there, world, it's been a while. But I'm back, and ready to rock!

Choose 2 Lose

So, its been a while since I've posted anything here. During the holidays I got out of my healthy eating habits and gained back about 5 pounds. I still have lost a total of 16 pounds since starting my weight loss journey. Wintertime is always difficult for me because I am more prone to depression, and the combination of darkness, loneliness, and cold make me crave high-sugar, high-fat comfort foods.

At my workplace, we have formed teams for Choose 2 Lose. This is a program put on by the Hutchinson Clinic in which teams at different companies compete in a weight loss/fitness challenge. The program lasts 10 weeks and teams receive points for days participants work out, number of pounds each participant loses, and percentage of weight lost by team members.

Each Choose 2 Lose team has a team captain. I was elected captain of my team. Part of my strategy is to provide weekly healthy eating tips to my teammates and archive them on this blog so that they are easily accessible to my teammates and to others who are interested in weight loss.

Sometimes the greatest motivation is motivating others.

Day 35

I weighed in on Sunday. Last week I lost 3 pounds for a total weight loss of 20.4 pounds.

In an effort to try and incorporate more vegetables into my diet, I made a veggie-heavy pasta sauce last night with canned tomatoes, red peppers, red onion, swiss chard, mushrooms and ground beef.

I had a new roommate move in yesterday afternoon and I have several tasks that I am working on for the Kansas Equality Coalition. My parents are coming next Monday to visit for Thanksgiving. What I'm saying is: I'm pretty busy so you may not be hearing much from me this week.

Day 31

Breakfast (7:30 a.m.)
1/8 "Thing" (2"x4" piece)
Hot tea with splenda

The Thing is gone! I'll have to work on some sort of fruit and nut bread, cookie or bar that is a bit more pleasant. It was edible, though.

Snack (10:00 a.m.)
2 clementine oranges

Lunch (12:45 p.m.)
2 1/4 c. broccoli cheese soup

Snack (2:00 p.m.)
2 oz dry roasted almonds
1/4 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. raisins

Dinner (5:30 p.m.)
2 c. broccoli cheese soup
5 c. popcorn (popped in oil with salt)
1 O'dell's Ale

Day 30

Breakfast (7:30)
1/4 of "Thing" (4"x3" piece)

Read yesterday's post. The "Thing" is a late-night creation. It's okay. It's a somewhat bland carbohydrate vessel for putting rasins and walnuts in my belly. There are ways on which it could be improved. Perhaps someday I will make real granola bars, or walnut-rasin wheat bread. For now, I have the "Thing" and it is edible if not great, so I will eat it until it is gone.

Snack (9:45 a.m.)
1/8 of "Thing" (2"x3" piece)
2 clementine oranges (tangerines? satusmas? mandarins? What the hell are these things?)
2 c coffee w/ 1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Lunch (12:30)
1 1/2 c. broccoli cheese soup
2 Weight Watchers chicken ranchero snack wraps

I wound up eating dinner at my friend Jon's house. He had picked up a bunch of hours d'oeuvres from Sam's and wanted to try some.

Dinner (6:45 p.m.)
2/3 c. mixed nuts
3 bacon wrapped tenderloin bites
1 mini spinach dip
1 chicken spinach cup thing (?)
1 mini raspberry brie en crute
3 "little smokies" in blankets

Snack (8:00 p.m.)
5 c. popcorn, salted, popped in oil

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 27

This week I weighed in at 328.6 pounds. I only lost 0.4 pounds this week, but I have lost a total of 17.4 pounds since early August.

This was a busy week. I ate more restaurant food than I have in the past few weeks. At Monday's 140conf, there were heavy hours d'oeuvres from Marcella's. Tuesday night I met with the Reno County Democrats at the Anchor Inn (greasy, heavy Mexican-American buffet). Wednesday, I didn't feel like cooking so I went through the drive through at Spangles (cheeseburger and fries) before going to the grocery store. Thursday I assembled a casserole during my lunch break and then threw it in the oven before heading to the Fox Theater to volunteer during the performance of Oklahoma!

Last night I volunteered at the Fox for another show, then went to my friend Christian's house afterwards. Although I ate dinner around 5:30, by the time Christian and his roommate Jason pulled enchiladas out of the oven at 9:00, I couldn't resist trying them. Around 1 a.m. I had another. Oh, and Friday night I made a batch of (18) homemade chocolate chip cookies. I'm the only one who has eaten any. There are only 6 left.

By eating more meals at home next week and by being a bit more meticulous with tracking my food intake during the day, I hope to loose 1.5 to 2 pounds.

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 13

I weighed in this morning at 331.2 pounds. Last week's weight was 331.8. This week I lost 0.6 pounds. This is evidence of how just one or two days of overeating can affect your weight loss goals.

Today I decided to try Jillian's new Sunday brunch. They just started 3 weeks ago and aren't really advertising yet. It was a buffet, and most of the stuff was pretty good. A few things were a little bland, but overall it was a decent brunch. I personally prefer a brunch where you can order off a menu - it is typically a bit cheaper, you can make healthier choices, and it isn't as easy to overeat. As we saw last week, when confronted with a buffet or other endless source of food, I, like many people, tend to overeat.

Brunch, Jillian's Italian Grill (11:00 a.m.):
1/4 cup fresh fruit
1/4 cup quinoa salad (with cranberries, bell pepper, carrot, cucumber and onion)
1/8 c. caprese salad (tomato, mozzarella, vinegar, olive oil, basil)
1/8 c. penne w/tomato sauce, mini meatballs and cheese
1/8 c. green beans
1 slice bacon
1/8 c. scrambled eggs
3 oz. ham (carving station...nice)
1/10 c. escallopped potatoes (potatoes au gratin?)
1 oz. chicken marsala (chicken with white wine mushroom cream sauce)
1/3 biscuit with 1 tablespoon sausage gravy
3 homefries (seasoned 1/4 inch potato cubes)
1/4 egg benedict (english muffin, canadian bacon, poached egg, holandaise sauce)
1 pumpkin pie individual tartlet w/ 1 1/2 teaspoon whipped cream
1 mimosa (sparkling wine and orange juice)
3 c. coffee
2 oz heavy cream (for said coffee)

The problem with buffets, especially if it is the first time you've had the buffet at a particular restaurant, is that you want to try everything. Even eating very small amounts (about 2-3 bites worth) of most of the things on the buffet add up very quickly. This goes double for things that are cheesy or creamy - escalloped potatos, chicken marsala, holandaise sauce, gravy.

The total calorie count for this extravaganza: 1494. For many people, this would be their caloric intake for the whole day. For me, this is over half of what I need. I should have eaten about 1/2 of what I consumed, passed up items that didn't look particularly interesting, and rejected the owner's insistance that I sample the eggs benedict.

I have about 1000 calories "left" for the day - that's about how much I can consume without "busting" my diet. Considering how full I feel at the moment, that shouldn't be a problem.

Dinner (8:00 p.m.):
1 weight watchers quesadilla (black beans, cheese, vegetables, about 230 calories)
1 bacon egg and cheese sandwich
    2 slices whole wheat bread
    1 slice bacon
    1 large egg
    1/4 c. grated cheddar cheese

Calorie intake for the day: 2287.

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 11

Today was very unproductive. Slept late, stayed in bed and watched old Dr. Who episodes, and didn't do much of anything until about 3:30. I got up, got dressed, and went to see the movie Secretariat. That's right, I didn't eat anything today until I got to the theater.

Snack/Lunch? (4:00 p.m.):
5 c. movie popcorn with butter (small bag)
Movie sized Peanut M&Ms (about 5.3 oz.)

Went to dinner at Marcella's with the YP gang...

Dinner (8:00 p.m.):
1 1/2 slices parmesean cheese bread
salad with 5 oz beef tenderloin
1.5 tablespoons blue cheese dressing
2 glasses red wine

Stopped by the Kansas Main Street Association Conference post-banquet dance...

After dinner drink (9:30 p.m.):
1 Bud light

Then met back up with the YP gang at the Rusty Needle...
1 Schafly Octoberfest draft

Total calorie intake: 2255. Even for only two "meals". Calorie dense foods like butter and candy and liquid calories like beer and wine can add up real quick

A picture is worth 1,000 words...and shows you when you've gained 100 pounds

A few days ago I talked about why I was writing this blog. In that post I told you what my weight was at different points in time. Since my Freshman year of college (about 6 years ago), I have gained about 110 pounds.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in photographs. I have never been much of one for saying "Ooh! Ooh! Take my picture!" but in college a fair number of photographs were taken and posted to Facebook. This summer I went to Chicago and Panama, and, among about 400 photos taken during those trips, I only have one picture from each trip of myself. Both were taken at the insistance of friends, saying "you have to have a picture of yourself in (insert place here)."

I had never been particularly self conscious about being photographed, but about 2-3 years ago I started avoiding photos when possible, because, frankly, I wasn't liking what I saw when they were posted to Facebook. Somehow when I look in the mirror, I don't see a huge person. However, when I see myself in photographs, especially when standing next to normal-sized people, I am painfully aware of my weight.

Seeing myself in photos is part of what motivates me to lose weight. I don't want to be twice the size of a healthy person. Sometimes in my daily routine it is easy for me to begin to think that my body is normal or that this is just the way I am. Sometimes I need an outside reminder that althoug I have always been heavy, being fat is not who I am, but rather what I have become.

So, a photo montage of the past 6 years.

Freshman year, about 230 pounds:



Another Freshman year photo:



Beginning of Junior year. Not sure of exact weight. 230-250? I'm the one in the pink next to the wall:



Graduation, May 2007. About 280 pounds:



Third Thursday, May 2009. About 305 pounds:



Chicago, June 2010. About 340 pounds:



Panama, September 2010. About 340 pounds:



Weight gain is gradual, and sometimes it sneaks up on us. Photos can be a reality check. As I continue on this journey, I will periodicaly post photos - and hopefully we can see the same in reverse!

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.

Why I'm Writing This Blog

I have been overweight or obese pretty much my whole life. I remember in 3rd grade I weighed in at 109 pounds. By my Freshman year of high school I was up to 180. At the time I felt huge. Now, I would love to be 180 pounds. March of my Freshman year I tore my right Achilles tendon. It didn’t completely rip into. It was a hairline tear, but it was very painful. I spent 6 weeks in a plaster cast up to my knee to keep my foot immobile and then spent several weeks in physical therapy after that. I was not able to play rec-league softball that season, and I missed about 4 months of horseback riding lessons.

In the fall of my Junior year (the night before the Homecoming dance) I got kicked by a horse in my left leg just above my ankle during a horseback riding lesson. I got 7 interior stitches and 11 exterior stitches at an emergency clinic that evening. Later that night, I had to be taken to the emergency room because the pain meds had worn off and the pain was unbearable. There, I was treated by the same doctor who treated me for my torn Achilles tendon. He said that a nerve had probably been severed, which was why I was in so much pain. They gave me IV antibiotics and morphine, a prescription for Loritab and, after about 2 hours, sent me home.

After a couple of appointments with the doctor at the clinic who stitched me up, it became apparent that my wound was not healing properly. He scheduled an appointment at 7:30 a.m. with Dr. O’Boyle – the orthopedist who had treated my Achilles tendon and who had seen me in the emergency room. At that early morning appointment, Dr. O’Boyle told me that I had developed a hematoma and told me not to eat anything because, “Even if I have to cut open and drain that hematoma at 3 a.m., it will get done tonight.”

My parents took me to the hospital around 5 p.m., and finally at 11 p.m., they took me down to surgery. I had a fairly miserable 3-day stay in the hospital. My leg felt better, but between the strange place and the nurse coming to check my temperature every 4 hours, I couldn’t get any sleep.

When everything was said and done, I missed almost a month of school, had to wear a strap-on cast for several weeks after surgery, then had months of physical therapy after that. I did not resume horseback riding lessons after that incident. The whole time I was in the hospital and at home, I never received a phone call, card or anything else from the stable owner (who was also my instructor) where I had taken lessons for 7 years.

By the middle of my Senior year, I was up to about 275 pounds. That was when I went on my first diet. My parents and I joined Healthy Weigh, at my mother’s insistence. She had dieted off and on for several years and was a bit overweight, but not obese. My father had steadily been gaining weight, and he and I were both obese according to our BMIs. Over about 4-5 months we all lost weight. I lost about 50 pounds. When I graduated high school, I weighed about 225 pounds.

My first year of college I continued to be conscientious of what I was eating, I walked a LOT and even tried out (unsuccessfully) for the girl’s rugby team. The summer after, I had a great trip to Spain (despite lots of pork, lots of walking kept my weight the same). Early the fall of my Sophomore year of college I noticed a pain in my left heel. Dr. O’Boyle informed me that I had a tear in my left Achilles tendon. Another cast. More physical therapy. After that, I didn’t walk as much. I used to walk 10, 12, 15 blocks at a time, after being in the cast I tended to keep to a 4-6 block radius. Junior year, same thing – less exercise, less attention to what I was eating. By the time I graduated from college, I weighed about 280 pounds.

The summer after college, I stared Weight Watchers and lost about 15 pounds before I moved to Kansas. I got to Kansas just before the start of winter. The cold kept me indoors and loneliness and frigid temperatures made me crave fatty comfort foods. 3 years of lots of restaurant eating, lack of exercise and battling depression resulted in my weight climbing to almost 350 pounds.

About 12 weeks ago I went to the doctor to get the vaccines I needed to travel to Panama. When they checked my weight, I weighed 346 pounds. I started then to try to be more conscientious of what I was eating. Over 11 weeks, I lost 11 pounds. From past experiences, I know that it is easier for me to actually track my calorie intake when I write things down. I figured I’d pair that with a need for accountability and my love of cooking and start this blog. Hopefully you find it interesting. I welcome suggestions on how to improve the blog.

As I mentioned earlier, this is not a lose weight quick scheme. I want to lose the weight through gradual, permanent changes, not through some fad diet that I can’t follow the rest of my life. When I started this week, I weighed 334.6 pounds. Tonight I weighed in at 331.8 pounds. This week I have lost 2.8 pounds.

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.

Day 2

A word to the wise: carefully read your juice labels. The other week at Dillon's, I snagged some Kroger brand apple juice. When I got home and drank some, it tasted...not very apple-y. I looked more closely at the label. It was apple juice cocktail. The product only contained 25% juice, and the 3rd ingredient on the ingredient list was high fructose corn syrup. It had the same amount of calories as regular apple juice, but most of the calories came from HFCS. Juice is pretty high calorie anyways, so if you're going to drink juice, make sure you're drinking 100% juice so you get the nutritional benefits - juice can be loaded with vitamins and antioxidants!

I slept late, so did not eat breakfast.

Lunch (11:15 a.m.)
1/4 homemade chicken pot pie (yes, it was good enough to eat it 4 meals in a row!)
2 c. homemade roasted cauliflower soup
10 oz. apple juice cocktail

Snack (4:00 p.m.):
1/2 c. homemade lentil soup

Snack (5:30 p.m.):
2 c. skim milk
4 mini-pies (blackberry and apple, no sugar added)
(No, this was not a healthy choice...but sometimes you have to eat what will satisfy you)

Tonight I went to a party where dinner was served. There were lots of very tasty sweets, which are my downfall.

Dinner (7:00 p.m.)
1 2/3 c. corn chowder
3 oz whole grain bread
1/2 teaspoon butter
5 mini-pies (the ones I made)
4 small rice crispy treats (2 coated in chocolate, 2 coated in white chocolate)
8 oz apple cider

I definately over-indulged on the sweets - need to work on that self control.

Today I consumed 2599 calories as indicated by the tracking system on mypyramid.gov. As previously stated, consuming 2680 calories or less per day for me (based on height, age, weight and activity level), will result in 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week. Although I over-indulged in sweets, I still met my calorie goal for the day. Tomorrow is a new day and I will eat more nutritious foods.