tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49483759123454149852024-03-14T00:05:56.568-04:00Death of a Sweet ToothReversing Bad Habits with Jorge's Belly Fat Curecuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-14871825372351503872013-01-17T17:37:00.001-05:002013-01-17T17:37:35.295-05:00Fixed itWe were grumpy tonight on the way home. I could hear the words "let's just get fast food" forming themselves out of the air between us. <br /><br />Instead, what was said was "how about a burger patty melt on that light rye bread..?"<br /><br />And now we are about to dig into two juicy toasty pepper-spicy grilled cheese, bacon and beef sandwiches!<br /><br />I'm feeling really proud of us right now. <br /><br /><br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-31265268318052154942013-01-15T08:44:00.001-05:002013-01-15T08:44:28.543-05:00Hooray for Flax!Yesterday was the beginning of week three on the One Menu. My weigh in shows me as up three or four pounds for week 2. Grr! That puts me nearly back where I started. My husband was up 1.8 pounds, too. <br /><br />But things are already changing! We both are opting, with week three, to swap the dinner carbs to the morning and start the day with Jorge's own flax muffin recipe. I'm doing that every day and Matt is alternating days. <br /><br />Within 24 hours, I'm back to normal digestion, thank GOODNESS. Looking forward to the weigh in on January 21!<br /><br /><br /><br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-65427331574091710322013-01-09T10:22:00.001-05:002013-01-09T10:22:02.093-05:00AdjustmentsI'm thinking of modifying the menu a bit to shift my carbs from evening to breakfast. I want to start my day off with the flax muffins again and see if that improves my results. <br /><br />There are one or two good recipes (out of three) each week, but the daily menu itself is so heavily reliant on cheese and eggs I am not sure when it is I'm expected to have that "false fat purge" that we come to expect from the BFC. <br /><br />I am slimming for sure, but I still have that bulge beneath my navel - and that's usually the first thing to go when I follow Jorge's plan!<br /><br />I will continue to follow the 10/3 modified values of the One Menu plan, but I've gotta get away from the cheese. It's too much!<br /><br />So when I go over the week 3 menu on Sunday morning I'm going to plan a rather different week, emphasis on Fiber, and try to work the cheese quantity down to half. <br /><br /><br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-26389169415366750582013-01-08T08:13:00.001-05:002013-01-08T08:13:34.008-05:00Little updateHusband's weigh in yesterday had him down 9.5 pounds! That was encouraging to him. /understatement<br /><br />I have decided I do not like Brie in my eggs. Nor do I like breakfast sausage enough to eat it every day. Back to the scramble and bacon from last week, I think. <br /><br />So many eggs. <br /><br /><br /><br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-73240715778644974782013-01-07T06:01:00.001-05:002013-01-07T06:01:36.447-05:00Weigh-InAfter one week on the One Menu plan, I'm down 4 pounds. <br /><br />We've planned to replace all Jorge's suggested carbs with fiber-loaded sources. Hopefully that will kick it into gear. <br /><br /><br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-49005517268082373172013-01-06T09:05:00.001-05:002013-01-06T09:05:42.045-05:00Eating outOne of the things listed in week two as an optional "eat out" meal was Kung Po chicken, so when friends asked us out to dinner last night at a local place, we took a chance and ordered one order of the Kung Po calamari to split. Delicious! <br /><br />My husband also had Tom Yom soup which looked like a spicy broth with a piece of butterflied shrimp and some scallions. I took a sip and took a guess that it was probably a 0/0, but I'll look it up today. <br /><br />I'm going to venture a guess that most spicy sauces (not sweet and spicy, just hot!) are the safer bets on a restaurant menu. <br /><br />When in doubt, get shrimp, no sauce, a side of broccoli and brown rice. That was my back up plan as we drove toward the restaurant. <br /><br />Tonight we are having steak and cauliflower, and I suspect my husband will have some flax toast with it. He's been sick after every meal almost, since we started the one menu plan, so we are adding the fiber back in. This week he's going to alternate breakfast between eggs one day and a flax muffin the next, have a turkey sandwich on flax bread each lunch, and then he's got 3/1 Stouffer's meal options in the freezer for when the one menu dinner doesn't excite him. <br /><br />I'm going to try to continue sticking to the one menu, thankfully I like Brie, but I don't think I have time in the morning to make frittatas. <br /><br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-21750769724557453672013-01-04T11:52:00.001-05:002013-01-04T11:52:28.477-05:00Yum, but hmmLast night's dinner was a basil-stuffed chicken. It was delicious, but difficult to cook because of the thickness of the chicken breasts. Next time we make it we are thinking we just will serve the stuffing as a sauce over top of chicken breast strips instead of full pieces. <br /><br />My husband is getting nauseous in the morning from all the eggs for breakfast, so I think Monday he will be returning to the normal BFC plan.<br /><br />We are both concerned about the absence of fiber in this plan, but I'm going to stick with it and do the one menu plan for myself (I don't care if I eat the same thing for days on end, where my husband tires of things very quickly). <br /><br />I do wish Jorge would lay off the pungent cheeses. :P<br /><br />Weigh in for week one is Monday, so we will see how it did. I weighed myself on Wednesday and had gone up a half pound. <br /><br /><br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-65118942322945206872013-01-01T18:21:00.001-05:002013-01-01T22:54:59.844-05:00Olive meatloaf for dinnerSide is mashed cauliflower. <br /><a href='https://picasaweb.google.com/109153018698578174533/DeathOfASweetTooth?authkey=Gv1sRgCOe1lvzQlvKLgQE#5828624990118432354'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZdRgaP-zgEZNWYyNXZM-Qg3C4rCVPgpYkMs2t6LCYXEoiqyIaw6IuW00Jw4lJrjYYd_9E8JSSdfZYCXBOj7PZPLWnNkP_NINmyY__3u2htloOsznwsHW3jzE9-HhBHOrfteak4jGD5-o/s288/0.jpg' border='0' width='281' height='210' style='margin:5px'></a><br /><br />I'm not a big olive fan, so I didn't care for it. My husband is the opposite when it comes to olives and he really liked it. Shallot was too much for the mash. Next time we won't bother with the food processor and will only sauté the cauli. <br /><br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-46289036443137829082013-01-01T01:52:00.001-05:002013-01-01T01:52:55.614-05:00VIP for 2013My husband and I are back at it! We were already planning to rejoin the world of the BFC after the holidays, then Jorge sent out the email about the One Menu system and we jumped on it. I think part of our problem in the past has been trying to plan meals, but this takes that issue out of the equation. Buy it, cook it, eat it, but don't think about it!<br /><br />From what I've seen so far it's basically a 10/3 system instead of a 15/6, but the real value is in new menus each week. Groceries were a little more than our usual but we've been living on basic staples for a while anyway. <br /><br />Day one was a success. Happy New Year! May your 2013 be your best year ever! <br /><br /><br /><br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-50495243274190050212012-08-16T12:47:00.002-04:002012-08-16T12:47:09.044-04:00Another one bites the dustI *had* enjoyed using MyFitnessPal to track what I eat on my iPhone, but when I logged in today I saw they'd messed around with my goals (again). Looking into it, they now FORCE you to plan your day around calories.. so you set your carbs as a percentage of your total calories. Thanks but no thanks! <br />
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I was thinking of going back to the 5/16 sheets anyway. When I finish the iOS app I'm making for work maybe I can at least make a quick and dirty tracker app for myself. I will miss the barcode scanning, though! For now I'll keep MyFitnessPal on my phone just to record my weight and measurements.<br />
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Summer I've been 60% neglectful of the BFC, I'd guess. These evil Frozen Yogurt shops keep popping up everywhere, and Dunkin Donuts brought back my favorite egg bagel (and that Jalapeño cream cheese is so good!). But on the other hand I look at the sugar count of everything I eat, even when I'm misbehaving, so at least I'm aware of what I'm doing instead of trying to enjoy ignorance. And I do think I make better choices than I used to when I didn't realize just how much sugar was in everything.<br />
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I'm trying to get back to it, though. A bunch of the things that have been causing me stress are coming to their conclusions, so I'm expecting my discipline to return. My skin hasn't been happy with all the sugar, and I've got a beach trip in about 9 days, so time to buckle down! I've been mostly good all week, except Monday I had a Hostess cupcake and some popcorn because we were staying up late waiting for something and I just didn't know what to do with myself.<br />
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My husband wanted McDonald's last night, after nothing in the house sounded appetizing. I had already eaten but since we'd mentioned going for milkshakes he was surprised when I only ordered a coffee. He apologized that we were at McDonald's with no 'reward' in it for me. I told my husband last night, "I've got to control my own impulses, not yours."<br />
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That means I need to be able to look at a batch of hot cookies or a tray of fast food or my friends going to Yogurt City after martial arts training and just say, "Okay, you enjoy that!" And that's on me to do. I can't rely on everyone else not to put the temptations in front of me.<br />
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There aren't many BFC friendly snacks in the house these days, though, so I do need to get some string cheese or sliced turkey, etc., to have when I feel the urge to snack.<br />
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I read a quote this morning: "The answer to exhaustion isn't rest; it's wholeheartedness."<br />
I feel like that applies for me in so many things I'm trying to do right now.cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-22335027693829280822012-06-01T08:49:00.001-04:002012-06-01T08:49:13.033-04:00Tangible ResultsOkay, let's see what I can do with the two weeks left until the Family Reunion!<br />
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I've been pretty much good all week (Wednesday I had a soy latte not thinking that the soymilk was probably sweetened - 12g sugar, damn!), and last night when my husband wanted Burger King I made myself a fried egg sandwich even though it was late and I just wanted to give into the Call of the Carbs.<br />
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This morning I tried a new cereal I found at Shop Rite yesterday. They haven't had the F-Factor in a few months (don't know why, I kept buying out their stock..), so I've had to try some new things. There's the Optimum Slim I reviewed earlier this year, and I saw something labeled "Honey Nut" so I grabbed that. I love me some Honey Nut Cheerios and I wish there was something that tasted as good that was permissible. So these were "Gluten Free Cereal Honey Nut Rings" by "Glutino" - not too bad! I don't care for the smell of them but they taste pretty good. They remind me more of the peach-colored Apple Jacks than Honey Nut Cheerios but that's not a bad thing. They're 4/2 with only one gram of fiber, though, so I dunno if I'd go for them instead of the Optimum Slim. Plus the box was $4.99 instead of the $3.99 of the Slim.<br />
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I also picked up more of the Think Thin bars. I got a TON of the snack sized ones in Cookies & Cream and Chocolate Toffee Nut. I bought them off amazon untasted because we couldn't find them around, and I have to say I'm not a fan of them. Taste too much like protein bars to me. The Chocolate Dipped Nuts meal bar tastes like actual food so it's a winner, and I picked up a half dozen more on sale at Shop Rite yesterday (the only place we can find them other than Trader Joe's where they cost too much).<br />
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Cannot WAIT for our Whole Foods to open. I need some more options, please!<br />
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Lunch will be a turkey sandwich with sliced cheese, mayo and baby spinach on a Stop & Shop brand Sandwich thin (the name brands all have HFCS in theirs but the Stop & Shop don't, go figure!). Probably some string cheese.<br />
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Dinner tonight will probably be more nachos. I think I'll steam some spinach and include that, to get more nutrition out of it, other than fat and protein. ;) Otherwise it's just a 6g fiber meal. <br />
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Saturday is supposed to be pretty warm so I'm thinking it's time to make some ice cream! If my husband doesn't have a preference I'll make the Mocha Chip ice cream. If he does have a preference we'll probably end up with mint chip.<br />
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I'll weigh myself at my next chance, do all the measurements in MyFitnessPal progress, and we'll see how far I can go in two weeks!cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-47335019726391965612012-05-30T08:53:00.002-04:002012-05-30T08:53:37.943-04:00Summer is HereAs I look back over May, I see it largely as a difficult month to stay on track. But every month, really, is difficult if you focus on what you can't have.<br />
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There was Mother's Day, followed quickly by my mother's birthday, and that meant cakes and such. We ignored their sweets on Mother's Day but gave in to the chocolate layer cake on her birthday and since then have been struggling to get back on target.<br />
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I'd be really good all day, and then at dinner or just after I'd just crumble.<br />
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Then the guys from our UK office sent me two boxes of chocolates. One box was easy to resist, since I'm not crazy about chocolate and the texture was too thick and hard to swallow for me. The second box was a tray of Ferrero Rocher. I don't know if I'd ever even tried them before, but that tray was gone in under 48 hours. Not all to me, thank goodness, but plenty of it. Made easier by the lack of nutritional information on the package.<br />
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I may have said this before, but I heard about a study that says we only have *so* much self control, so that if we are using it for one activity, we will crumble against other temptations. The example given was that of a person being seated in front of a comedian and told, no matter what, not to laugh. The person focuses on that task and then a big piece of cake is placed in front of them. They are using all their self control on the task given that they don't even notice they've eaten the cake!<br />
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I can see the truth of this reflected in my own behavior. On a craving-filled day there's nothing I want more than ice cream or cookies or, ahem, a big bag of chocolate covered raisins. And on a day when something is stressing me out? Boom. Walls are down, and I'm halfway through the bag of Raisinets before I know what hit me.<br />
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On a good day I'm a BFC angel and can resist the sweets in the break room. I still don't know if I could resist Ferrero Rocher.<br />
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The good thing is, though, that I make the healthiest decisions I am able to at any point. I know where the sugar and the sweeteners hide and I avoid it. Even if I crumble and have a big plate of fries with my burger, I'm drinking club soda or water with lime. I still eat a BFC-approved breakfast every day. When I get up and start right at least I have the opportunity to make it a good day. The rest is up to me.<br />
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Yesterday I had a modified mug muffin (after it's cooked I add a 1/2cup of almond milk and a 1/4cup of wild blueberries), which I made in a glass storage container because I was running late. It's still good after my 20m commute! Lunch was two supreme crunch tacos from Taco Bell (would have made chicken salad if I hadn't been running late). I had a think thin chocolate covered nuts protein bar before my martial arts class. I had planned to make myself some eggs and bacon when I got home but by the time I was out of the shower my back was killing me and I couldn't imagine standing long enough to cook (and then washing the pans) so I made dessert instead: 1/6 of a sugar free angel food cake, 1/2c of strawberries and whipped cream. So not much fiber yesterday but still a success! My first fully successful day in a while.<br />
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Today I got up early enough to make eggs and bacon, which I had with one piece of Ener-G tapioca bread and coffee. Lunch will be that chicken salad (made with mayonnaise and relish to be quick) on a Joseph's pita with some baby spinach. I am so tempted to plant a garden this summer because I am sick of buying spinach just to find it gross and wet in the bag before the expiration date! Dinner tonight will be nachos, made with Bite Size tostitos, a rotisserie chicken, Nature's Promise chipotle salsa, this "taco dip" sauce we found, sliced peppers, cheese, sour cream and onions. Oh and black olives and shredded cheddar. If you pile on the chicken at least you get your protein and it's something my husband will readily eat. I just need to find a way to add more fiber to it.<br />
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I've been tracking my food with MyFitnessPal on my phone but I need to come back to their full website regularly, since the app doesn't give a total for each meal, just for the day. It's easy to think you still have room for another two helpings of carbs when you see 80/120 in the daily report, even though you technically had a serving of carbs at every meal! I'm going to try to find an email address I can send a suggestion to for totaling up each meal.<br />
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Okay, so I posted at the beginning of May and at the end. I'll try to do better in June, posting shorter posts, more photos of meals, more recipes and less info dumps!cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-75587224444451693592012-05-01T10:01:00.000-04:002012-05-01T10:01:21.667-04:00Holding Steady, Doing WellYesterday was my birthday. We went out with friends on Saturday night and I had shrimp scampi with broccoli at dinner. I did have frozen yogurt for dessert, but that's because I'd never been to a Peach Wave before and I wanted to try it out. It was good, though not amazing, so I should be okay even though they built one right in the center of our town. We have an ice cream maker and the java chip recipe I found last year is amazing.<br />
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We also found Clemmy's ice cream! It's horribly overpriced (the whole store we got it from is, but they're the only local source of Xylitol). I had a few spoonfuls of chocolate on Sunday night and it was right on par with the ice cream we made. Honestly if I've got the time to make it the homemade ice cream is a bargain compared to $6/pint. :P We also got some Vanilla so I'll maybe have some with some blueberries later this week.<br />
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First we have to finish my birthday cake! We made the flourless chocolate cake (with black beans) again, but we doubled the frosting recipe. Should not have. Oh, we were nauseous after from all the extra Xylitol (we also licked the spatulas...)! So we will take it slow finishing the cake. We put fresh raspberries on it which were delicious! <br />
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Saw The Pirates! Band of Misfits yesterday. It was super cute, but I'm probably not going to be happy with a movie until I get back to see Hunger Games again with my husband. Now it's just a matter of being stubborn. We were going to see that last night but some friends want to see it too so we'll see it this Sunday. We did try the Kay's Chili Nacho Cheese snacks on Saturday while we were cooking, and they're really good! So we'll have those at the movies this weekend (we forgot to pack them last night so we had Burger King Chicken Strips for dinner and a club soda from the theater).<br />
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AMC theaters is really bad about providing Nutritional Information. I was given a really out of date binder last night when I asked, but it did confirm what I pretty much already knew: their pizza is out (88g carbs for a personal) a small popcorn is still too big for one person (IIRC: 70g), two people could split the nachos (~65g) and be okay (except they're gross) and the chicken breast tenders (34g) are really the only tasty option. That's assuming the sugar (which they don't print the info for) is on par with chicken strips from other places. They do now serve unsweetened iced tea (0.5g), but my husband and I both wanted something carbonated. So us low carbers and those who have no choice, like diabetics, are still SOL when it comes to theater food unless we ignore theater policies and sneak in our own food (no one's ever dropped the apathy long enough to try and take mine away anyway).<br />
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A Little Caesar's is opening nearby soon, and there are actually a few tasty options to be had, according to their website nutrition info. Hot wings, with the exception of BBQ, are all close to 0/0, the baby pans are OK, a slice of anything but the pineapple pizzas is fine, and 2-3 cheesy breadsticks are also OK as a meal. Cool! They're right by my martial arts school so I'm sure there'll be some after-class gatherings there. The Yogurt Town also opening next door, I'm assuming, is less accessible but maybe they'll be smart and serve coffee, too.<br />
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My standard breakfast lately has been the flax mug muffin with blueberries and almond milk, then lunch is usually a joseph's pita with turkey, spinach and avocado. Dinner varies. Tonight I think we're getting another rotisserie chicken, which I will try to not eat before I can add some veggies to my plate (like last post).<br />
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My arms and thighs are not shedding weight like my stomach (my stomach measurement is beyond my goal as of this morning), so I've gotta try and figure out a way to work on them. My arms I know some exercises for but my legs really ought to be benefiting from my martial arts and I'm not sure why they aren't.cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-12627640952946563502012-04-20T14:29:00.000-04:002012-04-20T14:29:29.185-04:00This was a TriumphToday the temptation under my nose is a box of gourmet cupcakes in the office breakroom. They look like they were made fresh and the frosting piped by hand. But I resisted, not even a nibble! Honestly they were too pretty - their taste could not have lived up to expectations. ;)<br />
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Last night my husband had Burger King so I tried to find myself a Spaghetti Squash to make the <a href="http://urbanposer.blogspot.com/2011/12/rosemary-spaghetti-squash-egg-nests.html" target="_blank">Spaghetti Squash Rosemary Egg Nest</a> recipe I found via Amber's blog, but the grocery store didn't have any in their produce section. From there I followed my nose and got a hot rotisserie chicken instead. I should have had some vegetables with it, I know, but I was so hungry by the time I got home that I dug right in. Today for lunch I had it on a Joseph's pita with spring mix and baby spinach, some mayo and Newman's Own Caesar dressing. It was fantastic and very filling.<br />
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I brought the Joseph's (not the same Joseph as the pitas, this is the Joseph that we also get our syrup from) Pecan Walnut Brownie Bites which I opened last night for dessert. I really like them, though I wouldn't confuse them for brownies! They are like soft cookies, kinda like the chocolate nut ones you can get at Panera bread (only no sugar!). I have to figure out, though, if their total carb count includes the Maltitol. It's listed at the same 'level' as the major categories, instead of indented in with the fiber and sugar. If they don't calculate them together that makes a serving of 8 bites 21g of carbs instead of 15g. It might just be a layout issue, though, but I know companies love to try and omit stuff for that 'net carb' lower quantity. I submitted the question to them via their website. Either way I have yet to eat a whole serving before being satisfied! Maybe that's because they're chewy, or because of the pecans. So I had about 5 more of those after my lunch, and I'm very full! I also am on my second bottle of water.<br />
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Tonight we are meeting an old friend and her husband and new baby for dinner, and my plan is to have Philly Cheesesteak (they're on Portuguese rolls at this particular restaurant, which are great for BFC calculations compared to most other rolls). I'll substitute the fries for vegetables and pick off about half of the onions, maybe eat it open face if the roll looks bigger than I remember. With unsweetened Iced Tea, the only tough thing will be to avoid the dessert pies the restaurant is named for (no it's not Cheesecake Factory, LOL, that's a whole other battle, including parking).<br />
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My husband is feeling much better today (evidenced by wanting to socialize) so we may go see Hunger Games on Sunday morning, and we'll try the Kay's Protein Chips.I'm thinking I'll bring a bottle of water and use one of the True Lime packets in it to match the chili flavor in the chips. But it's a morning show so I may wake up and only pack my travel mug of coffee after everything. :P<br />
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<br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-30523333904289248702012-04-19T09:28:00.002-04:002012-04-19T09:28:12.143-04:00BehavingMy husband has a pretty nasty cold, so he's been off the plan just to eat whatever sounds good (my main treatment for being sick) and to drink things to soothe his throat (with lots of honey).<br />
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But I've been behaving! Normally I'd knock off and have a burger or six, too, if he's not adhering, but this week I'm being good. It's nearly summer, you know. Grilling season is within our reach, if I can just stave off the mashed potatoes and cookies for a few more weeks!<br />
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Tuesday night he didn't want anything in the house so I picked up Taco Bell. Man, did I ever want some Cheesy Gordita Crunches! But I had two crunchy supreme tacos, per Jorge's instructions, and I was okay! Thank goodness for hot sauce.<br />
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Yesterday at work someone brought Munchkins in for everyone. I just avoided the kitchen until they'd all been eaten.<br />
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Last night my husband wanted some of those ready-to-bake Nestle cookies. Those are some of my favorite, fresh from the oven (I despise cooled chocolate chip cookies, though, go figure!). We had to go out to the store for them and some organic milk for him to have with them, and so I picked up those sugar free pound cake slices and some frozen wild blueberries to have instead. I said to myself, "Look, you didn't eat crunchy tacos instead of cheesy gordita crunches yesterday, and avoid those munchkins, just to ruin it with cookies!" So I had my blueberry/poundcake/whipped cream treat with some dark roast coffee, and managed not to look at those cookies in front of my husband TOO hard. It helped that I let them cool longer on the stove after they were done, so I never saw the yummy gooey soft cookies I prefer.<br />
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I won't have any cookies tonight either. "Look, self, you didn't NOT have fresh warm cookies just to spoil it on yucky cooled chocolate chip cookies today!"<br />
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So I weighed myself this morning before my shower and my weight has continued to fall steadily. THAT's what behaving gets you. Go figure!<br />
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I popped over to Netrition.com the other day and ordered a few goodies. When my husband is better I want to take him to see The Hunger Games (which I saw with a friend on Sunday and loved so much I can't wait to see it again), and the worst thing about this diet is the portion control when all you want to do is munch all the way through a movie. So I was looking for a snack that would be more substantial than one ounce of this or that.<br />
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I found a product called Just the Cheese, which is a filler-free cheese snack, but reviews were spotty at best. Someone said in one, "I'll just stick with Kay's Natural protein chips" so I searched for those and found <a href="http://www6.netrition.com/kays_protein_chips_page.html" target="_blank">Kay's Nature Protein Chips in Chili Nacho Cheese flavor</a>, which comes in a 5oz bag, rather than a cluster of 1oz bags. I know some of you will tisk at me, but my intent is to split the bag with my husband, for 2.5 servings each, during the movie, and that will be roughly 35g carbs each to finish off the bag. That's also a nice 25g of protein for each of us, making the whole thing roughly equal to a protein bar, LOL. Hopefully it's good! I'll report back.<br />
<br />
Since my birthday is just over a week away I also got some sweets: <a href="http://www6.netrition.com/kays_protein_cookie_bites.html" target="_blank">Kay's Protein+ Cookie Bites</a>, <a href="http://www6.netrition.com/dixie_brownie_mix_page.html" target="_blank">Dixie Diner Caramel Pecan Turtle Brownie Mix</a> (one of the few of their mixes without excitotoxins), <a href="http://www6.netrition.com/lanouba_marshmallows_page.html" target="_blank">La Nouba Marshmallows</a>, <a href="http://www6.netrition.com/josephs_sf_brownie_bites.html" target="_blank">Joseph's Sugar Free brownie bites</a>, and <a href="http://www6.netrition.com/yes_to_cookies_sf_cookies.html" target="_blank">Yes! To Cookies Ginger Cookies</a>. Now it's not my intention to live off such sweet-emulators, but we haven't tried any of these products before so mostly I was trying to get a variety in case half of them are awful. :P My intention is NOT to bake that Ghirardelli Extreme Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownie mix my mom keeps buying and asking me to bake (saboteur!).<br />
<br />
<b>So now my question to you other BFCers for today:</b> With regard to those Mug Muffins that Jorge posted the recipe for, how do you prepare them? I made mine with the frozen wild blueberries and SF vanilla extract but, while it was very tasty, the inside never cooked all the way through, even after an extra minute+ in the microwave. Does the mug seem important? Do juicy fillers mean I should cut back on other liquids? Anyone else have to make adjustments? I have no idea if microwaves work the same as ovens, but I'm at 750 ft above sea level, so it seems like it shouldn't be too different from Jorge's experience on the west coast.<br />
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</tbody></table>cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-86122251739295824802012-04-11T15:30:00.002-04:002012-04-11T15:30:52.164-04:00Still here! (reprise)It's been a life and a half since I last posted, I haven't been good lately about updating online. Just too busy!<br />
<br />
I've been doing my best to stick to the tenets I learned from the BFC but until this week my husband and I haven't completely been sticking to it. Since I last weighed in.. oh I don't even remember when! I had gained 8.4 pounds (largely attributable to the recent visits by Msrs. Ben and Jerry). Not as much as I thought it would be when I stepped on the scale, but still a shame to take those steps backward. I still fit in all the new and resized pants, at least, though the one "measuring" pair of jeans has definitely been tight lately.<br />
<br />
So Monday morning I weighed in at 156.8, and we put aside the brownies and BBQ ribs from my husband's birthday and went back on plan. Summer grilling season makes it a lot easier to rededicate ourselves, and I'm really hoping not to take the 'days off' from the BFC that my husband insists on (though we've already talked about what to eat on Friday when we go to Bertucci's with friends).<br />
<br />
I'm also trying this time not to rely on grains as much. Every meal last time through was built around the bread or the buns or the pasta and the rice. What a waste! Not enough to make us satisfied but enough to force us to cut back on the rest of the goodies.<br />
<br />
Our store did start stocking the Ener-G Tapioca bread, though, which (if memory serves) is 10g of carbs per slice instead of the usual 15 - 18. Might be some sugars in it, not sure. I do know we can have a very satisfying French Toast breakfast using it. French Toast may well be my favorite remaining food (since sushi rolls really don't work for the BFC, boo!).<br />
<br />
Tonight we're having Carne Asada on tortillas and loading up the rest of our meal with veggies. We didn't use a lot of veggies the first time through because the S/C values were so hard to determine on our own, and I always erred on the side of caution. So I left out almost everything! Not in the plans, this time. It's easy enough to look stuff up, and I'll err on the side of more vegetables!<br />
<br />
My husband just started some contract work so now we have to figure out how to pack lunches for him. Usually at home he works around mid-day exercise and has a protein/psyllium shake for lunch. Not anymore!<br />
<br />
Also found the thinkThin bars locally and ordered a bunch more off Amazon. Hoping they can help me on Tuesdays and Thursdays when I go straight from work to martial arts (I've begun assisting my instructor so I can work toward becoming an instructor myself). Last night I think I ate it too early - after two back-to-back classes I was ready to drop and my muscles said "Nope!" So tomorrow I'll try it a little later, around 4:30 instead of 3:30. I was just in the habit of eating at 3:30 from when I'd pack food that needed more digesting before I started jumping and kicking. I also forgot to take my vitamins yesterday.<br />
<br />
I still have that old problem of not being able to take my vitamins comfortably with anything. After lunch today I took them with the rest of my unsweetened iced tea and I'm still gagging and feeling unhappy. Just about the only thing that's worked so far is the Magnesium Powder I found on Amazon (raspberry lemonade only, the orange is chalky!), and only until it completely dissolves. It's as though the rule for swallowing vitamins is that the liquid can't be translucent! And yet almond milk still doesn't work. Guess I could try the unsweetened almond+coconut milk that we just started buying. Orange Juice has always worked the best for me, so when I finally reach my goal I'll see what happens if I use half a glass to take my vitamins in the morning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1M5RWY0nc3XR9m19hjpmnji9mIdJZf0WO-Zg413M8obj0HrrhyizgBuFPwFVJjm5RbMY44rC3m6hiuWM35W-wj_-Mg4o1G1UjczeQQdjDFaFwIEzJcCObRZvC9Fszt7sP2iM1FZVgKpxh/s1600/Photo+Apr+10,+12+26+26+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1M5RWY0nc3XR9m19hjpmnji9mIdJZf0WO-Zg413M8obj0HrrhyizgBuFPwFVJjm5RbMY44rC3m6hiuWM35W-wj_-Mg4o1G1UjczeQQdjDFaFwIEzJcCObRZvC9Fszt7sP2iM1FZVgKpxh/s320/Photo+Apr+10,+12+26+26+PM.jpg" width="239" /></a>I was getting really sick and tired of the taste and texture of F-Factor cereal, and Shop Rite took pity on me and stopped stocking it. That'll teach me to pity myself! So I got two new cereals to try.<br />
<br />
The first is <a href="http://www.naturespath.com/products/high-fiber/optimum-slim-cereal" target="_blank">Optimum Slim</a>, which I had a bowl of last night after I got home from class.<br />
<br />
When I saw it I couldn't believe that I could fit it into the BFC. Look at that! It looks like a commercial cereal for adults who still have the sweet tooth of kids! Now there are no peaches in there but their prescribed serving size of a cup still has 6g of sugar, so I had 3/4 of a cup to bring it down under 5g. It tastes as good as it looks, and the different textures are great. Not having to add powdered cinnamon and Truvia for flavor (like I would with the F-Factor) is a major plus.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD096hbHDiZCRLJCbUychTeEy5YqP0pfmegBAsYsxfXzFMDHJ5DeEeHzkVDJguKS4YDa0eGG2CSfUDcgC6EGcoouxH2oHeyXFLOhsC86Mvc6jEjDCT0-utEqPoBdA6XpIHC2rm9yJTPskB/s1600/Photo+Apr+10%252C+12+24+41+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD096hbHDiZCRLJCbUychTeEy5YqP0pfmegBAsYsxfXzFMDHJ5DeEeHzkVDJguKS4YDa0eGG2CSfUDcgC6EGcoouxH2oHeyXFLOhsC86Mvc6jEjDCT0-utEqPoBdA6XpIHC2rm9yJTPskB/s320/Photo+Apr+10%252C+12+24+41+PM.jpg" width="239" /></a>The second cereal, <a href="http://www.benefitnutrition.com/simply-fiber-cinnamon.html" target="_blank">Cinnamon Simply Fiber</a>, hasn't been tasted by me yet. My husband made quite the face and said "You can tell this one has 0g sugar in it!"<br />
<br />
I thought he'd like it because of the cinnamon in it, but the tube shapes are very dry. He only tasted a pinch, though, without any liquid. I suggested maybe these would do better heated like grape-nuts. At least there's room for some Truvia!<br />
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We bought some Coconut oil a few weeks ago and are going to try the coffee mug Skinny Muffins in the mornings before work. I think we need a test-run though to figure out how long it really takes to prepare, cook and eat them. I'm not good about leaving myself time to do everything in the morning!<br />
<br />
Has anyone here tried the Barlean's products? Are they worth the hassle and cost of buying them if I can only find them on Amazon?<br />
<br />
Portions of the concrete walls of our future Whole Foods have been erected, but it looks like it could easily take until Winter before they open. Boo! I need me some Clemmy's, LOL! At least we have the ice cream maker for the summer.cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-5550633783044741342012-01-09T06:07:00.004-05:002012-01-09T06:07:55.922-05:00Still here!I haven't posted since September... wow! The end of 2011 really got away from us.<br />
<br />
A month after my last post, we had yet ANOTHER major storm and ANOTHER week without power. Which meant dumping our special order BFC friendly food. It was a major killer of our motivation, and while I did largely try to stick to the plan, there were definitely times when we just didn't care enough!<br />
<br />Add to that the stress of the holidays, and a decision to relaunch my <a href="http://www.nativecomic.com/">webcomic</a>, I was not able to prioritize the diet. I resolved to kick it back into gear on Jan 1, and we didn't stress about what we ate during the holidays that were already stressful enough. No regrets there!<br />
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Thankfully the year ended not too far from my best weight. I only went up about 5 pounds after eating with abandon - I think because I really did try to stick to the diet wherever I was able. So the starbucks sugary lattes and mashed potatoes didn't send me back to the beginning.<br />
<br />
So now we're a week into the diet. Since Fridays always trip us up, we decided just to indulge on that day of the week. It gives us something to look forward to, making it easier to stay resolute on the other days. And we still end up doing fairly well when we know the rules are suspended.<br />
<br />
I haven't had a chance to weigh in since New Years Eve, but I do keep myFitnessPal updated, so the ticker there is accurate, even if my comic is keeping me too busy to post every single day.<br />
<br />
As for what I eat, breakfast is 2 eggs, 2 bacon and 1 Ezekiel bread toasted when I have time (hopefully today!), or F-Factor or Cheerios with Almond Milk and some sausage when I don't. Lunch has been a lot of soup, but I'm getting pretty tired of soup so I will start to make tuna or egg salad to have on my pitas again. Three nights a week my dinners are light since I'm headed to class. I found an organic Miso/Ramen Soup that is so easy and I love. The other nights my husband and I usually try to pick something from Jorge's book. Tonight is the Club Sandwich with Pirate's booty and a salad.<br />
<br />
I want to focus on more vegetables, but I still need to really sit down and figure out how to maximize fiber from veggies without picking up too many sugars.<br />
<br />
Anyway, there! Updated and moving along! My goal for the year, weight-wise, is to reach and maintain 130lbs.<br />
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I don't know if I'll check in again this week. I have an essay to write for my belt promotion exam in Soo Bahk Do, and I'm getting a little behind on my comic.<br />
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This year, despite what the comic would have you believe, I plan to simplify my obligations. I do a lot of painting and sewing and design for other people and it leaves me with very little spare time where I can just say "What do I feel like doing today?" Usually I already have a to-do list of things that are weighing on my mind, and I need to cut that out so I can enjoy my 30s before they're gone. ;)cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-85088192798406409702011-09-27T08:41:00.005-04:002011-09-27T08:41:59.016-04:00Whoo!<br />
<br />
Scale this morning says I'm down 3.2 pounds, so I guess my mostly behaving wasn't getting me too deep in trouble. F-Factor cereal for both breakfasts so far this work week. That stuff has 17g of fiber per serving, so it really kick-starts the loss of the false fat.<br />
<br />
Dinner tonight is burgers. I found these really soft sandwich rolls that fit in the plan, and when I had one on Sunday I decided that I could probably cut out the middle third of the bun and still have plenty to hold the sandwich in (I put hot sauce on the burger and couldn't even taste it with all the bread in the bun!).<br />
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I think I'm coming down with something, though. My mom has bronchitis - and has for a long time - so I figure if I don't load up on the Vitamin C and the Zinc, I'll end up just as sick (though I won't wait months to go to the doctor!).<br />
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Here's another fun earrings photo:<br />
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<br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-66057513302701128272011-09-26T15:53:00.001-04:002011-09-26T15:53:46.666-04:00I have had the hardest time getting back to good BFC behavior. I got very thrown off by the hurricane last month and I spent the entire month being good for breakfast and lunch and then eating whatever sounded good for dinner.<br />
<br />
My husband has decided that, while he's going to try and make better choices, he's not strictly following the BFC anymore. I'm trying to just be thankful he'll still mostly eat it when we eat together. And since making that decision he's been mostly good. A package of Halloween Oreos and a carton of milk, but mostly good.<br />
<br />
Or as mostly good as I've been, anyway. I would really like to see that scale turn around again, though, and so I'm keeping my eye out for a Fast Track book. I want to see the recipes before I start it. The way the free PDF menu was presented, there's no way I can get my husband to sign on. But he doesn't like repeated meals. I can live on leftovers forever but I knew just skimming it that we'd need more variety for my husband's palate!<br />
<br />
So I want to see the recipes offered before dropping the cash on the book.<br />
<br />
I'm actually interested in getting all my carbs and fiber from vegetable sources, but I need to research it because it seems like the ones with fiber are also the ones with sugar. And I am NOT a fan of bell peppers which tends to limit the recipes I can select from.<br />
<br />
On Friday we had bulgolgi and those spicy asian green beans from Healthy Indulgences. Threw in some Shiritake noodles and it was EXCELLENT. So I think Friday was actually a <15/6 day! But every other day has gone over in one spot or another.<br />
<br />
Yesterday was the only day I could say I didn't strictly adhere but also didn't end up eating something crazy, even with the cupcakes that we were sent home with from a friend's house on Saturday.<br />
<br />
Today it was back to F-Factor for breakfast, Joseph's Pita Turkey sandwich for lunch and dinner.. well I don't know what I'm having for dinner yet. Possibly Oatmeal, as I find I definitely don't have time to cook for real on days I go to class (or I'd have bacon and eggs), and I need to stop at the post office on the way home.<br />
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I also have had a really hard time getting back to my usual class schedule for Martial Arts, so I think it's a general malaise thanks to really being thrown off by the hurricane.<br />
<br />
Did I mention I found a Belly-friendly Latte option for Starbucks? It's still definitely a 'sometimes food' (as Cookie Monster would say), but it's delicious and I actually found I prefer it to the Pumpkin Spice Latte (and yes, I slipped up and had two - and both times wished I'd gone for something permissible!)<br />
<br />
So I call it the "Special" - a tall (12 oz) double-shot (because normally tall comes with one shot) half caff/ decaf (because caffeine is bad for our brain function and other nerves) latte made with Heavy Cream (not half & half! don't let them say "Oh, Breve, got it"), topped with whipped cream and powdered cinnamon. If only they had a sugar free syrup this sucker would get every box checked off on the side of the coffee cup! (I figure I get extra credit because they need to write a lot of it out!)<br />
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<br />
The double-shot is to cut back on the heavy cream necessary to fill the cup. I estimate there are about 8 tbsp of from-the-carton heavy cream in this drink, and myFitnessPal calculates this to be 4.8g of carbs and 1g sugar. Much improved over the 25g of carbs in a venti breve latte! And less calories because even though I'm drinking it with HC, I'm having 1/3 of the total size. So it's just over 400cal instead of over 700cal (I know we don't count calories, or fat or protein, but there's still that "use common sense" in the back of my head). But it is 24g of sat fat, might as well dunk some pork chops in it! So like I said, Jorge gave us free rein on the fat and protein but I won't be having this every day. And certainly not within a week of any insulin-triggering slip-ups.<br />
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Also, it costs the same as the venti breve latte, so there's another good reason not to have it too often!<br />
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And for no good reason but fun, I'll leave you with a photo of the new earrings I got on Friday:<br />
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<br />cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-26858798237994422602011-09-07T08:03:00.001-04:002011-09-07T08:03:33.424-04:00Belly BlastedDown 3.6 pounds from my peak weight of the last week!<br />
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Husband agreed to planning better for the weekends, so this Friday we'll try little pita pizzas. Saturday we haven't decided but we have a couple days before I stop for the groceries on Friday.<br />
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Managed to wake up and get ready with enough time left to make a hot breakfast, which was toast, eggs and bacon. Sipping my coffee with benefiber now. Rainy gray day, I'm thinking it's a two-coffee morning.cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-34085618263842470702011-09-06T16:40:00.000-04:002011-09-06T16:40:06.987-04:00Restocking the Fridge, Refusing to Give InI admit Autumn is a hard time for me to diet. Too many things I love about the seasonal food: Apple Pie, Pumpkin Bread, Caramel this and that, Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, Thanksgiving, oh my!<br />
<br />
So this will be my real challenge ahead. There's a bit of a nip in the air and the leaves have started changing colors. Time to think up some substitutions - and fast!<br />
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We shopped for groceries the other night to restock the fridge from the ground up. I finally remembered we had a HUGE bag of frozen salmon steaks that we'd only had one dinner made from, and now I'm sad (and also unwilling to re-buy that bag of steaks until hurricane season is over!). The only thing we had was soup and cereal! I had to place an order from CarbSmart for ketchup and barbecue sauce - we can eat a lot of things with the help of condiments. But $19 for two kinds of condiments? Ouch!<br />
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So today is day 2 of being 100% back on the game. My body is already moving things right along, as it were. Martial Arts tonight, and then again Thursday night.<br />
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I just need a plan for this weekend. We never plan Friday - Saturday meals and I think that's why we always get in trouble (that and we have a friend who comes over on Fridays and I think it's too easy to assume cooking is more trouble than it's worth).<br />
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So I'm going to hope that being aware of that weakness is half the battle. I'll mention it to my husband and we'll see if we can't figure out something for Friday that's simple to make.<br />
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Thursday night we are going a bit fatty with our dinner, as it's the start of Football season, but it fits the count, even if most people would be horrified at the calories. ;)<br />
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So I'm back to using myFitnessPal and avoiding the food I crave. Lots of water, focusing on fiber.<br />
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Here we go (again)!cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-25511640691573798972011-09-02T08:34:00.000-04:002011-09-02T08:34:22.084-04:00Irene Hit HardGood morning everyone, I'm back after losing power for a week thanks to Irene passing through our area and attempting to drag all our trees behind her. I've never had such a hard time with a power outage, and I think '87 was the last time we lost power for more than a day. Even in the 2003 East Coast outage we had our power back later the same day it went out.<br />
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So even though I attempted to stock up with soup and such, we had nothing to eat by the third day, and the entire fridge was wasted. We began eating and showering at the shelter set up at our high school, and so there was little way to avoid eating the usual 'healthy' fare of fruits and carbs. My husband and I agreed not to stress it - we were stressed enough! - and just resume our diet after life was kind enough to return to normal.<br />
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We capped it off last night by having Chinese Food after the power came back on, since our fridge was empty and our local grocery store had also lost power (and product) for most of the week.<br />
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So I was unsurprised this morning when I stepped on the scale and saw I'd gained 4.6 pounds. I imagine that will mostly fall off quickly if we return to the plan with haste. <br />
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So back to F-Factor cereal (17g of fiber, work your magic!). I considered making myself some eggs and bacon until I remembered there was nothing but an echo in the fridge. I did stop at Starbucks on my way into work, and had them make my "Breve" latte with heavy cream (they have no Light Cream) and a triple shot. No, I don't plan on making this a habit - the more 'customized' your coffee, the more it costs, anyway! But I wanted SOME kind of reward this morning, and it was a $5 coffee or a $35 pedicure. ;)<br />
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I had planned on finishing my Chinese food today for lunch but with the Heavy Cream in my coffee I'd better stick to the plan today. I'll probably get a flatbread sandwich from Dunkin Donuts for lunch, or maybe a couple tacos from Taco Bell.<br />
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We are going to the Cheesecake Factory tomorrow for an early dinner. I'll probably have a couple bites of someone's dessert, but mostly I'm looking forward to a repeat of the salmon and asparagus I had at a Cheesecake Factory last summer in New Jersey. We were in a hotel room without a fridge then, so I didn't get to take my leftovers with me, and that has haunted me to this day. That's why we waited for the power to come back on to go!<br />
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Now that we have to restock everything I am hoping to make very good choices at the grocery store. Maybe start by shopping directly off of a Jorge week's menu. Though I find his choices are typically very low in fiber, so we'll see if I don't end up modifying it.cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-40982954814208715162011-08-25T09:14:00.000-04:002011-08-25T09:14:17.434-04:00Feeling the differenceYesterday was the two year anniversary of my very first Soo Bahk Do class. Unfortunately I was running late and didn't make it to class last night, but I will today!<br />
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Somewhere between August 24, 2009 and January, 2011, I had gained.. I dunno, maybe ten pounds. Not a lot for a year and a half but my self-image was shattered. I had long existed under the belief that I still looked like I did when I could get away with wearing cropped tank tops to work as an art intern in 2001. Then I just woke up one day and realized I couldn't see past the mound of my stomach when I looked down, and that 165 was NOT a healthy weight, nor was it "dense bones" or "lots of muscle". I was overweight, my favorite clothes didn't fit, my back hurt and I didn't like the way I looked in the mirror.<br />
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I've been on the BFC for 23 weeks, just over 6 months. I've lost 20-something pounds (I'll weigh in tonight), a couple inches off my gut, and suddenly my martial arts uniform doesn't feel like it's "shrinking in the wash" anymore.<br />
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In fact I just got a new uniform in the mail that I'd ordered - one tailored for a feminine shape and a bit longer so the tails of the jacket cover the butt. Trying it on, it felt huge! Like some fresh spa dressing gown, LOL. I know part of it is that the length just looks so funny to me, being used to shorter tops. But it definitely needs a trip through the wash and dryer before I decide where to hem it (I'm 5'3" so it'll need something! These uniforms are very vaguely sized). But this uniform is a SMALL. And I was getting lost in it!<br />
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I've also felt more comfortable in class, less overheated. I tire more quickly than last fall, but that's due to my injury, I still have to build up my strength again.<br />
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This morning my back is hurting.. I need to figure out how best to sleep because the pillow I keep between my knees keeps slipping away in the night. I'm a wiggler!<br />
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I've been using the MyFitnesPal mobile app to track my food this week. I like how handy it is to scan the barcodes and enter my info rather than searching, and I like that it does the math for me. I got a bit of a shock, though. It called my Venti Starbucks Breve Latte a 0/2 (22g carbs)! I had no idea there are that many carbs in the drink. It doesn't seem quite right, so the next time I go to Starbucks I'm going to chat with the barista if it's slow enough, see the nutrition on the cream they use. Besides if there's that many carbs I imagine they'd all come from lactose and that would make it 22/2, right?? That would certainly explain why I'm plateaud! I read the definition of a cafe breve as being made with half&half.. I thought they were made with light cream - that's how I ordered my first and was told that's a Breve. So I need to figure this out (and stop drinking them until I do!). And drinking those was inspired by one of the success story quotes in the BFC book, so I am all @_@-eyed and confused now. Maybe I wasn't supposed to have a venti? :P<br />
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For dinner last night and breakfast this morning I had ezekiel bread french toast with Joseph's syrup. There was bacon last night but, of course, I was running late this morning and so my protein had to come from the eggs and butter and the cream in my coffee.<br />
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My husband made a fantastic lemon-dill salmon, with brown rice, cucumber tzatziki sauce and green beans for dinner Tuesday night and I've been having the extra portions for lunch. Mm! I'm having the last of it for lunch today and I am going to be so sad it's gone! Going straight from work to martial arts tonight and I'm not sure what I'll be eating before that. Trying to avoid falling back on the default tacos from Taco Bell around the corner. Maybe I'll get a Turkey-Bacon-Cheddar flatbread from dunkin donuts, those are tasty and 2/2. I haven't been enjoying tacos lately, anyway.<br />
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We have a hurricane on the way this weekend, so I'm going to try and do our grocery shopping tonight (usually we go Sundays). If my husband and I can decide what we want. His stomach has been bothering him this week so he's not that interested in talking food.<br />
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cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-44116246175210213652011-08-22T11:01:00.001-04:002011-08-22T11:02:49.777-04:00Learn from my (Traumatic) ExperienceThis weekend we thought Macaroni & Cheese sounded amazing to go along with a drop in temperature and some stormy nights.<br />
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So we picked up the ingredients, decided on our pasta (a corn/rice based penne) and whipped up the recipe on page 139 of the BFC book.<br />
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BLECH!!<br />
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I have never been so disappointed by Mac'n'Cheese in my life!<br />
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You know what salt tastes like? ....This was saltier!<br />
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We even added a cup each of broccoli and cauliflower hoping to cut the salinity of the dish (and also because there is WAY too much cheese in the recipe for the piddly amount of pasta it called for).<br />
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Gross. We suffered through a serving each, and threw out the rest.<br />
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So here's what we'll try the next time we attempt it (because it smells like fall out and we will want our Autumn carbs before bedding down to hibernate the winter away):<br />
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1) Don't add the salt seasoning to the recipe, just use black pepper<br />
2) Instead of 2.5 cups of extra-sharp cheddar, use 1 cup of sharp cheddar and 1/4 cup something else more mild, like a Monterey Jack.<br />
3) Leave out the parmesan cheese entirely, MAYBE sprinkle some on top, but probably not.<br />
4) Add 2 cups broccoli to the recipe, mixed in.<br />
5) Don't use panko/butter in the top layer, just extra shredded cheese and parsley<br />
6) Use a smaller baking dish than 9 x 12! This would barely fill a square 9" pan, seriously.<br />
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Hope I've saved you all from making that one. Yuck! First recipe in the book we didn't totally love!<br />
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Now I need to figure out what to have for lunch today since I didn't want the leftovers. I'm thinking Chicken Piccata from Bertucci's. Need something AMAZING to counteract that nasty recipe. <br />
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Tonight I have class so I'll be having eggs and bacon before I go and some chocolate and Reddi Wip when I get home.<br />
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Oh, and speaking of exercise, I downloaded the MyFitnessPal tracker and just want to remind everyone to watch out! MyFP will give you back some carbs and sugars (along with everything else you track) if you log exercise! So don't go by the "remaining" if you use it to log your exercise, too. Other than that I love using it, especially to enter the ingredients of recipes and have it calculate the values of each serving for me. The mobile app has a barcode scanner that brings up packaged ingredients, FAST. Great Free app!<br />
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And thanks to everyone who commented on my before and after photos! I'm sorry I didn't show my face, but they were both taken with no make-up and some weird expressions as I remind my husband that he's over 6 feet and he needs to lower the camera to take photos of me. ;)cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4948375912345414985.post-11950966035216302972011-08-20T16:23:00.000-04:002011-08-20T16:23:12.995-04:00Before and Current Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zCDen2h3p3oIjwHiodt22Fbg_Y70pCpqvElTKYhkF3zNmpCFvBXXcld69FzW2zWOL5UUasdnMjiWmR0bchYvi0jETUfreC86UBeUMc0iQ5KBJAxLKNpws6OETt9x1hZ1sp08pRK-rKQ6/s1600/Postable-Progress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zCDen2h3p3oIjwHiodt22Fbg_Y70pCpqvElTKYhkF3zNmpCFvBXXcld69FzW2zWOL5UUasdnMjiWmR0bchYvi0jETUfreC86UBeUMc0iQ5KBJAxLKNpws6OETt9x1hZ1sp08pRK-rKQ6/s320/Postable-Progress.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>Last night I was finally wearing (approximately) the same thing as when we took our first status photos in April (3 weeks after starting the diet).<br />
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I really can't believe the difference. I didn't think I was awful before but I certainly can't be proud to look at that before photo! My arms are "at rest" in both photos but what a change!<br />
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One of the things that I was constantly told as I started was "Oh, you don't need to diet!" Those are evil words that legitimize the urge to run back to the Ben & Jerry's display at the store, but I can look back and clearly say those were just nice things to say. Apparently required, too, as I heard them everywhere.<br />
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So that's 22 pounds difference. 18 more to go!cuddlefishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16365228623146058836noreply@blogger.com6