160 days

This is week 23 and to recap after Thanksgiving I was up a pound hovering just below the 200 pound mark at 199.8. Last week I completely forgot to weigh myself and then decided I would skip it.

OK... now we are updated. This week I was back on the scale and it showed 193.4, that is a 6.4 pond loss over the weeks since Thanksgiving. Losing weight during December what a novel idea I don't think I have ever done that before. I am totally enjoying myself this holiday but having the ability to shop in "Normal" stores does have it's dangers. When I go Christmas shopping I tend to spend a little too much time looking for things for myself and that has put me three presents behind. How many days until Christmas? WAIT... don't tell me, I don't want to know.

I am also making the guys on my crew very happy because I have had this urge to bake Christmas cookies... I don't know why I guess I just think a house should smell like cookies during the Holidays. I have baked twice this week and instead of having the entire 2 dozen to eat myself I had one and then packed up the rest for the crew at work. They seem to enjoy them.

I bought two very cute skirts are Goodwill this week... one is a size 12 and the other a size 10. When I got home I decided I would try on the size 12 skirt, figuring I wouldn't be able to get it pulled over my butt. Surprisingly it pulled all the way up but couldn't zip it yet... next month I'll be wearing it.

The Hot 100 goals

Running 10K is happily complete... I have run the 10K route about 5 times in the last two weeks so I am considering that goal accomplished.

Being under 200 pounds also happily complete... unless I go off the deep end and eat nothing but cheesecake and potato chips this week I think I can stay under 200 pounds. I am hoping to be in the 180's by the new year.

I am off to grocery shopping and if you are looking for some great food ideas head over to A Forty-Somethings Weight Loss Journey I felt particularly enlightened about healthy food ideas after reading.

Enjoy!

Temptation

If you read my previous post you already know that I hit the 50 pounds gone marker this week so I received the milestone award from 266 and I would like to say thank you. It's a great reward-award that I appreciate it.

Because of the number that appeared on the scale this week I was feeling pretty good about things so I decided to try on the size 16 jeans I had sitting on my dresser. I held up the first pair and I thought "these are never going to fit." To my surprise I pulled them all the way up and buttoned them without any struggle at all. I didn't have to lay on the bed to get them zipped and I felt comfortable wearing them. I thought maybe I misread the size so I took them off and sure enough they are a 16... the second pair also fit. Awesome! These are jeans that I had sitting in my closet for a few years (since the last time I lost weight) and every year when I go to dig for my Christmas decorations or an old text book I stumble across them and look at them longingly for a few seconds before sighing and putting them back in the box.
The last time I lost weight I moved 1500 miles from home for a temporary job. I was away from my family and friends for six months (although I met a lot of great people there) and I focused on work and eating healthy. I didn't have friends around to ask me if I wanted to split a pizza or share a popcorn at the movie. When the job was finished I returned to my friends and family and (unfortunately) my bad habits. On my trip home I was a size 16 and wearing the same pair of jeans I am wearing right now... it took me over a year to put all the weight back on.
Suddenly it dawned on me, from this point on I am in completely uncharted territory I have never in my teen or adult life been smaller than a size 16, I have jeans in my closet that vary in size from 22 to 16 but nothing in a 14 or a 12. I am not even sure what I will look like as a size 12 or a 10.
In my previous attempt to lose weight I completely removed temptation from my life, I didn't go out to eat and I bought single serving size portions of food so there wasn't even the opportunity to snack at night. This time, however, I have gone out to eat, went on vacation, had parties and met friends for a night out. Now the holiday seasons are upon us and I have considered banishing all things sweet (including ingredients to bake sweets) from my cupboards. However, I am thinking maybe this isn't the way to go maybe it would be better to face temptations head on.

How do you plan to confront the holiday season?

Pizza review

Pizza is one of my favorite foods on the planet. I don't know who invented it but I sure hope that guy got a Nobel Prize or something. I have been craving pizza lately but (insert sigh here) my favorite local pizza joint is definitely on the "avoid these foods while dieting" list. So I decided to take another route. I went to the grocery store and found several varieties of frozen pizza that were vegetarian and in a box labeled, light, healthy, lean, or whatever. Over the past three days I have tried all the brands my local grocer carries in an attempt to find my favorite healthy substitute for those days when I just really want pizza. I decide I would do a little review of all the pizzas I tried.

They first Day I tried the "Smart Ones four cheese pizza"

(370 calories 7 g fat)Definitely not my favorite, on a scale of 1 to 10 I would give this one a 1. The pizza had very little sauce on it so it was kind of dry. There was a lot of cheese but it didn't taste like cheese it tasted like nothing. I think the person who taste tested this pizza must have been skinny and figured that fat people will eat anything. Not going to be my pizza replacement.

The second day I tried the "Healthy Choice French bread pizza"

(350 calories and 5 g fat)

Meh... it's ok. I would eat it someone offered me a free one but I don't think I would buy it again. I would give it a 5 on the diet pizza scale. The crust didn't cook evenly so the ends were very hard by the time the middle cooked enough to melt the cheese. I like the texture in general and the sauce was really yummy.

The third day I tried the "Lean Cuisine Four Cheese Pizza"

(360 calories and 6g fat)

I like this one a lot... I would give it a 9 on the diet pizza scale. Cheese was abundant and yummy and the sauce was yummy. What more can I say? I think Lean Cuisine pizzas are going to be my healthy alternative during those pizza cravings.

But with three consecutive days of pizza for dinner it may be a while before those cravings hit again.

Happy morning

What an absolutely cheerful morning.

When I got home from my morning run I checked my refrigerator to plan the meals for the day and found the contents to be less than appealing. Either frozen Smart Ones Lasagna Florentine or canned soup. Hmmm neither of those sounded great and I didn't have any fruit at all (an absolute necessity). So I decided a trip to the grocery store was in my morning plans... but then I remembered it's Farmers Market Day! Is there anything better than a farmers market?

While I wandered around the booths of tomatoes, potatoes, jams and flowers I decided vegetable soup sounded wonderful. It got me thinking about the chicken dumpling soup my mom used to make when I was a kid. It had these great dumplings and I thought they were the best part of the soup. When I would go back for a second helping I would always skip the soup and just steal a couple more dumplings. I had to be sneaky about it because my Dad would always say that's cheating (like only picking the M&Ms out of the trail mix). I picked up the rest of the ingredients I needed and a gorgeous bunch of organic flowers to make my kitchen pretty while I cook. Since I have been avoiding white flour I couldn't make dumplings... or could I?

I wondered how dumplings would turn out using wheat flour. I did a quick search online for recipes and found a few... one that even called for raisins in the dumpling. What? Raisins? First they take over cookies and now dumplings. None of the recipes online sounded all that great. So I decided to make my mom's recipe (or what I think it was anyway) with a few substitutions to make them more diet friendly. Wheat flour for white flour, egg beaters for eggs, skim milk for 2% milk and so one.

It turned out great! The dumplings didn't hold together as well as Mom's did but they were really good with the right texture and everything. Now my kitchen smells like soup and is so cheerful with a bright bunch of flowers on the counter.

Wishing you all a cheerful day!

Motivation

I seem to be lacking in motivation today... (this seems to happen when I work days). I have become very good at talking myself out of exercising.

Tonight when I left work I was really hungry and on my way to the parking lot some guy comes walking up with about ten pizza boxes. It smelled so heavenly I wanted to turn around and follow him wherever he and the pizzas were going. Of course I didn't but I did have to go to the grocery store where I walked past a display of Little Debbie snack cakes on sale... I am not sure if Little Debbie is a real person but I am fairly certain that she is the devil. Those sugary high fat snack cakes are so affordable I could buy several boxes a week even when I was a poor college student, subsisting mostly on ramen noodles and spaghetti-o's.

So long story short, I didn't give in to the sugar cravings. I bought salad fixings instead. But then when I got home I told myself I did so good not giving into my sugar cravings that I didn't have to work out tonight. See how easy it is?

Any ideas on how to get this lazy girl back in her running shoes while on day shift?

Staples

I went to see the movie Julie and Julia last night and have been thinking a lot about food today... that's a dangerous movie to see while you are trying to diet (lots of butter). I started thinking about how my "staple" foods have changed over the past few weeks. You know what I mean by "staples" right? Those things you must buy when you do your grocery shopping. You seldom forget a staple but when you do you take a trip back to the grocery store to pick it up, it is just that important. Before my staples consisted of cheeses (sharp cheddar and feta being my favorites), soda, pizza, pasta, nacho chips, cheese dip, and of course a variety of sweets. I haven't bought any of these things in over a month, but I have a group of new staples. Foods that are both healthy and so delicious I love to eat them.

My new staples list:
Boca burgers (have I mentioned I haven't eaten meat in 9 years)
Low-fat laughing cow soft cheese (only 35 calories a wedge)
10 calorie Vitamin Water (I heard these aren't great for me but I love them and they help curb my soda cravings)
Whole Wheat bread
Smart ones Lasagna Florentine (for quick lunch at work)
Lean Cuisine Margherita Pizza (for quick lunch at work)
salsa
egg beaters
fresh fruit
fresh veggies

Much like Julia Child, I love to eat so I am glad I have found foods that I love.

Also... I went to Barnes and Noble today (I could spend all day in that store). Wandering through the DVD's I found Jillian Micheal's "30 Day Shred" for 50% off (not including my membership discount... giddy laughter). So I got it. I am going to try it for 30 days but I won't start until I get back from my vaction.

yummy yummy yummy

I just had a very yummy dinner... if you have been craving something creamy and cheesy you should try this it won't ruin your diet but your tastebuds will think you did. This idea came from the current weight watchers magazine (not really a recipe just a comment in one of the success stories). To a skillet I added 2T of vegetable broth, heated it on high heat until it was boiling. Then I added half a bag of spinach and cooked it on high heat. When it was almost done I added one wedge of low-lat laughing cow cheese and let it melt. It was so creamy and cheesy it made a great side dish to my veggie burger and fruit. With only 15 calories in the broth, 20 calories in the spinach and 35 calories in the cheese that is a 70 calorie side dish that tastes like 200 calories. Go ahead try it... Well... What are you waiting for?

Running went well this morning and I must have put on about 8 miles walking around town today. I had my littlest niece today (see is a very cute 1 1/2) and she loves to go for walks. We wouldn't be back at the house for 30 minutes and she would be pointing outside and asking to go again... and as her aunt I reserve the right to spoil her and do whatever she asks me to do.

Low-Fat Tuesday

This morning, after my fourth couch to 5k, I decided I feel great. When the voice came through my ear phones and asked, "Are you ready for the final run interval?" I no longer wanted to reach through my ipod and smack that guy across the face. I actually was ready to run and I did... through each interval without having to hit the pause button to catch my breath. So when I got home I logged onto itunes and put the second week of couch to 5K on my playlist . I am going to start week two tomorrow morning. I thought it would take me a couple more days but I think I am ready. I will see how it goes. Today I also made some healthy vegetable soup. I never use a recipe I just through whatever fresh and frozen veggies I have on hand into a pot and simmer in vegetable stock for a while. I seemed to have a lot of veggies today so I think I am going to be having soup for the rest of the week... or maybe month (there is a lot).