Hiatus

I am taking a little break.  I have the most insane week, and I know I won't have time to check in.  Be back when I can.

Been away...

I was in DC for the inauguration.  This ultimately meant that I ate mindlessly and drank too much.  Sooo, I am back at 182 as of Wed 1/21.  But, I got right back on the horse, and will turn it around. 

Day 5 Review

Today was kind of a crazy day, but I did my best to stick to the plan.  I got up, weighed in, and had breakfast:

1/2 C quick oats made with water

mixed with:

2 Tbsp almonds

1 cubed apple

apple pie spice

After that I got really busy running around, and totally missed lunch.  So I doubled my calories for dinner to make up for missing lunch.  Dinner was:

1/2 C whole wheat pasta

1 C marinara sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

8 veggie meatballs

This became an 800 cal. meal instead of the 400 cal. it was supposed to be.  Not exactly how it is supposed to be done, but it just wasn't going to happen today.

For my snack, I had:

1/4 C sunflower seeds

1.5 oz aged provolone

10 olives

This came out to 376 calories, which was close enough to 400 for me today.  Tomorrow will probably be another hectic, stressful day.  Things should slow down later in the week, hopefully.

Yay!

Even with my little stumble last night, my 4 day jumpstart was a success!

My starting weight was 182.5

My weight this morning is 179

I am down 3.5 pounds!!

We now move into the main FBD weight loss plan.  I get 4 400 cal. meals a day (the jumpstart was only 1200/day, this is 1600.)  And there is a lot more flexibility in what I eat (no more pints of tomatoes.)  I will post my meals later.

(FYI - I will usually only weight once a week, but because of the jumpstart, I am weighing twice this week.)

Not a great day 4....

So...I fell off the wagon tonight. The day started well. Breakfast was:

1 pkg. instant cream of wheat, prepared with
2/3 C lactose free skim milk
1/4 C sunflower seeds
2 dried plums
Sassy water

(BTW, you can't fool me, call them what you will, dried plums = prunes.)

Lunch was:

4 oz. turkey breast
1 C steamed carrots
1 reduced fat string cheese
Sassy water

(I had left over turkey from last night, because I didn't really like the deli meat.)

I had decided yesterday that I was going to move my snack (smoothie) from late afternoon to after dinner, because I was feeling really hungry later at night. So I did not have a snack at 4 like I have been.

This is where it all goes down hill....

When I get really stressed out, I sometimes get panic attacks. Things have been really stressful for me the last few weeks, but everything just kind of came down on me tonight. I needed to go to the bank, and the closest branch to my house is about 18 miles away, and I don't really know how to get there. I was already stressed about other things, and when I left to head to the bank, multiple things happened at once. I had parked under a tree, and my windshield was dirty, so I hit the cleaner button a few minutes into driving. Of course, because it is 2 degrees outside, it froze, completely obstructing my view. I could feel I was starting to panic, so I was quickly trying to turn on the defroster and the wiper blades, and shift all at the same time, and I stalled the car on a major road. I was able to pull off onto the shoulder and get started again, but right at that moment, the GPS unit died, leaving me with no idea how to get to the bank. I could tell a full blown panic attack was coming on, so I turned around and headed back home so I could have my panic attack in the safety of my house.

After the attacks pass, I get this "panic hangover," and honestly all I want is comfort food. I knew I shouldn't do it, I even said to my husband "It is just going to make me feel worse later." But I couldn't stop. I needed the comfort food to calm me down. So, I did. I had pizza for dinner and some shortbread cookies and a diet coke. And it did help calm me, but I do feel guilty about it and I know I am going to regret it in the morning when I weigh myself.

I do know that this is not a healthy way to deal with my stress and anxiety, and I know that nights like tonight have played a major factor in my weight gain. In order to have successful and sustaining weight loss, I need to find other ways to deal with my anxiety. (Anyone have a Xanax?)

Day 3 Dinner

Tonight's dinner:

3 oz turkey breast cutlet

1/2 C red potatoes roasted with 1 tsp olive oil

1 C fresh steamed green beans

Sassy water

I seasoned the turkey with sage, thyme and black pepper, and cooked it in a pan with cooking spray.  The potatoes got Mrs. Dash (of course!)  It was pretty good.   

I do have to admit that I really miss dessert.  I am just used to having it, so my mind is saying "Hey, where's dessert?!?!"  Water doesn't quite take the place of ice cream :)

Tomorrow is the last day of the 4 day jump start.  I will be glad to be rid of the repetition.  I need something that is not cereal for breakfast!!  

Day 3

Today has been better than yesterday, hunger-wise.  Here was the meal break-down:

Breakfast:

1 C corn flakes

1 C lactose free skim milk

1/2 C raisins

1/4 C sunflower seeds

Sassy water

Lunch:

4 oz. deli turkey breast

1 reduced fat string cheese

1 pint grape tomatoes

Sassy water

Snack:

Peach smoothie with flax seed oil

These smoothies have been really good.  They are just 1 cup of fruit with 1 cup of lactose free skim milk and ice.  Add in a Tbsp of flax seed oil, and yuuum.  If you don't have/like the flax seed oil, you can have 1/4 c sunflower seeds instead.  But flax seed oil is something my dr. has been telling me to take for a long time, so I figure I should start to listen :)

Nighttime Day 2

So I had my first chicken in a looooong time.  It was pretty good, but there was a red veiny thing that kinda creeped me out.  The menu was:

3 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 C crimini mushrooms sauteed with 1 tsp olive oil

1/2 C cooked brown rice

Sassy water

The chicken was supposed to be grilled, but it was way cold out and I totally forgot we have a Forman, so I did it in a pan with some cooking spray.  I also put some Mrs. Dash on it before I cooked it.  The mushrooms were the highlight.  I love mushrooms!  But I can't use salt, and garlic is not on the list of approved spices, so they were a little boring.  I have been Mrs. Dash-ing everything (as you may have noticed) because it is one of the only approved things to use.  I never realized what a salt addict I am until now.

The best part about this diet is the Sassy water.  The name is stupid, but man is it yummy!  I find water boring, which is why I drink so much juice and diet soda.  But with the ginger, cucumber, mint and lemon, the water is so refreshing and flavorful!  Even if I don't stick with this particular diet, I will definitely keep making this water.  (And with a little rum, it would be a tasty mojito!)

My hunger level today was a little higher than yesterday.  I have had a little twinge of hunger for most of the day about 1-2 hrs after eating.  I know that I just need to shrink my stomach down and get used to eating smaller, normal sized portions, but it is tough.  I am trying to stay full on water.  I am used to Weight Watchers, where even if you use all your points, there are 0 pt. snacks that you can have.  This is 3 meals and a snack, period.  I think it gets more flexible after the first 4 days.

I just made plans for the weekend with friends.  We will see how tough it is to eat out on the FBD...

Day 2

Breakfast today called for:

1 C Rice Krispies

1 C lactose free skim milk

4 oz. pineapple

1/4 C sunflower seeds

Sassy Water

Pretty much the same as yesterday, except I got to have fresh pineapple.  There is nothing better than fresh pineapple.  And everyone should own one of these :

Best invention ever!  Ever tried cutting up a pineapple?  Pain in the ass.  This thing is magical.

Lunch consisted of:

3 oz. white tuna

1 C steamed baby carrots

1 reduced fat string cheese

Sassy Water

Tuna was not very exciting...it was just out of the can.  I did sprinkle some Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb on it.  

Now I am off to have my afternoon snack, another smoothie.  But today it is a pineapple smoothie with flaxseed oil as opposed to yesterday's blueberry with flaxseed oil.  And did I save my pineapple shell this morning so I can drink my smoothie out of it and pretend it's a fruity rum drink???  You bet I did.

Something's A Little Fishy...

So I just had my first non-vegetarian meal in 15 years.  And I have to say, it was pretty tasty!  Here is what was on the menu:

1 C steamed green beans

4 oz tilapia, baked 

1/2 C red potatoes w/ 1 tsp olive oil, roasted

sassy water

We did put some Mrs. Dash on the fish and the potatoes (that is an allowed spice.)  I was really nervous to try the fish, but I actually liked it!  Which is funny, because pre-vegetarian, I hated fish.

So day 1 went well.  I am a little hungry right now, but not terribly.  I am having a glass of water to fill up.  Hopefully it will continue to go okay until I lose these 50 pounds!

Day 1 Afternoon

Okay, so I did my measurements.  Boy was that depressing!  Here it is, in black and white (all measurements are in inches):

Left Arm: 13.5

Right Arm: 14.5

Chest: 42.5

Waist: 34.25

Belly: 43.5

Hips: 46.5

Left Thigh: 29

Right Thigh: 29.5

Not pretty....

My lunch menu was as follows:

4 oz. of SmartDeli Turkey Style slices (veggie lunch 'meat')

1 pint grape tomatoes 

1 reduced fat string cheese

sassy water

Yes, that does say 1 pint of grape tomatoes.  I love tomatoes, but by the end of the bowl, I was getting a little tired of them.

Now, according to the FBD book, you are supposed to follow the first 4 days of the diet (the jumpstart) to the letter.  But, I am not comfortable with having animal proteins for 2 meals a day yet, so I switched out the 4 oz. of turkey breast with 4 oz. of SmartDeli turkey (which, by the way, is not my favorite.)

I am now off to have my snack, a blueberry smoothie with a side of sunflower seeds.  I will report back after dinner, and my first attempt at eating meat in 15 years.  (Tonight it is Tilapia.)

Day 1

This is day 1 of my 9 millionth attempt at lasting weight loss. I decided that writing about it might keep me honest. We'll see. I would like to lose 50 pounds (well, 52.5 to be exact.) Right now I am doing the Flat Belly Diet (aka FBD), but that will probably change to some sort of FBD/Weight Watchers hybrid in coming weeks. I plan to keep track of my meals daily, and my weight and measurements weekly. So here we go:

Starting Weight: 182.5 (yikes)
(And because I hate it when I read these things and have no point of reference, I am 5'3" tall.)

Here is me. I don't have a 'stand againt the wall looking fat and miserable' picture, but this was taken this weekend. I look pregnant. I'm not. (Why am I with Elvis, you may ask? It was my mom's 50th Birthday party. Her best friend hired an Elvis.)

I'll get my measurements later in the day, I am home alone right now, and it is hard to get accurate measurements on yourself. I'll post those later. On to the food log:

Breakfast:

1 C cornflakes

1 C lactose free skim milk

1/2 C unsweetened applesauce

1/4 C roasted sunflower seeds

Glass of Sassy Water

The "Sassy Water" is a thing in the FBD book. It is water with fresh ginger, cucumber, lemon and mint in it. Yo put it all together and let it steep overnight. It is supposed to calm and soothe the GI tract. You are supposed to drink 2 liters per day. It actually tastes pretty good, kinda like ginger ale or something.

The first 4 days of this FBD are supposed to be an "Anti-Bloat Jumpstart," so the foods are a little stranger than I would regularly eat (ex.: sunflower seeds for breakfast.) I am not usually a diet book kind of gal, but I am giving it a try. My mom is doing it as well, so hopefully that will help.

Something I forgot to mention is that I have been a vegetarian for the past 15 years. However, my diet has been pretty poor, and my weight has yo-yoed. I have also recently been having health issues and found out that my cholesterol is 256 (should be between 100-199.) Because of all this, I have decided to try adding fish and chicken back into my diet. It seems ironic that I would add meat into my diet to lower my cholesterol, but because I am a vegetarian married to, and surrounded by, meat-eaters, I usually eat convenience-type foods instead of well rounded meals. I am hoping that adding a little bit of these lean proteins into my diet will help with my health. I am willing to try.