Can't you just make me think I've been fishing all day?

It hasn't been a great week.

Monday - Tuesday - discovered a leak in my roof.

Wednesday - Friday - Had a tough time keeping calories even under 1400, much less between 1200 and 1300.

Saturday - I got to go hiking, and it was lovely, but it was a long day.  I went to my first party on this diet, and that didn't bode well for me calorie wise.

But, I need a plan to do some shopping today:

Sunday Dinner - Potato and Egg White fritata
Monday - Cranberry Chicken with roasted potatoes
Tuesday - Beef Stew and Rice
Wednesday - Ravioli and Garlic Bread
Thursday - Bacon Bread Crumb Pasta
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Going Out

Hmmm - so I need:

Bananas
Red Onion
White Onion
Potatos
Beef Stew
Ravioli
Bread Crumbs
Cranberry Sauce
Chicken Broth
Beef Broth
Onion Soup Mix
Tomato Sauce
Carmels
Quaker Oats

Blur

Water damage due to a tree branch hitting the roof - in the process of drying out my bedroom for the next 4 days.  Sleeping on the guest bed, which is not as comfy as my bed, but it will get me to appreciate, right?

1250 calories on Tuesday - did good

1400 calories on Wednesday and only 4 servings of fruit / veggies.  Didn't feel deprived, but certainly ate more than I wanted to in an effort to get to 5.  I have to put high calorie stuff on them, and still need my refined sugar to boot.

And now it's Thursday morning, and our alarm didn't go off, so I'm up 15 minutes late.  The dudes have to check my walls drying out around 7am for today and tomorrow.  Should be fun :/

Monday and Tuesday - Heading to October

I did really good on Monday.  The new weekly challenge is a doozy for me - eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies.  I did it Monday, but will fail miserably today.

I kept my calories at 1250 on Monday, and had 5 servings of the good stuff - but honestly, I felt deprived.  I can honestly say I'm a refined sugar addict, and it was challenging to replace a granola bar with a piece of fruit for me.  And veggies - I need to put high calorie stuff on them for me to like them.  Sometimes I wish I had no taste buds so I could more easily make choices I know are good for me.

On Monday I ate:
1)  1/2 Grapefruit
2)  Banana
3)  Arugula salad
4)  Applesauce
5)  I blended tomato sauce with pureed carrots to make a vegetarian lasagna - heavy on the garlic and cheese

Tuesday - well, it's been a rough day

The typhoon that hit over the weekend has caused water damage in my bedroom - and I'm waiting on an estimator to assess the damage and figure out how to fix it.  I want to eat a chocolate cake - but have none in my house.  It's saved me honestly... my caloric intake has been on the low side.  But I've made no effort for the fruits and veggies - nothing satisfying about them to me.  It's definitely been a granola bar day.

Off to make Jambalaya for dinner.

Measurements Help Motivation

Sunday came with 20 minutes of exercise (including 10 stairs... on stair 3 I'm always like "this is easy" but by stair 5 I'm dying).  I ended around 1350 calories - not as terrible as it's been other days out of this week.

I've lost a total of 5 pounds in 4 weeks - again, not terrible.

Phil took my measurements.  I considered pictures - but it's too cold!

Waist is down from 35 inches to 32.5.

Hips are down from 42.5 inches to 40

So I seem to be losing proportionately... 2.5 inches from my hips and waist.  I'm not measuring bust because losing there would make me sad, so I'd rather not record it.

That was certainly more motivating than 1 pound a week.  Here we go week 5.

Rainy Weekend

I had really wanted to hike today.  It isn't going to happen at all.  It's probably the only exercise I actually enjoy these days, and it's raining.  Not sprinkling either - constant gross, dark, cold rain.

Despite my lack of exercise and a few splurges (yesterday I also ate close to 1500 calories) - I think I'm maintaining my 1 pound a week trend here.  Good to know that there is some wiggle room in the plan, I really need it.

We had beef stew and mashed potatoes for dinner yesterday - and will have chicken tortilla soup tonight.  Phil's carrot cake is good, but not awesome, so it should be easy to stick to 1/2 pieces one time a day.  What I really want to do is just curl up and sleep, but there is a lot of other stuff I want to do too.

Oh yeah, Friday happened

I didn't exercise (oh surprise) - I did keep calories to around 1300 for the day.  A dessert of stale Kix for 80 calories... not even worth it I don't think.

A huge case of the "I don't wanna's"

How much does it cost to go to one of those spas where a nutritionist works with you and plans your meals (and someone else cooks them), you are forced to exercise 2 times a day, and the rest of your time is spent reading, watching tv, and getting facials and spa treatments?  Is it too much to ask to go there for just 1 week?  A week with no kids, no cleaning, no cooking, no schedule other than focusing on being healthy, getting a full nights rest.  Heck, I'd even bring my husband, though he'd get bored.

Speaking of him, he just made a freaking carrot cake.  I do need dessert every night - but I've been trying to keep it to 200 calories or less, a normal sized piece of carrot cake is around 350.  Will have to keep these on the small side, and it could be worse.  It's not chocolate cake.  He just figured since he picked all the carrots from the garden...

I've lost the weight that was making my pants tight - that's a good thing.  But this is always the place where I just don't want to keep going.  Tracking food is getting old.  Exercise is never something I "want" to do, but gets even less frequent.  I've exhausted every ounce of adventure forcing myself to eat veggies - this week's meal plan is back to old stand bys because I just want to eat what I like.

Almost a month in, and I have one month of challenge to do.  It's getting tough to stay motivated.

Next Weeks Meals and Shopping List

Hmmm - what to cook

Sunday - Chicken Tortilla Soup
Monday - Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Tuesday - Lasagna
Wednesday - Roast Beef Sandwiches
Thursday - Whatever's Clever
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - We'll be out and about

I need:
Arugula
2 Avocados
1 White Onion
1 head of garlic
Egg Whites
Roast Beef
Buns
Bread
2 8 oz tubs of 1/3 fat cream cheese
Kraft Singles
Apples
Mini Bagels
No Bake Lasagna Noodles
Italian Shredded Cheese
Special K Chocolate Cereal

I so cheated yesterday

I was doing good until Phil decided we needed to go through the Dairy Queen drive through.  I'll be damned if I'm going to get a 200 calorie smoothie when I can get a 380 calorie mini Heath blizzard.  Totalled over 1500 calories yesterday.  Total fail on the plan that has been working.

I've also not managed to exercise even 20 minutes this week.

And, finding time to do something for myself on a work day is near impossible...

So it's getting rough this week.  AND - the baby decided 5:30 was a great time to wake up, so I got the pleasure of getting ready for work while a little person attempted to move everything from my bathroom vanity that he could reach to the floor and push me away from the mirror while I tried to do my eye make up.  Streaks of mascara on your forehead is fashion forward, right?

Tuesday Night

No exercise - but I did pretty good on food and sat on my massage chair for a while.  A nice day where I didn't leave the house.  I needed that.

Tuesday Morning

Yesterday was an ok day - I was sort of out of it all day, but had a fun visit with some friends and managed to stay within my calorie count while having a small dish of ice cream after 8pm.  Glad that challenge is done, but I still find myself clock watching.

I did some scrapbooking yesterday too which was a treat to me.

No exercise.  We'll see what the rest of today brings.  Doing good on calories so far.

Rainy Day, but good day

Thai Chicken Egg Rolls are a hit.  Phil likes them, I liked them, and they are about 100 calories each since they are baked.

I have 300 calories left at 5pm, and am going to book club, so I can eat there.

Grilled asparagus was good too.  Not quite as snappy as it was in June, but that's probably just not being in peak season.  I should have only made 1/2 the bunch though, but I'd say a mishmash but successful dinner.

No exercise today, but I'm planting the flag and declaring victory anyway.

Is my groove back?

I did 60 minutes of pilates yesterday.  My triceps hurt, my butt and hamstrings hurt.  It was my last class at Barre3 for the introductory 3 classes for $30... so I need to find a new Saturday class for the next 5 weeks of the challenge - thinking of trying Zumba.

But I think what really might have done it for me was the awesome party I went to last night.  Not only did I stay within my calorie limit, I got cute new clothes too.  I was skeptical of the party concept going in, but it turned out awesome.  We all brought clothes & accessories that we didn't like or didn't fit right anymore to exchange.  I browsed through the rack, and didn't see anything, so continued to chat and have fun, and then my friend Judi started holding up cute things that I must have overlooked, and I tried them on, and they looked good!  I went home with 2 new dresses, and 2 new sweaters.  In August, shopping was a total bust one day when I tried on 6 items, and NONE of them looked good - and I HATE shopping, so that was torture.  I also got some new hair accessories and some nail polish.

And now I feel ready to meal plan, when yesterday it was torture to even get off the couch during Marshall's nap after my workout.  Seriously, I watched Pretty in Pink and Knocked Up instead of cleaning or crafting.  I may have snuck in 1 load of laundry during commercials.

OK - so today I'm going to make some baked Thai Chicken egg rolls and some grilled asparagus.  I typically HATE asparagus - my friend Shawna has laughed at me for picking it out of a pasta dish.  But at a picnic in June, someone grilled it with just olive oil and kosher salt, and it was nutty and awesome.  I'll see if I can do it at home.  I've mentioned it 4 times to Phil since that party, and he fears that the asparagus we purchase will be somehow inferior to his friends, who mostly shop at Whole Foods.  I figure we won't know til we try.

Monday - Pork Loin and home made corn bread
Tuesday - Chicken Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice
Wednesday - Romaine Salad with Strawberries and whatever left over meat we have
Thursday - Buttered Noodles - Phil is probably going to be biking
Friday - Frozen Pizza
Saturday - Beef Stew

Here's what I need to buy:
Romaine lettuce
Strawberries ?
Egg Roll Wrappers
Brown Sugar
Red Wine Vinegar
Rice Wine Vinegar
Salami
Pork Loin
Yogurt - Plain and Activia
Mini Bagels

Phil went to Winco yesterday for some milk (we were out) and got some 100 calorie ice cream, some yogurt for Kylie, and some other stuff that he wanted.  He's going to run to Costco today for Slim Fast.  Short list this week, because I have beef stew in the freezer as well as Chicken Breasts, and we bought pizza last week.

Oh Fuck It

I knew that after dinner I'd be at 1300 calories.  I totally knew it.  It's been a day though.  Had a nail in my tire this morning.  My tire pressure has been pinging every so often with the change in weather... any time it dips below 30psi the idiot light pops.  Imagine my surprise to see the tire that was at 34psi yesterday show up with 21psi this morning.  That isn't cold related deflation.  The car was drive - able, just wasn't in my morning plans to go to the tire place after dropping the kids at day care.  Lost an hour of pay that way.

So after work, I went to get my oil change.  I really hate my car dealership.  They have turned over all the employees in their service department, and it's made it much worse.  Professionalism went through the floor.  When they brought my car out, there was a weird plastic part on my passenger seat, and the glove box was open.  I asked what the weird part was, and the people didn't know.  Then I went to close my glove box, and it wouldn't close.  Now I'm getting a little bit pissed.  They replaced the plastic part that allows me to close my glove box, but I'd had enough and needed to talk to a manger and get a free oil change out of the whole deal.

What does all this have to do with anything... Well, I knew after my 2nd piece of pizza at 6:15 that I had hit over my goal calories and should stop eating.  I knew it, but looking at the half piece of pizza that Marshall didn't finish at 6:45, I said "Oh, Fuck it" and ate that too.  THEN, at 7:30, I said "Oh Fuck it" again and ate a piece of the apple cake I made on Tuesday.  I'm close to 1600 calories at this point, and the weekend is shaping up to have lots of temptation.

So I'm going to head on up to bed.  Luckily for my husband, "Oh, Fuck it" is still my mantra of the day.  I'd love to tell you I was planning to be super athletic about the whole thing to burn more calories, but that would be a lie.  I may have a potty mouth today, but I'm no liar.

Where did my gung ho go?

Ug - just not feeling this week.  I stayed within 1300 calories yesterday, but just not feeling it this week at all.  No exercise, but I did manage to not eat after 8 pm (this week's challenge).  I'm guessing the scale may not be friendly to me on Sunday.

Yesterday sucked

I consumed over 1400 calories, was hungry all day, and had a tummy ache before bed.  Maybe my body is revolting, because I think I managed over 5 servings of fruits and veggies - might be a record for me.  I had arugula salad, applesauce, pears, grapes, avocado, spinach pesto, and some kale chips.  No exercise, and very little energy.  Maybe I'm fighting a minor bug.  I'm not sleeping great, because my son has decided to wake up in the middle of the night again, on Tuesday he woke up at midnight and 2am, and this morning he was up at 5am.  I'm able to get him back to sleep in 5-10 minutes, but its still disruptive.

Here's hoping today is better.

New Recipes

Well, so far so good for trying new things.  Nothing earth shattering, but everything was edible.  I suppose that sounds less than positive.

On Monday, I made zucchini carrot fritters.  Basically, they are savory pancakes.  I shredded 3/4 of a zucchini, about 7 baby carrots, 1/3 of a jalapeno, a little red onion, and a little green onion. I pressed the juice out through a  mesh strainer.  Then I mixed 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of flour, and a splash of milk, and a dollop of sour cream with some garlic and cayenne pepper.  Mixed in the veggies, and made about 6 pancakes.  Phil even liked them.  The jalapeno and cayenne made this dish - without the heat it would have been blah.  Phil grilled steaks, and I ate 1/2 of a fillet - about 3 oz.  It was a pretty good meal.

Today, I went a little crazy.  We're running out of the cookies Phil made last week - with the family eating about 3 a day - one for me, Kylie, and Phil.  Marshall won't eat them (um - weirdo).  So I decided that a modified apple cake sounded fall like.  I remember seeing that people sometimes add 7-up to cake, and since we have a 2-liter bottle of it, figured I'd try that.  The recipe online called for 3 cups of sugar.  Holy cow!!!  So, I just started improvising:

I cut up 2 apples and 1 pear, and cooked them on the stove top with about a 1/4 cup brown sugar, a hefty dash of cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg and allspice.  Then, I melted a 1/2 cup of butter.  I added a 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt to it, and 3 eggs.  Added a dash of vanilla, and a 1/3 cup white sugar.  In the dry ingredients, I used 1 cup All Purpose Flour, and 1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, and a dash of salt.  I mixed the wet with the dry, and realized I meant to add some brown sugar, so I added 2/3 cup of brown sugar at that point, and then loosened the dough with 1 cup of 7-up.  I put 1/2 the dough down, spread the apple/pear mixture in a layer, and then the rest of the dough on top.  Baked at 350 for about 30 minutes.  It is dense, moist, and I think pretty good.  Phil says it isn't sweet enough - guess he needs 3 cups of sugar instead of a cup and a half or so.  I'll send 1/2 of it to work with him, and have a few more desserts.  It's a higher calorie dessert than I've been eating, but somehow anything with fruit feels healthier to me.

Cauliflower - I don't like you.  In fact, I don't like any vegetable that tastes like a vegetable I think.  I like arugula, but doused in balsamic.  I only like my cucumbers pickled.  I don't care for steamed asparagus, but learned that I do actually like it grilled with olive oil and salt a few months ago.  Kale chips need to be "nacho cheese" flavored.  Spinach needs a ton of garlic to make it pesto.  So I found this recipe for cauliflower "wings" and decided to try it.

Eh.  The soy flavor was good, but it's normally the texture of a veggie that loses me, and this texture was not at all "wing" like.  We both ate it unenthusiastically.  I won't make this recipe again.  http://cupcakesandkalechips.com/2013/09/08/sesame-glazed-cauliflower-wings-sundaysupper-tailgate-glutenfree-vegan/

Phil found me a recipe where instead of dipping kale into my faux cheese - cashews, red pepper, garlic, and lemon juice - you just puree them up with it, and make little blobs in your dehydrator on wax paper.  We'll see how this method of kale chips turns out tomorrow.

On Monday, I ate over 1300 calories, more than I wanted to - but did some sit ups, push ups, and stretching.  Today, I ate just over 1200 calories, but no exercise.  About to start my work week, so we'll see how that goes.

Catching up

Saturday I did ok calorie wise.  It's a tougher time going through PMS and all.  I made it through my Barre3 class pretty well this week too.

Sunday we went on a road trip.  We did a short hike (a little over a mile round trip) from Horse Tail Falls to Pony Tail Falls.  I ate out for the first time in 2 weeks, and it was heaven.  Let me provide a description of the best grilled chicken sandwich ever from Everybody's Brewing in White Salmon:

Ciabatta Roll
Grilled Chicken
Roasted Red Peppers
Carmelized onions
Aioli (and I don't like mayo - but this is heaven)

I only ate half the sandwich, but I also had more than 1 serving of sweet potato fries that are actually fried and not baked.  It was really yummy... but I estimate between 500 and 600 calories.  The most I've eaten in one siting in over 2 weeks too!

We stopped at Cody Orchards and bought Jupider Grapes, which are really the best grapes I've ever eaten.  We stopped at Packer too, and while Phil and Kylie got cookies, I resisted.  The fact that Marshall was napping so I had to stay in the car helped temptation out a lot.

Anyhow, about 1 hour of exercise each day, and close to a net of 1300 calories both days.  A little over on the food, but I can't beat myself up too much.

Weigh in - down a pound to 143.  Slow and steady (though I'm always hopeful for bigger losses.)

As with any gorge hike, the 1/2 mile up is a killer work out, but I love this falls because you can walk behind it.  There was a crazy guy swimming in the pool this falls feeds too.  Even for an overcast and rainy type day, this is a great hike.  We haven't done it since 2009, when Kylie rode on Phil's back.

We got some photos of Marko with the kids when we stopped at the Hood River Columbia Waterfront Park too.  He's still limping today from the brief walk.  Hard to believe that even last year this dog could still hike for 3 miles.  He's impossible to direct any more on the leash.  He waited in the car while we hiked and ate - so we were glad it was a cooler day.

Another week of dinners - starting to become a challenge

Hmmm - what am I going to cook next week?

Sunday - I think we'll eat out (my first time in 2 weeks) since we plan to hike
Monday - Steaks & Zucchini / Carrot Fritters
Tuesday - Baked Chicken and Cauliflower "wings"
Wednesday - Pesto Pasta - One of my stand bys
Thursday - Assume Phil is Biking - Salad
Friday - Pizza
Saturday - Chicken Tacos

What do I need to buy?

Avocados
Arugula
Onion
Zucchini
Cauliflower
Green Onions
Strawberries
Apples
Steaks
Pizza
Activia
Granola Thins
Taco Cheese
Prociutto
Bagels
Cream Cheese
Corn Starch
Pear Cups
Chocolate Chips

I'm trying 2 new recipes, and using veggies that I usually don't.  I have to admit it, I hate vegetables.  I need to find recipes that mask them.

I still need to make the Kale Chips... must try to do that tonight.

Friday the 13th

I've always hated the number 13... but it's one of Phil's lucky numbers.  Good news is that nothing bad happened today.

I had pizza for dinner... and am still sneaking 1 cookie for dessert.  Was closer to 1300 calories today than I wanted to be.

It's Friday.  I'm tired.  No exercise.  Just sort of blah.

PMS

Based on acne, and the fact that I could probably eat a horse each day, I can tell that my time of the month is just around the corner.  Hip hip hooray!

I exercised too.  Ever done a 20 minute exercise video with a 1 year old screaming at you, throwing books at you, and tugging on your shirt?  It's super awesome, let me tell you!  It was some sort of boxing workout - pretty good.  Sometimes the dance ones are sort of challenging to get the moves right, needed something sort of mindless, and this one fit the bill.

Today looks a lot like yesterday - only change dinner.  I ate avocado, goat cheese, and prosciutto wraps tonight, as Phil was mountain biking and eating at McMinnemans.  I ended up around 1250 calories today, and maybe burned the 50 with some exercise.  All in all, not bad.  I'm tired from not sleeping well on Tuesday night, so I'm heading to bed.

I woke up hungry today

And at 3:30 am.  Not sure why, but I laid in bed for 2 hours waiting for the alarm.  It may be a long day, but at least the kids stayed sleeping until I was completely ready.  Bonus.

Thank goodness for pickles.  3 pickles held me over while giving Marshall an after day care snack, making Kylie finish her lunch, and making dinner.  I wanted to dive into the cookies (I guess Phil didn't take them ALL to work) - but resisted.

Here's the day:

5:30 - Diet Dr Pepper
7:00 - Bagel and Cream Cheese                                      150
9:00 - Activia Yogurt                                                      110
10:30 - Pears                                                                   40
12:00 - Slim Fast                                                            190
12:30 - Fiber One Bar                                                    140
2:00 - String Cheese                                                        80
3:00 - Granola Thin                                                         80
5:15 - 3 pickles                                                               15
5:45 - Bacon & Breadcrumb pasta                                350
9:00 - One cookie                                                           60

*** I actually looked it up today - and 2 cookies is 120 calories.  I just assumed 100 calories yesterday :)

Total:  1215 calories

I'm dragging though.  Hopefully I sleep better tonight.

Lunch is tricky today

Well, I'm out of Arugala - ate the whole package without it going bad.  AND, there is only 1 TB of hummus left for Marshall and I to share.  These are sort of my stand by lunches when I'm home.  Maybe I'll just eat the rest of the hummus and a slice of prosciutto.  I guess that will work.

With the schedule I have today, I know I won't exercise today, and I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  Heck, 3 times a week is up from maybe once every other week, so I'll take it.  I'm planning to go back to Barre3 on Saturday, and hoping to hike on Sunday, so it should be a good weekend in the exercise department.

Here's the food tally for me today:

7:00 - Diet Dr. Pepper
8:00 - Mini Bagel and Cream Cheese                                              150 cal
10:30 - Pretzels and Almonds                                                          200 cal
12:00 - Finished the Hummus & Prosciutto                                       200 cal
2:00 - Fiber 1 Bar                                                                          140 cal
3:30 - 1/2 a banana (too ripe)                                                           50 cal
5:00 - 2 olives while cooking dinner                                                  40 cal
5:30 - Egg white / Potato / Onion Hash                                           250 cal
6:30 - Granola Thin                                                                           80 cal
9:00 - Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookie                                                100 cal

Total:  1210 calories

I'll admit that it was really hard to stop at just one cookie, but I did it.  But the Burger King buffalo chicken strip commercial looks really good to me, so I need to go to bed NOW.

150 calories of ice cream isn't terrible

Well, it was an emotional morning.  The vet said that Marko is starting to fail, based on the sound of his lungs, but can't offer any clear reason why beyond old age and complications with his diabetes.  I think Phil and I are ready to let him go with some grace, but it will be a few weeks.  We want to get some last photos, and just in general want a little more time since he isn't in major distress.  While we could try a barrage of tests to figure out what was wrong, at almost 11 with so many ailments, I don't think I would put him through the pain of trying to correct them, whatever they might be.  He had a good day today, mentally.  No staring off into corners or sleeping in our closet today, so for that I'm thankful.

I even exercised a little today.  I did 300 jump ropes, 150 situps, and some balancing work on the balance ball.

Food did ok too.  I had enough calories left over for dessert, and it helped a lot after the day I had:

6:30am - Diet Dr Pepper
8:00am - Bagel and Cream Cheese                                                         150 cal
10:30am - Hummus and Flat Bread                                                         150 cal
12:30pm - Arugula salad with Feta and Balsamic                                     225 cal
1:30pm - Fiber One Bar                                                                          140 cal
2:30pm - Banana                                                                                      90 cal
5:00pm - Chicken Lettuce Wraps                                                            300 cal
8:30pm - 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream with 1 TB caramel sauce                    150 cal

Total:  1205 calories with a small amount burned in exercise

I'll take it.  Time for bed.      

Rough Day

I volunteered to build a family collage for Phil's Grandpa's 90th birthday yesterday, which equates to about 3 - 4 hours of work today tweaking this and that per Phil's Mom.  It's fun, and I enjoy it, but working with family can be a challenge.

Today, I kept wanting to eat more, or eat junk I shouldn't.  While I started dinner (before I ate lunch), I randomly started eating chips and salsa.  I'm pretty sure I'm over my calorie points today.  AND - I didn't exercise, since I was at the computer a lot.  I didn't do anything I had wanted to during Marshall's nap either.

Oh well, lets tally it up and go to bed:

7:30 - Diet Dr. Pepper
8:30 - Toast with Cream Cheese (I was out of bagels)                                         150 cal
9:30 - Activia                                                                                                      110 cal
11:00 - Banana                                                                                                     90 cal
1:00 - Chips and Salsa                                                                                         150 cal
1:30 - Prosciutto wrapped Avocado & Goat Cheese                                            200 cal
2:00 - Fiber One Bar                                                                                            140 cal
3:30 - Almonds & Pickles                                                                                     100 cal
6:00 - Beef Stew and Rice                                                                                    350 cal
8:00 - Granola Thin                                                                                                 80 cal

Total:  1370 - More than I should have eaten

I couldn't resist the Granola Thin - just need to feel like I had some dessert.  I drank water, which was needed because I am a little sore after yesterday's workout.  Will make time to exercise tomorrow - I'll make a point to do it as soon as Marshall goes to sleep for his nap.  Kiddo is finally well enough to go to school, and it's a day off of work - bonus.

On a not so good note, I'm taking Marko to the vet to talk about his bad days, and I'm not expecting happy conversations to ensue.  I think we're ready for what is coming, but then again, it just freaking sucks.  Doing this project for my mother-in-law was a good diversion.

Week 2 Meal Planning

Ok - it's meal planning / grocery shopping day.  Let's see:

Monday - Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Tuesday - Egg White and Potato Frittata with Onion Jam
Wednesday - Pizza Day
Thursday - Phil is Biking - so I'll eat a salad
Friday - Bacon Pasta
Saturday - Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Fries

I think I'll also make some Kale Chips with some cashew "nacho cheese" flavoring

I need:

Romaine Hearts
2 white potatoes
2 sweet potatoes
1 red onion
Kale
Raw Cashews
Grapes
Apples
Bananas
Ground Chicken
Egg Whites
Activia Yogurt
Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Kylie Yogurt
Kraft Singles
Apple Juice
2% Milk
1% Milk
Bagels
Bread
Lunch Stuff for Phil
Jasmine Rice

Whew, what a Saturday

On the fail side, I planned to make beef stew for dinner, but realized at 3pm that I never dethawed the meat, and since it takes 3 hours to stew, that wasn't going to work any more.  On a normal day when this happens, it would have become a Chinese Take Out night - but instead we all ate soup and sandwiches at home.  One of the many times dieting is actually good for your budget too.

I made it for a full hour of exercise on Saturday too.  I went to Barre3, which is a mixture of pilates, yoga, and strength.  Ouch - I hung fairly well with the arm and core stuff, but my legs are WEAK!  I did 90% of the class though - took a few more breaks than the rest of the folks who obviously exercise a lot more than I do.

Did pretty good on food, despite my dinner fail.  Guess we'll have Beef Stew on Sunday:

7:00 - Diet Dr Pepper
8:00 - Bagel and Cream Cheese                                            150 cal
9:20 - Activia Vanilla Yogurt                                                 110 cal
11:30 - Fiber One Bar                                                           140 cal
11:45 - Arugala Salad with Feta and Balsamic                       225 cal
2:00 - Almonds and Olives                                                    95 cal
4:00 - Hummus & Flatbread                                                  130 cal
4:30 - Granola Thin                                                                 80 cal
6:00 - Chicken Pesto Wrap                                                   370 cal
8:00 - Chocolae Mousse                                                       150 cal

Total:  1450 calories

I figure I burned between 150 and 200 calories, so overall, I claim success on the day.

I also made my water goal.

I finally exercised

Girl on the mend, a full nights sleep, and I finally exercised!  I'm sweating as I type.  I did a circuit in my house 10 times - run stairs, bear crawl to the TV room, 10 jumping jacks, hold a plank for 20 seconds, do 10 reps of arm strength, jog back to the stairs... I took a 5 minute water break after 5 reps.

I worked a few hours from home since Kylie wasn't 24 hours puke free, and read a lot of Harry Potter with her too.

Food has gone well today.  I'm not hungry anymore.  Though last night was pizza night, and I had to have one slice less than I normally do to keep the calories in check.  I noticed that.

I signed up for an hour class at Barre 3 for tomorrow morning.

Here's what I ate today:

7:30 - Diet Dr Pepper
8:30 - Bagel and Cream Cheese                                                     150 cal
10:00 - Vanilla Activia Yogurt                                                         110 cal
11:30 - Hummus and Flatbread                                                      220 cal
11:30 - 3/4 apple (shared with Kylie)                                               50 cal
1:30 - Fiber One Bar                                                                      140 cal
4:00 - Banana                                                                                   90 cal
5:30 - Chicken Sausage                                                                   170 cal
5:30 - Asian Slaw                                                                              90 cal
8:00 - Dessert                                                                                  150 cal

Total:  1170 calories

We'll see how I fare over the weekend.  So far, I'm feeling pretty good.

Puke sort of helps the whole diet thing

And it isn't even my puke.  My 6 year old seems to have a stomach bug, which doesn't put me much in a mood to eat stuff.  It does however put me in a mood to clean, which is rare.

She *seems* to be on the mend, but since there was puking after 8am, I've informed her she needs to stay home another day.  So I guess my 2 work days will be home days.  Today I didn't even try to log in and work, tomorrow I hope to get a few hours in.

Again... exercise didn't happen.  I did stay moving a lot today, scrubbing toilets, making beds, taming my disaster of a kitchen, and doing laundry.  Nothing point worthy, but not a slovenly day either.

Did good on food:

7:30 - Diet Dr Pepper
9:00 - Mini Bagel and Cream Cheese                                                      150 cal
10:30 - Activia Yogurt                                                                             110 cal
10:30 - Banana                                                                                        90 cal
11:30 - Arugala Salad with Feta and Balsamic                                          155 cal
1:30 - Fiber 1 Bar                                                                                    140 cal
3:00 - Almonds                                                                                         75 cal
4:00 - Granola Thin                                                                                    80 cal
6:00 - Pizza                                                                                               350 cal
8:00 - Another Granola Thin                                                                        80 cal

Total:  1230 calories

I made my water intake goal today too.  I'll call it pretty good overall.  Hoping for a puke free night!

Day 4 - Nothing really original to title this one

I feel better today - I think a decent night's sleep helped.  I again failed to exercise today, but I don't expect much of myself on my working days of W - F... and I did ok calorie wise.  I'll post the list today, and then it will be super similar aside from dinner for the next 2 days since I pack the exact same thing every day when I work:

6:00am - Diet Dr. Pepper
7:00am - Bagel and Cream Cheese                                            150 cal
8:00am - Another Diet Dr. Pepper (I had to kick my Frappe habit due to calories!)
9:30am - Activia Vanilla yogurt                                                  120 cal
10:30am - Pears                                                                          50 cal
11:30am - Slim Fast                                                                   190 cal
11:45am - Fiber One Bar                                                           140 cal
1:30pm - String Cheese                                                                80 cal
3:30pm - Applesauce                                                                   50 cal
3:45pm - Granola Thin                                                                 80 cal
4:00pm - pretzels and almonds                                                    120 cal
5:45pm - Pesto Pasta with Artichokes                                         350 cal
8:00pm - 1/2 serving chocolate mousse                                         75 cal

Grand Total:  1405 Calories

I'm just pleased that I cooked a home made meal.  I love that you can pre-make pesto, and it can be used for a week when you refrigerate.  It keeps well in the freezer too!  My pesto is baby spinach, basil, walnuts, garlic, and olive oil.  Add to cooked pasta and a jar of artichokes, and you have a meal.  Phil added some chicken to his.

I did well on water today too.  Will have to come up with a plan to exercise on Saturday.

Ug - Day 3

The good news is that I wasn't as hungry today.  But it was just a tough day on many fronts.

Phil and I decided to have a "the dog's quality of life" talk on Monday night at 9:45.  We both are seeing the start of doggie dementia, and both know the end is close.  It's a tough call, because he has good days still, but increasingly more rough days.  We didn't try to fall asleep until 11:30, and neither of us slept well.

Baby woke up around 6;30 - which is earlier than normal.

I did good on calorie intake.  Getting 64 oz of water was tougher today, but I made it.  I got a headache around 3:00pm, and got nauseous around 6:00pm.  Phil has been fighting a minor stomach bug for a week now.  No fever, just general "blah"s.  Who knows what's going on, but I definitely was crabby in the evening.

Here's my breakdown:

7:00 - Diet Dr Pepper
8:00 - Mini Bagel with Cream Cheese                                                       150 cal
10:30 - Almonds and Pretzels                                                                    140 cal
11:30 - Hummus, Flatbread, & Carrots & Olives                                       300 cal
2:30 - Fiber 1 bar                                                                                     140 cal
5:00 - 3 mini Quinoa and Goat Cheese patties                                           150 cal
5:00 - Sweet Potato Fries (baked)                                                            120 cal
7:30 - Greek Yogurt based chocolate mousse                                           200 cal

Total:  1200 calories

I had great intentions to jump rope today.  Those intentions failed.  I did however beat Kylie at cards a few times.

I drank my last glass of water at 8:30 at night to get a total of 8.  I also had some zero calorie vitamin water when I was out and about.

Chocolate

Just one last thing - I just did 100 crunches, so I ate a 80 calorie chocolate granola thin.  Sort of reminiscent of the eat candy bars but do sit ups theory of my teens.  Guess some things don't change.  That is all.  Good night.

Short Cuts

I realized driving to Trader Joe's today that sometimes I feel guilty for every short cut I may take, even if it really isn't a short cut.  For example, there are days I feel like I should learn to churn my own butter.  As I keep trying to eek out time to exercise today, I realize that some short cuts are just necessary.  I can't take every step I'd like to take to be healthier and still live a life that is the quality that I want.  So, I'm ok that I still have a large amount of processed food in my plan - nobody's perfect.  So lets see, I was going to exercise at 10:30, and then got busy playing with the kids.  After M went down for a nap, I had to shower, and then I was STARVING - so I was going to exercise after lunch settled, but then M woke up earlier than normal from his nap.  Now, I need to start cooking dinner.  I will exercise today.

Here's what I've got so far for food & drink:

7:00 - Diet Dr Pepper
8:00 - Bagel with Cream Cheese                                              150 cal
10:30 - 1/8 cup almonds (about 10)                                           75 cal
10;30 - 25 pretzel sticks                                                            55 cal
10:30 - String Cheese                                                                80 cal
11:30 - 3 pickle spears                                                              15 cal
1:30 - Arugula Salad w/ Avocado and Balsamic                        125 cal
1:30 - 1 corn tortilla                                                                    50 cal
1:30 - 1 Fiber 1 Bar (yum)                                                        140 cal
3:00 - Banana                                                                             90 cal
5:20 - 10 minutes of random cardio                                             -50 cal
5:30 - Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup                                   300 cal
6:00 - Homemade Apple Crumble                                             200 cal

Total:  1230 calories

I was SO hungry after my shower - It was hard to eat my salad because that crazy Fiber 1 bar looked SO SO good.

I love making Chicken Tortilla Soup - but it makes lots of dirty dishes, and I hate cleaning.  Here's what's in it:  I bake 2 chicken breasts at 350 for 25 minutes with salt, pepper, olive oil, and cumin.  Let cool and cut into chunks.  I saute onion and peppers, add chicken broth, add chicken.  Then I roast some frozen corn, and add that.  I top with some avocado.  Sometimes I dip chips in it, but it isn't even needed.  Guess it isn't "tortilla" soup without the chips, but this is one of my favorite dishes that I just sort of made up after eating it in a restaurant once and figuring out what I like.  Lots of people add beans - I don't like beans.

Phil said the soup was good, but the apple crumble was bland.  It was 2 apples, 2/3 cup quick oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and a drizzle of butter and cinnamon.

Did I mention that blogging while a 1 year old screams and trys to pull you out of the chair is difficult?  I did manage 10 minutes of cardio today - random dance/lunges - nothing too structured that I figure burned about 50 calories tops.

Day 2 a success, but I'm hungry.                    

Day 1

It's tricky to log when you are driving and away from any service... but I did pay a lot of attention to what I ate, and tried to stick to a plan as much as I could - packed Almonds and Pretzels pre-measured.  Our trip that was supposed to take us from 8:00am - 10:00pm was more like 9:30am - 2-30am.  Let's see about my daily tally here:

1)  8:00am  Slice of Bacon                                               45 cal
2)  8:00am  Mini Bagel with 1/3 fat Cream Cheese          170 cal
3)  11:00am   1/4 cup Almonds                                       140 cal
4)  11:00am   50 pretzel sticks                                        110 cal
5)  1:00pm     Chocolate Granola Thin                              80 cal
6)  4:00pm     Chicken Pesto Wrap
                      5 slices of chicken lunch meat                   120 cal
                      1 flour tortilla                                              90 cal
                      Spinach & Walnut Pesto                           130 cal
                      1/4 Avocado                                              40 cal
7)  4:30pm    1/3 of a banana from Marshall                      30 cal
8)  7:00pm    Fruit Leather during hike                              40 cal
9)  8:00pm    Finished 1.5 mile hike with 300 ft elevation   -200 cal
10)  8:15pm  Saltines in the car (no restaurant in sight)       70 cal
11)  10:30pm  Chicken berry salad from Wendy's (gross)   estimating I ate 300 cal worth
12)  Rouge bits of cashews since everyone else was eating them    50 cal
13)  Finishing the kids Chocolate Milk                                           85 cal

Calorie Total:  1,300 - not shabby

I felt hungry, especially between 1:00 and 4:00.  Our whole schedule was crazy.  Phil bit off a bit more than we should have attempted in 1 day, but we made it to the farthest NW corner of the lower 48 states.  The hike took us about an hour and a half, but we stopped a lot along the way for photos, there were about 5 or 6 viewpoints.  Here's a family shot at the end of the trail.  It was probably 7:30pm here, so a little early for sunset.

All in all, I'd say success.

For water, not sure I got my 64 oz in for this week's challenge if I only count water.  Let's see, here is everything I drank with 0 calories, but I needed to stay awake to make sure Phil stayed awake:

12 oz of Diet Dr Pepper first thing in the morning
20 oz of Vitamin Water Power C
20 oz of Water from my first water bottle
36 oz of Diet Dr Pepper purchased with the kids lunch
20 oz of Vitamin Water Power C
20 oz of Water from another water bottle during the hike
36 oz of Diet Coke purchased to stay awake

I got 40 oz of regular water, and another 40 of flavored water, maybe that counts.  I had to pee a TON, including a midnight roadside stop along 101.

Taking one for the Team

Phil has graciously offered to have sex more frequently this month to assist in my caloric intake.  I married a giver folks.  Way to take one for the team hun ;)

Ready for Road Trip

I made a chicken pesto wrap with avocado so when we stop at a fast food place for the kids, I have something already.  Measured out a 1/4 almonds (170 cal) and about 50 pretzel sticks (100 cal).  I"m sure I'll eat a Fiber 1 bar (140 cal) and some string cheese (80 cal) too.  My goal on exercise days is to net 1200 calories, and on non-exercise days to net 1400 calories.  I tend to maintain around 1700 - 1800 calories, and if I eat over 1800 calories a day with no real exercise, I will slowly gain.

We'll do a 1.5 mile hike today, which will probably burn about 150 calories.

Here we go.

The Scary Before Photos

Wow, even Phil was like "but you don't usually look that big."  I tried to do one sucking it in, and then one where I didn't suck it in.  For all those who laugh at me when I say that my thinness is all an allusion of clothing - well, here you see that I'm not joking.

Here is me sucking it in.  I weigh 146, and my waist is 35 inches and my hips are 42.5 inches.

And here I'm not sucking it in.  Wow - I look 5 months pregnant!  My goal is to lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks, and tone up my stomach and arms.

Nothing else to say.  I have a plan for the week.  Grocery shopping is 90% done (just need to get to Trader Joes for a few lunch items.)  There is no candy in my house.  I need to focus on sticking to my eating plan, and exercising.

Tomorrow, our plan is to explore up in the Olympic Pennisula, with a 1.5 mile hike included.  I probably won't blog again until Monday.

Planning Week 1

It's go time.  I've been tracking my calories for a few days now, and it does make you think about what you eat a little more.  Eating around 2000 calories a day with minimal exercise will gain me about 1 pound ever two weeks from the looks of it, and that's what I've been doing most of the summer.

Here's my plan for the next week:
Sunday - traveling to the Olympic Peninsula - short hike, eating in the car almost all day
Monday - I think I'll make Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner
Tuesday - I think I'll make quinoa patties and sweet potato fries (a rare vegetarian night - Phil might want to make a burger...)
Wednesday at work - I will come home and make some pesto pasta
Thursday at work - we'll keep or frozen pizza night - just will limit myself to 2 slices and eat a salad if I'm still hungry
Friday at work - Chicken Sausage and Asian Slaw
Saturday next week - Beef Stew

For lunch on Monday and Tuesday - I'll stick with salads and hummus.  I can eat a mini bagel and cream cheese for breakfast every day.  My standard work day packs 700 calories in snacks that I eat about 150 calories every 2 hours.

So, what do I need to buy, and what do I have already?  I also have some ripe tomatoes, so I'll make some salsa too.  Also have to get some food for the kids.

I'm going to try and make some of that "ice cream" from blending up bananas, and I think I may cut up an apple and bake it with some brown sugar, cinnamon, and oatmeal too.  Dessert is typically something chocolatey for me, so it will be a big switch.

Safeway
Onion
Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Mini Carrots
Jalapeno Pepper
Avocado
2 Sweet Potatos
Arugula
Baby Spinach
Jar of Artichokes
Salami for the kiddos
Chicken Breast Lunch Meat
Beef Stew Meat
Quinoa
Mini Bagels
Milk
Box of Chicken Broth
Chicken Sausage
Flour Tortillas
Olives
Pickles
Vanilla Activia for lunch
Diced Pears in water for lunch

Trader Joes
Flat Bread
Hummus
Goat Cheese

Tonight, I should make my pesto ahead with Baby Spinach, Walnuts, Olive Oil, Garlic, and Basil from my garden.  I should also make some Balsamic Vinaigrette with Balsamic Vinegar, Garlic, Brown Sugar, and Olive Oil.

Next week, I should do Chicken Lettuce Wraps and my potato and egg white frittata with onion jam.  Hopefully I remember to review this when I'm planning.

I bet everyone hates me a little bit

Here's the part where everyone hates me a little bit - I've always been able to eat whatever I want.  I have always been a picky eater, and grew up on a very processed diet.  My mom is a great cook, but she went back to work when I was 6, so we had mac and cheese night, frozen pizza night, and McDonalds night weekly.  I had a theory when I was 13 that if I ate lots of candy bars and did 300 sit ups a day, I'd get big boobs, but keep a small stomach... and maybe it actually worked.  I've never liked vegetables.  Seriously, only in the last 5 - 7 years have I started eating bell peppers, olives, onions, avocados, spinach, and artichokes.  Heck, I think I only started eating corn 10 years ago, and I don't even thing that's classified as a veggie anymore.  I only eat carrots drowning in ranch, but I have found that I'll eat a carrot and cabbage slaw dressed with something vinegary.

As recently as 3 days ago, I was asked what I've done to loose the baby weight.  Seriously, I'm up at least 7 or 8 pounds since June, but people still ask me how I've lost weight.  I manage to hide it well I think.

So why am I doing this then?  Well, mostly for vanity I suppose.  Partly because I'd like to continue rounding out my diet and eat less processed, more vitamin rich foods.  But the biggest motivator is this photo from my honeymoon.

I worked pretty hard to fit into my wedding dress, and tried to eat "skin foods" for a few month leading up to my wedding - I think that is when I forced myself to try avocado and discovered it was good.  I was somewhere between 125 and 130 pounds in this photo.  I seriously drool looking at the stomach and the arms here.  Those are my biggest problem areas.  I think the angle of this photo also helps me, but that is the body I'd like to get back.

I know my thighs and butt are bigger now too, but that doesn't bother me as much, probably because I don't look at them much.  Also, Phil sort of likes some booty, so I'm ok with those new post baby curves.  The lowest I've gotten since children is 139... but I'm typically between 143 and 145.  I haven't weighed in yet (still have a few days) - but I'm sure I'm pushing 150 right now.

I remember hearing really talented gymnasts complain about their abilities, and being like "man - I wish I could do that skill you are whining about..." - so I realize that to many people, I'm already a skinny person.  And, a skinny person who has a poor diet and barely exercises to boot.  So I understand why you hate me.  This is just some of the insight into my brain and what I'm hung up on.  I'm going to have Phil take some before photos soon.  I'll do a "sucked in" photo, as well as a not so sucked in one, and show you the love handles and arm issues that are driving me crazy.  I'm hopeful that really trying to focus on better food and exercise will make a difference.  Even if my version of better food still makes the health nuts cringe, it's an effort that I'm hoping moves the bar more than I've been able to manage in the past.

I suppose I'm sort of like Scarlett O'Hara - after her kids she couldn't corset her waist to 16 inches anymore, she was stuck at 20 inches.  I just hope in my vanity quest, I don't lose my husband like she did.  I have a feeling I might get a little grouchy.

Brainstorming on what dinners I can make that are on the healthier side.  Here's my list so far to draw from:

1. Chicken lettuce wraps
2. Chicken tortilla soup
3. Chicken sausage and Sweet Potato Fries
4. Spinach and Artichoke Pesto Pasta
5. Arugula salad with Avacado, Feta, Strawberries, and Walnuts
6. Pizza (lets face it, it's easy, so I'll continue doing this once a week)
7. Pulled Pork Open Face Sandwiches
8. Open Face Roast Beef Sandwiches

Hmmm - I'm struggling now.  I'm sort of a picky eater, so these recipes are things I've tested in the past that I like to eat, but aren't totally outrageous in calories, and might even have some vegetables in them.

I've found tons of pinterest desserts that are lower calorie than I normally eat, like using bananas to make ice cream.  Will have to give them a try.

Just a few days until I start the calorie counting and more frequent exercise.

Well, it's time to face it.  I'm 34 years old, and can no longer eat anything I want with minimal exercise and stay "in shape".  The truth is, I've never been a healthy eater.  I've always eaten a ton of processed food, all the gluten and refined sugar, tons of carbs, almost no vegetables... I know - you hate me a little bit right now, right?  Well, after 2 kids, I just can't be stuck where I am any more.  So I'm going to make a concerted effort in September, 2013 to really focus on a healthy lifestyle, and see what changes I see.

I know me - it can't be too extreme or I'll never stick to it.  I'm going to start logging everything in MyFitnessPal soon, just to track what I am eating, and then work up some health and figure conscious recipes that I like as well as try to get at least 3 hours of exercise a week.  I'll take a before and after shot, and then see if I can maintain parts of this plan in normal life.

I will never completely give up on dessert... but I probably don't need it every night.  Let's see how creative I can get.