Day Nine came and went.
Friday and Saturday I visited with Corey in Willows and Saturday was all about being careful with Barb's fabulous food and driving and walking all over Apple Hill.
Sunday in Diamond Springs was relaxing. Discovered a new yarn shop, visited over coffee with Barb away from the house, brunch was shrimp salad with toasted baguette and butter. Dinner at home was nothing much. Picked over this and that.
This morning I weighed in for the first time since Friday morning. First I was 265; then I was 266; and finally, as I totally weirded out over my scale, it read 267. Hmmmmm. Do I need a new scale? I've had this one for at least ten years.
Anyway - this morning - nothing but car problems but I managed to get to HOJ and had coffee. I had Tracy make up my special breakfast sandwich without the toast. It is just an egg with cheese melted on it. Heading to work, I was met with MORE car problems. Finally resolved all of that and got myself to the office.
I'm sitting at the desk with my fan blowing over me. I really need to cool off. Dealing with the car stuff was like have a hot flash. Talk about stressed. My second cup of coffee is getting cold. Into the microwave it goes and off to work I go - finally.
Afternoon
I went home for lunch and put together a mishmash of soy bacon and the remains of my Brie. Nuked it all in the microwave and then wrapped it in deli ham slices to make three small wraps. I'm surprised at how filling it was considering it did not appear to be a lot of food. It's pushing two and I'm doing well. I have lampchops out for dinner along with some fresh spinach. Add to that homemade applesauce and dinner will be very yummy.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Day Seven
It occurs to me that this is the last day of my first week. Tomorrow I would have weighed myself for my first week average of weight-loss but I'll be still in Diamond Springs so it will have to wait for Monday morning. No matter. I've been doing well so far.
Saturday Breakfast at Barb's
. . . had everything - of course. Barb, God love her, made me a delicious omelet filled with red bell peppers, white onions, bacon bits and mushrooms. Heaven. I had three slices of bacon as well. Just could not resist that third one.
Barb also made homemade raspberry syrup and aebelskebers. I don't think I spelled that right. Anyway, those round Swedish pancakes. I had ONE even though it was carbs. And I had none of the syrup. I ate the little delicacy in 4 or 5 bites, making a conscious effort to slow down. It took me about 15 - 20 minutes to eat the entire meal.
We will be bringing our lunch with us to apple hill and Barb has the fixings for a chicken Cesar salad, so the middle of the day is covered. This year I will NOT go into the fudge shop.
5:00 p.m. -
The day flew. Starbucks strength for Don and a push to apple hill had us going from point a to point b to point c and beyond. Walk, explore, leave, drive, park, walk, explore, over and over. We ended up at High Hill for our traditional picnic lunch and then more exploring. We were skipping the fudge factory and apple donuts this year so we left that half of High Hill for another year.
Lunch was so easy. Water and that delicious cesar salad had be satisfied for the rest of the afternoon. Tonight's dinner will be fun but like this morning and other meals, I'm guessing that by slowing down, I will be less and filling up faster. How can that be? Oh well, I'm not going to question the results. It has been a good food week and not too much yearning for breads, etc. Something is working.
Saturday Breakfast at Barb's
. . . had everything - of course. Barb, God love her, made me a delicious omelet filled with red bell peppers, white onions, bacon bits and mushrooms. Heaven. I had three slices of bacon as well. Just could not resist that third one.
Barb also made homemade raspberry syrup and aebelskebers. I don't think I spelled that right. Anyway, those round Swedish pancakes. I had ONE even though it was carbs. And I had none of the syrup. I ate the little delicacy in 4 or 5 bites, making a conscious effort to slow down. It took me about 15 - 20 minutes to eat the entire meal.
We will be bringing our lunch with us to apple hill and Barb has the fixings for a chicken Cesar salad, so the middle of the day is covered. This year I will NOT go into the fudge shop.
5:00 p.m. -
The day flew. Starbucks strength for Don and a push to apple hill had us going from point a to point b to point c and beyond. Walk, explore, leave, drive, park, walk, explore, over and over. We ended up at High Hill for our traditional picnic lunch and then more exploring. We were skipping the fudge factory and apple donuts this year so we left that half of High Hill for another year.
Lunch was so easy. Water and that delicious cesar salad had be satisfied for the rest of the afternoon. Tonight's dinner will be fun but like this morning and other meals, I'm guessing that by slowing down, I will be less and filling up faster. How can that be? Oh well, I'm not going to question the results. It has been a good food week and not too much yearning for breads, etc. Something is working.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Day Six
We are on the road. It's Furlough Friday and Don and I went to Willows where we met up with Corey, back in the country from her home in France. A long lunch at Subway after we connected at the local Starbucks, present me with my first food challenge of the weekend. Lunch at Subway. What is a carb addict to do?
Well, she builds her own salad of mix greens, spinach, cucumbers, onions, and bell peppers. Add to that a bit of grated cheddar and a couple ounces of deli meat and I was good to go. I had 2 oz. of ranch dressing and a diet coke. First challenge overcome.
Arriving later at Barb's in Diamond Springs, I considered the possibilities of dinner. Barb is a great cook and if there is a reason to cook for an army, she'll do it. It's all fresh made with no packaging. She had a pot of dinner soup on the stove made from yellow split peas, carrots and potatoes, and apple/chicken sausage. That, along with corn bread and oh was it a good dinner. There were snicker-doodles (homemade) for dessert and sprite with raspberry syrup to drink.
I have not picked a bit since dinner. This is practically a first at the House of Barbara. So - overall - an excellent day. It's 11 p.m. and I'm feeling a bit hungry. I'm going to go find some water.
Well, she builds her own salad of mix greens, spinach, cucumbers, onions, and bell peppers. Add to that a bit of grated cheddar and a couple ounces of deli meat and I was good to go. I had 2 oz. of ranch dressing and a diet coke. First challenge overcome.
Arriving later at Barb's in Diamond Springs, I considered the possibilities of dinner. Barb is a great cook and if there is a reason to cook for an army, she'll do it. It's all fresh made with no packaging. She had a pot of dinner soup on the stove made from yellow split peas, carrots and potatoes, and apple/chicken sausage. That, along with corn bread and oh was it a good dinner. There were snicker-doodles (homemade) for dessert and sprite with raspberry syrup to drink.
I have not picked a bit since dinner. This is practically a first at the House of Barbara. So - overall - an excellent day. It's 11 p.m. and I'm feeling a bit hungry. I'm going to go find some water.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Day Five
I weighed in at 263 this morning. Four pounds gone. Breakfast was the remainder of my egg substitute with two soy sausage links and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Tasty. Tonight I do my planning. Went brain numbed last night and didn't do any. That is one of the habits I'm trying to rectify - leaving things to the last minutes. In this case, the first small step is the awareness of last minute behavior. So - "Tonight, tonight", she said musically.
More to come later today.
2 p.m. at work
I did a lot of running around on my lunch hour. Totally missed sitting down and relaxing over lunch and had to solve the dilemma of eating out. Solution - I went to Chipotle's and got a salad.
Salad was lots of romaine lettuce, braised beef, grilled onions and peppers, just a little bit of pico de gallo (have to be careful of the carbs in tomatoes) and a bit of cheese. The server dribbled just a tiny bit of sour creme sauce and I had chipotle/honey vinaigrette. They serve it to you in a 2 oz container. I used half of it.
All together, it was just enough to make a moist and luscious and tasty salad. Had a diet coke with it and I'm good for the afternoon. I had to eat it at my desk which was a bit of an adventure but all in all a successful lunch.
More to come later today.
2 p.m. at work
I did a lot of running around on my lunch hour. Totally missed sitting down and relaxing over lunch and had to solve the dilemma of eating out. Solution - I went to Chipotle's and got a salad.
Salad was lots of romaine lettuce, braised beef, grilled onions and peppers, just a little bit of pico de gallo (have to be careful of the carbs in tomatoes) and a bit of cheese. The server dribbled just a tiny bit of sour creme sauce and I had chipotle/honey vinaigrette. They serve it to you in a 2 oz container. I used half of it.
All together, it was just enough to make a moist and luscious and tasty salad. Had a diet coke with it and I'm good for the afternoon. I had to eat it at my desk which was a bit of an adventure but all in all a successful lunch.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Day Four
10:30 a.m. - at work
Last night I made Carb Addict's Cinnamon Coffeecake. It is light and airy and unexpectedly good. The solids separated from the egg whites and it puffed up a bit like a souffle. I had 1/4 of it this morning and I noticed that Kris headed out with some as well. I'll have to find out if she liked it. I have a feeling it isn't very substantial but so far it is getting me through the morning. I think I will finish it up at lunch in a salad along with my favorite, Brie cheese.
11:20 a.m. - at work
I Have Some Planning to Do - I got the follow tip from Tammy who lost over 100 lbs on WW and is now a marathon runner.
Planning is EVERYTHING. It's the foundation for all the rest. At the beginning of each week, I plan for which days I need to allot more points, and which days I will be more careful. I plan when to exercise. I plan my meals - all of them - and then I know how I will get through the week's challenges. I also think through situations like eating out: what I will eat at the restaurant, look on the website to see which entrees are more lifestyle-friendly (it is NOT NOT NOT a diet, ever, or it is OVER!), etc. If eating at a friend's house I ask what they are cooking, ask them to use less oil, offer to bring a big salad or a fruit salad for dessert w/Cool whip, or whatever. If you plan, you succeed. If you wing it, you fail. So good for you for planning!!!!
I'm travelling this weekend and this will be a big help. Also, I'll enlist help from our hostess. She's a great cook and she will a wonderful and supportive help.
1:40 p.m.
Lunch was a little strange today. I finished the "coffeecake" from this morning. It was more like a flattened cinnamon souffle but tasty nonetheless. I followed up with a couple deli slices each of ham and turkey. No veggies. No good. I forgot I had veggies from a couple of days ago waiting to be finished. I'll get those tonight. Felt tired and low when I came in for lunch. I was very restless last night and got little sleep. Still feeling out of sorts.
I stopped at Starbucks on the way back to work and got a tall, nonfat, plain iced latte. Here's what I found out later about the nutritional content:
Calories 100
Fat Calories 0
Total Fat (g) 0
Saturated Fat (g) 0
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 5
Sodium (mg) 120
Total Carbohydrates (g) 15
Fiber (g) 0
Sugars (g) 14
I guess I better not do this again for a while.
Evening
I was so tired after work; there was no way I was cooking. I went to MacD's and got Don his usual and then to Starbucks for his preferred drink. I made his MacD's drink a diet coke and I was good to go with my own MacD's salad. Here's the breakdown:
Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken Cal. 260, Total Carbohydrates 12 g, Sugars 5 g, Newman's Ranch Dress Cal. 170, Total Carbs 9 g, Sugar 4g.
Total for Salad and dressing at dinner is 430 calories. And Brie for dessert. I love my Brie.
It's barely 7 p.m. and I'm hoping that this will be enough for me tonight. I need to look in the fridge and figure out tomorrow.
Last night I made Carb Addict's Cinnamon Coffeecake. It is light and airy and unexpectedly good. The solids separated from the egg whites and it puffed up a bit like a souffle. I had 1/4 of it this morning and I noticed that Kris headed out with some as well. I'll have to find out if she liked it. I have a feeling it isn't very substantial but so far it is getting me through the morning. I think I will finish it up at lunch in a salad along with my favorite, Brie cheese.
11:20 a.m. - at work
I Have Some Planning to Do - I got the follow tip from Tammy who lost over 100 lbs on WW and is now a marathon runner.
Planning is EVERYTHING. It's the foundation for all the rest. At the beginning of each week, I plan for which days I need to allot more points, and which days I will be more careful. I plan when to exercise. I plan my meals - all of them - and then I know how I will get through the week's challenges. I also think through situations like eating out: what I will eat at the restaurant, look on the website to see which entrees are more lifestyle-friendly (it is NOT NOT NOT a diet, ever, or it is OVER!), etc. If eating at a friend's house I ask what they are cooking, ask them to use less oil, offer to bring a big salad or a fruit salad for dessert w/Cool whip, or whatever. If you plan, you succeed. If you wing it, you fail. So good for you for planning!!!!
I'm travelling this weekend and this will be a big help. Also, I'll enlist help from our hostess. She's a great cook and she will a wonderful and supportive help.
1:40 p.m.
Lunch was a little strange today. I finished the "coffeecake" from this morning. It was more like a flattened cinnamon souffle but tasty nonetheless. I followed up with a couple deli slices each of ham and turkey. No veggies. No good. I forgot I had veggies from a couple of days ago waiting to be finished. I'll get those tonight. Felt tired and low when I came in for lunch. I was very restless last night and got little sleep. Still feeling out of sorts.
I stopped at Starbucks on the way back to work and got a tall, nonfat, plain iced latte. Here's what I found out later about the nutritional content:
Calories 100
Fat Calories 0
Total Fat (g) 0
Saturated Fat (g) 0
Trans Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 5
Sodium (mg) 120
Total Carbohydrates (g) 15
Fiber (g) 0
Sugars (g) 14
I guess I better not do this again for a while.
Evening
I was so tired after work; there was no way I was cooking. I went to MacD's and got Don his usual and then to Starbucks for his preferred drink. I made his MacD's drink a diet coke and I was good to go with my own MacD's salad. Here's the breakdown:
Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken Cal. 260, Total Carbohydrates 12 g, Sugars 5 g, Newman's Ranch Dress Cal. 170, Total Carbs 9 g, Sugar 4g.
Total for Salad and dressing at dinner is 430 calories. And Brie for dessert. I love my Brie.
It's barely 7 p.m. and I'm hoping that this will be enough for me tonight. I need to look in the fridge and figure out tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Day Three
10:15 a.m. - at work
I am in an excellent frame of mind this morning. Breakfast went well. Soy pork sausage and veggies broken up and mixed into two eggs. Sprinkled a bit of cheddar on the top. Good.
I've noticed that the soy products for this brand are somewhat bland. Next time around, I'll pick up Morningstar products. I've had these before and as I recall, they are much more flavorful.
I'm not feeling at all hungry this morning. My scale had good news as well. I've lost 2 lbs since Sunday's first weigh-in. That puts me at 265. I expect a big drop this week. First week big drops always happen but then it levels out to 1-2 lbs per week. I'll be very happy with that.
2 p.m. - at work
Went home for lunch. Had leftovers of the chicken paprika from last night. Didn't have any dressing for a salad (have to make it tonight). Had a wedge of Brie but no veggies. Not good and I have to avoid doing that too much. Stopped for gasoline on the way back to work and had an "aha" moment as I recalled that diet soda was allowable, so I got a 20 oz diet Pepsi. Refreshing. Just what I needed for an afternoon pick-me-up.
Evening
Tonight's meal was a big success. Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) baked with a mixture of celery, onions, croutons, basil, parsley, and s/p. OMG, it tasted so good. But, wait, it gets better. Tonight I made up one of the salad dressings from the book - cottage cheese and IMO base blended with salt and garlic and blue cheese. It was creamy, flavorful, and tasted terrific. That plus Spanish rice and what a meal. No dessert. Haven't made any yet. May do so later to have on hand tomorrow. Dessert recipes from the book too.
All in all - another very good day.
I am in an excellent frame of mind this morning. Breakfast went well. Soy pork sausage and veggies broken up and mixed into two eggs. Sprinkled a bit of cheddar on the top. Good.
I've noticed that the soy products for this brand are somewhat bland. Next time around, I'll pick up Morningstar products. I've had these before and as I recall, they are much more flavorful.
I'm not feeling at all hungry this morning. My scale had good news as well. I've lost 2 lbs since Sunday's first weigh-in. That puts me at 265. I expect a big drop this week. First week big drops always happen but then it levels out to 1-2 lbs per week. I'll be very happy with that.
2 p.m. - at work
Went home for lunch. Had leftovers of the chicken paprika from last night. Didn't have any dressing for a salad (have to make it tonight). Had a wedge of Brie but no veggies. Not good and I have to avoid doing that too much. Stopped for gasoline on the way back to work and had an "aha" moment as I recalled that diet soda was allowable, so I got a 20 oz diet Pepsi. Refreshing. Just what I needed for an afternoon pick-me-up.
Evening
Tonight's meal was a big success. Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) baked with a mixture of celery, onions, croutons, basil, parsley, and s/p. OMG, it tasted so good. But, wait, it gets better. Tonight I made up one of the salad dressings from the book - cottage cheese and IMO base blended with salt and garlic and blue cheese. It was creamy, flavorful, and tasted terrific. That plus Spanish rice and what a meal. No dessert. Haven't made any yet. May do so later to have on hand tomorrow. Dessert recipes from the book too.
All in all - another very good day.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Day Two
MORNING - 8:25 a.m. - at work
I am already struggling with the urge to have more. I awoke at 6 a.m. and felt totally unprepared for food prep today. I managed to make breakfast an easy task by scrambling two eggs and mixing soy pork sausage and diced yellow, red, and green bell peppers into the mix. It was tasty but oh, I am mentally screaming for something that is toast-like. Bread, bagel, muffin - damn it. And so early in the day.
Well, what was I really to expect? Reducing carbs is like any other withdrawal and this is my withdrawal period. These first few days will be tough. It will even out, I'm sure, but then I will be attacked by my craving's twin demon - Boredom.
I recommit right now - this is where I come to crow over my successes, scream over my craving's, and rail at the boredom that I know will hit me. The crazy thing is that yesterday I enjoyed the meals, enjoyed the careful preparation. I think I need to take a page or two from Julie Powell's attitude (Julie & Julia) and just throw myself into my crazed moments if that's what it takes to get me through to the other side and satisfaction.
MORNING - 10:45 a.m. - at work
I am feeling very jittery. Hungry. Drinking a lot of water. I'm out of here at noon to go home and make lunch.
1:20 p.m. - at work
Thank God the morning has been and gone. I went home for lunch and it took 40 minutes to prepare lunch. I had to thaw a chicken breast (10 minutes), grill same (20 minutes), sliced cucumbers, radishes, and celery. Dipped it all in 2T of ranch dressing (2 grams carbs). The best part was my much loved Brie cheese. I had a small wedge and that was that. Now it's water for the rest of the day.
I don't feel nearly as moody as I did this morning. I have a chicken in the crockpot at home and that will make a good main course for tonight.
4:10 p.m. - at work . . . The afternoon felt much better than the morning. I think I did not have enough to eat this morning and it really put me on edge.
Evening
Got home about 7 p.m. I was in meetings until 6 p.m. and then met up with Elaine at Sweet River. I had water. Over a period of about an hour and half, the chicken in the crockpot evolved into Paprika Chicken (out of the carb addict book) Tasty. I served it over biscuit and was satisfied after having a spoonful of peanut butter for dessert.
It looks like my day two has ended successfully.
I am already struggling with the urge to have more. I awoke at 6 a.m. and felt totally unprepared for food prep today. I managed to make breakfast an easy task by scrambling two eggs and mixing soy pork sausage and diced yellow, red, and green bell peppers into the mix. It was tasty but oh, I am mentally screaming for something that is toast-like. Bread, bagel, muffin - damn it. And so early in the day.
Well, what was I really to expect? Reducing carbs is like any other withdrawal and this is my withdrawal period. These first few days will be tough. It will even out, I'm sure, but then I will be attacked by my craving's twin demon - Boredom.
I recommit right now - this is where I come to crow over my successes, scream over my craving's, and rail at the boredom that I know will hit me. The crazy thing is that yesterday I enjoyed the meals, enjoyed the careful preparation. I think I need to take a page or two from Julie Powell's attitude (Julie & Julia) and just throw myself into my crazed moments if that's what it takes to get me through to the other side and satisfaction.
MORNING - 10:45 a.m. - at work
I am feeling very jittery. Hungry. Drinking a lot of water. I'm out of here at noon to go home and make lunch.
1:20 p.m. - at work
Thank God the morning has been and gone. I went home for lunch and it took 40 minutes to prepare lunch. I had to thaw a chicken breast (10 minutes), grill same (20 minutes), sliced cucumbers, radishes, and celery. Dipped it all in 2T of ranch dressing (2 grams carbs). The best part was my much loved Brie cheese. I had a small wedge and that was that. Now it's water for the rest of the day.
I don't feel nearly as moody as I did this morning. I have a chicken in the crockpot at home and that will make a good main course for tonight.
4:10 p.m. - at work . . . The afternoon felt much better than the morning. I think I did not have enough to eat this morning and it really put me on edge.
Evening
Got home about 7 p.m. I was in meetings until 6 p.m. and then met up with Elaine at Sweet River. I had water. Over a period of about an hour and half, the chicken in the crockpot evolved into Paprika Chicken (out of the carb addict book) Tasty. I served it over biscuit and was satisfied after having a spoonful of peanut butter for dessert.
It looks like my day two has ended successfully.