Monday, July 25, 2011

Weigh in Day, Weekly Stats and Plan

Happy  Monday!!  Let's get right to it.

Last week I only tracked Monday through Thursday...and didnt track everything, so I'm not sure of the exact calorie intake, however I only went to the gym once, and burned 640 calories.

In addition to my over eating, and lack of gym time...  I had a long weekend away with my girlfriends and was not wanting to step on the scale today.   For valid reason, because as you can see....


I'm up exactly 4 lbs from last week.    Granted - I know it's not all "actual" weight...  Some of it's real I'm sure of that,  but some is water retention from all the alcohol I drank too.



This was breakfast.... and lunch....   24oz fruity concoctions...

And this was what I ate both days...  Lay's Stax.  They're my snack of choice when drinking... 

I'd love to tell you that I'm getting back on track today and hitting the gym to start my week off the right way, but honestly... it's not happening.  I have a crap ton of laundry to do, and some grocery shopping.  Tonight will be a night in doing those things, and I'll get back to it tomorrow.

No worries though.. I've kept my eating in check today.   I had oatmeal with 1/2 sliced banana for breakfast, and a spring salad with balsamic and 1 cup of Organic Black bean soup from Trader Joes for lunch.

Afternoon snack was a piece of a cookie cake.. it was in the break room and it was calling my name. 

Not sure about dinner this evening... I'll grab something to cook at the grocery store and call it a night.

Have a good day kids!




Monday, July 18, 2011

Monday Weigh In Day, Stats and Weekly Plan

What a terrific Monday, eh?? 

Last weeks stats....

Gym 5 days last week for a total of 3491 calories burned.  I surpassed my weekly goal of 3000 calories burned that I set for myself.

I ate a total of 10,338 calories for the week which averages out to 1476 NET per day, which somehow has resulted in a 3lb weight loss this week, down to 211, from 214 last week.  And I'll take that!




This week's plan...

Oatmeal for breakfast
Salads for lunch
snack - almonds/fruit/turkey sticks/string cheese
dinners - fish - chicken - veggies

This weeks goal for myself... STICK TO MY PLAN.  1200-1400 calories each day, and gym everyday.   I can't afford to allow my snacking get carried away this week.  I'll only be able to get to the gym Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.   Thursday I'll be packing and getting ready for my Girls Weekend away at the Lake, Friday-Sunday.   I can assure you there will be nothing but junk food to accompany the flowing alcohol all weekend.

Have a great week!!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Sunday Q&A

Another weekend... it was there... now it's gone.  le sigh.

Oh well.   That's life right?  :)

My weekend was good, however I ate a bit too much yesterday.   I should say I "snacked" too much. I just couldnt figure out what I wanted, and when I did it was after 2 Zebra Cakes, a chocolate cone from Dairy Queen, some Sour Cream and Onion Pringles, and some almonds.   Thank God I burned 800 calories at the gym yesterday, because I'm sure I at least maintained since I ate 800 calories in crap.   Weigh in day is tomorrow, so we shall see.

Questions!! Lets get right to it.

#1 is from my friend Melissa.    She says...

"Do you weigh yourself only on the weigh in days or do you weigh yourself everyday but only count the weigh in day?"

 Ohhhh the scale. That god dammed scale!!!   LOL I used to weigh myself daily. But it started to make me crazy.. I'd be up a few lbs, say "screw it" and eat. Or - I'd be down a few lbs and say "yay!!" and then go eat again. It was a vicious cycle. Then I toyed with weighing monthly, but that was too big of a gap for me that I was only losing about 3 lbs a month.  So, I finally went to once a week, and that's what I've been doing ever since. However - let me just say that if the scale is there, meaning in my bathroom I WILL step on it everyday. So - what I do is remove it from the bathroom and put it in my hall closet. On Monday mornings, I bring it out, step on it twice, just to make sure the number is the same, then put that sucker back in the closet. Out of sight, out of mind. Most of the time anyway.  

#2 is a Lap Band related question from my friend Bella..  She asks...

"Does drinking beer negatively affect you other than the unwanted calories that is, I mean, does it cause gas?"


Beer.  How I love me some beer!!   There are SO many answers to this question because each surgeon is different, and honestly each person is different.  For those of you that read this that do not have a band..  the band is fickle.   Very picky in choosing what you can and cant eat, and it varies by the individual.   My very dear friend Lis is able to eat rice.   I'd KILL to be able to eat rice!  I can eat shrimp, but she can't.  Anyway - my point is this... what works for me doesnt necessary work for the next person and so on.   So, back to the beer.   What I find is that YES I"m able to drink beer just fine ONLY if it's on an empty-ish stomach.   We're supposed to wait 30 minutes after a meal before drinking anything, and with beer I find that I have to wait much longer because of the carbonation, and  if I have an empty "pouch" then the beer will go right through and will not sit in there.  Anyway -  beer also fills me up.  Not like wine or mixed drinks, when I drink beer I feel "full".  Again, I guess because of the carbonation, possibly the yeast. I'm not sure.   Since beer affects me like this, I try to drink it in moderation.  My drink of choice is of course wine as most of you know, however when I'm poolside with friends and family, beer is my go-to option.  I just have to make sure that when I decide to eat something, I'm done with the beer.

There ya have it friends!   I'm going to finish my coffee, head to the gym to make sure I hit my 3000 calories burned goal for the week, then head out to my parents' to soak up the sun.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Mid-Week Check In


Hey there! Happy Thursday!

I've been okay this week.. so far so good with sticking to the plan I've created for myself.

I ate lunch out yesterday, and a co-worker took me out today, but I logged it all and stayed within my alotted calories. 

I made it to the gym Monday and Wednesday, and burned 1490 calories so far this week.  I need 1510 more to make my goal of 3000 for the week.  I have 4 days to do this... I got this.

Last week I mentioned a recipe...  Broiled Spice Rubbed Salmon  and I tried it the other night.  I was not a fan. It was too smokey for me.  While I enjoy smokey flavor, it was overwhelming and I dont really think the right flavor for salmon.  At least that's what I thought of it.  Dmitri didn't care for it either, and told me to stop experimenting. HA!

This weeks recipe -  Barramundi with Almond Pesto  The recipe calls for macadamia nut pesto, but I'm more of an almond fan, so that's what we're goin with instead.   I think I'm actually going to have this for dinner.  I'm in a fish kinda mood today.  Anyway - If you've never had Baramundi, I highly recommend it.  I'd explain the flavor, but I'm clearly no Rachael Ray, or Katie Briner...  so I'll point you to the Wikipedia website here

I'm also going to leave you with this fun little slideshow from Shape.com.  If you're a beer drinker... This one's for you!  

Let me just say that my favorite made the cut!!!

  
However - it's only "bikini friendly" if you consume them in moderation of course, and by moderation I mean less than 6 at a time! Ha!!


Until next time...




Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Buffet Dining - Lap Band Style

My mom's birthday was yesterday, and every year we go to the casino, eat at the buffet and gamble.  It's tradition. 

Last year I was pretty new-ish to the Lap Band world, a little over  year out but could still eat my way around the band.  Today however, was not the case.




My first plate was this salad.   It was about 2 cups of spring mix lettuce, parmesan cheese, bacon, and ceasar dressing.  I ate half.

This was my plate.   1 fried pork potsticker, 2 pieces of sushi, 3 small pieces of teriyaki beef,  1 piece of fried cod with tarter sauce, and 6 glazed baby carrots.    I ate the cod, the potsticker, one piece of the sushi, one piece of beef and 3 carrots and I was done.

And we all know you dont got to a casino buffet and not have dessert....


The plate on the left was mom's.  She had a mini creme puff and a neapolitan mousse.  I too had 1 mini creme puff, and the gelato to the right.  I ate one two bites of each flavor, loaded oatmeal cookie, and lemon peach. What you're seeing here is what we left on the table.  

Note to self - eat the gelato FIRST.  It was SO good.


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Exercising In the Heat

A friend and I were talking about this the other day, and comparing how different our workouts are now that it's summer here in St. Louis, and the heat is in full effect.   

I work out in a gym, she doesn't.  She relies on decent weather for her workouts, luckily I dont have to.  I get to work out in the comfort of an air conditioned gym, while she sweats her hiney off outside, which has caused her to limit her workouts or worse yet, cease them altogether.   If I dont make it to the gym, it's usually out of pure laziness, not because it's "too hot".

So, when I saw this artile, I knew I had to share it!  In the article is a link for tips for safe exercise during the summer months.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/talk-of-the-day/article_30f85c9a-ac83-11e0-b667-001a4bcf6878.html

Now, get out there, move your ass, and sweat a little (or a lot) today!!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Weigh in Day, Weekly Stats and Plan

Happy Monday kids!

Last weeks Stats -

Total calories - 14475
3 days at the gym (shouldve been 5, but who's counting...) - 2042 calories burned
NET - 12433 comes out to be 1776 average per day. 

That's slightly over maintenance, which explains the scale today.  Booo

I had a great weekend though! Pool all day at my mom's on Saturday, where I proceeded to indulge in a few beers and a margarita.  Few meaning 3.   Then potato chips, and other junk food.   I also skipped the gym.    Sunday , I skipped the gym again and my husband and I went to the Cardinals game, where I again had beer, only 2 this time, and 1/2 a hot dog with extra mustard.  You can't go to a baseball game WITHOUT getting a hot dog!!   Dinner last night was 2 slices of my white chicken pizza.  

So skipping the gym and eating at maintenance during the week and both Saturday and Sunday leads me to this...


Yep.  Up one pound from last week, which was 213.4

So, onto the plan for this week.

Breakfast will be this fabulous oatmeal. It's still on sale at Dierberg's.  10 for $10!!  Go get ya some!! 



Sidenote:  My friend Katie posted this amazing homemade blueberry muffin recipe yesterday on her blog, so I'm glad I bought this, because her pictures looked FANTASTIC!  You can check her out here - My Own Test Kitchen 


Lunches - I made chili on Saturday for the week, but the hubbs had some, so I think I have enough for 3 days.  I'll pair that with a small salad

Snacks - turkey sticks/fruit/string cheese, etc. 

Dinners - TBD as always.   Tonight's dinner, however will be London Broil, and steamed broccoli.

Gym goal this week - 5 days and/or 3000 calories burned.

Have a good week!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sunday Q&A

To eat or not to eat... that is the question.

Well... kinda.

This weeks question comes from my friend Kim.   She wanted to know if I eat before the gym, and the best options for pre-fitness fuel.

During the week, I go to the gym after work, so I've fueled my body all day with breakfast, lunch and snacks.  My afternoon snack is usually around 2:30-3:00, and I'm in the gym by 4:30-5:00.  So as far as eating for fuel before the gym, during the week I have that covered.

The weekends however, are another story.  I would definitely recommend eating something before the gym, in the form of a good carbohydrate.  Your body uses carbs as fuel and helps burn off stored fat when you work out.   I like to get to the gym early on the weekends, right after my coffee.  My band can't tolerate food early in the morning, so the whole eating before I work out thing gets thrown out the window.  But, for those of you that aren't band patients, then it is in fact ideal for you to eat before.

I found this website when looking for good sources of complex carbs.  If you're not sure what the difference is, see the link below.   Anyway - this website is a great reference when talking about using food as fuel, what it does for your body and how different foods function in your body during your work out.

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/3644.html

Difference between complex and simplex carbs

Kim - I hope this answers your question!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Mid-Week Check In

Hey there!!

Since I start my weeks on Monday's, Thursday is considered my "mid week".  I decided to start doing mid week check in's, just to share how the week is going and if there's anything new. 

Well - I made it to the gym Monday, skipped Tuesday, and went last night.  I'm still trying to talk myself into going tonight.  It's gloomy here, I had a late night last night, and I've had a super busy week at work. I really just want a glass of wine and my couch tonight.  The gym just isn't a priority for me today. I'll go tomorrow, Friday and Saturday and that'll put me at 5 days for the week.  Perfect!

For the most part I've stuck to my eating plan for the week, however I've deviated a bit from the breakfast I had planned of sausage and eggs.   Instead, my FABULOUS office mate Lesley brought this in for me...

HELLO it's DELICIOUSNESS!!

You can find this at Dierberg's.   Get this.. it's $1!!!   $1 for a box of 5 packets!!!  If you've ever had the Kashi oatmeal, well it's around $4 for 8 packets, and this oatmeal tastes exactly the same!   I had the Apple and Cinnamon flavor on Tuesday, and yesterday and this morning I had the Maple and Brown Sugar flavor.

1 packet - 160 calories, 31 carbs, 5 grams of protein.   Definiately worth trying!

In other news... Im a sucker for a good flatbread.  My problem is that the flatbreads are often too thick for me, and arent band-friendly. I love the Flat-Out brand wraps, but they're just too thick.   This Lavash Bread by Joseph's is PERFECT!  One sheet is enough for 2 meals.   The whole sheet is about 8" x 11", and 100 calories!   I cut one sheet in half, and wrapped my chicken/beans/cheese mixture it in, and made a "burrito" out of it.  It was excellent! The Lavosh is soft, and when you roll it, it doesnt crack or break which is sometimes a problem with tortillas.



You can find this at Walmart in the specialty bread section.  I paid $2.50 for it.

In addition to my mid-week check in's, the plan is to try a new recipe at least once every other week. If you have one you think I should try, lemme know.  I have a few from my friend Carolyn, that I've been meaning to try, and I'll get to them I'm sure.  But for now, I'm gonna leave you with this recipe I found on Shape Magazine's Healthy Eating section.  Im planning to try it over the weekend. I'll give the reviews after I do, of course.  Unless YOU try it first... then let me know.  :) 



Monday, July 4, 2011

Stats, Weigh in Day, and Weekly Plan

Happy Independence Day all!!! 

Hopefully you enjoyed your holiday weekend.  I know I did.   I avoided going over my calories... I made it to the gym each day, and I had ONE beer yesterday. ONE!  This is an accomplishment for me, and I'm happy about that.

I made a pineapple upside down cake for yesterday's festivities at my parents' house.  I planned on having a small piece, and leaving the rest at their house.   Well I tried it, and honestly.. I'm not a fan.  It's just not my cup of tea.  But it looks pretty, right??  


So after I tried it and realized, that fruity cake just isnt for me, I opted for a few small squares of my mom's brownie cookie cake.  My mom is an amazing baker.   She can seriously make anything.  And I try to avoid it all. LOL   Since I made "room" in my calorie budget for this cake and didn't eat it, I made a beeline for the chocolate chip brownie cookie cake.  DELISH!  Not that I'm surprised by that, but oh well.   Everyone else seemed to enjoy my cake, so that's good. 

Moving on...

Last week I ate a total of 11650 calories
I made it to the gym 4 days, and to the park 1 day for a 2 mile run, for a total of 3012 calories burned for the week.  That leaves me with an average NET intake of 1234 calories each day.

I weighed in this morning, and was down 3 lbs, from 216 to 213.  Yep. I'll take it!


Today's plan...

I'm headed to the gym to start my week the right way with cardio and arms/back/shoulders.

Since I'm off work today, I'm going to plan my meals for the week. 

Breakfasts - 1 egg and 1 sausage link each day

Lunches - 2 oz canned chicken mixed with 1/4 cup fat free refried beans, and 1 oz shredded cheese, and a small salad

Snacks - most likely fruit, turkey sticks and string cheese

Dinners  - Whatever I feel like that day.   Today's dinner is chicken parm.  One 4oz chicken breast, "shake in bake style", topped with 1/4 cup Ragu Tomato Basil sauce, and 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese all baked in the oven.  And a small ceasar salad.

Hoping the rain stays away so my husband and I can take our daughter to go watch fireworks this evening.  If not, it'll be a quiet evening at home with Netflix I'm sure.

Have a good 4th, and a great week!!  Get out there and MOVE today!