So I tried to blog this morning, as is my ritual during my planning period, but for some reason the internet at school decided my login page was affiliated with terrorists or something. It's usually weird, but this tops them all, since I use that page, oh, I don't know...10-15 TIMES A WEEK. But I'm not bitter.
Sunday was fun day because Abby came home (!) and class was good at Sugar Grove (!) and I discovered a new favorite entree at Pei Wei (!) so there was excitement all around! On to the foods:
Breakfast--Cherry Vanilla granola before church. It was quite the task to drag myself out of bed in the morning, but I survived. My time management skills, however, did not.
Lunch--Pei Wei with the wife. I usually get the Mandarin Kung Pao chicken with brown rice, but for some reason I was feeling rebellious so I went with the Mandarin Kung Pao vegetables. That's right...just vegetables. With extra vegetables. Coupled with the brown rice, it was filling enough I only ate half before I was completely stuffed, and it was delicious. I also got some vegetable spring rolls, which again are like 110 calories a pop, so the whole meal didn't set me back too badly, and I have enough left over for um...leftovers. And I got to eat with Abby, and she's pretty awesome, so it was a wonderful meal.
Dinner--Wendy's Spicy Chicken sandwich, medium fries, and a medium frosty. We had some coupons I wanted to partake of before they expired, and Mens Health recently gave the thumbs up to the SCS, so you could say it was a win-win on both price and healthitude.
Dessert--Um...I got a frosty. Duh.
School today was interesting, but not disastrous food-wise. Check back tonight for an update on the edible madness!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Day 20--Motivation
I guess its about time for me to reveal the real motivation behind most of this stuff. Aside from wanting to look healthier and feel healthier, my sister Jenna is getting married on March 20th. In a moment of either brilliance or insanity (I'll let you know March 21st...) I offered to be the officiant for her wedding. I really don't want to be the big fat guy in the tuxedo, so I'm trying to get myself into better shape before I go in for my fitting later this week. Vanity has its benefits I suppose.
Breakfast--One unfortunate byproduct of Abby being gone is that there isn't anyone to entertain the cat in the mornings. At 6 am, I was woken up by London going berserk outside the door to our room. I stayed in bed for a couple more hours, but it was drifting sleep interspersed with her pathetic cries. When I finally awoke/got out of bed, I decided to treat myself with an omelette. It was two eggs, half of a serrano chile, roasted potatoes, and onions, vegetarian-style. It was also delicious.
Lunch--Jimmy Johns. Double turkey, bacon, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, oregano, on whole grain bread with my newfound chip obsession, Food Should Taste Good Jalapeno chips. They're amazing, and 12 of them is only a little over 100 calories.
Snack--1/2 cup of Strawberry sorbet.
Exercise--That's right...bum knee and all. I walked (not ran, couldn't) for 15 minutes, lifted some weights, then biked for 10 more. It was a decent workout, especially since my knee is sore afterwards--I'm glad I didn't push it any further.
Dinner--Whole grain rotini with onions, green bell pepper, and a single link of andouille sausage, seasoned with garlic and red pepper flakes. It was amazing, but not overly filling because it's pasta.
Dessert--Two pieces of bread with some Nutella spread on them. Now THAT was filling.
Abby comes home tomorrow...and trust me, the masses are rejoicing.
Breakfast--One unfortunate byproduct of Abby being gone is that there isn't anyone to entertain the cat in the mornings. At 6 am, I was woken up by London going berserk outside the door to our room. I stayed in bed for a couple more hours, but it was drifting sleep interspersed with her pathetic cries. When I finally awoke/got out of bed, I decided to treat myself with an omelette. It was two eggs, half of a serrano chile, roasted potatoes, and onions, vegetarian-style. It was also delicious.
Lunch--Jimmy Johns. Double turkey, bacon, lettuce, onions, cucumbers, oregano, on whole grain bread with my newfound chip obsession, Food Should Taste Good Jalapeno chips. They're amazing, and 12 of them is only a little over 100 calories.
Snack--1/2 cup of Strawberry sorbet.
Exercise--That's right...bum knee and all. I walked (not ran, couldn't) for 15 minutes, lifted some weights, then biked for 10 more. It was a decent workout, especially since my knee is sore afterwards--I'm glad I didn't push it any further.
Dinner--Whole grain rotini with onions, green bell pepper, and a single link of andouille sausage, seasoned with garlic and red pepper flakes. It was amazing, but not overly filling because it's pasta.
Dessert--Two pieces of bread with some Nutella spread on them. Now THAT was filling.
Abby comes home tomorrow...and trust me, the masses are rejoicing.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Day 19--Home Alone!
Yep. Abby has abandoned me in Houston so she can go home to meet her new baby cousin. I wish I could have gone with her, but responsibilities here kept me from being able to go so here I am, left to fend for myself. The good news is that shortly after Abby left, I managed to sprain/tweak/slightly damage my knee at a WCS soccer game (that I was just watching...sigh...) so I'm immobile and can't get myself into too much trouble. The bad news is that I'm immobile. I hope I can move tomorrow...the Farmers Market/Central Market are calling my name!
Breakfast--Cherry Vanilla granola. I was giving tests today, so sleeping in was a must. I didn't have anything to prepare at school, low-key, it was incredible...
Snack--...and also left me time to get donuts for my class on the way to school. I planned on sharing and not partaking, but then the students kept talking about how good they were and, well, one thing led to another and two donuts later, I agreed with them. Fail. I ate a Fiber One bar afterwards to try to overcome my weakness.
Lunch--Campus Ministry Team...you might kill me more than anything else. Aside from the stress of the whole situation, we also have terrible food (healthwise) at our meetings so lunch was two pieces of pizza and some chips.
Snack--Kettle corn before the aforementioned soccer match. (We got slaughtered too...it wasn't pleasant.)
Dinner--Some cajun turkey on whole wheat naan with asian broccoli slaw and fruit salad. It was GLORIOUS.
Dessert--After carefully weighing my options...I went with kettle corn. I'm sure I'm running this thing into the ground, but its so freaking good I can't help it.
Assuming I can walk, tomorrow will involve Fusion Tacos and some locally-grown deliciousness. Until then...
Breakfast--Cherry Vanilla granola. I was giving tests today, so sleeping in was a must. I didn't have anything to prepare at school, low-key, it was incredible...
Snack--...and also left me time to get donuts for my class on the way to school. I planned on sharing and not partaking, but then the students kept talking about how good they were and, well, one thing led to another and two donuts later, I agreed with them. Fail. I ate a Fiber One bar afterwards to try to overcome my weakness.
Lunch--Campus Ministry Team...you might kill me more than anything else. Aside from the stress of the whole situation, we also have terrible food (healthwise) at our meetings so lunch was two pieces of pizza and some chips.
Snack--Kettle corn before the aforementioned soccer match. (We got slaughtered too...it wasn't pleasant.)
Dinner--Some cajun turkey on whole wheat naan with asian broccoli slaw and fruit salad. It was GLORIOUS.
Dessert--After carefully weighing my options...I went with kettle corn. I'm sure I'm running this thing into the ground, but its so freaking good I can't help it.
Assuming I can walk, tomorrow will involve Fusion Tacos and some locally-grown deliciousness. Until then...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Day 18--Curse You Open House
So tonight we had our Spring Semester open house. We started at 6:30 and didn't leave until short after 8. Unfortunately, I didn't eat dinner beforehand, thinking we might get out earlier. Completely screwed up my eating schedule in an already messed up day. Definitely not my finest eating performance.
Breakfast--Cherry Almond granola. I told you...variety. It was superb.
Lunch--I expected to have a campus ministry meeting, but thats tomorrow instead. So since I planned so badly, lunch consisted of some sweet potato chips, a peanut butter sandwich, and some cookies. Never said it was healthy.
Mid-afternoon snack--2 cups of Kettle corn. I LOVE kettle corn, and the whole two cups had 140 calories. Score.
Mid-evening snack--Because of the screwed up eating schedule, I had another snack before the open house. Another cup of kettle corn and half a cup of cherry vanilla granola (VARIETY!) was enough, with the help of some grapes, to tide me over until dinner.
Dinner--100% Taquito! 3 Tacos de Asada (grilled beef, cilantro, and onions in corn tortillas) along with some corn tortillas and pico de gallo on the side was excellent, and should be relatively healthy too. We usually get chips and salsa, but I decided the tortillas, unfried, would be a better alternative.
That wraps this installment. I'm afraid pizza is on the menu for tomorrow's CMT meeting, so I'll need to pack some sides to help me limit my intake. Then Abby is leaving me (sadness!) so I'll be on my own to eat healthy for a couple of days...check back later to see if I survive!
Breakfast--Cherry Almond granola. I told you...variety. It was superb.
Lunch--I expected to have a campus ministry meeting, but thats tomorrow instead. So since I planned so badly, lunch consisted of some sweet potato chips, a peanut butter sandwich, and some cookies. Never said it was healthy.
Mid-afternoon snack--2 cups of Kettle corn. I LOVE kettle corn, and the whole two cups had 140 calories. Score.
Mid-evening snack--Because of the screwed up eating schedule, I had another snack before the open house. Another cup of kettle corn and half a cup of cherry vanilla granola (VARIETY!) was enough, with the help of some grapes, to tide me over until dinner.
Dinner--100% Taquito! 3 Tacos de Asada (grilled beef, cilantro, and onions in corn tortillas) along with some corn tortillas and pico de gallo on the side was excellent, and should be relatively healthy too. We usually get chips and salsa, but I decided the tortillas, unfried, would be a better alternative.
That wraps this installment. I'm afraid pizza is on the menu for tomorrow's CMT meeting, so I'll need to pack some sides to help me limit my intake. Then Abby is leaving me (sadness!) so I'll be on my own to eat healthy for a couple of days...check back later to see if I survive!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Day 17--Wednesdays are Long Days
Between being Hump Day and Science Olympiad, Wednesdays seemingly take forever. Add in the fact that all of Houston has collectively lost their minds while driving and its easy to see why, at 9 pm, I'm exhausted and about to go to bed. The good news? Salmon.
Breakfast--Apple cinnamon oatmeal with pomegranate craisins. I got more granola at the store today, so variety will be introduced soon. And by variety I mean what I had to eat last week.
Snack--Another Fiber One bar. They don't seem to be having much effect other than giving me some energy, so I'm going to spice things up with some kettle corn tomorrow, see if it makes a difference.
Lunch--Beef with broccoli, steamed cauliflower, steamed sugar snap peas, some real craisins, and a Snickers. The Snickers was actually more of an afternoon snack, but it wasn't long after lunch (I needed sugar to stay awake...rough day) so I'll count it here.
Dinner--Sesame-ginger salmon en papillote, or for normal paper, wrapped in parchment paper packets. It was salmon, with bell peppers and (in my packet) portabello mushrooms and a sesame/soy/ginger/citrus marinade. It was good, although it needed some sweetness to counter everything out. Maybe I'll add some honey next time. It was a recipe from a woman I've never tested before, and honestly her show on Cooking Channel is TERRIBLE, so I'm not surprised it needs tweaking.
Dessert--Half of a brownie from Whole Foods. It was a great shopping experience: salmon, some cream of tartar for the meringues in the offing, kettle corn, some healthier chips, more naan bread, and then the brownies that Abby was eyeing the other day when we were there. Half of one was just right, even if it was God knows how many calories. Worth it.
I'm going to crash...hopefully snacks will get me through the day tomorrow, and then you'll get to hear about our Open House and how Abby and I went to dinner afterwards and ate unhealthy stuff! Looking forward to it...
Breakfast--Apple cinnamon oatmeal with pomegranate craisins. I got more granola at the store today, so variety will be introduced soon. And by variety I mean what I had to eat last week.
Snack--Another Fiber One bar. They don't seem to be having much effect other than giving me some energy, so I'm going to spice things up with some kettle corn tomorrow, see if it makes a difference.
Lunch--Beef with broccoli, steamed cauliflower, steamed sugar snap peas, some real craisins, and a Snickers. The Snickers was actually more of an afternoon snack, but it wasn't long after lunch (I needed sugar to stay awake...rough day) so I'll count it here.
Dinner--Sesame-ginger salmon en papillote, or for normal paper, wrapped in parchment paper packets. It was salmon, with bell peppers and (in my packet) portabello mushrooms and a sesame/soy/ginger/citrus marinade. It was good, although it needed some sweetness to counter everything out. Maybe I'll add some honey next time. It was a recipe from a woman I've never tested before, and honestly her show on Cooking Channel is TERRIBLE, so I'm not surprised it needs tweaking.
Dessert--Half of a brownie from Whole Foods. It was a great shopping experience: salmon, some cream of tartar for the meringues in the offing, kettle corn, some healthier chips, more naan bread, and then the brownies that Abby was eyeing the other day when we were there. Half of one was just right, even if it was God knows how many calories. Worth it.
I'm going to crash...hopefully snacks will get me through the day tomorrow, and then you'll get to hear about our Open House and how Abby and I went to dinner afterwards and ate unhealthy stuff! Looking forward to it...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Day 16--Sweet Sixteen, but Without the Sweets
Today was actually a rousing food success. Ate good stuff start to finish, worked out for a bit, drank a liter of water (and counting)...I feel good. Which probably means tomorrow will be disastrous. Yay for feelings of dread...
Breakfast--Cinnamon spice oatmeal with dried cherries. I know instant oatmeal from a package isn't the healthiest choice, but I don't need to add sugar (I buy lower sugar anyways) nor do I need to think about what I'm doing. Boil and pour...easy as, well, oatmeal.
Snack--Yep. Mid-morning snack. Booyah metabolism, booyah. I had a Fiber One bar, and it was scrumptious.
Lunch--Spicy Thai Chili tuna on a bed of greens, cucumbers, and shredded carrots with crackers and another tangelo. True to form, I wore the tangelo juice around the rest of the day. I need a bib.
Snack--One, yes one, spoonful of my homemade chocolate/marshmallow fluff mousse. It was delicious and gave a sugar boost for...
Exercise--Lifted weights, biked 10 minutes, ran 10 minutes. The biking 10 minutes may seem lame, but as I get into better shape, it takes longer for my heart rate to get up to acceptable levels. Therefore, my friend the exercise bike decided to help by increasing resistance haphazardly and without real warning. I rode my "bike" through what felt like wallpaper glue, and now my legs hurt.
Dinner--Jimmy Johns, the best sandwiches ever. I had a double portion of turkey, bacon, lettuce, onions, oregano, and cucumber, all on 7-grain whole wheat bread with these awesome sweet potato-corn chips. Satisfying meal all the way around.
Dessert is a no go, since I'm trying to watch my girlish figure. I may make chocolate meringues tomorrow though...light, airy, and 28 calories a pop. Bring it on baking.
Breakfast--Cinnamon spice oatmeal with dried cherries. I know instant oatmeal from a package isn't the healthiest choice, but I don't need to add sugar (I buy lower sugar anyways) nor do I need to think about what I'm doing. Boil and pour...easy as, well, oatmeal.
Snack--Yep. Mid-morning snack. Booyah metabolism, booyah. I had a Fiber One bar, and it was scrumptious.
Lunch--Spicy Thai Chili tuna on a bed of greens, cucumbers, and shredded carrots with crackers and another tangelo. True to form, I wore the tangelo juice around the rest of the day. I need a bib.
Snack--One, yes one, spoonful of my homemade chocolate/marshmallow fluff mousse. It was delicious and gave a sugar boost for...
Exercise--Lifted weights, biked 10 minutes, ran 10 minutes. The biking 10 minutes may seem lame, but as I get into better shape, it takes longer for my heart rate to get up to acceptable levels. Therefore, my friend the exercise bike decided to help by increasing resistance haphazardly and without real warning. I rode my "bike" through what felt like wallpaper glue, and now my legs hurt.
Dinner--Jimmy Johns, the best sandwiches ever. I had a double portion of turkey, bacon, lettuce, onions, oregano, and cucumber, all on 7-grain whole wheat bread with these awesome sweet potato-corn chips. Satisfying meal all the way around.
Dessert is a no go, since I'm trying to watch my girlish figure. I may make chocolate meringues tomorrow though...light, airy, and 28 calories a pop. Bring it on baking.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Day 15--A Case of the Mondays
Having willpower is like breathing...you don't realize you're lacking it until it's too late. That was the thought running through my head as I stood in the Randall's parking lot this after, holding the ingredients to complete my dinner of leftovers and smelling the amazing smell of Jax Grille across the street. For those not from Houston, Jax is food your mom would make if she owned a restaurant and had a menu longer than most books of the Bible. The enticing aroma of grilled meats came wafting through the rain and for a brief moment visions of fried okra and buffalo burgers came dancing into my head. I was able to hold strong and get in my car to drive away, but Jax may be on the menu for tomorrow. Fair warning dear reader(s).
Breakfast--Apple Cinnamon oatmeal. I had a dream that I got up early, had plenty of time to make breakfast and get ready, and then I actually woke up and saw I almost overslept. Oops.
Lunch--Potato and Kale soup, as well as a Twix. After devouring said candy, I looked at the nutritional information (yes, I realize I did those backwards) and was taken aback at what a moron I am. Twix is bad for a diet.
Snack--Tangelo anyone? The good news is that it tasted delicious. The bad news is that I'm going to be finding juice drops all over the place as long as we live here. That was the most explosive citrus I've dealt with in a long time.
Dinner--Leftover taco soup with some grilled naan bread and roasted garlic. Garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, in foil, for an hour...wow. It was delicious!
Dessert--While its wildly unnecessary, especially with my Twix disaster earlier, I have no doubt my sweet tooth with get the better of me later on. I bought a Green & Blacks dark chocolate candy bar the other day and may grab a square or two of that.
Tomorrow begins the first day of my attempt to fix our lunch health disaster. I may go with tuna and fruit to save some stress. I'm still under 240, but I've plateaued, and that's not good. I'm going to ramp up the fiber tomorrow and add some snacks, see if that helps.
Breakfast--Apple Cinnamon oatmeal. I had a dream that I got up early, had plenty of time to make breakfast and get ready, and then I actually woke up and saw I almost overslept. Oops.
Lunch--Potato and Kale soup, as well as a Twix. After devouring said candy, I looked at the nutritional information (yes, I realize I did those backwards) and was taken aback at what a moron I am. Twix is bad for a diet.
Snack--Tangelo anyone? The good news is that it tasted delicious. The bad news is that I'm going to be finding juice drops all over the place as long as we live here. That was the most explosive citrus I've dealt with in a long time.
Dinner--Leftover taco soup with some grilled naan bread and roasted garlic. Garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, in foil, for an hour...wow. It was delicious!
Dessert--While its wildly unnecessary, especially with my Twix disaster earlier, I have no doubt my sweet tooth with get the better of me later on. I bought a Green & Blacks dark chocolate candy bar the other day and may grab a square or two of that.
Tomorrow begins the first day of my attempt to fix our lunch health disaster. I may go with tuna and fruit to save some stress. I'm still under 240, but I've plateaued, and that's not good. I'm going to ramp up the fiber tomorrow and add some snacks, see if that helps.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Day 14--Two Weeks Down, A Lifetime to Go
Woke up this morning to some bad news: Penny Wilson, a dear friend and child of God has gone to be home with Him. She had been battling cancer, and while I'm comforted that she is no longer suffering and in paradise, the world is a lot dimmer without her light in it. She will certainly be missed.
Between that and various other goings-on from the weekend, church just wasn't an option. I know its weird that a Bible teacher and minister doesn't always go to church, but get over it. It threw off my eating feng shui, and that's what's relevant for this post.
Breakfast--Two pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter. It was delicious, even if I did feel like a dog trying to get peanut butter out of the corners of my mouth on occasion.
Lunch--We attempted to get 100% Taquito for some healthy, small portioned Mexican food, but the line was chaotic, so we went with Wendy's instead. Spicy Chicken sandwich, lettuce only, large fries and a medium frosty (don't judge) kept me full all afternoon.
Dinner--Lasagna with salad and bread. I usually don't eat lasagna because I don't like cheese, but I was hungry and just scraped most of the "good stuff" off anyways. I followed it up with a big plate of salad sans dressing, and I went through two liters of water today. I know I can drink more, but its pretty good from where I was at two weeks ago.
Dessert--Cupcake leftover from Audrey's baby shower. Delicious, and relatively small.
I'm really looking forward to my birthday because I swore off soda until then. Hopefully by then (Feb. 19th for those buying me things) I will have made water a part of my lifestyle to where sodas will be an occasional treat, and the desire for a cherry Dr. Pepper from Sonic won't have killed me. We drove by a Sonic tonight and I got twitchy...not a good sign.
I need to eat better at school (like, by bringing my own stuff from home) so that's the plan for this week. Thanks for whoever reads this!
Between that and various other goings-on from the weekend, church just wasn't an option. I know its weird that a Bible teacher and minister doesn't always go to church, but get over it. It threw off my eating feng shui, and that's what's relevant for this post.
Breakfast--Two pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter. It was delicious, even if I did feel like a dog trying to get peanut butter out of the corners of my mouth on occasion.
Lunch--We attempted to get 100% Taquito for some healthy, small portioned Mexican food, but the line was chaotic, so we went with Wendy's instead. Spicy Chicken sandwich, lettuce only, large fries and a medium frosty (don't judge) kept me full all afternoon.
Dinner--Lasagna with salad and bread. I usually don't eat lasagna because I don't like cheese, but I was hungry and just scraped most of the "good stuff" off anyways. I followed it up with a big plate of salad sans dressing, and I went through two liters of water today. I know I can drink more, but its pretty good from where I was at two weeks ago.
Dessert--Cupcake leftover from Audrey's baby shower. Delicious, and relatively small.
I'm really looking forward to my birthday because I swore off soda until then. Hopefully by then (Feb. 19th for those buying me things) I will have made water a part of my lifestyle to where sodas will be an occasional treat, and the desire for a cherry Dr. Pepper from Sonic won't have killed me. We drove by a Sonic tonight and I got twitchy...not a good sign.
I need to eat better at school (like, by bringing my own stuff from home) so that's the plan for this week. Thanks for whoever reads this!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Day 13--The Food Network is Bad for My Health
Abby had Practice Management this morning, so I was left alone until about two o'clock. This was perfect time for lazing around, doing chores, watching Man U absolutely destroy Birmingham, catching up on DVR shows, etc. Unfortunately, because I watched all the DVR shows, when we got to this afternoon I didn't have anything to watch, which led to channel surfing. The channel surfing led to cooking shows, which led to a reference to french toast which led to...well, on to the food.
Breakfast--Steel cut oats with a dash of brown sugar and sliced bananas. It was nice to have a good, hot, cooked breakfast that didn't involve the word "instant." And it was filling.
Lunch--I took some leftovers and turned them into deliciousness. Broccoli, green beans, brown rice, and some of our leftover chicken breast, with a dash of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and orange juice was an amazing meal. Coupled with our leftover spring rolls from Pei Wei and I was one very happy Asian food enthusiast.
Exercise--Went to the gym, listened to Matt Chandler, ran for 15 minutes, biked for 10 minutes, and lifted some weights. Felt good, and Matt Chandler brought the thunder, as usual.
Dinner--Here's where the french toast came in. We went to Whole Foods and got a loaf of Challah, which turned into cinnamon french toast. Instead of eating processed syrup, I took a lemon and some blueberries and made my own. It was INCREDIBLE, even if Abby didn't like it. Great meal, but high calorie count. The one good thing is that it was so filling, and relatively sweet, so dessert is unnecessary.
I'll be back tomorrow after church and Life Group, which is going to have some lasagna involved. Must plan accordingly!
Breakfast--Steel cut oats with a dash of brown sugar and sliced bananas. It was nice to have a good, hot, cooked breakfast that didn't involve the word "instant." And it was filling.
Lunch--I took some leftovers and turned them into deliciousness. Broccoli, green beans, brown rice, and some of our leftover chicken breast, with a dash of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and orange juice was an amazing meal. Coupled with our leftover spring rolls from Pei Wei and I was one very happy Asian food enthusiast.
Exercise--Went to the gym, listened to Matt Chandler, ran for 15 minutes, biked for 10 minutes, and lifted some weights. Felt good, and Matt Chandler brought the thunder, as usual.
Dinner--Here's where the french toast came in. We went to Whole Foods and got a loaf of Challah, which turned into cinnamon french toast. Instead of eating processed syrup, I took a lemon and some blueberries and made my own. It was INCREDIBLE, even if Abby didn't like it. Great meal, but high calorie count. The one good thing is that it was so filling, and relatively sweet, so dessert is unnecessary.
I'll be back tomorrow after church and Life Group, which is going to have some lasagna involved. Must plan accordingly!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Day 12--Attack of the Tuna
Let's just say my day involved Veggie Tales, Heidi Montag, Brett Favre, Michael Steele, and Debi Mazar. Fridays are weird.
Breakfast--Once again, a banana and 1/2 cup Cherry Vanilla granola. I'm excited about the weekend because breakfast won't be rushed for once.
Lunch--There wasn't a single portion of lunch at school today that was even remotely appetizing, so I brought some Thai Chili Tuna from home and put it on a bed of greens, with some crackers. It was delicious...tuna is an underused aspect of my diet because Abby claims she doesn't like it. Pssh.
Dinner--Taco soup, comprised of ground turkey, garlic, half a poblano pepper, some potatoes, half an onion, some baby carrots and Hot Taco seasoning, courtesy of McCormicks. Throw in some chicken stock and vegetable stock and I made a LOT of soup and it tasted delicious. Since Abby is abandoning me for her Practice Management meeting tomorrow, I get to have soup for lunch. I'm okay with that.
Dessert--Cherry crumble. You'd best believe its delicious.
I hope I can maintain focus for the weekend...lots of fiber and water should keep me on track!
Breakfast--Once again, a banana and 1/2 cup Cherry Vanilla granola. I'm excited about the weekend because breakfast won't be rushed for once.
Lunch--There wasn't a single portion of lunch at school today that was even remotely appetizing, so I brought some Thai Chili Tuna from home and put it on a bed of greens, with some crackers. It was delicious...tuna is an underused aspect of my diet because Abby claims she doesn't like it. Pssh.
Dinner--Taco soup, comprised of ground turkey, garlic, half a poblano pepper, some potatoes, half an onion, some baby carrots and Hot Taco seasoning, courtesy of McCormicks. Throw in some chicken stock and vegetable stock and I made a LOT of soup and it tasted delicious. Since Abby is abandoning me for her Practice Management meeting tomorrow, I get to have soup for lunch. I'm okay with that.
Dessert--Cherry crumble. You'd best believe its delicious.
I hope I can maintain focus for the weekend...lots of fiber and water should keep me on track!
Day 11--The Retreat
I was all excited I crossed the 240 mark, and I apparently celebrated by being a glutton. Good work idiot self. The good news is that its FREEZING outside (literally...Abby's car has an ice warning snowflake and it came on for the first time all year) so my shivering should knock a few calories off. I'm convinced this is why Coloradans are healthy--they either shiver calories away or they wear so many clothes they sweat it out. Sneaky Colorado...sneaky.
Breakfast--1/2 cup of Cherry Vanilla granola and a banana that wasn't quite ripe. Combined with the sweetness of the cereal, it tasted a lot like glue. Sweet.
Mid-morning snack--Non-existent. Because Tuesday/Thursday are my chapel days, snacks are usually inconvenient. Instead I played beanbag basketball with Brenna. I think I won.
Lunch--Chicken sandwich, sweet potato wedges, regular potato wedges, asparagus, and--the kicker--chocolate chip cookies. Plural. I was all excited about my willpower last week, and then goofed this week. I had 2 during lunch, and then...
Snack--...I had two here as well. They were great, and since I had Science Olympiad practice afterwards I treated myself. Big mistake, because...
Dinner--Dinner was Pei Wei. Crispy Honey Shrimp with brown rice and Vegetable Spring Rolls. I know the Spring Rolls seem like excess, but I looked at the Pei Wei nutrition info and 3 Spring Rolls is the same caloric hit as an order of edamame, which is what I usually get. Granted, edamame is all fiber, but it was about the same. And delicious. Also, dessert was completely out of the question because I ate so much food today. I'm not so good at this.
So Friday is going to be full of salads, fruits, and high fiber meals...I need to fix the damage done. Be back later with the update.
Breakfast--1/2 cup of Cherry Vanilla granola and a banana that wasn't quite ripe. Combined with the sweetness of the cereal, it tasted a lot like glue. Sweet.
Mid-morning snack--Non-existent. Because Tuesday/Thursday are my chapel days, snacks are usually inconvenient. Instead I played beanbag basketball with Brenna. I think I won.
Lunch--Chicken sandwich, sweet potato wedges, regular potato wedges, asparagus, and--the kicker--chocolate chip cookies. Plural. I was all excited about my willpower last week, and then goofed this week. I had 2 during lunch, and then...
Snack--...I had two here as well. They were great, and since I had Science Olympiad practice afterwards I treated myself. Big mistake, because...
Dinner--Dinner was Pei Wei. Crispy Honey Shrimp with brown rice and Vegetable Spring Rolls. I know the Spring Rolls seem like excess, but I looked at the Pei Wei nutrition info and 3 Spring Rolls is the same caloric hit as an order of edamame, which is what I usually get. Granted, edamame is all fiber, but it was about the same. And delicious. Also, dessert was completely out of the question because I ate so much food today. I'm not so good at this.
So Friday is going to be full of salads, fruits, and high fiber meals...I need to fix the damage done. Be back later with the update.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Day 10--Crossing a Threshold
Woke up this morning and lo and behold...I'm under 240. Huzzah. The bad news is that I still have around 30 pounds to go before I'm remotely satisfied, but its still a fast accomplishment and one I'm proud of. It's amazing what trying can do...
Breakfast--1/2 cup of Cherry Vanilla granola. I can't seem to get myself going in the mornings this semester, and my "eat a big breakfast" plan has suffered because of it. I just need to make sure its a focal point and get up and moving. Perhaps placing the alarm across the room would help...
Snack--Fiber One bar. Again, awesomeness.
Lunch--Two bowls of Garden Vegetable Soup and some crackers. Brothy soups are good things, although I question the sodium levels of this particular batch. Either way, it was really good.
Dinner--Rosemary and Garlic chicken breast, green peas, and sweet potatoes. Coupled with water, it was one of the best meals I've made in a long time (and a far cry from my NY Strip disaster of last week). We had a lot of chicken leftover because I roasted the whole package, so I think some dinner salads are in the offering this weekend.
No dessert, because sweet potatoes are good enough and because I ate a lot of peas...I was stuffed.
Until tomorrow!
Breakfast--1/2 cup of Cherry Vanilla granola. I can't seem to get myself going in the mornings this semester, and my "eat a big breakfast" plan has suffered because of it. I just need to make sure its a focal point and get up and moving. Perhaps placing the alarm across the room would help...
Snack--Fiber One bar. Again, awesomeness.
Lunch--Two bowls of Garden Vegetable Soup and some crackers. Brothy soups are good things, although I question the sodium levels of this particular batch. Either way, it was really good.
Dinner--Rosemary and Garlic chicken breast, green peas, and sweet potatoes. Coupled with water, it was one of the best meals I've made in a long time (and a far cry from my NY Strip disaster of last week). We had a lot of chicken leftover because I roasted the whole package, so I think some dinner salads are in the offering this weekend.
No dessert, because sweet potatoes are good enough and because I ate a lot of peas...I was stuffed.
Until tomorrow!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Day 9--Lunch at School Wasn't Horrid!
Getting up for school? Not fun. Not having my lesson plans entered or tests graded? Not fun.
Lunch being, dare I say it, good? AWESOME.
Breakfast--I once again slept in half an hour later than intended, so breakfast was cinnamon spice oatmeal and a small glass of OJ. Time was of the essence.
Mid-morning snack--Banana, brought to you by Gwen Stefani.
Lunch--My all-time favorite SAGE Dining lunch: Pork loin, steamed broccoli, sweet potatoes, cous-cous, and a glass of apple juice (notice the liquid trend...there is a downside to today...). With some red pepper flakes its downright tasty, and as Abby says, something I'd make myself. Only better.
Snack--Nothing. Had early dinner.
Dinner--Whole wheat rotini pasta with zucchini, onions, orange bell peppers, and maple-apple chicken sausage cooked in a little EVOO, garlic, and balsamic vinegar at the end. Coupled with a glass of sweet tea and it was a great meal. In fact, it was delicious.
Dessert--Blueberry crumble, or in my case, blueberry-mango crumble. For completely making up the whole dish, it was pretty darn good, and I used one whole tbsp of butter in the entire concoction, regardless of what Paula Dean tried to tell me. Add some almonds to the crumble part and I'd say its the healthiest dessert I've made in a while!
I didn't (or haven't yet) drink enough water today, so I need to get on that. Juice and tea are healthier than soda, but no substitute for good old H2O. So here's to a tall glass and some White Collar...bring it on Neal Caffrey.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Day 8--MLK Day
Three day weekends are the best. Well, actually, not working at all is the best, but that has consequences. So this is pretty good.
Breakfast--Abby and I went to see The King's Speech with Jason and Casey Toy (good movie, great friends) so on the way we went to a newly discovered old friend of mine--Dunkin Donuts. I had a Chocolate Kreme donut and a chocolate glazed donut and they were both spectacular. Better yet, I was very full after two, which is unusual for me. My stomach must be returning to normal size after months of unnecessary stretching.
Lunch--After the movie we went to Extreme Pita, which was phenomenal. I got the Thai Chicken pita, small, with Sun Chips and Green Tea. I also ate one of the cookies Abby got with her meal. It was an excellent place, and we'll certainly be going back soon!
Exercise--Yep. New addition to the routine. I went to the gym since I finally felt good enough to work and did twenty minutes on the bike, for a total of about 7 miles. It was good to get a sweat up and lift some weights afterwards. Also discovered that my headphones are busted, so I chunked them in the trash and got some new ones at Target.
Dinner--My plans for dinner went horrifically awry, so we had steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries and brown sugar. It was delicious, and for once, filling.
No dessert tonight--early to bed, school starts again tomorrow (yippee...) so I don't need sugar to keep me awake.
Breakfast--Abby and I went to see The King's Speech with Jason and Casey Toy (good movie, great friends) so on the way we went to a newly discovered old friend of mine--Dunkin Donuts. I had a Chocolate Kreme donut and a chocolate glazed donut and they were both spectacular. Better yet, I was very full after two, which is unusual for me. My stomach must be returning to normal size after months of unnecessary stretching.
Lunch--After the movie we went to Extreme Pita, which was phenomenal. I got the Thai Chicken pita, small, with Sun Chips and Green Tea. I also ate one of the cookies Abby got with her meal. It was an excellent place, and we'll certainly be going back soon!
Exercise--Yep. New addition to the routine. I went to the gym since I finally felt good enough to work and did twenty minutes on the bike, for a total of about 7 miles. It was good to get a sweat up and lift some weights afterwards. Also discovered that my headphones are busted, so I chunked them in the trash and got some new ones at Target.
Dinner--My plans for dinner went horrifically awry, so we had steel-cut oatmeal with blueberries and brown sugar. It was delicious, and for once, filling.
No dessert tonight--early to bed, school starts again tomorrow (yippee...) so I don't need sugar to keep me awake.
Day 7--Brought to you by the Barenaked Ladies
As in, "It's been one week..." Nevermind, moving along...
Church was good, but it always throws our eating habits for a loop because we eat lunch afterwards at like 11 am and then the whole day is stretched out funny. I think better planning would help, but that's asking a lot from people who don't plan well.
Breakfast--A 1/2 cup of Cherry Vanilla granola with dried cherries and water. Granola is fun because it tastes good, its sweet, and it takes FOREVER to eat, so I'm usually very full by the time I get done. It kept me satisfied through church and after.
Lunch--Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich, lettuce only (I'm weird), a medium fry, and a medium frosty. Oddly, this meal has about the same amount of calories as my Chick fila meal did, only these come from the frosty and those came from the fries and the fruit. Not exactly a healthy trade-off, but I knew I could eat a lot for lunch because dinner was going to be at Life Group.
Dinner--Snacks were pre-empted by an unplanned 2.5 hour nap that apparently my body really needed. I was dead to the world and woke up very confused about where I was and what time it was. When I snapped out of it, we went to the store and got stuff for dinner, since its our week to cook. Because I really wanted it, we went with waffles, bacon, and eggs. I'll tell you what...cooking around 60 pieces of bacon is bad for your hands when you leave the splatter guard at home. Lots of little burns... I had the equivalent of one scrambled egg, one waffle, and 3 whole pieces of bacon, with some syrup. It was delicious and kept me content all night with periodic water doses.
We have MLK day off, and a movie and lunch with the Toys was in store, but hopefully I'll be less of a slacker and update this thing tonight like I should.
Church was good, but it always throws our eating habits for a loop because we eat lunch afterwards at like 11 am and then the whole day is stretched out funny. I think better planning would help, but that's asking a lot from people who don't plan well.
Breakfast--A 1/2 cup of Cherry Vanilla granola with dried cherries and water. Granola is fun because it tastes good, its sweet, and it takes FOREVER to eat, so I'm usually very full by the time I get done. It kept me satisfied through church and after.
Lunch--Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich, lettuce only (I'm weird), a medium fry, and a medium frosty. Oddly, this meal has about the same amount of calories as my Chick fila meal did, only these come from the frosty and those came from the fries and the fruit. Not exactly a healthy trade-off, but I knew I could eat a lot for lunch because dinner was going to be at Life Group.
Dinner--Snacks were pre-empted by an unplanned 2.5 hour nap that apparently my body really needed. I was dead to the world and woke up very confused about where I was and what time it was. When I snapped out of it, we went to the store and got stuff for dinner, since its our week to cook. Because I really wanted it, we went with waffles, bacon, and eggs. I'll tell you what...cooking around 60 pieces of bacon is bad for your hands when you leave the splatter guard at home. Lots of little burns... I had the equivalent of one scrambled egg, one waffle, and 3 whole pieces of bacon, with some syrup. It was delicious and kept me content all night with periodic water doses.
We have MLK day off, and a movie and lunch with the Toys was in store, but hopefully I'll be less of a slacker and update this thing tonight like I should.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Day 6--Helping Audrey
Because its Saturday, I of course really wanted to sleep in. This would serve two purposes: I'm still sick, so my body can recover, and its SATURDAY. Sleeping in is sticking it to the man, whoever that may be. As Murphy and his dastardly law would have it, I woke up, drifted in and out of sleep for a while, laid in the dark for a while, assumed it was about 11, and sure enough it was...8:15. Crud.
Breakfast--Decided that the tasty omelette was the way to go this morning, so I began cooking some for me and the wife. Made Abs', with zucchini, onions, some crumbled bacon and it turned out beautifully. I began making mine, with zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and crumbled bacon, and got to the necessary flipping stage. Usually I go the cop out route and use a spatula or just hack it to death, but I was feeling confident today to I went for the chef flip. First attempt, success. Except it didn't completely flip...the middle was still too gooey for my liking. On attempt two, we reached critical mass. There was omelette all over the stove, the pan, my arm, the floor...everywhere. It was disastrous. Needless to say, on my second omelette I flipped it like a normal person.
Lunch--We went to Whole Foods to grab some snack goodies, so I took my new sunflower seeds and put them on a spinach salad, with orange bell pepper, mushrooms, and a spicy soy vinaigrette. It was quite tasty.
Snack--After lunch, Abs and I went to Herod Elementary to help our dear friend Audrey St. Germain move her classroom. They are building a brand new, and awesome, building so her entire Kindergarten play land has to be transported next door. It was a lot of stuff, but its a beautiful room and her kids are going to be very blessed by the work she's doing. When I got home, I had a 1/4 cup of my new Cherry Vanilla granola. It was really good and pretty filling, as well as sweet enough to help with yesterday's problems.
Dinner--I made my bacon-hamburgers with some baked beans. Instead of putting slices of bacon on our burgers, which leads us to put a slice on each burger, I decided to crisp up some beforehand and then mix it into the patties. We still get the bacon flavor, but without all the fat and unnecessary calories. Sandwich flats instead of buns, smaller patties, and no cheese or mayo (which I don't eat anyways) and these were pretty solid burgers.
Dessert--I'm going to abstain from dessert tonight. Maybe a kiwi later, but Life Groups tomorrow is going to mess up my calorie intake so I need to chill out tonight.
Almost a week in...minor victories, minor defeats, but progress overall. Thanks for sticking with me, whoever reads this.
Breakfast--Decided that the tasty omelette was the way to go this morning, so I began cooking some for me and the wife. Made Abs', with zucchini, onions, some crumbled bacon and it turned out beautifully. I began making mine, with zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and crumbled bacon, and got to the necessary flipping stage. Usually I go the cop out route and use a spatula or just hack it to death, but I was feeling confident today to I went for the chef flip. First attempt, success. Except it didn't completely flip...the middle was still too gooey for my liking. On attempt two, we reached critical mass. There was omelette all over the stove, the pan, my arm, the floor...everywhere. It was disastrous. Needless to say, on my second omelette I flipped it like a normal person.
Lunch--We went to Whole Foods to grab some snack goodies, so I took my new sunflower seeds and put them on a spinach salad, with orange bell pepper, mushrooms, and a spicy soy vinaigrette. It was quite tasty.
Snack--After lunch, Abs and I went to Herod Elementary to help our dear friend Audrey St. Germain move her classroom. They are building a brand new, and awesome, building so her entire Kindergarten play land has to be transported next door. It was a lot of stuff, but its a beautiful room and her kids are going to be very blessed by the work she's doing. When I got home, I had a 1/4 cup of my new Cherry Vanilla granola. It was really good and pretty filling, as well as sweet enough to help with yesterday's problems.
Dinner--I made my bacon-hamburgers with some baked beans. Instead of putting slices of bacon on our burgers, which leads us to put a slice on each burger, I decided to crisp up some beforehand and then mix it into the patties. We still get the bacon flavor, but without all the fat and unnecessary calories. Sandwich flats instead of buns, smaller patties, and no cheese or mayo (which I don't eat anyways) and these were pretty solid burgers.
Dessert--I'm going to abstain from dessert tonight. Maybe a kiwi later, but Life Groups tomorrow is going to mess up my calorie intake so I need to chill out tonight.
Almost a week in...minor victories, minor defeats, but progress overall. Thanks for sticking with me, whoever reads this.
Day 5--Going Through the Motions
My head is alternating between feeling like a balloon and feeling like a lead weight attached to my neck. I really need this sinus junk to clear so I can enjoy my three day weekend! Bah. On a relevant note, its also still messing with my ability to taste food correctly, so that's becoming problematic.
Breakfast--Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with pomegranate craisins again. It's now a go-to move, although I'm contemplating swapping the instant (even if it is low-sugar) for the real stuff. Not sure how that'll mess with my morning routine, but we'll see. It was still good.
Mid-morning Snack--Fiber One bar. Those suckers are still delicious, and I needed the energy boost to get me through the sickness. That's the one thing I miss about sodas...the sugar and caffeine were a godsend when I was wilting in the morning, even if it was fake and horrible for me.
Lunch--Peanut butter and banana sandwich, with another banana on the side. Trust me, the alternative wasn't a good idea.
Dinner--Chick fila. Of all the fast food establishments, this is the one with the best nutrition, which isn't saying much but still makes me feel better about life. I had a Spicy Chicken Sandwich, split a large fries with Abby and had a large fruit cup. Oh, and lemonade, which from Chick fila is the best thing ever.
Dessert--The fruit cup was dessert, and it was awesome. I was stuffed, and all the fruit provided me with a decent dose of fluid to counteract my dehydrated sick state, and it wasn't water which is a bonus.
Cutting back on sweets is hard for me, since I love to bake, but oh well. The real problem is complacency. I've done okay with the will power to not eat bad things, but I'm struggling with the will power to eat good things. Its the middling in-between that is causing problems, and it needs to be stopped!
Breakfast--Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with pomegranate craisins again. It's now a go-to move, although I'm contemplating swapping the instant (even if it is low-sugar) for the real stuff. Not sure how that'll mess with my morning routine, but we'll see. It was still good.
Mid-morning Snack--Fiber One bar. Those suckers are still delicious, and I needed the energy boost to get me through the sickness. That's the one thing I miss about sodas...the sugar and caffeine were a godsend when I was wilting in the morning, even if it was fake and horrible for me.
Lunch--Peanut butter and banana sandwich, with another banana on the side. Trust me, the alternative wasn't a good idea.
Dinner--Chick fila. Of all the fast food establishments, this is the one with the best nutrition, which isn't saying much but still makes me feel better about life. I had a Spicy Chicken Sandwich, split a large fries with Abby and had a large fruit cup. Oh, and lemonade, which from Chick fila is the best thing ever.
Dessert--The fruit cup was dessert, and it was awesome. I was stuffed, and all the fruit provided me with a decent dose of fluid to counteract my dehydrated sick state, and it wasn't water which is a bonus.
Cutting back on sweets is hard for me, since I love to bake, but oh well. The real problem is complacency. I've done okay with the will power to not eat bad things, but I'm struggling with the will power to eat good things. Its the middling in-between that is causing problems, and it needs to be stopped!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Day 4--Revolution
My body is revolting. I'm writing Thursday's post on Friday because I spent most of yesterday in a haze of DayQuil and sinus pressure that made me feel (and look) like a zombie. Even my students noticed, and they aren't the most observant lot. Unfortunately, being sick also means food loses a little taste, so overcompensating is the norm, and, well...on to the food.
Breakfast--Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Pomegranate Craisins. This is the best combination I've hit on so far, because the fruitiness of the oatmeal blends with the craisins well. The Cinnamon Spice oatmeal overwhelmed my dried cherries. Good to know for the future. I also really need whole fruit I can cut up, but most of it is sketchy at best in January. At least I have Texas-grown grapefruit waiting for me when I get home.
Lunch--At school we have something we call the Campus Ministry Team, or CMT. The CMT meets for lunch once every two weeks, and Thursday was the day. Unfortunately for me, in order to feed 20 people on our meager budget, it usually means lots of fast food. For lunch I had three pieces of pepperoni pizza, and water. Small victory though--yesterday is also cookie day, and I held off and didn't get any AND one of my favorite students had her birthday (with cake balls) and I didn't eat any of those either! Could it be I'm developing willpower?
Snack--None. I went home and passed out from exhaustion. I even forsook Science Olympiad practice because I was afraid I'd infect the kids or stand out in the cold and make it worse.
Dinner--Since my taste buds are on the fritz, I went with something filling and delicious--Pei Wei's Mandarin Kung Pao Chicken. It's not the healthiest option, but its tasty, has lots of veggies, and with brown rice isn't too disastrous. Throw in a couple of veggie spring rolls and I was satisfied, even if I didn't finish all of the MKP Chicken. Even that is a minor victory--I used to feel like a failure if I didn't clean my plate (I've even been scolded for not cleaning my plate before...at dessert...I developed a complex) but now I know it's okay to leave it and move on. Makes eating more fun and less of a gut-bomb.
Dessert--Finished the chocolate sauce from the other night, which turned into delicious chocolate mousse when it set up in the fridge. Two teaspoons worth was just enough sweet for me.
I'd like my taste buds back and I'd like to eat something healthier Friday (salad at lunch is a must...baked catfish? No thanks) but I still feel good with my progress. I'm holding steady around 242, so down 5 pounds in a week. I'll take it.
Breakfast--Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with Pomegranate Craisins. This is the best combination I've hit on so far, because the fruitiness of the oatmeal blends with the craisins well. The Cinnamon Spice oatmeal overwhelmed my dried cherries. Good to know for the future. I also really need whole fruit I can cut up, but most of it is sketchy at best in January. At least I have Texas-grown grapefruit waiting for me when I get home.
Lunch--At school we have something we call the Campus Ministry Team, or CMT. The CMT meets for lunch once every two weeks, and Thursday was the day. Unfortunately for me, in order to feed 20 people on our meager budget, it usually means lots of fast food. For lunch I had three pieces of pepperoni pizza, and water. Small victory though--yesterday is also cookie day, and I held off and didn't get any AND one of my favorite students had her birthday (with cake balls) and I didn't eat any of those either! Could it be I'm developing willpower?
Snack--None. I went home and passed out from exhaustion. I even forsook Science Olympiad practice because I was afraid I'd infect the kids or stand out in the cold and make it worse.
Dinner--Since my taste buds are on the fritz, I went with something filling and delicious--Pei Wei's Mandarin Kung Pao Chicken. It's not the healthiest option, but its tasty, has lots of veggies, and with brown rice isn't too disastrous. Throw in a couple of veggie spring rolls and I was satisfied, even if I didn't finish all of the MKP Chicken. Even that is a minor victory--I used to feel like a failure if I didn't clean my plate (I've even been scolded for not cleaning my plate before...at dessert...I developed a complex) but now I know it's okay to leave it and move on. Makes eating more fun and less of a gut-bomb.
Dessert--Finished the chocolate sauce from the other night, which turned into delicious chocolate mousse when it set up in the fridge. Two teaspoons worth was just enough sweet for me.
I'd like my taste buds back and I'd like to eat something healthier Friday (salad at lunch is a must...baked catfish? No thanks) but I still feel good with my progress. I'm holding steady around 242, so down 5 pounds in a week. I'll take it.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Day 3--Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This...
Well, the good news is that lunch at school was edible. The bad news? It involved cookies and barbecue sandwiches. Oh well...you win some, you lose some. On to the food.
Breakfast--I intended to get up today and make myself a good omelette, but my 5:50 am alarm quickly deteriorated into 6:20 am, rushing to eat, get showered, get dressed, and make it to school on time. Breakfast was a kiwi and two slices of peanut butter toast, on whole grain bread. It went sharply downhill from there.
Lunch--Lunch was pulled pork sandwiches, two bananas, and a couple of chocolate chip cookies. At least I drank a lot of water?
Snack--No snack today, just more water. We had Science Olympiad practice so I was at school until 5:40. That was fun.
Dinner--A new personal favorite, slowly developed and tweaked into perfection--Jimmy Johns. They deliver, they're fast, and its good stuff. Turkey, bacon, onion, cucumber, lettuce, oregano, all on seven grain bread. Throw in a side of chips and its a great meal. But wait! There's more!
I also made an adapted version of Rachel Ray's Hot-Sweet Asian Pickles. A cucumber, some red bell pepper, cilantro, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes...delicious. They were my second side, and I threw some on the sandwich as well. Should have sliced them thinner, but you live and learn.
Dessert--Because of the cookie debacle at lunch I should have forgone dessert, but this one isn't bad at all. One banana, frozen, two tbsp of organic chocolate peanut butter, a splash of milk and a food processor and out comes the greatest ice cream ever. Creamy, delicious, and contains no bad fats, very little dairy, and a lot of filling flavor. I'm an addict now.
Wednesday = fail day, but I can make it up tomorrow. I'm feeling vegetable pasta (or pasta primavera if you're a food snob) coming on.
I think this is really helping so far...I remember what I ate, and I'm rightfully proud/shamed by the outcome. And the weight is dropping...I was down 6 pounds this morning, although I'm sure I screwed that pooch today. We'll see!
Breakfast--I intended to get up today and make myself a good omelette, but my 5:50 am alarm quickly deteriorated into 6:20 am, rushing to eat, get showered, get dressed, and make it to school on time. Breakfast was a kiwi and two slices of peanut butter toast, on whole grain bread. It went sharply downhill from there.
Lunch--Lunch was pulled pork sandwiches, two bananas, and a couple of chocolate chip cookies. At least I drank a lot of water?
Snack--No snack today, just more water. We had Science Olympiad practice so I was at school until 5:40. That was fun.
Dinner--A new personal favorite, slowly developed and tweaked into perfection--Jimmy Johns. They deliver, they're fast, and its good stuff. Turkey, bacon, onion, cucumber, lettuce, oregano, all on seven grain bread. Throw in a side of chips and its a great meal. But wait! There's more!
I also made an adapted version of Rachel Ray's Hot-Sweet Asian Pickles. A cucumber, some red bell pepper, cilantro, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper flakes...delicious. They were my second side, and I threw some on the sandwich as well. Should have sliced them thinner, but you live and learn.
Dessert--Because of the cookie debacle at lunch I should have forgone dessert, but this one isn't bad at all. One banana, frozen, two tbsp of organic chocolate peanut butter, a splash of milk and a food processor and out comes the greatest ice cream ever. Creamy, delicious, and contains no bad fats, very little dairy, and a lot of filling flavor. I'm an addict now.
Wednesday = fail day, but I can make it up tomorrow. I'm feeling vegetable pasta (or pasta primavera if you're a food snob) coming on.
I think this is really helping so far...I remember what I ate, and I'm rightfully proud/shamed by the outcome. And the weight is dropping...I was down 6 pounds this morning, although I'm sure I screwed that pooch today. We'll see!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Day 2--School is Going to Kill Me
My distinct inability to get a consistent, decent lunch at school might be the death of me. I'm all for eating salads for meals, but unfortunately with my schedule I REALLY need protein and other things to keep me going, especially right after lunch and my Sixth Period of Doom, or the SPoD. A compromise is necessary and I'll find one eventually, but for now lunch is still going to be a wasted meal.
Breakfast--Two pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter and water. I'm finding more and more that water is one of the few things that really fills me up, which I think is a byproduct of all the fiber I've been consuming. I've made a pledge to not have a soda until my birthday, which is Feb. 19th, so the new affinity for water has come at an excellent time.
Lunch--Non-existant. Literally. I ate a Fiber One bar and some Blueberry Flax Granola Chips. It was tasty but a horrid meal.
Dinner--We went to Gringo's, a Mexican Food restaurant near our church, on Sunday and I always get the tortilla soup there. I saved half of it for later on in the week, and Abby wasn't here for dinner so I called in the reserves. It's a really vegetable-laden soup, and I don't eat cheese, so I think it was decently good for me. I added some red and green bell peppers, half a zucchini, and some extra broth and had tortilla chips (I know, my bad) with it. Stellar meal all around.
Dessert--I'm waffling (food terms are puns) between some kiwis or apples and leftover chocolate sauce from last night. Guess which one will most likely win?
I need to work on lunches and reload my stash of Haagen Dazs fruit sorbets. They're amazing (especially mango and raspberry) and better than ice cream on a fat/caloric level, although still sugary. I also need more fruit to go with the veggie haul from yesterday.
So far I've lost 3 pounds in a little less than a week, give or take. I haven't worked out in a while, partially because I've been sick, partially because of the holidays, partially because I'm lazy, and partially because our apartment workout room sucks. So I'm satisfied, but not anywhere near finished.
Breakfast--Two pieces of whole grain toast with peanut butter and water. I'm finding more and more that water is one of the few things that really fills me up, which I think is a byproduct of all the fiber I've been consuming. I've made a pledge to not have a soda until my birthday, which is Feb. 19th, so the new affinity for water has come at an excellent time.
Lunch--Non-existant. Literally. I ate a Fiber One bar and some Blueberry Flax Granola Chips. It was tasty but a horrid meal.
Dinner--We went to Gringo's, a Mexican Food restaurant near our church, on Sunday and I always get the tortilla soup there. I saved half of it for later on in the week, and Abby wasn't here for dinner so I called in the reserves. It's a really vegetable-laden soup, and I don't eat cheese, so I think it was decently good for me. I added some red and green bell peppers, half a zucchini, and some extra broth and had tortilla chips (I know, my bad) with it. Stellar meal all around.
Dessert--I'm waffling (food terms are puns) between some kiwis or apples and leftover chocolate sauce from last night. Guess which one will most likely win?
I need to work on lunches and reload my stash of Haagen Dazs fruit sorbets. They're amazing (especially mango and raspberry) and better than ice cream on a fat/caloric level, although still sugary. I also need more fruit to go with the veggie haul from yesterday.
So far I've lost 3 pounds in a little less than a week, give or take. I haven't worked out in a while, partially because I've been sick, partially because of the holidays, partially because I'm lazy, and partially because our apartment workout room sucks. So I'm satisfied, but not anywhere near finished.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Day 1
I usually take great care with my food choices because of how much I love cooking and food in general. It's going to be interesting to document it all here so I can look back and see how horrendously uncreative I am. Good times.
Breakfast--Bowl of instant oatmeal with about 15 dried cherries. Oatmeal is supposed to be filling, but that hasn't been my experience. However, coupled with a fair amount of water in my classes I made it to lunch unscathed.
Lunch--I will go ahead and say that while my school's lunch is infinitely better than anything I ever had as a student, that doesn't make it good or healthy. Today was supposed to be a good day, with one of my favorite soups (Potato and Kale) and a fair amount of green vegetables (asparagus and snow peas). Unfortunately, the soup was made with beef broth (just smell it sometime when it isn't in a beef dish) so that was problematic and the veggies were swimming in something I assume was butter mixed with liquid death. Lunch wasn't healthy.
Snack--Since lunch was a bomb, I threw down a Fiber One bar for a post-meal stopgap. Those things are ridiculously good and filling. I'm a fan.
Snack #2--I realize to anyone reading this as a "healthy eating blog" they're going to be screaming at me for my meal division, but bear with me. I swung by the store after school to fix my veggie disaster from lunch by getting some peppers, onions, broccoli, chicken breasts, kiwis, and bananas. When I got home, I ate two kiwi fruits because they were so tempting. It's fruit...deal with it.
Dinner--Vegetable Stir-Fry. Mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, onions, and broccoli with brown rice, flavored with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. It was awesome and big enough that Abby has some leftover for lunch tomorrow at school.
Dessert--I LIKE FOOD. One of my students gave me a Green and Blacks' Dark Chocolate Bar (70%) for Christmas and it's been calling to me, so I melted half of it down into some milk and then added marshmallow creme to thicken it up a bit, then we dipped some of the bananas into it for faux-fondue. Used about four tablespoons of the stuff, so not disastrous but still filling enough that I haven't moved in an hour or so.
All in all, not a bad start. I know I'm going to suffer at school because of the extreme lack of options, but I'm going to be able to make it up at home since I'm the chef. Here's to a new me, hopefully sooner rather than later!
Breakfast--Bowl of instant oatmeal with about 15 dried cherries. Oatmeal is supposed to be filling, but that hasn't been my experience. However, coupled with a fair amount of water in my classes I made it to lunch unscathed.
Lunch--I will go ahead and say that while my school's lunch is infinitely better than anything I ever had as a student, that doesn't make it good or healthy. Today was supposed to be a good day, with one of my favorite soups (Potato and Kale) and a fair amount of green vegetables (asparagus and snow peas). Unfortunately, the soup was made with beef broth (just smell it sometime when it isn't in a beef dish) so that was problematic and the veggies were swimming in something I assume was butter mixed with liquid death. Lunch wasn't healthy.
Snack--Since lunch was a bomb, I threw down a Fiber One bar for a post-meal stopgap. Those things are ridiculously good and filling. I'm a fan.
Snack #2--I realize to anyone reading this as a "healthy eating blog" they're going to be screaming at me for my meal division, but bear with me. I swung by the store after school to fix my veggie disaster from lunch by getting some peppers, onions, broccoli, chicken breasts, kiwis, and bananas. When I got home, I ate two kiwi fruits because they were so tempting. It's fruit...deal with it.
Dinner--Vegetable Stir-Fry. Mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, onions, and broccoli with brown rice, flavored with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. It was awesome and big enough that Abby has some leftover for lunch tomorrow at school.
Dessert--I LIKE FOOD. One of my students gave me a Green and Blacks' Dark Chocolate Bar (70%) for Christmas and it's been calling to me, so I melted half of it down into some milk and then added marshmallow creme to thicken it up a bit, then we dipped some of the bananas into it for faux-fondue. Used about four tablespoons of the stuff, so not disastrous but still filling enough that I haven't moved in an hour or so.
All in all, not a bad start. I know I'm going to suffer at school because of the extreme lack of options, but I'm going to be able to make it up at home since I'm the chef. Here's to a new me, hopefully sooner rather than later!
For Sexyback
One of my friends, Nathan "Sexyback" MacDonald, has started blogging to document his weight-loss. You should check it out at http://nathanalbert.wordpress.com/. We call him Sexyback because of the ubiquitous Justin Timberlake song, and because of the irony that Nathan weighed around 325 pounds in college. At some point he reached a tick over 350, but through hard work and constant support from his beautiful wife, he's down to close to 300. He's got until Wednesday (I believe) to make it to 300 by his birthday, and I know he'll make it! Reading his stories and absolute transparency in his struggle has been incredibly uplifting, and makes me incredibly proud to be his friend. If you aren't already supporting him in prayer and encouragement, I hope you do so starting now!
His dedication has inspired me to attempt the same. Nathan uses Weight Watchers, which I'm too poor/lazy/apathetic to invest in right now (maybe later if I epically fail), but I want to document what I'm eating and how much (or more likely little) I'm exercising. I REALLY like food, not only the bad stuff but the good as well, and I want to put my passions to good use.
So here's to a new me...one of which there should be less of starting now.
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
His dedication has inspired me to attempt the same. Nathan uses Weight Watchers, which I'm too poor/lazy/apathetic to invest in right now (maybe later if I epically fail), but I want to document what I'm eating and how much (or more likely little) I'm exercising. I REALLY like food, not only the bad stuff but the good as well, and I want to put my passions to good use.
So here's to a new me...one of which there should be less of starting now.
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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