Supplements, Diet, and Energy

Today is Thursday and I have to say that after "watching" what I eat, I have more energy. I heard that it would happen and it has. That is one of the biggest perks. I have to admit that in addition to loading up on the veggies, I owe a lot of energy credit to the dietary supplements that I've been taking. So, here they are:

Vitamin D3 for my immune system and bone health.

Iron for my anemia-I tried to do it without it, but my body just doesn't make enough red blood cells on it's own.

B-Complex-this is to help my body turn food into energy. It helps absorb the iron and helps metabolize food.

Prenatal Vitamins-no I'm not pregnant but they are packed with everythign, including extra iron.

Every day I take these. Also, every day I eat either broccoli or spinach for the iron and avocado, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries for antioxidants and yogurt for the calcium.

2 More Down, 96 to go

96 more pounds is crazy! I think I can, I think I can. It's slow but at least it isn't 104 lbs-I could have very easily gone that way. Time to add in----exercise. Not too thrilled with that. At all, really. But alas, tomorrow night I will be going on a walk, weather permitting, with Judi and "A".

Recipe from Ann (as posted by Ann)

Fillets and Spinach with Balsamic Vinaigrette
from B. Homes and Gardens

1 pound fresh or frozen fish fillet - white flaky fish of any kind. 3/4" to 1" thick.
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves trimmed
3 Tbsp olive oil or cooking oil
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 medium red or yellow sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey

I strayed a little from recipe by not measuring the salt and pepper and using a mix of red and yellow sweet pepper.

Pat dry thawed or fresh fillets, salt and pepper and set aside

Place spinach in a large bowl and set aside.

In a large skillet cook onion in 1 Tbps olive oil on medium heat for 5 - 6 minutes until tender and slightly golden. You don't want them crunchy. Add sweet peppers and cook for a minute more (I cooked until they were semisoft and crunchy in the onions.
Stir onions and peppers into bowl of spinach and cover.

Add last two Tbsp of Olive Oil and turn up heat to medium high heat and cook fish for 4 minutes. Carefully turn fish and reduce heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes.

Transfer spinach mixture to a platter and place fish on top. Cover to keep warm.

For vinaigrette, in a small bowl mix balsamic vinegar and honey together. Add to skillet. Cook and stir until heated through, scraping up any browned bits. To serve, spoon vinaigrette over fish and spinach mixture.

It took me longer to type this with my toddler in the room than it did to actually make this dish. My husband loved it and wanted it the next night for dinner. I made it on Saturday and we are having it again tonight (monday). He insisted.

It's very fresh tasting and not heavy with seasonings but still very tasty and obviously very healthy. Bon Appetit!

A Recipe

My dear friend Joy gave me the book "Hungry Girl-200 under 200" for my birthday and I've been perusing it but have not made the leap in making any. That is going to change. I am going to challenge myself to make at least 1 new recipe or try a new food each week. My friend Ann put up a great fish recipe that I am going to try and tonight I'm going to make the recipe below from the 200 under 200. It will be my lunch and Judi's lunch tomorrow.

1 bag of broccoli slaw mix
chicken breast, cooked 12 oz or so
1 can water chestnuts, drained/sliced
1 cup canned mandarin orange segments, drained &chopped (rinse if in juice)
1 cup scallions
3/4 c newman's own lighten up! low fat sesame ginger dressing (I couldn't find this so I am using Wishbon's version-also cheaper)

Toss together, refrigerate at least 2 hours. Stir very well before serving.

OH,YEAH--it was weigh day today! 2 more

A Day at the Park

I am not a fan of physical exercise. Not a fan at all but I listen to my friends and they say that they like it, or at least they are growing to like it. I know that if I am serious about losing weight, I am going to have to do it. I am going to have to learn to like exercise. Will I? I don't know but I do know that today I went to the park with our son and I had a blast. We built things with sand, went swinging on swings, and did twirls down the sliding board (he did-I just caught him). I chased after him. I laughed and he giggled. We had fun. It was a lovely 62 degrees. It was fun...and it was exercise. I'm in love with A's smile so I would have to say that any kind of exercise that makes him smile like as big as he did, I can definitely fall in love with.

Off the wagon?

If you've been wondering if I fell off the wagon, I didn't. It's been a few days I know but I took 2 days off because typing hurt a bit. Apparantly, you should never mix lysol and bleach together (even when indirect) because it will burn you. I'm fine now, just a bit red but the pain has faded away.

I have been doing well. I have been eating regular food but have been minding my portions and making much better choices. For instance, with my grilled cheese sandwich today I had an apple and sun chips. Indulgent? No, they are multi-grain bits of loveliness and when portion controlled they are sensible. In the past, I may have had a grilled cheese to go along with my other grilled cheese. Or, perhaps, cheese balls (my weakness).

Here are some of my favorite foods and why I like them so much:

Breakfast:
Blueberry Muffin MiniWheat
Why? Because they are one of the few cereals that give you 90% of your daily iron, which I need because of the anemia. They are delicious, nutritious, and filling. I often throw in fresh blueberries for an extra antioxidant boost.

Lunch:
Awesome salad esp. when topped with some warm chicken
Why? It is a smorgasboard of vitamins, antioxidants, and protein.

Dinner:
This one is more difficult. I make a lot of chicken but I wouldn't say that that is my favorite. I love the recipes from WW magazine. I also love some internet finds. So, let me give you a pasta fave.
SmartTaste pasta with scallops and tomato sauce
Why? First off, everyone should get at least 10 tbls of TOMATO SAUCE every week for they lycopene that your body needs. The best way to get it is solely through sauce, not by sliced tomatoes or any other form. Lycopene is an antioxidant and a cancer fighter. It fights prostate, mouth, and other cancers. It may prevent osteoparosis and it guards against diabetes. The scallops are packed with iron and tastiness. Below, I'll share how I prepare it.

Snack:
This is a tye between hummus and pita chips/vanilla yogurt with fruit and flax
They are really great. The hummus is yummy but the yogurt is full of tasty calcium and the fruit is an antioxidant frenzy.

Pasta w/Scallops and Tomato Sauce

Sauce:
Onions, Garlic, Crushed Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, Olive Oil (I make large vats and freeze it)

How to prepare the scallops:
I saute onions and garlic in white wine and olive oil until translucent. Then, I add scallops and parsley-saute together until they break at fork tip. Then I add the sauce and simmer it all together. While this is all going on, I make the pasta. Once completed, I drain pasta and top with the scallop sauce. Delicious!

100 lbs on the wall, 100 lbs. Take 2 lbs,pass them around...98 lbs on the wall

Yes, a whole 2 pounds. Last Wednesday I was already at a 4 pounds loss so there was a disconnect after that day. At least I didn't gain from last Monday. Where did I go wrong? Where did I go right? Here's my hypothesis:

Right-ate lots of the green stuff and drank a ton of water

Wrong-somewhere decided I didn't have to measure, I could "eyeball" it, thinking weekends were a free pass because I had been good through the week, and butter is not my friend. I made seafood yesterday and what is better with a lobster tail than butter? Happy Valentine's Day to me. Oh yeah, I also reserve soda for special occassions. It's not in our house-I don't buy it at the grocery store or gas stations anymore. For some reason, I felt that visiting my inlaws-who religiously keep Pepsi in their fridge-was a special occassion. Perhaps it would have been had they been having a picnic or it was Christmas or something. Maybe even if I only saw them on occassion-but I see them 2 to 3 times a week to help take care of them(cooking, mail, garbage, doctor appointments..etc) I only had 1 but that was more than I should have. Dr. Oz says that it takes 2 weeks for your body to adjust to a new habit. I wanted to do that with soda. I lasted 7 days. Perhaps the guilt I feel now will be enough to not have another one.

So, for now, I will be happy with the 2 pounds. For someone as large as me, 2 pounds is nothing-especially for the first week. Of course, I started to watch before my official 100 lb countdown began so maybe that wasn't bad. Any weight off of my frame is a loss and a good thing. At Weight Watchers, we learned that for every 10 lbs you lose, you lose 30 lbs of pressure off of your knees. The Biggest Loser and Dr. Oz say that if you can lose 5% of your body weight you begin to feel tremendously better and when you lose 10 of your body weight, your sugars get better-sometimes even to the point where people can come off of diabetes pills. My mom is like that-already off of one of her pills. I'll take the loss and just get over the disappointment. Rather than sulk, I'll walk. If I wasn't typing into the blog or I didn't have a son I love more than life, I would be burying my disappointment in a bowls of pasta. Instead, I'm releasing my feelings to the world wide web and will shortly be burying my head in a bowl of blueberry mini shredded wheat-with fresh blueberries thrown in for good measure and antioxidants. Better week ahead!

Day 5: Sodium Overload

So day 5 wasn't great. If I stay within the confines of our house, I do okay. There is no soda, candy, or real fatty foods that are here. Well, we do have sausage because that is one of the few proteins that our son will eat without argument. For the sake of saving time, I made our breakfast at the same time. Pancakes and sausage links. I could have skipped the sausage, but I didn't. I figured that that would be okay because the rest of the day would be sensible. Besides, when I glimpsed at the calories they were reasonable: 170 calories. That's less than 2 100 calorie packs. So I had 1 pancake and a serving of sausage. Mind you, I never looked at the fat content-14 grams-until after I ate them. Subconsciously, I'm sure that was my plan. For lunch? A salad? No, not today. I had 2 oz of ham, a babybel cheese, and brussel sprouts(am I pregnant again? btw...no). So, for dinner I didn't cook because I was going over to my Judi's parents house because we were dropping off the truck that we borrowed. We ordered Chinese. I only ordered wonton soup and an egg roll. It was filling. I was in sodium overload. My fingers swelled and I felt bloated. Not good, not good. So far, today, day 6 has been better. I've been drinking a lot to cleanse out my salt laden tissues. Not real thrilled about yesterday. I can't fall off of the wagon already-I just jumped on.

Day 4-Always a Chore

Yesterday wasn't especially easy for me. It wasn't overly hard either. It was just sort of blah, something obligatory rather than fun. A diet is fun on day one because you are filled with promises and high expectations. Day 2 you are still riding high. Day 3 might have easily lost it's luster had it not been for an outing with some friends. Thursday, day 4 was, well, a chore. I was craving comfort food, especially mac&cheese. That's not exactly diet and the low-fat versions that I've tried haven't struck me as great. I remedied it by concocting a dinner fit for...a qu..myself-and probably only myself but it was edible. I didn't fall off the wagon, partly because of this blog. I may have stuck a foot out. When the calories were added up at the end of the day, I was okay. Not great, but okay.
Here's what I ate:

Breakfast:
Egg Sandwhich

Snack:
Pita chips and Hummus

Lunch:
Awesome Salad
Jello

Snack(I had school and I was freezing): Hot Chocolate

Dinner:
Mac&Concoction
Spinach

Mac&Concoction Recipe

Smart Taste Rotini, 1 Cup (if you are looking for an alternative to reg. pasta, this tastes just like it-with a lot of added fiber and a serving of calcium)
1 2% Cheddar Cheese Stick
1 Babybell Light Cheese
1 palm full of reduced fat monteray jack shredded cheese
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp land o'lakes butter light
2 oz chicken chopped up
1 tbls bread crumbs

Boil pasta, drain, put back in pot. Throw in concoction of cheese and chicken. Reheat, melting the cheese. Pour on a plate and enjoy.

*this recipe will not be found in any cookbook. this recipe was a concoction made from things I had on hand. it satisfied the comfort food craving, was filling, and wasn't terrible tasting.

Day 3: A Friend, A Salad, and 2 Toddlers

Day 3 went well, mostly because of a thoughtful friend. Yesterday was a playdate day for my son and my friend Ann's son. They are cute together, even though they spent a good portion of their time together playing separately-as most toddlers do. I was looking forward to a park outing so he could run off his energy and I could burn off a few calories but it was too chilly and a bit too windy so we stayed indoors. Ann, a twig of a woman, was so very thoughtful about my diet. She made salad for lunch-a delicious salad with spring mix, avocado, pears, pine nuts, cheese, chicken, and good seasons dressing. It was to die for. I had never had a pear in a salad before but it is definitely on my list of future salad ingredients. I'm also going to be purchasing good seasons dressing because it was terrific. Pine nuts--excellent. Everything was terrific. As far as the chicken went, she knows what she did and it was thoughtful and delicious. Our sons ate grilled cheese sandwiches, at least that's what they were supposed to do. Toddlers never do what you want them to do. At any rate, friends, salads, and two happy, smiley toddlers made for a great day 3. Here's what I ate:

Breakfast:
Cinnamon-Raison Bread w/ whipped cream cheese

Lunch:
Ann's Awesome Salad

Dinner:
Pasta (portioned out) with homemade tomato sauce & scallops

Snack:
Vanilla yogurt w/ blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and flax

Cheers to friendship!

Day 2: Not bad at all...

Day 2 was as expected: not bad at all. It was a day filled with "leaves" and berries. Here is what I ate yesterday, day 2 of my 100 lb journey.

Breakfast:
Coffee
Raisen Toast w/whipped cream cheese

Snack:
No snack

Lunch:
2 Sirloin (homemade)meatballs
Side of Awesome Salad

Dinner:
Fish (trying to like it)
Broccoli
Instant mashed potatoes (I prefer homemade, but for weight loss reasons and the suggestion of WW, instant are a lot less in calories and fat.

Snack:
Vanilla yogurt w/strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and flax

Oh year, and lots and lots of water!

Day 1---Always the Easiest

Yesterday was day one of my diet. I know that they say to never use that word, but it has been seared into my head forever. Why, oh why, would someone eat a mound of leaves for the hell of it? I like veggies and all but to actually see what I am eating by reading labels, measuring things out, trying new "healthy" versions of the food that I love is well, to me, a diet-so I will use the word. I put much consideration prior to yesterday as to which diet I would follow. Weight Watchers was on the top of my list, it always is-and I've tried it several times. While it is a great program and works for a lot of people (mom!), I can't realistically see myself counting points the rest of my life. However, I do like a lot of the tenants of the plan and I adore some of the recipes that they put out. My mom even gave me a subscription to the magazine for Christmas and it is very motivating. So, rather than go on a crazy diet, ie only eating grapefruits or something very exclusive like that, I will try portion control and I will use Weight Watchers as a guide. So how did day one go you ask? Did anyone ask? No? I'll tell you anyway.
Day one is, as always, the easiest. You are motivated, happy to be eating salads rather than pizza, and downing water by the gallon. Sugar-free gum seems like a great substitution for a Hershey bar and those vitamins that have been sitting in the closet-well, they even make a reappearance. In no time at all, those size (enter size) jeans will fit. You will be fabulous. It's true, really true. Day two is awesome as well, but no day is ever as wonderful, or as easy, as day one. Here is what I ate:

Breakfast:
Coffee---trying to soda detox with a caffeine substitute(a gentle wean seems to be the best)
Blueberry Mini Shredded Wheat(provides 90% of needed iron and I am anemic)
Skim Milk

Snack:
Pita Chips w/Hummus

Lunch:
An Awesome Salad(recipe below)
Water

Dinner:
2 Fat Free Hot Dogs (50 cal, 0 g fat)
2 Whole Wheat Buns (it's an acquired taste)
Baked Beans
Sauerkraut

Snack:
1/2 c. Vanilla All-Natural Yogurt
Strawberries, Blueberries, and Blackberries
Ground Flax (for omega 3)

Awesome Salad Recipe(or just what I threw on it)

Spring Mix (thanks Ann)
Tomato
Roasted Red Peppers
Strawberries
Blueberries
Avocado (thanks again, Ann)
1 Mini Babybel, chopped
2 oz of roasted turkey
2 tsp Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar

A "Dear John" Letter

Dear Mountain Dew,

We have become quite close over the years. I have enjoyed your company in good times and in bad times. You have given me a boost when I've needed it and you truthfully are quite sweet. In the recent days, however, I have grown to realize that our relationship is truly quite unhealthy. My relationship with you has become quite addictive. I look to you too often and when I wasn't looking (or paying attention), you began to affect me. My heart begins to race when I'm with you-and that, my friend, isn't a good thing. Our relationship just doesn't feel good anymore. I've tried to leave you before and it hasn't worked. This time, I have to leave you for good. You see, my high-fructose teeming friend, this addiction must end and we must say goodbye. It will be hard-caffeine withdrawel is unbearable, but it is necessary. Parting is such sweet sorrow but I'd rather part with you now than with toes later.

With Deep Affection,
amommyonadiet

Here We Go On the Diet Road...Again

This blog, my first blog, is solely being used for accountability. Even if no one ever reads it, I will face it-and myself-everytime I post on it. This isn't enjoyable for me, it's actually quite painful because for some reason even though I'm fat, and have been my entire life, recognizing it out loud is difficult. I never thought that about superficial reasons for caring that my body had ballooned into what it is now but ever since having our son two and a half years ago, my weight has been on my mind. I don't have high blood pressure, diabetes, or any of the other "fat person maladies" but they will come. At 33, they are coming closer and closer and I am petrified of leaving our son before I should simply because I wanted an extra serving of pasta, just one more (dozen) cookies, or a hot fudge sundae. I'm not proud of being here but I have to be. When you look at me you know I'm fat. When I look in the mirror I see that I'm fat. For me to tell "you" that I'm fat is a big deal, a huge deal. There is a secret hope that I have that you will think that maybe I'm just a little-or a lot- big boned. The secret is now out and I have to be accountable for it. I am more than a hundred pounds overweight. I haven't seen the 100's since probably freshman year in high school. I am still too ashamed to put on here how far I've let myself go, for now, let's just say my first goal is 100 lbs. Once I lose that, I'll let you know where I've come from.
I have to say that this blog, which will be very personal about myself only, is dedicated to a few people who are in my life each and every day. To my partner Judi who is extremely supportive of my losing weight but has always accepted me with the "as is" sticker that came stamped on my forehead, my dearest friend in the whole worl J.L.W. for adding much humor and understanding in my life and for introducing me to the world of blogging (although she does it much better and much more professional than I ever will), my mother for putting a "fear in me" about my weight-and for being an awesome weight loss example (dad too!), to Ann for always offering me ways of "getting out of the house" and get moving with our sons A & A, and to my son, my lovely boy, who has inspired me to look outside of myself-at myself-to see the road that I was traveling down wasn't one that would take me very far into his adulthood. That has to change.