Dearest people who read my blog, I feel so sad that it has taken me so long to write another blog. Work has been so busy and getting ready for the wedding has also started to pick up pace. Only 5 months to go til the big day!! Yikes!! I couldn't be more excited!
Since I've started blogging about my weight loss, many people, even those who don't read this, have asked me what I am eating to lose weight and also what I do at the gym to work out. There really isn't much of a science to what I do, and I truly believe anyone can do it if I can, so I am going to share with you a few of the main meals and snacks I munch on and if you'd like to steal my ideas, please, by all means, do so!
So what does Dani eat for breakfast? It depends on if it is a weekday or a weekend really. I am super lazy so asking me to make something like eggs on a weekday is simply out of the question. Monday through Friday I generally stick to eating 55 grams of Trader Joe's Maple and Brown Sugar Shredded Wheat. That is what their serving size is and it is enough to fill me up until snack time. Also, it is very tasty for those of us with a slight sweet tooth in the morning. A more recent habit I have developed is drinking coffee in the morning. It is only 7 calories for about 8-10 ounces with 1% milk, and I know its a not so great habit to develop, but what do you want from me? I don't smoke cigarettes any more, so this helps me get going in the morning sometimes like the cigarettes used to. Now on the weekends, I have some more time, so I will sometimes toast up either whole wheat bread from traders or one of their whole wheat English muffins and slather the serving size of fat free cream cheese on it along with some jelly for flavor. That will run you about 200 calories or more depending on how much you put on of the toppings. If I am feeling really adventurous in the morning I have been known to make a delicious breakfast that consists of eggs scrambled with peppers, onions, cheddar cheese and topped off with ketchup. Yes, ketchup. You may not like it on your eggs, but this kid does. It's the Jersey in me I guess.
For some pre-lunch snacks, I usually munch on things like bananas or apples on work days. Also I have tried the Trader Joe's Organic Yogurts, which are very tasty and all are under 200 calories a pop. Another yogurt that I have tried and liked for snack time is Danon's 60 Calorie yogurts and they also have tons of yummy flavors. If you like carbs like I do, some other snacks that I like are Trader Joe's Light Kettle Corn. They sell it personal size bags, which i LOVE, and its only 100 calories.
I have a pretty generic lunch that I have been eating for most of my "get heathly" slash "life change" phase. It consists of about 2-3 ounces of baby spinach and then some kind of other vegetable mixed with it. Usually carrots or cucumber and I try to have about 1 ounce of those in the salad. I also measure out my salad dressing to the serving size and put it in a little zip loc baggie which makes it easy to poke a hole in it later and put it on the salad. Two of my favorite salad dressings are Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing and also Trader Joe's Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette. They are both SOO tasty. In addition to the salad, which can be 100-200 calories, depending on which dressing I use, I try to have a little sweet thing with it like a Quaker 90 calorie chewy bar. Those are so yum.
For my pre-gym slash before dinner snack, I usually again will have an apple or a banana. If it is a weekend, I am very likely to go for the whole wheat pita and hummus. Trader Joe's has these great mini whole wheat pitas that are about 60 calories for two of them and they are perfect for a little snack. Also I love Trader's Spicy Hummus as well as their Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus. It's all so delicious. Have I mentioned how obsessed I am with Trader Joe's? Another snack that I will make is a whole wheat English muffin topped with Trader Joe's pizza sauce, 2% cheese, garlic powder, and some Parmesan cheese. The snack all together is 350 calories if you follow all serving sizes and it is DELISH!
Dinner usually varies depending on who is cooking... but some of my favorites have been making grilled chicken (about 4 ounces) with broccoli sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, also lean steak of any kind with mashed cauliflower (tasted JUST like potatoes). Jim and I both love pasta, so we do make whole wheat pasta with some lean ground turkey mixed in every now and again and I just love that as long as its loaded with garlic. I am a garlicholic.
Lots of people don't eat late night snacks, but I feel late night snacking is where I really shine. I can get really creative late at night and usually its when I am most hungry of all. One time I made 1% milk mixed up with some Midnight Moo (Trader Joe's version of chocolate syrup -- its fat free!) and I topped that off with some whipped cream and that will keep you at about 200 calories for a delicious treat. I have also made some tasty late night quesadillas which consist of Trader Joe's whole wheat tortilla, 2% cheeses, serving size of bbq sauce, and 2 ounces of chicken. You just throw that together and put it on the skillet and it is sooo yummy. Also, the most recent late night treat Jim and I have found are Jell-O's mousse treats. We have tried the Caramel Creme and it is to die for if you like caramel flavor.
Well, I hope that gives you a pretty good idea of what I have been eating lately. If you have any questions for me feel free to ask me. If you are wondering if I've had any alcohol lately, the answer is yes, but only on the weekends and only have had vodka tonics with lime and light beer so far. I think I may have my first mid week drink this week for Thanksgiving, but it's a holiday, so we'll allow it, right? Also I would like to update you all on my weight loss, not to brag, but to inspire you. So far this year I have lost 27 pounds. I started this year a depressed 163 pounds and this morning weighed in at 136 and couldn't be happier. I hope to reach my goal weight of 125 by the wedding so keep thinking good thoughts for me and I'll keep sending good vibes your way too!! But seriously guys, it is truly amazing what I have done for myself. All it took was a little push from some friends and family along with some self dedication and I was able to do this. Which means, and yes I will say it over and over again, if I can do it YOU CAN TOO.
Hope all of you have a Happy Thanksgiving 2009!!!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater
As many of you know I am doing everything I can to eat healthy all the time. Well for Halloween instead gorging myself on the candy I bought for trick or treaters, I decided to handle things differently this year. We didn't buy any candy for the small children that never showed up to start. The evening went something like this:
Jimmy and I were hanging out on the couch per usual and he could tell something was wrong with me so he asked "what's wrong with you babe". I replied that it was so depressing to not have any treats on Halloween. That I felt very much like a big uncelebratory non candy eating loser. He asked me over the next few hours "well what can we do to fix it". I, of course, mulled over my decision, contemplating all the terrible things I wanted. My inner fat girl immediately went into full swing. She came up with some amazing ideas like cookies and cake and brownies. Mmmm. However new Dani kept interjecting and ruining things so I just couldn't decide.
So, we decided that we would just go food shopping and see what we found to fulfill my inner fat chicks desires. We went to Trader Joe's first. We got all our normal stuff but nothing there screamed out to me to have it as my treat. We left TJs and moved on to Ralph's.
We went immediately to the Ben and Jerry's section of Ralph's. Very dangerous terrain for my inner fat girl. I stared at the glorious labels on the small cartons of creamy goodness. Guilt set in, so I reached for the chocolate chip cookie dough light. I felt sad that it wasn't really a treat if it was light. I don't know which of us thought it first, but almost as if drawn by scent, we found ourselves in the candy aisle next.
What to pick? What will look best on my thighs after I devour it?? We settled on two boxes of Reese's pieces. One for me and one for him. Jim turned the corner but something else had caught his eye. He had found a bar that we had never seen or eaten before. It was much like a Hershey bar except in each square was Reese's peanut butter. I stared up at my tall fiance and said "we must have it" and without a 2nd thought grabbed it and ran for the register.
We went home and I measured out a serving size of the Reese's pieces. Pretty disappointing to see how little it was but in fairness one serving was 200 calories and I had ice cream and a candy bar to taste too. After that I went for the ice cream. I ate what my eye thought was 1/4 cup, the serving size. I have to admit I was beginning to feel pretty gross about eating all this crap, but just did not care. And of course we saved what we thought would be the best for last. We opened up the Reese's bar and I have to say it was quite anti-climatic. Not enough sugary peanut butter in a square. I had two squares, which was half the serving size for another whopping 100 calories. So in total I think I ate 500 calories, including the ice cream, of deliciousness. Mission accomplished. I was no longer a loser who did not celebrate Halloween and I felt like I had a really successful cheat day.
About an hour after feeling super satisfied with what I was able to consume, I felt sick to my stomach. Cheat day is not all that its cracked up to be after all. I do highly recommend them, because you really can't starve yourself of the good stuff all the time. That's just not fair. But I will admit that it may make your tummy feel upset if you eat lots of candy and ice cream like Jim and I did. Also it may cause you to force your fiance to throw your ice cream away the following day because you are not sure if you can control your urge to eat it again. I may or may not have done that. And my fiance may or may not have poured liquid dish soap on the ice cream before putting it in the trash should I decide to rescue it. We are still reviewing the tapes, so I'll have to get back to you about that. Ahh yes, these are the stories we will some day tell our children.
Jimmy and I were hanging out on the couch per usual and he could tell something was wrong with me so he asked "what's wrong with you babe". I replied that it was so depressing to not have any treats on Halloween. That I felt very much like a big uncelebratory non candy eating loser. He asked me over the next few hours "well what can we do to fix it". I, of course, mulled over my decision, contemplating all the terrible things I wanted. My inner fat girl immediately went into full swing. She came up with some amazing ideas like cookies and cake and brownies. Mmmm. However new Dani kept interjecting and ruining things so I just couldn't decide.
So, we decided that we would just go food shopping and see what we found to fulfill my inner fat chicks desires. We went to Trader Joe's first. We got all our normal stuff but nothing there screamed out to me to have it as my treat. We left TJs and moved on to Ralph's.
We went immediately to the Ben and Jerry's section of Ralph's. Very dangerous terrain for my inner fat girl. I stared at the glorious labels on the small cartons of creamy goodness. Guilt set in, so I reached for the chocolate chip cookie dough light. I felt sad that it wasn't really a treat if it was light. I don't know which of us thought it first, but almost as if drawn by scent, we found ourselves in the candy aisle next.
What to pick? What will look best on my thighs after I devour it?? We settled on two boxes of Reese's pieces. One for me and one for him. Jim turned the corner but something else had caught his eye. He had found a bar that we had never seen or eaten before. It was much like a Hershey bar except in each square was Reese's peanut butter. I stared up at my tall fiance and said "we must have it" and without a 2nd thought grabbed it and ran for the register.
We went home and I measured out a serving size of the Reese's pieces. Pretty disappointing to see how little it was but in fairness one serving was 200 calories and I had ice cream and a candy bar to taste too. After that I went for the ice cream. I ate what my eye thought was 1/4 cup, the serving size. I have to admit I was beginning to feel pretty gross about eating all this crap, but just did not care. And of course we saved what we thought would be the best for last. We opened up the Reese's bar and I have to say it was quite anti-climatic. Not enough sugary peanut butter in a square. I had two squares, which was half the serving size for another whopping 100 calories. So in total I think I ate 500 calories, including the ice cream, of deliciousness. Mission accomplished. I was no longer a loser who did not celebrate Halloween and I felt like I had a really successful cheat day.
About an hour after feeling super satisfied with what I was able to consume, I felt sick to my stomach. Cheat day is not all that its cracked up to be after all. I do highly recommend them, because you really can't starve yourself of the good stuff all the time. That's just not fair. But I will admit that it may make your tummy feel upset if you eat lots of candy and ice cream like Jim and I did. Also it may cause you to force your fiance to throw your ice cream away the following day because you are not sure if you can control your urge to eat it again. I may or may not have done that. And my fiance may or may not have poured liquid dish soap on the ice cream before putting it in the trash should I decide to rescue it. We are still reviewing the tapes, so I'll have to get back to you about that. Ahh yes, these are the stories we will some day tell our children.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Standing Up or Sitting Down?
Today I started a new experiment with my body. I came into work and decided that this week I will stand up rather than sitting at my desk. I am doing this so that I can see what the difference is in my calorie burn for the hours I am at work from when I was sitting before. Thanks to my trusty body bugg, which counts my calorie burn, it makes this experiment much easier.
I am already starting to see a difference as I sit here blogging from the gym on my blackberry. So far today I have burned 100 more calories than last Monday when I was seated. I have also noticed that I feel less tired while I stand. One unpleasant element would be my soar feet and back, but if I remember right from my waiting tables days, this should eventually subside. Its so weird what a difference simply standing can make.
I managed to also raise an eyebrow or two with my standing up at my cube. I was asked by one person why I was standing today and if I had back problems. After explaining my little science experiment to them, they expressed that they thought what I was doing was neat. Its always nice when people find what I'm doing interesting. Then on the other hand I have the nay sayers. For example, I was pulled aside and asked again about my standing. But before I could really explain myself, I soon realized I had already been slightly judged by them saying "you know who used to stand all the time"... And I knew who they were referring to and am fully aware of how this person was not looked upon favorably by all at the office. The point is my judger thought it might deter me from standing. They were wrong. They also went on to suggest that maybe I should just go for jog during lunch if I am calorie counting. I laughed and made it very clear that I already do that.
The point is that no matter what you do that is different from the norm, people will always judge you, whether they realize that's what they've done or not. I will not sit down because someone is concerned that I might be compared to someone else who used to work here that wasn't well liked. That is just silly. So, I encourage all of you to do as you please and not to give a crap about others and their opinions. Because you know what they say, opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one and they all STINK.
Disclaimer: I do realize this person who tried to get me to stop standing up did it out of the kindness of their heart and do not discount them for that all.
I am already starting to see a difference as I sit here blogging from the gym on my blackberry. So far today I have burned 100 more calories than last Monday when I was seated. I have also noticed that I feel less tired while I stand. One unpleasant element would be my soar feet and back, but if I remember right from my waiting tables days, this should eventually subside. Its so weird what a difference simply standing can make.
I managed to also raise an eyebrow or two with my standing up at my cube. I was asked by one person why I was standing today and if I had back problems. After explaining my little science experiment to them, they expressed that they thought what I was doing was neat. Its always nice when people find what I'm doing interesting. Then on the other hand I have the nay sayers. For example, I was pulled aside and asked again about my standing. But before I could really explain myself, I soon realized I had already been slightly judged by them saying "you know who used to stand all the time"... And I knew who they were referring to and am fully aware of how this person was not looked upon favorably by all at the office. The point is my judger thought it might deter me from standing. They were wrong. They also went on to suggest that maybe I should just go for jog during lunch if I am calorie counting. I laughed and made it very clear that I already do that.
The point is that no matter what you do that is different from the norm, people will always judge you, whether they realize that's what they've done or not. I will not sit down because someone is concerned that I might be compared to someone else who used to work here that wasn't well liked. That is just silly. So, I encourage all of you to do as you please and not to give a crap about others and their opinions. Because you know what they say, opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one and they all STINK.
Disclaimer: I do realize this person who tried to get me to stop standing up did it out of the kindness of their heart and do not discount them for that all.
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