Anniversary today. Married 25 years ago to the love of my life. That 25 years brought us two great kids, a ton of good times and some bad times (it wouldn't be life without both) but overall it's been a great 25 years.
Of all the things I love about my wife it is her patience with me as it pertains to my weight loss, she has never criticized nor made me feel less for the weight I carry. Her quite encouragement and willingness to listen to me wax poetic about my efforts to drop the weight forever has provided me with the impetus to "Keep Moving Forward".
Tonight we are going out to enjoy some quiet time without the kids and just relax in each others company.
With that in mind you wouldn't believe how much thought and preparation I put into choosing our restaurant for the night. It had to be a great place she would enjoy but it also had to be a place I could get a handle on what the menu had to offer and the nutritional info that they posted. Here is a word to the wise for restaurants in general, menu's are great but in our new health conscious world it might be smart to post your nutritional data for those menu items. I ended up choosing a place I where I could find posted nutritional info and the rest will just have to wait.
I found a place where I can get a good healthy meal (although I have a feeling it will involve me bringing leftovers home) and stay true to my diet.
So here is my menu for today:
Breakfast - Oatmeal with fruit and a bit of 2% Calories 290, Fiber 5g
Snack - 1 cup of Cherries, Calories 74, Fiber 2.5
Lunch - Veggies and Turkey on Dave's Killer 21 Whole Grain Bread and a cup of Cherries, (This is essentially my Bag Lunch but without the avocado as I didn't have one ripe enough to cream up today, and my cherries were at their end eat em today or toss them) Calories 394, Fiber 13g
Snack - 1 medium carrot - Calories 35, Fiber 2
Dinner - Grilled Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos from BJ's Restaurant Calories 775, Fiber 11.5g and Sat Fat (because I didn't make it) 6g
Total (if I eat everything which I won't for dinner)
Calories = 1598
Fiber = 34g (not optimal but I'll figure it out)
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
OK who turned up the heat
The last two weeks have been off and on warm with this week heading towards the mid 90's I thought I'd share what I do on hot evenings and yet still eat healthy. I used to just grab something quick (some forzen item and nuke it) and flee to the master bedroom (the only room in the house with an AC in the window) to eat.
I've been stocking my fridge with a variety of vegetables giving me many options for a healthy meal. The most time consuming part chopping, dicing and prep I try and do in the morning for whatever meal I plan for the evening. You just pop your prepped veggies in a bowl, cover and stick them in the fridge waiting for your return. I do this with polenta also, make a day or two before in the morning, set it, then cut into serving portions size, box it up and stick it in the fridge.
On hot nights I'll throw some polenta on a grill while I cook something else for the family and serve that up with a quick pickle of veggies or maybe a modified tzatziki (creamy cucumber side). Sometimes I'll whip up a quick 1/2 sandwhich and some salad, or stuff a pita pocket with my veggies with a little hummus. Basically anything that works and keeps me from slaving in a hot kitchen.
Here is my recipe for Tzatziki:
Ingredients:
•1 tbsp. lemon juice
•1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
•2 cloves garlic, minced finely
Peel the cucumbers, slice them down the middle (long ways) scoop or cut the seeds out (I use a melon ball tool), slice lengthwise again turning each half into 3 long "spears". Dice these spears and place in a colander over a bowl sprinkle with the salt and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours (this removes all the liquid).
Take the Greek yogurt out of its container, place it in a piece of cheesecloth in a colander over a bowl and leave for at least 3 hours (this drains all of the liquid out).
When ready squeeze the yogurt in the cheesecloth once to remove any lingering moisture. Place in bowl and whisk together with sour cream, pepper, garlic, dill and lemon juice.
Add cucumber, stir and then refrigerate for 20 minutes to let flavors incorporate.
You can fill a pita pocket with this, use it as a dip, or even as a side. The calories for this only add up to 261 so it works perfectly with half a whole grain pita for a meal or part of a meal.
My Menu for today:
Breakfast - Peanut Butter and Banana Toast, 2 slices of Dave Killer Bread (21 Grain), 2 tbs peanut butter and one small banana sliced up. Calories 500, Fiber 14.6g
Snack - Carrot Sticks, 1 medium carrot sliced up (I was going to have hummus with this but ended up to close to lunch to want the extra calories) Calories 35, Fiber 2g
Lunch - Mediterranean Salad with a Pita Pocket, Calories 507, Fiber 17.6g
Snack - Orange, Calories 62, Fiber 3.1g
Dinner - Chicken Tortilla Soup, Calories 355.5, Fiber 8.5g
Total:
Calories = 1459.5
Fiber = 45.8
I've been stocking my fridge with a variety of vegetables giving me many options for a healthy meal. The most time consuming part chopping, dicing and prep I try and do in the morning for whatever meal I plan for the evening. You just pop your prepped veggies in a bowl, cover and stick them in the fridge waiting for your return. I do this with polenta also, make a day or two before in the morning, set it, then cut into serving portions size, box it up and stick it in the fridge.
On hot nights I'll throw some polenta on a grill while I cook something else for the family and serve that up with a quick pickle of veggies or maybe a modified tzatziki (creamy cucumber side). Sometimes I'll whip up a quick 1/2 sandwhich and some salad, or stuff a pita pocket with my veggies with a little hummus. Basically anything that works and keeps me from slaving in a hot kitchen.
Here is my recipe for Tzatziki:
Ingredients:
•1 tbsp. lemon juice
•1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
•2 cloves garlic, minced finely
•1/2 tsp. salt
•1/4 tsp. white pepper
•1 cup low fat Greek yogurt (I use Fage 2%), strained
•1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream (basically 2%)
•2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
•1 tsp. chopped fresh dill
Peel the cucumbers, slice them down the middle (long ways) scoop or cut the seeds out (I use a melon ball tool), slice lengthwise again turning each half into 3 long "spears". Dice these spears and place in a colander over a bowl sprinkle with the salt and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours (this removes all the liquid).
Take the Greek yogurt out of its container, place it in a piece of cheesecloth in a colander over a bowl and leave for at least 3 hours (this drains all of the liquid out).
When ready squeeze the yogurt in the cheesecloth once to remove any lingering moisture. Place in bowl and whisk together with sour cream, pepper, garlic, dill and lemon juice.
Add cucumber, stir and then refrigerate for 20 minutes to let flavors incorporate.
You can fill a pita pocket with this, use it as a dip, or even as a side. The calories for this only add up to 261 so it works perfectly with half a whole grain pita for a meal or part of a meal.
My Menu for today:
Breakfast - Peanut Butter and Banana Toast, 2 slices of Dave Killer Bread (21 Grain), 2 tbs peanut butter and one small banana sliced up. Calories 500, Fiber 14.6g
Snack - Carrot Sticks, 1 medium carrot sliced up (I was going to have hummus with this but ended up to close to lunch to want the extra calories) Calories 35, Fiber 2g
Lunch - Mediterranean Salad with a Pita Pocket, Calories 507, Fiber 17.6g
Snack - Orange, Calories 62, Fiber 3.1g
Dinner - Chicken Tortilla Soup, Calories 355.5, Fiber 8.5g
Total:
Calories = 1459.5
Fiber = 45.8
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
On the road again...
Weigh in this morning and it looks like I was correct. As my weight loss seems to be back on track (averaging about a half a pound of weight lost per day).
My computer crashed last night which kept me from posting more recipes, so I have to buy more RAM and then I'll be back on track. In the meantime I'll be providing updates from my 7" Galaxy Tablet which I love but pushing updates through it is not half as fun.
I'll continue to work on adding recipes but I a need to tear into the guts of Blogger and see how much I can control if I write a custom template for my layout. In the meantime I have two of my favorite recipes up and I use a few tools to make sure my nutrition facts are correct. Also if you are looking for help with eating healthy I highly recommend The Full Plate Diet as it seems to be doing wonders for me :) Let me know if you need more info (fat break down, proteins, whatever...).
Menu:
Breakfast - Kashi GoLean you are my pal! 1 cup of Kashi GoLean, 1 small banana and 1/2 cup of 2% milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g
Snack - Hummus and Chips, 2 tbs of hummus and 1oz of Multi grain (I use the Food Should Taste Good brand but any high fiber whole grain chip will do) chips, about 10 chips. Calories 194, Fiber 4g
Lunch - Mike's Bag Lunch (this will be a regular so I named it) 2 slices of Dave's Killer Bread 21 Grain, half a medium avocado, 1/3 English cucumber sliced and slice of thin cut deli turkey. Calories 460, Fiber 14g
Snack - Pink Lady Apple Calories 130, Fiber 5g
Dinner - Tofu Noodle Soup Calories 399, Fiber 12g
Total:
Calories = 1528
Fiber = 42g
My computer crashed last night which kept me from posting more recipes, so I have to buy more RAM and then I'll be back on track. In the meantime I'll be providing updates from my 7" Galaxy Tablet which I love but pushing updates through it is not half as fun.
I'll continue to work on adding recipes but I a need to tear into the guts of Blogger and see how much I can control if I write a custom template for my layout. In the meantime I have two of my favorite recipes up and I use a few tools to make sure my nutrition facts are correct. Also if you are looking for help with eating healthy I highly recommend The Full Plate Diet as it seems to be doing wonders for me :) Let me know if you need more info (fat break down, proteins, whatever...).
Menu:
Breakfast - Kashi GoLean you are my pal! 1 cup of Kashi GoLean, 1 small banana and 1/2 cup of 2% milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g
Snack - Hummus and Chips, 2 tbs of hummus and 1oz of Multi grain (I use the Food Should Taste Good brand but any high fiber whole grain chip will do) chips, about 10 chips. Calories 194, Fiber 4g
Lunch - Mike's Bag Lunch (this will be a regular so I named it) 2 slices of Dave's Killer Bread 21 Grain, half a medium avocado, 1/3 English cucumber sliced and slice of thin cut deli turkey. Calories 460, Fiber 14g
Snack - Pink Lady Apple Calories 130, Fiber 5g
Dinner - Tofu Noodle Soup Calories 399, Fiber 12g
Total:
Calories = 1528
Fiber = 42g
Monday, August 13, 2012
Reading and Comprehension 101
So I posted last week that it felt like I had stalled a bit (only dropped a pound rather than the three plus I had been losing) so i focused on fat and found that no, overall my fat intake was lower than the recommended daily allowance. So what gives?
I discovered that I have SRS, selective reading syndrome and yes I just made that up, which caused my ability to accurately count calories (from recipes I hadn't customized or created myself) to be off. Not hugely far off, but off none the less.
One of the web sites I have been referencing for recipes has been The Full Plate Diet, they have a great set of starter recipes and that portion of the site (I discovered) is driven by another site called Eating Well (also great). I noticed that although the two sites displayed the exact same recipes, TFPD's format and layout had subtly changed a part that was important. I had been reading this part that said "Servings" and beneath it there would be a number (vertical), but at Eating Well that same listing said (in line) "Carbohydrate Servings XX". I was missing the the word Carbohydrate above the servings listing at TFPD's site. It was there I had just selectively ignored it.
I drilled down on the recipe part because I really felt something was off, I had been adjusting my servings down from what I "thought" was correct because it just seemed like way to much food. It was. There was another part of the recipe that did have the serving size listed correctly but I had been ignoring it. I did all the detective work because I had been reading every box I picked up, going to calorie counting sites to get the data on the foods I was eating and I knew that I was missing something.
So I'm back on track and I've adjusted my recipes to do two things:
So I dropped two and a half pounds last week because I had begun my sleuthing at the beginning of the week and had adjusted my diet appropriately by mid week. I am happy as a clam, and exercising my noggin when it comes to food prep. If something seems to good to be true or is off, it probably is.
Menu * for today:
Breakfast - Kashi GoLean is the king. 1 cup of Kashi. 1 cup of mixed berries and 1/2 cup of 2% milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g
Snack - Multi grain Chips and Hummus. 1 oz (about 10 chips) of Food Should Taste Good Multi grain chips and 2 tbs of plain Hummus. Calories 194, Fiber 4g
Lunch - A combo of Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomato's with a serving of Barilla Whole Grain Penne . Calories 274, Fiber 9g
Snack - Carrot Sticks and Hummus. 1 cup of carrots and 2tbs of Hummus. Calories 110, Fiber 4.8g
Dinner - Pocket Veggie Sandwich - 1 whole Oroweat Pocket Thin (a pita bread) with a serving of Cucumber & Black Eye Pea Salad stuffed inside. Calories 361, Fiber 13g
Total
Calories = 1284
Fiber = 37.8
* I was adding fat grams to my menu listing but now that I know fat was not the culprit and it is obvious that my fat intake is right where it should be to encourage healthy weight loss, I won't be adding it to the mix any longer.
I discovered that I have SRS, selective reading syndrome and yes I just made that up, which caused my ability to accurately count calories (from recipes I hadn't customized or created myself) to be off. Not hugely far off, but off none the less.
One of the web sites I have been referencing for recipes has been The Full Plate Diet, they have a great set of starter recipes and that portion of the site (I discovered) is driven by another site called Eating Well (also great). I noticed that although the two sites displayed the exact same recipes, TFPD's format and layout had subtly changed a part that was important. I had been reading this part that said "Servings" and beneath it there would be a number (vertical), but at Eating Well that same listing said (in line) "Carbohydrate Servings XX". I was missing the the word Carbohydrate above the servings listing at TFPD's site. It was there I had just selectively ignored it.
I drilled down on the recipe part because I really felt something was off, I had been adjusting my servings down from what I "thought" was correct because it just seemed like way to much food. It was. There was another part of the recipe that did have the serving size listed correctly but I had been ignoring it. I did all the detective work because I had been reading every box I picked up, going to calorie counting sites to get the data on the foods I was eating and I knew that I was missing something.
So I'm back on track and I've adjusted my recipes to do two things:
- Make smaller batches. I was following the recipe verbatim before and they were designed to feed 6+ people sometimes (so I had tons of left overs)
- Accurately measure out exactly 2 to 3 servings worth (so I have some left over but not tons)
So I dropped two and a half pounds last week because I had begun my sleuthing at the beginning of the week and had adjusted my diet appropriately by mid week. I am happy as a clam, and exercising my noggin when it comes to food prep. If something seems to good to be true or is off, it probably is.
Menu * for today:
Breakfast - Kashi GoLean is the king. 1 cup of Kashi. 1 cup of mixed berries and 1/2 cup of 2% milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g
Snack - Multi grain Chips and Hummus. 1 oz (about 10 chips) of Food Should Taste Good Multi grain chips and 2 tbs of plain Hummus. Calories 194, Fiber 4g
Lunch - A combo of Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomato's with a serving of Barilla Whole Grain Penne . Calories 274, Fiber 9g
Snack - Carrot Sticks and Hummus. 1 cup of carrots and 2tbs of Hummus. Calories 110, Fiber 4.8g
Dinner - Pocket Veggie Sandwich - 1 whole Oroweat Pocket Thin (a pita bread) with a serving of Cucumber & Black Eye Pea Salad stuffed inside. Calories 361, Fiber 13g
Total
Calories = 1284
Fiber = 37.8
* I was adding fat grams to my menu listing but now that I know fat was not the culprit and it is obvious that my fat intake is right where it should be to encourage healthy weight loss, I won't be adding it to the mix any longer.
Friday, August 10, 2012
They say time is the fire in which we burn
The last two days have been busy, really busy, incredibly busy. OK you get the point. Lots to do and no time to get it done.
In the past when I was under a time crunch I'd shut down, go into machine mode and "crunch" until I was done. That normally included eating poorly and mindlessly. Now though, I made time and slowed it down so I could bring focus to what is important. I made the time to fix healthy meals and gave myself time to focus on my body and stop eating when I was full. Wolfing down food and diving back into work typically results in overeating.
What I didn't have time for yesterday, and really not today either, was to blog about the day. Priorities. Setting the important ones means getting healthy :) and gives me back some time.
So I spent the last two days eating left overs for lunch, which works fine, so long as I focus on portion control and what I'm eating.
I made pasta for dinner last night, two separate pots of pasta, my whole wheat pasta from Barilla (higher in fiber) and the family had a pot of Rigatoni (also from Barilla) but not whole wheat. They had a traditional meat sauce while I roasted veggies in the oven with a bit of olive oil. I'm trying to get my family to taste what I make and see if I can win them over. In the meantime, since I am the family cook, I am going to keep finding ways to refine, reduce and make healthier what I make them to eat. Last night that effort involved quite simply not making as much for them, in the past I would dump a whole box of pasta in the water, a whole jar of sauce and Bobs your uncle we had a dinner. Instead I read the serving size on the side of the box/jar reduced it down to the number of people eating (wife, son and daughter = 3) and made only that amount. No going back for seconds, everyone had to portion out an equal amount (divvied into three shares) and they all had three servings of garlic bread as well. I was hoping to encourage them to add some of my roasted veggies :).
Next time I'll cook only my Barilla whole wheat pasta (in my opinion it tastes just as good) I am looking at making a homemade sauce with fresh and roasted tomato's so i can at least deliver a healthier sauce for them. I think if I just don't make the bread (which I partook of) or have some veggie alternative (a salad or side dish) I may eventually get them going down my path, giving me more time :) since I'll only be cooking one meal :)
I wouldn't have done this before, I've always known "how" to read labels I just never did. Now it seems like all I am doing.Hopefully I know this will lead down a path that is better for me and my family.
Menu for the last two days.
Thursday:
Breakfast - Good old Kashi GoLean a banana and half a cup of milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g, Fat 2.5
Snack - Orange Calories 62, Fiber 4g
Lunch - Sesame Noodle Salad with 1/2 cup of broccoli Calories 368, Fiber 13.8g, Fat 9g
Snack - Zesty Bean and Chips Calories 210, Fiber 4g, Fat 8g
Dinner - A combo of Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomato's with a serving of Barilla Whole Grain Penne and yes a single serving of garlic bread. Calories 392, Fiber 12g, Fat 9.8
Total: Calories 1379. Fiber 40.8g, Fat 29.3
Friday:
Breakfast - Good old Kashi GoLean a banana and half a cup of milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g, Fat 2.5
Snack - Orange Calories 62, Fiber 4g
Lunch - Sesame Noodle Salad with 1/2 cup of broccoli and a Cup of Treetop Organic no sugar added Applesauce Calories 468, Fiber 16.8g, Fat 9g
Snack - Zesty Bean and Chips Calories 210, Fiber 4g, Fat 8g
Dinner - Pocket Veggie Sandwich - 1 serving Oroweat Pocket Thin (1/2 a pita bread with 5g fiber and 100 calories so like a slice of bread) with a serving of Cucumber & Black Eye Pea Salad stuffed inside. Calories 261, Fiber 8g, Fat 11.5g
Total: Calories 1348, Fiber 39.8, Fat 31g
Not bad for a day of repeats :)
In the past when I was under a time crunch I'd shut down, go into machine mode and "crunch" until I was done. That normally included eating poorly and mindlessly. Now though, I made time and slowed it down so I could bring focus to what is important. I made the time to fix healthy meals and gave myself time to focus on my body and stop eating when I was full. Wolfing down food and diving back into work typically results in overeating.
What I didn't have time for yesterday, and really not today either, was to blog about the day. Priorities. Setting the important ones means getting healthy :) and gives me back some time.
So I spent the last two days eating left overs for lunch, which works fine, so long as I focus on portion control and what I'm eating.
I made pasta for dinner last night, two separate pots of pasta, my whole wheat pasta from Barilla (higher in fiber) and the family had a pot of Rigatoni (also from Barilla) but not whole wheat. They had a traditional meat sauce while I roasted veggies in the oven with a bit of olive oil. I'm trying to get my family to taste what I make and see if I can win them over. In the meantime, since I am the family cook, I am going to keep finding ways to refine, reduce and make healthier what I make them to eat. Last night that effort involved quite simply not making as much for them, in the past I would dump a whole box of pasta in the water, a whole jar of sauce and Bobs your uncle we had a dinner. Instead I read the serving size on the side of the box/jar reduced it down to the number of people eating (wife, son and daughter = 3) and made only that amount. No going back for seconds, everyone had to portion out an equal amount (divvied into three shares) and they all had three servings of garlic bread as well. I was hoping to encourage them to add some of my roasted veggies :).
Next time I'll cook only my Barilla whole wheat pasta (in my opinion it tastes just as good) I am looking at making a homemade sauce with fresh and roasted tomato's so i can at least deliver a healthier sauce for them. I think if I just don't make the bread (which I partook of) or have some veggie alternative (a salad or side dish) I may eventually get them going down my path, giving me more time :) since I'll only be cooking one meal :)
I wouldn't have done this before, I've always known "how" to read labels I just never did. Now it seems like all I am doing.
Menu for the last two days.
Thursday:
Breakfast - Good old Kashi GoLean a banana and half a cup of milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g, Fat 2.5
Snack - Orange Calories 62, Fiber 4g
Lunch - Sesame Noodle Salad with 1/2 cup of broccoli Calories 368, Fiber 13.8g, Fat 9g
Snack - Zesty Bean and Chips Calories 210, Fiber 4g, Fat 8g
Dinner - A combo of Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomato's with a serving of Barilla Whole Grain Penne and yes a single serving of garlic bread. Calories 392, Fiber 12g, Fat 9.8
Total: Calories 1379. Fiber 40.8g, Fat 29.3
Friday:
Breakfast - Good old Kashi GoLean a banana and half a cup of milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g, Fat 2.5
Snack - Orange Calories 62, Fiber 4g
Lunch - Sesame Noodle Salad with 1/2 cup of broccoli and a Cup of Treetop Organic no sugar added Applesauce Calories 468, Fiber 16.8g, Fat 9g
Snack - Zesty Bean and Chips Calories 210, Fiber 4g, Fat 8g
Dinner - Pocket Veggie Sandwich - 1 serving Oroweat Pocket Thin (1/2 a pita bread with 5g fiber and 100 calories so like a slice of bread) with a serving of Cucumber & Black Eye Pea Salad stuffed inside. Calories 261, Fiber 8g, Fat 11.5g
Total: Calories 1348, Fiber 39.8, Fat 31g
Not bad for a day of repeats :)
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Changing the pace
One of my Lazy Workout tasks has been to take the stairs rather than ride the elevator. I'm on the third floor at work but the tasks says, start with one flight and then ride the rest of the way, until you can handle two flights. I can handle one flight easy (I do it all the time when I work with the other devs on the second floor) so i thought I'd go for two today. I think I'll just stick to one :) for awhile but if I do it everyday instead of once in awhile I think two flights will come sooner rather than later.
I spent some time tinkering with my intake to make sure I am not overdoing my fat intake (daily recommened allowance hovers between 65g - 70g as far as I can tell) so for now on I'll be adding the fat grams into my calculations each day. This is all about finding that groove where I am slowly stripping away the weight :)
Menu for today
Breakfast - 1 cup of Kashi GoLean, 1 small banana and 1/2 cup of 2% milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g and Fat 2.5g
Snack - Peanut and Golden Raisin mix Calories 300, Fiber 4g, Fat 14g
Lunch - Baked Potato and single serving of TFPD's Vegetarian Chili (sans the Bulgar, which I was out of, and the yogurt) with a 1/4 cup of grated Monteray Jack (which I know replaces the missing calories from the yogurt and Bulgar). Calories 378, Fiber 17g, Fat 9.2g
Snack - (if I'm hungry) Pink Lady Apple. Calories 100, Fiber 4g, Fat 0
Dinner - 1 cup Spicy Vegetable Soup and 1/2 Sandwich (my bag lunch sandwich recipie in an earlier post) Calories 357, Fiber 12g, Fat 11.3g
Total
Calories = 1480
Fiber = 44
Fat = 37 (Ya! almost half RDA)
I spent some time tinkering with my intake to make sure I am not overdoing my fat intake (daily recommened allowance hovers between 65g - 70g as far as I can tell) so for now on I'll be adding the fat grams into my calculations each day. This is all about finding that groove where I am slowly stripping away the weight :)
Menu for today
Breakfast - 1 cup of Kashi GoLean, 1 small banana and 1/2 cup of 2% milk. Calories 345, Fiber 7g and Fat 2.5g
Snack - Peanut and Golden Raisin mix Calories 300, Fiber 4g, Fat 14g
Lunch - Baked Potato and single serving of TFPD's Vegetarian Chili (sans the Bulgar, which I was out of, and the yogurt) with a 1/4 cup of grated Monteray Jack (which I know replaces the missing calories from the yogurt and Bulgar). Calories 378, Fiber 17g, Fat 9.2g
Snack - (if I'm hungry) Pink Lady Apple. Calories 100, Fiber 4g, Fat 0
Dinner - 1 cup Spicy Vegetable Soup and 1/2 Sandwich (my bag lunch sandwich recipie in an earlier post) Calories 357, Fiber 12g, Fat 11.3g
Total
Calories = 1480
Fiber = 44
Fat = 37 (Ya! almost half RDA)
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Just keep on keepin' on
Did I just date myself? Um. Yep. but that's OK we all have a "fresh by" date and I still believe I am well inside the "fresh" zone.
I've been thinking that losing weight is odd as a goal in and of itself. I think instead the goal is to be healthy, happy and fit, losing weight is just part of the formula to attain my goal. Being overweight is, granted, a sucky thing and losing it is a chore but the real question is, how did I get here and why did I let myself go this far. So if being overweight isn't the cause but instead is a result of some action or inaction on my part what is the cause?
Laziness? Well yes that is part of it, but I am not lazy in all parts of my life, the things I like to do I do well and I am willing to work hard for. I think instead the thing that is killing me, is fear of failure.
I hate to fail, I mean I really hate to lose, fail or make mistakes. A few years back I saw a movie that both my daughter and I LOVE, it was called Meet The Robinson's a great picture from Disney. I won't go into details beyond the theme, failure is a necessary part of advancement, if you want to succeed at something you have to be prepared to fail first. The secret is you try again and again and again. Until you succeed. One of the lines from the movie really stuck with me, "In failure we learn. In success, not so much", I think this theme resonated because it has been something I struggled with all my life.
I'm not risk adverse on the fun things, bungee jumping, hiking, climbing, skateboarding yeesh you name it I was willing to put it all out there. No I am risk adverse on the important things, the hard things, the things I have to really work at, you know, the things that matter. I look for the easy path, is that laziness? maybe instead I think it's because it's easy (meaning a low chance of spectacular failure).
So I named the blog "Keep Moving Forward" taken from a quote by Walt Disney inserted into the credits at the end of Meet The Robinson's, "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. - Walt Disney" and i am going to start practicing a bit of that "not looking backwards" starting today. I will instead focus on my destination and the path I am on here, now.
All of the above was to support this, I weighed myself last night and my progress for the week? Only a little over a pound. I was hoping to hang onto the 3+ pounds a week even though I knew it wasn't reasonable without larger changes in my exercise. So I am upping the ante a bit for this week, walking a bit more, moving often and always. The one thing I'm not changing? My diet. The food I am eating is good for me, the portions are correct and the energy level I have is great, I'm not going backwards it just slowed down a tad and I need to up my game :)
Menu:
Breakfast - 1 cup of Kashi GoLean, 1/2 cup of 2% and a small banana - Calories 345, Fiber 7g
Snack - TFPDs Zesty Bean and Chip recipe Calories 210, Fiber 4g
Lunch - Veggie & Bean Tostada Calories 377, Fiber 18g
Snack - Pink Lady Apple - Calories 100, Fiber 5g
Dinner - Asparagus Szcheuan Stir Fry - 1 cup asparagus, 2 cups broccoli, 1 cup snow peas, 1 cup celery chopped, 1 cup bok choy, 2tbs soy sauce, 2tbs mirin, 2 tbs sesame oil, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1tbs peanut butter and 1tbs red pepper flakes. Serves 2 Calories 231, Fiber 12.5
Total:
Calories 1263
Fiber 46.5
I've been thinking that losing weight is odd as a goal in and of itself. I think instead the goal is to be healthy, happy and fit, losing weight is just part of the formula to attain my goal. Being overweight is, granted, a sucky thing and losing it is a chore but the real question is, how did I get here and why did I let myself go this far. So if being overweight isn't the cause but instead is a result of some action or inaction on my part what is the cause?
Laziness? Well yes that is part of it, but I am not lazy in all parts of my life, the things I like to do I do well and I am willing to work hard for. I think instead the thing that is killing me, is fear of failure.
I hate to fail, I mean I really hate to lose, fail or make mistakes. A few years back I saw a movie that both my daughter and I LOVE, it was called Meet The Robinson's a great picture from Disney. I won't go into details beyond the theme, failure is a necessary part of advancement, if you want to succeed at something you have to be prepared to fail first. The secret is you try again and again and again. Until you succeed. One of the lines from the movie really stuck with me, "In failure we learn. In success, not so much", I think this theme resonated because it has been something I struggled with all my life.
I'm not risk adverse on the fun things, bungee jumping, hiking, climbing, skateboarding yeesh you name it I was willing to put it all out there. No I am risk adverse on the important things, the hard things, the things I have to really work at, you know, the things that matter. I look for the easy path, is that laziness? maybe instead I think it's because it's easy (meaning a low chance of spectacular failure).
So I named the blog "Keep Moving Forward" taken from a quote by Walt Disney inserted into the credits at the end of Meet The Robinson's, "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. - Walt Disney" and i am going to start practicing a bit of that "not looking backwards" starting today. I will instead focus on my destination and the path I am on here, now.
All of the above was to support this, I weighed myself last night and my progress for the week? Only a little over a pound. I was hoping to hang onto the 3+ pounds a week even though I knew it wasn't reasonable without larger changes in my exercise. So I am upping the ante a bit for this week, walking a bit more, moving often and always. The one thing I'm not changing? My diet. The food I am eating is good for me, the portions are correct and the energy level I have is great, I'm not going backwards it just slowed down a tad and I need to up my game :)
Menu:
Breakfast - 1 cup of Kashi GoLean, 1/2 cup of 2% and a small banana - Calories 345, Fiber 7g
Snack - TFPDs Zesty Bean and Chip recipe Calories 210, Fiber 4g
Lunch - Veggie & Bean Tostada Calories 377, Fiber 18g
Snack - Pink Lady Apple - Calories 100, Fiber 5g
Dinner - Asparagus Szcheuan Stir Fry - 1 cup asparagus, 2 cups broccoli, 1 cup snow peas, 1 cup celery chopped, 1 cup bok choy, 2tbs soy sauce, 2tbs mirin, 2 tbs sesame oil, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1tbs peanut butter and 1tbs red pepper flakes. Serves 2 Calories 231, Fiber 12.5
Total:
Calories 1263
Fiber 46.5
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