Today was much better.  I made sure I ate breakfast - coconut milk yogurt and an apple.

Morning snack was some chips and two small cartons of juice.  I got a call that the blood bank was super low on O blood so I made a stop and recharged afterwards.

 I had made  a chicken salad for lunch.  In the early light it doesn't that great but it was really tasty.

Chicken breast sliced with some roasted pumpkin seeds and kale and a light oriental (bottled) dressing.

Snacks were an apple, almonds and a Quest Protein bar.

Dinner will be  homemade lentil soup with a bit of sausage in it and a slice of baguette (picture from another meal - I haven't had time to eat yet).  Today was a "have a little meat day".  After the blood donation, I  want something a little more hearty.

Still a little light on veggies so going to try for an extra serving tomorrow.

Steps - forgot the pedometer again but I did do a 15 minute brisk walk on my lunch break and a one before I drove home from work.

My Lunch was THISSSS Big

My lunch plate was THISSSSS Big.

Today was the start of my new job.   So a bit of stress though I'm thrilled about it. I will be virtual in my old work place until I get my crash pad moved, then I will be working out of Chicagoland which will be great after commuting for 3 and a half years 4 hours each way every Monday morning and Friday night (do not ask what time I get up on Monday to be there on time).

Breakfast was an Alpsnack and a low-fat protein shake made with water.  390 calories

Lunch was Mexican with a female friend.  I used the Myfitnesspal online tool for the calories when I got home from work:   900 calories. ZOUNDS and I didn't order one of the BIG platters.  My mistake was the refried beans and I ate the fried chips instead of ordering plain corn tortillas to dunk in the salsa like I did last time.

Dinner was raw veggies and a vanilla berry protein shake.  240.

Post survived first-day glass of wine after work.  About 150.  Wine's made of grapes, so that counts as my second fruit serving - right?

Total - 1680.  200-300 more than I should have.  Not enough to gain weight, but a sign I need to get back on track tomorrow

Steps today - pardon me I'll be walking to Eire, Pennsylvania after dinner -)

Today was packing up much of the crash pad and getting it in the SUV for my husband to take back home.  I have a month to get everything moved, but there is a LOT Of stuff as I sold a 3000 square foot house  before we got married and even after giving away a lot of things, there's just a LOT.

So eating was pretty much dine and dash, but I made some good choices.

Breakfast was a protein shake, made with water and a Tablespoon of cherry concentrate and a piece of fruit.

Lunch was a cheese sandwich with  two teaspoons of low fat Miracle Whip (I know, but I like it) and baby carrots on Dave's Killer Oatmeal bread with a small glass of almond milk mixed with protein powder. This may appear to be low in protein but the Dave's bread packs 10 grams and the cheese is an additional 6 and the drink was 13 for a total of 29 grams, all meat free.  Dessert was two cookies. Rather than get those over priced "snack packs" I divided up the cookies into individual servings and tucked away.  It HALVES the cost.

Mid Afternoon - I had half a banana with a small smear of almond butter.

Dinner was a small serving of  Annie's organic mac and cheese made with skim milk that had been frozen as a leftover. I broke one of my diet rules of eating while being on the computer, but as it was a small, pre-measured serving so I couldn't overdo it mindlessly.

With that I had a good portion of an assortment of raw veggies (I skipped the dressing).

Before bed, there will be some tea and milk and a single serving of Pirate's Booty. (No, that's not a gi-normous bowl, those are miniature dice from a travel backgammon board :-)

Calories about 1450.  Steps?  Pedometer was off today but there was a LOT of lifting and carrying.

P.S.  add the calories for a glass of white wine  Trying to sooth Abby after a stressful day moving stuff out of her part time home, I bought her a new Squeaky toy.  Squeak Squeak. . .rinse and repeat

Day Out With Friends.

Today started with homemade croissants. I make these about 3 times a year and freeze the frozen formed uncooked croissants.  It's one of my husband's favorite things (and I dearly love them too).  I was good though and ate just half of one and then had some coconut yogurt instead with a sprinkle of whole grain granola and a mineral water.  In previous days I'd easily have eaten two croissants and a large orange juice.

My husband had NO problem eating what I didn't

Because I was saving up my calories for an outing out with my closest gal friend in the city I work in.

It would be a trip to our favorite pub.   I knew too that I would like have their fish and chips as with moving out of the crash pad I likely wouldn't get a chance to go back there.

I just couldn't go to our favorite haunt and order a salad.

My husband had a meatloaf sandwich and my friend had half an order of the Nachos.  They had a beer (my friend lives within waking distance of the place) and I had tea as I was the designated driver.

I removed a good portion of the breading on the fish used just a bit of tartar sauce and only ate 3 fries and all of the coleslaw. The flaky fish was delicious on its own and though I probably had more calories than planned, it was a mid-afternoon meal that was both lunch AND dinner for us.

Later, a snack that was an apple and I'm done for the day.

Steps - Only 4100 today but with packing up we burned some calories bending and lifting so I don't think I will have gained anything back.  It's getting easier to make those choices though just one meal at a time.

It's All About Choices

My normal Saturday Breakfast.

Today's breakfast.

Smoothie with fruit and also a teaspoon of coconut oil (nuked to liquefy first)

And a slice of Dave's Killer Bread Honey Oat.

Lunch will be a bagged salad with a slice of bread (I use just half of the dressing)

and dinner will be the grilled salmon with mixed veggies sauteed in coconut oil and another slice of bread.  Snacks will be a couple of apples (I got a large bag at Aldi).  Since my husband and I will have an evening together there will also be a glass of wine and perhaps a little square of dark chocolate.

First Week Weigh in.

The Ticker above is slightly misleading for those of you visiting for the first time.  I lost 50 pounds in the last few years.  But after my brother died I gained over half of that back last year. That is what I'm working on losing as I build back those habits that helped me lose the weight in the first place.

This week I was down 2.6 pounds Considering I had limited physical activity this week with the heat and some longer than normal work days that's pretty good

I'm trying for a pound a week and about 1300-1500 calories a day.

This weeks lessons - 

(1)  Eat something before leaving the house.  Walking into work on an empty stomach and finding donuts will make you totally forget the healthy breakfast you brought in to eat

(2)  More fruits and veggies.  I was lacking in both this week.  The calories are almost minimal for non-starchy veggies so why not take the time to chop up some more?  That will be my goal this coming week.  I will also add a little extra protein to my breakfast.

(3)  HEALTHY fats.  I had way too much saturated fat this week from a couple of restaurant meals and not enough olive or coconut oils.  A tablespoon (or two depending on your size and weight) of healthy oil a day is good for you.  Later this week I'll have some uses for coconut oil in cooking.

Cheers!

CAN OPENER!!

My pedometer arrived earlier in the week.  I was bad and forgot to put in on yesterday.

So, this morning, I'm going to

attach it to the cat

wear it so I can show you how many steps I take.  My goal is 10,000 but if I can get half of that to start I'll be happy.

Today started with a couple of slices of Dave's Killer bread Good Seed thin sliced (only 70 calories and lots of protein and fiber).  I had those with almond butter and marmalade plus a small tangerine. They are in a box as I ordered these two varieties directly from Dave's as my local story doesn't carry the whole line (most grocers out West do though).

Lunch was leftover pizza from last week frozen and then  thawed and reheated with some raw carrot and celery sticks.  The remaining pizza I shared with a bachelor colleague who was happy to have it so I wouldn't "eat it as it's going to go bad".  

Tip for the day  If you eat an extra portion JUST because otherwise it will be frozen again  or thrown out- DON'T eat it.

Afternoon snack was apple and a low fat yogurt. I

Dinner was in the crockpot.  I have one at home and one at the crash pad and they both get a lot of use. I honestly use it more when I telework as on non telework days I'm often gone far longer than 10 hours and dinners those night are leftovers or pasta.

The first time I mentioned cooking in it, my new husband grinned and said "Crockput?  Is that one of the new Olympic events?"

I, of course, had visions of handsome, burly Scottish guys flying 3 quart crockpots across a field;

"YES, that's new, along with Highland Games Caper Tossing and Pizza Stone Put."

Tonight's recipe was an experiment that turned out really good and my husband requests it often. (He loves taking in the individual dinner leftovers in to work rather than eat at the cafeteria at the plant where he is a mechanical engineer).

Don't let the amount of the garlic or the sugar put you off from trying it. Don't let the really boring pictures keep you from trying it.  With the added juice from the dark meat chicken cooking all afternoon in the crockpot, it makes a wonderful sauce for the chicken, with some leftover for later.  Plus, the chicken is amazingly juicy and tender. I served it with a tiny bit of  cooked pasta sautéed with herbs and broccoli and topped with a little Parmesan and cracked pepper instead of my usual tower of rice plus some baby carrots.

Crockpot Garlic/Brown Sugar Chicken

In 2 T. of olive oil, lightly saute a heaping 1/4 cup (yes 1/4 cup) of chopped  jarred garlic, until softened but not browned.
Remove from heat and stir in:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lightly packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoons of maple syrup
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 pinches of crushed red pepper (more if you like it hot, I use about 1/8 tsp.)

Stir until sugar is melted.  Place four whole leg quarters or 8 chicken thighs and legs in a crockpot and brush  or spoon sauce over the top. ( I had some with skin and some without to reduce the fat). Sprinkle generously with Janes Krazy Mixed up Salt (this mixture of salt, pepper and spices is inexpensive and very good.) or salt and pepper to taste.

Cook on low for 5-8 hours (see note below) hours, opening lid and basting with liquid a couple of times if you like. If  you are the type to cook with your crockpot all day while you work, you'd be better off with large whole chicken breasts, otherwise your chicken may cook to the point of falling off the bone, still tasty if you wish to serve over rice with the sauce though..  (Note: my crockpot tends to cook on the warm side, and quicker than some crockpots so five hours works for me.  An internal temperature reading of 165 F. near the bone is the best way to know your chicken is cooked through.)

When chicken is done, remove from pan to keep warm.  Pour sauce into sauce pan and slowly whisk in 2 teaspoons of corn starch mixed with 1 Tablespoon of water.  Bring to a boil on the stove over medium heat and whisk, adding an additional 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, until thickened and slightly reduced. Pour over chicken and serve with rice or pasta.

Note for the readers coming over from the Dog blog - garlic is extremely toxic for dogs (I'm not sure about cats - ask your Vet). Do NOT give your pet any of this chicken as a treat, not even a little bit.

That's it folks!  Today's totals Breakfast 300  Lunch 350.  Afternoon protein boost 200.  Dinner 400.  1250 calories. I gave up on a treat after it attacked me, but you'll have to visit The Book of Barkley Blog for THAT story.

Tomorrow is weighing day.  I've cheated a bit this week but I've also made some better habits.

4950 steps.  

Part of this Incomplete Breakfast

I meant to eat breakfast - really I did, there was even cooked bacon left from the weekend.  But I got a late start as I hit the snooze button twice and though making it to work on time, I forgot to grab my lunch from yesterday, which I'd taken home when it wasn't finished.   

By lunch, I was starved but I was determined not to repeat yesterday's high-calorie sandwich so  I went home for lunch and had some defrosted pasta with homemade, low fat with TVP sauce.  To give you an idea of the modest portion -  that is a 9 inch square salad plate. .  With some carrots to munch on the drive back to work, I felt pretty good.

Afternoon snack was a baggie of some leftover popcorn popped with only a tiny bit of olive oil and a pinch or two of sugar for a hint of "kettel korn" taste. . .

and an apple.

I had errands to run after work so an Alpsnack kept me going until I got home. 

Dinner was a cup of Thai Coconut soup with a handful of finely chopped leftover steamed veggies thrown in,  a slice of Dave's Killer Bread, and four ounces of red wine.

Totals:  Breakfast:  0 (not good)  Lunch (about 1 1/4 cup pasta with sauce) with carrot sticks  about 475.  Snacks  340  Dinner 325  Before bed, I'll have a  non fat Greek yogurt with a dab of honey and herb tea  150.    Totals for the day  About 1350.   Yay!   Back on track and when I got on the scale this morning, I was down 1 and 3/4 pounds from 4 days ago.

Steps (I had a lot of sitting today)  3790.  Swimming in pool at crash pad before the pool closed.  20 minutes.

Tomorrow is lunch out with colleagues.  It will likely be Mexican.  Pray for me  :)

Monday dawned at (you don't want to know).

Since skipping breakfast was one of the reasons I was putting weight back on (picture me 10 a.m and a box of Pot Tarts calling to me in the work breakroom) I'm making it a point to eat each morning.

I made my smoothie up Sunday night, enough for 3 days.  I just give it a quick blend and pour a glass. Smoothies are great but for me they don't work as a meal replacement, no matter how many calories. I need something that says "BITE ME!.  So I served my smoothie with oat bran muffins as a change of pace from my usual toast. These are the "Cholesterol Cure" book recipe without the fruit and nuts (extra calories).  They're quite plain though I add.

But they are VERY filling, flour free, very low in sugar and fat, with only about a hundred and ten calories without the raisins and nuts. The texture is similar to a corn muffin and they can be addicting as a breakfast munchie when you get used to much less sugar in your diet.

I probably won't be posting photos of lunches in the lunchroom at work ("Who is that weird woman taking closeups of a tuna sandwich?")  But I will do so when I eat out or just drive my truck to someplace with trees and sit and eat.

Today, I split a Panera Napa chicken salad sandwich (690 calories for a single sandwich!) with a friend I met for lunch and had the apple that was the side.

My 60 plus-year-old friend instead got a brownie because she rides her bike about 5 miles every day and does 3-4 days of swimming and/or yoga each week.  She's petite and wears those cute, brightly colored designer outfits that make her look like a model and make me look like a Highway Traffic Cone.   (Hmmm. . . correlation between energy out and energy in - must do further research :-)

But I have to ask Panera - seriously, outside of Captain Carb who orders a Baguette as a sie to their sandwich?

My afternoon snack was a few almonds (about 1/3 cup)

Work was going to go later than expected I was sure, so I packed a Bento Box before I went to sleep, just in case.

Fruit, cucumbers from a friend's garden splashed with a little rice vinegar,  dark chocolate sugar-free pudding, salad and some Gardein crispy "chicken" strips.  A light, cold supper I could eat at my desk. Yummy and SO much better than bringing back another restaurant sandwich to eat.

Total for the day:  Breakfast 360.  Lunch  (splitting a sandwich)  425   Snack 170  Dinner 400  for a bit more than 1350 ish for the day.

The glass of wine I had when I got home doesn't count.  Because I drank it standing up.

OK  1500 calories for the day.

Exercise?  Let's just say it's hard on 10-14 hour work days.

Sunday started with fresh from the oven breakfast. 

Cranberry Scones.  There's two in the photo but I was good and wrapped the other one to give to my administrative assistant when I go in. The rest get frozen and taken home to my husband. I served it with a small pat of Earth Balance spread and three pieces of bacon (I know, still falling off the "meat wagon" every once in a while).  The scones are from a Mix from "Sticky Fingers Bakery" and can be found at a number of specialty grocers, Fresh Market in Indy and at the Sticky Fingers Bakery website.  They make THE best scones and have no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, trans-fats or saturated fats. They are as good as homemade, MUCH better than store bought, and you only add water and mix and bake.  I made them as a "round" cut into wedges so my calorie count was more than the "drop scone" directions on the box which is only 140 calories per scone.

Then it was time to shop for the week after church got out.

Here's the haul for the week.  This is just for me as I'm at the crash pad all week before a good stretch of days off. It's more "packaged" food than I use at home, but I put in long days and it's just me so often it's easier.

The Vitamin Waters (Zero type) are my replacement for the large glass of juice I was drinking on waking. I just couldn't start my day without the big glass of OJ.  I know the Vitamin C in juice is good for me, but the calories in fruit juice are WAY too high.  I think these will be a good substitute for that morning craving and the orange flavored one chilled, is quite good.

There was two bags of salad, some "veggie" chicken strips, raw almonds, fruit for snacking or smoothies, cranberries for salads or muffins, a few frozen foods including some veggie "burgers", jello pudding, and a large seasoned chicken breast which was on sale for just over a buck.  It will make a nice dinner or stir-fry, but I"ll freeze it for now as I have another dismantled chicken thawing for this week's crockpot dinner.   On hand I have flour and all the usual spices, coconut oil/milk, olive oil and salad dressing for burger topping (sweet onion dressing is great on a veggie burger) or salads   There's also almond butter and protein powders on hand. This was purchased at a more high-end grocers and ran me about $60 with sale items involved and not all of it will be polished off this week. I average $40 - $60 for groceries a week when on my own, including the occasional bottle of red wine and/or bar of dark chocolate.

Tips for healthier shopping.

(1)  Unless you are buying for a family with kids, get the small cart.  If it's full of fruits and veggies (the first stop in the store if you're wise) there's less room for the megapack of Cheese Doodles and the case of sugary Pop.

(2)  Don't shop when you are hungry.  You will be putting all kinds of junk in your cart because even food you'd normally turn away from looks great when you are starving (mmmmm - pickled herring).

(3)  Shop the outer part of the store first.  Avoid the center aisles with all the prepackaged and junk food. Note- stores are getting sneakier and putting some refrigerated cases in the middle of a dry goods aisle to lure you in.

Lunch today was the kale salad with three "Gardein" brand vegan crispy tenders with a slice of bread and some poppyseed dressing.  Yes I know, I had bacon for Breakfast, I'm a failed vegetarian, but I eat meat free most of the time. This is becoming one of my favorite salads and the "chicken" is better  tasting than most of the other veggie "chicken" brands with a LOT less in the way of chemical or artificial sounding ingredients.

Afternoon Snack - decaf coffee and an Alpsnack. A Dried fruit type bar made with almonds, coconut, mango, pineapples and chia seeds, this bar is vegan,wheat and  dairy free and has a TON of Omega 3 and 6's as well as essential amino acids. Gertrude, the President of the company, grew up in Switzerland where her Mom taught her how to nutritious nut and fruit bars. This is the one I bought, but there are other flavors with different fruits and some with bits of dark chocolate or espresso and chocolate.  I loved this bar and bought extra for field work, bike trips and afternoon snacks. This is favorite new find while eating healthier, found at Georgetown market in Indianapolis a week ago or you can buy online at http://www.alpsnackinc.com/

Dinner wasn't planned.  I made a batch of low fat oat bran muffins for my mornings and they smelled so good I had two of them with a glass of protein smoothie made with vanilla protein mix with some frozen  blueberries for dinner.

Total for the day (approximate)  Breakfast  360, Lunch, 420, snack 190, dinner 360.   A little more than 1300 calories

I did get in a half hour swim in the community pool and  20 minutes walking with Abby the Lab while it was cool this morning.  Better than yesterday but hope the pedometer arrives soon as I think it will help motivate me.

Day one of "getting back on the wagon" with the diet and fitness plan.

Saturday is normally referred to as "Faturday" in our house - a total cheat day.  But cheating all day Saturday was stalling my weight loss, among other things.  So I just had one "cheat" meal, as far as fat, but not as far as calories.

Breakfast was a protein shake.  The Vega Sport is high in vegan protein and low in calories.  I added a teaspoon of the FruitFast cherry concentrate for a little flavor and some vitamin C.  I have tried a vegan and vegetarian diet and just ran out of energy without some animal protein (I'm O+ blood and tend to have low blood sugar).  But to be a better steward of our planet, I try and eat meat free at least 50 percent of the time.

With that was a slice of Dave's Killer Bread.  You're going to get tired of me talking about this bread. It's that good, there are several varieties including thin sliced, all full of fiber and protein  With a bit of marmalade I don't miss the entire toast rack full of buttered white toast that was part of my typical English breakfast.

Lunch was a cup of Thai coconut soup (Amy's Organics).  It wasn't as good as the soup at the local Thai restaurant which is sweeter, but likely had a LOT less date sugar in it, which is good.  Another slice of Dave's  Powerseed bread eaten plain.

Afternoon snack was a small kale and cabbage salad with a Tablespoon of nuts and dried fruit and a tiny drizzle of poppyseed dressing.   It was followed by a sugar free jello pudding chaser.

Dinner was the spurge meal.  I made homemade hand tossed pizza. I love pizza, especially the hand tossed with a thicker crust.  When she was a toddler, my oldest granddaughter preferred the New York Style, mostly so she could pull off the meat and the cheese and then wear the crust as a hat.

The recipe is Tony's from Sunset Magazine (recipe in the comments for now). It made enough for two crusts, so I cut the recipe in half. Using only 1 and 1/2 pieces of pepperoni on each slice for taste, and half the normal amount of cheese, the flavor of the delicious crust really came through and it wasn't loaded with fat. Instead of the third piece of pizza I had steamed veggies.

Activity Level?  I've ordered a pedometer.  I spent the morning cleaning out the crash pad closet to gather clothing for AmVets in anticipation of moving in a couple of months to be home full time. By afternoon it was in the 90's and very humid.

So here is a pictorial example of my activity level for the afternoon and evening.

And there will be a nightcap

Still:  Breakfast and lunch combined about 500 calories.  Dinner 500 calories.  Snacks 210 and nightcap - 80 calories.  Should have had an apple instead of the pudding to add a fruit, but. . . .
.
1290 total for the day  I'm tall -  so I'm supposed to eat 1200 - 1500 to lose weight, so that's good.

We'll work on that exercise tomorrow.