Week 32 Weigh In

Current Weight: 185.6 lbs

Weekly Loss: 3.6 lbs      Total Loss: 36.4 lbs
HECK YES!!!!!!!!

We're going to look at some side-by-side comparisons 
Now (tan wall) vs. Week 6 (blue wall, 206.4 lbs) 

 

 

I wish I had started taking pictures from the very beginning!  By week 6, I was already down 15.6 lbs, but you can still see the change from then until now.  My face has slimmed down, legs are thinner, arms are a bit smaller, but my major area of change in my opinion is my middle!  My stomach used to stick out much more, and my butt was ginormous!  It's still large and in charge, but not quite at the level it was before.  My hips also lost a lot of weight, its perhaps the most noticeable change for me.  
We're getting there!!!

 
Okay, I feel better now.  I've been trying so hard to stop flopping around 190, and I'm going to do my darnedest to keep this losing trend going.  Perhaps under 180 by the end of August??  We shall see...

Chinese Hot Pot

Back in April, I wrote about my experience in Baltimore with a restaurant that serves hot pots.  Ever since then, I've wanted to make my own hot pot night at home.  I finally did it!

The only part you have to do before hand is make your stock.  This is what is going to flavor your meal, so you want to make sure that it tastes really good!  During the meal, I put my stock in an electric wok so that it would stay hot and cook the actual food.

We thinly sliced up chicken breast so it would cook quickly, and I also served baby spinach leaves, sliced mushrooms, broccoli florets and angel hair pasta nests.  These nests came in handy for 2 reasons- first off, it's portion control.  Each nest weighs around 1.5 ounces, coming to 4 Points+.  Secondly, the nests stay together for the most part as they cook, which makes them easier to fish out.

After you assemble all of your ingredients, you get to sit and make your meal!  Don't forget to have designated "raw chicken" utensils, so that nothing gets mixed up.  I bought some handy dandy scoopers that worked perfectly for fishing out the finished food.  I really loved this meal!!!  It was subtly flavored, but I also served 3 different dipping sauces on the side.  I ate it more like a soup, cooking my ingredients and adding extra broth to my bowl at the end.

This is really easy, and something new to try.  You can cook whatever you want, just make sure that any meat is sliced thin enough so it will cook in a timely manner.

Chris didn't have the patience to wait for his food to cook, nor does he appreciate subtle flavor, so he ate the chicken leftover from making the stock with some ranch dressing!  To each his own...

Papaya

Another fruit I was trying for the first time this week.  I've had dried papaya, but never the fresh fruit itself. I simply cut it, scooped out the seeds, and cubed it up.  I honestly couldn't decide if I like it or hated it, even after eating about half of the fruit!  I think that I decided I don't really like papaya.  It isn't a very sweet fruit, and doesn't have a strong flavor.  I prefer fruits that taste like something, and this just didn't.  Not for me... I'll take an ataulfo mango over a papaya any day!

Ataulfo Mangoes

These are simply delicious!  Ataulfo mangoes are a little smaller than your usual mangoes.  Their skin is a beautiful golden color.  They taste like a ripe mango, but they are less stringy and have a much smaller pit in the middle (which means more fruit!).  I've been eating these almost every night for dessert, they are just so good.   I found a tip saying to not store these in the refrigerator, so I've been keeping them on the counter.  You should be able to find these in your local grocery store.  If you like mangoes, try these out!

It's a Stock Party!

A few years ago, I started making my own chicken stock.  It's really easy to do, it's relatively cost-free since you use things you would normally be throwing out, and it's delicious!


Here are a few steps to take before you actually want to make the stock.  Whenever you make chicken with bones, SAVE THE BONES!  Put them in a bag in the freezer.  It's a guarantee that if I'm somewhere and there's a roasted chicken or turkey and they are about to throw out the carcass, I will bag it up and take it home for stock.  Why waste it?  The same goes for veggie scraps.  Peeling an onion?  Put the ends and the skin in a bag, freeze it.  Other items- carrot peel, celery ends, bell pepper tops, scallion tops and bottoms, etc.  Anything that would add flavor, freeze it.  Don't throw it out.


Now, if you want to make stock but don't have anything saved up, no worries.  I didn't for this batch either.  What I did instead was go out and buy a rotisserie chicken.  You can use this two ways- you can take off the meat and just boil the bones, or you could plop the whole thing in the pot.  I chose to put the whole thing in, but you'll see why later!  


This batch of stock was the best stock I've made in my entire life!  Some of the ingredients were added since I was going with an asian style stock for recipes I made later in the week (which shall be posted here soon).  If you want a basic, plain chicken stock recipe, leave out the ingredients noted by the asterisk.  I'm writing the amounts I added in, but you can put in whatever you happen to have in the house, it doesn't need to be too specific.

Ingredients:
Chicken bones, or one rotisserie chicken
1 onion, sliced in half
1 cup carrots
2 parsnips
Handful of fresh parsley
One bunch of scallions*
15 Garlic Cloves
1/4 cup soy sauce*
1/8 cup sriracha*
3 tbsp ground ginger*
Salt and Pepper to taste


Instructions:
Place everything in a large pot and fill with water (leave at least 2 inches on top so that it won't over-boil).  Cook covered over high heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 hours.  You want to get the flavor out of your ingredients.  Give it a stir every 30-60 minutes, and taste it for flavor.  You might want to add more soy, sriracha or salt depending on your water and your taste.


Once it has been cooking for a long time, you have a few options.  Sometimes, if you use a whole chicken, the meat loses all of it's flavor.  In this case, we would give it to our dogs.  In the case of this amazing batch of stock, the chicken actually gained flavor, and my husband at the chicken meat instead of the rest of the meal I prepared.  To each his own...


You can let it cool a bit, fish out the big pieces of your ingredients, then put the rest through a colander or a strainer.  This method will clear out the larger pieces, but you will still have some bits in your stock.  You may be okay with this, but I'm not.  I want a bit-free stock, thank you very much.

Get a very big bowl.  Place a colander on top of the bowl, and put one layer of paper towel in the colander (2 small sheets for me).  DON'T RIP THEM APART, you want it to act as a solid filter.  After you fish out the large pieces and discard them, use a measuring cup or a large ladle to scoop the stock out and run it through your "filter."  The paper towel will catch all of the small bits while allowing the liquid to pass through.  After a few cups of liquid, the paper towel will clog up, so just throw out the used sheets and add in clean towels.  This will also catch a good amount of any fat that came out of the chicken.  


You will be left with BEAUTIFUL stock, which I of course didn't get a picture of!  It might be darker than you're used to, but it will be so much more flavorful than canned broth.

Week 31 Weigh In

Current Weight: 189.2 lbs

Weekly Gain: .2 lbs         Total Loss: 32.8 lbs

I knew I shouldn't have had that last glass of water!!!  ***sense my sarcasm***

So I weigh in on Thursday nights.  I LOVE my group, LOVE my leader, and LOVE the location and time and how it fits into my schedule.  What I hate is that, mentally, I try to not consume anything that will add weight to my body on that day.  If I could, I wouldn't eat until after I stepped on the scale at 6:15.  Now, since I'm human, I do have to eat.  So I eat breakfast, lunch, and then try to not eat OR DRINK anything until it's time to weigh in.  Yes, I realize how stupid this is, but I can't help it.  Especially when I go workout before a weigh in.  I actually try to not drink water.  INSANE!!!

So, I'm considering my .2 lbs as being due to the large glass of water I chugged because I was so frikkin thirsty.  I'm considering this week a week of no change : )

Adventures in Grocery Shopping

Now, I'm the type of person who will try pretty much anything.  I could totally go along with those guys on the Travel Channel who journey to foreign lands and eat all of this crazy looking stuff.  I'd be in heaven!


That being said, I've decided to do what I can to make my food life more exciting while not going off of the island.  I've been inspired by our WW Leader at our last meeting, and I'm determined to buy new produce every time I go shopping.  This week I purchased jicama, papaya, parsnips and ataulfo mangoes.  Nothing too fancy or out there, but just things I haven't had before.  


Sadly, I haven't seen anymore fresh lychees since I bought them all a few weeks ago.  Very upsetting.


I'm going to try and keep this going, trying something new as often as I can.  It should keep things interesting.  I will be posting my opinions of everything I'm trying, as well as any recipes I may whip together.


Any suggestions as to something I should try?

Sriracha

Mission:  Add heat and flavor to pretty much anything.

Weapon of choice???

SRIRACHA!!!!!

I'm all fierce and junk, especially with my blue nail polish!

Sriracha is a condiment that took me forever to find.  I had heard of it on cooking shows, I knew it was an asian chili sauce, but I couldn't for the life of me find it.  I finally found it in Target of all places.  

Sriracha is made from chilies, sugar, salt, garlic and vinegar.  It's different from your usual hot sauce in that, in my opinion, it has a lot more flavor besides just being "hot".  It's 0 Points+, so you don't have to use up any points by adding it to a dish.

So far, my favorite uses have been during breakfast and in soups.  While enjoying my poached eggs with polenta, I've been adding a drop of sriracha to each bite to add a little something special.  Delicious!  I've also created my own amped up version of egg drop soup (recipe coming soon!) including some sriracha, and it adds so much depth along with heat.  I plan on experimenting by adding it to my favorite marinades and sauces.  

Look out for this condiment!  Pick up a bottle, it's very inexpensive, and keep it around.  You never know when you might be looking to add exactly what sriracha can provide!

Quaker Multigrain Fiber Crisps

Even I admit that the name sounds gross.  Fiber crisps?  Really, Gary?  You're going to tell me that something called a multigrain fiber crisp tastes good?

I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't tasted them myself.  A friend of mine at Weight Watchers passed me one during our meeting last week.  They were the wild blueberry flavor.  I kid you not, these taste exactly like a delicious blueberry muffin.  These are NOT rice cakes!  They are small, crispy circles about the size of a silver dollar.  A serving of 13 crisps has 3 Points+.  Totally awesome.  


The even better part?  If you're having a crappy, frustrating day and grab a bag containing about 3 servings of these and sit down and consume the ENTIRE THING because, well, why the heck not, you've only eaten 9 Points+.  Not the end of the world.  


Not that I'd do something like that, just saying...

Bagels

I'm from Long Island.  We are known for bagels and pizza.  If you've never had a New York bagel, then you simply haven't really ever had a bagel.  It's a fact.

The quintessential weekend for me growing up began with a trip to the local bagel store to grab a dozen bagels.  Then, I would usually slather my egg-everything with cream cheese and perhaps some lox.  If I felt like it, I might even have 2 for breakfast, along with a glass or 2 of orange juice.

A thing of beauty.  NOM NOM NOM

Obviously, this type of diet did not do anything positive for me except satisfy my hunger at the time.  Our bagels are HUGE, at least twice the size of a commercial bagel you would find at the grocery store.  The cream cheese was always full fat (and delicious!).  The lox was the healthiest part by far, adding some lean protein.  While orange juice isn't horrible, the quantity I would consume wasn't doing anything for my waistline, it was just increasing my sugar intake  Yet, still, I crave that carb and fat filled breakfast at times.  Here are my 2 tricks to satisfy my cravings.


The first calls to still go to a bagel store, so a good amount of will power is necessary in order to stick to the plan.  I'm very lucky that my favorite local bagel store makes mini bagels.  They are about half to a third of the size of a regular one, about the size of the palm of your hand as opposed to the size of your entire hand, fingers included, but just as tasty.  They are probably meant for children, but they are big enough to satisfy an adult.  I order a mini bagel with a very thin layer of regular cream cheese (the low-fat just doesn't do it for me), sometimes adding lox if I'm feeling saucy.  I estimate that this meal comes with about 7 Points+ values, 8-9 if they go heavy on the cream cheese.  Not too bad for a bagel breakfast.

Look at all the cute little baby bagels among the huge ones!

If you want something to keep at home for bagel emergencies (or lazy mornings), Thomas' makes a 100% whole wheat bagel thin.  These taste really good, and have 3 Points+ each.  Pop one in the toaster, spread 1 tbsp of your favorite cream cheese on each half (fun fact- my favorite cream cheese, Temptee, has only 1 point per tablespoon, and it's full fat.  Awesome).  This will only cost you 5 Points+ (depending on your cream cheese).  And it's so good.

So, if you are trying to eat healthy, don't think that you need to cut out your favorite foods.  Find a way to enjoy them by controlling the quantity or finding a smart yet satisfying substitution.  Now, I'm off to enjoy some poached eggs, center cut bacon, and a toasted bagel thin!

Week 30 Weigh In

Current Weight: 189 lbs

Weekly Loss: 1 lb       Total Loss: 33 lbs

Hooray for a loss this week, but an even bigger hooray if I can manage to keep going in this direction!  This past week I've been pretty busy with teaching a summer course and a million other things, which helped me not mindlessly eat, but it also prevented me from working out like I usually do.  I have this week "off" for the most part, so hopefully my eating will remain in check while I get my butt off to the gym way more often.

I have started physical therapy again for my knee, so hopefully that will help me out with being able to push myself without having a knee the size of a basketball.

Wendy's Fast Food Go To!

There are always times when you are running around all day and need to grab food quickly.  Most fast food options are disgustingly bad for you, but there are a few gems hidden here and there.

Today, we look at Wendy's!

My favorite is the chili from Wendy's.  A small chili has 210 calories, 6g fat, 21g carbs, 6g fiber, 17g protein and 880mg sodium.  Besides the sodium (which is about 38% of your daily recommended amount), it's not as bad as other things, and it will set you back only 4 Points+.  If you're really wanting more food, a large chili is still only 7 Points+.  

Cereal doesn't belong in a bowl

I don't know about you, but cereal just doesn't satisfy me for a meal.  I enjoy eating it, but it's never just one serving.  If you like cereal for breakfast, measure out what a serving is according to the box.  You're probably eating twice that amount, and rightfully so.  The one serving just doesn't do it.


Now that I have ruined your cereal happiness, it is true that I have always enjoyed cereal as a dry snack, I just had to find the right one!  

This, my friends, is delicious.  A one cup serving has 4 Points+, and it has so many different textures that it's interesting to eat.  It takes me a while to nibble on a cup, and that's a good thing.  Between the sesame puffs, fiber twigs and soy protein grahams, it keeps you happy.  And it tastes good!  I have yet to eat this with milk, and I doubt that I ever will.  It's too good as a snack!

Baby Spinach, Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I love beets, but they scare me.  I've never cooked them myself due to a fear of staining my skin and the entire kitchen.  I don't want to have to explain red blotches all over my face.  "Well, you see, I was peeling a beet, and it ATTACKED ME!"  I'm very dramatic.


I finally conquered my fear of cooking beets.  It was way simpler than I thought.  I boiled them until they were fork tender, took them out, let them cool for a bit, then peeled them.  Viola.  Not nearly as traumatic as my imagination.  I put together this great salad, and it was only 4 Points+ (depending on your dressing).

Ingredients:
One large beet, cooked, peeled and cubed
2 cups baby spinach, rinsed and patted dry
3 tbsp light red wine vinaigrette (I love the one by Olde Cape Cod- it's delicious)
1 oz goat cheese, crumbled


Instructions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Admire how awesome it looks.  Eat it, and save a perfect bite of spinach, beet, cheese and dressing for last.  Let it linger, and make content food noises while your husband looks at you like you're insane!

Knee News

So after a few different appointments and another MRI on my knee, we have good news and bad-ish news.


The good news is that my ACL is still attached, and it doesn't look like I'll need further surgery on that.


The bad-ish news is that my meniscus developed another nasty tear (they had shaved it down when I had my ACL repair because it was torn then, too).  My knee cap is also off-center.  For now, I'm getting another brace and starting physical therapy 3x a week.  My doctor said that I'm right to be staying away from exercises that have too much impact, so I'm going to leave any "new" workouts for PT so they can judge what won't hurt me.  Depending how all of that goes, I may need them to go in again to repair my meniscus, but at least that's not nearly as invasive as a complete ACL replacement.  

Week 29 Weigh In

Current Weight: 190 lbs

Weekly Gain: 1.4 lbs        Total Loss: 32 lbs

Praying Mantis, Grant me the ability to start kicking butt again!

Okay, enough being all positive and making excuses.

It's on.

No, I'm not getting all upset about gaining again, but I'm just sick of it, and I could be doing so many more things to help myself!  

So, starting now, I'm going back into this hardcore.

No more estimating, everything shall be measured.  I'm not going out to a restaurant unless I know exactly what I'm eating, nutritional information wise.  No more alcohol.  Continue to hit the gym, but go more often and do more.  Push myself.  Focus on what's important- and that's me!  Not the glass of wine, not the mystery sauce that tastes great but who knows what's actually in it, none of that!  ME ME ME ME ME!!!

The changes might not make a difference when I weigh in this week, so I'm not going to get upset if it's the same result, but they will show up on the scale shortly.  I also want to try and get a body fat analysis done somewhere.  I've never had one done and it would be interesting to check every few months.

Gym Rave of the Week

I need to watch something interesting while doing my cardio.  Music doesn't give me enough reason to keep going hard for the full 40 minutes, I'll want to stop way before that.  So, I put movies and shows onto my iPod and have always watched them that way.  It works.


The elliptical I like to use has controls for both the crossramp and resistance, as well as moveable arms.  There was only one of these in the entire gym.  A few weeks ago, our gym got a whole bunch of new cardio machines, including 3 more ellipticals with all of the features I like.  The only issue for me was that they lacked a place for me to put my iPod where I could watch it.  There was a space on top where I could plug it in to charge, but it would obscure half of the screen.  Therefore, I've put off using the new machines.


Yesterday, the gym was relatively empty when I got there, but someone was on the one machine I usually use.  So, I decided to try a new machine.  I got on, started pedaling, and plugged in my iPod figuring I could at least charge it while watching whatever ended up being on tv at the moment.  Much to my pleasant surprise, the wire that I thought was just a power cord was actually a complete AV wire, so it charged my iPod while allowing me to watch my show on the larger elliptical screen instead of my little one.  How awesome!!!  

Tomato, Cucumber and Red Onion Salad

This is the perfect summer salad!  It's simple, fresh, and delicious.  The recipe below makes 4 large servings, each with a Points+ Value of 2.


Ingredients
2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tomatoes, cut in half and thinly sliced
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
1/8 cup olive oil
Red wine vinegar, start with 2 splashes
Salt
Pepper


Instructions
Mix all ingredients together.  Add salt, pepper and vinegar to taste.  That's it!


I like to let this sit in the refrigerator so that everything blends together.  The juice that is left at the bottom of the bowl is the best part!  Use some fresh, crusty bread to sop it all up!

Best Breakfast Ever!

Despite my addiction to Fage 0% Plain Greek Yogurt, once in a while I crave a warm breakfast.  Bacon.  Eggs.  Deliciousness!  I usually do egg whites with spinach, but I needed yolk.  Gooey, runny yolk.

Please enjoy the BEST BREAKFAST EVER!!!  

Poached Egg over Polenta with Bacon

Ingredients:
1 cup corn meal
1 tsp salt
3 cups water, divided
Salt
Pepper
4 slices Center Cut Bacon
1 egg
1 tbsp White Vinegar


Instructions:
Cook polenta according to package directions.  I made mine by whisking 1 cup of corn meal into 1 cup of cold water and 1 tsp salt.  Add 2 cups of boiling water and heat over medium low heat, stirring constantly.  Season with salt and pepper to your liking.


While that is cooking, get the bacon going over medium heat.


In a small saucepan, heat about an inch and a half of water to a boil.  Lower heat until it's at a steady, slow simmer, and add the vinegar.  Crack the egg into a small bowl or cup, and gently lower it into the water.  Cook until the whites are completely set, and remove with a slotted spoon to drain.  


Plate up 1/2 cup of the cooked polenta, and place the egg on top.  Add the bacon on the side, and enjoy! You will have way more polenta, but that makes it easy to serve more than one person. 


Each serving of 1/2 cup cooked polenta, one poached egg and 4 slices center cut bacon has a Points+ value of 7.  It's so satisfying, and such a great portion of food.  Not to little, not too much, just right!

Mmmmmm, yolk!

Week 28 Weigh In

Current Weight: 188.6 lbs

Weekly Loss: 0 lbs       Total Loss: 33.4 lbs

Just back from biking to the beach!

I'm glad I finally stopped bouncing around those 3 pounds!  Even though I didn't lose, I'm glad I didn't gain again.  I've been working my butt off- going to the gym at least once a day, also going twice a day a few times a week as well.  On days that I want to go to the beach, I'm biking to there instead of my morning workout, then hitting the gym in the evening.  That way I still get in exercise without feeling like I'm missing a beautiful day.  I've decided that I want to be out of the 180's by the end of the summer.