Blog #18 The Hunt Begins

Since I am trying to follow "Weight Watchers", I have to write down everything I eat and tally the points as I go along.  I am allowed 26 points per day. Any expert will tell you that the only way to reduce your weight is to reduce your caloric intake (especially if you are not active). That's why fad diets don't last. All they do is play tricks with your brain and body and as soon as you go off the diet, the weight comes right back on. Now since supper is my favorite meal, I prefer to save the points for evening. So I need to be smart and find low point (low calorie) foods to eat for breakfast and lunch.  This takes some time and effort but it's sort of like a game or a hunt. I just found a wonderful high protein breakfast food...Egg Beaters. They are 0 points! So I had 2 servings and a piece of lite italian toast with strawberry jam for breakfast.  The whole thing was only 1 point.  Now that's a find! For lunch I'll have a salad piled high with veggies and a low fat dressing. I mix a little water with the dressing to make it spread more evenly..nice little trick.  I have a busy evening so for supper I will eat a left-over stuffed pepper (which by the way, came out delicious). I think today will be a good day. I have lots to keep me busy. The only challenge will be getting together with some of my friends tonight. I love to have coffee, chat and snack!  Maybe I should pack a snack. Yeah, that's probably the wise thing to do.  I have to make a practice to always plan ahead. Otherwise I will get sucked into the temptation of the food abyss!  Nothing but evil lurking in there!!!

Blog #17 Today is a New Day

So, I wasn't an angel over the weekend, but I could have been a lot worse.  I ate chinese food on Saturday and blew up like a tick the next day because of all the extra sodium. Was it worth it? Probably not, because the food wasn't that great. I hate when that happens!. But today is a brand new day and I just might  have the courage to step on the scale and get an idea of what my weight actually is.  I 'll let you know tomorrow. I feel good about my diet today. The weekdays are much easier than the weekends.  No matter what way you slice it, it just is not easy to eat out and keep the calories low.  Although I must say Chelo's has quite a few healthy options. Plug, Plug... Anyway, tonight I will make another favorite.  Stuffed Peppers.

1 lb ground Turkey
6 green peppers (slice tops off and set aside)
Chop the tops of the peppers into small pieces
Chop 1/2 onion
Garlic salt
pepper
2 packs McCormacks Brown Gravy (prepared)
1 1/2 cups rice cooked and set aside.

Brown turkey in non stick pan. Add a tsp of olive oil and a little water so turkey doesnt stick. Add garlic salt and pepper to taste. Drain.
In a bowl, mix together cooked turkey, chopped onion and pepper, cooked rice and prepared brown gravy.
Place peppers in a shallow baking dish and add 1/2 inch of water to bottom of dish.  Stuff each pepper and bake at 350 oven for about 30 minutes. I like my peppers aldente.  But you can cover with foil and cook a bit longer if you'd like.
I will probably make some veggie like Broc Rabe or maybe a salad to go along with it.
For a snack later in the evening I will plan to have a serving of slow churned ice cream. If I'm still feeling like I need to forage for food later at night then I will have a bag of low fat popcorn and a cup of decaf tea.  I find that planning my meal and snacks ahead of time helps tremendously. It's probably a "control" thing.
So what are your plans???

Blog #16 Misery LOVES Company

I received some feedback about the blog. A few people have interest in joining along. I realize that accountability to another person or persons can be very helpful when trying to lose weight. One person suggested that we "weigh in" each week. Of course I would never expect anyone to reveal their weight, however if you would like to post your weight loss or God forbid your weight gain, then perhaps we could include that in the comments section. Totally up to you, but I think it's a good idea. Maybe we could even post our favorite recipes. I'm always looking for new ideas. So think about it.
Today I have a busy day planned. I'll eat a bowl of grapenuts with dried cranberries and head out. Tonight instead of going out to dinner like usual, I will make my favorite burgers. Now I must confess that I am pretty new to ground turkey. I tried it once many years ago and it sucked, so I never bought it. However, what I failed to realize about this awesome low fat alternative to ground beef, was that if flavored correctly....it can be VERY delicious. Here's how I make them....
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 c Franks Buffalo Sauce
Seasoned Bread Crumbs (enough that it all sticks together well)
May add one EGG
(note: turkey is much wetter than beef so go easy on the bread crumbs. Cooking will reduce most of the moisture)

Shape into Patties
Spray griddle or pan with Pam
Cook on med until thoroughly cooked.
Serve on LOW FAT Wheat hamburg roll.
Top with tomato and lettuce, ketchup and mustard. Ooh and pickles too.

About 7 pts if you are doing Weight Watchers.

Although I would love to eat this with some nice crunchy kettle chips, I'll have to find an alternative like a side salad with 2 tsp low fat dressing.
Come on......we can suffer together. Hehe

Blog #15 The Starting Line...Again

Ok, so here I go again.  Today is the beginning of the rest of my life. HAHA.  Woke up early, but went back to bed. Didn't feel myself so I caught up on some much needed rest. For some strange reason I just didn't sleep that well on vacation. Anyway,after I awoke again, I decided to see what was available in my pantry because the home delivery grocery shopping will not be here until 4pm. 
For dinner I prepared:

1 lb. of whole wheat Pasta- cook and put aside
Stir together and heat:
1 can of drained and quartered Artichoke Hearts
2 cans diced Tomatoes (I like the Basil and Oregano flavored)
3/4 can drained Black Olives

Mix it all together and top with Grated Cheese.
I measure about 1 cup of the Pasta and put as much of the sauce on as I'd like. Veggies don't count and olives provide some good fat. 

For snack I get to have a whole bag of low-fat popcorn with some Molly McButter seasoning. If I'm still hungry then I can have a half cup of slow churned ice-cream.  I'd really like to have a big ole bowl but a half cup will suffice.

Through out the day I find a cup of tea can help satisfy my hunger. Although I know I should be drinking lots of water, the fact is that I don't like to drink water in the winter and being 47 yrs old and pretty set in my ways, I'll drink tea!

O Lord, here I go AGAIN!

Well, here we are in January. The holidays are past and I failed miserably by eating everything and anything that looked delicious. I know I put weight on because my pants are tighter, but I'm not stepping on that scale! Maybe when I get a little more courage I will, but today isn't the day. I am flying home from Florida tonight, so I shopped PEAPOD ( on- line grocery shopping for those who don't know) and ordered all healthy low- fat foods. I will make most of my meals from scratch, that way I have a lot more control over what I eat. Apparently my husband and another family member (who will remain anonymous) want to join in this weight loss endeavor, with my daughter's wedding as the end goal. I haven't even looked at dresses! I ain't pouring this fat butt into a dress yet. You think that I would feel more motivated, but I don't. I think psychologically I like food way more then looking good. Man, that attitude needs to be changed. It's weird on how each day can bring a different mood about the whole thing. Sometimes I wish I hated to cook, or hated to eat. But I'm just not wired that way. Food has always been part of who I am. I think Italians get their identity from food. But we have such great tasting, yummy, delicious things to eat. Just look at how many Italian restaurants are around. Why couldn't I be English? LoL. So, tomorrow I will begin the grueling trek. Honestly, I'm really not looking forward to it and I'd be lying if I said I was!

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!