I'm in (serious) trouble ...

Photo from TacoBell.com

Seriously, the moment I heard about it, I thought I was dreaming. I started salivating and I couldn't get it out of my mind. Kevin was just mentioning it to a neighbor. He had no idea how life-altering the news would be for me.

I quietly waited an hour, but then I couldn't stand it. I had to see if the rumors were true. AND THEY ARE.

Taco Bell is officially serving Doritos Locos Tacos.

I'm not going to lie - I was scared. My love of Doritos is hard to explain. When I was a girl hosting slumber parties three things had to be present: Oreos, Dr. Pepper and Doritos. Always Doritos. The Nacho Cheesier, the better! Why was I scared? Because I know me. I can't resist the draw of that taco treat. I'm pretty sure that will be lunch tomorrow since I just can't stop thinking about it. And my fear, understandably, came from the nutrition facts. I can't say no - I have to try it. I can already see the ten pounds I will gain because this amazing awesomeness is available down the street.

I bravely clicked on the link for the nutrition facts, tense and ready to be heartbroken. But the angels must be shining on my waistline ... The taco is ONLY 200 calories - for the supreme. And you can order it fresca style! Oh man, oh man, oh man. That might be worse for me, come to think of it.

Maybe it will taste awful and I will be spared. One can hope.

I'm back! And so is my belly

I know ... it's been awhile since I blogged. And if you can't tell by the lack of posts, you could tell by my waistline. Yikes!

So here's the not-so-skinny from the past three months. Basically, I finished law school and took the Bar exam. Written in one sentence like that it doesn't seem like much, but man was it intense! The last month of law school came with finals and the pressure to do better than ever. I'd like to say I studied my butt off, but that would only be figuratively true. Oh, I studied like crazy, but my butt didn't even almost come off. Then, when I finished my last final, I turned my attention to studying for the Bar Exam. The next two months were spent binging and cramming 3 years of law school and 15 million pounds of peanut M&Ms into my mouth.

And now it's over.

And I gained 13 pounds.

I had to buy new pants - a size up - and have lost all ab sucking-in muscles.  My muffin top is world class and if I stand just so, I look pregnant. I call it my Bar Baby. I've been joking about taking maternity pictures.

But tomorrow is a new day with a new adventure! I start a temp job in the corporate world of cubicles and fluorescent lighting. It's at the world headquarters of a really big corporation and comes with a few perks - like a gym!

For the next three months, I get to wait on my Bar exam results, work an 8-5 job and enjoy free time. There is a little college graduation ceremony in there (though I graduated in Dec. the ceremony isn't until May). You know what that means? I get to put the majority of my energy into getting back on track with my weight. I couldn't be more excited!

Goodbye, Bar Baby!

Great Resources to Start your Journey

Want to lose weight? Here are some resources that REALLY helped as I embarked on my weight loss journey. Seriously.

1. Hungry Girl. Visit www.hungry-girl.com and sign up for her daily (yes, an email every day) emails with great snack ideas and meals. She takes "normal food" and figures out how to make it healthy. I loved her when I was easing into healthier eating. She is great for the beginning changes in lifestyle.

2. Eat This, Not That, from Men's Health. Again, this is a daily email. I like daily emails bc they remind me, first thing - everyday - that my goal is to eat healthy and make good decisions. Sign up for the free e-newsletter here: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/home

3. Find an app or site that will help you track calories and foods. I love Sparkpeople.com a good friend of mine loves Loseit.com ... Also, Weight Watchers has one too, I think. After each meal (snacks too!), enter your foods and keep track of your intake. Don't do too little, but of course don't eat too much! Sparkpeople also allows me to track my fitness stuff and then gives a differential so I know how many calories I burned over what I consumed. Know this: to lose ONE pound, you must burn 3500 more calories than you consume.

4. Fast Food Salvation: We are busy people and can't always cook every meal. For that, I keep a list in my glove compartment of 35 fast food options that are less than 500 calories. VERY handy! http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/052207a.htm

5. Not a resource, but still important: Eat breakfast. Seriously. Everyday. Kick off your metabolism within an hour of waking up and your body will learn to trust that you are going to feed it. Then, eat every 3 hours or so. A lot of times our bodies horde calories out of fear it won't get fueled again soon. Give your body what it wants (and what you probably love if you are like me): FOOD. Just not too much :)

Back and ready for action

Rehab in the Shawnee National Forest
included a backpacking and hiking trip.

Rehab is for quitters. You've heard the joke before, right? Well, for this quitter, rehab was just what I needed.

The week was wonderful. I checked lots of stuff off my To Do list that have been on there for months. I rested, I ate, I was active and I had a generally happy time (except when I got food poisoning - booo).  I also addressed a few truths and am ready to be back with a few changes.

First of all, I am only going to weigh myself each week. I know, that's what I've been doing, right? Wrong. I was doing it every day. I would wake up, pee, weigh myself, then drink water and get started with my day. Everything I thought once I was out of bed was about the scale .. and what I'd eaten the day before and how the scale would interpret my efforts. And that's not healthy. I have become obsessed with the scale. There are many theories about using the scale as a guide for progress, and I completely subscribe to those theories. You don't have to define yourself by the scale, but use it as a measure. Weighing once a week, at the most, is recommended, I've read numerous articles about it because there was a time in my life when I refused to weigh myself (and I ended up getting to my largest size). So, because I am still hoping to drop pounds, I won't stop weighing myself. The scale, however, is officially moved from my kitchen, into the linen closet - and there it will remain, unless it's Wednesday morning.

Second, I don't like running. And that's okay. This is a really hard truth for me to face because I always thought I wanted to be a runner. I mean, the women that grace the cover of Runner's World all look so euphoric in their Nikes and tight shorts, in tune with the road and happy to pound the pavement. But ff I liked running, then I would do it more. It's that simple. What isn't simple is my next move. I have to find an activity that enjoy that is healthy, low-cost, and easy to do several times a week. That will be my focus over the next few weeks. I have several activities in mind and I will definitely keep y'all posted as I figure out which is best for me.

Finally, I have to trust myself. For the most part, I eat healthy. But I've been splurging a lot lately and then beating myself up for it. And that has to stop. I wouldn't define my recent habits as binging, but they are clearly signs that 1300 calories a day is beginning to wear me out.  I've been doing it for 18 months! But instead of assigning myself a new calorie allowance, I am going to continue NOT counting calories.  I wish I could find a nutrient tracker that doesn't count calories, because I want to keep focusing on my fiber, iron, protein, and calcium. But it's time to trust myself for awhile. It's time to relax the rules and have faith in my knowledge of healthy eating.


I promised I would come back with a renewed energy and as proof, I have a fitness appointment tonight at my local gym. I bought a 3-month membership for $20 thanks to Morgan's Deals. I also have a few things planned for the next few months. Spring softball is coming up so I'm looking for a Thursday night league, Abigail and I will be bootcamping it in June (Living Social deal!) and I'm on my search for MY activity. Got any suggestions for me? I'm open to ideas!

Don't excuse me!

Why on earth did you let me get away with my last post? Next time I babble about such junk, call me out on it!!!

All that I wrote in that entire post was a bunch of crap. Excuses are not the answer! Excuses doesn't burn calories.

All-night work sessions are an acceptable reason to forget the ideals of a healthy lifestyle? In the words of my fave Cher: As if! Re-reading that post embarrasses me. In fact, I am tempted to delete it.

If you are going to choose to be unhealthy, fine be unhealthy. But call it like it is. Own up to it. Take responsibility for your actions! Don't try to mask it with lame justifications and "creative" explanations! It will become a slippery slope if you let yourself get away with excuses. Suddenly, you'll find yourself explaining "reasons" for all kinds of splurges and slip ups: "I made it to all my classes today. Clearly that is a special occurrence warrants cake and ice cream!" Uh huh. "I paid all my bills today. I get a cookie now!" Uh huh.

My birthday is Thursday and I plan to enjoy it. But that doesn't mean I should act like eating a junk-ton of cake is acceptable behavior. Because it isn't. It is behavior that will make me gain weight. It is behavior that won't go unpunished - either by the very foods themselves, or by my own design through working out or cutting calories elsewhere. No good eat goes unpunished.

I don't mean go all Rev. Dimsdale on yourself and hide in a closet beating the sin from your body. But you have to call it like it is - Bad Behavior - and act accordingly - Work it off!

When you give yourself a pass on making healthy choices, it almost always comes with a pass on making up for those unhealthy choices. Instead, say, "Self, if we are going to have cake today, we need to go for an extra run first!" Then it's ok to say "I ran three miles today, I can splurge a little this afternoon."

Making good choices is a piece of cake. So long as we don't wash it down with a big cold glass of Vitamin D Whole Excuses, then we'll be fine. We can have our cake and eat it too. 

Mulling my munchies

I have a big paper to finish by morning, so I'll be pulling an all-nighter. As such, I anticipate a bout of the munchies (lessons learned from many all-nighters) to strike as soon as I get settled to work. Back in the day, I would buy a 2-pound pack of Twizzlers and Froot Loops to get me through the night. But nowadays I'm trying to stick to healthy choices - even if today is Mardi Gras!

I have a box of celery sticks and some frozen butternut squash ready to be turned into butternut fries, but knowing me, this isn't going to cut it. Is this one of those tests that come along to measure my progress? If I plan for the munchies tonight, am I just giving myself a hall pass? Is that ok to do?

There are times when it's ok to relax and eat junk. Some say Mardi Gras (today!) is one of those days - you know, since it's supposed to be followed by 40 days of sacrifice. Birthdays are considered a day to chill out on diets because special food is a way to celebrate special occasions. Also, meals at a friend's house are given a free pass, too (politeness for a night trumps diets).


Generally speaking, relaxed standards apply in unique situations that have a higher public interest than healthy eating for one night. So, the question is whether the occasional all-nighter fits into this category. Let's think it through: First, all-nighters are unique occurrences; they aren't something I do every week. Instead, they occur more like 2-3 times a semester. Plus, a good grade on this paper is more important than tomorrow's weigh in. If getting a good grade is dependent on snacks, then it's worth having snacks on hand and planning for such in my daily food allowance. Thus, all-nighters are unique situations and lowering my diet standards will serve a greater public interest.

Now that I've decided it's ok to relax my standards a bit, I must qualify this. Relaxing standards doesn't mean throwing them away. We arne't talking a night of pizza and cookies. That would be dumb. Plus, if I plan out choices that are better than Twizzles and sugary cereals, then I'm still showing progress.

So, here's what I'm thinking:

1) Eat a light dinner in order to be full so I don't snack as much. Um, yeah right. If I stopped eating when I was full this wouldn't be an issue. Duh!

2) Skip dinner knowing I will be snacking into the wee hours. Clearly, the logical choice, even if it isn't the most nutritious.

I don't keep many snacky foods in the house for obvious reasons. So, I need to hit the store for provisions. What should I get?

1) My usual fare of Twizzlers and Froot Loops. Um, and that would benefit me how? It's nothing but sugar and junk.This isn't a pass for full departure of the lessons I've learned so I should go with foods that provide some nutritious benefits, right?

2) Fruits and veggies high in fiber and low in fat. This is the ideal solution, obviously. However, the cost is a problem for me. I honestly can't afford a bunch of fruits and veggies right now. I have some will certainly what have on hand - celery, cauliflower and butternut squash, but my their very nature (lacking food crunch and, sadly, sugar, they just won't be enough.

3) "Healthy" cereal. This is tonight's winning choice, I think. If I buy a small box of Mini Wheats then I'm getting fiber, which is filling and flushing, sugar, and some actual nutrients that usually come with dinner. Maybe I can even buy a bag of oranges if they are on sale.

Having this discussion with myself now is also a sign of my personal growth. I used to go by the feelings I had at the time I hit the store. Instead, I am being pro-active and planning my allotment of snack foods and creating a strategy to handle my inevitable stress-induced munchies. It was all about satisfaction in the moment - but that moment was followed by many moments of self-loathing. Thanks to this plan, I'm hoping tomorrow finds me pleased with my decisions, happy with myself, and done with my paper!

______________

Update: 6:15 pm

I am home from getting supplies. I bought a box of dried figs (lots of fiber!), a medium box of plain shredded wheat (even more fiber!), and a 2 liter of diet coke. I think I'm good to go.

I just finished a bowl of the shredded wheat with Splenda and cinnamon - SUPER YUMMY!

And now it's time to brew coffee and get to writing!!!

The suite life

As part of a research project for school, I am being escorted across McConnell Air Force Base tomorrow and given the opportunity to observe a court-martial proceeding. Considering this is right up Career Goal Alley for me, I'm thrilled.

Since McConnell is three hours from home, I had to drive down this evening and shack up in a motel. Imagine my excitement when I fell upon a deal for suite for only $65!!!

That's right, I'm blogging from the middle of a queen bed decked out in crisp white sheets and a million pillows. I'm glowing with post-bubble-bath glee and blasting the a/c so I can snuggle in the night.

Since this is a special ocassion of sorts, and the start of my birthday month, I went all out. I hit up the grocery store and bought food to make in my suite's kitchen. I was planning to splurge on Kraft Mac n Cheese, but decided a suite night deserved sweets!

I found some neat things at the grocery store for a single person watching their calories. Dinner was Campbell's Red Pepper Soup and Smart Ones' Ham and Cheese Scramble. In total, it was 340 calories and lots of protein.

Then came the sweets!

Skinny Cow has these great little single-serving ice cream cups that are only 150 calories so I gladly grabbed a Dulce de Leche flavored cup. Then, because it's a rare microwave-filled evening for me, I hit up the baking aisle and grabbed a Better Crocker Warm Desserts individual chocolate cake brownie bowl - also only 150 calories!

After my bubble bath I made dessert, poured a glass of nonfat milk and snuggled in bed with my goodies. Imagine my surpass when I couldn't even finish it all!

Sure, tonight involved a splurge, but I'm proud of how reasonable it was, you know? I was able to satisfy cravings and make myself feel pampered and special without feeling guilty.

I'll take that sweet life any day!!!

Lavash lifestyle

Will the Hungry Girl inspiration never end???

Today's Hungry Girl email included a link to a "recipe" for Lisa's Crispy Lavash Squares with HG Hot Couple Dip. 
 

The link then directed readers to a website that sells the lavash - a 50-calorie flat bread that when baked longer turns chip or cracker-like. (Note: Mine looks nothing like hers. But I am fascinated by the idea of using it as a lasagna noodle substitute so I have to figure it out)

Of course, when I saw it was $3.50 a package, I decided to go on a recipe hunt. So. Super. Easy. I tweaked the recipe a smidge and created this lovely little gem. I need to point out that I have never actually had lavash so I have no idea if I made it "right." But I have had chips and pita crisps and this is an awesome way to substitute those snack foods.

The recipe make fifteen 100-calorie servings. I broke mine into pieces and sealed them in Ziploc baggies. Voila! My very own 100-calorie snack packs.

Also, I tried a few "flavors" by using cinnamon and sugar on a few and poppy seeds on others. I forgot about the sesame seeds in the freezer or I would have used them too. Next time. Sadly, I also have a powdered nacho cheese popcorn flavoring that I'm tempted to use too! I might even try to make then into itty-bitty crackers next time. Fun!

I only used 2/3 of the dough and froze the rest. Too bad I didn't know about this before the Stupor Bowl. That would have mitigate a couple of damages.

Stupor Bowl XL

Nothing in this photo is innocent! Well, maybe the empty bowl ...

I had grand plans for last night's Super Bowl celebration. They involved a low key evening spent at home eating wings and a healthy baked version of cheese curds (we rooted for the Packers). I scrounged up enough money (literally in change) to buy some beer and that was where I'd planned on splurging in calories.

I tracked my calories until 3:30 and I was at 1241. Then, they opened a bunch of free chocolate at work. Uh oh.

And then Kevin went to the store for dog food and bought the fixins for chips and queso.

And then I lost my mind. And drank 2 beers.

Forget the beer, I was in a drunken stupor of epic proportions - totally wasted on Velveeta and Rotel.

Then, I craved something sweet and almost opened a small box of coca puffs, but reason prevailed and I went for the orange instead. Honestly, what is wrong with me?

I KNOW BETTER! More than a year of healthy eating and the past two weeks have seen me throwing it all away. Ugh.

I'm not one for drastic dieting, but after all the junk I ate last night, today I'm going au natural. It's Meatless Monday so it won't be difficult. Nothing will be processed today.

Breakfast was a broiled grapefruit half sprinkled with cinnamon and an apple.

Lunch will be mashed avocado and chopped peanuts on a bed of lettuce with a side of carrots and an orange.

Dinner is pinto beans (that I made myself, not from a can) and homemade corn bread. There might be a little processing in the ingredients for the corn bread, but that's small potatoes after the debacle of last night. And dessert will be baked apples. How's that for getting your 8 servings of fruits and veggies a day?

Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm off to drink a glass of milk to help my body get rid of the remnants of Stupor Bowl XL.

Why the weight gain???

I'm not happy. Angry might even be the best word to describe how I feel towards myself right now.

I weighed in at 146.6 today - a gain of 4 pounds in one week!

What the hell?

I don't know what's happened. Last week I was feeling good and was on track with my new weight loss goal. But then Kevin made cookies and I ate a few - but they weren't full of fat because I taught him to use applesauce instead of butter. And then there was cake at work - and a couple of awful days working short-staffed. And then my girl time came Sunday. And with the snow days there was some snow ice cream and a lot of alcohol. And, as I am VERY familiar with my body functions by now, there was a lot going in and the usual didn't come out.

Is my willpower gone? I mean, wow. Looking at that list of foods now has me super depressed instead of angry. Add in that I am behind in my training for the half-marathon and I'm feeling pretty worthless in this moment (as I blog from bed, wrapped in flannel sheets and dogs, sipping coffee and homemade biscotti for breakfast). Yeah. This isn't good.

To gain 4 pounds, I had to consume 14,000 more than I burned each day. My resting metabolic rate (what I burn by just existing) is 1364 ... add in even just sedentary activity and you get about 1750 calories burned a day. That's 12,250 calories burned in a week. That means I consumed 26,250 calories last week? There is no way! Seriously.

Looking at this rationally, I am calming down a bit (the healing power of blogging!). Looking back over everything I ate, there is truly no way that happened. That would be like eating 100 pieces of cake. I only ate 3 (over two days!). Or 175 sugar cookies. I only ate 8 (also over 2 days!). Or 44 bottles of Riesling. I only drank 1.

No, this must be a combination (a nasty one!) of several variables including wine & dehydration, menstruation & water-retention. Add in the strength exercises I've been doing and you get muscle growth (it weighs more ... though it should also help my metabolism work better). Then take into account my body irregularity and tt was clearly a really crappy week for me. Or not. Heh. Sorry.

Ok, I feel better now.

School days make me happy

I am so excited to go to school today. Mainly, I'm excited to get back into my usual routine. Spending time at home for weeks on end is nice - don't get me wrong. But it's been a constant battle for me - to snack or not to snack.

Don't get me wrong - I wasn't just sitting around doing nothing for the past 3 weeks. Besides work, I have done a lot around the house getting ready for this new semester. In fact, it was on the two days that I gave myself permission to just stay in bed and read and watch movies that I snacked less! Since I knew I would be sitting at home for days on end, I altered my eating style a bit. I focused on smaller meals to compensate for more snacking.

Also, as an experiment in maintenance, I stopped counting my calories at the beginning of December. Yes, you read that correctly. I decided to see if I could "do it" without counting every calorie I consumed. Silly me, it was a bad idea to do this during the holidays because there were so many different dishes crossing my plate. Since the start of the new year, however, I have managed to maintain my weight and even start back on the losing track over the past week or so.

But I feel a little out of touch with the nutritional information of what I'm eating. Perhaps this is one reason I've read articles advocating counting calories forever. Of course, the idea of that sounds a bit tedious to me. I certainly didn't miss writing everything down in December and January. Plus, I feel pretty comfortable with my ability to stick to my calorie allowance - holiday foods notwithstanding. But, I miss knowing some important information: How much calcium, protein, fiber and iron I'm consuming.

Sure, I read labels, but they don't add it all up for me. And you'd be surprised how hard it can be to get the recommended iron or calcium you need in a day! I might pop back onto Sparkpeople.com every few days and input that day's food to see how I'm doing.

NCKAA: 21 Days Until Christmas

Oh my goodness I've been soooo busy! I'm working a part time job, finishing up classes (and that grand 20-page paper that ended up being a whopping 34 pages), gearing up for finals, entertaining visitors and trying to maintain my sanity.

Unfortunately, writing my Advent posts is getting a little sloppy - but enjoying my Advent treats isn't!Today's entry isn't a recipe - no time to cook this week and it's bringing me down - it's a collection of holiday happiness that can be eaten almost guilt free!

Pizzelle: First, if you haven't met them yet, run to the nearest store and buy a package of Vanilla Pizelles. These Italian-style cookies are a mere 23 calories each and they are bigger than the top of a coffee mug! They aren't super sweet (only 1.3 g of sugar a cookie) and are wonderful with your morning (or, in my case, afternoon and evening) coffee. Reko, the brand I bought, claims to be preservative free and has a list of simple ingredients - all words a 7 year-old could pronounce. A serving size is 6 cookies, but I find 2 to more than satisfy my sweet tooth!

Mini Candy Canes: They might be pure sugar (though according to their ingredients they are also corn syrup, peppermint oil and artificial color), but these little treats are great for satisfying a holiday craving for "traditional" tastes. Three of them is only 35 calories. That's less than 12 calories each! I bought a box of 40 for $.99 so they are also budget-friendly. I read somewhere that peppermint is a good appetite suppressor and munchie-fighter. Sure, we'll go with that since it's a plus, too.

Amaretti Cookies: I just recently (today) discovered these amazing little macaroon-esque cookies. They taste like light, crispy, cherry-flavored air. Kevin wasn't a fan, but at 19 calories a piece (Lazzaroni brand), they have a new place in my heart. A serving size is 7 cookies (130 calories), but 3 works great for a sweet shot with "fine" wine or liquers. Or, you know, as a snack. These are available at gourmet grocery stores and I've found a couple of recipes (Like this one!) that show them to pack some nut power. I haven't tried making my own yet, but you can be sure that I will when I get the time!

Gingerbread Cookies: So, my register at the store has a big can of gingersnap cookies that are free to guests as a sample. And they stare at me all day. Their spicy aroma tickling my nose ... almost as much at their nutrition info tickles my fancy. At a mere 23 calories each, it's hard to keep my hands out of that cookie can! Most gingerbread cookies are a better alternative to other cookie recipes and I've been baking it up like crazy - though I have yet to find a recipe that makes me happy enough to post here. When I do, you'll be the first to know!

Can't blame Thanksgiving

So, I was quite proud of myself on Thanksgiving - I limited my calorie intake to just 1600 calories for the entire day! I didn't eat until I was uncomfortable and I didn't go home feeling guilty for overindulging.

And then the weekend came ... and so did my mom.

I am proud to say that Mom has lost 25-30 pounds on WeightWatchers and we love to share recipes and weight loss tips. We are both concerned with what we eat and how much - until she comes to visit. Then we go a little hog wild - pun intended.

Kansas City is a wonderful town for those who like food. Sure we have great barbecue here, but there are many other good eateries as well. When I get visitors I tend to take them on an eating tour of KC - and it's pretty tragic for any diet, much less one recovering from Thanksgiving damage!

I honestly can't blame Thanksgiving for the weight gain I've seen each time I've stepped on the scale since Friday morning. Friday was a lovely day for me and the scale - I saw 141.8 for the first time ever! But it was fleeting - Saturday gave me 142.8, Sunday showed 143.4 and this morning was a lovely 145.4. Gulp. I can only blame a food-packed weekend. At least it was good food instead of junk food. I can use that an an explanation, at least.

Saturday started with diet-friendly A-muesling French Toast. But then the day saw the obligatory visit to Oklahoma Joe's (Mom's fave bbq in town) for a lunch of ribs - no comment regarding the calorie count there - and a visit to Julian for dinner. Julian is a restaurant owned by Mom's fave reality star, Celina Tio, who lost in the semi-finals of the Next Iron Chef a couple of weeks ago. Ms. Tio actually delivered our food, cleared our plates and stayed to chat with Mom for a few minutes! It was a great experience and just another reason I love Kansas City.

The food was good too. I had seared whole trout, brown and wild rice, and braised celery with lemon. It seemed healthy, but who knows what actually went into it. Kevin had pasta and Mom had pork tenderloin with brussel sprouts and parsnips. Oh, and we ordered a side of Boulevard Pale Ale Mac and Cheese (Boulevard is our local brewery). All I know is that it was all super tasty! Plus, we shared three desserts that were amazing and I know they weren't healthy: butternut squash cheesecake, "banana cotta" with strawberries and chocolate, and salted chocolate puddin' with ginger donut. "Good" doesn't even begin to describe it.

On Sunday, following a breakfast of cinnamon and sugar monkey bread and cream of wheat, I then arranged lunch for us Sunday at Hereford House, a KC original and famous steakhouse. The idea was to have a light lunch of steak soup. But we decided to split the 8 oz KC center cut that helped make the steakhouse famous. Kevin ate 4 ounces of the steak and Mom and I each had a couple of ounces. Plus, the soup was as thick as gravy! It was very filling and I ended up bringing half of mine home.

Overall, I think we did a good job of mitigating damages while still enjoying, tasting, and savoring, but I certainly didn't stick to 1300 calories a day this weekend. And Thanksgiving isn't to blame one bit. I shifted into some form of vacation brain and lost my mind a little. I made my dinner selections with calories in mind, but wasn't nearly as meticulous as I usually am. It didn't help that I failed to drink my usual 80 ounces of water each day and drank about 80 ounces of coffee instead.

Sunday dinner was the Thanksgiving Meatloaf recipe I posted yesterday - and it was healthy and very low in calories. At least I didn't let Thursday get out of hand!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Ok, Ladies (and Gentleman), I know a few of you are out of the country, and as such you are immune to the food struggles that come with Thanksgiving (trying to give you a positive to cling to if you're feeling homesick!).

For the rest of us, here is a scary statistic according to the editors of Men's Health: The average American consumes 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving day. The folks at the American Council on Exercise say it's 3000 calories.

Either way, that's A LOT!

So, here is to wish you smart decisions. You can still enjoy Thanksgiving without giving in to your ultimate health goals. Count your calories while counting your blessings! Using the fact that it's Thanksgiving and there is a lot of good food as an excuse to overeat is dangerous and, frankly, dumb. We are all strong and we can have a great, enjoyable Thanksgiving without hurting our overall goals.

That being said, if you fall victim to overeating, for whatever reason, here are a couple of tricks:

1. Skip the turkey skin. That's where most of the meat's fat lives.
2. Drink milk with high fat foods. It helps your body eliminate fat.
3. Go for a long walk AFTER the meal. Heavy workouts before often make people feel entitled to eat a lot, because they burned a lot of calories in the day. But, to burn 3000 calories, you need to run for 4 HOURS at a moderate pace.Of course, running 5k before and then walking a couple of miles after dinner isn't such a bad idea ... unless you use it as an excuse to engorge!
4. Pillsbury crescent rolls have 110 calories in them.
5.  Half a cup of sweet potatoes, baked, is 90 calories - that's without marshmallows, butter, or brown sugar.
6. 3 ounces of turkey breast is 89 calories; 3 ounces of dark meat is about 165 calories. That's before butter is added (often used in roasting a turkey).
7. The leftovers are just as dangerous - that means multiplying the over eating by numerous meals. Think about healthy leftover ideas. (I posted a few here as well).

Overall, don't beat your self if you do go a little crazy. But at the same time, don't find yourself saying "It's Thanksgiving. It's supposed to be about a lot of food." Because it isn't.

It's Thanksgiving. It's supposed to be about being thankful. And I am thankful for the support y'all have sent my way this past year! I hope you have a great Thanksgiving

No Better vs. Know Better

Sigh.

Still not at my goal weight - and pretty disappointed in myself for GAINING WEIGHT this week. I should know better and have no excuse to for this "no better" situation.

I am completely to blame. I still am not being as vigilant with my calorie counting as I have been for the past year.

Part of my problem these days is that I am tired. I am tired of counting calories. However, my success to date is mainly because I've been counting every single calorie that I consume -and because I kept my calorie intake low! Even yesterday, I ate 1519 calories. My limit is 1300. It didn't help that I went out drinking Monday with former co-workers from the summer. That got a bit out of hand on several levels ... but drinking more than one drink is never a good idea when you're trying to lose weight.  (I blame the hangover for Tuesday's calories, but know that excuses are the root of the problem anyway).

What I find most frustrating is that I am so super close to my goal and I am throwing my own road blocks into my path. Honestly, a couple more weeks of vigilance and I will be there. I can't let myself lose sight of my goals here - not when I am this close. I know better!

Numbers never lie

Yesterday was my monthly measurement day and I had pretty high hopes. I recently bought a pair of size 8 pants! And they are too big in the waist now.
Sadly, the numbers didn't seem to show that. If there is one thing I've learned by watching The Biggest Loser, however, it's that it is harder to lose weight as you get smaller. You burn less calories when you weigh less - so to lose weight you have to work that much more. Which is kind of funny: Your reward for losing weight is the need to work harder to keep losing weight.

So is that why am I losing these last 5 pounds so darn slowly? Nope. I can't exactly blame the not losing weight on my weight loss (did you follow that reasoning?). In my situation, it's the fact that I'm not as vigilant these days in my calorie-counting. And that's all there is to it.

Thanks to Sparkpeople, I can look back at my calorie expenditures during the last few months.

Do you see the trend? September and October have been all over the board.  Why? Because I gave myself permission to relax. At first I was going to write about this as a bad thing, but after thinking about it all day, I've changed my mind. I'm not quite sure what to think of this. I'm still losing weight - just not exactly at a pound a week.

I love the freedom of eating a piece of pizza (just one is plenty!) when I'm just too tired to cook fresh vegetables or forgot to thaw that day's meat. I love sharing some fries with Kevin when we go to a bar to watch the Cowboys play. I never wanted to be that snobby eater who turns her nose up at normal America life - as long as I balance it. One piece of pizza is about 250 calories - and it's plenty filling with a salad and glass of milk. Heck, even fries aren't evil so long as they don't accompany a big, greasy cheeseburger once a week.

That's the point, right? This journey hasn't been about deprivation and complete denial. It's been about learning to eat foods in reasonable quantities and balance the good with the bad so that I can live a healthy, happy life.

But here's the question: Am I ready? Numbers never lie ...


_____
My Measurements
Weight: 146.2 pounds ... overall loss of 48.8 pounds (SOOOO CLOSE!)
Waist: 28 inches ... no change from last month
Hips: 38 inches ... no change from last month
Thigh: 19.5 inches ... 0.5 inches smaller than last month
Calf: 15 inches ... no change from last month
Arms: 11 inches ... 0.5 inches smaller than last month

Last Month's Measurements:
Waist: 28 
Hips: 38 
Thigh: 19.75
Calves: 15
Upper Arm: 11.5

Starting Points:
Weight: 195 lbs
Waist: 40 inches
Hips: 47.25 inches
Thigh: 28.5 inches
Upper Arm: 15.5 inches
Calf: 17.25 inches
Push ups: 4
Crunches: 15

Got Milk?

My grandmother hated milk. Absolutely hated it! While she was in the hospital the last year of her life, the nurses would bring her Ensure and as they walked out of the room, she promptly poured it into the nearest plant.

Why does this matter? Because I maintain that her hatred of milk led to her death.

First, she fell and broke her shoulder. My grandfather didn't have the strength to take care of her Because of this, she went into a nursing home for a few weeks. She was bummed, a bit depressed, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  Until, three days before she was set to go home, she fell out of the bed and broke her hip. With that, and the long months of rehab and recovery ahead, she also broke her spirit.

Things began to rapidly decline and she passed away after choking on a drink of water that went down the wrong tube (and led to eventual pneumonia). Sure, it's a very bizarre story and would not stand up under the proximate cause standard in a court of law: But I maintain that my grandmother's brittle bones killed her. And the cause of this is that she didn't drink enough milk in her 20s.

This is why I am now adding calcium to my list of nutritional concerns. And once I started looking at how much I'm consuming, my eyes totally bugged out all Roger-Rabbit-style.

According to Sparkpeople.com, I should be consuming between 100-150 units of Calcium. For the past week, I've consumed: 76, 68, 111, 181, 42, 105. A couple of weeks ago, there were days when I only consumed calium amounts in the teens! And my calories were way over my usual limit on those days. Is this a possible factor in the munchies that were clearly affecting me? C'est possible!

Since one cup of milk is 30% of the calcium units needed, it makes sense that this should become a staple in my diet (I know, common sense considering all we've learned from the "Got Milk" campaign).  Why hasn't it? Because even nonfat milk is still 86 calories. But thanks to the Tip of the Week and my new fascination with calcium, I am making it a point to drink more milk. Sure, I eat string cheese everyday and have a cone from McDonalds (10% of our needed calcium!), but there is no reason I can't prioritize milk into my calorie budget.

Hmm, there is always the Chocolate Milk Diet ... I don't know about drinking a glass of chocolate milk three times a day, but once a day- since it's so good for me - isn't much of a sacrifice. Hehe.

Cereal killer strikes

Last night was rough - and I don't really know why. I wasn't feeling depressed, per se, but I wasn't feeling jovial either. I was in a funk and found myself in a losing battle against an old nemesis: Cereal.

I know, it sounds lame, but I love cereal. A lot. When I first moved out of my mom's house, the first thing I did was buy crappy, sugary cereal and stock my cabinets. When I broke up with my ex, I existed on Gatorade, cigarettes and Froot Loops for months. They made me "happy." Cereal was a favorite dinner after a long day of covering grass fires. Cereal was a favorite snack when there was "nothing to eat" in the house. But I had no idea I had a problem with cereal.

I stopped buying cereal months ago, for no other reason than I replaced cereal with oatmeal and have been quite happy. It wasn't really a conscious decision to remove anything from my diet. It was more a decision to put good, healthy, nutrient-packed foods into my diet, you know? But when oatmeal got boring, Kevin started buying cereal.

First, he bought some sugary cereal that's existence on this planet is merely to annoy moms and inflame ADD. Mmm you gotta love Honey Grahams.

Seriously, I ate a tiny handful as a little snack and woke up with an actual craving the next day! I looked at the nutrtion information and thoroughly tore the cereal to shreds. There was nothing of substance in it!

Round Two saw Kevin bringing Kix into the ring. Honestly, they aren't too terrible. The serving size is huge (1.25 cups!) and the sugar isn't bad. They make a great mid-morning snack when you feel all munchy because it takes awhile to shovel that much cereal into your mouth. I've been taking them with me to school for the past few days and usually eat have the baggy for my mid-morning snack and the other half on the way home. It's been doing wonders for my terrible habit of snacking.

But eating so much cereal lately has clearly awakened the sleeping giant that is my cereal addiction.

I spent the evening at Kevin's last night and got that munch feeling that hits while I'm studying and don't want to be. I raided the cabinet and found 9 different cereals! Did I grab a handful of the Fiber One? Of course not, I went straight to the Lucky Charms. And the Chocolate Cheerios. And the Chocolate Cap'n Crunch. I did try (and loved!) the Blueberry Special K, but with so many really good bad options around me, eating something healthy, or even just not eating anything, just didn't seem a valid option. I was in the throws of my addiction, lost in a sugar high of epic proportions.

I think I ate about 5 cups of cereal - at least. No milk, just hand to mouth shoveling of sugar into my body. I gained two pounds from it and am now nursing a major sugar hangover.

My name is Natalie and I have an addiction. It's been 11 hours since I last ate cereal ...

Bad Natalie!

I ate meat last night.

Even though it was Meatless Monday and I was doing really well for breakfast and lunch, I ate meat for dinner. I feel bad, but in my defense there was nothing meatless on the menu!

But it gets worse ...

I ate fried meat last night.

And it was goooood.

Now, in my defense, Your Honors, I was having a VERY RARE dinner with my brother. He picked the place because he is visiting my area for work and was short on time. Sure, there are wonderful food options in Kansas City (right, Renee??), but since he's staying out in the boonies, we were very limited in our options.

I didn't want to make a big deal out of what I "could" eat, so I just picked what I wanted to eat - within reason. Apparently, that was the Fried Pork Tenderloin Sandwich (not the exact picture above, but close; chosen because I couldn't handle chicken after this past weekend and pork tenderloin is pretty tame in the calorie department). I ordered steamed veggies instead of fries, but I also drank beer and we shared dessert. Overall, the meal (and I only ate half of the sandwich and a third of the meat!) was about 900 calories. YIKES.

That follows a weekend of lots of eatin' while Renee was in town - including a night of barbecue chicken from FOUR different bbq places in Kansas City and about 7 beers Saturday night. Not to mention the Bloody Mary buffet Sunday. At least we walked about 10 miles throughout the weekend.

So, you can imagine my concerns going into Weight Day tomorrow. I mean, I decided to shake up my calorie plan a bit, but not that much!!!

But still, it was all very, very tasty and included a lot of choices that mitigated the damages in a way I probably wouldn't have done a year ago. Just sayin'.

Meatless Monday victory!

I planned it out this time and am proud to announce a successful Meatless Monday.

Seriously, we are talking 99.99% perfect food day. I hit my target for calories, carbs, and PROTEIN - I only missed my target fat range by one gram. Yay!

I'm particularly proud of hitting the protein range. Back when I was a vegetarian I doubt I got anywhere near the recommended 60- 120 grams. But not today.

For lunch I enjoyed a yummy egg salad sandwich (borderline vegetarian, but they are from cage-free organic-fed, local chickens!) and string cheese (Sargento has a 50 calorie string cheese, just so you know) and dinner featured hummus soup and grilled eggplant (my tomato topping featured Balsamic vinegar, however). Did I mention the hummus soup is a recipe I made up? Well you'll hear more about that later this week.

And yes, the eggplant was as good as it looks.

I'm already looking into recipes for next week. Don't these Cajun Chili Cups look wonderful? Since it's New Orlean vs. SF for Monday Night Football they really make a nice theme food. Add a little San Francisco treat and you've almost got dinner party food!