Stress Binge Eating

Chicken chow mein with brown rice and wonton soup.

That's my stress binge eating meal of choice.  I guess it could be worse, but I still feel crappy after I consume it.  Last night I was stressed out and overly tired, never a good combination.  There was no way I was going to cook dinner (I got home at 8) so Chinese take-out it is.  I ate it all, even though I know I shouldn't have.  My brain needed to eat it, not my stomach. 

My problem is that I'm completely aware that I eat when I'm not hungry, but it still doesn't make me stop.  I should have had half of the food, and saved the rest.  But, no, I ate it all.

I'm really looking forward to this 4 day weekend to get myself back to normal!

I Survived My First 5K

I did it!  I survived the 5K!  And I even ran a little bit of it!


It wasn't a timed race, but I estimated it took me about 45 minutes to complete.  My knee was fine, but my breathing was more of a problem.  It was crazy humid out.  I have to say it didn't feel as far of a distance as I thought it would.  And, about 10 minutes after finishing, I got a second wind and wanted to get going again!


I've decided that I'm going to start walking/running outside more often, in addition to everything I'm doing at the gym.  I really liked it, I just have to work up my stamina.  My knee feels fine today, my hip is a little off because it isn't used to impact like that since the elliptical has no impact.


I have many more 5K's in my future.  I'm hoping to be able to run most, if not all, of a 5K by next summer.

Week 40 Weigh In

Current Weight: 186.8 lbs

Weekly Loss: 1.2 lbs     Total Loss: 35.2 lbs

After 2 weeks in a row of losing weight again, I'm convinced my body is done going back and forth and is finally ready to lose again.  I've been back at the gym at least 5 times a week plus a weekly session with a personal trainer.  My eating is back on track, all is well.  I'm doing my first 5K tomorrow with some friends from Weight Watchers.  It's a charity walk, but I'm going to try and jog some of it.  We'll see how that goes!

New Snacks

There are some really great new snacks out there perfect to keep in the car or at work for emergency hunger!

Kellog's Fruit Crisps- Strawberry

These taste Pop-Tart like, but with much better stats.  

2 crisps have a Points+ Value of 3.  They are great for a breakfast on 

the go or as a snack when you're in the mood for something sweet.

Nature Valley Granola Thins- Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter

These are small, but completely take care of any sweet chocolate craving you may have.  1 pouch has one square in it coming in at 2 Points+.  Delicious!

Newtons Fruit Thins- Blueberry Brown Sugar

Mmmmm, cookies!  3 cookies have 4 Points+.  

They have chewy bits of fruit in them, such a perfect texture.

Body Fat

I have never measured my body fat.  Ever.  I care about how much I weigh, but I'm more concerned with being healthy and building muscle while losing fat.

This Saturday, my gym had a table set up to do calculations, so I figured why not.  They have a hand-held device that you put your height, weight, age and sex into.  Then you hold on to metal sensors, and viola, body fat percentage comes on up.  Now, it's not 100% accurate by any means, and the man helping me out says you should really do it before you eat, drink or exercise (all of those things I had already done by that point in time).  I figure some idea is better than no idea at all. 

I came up at 35%, which is a little bit high, but I'm sure it's much less than what it was a year ago.  Most of the sources I have been able to find tell me that the healthy range for someone my age and height is between 21% and 33%, so I'm not too far away from that!  They keep the measuring tool at the gym, so I'm going to measure my percentage once a month to keep track of things.  I would like to get down to the lower end of the range, maybe around 25%.  We shall see!

BLT

I love bacon, as most people do.  It's perfect at any time of the day.  I once thought that I would have to go without bacon if I wanted to lose weight.  WRONG!  Bacon and weight loss can happen at the same time!  It's all about the kind of bacon and the portion.  Mega-greasy heaps of bacon at the diner- not so much.  Crisp center-cut bacon?  Heck yes!  One of my favorite ways to enjoy bacon is in a BLT.  So here's a simple, non-diet killing recipe.  The sandwich only has a Points+ value of 6!  I know BLT's are pretty self-explanatory, but you're getting a recipe anyway!

Ingredients:
4 slices center-cut bacon, cooked crispy
1 Arnold Select 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thin
1 tbsp light mayo (I really like Hellman's Light- the one with the blue cover)
1/2 tomato, sliced
Iceberg lettuce


Lightly toast the sandwich thin, and spread both halves with mayo.  Layer remaining ingredients in the order you like, I prefer tomato on the bottom, then bacon, then lettuce.  Put together, and eat.  


I had this for breakfast over the weekend, and it was great!  It's very filling and satisfies the need for bacon.  Since I usually have about 6 points for breakfast, this was an even swap for anything else I would have.  If you're having this for lunch or dinner, or if you're just really hungry, pair it with a salad or some cut up fruit.  I may just have to have another one for lunch!

I'm still alive, I promise!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I haven't been back on track since I left for vacation.  Between that, the hurricane, and school starting, I've been feeling overwhelmed.  I'm back now!


Yesterday was my first day 100% back on plan.  I tracked everything, went back to the gym, and went to my personal training session with some friends from work.  I feel good, and all it took was being in the right frame of mind again.  


Last week I gained .2 lbs, this week I lost 3 lbs.  I'm back down to 188 lbs, a total of 34 down from where I started.  Next week you can look forward to regular posting resuming, I promise!!!