Kiss that Sweet Tooth Goodbye!

How many times has a piece of chocolate cake ruined your diet?  Or a sudden craving for cookie dough ice cream?  Chocolate?  Candy?  Pastries?  Soda?  Most people realize that these things are not good for us, but still we eat them.  When was the last time you went to the movies and didn't get a popcorn and soda, or a big bag of Twizzlers? How often have you taken "just a little" of a birthday cake, only to go back for "just a little more?"  

The problem with sugary foods is not necessarily the calories in them.  Which is not to say they are low in calories, but rather that like any high calorie food, you can budget them into your diet if you are disciplined.  The real problem with sugary foods is that they are addicting.  I don't mean that metaphorically.  There is a real, true addictive quality to sugar that once there is some in your body, your brain craves more.  This is all due to your blood sugar levels and how your body creates and processes insulin.  While it is true that some people do this better than others, this is not and should not be a concern only for diabetics.  We would all do ourselves a lot of good to pay much closer attention to the sugar in our diets.  

Sugar is what gives us belly fat and belly fat is the worst kind of fat for your health.  It can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.  It can also lead to high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  

Most of of are getting way more sugar than we even realize.  It's in everything we eat.  Even if you aren't eating lots of candy and ice cream every day I bet you are eating some of these things:  fruit juice, bread, ketchup, BBQ sauce, cereal, tomato sauce, low-fat foods of all kinds, and many, many others that we don't think of as necessarily sugary foods.  

So, what can we do about it?  For one thing, start reading the labels when you go shopping.  You'll be stunned by the amount of sugar that gets hidden in the foods you are eating.  You'll also be amazed by the number of different names sugar has.  Here are some of the most common:

• barley malt
• beet sugar
• brown sugar
• cane-juice crystals
• cane sugar
• caramel
• carob syrup
• corn syrup
• corn syrup solids
• date sugar
• dextran
• dextrose
• diatase
• diastatic malt
• ethyl maltol
• fructose
• fruit juice
• fruit juice concentrate
• glucose
• glucose solids
• high-fructose corn syrup
• honey
• invert sugar
• lactose
• malt syrup
• maltodextrin
• maltose
• mannitol
• molasses
• raw sugar
• refiner's syrup
• sorbitol
• sorghum syrup
• sucrose
• turbinado sugar
• xylitol      

Now, I'm not saying that you should never eat any food with any of these ingredients.  Some of these sugars (i.e. honey) are more natural than others (i.e. high fructose corn syrup) and might even contain some health benefits.  The idea is to start to really learn about how much sugar there is in your diet and what you can do to cut that amount down.  If any of these sugars are listed in the top 3 ingredients in a food, you might want to reconsider.  If they are lower down on the list but there are many different types, you may want to reconsider.  Be especially careful with low-fat and diet foods- they often add sugar in place of the fat in order to keep the flavor.

Reading the labels can seem time consuming at first and it might be frustrating when you realize how many of the foods you eat are high in sugar.  Be persistent.  Over time you'll find good replacements and know which brands are better than others without having to read the labels.  You don't even have to spend more money than you are now to get something a little better for you.  I don't think everyone should have to shop in the health-food section of your grocery store and pay 3 times the price for things.  What I'm talking about can be as simple as changing from your regular tomato sauce to the "no sugar added" variety.  With a little persistence, you'll kick the sugar habit in no time!

Weighing in: Week 3

This morning's weight: 172.2- a loss of 4.6 pounds in the past 4 weeks.  Yay, I'm on track and doing well!

I've really been doing great with planning my meals ahead of time and reducing the amount of times I find myself just eating on a whim.  I think this has made the biggest difference so far.  I've also been pretty good about getting in lots of extra fruits and veggies.  Exercising regularly has been an on and off thing, mostly due to the constant rain this week, but I do find myself more active in general- spending less time in front of the TV and more time actually getting stuff done.

Check back tomorrow for my new goal.  It's a really good one and very important for everyone.

Take a Hike

This is my favorite time of year.  The air is brisk and energizing, the smell of autumn is in the air and the beauty of the changing leaves never fails to take my breath away!  I can almost hear the mountains beckoning me.  I've been hiking more in the last two weeks than I did in all of August and September.  The weather is perfect- not too hot, not too cold.  Plus, it's great exercise.  You burn about as many calories as from jogging and it never feels like much work.  So, pack a light backpack with some water and a granola bar and maybe an extra layer and get out there and hike!  You'll thank me for it.

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

This recipe is taken from a book simple titled Vegetarian which I bought off the Bargain Books shelf at Borders for $3.99 several years ago.  It was an incredible investment, as I've not made a recipe from it that I haven't loved.  This is one of my all time favorite soup recipes and that's saying a lot, because soup is one of my favorite foods.  This is satisfying and filling all on it's own, no need to cook anything else to go with it.  It's perfect for this time of year, everything is in season.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 carrots, cut into thick rounds
1 large parsnip, cubed
1 small, yellow turnip, cubed
2 leeks, thickly sliced
1 onion, quartered
3 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
3 rosemary sprigs
5 cups vegetable stock (I always find that I need more than this.)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Put the olive oil into a large bowl.  Add the prepared vegetables and toss until coated in the oil.

2.  Spread out the vegetables in a single layer on one large or two small baking sheets.  Tuck the bay leaves and thyme and rosemary sprigs among the vegetables.

3.  Roast for 50 minutes until tender, turning the vegetables occasionally to make sure they brown evenly all over.  Remove from the oven, discard the herbs and transfer to a large saucepan.

4.  Pour the stock into the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, season to taste, then simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer the soup to a food processor or blender (or use a hand blender) and process for a few minutes until thick and smooth.

5.  Return soup to the pan to heat through.  Season and serve.

The recipe also suggests serving with a swirl of sour cream, but I never do.  Why add extra calories to an already great tasting meal?

The book also offers this note:
This nutritious soup is paced with health-giving vegetables.  Butternut squash is particularly high in beta carotene and potassium, which is essential for the functioning of the cells, nerves, and muscles.  Carrots also contain a high level of beta carotene and are effective detoxifiers.

Frittatas

Frittatas are similar to omelets and are quick and easy to make.  Don't worry that it's too big if you are cooking only for yourself.  They are great for breakfast, lunch or dinner and keep well in the fridge.  You can eat it hot or cold. Substitute egg white or Egg Beaters if you are concerned about cholesterol.  

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

2 ears of corn

1 small onion, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, crushed or minced

2 red bell peppers, diced

12 eggs

splash of milk

olive oil

Directions

1.  Boil the sweet potato in a pot of water until just slightly soft, 3-5 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Dry and set aside.  In the meantime, use a sharp knife to cut the kernels from the corn cobs.  Preheat the broiler on your oven.

2.  In an extra large skillet over a medium heat, add just enough oil to over the bottom of the pan.  Add onions and cook until soft.  Add garlic and cook for one minute more.  Add sweet potato, corn, red peppers and cook until just warm.  Spread ingredients evenly over the skillet.  

3.  Whisk together eggs and milk.  The more you beat them, the fluffier your frittata will be.  Season to suit your tastes with salt and pepper.

4.  Pour egg mixture over the vegetables in the pan.  Cook over medium heat until the bottom of the eggs have set and just start to pull away from the edges of the pan.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil until the top sets.  

5.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.  Slide the frittata out of the skillet and cut into wedges.  Tastes great with crusty whole-grain bread.

Slacking Off

Loyal Reader, you may have noticed some slacking off on my part over the last week.  It is due in part to being ill and in part to being very, very busy.  I have been continuing with my previous 3 weeks' goals: sticking to a planned eating schedule, exercising at least 3 times a week and trying to eat 1/2 fruits and veggies at every meal. As of yesterday, my weight was 173.8, which is a loss of .8 lbs from my last weigh in.  I am not setting a new goal for this week, but will continue with the three I just mentioned until next week.  I will, as promised last week, post some great recipes for you right now!

Seasonal Food

Have you ever visited your local farmer's market?  I shop for about 90% of my produce at the one near my house.  There are tons of benefits to it.  For one thing, you can get things a lot cheaper than you would at the supermarket.  I bought a quart of apples last week for $4.  It would have been $2 per pound had I got the same ones at the grocery store- probably $6-7 for the same amount.

Not only is the food cheaper, it's also fresher because it's all local and hasn't been sprayed with preservatives like the produce at the supermarket.  It won't always be organic, but it will have less chemicals than at the market.  If there is a down side to this at all, it's that the food will go bad a little faster than the stuff you buy at the store- but that's just all the more reason to eat your fruits and veggies!

Lastly, supporting small local farmers is great for the local economy and the environment!  Not a health tip per se but knowing you are doing something good for yourself and others goes along with living a more positive lifestyle.

Pumpkins, apples and sweet potatoes are all in season right now and there are lots of great things you can do with them besides making pie.  I'll put up a few recipes later in the week for you, for now, grab your self an apple- it will keep the doctor away!

Week 3: More Fruits and Veggies

My goal for each meal I eat to contain 50% fruits and/or veggies.  This may be a LOT for some of you.  I know that there are many people out there who will go a week or more without touching a fruit or veggie.  If 50% is totally unreasonable for you at this point, start with 25%.  Anyone should be able to do that.  

Let's take a look at why eating more fruits and vegetables is great for your diet and great for your health and then I'll give you some suggestions on how to get more into your diet. 

Everyone knows that fruits and veggies are good for you but here are some reasons why.  Most are:

• High in vitamins and nutrients
• High in antioxidants (which means they prevent cancer)
• High in fiber
• Low in fat
• Low on the Glycemic Index

Fruits and veggies are great diet foods because they fill you up and take a long time to digest, meaning you'll stay full longer.  This is mainly due to their high fiber content and low GI.  Foods with a low GI go into your bloodstream at a slower rate, reducing the amount of insulin your body produces and thereby reducing hunger cravings.  You can eat as much as you want of most fruits and vegetables without any problems, though for dieting purposes, there are a few you will want to eat in moderation.  

Fruits and Veggies to Eat in Moderation

• white potatoes- no matter how they are cooked.  If you insist on eating potatoes, boil them until just soft or broil them.
• tropical fruits- the warmer the climate a fruit grows in, the more sugar it has.  
• avocados- they are very high in fat, though it is a very good type of fat.  Consider replacing fat you'd normally use with avocados- eg, sliced on a sandwich instead of your mayo
• most root vegetables tend to have a higher GI- one notable exception is the sweet potato

How to Get More Fruits and Veggies into Your Diet

You really don't need to change your diet all that much.  You can add greens to many of the foods you already eat.  Try some of these suggestions:

Breakfast:

• Try a Breakfast Smoothie
• Add berries to your breakfast cereal, yogurt or granola
• Eat your bagel with slices of avocado and tomato instead of cream cheese or butter
• Add your favorite veggies to a breakfast omelet, try skipping th cheese while your at it

Lunch and Dinner

• Load up your sandwich with salad greens, tomatoes, red onions
• Choose vegetable soup instead of a meat or cream based soup
• Choose a side salad when you go out to eat rather than a potato.  Be careful not to load up on cheese, bacon or creamy dressings.
• Try pureeing vegetables and adding them to your tomato sauce.  
• Add mixed vegetables to your ziti or lasagna- peppers, onions, mushrooms and fresh tomatoes all taste great with pasta.
• Get (or better yet, make) a veggie pizza rather than pepperoni or extra cheese
• Make a veggie stir-fry.  This is a quick and easy meal and you can use just about any of your favorites.  

When you plan your meals this week, think about how you can get some more veggies into them and always keep some fruit on hand for snacks.  You can do it!

Weighing in: Week 2

I was very nervous about weighing in this morning.  After the cheesecake on Sunday and the binge eating on Wednesday, I was pretty certain I'd gained 5 pounds this week.  To top it off, my goal of simply going for a walk for 20 minutes three times this week fell totally flat due to a bad cold and rainy weather.

This morning's weight was 174.6 pounds, which is a .2 pound loss from last week.  Certainly nothing to brag about, but it is reassuring that after a seemingly "bad" week, I more or less stayed the same weight and didn't go up at all.  I did go for one walk during the week.  I also made a point of strictly sticking to my eating schedule the  next 2 days after my binge.

I know I could have done better but I think that being sick is a pretty good reason to take it easy.  I did make up for the walking this afternoon with a 2 hour walk around the lake near my house.

Some good news for this week is that it's getting a lot easier to plan my meals ahead of time.  I'm not perfect with it yet, but each day I find myself more aware of my schedule.

Check back tomorrow for next week's goal.

Getting Back On

Just a quick post to say I followed my eating schedule today, despite feeling sick.  I slipped up yesterday, but have no intention of falling back into bad eating habits because of one bad day.

Walk, Don't Run

I am not a runner.  I used to try to force myself out the door in the morning to run because it was good exercise. Some times, I was really happy that I did.  The endorphins would rush and afterwards I'd feel my legs all tight and toned and be really happy that I got out there and did it.  Other times, I'd feel a twinging pain in my knees or hips and have to stop.

While aerobic exercise isn't necessarily bad for you, a lot of new research is showing that is isn't necessarily the best for you either.  Running with damage your joints over time if you do it long enough.  And joint health is very important for long-term health goals.  Another interesting fact- cultures around the world who live the longest do not regularly engage in aerobic activities.  Rather, they take part in regular, moderate activities, such as gardening/farming, hiking/walking, etc.

Exercise is very important and you need to make some time for it in your life.  But I know there are a lot of people out there who cringe at the idea of going for a run or taking an aerobics class and the good news is: you don't have to do those things to live a healthy, active lifestyle.  But, you do have to do something.  My goal for you, reader, is to figure out what it is you enjoy and will stick to.  Perhaps it's taking your dog Scooter for a walk when you get up in the morning or riding your bike around the neighborhood when you get home from work or going for a hike on the weekends.  Whatever it is, make a commitment to yourself to do it at least 3 times a week and stick to it!

Falling of the Horse

I am embarrassed to say that only a week and a half into this challenge of mine, I've already taken a big stumble. Last night, I had a nice dinner of tofu and stir-fried vegetables planned.  My husband asked if there was any way to make the tofu crispy, so I made a tempura batter and fried it up.  This wouldn't have been so bad except that the green beans I planned to cook with it had gone bad and we decided it would be yummy to tempura fry the peppers and onions as well.  It was way more fat than I should have had, though I didn't eat a huge amount.  

To make matters worse, I was I seem to be coming down with a cold and I overslept this morning, skipping breakfast.  For lunch I made a spicy noodle soup to help clear my head.  I loaded myself up with cough drops and Italian ices and took the rest of the day off from work.  But I didn't want to cook so I had two frozen empanades.  They were really small and not very satisfying, and not entirely healthy either, I'm sure.  So, I had the left overs from last night, which were oily and gross.  I had two of the ices throughout the evening to help with my sore throat.  The sugar in them set off a bad cycle of cravings for me and I ended up eating a bunch of junk to satisfy need, but nothing helped.  I tried Hershey's kisses, a granola bar, an apple, rice chips, caramel sauce right from the jar.  I'm ashamed to admit it all, but if there is a bright side it's that I even though of eating an apple in the midst of all that other stuff!  

I'm going to try not to let this bring me down.  I walked yesterday and will try to get out there tomorrow as well.  I'm already planning my meals for tomorrow.  I just hope I'm feeling well enough to care.  

A New Week, a New Goal

My goal for the upcoming week is to focus on being more active.  I know first hand that it really just takes a little time each day to make a real difference.  When I first moved to South Korea 2 years ago, I lost nearly 15 pounds the first month I lived there.  I attribute the majority of that weight loss from living in a city and walking every where I went.

But I also know that it's not so easy to get oneself into a regular exercise routine, which is why my plan is to start slow.  Remember, this isn't about getting thin, it's about small, easy changes in my day to day life with the ultimate goal of being a healthier, more active person.  This week's goal is to take a walk for 20 minutes 3 times a week. I could easily walk more, and I love walking, but taking an hour or two out of my day isn't reasonable on a regular basis.  20 minutes on the other hand, is something I think I can do without even really having to try.  It's just a matter of planning ahead.

Speaking of planning ahead, I will continue to plan my meals ahead of time and work on establishing that habit.  It's not always as easy for me as it seems it should be.  It takes a conscious effort every day to look at my schedule and figure out when I'm going to eat and then what I should have.  New habits aren't that easy to form, but I know I have people counting on me now, so I'm doing my best not to let myself or my readers down.

I'd love to hear from anyone who is following along- especially if you are trying to lose weight too and my be going through similar struggles.  Share your advice!

Weighing In

I've decided to only weigh myself once a week.  This is, in part, not to become too obsessed with worrying about each little fraction of a pound that might go up or down every day or even throughout the day.  I think that weighing in once a week, on the same day and around the same time will give the most accurate results of my progress over time.  

So, how did I do my first week?  (drum roll)   174.8 pounds, which is a loss of 2.6 pounds!  Not bad for my first week.

A note about the idea of "a pound a week": While this is the average that I'm aiming for, my general expectations are that I'll probably lose more than that in the beginning and less than that as I get closer to my goal weight.  This is the typical pattern of weight loss for most people.

How did I do it?

This week, my focus was planning ahead.  I looked at my busy schedule and decided when the best times would be to fit in my meals, and then decided what I would eat for each one.  I don't think it's necessary to plan out your entire week ahead of time- though some people find this more useful.  For me, it's a matter of two things.  First, knowing when the next meal is. If I know lunch is at 2:00 and I'm starting to feel hungry around one, I can just tell myself lunch will be soon and then move on from thinking about it.  On the other hand, if it's 11:00 and I still have a few hours to go, that means it's a good time to have a light snack.  (Snacks should always have nutritional value and be able to hold you over until your next meal without being a meal themselves.  Some good snacks are a small handful of nuts, a piece of fruit, an all natural granola bar.)

Second, know what the next meal is.  How many times have you done this? Be honest!  It's dinner time.  You haven't planned anything, and you are staring into your pantry/cabinets/fridge thinking, "what am I hungry for?"  At this point, you have probably already failed.  This is because we confuse our wanting to eating a certain food, with our need for nutrition.  I can guarantee you that when I'm asking myself what I'm hungry for the answer is not tofu stir-fry and brown rice (though this is a dish I very much enjoy).  More than likely, the answer will be something related to potatoes, pasta, or pizza.  However, if I know when I'm driving home from work that I'm going to go home and make tofu stir-fry and brown rice, then I never give myself the chance to think about what my pleasure center would most enjoy. Over time, cravings in general will greatly diminish. One day, you'll find yourself really craving a cup of amaretto gelato from that Italian cafe down the road and you will realize that you haven't had a cup of amaretto gelato in a very long time, and you can walk yourself right into that cafe and order some, without a single hint of guilt, because you know that with a healthy diet like yours it is perfectly all right to treat yourself from time to time.

Or, at least, that's what I'm hoping for.

A Potluck Dinner

The weekends are always a challenge for me.  After a long week of work, the last thing I want to do is think about cooking, so it usually ends up being pizza for dinner.  Or some sort of frozen dish I can heat up and mindlessly eat while catching up on my shows.  Or worse, I go out with friends for dinner.  But, tonight is the worst of all- an international potluck dinner.  I wanted to cook an "American" dish and remembered how well a macaroni and cheese dish had done at a previous dinner I'd had.  I think mac and cheese is about as American as you can get.  This recipe is not your typical mac n' cheese.  It has 3 cheeses with tomatoes and sunflower seeds and is a real crowd pleaser.  It also has about a million calories and contains two of my worst addictions- pasta and cheese.

Why would I make this, you ask, when I'm trying so hard to watch what I eat?  For one thing- as I said, it's all American cuisine.  Plus, it's easy to transport.  Another thing is that bringing this dish to a party means I get to have a taste, but there is most likely be none left over for me to take home, a huge benefit.  Finally, I'm hoping that someone will be thoughtful enough to bring something halfway healthy, a probability, since many other countries eat much healthier than we do, in general.

My goal for tonight is to limit my portions.  I'm sticking to one plate of food, no matter what.  And not a heaping one, covered with every bit of food on the table, but a reasonable dinner size-plate.  I'm also going to seek out things that will fill me up like vegetables, beans, rice, etc and avoid pasta, bread, cheese, chips, and sweets.  Finally, I have a friend coming with me to the dinner, and I will commission her to make sure I don't stuff myself.  She's already on board with my diet, so I think she'll be willing to help me out.

It's a rough weekend.  I've got another event on Sunday for which I've been asked to make a cheesecake.  And as if cheesecake all on it's own isn't bad enough, this will be chocolate turtle cheesecake.  It's all my fault for being a good cook that this came about.  But I'm determined to stay strong this weekend.  I'm loaded up with a bunch of healthy recipes for meals and will stop by the farmer's market this afternoon to load up on the fruits and veggies.  I'm looking at is as a pre-test for the holiday season.  Parties, dinners, holidays, events will all go on, but they don't have to be an excuse for me to spend all winter pigging out.

One more final motivation for me to be good tonight- I'll weigh in tomorrow and report how my first week went.  Wish me luck!

Banana Bread Recipe

This isn't your typical banana bread recipe.  This is the most delicious banana bread I've ever tasted. And, it's healthy and fairly low GI.  A great breakfast or midday snack.  So moist you won't need any butter!

1 cup packed light brown sugar
7 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1 egg
3 large, overripe bananas
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup low-fat vanilla or plain yogurt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Coat 9 in loaf pan with cooking spray.

Beat sugar, oil, egg whites and egg in a large bowl.  Add bananas, oats and yogurt.  Mix well on medium speed.  In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients.  Mix together with a fork until evenly combined.  Add to banana mixture.  Stir until just moist.  Add walnuts and stir briefly.

Pour batter into pan and bake for 70 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove and cool thoroughly on wire rack.

Can be eaten immediately, but flavor will be best if wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and allowed to set overnight.

My Longest Day and Some Snack Ideas

Thursdays are the longest day of the week for me.  I'm out of the house from 9:00am to 7:30pm with only about 20 minutes around 3:00 for lunch.  Most Thursdays I'd stop at Taco Bell, but I'm planning ahead.  I have just enough time to swing by my house and have a quick lunch, leftovers from last night's dinner.

Planning ahead isn't something all that difficult, it's just something that a person needs to be mindful of.  For me, it's all to easy to slack of in this area.  This week, I've been asking myself the night before, "What am I going to eat tomorrow?"  If I plan it out ahead of time, it's much easier to stick eating the right foods.  If I know I'm going to have a bowl of soup for lunch, then when lunch time comes, I don't have to think about what I'm hungry for at the moment.  This is a great thing, because if I ask myself what I'm hungry for, nine times out of ten I'm going to decided on junk.

Last night I went grocery shopping.  In addition to things for meals, I was really looking for healthy, nutritious, and filling snacks.  Here's what I came up with:

• pistachios 
• Quaker Simple Harvest Chewy MultiGrain Granola Bars (chocolate chunk) - these have no HFCS and  are pretty high in fiber and good enough to satisfy a mild sweet-tooth.
• Kind Bars (packed with fruits and nuts)
• Rice Works chips- these are a new item at my grocery store and they are really yummy.  They are salty and crunchy and would definitely satisfy a chip craving and they are low on the Glycemic Index which is great for someone who is trying to eat better.
• I decided to make some of my all time favorite oatmeal banana bread.  I'm going to cook this tonight and will share the recipe then.
• As always, I will go to the farmer's market on Friday and stock up on fresh, local produce.  It's apple season, yummy!

Ooops!

I did not eat squash soup for dinner last night!  Eric, my husband, suggested Chinese and I caved without a second thought!  Though I went light (veggie lo mein) and didn't stuff myself, it was definitely more food than I needed to eat for dinner.  This is a typical error I make on a regular basis with dieting.  Eric isn't as on board with my new plan as I am, though he's starting to come around, and is always saying words like Chinese, Taco Bell, and pizza to me.  Depending on how much I feel like cooking at the moment and how hungry I am, these words all too often have their way with me and I end up eating junk!

Fortunately for my diet, Eric works the next few nights.

Tuesdays

Tuesdays are another bizarre scheduling day for me.  Breakfast at 8, Lunch around 2, Dinner sometime after 7:30.  Part of my problem is the long gap between breakfast and lunch and another problem is such a late dinner.  This is especially a pain if I have to cook when I get home.  Who wants to cook dinner after being out of the house working/at school all day?  Not I!  Whenever I do have time to cook a meal, usually on the weekends, I try to make extra so I have food during the week.  A big part of sticking to a diet is planning ahead.  This is something I don't always do.  Often I'll just think, "Oh, there's something in the cabinet I can whip up."  But that usually ends up being something not-so healthy, like grilled cheese or noodles.

Soups are a quick and easy favorite of mine, but the canned varieties in the store aren't so satisfying and loaded up with salt.  I think this weekend I will try my hand at canning my own at home.  Sometimes I freeze them, but I think freezing often makes foods lose their consistency.

Today for lunch I had vegetarian stuffed peppers and whole grain rice.  For dinner I will finish up the last of my butternut squash and cashew soup.

Snacks continue to be the same sort of thing: fresh or dried fruit, nuts, Kind bars.  I'd welcome any other suggestions for low-calorie, filling snacks.  Filling is a key word there, a packet of 100 calorie crackers might be low calorie, but hardly filling and just makes you want more.  Portable is another issue.  Eg, I love yogurt, but can't leave it sitting in my car for half the day.

I go grocery shopping tomorrow night, and will be on the hunt for more snacks that meet these requirements and will be sure to post anything new I find.

Smoothie Recipe

I've got breakfast down pat.  Most days this is what I have.  It holds me over and is packed with protein, nutrients and fiber.

All measurements are approximate.  I eyeball everything.

Berry Protein Smoothie

1 small scoop (1/2 cup) fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen mixed berries
1 cup orange juice
1-2 tbs unsweetened plain or vanilla soy-based protein shake mix*
1 tbs fiber Benefiber

Mix all together in a blender for about 30-60 seconds.  This yields about one 16oz cup and has about 300 calories.  Make sure to use fat-free and unsweetened, otherwise you will pack on a lot of extra calories.

*My favorite is Spiru-tein, unsweetened vanilla.  I sometimes also use Genisoy Ultra, unflavored, but it's a little chalky.

Mondays

I got through yesterday successfully despite my crazy schedule.  Today, like most weekdays, I don't get to eat lunch until 2:00 and no dinner until 9:00.  I know these aren't ideal times to eat, but it's really the only time in my schedule.  I usually end up having a bigger than snack, but not quite meal around noon, between classes, and then lunch at 2, but always feel like I'm eating too much.  Plan is to rely on some nuts- which I'm told can curb your appetite and a piece of fruit, then have a big lunch, another snack in the afternoon and a small dinner, maybe a bowl of soup.

Day 2

It's my second day and I'm already off to a rough start.  I woke up this morning with a severe hangover-like headache, though I hadn't been drinking the night before.  The only thing I can think of is that I was dehydrated.  After dinner last night I had some popcorn, which was only my second snack of the day, but it was a little too salty.  It took 3 Tylenol and as many glasses of water before it started to subside, and I didn't get out of bed until  12:30.

Herein lies my first dilemma.  Do I skip breakfast and go straight to lunch?  That never seems to work for me.  I always end up looking for the 3rd meal later in the day.  Also, I have a big dinner planned for tonight because we are having some friends over.  And we will be out of the house from about 2-5.  I decided to opt for a light breakfast- granola, dried fruit and soy milk.  And my game plan is to bring several snacks to munch on throughout the day instead of lunch.  I'm thinking of a Kind bar- nutty, fruity deliciousness, and a couple pieces of fruit. I hope this will hold me over until dinner.

176.4 - 30 Pounds to Go

My starting weigh, measured this morning, as always, in the buff, is 176.4 lbs.  Therefore, my goal is to get down to 146.4 by April 17, 2010.  A person set on becoming thin, I'm sure, could lose the weight more quickly.  My goal, although being thinner is a nice benefit, is not to get super skinny, but rather to get super healthy.

Each week, I will focus on a new aspect of dieting or fitness, with the hopes of establishing good habits that will be long lasting.

This week's challenge- eat 3 meals at regular intervals with healthy, low calorie snacks in between.

I don't buy into the idea of eating lots of little snacks throughout the day.  I understand the concept, maintaining one's blood sugar levels, but I've tried this way and it doesn't work for me.  I just end up eating all day.

The real challenge for me with this goal is scheduling.  My weekday schedule is hectic to say the least.  It's not just that I work a lot.  I also go to school.  On a given day, I am traveling from one place to another in 2 hour intervals, with little time to stop and eat.  Or else, I'm caring so many things out the front door with me in the morning that to bring lunch and possible dinner, as well as snacks is a real challenge.  And there is no place to microwave anything, or fridge to keep things cold it, so I have to really plan ahead.

But, it's the weekend right now.  Here is what I've had to eat so far today-

Breakfast
A protein smoothie with frozen berries and yogurt.
A cup of black coffee

Lunch
A low-fat yogurt
An apple
A handful of pumpkin seeds

Snack
A tablespoon of all natural peanut butter and honey

For dinner, I plan on Quorn patties with wild rice and asparagus.

Quorn is a brand name for something called mycoprotien.  It's a meat substitute which resembles chicken and is a good diet choice because it's low in fat and has a low glycemic index.  This is an important factor for dieters, from what I've read, because it doesn't spike up your blood sugar levels.

Why Write a Blog about My Diet?

A)  Because it will hold me accountable. My hope is that knowing that I must post my weight online on a regular basis and admit to my readers when I breakdown and eat a pint of ice cream will help me stick to my weight loss goals better than I have in the past.

B)  Because I think that there are a lot of people out there like myself who can benefit from reading along with a real person who might be having some of the same struggles.  

C)  Because I wish to create a discussion, an open forum, for people to discuss their trials and success, healthy eating tips, etc.

What brought you here, reader, to this blog about dieting?  Perhaps you are trying to lose weight yourself.  Or you want to become more active.  Or learn how to eat healthier.  My guess is that most people reading this are doing so because they are in some way dissatisfied with their current level of fitness. 

In my adult life, my weight has fluctuated from 150ish to 212 lbs at my highest.  It is a constant struggle for me to lose weight and keep it off.  I turned 30 this year, got married and have been thinking about having a few kids.  For me, it is very important for me to learn to how to have a healthy relationship with food before I am responsible for passing this information down to my future children.

We all have different reasons for wanting to get in shape.  I've gotten to the point in my life when being unfit is not an option for me anymore.  And so I am challenging myself to lose 30 pounds in 30 weeks- not by following a strict diet, but by really learning what it means to be healthy.

I welcome you, reader, to join with me on this challenge.  You might have your own weight loss goals and reasons for wanting to get in shape, but if we do it together it will be easier to stick to and increase our chances of success!