Finding my way back to sexy

Hello my fair weather friend...

2009-04-28T16:23:47Z

So...The diet has not been going so well as you may have noticed from lack of updates. But I am nothing if not persistant.

My weight went all the way up to 160...I'm now back at 157 as of this morning. I continue to try to monitor my food intake.

Recently I came across a couple of really yummy frozen dinners that I thought I'd share. These seem to help me in being convenient and stopping me from getting fast food. I figure microwaved lunch isn't the best, but it certainly is better than the evils of wendy's or taco bell.

Healthy Choices has a couple of really good ones:

Pumpkin Ravioli w/ asparagus

And the potstickers are also very tasty.

Ok...I'm really serious this time.

2009-03-15T16:10:20Z

Got on the scale this a.m. 157.4 lbs...wtf.

Where did these 7 lbs come from???? I was only 10 lbs away from my 140 goal and now it's 17.....this has GOT to stop. Like right now.

Speaking of Crab stuff and HG...

2009-03-10T15:47:32Z

This looked fantabulous...

This crab cake recipe is so good, we're actually embarrassed for other crab cakes. Seriously. We are. P.S. Sure, this recipe calls for a lot of ingredients, but many of them are kitchen staples, and the recipe is SO, SO worth it!

Ingredients:
Two 6-oz. cans lump crabmeat, drained (about 1 cup drained crabmeat)
2 1/2 slices light white bread (40 - 45 calories each with around 2g fiber per slice), lightly toasted
One wedge The Laughing Cow Light Original Swiss cheese, room temperature
3 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
2 tbsp. finely diced onion
2 tbsp. finely diced celery
1 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 tbsp. Best Foods/Hellmann's Dijonnaise
1/2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh curly parsley
1 tsp. min ced garlic
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. whipped light butter or light buttery spread (like Brummel & Brown), melted
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
dash hot pepper sauce (like Tabasco)
dash salt, or more to taste
dash black pepper, or more to taste
Butter-flavored nonstick spray
Optional: additional Dijonnaise (for dipping), lemon wedges

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Tear lightly toasted bread into pieces and place in a food processor or blender. Pulse until reduced to breadcrumbs, and then transfer to a medium bowl.

Add crabmeat, parsley, garlic, salt, and black pepper to the bowl, and gently mix until combined. Add onion and celery, lightly mix again, and set aside.

Break cheese wedge into pieces and place in a small bowl. Add egg substitute, mayo, Dijonnaise, lemon juice, melted butter, Worcestershire sa uce, and hot pepper sauce. Whisk until smooth, and pour over the crabmeat mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the liquid mixture into the crabmeat mixture. If you like, add additional salt and black pepper to taste.

Prepare a medium-large baking dish by spraying with butter-flavored nonstick spray. Take one-third of the crab cake mixture (about 3/4 cup) from the bowl. Gently form it into a ball, place it in the baking dish, and flatten it into a cake about 1-inch thick -- repeat twice with remaining crab mixture so that you have 3 cakes in the baking dish.

Bake in the oven for 14 - 15 minutes, until the cakes are slightly firm and cooked through. Remove carefully from the dish and serve with additional Dijonnaise for dipping and/or lemon wedges for squirting!

MAKES 3 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1 (very large!) crab cake
Calories: 117
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 799mg
Carbs: 11.5g
Fiber: 2.25g
Sugars: 2.5g
Protein: 14g

POINTS® value 2*

Day 001- Meal

2009-03-10T01:26:37Z

maybe I shouldn't have decided my first day of eating well would be one of the few days Erik is actually home...He made me do it...

B: chik fil a - chicken & cheese biscuit (12 pts), lemonade (2 pts)
L: big mac & fries (23 pts)
D: spaghetti (6 pts)
S: 2 choc chip coookies (4 pts)

Pts: 47...ugh ugh ugh...depressing.

HG and weigh in

2009-03-09T12:06:55Z

If you've been reading along, you'll know that I am a ww and a HG (Hungry Girl) fan. I noticed these in my inbox lately and thought I'd share.

HG Book Tour Survey!
http://admin.hungry-girl.com/polls/hgpoll.php?pid=54

Also- they had these yummy crab recipes that I thought looked pretty good...
http://hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetails.php?isid=1049

Morning's weight: 157.4...wtf...

Brand New Day 001

2009-03-09T03:38:38Z

I am restarting my fitness calendar starting today (well tomorrow morning actually--but we'll say today for now).

I have two goals.

My sister's wedding Memorial Day weekend (2 months from now). Goal: Lose 10-15 lbs.

&

My 20 year Highschool Reunion Aug 1st. Goal: Maintain 15 lb loss from May and add definition and muscle as well as cardio fitness.

I don't think these goals are out of my reach. I have come a long way so far...Started at 187 lbs post Tanner (April 08) and my current weight is 156.4 lbs as of this morning....

Here I go!!! Food log tomorrow ;-)

Day 295

2009-02-04T01:35:25Z

Food Log:
B: 2 slices french toast w/ syrup
L: ham & cheese sandwich, 1 slice Kashi pizza leftover
D: 1/2 char-hut pulled pork dinner w/ 2 plantains, black beans over rice (Erik was home today. Can you tell???) ugh...
S: popcorn w/ m&ms

Pts: 40 (egads!!!)

I think today will be my official cheat day...

Day 294

2009-02-03T00:17:50Z

Food Log:
B: ww egg mcmuffin
L: ham & cheese sandwich
D: 3 slices "healthy" Kashi pizza
S: 2 cookies

Pts: 35

Wt: 153.8

Day 292

2009-01-31T03:15:39Z

Food Log:
B: ww egg mcmuffin
S: 3 ritz crackers, laughing cow lite
L: grilled chz w/ ham, 1/2 c chkn noodle soup, 7 doritos
D: ww chkn pot pie (1 c)
S: 3 chocolate chip cookies...bad me made them tonight under the guise of needing to do it for my ongoing cookbook project.

Pts: 34 pts

I really need to cut down my points...ugh...still not there.

I didn't weigh myself this a.m. I think I'll wait til Monday since it's been so depressing lately.

Day 291

2009-01-30T15:11:31Z

(This was for Jan 29th)
Food Log:
B: 2 cinnamon rolls, coffee
L: 2 mcd's cheeseburgers, 4 ff's
S: fiber one granola bar
D: ww chicken pot pie/shepherd's
S: choc pudding

Pts: 36
Wt: 155 lbs (probably from what I ate the day before...badness)

I know I should be logging what I ate even when it's bad but this is just soooo depressing...

Day 290

2009-01-29T15:07:06Z

(This was from Jan 28)
Food Log:
B: egg mcmuffin- ww
S: 2 blueberry muffins
L: shepher'ds pie leftover
D: hot dog and 1 slice wheat bread
S: cherry cheesecake pudding (tasted pretty good!)
S: popcorn w/ m&ms

Pts: 36

Not good...

Was 154 in the am...

Day 289

2009-01-28T02:11:55Z

Ugh...not good.
155

I understand why I've gained. I've been a very bad eater.

so...
Here's the plan. I will be posting my daily food logs again. Oh joy! I know you've all missed them so!!!!!!!!!!!!

Food Log
B: 1 piece french toast w/ syrup, 1 cup coffee
L: 1/2 leftover been&cheese quesadilla, 1 c portion of shepherd's pie
S: 7 doritos
D: burrito supreme, meximelt
S: choc pudding

Pts: 38

Day 270

2009-01-09T02:19:58Z

152.3

12 lbs to go...

Day 263

2009-01-01T15:26:18Z

The holiday damage report is not good...number of pounds gained over the holidays...7

Ugh..Back to the drawing board

Current weight: 154.6

SV

2008-11-22T02:15:36Z

I've been putting off weighing myself for fear of what I might see.

I was being silly-- I got the most lovely surprise this a.m. 147.4 lbs !!!!!!!!! I have lost a total of 40 lbs now!!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!

NSV

2008-10-30T02:41:35Z

So, I finally got up the nerve and time to look through the very back of my closet. I found 3 bags of clothes I kept from my semi-skinny days of about 4 years ago. Almost everything fit!!!!!!!

And most importantly of all...the leather pants fit the best of all ;-)

.

Day 195

2008-10-25T12:44:13Z

I finally got up the nerve to weigh myself this morning. I have been feeling kind of fat and Im not sure why.

Well, surprise surprise but I am weighing.....ready?

148 lbs!!!!!!!!!!

I have been trying to watch what I eat for the most part. Last night I slipped though and had a wendy's single with cheese meal. How horrible is that? I guess it helped that I had been good for the past several days but wow.

I think I need to make a new kind of goal for myself. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and start some kind of exercise program? Maybe when I reach 145 lbs I will start up something like weight lifting or pilates....I have done both of these types of routines in the past and know enough to be able to start them up if the motivation is there...Although I've lost a bunch of weight (39 lbs now!!!!!!!) I still have the c-section pooch that I'd like to fix. I'm sure if I did some type of toning exercises and maybe got a workout ball and used it regularly that would help my prob area. Must. think. Must. Motivate. Self....

Back in the saddle again...

2008-10-14T11:51:38Z

So....after two weeks of hiatus...the grand total is....152. I'm actually surprised it wasn't more after the wings, slice of pizza and jalapeno poppers last night. I have to say though--that other than last night, I have been somewhat conscious of the things I've been eating even though I hadn't actively been counting points. Last night was a special occasion too...We had a goodbye dinner for some old friends that are moving away and they wanted to eat takeout from one of their favorite places. I figured what the heck--might as well do it good if I"m gonna do it. So---starting today I am back again until the holidays.
.

Food Journal: (planned)
B: Egg sandwich ww style
S: fiber one bar
L: ham & cheese sandwich
D: Grilled chicken, broc, potato
S: pudding

Long lost polka dot bikini....

2008-10-11T20:06:15Z

I hardly remember buying this thing over 3 years ago. The tags were still on it. This is the first time I would even consider wearing it outside of the house. What do you think? Should I?

.

Day 173

2008-10-03T12:19:02Z

I've been on vacay with the fam for the past several days and am just about to go again for another week. This is most def. one of my biggest challenges--trying to stay on track and eat healthy when I'm visiting with family or friends. We go out to eat and then I'm usually screwed. It's usually so much easier to resist the bad stuff when I avoid restaurants...ugh...

Anyway. I intend to eat healhy today. Here's what's on the menu:
B: Egg McMuffin WW style
S: fiber one bar
L: ham & cheese sandwich
D: ground turkey hamburger helper
S: chcolate pudding w/ splenda

I love sloppy joe's. I'm fairly certain they're not on the plan, but still need to look up how bad they are. Note to self...

Anyway, I also really like chili. This Chili Cheeseburger looks awesome to me!!!!

HG Chili Cheeseburger Recipe

Ingredients:
1 small hamburger bun (light, if available) 
1 Boca Meatless Burger, Original 
1 slice fat-free American cheese 
2 tbsp. low-fat veggie chili (like one by Boca, Amy's or Health Valley)
4 pickle slices/chips
2 tomato slices
1 onion slice
1 tbsp. mustard

Directions:
Split bun in half and toast lightly. Layer pickles, tomato, and onion on the bottom half of the bun. Cook Boca patty according to the instructions on the box (either in a pan with nonstick spray, or in the microwave). Place burger over the veggies on the bun's bottom half. Prepare chili according to package directions. Top the burger with the chili and then the cheese slice. Slap the mustard onto the top half of the bun. Plop the bun top over the cheese and chili patty. Now, the most important step of all... Enjoy! MAKES 1 SERVING

Serving Size: 1 burger (entire recipe)
Calories: 273
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 1,330mg
Carbs: 40g
Fiber: 8g
Sugars: 8g
Protein: 25g

POINTS® value 5*

Please remind me not to weigh myself when I know I've been bad for several days. Ugh...

Day 152

2008-09-13T03:19:14Z

Food Journal:
B: crunchy cereal-- hated it but only had 5 min before leaving to drop R at school.
S: fiber one bar
L: 2 steak soft tacos, 1 chkn soft taco
S: very small portion of leftover ww chicken pot pie
D: Chicken parm w/ lowfat cheese and 1/2 angel hair noodles

Pts: 27

I'm not sure what my weight was this a.m. as I forgot to weigh myself. I think I'm doing better though. Yesterday I was back at 152.4 so that was good news. Slowly but surely...

Man oh man...have I ever told you all how I adore peaches and peach cobbler? It is my all-time fav dessert.

Peach Cobbler

desserts

Was POINTS® Value: 7
Now POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 18 min
Cooking Time: 26 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Our cobbler uses reduced-calorie margarine and fat-free milk instead of butter and whole milk – swaps that your taste buds won't notice, but the scale will!

Ingredients

6 medium peach(es), sliced
6 1/3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp table salt
3 Tbsp reduced-calorie margarine
1/2 cup fat-free skim milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
In a large saucepan, combine peaches, 1/3 cup of the sugar (5 1/3 tablespoons), cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon; toss to coat peaches. Set pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook until mixture thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to an 8-inch square baking pan.
To make the topping, in a large bowl, combine flour, remaining tablespoon of sugar, baking powder and salt. Work in margarine with a fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and stir until flour mixture is evenly moistened.
Drop 8 tablespoons of topping mixture onto peach mixture. Bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces and serve.

Day 149

2008-09-09T12:48:12Z

Ummm...I haven't been doing so well after my recent loss...I don't know why I sabotage myself like this. It's like things aren't exciting enough and I just have to dip down to that low again.

The past couple of days haven't been so good with Erik home either. Not that it's his fault, but I do tend to eat worse when he's around because I give in and eat stuff that he eats just to make things easier. Very bad habit. I should just keep doing what I'm doing. He also tempts me to eat out more because I want to enjoy our "family" time more...ugh....So many excuses and so little time.

Needless to say- I'm back on the wagon again...

Food Journal:
B: egg mcmuffin ww style
S:
L:
D:
S:

Pts:

Wt: 154...ugh....

Fake Fried Green Beans

Ingredients:

For Dip
3 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
2 tbsp. peeled and chopped cucumber
1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. dry ranch dressing/dip mix
1/4 tsp. wasabi paste
dash cayenne pepper

For Green Beans
2 cups (8 oz.) fresh green beans, trimmed
3/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original), ground to a breadcrumb-like consistency in a blender or food processor
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
Optional: additional seasonings, to taste

Di rections:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine dip ingredients in a food processor or small blender (our Magic Bullet works wonders!). Blend until smooth. Place dip in a dish, and then cover and chill in the fridge.

Place the green beans in a large pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cook for 9 minutes. Carefully drain the beans, and then place them in cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process. Drain and dry them well.

Put the egg substitute in a small bowl, and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the Fiber One "breadcrumbs" with the spices (add extra seasonings, if you like). Cover a large baking pan with aluminum foil and/or nonstick spray. Set aside.

Place about 1/3rd of the crumb mixture into a large sealable plastic bag. One by one, dip green beans into the egg substitute, and place them in the bag with the breadcrumbs -- continue this with 1/3rd of the beans. Seal the bag and shake it up. Remove the "breaded" green beans, and place them on the pan. Repeat this process two more times, so all of the beans are coated.

Pop the pan in the oven and cook for 16 minutes, flipping green beans halfway through cooking. Beans are done once they're crispy. Allow green beans to cool slightly, and then serve with the dip. Yum!

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe (dip included)
Calories: 129
Fat: 1.5g
Sodium: 881mg
Carbs: 32.5g
Fiber: 14g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 7g

POINTS® value 2*

Can I get a woot woot?

2008-08-30T12:08:46Z

I think I must have passed some kind of hump here lately because I don't feel like I've been following everything to a T and yet I've been seeing some results on the scale. I mean--I'm not eating all crazy-like...I am still trying to eat healthy wherever possible. I am grateful regardless and happy to see these numbers on the big scale o' drama. Ha ha ha! Woo hoo!!!!!!!!

Weight analysis:
SW: 187
CW: 152.6
GW: 140

Lbs lost =34.4.
Lbs to go =12.6!!!!!!!!!!

SV and a banana bread recipe

2008-08-29T13:33:54Z

153 even this a.m.!!! And that is after a not so spectacular eating routine yesterday. Frankly I am surprised...But I'll take it!!!!!!!!!

I've been looking for a healthier banana bread recipe and this one from HG looks tasty!!!

I gave my HG cookbook to my sis while she was in town because she said she was interested in eating healthier and she was feeling inspired by some of the recipes.

Now I need to go out and get another book...soon!

Until then I'll just cruise their website and grab recipes online I suppose...

Go Bananas!
	Banana bread typically has pretty horrific nutritionals, so we set out to create a guilt-free version. And (tada!) here it is. FYI, if you're looking for a cake-tastic sweet treat with a *POINTS®* value of 2, a fat slice of this stuff topped with Cool Whip Free is the way to go... Ingredients:* 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas) 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) 1/2 cup no-sugar-added applesauce 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt Optional Toppings: no-calorie spray butter, Cool Whip Free *Directions:* Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine both types of flour, Splenda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (in other words, all dry ingredients). In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, egg substitute, applesauce, and vanilla extract (all the wet ingredients). Add this mixture to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until just blended. Spoon batter into a large loaf pan (about 9" X 5") sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly, and then cut into 8 slices. If you like, spritz with some spray butter or spread on some Cool Whip Free. MAKES 8 SERVINGS
	Serving Size: 1 (thick!) slice Calories: 140 Fat: 0.5g Sodium: 267mg Carbs: 31g Fiber: 3.75g Sugars: 7g Protein: 5g *POINTS®* value 2*

Day 134

2008-08-26T02:19:41Z

Food Journal:
B: oatmeal, coffee
L: shepherd's pie (bad-- but oh so good)
D: spaghetti
S: choc/raspberry pudding

Wt: 154.6 (woot!!!)