Posts from — December 2009

While about to get in the shower, the husband proudly stated that he has lost 3 pounds over the holiday.  Although I love him dearly, I did have a 5 second vision of the Psycho movie shower scene after he told me that.  But, instead of injuring him, I decided to ask him about this a little further.  See, it suddenly dawned on me that he is an intuitive eater of sorts.  Let me preface this by saying that his diet is not the “healthiest”.  If given the chance, he would gladly eat mountains of cheesesteaks and cargo trains of pizza.  However, he does balance this debauchery with plenty of fruits and vegetables and a regular exercise routine. 

I remembered at the beginning of our marriage, he was about 30 pounds overweight and decided he wanted to lose it.  He didn’t go on any program, count calories or even ask me to make him special food.  His approach to weight loss was simple : Eat less, exercise more.  That’s it.  No magic potion, no pills, shakes or packaged foods.  He just ate less of the things he loved and pumped up his exercise a bit.  And he lost the 30 pounds and has basically kept it off for 13 years since.

In asking him about the 3 pound loss and wondering if he has a frickin tape worm and how I can get one , especially since he has been eating cookies and desserts like it’s going out of style, he explained to me his thought process in choosing his meals.  He usually opts for a healthy start to the day of oatmeal (with a ton of brown sugar – he thinks I don’t see that!) or some type of high fiber cereal and a fruit.  If he knows he’s going to indulge in desserts later (he always opts to eat them right after dinner), he eats a lighter lunch- pb&j or grilled cheese, chips and some fruit/carrots.  If he’s hungry, he’ll have 2 sandwiches, but then leaves out the chips.  Dinner is usually our big meal of the day and always includes some balance of protein, starch and veggies.  Then, he moves on to dessert and is done for the night.  He doesn’t snack in- between meals because he prefers to be hungry at mealtime and says the food “tastes better” that way!

He is a morning exerciser and does it every day without fail.  But, during these high indulgence holidays, he finds the opportunity for random bouts of exercise – taking the dog for a long walk, shooting hoops with the daughters, playing racing games in the basement or boxing and bowling on the Wii.  Basically, he doesn’t sit still for long!

So, although I tease him about his eating habits and his regimented workouts, he really has proven to me how it’s possible to lose weight and keep it off without dieting!

Hmmm….cheesesteaks, here I come!  Kidding, kidding

****

Onto the food!  I had some great eats yesterday!  My day started off with a 1 hour run on the treadmill!  Whooo hooo!  It was way too cold to go outside, so I opted for the treadmill at the gym while watching my boyfriend.  Anyone see him disco dance at the end of the show?  I love him so much more now

After the run, I dug into a different kind of breakfast.  Everything has been unexciting lately.  I wanted to try something new for a jump start.  A while back, I bought some of these in anticipation of “something new”…

Wheat berries!  They take about an hour to cook, but I was in no hurry.  I searched for some recipes and came across one for Wheat berry Salad with Pecans and Craisins on Lesli’s blog.  Sounded delish!  I halved the recipe and used walnuts since I had them on hand.  It was chewy, crunchy and sweet!  I loved it!

Lunch was equally yummy.  Leftover whole wheat veggie pizza (made using Biz’s No Rise Pizza Dough recipe – I used white whole wheat flour) and a Fuji apple…

I had beef tenderloin planned for dinner and what better side to go with it than Healthy Au Gratin Potatoes!  I saw this recipe on Danica’s blog and knew I had to make it – pronto!

They came out fab!

I had a serving with leftover Gram’s green beans and some bbq baked tofu (I gave up my beef for the daughters who decided they would eat it!)…

A couple cookies found their way into my mouth after dinner, but the last of them are gone, so SAYONARA, evil things!

ONE GOOD THING:  It felt good to eat normal, healthy foods today and get in a great workout!  Cookies be damned

BRILLIANT BLOGGER:  I have to give “brilliant” props to Biz for her great pizza dough that has saved me much time in the kitchen;  Lesli for her delicious salad that I ate for breakfast and Danica for her many delicious and easy recipes!  I wouldn’t eat so well without all the wonderful blogger recipes out there!

Have a great day, everyone!

Hi everyone!  Sorry for the kooky posting schedule.  The husband and daughters are home this week, so we’re kinda in vacation mode!  I’ve been pretty much lounging around in my pj’s all day and tinkering with stuff in the house.  I’ve also been thinking.  Yes, that is scary   I’ve been thinking about the new year and what goals I would like to set for myself.  I normally don’t do the resolution thing, but I think goal-setting is beneficial and I want to set a few for myself to accomplish this year.  I often “think” about goals, however, I don’t write them down.   But as the saying goes, a goal not written is only a wish.  I’m tired of wishing.  I ready for doing.  So, I am stating (in writing!) my goals for 2010:

1. Work on causes behind my emotional and mindless eating.  I want to work on recognizing when it happens, why it happens and bring forth changes to reverse the behavior.
2. Reach my goal weight.  I know, another year of “weight loss goals”, but I’m ready to get to my goal.  I need to get to my goal.  I need to prove to myself that I can do it.  These last 10 or so pounds have been looming over me for a year now.  On the bright side, I can look at it as maintaining which is wonderful.  But, I’m just not quite “there”, yet.  And I really want to be
3. Run another 5K race.  Well, lordy knows I need a re-do on that! LOL!
4. Incorporate more strength training.  I’m already doing this a couple days a week, but I want to get a decent and regular routine together to really target on toning and firming up the j-e-ll-o

How about you guys?  Are you ready for some doing?  Have you thought about your goals for the new year?  Do you write them down?

Must. resist. temptation.  It’s funny how a couple days of eating mindlessly and with abandon start to become the norm.  I had begun to automatically reach for candy and cookies.  Without even thinking.  But, I was determined to turn that around today.  The plan was to avoid this…

while making these for the daughters’ breakfast…

And avoid these countertop corruptions…

I enlisted the help of some reinforcements.

Lots of this…

and the “guidebook”…

One thing that has always worked for me has been journaling what I eat.  When I was on Weight Watchers, it was a key tool for me in staying on track.  Now that I am no longer counting POINTS or “dieting”, so to speak, I do still find the value in writing down what I eat.  I notice that when I write things down, I am less likely to go astray and am more aware of the bites, licks and tastes (that mindless stuff) that go on. 

***

I wasn’t feeling hungry at all this morning.  I thought about eating something small, but decided that I really wanted to tune in to my body and not just eat because I should.  What I really wanted was COFFEE!!  So, I made a big cup of Peet’s Mocha Java in the French press…

I ended up not getting hungry until about 1 p.m.!  I whipped up a tofu scramble in a flash….

In the mix…

• 1/2 block of Nasoya Lite Firm Tofu, crumbled
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 1/3 cup Galaxy Nutritionals Veggie Shreds
• tbsp. Trader Joe’s Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade

Served up with a side of Stacy’s Pita Chips (deadly).

I spent the afternoon relaxing to the max!  It was so cool to just hang and not have to be anywhere or do anything!  The husband and daughters enjoyed the chillaxin’ day, too!

In keeping with our relax mode, I made an easy dinner – Philly cheesesteaks and sweet potato fries.   I usually make my own fries, but saw these at the store and decided to give them a try…

They cooked up nice and crisp;  very tasty! 

The real star of the dinner was the salad!  I was given this AMAZING bottle of balsamic vinegar as a Christmas gift from my neighbor…

She sure know how to make me happy!  I have been eyeing this up at Williams-Sonoma for a year and just couldn’t bring myself to shell out the money for it ($24)!  Thanks, Dana!  But, it is so worth every penny.  I have NEVER and I mean NEVER been able to eat a salad with just vinegar and no oil, but this vinegar is so delicious that I didn’t need any oil to go with it!

It was the perfect dinner

The cookies surfaced after dinner, but I just took 2 bites and that was enough for me.  I may be officially cookied-out

ONE GOOD THING:  I’ve regrouped.  I am aware of what I am eating again. I am catching myself if I reach mindlessly for cookies.  I am repeating my mantra again:  Food does not control me.  I’m moving forward with eyes wide open!

Have a great day, everyone!

Question of the day:  What is your favorite salad dressing?