Man! It's just not Fair.

Well as I expected, I am only dropping about 1/2 lb a week! That can be so frustrating. Why is it that a man can drop that in a day and it takes me 3 weeks! That is just not fair. Halloween is coming up and all that yummy candy will be in my face. I love candy bars. It will be a challenge for sure. I think I did pretty good this weekend, although I could have done better. I am pleasantly surprised that I am riding the stationary bike regularly. I know I need to strengthen my de-conditioned body. I am still quite weak. I think my motivation is more focused on building muscle strength than looking better. I feel that is a much more positive outlook. I know I am definitely getting stronger because I was able to do about 5 miles of walking a day when I traveled to the windy city. That was a pretty awesome milestone for me since my surgery. :)

How to make a Turkey feel Loved.

Yesterday went well. I stuck to my guns and ate well. I did not ride the bike....I was too sore from walking 5 miles a day in Chicago. How in the world can your arms get sore from walking???? I know I am out of shape, but that's pathetic!  I ate breakfast (bowl of Product 19, skim milk and dried cranberries) and for dinner I made stuffed peppers. This recipe has actually become a favorite in our house. I was NEVER a fan of ground turkey, but if you season it right, it can actually taste delicious. The meat sucks in the spices quite well.  I take the tops off the peppers and chop them and saute them with a little olive oil and a chopped onion and minced clove of garlic. Then I add the ground turkey and sprinkle it with garlic salt and pepper. In a separate pan I make two packs of McCormack Brown gravy. Then add half the gravy to the turkey, let it cool while making some rice. I decided to make half brown, half white and it was really tasty.  Add the rice to the turkey mixture and then the remaining gravy. Stuff each pepper, add a little water to the bottom of the baking dish and cook for 30-40 min in a 350 degree oven.  Low calorie, low fat and high in nutients.It is also very satisfying and doesnt leave you with the bloated feeling you can get from ground beef. It's easier to digest and it is a really good left-over. Buon Appetito! 

Bad Girl!

Ok, so I was not a good girl this weekend!  It's gonna happen. It was my birthday on friday and I actually was pretty good that day....But the following 2 days I was very bad!  I went to Chicago to visit my son for Parent's Weekend.  I think I convinced myself that I could be a lttle more lax because I was walking the entire time.  Although i did not over eat, I did eat foods that were really bad choices!  I had deep dish pizza and a grilled Reuben on Sunday. I felt sick to my stomach and a wee bit guilty. On Saturday, I picked on artichoke dip and tortilla chips, hummus,and pita bread, and had a half of a chicken buritto. I ate way too many carbs!!!  After the weekend, I felt like CRAP both physically and mentally.  I refuse to step on the scale. I am way too scared. Today, I am back on track. I have a ton of things to catch up on and I will just move forward.  This dieting thing is sooo hard.  But I know I need to do it. I will need to just take one day at a time. It's hard to look back and not feel the guilt of being glutonous, but that is a futile exercise.  Today is a new day and I chose to behave myself. Let's hope tomorrow I will feel the same way!

I want to be a LOSER!

Happy to say that I dropped another pound, however I got a bad case of tendinitis from peeling all those apples!  I am doing well with the diet but horrible with the exercise. Maybe because it's just not part of my routine. Or maybe it's because I hate exercising.  I had a flare of GERD and my appetite has been horrible.  Back on my meds and will most likely need to have my esophagus dilated again.  It's my own fault. I snuck a piece of dove chocolate and it sent me into a spiral! It was just a tiny little piece!!!  The diet is beginning to get easier. I know by writing this blog that I will accomplish the weight loss.  I have to, otherwise I will look like a LOSER! lol....A friend of mine sent a picture of me to FaceBook and I almost passed out!  I could not believe I was that big. Maybe avoiding all the mirrors is a bad thing.  I should make myself look, so I know what's going on.  Part of me wants to copy that picture and paste it to my fridge!  As horrible as that picture made me feel, it also gave me more motivation.  I really need to get this done with once and for all. I've been putting it off too long. I'm not getting any younger and time continues to tick.

Can Not Break a Tradition!

Today was the day that I set aside to turn all of those hand picked apples into yummy bakery treats. Despite the fact that I am watching my weight, traditions must not be broken. I prepared myself mentally to just taste and not indulge so I was fine with it. I baked an apple pie, 2 apple crisp pies and 5 caramel apples. I had a small piece of the pie. Not sure if I out did myself OR I was just happy to have a sweet. But it was good. I also had a very satisfying dinner of chicken with a cilantro sauce, baked potato, and a side of spinach. I actually even left some in my plate because I was full. This is something I am trying VERY hard to practice. It's hard to break old habits of cleaning the plate or going for seconds. After dinner my husband and I went to see the movie "Dolphin Tail". I enjoyed it so much that I am making plans to go see the real dolphin in Clearwater, Fl. After the show I came home and had a caramel apple. I was surprised to find out that it was only worth 4 pts on weight watchers! That is the same as a bowl of cereal. I think that is why I like W.W.in comparison
to other diet plans. You can eat ANYTHING as long as you stay within your daily points. So I was able to enjoy the treats I made and still managed to stay within my limits. On a negative note, I didn't exercise. I was busy baking and cooking all day and was too tired to ride the bike. I find exercising tougher than dieting. It's just so boring. Still thinking about joining water aerobics one of these days. Just not sure which day!
Hope you had a successful day!

4 Sticks of Butter = 1lb. of Body Fat

I actually did pretty well over the weekend. I had a lot of good food in my face and I was actually able to say no to over eating. I ate everything I liked(except the elephant ears) but had them in small amounts. I had gone out on Friday night and noticed that I got really full, really fast. I didn't even eat that much and I was bloated and uncomfortable. My stomach must have shrunk already. I need to somehow get used to eating small portions and feel mentally satisfied. That might take some time and work. I realized that I don't just eat to live. I enjoy the whole eating experience. And to eat only a small section of my plate seems wrong. It just feels incomplete. I don't know if anyone else knows what I'm talking about. But growing up in an old world Italian family...food is everything. Your life and relationships revolve around the kitchen table. Not yet sure how I am going to reconcile this issue.
Sunday morning I stepped on the scale and to my happy surprise, I dropped 1.5 lbs! May not seem like a lot to you especially if you're a guy, but to me that's 6 sticks of butter!! When I think in terms of butter sticks then even a half pound can make me feel a sense of accomplishment. The weekend was busy and it was really weird to go apple picking in shorts and flip flops. That was a first for me. Tomorrow I will probably make apple pies, apple crisp, and apple sauce. I had better save up some points for that. I wait all year for freshly baked homemade pie. I don't think it's healthy to deprive yourself of things you love most. I think it causes bingeing later. So I'll just need to be careful with the portion size. Hope you did well. Until next time.....

Happy to have Canker?

Ok, so does this happen to anybody else but me? I stick to a diet and within the first two weeks I either lose NO weight or gain a pound or two!? Years back I was very discouraged by this pattern and asked my doctor what was going on. He explained that the brain is used to being a certain weight and when we diet and begin to burn fat, the brain will actually hold water for a couple of weeks to make up for the weight loss, therefore tricking itself into thinking it's the same weight. Weird, but really cool at the same time. Well that's me. It happens every time without exception. I usually weigh myself on Fridays. Sure enough...no weight loss noted. So I will be patient because it will eventually catch up by next week. I was good today thus far. I even rode my stationary bike. I am going out to dinner tonight so I went really really light on breakfast and lunch. Tomorrow will be a challenge also. We are hosting an eight course dinner party. Thank God I'm not cooking it! I chipped a tooth  and developed a cut on the side of my tongue. I am almost glad I have it because it hurts to chew. I'd say it's pretty good timing. Enough for now....hope you had a successful day!