That settles that- Weigh In

This post will contain some TMI, so...deal with it.  ;-) 

I lost a big fat zero this week.  It's Aunt Flo week which means I can ALWAYS count on a loss even if it's just a pound.  I haven't not lost on one of those weeks for almost 2 years.  So that does it for the morning workouts.  I'm not going to continue to bust my ass 4 extra days a week in thinking that maybe if I went pseudo Biggest Loser style garners me nothing.  (I know, I know nowhere near it but 2-2 1/2 hours compared to 50-60 minutes feels all Bob and Jillian to me!)   I know they restrict their calories to 11-1200 too and that ain't happenin'.  I firmly believe the reason those people gain weight back is because they can't maintain that kind of calorie restriction and they thoroughly screwed up their metabolism.

So I gave it two weeks, I was perfect in my food and water and ratios and all I have to show for it is one pound after burning 20,150 calories in 2 weeks, which on paper should've warranted about a 6 lb loss because I was burning what I was eating, I can say experiment failed.  (Yes, I know that what looks good on paper rarely translates to the body, that was just for you "it's as simple as calories in vs. calories out" people)  I've gotta say I'm kind happy about that.  I would hate to think I'd have to work that hard all the time just to get a spare pound or two thrown at me but if I'm going to lose (or not lose) the same amount of weight, then the extra stuff isn't worth doing and not worth potentially risking injury based on the extra wear and tear. 

So starting next week, I'll go back to my old routine of working out 5x a week, once a day knowing that I did try everything I could think of to get the pounds moving but the body has claimed squatter's rights and says "that's cute you thought you had control, now sit down Waldo."

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I think I like it!

The hubby and I were discussing what we eat and how to get a better balance of the protein/fat/carb ratio.  He wondered if lettuce wraps would be a good idea.  I immediately thought of the Boca burgers or peanut butter sandwiches I do and recoiled so that wasn't going to work.  But I do eat tuna fish sandwiches about once or twice a week, I could do lettuce wraps with those.  Better yet, I could do those fancy endive cups you see on Food Network shows for fancier appetizers.

So this grocery trip I bought some endive made up my usual tuna fish mix (1 can Bumblebee tuna in water - triple washed and drained, 2 tbsp light Miracle Whip, green onions, and a touch of pepper).  I peeled back 4 leaves, washed them, cut the ends a little nicer and was able to divide the tuna into 4 portions and they fit perfectly.  It was awesome.  I like a little crunch with my tuna salad whether it's by adding some pea shoots, broccoli slaw mix, lettuce or Claussen pickle slices (drool- but so sodium laden) but these gave a nice crunch and I didn't even miss the bread.  It does make my fat/carb/protein ratio get basically to perfect for my intended plan.  (50 carbs, 25 protein, 25 fat)  So this is a good option for me and kinda makes me feel like a fancy pants too!
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Much needed rest

Our usual routine consists of working out Sunday through Thursday.  We tried working out Sunday through Friday but felt completely exhausted and the weight loss didn't improve working out 6x week vs. 5.  My husband suggested we might want to give ourselves a rest day mid-week since we do some pretty intense workouts (kickboxing, HIIT, etc).  We were going to start that in March but with the addition of my morning workouts, my bod is asking for some time off so today is it.  We're going to take today off even though the itch for me to get downstairs is strong today.  My knees are a little achy and I think they'll appreciate the rest day.  So we'll move our 2 scheduled workouts to tomorrow and Friday.  I'm hoping this little schedule change up will throw off the body too.  I'm looking forward to tonight's dinner.  I've got my meal all planned out, I'm going to drown myself in water today even though the sodium will be fine, I'm not banking on the count being exact.  So overall, I'm kind of glad today is a rest day with a bit of a change (read: me not having to cook) but I can't help but feel that small tinge of guilt.  Weird!

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If you fail to plan...

Can I tell you how grateful I am for online menus?  I make sure we eat well 6 days a week with one high cal day with no real restrictions to keep us sane.  Sometimes occasions come up on where you have to go out on a non-high cal day and thankfully many restaurants have menus so you can plan healthier meals when you go out.  I'm always amazed when I look at the calories of the perceived "healthy" salads out there that are well over 1000 calories.  I don't eat salad as a main dish, well, ever so those calories don't convince me to start doing it now.

We're going to a seafood restaurant tomorrow night and I found out I basically have about 3 options if I don't want my sodium to bloat me like a Macy's balloon.  Plank salmon, steamed veggies, side salad with french on the side (I might use 1/4 of that using the dip the fork in the dressing cup method.  Thanks 1980's Weight Watchers tip from my Grandma as a kid!)  and if I want one, a roll and water to drink.  I know the calories aren't exact but I'll ask for no butter in the prep and hope they listen.  But I can at least enjoy the company, which is the point, and the food thanks to planning from the online menu and then the rest of my day on my food tracker, will allow me to stay within all of my number goals for calories, sodium, etc.  To the restaurants who don't do online menus, I rarely frequent you because I think if you're not putting it out there, you've probably got something pretty heinous to hide!

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A tip from The Mrs.: Hard Boiled Eggs

We recently started adding a whole hard boiled egg for an extra protein kick in the morning.  We feel a little better about it since new studies show it's safer than first thought to eat a whole egg.  Now I'll admit, it was pretty hard to not want to put a little dash o' salt on it as I always have but I've gotten used to it. 

My eggs always had that 'beautiful' green sulfur ring around the outside of the yolk and I always envied those people who could do perfect boiled eggs.  Now I'm one of 'em!  How?  Get a saucepan of water going to a rolling boil.  Gently put your eggs in the water and set a timer for 4 minutes.  When it goes off, turn off the heat and reset the timer for 20 minutes.  When that timer goes off, it's time to dry them and put them in the fridge.  You'll have a beautiful, perfectly cooked egg every time without that nasty green ring!

Bonus tip:  Choose white eggs when hard or soft boiling eggs.  For some reason brown eggs are a lot harder to peel.  Weird but we've found it to be true!  Enjoy!

Well that didn't work - Weigh In

After busting my ass all week doing 2 workouts per day Tues-Fri and burning over 10,000 cals (w/workouts and what I burn just existing) I lost 1 friggin' pound.  I could've done that without all the workouts! 

Don't get me wrong I wasn't expecting a 5 lb loss (I wasn't expecting it but I did dream about it last night!) but I thought at least 3.  I KNOW I wasn't eating enough to support that kind of calorie burn but I wanted to see what would happen if I didn't change my calories.

In calculating what I'd have to be eating to burn 7500 cals per week I'm finding 2180-2530 which is in the minimal range I ate this past week so I don't quite get that.  I think I might continue next week but add a healthy morning snack right after my workout of about 200-300 calories so I'm closer to mid-range and not hitting just below range or the very bottom and see what that does.  If it does nothing, then I'm cutting the morning workouts.  I just want to be able to say I've tried everything but I have to say I'll be really disappointed if I just lose the same amount I usually do.  My body just seriously hates me and wants to hang on to every pound.  I still have 150 lbs to go so I don't have time for slow downs or else it'll take me 5 more years of busting my ass and getting minimal results.  *GRRR*

It should also be noted I'll be discontinuing the use of the aloe vera pills I was trying last week.  After doing a little digging, I didn't like what I was reading on reputable site about taking it orally (you know, dehydration, kidney issues, death...stuff like that) so I figured that's enough for me to stop.  That was my first full week taking it and I have no idea if that has anything to do with the lack of loss or not but it won't be an issue from this point on either way.  Just thought it was worth noting.

A little update

So I've done 3 days of the "new" plan of exercising in the morning in addition to the evening.  I just tell myself I am employed at a gym and I teach 2 classes a day.  You know, mind games help!  ;-)  I am actually quite pleased with how I feel.  I don't have less energy when I do the 2nd workout because they're spaced out over about 6-8 hours.  I'm basically burning what I'm eating, about 2100-2200 calories per day.  I purposely haven't peeked on the scale because I want to be surprised tomorrow.  (I just hope it's not surprised in a bad way)  I'm drinking 130 oz of water a day so I'm staying hydrated.  Yesterday I did get really tired about 3:30pm so I took a little nap and I felt better when it was time to workout in the evening.  I do a little preventative pre-workout heating pad session to warm up my lower back.  I just want to be as careful as possible.  I hope everyone is having a good week!  (Whoever everyone is!  LOL)

A different approach

My hubby hit a great milestone this past week and got into a new set of numbers.  I am so happy for him I could burst (but I won't because he'd have to clean it up).  Along with his milestone it also reminds me that I am 30 lbs higher than he is.  For a long time, I was under him weight wise but not by much then I caught to him and when I suffered from a bout of depression after a loss in the family, I surpassed him by 40 lbs.  I have lessened the deficit by 10 lbs but with him being in new numbers now, it reinforces the difference and honestly, makes me feel like I am holding him back.  (There are ways he's pushing himself in workouts that I can't right now)  We had a big talk over the weekend and I told him of an idea I had but I wanted to run it by him first.  I really would like to get closer to his weight not because I'm in some big competition with him but because it would help me feel a little better about not having as big a deficit.  (Case in point, we both want to zipline.  There's a weight limit for that.  If he reaches it and I still have 30 lbs to lose then I will feel like he has to wait for me to "catch up" before he can have certain life experiences and I don't want that to be the case if I can help it)

So you ever see those extreme weight loss shows and say "well yeah I could lose that much weight if I had all day to work out."  Well I don't have ALL day to workout but in between what I do in a day, I do have time for an extra workout.  So starting today I am implementing that.  We have our usual workout schedule and now I have an alternate schedule.  This morning I did Hollywood Trainer for 45 minutes and burned 990 calories.  Tonight I'll do the scheduled workout too which is Turbo Fire 55 and will burn close to that amount again.  I have no idea if this will work and this will NOT be for an extended period of time.  I will listen to my body, stay hydrated and if there is a hint of trouble from it, I'll cut that workout.  But for the time being, I'm going to give it a go and see if anything comes of it.  I wanted to check with him first because I wanted him to be in a place mentally where if I began losing twice the amount consistently (say 3-4 lbs and I know even that is pushing it and no you don't have to tell me that's above a "healthy" average for weight loss) would he be able to handle that?  I said if he didn't want me to or was uncomfortable with that I absolutely would not do that.  He gave an enthusiastic green light to it and I'm glad that we felt like we could discuss all of the little aspects this plan could bring.  I am so thankful to have such a great support on this journey!

Valentine Treat for your honey

I'll be honest, while chocolate covered strawberries look like they'd be decadent and heavenly, I'm not a strawberry fan.  (I'll allow a few seconds for the collective gasps!)  It's a texture thing; seeds in anything make me retch.  Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi's, etc.  However, they are my hubby's favorite.  So I was going to buy 6 of them from a popular berry place online and by the time I got to the order page it was going to be $43 for 6 BERRIES!  (And 3 of them in white chocolate which he hates!)  I said screw it and went to the farmers market and got a ton of long stemmed strawberries.  I'd smuggled in a Special Dark bar earlier in the week so for a total of $12 not only did I have enough for a sweet Valentine's treat for my honey but leftover berries for his lunch for the week!

Take 8 strawberries, rinse and dry them. Melt 8 bars of Special Dark in a 4 oz container in the microwave for 45 seconds and stir to smooth out. Dip berries in chocolate and put on wax paper and put in the fridge to harden.

Then if you want to make them look all fancy and special, buy some cello bags with little hearts on them and when they're firmed up, bag them and keep them in the fridge until you're ready to surprise your sweetie with a heart healthy treat!

Calories 245  Fat 12g  Carbs 35g  Protein  3g  (Half that if you share!)

Mediterranean Orzo Recipe

Mediterranean Orzo with Gardein Chick'n Scallopini

6 oz Orzo pasta

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 small head garlic

Black Pepper

Basil (fresh or dried)

Meyer Lemon
Fresh parmesan

Set oven to 400, cut the top off of head of garlic, wrap tightly in foil and roast for 45 minutes.  (You can do this earlier in the day)  Bring a saucepan half full of water to a boil and add orzo.  Cook for 9-10 minutes.  Strain pasta, add olive oil, roasted garlic, basil and black pepper.  Stir and allow to sit on simmer for about 3 minutes to let the flavors marry.  Serve and squeeze half a Meyer Lemon over the top of each serving.  (Cut side up to keep seeds in the lemon half)  Sprinkle 1 tbsp of shaved parmesan on the orzo and top with protein of your choice.  Pictured is a Gardein Chick'n Scallopini filet which was so so until it was cut up into strips and mixed in with the orzo which the hubby loved.  Serves 2.

Nutritional Information for Orzo only:  Cal 475, Fat 17g, (Sat 3g, Poly 1g, Mono 10g), Cholesterol 4mg, Sodium 57 mg, Carbs 66g, Fiber 3g, Protein  13g, Vitamin C 7%, Calcium 8%, Iron 16%


I will update this recipe/nutritional info when I try it with Whole Wheat Orzo.

Blue Plate Specials for 2/9/11

I know lots of people seem to like to see what other people eat when it comes to weight loss. We keep it pretty realistic to our lifestyle as far as what we eat. We don't follow a particular plan. We eat everything from raw to all natural to some processed (because I don't have the desire to make every little thing from scratch) to organic to vegan and everything in between. Some people don't like that, they like to jump on a bandwagon and stick with it. That's not us and after 162 lbs, I think we're doing something right. So here goes:

Start the day with a smile Multigrain Light English Muffin with all natural peanut butter with flax seeds and 1/2 tbsp honey, banana and hard boiled egg.

Tuna fish (triple washed) with Miracle Whip Light and pea shoots on an Arnold Sandwich Thin, Fuji apple, Fruit Salad (watermelon, cantaloupe, navel orange), raw veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, radishes and celery) with 1/2 tbsp of dip, sharp cheddar slice and apple bar.

Orange roughy with meyer lemon slices over Quinoa Duo with zucchini and squash.

Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich (not because they're diet, because they're good!)

So, there ya have it. Came in mid-range on my calories. Exercise was 30 minutes of rowing and Total Trainer for 20 minutes for a total calorie burn of 1125.

Protein with a cute face

About 2 years ago I really went wild with the bento stuff. Bento lunches are more like art and portion control combined. There are all kinds of food molds, picks, cups and the most fun, bento boxes to carry it all in. I've got 2 really cute bento boxes I'll have to take pics of but for now I wanted to share my morning friend.

Bear Mold

Insert freshly hard boiled egg & close

If you don't start out with a crappy egg,
yours will look better than this! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

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If you're interested in taking a peek, click the links below or see the links on the right sidebar.

www.cafepress.com/successweigh

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