Sunday, June 13 -- Week 24, Day 1

Today was a really good day! I did oversleep a bit this morning, so instead of homemade wheat pancakes, Mark got some thin, flat, flavorless white ones from a bottle. I told him I wouldn't do that again, and I promised to throw away the rest of the bottles that we still have. I suspect they've expired and the baking powder is no good anymore. Not that they were very good pancakes to begin with, but I do remember them being at least a little fluffier in the past.

Anyway ... breakfast was a bowl of oatmeal squares, some apple juice, and some skim milk. I didn't take a picture, because #1) I was running very late, and #2) how many times have I posted a picture of a bowl of dry cereal on this blog?? I think you can picture it...

Lunch:

• curried meat hash
• cucumbers on romaine lettuce with Light Italian Vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup green beans
• 1/2 cup carrots
• 1 oz whole wheat pita
• 1/2 cup sugar-free jello with bananas

I was unsure about the hash. It has apples and raisins in it, and I'm not a fan of fruit in my meat, but I thought I'd try it anyway. It was pretty good. It didn't call for potatoes, but I diced one up and put it in there too. I cooked it in the crockpot, so the raisins became grapes again. They were pretty weird to bite into.

After naps, we went for a bike ride. We're borrowing a kid trailer that you pull behind a bike, so we all got to go except Ellie, who is still travelling. I think it was about 7.5 - 8 miles, but it was very flat, so it was a super-easy ride. By the end of our ride, it was 7:30. Everyone was hungry. I had planned to try salmon chowder for dinner. It looks pretty quick and easy - should be ready in 30 minutes or less. But we were all hungry NOW and didn't want to wait 30 minutes. So we went to McDonald's.

BUT ... I got a grilled chicken caesar salad. Yes, I had a few of the kids fries (by "a few," I mean about 5 - no harm done). I had ranch dressing and croutons. But really, I was very pleased with my choice. I don't need a greasy burger. I certainly don't need greasy fries. I was able to enjoy my salad and not feel like I'd messed up again!

Then we came home and I had a half cup of vanilla yogurt to ward off my sweet tooth that was hollering for ice cream. I am pleased to report that it worked! I ended my day at about 1250 calories, minus whatever I burned riding bikes at a very leisurely pace.

It was a nice day. Good weather, good times. Everyone got along (well, except the hair-pulling incident in the bike kid cart...), food was good, company was good. We ended the day happy :-) Now if only Ellie would get home, then life would be just right...

Friday, June 11 -- Week 24, Day 6

Much to my delight, I woke up this morning to a minus 2 on the scale since Tuesday!!

Breakfast:

• 1 over-easy egg
• 1 slice homemade wheat toast with 1 tsp. light margarine
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup skim milk

What did I just say about a stock photo?? Nothing much to say about this meal anymore. I don't eat the whites. I tried once and just can't do it again.

Lunch:

• romaine lettuce with 1.5 oz leftover grilled steak
• 1 small carrot
• 2 green pepper rings
• 2 oz. light ranch dressing (for both salad and veggie sticks)
• 1/2 cup strawberry slices with Splenda

I can't decide how I feel about romaine lettuce. It's a very solid lettuce. I have a ton of it, so that's what I'll be eating all of next week too. I think I'll go back to regular head lettuce for a week after that. Maybe I'll just alternate the two.

I haven't had ranch dressing in awhile (well, except date night). It was ok, but I really prefer my Italian Romano.

Dinner:

• 3 oz grilled chicken leg quarter (quite crispy! flame-broiled - literally, but not intentionally)
• 3 oz yam with spray butter
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/2 cup sliced sautéed zucchini
• romaine lettuce with Italian romano
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 4 oz red wine

This was some seriously delicious chicken! I may never go back to boneless skinless breasts. Thighs are so juicy!

At this point in the day, I was at a grand total of 942 calories. So we got ice cream. I had a small strawberry daiquiri frozen yogurt cone, which was delicious! I estimate that a small frozen yogurt cone is around 250 calories. So I'm calling this a 1200 calorie day. A success! And it's so nice to be able to ENJOY ice cream, within the calorie limits of my day, rather than regretting that I blew it yet again. lol.

I ran 1.5 miles this morning, burning 225 calories. I also had a 6 mile vigorous bike ride this evening, burning another 180.

It was a good diet AND fitness day! I love those days the best. I go to bed feeling very good about myself, and usually pretty exhausted too! I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight.

Another Catch-Up Post

I'm such a bad blogger. I apparently didn't take any pictures on Tuesday, because that was date night. I know I said I'd try my best, but I didn't try. I didn't try at all. We started with a buffalo chicken cheese dip and crusty baguette. Then we had a nice tasty salad. I really enjoyed it! I chose regular ranch though. Their only light option was a non-fat raspberry vinaigrette. I don't think fruit belongs in a salad dressing. Then I had a monstrous piece of chicken cordon bleu in a creamy dijon sauce. Naturally, I ate every bite of it. Also with the chicken were seasoned fries and a lot of broccoli. I gave the broccoli away. My only chance at redemption, and I gave it away. To drink, a white wine strawberry sangria. I was disappointed. It was mostly wine, very little strawberry. We were so ridiculously stuffed that we couldn't even contemplate the idea of dessert. We mentioned going out for ice cream, but then we kind of gagged, so we decided to skip it.

I think this was Wednesday's dinner. Very dry pork shoulder roast with some homemade chicken gravy, 1/2 cup white rice (we were out of brown) with a little gravy, 1/2 cup wax beans, 1/4 cup mixed veggies, salad with cherry tomatoes, 1/3 cup apple carrot juice:



Thursday breakfast - homemade wheat toast, 1 tsp. reduced-calorie margarine, 1 over-easy egg, 1/4 cup skim milk, 1/3 cup orange juice. I think I'll just use this as a stock photo. I have this breakfast often. To think, I used to eat 3 eggs and 2 pieces of toast. Plus bacon or fried potatoes or both! I've come to terms with the fact that I'll just be eating smaller portions from now on...

Thursday's lunch - 3 oz deli ham and spinach in 1/2 a whole wheat pita with 1 tsp. mayo, 1 slice cantaloupe, 1 cup skim milk:

Thursday's dinner - 3 oz. grilled rib eye steak marinated in Catalina dressing, 4 oz baked potato with spray butter, 1/2 cup wax beans (again. I ran out of green beans.), romaine lettuce with light Italian romano red pepper dressing, 4 oz red wine (grimy kid fingers crudded up my camera lens):

I was saddened to find that just that one over-indulgent meal out totally undid 2 weeks' progress. But that won't stop me from doing it again. We get a night out so rarely that I'm not going to waste it on salad and water!

Monday, June 7 -- Week 23, Day 2

Today was a good day! I got lots done. My eating was great. My exercise was fabulous. I was in a good mood all day. Everything was in balance! (Well, except my computer use, but that's just taking things a little too far - hahaha)

BREAKFAST:
Original:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 oz. colby cheese
• 1 slice toasted whole wheat bread
• 1 tsp. reduced-calorie margarine
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• coffee or tea

My version:

• exactly the same thing, minus the coffee or tea

LUNCH:

Original (I swapped the book's lunch and dinner today, so this is actually their dinner menu):

• Bean Curd Soup
• Spinach salad with 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil plus wine vinegar
• 6 saltines
• 2 medium apricots

My version:

• 1/2 cup tomato soup, made with water
• lettuce, spinach, feta, cherry tomato salad with lite Italian Romano Pepper dressing
• 6 wheat saltines
• peach

That was a really big lunch. It took me forever to eat it. I'm LOVING the color that cherry tomatoes add to my food!

DINNER:

Original (the book's lunch menu):

• fillet of sole florentine
• 1/2 cup cooked green beans
• tomato-cucumber raito
• root beer froth

My version:

• lemon pepper chicken and cherry tomato kebabs on the grill
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1/2 cup cooked green beans
• salad with lite 3-cheese ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup fruit salad

I had originally changed the Sole Florentine to a chicken spinach roll-up, but I forgot to put it in the microwave. Then I was reading a blog that mentioned chicken kebabs, and I remembered that we had Jacob's new skewers, so I decided to go with kebabs instead. Not at all close to Sole Florentine, but the chain of thought is identifiable.

The tomatoes were good. I enjoyed the sweetness of the tomato and the smokiness of the grilled black parts. mmm.

Jacob made the fruit salad. He enjoys the process, and he's good at it. I'm certainly not going to tell him no. Tonight's included canned peaches and pineapple, diced fresh apples, diced fresh pears, diced kiwi, strawberries, grapes, and a sliced banana. It's always different, depending on what we have that needs used up. But it's always good.

Snacks today consisted of 1/2 cup canned fruit (which I counted as my fruit salad with dinner) and 1 cup of vegetable juice (apple carrot). I switched the root beer froth and the fruit salad. Had the root beer froth after my bike ride this evening. It's just a cup of diet root beer and a half cup of milk in the blender. Then add 3 ice cubes, one at a time until it's smooth. It was ok, but could definitely benefit from Splenda or some other sweetener. For 43 calories, though, it was fine. I also had 3 bites of leftover birthday cake, which is now gone, thank goodness.

I ended my day around 1050 calories. I ran just a hair over 1.5 miles this afternoon (burning 225 calories) and biked 5 miles this evening (burning 150 calories). That would have only left me 600 calories for the rest of my day, so I had a leftover frostingless cupcake, estimating about 150 calories for that. So 1200 minus my exercise.

It was a good day. I'm exhausted.

Random Catch-Up Post

Quick and dirty catch-up. Diet has been going acceptably. I've lost another pound, so I'm 9 from my goal. These last few are being stubborn. Makes me wonder if I'm where my body thinks is best... Menu is planned for this coming week. I'm determined to make it a successful one, except dinner out Tuesday. First date night in months. I won't be ordering salad and water!

Just uploaded pics from my camera. I found a LOT of food photos that I hadn't uploaded. I don't remember what these meals were supposed to be, so I'll just identify what they are with no commentary. Some of the pictures came out kind of weird. Enjoy.

-Greek Burger (beef, feta, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper; spinach leaves; mustard; bun)
-steamed carrots
-very small baked potato with spray butter

I totally forgot to make a salad!


-3/4 oz. oatmeal squares
-1 cup skim milk
-1 peach

This meal always looks pathetic, but I really like this cereal! And I've come to really enjoy a good fresh peach too!

-Curried chicken pasta with gingered peas

-Nasty green bean/peas/carrots cold salad leftovers that I cooked. Cooked version was just as nasty.

-Lettuce and green pepper strips with lite Italian vinaigrette

-1 cup strawberries with Splenda

-Taco salad

-carrot sticks

-1/2 cup skim milk

-peanut butter/raisin/dried apricot/prune balls rolled in graham crackers

-2 rosemary/olive oil melba toasts

-1 fresh pear

-1 oz colby cheese

-1/4 cup skim milk

-3 oz Texas BBQ grilled pork sirloin

-1/2 cup steamed carrots

-lettuce with light 3-cheese ranch dressing

-1/2 cup mashed potatoes

-Splenda lemonade

-Brown rice and cheddar stuffed green pepper (this was HUGE - I only ate half of it)

-salad with cherry tomatoes and lite Italian with romano and red pepper dressing

-1/4 cup peas

-1 peach

-Curry chicken salad (this was a huge amount! definitely only half of it next time)

-carrot sticks

-cherry tomatoes

-wheat tortilla

-10 cherries

-peony from my mother-in-law's flower garden - it made me smile :-)

-over easy egg

-1 slice cantaloupe

-1 slice homemade wheat toast with spray butter

-1/4 cup skim milk

-1 slice homemade wheat toast

-1/4 cup ricotta cheese with Splenda and cinnamon

-1/4 cup skim milk

-1/3 cup apple carrot juice (that's as close as I'm going to get to tomato juice!)

-marinated grilled pork sirloin

-rice and veggies in a bag

-1/2 cup peach slices with Splenda

(I think we were out of lettuce for this meal)

-spinach and carrot stuffed chicken

-1/2 cup brown rice

-salad with cucumber slices and lite Italian vinaigrette

-1 slice homemade wheat bread

-1 tsp. margarine

-strawberry yogurt

-3 oz. turkey kielbasa

-fried potatoes :-\

-1/2 cup green beans

-1 pear half with Splenda

-1 slice homemade wheat toast

-1/4 cup ricotta cheese with Splenda and cinnamon

-1/2 cup orange juice

-1/4 cup skim milk

Ok, that's enough for tonight. Diet photo overload! Check back tomorrow. I'll post no matter how it goes!

darnit!

Shoot!No-post-tonight.Space-bar-mal-function.No-one-wants-to-read-an-entire-post-with-no-spaces-in-it.Ugh!Hopefully-will-have-it-fixed-by-tomorrow.

I-was-successful-today-by-the-way.Ended-at-just-under-1100-calories!

Still Here...

I'm still here. Things kind of fell apart over the weekend, and I'm really struggling to get back on track. Today, for example ... after dinner, I was on target to finish my day properly, and then for some reason I ate a hamburger. I wasn't hungry. There was absolutely NO reason to eat it, except it was there and I didn't want to see it get wasted. Spending so much more on groceries each week really causes me to be super aware of what gets wasted. But then again, spending more on good foods for a diet that I ruin by eating non-diet foods seems pretty counter-productive, doesn't it? Hopefully back on tomorrow...