My husband and I began following Jorge Cruise's "Belly Fat Cure" plan in March of 2011. Needing to keep my motivation up, and also wanting an archive to read back over, I decided to join the legion of those people already tracking their progress.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

I just discovered the Healthy Indulgences blog. All I want to do is bake, but it is SO warm right now, and I've got a hot laptop and a hot cat in my lap and across my legs. No baking today.

We bought the Cuisinart ICE-21 ice cream maker this morning. The bowl is in the freezer getting ready. Found Coconut milk and unsweetened coconut flakes yesterday, thinking they'd be for popsicles, but ice cream is even better! No heavy cream in the house at the moment, so we'll get the rest of the ingredients for the ice cream tomorrow when we do our grocery shopping.

Gained a half pound this week (though still down from that false 6lb gain, thank goodness), and after weighing myself on Friday morning I went in to work to find three dozen donuts set out in the lunch room. I was grumpy enough that I just wanted to give in but I did NOT. I resisted all day by promising I'd make some Belly Good recipes this weekend to reward myself. Thus the ice cream maker.

Also picked up some Zevia sodas for making popsicles.

We went out for Breakfast this morning and I was so hungry because it was 11am before we got our food, so I overdid it on the home fries that came with my egg bowl.

For lunch a bit ago I had a high fiber cereal (Seriously - 17g of fiber in a single serving! 4/2) and I am having leftover chicken Piccata for dinner.

I am so excited about cooking, but I don't know where to begin!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Crystal Light 'Pure'

Oh and I just wanted to alert people - The Crystal Light 'Pure' packets don't use artificial sweeteners, but they're not sugar free! They combine sugar and Truvia, so if you have a whole packet, remember to double the sugar value they show you. I get really miffed when nutritional labels imply that a serving is half of what common sense would lead you to believe. The directions even TELL you to put it in a bottle of water or 2 cups in a glass. They DON'T tell you that they intend for you to share that across two servings. Hmph!

So watch out for that! I got it thinking it would be good for the theaters but I can just get the theater to sell me a seltzer from their soda fountain instead, and I get to have a lot more for 0/0!

Of course that wasn't so great during Captain America when I really needed to use the restroom but the movie was too good to get up and leave! AND there was stuff after the credits - that was the longest most painful scroll ever. I had been trying to stay hydrated cause it was super hot and I had my test that day. I regretted it! But I did get through the test so I guess it was worth it.

Anyway, just always read the labels and keep a hawk eye on that serving size!

Catching up

My martial arts test went very well on Friday. I had a hard time breaking my board but they kept calling me up to try again until I eventually got it. I was really proud that I didn't lose my nerve about it, but I just breathed to calm myself and try again. That's the key!

Saturday was the beach day, as it turns out I didn't need to go swimming in my swimsuit because we'd already been practicing in the water in our full uniforms! It was so nice, even though the temperature was high there was a fantastic breeze and the water was cool and refreshing. I'm glad I don't have my dreadlocks anymore or they would have weighed 40 pounds wet!

I did get a sunburn along my scalp and a tiny bit on my nose and chest, but my tattoo was safe, thank goodness!

Unless otherwise mentioned, beverage was either water or coffee. ;)

Friday's Food:
Breakfast - Soy flour waffles with a fruit reduction made from frozen blueberries and nature's hollow Mountain Berry preserves, Reddi Wip, Bacon and Eggs - 1/1
Lunch - AMC theater food: 1 cup popcorn, Chicken Strips and a club soda - 1/2 (guessing)
Dinner - Protein Shake before my test, afterwards Burger King Tendercrisp Chicken on my Sandwich flats - 5/2

Saturday's Food:
Breakfast - Dunkin Donuts Ham Egg & Cheese on a toasted English Muffin: 3/2
Lunch - Cheeseburger on Sandwich Flat x 1.5, Pirate's Booty - this put me over but I was still hungry! 4/3
I also nabbed a couple bites of watermelon because it was the only thing still cold when training was over - 1/1
Dinner - Chinese food - Steamed Shrimp & Vegetables, 1/4c brown rice - 2/2

Sunday:
Breakfast - Eggs and Bacon, 1/2 of a homemade soy waffle w/ Joseph's SF syrup - 0/1
Lunch - Sausage and Cheese on Back to Nature Stone Ground Crackers - 0/2
Dinner - 2 Applegate Uncured Organic Hot Dogs on a Flat Out Foldit bread (cut in half to form two 'Buns') - 1/1

Monday:
Breakfast - 2 Nature's Promise Organics Homestyle Waffles - 5/2
Lunch - Egg Salad and Baby Spinach on Joseph's Pitas, 1oz Pirate's Booty - 0/2
Dinner - Oatmeal with Nature's Hollow Blueberry Preserves, UAM, cinnamon - 0/2
Dessert - raspberries, strawberries, blackberries with Reddi Wip and shaved dark chocolate - 5/1

Today:
Breakfast - Cheerios and UAM - 1/2
Lunch - Egg Salad and Baby Spinach on Joseph's Pitas, 1oz Pirate's Booty - 0/2
Dinner (planned) - Chicken Italian recipe from Jorge's site, with a side of asparagus & salad - 3/1

Today my back is really bothering me. I think I pushed myself too hard in class last night after two days of poor posture. I've got a heating pad with moisture on it, will be taking Midol for the muscles and I have an acupuncture appointment after work. Unfortunately it's my last appointment because it's just too expensive to continue. Hopefully today's pain is just a reminder that I need to be careful and not an indicator that I'm in serious trouble. I may skip tomorrow's class to be sure, but I'd rather not if I can avoid it - I started learning my next sequence form last night and I don't want to practice too much on my own and end up developing bad habits.

I weighed myself a couple more times since that dressed morning with the 6lb gain. I was up about 4 pounds. It's the little indiscretions, I tell you! I thought I'd done really well but I guess I was messing up somewhere, probably eating fast food too much, but it was a busy week. But over the next couple of days 3 of those pounds dropped off, so it's looking up.

Our nephew left this week to return to my brother and his family, so things should return to normal and hopefully that means better focus for a return to losing. 

Thursday, July 21, 2011

I forgot to weigh myself last night, so I did this this morning, but I was fully dressed. Even fully dressed, though, I wouldn't have expected the scale to say I am 6 pounds heavier! Guess I'll get a real reading tonight.

Tomorrow is my test. Turns out I have tomorrow off from work so I can practice a bit in the morning and still have time to see a movie before the test to keep my mind off it. We're going to see Captain America, one of my husband's favorite comic book heroes. The soundtrack sounds fantastic, kind of like Indiana Jones.

This morning's breakfast was cheerios and UVAM. Lunch was leftovers from the lasagna from Tuesday night. Dinner will be a turkey pita sandwich. Hopefully I won't be too hungry after class and can just stick to coffee for the evening.

That's if my husband wants coffee. We have some oppressive heat going on today and tomorrow. I'm just trying to continue drinking water so I don't faint in class. Luckily they've been running the air conditioner through the full class instead of turning it off half way through.

Last night I found out I'd been doing some of my testing material wrong, so one of my friends, a junior instructor, met me over at the Dojang at lunch to give me corrections. Nothing like having to learn something all over again to get you jittery for a test! I am not worried I won't pass, but I get a little anxious all the same. Eager anxious, but that still feels like butterflies.

Then Saturday we are having class on the beach, so I am thinking of packing my own snack for the movie tomorrow. Even the smallest popcorn is still over two carbs! Not that I ever finish a popcorn... But we're going out for lunch and I intend to eat hot wings and celery. Then protein shake before class and something more filling afterwards.

Well I'm just babbling so I'm going to sign off. Time to refill the water bottle!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Two more classes to go before my belt test, eep! I always feel so underprepared and then everything turns out fine. I'm just nervous because I was gone so long while my back was injured that I feel like the types of things I might not expect to be asked but through repetition would be okay on are now my weak points.

Yesterday I had oatmeal before class but was starving when I got home again, no idea was that was about, but I did eat so I ended up over my carb servings by 2 for the day.

Today it's cheerios for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch (with probably some turkey slices in the afternoon) and Stouffers Farmers' Harvest Vegetable Lasagna (small portion with grilled chicken on the side) for dinner.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Weekends are Dangerous

Maybe it's because it's Summer? No, the sweet temptations are always out there. In Fall it will be Apple Pie taunting me.

This weekend we had a really nice time at Mystic Seaport but came home with a pound and a half of fudge. I only wanted a bite but of course they don't offer it that way! The only samples they had out were root beer and orange cream flavored - where's the chocolate?? Packed in a half-pound container, of course. But my husband wanted Rocky Road.. I thought I'd try the Cookies and Cream, and by then we'd earned a free one so why not an almond coconut confection?

I'm proud to say I haven't had much of it, maybe a total of three tiny slices, but I'm still upset it's in the house. And then there was Chinese Food because we were just too tired to cook after we got home. I would have gotten one of the steamed veggie type dishes but this was a new place and the only point of comparison worth making (so I told myself) was General T'so's chicken. Well it was delicious! And very syrupy sauce, so I can only imagine it's twice the sugar of our previous 'usual' place. Their fried rice is the best I've had in a long time, too. Going to have to be careful about that place.

So between that and leftovers, no matter that we made otherwise belly-smart choices (they are rendered moot once you OD on the bad stuff), there's definitely some false fat on my belly today. Beach coming up this weekend - gotta shape up!

My father's birthday is coming up, and he wanted a Blu-Ray player. We got a really good deal on one so I think I'll use what's leftover to get that ice cream maker. Having a dessert I can actually have will help with these cravings, I'm hoping. And there's a heat wave coming this week, wish I could pick up the ice cream maker today!

My husband and I agreed we don't care for Heavy Cream in our coffee. It tastes like we topped it with whipped cream which melted long ago, it leaves a shiny oil slick on top and it makes us feel kinda gross. And if you forget your coffee for a little bit it looks nasty when you return to it. I end up never finishing a cup. We will probably return to Light Cream at home but today I am trying MimicCreme, an Almond and Cashew substitute. It's brown like almond milk and thick like mud. I don't know how much I added because it doesn't lighten the coffee past a certain point. There's definitely that nutty flavor but since I like Hazelnut coffee anyway I don't think I'll have trouble getting used to that. I'm drinking Vanilla coffee today so it does stand out a bit. But at 0/0 (1g carb per serving) with no fat and no cholesterol, it feels like a much better choice than Heavy Cream. They also have flavored versions.
I got this container at Stop & Shop near the soy and almond milks, but it's tiny, so I may order it offline if I decide to stick with it (those of us who have to order most of our BFC-friendly food off Amazon should really consider Amazon Prime, it pays for itself when you grocery shop there and don't have to pay shipping on most things!) (Updated this with a link to the correct product - also the flavored varieties do contain cane sugar)

When I was trying to decide what to wear to the Seaport on Saturday I pulled some neglected items out of the back of the closet. A dress that I feared I would rip the last time I climbed into it was enormous on me this time, and a bikini-cover-up sundress I never even took the tags off of is now a great fit for wearing on Saturday! I have a small pile of donation clothes forming. Next I have to try on all my pants and see which ones can be worn for a bit longer, but I'm afraid it won't be many. There's a consignment store that just opened, I might take them there and see if I can trade them for some smaller sizes. Good thing I never got around to hemming most of them!

I have a Belt Promotion Exam this Friday evening, so I will be going to my Martial Arts class every night but tomorrow, this week. That means a pretty regular menu of Cheerios for Breakfast, Turkey Sandwich on Pita for lunch and either a protein shake or oatmeal for dinner. Easy to stay on track when there's no time to deviate!

Friday afternoon we are taking my nephew to see Captain America before he goes home to Alabama, so lunch that day will be popcorn. ;) I did just fine at the theater on Friday, and I got those Crystal Light Pure packets to keep in the car. Figure if we have something flavored it'll be easier to avoid the free-refill-64-oz sodas.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Triumphant Melancholy

Today I am wearing one of my favorite shirts and it is getting very loose on me! I don't want to have to say goodbye to it, but over my desk at work I'm wearing it in a photo and I am happy it no longer strains to contain me!

Last night my husband forgot we were making the Turkey Patty Melts, so when I got home from class I had some eggs and bacon instead. Then I had that cream cake dessert with blueberries and reddi whip, for a 4/2 value.

This morning breakfast is an unknown because we got wraps from a deli. We have asked for the nutritional info off the packaging but they get the wraps in bulk and they aren't labeled individually.

Lunch will be theater food - Harry Potter!

Dinner looks to be Burger King. Planning on getting an Angry whopper and eating it without the bun/ketchup/tomatoes/etc.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

I forgot to measure my weight and stomach last night. Whoops! I'll get it tonight. Then it'll be post-martial arts like it usually is.

Breakfast:
Cheerios w/ UVAM - Big surprise! I wanted to make myself something but first and foremost I had to iron my uniform.
Coffee with Heavy Cream! I finally found some at Big Y last night. Not sure how I feel about the flavor adjustment though.
Total: 1/1

Lunch:
Turkey, spinach on a Joseph's pita with horseradish mayo
Total: 0/1

Before Class: Jay Robb Tropical Dreamsicle Protein Shake with UVAM
Total: 0/0

Dinner:
Ground Turkey Patty Melt, made with ground turkey, onions, cheese and Ezekiel Low Sodium Bread
Total: 4/2

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Tracking

Not much to say! I resolved that I want to BFC straight and clean at least through the 23rd, because I will be making a social beach appearance and don't want to be tempted to wear a giant beach tee. ;) Having that goal makes it much easier, as did getting back on track with meal planning and food tracking.

Still having trouble finding any cream, light heavy or otherwise, that's 0/0. Target only carries the local dairies, same with Stop & Shop (and we had to take our light cream back at 9:30pm last night because it had curdled and ruined our evening coffee!). I'm going to try the Big Y this evening as I'll be nearby for a hair cut. I don't want to switch to shopping there, though, too far for our Sunday shopping trips.

Weigh-in tonight. I won't have been to martial arts so it's not quite equivalent to the usual measuring, so if it's really bizarre I'll try again tomorrow after class. I'm expecting good things, though. With the exception of a bite of ice cream and a bite of cake we have been angels.

Breakfast:
Nature's Promise Organic Homestyle Waffles
Coffee w/ 1/2 & 1/2
Vitamins in my Magnesium mix
Total: 4/2

Lunch:
Leftover Chicken Tikka Masala
Baby Spinach
Joseph's Pita
(I called it a Chicken Tikka Taco - that's more fun to say than you know unless you try it!)
Total: 1/1

Dinner (planned):
The Carne Asada Steak Tacos from the book with the sides
Total: 4/2, I think? I have to check.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Tracking plus a Blog Find

Breakfast:
Cheerios w/ UVAM, as usual! I just never give myself time to cook in the morning.
Total: 2/2

Lunch:
Turkey, spinach on a Joseph's pita with horseradish mayo
Total: 0/1

Dinner:
Chicken Tikka Masala, with two Joseph's pitas
Total: 0/1

And there will also be coffee, yes. I've still got to track down 0/0 Heavy Cream. I went and stretched at lunch so I didn't get to run to Target. Tomorrow!

I was looking up what to eat when we get Indian/Fish&Chips tonight, and I came across this low carb blog that's also associated with CarbSmart,com, where I get quite a bit of my BFC-friendly foods when I can't find them locally. I've subscribed to the Feed and I look forward to trying out her recipes! I also ordered her book 1001 Low Carb Recipes, off Amazon.

Now I know not all things low carb are BFC-friendly, no worries. I also bought a Diabetic Cook Book from the checkout lane last week and there are plenty of things to skip in there. But that's okay. We're closer to easy meal selections than ever! Jorge's recipes only get you so far. ;)

Oh and Rosie, thank you SO much for your suggestion. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to freeze the left over pound cake! And no worries, we weren't having it every night - that's why it kept going bad! I think we've had it a total of five times since we discovered that Diabetic Shelf at Stop & Shop in April. :)

I go to acupuncture tonight, I think it's going to have to be my last one for a while. Gas prices keep going up and there's a sick cat at home to take care of. Pedicures are cheaper and the key is I need to RELAX!

The price on the ice cream maker I had in my Amazon cart went up. Now it'd be cheaper to go to Bed Bath & Beyond to get it. Still not sure if I am ready to commit to another appliance yet.

Monday, July 11, 2011

My Pound Cake

Since every time I bring it up, Rosie has given me a stern comment, I thought I'd post the ingredients for the pound cakes and cream cakes that my Stop & Shop sells, that we occasionally buy to create desserts.

So Rosie, and others, I am curious to know what you think with the label for reference. The only unknown on here, for me, is the litesse, which I Googled and found few references on. It appears to be made by the same company that makes the next ingredient, lactitol. It markets itself as low glycemic and a source of fiber.

We generally serve this with a quarter cup of berries (or a half cup of wild blueberries) and some Reddi Wip.

The only downside I see to this is that we end up throwing a lot of it out, LOL. There are 8 slices per container and we don't generally eat 0/0 meals often enough to allow for a dessert like this. We did better when we had company or when we'd plan to have protein shakes and eggs for a meal.





In other news, I've decided to see if not eating one of the maltitol-sweetened snacks from my desk drawer helps break my plateau. I know the real cause of my plateau (and it's still a gently downward-sloping plateau, mind you) is the deviations I make from the plan on the weekends, but since I've read that Maltitol can sometimes slow weight loss, and as it's one of Jorge's least favorite sugar alcohols, I'll see what happens.

Having had a bad experience with an ice cream maker has me craving a good experience to balance it. Apparently the Cuisinart gel ice cream makers (no rock salt/ice) are good. Anyone have any experience with them? I haven't found any of the friendly dessert items in my area, and my Whole Foods is a year away from completion, if they even plan to carry them. It's summer, and I want a cool treat!

In the meantime I'm going to pick up some coconut rum and try that Limeade recipe...

Weekend Tracking

Saturday –

Breakfast:
Nature's Promise Organic homestyle waffles
Joseph's SF Maple Syrup
Magnesium drink mix
Vitamins
Coffee with Light Cream and Benefiber
Total: 5/2

Lunch:
Ham & Cheese deli slice rolls
Buffalo Chicken breast on Joseph's Pita with Ranch dressing
Total: 2/1

Stopped in at a birthday party and had:
Hamburger with salsa instead of ketchup, plus mayo on a potato roll (roll is 4/3)
Half of a hot dog
Strawberry
Bite of home made reese's peanut butter cup ice cream
Bite of flourless nutella cake
Total: No idea, but I'm going to guess 20/3
Note: Amazingly, this family is also on the BFC but had no roll alternatives! Had I thought of it I would have brought my own. I didn't think we'd stay long enough for the cake, or I would have planned that better. A friend made the cake so we couldn't avoid trying it, and we brought the Ice Cream ball that the ice cream was made in, and we wanted to see how it worked as to whether we should get one for making BFC-friendly desserts. It did not work that well, as a matter of fact. We will wait for Clemmy's.

Dinner:
Chicken Picatta
A few bites of rice pilaf
grilled vegetables
Coffee w/ light cream following
Total: 5/1

Sunday –

Breakfast:
2 scrambled eggs
2 pieces of bacon
1/8c of mexican cheese shred mix
Joseph's pita
Coffee with light cream
Total: 2/1

Lunch:
Popcorn
Total: 0/2

Dinner:
Chicken Picatta
1/4c Brown Rice made in chicken broth
Grilled vegetables
Coffee w/ light cream following
Total: 4/2

Monday –

Breakfast:
Cheerios w/ Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (UVAM from here on out I would say :P)
Coffee with 1/2 & 1/2
Total: 4/2

Lunch (planned):
Boar's Head turkey
Baby Spinach
Joseph's Pita
Horseradish Mayo
Pirate's booty
Total: 0/2

Dinner (planned):
Berry pancakes from book recipe
Total: 4/2

Friday, July 08, 2011

Tracking

Forgot to report in for yesterday –



Breakfast:
Cheerios and Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk,
Coffee with Benefiber and Light Cream
Total: 4/2

Lunch:
Protein Shake
1oz Blueberries
Total: 3/0

Dinner:
Ground Turkey patties stuffed with Muenster, jalepeƱo and bacon
1/4c brown rice
1oz green beans
Total: 2/2

Today –
Breakfast:
Cheerios and Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
Starbucks Breve Latte
Total: 3/2

Lunch:
McDonald's Angus w/ Bacon and Cheddar, no ketchup, on 2 Joseph's pitas (couldn't get them open!)
1 oz Pirate's Booty
Total: 0/2

Dinner (planned):
Jay Robb Tropical Dreamsicle Protein Shake before class, unless hubby starts my oatmeal for me before I get home. :P
Total: 0/0

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Tracking

Weigh-in tonight, not expecting much because last weekend there were some indiscretions related to the 4th of July get togethers.

Breakfast:
Cheerios and Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk,
Coffee with Benefiber and Light Cream
Total: 4/2

Lunch:
McDonald's McChicken
Sm fry
Total: I meant to switch the bun for a pita but forgot to bring them with me, so this ended up a 5/3 meal.

Dinner (planned):
Jay Robb Tropical Dreamsicle Protein Shake before class.
After class I'll probably have a treat of my SF pound cake and berries/whip, for a 5/2.

They leveled the old building where they are going to build a Whole Foods. Another year or so and maybe I can find some Clemmy's ice cream!

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Food Tracking

I ran out of my food tracker sheets a couple of weeks ago and have been too cheap with my ink to print more, so I guess I'd better come up with another way to track while I wait for them to re-release the BFC app.

If I had more spare time right now I'd create a website that records it, but I really don't! So I'll track it here until I figure out something else to do.

Breakfast:
Cheerios and Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk,
Coffee with Benefiber and Light Cream
Total: 4/2

Lunch:
Burger King Spicy Chicken Crisp sandwich, switched the bun for a Joseph's pita
Water
Pirate's Booty
Total: 0/2

Dinner (planned):
Bubba Burger on a Stop & Shop 12 Grain Sandwich Flat, with cheese and bacon, and Nature's Hollow ketchup
Cucumbers in Vinegar/Mayo/Truvia Dressing
Pirate's Booty
Total: 5/2