Having a bit of trouble getting back into daily blogging...
Yesterday and today were pretty similar--porridge and salad, then yogurt. I messed up and put the enchiladas and sauce in the same container, which caused the corn tortillas to dissolve, which is definitely NOT Good Eats. So last night I had some Mac 'n' Cheese out of the panrty and tonight it was beef and barley soup. Not hard-core Plan but at least my pantry is getting a bit organized.
Thursday 20 January 2011
Tuesday 18 January 2011
18 Jan '11
I had to get up this morning and get my blood drawn, so no brekkie before I left. I went over to the Starbucks at Sainsbury's and had a small panini and a skinny latte for breakfast, then ran a few errands. Since I thought I had a briefing this afternoon, I had a small salad at wor for lunch along with some lime/ ginger water.
I've been doing these security briefings since 1999 and they have ALWAYS been on Tuesday afternoons at 1300. Well, they're still on Tuesdays, but now they're at 0900! You would think they might have mentioned that, but no-o-o-o! So I missed it. I was on time for Nancy's 'How TO Eat' class as a result, so that was good.
I'm getting ready to nuke my enchiladas for dinner and I'm still working my way thru the water. I've also had a yogurt and a 1.2 oz chocolate bar. Very tasty! The raspberries looked good at the commissary, so I may have those, too--or save them for tomorrow.
The class was interesting. The point is not to loss weight during the class but to learn how to relax and enjoy what you're eating. It's designed for 'diet casualties' which I certainly am. I do know how to LOSE weight, I just don't know how to keep it off. That's what I'm going for these days. I have enough weight loss strategies, so now I'm looking to learn how to stay there.
I start back on days tomorrow (thru Sunday) so I have lots to get ready--and a load of laundry to do. It's been positively balmy (if wet) for the past few days, but today it was pretty cold. We had a hard frost overnight and it didn't really get very warm today. I need to get up early enough to let the car warm up in the morning.
I've been doing these security briefings since 1999 and they have ALWAYS been on Tuesday afternoons at 1300. Well, they're still on Tuesdays, but now they're at 0900! You would think they might have mentioned that, but no-o-o-o! So I missed it. I was on time for Nancy's 'How TO Eat' class as a result, so that was good.
I'm getting ready to nuke my enchiladas for dinner and I'm still working my way thru the water. I've also had a yogurt and a 1.2 oz chocolate bar. Very tasty! The raspberries looked good at the commissary, so I may have those, too--or save them for tomorrow.
The class was interesting. The point is not to loss weight during the class but to learn how to relax and enjoy what you're eating. It's designed for 'diet casualties' which I certainly am. I do know how to LOSE weight, I just don't know how to keep it off. That's what I'm going for these days. I have enough weight loss strategies, so now I'm looking to learn how to stay there.
I start back on days tomorrow (thru Sunday) so I have lots to get ready--and a load of laundry to do. It's been positively balmy (if wet) for the past few days, but today it was pretty cold. We had a hard frost overnight and it didn't really get very warm today. I need to get up early enough to let the car warm up in the morning.
Monday 17 January 2011
17 Jan '11
I've almost undone all the damage I did over the holidays to my plan. I'm back to 29 lbs down which is motivating; I've lost 3 lbs this past week. I went in to the surgery this morning to have my routine blood work done (no joy--I'm a very 'hard stick'--so I have to go to the hospital tomorrow morning) and I had her check my blood pressure. It was 110/60 (woo hoo!) so the weight loss is showing some results there, too. When I was younger (and less fat), my blood pressure was normally about 100/60 so I was very happy to see the 60 again.
Before I went off to get my blood drawn, I mad myself a new flavor of 'spa water': lime and ginger. Very nice! I got home from the surgery and made porridge for breakfast. I did a bit of work in the kitchen, then made a can of clam chowder for lunch. I did a few more errands, including going over to the Stop 'n' Rob on base. They currently have some 1.2 oz Lindt dark chocolate bars and I'm trying a little experiment. An ounce of dark chocolate is one serving, so I got a few of these since they're basically a 1 serving size. I've always said my problem is opening a large pack of something and not having the will power to resist finishing it; well, these are a single serving, so I'll see how I do. I also had a yogurt this afternoon.
I made the enchiladas at the end for my dinner tonight and my lunches. They're pretty good, although I only got 12 and not 16 out of the recipe--and I don't think mine we're especially full. I used most of a container of Breakstone 2% cottage cheese; I think next time, I'll use the whole thing. I also sprinkled them with a little shredded cheese and a dollop of Lite Sour Cream. Very tasty!
Lite Bean and Cheese EnchiladasAdapted from Noble Pig blog and Everyday Food
2 cups low-fat (1% or 2%) cottage cheese
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
Kosher salt and ground pepper
16 corn tortillas
Nonstick Cooking Spray
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 large white onion, diced small (1/2 cup reserved for serving)
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 can (15 ounces) tomato puree
2 cups vegetable broth
fresh cilantro leaves for serving
Preheat oven to 350o. In a food processor, process cottage cheese until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in black beans. Season with salt and pepper.
Wrap stacked corn tortillas in a damp dish towel and microwave until softened, 2 minutes. Working with one tortilla at a time, lightly spray both sides with cooking spray, place two rounded Tablespoons cottage cheese mixture down center of each, then roll tortilla around filling. Place seam side down, on rimmed baking sheet. Bake tortillas until heated through, 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Whisk in vinegar, tomato puree and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).
To serve, divide enchiladas among plates and top with sauce, onion and cilantro.
Before I went off to get my blood drawn, I mad myself a new flavor of 'spa water': lime and ginger. Very nice! I got home from the surgery and made porridge for breakfast. I did a bit of work in the kitchen, then made a can of clam chowder for lunch. I did a few more errands, including going over to the Stop 'n' Rob on base. They currently have some 1.2 oz Lindt dark chocolate bars and I'm trying a little experiment. An ounce of dark chocolate is one serving, so I got a few of these since they're basically a 1 serving size. I've always said my problem is opening a large pack of something and not having the will power to resist finishing it; well, these are a single serving, so I'll see how I do. I also had a yogurt this afternoon.
I made the enchiladas at the end for my dinner tonight and my lunches. They're pretty good, although I only got 12 and not 16 out of the recipe--and I don't think mine we're especially full. I used most of a container of Breakstone 2% cottage cheese; I think next time, I'll use the whole thing. I also sprinkled them with a little shredded cheese and a dollop of Lite Sour Cream. Very tasty!
Lite Bean and Cheese EnchiladasAdapted from Noble Pig blog and Everyday Food
2 cups low-fat (1% or 2%) cottage cheese
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
Kosher salt and ground pepper
16 corn tortillas
Nonstick Cooking Spray
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 large white onion, diced small (1/2 cup reserved for serving)
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 can (15 ounces) tomato puree
2 cups vegetable broth
fresh cilantro leaves for serving
Preheat oven to 350o. In a food processor, process cottage cheese until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in black beans. Season with salt and pepper.
Wrap stacked corn tortillas in a damp dish towel and microwave until softened, 2 minutes. Working with one tortilla at a time, lightly spray both sides with cooking spray, place two rounded Tablespoons cottage cheese mixture down center of each, then roll tortilla around filling. Place seam side down, on rimmed baking sheet. Bake tortillas until heated through, 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 5 minutes. Add chili powder and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Whisk in vinegar, tomato puree and broth, bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids).
To serve, divide enchiladas among plates and top with sauce, onion and cilantro.
Sunday 16 January 2011
16 Jan '11
This evening, I was watching a bunch of stuff I had previously recorded on Sky, including something called "Fix My Fat Heat", by a Welsh journalist called Hannah Jones. No easy answers, but lots to think about; my only critisism really was that it was like so much other British TV and newspapers in that it never really provides a conclusion. It also seems like it was a stan-alone program, so there's not another part of the show so you can do the Paul Harvey thing and get 'the rest of the story'.
The basis premisis of the program seemed to be that she had tried "all the other diets" and nothing seemed to work, so she thought she's try the psychology of obesity. She's a journalist and a published author. At the very beginning, at one of the things she tried, she admitted her weight was 21 stone (or about 294 lb); I missed how tall she was, if they even said, but she looked like she was somewhere between 5'5" and 5'10". I should have gone back to that section before I deleted it. She says she's a size 24 (which equals an American size 22), so she's probably at the higher end of that height range.
She talks about the UK obesity epidemic and how there are a lot of choices out there, which I kind of agree with. It seems to me that there a lot of ways to spend a lot of money and never arrive at an answer or a solution. I think the things she featured included something called 'Lite for Life' (which you had to be fat enough to be accepted), Slimmer's World, hypnotherapy and psychoanalysis. Of all her choices, she seemed to think the psychoanalysis offered the most hope and I tend to agree. The others struck me as a bit silly--I wouldn't have stayed with them because they were just a bit too simplistic (for lack of a better word).
The psychoanalysis had her examining her relationship with food and her relationship with her family, particularly her mother. Hannah says she loves food but she's a very picky eater. That part sounds very familiar! Even though there was no resolution, it gave me a lot to think about. Fingers crossed that I continue to think on these ideas--and not just sleep on them and then return to business as usual.
I'm having a bit of a hard time going back to the Plan after my hiatus. Tomorrow morning, I have to get some blood drawn. I want to come home and (finally!) organize the kitchen. I think it's going to take longer than just a day!
The basis premisis of the program seemed to be that she had tried "all the other diets" and nothing seemed to work, so she thought she's try the psychology of obesity. She's a journalist and a published author. At the very beginning, at one of the things she tried, she admitted her weight was 21 stone (or about 294 lb); I missed how tall she was, if they even said, but she looked like she was somewhere between 5'5" and 5'10". I should have gone back to that section before I deleted it. She says she's a size 24 (which equals an American size 22), so she's probably at the higher end of that height range.
She talks about the UK obesity epidemic and how there are a lot of choices out there, which I kind of agree with. It seems to me that there a lot of ways to spend a lot of money and never arrive at an answer or a solution. I think the things she featured included something called 'Lite for Life' (which you had to be fat enough to be accepted), Slimmer's World, hypnotherapy and psychoanalysis. Of all her choices, she seemed to think the psychoanalysis offered the most hope and I tend to agree. The others struck me as a bit silly--I wouldn't have stayed with them because they were just a bit too simplistic (for lack of a better word).
The psychoanalysis had her examining her relationship with food and her relationship with her family, particularly her mother. Hannah says she loves food but she's a very picky eater. That part sounds very familiar! Even though there was no resolution, it gave me a lot to think about. Fingers crossed that I continue to think on these ideas--and not just sleep on them and then return to business as usual.
I'm having a bit of a hard time going back to the Plan after my hiatus. Tomorrow morning, I have to get some blood drawn. I want to come home and (finally!) organize the kitchen. I think it's going to take longer than just a day!
Saturday 15 January 2011
15 Jan '11
Went out to The Highwayman pub in Kirby Lonsdale for lunch today. I had a medium haddock and chips and Sticky Toffee Pudding. It was a very rainy day--although at least it was rain and not snow! Now I'm at home trying to re-hydrate and it's not going well :-( I didn't drink enough water at work last night and I'm really far behind! My legs are cramping like crazy! I want to go to bed, but if I don't get a bit more hydrated, I'll spend the night in pain, walking off these cramp. Rats! Rats! Rats!
14 Jan '11
The Stop 'n' Rob has tiny little 1.2 oz dark chocolate bars. How cool is that?! I'm going to get a few and see if I can just open one and leave the rest alone. The occasional 1.2 oz of chocolate won't hurt the plan. Think endorphins...
A small variation on the usual, food-wise: I had a late brekkie of porridge, so I didn't feel like my salad. I had a yogurt and then my chicken sate. I'm having a mug of Rooibos tea before I go to bed. I'm a little behind on the water tonight; I'll try to catch up on Saturday...
A small variation on the usual, food-wise: I had a late brekkie of porridge, so I didn't feel like my salad. I had a yogurt and then my chicken sate. I'm having a mug of Rooibos tea before I go to bed. I'm a little behind on the water tonight; I'll try to catch up on Saturday...
Friday 14 January 2011
13 Jan '11
Another grave, just like the other graves. Only difference was a bit of cheese and a couple of slices of bruschetta. I had a bit of cheese left over from the holiday so I took it to work. I made the bruschetta because it's not quite as messy as a French stick so clean-up wouldn't be a problem.
I got home, put the veggie boxes out, made a mug of Rooibos tea, checked ny e-mail and put a bit in my blog. Now it's time for bed!
I got home, put the veggie boxes out, made a mug of Rooibos tea, checked ny e-mail and put a bit in my blog. Now it's time for bed!
Thursday 13 January 2011
12 Jan '11
Another grave! Pretty much the usual fare: porridge, salad with prawns (and 2 hard pretzels tonight in lieu of crackers tonight), raspberries, yogurt and chicken sate with rice and veggies. Very yummy! Oh--and a York Peppermint Patty. I got my 3 liters of water and walked a mile in at work. Right now I'm waiting on my tea to cooli so I can drink that and hit the sack.
One of the guys I work with has had his medical leave extended for another 8 weeks so the schedule is seriously about to got to pot! But don't feel sorry for him since he's a major hypocondriac...
One of the guys I work with has had his medical leave extended for another 8 weeks so the schedule is seriously about to got to pot! But don't feel sorry for him since he's a major hypocondriac...
Wednesday 12 January 2011
11 Jan '11
Tsk! Tsk! How soon we forget...
Generally, when I'm working graves, I do my blog entry when I get off work, so it's always the morning after that day; I forgot this morning, so here goes, only a few hours late.
No brekkie yesterday morning because as usual I was in a rush getting out the door to get my nails done. Plus I had to get the chicken marinating for my dinners. So I came home and had some prawns and a grilled cheese sandwich; not a great combination but I was HUNGRY. Anyway, roasted (baked? whatever) the chicken I marinated earlier, made the peanut sauce, some rice and veggies, got it all in boxes and went to bed.
I had porridge when I got to work, a salad with some prawns for lunch, yogurt and raspberries for a snack and my chicken sate for dinner, which was wonderful! Note to self: only nuke for 3 minutes, not 4 at 50% power in the future. I also had my 3 liters of water and a nice mug of rooibos (unsweetened) tea when I got home. I like the rooibos tea (especially the Red Rocks) sweetened with a little honey, but I think I can get used to it unsweetened, too. After that, it was off to bed!
Generally, when I'm working graves, I do my blog entry when I get off work, so it's always the morning after that day; I forgot this morning, so here goes, only a few hours late.
No brekkie yesterday morning because as usual I was in a rush getting out the door to get my nails done. Plus I had to get the chicken marinating for my dinners. So I came home and had some prawns and a grilled cheese sandwich; not a great combination but I was HUNGRY. Anyway, roasted (baked? whatever) the chicken I marinated earlier, made the peanut sauce, some rice and veggies, got it all in boxes and went to bed.
I had porridge when I got to work, a salad with some prawns for lunch, yogurt and raspberries for a snack and my chicken sate for dinner, which was wonderful! Note to self: only nuke for 3 minutes, not 4 at 50% power in the future. I also had my 3 liters of water and a nice mug of rooibos (unsweetened) tea when I got home. I like the rooibos tea (especially the Red Rocks) sweetened with a little honey, but I think I can get used to it unsweetened, too. After that, it was off to bed!
Monday 10 January 2011
10 Jan '11
I'm ba-a-a-a-a-ck! After a few weeks of the Plan on hiatus and then the first week of the New Year faffing around because I couldn't get serious, I'm back on track (mostly). I didn't want to get up this morning--mostly because it was seriously dark all day--so I got a late start to the doctor's office, so no brekkie. My shoulder is better, but I still have limited mobility. I can't get my arm behind my back very far and I can't do the twisting motion with my right arm necessary to fasten my bra. I know--TMI! Anyway, I have been able to pin down where the pain is and he says there's a tiny little muscle (something-or-other minor) that is 'stuck'. So he gave me a new exercise and did some acupuncture into that muscle and I go back in a fortnight.
So when I left his office, I was HUNGRY! I needed t go by Betty's to check on coffee, so I had brunch (fresh-squeezed OJ,an English muffin, scrambled eggs and 2 pieces of bacon and coffee), then I had the last of my chicken and rice and veggies for dinner, some yogurt, a handful of nuts and some raspberries. I've almost made 3 liters of water, too. Not too shabby!
I did gain about 5 lbs, but I'm back on track, so I'm not bothered. I did most of my grocery shopping so I'll get up in the morning and marinate some chicken and do the chicken sate with peanut sauce, some rice and veggies. Part of my problem with getting on track last week was the continuing of holiday hours and service (or lack thereof), so now I'm doing my own salads. I think once I get into a routine, I'll be fine, but chopping all those veggies for salads is a hassle!
So when I left his office, I was HUNGRY! I needed t go by Betty's to check on coffee, so I had brunch (fresh-squeezed OJ,an English muffin, scrambled eggs and 2 pieces of bacon and coffee), then I had the last of my chicken and rice and veggies for dinner, some yogurt, a handful of nuts and some raspberries. I've almost made 3 liters of water, too. Not too shabby!
I did gain about 5 lbs, but I'm back on track, so I'm not bothered. I did most of my grocery shopping so I'll get up in the morning and marinate some chicken and do the chicken sate with peanut sauce, some rice and veggies. Part of my problem with getting on track last week was the continuing of holiday hours and service (or lack thereof), so now I'm doing my own salads. I think once I get into a routine, I'll be fine, but chopping all those veggies for salads is a hassle!
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