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

[Alezia]

I know I get the same feeling.

I was slimmer after giving birth than right now =\.

 

I'm a munch-at-home mom. It's bad.

[annie24]

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!!!

 

lol, i need to lose 20 lbs at least myself!! vegas next month. sigh.

 

yes, try the recipes! i'll keep posting as well!

[FreedomRing]

I've always heard good things about WW. How long have you been with them? I've done South Beach before, when my bf was deployed last year(I was so bored, and he was getting buff like crazy, so I said why not)but that didn't last long...I think I only went 3 weeks...but felt like I lost alot of weight. Not exactly sure, as I don't keep scales in my house....had a bad eating disorder when I was a teenager...so I just go off of pant size...how roomy they feel, when I am dieting.

 

Vegas next month..whoo hooo! I went in Feb...it was cold, but still fun!! Yes, you want to look awesome, for those "thunder down under" shows...LMAO.

[annie24]

oh, i've been doing WW on and off for 10 years. i like it. i do well when i am on it, but gain when i am off it. sigh.

[FreedomRing]

Sounds so strict...I don't do well with strict stuff. Thats probably why I failed with SB and have stayed away from WW. I'm *trying* to count calories now...but not really noticing any success...have you ever tried that?

[metrogirl]

lol, i need to lose 20 lbs at least myself!! vegas next month. sigh.

 

yes, try the recipes! i'll keep posting as well!

 

I'm doing Vegas in a few weeks. I told my bf when he booked the room that I wasn't going unless I had access to the hotel's gym.

 

He said "you aren't seriously going to work out are you"?

 

Oh hell yes I am.....

[annie24]

i'm not working out. lol.

 

you guys have fun!!!!!

[metrogirl]

i'm not working out. lol.

 

you guys have fun!!!!!

 

 

HAHA.......

 

It's something for me to pass the time while he sleeps in. He'll seriously sleep in til like noon, I'm up at the crack of dawn. I don't want to sit there and watch him sleep and working out is so much cheaper than sitting in front of a machine. LOL

[annie24]

Sounds so strict...I don't do well with strict stuff. Thats probably why I failed with SB and have stayed away from WW. I'm *trying* to count calories now...but not really noticing any success...have you ever tried that?

 

well, WW isn't that strict. i mean, you can basically eat what you want, but not too much of it!!

 

i haven't done well with calorie counting, but points seem to work for me when i do it. there are so many "0 point" foods that it's kind of easy to snack on them without counting the calories. i do like the 'free foods.'

[annie24]

Day 4, still tracking, yay. tracking everything. that's good because before, i've had a hard time just tracking for 1-2 days. i need to keep this up.

 

i met some friends for lunch, but i knew it was going to be at this restaurant where the food wasn't all that great nor was it healthy, so i ate a quick lunch before that at home. and then got to the restaurant and only ordered iced coffee. i wasn't the only one not eating, so that was good. i didn't want to waste my points on substandard burgers or fries. they have salads there but they are overpriced. so, that was good.

[annie24]

image removed

 

I made basque chicken for dinner. it's from link removed. it was pretty good. not the best ever but still pretty good. i overcooked the chicken. and i think i should have used chardonnay instead of pinot grigio. it makes 4 servings so i have dinner and 3 more meals, which i put into tupperware to eat later this week. so, that is good. i think i'll try it with the 'flavor booster' next time.

 

7 WW points, 4 servings.

 

Ingredients

 

1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium onion(s), sliced

1 medium sweet red pepper(s), seeded and sliced into thin strips

1 medium yellow pepper(s), seeded and sliced into thin strips

3 medium garlic clove(s), minced

1/2 cup(s) wine, white

14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, drained

1 tsp dried thyme

4 slice(s) cooked Canadian-style bacon, diced

1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste

1/8 tsp black pepper, or to taste

2 cup(s) cooked white rice

1 Tbsp parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)

 

Instructions

 

 

• Coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray. Cook chicken over medium-high heat until no longer pink in center, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside.
  
• Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and peppers; cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. If necessary, add water to pot to keep onions from burning.
  
• Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
  
• Add wine, tomatoes, thyme, bacon and chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season to taste. Serve over white rice. Garnish with chopped, fresh parsley, if desired.
  
• Flavor Booster Roasted vegetables add a delicious smoky flavor to this dish. To start, substitute 1 roasted red pepper and 1 roasted yellow pepper, available in jars or in supermarket deli cases. Use a 14.5-ounce can roasted diced tomatoes.
  

[sophie274]

My mother has been making "basque chicken" for me since I was a baby, and she sautees all of the veggies first in olive oil - that how I've seen all the French recipes online. I imagine that would amp up the calories, but I think at least buying the roasted veggies is a good idea. I would also nix the Canadian bacon (don't think it goes) and add whole black olives - if you like olives, adding some whole pitted black olives gives this dish a nice little salty kick. French recipes also call for the vegetables and chicken to be simmered with a bouquet garni (garnished bouquet) - which is basically a bundle of different herbs usually including parsley, thyme (which you already have) and bay leaf, and often basil or rosemary. So those are some ideas of herbs to add if you wanted to give it more flavor. I think you should at least add some a few bay leaves to the veggies while they cook.

 

Just a few ideas if you want to experiment with the recipe!

 

Oh, and yay for staying on track and logging everything! This week is going to be the first week towards your 20 pound loss!

[annie24]

ooh, thanks sophie! those are good ideas! i'll try with those modifications next time.

 

evil coworkers - they had a cookie making competition and everyone had to judge. the good news was that i ate only half of each cookie (3 types) so i only had 1.5 cookies which is managable. typically, i would have eaten all of them, several times over, lol.

 

yes... weight loss this week! i hope!!!

[sophie274]

ooh, thanks sophie! those are good ideas! i'll try with those modifications next time.

 

evil coworkers - they had a cookie making competition and everyone had to judge. the good news was that i ate only half of each cookie (3 types) so i only had 1.5 cookies which is managable. typically, i would have eaten all of them, several times over, lol.

 

yes... weight loss this week! i hope!!!

 

OMG they are plotting against you! Cookie making competition ... how can you resist that?! The place where I'm working next year is the KINGDOM of gratuitous free food - morning and afternoon teas, free food at every single meeting. I'm terrified!

 

Crossing my fingers for a weight loss for you this week! You better not miss that meeting again, or else ...

[Ellie2006]

Annie, can I ask you a (dumb) question? ... ok, I'm going to ask it anyways but you dont have to answer!

 

I just wonder: you seem very disciplined with your diet. Do you really have to be this strict -- 1.5 cookies?! Cookies consumption shouldnt be calculated in decimal points!

 

If you eat healthy and get a lot of exercise, and are active (all of which you seem to be doing), wouldnt your weight ultimately settle down?

 

I ask because I am genuinely curious.

 

Anyways, I love your journal bc you always include great recipes. Good luck with everything -- work, love, health, and all else!

[annie24]

lol, i'm a scientist. I work in decimal points. on friday though, when we had a departmental event, i had far more than 1.5 cookies. no repeat this week though!!!

 

i don't know. i am active, try to eat well overall, but i think when i don't track, my calorie consumption goes up and the weight creeps up. sigh.

 

thanks for the good wishes ellie!!

[Daligal83]

Have you guys seen Food, Inc? It has completely changed the way I view food. I feel like I can't make any right choices anymore haha, but I'm going to try to eat only meat when I know where it's come from. So only grass-fed beef and free range chicken. Annie, if you have any more tasty and easy vegetarian recipes, please share!

 

Also, I got the new HTC Incredible and they have a ton of health related apps that I can download, including calorie trackers. I've never been good about tracking those though lol.

[Applewhite]

I have point question again.

 

I am estimating a big bagel with bacon and herb cream cheese (its bits and pieces of bacon and herb in the cream cheese) to be about 10 Points, does that sound about right? So obviously 10 points is a little too much for 1 meal. We usually have a bagel on weekends. If we share one this time, its 5 points. Does that sound about right?

[Applewhite]

Wow I just realized that a chicken drumstick without the skin is just 1 point! I could eat 3 of those with a little rice (like half a cup) and a salad and it would be a nice big meal with only about 5-6 points total!

[annie24]

yeah, the bagel sounds like it would be around 10 points. you are right about the chicken meal, that is a very filling 5-6 point meal!!

[annie24]

overslept. sigh.

[renaissancewoman101]

overslept. sigh.

 

hey, it's not that late.

[Daligal83]

annie maybe you should start looking at other meeting times? It seems like this time doesn't really work for you.

[annie24]

^^ yeah, might be a good idea.

[karvala]

overslept. sigh.

 

Sleep is good for weight loss, so really you were acting in the spirit of the meeting.