My weight-loss journey - Getting back on track....

[annie24]

yikes. 26? my family history - no heart attacks, but lots of cancer. lots. and if they don't die of cancer, then they live to 95. my cholesterol is 255 (with 150-240 is normal) and LDL (the bad cholesterol) is 170 (with the range being 70-144). aaaahhh.

 

ok, will fax these forms tomorrow to my doctor and perhaps get another test soon.

[annie24]

in my efforts to try to get back on track, i looked through Prevention magazine for some meal planning ideas. i remember doing that before helped 'jump start' my weight loss again. So, i went to the grocery store, because students get a 5% discount on Wednesdays. And I've turned into a crazy coupon clipper. it's amazing how much money you can save!!

 

off the "sleep deeply" menu, i had the dinner;

 

3 oz grilled lean flank steak

1 baked potato with 2 tbsp yogurt (i used light sour cream) and 1 tbsp chopped chives

1 cup spinach sauteed in 1 tsp olive oil with 1/2 clove minced garlic.

 

i also had a glass of red wine. it was really good. using my george foreman grill for the steak and microwaving the potato, the dinner took only about 4 minutes to make. so fast!

[annie24]

Today's Weight: 183.8 lbs.

 

ugh. thats 3.8 lbs over what i originally started this journal at. sigh. i struggled waking up this morning, i took a shower, went back to bed, then managed to wake back up and throw some clothes on and get to the meeting. it took a while to check in because they changed their system to a computer checkin. so, they had to get me back in the system.

 

it was a good meeting. they gave out a free sample of rosemary and olive oil pretzel chips. i took a bag, but didn't try it yet. today's topic was about monitoring and the different ways you can do it. like tracking food intake, tracking exercise, keeping track how you fit in your jeans, etc.... they also had a cool quote, "a set back is just a set up for a come back." i need that. I'm going to vegas in 2 months for my 30th birthday and i don't want to look fat in the photos.

[BellaDonna]

Hey Annie, does WW have any online program that you can use to enter in and track your foods and exercise for each day?

 

I use the "Fitday" website which can work with any diet and exercise plan but I wasn't sure if WW had their own online tracker which would also encorporate their specific point system, etc.

[annie24]

yes, actually, weight watchers does have very good online resources. they have a place to track your points, your exercise, to calculate points. also recipe builder (input the recipe and the servings, it tells you how many points). it also has a recipe searcher where you can input the course, the desired ingredients, difficulty level, and points and it will give you recipes that match the criteria. for example, a chicken dish with 5 points and it will give you a list of options. it is very nice.

 

yes, i know fit day as well. that is a good site too.

[Applewhite]

Annie I am struggling like crazy with my weight. I am up to around 200 lbs now! It seems when I start eating better and setting goals, I end up messing up and gaining! Has this ever happened to you? I am at a new record for my all time high.

[annie24]

awwww, big hug!!!! we should recommit to weight loss together! it is so hard when you are stressed out. do you know why you kind of 'sabotage' things? might be something good to think about....

[Applewhite]

awwww, big hug!!!! we should recommit to weight loss together! it is so hard when you are stressed out. do you know why you kind of 'sabotage' things? might be something good to think about....

 

I think I know. Here are the things I've noticed

 

1) I try and start with an 'extra good' plan of how to eat. If I for whatever reason - lack of planning, starving with lack of better choice, indulge etc - break it, I go nuts and drop everything. I do this with the south beach diet. I don't understand, it has worked SO well with me before. I was on it for a long time and went down to 169.

 

2) Stressed. I feel I am entitled to a egg sandwich on a biscuit from 7-11 with a french vanilla coffee (sugary) when I feel bad/stressed with something important.

 

3) I have a sweet tooth. My chocolate addiction is coming back. I hate two whole jars of nutella in a few days all by myself.

 

 

I would love to start something with you. Group dieting works! When I was on the south beach diet (and it worked for me) I was on ENA everyday posting/reading posts.

[annie24]

1. well, i guess if you do 'slip up' try to get right back on track. some people let them have 1 cheat meal a week. in the grand scheme of things, a few slices of pizza won't set you back. unless it's a daily thing!

 

2. i am an emotional eater as well. the worst! Hungry Girl has a tons of swaps for favorite junk/fatty foods. go look her up online. Actually, an Egg McMuffin from McDonald's is not so bad, it's only about 6 points. you can make your own at home too with english muffins, egg whites and ff cheese. i also like the FF french vanilla coffee creamer from coffee mate.

 

3. i have a sweet tooth as well!!! it is not easy. nutella is amazing, i agree! yeah, this is another place where the 'swaps' will help you out. like WW ice cream.

 

hang in there!

[Applewhite]

Annie look at this. (This is real not fake)

[Applewhite]

Annie I just noticed something. When I lost the bulk of my weight (from 187 to 170) I wasn't on the south beach diet. I was just controlling portions and trying to eat better. Then I started south beach and lost some more. But after that I went ballistic and went to an all time high 202! So maybe depriving myself of certain things made me go crazy. I am now considering trying weight watchers. I just don't know if I have the money to join And not sure if I want to spend all that time there. Do you think I can do it without joining? Maybe if I buy a book or something?

[petite]

Ladies, why not make your own Nutella at home? I realize it is not like the "real" thing, but it's still very sweet.

I found this recipe link removed however, I would substitute white sugar with brown or maybe even maple syrup, at least to try and see what it tastes like.

[annie24]

ooooh!!! that sounds good! i will have to try that!!

 

so, my weight today. i dunno. i overslept and missed the meeting. sigh. i've had problems waking up this week. i'll have to force myself to go to bed earlier and wake up sooner. lately i've been going to bed at midnight, waking up at 9 AM.

 

this week was eh. i had a hard time tracking so i'm afraid i ate too much. it was hard as i had a dance performance and afterwards everyone brought chocolate chip cookies which are my weakness!! the good news is that i went out to dinner with a friend and i ordered the filet mignon, no fries, i had the steamed veggies and a baked potato with the stuff on the side. so, overall, a good choice i think.

 

For lunch I made the plum tomato cabbage soup recipe i think i posted before. And I made some "Crispy Tuna Croquettes" from Hungry Girl's 200 under 200 book. it was delicious!!

 

Ingredients:

1 6 ounce can of albacore tuna packed in water, drained.

3/4 cup fiber one bran cereal (original flavor)

1/2 cup fat free liquid egg substitute

2 scallions, finely chopped

2 tsp dijonnaise

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp kosher salt

optional: black pepper

Optional dips: ff sour cream, dijonnaise

 

Directions:

 

Place fiber one in a food processor or blender. add some salt and pepper if you like. grind to a breadcrumb-like consistency. place half of the crumbs in a small dish and set aside. place the remaining crumbs in a medium mixing bowl. shrew tuna by hand into the bowl. add scallions, egg substitute, dijonnaise, salt, and lemon juice. stir until mixed.

 

line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. form tuna mixture into 8 mounds on the sheet. let sit at room temp for 15 minutes. gently coat the mounds in the remaining fiber 1 crumbs, making sure to flip and cover all of the sides well.

 

bring a large pan sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat on the stove. cook the croquettes for 3 minutes on each side (and not a second less!) serve with sour cream and extra dijonnaise for dipping if you like.

 

Per serving: 4 croquettes. 170 calories, 2 g fat, 1 g sodium, 22 g carbs, 10.5 g fiber, 0.5 g sugars, 25.5 g protein. 3 WW points.

[annie24]

so, i am a lazy ass and slept in again yesterday instead of going to WW. sigh. my downfall last week again was not tracking. well, i did for 2 days, then didn't for 7 days. my goal this week is to track EVERY DAY. like i used to. that really helped my weight loss. keeping track of what i eat, making sure i am eating well and not going overboard.

 

my downfall is free food. i'm not poor, but my 'grad student' gene definitely encourages me to take advantage of free food when we have it. this week was particularly bad. we had free pizza, and then we had a departmental retreat. where there was plenty of cheese and bread and beer. yes. i ate too much! but you know, when i go grocery shopping, i stay really good. i need to buildup my will power again so that i bypass the free food trays or just limit it to one small plate (and not 3 pieces of pizza like i did on wednesday!!!!)

 

yesterday i did a lot of grocery shopping. went to the farmers market and picked up all sorts of fresh vegetables and chicken and eggs from local farmers. lots of good stuff. then went to the grocery store and picked up more healthy foods. including several pounds of peppers for all of these weight watchers recipes i want to try.

 

image removed

 

I made this for lunch. Lemon cranberry tuna sandwich. very good! i like sandwiches for lunch. i didn't have kaiser rolls so i used 100 calorie sandwich flats.

 

1/3 cup(s) fat-free mayonnaise

1/4 cup(s) reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup(s) dried cranberries, sweetened, coarsely chopped

1 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1/4 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

image removed 12 oz water-packed tuna fish, drained

8 leaves basil

4 average French roll(s), sliced in half horizontally (about 2 ounces each)

image removed 1 small cucumber(s), sliced

image removed 8 leaf bibb lettuce

 

• Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir in tuna.
  
• Place 2 basil leaves on bottom halves of each roll; top basil leaves evenly with tuna mixture. Top each sandwich with cucumber slices, 2 lettuce leaves, and tops of rolls. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich).
  

5 Weight Watchers points.

 

(the green diamonds mean that a food is a 'filling food.' Weight watchers encourages you to eat those. they are typically fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fat free dairy, and beans)

 

 

Bella Donna - I just ordered the book you recommended on amazon!

[annie24]

Annie I just noticed something. When I lost the bulk of my weight (from 187 to 170) I wasn't on the south beach diet. I was just controlling portions and trying to eat better. Then I started south beach and lost some more. But after that I went ballistic and went to an all time high 202! So maybe depriving myself of certain things made me go crazy. I am now considering trying weight watchers. I just don't know if I have the money to join And not sure if I want to spend all that time there. Do you think I can do it without joining? Maybe if I buy a book or something?

 

well, you can do weight watchers online, but that costs money as well.

 

what you can do is find a website where you can calculate weight watchers points in food (you type in the calories, fiber and fat in a serving) and it will tell you the points. though these sites aren't really legal because the weight watchers system is copyrighted or whatever.

 

actually, i'll just send you a PM.

[Applewhite]

That sounds delicious annie. Thanks for sharing. Your attitude always helps me focus and get motivated.

[annie24]

awww, thanks sweetie. hopefully not my attitude at free pizza afternoon though! sigh.

[Applewhite]

awww, thanks sweetie. hopefully not my attitude at free pizza afternoon though! sigh.

 

I am similar with free food too. (Again the grad student gene- I completely understand!) But whenever I eat pizza now, I NEVER eat more than two slices. And ideally I try to eat one slice with a side of salad.

 

One thing I notice about my eating is, I eat because of fear of being hunger later. Somehow this was ingrained in me in childhood. Eating as much as possible was big in my family (parents both came from poor households). I think about food as 'protecting' myself. Like when I leave the house for a few hours, I feel I MUST take a snack or have a sandwich. I need to change this attitude.

[annie24]

i totally understand. i am like that too. though it's not a bad idea to keep a healthy snack in your purse, like some fruit or a fiber 1 bar or something. especially if it keeps you from getting really hungry and then getting a burger and fries. (yes, i did that this week too, sigh)

 

for whatever ridiculous reason, my jeans feel loose so i need to get a smaller size. i might go shopping today.

[annie24]

I had dinner tonight and it was AMAZING!!! a friend and i got some thai food. we split our dishes (i got a curry, she got the pad thai). the curry was good as usual, but i tried the pad thai and it was the MOST AMAZING pad thai i have ever had. omg. i've never really had good pad thai so i never got what the fuss is about, but now i get it. wow. so, i wound up taking her left overs, and she took mine, lol. the yellow squash curry was good as well.

 

so now, i'm looking up the points on weight watchers and cannot for the life of me figure out what to put in!!!! i see all sorts of different values for pad thai, from 5 points to 29 points!!! sheesh! and we didn't go to a chain restaurant, it's a small local place. i guess all i can really do is guess, write it down and move on? sigh.

[renaissancewoman101]

I think pad thai may be kind of fattening since it has peanut butter and or peanuts in it.

 

BTW, I love a good pad thai.

[BellaDonna]

I've never had that dish. I do have (natural) peanut butter just about every day. It's one of the fats that I allow myself to have, in moderation. It's good for you.

[annie24]

yeah, this is the most delicious pad thai i've ever had. you might like it bella, you should try it. the waitress told me they have a thursday special where the dinner sized dish is $5. i am tempted to go in on thursday and eat half and save the rest for lunch the next day.

 

omg. so, i had a Mike's Hard Lemonade yesterday at the bar. i just looked up the calories today. omg. 220 calories, 1.3 g fat, 0 g fiber, 5 WW points. HOW?!? HOW does it have fat in it?!?!? so upsetting. 5 WW points!!! aaak! so not worth it! i should have just ordered a wine (2 points). sheeesh.

[annie24]

image removed

 

this is on my "To make and To Eat" list.

4 servings, 6 points per serving.

 

Ingredients

 

6 Tbsp water

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin

2 1/4 tsp lemon zest

4 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp table salt, or to taste

3/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz pieces

2 spray(s) cooking spray

4 cup(s) romaine lettuce, thickly shredded

1 cup(s) canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup(s) roasted red peppers, packed in water, diced

1 cup(s) English cucumber, sliced

10 medium olive(s), Kalamata, sliced

1/4 cup(s) crumbled feta cheese

4 1/2 Tbsp dill, fresh, chopped

1/2 medium lemon(s), cut into wedges for garnish Instructions

 

 

• In a small bowl, combine water, oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt and pepper; remove 1/4 cup of dressing and place in a large zip-close plastic bag (or glass bowl).
  
• Add chicken to bag (or bowl) and turn to coat; seal bag (or cover bowl) and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining lemon mixture for dressing.
  
• When ready to cook, off heat, coat grill or grill pan with cooking spray; preheat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.
  
• Grill chicken, turning as needed, until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  
• Place lettuce on a serving platter; arrange vegetables, chickpeas, chicken, olives and cheese on top. Stir dill into reserved dressing; drizzle over salad. Yields about 1 1/2 cups salad, 1 chicken breast and 1 tablespoon each olives and feta per serving.
  

Notes

 

 

• Swap fresh peppers for roasted peppers if desired.
  

[FreedomRing]

omg annie...I've never even been to the 'journal' section of ena...everyone is on some kind of weight loss/healthy eating kick...I need to join I've been feeling like a tightly wrapped sausage for the past two months...lol ugh. I would love to lose 20lbs or so by my birthday(aug).

 

Those recipes and pics you posted look and sound DELICIOUS...wow!!!